April 10, 2006
The USC Upstate Faculty & Staff Newsletter • Register Archives • EBlast
Contest

Where on Campus?

Do you know where this picture was taken? The first person to e-mail Claire Sachse and correctly identifly the location wins these Celebrate Community multi-tool and measuring tape!
Extra! Extra!


Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America, having been played by Native American tribes long before Europeans set foot on the continent. A century after European missionaries discovered the game played by Native Americans, they began to play it themselves, starting in the 18th century. From there, it evolved and grew in popularity from a very savage game that resembled war, into what it is today, a recreational sport played widely in America and other countries. According to lacrosse literature, "Lacrosse is a game born of the North American Indian, christened by the French, adopted and raised by the Canadians, and later dominated by the Americans."

Lacrosse is more than just a game to the Iroquois people (the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora).It is a spiritual tradition woven into the fabric of their heritage. As Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of Onondaga, says, lacrosse is "the life blood of the Six Nations." The game was played to help in the healing process, to settle disputes, for spiritual development, and to prepare for war. The traditional face-off (toss-up) included the teams yelling the name of their creator, with sticks raised to the sky. The Iroquois believe lacrosse to be a gift from the Creator, a gift that is played by the Iroquois for the Creator's enjoyment, for healing and to restore harmony to the people and the Natural World.

The French Jesuits thought the webbed sticks used by the Iroquois to throw and carry the ball resembled a Shepherd's crook, a crosier, like the ones carried by bishops and abbots to show their authority. Soon the French began to refer to the ball and webbed stick play as le jeu da crosse, later Americanized as lacrosse.

Sources: www.e-lacrosse.com and www.peace4turtleisland.org

Faculty & Staff

John Riley’s (Physics) interactive panoramic photography has been published in the World Wide Panorama "Borders" exhibition.  My subject for the theme of borders was the Blue Ridge Escarpment, the border between the mountains and the plains.  I shot this panorama from the top of White Oak mountain, near Tryon.  To view the QuickTime VR panorama, visit this site.

Be sure to click on the "Open Fullscreen" button to view the best presentation. The World Wide Panorama events are sponsored by the Geography Computing Facility at the University of California Berkeley. This site is hosted by The Geo-Images Project.

Dr. R. Brent Thomas (Natural Sciences & Engineering) gave an oral presentation at the 67th annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists. The meeting was held in Gatlinburg, Tenn. and was hosted by The University of Tennessee Knoxville. The title of his presentation was "Sampling Methods for Studies of Freshwater Turtles: Does Methodology Influence our Estimates of Abundance, Richness, and Diversity?"
Dr. Chioma Ugochukwu (Journalism and Mass Communications) attended the National College Media Convention with three student staff members of T he Carolinian as well as the student editor of WritersInc. The convention, which was organized by the College Media Advisers, took place in New York from March 16-18. The students, Jennifer Burgess (news editor, The Carolinian), Amanda Gentry (features editor, The Carolinian), Maggie Cass (staff writer), and Amanda Straub (editor, WritersInc), attended several sessions on a variety of topics aimed at helping student writers and editors, while Dr. Ugochukwu attended sessions organized for advisors including those on legal issues affecting student publications.
A belated Happy Birthday to Cindy Jennings (Nursing) who recently reached the half-century mark. Photo credit: Mike Bruce
Adrienne Middleton, assistant director of Student Life, was recently elected to the position of Public Institution Representative for the South Carolina College Personnel Association (SCCPA) for the 2006-2007 year. She currently serves on the Executive Board for SCCPA as the 2006 Spring Conference Program Chair and the 2007 Spring Conference Co-Chair.
Congratulations to Shonta Snell, library information resource coordinator, and Terry Wayne Richburg, Jr. who were married March 25 in Charleston, S.C.
Athletics
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 …
In the Spotlight

Michael Berry, elected SGA president for 2006-2007, is a political science major from Union, S.C.

What was your platform during the elecion?
I ran for SGA on the platform of bridging the gap between the administration and the students.  Too many times in the past, students have been left in the dark on key decisions which will directly affect them.  As a student and a student leader, this is truly unacceptable.  Students should have a voice in changes which determine elements of their college career.  After all, we are the customers, and this school should be doing all that it can to increase customer service.

What do you plan to do in office?
 I plan to act on my platform...attempting to bridge the gap between the students and the administration on key changes, working with other USC campuses to increase awareness of tuition related issues, continuing to work on housing problems, and basically hearing any concerns or issues that the students bring to us.

