College of Charleston News Stories
May 2006

 May 31, 2006

Return of the Sob Sisters

These narrative stories are lengthy by design, often warrant a dedicated editor and photographer, and receive top billing in newspaper promotions. They usually are worth the effort, as far as recognition goes. Such touching tales routinely receive plaudits and Web visitors galore and frequently nab illustrious prizes. A study of trends in Pulitzer Prize-winning feature stories, published in the Winter 2005 edition of the Newspaper Research Journal, found that "a significant number of winning stories involved a death by murder or illness." Authors Chris Lamb at the College of Charleston in South Carolina and Jeanie McAdams Moore, who completed the study as a graduate student at American University in Washington, D.C., continued: "A second review indicated that 10 of the 31 winning stories – nearly one in three – involved a death."

http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4117

 

May 31, 2006

Crews keep new buildings from rattling old ones

The College of Charleston is working with a private developer and Holder Construction Co. to remake half of the block bordered by King, Liberty, St. Philip and George streets. They are driving about 900 concrete pile deep into the soil to create foundations for a 450-bed dorm, a 200-bed apartment unit, a 575-car parking garage plus a cafeteria and retail space.

Without the proper precautions, all that pounding would threaten dozens of historic buildings nearby, several of which already have visible cracks.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=90784&section=localnews

 

May 30, 2006

Education front-runners chase coastal-area votes

College of Charleston political science professor Bill Moore said the post usually does not attract significant attention, but the primary has become competitive this year.

"It's a position that Republicans would love to capture," Moore said.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=90538&section=localnews

 

May 30, 2006

Students' event (Letter to the Editor)

What should have been a historic day for the class of 2006 turned out to be more of a pat on the back for the president and his wife. The College of Charleston commencement on May 7 ended up being an exercise in futility as more time was dedicated to saying good-bye to the president and his wife than paying respect to the thousands of students who should have had the privilege of crossing the Cistern.

I might be confused, but I always was under the impression that graduation was for the students.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=90510&section=letters

 

May 30, 2006

Better way to fix state tax policy (op/ed)

By JACK BASS
Guest columnist

Historically, the sales tax in South Carolina was launched more than a half-century ago by Gov. James F. Byrnes as a plan to equalize racially segregated schools as a demonstration of the "separate but equal" principle. The Supreme Court in 1954 ruled that segregated schools were "inherently unequal," but for many years all sales tax revenues were earmarked for public education.

Mr. Bass is a professor of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston and has written extensively about state and regional politics.

 

May 29, 2006

Stormy tourist season

Steve Litvin, a hospitality professor at the College of Charleston, just returned from a similar trip with similar impressions. Litvin said the tourist areas of the Big Easy were fairly intact, but a few things were disconcerting: no Saturday night waits at the most popular joints in town and Burger King offering signing bonuses. Finding employees and places for them to live are the major hurdles.

"When you leave the tourist areas and you drive around, it's just staggering," Litvin said. "You drive through miles and miles of middle-class neighborhoods that are just ghost towns."

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=90185&section=businessreview

 

May 29, 2006

Forum to help family businesses handle issues

Now, the College of Charleston's Tate Center for Entrepreneurship is striving to help family-run businesses navigate the deep and multifaceted issues they face long before they wind up in Pearce's, or any other attorney's, office.

"There's no question, family businesses are kind of a unique setting," said John E. Clarkin, director of the Tate Center, in explaining the initiative. "Because the reality is, you're not only building a commercial enterprise, you're creating a lifestyle for your family as well."

http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/current/12_12/news/6693-1.html

 

May 28, 2006

Charleston's rising tide of growth is still lifting all boats

In Scandinavian countries, leaders use zoning as a tool to restrain sprawl, said Andy Felts, director of the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Institute for Urban Affairs and Policy Study at the College of Charleston. The view there is that cities are objects that require care, not mere consequences of human endeavor, and that the free market cannot alone determine how they grow. So planners have built a virtual wall around their cities, designating what's within that wall as the only land on which new development can occur.

Felts applauds Mayor Joe Riley's efforts to breathe life into the Charleston peninsula, and make it a central destination for visitors and residents alike. Most great cosmopolitan cities have their "center," or downtown area, and Riley recognized this early in his career as mayor, Felts said.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=90272&section=localnews

 

May 27, 2006

Democratic governor's race matches legislator, mayor, lawyer

Moore looks to be the favorite because he has picked up endorsements around the state from black community leaders who are key to turning out votes, College of Charleston political science professor Bill Moore said.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/14683683.htm

 

May 27, 2006

Down-ticket race for treasurer takes political spotlight

A second statewide loss "probably makes it difficult for them to successfully compete for a statewide office down the road," said Bill Moore, a College of Charleston political science professor.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/14683640.htm

 

May 27, 2006

        

Governor sidesteps political newcomer in GOP primary

"For those who are dissatisfied with Mark Sanford, Lovelace gives them a way of sending a message," College of Charleston political scientist Bill Moore said.

