■ Inside
First Spring Reunion
weekend is May 16–17.
Page 3
New research places
South Carolina as the
birthplace of porcelain,
right, in America.
Page 8
T
www.sc.edu/usctimes
imes
A publication for faculty, staff, and friends of the University of South Carolina
May 8, 2008
■ Mungo Distinguished Professor Award
Students, former winners select Mishra
Sanjib R. Mishra, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, received the
Michael J. Mungo Distinguished Professor of the Year Award at the spring General Faculty
Meeting April 28.
A committee of undergraduate students and former
winners selects the award recipient, given annually to an
outstanding teacher of undergraduates.
Mishra received two master’s degrees and a Ph.D.
from Columbia University. He was an assistant and
associate professor at Harvard University from 1991 to
1999 before coming to Carolina in 2000. He has published extensively in refereed journals and has presented
at conferences at major universities in America and
around the world.
Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Awards went
to Ken Shimizu, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Grigory Simin,
an associate professor in the Department of Electrical
Engineering; Daniel Smith, an assistant professor in the
Department of English; and Stephen Stancyk, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Ralf Gothe, a professor in the Department of Physics
President Sorensen, left, presents the
and Astronomy, received the Michael J. Mungo GraduMungo Award to Sanjib R. Mishra.
ate Award.
Sandra Kelly, a professor in the Department of Psychology, and Roger Sawyer, a professor in
the Department of Biological Sciences, were awarded Carolina Trustee Professorships.
Daniel L. Reger, a Carolina Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received the USC Educational Foundation Outstanding Service Award.
Edsel Pena, a professor in the Department of Statistics, received the USC Educational Foundation Research Award for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering.
Kendall J. Roth, a professor in the Moore School of Business, received the USC Educational
Foundation Research Award for Professional Schools.
Marlene A. Wilson, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, received the USC Educational Foundation Research Award for Health Sciences.
Pradeep Talwani, a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, received the Russell
Graduation of Toole sisters
is ‘awesome’ achievement
Diane Toole with daughters, from left, Morgan, Jennifer, and Michelle.
Michael Brown
Mother to attend three different ceremonies in two days
By Marshall Swanson
Continued on page 6
Despite gloomy economic news
graduates are finding good jobs
By Marshall Swanson
Certain sectors of the economy may be in a well-publicized downturn,
but employers are still actively hiring newly minted college graduates,
including those from Carolina.
“Our on-campus interviewing, as well as all of our job fair numbers,
have been very strong this year,” said Tracy Powers, director of employer Powers
relations and associate director of the Carolina Career Center.
“We’ve seen significant numbers of new companies and significant growth in the overall
numbers of people who have been to the job fairs, and our on-campus recruiting has been holding firm this year.”
Although the anticipated annual increase in recruiting went from a projected 16 percent last
fall to 8 percent at the start of the spring semester, the net increase still has left graduates and
Diane Toole is going to have to move fast over commencement weekend.
Thursday through Saturday, she plans on attending a multitude of events for her
three daughters, including individual graduation ceremonies for each of them who will
receive bachelor’s degrees from the University. (This is the first year in which the
University will hold three spring commencements to accommodate the growing
number of graduates.)
“I’m hoping everybody will pray for me that I’ll have time to get out of one ceremony and to the next one on time,” said Toole, a certified dental assistant and single
parent who helped guide her daughters through their undergraduate years.
“I’m ecstatic that we’ve all made this accomplishment. It’s awesome,” she said.
Most observers would agree.
Toole’s late husband, Mike Toole, a Columbia audit director and 1976 Carolina
graduate, died in 2003, thrusting her into the role of a single parent whose children all
wanted to attend college.
“I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it,” said Toole, recalling the difficult time she
and her children went through after her husband’s passing when the family was “at
loose ends” and the future wasn’t clear.
Somehow their cohesion inspired the three close-knit girls to come up with a plan:
Continued on page 6
Continued on page 6
Students recapture history of three African-American neighborhoods
By Larry Wood
For students in history professor Bobby Donaldson’s course,
African American Documentary History in South Carolina,
the final exam quickly became less a test of their knowledge
and more a celebration of what they had learned.
During the spring semester, the eight students in the
Honors College class explored the history, memory, and
“living past” of three African-American communities in
Columbia: the Waverly neighborhood, near Gervais and
Harden streets; Wheeler Hill, near Pickens and Wheat
streets; and Ward One, which once occupied the area where
the Colonial Center, the Thurmond Wellness and Fitness
Center, and the Greek Village now are located.
The students—Prince Henry Blackmon, Aretha Cook,
Kristen Covington, Kharimah Dessow, Paige Fennell,
Marquita Kennedy, Kenneth Dustin Riddle, and Jossalyn
Richardson—invited former residents of the communities
Kim Truett
Harold White, a retired senior associate athletics director in Academic and Student
Services, grew up in the Waverly area with his family, pictured in the background.
to their final presentation. The students reflected on the
lessons learned from their research, and, in turn, the 50
or so residents shared their stories of growing up on Oak,
Catawba, Park, and Pickens streets, attending Booker T.
