On a rainy April’s day, the Tower Guard class of 2022-2023 was inducted. Amidst the day of celebrations and smiles, new inductees’ eyes were set upon the year ahead of them – a year which would be dedicated to service.
Tower Guard is a historical student organization, founded in 1934 by May Shaw. The organization serves the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities by scribing and reading for exams, editing documents for accessibility, tutoring, and fundraising. Every year, the top achievers of the freshman class are invited to apply to Tower Guard. Out of the students who apply, approximately 80 are chosen after a thorough application and interview process. Students are selected on the basis of the four Tower Guard pillars: leadership, scholarship, service, and character.
The fall semester arrived quickly, and members were eager to begin. Tower Guard’s first major project of the year was creating a float for the MSU Homecoming Parade. Members spent days designing, painting, and cutting out shapes for this year’s float. The theme the class voted for was Shamrocks and Lucky Charms, which was chosen in light of Tower Guard’s annual Shamrock 5k! The event was a success – members united to walk in the parade, spread the word of Tower Guard, and pass out candy.
As for the spring semester, much of Tower Guard’s energy went towards planning the Shamrock 5k. This year’s race was on March 25th, with hundreds of people signing up and donating for the event. Tower Guard’s run chairs, Mya Towne and Sunyoung You, were at the heart of this event. Together, they oversaw the Run Committee – a group of Tower Guard members who assisted with the race. Members spent months planning a wonderful 5k. Despite the cold weather, Tower Guard members and race participants came out and made the day a success. The event raised over $12,000 for the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.
In addition to these events, the Tower Guard class volunteered in a variety of ways throughout the year. Members gave one-on-one tutoring to students, read and scribed for exams, provided time management assistance, raised money through fundraisers, and formatted documents to make them compatible with screen readers. Tower Guard members also attended events hosted by the Council of Students with Disabilities, where they learned more about disability activism and accessibility. The Council of Students with Disabilities is a student organization for students with disabilities and their supporters – it is dedicated to awareness, advocacy, support, and removing barriers for people with disabilities. Tower Guard appreciated joining the CSD’s events throughout the year, which included informational sessions, time with therapy dogs, and Adaptive Sports Day.
Throughout the year, Tower Guard also hosted Beaumont Tower Tours and Concerts. The Beaumont Tower has been a part of MSU since 1928, and is an icon of our university’s campus. Tower Guard is the only student organization to hold a key to Beaumont Tower, and members are given the opportunity to share the tower with the public. During tours, members direct visitors inside and discuss the Tower’s rich history. A highlight of these tours is the opportunity to see the Tower’s carillon being played by the university’s carillonist. Tower Guard was honored to share the Tower and its music with the public.
As the Tower Guard Class of 2022-2023 concludes their year together, next year’s class is preparing for their upcoming two semesters serving with Tower Guard. We can’t wait to see what the 2023-2024 members of Tower Guard accomplish!
Click the link below to view the end-of-year video that the 2022-2023 Historian Agrim Gupta created, which summarizes Tower Guard’s accomplishments throughout their year together: https://youtu.be/ymOnqKvDCMw