Student organizations give SECD students opportunities for leadership, service



Student organizations give SECD students opportunities for leadership, service

28 Aug 2018     By Kelcey Buck

With the fall semester underway, the three student organizations in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders are preparing for another year full of networking and outreach activities for both undergraduate and graduate students. 

The Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) is open to students from any major, and welcomes anyone passionate about spreading awareness about inclusion within society. The National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is also open to any majors that emphasize serving people with disabilities, but primarily focuses its activities and philanthropies in the areas of speech-language pathology and audiology. The Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) is open to both undergraduate and graduate students interested in audiology. 

This year, SCEC is focused on expanding its reach by recruiting members from all across campus. Senior Olivia Alberts, an elementary education major from Filley, Nebraska, is the president of the organization, which participates in volunteer activities with Special Olympics, Wonderfully Made Friendship Club, Step-Up for Down Syndrome, and Miss Amazing. Last spring, the group also helped bring Anthony Ianni, an anti-bullying motivational speaker, to campus to share his story of living with autism. 

“I’ve been part of SCEC for two years and have loved every second of it,” Alberts said. “As a future teacher, I wanted to be as best prepared for an inclusive classroom as possible. After joining this group, I realized that this doesn’t just apply to special education, speech-language pathology, or education majors. An inclusive society matters to everyone. It is our job to spread awareness.” 

The NSSLHA chapter has nearly 80 active members, with hopes of increasing involvement and volunteer hours within the group this semester. Molly McVey, a senior speech-language pathology major from Woodbury, Minnesota, serves as the NSSLHA president. The group regularly engages in volunteer and fundraising activities with the Scottish Rite, Down Syndrome Association for Families (DSAF), and Aphasia Awareness Walk. 

“My main goal as president is to provide a welcoming environment away from the stressful class environment and help facilitate a connection between members and faculty,” McVey said. “I think it’s important for students to join NSSLHA because it provides so many opportunities that you would not get inside the classroom, such as leadership and volunteer activities.” 

SAA, which had 28 members last year, is aiming to increase its membership numbers this year, particularly among undergraduate students interested in the field of audiology. In addition, the group hopes to provide more opportunities for volunteering and more social events for members to get to know each other outside of their academic program. Last year, the group participated in Clinic with a Heart, hosted a food drive to support the Lincoln Food Bank, and handed out ear plugs at a home Husker football game. Over the summer, SAA hosted its annual Huskers for Hearing 5K fun run and volunteered at the Lincoln Saltdogs’ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Night, both of which benefited HearU Nebraska, a hearing aid bank that provides hearing aids to children ages 0-18 years across the state. Courtney Robertson, a third-year student in the Clinical Doctorate in Audiology (Au.D.) program from Lincoln, is this year’s SAA president. 

“I think it is important for students to join SAA because it provides them with a way to get more involved in their community and meet people with similar interests,” Robertson said. “It also allows students to become involved in activities that promote audiology and provide services, information, representation and advocacy for the profession and public we will serve in the future.” 

Associate professor of practice Sue Kemp serves as the SCEC faculty adviser, while lecturer Alicia Davis and associate professor of practice Kelly Pritchett are the faculty advisers for NSSLHA and SAA, respectively. 

SCEC hosts its meetings the first Tuesday of each month. Interested students are encouraged to join the UNL Student Council for Exceptional Children Facebook group, where meeting locations, upcoming activities and volunteer opportunities are shared.

Students interested in joining the Student Academy of Audiology are encouraged to attend the group’s first meeting of the semester at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in Room 130 of the Barkley Memorial Center.

NSSLHA will hold its first meeting of the year at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 in Room 130 of the Barkley Memorial Center. Interested students can find out more by joining the UNL NSSLHA Facebook group.


Special Education and Communication Disorders