Western senior Ashley Nix sits behind a table in Red Square that is sponsored by the Communication Club that was accepting donations on Thursday for the American Cancer Society in support of Professor Penny Britton’s recovery from cancer. photo by Kathryn Bachen THE WESTERN FRONT

In honor of her battle against the disease and because she is known as a friendly, inspirational professor, Western’s Communications Club is holding its annual fundraiser “Pennies for Penny,” said Kristina Steiner, Western senior and president of the Communications Club.  

The club set up donation jars in Red Square Tuesday and the jars will remain there from  10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until today,  Steiner said. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.

The club hopes to raise about $1,000 from the fundraiser, said Cassie Chrisman, Western junior and member of the Communications Club.  

After three days of having the jars set up under a Miller Hall awning and during drizzly weather, Chrisman isn’t sure the club will reach its goal.

In addition to the donation jars, the Communication Club will raise money for the American Cancer Society with Relay for Life. The relay will take place Saturday and Sunday at the track outside Wade King Recreation Center will be a well-attended event, Steiner said.

The relay will run for 24 hours. Teams are invited to camp out on the track but need to have at least one member participating in the relay at a time, Steiner said.

Although some runners are sponsored, the relay is more about educating and making people more aware of cancer as opposed to making money, Chrisman said.

The club members aren’t sure how much money they have raised in the past, but said they are honored to hold the event in honor of Britton.

The fundraiser will take on a new meaning this year since Britton left on medical leave about two weeks ago, Steiner said.

Britton wishes her reasons for leaving remain confidential for the time being, Communications Department Chair Anna Eblen said. Britton was first diagnosed with cancer in the mid-1980’s and has fully recovered since then, Eblen said.

Students admire how approachable she is, her unique life experiences and willingness to share them with students, Eblen said.

Britton lived on a sailboat with her family when her children were little, Eblen said.

“They even talked about sailing around the world, although they only ended up sailing around the U.S.,” she said.

Britton is a delight to work with and has a wonderful sense of humor, Eblen added.

“[Britton] relates to students and builds relationships with them in ways that other professors don’t,” Western junior Megan Ebert said.

Britton always discusses her life experiences with her students, and she takes what students are learning about and applies these things to real-life situations, Ebert said. Britton connects with students moreso than many other professors, she said.

Western junior Jessica Beckwith said Britton treated her students like adults and was approachable, friendly and respectful.

Beckwith and Ebert assist small groups of students for a class called Communication 101: Fundamentals of Speech.

Britton helped develop the personalized instruction method for the class in 1989.

John Monroe, Britton and Eblen put the program together after studying programs at other universities, Eblen said.  

Britton became director in 1996 and has since made some changes to streamline the process.

The system was developed, so classes would meet for a mass lecture once a week, but spend most of their time in 10- to -12 person groups with undergraduate tutors to help prepare for a final speech, Eblen said.

“I think the structure is unique to Western and a definite confidence-booster for underclassmen,” Eblen said.

The Communication department approached Britton to help decide what the department needed to run its classes when the Communications Facility  was being built, Eblen said.  Britton suggested building the small rooms found on the second floor in the Communications Facility called break out rooms and requested media technology be purchased to film student speeches.

Communications professor Jennifer Hays has taken over directing Communication 101 for Britton for the remainder of spring quarter.

The class can be overwhelming to direct because there is a lot involved, Hays said. Hays said Britton has been a mentor to her for the past two quarters to prepare Hays for when Britton retires.

Hays said she isn’t sure whether she will continue directing the class in the future, but is hoping for Britton’s recovery and return.

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