Morningside Connect

Rosanne L. Plante, class of 1993, was crowned Mrs. Iowa International on February 7^th at Woodbury County Extension Service. Plante will go on to compete for the title of Mrs. International 2016 during the final competition in Jacksonville, Fla., July 22-23, 2016.

Plante is an attorney and lead instructor/advisor of the paralegal studies program at Western Iowa Tech Community College. She enjoys gardening, antiquing, and crafting in her spare time. She also devotes her time and talents to numerous professional and charitable organizations.

Plante is a certified Iowa Master Gardener, having been awarded her 10-year and 500+ community service hours lifetime achievement awards. She is also a member of the Iowa Bar Association, president of the Iowa State Bar Association’s Public Service Project, and a founding and continuing planning committee member of the Siouxland Garden Show.

During her reign as Mrs. Iowa International, Plante will promote the healthy and family advantages of home and school gardens. She has created the “Green Ambassador” program and will be working with the Sioux City Gospel Mission. Her goal is to encourage 100 individuals/families to plant a row/portion of “hope” in their gardens and provide fresh produce to the Gospel Mission’s soup kitchen and pantry.

“I am honored and thrilled to represent my local community and state as Mrs. Iowa 2016,” said Plante. “My year of service will be dedicated to my passions of horticulture education and raising awareness about how each individual can contribute to ending hunger in their community.”

Students, organizations, faculty, and President John Reynders stood on the ‘M’ for the stand against human trafficking, taking turns over a 24-hour period. This event, organized by students in the political science course Human Rights and Women’s Rights, was held to raise awareness and support for the Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking. The Siouxland Coalition is attempting to establish a restoration house in Sioux City for trafficking survivors.

Students were invited to stand on the ‘M’ with blue T-shirts that bore the number 4.5 million, which signifies the total number of victims of sex trafficking. The ‘M’ was decorated with informative signs and statistics about the issue of sex trafficking locally and globally.

Members of the Morningside College Choir joined the stand and piqued additional interest with a vocal performance.

A panel discussion on the topic of sex trafficking was held Tuesday, April 5^th. The panel included four different areas of expertise, including representatives from the Centers Against Abuse & Sexual Assault, Bruce Hogel from the Sioux City Police Department, Bernadette Rixner from Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and Libby Claeys from Sk8 to End Sex Trafficking.

The Stand Against Human Trafficking will become an annual event to continually raise awareness and gain support for victims of human trafficking.

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