College of Charleston News
Stories
January 2006
January 31, 2006
Warrantless
wiretapping OK?
Sam Spence, 19, College of Charleston, Charleston, S.C.:
My opposition to
Bush's monitoring plan stems not from my fear of being overheard on the phone,
but rather the implications such an allowance would give to future
administrations. Already being granted very broad access through FISA (the
Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978), the Executive Branch should not
be given power to be explicitly exempt from presenting probable cause. This is
not an issue of invasion of privacy, but rather one of precedent for future
administrations.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/13752267.htm
January 31, 2006
Sanford
OK with intelligent design
But intelligent design
isn't provable by experimentation and thus doesn't meet a definition for a
teachable science topic, according to College of Charleston physics professor
Bob Dukes and biology associate professor Robert Dillon Jr.
Dillon is a founding
member of South Carolinians for Science Education, which a group of scientists
and educators formed after state legislators made statements similar to
Sanford's and in an effort to address contention over the final approval of
state biology teaching standards.
The pair took the
governor to task for his televised statements. They argued that there aren't
"chinks" in the armor of evolution, and said a later citation of the
second law of thermodynamics was taken out of context.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=68174§ion=localnews
January 30, 2006
Reviewing
how to save Charleston - past and present (Editorial)
Secondly, a dashing young reporter who joined our picket
line was removed from the story. Today, Robert Stockton is teaching in the
History Department at the College of Charleston and is a major voice on the
BAR.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=68046§ion=commentary
January 30, 2006
Study of stadium plan
urged
But, said Andy Felts, a
political science professor at the College of Charleston with expertise in
government financing, “He’s got a vested interest in making the numbers look good.
“I don’t know that I
would be necessarily suspicious of that, but certainly I would look at it with
a very critical eye.”
To Felts, the baseball
stadium project sounds like a “risky proposition,” the cost of which could fall
back on county taxpayers.
“If this guy goes belly
up, which he could do, unless he’s bought insurance for the repayment, they’re
going to eat it,” Felts said of county taxpayers. “It’s going to be their
debt.”
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/13744934.htm
January 29, 2006
CSO
makes sure love is in the air this week
According to College of Charleston music professor William
D. Gudger, the composition of a full-scale ballet based on the "Romeo and
Juliet" story was one of Prokofiev's first main projects when he resettled
in his native Russia (by then the Soviet Union) in the 1930s after some years of
wandering and living for a time in Paris and America.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=67734§ion=artstravel
January 28, 2006
Gainesville, Georgia
College's events honor black history
Marvin Dulaney, associate
professor of history at the College of Charleston, is scheduled to speak on
"The Ties That Bind" at noon Feb. 22 in the Continuing
Education/Performing Arts Center's auditorium.
Dulaney, executive
director of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture,
will refer to his appearance on the Public Broadcasting System special,
"Slavery and the Making of America."
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20060128/localnews/61696.shtml
January 28, 2006
Education
issue is hot topic
More than 270 educators
from around the state attended the Friday conference at the College of
Charleston on "Overcoming the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Eliminating
Educational Disparities in our Public Schools."
They filled every seat
and stood along the walls to listen to the exchange, many offering their
perspectives and asking questions during the panel discussion.
So many people tried to
register for the conference that some were turned away because of lack of
space, said Terence Bowers, one of the conference organizers and an associate
professor at the College of Charleston.
He thought the high
attendance numbers were indicative of the importance of the conference's
content and relevance.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=67840§ion=localnews
January 28, 2006
Footlight's
'Amadeus' brings flawed genius Mozart to life
The Footlight Players'
"Amadeus" may rank first in the many celebrations of the 250th
anniversary of Mozart's birth being held this year.
Henry Riggs is amazing as
Mozart and succeeds in making the composer come alive as a contemporary entity.
The youthful Mozart is cocky, obscene and blatantly cheats on his faithful
wife. Riggs, a sophomore at the College of Charleston, shows talent far beyond
his years.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=67775§ion=localnews
January 26, 2006
Hardly Mozart
Three doses of Mozart are coming up around here:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra's Mozart Birthday Bash, Friday, 8 p.m., Marion
Square, mostly sold out. Call 723-7528, ext. 101 . St. Luke's Recital Series
with organist William D. Gudger, Feb. 7, 12:15 p.m., St. Luke's Chapel, Ashley
Avenue at Bee Street, free . and a Mozart recital by College of Charleston
faculty members, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St.,
free.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=67254§ion=localnews
January 26, 2006
Historian
to tell true tales of pirates of the Caribbean
Rediker, author of
"Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age" and
several other maritime history books, speaks tonight at the College of
Charleston about the "greatest generation" of pirates, a band that
included Blackbeard.
It's a good time to be in
pirates these days, and Rediker titles his lecture "Life
and Death Among the
Pirates: Or, The Real Pirates of the Caribbean." That, of course, raises
the question: What does a pirate historian think of the Disney flick?
"It's wonderful
entertainment, and historical nonsense," Rediker said. "It's just
filled with all the stereotypes. Actually, the real history is much more
powerful."
