Professor looks to ease burden of needy students

By Dave Groves, news editor

Associate Professor of Education Timothy Larrabee recently returned from the National Association of Multicultural Education conference in New Orleans, where he met Carli Kyles, a representative of Bags Across the Globe for Students (BAGS) presently working in Angola.

Kyles explained that she was in New Orleans to collect conference bags for school kids who don't have book bags. The encounter inspired Larrabee not only to donate a collection of bags piling up in his office, but to solicit others from OU colleagues in the same predicament.

Larrabee plans to mail all the bags he collects to BAGS International, which will distribute them to distressed populations around the world.

“It’s a social justice issue, it addresses a great need and it’s an education thing,” Larrabee said. “Everything just made sense, and it’s easy, so why not do it?”

Those interested in contributing are invited to drop bags off at Larrabee’s office, 470G Pawley Hall, or to e-mail him to arrange for the bags to be picked up.

To learn more about the BAGS International project, visit http://bagsinternational.org/Site/Home.html.