Rowan University’s colors are brown and gold, but during the first week in April, the University will go “blue” to spread awareness about autism.
During “Rowan Lights it Up Blue for Autism,” beginning Monday, April 1st, at 7:30 p.m., five Rowan buildings will be illuminated in blue. The buildings will include: Campbell Library, Bunce Hall, the campus greenhouse, Hollybush and the South Jersey Tech Park. The buildings will remain blue during Autism Awareness Week, which runs through April 8.
Richard Jones, vice president for student life and dean of students, will speak at the lighting ceremony in the lobby of Campbell Library on April 1 at 7:30 p.m.
“We’re pleased to again have this opportunity to celebrate and promote autism awareness on our campus,” says John Woodruff, director of the Academic Success Center/Disability Resources.
Autism Awareness Week will continue with a “Light it Up Blue” Autism Walk and Resource Fair on Saturday, April 6, at the Rowan Rec Center. The one-mile walk for autism begins at 10:30 a.m. Meanwhile, a resource fair, featuring the Young Profs Exploration Camp, Just 2 Moms, Cooper University Hospital, The Autism Shoppe and Faces 4 Autism, runs from 10 a.m.-noon.
Autism Awareness Week at Rowan is a collaboration of Rowan’s Academic Success Center, Department of Facilities Management, the Applied Behavior Analysis Club, the Student Council for Exceptional Children, and Sigma Pi.
For information, contact Woodruff at 856-256-4234 or visit the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/321902511188338/
While the University community is celebrating “Light It Up Blue” in April, Rowan takes an active role in autism awareness throughout the year, Woodruff notes.
“At Rowan, autism awareness actually takes place year round with faculty-led trainings, mentoring for Rowan students with Asperger Syndrome and a unique summer camp for teens on the autism spectrum,” Woodruff says.