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=67264§ion=localnews
January 25, 2006
GSC to celebrate Black History Month with Cultural Events
Series
Gainesville State College will celebrate Black
History Month with a Cultural Events Series.
The
month-long series kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at noon in the Student Center
with “AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL DISPLAY”. The display will contain
information about inventions by African Americans including Dr. Charles Drew
who was the pioneer of the blood bank and George Crum who invented the potato
chip.
On Wednesday, Feb. 15, at noon, there will be
a “CULTURAL FESTIVAL” in the Student Center. The event will feature cultural
interaction by the Black Student Association and will include diverse array of
entertainment and cultural foods.
“THE TIES
THAT BIND” will be presented by Dr. Marvin Dulaney, Associate Professor of History
at the College of Charleston. Dr. Dulaney is the Executive Director of the
Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture and will address
the GSC student body in reference to his appearance on the PBS Special,
“Slavery and the Making of America” on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at noon in the
Continuing Education/Performing Arts Center Auditorium
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=100373
January 25, 2006
S.C. jobless rate
second-worst in U.S.
South Carolina's jobless
rate eased slightly to 7 percent in December, but job gains in Louisiana left
the state with the nation's second-highest unemployment rate and some saying
"Thank God for Mississippi."
In November, the state's
unemployment rate was 7.1 percent. The good news in the numbers is the December
decrease breaks a four-month trend of rising joblessness. But the bad news is
that South Carolina now has the distinction of being second in unemployment
only to hurricane-ravaged Mississippi's 9.9 percent, according to the federal
Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday.
"Thank God for
Mississippi," College of Charleston economist Frank Hefner said.
"Seven percent is
not good - no matter what anybody says," he said.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/business/13705941.htm
January 24, 2006
Hurricane Hugo May Hold Lessons for
Gulf Coast
All Things Considered,· As Gulf Coast communities rebuild
after Hurricane Katrina, some are hoping to emulate the experience of
Charleston, S.C. Hurricane Hugo devastated the city in 1989, but in many ways,
it ended up stronger afterward.
..and trendy shops
College of Charleston economists Frank after Says You though brought in almost
three billion dollars of insurance money and in a measurable amount of national
publicity...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5170716
January 23, 2006
NASA awards Medal, research grants
to College of Charleston professors for gamma ray study
The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration selected the College of Charleston for two grants to conduct
gamma ray research. The funding comes from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate,
Universe Division, in Washington, D.C.
The grants are for basic research
relevant to the Swift gamma ray burst mission. The primary goal of this mission
is to determine the origin of gamma ray bursts and to use the bursts to probe
the early universe. A gamma ray is a type of electromagnetic radiation.
Swift is a unique,
multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma ray burst science.
Its three instruments work together to observe gamma ray bursts and afterglows,
and X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands.
Swift’s mission objectives are to
determine the origin of gamma ray bursts, classify gamma ray bursts and search
for new types, determine how the blast wave evolves and interacts with the
surroundings, use gamma ray bursts to study the early universe and perform the
first sensitive hard X-ray survey of the sky.
One of the grants, a total of
$29,886 awarded to Jon Hakkila, professor and chair of the Department of
Physics and Astronomy, will support a systematic search for two distinct gamma
ray burst pulse types in the data of Swift’s Burst Alert Telescope.
The other grant, a total of
$30,817 awarded to Timothy Giblin, assistant professor of astrophysics, will
support the research of the transition from gamma ray burst to afterglow.
http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/current/12_2/news/5662-1.html
January 23, 2006
Retired professionals returning to
school
The number of tri-county residents
60 years old and older will increase by nearly 60% by 2015, a trend that will
leave little unaffected, including the area’s higher education institutions.
Officials say retirees, whether
long-time Lowcountry residents or transplants from outside the area, are
enrolling and bringing to the classroom experience and perspective.
In South Carolina, students 60
years old or older can attend classes at public institutions as space allows
and for a fee that varies with the institution.
At the College of Charleston,
Dorinda Harmon, director of transfer and adult student admissions, said she has
worked in admissions for nearly 10 years and the number of older adult students
enrolling in classes has consistently been about 100.
As the Charleston-area population
ages, Harmon said it is possible the college will see an increased number of
senior citizens.
http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/current/12_2/news/5682-1.html
January 23, 2006
Distinctions
The College of Charleston chapter of the Public Relations
Student Society of America has received the Chapter Development Award of the Champions
For PRSSA, an informal, independent organization of professionals with a
special interest in the student organization.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=66466§ion=businessreview
January 23, 2006
Badminton
can be a challenge
he College of Charleston
opens up its gymnasium at George and Meeting streets to the public, without
charge, 6-8 p.m. Fridays and even provides rackets and shuttlecocks.
There are six courts that
can accommodate 24 players at one time. "I'm a badminton enthusiast,"
says Gene Sessoms, director of campus recreation services. "I started
playing badminton with some professors and realized there is really nothing for
badminton players in the Charleston area."
