College of Charleston News
Stories
February 2006
February
28, 2006
'Great
experiment' about more than baseball (op/ed)
By Chris
Lamb
On Feb.
28, 1946, Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel, married for less than three
weeks, boarded an American Airlines plane in Los Angeles to go to spring
training in Daytona Beach, where he would attempt to desegregate professional
baseball.
It would take the couple 36 hours to get across the Jim Crow South. Twice they
were bumped from planes and replaced with white passengers. They were refused
service in restaurants and hotels. They spent half a day in the back of a
segregated Greyhound bus as it rumbled across rural Florida.
Chris
Lamb, an associate professor of Communication, College of Charleston,
Charleston, S.C., is the author of Blackout -- The Untold Story of Jackie
Robinson's First Spring Training (published in 2004 by the University of
Nebraska Press. It was issued in paperback this month.)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-01forum02feb28,0,7534433.story?coll=sfla-news-opinion
February
28, 2006
Ballads to the Big Easy
Few populations love
their city like New Orleanians.
One proof of that is
publication last month by Touchstone/Simon & Schuster of "My New
Orleans: Ballads to the Big Easy by Her Sons, Daughters and Lovers."
The book of essays,
written in the wake of the storm by Wynton Marsalis, Ella Brennan, Roy Blount
Jr., Rick Bragg, Mark Childress, Charmaine Neville and others, was edited by
Charleston native Rosemary James.
James, a 1959 graduate of
the College of Charleston, has lived in New Orleans since 1964. An interior
designer, she is a former award-winning newspaper and television reporter and
also worked in public relations, marketing and advertising.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=73131§ion=localnews
February
27, 2006
Work Zone
College officials urge
people to be patient with the work, noting that the project will offer
long-term economic benefits as well as more parking.
As part of the deal to
transfer the St. Philip lot to the college, the city plans to replace a Queen
Street surface lot with a new parking garage that has at least 320 spaces. It's
scheduled to open by next year.
"Even though (the
garage closing) is inconvenient, it is temporary," said Monica Scott, the
college's vice president for facilities planning. In the long run, the new
amenities will speed redevelopment of the area, which has been "an
unsightly block," she said.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=72594§ion=businessreview
February
27, 2006
Safety and the Web
Sam
Spence, 19, College of Charleston, Charleston, S.C.: As younger generations grow up
dependent on the technological advances of our age it is important to emphasize
the enormity of the Internet to children. I think that as the teenagers and
children who were not brought up with the Internet get older, extreme examples
such as this one will slowly disappear. Until then, parents must be vigilant
and remain involved in the lives of their children as they grow older and
separate themselves from their parents. The display of inappropriate behavior
online is probably not the only outlet that the teens use, so parents must be
aware.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/opinion/13976414.htm
February
26, 2006
Olympic dream runs into reality (shows)
Why? TV experts say these
Olympics in particular appear crippled by predictability, and the winter
sportsfest can't compete for viewers who want a say in who wins.
"The Olympics were
once considered the ultimate reality show because they had little
competition," noted Douglas Ferguson, communications professor at the
College of Charleston and co-author of a textbook on media programming
strategies. "The other networks rolled over and played dead, choosing
shows that were either scripted or reruns."
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/olympics/stories/0226olydream.html
February
26, 2006
Cartoons test tolerance (op/ed)
During the summer of 2002, Muslim extremists committed a series of
suicide bombings in Israel. In response, Doug Marlette, the Pulitzer
Prize-winning cartoonist of the Tallahassee (Florida) Democrat, borrowing from the
popular Christian phrase criticizing gas-guzzling SUVs, “What Would Jesus
Drive?” drew a Ryder trick, driven by a turban-wearing Muslim, hauling a
nuclear bomb. Below the cartoon the caption read: “What Would Mohammed Drive?”
Muslims voiced their disapproval by sending thousands of e-mails
to Marlette and his newspapers, which had not run the cartoon in its print
edition but the drawing had inadvertently appeared on the newspaper’s Web site.
The Council on American Islamic Relations and the World Muslim League demanded
an apology.
Chris Lamb, an associate professor of Media Studies at the
College of Charleston, is the author of Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of
Editorial Cartoons, which was published by Columbia University Press in
December 2004. He can be reached by e-mail at lambc@cofc.edu.