Washington High School and Saxon Elementary, and going
to Sunday School at Union Baptist Church.
“Our goal is to recover, recapture, document, and
preserve the history of these neighborhoods before it slips
away,” said Donaldson, who also holds an appointment in
African American Studies.
At the beginning of the course, students read and examined a broad overview of African-American history from the
post-Reconstruction era of the 1870s to the modern Civil
Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Next, the students conducted archival research and oral
interviews to tell the stories of life in Waverly, Wheeler Hill,
Continued on page 6
Briefly
ALUMNI NAMED COMPLEAT LAWYERS:
Six alumni of the School of Law have been honored with the
Compleat Lawyer Award for their contributions to the legal
profession and high standards of professional competence,
ethics, and integrity.The Platinum Award, given to three lawyers
who have been in practice for more than 30 years, was given
to William C. “Bill” Boyd, of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. in
Columbia; Elaine Fowler, of Turner Padget Graham & Laney in
Charleston; and W. Reynolds Williams, of Willcox, Buyck & Williams, P.A. in Florence.The Gold Award, given to three lawyers
who have been in practice for 15 to 30 years, was awarded to
Lee Coggiola, disciplinary counsel for the S.C. Supreme Court;
Michael A. “Mike” Colombo, of Colombo, Kitchin, Dunn and Ball
in Greenville, N.C.; and Anne S. Ellefson, of Haynsworth Sinkler
Boyd, P.A. in Greenville. “Their example is worthy of emulation,
and it is a privilege to honor them not only at this annual event
but year round,” said Walter F. Pratt Jr., dean of the School of
Law. For more information, go to www.law.sc.edu.
FIREHOUSE SUBS DONATION HONORS
STUDENTS WHO DIED IN FIRE: Two city of
Columbia fire stations that serve the University received gifts of
life-saving equipment in honor of seven students who died in a
beach-house fire Oct. 28 in Ocean Isle, N.C.The Firehouse Subs
Public Safety Foundation contributed “Jaws of Life” extrication equipment and thermal imaging cameras to Stations 2 and
9 in Columbia.The cameras use infrared technology to help
firefighters and rescue workers “see” through smoke, fire, and
walls to find people and fire sources. Charles and Judy Divita
are owners of Firehouse Subs restaurant. Jerry Brewer, associate
vice president for student affairs, student life, and development
at the University, said the donation will ensure the safety of others in the wake of the fire that claimed the lives of six Carolina
students and a Clemson University student. “At first you think,
‘What good can come of this?’” said Brewer, calling the past
months “an emotional roller coaster” for all affected by the fire.
“Today, this donation will help ensure that all of us are safer.”
GARDEN GRILL OPENS MAY 13: The Garden Grill at
the McCutchen House will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Tuesdays–Friday beginning May 13.The menu includes burgers,
pork and chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and salads. Prices range
from $5 to $7 per meal and include fresh sliced fruit, a side dish,
and iced tea or lemonade.The grill accepts cash or checks only.
INVESTMENT PLANNING SESSIONS SET:
One-on-one counseling sessions for retirement and investment
planning will be available from an expert TIAA-CREF consultant
during the spring semester from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the
following dates: May 20 and 21 and June 3, 4, 24, and 25.The sessions are by appointment only and will be held at the Division
of Human Resources’ Benefits Office, 1600 Hampton St., Suite
803.To sign up, call 1-877-267-4505 and press “0” for assistance,
or go to TIAA-CREF’s Web site at www.tiaa-cref.org/moc.
The sessions are designed to provide personalized planning
and guidance about meeting financial goals through the use of
mutual funds and annuity accounts.TIAA-CREF does not offer
tax advice.The TIAA-CREF consultant will be able to discuss
simplifying finances through consolidating assets, the right allocation mix, and available investment choices.
AIKEN CENTER RECEIVES AWARD: The USC
Aiken Small Business Development Center recently received
the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2008 Small Business
Development Center Excellence and Service Innovation Award.
With only one consultant and a part-time staff member, the center has helped more than 2,050 people over the last five years.
Through one-on-one counseling and workshops, the center has
helped create or save 200 jobs and has created $12,083,150 in
capital formation. Reka Ferencz Mosteller is the office director
and consultant. Mary Zamiska is the center’s assistant.
UNITED NATIONS SELECTS UNIVERSITY
EXHIBIT: The United Nations selected The Middle Passage:
White Ships/Black Cargo, an exhibit from McKissick Museum,
to be displayed in commemoration of the abolition of the slave
trade.The exhibit was featured at the UN’s New York City
headquarters as part of a series of events organized by the United Nations and the Schomburg Center to commemorate the
bicentennial of the slave trade’s abolition. The Middle Passage
is based on Tom Feelings’ book of illustrations of the same title.