Sessoms adds that the
majority of people who play are not college students.
https://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=66516§ion=science
January 23,
2006
Rochester,
New York
More than a name
It wasn't until the
second half of the 20th century that women really began to make clear-cut
decisions on whether to change their names, says Alison Piepmeier, director of
the Women's and Gender Studies Program at The College of Charleston in
Charleston, S.C. With growing numbers of women taking more prominent positions
in the workforce and in society, women began to opt out of automatically
becoming Mrs. Smith.
Multiple marriages and
blended families also have complicated the issue.
While following
tradition might be easier than debating whether to hyphenate or what to do with
children's names, that doesn't always have to be the answer, Piepmeier says.
"We're going to have
to mess around in a bit of chaos for a while and see what works," she
says.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060123/LIVING/601230303/1032
January 22,
2006
Putting the Word into
Gullah language
As a result, many
speakers of the language abandoned both their culture and their language, said
Alada Shinault-Small, coordinator of education for the Avery Research Center
for African-American History and Culture at the College of Charleston.
The scholarly work of
Lorenzo Dow Turner in the 1930s proved a critical turning point. Turner
documented that much of the vocabulary in the Gullah language had African
origins. The culture and language then drew the attention of researchers and in
the last 10 to 20 years Gullah/Geechee culture has become "hot,"
Shinault-Small said.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/13680268.htm
January 22,
2006
C of
C puts Mozart in perspective
"I love big projects
like this."
Sylvia Gamboa is usually
the College of Charleston's dean of summer programs and a professor in the
English Department, but every few years, when it's time to take on a special
project, she becomes something more: the go-to person.
In 2000, she organized
exhibitions and lectures on the Vietnam War; three years later, she combined
the Jazz Era with academia; and now, the year of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
250th birthday celebration, she is presenting "The Age of Mozart: Europe
and America During Enlightenment and Revolution."
The idea is to put the
composer in context, explore the events of his time, consider what Charleston
was like in the late 18th century and, most of all, celebrate the music.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=66485§ion=artstravel
January 21, 2006
Harry Lightsey Jr.
(op/ed)
HARRY McKINLEY Lightsey
Jr. built a legacy of servanthood in his 74 years on Earth.
Mr. Lightsey, who died
Sunday, contributed to the betterment of South Carolina in myriad ways. The
husband, father, veterinarian, politician, lawyer and college president spent
much of his life serving others.
Despite his
accomplishments, friends say he was a humble man who sought to give everyone a
voice.
Mr. Lightsey, a member of
the McNair Law Firm, served as the president of the College of Charleston as
well as dean of the USC School of Law, of which he was a graduate. The Columbia
native chaired the state Democratic Party during the 1970 elections and ran the
political campaigns of the late Gov. John C. West.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/opinion/13677476.htm
January
21, 2006
Science
standards up for debate
Structuralism is a
pre-Darwin theory that claims function follows form, explained Rob Dillon, a
professor of biology at the College of Charleston. Whereby evolution shows that
biological structure is a result of adaptation, Structuralism says that each
organism is created according to a specific design.
"It's a flipping
around of Darwinian principles," Dillon said.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=66617§ion=localnews
January 21, 2006
Facebook
the must-see Internet site on campus
Is it a message board, a
dating service, a photo forum, a social organizer, a way to catch up with old
friends or a sinister means of spying on every college and high school student
in America?
Perhaps Facebook is all these things.
"It's the fact that
we're all C of C students," said Taylor, who graduated from the College of
Charleston in 2004 and edits the faculty/staff newsletter. "That sets it
apart. It's public, but it isn't."
But Facebook can also
cause real problems for students who don't take it seriously. Victor Wilson,
vice president of Student Affairs at the College of Charleston, said many
students were unaware that he and other staffers had profiles on Facebook and
could look at those of their students. Because any College of Charleston
graduate with an alumni .edu e-mail address could also join, potential
employers are increasingly looking in, and aren't amused by photos of nudity,
drunken or smoke-shrouded revelry, questionable group memberships or offensive
statements.
"A friend of mine at
a law firm was interviewing one of my students and they were really impressed
with him," Wilson said. "They went to his Facebook account and said,
'We're not going to hire someone with a character like this.'"
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=66611§ion=localnews
January 8, 2006
JAZZING IT UP
Last Saturday, locals
Karen Chandler, Jack McCray, and the Charleston Jazz All Stars, led by CJI
composer, arranger, and band leader Quentin Baxter — all of them
representatives from the Charleston Jazz Initiative — performed a
multimedia presentation at the New York Hilton for the esteemed International
Association for Jazz Education's annual conference. The 50-minute session
featured a slideshow as well as a (presumably more energetic) performance of
two numbers highlighting Charleston's native jazz musicians. "Corner
Pocket" was written by Count Basie's rhythm guitarist, Charlestonian
Freddie Green, and attendees also heard an original written by Baxter in honor
of William Blake, a music teacher at the famed "Charleston jazz
nursery" Jenkins Orphanage during the turn of the 19th century, titled
"Brother Blake." The Jazz Initiative, a collaborative effort of
CofC's Arts Management Program and the Avery Research Center for African
American History and Culture, took a big step forward with the New York
appearance in bringing to light the contributions our city has made in the
advancement of jazz since in the late 1800s. Keep up the good work, guys. —
Neal Sakash
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A9244
January 18, 2006
Hilton
Head Island, S.C.
