The City Council may have been conducting their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Feb. 25, but the venue was quite different from their usual meeting spot at city hall.
As part of Lander's "Achieving the Promise" series, council met in Room 300 of the Carnell Learning Center on the Lander University campus. This allowed students to observe the proceedings, which included the first reading of an amendment to the City of Greenwood's Code of Ordinances, and the first reading of an amendment to the city's zoning ordinance.
However, the most exciting agenda item was a special question-and-answer session between Lander students and members of council. These questions focused on Lander's impact on the City of Greenwood and what ways Lander students can get involved with the greater Greenwood community. "If you want to know what's going on in the City of Greenwood, our door is open," said Niki Hutto, member of city council for Ward 1. Hutto, along with other members of council, stressed the large number of organizations in Greenwood that look for student volunteers and interns year-round.
Mayor Brandon Smith agreed, and further emphasized the city's desire to continue to see a large number of Lander students involved in the community. "There's literally something every single night of the week if you want to get involved," the mayor said.
Lander's "Achieving the Promise" series is sponsored by a grant from South Carolina Humanities, and brings together scholars, journalists, public officials, civic leaders, students and citizens into an extended conversation on cultivating an informed citizenry. For more information on "Achieving the Promise," visit www.lander.edu/atp or call the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at 864-388-8176.
S.C. Humanities:
The mission of South Carolina Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. This not-for-profit organization presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state.