Before his death in 2003, Feelings, an award-winning children’s
author and a former University art professor, dedicated much of
his life to telling the stories of African-American heritage.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM, STAFF
HONORED: The S.C. Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(SCSHA) has honored the S.C. Assistive Technology Program at
the Center for Disability Resources in the School of Medicine
as the Professional Program of The Year.The SCSHA recognized
staff members Mary Alice Bechtler and Carol Page O’Day for
their service to the speech-language pathologists of South Carolina.Waretha Butler, a research assistant of the S.C. Assistive
Technology Program, received the Student of the Year Award.
SALKEHATCHIE SPONSORS HIGH SCHOOL
BOWL: USC Salkehatchie held its 31st-annual High School
Bowl on the campus in Allendale. Teams from area high schools
competed in the quiz bowl, answering questions on academic
and current event topics. Barnwell High School won first place
this year, with Colleton County High coming in second.
2
May 8, 2008
$1.2 million grant to tackle homelessness
Helping the homeless obtain permanent housing is the goal of
a $1.2 million grant from the city of Columbia to the School of
Medicine. The grant will create Housing First, a program that
will place 25 homeless people into apartments and homes in
Columbia. The program was to begin in April.
Housing First, implemented in cities throughout the
United States, differs from many programs for the homeless
because of its emphasis on providing people with permanent
housing, rather than temporary placement in shelters, and
supportive services, including counseling, transportation,
employment placement, and legal services.
President Sorensen said Housing First is a comprehensive
approach to helping the homeless and involves more than giving people a place to live.
“The grant to our University’s School of Medicine will ensure that people have a wide range of services and support,” he
said. “With its counseling, health care, and case-management
expertise, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine
is in an excellent position to make a difference in the lives of
these individuals.”
David Parker, director of Supportive Housing Services
at the University’s medical school, said Columbia is the first
Housing First program to have a medical school coordinate
services for the clients. With approximately 1,700 homeless
people in Columbia, Housing First is an important step in
changing the way homeless people receive assistance and the
city responds to their needs.
“What we learn from this program will provide the foundation for the types of services and housing that are planned
in the future,” Parker said. “Having the University’s medical
school involved will be invaluable for the healthcare needs of
the clients that Housing First serves.”
Office furniture
finds a new home
at the University
When national homebuilder KB Home relocated
its S.C. headquarters from Columbia to North
Charleston, the move resulted in a large collection of office furniture without a home.
“We wanted to find a meaningful destination for this office furniture, and it was logical
to reach out to the University,” said KB Home
executive Tony Adams, a 1986 graduate of
Carolina’s business school.
The furniture, valued at about $20,000, is
slated for the Center for Child and Family StudJohnny Jones, left, interim director of the Center for Families in Society, and KB Home’s Tony
Adams, a graduate of the University.
ies, a unit in the College of Social Work.
“The College of Social Work and the Center
for Child and Family Studies are extremely grateful for the gift
The center, which provides training to the S.C. Departof furniture by KB Home,” said Johnny Jones, interim direcment of Social Services and conducts research on other child
tor of the center. “Community partnerships are essential in
and family issues, is scheduled to move later this year from
making meaningful and lasting change, and this is a wonderful
its current location in the former Benson Elementary School
example of the cooperative spirit that is needed.”
property on Pickens Street.
New law changes funding for future retiree health benefits
A new state law changes how health and dental insurance will
be funded for future retirees. The new law affects only individuals who begin employment with state-covered insurance
on or after May 2, 2008.
Funding of health benefits is unchanged for current retirees and employees hired prior to May 2, 2008, as are the rules
to qualify for enrollment in state health insurance programs.
The new law, signed by Gov. Mark Sanford on April 2,
changes the number of years of earned service necessary to
qualify for funded retiree insurance from the current 10 years
to 15 years for a half contribution and to 25 years for a full
contribution.
Symposium on aging is May 17
“Here’s a Health Carolina,” a new educational forum
organized by the University’s health-science units,
will present a symposium on aging in America as its
inaugural event.
The symposium will take place from 8 a.m. to
1:30 p.m. May 17 at the Russell House. Topics will
include senior independence, the impact of the
baby-boomer generation on health care, and methods
for achieving physical and mental wellness in older
adults.
Speakers will be Joyce Dubow, a senior adviser for
the American Association of Retired People’s (AARP)
Office of Policy and Strategy; Paul Eleazer, a professor
of medicine in the School of Medicine and director of
the division of geriatrics in the Department of Internal
Medicine; and Patrick Hickey, a clinical assistant professor at the University and the first registered nurse
to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Dubow will speak at 9:30 a.m. on changes in national health care policy. Eleazer’s talk, “Meeting the
Needs of Older South Carolinians: An Update on the
SeniorSMART Center,” is set for 10 a.m.