Spartanburg, S.C.
Sanford State of the
State address to play it low-key
"I think there's a
new pragmatism this year in terms of relationships between the governor and the
legislature," said Bill Moore, a professor of political science at College
of Charleston.
Then there's the state's
economy and 7.1 percent unemployment rate, the nation's third highest.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/13650761.htm
January 18, 2006
C of
C creating new school
The College of Charleston
will announce a major expansion today as it creates a new school dedicated to
foreign languages and global studies.
The School of Languages,
Cultures and World Affairs will be the sixth school for the college. In the
short term, it means a simple consolidation of most of the college's
international and foreign language courses, which had been lumped in with the
humanities and social sciences.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65946§ion=localnews
January 17, 2006
Hilton
Head Island, S.C.
Former
College of Charleston president dies
Harry Lightsey Jr. - a
lawyer and former College of Charleston president credited with transforming
the state's oldest school into a growing, economically viable university - has
died. He was 74.
Lightsey died Sunday. A
cause of death was not reported.
When Lightsey took over
as interim president in 1986, the College of Charleston was in debt, auditors
were warning of dire consequences from the state of the college's management
and enrollment was shrinking.
Under Lightsey's
leadership, Charleston made the transition to a university, but the
undergraduate school is still called the College of Charleston. By the time he
retired in 1992, enrollment had risen to 9,660 from 5,531.
"He made the College
of Charleston what it is today," said University of South Carolina
historian Walter Edgar, author of "South Carolina, a History."
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/13642862.htm
January 17, 2006
Honoring King by serving
C of C students tackle community
projects
Old tires, ropes, hula
hoops, $75, six hours and a bunch of college students. It was all about
honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
A group of College of
Charleston students used items they borrowed and bought to build an obstacle
course Monday for underprivileged children at the Pink House, a West Ashley
after-school literacy and health awareness program for about 45 children ages
4-12.
The Mulberry Street house
is pink, but Pink House stands for People Innovating New Kinships through
Helping Others Uplift Services and Education.
As part of the college's
third annual MLK Challenge, about 160 students split into teams of 12-15 and
were given $75 per team, a van and six hours to complete projects that they
didn't know anything about beforehand. Other projects included painting a mural
at Dunston Elementary School, building a wheelchair ramp for a Wadmalaw Island
resident and collecting gently used prom dresses and accessories for St.
Matthew's Community Outreach Center.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65838§ion=localnews
January 17, 2006
Harry
M. Lightsey Jr. (editorial)
By any measure, Harry M.
Lightsey Jr. was a man of extraordinary achievement. The former law school dean
and college president, who died Sunday at age 74, was a man of enormous
intellect, humility and compassion. In every role he filled, he was at the
forefront of setting his state and its institutions on the right course.
Harry Lightsey began his
career not as a constitutional scholar but a country veterinarian, and he
remained soft-spoken, good-humored and unruffled throughout his career, no
matter how difficult the challenge. His intellect and leadership abilities were
obvious early in his academic career, including his presidency of the Clemson
student body, his graduation with honors from both Clemson and the University
of Georgia and his designation as first honor graduate of the University of
South Carolina when he received his law degree. For decades he had the
distinction of being the only graduate of the USC Law School to make all As.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65821§ion=editorials
January 17, 2006
'Wired'
oceans can shed light on deep-sea wonders
The Charleston Bump is a
big rock a half-mile deep in the Gulf Stream some 80 miles out to sea from its
namesake. Let's say that one morning a sea worm never seen before slips out of
a crack there.
A College of Charleston
lab student, her sunglasses propped on her forehead, pulls her bare feet out of
her flip-flops and zooms in on it. She e-mails the federal Coastal Services
Center to ask if it can be collected. Minutes later it is being studied in a
genome laboratory - a half-mile down. She goes on to class across the Cistern.
"We do not
understand the ocean waters enough and the ocean drives the climate, the
growing season - the ocean affects us every day," said Leslie Sautter,
College of Charleston geology professor and director of Oceanica, which
educates about oceanographic research.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65809§ion=localnews
January 16, 2006
Forum
to focus on property tax reform plans
The
League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area and the College of Charleston's
Political Science Department will host a public forum Wednesday evening in
Charleston on the hot topic of property tax reform.
Speaking on Wednesday
will be:
--William Moore, a
political science professor at College of Charleston and often-quoted political
analyst who specializes in legislative processes in South Carolina.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65731§ion=localnews
January 16, 2006
Spartanburg, S.C.
College gets $2.5 million
to set up new school
The College of Charleston
has received $2.5 million to help establish a School of Languages, Cultures and
World Affairs. The gift comes from the Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust.
