Biology professor Gillian Newberry’s classroom lab is filled with lockers containing pressed and preserved samples of every type of plant growing in Upstate South Carolina. She’s now in her 30 th year of collecting flowers, weeds, vines, tree and bush leaves, and grass samples for the Herbarium. She and her classes are now in the process of making a plant inventory of what they find growing here at USC Upstate. She notes that a student recently discovered a Hexastylis naniflora, or dwarf flower heartleaf, an endangered plant, growing here on campus.

How many plant samples do you think she has collected in the Herbarium over the years? The first five people to e-mail Claire Sachse with the correct answer will win a Celebrate Community baseball cap, perfect for keeping the sun off while you’re out gardening in this nice spring weather.

In the Herbarium, there are:

a) 2,500 samples
b) 8,900 samples
c) 16,000 samples
d) 26,000 samples

Jane Nodine , Visual Arts, presented “Foundations in Design at USC Upstate” at the FATE regional conference held March 24 at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. FATE (Foundations in Art, Theory and Education) is a national organization dedicated to the promotion of excellence in the development and teaching of college-level foundation courses in both studio and art history.

Nick Catto (web developer),
Bridget Bayer (graphic designer) and Denise Levereaux (publications coordinator)– all from the University Communications office – recently attended a College News Association of the Carolinas seminar titled “Four technologies that will transform P.R.: The strategic use of Blogs, Wikis, RSS and Podcasts.”

Congratulations to the Mary Black School of Nursing faculty and staff who were one of the corporate teams in the recent Greater Spartanburg Shrinkdown. They finished in third place in the weight loss competition with a total weight loss of 206.6 pounds. In celebration of each week’s weight loss, they brought in equivalent numbers of cans and bags of food that were recently donated to Total Ministries on Union Street. These donated groceries will feed 10 families. The faculty not only jump-started their own programs to a healthier life style but also helped others be healthy too! The team included Charleen Walton, Vickie Vaughn, Sharon T Smith, Susan Nyp, Robin McAbee, Renee O’Brien, Laura Leary, Paula Jones, Brenda Jackson, Pat Harkins, Angie Davis,  Karen Peel, Clarissa Merriman, Betty Davis, Susannah Waldrop, Sharon H Smith, Mary Lou Hodge, Pat Clary, Susan Dent, Charlotte Koehler, Carol Mitchell, Glenda Sims, Susan Ludwick, Sandy Atwell, Tracy Caldwell, and Barbara McCracken, Team Captain.

For the third straight year, the USC Upstate Athletics Department will hold its annual Athletics Benefit Auction as a standalone event with a theme for the occasion. The theme for this year is Rhinestones & Boots , a country and western theme. The 2006 Athletics Benefit Auction will be held April 29 at 6:00 p.m. in the Hodge Center. All proceeds for the auction go directly into the athletic budgets of our 11 athletic programs and the athletic administration. In addition to spectacular auction items, food and drink will be provided. Tickets to the event are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. For the full story, auction details, menu and more …

If you could meet one person in the world, who would it be?
I’d like to meet the author Kurt Vonnegut because, from reading his novels, he seems like he has a good grasp of the realities of the world.

New Employees

Spring Open House
The Admissions Office hosted Spring Open House on Saturday, May 25.  We had over 550 students and parents attend the program, which sets a new attendance record for open house.  The students participating were a mix of high school students and transfer students.  Most of the students were visiting to make a final decision about attending Upstate in the fall semester. 

Reception for Graphic Design graduating seniors
The annual USC Upstate Exhibition by Graduating Seniors in Graphic Design will open with a public reception from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4 in the University Gallery. A variety of two and three-dimensional work showing the students' range of research will be exhibited and will include drawing, illustration, photography, package design and web-based design. The exhibit, located in the Gallery and first floor HPAC lobby will continue through April 28. For more information contact Jane Nodine, director, at ext. 5838.

Multicultural Affairs’ Year End Program: The Impact of Slavery
Dr. Audrey Grant, Spartanburg School District 7, and her staff have put fascinating research into presentation form. “The Impact of Slavery on the Thinking and Actions of African Americans in 2006” examines the direct correlation between slavery and the inequities we see now in our society between African Americans and the masses. This presentation will be held on Wednesday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. in Tukey Theatre. This would be an excellent opportunity for students to be offered extra credit if your course requires it. This should also serve as an exciting discussion piece for any of you who choose to attend.

Career Center Hosts Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Enterprise Rent-A-Car will be conducting interviews on Thursday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Campus Life Center, room 309. Recent alumni and May 2006 graduates are invited to attend. Contact John Montemayor, ext. 5124 for additional information.

National Alcohol Screening Day
USC Upstate will be recognizing National Alcohol Screening Day on Thursday, April 6 with an alcohol screening and information table in the CLC Lobby from 11:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to take the National Alcohol Screening test and get immediate results and feedback from a counselor. Participants may also take a copy of the screening test and the scoring instructions with them to complete on their own time. Anyone who takes the test will receive a Nalgene water bottle. In addition to the test, information about alcohol and other drugs will be available. Everyone who visits the information table will be registered for a free raffle for a $100.00 gift certificate to Westgate Mall. This free event is sponsored by Alcohol & Drug Education Programs and Counseling Services. It is open to all USC Upstate students, faculty and staff. For more information, e-mail Erin Morgan at or call ext. 5195.