"The media really jumps on that," Moore said.

Sanford "wants to win it handily and wants to show his strength," Moore said. "If Mark Sanford gets 80 percent of the vote in the primary, Mark Sanford will be beaming from ear to ear."

South Carolina has an open primary and there is speculation Democrats will vote in the Republican primary, especially since the they have a single contested statewide primary: the governor's race.

Democrats could crossover and "try to weaken Mark Sanford," Moore said. "That's a real possibility."

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/14683665.htm

 

May 27, 2006

Have fuel, will travel

South Carolina's tourism industry could be benefiting somewhat from visitors who have decided to travel closer to home to save gas money, observers noted.

"We may be getting more people from the North that would have otherwise gone to Florida," said John Crotts, head of the College of Charleston's hospitality department.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=90124&section=localnews

 

May 25, 2006

Food-wine festival swallows $106,000

By most estimates, the festival left Charleston hospitality companies fat and happy. A study by the College of Charleston's Office of Tourism Analysis showed that 36 percent of the event's attendees came from out of the area, 23 percent of them boasted house- hold income above $200,000 a year, and almost a quarter of all festival-goers rented a room while in town.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=89701&section=business

 

May 24, 2006

Preschool teacher faces drug charges

A teacher in the College of Charleston's laboratory preschool program was suspended Tuesday following his arrest on cocaine possession charges, authorities said. Charleston police arrested master Richard Latham, 43, and another man after seizing about 1.2 grams of cocaine during a traffic stop at Rutledge Avenue and Grove Street.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=89512&section=stateregion

 

May 24, 2006

Something Fowl Afoot
Finding affordable real estate downtown is a difficult task. Well over a decade ago, long before the Charleston market got really hot, a pair of black-crowned night herons landed a sweet spot in the live oaks above the Greenway path through the College of Charleston. As is frequently the problem with having the perfect home in the perfect location, the herons had difficulties with the neighbors. Their mess scandalized the anal-retentive set of the college community, who had been kvetching for years.

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A13307

 

May 22, 2006

Sister cities

Charleston Jazz Initiative will hold its second annual conference during Spoleto. This one embraces a theme close to GMLc's heart, that Charleston and New Orleans are sister cities. Both are old, historic port cities steeped in culture, food, art and architecture. CJI, however, recognizes a most significant connection: music.

"Sister City Jazz: A Gullah and New Orleans Dialogue" will be May 29, 3-5 p.m., at the Blacklock House & Garden, College of Charleston, 18 Bull St. $5, free for students.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=89050&section=localnews

 

May 22, 2006

      Fort Worth, Texas

Black faculty shrinks at UTA

Alusine Jalloh, an associate history professor at UT-Arlington, said that even concerted efforts to find black faculty candidates can come up short. It took two searches to fill a slot vacated by African-American history professor Marvin Dulaney after he left to join the College of Charleston in South Carolina in 1994.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/14638975.htm

 

May 21, 2006

Governor's race lacks slogan power

The original message says little more than "I am not Mark Sanford," which is not enough for a political unknown who is facing an incumbent, said Jamie McKown, a political communication expert at the College of Charleston.

"It might as well be the 'Water is wet' slogan," he said.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88959&section=stateregion

 

May 21, 2006

Gibbes has big exhibit in the 'Hopper'

A panel discussion addressing the dynamics between artists as couples, such as Edward and Josephine Hopper and William Halsey and Corrie McCallum, will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the museum. Participants will include Elizabeth Thompson Colleary of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; Mark Sloan, director of the Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston; and Juan Logan and Susan Harbage Page, both of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88729&section=artstravel

 

May 20, 2006

Police keep eye on turn lane

Searson said police received a number of complaints concerning the pedestrian crosswalks on Calhoun Street in the area of the College of Charleston. He said complaints have come from motorists, who say pedestrians don't observe the traffic signals, and also from pedestrians, who say motorists don't yield the right of way to pedestrians.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88808&section=localnews

 

May 20, 2006

Ashley Hall head of school shares founder's vision

The family has not cut ties with Raleigh entirely. In addition to independent projects and teaching at the College of Charleston, Lorenzo Muti still conducts and is artistic director of the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, and Jill Muti plays the flute with the group.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88516&section=hiprofile

 

May 20, 2006

Upset graduate (Letter to the editor)

I would like to express my extreme disappointment with the College of Charleston's graduation ceremony on May 7. I'm a 2006 graduate and am very upset with the way it was handled.

