USC Upstate Baseball Off to a Good Start

Organizations involved with:
Sigma Tau Delta, PRIDE, and The Carolinian.

If you could meet one person in the world, who would it be?
I would love to meet Ursula K. Le Guin. I really enjoy her works in science fiction and her essays. It would be fun to “pick” at her mind in talking to her.

Mock Trial Team Heads to Championship
Dr. Kevin Sargent, director of forensics, reports that after a whirlwind mock trial competition, the USC Upstate Mock Trial Team earned one of three available bids to the National Championship Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa at this past weekend's Southeast Regional Championships hosted at Furman. USC Upstate students also earned individual awards for Outstanding Attorney and Outstanding Witness. Sargent adds that, “our mock trial program is very much conceived as a co-curricular, engaged learning experience and that means that our student's success is the end product of the contributions you have all made to their overall educational development. Earning a bid to nationals is a goal we have worked toward for four years and if you could have seen the joy those students experienced at having finally achieved that goal you would have been as proud and moved as I was. Special thanks goes to the generous financial support the team receives from Dean Wiles in Student Affairs and the academic support we get from the Department of Fine Arts and Communication Studies chaired by Dr. Rachelle Prioleau, Dean Bradshaw, Vice Chancellor Avery, and of course, Chancellor Stockwell.”

Reach Out and Call Someone
There are two 2006 Spartanburg BellSouth telephone directories on CD in the Office of University Communications left for anyone who needs them. E-mail Claire Sachse to reserve your copy or come by Admin. 222 and pick one up.

REMINDER: New Student E-mail Policy
Please be reminded that in order to better utilize the current University assigned student e-mail system, as well as to create a trusted source of official University communication for students, a new policy was implemented on January 1, 2006 regarding the appropriate use of e-mail communication to students using the University assigned student e-mail accounts.  The University began communicating official information to students through their University assigned e-mail accounts in accordance with the new policy on this date.   Students were told that as of January 1, 2006 they are responsible for regularly checking their University assigned e-mail account for important University information and announcements, including all communications from faculty or staff.  Please review this policy and note that the authority to utilize the “All Students” distribution list was limited on November 1, 2005 so that students will be able to prepare their mailboxes to receive approved, official University communications according to the policy.

To assist with this implementation, students were asked to login to their University assigned e-mail account and delete all unwanted messages by December 1, 2005.  If students have questions regarding how to access their University account or other frequently asked questions regarding student e-mail accounts, answers are available at www.uscupstate.edu/emailfaq.

Brush up on your Chinese
Starting this week, a non-credit Chinese class will be offered on campus on Wednesdays from 5:45-6:45 p.m. in Admin. 101, the Center for International Studies. The cost is $12/class/person or $10/class/person for 10+ students (pay by the month, four sessions per month). If you are interested, just come to the first class. For more information e-mail Kathryn McLaughlin or call ext. 5675.

The Spring 2006 Rhetoric of Music Lecture & Concert Series
Dr. Brennan Szafron, organist and director of music at the Church of the Advent, will discuss the uniqueness of the organ, as well as the rhetorical and musical influences of the Baroque period, on Tuesday, February 7 at 12:15 p.m. at Tukey Theater. This event is one of many planned through April by the USC Upstate Research Council, The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg and the Department of Fine Arts and Communications Studies.

Calling All Writers
WritersINC, the University's creative arts journal, will be taking submissions from students, faculty, and staff until February 10. We hope that this will more accurately reflect the creative energies of the USC Upstate community. If you have a piece of work you'd like to submit, please do so. If you know a colleague or student who does such work, could you please remind them of this opportunity? If you teach, could you please announce this to your classes? This year WritersINC will be publishing poetry, fiction, art, and, for the first time, will include a compact disc of music written and performed by students, faculty, or staff. Cash prizes will be awarded for work in all categories. Work may be submitted to the WritersINC office in CLC, in the Writing Center, or in HPAC 212. Students may also submit work through e-mail to writersinc@uscupstate.edu or online.

Show Me The Money!
The College of Arts and Sciences will present “Show Me the Money” on Friday, February 10 from 2:15 – 4:15 p.m. in Rampey.  Elaine Marshall, York Bradshaw, Jack Turner, and Lizabeth Zack will discuss how to obtain grants of all shapes and sizes. All faculty members are welcome to attend. Faculty members in their first few years of service are encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be served. Call the College of Arts and Sciences Office at 503-5700 with any questions.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day…
Come to a Healthy Relationships Information Table on Tuesday, February 14 between11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the CLC lobby for all sorts of advice and help with your relationships. See the event flyer for details.

Auditions for Children’s Opera Glue
The Department of Fine Arts & Communication Studies will hold auditions for “GLUE,” a children’s opera written by Carrie Leigh Page. Auditions are scheduled for February 14 at 7:00 p.m. and February 16 at 4:30 p.m. in HP101. For more information please call Brandi Icard at 503-5846.

Founders’ Day 2006
At Founders’ Day 2006, the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education and the University will recognize six key supporters of the highway infrastructure project surrounding and intersecting the campus with the Founders’ Day Distinguished Service Award. All faculty and staff are invited to attend this program and reception on Thursday, February 16 at 4:00 p.m. in the CLC Ballroom. Honorees include Lee A. Blair, executive vice president of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce; H. Howell Clyborne, Jr., former SCDOT commissioner; John T. Gramling, II, neighbor and benefactor; James O. “Buddy” Harmon, Jr., Milliken & Company; Max K. Metcalf, State Infrastructure Bank board member; and Elizabeth Mabry, executive director of SCDOT. Please r.s.v.p. to ext. 5555 by February 10.

