MSU Film Club hosts “A Concert for ClearCause”

On Thursday, April 14, the MSU Film Club will be hosting “A Concert for a ClearCause” at the Vetter Stone Ampitheater.

The concert, which will run from approximately 6-9 p.m., will be headlined by WestSide Band and feature music from a range of big names, including the Rolling Stones, Santana and Prince. The event will also feature various food trucks on location selling delicious concert food, including hot sandwiches, burgers and kabobs.

The ClearCause Foundation was started by Allen and Sheryl Hill, after their sixteen-year-old son, Tyler, died a preventable death on a student exchange trip to Japan in 2007. They learned through every parent’s worst nightmare the dangers that face students travelling overseas, and Sheryl now works tirelessly to ensure that U.S. students are able to stay safe overseas. Founded in 2010, ClearCause spent the first four years collecting data, providing survivor support, and advocating for protective laws. As a result of their hard work, Minnesota is now the only state with policy mandating transparent reporting on illness, injury and death in student exchange programs.

However, Hill wants to take the cause further, passionately noting that, “students’ well-being is not well-protected by any federal law. No standardized education helps students depart smart. It’s why we are on a mission to engage students as active participants in decisions affecting their health and safety abroad.”

Now ClearCause is rebranding as DepartSmart.org to create awareness and online education helping to ensure every student returns with a rewarding experience in an industry held to the highest standards.

Hill believes “every student should know how to depart smart.” The first online module the organization intends to develop, entitled ‘Action Plan – Emergency Preparedness’, will cover what students should do in case of an emergency. Each module will cost $10-15,000 to develop and support. Hill emphasizes that “safety means the world to students abroad, and they mean the world to us.”

All money raised from this event will go towards funding the first online, independent education tools to help students depart smart and to help keep students safe overseas.

Alongside Hill, the Film Club has worked tirelessly over many weeks to get this event up and running. Zachary Liverseed, the president of the Film Club, states that “Through trials and tribulations, we’ve worked night and day to make sure this event becomes known.” He also notes that as well as raising awareness for a great cause, he hopes that this will be an opportunity for students to come along and enjoy themselves “as much as we will.”

Liverseed felt that “seeing as the film club has just got off the ground, it seemed only natural that we would partner with ClearCause, and support them in establishing who they are what they do here in Mankato.” He also noted that when taking on this event, the goal of the film club was “to get the word out to students about this fantastic cause and raise awareness of the need for students to stay safe overseas.”

Tickets are available here or by email through Liverseed at zachary.liverseed@mnsu.edu. Tickets purchased prior to the event include an early bird discount.

The Film Club hope to see as many MSU students there as possible!