Initial+Proposal

For my Senior Seminar I am planning on exploring the new treatments vs. old treatments for Lupus. My driving question will relate to how new treatments are better than old treatments, what new treatments have recently developed and how survival rates have improved. I chose this topic because I have been a member of the Lupus Committee for 5 years and I am interested in learning more about the disease I have been raising funds for. For my paper, I definitely want to give a brief background of what Lupus is and how it attacks the body. After that short introduction, I would like to discuss old treatments for Lupus and then finally, I am going to prove my thesis. To prove my thesis, I am going to discuss new treatments and how survival rates are increased.

I would like to have a fund raiser called "dollar for your cause." It was an idea brought up with little detail within the Lupus Committee executive board throughout the past year, so I decided to pick up on it and make it my own. It will be a school-wide fund raiser to ask everyone to bring in one dollar to send a child with Lupus to camp. Since the committee is now focusing on 3 illnesses a year, rather than just Lupus, they may want to help raise funds for another one of our causes along with Lupus. We plan on replacing our previous "pasta for pennies" with this new fund raiser. So, basically, I am experimenting with it to see if it will be successful for years to come. I am planning on, instead of doing it by homeroom, doing it by b-block class. Most people are in school for b-block, including late arrivals and tech students. I would like to start it as soon as possible, definitely before the holidays.

I have researched/need to research more details about Lupus and how it attacks the body. I need more sources on old treatments vs. new treatments. Also, I need statistics on survivial rates.

For my topic overview, I can go to any site that discusses Lupus. So far, I have looked through medical websites and websites from the Lupus Foundation. These sources have an adequate background on the disease itself. Now, I am trying to delve into more sophisticated sources with specific research on treatments and survival rates.

I believe that this project will take up a lot of time, but I am willing to do the necessary research and put all of the work that is required. My topic expect is Mrs. Lewis, who is also the advisor for the committee. She will be able to assist me with learning more about Lupus and helping organize my project. My mentor, Ashley, is the president of the committee and can serve as a guide to help me organize thoughts and ideas. Both are very intelligent and will be willing to assist me as needed. There are many possible problems that can come along with this project. It is a big fund raiser and will require the help of the Lupus Committee. Organizing a project for myself and the committee will be a challenge and trying to stay organized for everyone might become difficult. But, with the help of my mentor and topic expert it is definitely achievable.