Do you have political aspirations for after you graduate?
 I possibly could see myself running for political office.  I do plan to attend law school at USC and receive a JD/MHA (Law degree/Master's in Healthcare Administration).

Have you ever served on a student government before?
 I have served this year as the student representative for IMPACT, of which I am currently president.

Why did you choose to run for SGA?
 I chose to run for SGA because I truly see the need for more awareness on this campus.  It is my ultimate goal to achieve that and to help remedy any problems that students have here on campus.
Employment Opportunities

APPLICATION PROCESS:
Visit www.uscupstate.edu/employment.html for additional information and online application submission instructions.

STAFF/ADMINISTRATION POSITIONS:

Assistant Registrar
(State title: Student Services Program Coordinator I)
Office of Records & Registration
Requisition No. 041606
SEARCH EXTENDED
Online applications accepted through Monday, April 17, 2006

Need to find someone?
Look them up in the
USC Upstate Faculty/Staff Directory.

 
 

USC Upstate’s Center for Student Success profiled in McGraw-Hill Publication

Please view the McGraw-Hill Student Success Newsletter in which USC Upstate’s first-year programs were highlighted. Robert Feldman is the editor of the newsletter and is the author of the P.O.W.E.R. Learning: Strategies for Success in College and Life book used for freshmen in the University 101 course. This program spotlight, “Making Personal Attention Count: The First-Year Program at the University of South Carolina Upstate,” was a result of his personal invitation to Ina Minsky and Louise Ericson at the First Year Experience conference to have our programs highlighted.

This is national recognition for not only our programs, but our institution. Minsky and Ericson were both interviewed and they agree the spotlight turned out exceptionally well. The spotlight clearly shows USC Upstate’s dedication to first year students and how collaborations across campus and support from the top contribute to these successful initiatives. 

Students Learn About Folk Pottery Face Jug Tradition

Dr. Hightower’s Introduction to Crafts Class was treated to a special demonstration of the tradition of face pottery by Regina Craig Icard, daughter of master Catawba Valley potter, Burlon B. Craig. B. B. Craig was considered one of America’s greatest folk potters. He has been credited with keeping alive the traditional methods of production, form and glazes once prevalent in the Catawba Valley of North Carolina. Mrs. Icard was mentored by her father, now deceased, learning the secrets and traditions of swirl ware and adapting old techniques with modern technology. The students in the crafts class listened to her stories and historical information about the rise of the pottery business in both North and South Carolina, as well as the tradition of the highly collected face jugs. After demonstrating how to create a face on one prepared hand thrown jug, she invited the class to create a cooperative face jug on another prepared hand thrown jug she brought to the demonstration. Each class member contributed one facial feature to the jug to make a complete face. Both of the jugs will be come a part of USC Upstate Collection of Folk Art. Mrs. Icard is also the mother of FACS music professor, Ms. Brandi Icard.

Longboat Loves Lacrosse!


USC Upstate freshman Farrah Longboat was recently profiled in a Greenville News article about her work as a volunteer lacrosse coach for the Warriors at Riverside High School. Longboat, who grew up on the Six Nations Iroquois Reservation in Ontario, has been an avid lacrosse player for years. She is also a player on the Iroquois Nation women’s lacrosse team, which was recently sanctioned by the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations to compete in the World Games.

Carolinian Faculty Advisor
The 2005-06 USC Upstate Media Board is seeking applications for the position of faculty or staff advisor to the campus newspaper THE CAROLINIAN. This is a three-year position running from June 1, 2006 to June 30, 2009. Compensation has traditionally been one course release time each semester or the financial equivalent. Previous faculty advisors are encouraged to apply for an additional term. If interested, please e-mail Ray Merlock (current Media Board chair) by 5:00 Monday April 17 The e-mail should simply state that one wishes to be considered for the post and might include a short explanation why one feels he or she is suited for the post.  According to the Publication By-Laws, advisors should:

  1. Be full-time members of the USC Upstate faculty or staff.
  2. Be recommended and selected by the Media Board
  3. Be appointed to staggered 3-year renewable terms
  4. Be or become a member of the College Media Advisors Association (CMA)
  5. Accompany staff to conventions and workshops
  6. Support and explain operations and decisions of publications to other campus personnel
  7. Interact with faculty and administration directly involved with matters relating to publications
  8. Provide assistance in scheduling and planning events sponsored by their publications and attend each event
  9. Attend weekly staff meetings and advise on possible stories or columns
  10. Be available during lay-out
  11. Critique each published issue of the newspaper
  12. Assist with budgets and staff recruiting

Tenure and Promotion
The updated tenure and promotion calendar now available. Click here to view!