Hickey, a registered nurse for 30 years, will speak
at 12:30 p.m. His talk is titled “Are You Within Reach
of Your Summit?”
At 11 a.m., the University’s health sciences deans
will make brief remarks, which will be followed by a
question-and-answer session with all the speakers.
Sponsors are the School of Medicine, College of
Nursing, S.C. College of Pharmacy, Arnold School of
Public Health, and the College of Social Work.
To register or for more information, go to www.
sc.edu/symposia/hahc/index.php.
This change means that an affected individual who retires
with 15 years of service will pay 50 percent of the employer
portion in addition to the employee portion of their state health
and dental insurance premium. Only employees with 25 years
of service will be eligible to continue their state health and
dental insurance by paying only the employee portion of the
premium.
Retirees who have five or more years of service, but fewer
than 15 years of service, with a state-covered entity will have to
pay the full premium cost if they want to keep state health and
dental insurance.
For more information, call 7-6650.
Film on study abroad to
China wins Telly awards
The University won three Telly awards for a documentary film
that explores the study-abroad experience of 22 undergraduates who traveled across China for two weeks last summer.
Laura Kissel, an associate professor of media arts, directed
the film, Beyond the Classroom: China. The 30-minute film
won a Silver Telly, the highest award category, and two Bronze
Tellys in the Videography/Cinematography and Travel/Tourism categories.
Patricia Willer, assistant vice provost for international programs, approached Kissel about the documentary to highlight
the importance of international travel in education.
“Our goal was to capture the active learning that students
engage in when studying abroad,” said Willer, the film’s executive producer. “Professor Kissel’s film does that beautifully. By
using the students’ voices, she has crafted a powerful measure
of learning outcomes. She and the students help us, as viewers, to know more about contemporary China and to appreciate the power of international study.”
Kissel, whose work focuses on culture, memory, and
the representation of history, said she agreed to the project
because it gave her the opportunity to show how the direct
experience of another culture can impact a person’s life.
“The students are the narrators of the video, and their
voices drive the story,” Kissel said. “It captures how they
experienced China’s culture and environment and assimilated
it into their understanding of the world.”
In its 29th year, the Telly awards honor excellence in
local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs and
non-broadcast video. A clip of the film is available for viewing
online at www.sa.sc.edu/clips/USCInChina2.mov.
Fetal nicotine exposure
might correlate with
adolescent drug abuse
Spring Reunion weekend
for alumni is May 16–17
University alumni can come back to campus May 16–17
for a weekend of class reunions and to check out what’s
new on campus.
Traditionally, homecoming weekend has been the
time for class reunions and events that revolve around
Carolina football. However, the increasingly tentative
nature of kick-off times for football games has made
planning events for alumni difficult. The Carolina Alumni
Association has launched Spring Reunion 2008 to respond to alumni interest in reunions.
“The weekend is designed to give alumni the opportunity to see how campus has changed and to take
part in classes, reunions, musical concerts, tours, social
activities, and many other programs,” said Lynn Bradley,
assistant executive director of alumni engagement.
Many activities will tie into events from schools and
colleges. In addition to reunions for particular classes, a
full list of events for all alumni is on the Carolina Alumni
Association Web site at www.MyCarolina.org.
Special reunions are being planned by several classes
and for Greek alumni.
Plans call for tours of new buildings on campus, a
jazz concert by faculty and students from the School of
Music, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Colonial Center,
a fun run/walk through campus, a gala event, and the
Carolina-Tennessee baseball game.
The weekend also will offer alumni the opportunity to
head back to class for an array of educational offerings. In
addition to the health sciences, topics will include media
and politics and a culinary class taught by faculty in the
School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management.
By Chris Horn
The Gamecocks will take on Tennessee in baseball to close out their
season at 7 p.m. May 16 and 4 p.m. May 17 during the Spring Reunion.
For ticket availability, go to www.MyCarolina.org.
“The schedule will feature great fun and education,”
Bradley said. “We hope alumni will make a trip to campus for what promises to be a very special weekend for
everyone.”
Coal and hydrogen are next energy forum topics
The College of Engineering and Computing’s next two Forums
for Our Energy Future will focus on coal and hydrogen and
will be held May 14 at Florence-Darlington Technical College
and June 4 on the Columbia campus, respectively.
The forums are aimed at helping citizens gain a better
understanding of different energy options and the ramifications of each.
The coal forum will feature Michael Couick, executive
director of the Electrical Cooperatives of South Carolina, and
Blan Holman of the Southern Environmental Law Center. The
moderator will be Charles Bierbauer, dean of Carolina’s College of Mass Communications and Information Studies. The
forum will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The hydrogen forum will take place in Amoco Hall in the
Swearingen Engineering Center. The first speaker is Shannon
Baxter-Clemmons, executive director of the S.C. Hydrogen &
Fuel Cell Alliance. James “Buddy” Atkins of the S.C. Public
Service Commission will present a response. Harris Pastides,
vice president for research and health sciences, will be the
moderator.
