Megan Orth
When Joey Etienne received his invitation to be a part of Tower Guard in the spring of 2012, he was not completely sure what it was all about. His grandmother, on the other hand, could not have been more thrilled or more proud of her grandson. Audrey Etienne knew exactly what the invitation meant because she herself had been inducted into Tower Guard in the spring of 1956. She was elated that her grandson could carry on the tradition, not only as a member, but as the president of the organization.
Tower Guard is the oldest student group on MSU’s campus, having celebrated over 78 years of student involvement and service. Sophomore students are invited into this honors organization based on criteria including leadership, academic and scholarly excellence, along with a commitment to service. Tower Guard members fulfill this commitment by working with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, assisting students with disabilities in a variety of ways and hosting events throughout the school year to support RCPD.
Many things have changed about Tower Guard over the years, as Audrey Etienne discovered when her grandson became a member. She recounts that when she was selected in 1956, the group was still reserved for female members only. The tradition was that women from Tower Guard came by the dorms carrying lanterns and singing, letting residents know that someone had been chosen for this esteemed organization.
Members of the Tower Guard class of 1956 in front of Beaumont Tower; Audrey Etienne is in the 3rd row back, 2nd person in from the left.
Mrs. Etienne says, “It came as a total surprise when I was chosen”, but that “being in Tower Guard encouraged me to aim for high goals. Associating with others who valued academics and service was inspiring.”
In 1956, Tower Guard held their meetings inside Beaumont Tower, as they do now. Members helped students register for classes at a time before computers when “class cards” were the norm. Mrs. Etienne says that as hectic as the process was, she felt it was “rewarding to help students through the maze.”
Tower Guard members helped students with visual impairments in their own fields of study, as Mrs. Etienne notes, “I also read to the blind. I was taking economics courses so I did a lot of reading in this field.”
A female member of Tower Guard in the 1950s reads a textbook to a student who is blind.
Over the years Tower Guard became a co-ed organization, but members still read textbooks and exams to students who are blind, as Joey’s grandmother did. Joey says that now, “on top of doing nearly 85% of the reading for the blind on campus, Tower Guard works with all students who are enrolled at the RCPD with the same sort of reading and assistance.”
“We also do e-texting which is how we format textbooks online so they can be read aloud to blind students. In this process, complete textbooks are scanned so they can also be converted into braille if needed.”
In the 1970s, Tower Guard started hosting events to raise awareness and money for RCPD, and they continue that tradition today. Every year at Homecoming, members give “Tower Tours” in which people can go inside of the beloved Beaumont Tower. As something that is on practically every Spartan’s bucket list, this event collects donations for RCPD and allows MSU students and alumni to learn about Tower Guard’s mission and work. This past series of Homecoming Tours saw over 200 Spartans inside of Beaumont Tower. Tower Guard hosts fundraisers at local restaurants throughout the year, and in the spring they get in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with the popular Shamrock 5k race that they founded in 2000.
The same fervor for service and helping others is still clearly apparent in members today, as it always has been. Joey believes that Tower Guard continues to make an impact on MSU’s campus because it “can make such a different in the lives of students who are a part of RCPD”.
He says that students at RCPD “worked just as hard as we did to get into this school, they got no special preference, so it is our duty to assist and help them in any way that we can while they are here.”
Current members of Tower Guard in front of Beaumont Tower; Joey Etienne is on the far right.
This year, Joey would like to see the Tower Guard name become more known around campus so that others can learn about them and RCPD and get involved. He says that the most important message people can take from the mission of Tower Guard is equality – the organization is striving to help every student graduate from MSU with a degree where the fact that they have a disability won’t make a difference.
Joey’s grandma undoubtedly agrees with this inspiring mission for she credits her time at MSU and especially in Tower Guard for providing her with her own inspiration and allowing her to live a “very fulfilling life”.
Some Tower Guard traditions and events may have changed slightly over the years, but the tradition of service and the passionate commitment to helping students with disabilities will be an everlasting legacy of Tower Guard.
Come and support Tower Guard at their Buffalo Wild Wing’s fundraiser Wednesday, November 14. Get the fundraiser certificate here and present it to your server at the Buffalo Wild Wing’s at 360 Albert (off of Grand River).
Check out Tower Guard on Facebook: like their “Tower Guard Family” page to learn more!