“This generous gift will
help the new school develop students into enlightened, responsible, engaged
world citizens,” said Samuel Hines, dean of the School of Languages, Cultures
and World Affairs, in a news release.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/13635773.htm
January 16, 2006
College of Charleston
ex-president dies at 74
Harry
Lightsey Jr. helped take school out of debt, boosted student enrollment
Harry McKinley Lightsey
Jr. — the former College of Charleston president who guided that historic
state institution to financial solvency, student body growth and membership in
the NCAA during his six-year tenure — died Sunday. He was 74.
The Columbia native also
played a key role in S.C. politics, chairing the state Democratic Party during
the 1970 elections and guiding the political campaigns of the late Gov. John C.
West.
The 1970 gubernatorial
contest was marked by strident appeals to racism by the Republican nominee,
U.S. Rep. Albert Watson. West, with Lightsey “guiding him to the high ground,”
rejected Watson’s segregationist views and was elected governor, said Phil
Grose, a former journalist and a historian of the period.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/13635716.htm
January 15, 2006
Cartoonists seek new
forms
"The
best cartoonists reach out from the page, grab you by the shirt collar and try
to shake you out of your apathy and your indifference," said Chris Lamb, a
media professor at the College of Charleston in South Carolina who wrote a book
about the subject, Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons
in the United States (Columbia University Press, 2004).
Lamb, who teaches news and opinion writing, among other disciplines, said that
getting rid of staff cartoonists, particularly the most controversial ones,
diminishes a newspaper's power to provoke thought and discussion.
January 15, 2006
Arts
Pioneer
Edwin Augustus Harleston
was a man for all seasons. Winter came early, however. He died at 49, but not
before leaving an indelible Lowcountry mark on the landscape of American art.
An exhibit of the
Charleston painter's work will open Saturday at the Avery Research Center for
African-American History and Culture with the purpose of not only showing his
art, but revealing the historical importance of his efforts in the worlds of
art, business and social consciousness.
"We want to
contextualize his work," said Leila Potts Campbell, associate director at
Avery and curator of the show. The run will commence with a black-tie reception
at Avery's McKinley Washington Auditorium at 3 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit will
be up until the end of June.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65400§ion=artstravel
January 15, 2006
Minding
a composer's business
Trevor Weston supplements
his income by writing music. His salary is provided by the College of
Charleston, where he teaches. A conservatory, or music school, has become the
primary avenue for composers to break into the business and establish a
reputation. Without a reputation, a composer's got nothing, Weston says.
He knew from an early age
that music was his calling. He sang in a boys choir, learned piano and organ and
secured the proverbial church gigs that are among the goals of any organist or
singer.
"All the while, I
was writing little tunes," he said, "but I never thought that
(composing) was something I could pursue."
As a student at Tufts
University in Massachusetts, he could take courses such as music theory and
harmony at Boston's New England Conservatory. At Tufts, he was introduced to
the man who would push him onto the composer's path. T.J. Anderson recognized
the ease with which Weston understood musical language, and the mentor
encouraged his disciple to pursue a graduate degree in composition.
Little by little, Weston
accumulated a body of work. Five years ago, he joined the staff at the College
of Charleston.
"The tradition in
composition is, you have to have a patron," Weston says, "and
academia is most composers' patron."
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65431§ion=artstravel
January 15, 2006
Theater
scene has something for everyone
"Fences," a
Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a former baseball player, now a garbage man,
will be performed by the Nouveau Noir Ensemble from Friday through Jan. 22 at
the Dock Street Theatre.
The drama, directed by Art
Gilliard, will
be presented by the Avery Research Center for African-American History and
Culture, and the College of Charleston's Parents of Diverse Students. Proceeds
will benefit qualified minority students at the College of Charleston.
The Nouveau Noir Ensemble
is a newly established group founded by Charles Venning, Henry Clay Middleton and
Teresa Smith.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65430§ion=artstravel
January 14, 2006
Tears
flow as families meet
The mother and sister of
the late Laura S. Griffin stood huddled together, shedding tears, in the
concession area of the College of Charleston's gymnasium Friday evening in
anticipation of meeting someone very special for the first time.
It was as if Laura's
mother, Jerry Griffin, and sister, Beth Griffin, were meeting a long-lost
relative.
And in a way, they were.
The Griffins were awaiting the arrival of Sonny Kirk, who received the
transplanted heart of Laura nearly 10 years ago. She died after being hit by a
drunken driver on Jan. 17, 1996. While the Kirks and Griffins had communicated,
they had never met.
Then, in came Sonny Kirk
and his wife, Diana.
The tears flowed from all
four corners as they exchanged hugs and as Jerry and Beth took turns putting
their heads on Sonny's chest, listening to his and Laura's heart beat.