“It’s our hope that people who attend these forums will
acquire a better understanding of the relevant science and
technology policies associated with each of these forms of
energy,” said Chris Toumey, a research associate in the College
of Engineering and Computing who organized the forums.
The final two forums will focus on renewable energy (June
25 at USC Upstate) and energy conservation (July 23 at Claflin
University).
Weir named assistant vice provost for student success initiatives
Susan Weir has joined the University as assistant vice provost
for student success initiatives.
The former director of student academic services in the College of Arts
and Sciences at Oklahoma State University, Weir will oversee the Student
Success Center, which is responsible
for student success initiatives designed
to advance the University’s goals for
retention and degree completion.
“I am delighted to join the
University of South Carolina family,
and I look forward to enhancing and
Weir
expanding services offered via the Student Success Center,” Weir said. “The
University clearly makes student success and development a
priority, and I am humbled to be able to contribute to these
important initiatives.”
Weir earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the
University of Oregon, a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri, and a doctoral degree in
educational psychology with an emphasis in student personnel
administration from Oklahoma State University.
She is the author of a recent monograph Transitions: A
Guide for the Transfer Student and is a member of the National Academic Advising Association.
The Student Success Center coordinates programs and
services that include supplemental instruction, a student-led
academic assistance program, tutoring, academic recovery
programs, and programs for transfer, out-of-state, and minority students. For more information, go to www.sa.sc.edu/ssc,
e-mail student.success@sc.edu, or call 7-0684.
DuPré family makes
gift to Upstate library
Parsons named executive
vice president at Beaufort
The Samuel Jervey DuPré family donated a collection of
527 journals and 436 books to the USC Upstate Library.
Samuel DuPré was a native of Spartanburg and a
graduate of Spartanburg High School and The Citadel. He
was the principal of Pine Street School for 37 years before
retiring in 1974. He and his wife Kinsey Evans DuPré
have three adult children.
“The items included in this gift cover a uniquely broad
array of subjects and years,” said Frieda Davison, dean of
the Upstate library. “This is a wonderful addition to our
collection, and we are most grateful to the DuPré family.”
According to Davison, the family donated the papers
of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Julian P. Boyd, which is
a 31-volume set of primary importance. The library had
the index volume in its existing collection but none of the
main set. The donation also includes American Heritage
(1954–1984 complete plus other issues).
For more information, contact Davison at 52-5610.
Michael D. Parsons has been named executive vice president
of academic affairs at USC Beaufort. Parsons will oversee
faculty, staff, and academic programs at the North Campus in
Beaufort and South Campus in Bluffton. He will report directly
to USC Beaufort’s chancellor, Jane T. Upshaw.
Parsons joins USC Beaufort from Minnesota State University in Moorhead, Minn., where he was dean of the College
of Education and Human Services and an education professor. During his tenure at Minnesota, he helped launch the
university’s first doctoral program, increased graduate and
undergraduate enrollment, and administered a $7 million
budget.
Parsons is the author of Power and Politics: Federal Higher Education Policymaking in the 1990’s (State University of
New York Press, 1997) and the co-author of Public Funding of
Higher Education: Changing Contexts and New Rationales
(Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004).
Children whose mothers smoked while pregnant might be
more susceptible to abusing cocaine and methamphetamine as
adolescents, said a University psychology faculty member who
is studying the phenomenon.
Steven Harrod, an assistant professor of psychology, is focusing on the
neurobiological correlates of fetal
nicotine exposure, using a four-year,
$1 million grant from the National
Institute on Drug Abuse. He has hypothesized that such exposure makes
adolescents, particularly females, more
vulnerable to abusing brain-stimulating drugs.
“I’m interested in understanding
the neurobehavioral changes that
Harrod
might happen as a result of nicotine
exposure in the womb,” said Harrod,
who uses rodent models to mimic the rate and intensity of
exposure. “Epidemiologists have previously shown that only
30 percent of female nicotine-dependent smokers actually quit
smoking during pregnancy.”
Harrod’s model reproduces the brain spikes of nicotine exposure that mimic actual smoking behavior. He surmises that
gestational nicotine exposure will later increase the stimulant
effects of cocaine and methamphetamine in adolescent brains.
“Does that mean that every adolescent who was exposed
to nicotine in the womb will go on to abuse such drugs? Of
course not, but it could alter their neurotransmitters in such a
way as to make them more vulnerable to psycho-stimulants if
they ever experiment with them,” Harrod said.
Neuroscientists have identified a motivational circuit in
the brain that is fed by brain chemicals and that affects mood
and reinforcement of behaviors. It’s possible that fetal nicotine
exposure might alter this circuit in a way that would reinforce
drug-abusing behavior.
“If you’re going to create some kind of pharmacotherapy to
help adolescents who are abusing drugs, you have to understand all of the neurobiological variables,” Harrod said. “This
kind of basic research is aimed at trying to understand the
complex world of drug-taking behavior.