February
23, 2006
Cow Bingo 2006: Poops, Hoops and Scoops
Register
for "Cow Bingo 2006: Poops, Hoops and Scoops" on Saturday at Patriots
Point. Enjoy a day of fun in the sun, packed with games and activities for the
whole family, including the Coca-Cola Family Festival, giant slides, jump
castles, a "spin art Frisbee creator," men's and women's tennis team
matches and big games featuring the College of Charleston's softball and
baseball teams.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=72202§ion=preview
February
23, 2006
Man in jail faces carjacking charges
A 29-year-old man already
in jail on strong-arm robbery charges in Berkeley County faces charges in the
carjacking of a student outside the College of Charleston library.
An identification card
belonging to the carjacking victim was found on Enrique Martinez Trevino when
police in Hanahan arrested him Friday night on the robbery charges, said
College of Charleston Capt. Robert Reese.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=72255§ion=localnews
February 23,
2006
Club donates $500 to scholarship fund
The Phillis Wheatley
Literary and Social Club will present $500 to the College of Charleston
Foundation's Judge Richard Fields Scholarship Fund today at the Avery Research
Center.
The foundation launched
the fund in the spring of 2005 to support minority undergraduate students who
are pursuing a career in law. It was named in honor of Fields, a Charleston
native and the county's first black circuit court judge.
Fields will attend the 11
a.m. event as will Anwar Staggers, a C of C student who in January received a
$1,000 scholarship, the fund's first award.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=72255§ion=localnews
February
23, 2006
Pot rule ignites protest at College of Charleston
Students who smoke
marijuana shouldn't suffer the same consequences as those who use cocaine or
commit arson, says College of Charleston student Gray Young.
But that's just what the
college's revised policy on marijuana use and possession outlines.
Young was one of about 60
students who held signs, beat drums and chanted at a lunchtime protest
Wednesday against a recent change in the school's marijuana policy.
Students
may get a partial refund of the semester's tuition, depending when in the
semester they are suspended, said Victor Wilson, vice president for student
affairs at the college.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=72309§ion=localnews
February
22, 2006
Science vs. 'Intelligent Design'
Origin of life debated everywhere but at 'no science' S.C. Aquarium
Back in September, before
the current debate on how (and whether) to teach Darwin's theory of evolution
in schools reached the state legislature and the governor's lips, a group of
graduate students wrote to the S.C. Aquarium to complain about the lack of
evolutionary material it had on display.
"If the Aquarium is
to excel in education, as its mission statement claims, it must devote
resources to explaining the central idea of biology. The theory enables us to
describe how the Aquarium's 10,000 plants and animals are related," wrote
Natalie Renew, a graduate student in Public Administration at the College of
Charleston.
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A10383
February
22, 2006
THEATRE
— Hades hath no fury...Medea
So you
think we've got some violent forms of entertainment these days, with movies
like Hostel
and video games like Grand Theft Auto making millions of dollars? Well, guess what ... we ain't
got nothin' on the Greeks. Medea, Euripides' classic tragedy, vividly depicts the lengths
that the sorceress Medea, a relative of Circe, goes to in her love for Jason,
for whom she killed her brother, left her homeland, and bore children. When the
couple settle in Corinth, Jason's decision to marry the king's daughter for
political gain sends Medea into a tailspin of despair and anger, and she resorts
to some extreme measures in her quest for vengeance. (Let's just say there's
the antithesis of a happy ending.) The College of Charleston's Department of
Theatre puts a few interesting twists on the classic with a new adaptation,
written and directed by Evan Parry, set in more modern times and staged in the
round, and starring Julia Burns as Medea and Christopher Robinson as Jason.
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A10381
February
22, 2006
THEATRE
EVENT — A labia of love V-Day: The Vagina Monologues
For the
fifth year in a row, the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the College of
Charleston presents Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues as part of the worldwide V-Day
anti-violence campaign. Ensler, pictured above, intending to "celebrate
the vagina," wrote the first draft of her taboo-shattering play in 1996
after interviewing 200 women about their views on sex, relationships, and
violence against women. Since then, the purpose of the play has continually
evolved, culminating in V-Day, which aims to create awareness and raise money
for local, charitable, anti-violence groups. This year's Charleston production
will feature Jennet Robinson Alterman, executive director of the Center for
Women, and Elmira Raven, director of My Sister's House, alongside student
performers from CofC. There will be a silent auction of local women's artwork
starting before the show, at 6:30, and all proceeds from this event will go to
My Sister's House and the Center for Women. Students can get in for a
discounted price if they bring a donation of cleaning supplies, batteries,
tampons, or wrapped, new packages of women's underwear.
