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Accountancy Students Pay It Forward with Acts of Kindness

Before leaving for Thanksgiving, assistant professor of practice of accountancy Jean Riley-Schultz encouraged her students to pay it forward this season with a random act of kindness. Riley-Schultz traditionally assigns this unique extra credit opportunity each year around the holiday.
 
“In the last class before Thanksgiving, I have made it a tradition to talk about the many blessings we have and share the idea of doing a random act of kindness,” she said. “At the College of Business Administration, we want students to Start Something. My students have taken this challenge and accomplished meaningful things that impact people in their communities,” she said.
 
Students in the accounting 200 and 201 class returned from the holiday and reported numerous acts of kindness. These acts of helping others ranged from in-the-moment impulses like buying a homeless person food to planned and organized ways to give back to the community.
 
Husker 'pay if forward' at Madonna
Patricia Krause, a sophomore business administration major from Downers Grove, Illinois, wanted to honor veterans. She volunteered her time with Operation Support Our Troops by organizing donations made to the nonprofit.
 
“They received a large donation of Blackhawks t-shirts, which I folded and organized so they could be put in care packages and sent to the troops overseas,” Krause said. “These care packages help troops remember that even when they are far from home they are not alone, and we appreciate the sacrifices they make for our freedom.”
 
Student athletes Christian Bailey, Levi Gipson, Timothy Hannon, Kevin Maurice and Anders Natter all visited area hospitals with their teammates.
 
“I went to Bryan East with about 30 of my teammates. I visited the children's wing and the labor and delivery floor of the hospital. This was an all-together touching experience to visit with families from all over, to see and hold their babies and take pictures with them. I am glad I was able to take part in such an amazing experience,” said Hannon, a sophomore business administration major from Gladstone, Missouri.
 
Husker athletes visit Madonna
Visiting patients at local hospitals changed the way they view Husker fans and community service.
 
“To see the struggles these good people were dealing with weighed heavy on my heart. It was great to bring some joy in their lives by visiting them. I anticipate I will continue to volunteer whenever possible,” said Bailey, a sophomore economics and finance major from San Clemente, California.
 
Each of these acts demonstrate the power of human kindness, and Riley-Schultz hopes students will continue doing good deeds. With winter break fast approaching, students who are inspired to Start Something by doing a random act of kindness can share their experiences on social media with the hashtag #CBAGivesBack and #UNLCBA.
 
“Many students talk about how strong the CBA community is and doing these random acts of kindness can only make it stronger,” Riley-Schultz said.
Published: December 22, 2014