First of all, we were told that in the event of rain it would be held at the North Charleston Coliseum. The college knew that it would rain, but instead of relocating, decided to cut it short. It was a selfish act so tradition wouldn't be broken by having it take place somewhere else rather than the Cistern.

Second, there were families who traveled hours to see their child graduate but unfortunately only got to see them stand by their class and not walk across the stage and receive their diploma. How disappointing for us who worked so hard to earn our degrees only to have the most memorable moment taken from us.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88716&section=letters

 

May 19, 2006

Did You Know? St. Mark's Episcopal Church

Founded Easter day, 1865, it symbolically rose as the first Episcopal church in Charleston founded by freed slaves, in which those former slaves governed themselves.

 

"It's a congregation that was established primarily by people who were free before the war," said College of Charleston historian Bernard Powers.

 

"But they were not free to build their own church until after the war.

http://www.abcnews4.com/news/stories/0506/329339.html

 

May 19, 2006

'Da Vinci' a chance to teach - or protest

It's precisely the blend of fiction and fact that has made "The Da Vinci Code" so popular, scholars say. John Huddleston teaches courses on the Bible at the College of Charleston and has found plenty of factual holes in the historic narrative put forth in the novel. Before the book begins, Brown points out that the book is fiction but that much of it is based in fact. Huddleston argues that this simply is untrue.

But it doesn't hurt Brown's ability to draw the audience in.

"That's the clever part - you don't know the difference," Huddleston said. "You have this constant blurring of lines between history and fiction."

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88514&section=localnews

 

May 19, 2006

Romans

The great thing about insomnia is that you see weird and sometimes wonderful History Channel, Discovery Channel or Travel Channel programs on medieval stonemasons, airplane engineering, hotels in Toronto, whatever. They have pretty pictures and soothing, boring narration conducive to sleeping.

As that voice droned on Wednesday morning about the Pantheon in Rome, we remembered that Gene Waddell will speak Thursday night at C of C on "Why Charleston has Three Different Types of Roman Architecture." He'll also tell you where the buildings are. The lecture is at Addlestone Library, Room, 227, at 7. It's free.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88535&section=localnews

 

May 19, 2006

College forever

Those who spent their four (or more) years in college and are now retired, or getting there, can enroll in the senior citizen program at College of Charleston

If you're 60 or older and living in South Carolina, you can enroll in or audit credit courses on a space-available basis, for free. Well, not quite. There's a $25 registration fee, and you have to buy books. Call (843) 953-5620 for info.

C of C also has a Center for Creative Retirement that gives newcomers to the area an opportunity to learn about Charleston, its history, its venues and its people. Dues are small. Call coordinator Claire Robinson at (843) 953-5488.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88535&section=localnews

 

May 18, 2006

C of C picks search firm for president

The College of Charleston on Wednesday selected the Atlanta search firm Baker Parker and Associates to lead the search for a new president. Lee Higdon, the school's current president, will step down June 30.

The college's search committee interviewed three firms before deciding on Baker Parker. Representatives from the firm will visit the campus in late May, said spokesman Mike Robertson. The search will likely cost about $90,000, plus up to $14,000 in additional expenses, Robertson said.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=88386&section=localnews

 

May 18, 2006

C of C Holds Dedication for House, Garden

The College of Charleston has dedicated the new Edward Leon Guenveur House and the Lauretta Goodall-Guenveur Garden. The house and garden are located at 57 Coming Street.

 

"This house and garden will be permanent reminders of the Guenveur family's commitment to higher education," says Sue Sommer-Kresse, Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement at the College of Charleston.

 

May 15, 2006

Last meal

Although Lowcountry chefs and restaurateurs said Trident Tech's facilities are much better than Johnson & Wales', most also said the program will struggle to fill the void. Trident will not be able to handle as many students, and it will not offer a four-year degree, although it has set up an arrangement for students to matriculate to the College of Charleston's hospitality program. It also will take some time to attract renowned instructors and lure prospective students from around the country.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=87426&section=businessreview

 

May 15, 2006

    

College says meeting violations unintentional

College of Charleston officials admitted their failure to notify the public of a meeting and their hiring of an interim president behind closed doors violated the state's open meetings law.