This Week in Pictures

Plein-air painting

Upstate visual arts students in Dr. Fagen’s class try their hand at plein-air painting on a warm spring afternoon at the Susan Jacobs Arboretum located next to the Visual Arts Center.

Upstate Easter Egg Hunt (click here for more pictures)
International Soccer Tournament

 

Massage Monday Madness
The end of the semester tends to be more stressful for the USC Upstate Community. To support stress-reduction, Counseling Services is offering free chair massages on Mondays, April 10, 17 and 24. A licensed massage therapist will provide this relaxing and stress-relieving service in the CLC 2 nd Floor Lobby, from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Appointments for 15-minute chair massages can be made for the April 24 date by contacting Brian Mallory at bmallory@uscupstate.edu or by calling Counseling Services at ext. 5195. We encourage you to take advantage of this great opportunity!

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 also 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 503-5118 for further information.

Careers in Business Expo
The Career Center is sponsoring an expo on Tuesday, April 18 in the CLC Ballroom for students and alumni who want to learn more about careers in business. From 12:30 – 2:00 p.m., students are invited to network and learn about potential or actual internships at various companies. There will also be time and space for interviewing. For additional information, contact Betty Guzzo at ext. 5118.

Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce: Business After Hours on Campus
USC Upstate and BellSouth will once again co-host the chamber’s business after hours networking event here on campus. Faculty and staff are invited to join the business leaders in the arboretum from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 20 for networking and refreshments.

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 onFriday, 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.

Online Workshops Available to Faculty and Staff
Seats are still available in the following online workshops which are available to USC Upstate faculty and staff who are interested in developing or improving their knowledge and abilities with regard to online education. They were paid for using our Faculty Technology Training grant from the Carolina Piedmont Foundation. While most last one to two weeks, participants have access to all of the presentations and resources for a month. You can participate as little or as much as your schedule allows. Click the course link for more information and contact Tom Davis via e-mail or call ext. 5502 if you are interested in one or more of them. 

Transformative Curriculum Development and Assessment Practices for Online Educators - April 12 - 24
This workshop will take you through some non-traditional design and assessment models that you and your colleagues can employ when preparing, delivering, and evaluating your online courses. You also will be provided with written publications on this topic. The discussion boards and live session will allow you to ask any questions you have of the presenters in both asynchronous and synchronous formats. 

Moving the Laboratory Online: Practical Techniques for Utilizing Remote Instrumentation to Enhance Science Education - April 19 – 28
The use of remote instrumentation is emerging as a legitimate alternative to the traditional "hands-on" laboratory learning experiences for teaching and learning in the basic and instrumental sciences. This workshop will provide participants with information on the mechanics of connecting instruments remotely, security issues, experiences from the field, curriculum development, collaboration, research opportunities and impact on student learning. Funding for the workshop is provided through a National Science Foundation CCLI- Proof of Concept grant (DUE -0341019) 

Opportunities for Growth in Online Education - May 17 - 26
This workshop will examine the possibilities for growth in online education. In addition, if your institution does want to grow, what are the areas to address, how large are the addressable populations, what technologies should you employ and how should you analyze your situation to pick the most strategic directions? These questions and others will be discussed in detail during this workshop by a panel of researchers from the Sloan Consortium.

Children’s Opera Sings About a Sticky Situation
Local elementary school students will soon have the opportunity to learn effective conflict resolution skills thanks to an opera that was specially-commissioned by USC Upstate. The opera, which targets third through sixth graders, is part of the HUD grant project that USC Upstate received to address challenges facing Spartanburg’s Southside communities. The opera is entitled Glue and it has a fairy tale theme in which a wizard intervenes when two young girls always find themselves at odds with each other. One girl wants to use a plot of land to plant a garden and the other one wants to use it to practice her dance routine. Constantly arguing with each other, the wizard puts the girls in a sticky situation that forces them to learn to work together. The opera will be performed for Mary H. Wright Elementary students on Friday, April 14 and for the general public on Saturday, April 22 at 10:30 a.m. in the Campus Life Center Ballroom. This performance will be free of charge. For more information, contact Brandi Icard at ext. 5846.

Items for publication should be submitted to Claire Sachse in the Office of University Communications, Admin. 222, by 2:00 p.m. on or before Thursday of each week.