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A10381
February
21, 2006
Chris Lamb: Editorial cartoons --
the most extreme form of epression that society will tolerate (op/ed)
DURING the summer of
2002, Muslim extremists committed a series of suicide bombings in Israel. In
response, Doug Marlette, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist of The
Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat, borrowed from the popular Christian phrase
criticizing gas-guzzling SUVs, "What would Jesus drive?," to draw a
Ryder truck driven by a turban-wearing Muslim, hauling a nuclear bomb. The
caption: "What would Mohammed drive?"
Muslims voiced their
disapproval by sending thousands of e-mails to Marlette and his newspaper -- which
had not run the cartoon but the drawing had inadvertently appeared on its Web
site. The Council on American Islamic Relations and the World Muslim League
demanded an apology.
Chris Lamb, an associate professor of media studies at
the College of Charleston (S.C.), is author of the book Drawn to Extremes: The
Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons (Columbia University Press, 2004).
http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20060221_cttoons.d72fca0.html
February
21, 2006
Roundabouts still favored at hearings
While in the minority
voice, people for flyovers got their chance to air their concerns about
roundabouts. Among them were Mark Hartley of Darrell Creek and Brian Lewis of
Charleston National.
For Hartley, a College of
Charleston professor, roundabouts mean more time in traffic. And more time in
traffic means less time with his family, he said.
"Do what you need to
do get us where we need to be," Hartley said. "Home is where we need
to be."
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=72001§ion=localnews
February
21, 2006
Mysterious box shakes up college area
A metal box with wires
hanging out caused a disruption in downtown Charleston on Monday afternoon as
police cordoned off the area and sent in a bomb robot.
It turned out that the
device was placed there to measure vibrations from a nearby demolition project
and wasn't capable of demolishing anything itself. But with no external
markings to indicate its purpose, College of Charleston and city police had to
treat it as a potential threat, said Mike Robertson, a College of Charleston
spokesman.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=71986§ion=localnews
February
21, 2006
Burke Middle learning how to cope
Burke Middle also is
participating in the College of Charleston's Center for Partnerships to Improve
Education. The Burke Middle High principal and the superintendent agreed for
Burke to serve as the pilot school for the partnership, which will serve as a
model for other districts statewide.
The center initially
intended to focus on Burke High but will expand to the middle school this fall.
Thus far, College of Charleston faculty members have interviewed some middle
school teachers to get a better sense of the school and its background.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=71964§ion=localnews
February
20, 2006
Food and wine festival provides economic treat
The
Distinctively Charleston Food and Wine Festival runs from March 2 through March
5 and is likely to provide basic meat-and-potatoes economic benefits to the
region while showcasing some fancy Lowcountry cuisine.
Festival
officials expect to sell about 5,500 tickets, with half of those sales coming
from people outside the tri-county area, said John Crotts, director of the
College of Charleston’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Department and a
festival board member. Ticket prices range from $25 per person for single
events to $1,100 per person for multi-event packages.
The
festival is expected to generate an economic impact of between $3 million and
$5 million, Crotts said.
“That’s
not bad for the festival’s first year,” he said.
Such an
initial success would be comparable to the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition’s
premier 24 years ago, Crotts noted.
http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/current/12_5/news/5879-1.html
February
19, 2006
'Medea'
Euripides' ancient drama
"Medea," a spiderweb of sorcery, murder, sexuality and political
scheming, will be presented by the theater department of the College of
Charleston from Thursday through Feb. 28.
The Greek myth tells of
Medea, who out of all-consuming love turns her back on her family and home to
help Jason, her husband, capture the coveted Golden Fleece. However, Jason
later rejects his wife and leaves Medea and their two children for a young
princess who offers him political security.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=71362§ion=artstravel
February
19, 2006
'Monologues' benefit
A play celebrating being
female and the female body, Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues," will be
presented at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday by the Women's and Gender Studies
Program at the College of Charleston's Stern Center Ballroom, 66 George St. on
campus.
The event has become an
annual fundraiser for V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women.