But they say the violations were unintentional and that they will comply with the law as they continue their search to find a permanent replacement for Lee Higdon, who announced in April that he will step down to accept the same position at Connecticut College in New London.

A search committee met once without notifying the public and the board of trustees' executive committee hired Conrad Festa as interim president without taking a public vote.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/14576695.htm

 

May 15, 2006

People in the News

Robert E. Cape has been named the senior vice president/chief information officer for the College of Charleston. He previously taught computer science at the University of Virginia and led the information technology service delivery organizations at Carnegie Mellon University, St. John's University, the University System of New Hampshire and American University.

http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/current/12_11/people/6585-1.html

 

May 14, 2006

College's FOIA lesson (Editorial)

We were willing to give the College of Charleston search committee the benefit of the doubt when it violated the state's Freedom of Information Act at its initial meeting. At least we were notified of the second meeting, although it was out of town in a location not readily accessible to the public. But the recent hiring of an interim president without benefit of a public meeting raised real alarms.

Since then, Bobby Marlowe, chairman of the presidential search committee, and college staff members met with Post and Courier staffers and an attorney for the S.C. Press Association. In our story on Saturday, Mr. Marlowe acknowledged that FOIA mistakes were made but said they were inadvertent because the committee wasn't aware of certain aspects of the law. It won't happen again, he said.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=87617&section=editorials

 

May 14, 2006

Professor divides truth from myth in 'Code' (Op/Ed)

'Isn't it true that the Vatican conspired to hide the Dead Sea Scrolls from the public because of what they said about Jesus? Wasn't Jesus the leader of the Dead Sea Scroll sect, its Teacher of Righteousness?" Aren't the Nag Hammadi texts the same as the Dead Sea Scrolls?" ? these are frequent questions from my students. Add to these the media- and money-driven eternal mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gnostic gospels, the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, the James ossuary, the Gospel of Thomas (who could forget the film "Stigmata"?) and don't forget the sensational new Gospel of Judas, and you get a sense of my job as a professor of biblical studies at the College of Charleston.

John R. Huddlestun is associate professor of religious studies at the College of Charleston. He teaches classes in biblical studies and the ancient Middle East.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=87421&section=faithvalues

 

May 14, 2006

The New Testament could have turned out differently, say Bible scholars

From his office at the College of Charleston, John Huddlestun emphasizes that what we call Christianity today didn't exist in the century after Jesus. There certainly was no concept of a Christian canon.

"There were all these different people, with many different, often contradictory views of Jesus, who called themselves Christians. But there were serious debates among Christians that didn't get hashed out until the fourth and fifth centuries," explains Huddlestun, a religious studies professor who teaches an introduction to the New Testament.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=87402&section=faithvalues

 

May 14, 2006

 

        

Fort Wayne, Indiana

 

Last laugh not in sight

Chris Lamb, professor of media studies at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, said Bombeck brings laughter and relief to those who fear they are in it alone.

"Once you start having kids, you think she's peeking in your window," he said.

One of Lamb's favorite Bombeck stories is about her being confronted by her grocer because her young son liked to eat fruit from the produce section as they were shopping.

He said Bombeck suggested her son be weighed both before and after shopping, and she would pay the grocer the difference.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/living/14575161.htm

 

May 14, 2006

Charleston tends its history as carefully as its gardens

During my whirlwind weekend stay, I missed several "must do's": a nighttime walk through the gaslit campus of the College of Charleston, a horse- or muledrawn carriage ride, a ghost tour through "the most haunted city in America," a boat tour of Fort Sumter, the Dreighton Hall plantation house, the Southern cooking at the wildly popular Jestine's Kitchen, the Old Exchange Building — the list extends to three or four visits at least.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/travel/travel.php?story=dispatch/2006/05/14/20060514-F1-01.html

 

May 14, 2006

   

Lovelace could hurt Sanford even if he loses

"If there are a number of those local vetoes, they could end up hurting him significantly," said College of Charleston professor Bill Moore.

 "Lovelace isn't going to defeat Sanford," Moore said. "He doesn't have the resources or the political backing. You will see a protest vote, however. If it's 30 percent or higher, that would be significant. It would be seen as a vote of no confidence in the governor by members of his own political party and spell trouble for the governor in the general election."

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/columnists/lee_bandy/14575536.htm

 

May 14,2006

      

How senator steers sub under radar

 

The College of Charleston has four Hunley workers on its payroll. Their total salaries this year are $239,320.

The Hunley foundation, called the Friends of the Hunley, reimburses the College of Charleston and the archives department for the Hunley employeesÕ pay.

Most money allocated to the Hunley has avoided usual budget channels.