“The reason I’m looking at adolescent drug use is because
drug abuse doesn’t start in adulthood—it begins during adolescence.”
Second-annual Women’s
Health Research Forum
scheduled Oct. 3–4
Organizers for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s
second-annual Women’s Health Research Forum have announced the event will be held Oct. 3-4 in the Russell House
Ballroom.
Abstracts will be published and research will be presented
in poster format. Deadline for abstract submissions is Sept.
10. Faculty and students from all University departments are
encouraged to submit abstracts of their research in any area of
women’s health.
For information about last year’s inaugural event, go to
http://whrf.med.sc.edu. Instructions regarding abstract submissions and forum information will be posted after July 1.
Last fall’s forum attracted more than 100 attendees and
nearly 60 posters from researchers in the College of Arts and
Sciences, the School of Medicine, the Arnold School of Public
Health, University regional and four-year campuses, and other
Columbia-area colleges.
“We started the Women’s Health Research Forum to foster
networking and collaborative research,” said Judy Burgis,
an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology and co-chair of this year’s forum. “The idea is not
just to recognize the best research in women’s health but to
improve other research efforts.”
Wilfried Karmaus, a professor in epidemiology and biostatistics, said the first forum helped promote a cross-disciplinary approach to women’s health research. “We have an active
family health research group [in public health], but researchers from obstetrics and gynecology have not been included
in the past. It’s good to recruit people from other parts of the
University for research proposals.”
The Women’s Health Research Forum might also help
participating scientists find collaborators at other institutions
because many non-University entities are expected to participate, including Health Sciences South Carolina institutions.
“We want to keep the format of the forum informal and to
continue to expand it,” said Robert Best, a professor in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and co-chair of the event.
“It could easily become a state-wide event with participants
from the Upstate to the Lowcountry.”
May 8, 2008
3
May & June
Calendar
■ Exhibits
■ Miscellany
May 10–July 19 McKissick Museum: Barbecue Joints and
the Good Folks Who Own Them, drawn from the companion
book BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbecue
Belt, by author and photographer David Gelin, who traveled
thousands of miles from the Carolinas to Texas studying the
cultural and traditional significance of barbecue. A reception
and gallery talk with Gelin will take place from 5:30 to
7:30 p.m. June 13. For more information, call Saddler Taylor
or Ja-Nae Epps at 7-7251 (See story page 5).
May 9 Nature tour: “Spring Wildflowers,” a walk through
maritime, upland forest, and wetland habitats to see spring
in bloom at Hobcaw Barony. Reserve staff and naturalists
will help identify common spring wildflowers. 10 a.m.–noon,
Hobcaw Barony, Georgetown. Sponsored by North InletWinyah Bay NERR and the Baruch Institute. Free, but
reservations are required. For more information, call 843546-6219.
Through May 30 Thomas Cooper Library: Friend of
the People: Donald Holland of Kershaw, features materials
from S.C. Political Collections that document the life and
career of the state senator from Kershaw County, covering more than 50 years of public service. Thomas Cooper
Library, Main Floor, East Gallery.
Through May 30 Thomas Cooper Library: Mummies
and Egyptology Before Tutankhamen, winner of the Thomas
Cooper Library Student Book Collecting Contest for
2008, created by John Higgins, a graduate student in English.
Thomas Cooper Library, West Gallery.
Through June 30 Thomas
Cooper Library: Garibaldi
in His Time: An Exhibit from the
Anthony P. Campanella Collection,
Mezzanine.
Through Aug. 9
McKissick Museum: The
Dresses of Florestine Kinchen: A
Tribute to Helen Hill, featuring
handmade dresses created by
deceased New Orleans resident
Kinchen, as found by Helen Hill,
native of Columbia, experimenGaribaldi lithograph, ca. 1860
tal artist, animator, filmmaker,
and activist who was murdered in her New Orleans home
in 2007. Exhibit includes a series of clips from Hill’s films
and a brief clip from her film about Kinchen. Second floor,
North Gallery. A reception, tea party, and gallery talk will
take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 9, second floor, lobby.
For more information, call Jason Shaiman or Ja-Nae Epps at
7-7251.
■ List your events
The Times calendar welcomes submissions of listings
for campus events. Listings should include a name
and phone number so we can follow up if necessary.
Items should be sent to Times calendar at University
Publications, 920 Sumter St.; e-mailed to kdowell@
gwm.sc.edu; or faxed to 7-8212. If you have questions,
call Kathy Dowell at 7-3686. The deadline for receipt of
information is 11 business days prior to the publication
date of issue. The next publication date is May 29.
■ Online calendar
USC Calendar of Events is at http://events.sc.edu.
To add events here, contact Denise Wellman at
denisew@gwm.sc.edu or 7-0169.
If you require special accommodations, please contact the program sponsor.