"It's beating so
strong," said Jerry, in one of the few comments that could be heard while
the media was held back by college officials during the initial meeting.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65552§ion=localnews
January 14, 2006
Martin
Luther King Jr. memorial events
Service projects: The
College of Charleston holds the third annual MLK Challenge. From 10 a.m. to 4
p.m., student-led teams will complete service missions that benefit local
nonprofits, schools, religious organizations and local governments with
specific needs. Kick-off is in the Stern Center Ballroom at George and Coming
streets. Teams will reassemble at 5 p.m. for a candlelight vigil. For more
information or examples of challenges, call 953-5838 or go to www.cofc.edu/studentaffairs/service_learning/MLKChallenge.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65458§ion=localnews
January 14, 2006
BMW
picks S.C. for Z4M Roadster
I had an opportunity to
visit with Panke for a few minutes after the M Roadster was revealed. I
congratulated him on his candid remarks and reminded him about my invitation a
year ago to address the Spaulding Distinguished Speakers Series at the College
of Charleston's School of Business & Economics.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65445§ion=automotive
January 14, 2006
Police
nab man on assault charges
A 27-year-old man was in
jail early Friday after police said he kidnapped a College of Charleston
student at knifepoint, and then attempted to rape her in a parking lot just off
campus.
Naveed Aftab Khan, a
downtown bartender, was charged with assault and battery of a high and
aggravated nature, kidnapping, and assault with intent to commit criminal
sexual conduct. Kahn, of Rutledge Avenue, was in the Charleston County
Detention Center on $510,000 bail.
College of Charleston
Police Chief Paul Verrecchia said it appeared to be a random attack.
About 3:30 a.m., a
witness told a college police officer she saw a man force a woman into a
parking lot at 151 Calhoun St. behind a coffee shop.
Seconds later, College of
Charleston public safety officer Lester Klvanna walked across the parking lot
and saw a man holding a woman against a building at knifepoint.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65514§ion=localnews
January 13, 1006
Humpback
beached on Cape Island killed when hit by ship, biologists say
The whale's body was
spotted Saturday floating about 18 miles offshore from Charleston. It is
believed to have washed up Tuesday night or early Wednesday on the island 40
miles to the north. Four ocean service biologists and two College of Charleston
graduate students performed the necropsy. McFee thanked Sarah Dawsey of U.S.
Fish and Wildlife, who supplied a boat and an ATV.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65243§ion=localnews
January 13, 2006
Aid gave hope (letter to
the editor)
More than three months
ago, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, which is my hometown and that of my
husband. It is where our families and friends lived. Like thousands of others,
our families lost all or most of their possessions.
After we were able to
locate everyone and gather them together at our home in Summerville, we set
about trying to put these fractured lives back together. It was traumatic, with
our loved ones trying to deal with the shock of the loss, as well as each
trying to move forward.
Deni and Michael Mitchell
610 Old Golf Road
Summerville
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65020§ion=letters
January 13, 2006
Heart
leads starter to Griffin Run
Griffin's death, however,
remains a senseless loss for the Charleston community.
She was director of the
college's Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, had just finished her doctorate
in counseling and was active in the community.
Those who knew her
described her as giving, hard-working and beautiful, both inside and out.
"She loved
wildflowers," her mother said. "She loved to travel. She was an
all-state tennis player and an accomplished pianist. . Even though she had her
Ph.D., she never minded getting her hands dirty."
And in her absence, Laura
Griffin has continued to make a difference in the world.
In addition to donating
her heart, liver and kidneys to others, her family and the college started the
Laura Griffin run, which along with non-race donations has raised about
$200,000 to fund small student scholarships and an endowed chair in the
college's counseling and substance abuse office.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=65276§ion=localnews
January 12, 2005
View
the art of war at Halsey
"Historically,
Arcadia is a region in ancient Greece known for primitive, yet paradise-like,
characteristics of pastoral landscapes and roaming shepherds," says Mark
Sloan, director of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of
Charleston. "Later, the term 'Arcadia' became used more loosely in prose
as a pastoral, idyllic place, not specifically located in Greece, comparative
to the idea of the 'Sublime' in 18th- and 19th-century European paintings.
Poussin's painting implies many metaphors, for example, 'where there is life,
there is also death.' “
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=64883§ion=preview
January 12, 2006
Hot
tickets
Tenth
Annual Laura Griffin 5K Run and Walk
Laura Griffin was the
former director of the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention at the College of
Charleston until she was killed in 1996 after a hit-and-run accident while
jogging on The Battery. Her dedication to promoting healthier lifestyles,
however, lives on in the annual run that bears her name. The 10th Annual Laura
Griffin Memorial 5K Run and Walk begins on the College of Charleston campus
early Saturday morning.
