Bryant SIFE chapter is one of the best in the country

Bryant’s Students in Free Enterprise chapter continues to prove that it is one of the most successful in the nation.

For the sixth time in seven years, Bryant’s Students in Free Enterprise Organization (SIFE) competed in the SIFE National Exposition. At this year’s competition held in Chicago in May, the team placed in the top 10 percent of nearly 800 SIFE chapters in the country. Bryant earned its spot in the 2008 National Exposition by first winning the New England Regional Competition in April.

As part of the national competition, the team of Nicole Allen ’11 (Glen, NH), Dan Caulfield ’09 (Fairfield, CT), Emily Coutu ’10 (Lincoln, RI), Heather Dalke ’10 (Shrewsbury, MA), Mandie Dunne ’09 (Salem, NH), Paul Morana ’10 (Millbury, MA), Kyle O’Connor ’09 (North Providence, RI), Lauren Rafferty ’10 (Enfield, CT), Jeff Steacie ’10 (Bellingham, MA), Rob Taylor ’09 (Portland, CT), Nicole Velardi ’09 (Hamden, CT), and Matthew Veves ’10 (Hudson, NH) gave a 24-minute presentation on the 19 different projects SIFE worked on throughout the school year. These included:

The New Hope Diner Project, which taught business skills to residents of the Rhode Island Training School
Ethics in Action that presented an interactive discussion on ethics to high school students
Credit Craze, which offered workshops to increase financial literacy of college students
Business Simulation Projects that helped elementary school students create and market their own products

The projects are part of the mission of SIFE: to challenge students to take what they learn in the classroom and use their knowledge to better their community.

“With these hands-on learning experiences outside of the classroom, I have been able to assess myself not only by grades on exams but also by the impact of my actions on the community,” says Rafferty, who worked on the New Hope Diner Project.

Dunne, SIFE’s previous public relations coordinator, says the projects that SIFE organizes help students make the connection between classroom theory and potential careers.

“You can learn a lot from a textbook, but you can enhance your learning through projects that utilize the knowledge you have gained,” says Dunne.

Back row (L-R): Lauren Rafferty ’10 (Enfield, CT), Nicole Velardi ’09 (Hamden, CT), Emily Coutu ’10 (Lincoln, RI), Nicole Allen ’11 (Glen, NH), Mandie Dunne ’09 (Salem, NH), and Heather Dalke ’10 (Shrewsbury, MA. Front row (L-R): Paul Morana 10 (Millbury, MA), Jeff Steacie ’10 (Bellingham, MA), Rob Taylor ’09 (Portland, CT), Dan Caulfield ’09 (Fairfield, CT), Matthew Veves ’10 (Hudson, NH), Kyle O'Connor ’09 (North Providence, RI).

Veves, SIFE’s vice president of media and public relations who was active in the Ethics in Action program, says, “These out-of-classroom activities are essential to a complete education.”

Students become more well-rounded members of society by taking the concepts outside the walls of the classroom, says Coutu, who was part of the New Hope Diner Project.

“It is up to us as students to apply our knowledge to the world around us,” she says. “SIFE does an excellent job by encouraging us to take what we learn and use it with nonprofit agencies and other groups to better their situations.”

Steacie, the project manager for Credit Craze, says, “Getting involved on campus and in the community helps you learn more about yourself and can help shape your path in life.”

Julie Wentzell ’08 (Middletown, MA), past president of SIFE, wasn’t able to attend the National Exposition because of Commencement. Still, as a member of the organization since her first year at Bryant, she knows the benefits and opportunities that come from involvement in SIFE.

“SIFE has taught me that hard work, dedication, and commitment to something I enjoy that gives back to the community at the same time is one of the most important aspects of one’s life,” says Wentzell.