■ Sports
May 13 Men’s baseball: The Citadel, 7 p.m.,
Sarge Frye Field.
May 15, 16, and 17 Men’s baseball: Tennessee,
7 p.m. May 15, 7 p.m. May 16, and 1:30 p.m. May 17,
Sarge Frye Field.
June and July Women’s Soccer Camps:
For girls ages 5–12; JR Elite and Elite Training Camp,
for girls in grades 5–8; and a Premier Level Camp, for
girls in grades 9–12. Conducted by Carolina Women’s
Soccer Coach Shelley Smith and her staff. For more
information, contact the soccer office at 7-1940. To
register, go online at
GamecocksOnline.com.
Girls can improve their soccer skills in a series of half-day
camps, full-day camps, and residential camps offered by the
women’s soccer program this summer.
4
May 8, 2008
May 10 Nature tour: Hobcaw Barony Special Programs,
“Birding on the Barony,” guide Gary Phillips, Myrtle Beach
Sun News columnist and avian researcher, will take birding
enthusiasts from Hobcaw Barony’s scenic salt marshes to
red-cockaded woodpecker colonies, cypress swamps, and
loblolly lowlands to ancient sand dunes dominated by turkey oaks. Jointly offered by the Baruch Institute and Coastal
Carolina University. 7 a.m.–noon. Cost is $30 per person.
To register, call 843-349-4030.
May 13 McCutchen House: Garden Grill opens for the
summer, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Tuesday–Friday, Horseshoe.
May 17 Nature tour: “Bike to the Boardwalk,” bike a
total of five miles to the salt marsh boardwalk on North
Inlet, then enjoy a salt marsh exploration. Upland forest
habitats, wildlife, salt marsh ecology, and a variety of other
topics will be discussed during the trip. 9:30–11:30 a.m.,
Hobcaw Barony, Georgetown. Sponsored by North InletWinyah Bay NEER and the Baruch Institute. Free, but call to
register in case of last-minute program changes. For more
information, call 843-546-6219.
May 20 Healthy cooking: “Cooking with a Foodie,”
cooking demonstration featuring Hayden Davis, who will
highlight his favorite dishes and show participants how
to prepare them. Presented by Columbia’s Cooking!, the
University’s healthy cooking program. 5:30–7:30 p.m. For
more information, contact Brook Harmon at 734-4432 or
brookharmon@sc.edu, or go to http://cpcp.sph.sc.edu/
cooking.
May 30 Nature tour: “North Inlet Kayak Tours,” a
naturalist-guided tour through the creeks of North Inlet,
includes instruction in basic kayaking, a natural history
overview, and educational highlights of the North Inlet ecosystem. 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Hobcaw Barony, Georgetown.
Cost is $50 per person and includes kayak, paddle, personal
floatation device, and water. Participants are asked to bring
a snack, camera, and binoculars, and to wear sturdy shoes.
Limited to six participants. Sponsored by North InletWinyah Bay NEER and the Baruch Institute. To register, call
843-546-6219.
■ Árpád Darázs Singers
The Árpád Darázs Singers will present a concert at 7:30 p.m.
May 8 at Ashland United Methodist Church, 2600 Ashland Road,
in Columbia. The singers also will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m.
May 13 at Red Bank United Methodist Church, 2900 Old Barnwell
Road, in Lexington, and at 4 p.m. May 18 at The Methodist Oaks,
1800 Methodist Oaks Drive, in Orangeburg. For more information, call 926-7306 or go to www.ADSingers.org.
Russian-born pianist Olga Kern was raised in a musical family with ties to
Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. She performs at the School of Music in June.
■ Concerts
May 9 School of Music: Colla Voce, vocal chamber
ensemble of 20 choral professionals from the Columbia
area under the direction of Larry Wyatt, 7:30 p.m.,
St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 1529 Assembly St. The concert
will include Flos Campi, by Vaughan-Williams, featuring USC
viola professor Connie Gee, and Persichetti’s Flower Songs.
The ensemble will be joined by the USC China Festival
Choir for a performance of the Vivaldi Gloria. Turrin’s Elegy
for Trumpet and Strings will be performed by USC trumpet
professor James Ackley. Admission is $10. For more information, call 7-5369.
May 16–18 School of Music: Reunion events, for alumni,
to include concerts and other performances. For more
information, call 576-5763, e-mail jesmith@mozart.sc.edu,
or go online to www.music.sc.edu.
Chicago Luzern Exchange’s CD is titled Several Lights.
May 18 School of Music: Friends of School of Music
Special Performance, featuring the Congaree New Horizons
Band, led by Jeremy Lane, 4:30 p.m., School of Music, Recital
Hall.
May 19 School of Music: Chicago Luzerne Exchange, a
jazz ensemble made up of three Chicago avant-garde jazz
players: cornetist Josh Berman, tenor saxophonist Keefe
Jackson, and drummer Frank Rosaly, and Swiss tuba player
Mark Unternahrer. 7:30 p.m. doors open, 8 p.m. concert,
School of Music, Recital Hall. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door.