"The Vagina
Monologues" consists of a number of women who each speak from Ensler's
script in describing various characters' personal feelings and experiences
concerning their bodies. The cast will feature Jennet Robinson Alterman, executive director of the Center
for Women, and Elmira Raven, director of My Sister's House, along with several
student performers.
The play will culminate a
week of events on the College of Charleston campus designed to raise awareness
and funds to fight violence against women.
February
19, 2006
Black art song to be performed Monday at C of C
Vocalist Darryl Taylor
constantly mines the past for direction toward the future. He's dug up a gem.
The highly acclaimed tenor and expert on African-American art song will bring
his program, "American Giants," to the College of Charleston 8 p.m.
Monday in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St.
Admission is $5 at the door.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=71339§ion=artstravel
February
19, 2006
Sprawl, traffic arising from surprising source
"None
of those are jaw-dropping statistics to me," said Arthur Felts, Riley
Institute for Urban Affairs director at College of Charleston. "If the
data are right, it is significant. The 'affordability issue' has been looming
on the horizon. There's a growing concern across the state about housing
affordability for lower and lower-middle incomes."
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=71555§ion=localnews
February
18, 2006
Children's book puts Fritzie the Beetle on the map
Morals such as
"persistence pays off" and the importance of taking chances run
throughout "Fritzie's Big Surprise," a children's book based on the
true story of a 1979 Volkswagen Beetle from Charleston that takes home an
unexpected second-place trophy at a Hilton Head Island car show.
Those adages, as it turns
out, also mark the journey that authors W. James Clees and Martha L. Nabors
took to self-publish the tale, which is available online and at car shows. The
price is $10 straight from the pair (or $19 at car shows).
Clees, a retired
professor from The Citadel, and Nabors, who teaches at the College of
Charleston, penned the book in the 1990s, then unsuccessfully sought a
publisher.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=71393§ion=automotive
February
16, 2006
New perspective on war
When Simon Norfolk lugs
his old field camera, tripod and heavy plates of 5-inch by 4-inch film through
war zones, he likes it when the sunlight gleams off his shaved head. He likes
to wear a Hawaiian shirt. He said he feels safer that way.
"Oh my God, it's
Loco the Clown. We can't shoot him!" That's what he imagines members of
the world's armed insurgencies say as he traipses across their territories
looking for the effects of conflict.
And it works. The locals
in the Palestinian territories, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq quickly figure out
he's friendly and harmless, he said, and they take him under wing.
Norfolk is a London-based
landscape photographer - an artist, not a photojournalist - and he has been
invited by the College of Charleston's political science department to share
his insights about how war shapes the terrain and how our terrain shapes us.
The talk, part of the department's "Understanding War and Conflict"
series, is complemented by an exhibit of Norfolk's work at the Halsey Institute
of Contemporary Art at the Simons Center.
February
16, 2006
Latin music lives in Leah Suarez
Suarez
beat the path to several doors looking for support for the concert. "I
just wanted to be able to pay the musicians and not have to charge people to
attend." Supporting 'Viva Brasil' along with Que Onda Music, Suarez'
company are: The College of Charleston's Portuguese Club; Office of the
Provost; Latin & Caribbean Studies Program, Department of Hispanic Studies;
and the Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Program and the South Carolina Arts Commission.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=70979§ion=preview
February
15, 2006
Make higher ed more efficient (Editorial)
Nearly
all in-state students at Clemson and the College of Charleston, which have the
highest SAT scores among S.C. public colleges, receive the lottery-based Life
Scholarship, paying up to $5,000 a year toward their tuitions and books. The
initiative already has helped keep more of our best and brightest at home.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=70864§ion=editorials
February
15, 2006
Holland tosses hat in
ring for governor
That
"puts him at a distinct disadvantage," College of Charleston
professor of political science Bill Moore said. But Holland said he's entering
the race "just in time, as the public attention begins to focus on this
race."
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/13875721.htm
February
15, 2006
Carjacker strikes near C of C
Sitting in a 2005 Nissan
Sentra, Lynda Lainey swung the bookbag over her shoulder as she prepared to
walk to the Addlestone Library at the College of Charleston.
In a flash, a man
approached her in the Calhoun Street parking lot, held a knife to the pregnant
woman's throat, and told her he needed to borrow the car, College of Charleston
police reported.
"OK," was the
sophomore's only answer.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=70875§ion=localnews
February
15, 2006
Ex-congressman Holland
to run for governor
"He
obviously is not a candidate who is widely recognized by an overwhelming
majority of voters. His age certainly is a liability," said College of
Charleston political scientist Bill Moore. "The smart money will not be on
him."