Dr. MacArthur Goodwin
The entire USC Upstate community is invited to a presentation by Dr. MacArthur Goodwin on Thursday, April 6 at 6:00 p.m. in Tukey Theatre. Goodwin is an artist, an educational consultant in arts education and he is the past president of the National Arts Education Association.

Handling Those Difficult Conversations
Planning and Organizational Development is offering a workshop on Difficult Conversations with Others on Thursday, April 6 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Rampey Center. Highlights of the workshop will be keys for making relationships clear, four principles to use in difficult communication, creating the opportunity for real feedback, verbal and non-verbal cues, and giving feedback to others. Call Jeanette Reeves at ext. 5990 to reserve a seat. We have seating for twenty people.

Easter Egg Hunt
All faculty, staff and students' children are invited to an Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 8 at 2:00 p.m. on the Quad. There will be egg hunts by age groups and activities. RSVP to Cheryl Moore or call 503-5392 for more information. Sponsored by Staff Council, Women's Volleyball and Soccer teams. See the invitation for more details.

Student Guitar & Drum Recital
The Department of Fine Arts & Communications Studies will sponsor a student guitar and drum recital on Tuesday, April 11 at 8:00 p.m. in the Black Box Studio Theatre (HP129). Admission is free and a reception will follow. The students of Marty Fort, adjunct instructor of guitar, and Tim Blackwell, adjunct instructor of percussion, will perform jazz, classical, folk and popular music works by Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Bizet, Granados, Handel, Beethoven, Johnny Cash and The Police. Donations will be accepted at the door which will be used to fund applied music scholarships for USC Upstate students. The evening will feature performances by Melissa Emkjer, Brian Fonville, Josh Lambright, Kate Lindsay, Nathan Sorota, Corey McCall, Kim Patti, Justin Jackson, Pamela New, Matthew Pautz, Katie Place, Adam Ruffin, Jacob Radcliffe and the USC Upstate Guitar Ensemble. For more information, contact Marty Fort.

The Clothesline T-Shirt Project
Don’t appreciate violence against women? Say so on a t-shirt! On Thursday, April 13 the Women’s Center is sponsoring an event where students, faculty and staff can decorate T-shirts with an anti-violence message and hang them on a clothesline on the Lower Quad. The Women’s Center will supply the shirts and decorating supplies, you will provide your own personal message. Drop by the quad between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to take part. For additional information on other Clothesline Projects see http://www.clotheslineproject.org. Contact Patricia Willis with questions or for more information.

PRIDE Reading Circle’s First Selection: Alison Smith’s Name All the Animals
Author Alison Smith will be on campus to present a reading from her book Name All the Animals on Thursday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the CLC Ballroom. She will be available for an hour before the reading to autograph books. This event is sponsored by PRIDE, the Literary Club, Sigma Tau Delta, CAPS, and W. Due to the generosity of the office of Academic Affairs, copies of the book are available to the first fifty people who would like to join the reading circle. Copies are available in the LLC office in HPAC, or you may e-mail Carla Owings, and a copy will be sent to you. Hardback, paperback, and audio versions of the book are also for sale in the bookstore. To learn more about the author and this book, a memoir of Smith’s family’s life after the death of her brother, visit www.namealltheanimals.com.

Shoestring Players to Perform “Beyond the Fire”
The Shoestring Players are getting ready for their next performance, “Before the Fire.” The play, written by Catherine Trieschmann, investigates the lives of five women from different social classes in London of 1666. Trapped in a prison cell the day before the Great Fire of London, the women must overcome their differences in order to survive. Before the Fire is for mature audiences only. The cast includes Erin Stewart as Allegra, Brittany Owen as Gyly, Alissa Torzewski as Katherine, Jessica Allen as Isemay, Ellen Cartee as Lucinda. Brian Haimbach, adjunct instructor of speech at USC Upstate, will direct the play. He also directed the play's premiere at University of Georgia. Performance times are April 13 - 15 at 8:00 p.m. and April 16 at 3:15 p.m. Tickets are $4 for students and $5 general admission and can be reserved by calling the Performing Arts Box Office at ext. 5695. For more details, contact Brian Haimbach at ext. 5831.

Research/Scientific Career Expo
The Division of Natural Sciences & Engineering, together with the USC Upstate Career Center, will host an information panel discussion from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. and a Career Expo from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 17. The CLC Ballroom and rooms 309, 317 and 319 are reserved for this event. Invited panelists include Jennifer Bailey, College of Health Professionals MUSC; Dr. David Dedmon, successful area dentist and friend to USC Upstate; Dr. Rick Heldrich, professor of chemistry and biochemistry for the College of Charleston; representatives from local veterinary clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, pathologists and other scientific organizations. This event is open to all students and alumni with any interest in scientific or research institutions. Students are encouraged to bring resumes and network with attending professionals and company representatives. Contact Betty Guzzo in the Career Center at ext. 5118 for further information.

Student Piano Recital
The Department of Fine Arts & Communications Studies will sponsor a student piano recital on Thursday, April 20 at 6:00 p.m. in the Recital Hall (HP101). The students of Susan Davis, adjunct instructor of piano, will perform works of Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, and more!

Outlook Training
Planning and Organizational Development is offering a class in Microsoft Intermediate Outlook. The course will cover how to track work activities using the journal, work with the calendar options, set message options, share folder information, manage tasks, customize Outlook, and locate Outlook items. The class will be held at the John M. Rampey Center on Friday, April 21 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (with 1 hour lunch break). There is limited seating (8). Please contact Jeanette Reeves jreeves@uscupstate.edu to reserve your seat.