Late registration will be
6:30-7:30 a.m. near the "starting line" at Silcox Theater on Meeting
Street. The 5K run will officially begin at 8 a.m., followed by the 5K walk at
about 8:10 a.m. There also will be an extensive health fair 8:30-9:30 a.m.
before the day's proceedings culminate in an awards ceremony at 9:30 a.m. For
more information (age categories, area map, etc.) or to register in advance,
visit www.cofc.edu/lauragriffinrun,
or call 953-8248.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=64826§ion=preview
January 12, 2005
Jah-Rastafari
Today, the Avery Research
Center opens an exhibition of the work of local artist Jason "Jahsun"
Mitchell, an interior designer, custom furniture maker and visual artist whose
canvases reflect a Rastafarian lifestyle. "He's very, very
African-centered and very colorful," said Alada Shinault-Small, education
coordinator. The center is at 125 Bull St. and is open Monday-Friday. 10 a.m.-5
p.m. and Saturday., noon-5 p.m. Call 953-7609. It's free.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=64902§ion=localnews
January
11, 2006
VISUAL ARTS | Ego Trip
While Norfolk's 2002
exhibition at the Halsey juxtaposed his images with Afghani textiles, his new
show has a distinct context of political science and social studies (co-curator
Mark Long is an assistant professor of Political Science at College of
Charleston).
"Norfolk has been
working on this project for ten years," says Mark Sloan. "During that
time he's been engaged in the idea of the effects of war on the landscape.
That's a layer that's visible in his work, but there's a subtext — what
this is doing to us as humans. He's a humanist, and I think his photos are a
form of activism."
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A9045
January
11, 2006
THE GOOD FIGHT | A Sense of Place
That is why Greg Liotta,
the Rev. Ed Cosak of Unity Church, and other members of the Rosemary Project
will come here next Saturday to pray and lay sprigs of rosemary on this unholy
piece of ground. It is one of many places in the Charleston area which the Rosemary
Project intends to identify and visit in coming months in an effort to bring
healing and atonement to this troubled city.
"We're going to be
deliberate and be respectful," Liotta said. "We want to know exactly
what happened and to whom. We want to learn their names, if possible. We want
to speak to them and understand them ... It's really about atonement."
There is much to atone
for. Communities, like families, have skeletons in their closets, secrets that
go unmentioned for decades, for generations, even as those families and
communities are wracked by secret fears and regrets.
Liotta, Director of
Diversity Initiatives at the College of Charleston, knows what he is talking
about. A social worker by training, a mystic by nature, he specializes in the
field of conflict resolution, both in families and in larger communities.
"If people don't find a way to achieve harmony with each other," he
said, "they are going to keep fighting."
Liotta has studied other
examples of conflict resolution, including the hearings of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. At the end of apartheid, whites were
allowed to expiate their crimes against blacks by coming forward and telling a
public tribunal what they had done, often in gripping, gruesome detail. The
hearings made for months of riveting testimony, much of it broadcast on South
African television.
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A9078
January
11, 2006
Roller Grrrls
The sight of women
rolling around in short skirts and fishnets might not immediately bring to mind
thoughts of empowerment, but Alison Piepmeier, director of women's and gender
studies at the College of Charleston and co-editor of Catching a Wave:
Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century, sees traces of third-wave feminism all over derby.
"Any kind of women's
sport, I see as a positive thing, because it's showing us women's bodies not
just on display as sex objects, but women's bodies doing something, women being
powerful," she says.
http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2006-01-12/news/feature_4.html
January
10, 2006
Three state colleges on top-value list
THE
RANKINGS
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2. University of Florida
3. University of Virginia
4. College of William and Mary
5. New College of Florida
6. University of Georgia
7. SUNY at Geneseo
8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
9. Binghamton University (SUNY)
10. University of WashingtonState schools 24. Clemson
University
31. University of South Carolina
56. College of Charleston
January
10, 2006
Police
complaint review panel proposed
Von Bakanik, a sociology
professor at the College of Charleston, said good will and trust are built
slowly, but studies have shown that even bitter adversaries can overcome
differences when they work toward a common goal. That might be achieved in
simple ways, such as having police volunteer to work with community members to
clean up a street, repair playground equipment or spruce up a park in a
predominantly black neighborhood, she said.
"You need to counter
the flow of bad information," Bakanik said. "It doesn't have to be
anything huge. It just has to involve cooperation and working
side-by-side."
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=64535§ion=localnews
January
10, 2006
What's up is down
Now that GMLc has your
head spinning, let's head off in another direction. On Wednesday, John Delaney,
a University of Washington oceanography professor, will discuss "Beyond
Ships and Satellites: How will we study the oceans in the future." It's
about real-time data transmission from the sea floor. Delaney directs the
Neptune program, which will use robots, the Internet and other Cool Stuff to
study the Juan De Fuca tectonic plate in the given-to-eruptions Pacific Ocean.
The robots, we surmise, provide better directions than GMLc. The talk is
sponsored by the college's Project Oceanica, which wants to see the same kind
of network in this ocean, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
"Understanding
exotic, otherworldly life forms, climate change, assessment and management of
living and non-living resources, homeland defense, erupting underwater
volcanoes, major earthquake studies and mitigation of natural disasters all
have something in common - a need for real-time information from the
environment," says a project news release.
The program takes place
at 5:15 p.m. at the College of Charleston's Physician's Auditorium at George
and Coming streets. It's a freebie and open to the public.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=64521§ion=localnews
January
10, 2006
Hilton
Head Island, S.C.