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/columnists/lee_bandy/13874866.htm
February
13, 2006
Legal
Language, On the Fly
Tune in from the master
console to this room's dozen simultaneous-interpreting booths, and a torrent of
Spanish pours forth.
A class of seven students
in the College of Charleston's master's program in bilingual legal
interpretation is battling a particularly difficult exercise in interpreting
courtroom English.
Fluent speakers of
Spanish: Try translating, on the fly, terms like "vicarious
admission," "mens rea," "attractive nuisance," and
"failure to Shephardize."
A tape of a courtroom
proceeding rolls; the students render it into Spanish with strikingly varied
styles. One near-whispers, as if confiding the meaning. A second speaks in
spurts, concentrating intensely. A third, highly skilled, speaks assuredly,
with the nuances of the original English, and its tone and cadences.
"That's what we all
aim for," says Virginia Benmaman, who is running the class. For 20 years,
the professor of Hispanic studies and legal interpretation advocate has been
reminding the legal profession that the guarantee of a trial by one's peers is
little reassurance to the millions of Americans who are baffled by courtroom
proceedings in a language they cannot understand.
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i24/24a05601.htm
February
13, 2006
Help on way for bicyclists
"I'm afraid I don't
have the courage just yet to tackle what an avid cyclists would," said Ben
Leigh, a College of Charleston graduate student. "I'm still worried about
an SUV barreling down on me. I'm always looking for the safest routes to take."
Unlike most other
newcomers to the growing cycling scene, Leigh is in the unusual position of
being able to make cycling safer for everyone - cyclists and motorists alike.
Using mounds of data and
high-tech Geographic Information Systems technology, Leigh, along with local
cycling advocacy group Charleston Moves and other College of Charleston
students, is handing out grades to a majority of roads in Berkeley, Charleston
and Dorchester counties.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=70587§ion=localnews
February
12, 2006
Candidate pledges
'levity'
"Holland is the type
of candidate who can garner a lot of publicity and a lot of news coverage and
certainly draw attention to Sanford’s weaknesses," said College of Charleston
political scientist Bill Moore.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/columnists/lee_bandy/13852210.htm
February
12, 2006
Where to find music that says 'I Love You'
A musical valentine will
be presented by the College of Charleston's International Piano Series when
acclaimed French pianist Monique Duphil performs at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Sottile Theatre.
In celebration of
Valentine's Day, Duphil will play the complete preludes of Claude Debussy.
Having appeared in more
than 2,000 concerts throughout the world, Duphil also is known as a
distinguished chamber musician. At age 10, she entered the Conservatoire
National Superieur de Paris and, at 15, made her formal debut with the
Orchestre de Paris.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=70094§ion=artstravel
February
12, 2006
Newspaper articles recount city's ruin
With the burgeoning
interest in the life and work of one of South Carolina's most esteemed men of
letters, the late William Gilmore Simms, comes this latest volume, a first
collection in book form of the original series of 1865 newspaper articles that
recounted the outrages of the Yankee invasion of Columbia.
The editor of this
collection, David Aiken, a professor of English at the College of Charleston
and The Citadel, prefaces Simms' articles with a thoughtful 43-page
introduction that provides an illuminating background on Simms.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=70067§ion=books
February
12, 2006
City strikes land deal
t begins
with the parking garage on St. Philip Street, between George and Liberty
Streets. On Feb. 2 the College of Charleston Foundation took title to the
property, and the garage was immediately closed and prepped for demolition in
what will be the college's largest construction project ever.
"It
redevelops an unsightly block in the middle of our campus, and helps us get
further towards our goal of providing 35 to 40 percent of our students with
housing," said Monica Scott, the foundation's vice president for facilities
planning.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=70462§ion=localnews
February
12, 2006
Does the media escalate evolution-design debate?
To scientists such as
Gorka Sancho, there isn't much to discuss.
Reams of measurable data
support evolution. Intelligent design, in his opinion, is nothing more than
unsubstantiated bunkum, a questionable theory from the scientific fringe.
It's partly why reading
the newspaper has become so frustrating for Sancho, an assistant professor of
oceanography at the College of Charleston.
The pairing of intelligent design and evolution in news stories has led to what Sancho views as a false equi