Bank of America: Excellence in Teaching and Advising Award
The Bank of America Excellence in Teaching and Advising Award at USC Upstate recognizes excellence in undergraduate instruction and academic advisement. The overriding criterion for selection is sustained excellence in undergraduate teaching and academic advisement. Eligibility is open to both full-time permanent tenure track faculty who have taught at least six credit hours in the semester prior to the selection and full-time instructors. Instructors must have taught for three consecutive years at the University and received above satisfactory evaluations by their immediate supervisor for three consecutive years preceding their nomination. The deadline for faculty and students to submit nominations to the Division of Student and Diversity Affairs (Karen Thomas) is Friday, February 17.

An Evening of Great Conversations
The College of Arts and Sciences presents “An Evening of Great Conversations” on Thursday, February 23 starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Piedmont Club. Spend an evening engaged in lively conversation on a wide range of topics.  The evening includes a reception and wonderful dinner.  The conversation topics and all other details are available on the College of Arts and Sciences web site or call 503-5218 or 503-5700 for additional information.

Showcase Classrooms
USC Upstate will showcase its “Showcase Classrooms” on Friday, February 24. The University will also honor Mr. Tommy Young and his staff for making this project possible.  Please join us in the HPAC Lobby for heavy hors d’oeuvres starting at 1:00 p.m.  Mr. Young will be honored at 1:40 p.m., and tours and demonstrations in the classrooms will begin about 2:00 p.m. Call the College of Arts and Sciences Office at 503-5700 with any questions.

Tickets available for Batboy: The Musical
Bat Boy: The Musical is a musical comedy/horror show about a half boy/half bat creature who is discovered in a cave near Hope Falls, West Virginia. For lack of a better solution, the local sheriff brings the Bat Boy to the home of the town veterinarian, Dr. Parker, where he is eventually accepted as a member of the family and taught to act like a "normal" boy by the veterinarian's wife, Meredith, and teenage daughter, Shelley. Bat Boy is happy with his new life, but when he naively tries to fit in with the narrow-minded people of Hope Falls, they turn on him. In the end, a devastating secret is revealed and the entire town learns the shocking story of Bat Boy's unholy origin. Betrayal, comedy, forbidden love, and fitting in are explored in this very innovative comedy by Keythe Farley and Brian Fleming and Laurence O'Keefe. Bat Boy: Tme Musical is a dark comedy with some material inappropriate for children.

Performance times are February 23, 24 and 25 at 8:15 p.m. and February 26 at 3:15 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Theater. Tickets are $5 for students, faculty and staff and $7 for general admission. The play is for mature audiences only and is not recommended for anyone under 18.

GRE and GMAT Test Preparation Workshops
The Division of Student and Diversity Affairs, Opportunity Network and the Center for Student Success are pleased to announce an opportunity for students, alumni and staff to participate in the Graduate School Test Preparation Workshop for the GRE and the GMAT. The workshop includes 18 hours of instruction, nine hours of English and nine hours of math, over a six week period.  New this semester, the workshop will also include information and wrap-up sessions to allow students time to get their questions answered.  All meetings will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in Hodge 254, beginning February 7 and concluding on March 30.  The cost for students is $75 and $100 for faculty and staff, including materials.  Payment is due at the time of reservation and seating is limited.  To secure a place in the workshop contact the Center for Student Success at 503-5070 or in person in Smith 103.  Make checks payable to USC Upstate. Please contact Ina Minsky at 503-5965 for additional information.

Scholarship for Study Abroad
The Center for International Studies provides scholarships of up to $1,000 for study abroad. Students must meet the following requirements in order to apply:

• Presently enrolled at USC Upstate
• Attendance at USC Upstate for one year at the time of travel
• At least one foreign language course at USC Upstate
• Minimum 2.5 GPA at the time of application (An unofficial transcript is required with the application.)
• Two letters of recommendation from present instructors (one in the student’s major field of studies)
• A brief description of the student’s goals for the activity (no more than 15 lines, plus a short justification of  financial need)

If this scholarship is granted, the recipient will provide the Center for International studies with a one-page report on the benefits of the trip in the month following his/her return, by no later than September 1 for summer study abroad. This year, summer studies abroad are available in France, Germany, Spain, Costa Rica and an Honors trip in several European countries. For more information and an application, drop by the Center for International Studies in Administration 101 or call 503-5661. The application deadline is February 15.

Copyright Law and the Online Class
The Information Technology and Services Division, using a faculty technology training grant from the Carolina Piedmont Foundation, is offering ten faculty and staff the opportunity to participate in an online workshop “Copyright Compliance for Online Educators.”  Three recorded presentations addressing different aspects of copyright compliance will be made available to watch at your convenience between February 22 and March 22. Toward the end of the first week, there will be a live synchronous question and answer online session, as well as a parallel asynchronous discussion with the presenter. The live sessions will be recorded and made available in the following weeks. Participants will also receive electronic copies of the following materials:  Copyright Compliance Made Simple: Six Rules for Course Design (pamphlet) and Fair Use Guidelines for Educators, 4th Ed. (book). The workshop is being led by Linda Enghagen, attorney and Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she teaches cyberlaw at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. For more information visit the workshop Web site http://www.sloan-c.org/workshop/copyrightworkshop.asp. E-mail Dr. Tom Davis to reserve your spot.