Sanford learns lessons
from past
"He's become more of
a politician," in the best sense of the word, College of Charleston
political scientist Bill Moore said.
"You can't embarrass
the legislature and members of the legislature and expect to have support"
for an agenda, Moore said.
January
10, 2005
Will lawmakers be
greeted by a deal-making Mark Sanford? (Editorial)
And so
for Charleston — home now to both the president pro tempore of the Senate
and the speaker of the House — he provides full funding for a couple of
pet projects he vetoed last year: $116,896 for the Southern Maritime Collection
and $300,000 for the Avery Center at the College of Charleston. (Maybe more
than a couple; those are the ones the hometown paper singled out.)
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/columnists/cindi_scoppe/13588937.htm
January
9, 2006
Three more things to look forward to
Thursday
night at 7 Avery Research Center (125 Bull St.) will open a new exhibition by
visual artist, interior designer, custom furniture maker and Rastafarian Jason
"Jahsun" Mitchell. The exhibition is titled "In the Garden of
Stillness." You're invited.
https://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=64376§ion=localnews
January
9, 2006
Pressure
building for Sanford
"It's an election
year when his record is going to be scrutinized," said Bill Moore, a
political science professor at the College of Charleston. "It is important
for Mark Sanford to go into the campaign with a track record of success."
Moore acknowledges that
Sanford remains "relatively popular because of his anti-government
focus," but that might not be enough.
"Regardless of who
is governor, the mark of leadership is getting passed proposals that the
Legislature is lukewarm to," he said.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=64435§ion=localnews
January
8, 2005
Sanford is eager to
play nice as election nears
Also, Sanford lacked a
good understanding of state government.
"It has been a
learning curve for him," said College of Charleston analyst Bill Moore.
Today, Sanford has no
excuse. He knows the players better. He knows who he can count on and who he
can't. With the elections approaching, the governor has emerged as Sanford, the
politician.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/states/south_carolina/counties/york/13576963.htm
January
6, 2006
That's
not to say the college doesn't face challenges. Faculty members are grappling
with how much to expect of students and how to grade them. Money is tight,
despite the Labor Department grant. The size of next year's freshman class is,
naturally, a worry. And accreditation is a concern. The college has a license
from South Carolina to offer degrees, and the College of Charleston has opened
its library to students at the College of the Building Arts. But until the new
college earns accreditation, its students aren't eligible for federal
student-aid programs (it is handling aid "internally" this year, Mr.
Christie says).
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i18/18a06401.htm
January
6, 2006
S.C.
delegates sound off on Abramoff
Bill Moore, a political
scientist at the College of Charleston, said the scandal is only going to
reinforce people's low opinion of Congress. But he doesn't expect a lot of
fallout for South Carolina's politicians unless they are directly linked to the
lobbyist. After all, the re-election rate for U.S. House members is somewhere
above 90 percent.
Moore said it's not
surprising that South Carolina politicians weren't high on Abramoff's list.
"None of them have
been there long enough to be influential," Moore said. "Look at them.
For the Republicans, Brown has been there the longest, and he's just been there
five years. It takes longer than that to build up seniority."
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=63689§ion=stateregion
January
5, 2006
Sanford's
$5.9B budget
In some
ways, Sanford retreated from his ardent opposition to lawmakers' pet projects
in the budget. He kept $116,896 for the Southern Maritime Collection in
Charleston and $300,000 for the Avery Center at the College of Charleston, for
example.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?section=stateregion&newsID=63336
January
2, 2006
Arts groups struggle to regain their
footing
For instance, holiday
events by the World Financial Center in New York City in December gathered in
donations.
And from Feb. 22-28, also
in New York City and also sponsored by the World Financial Center, there will
be an arts auction, with a generous portion of the proceeds channeled to the
federation. Some 70 artists are expected to take part. Batley points out that
the auction neatly coincides with the 2006 Mardi Gras festivities in New
Orleans.
And yet another example
Batley cites is a recent art auction organized by about a dozen arts management
majors at the College of Charleston. The students raised some $7,500 for the
federation and, ultimately, the gulf's artists.
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0106/02edarts.html
January
1, 2006
With jobs scarce, S.C.
seeks economic identity
"Economic
development now is struggling to find its way," said Frank Hefner, an
economist at the College of Charleston. "More of the same is not going to
work because you can only get so many BMWs."
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/13529365.htm
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/states/south_carolina/counties/york/13497972.htm
January
1, 2006
Mozart's
250th birthday events
College of Charleston
Feb. 10-13: "The
Marriage of Figaro," School of the Arts' Recital Hall, 8 p.m.
Feb. 24: College faculty
and staff perform Mozart, Recital Hall, 8 p.m.
March 14: Film
"Amadeus," Stern Center Ballroom, 7 p.m.
March 16:
Interdisciplinary panel on Peter Shaffer's "Ama-deus," 3:15 p.m.
Stern Center Ballroom.
March 21-26: Theatre
produc-tion, "Wolfi," 8 p.m. Chapel Theatre.
https://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=62311§ion=artstravel