"Why don't you get an appropriation for the (Hunley) Commission? That would certainly relieve a lot of pressure and, in my opinion, be entirely appropriate," then-College of Charleston president Alex Sanders wrote to McConnell on Dec. 8, 1998.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/14577313.htm

 

May 13, 2006

The Stono Rebellion

"What they are attempting to do is to march south," said College of Charleston historian Bernard Powers.

"All the way from South Carolina down through Georgia and ultimately find their way to Florida, which is owned by Spain at the time.

 Most people don't understand the international dimension of a story like this.

  Many slaves had just received word of the war between Spain and England.

 

 

http://www.abcnews4.com/news/stories/0506/327441.html

 

 

May 13, 2006

 

C of C to open search meetings

College of Charleston officials admit they violated the state's open meetings law in their search for a new president but say the mistakes were inadvertent and that they will comply with the law throughout the rest of the search.

Since college President Lee Higdon announced in April that he will step down to accept the same position at Connecticut College in New London, a search committee met once without notifying the public. And the Board of Trustees' executive committee hired Conrad Festa, executive director of the state's Commission on Higher Education, as interim president without voting on the matter in public. Festa will begin July 1 and will be paid a $153,594 state salary per year, plus a supplement of $25,000 from the College of Charleston Foundation.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=87504&section=localnews

 

May 11,2006

Bombeck's humor still resonates

Chris Lamb, professor of media studies at the College of Charleston in South Carolina and a former Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter, said Bombeck brings laughter and relief to those who fear they are in it alone.

"Once you start having kids, you think she's peeking in your window," he said.

One of Lamb's favorite Bombeck stories is about her being confronted by her grocer because her young son liked to eat fruit from the produce section as they were shopping. He said Bombeck suggested her son be weighed both before and after shopping, and she would pay the grocer the difference.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Entertainment/Headlines/entTV02051106.htm

 

May 11, 2006

'Penumbra: Points and Boundaries in Recent Collage'

"This group exhibition features the recent work of four collage artists and a collage poet/filmmaker. Collage artists utilize existing images and combine them in ways that often surprise and illuminate," says Mark Sloan, director and senior curator at the Halsey Institute. "Beginning with Dada and Surrealist artists of the 1920s, collage art became a provocative form of artmaking, with heroes such as Kurt Schwitters, Hanna Hoch, John Heartfield in its pantheon. In the 1950s and '60s, San Francisco collage artist Jess reinvigorated the genre by combining the sensibilities of jazz music and beat poetry. The artists included in 'Penumbra' could be said to be descendants of this noble tradition, exploring the literary and associational possibilities of found materials."

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=86915&section=preview

 

May 11, 2006

Under the Radar: A Juried Exhibition of Emerging Lowcountry Artists

Enjoy the last day of "Under the Radar" at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park. The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston's School of the Arts and Charleston Magazine are hosting this delightful event, which includes 10 selected area artists. The main criteria for submitting works for this juried exhibition were that the artists could not have had a major solo exhibition of their works, and they must live in the Lowcountry. The selected artists range in both age and medium. There are paintings, photography, sculptures and mixed-media works.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=86908&section=preview

 

May 11, 2006

Higdon resigns from board

College of Charleston President Lee Higdon has resigned from the board of directors of a gold mining corporation that has been accused of polluting in Indonesia and Peru.

Higdon, 59, announced last month that he will step down as president of the college June 30. He is scheduled to take over the leadership of Connecticut College here in July.

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=87086&section=localnews

 

May 11, 2006

Rosengarten speaks on sweetgrass baskets

Dale Rosengarten of the College of Charleston is giving a spring lecture at 5:30 p.m. today at the Kaminski House Museum.

Rosengarten will speak on the art and history of African-American sweetgrass baskets in tandem with Barbara McCormick from McClellanville, a local sweetgrass basket maker. Numerous crafts will also be on exhibit during the lecture.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/entertainment/14551297.htm

 

May 10, 2006

That's a Wrap

Reality popped Nick Powers in the mouth last week, and nothing — not his coat and tie, his super-hero sounding name, nor the $500,000 he's spending on retrofitting a new restaurant space — could save him from the punch.

Three years of tangling with the College of Charleston and two attorneys couldn't change one simple fact — hehad already lost. The only question that remained was by how much.

Standing in front of a fourth-story window at the Charleston County Courthouse, surrounded by his lawyers telling him in whispered tones that all was not lost, that he could still salvage some sort of dignity from the process, the crestfallen look on Powers' face said it all.

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A12691

 

May 10, 2006