May 25 Memorial Day concert: Palmetto Concert
Band, directed by James Copenhaver and William Moody,
made up of professional and semiprofessional musicians
from throughout South Carolina, with a few members from
North Carolina and Georgia. A majority of its members
are alumni of the School of Music, and more than half are
public school band directors. These experienced performers, who receive no compensation for participating, play
with the group because they enjoy making music and performing outstanding repertoire composed or transcribed
for the wind band. Selections for this patriotic performance
include Summon the Heroes, by John Williams; Huntingtower
Ballad, by Ottorino Respighi; Armed Forces Salute, arranged
by Robert Lowden; and The Stars and Stripes Forever, by John
Philip Sousa. 4 p.m., Koger Center. Free and open to the
public.
May 31–June 13 School of Music: Conductors Institute
of South Carolina. For more information, go to http://conductorsinstitute.com.
June 22–28 School of Music: The Southeastern Piano
Festival, featuring Russian pianist Olga Kern, gold medalist
of the XI Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, June
12, Koger Center. All events are open to the public, and
many are free. For a full schedule, go to http://sepf.music.
sc.edu/schedule2.html. For more information, go to http://
sepf.music.sc.edu or call 576-5763.
■ Around the campuses
Beaufort’s ‘Chiaroscuro/Fresh Paint’ exhibit features student and faculty art
May 10 USC Aiken: National Astronomy Day and Star
Party, 7–9:30 p.m. hands-on activities; 7, 8, 9, and 10 p.m.
planetarium shows. DuPont Planetarium, Ruth Patrick Science Education Center. For more information, call 56-3769.
May 12 USC Salkehatchie: Athletic Scholarship Golf
Tournament, 12:30 p.m., Northwoods Golf Club, Columbia.
For more information, call Jeff Wicker at 58-3446, ext. 250.
USC Beaufort’s
11th-annual Student
and Faculty Art
Exhibition is on display
at the Performing Arts
Center art gallery on
Carteret Street in
Beaufort through
May 24. Chiaroscuro/
Fresh Paint features
more than 45 pieces
of art created by art
students and art professors Jon Goebel and
Roger Steele. At left is
“Humphrey,” done in
acrylic paint by sophomore Sarah Kennedy.
Through May 12 USC Lancaster: Exhibit, The Lewis
and Clark Expedition: Discovering the American West, Encountering Native Americans, an exhibition from Rare Books
and Special Collections at Thomas Cooper Library. Major
items on display include McKenney and Hall’s folio History
of the Indian Tribes (1836–44), John James Audubon’s Birds of
America (1827–38), and Audubon and Bachman’s Quadrupeds of North America (1845–48). Of special importance is
Karl Bodmer’s Travels in the Interior of North America (1839);
Bodmer provides detailed images of life among the Mandan
and other peoples in the places where Lewis and Clark had
wintered. Medford Library, USC Lancaster. For more information, call the Medford Library at 803-313-7060.
May 24 USC Sumter:
“Three Men Folk and Scape
ore Bluegrass Company: Stories
and Song,” performances by
Buford Mabry, retired educator,
storyteller, and 1997 recipient
of state legislated Jean Laney
Harris Folk Heritage Award;
John Fowler, full-time, old-time
musician, storyteller, and creator of Hairy Toe Productions;
Will Goins, CEO of the Eastern
Cherokee, Southern Iroquois,
and United Tribes of South
Carolina Inc., and 2008 recipient of the Jean Laney Harris
South Carolina native John Fowler
Folk Heritage Award; and Scape
ore Bluegrass Company, a bluegrass band formed in 1991
and often featured on ETV’s Bluegrass Express.
10 a.m.–1 p.m., Sumter Iris Festival, Swan Lake, Bland Gardens. Presented by the S.C. Center for Oral Narration at
USC Sumter. Sponsored by Thompson Turner Construction
and Sumter County Cultural Commission, which receives
support from the S.C. Arts Commission and National
Endowment of the Arts. Free and open to the public. For
more information, call Michelle Ross at 55-3801.
Jon Goebel, an assistant professor of art, created “Brat House,” an etching.
Works selected for this year’s exhibit
were juried by faculty and include paintings, prints, and drawings. “Self Portrait,”
a lithograph by Roger Steele, an adjunct
professor of art, is part of the exhibit.
Through May 24 USC Beaufort: “Chiaroscuro/Fresh
Paint,” 11th-annual Student/Faculty Art Exhibition, Performing Arts Center art gallery, 801 Carteret St., downtown
Beaufort. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday.
For more information, contact Jon Goebel at 50-3142 or
goebelj@uscb.edu.
■ Commencements continue
• USC Aiken, 7 p.m. May 8 in the Convocation Center. Mark Emkes, chair
and chief executive officer of Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. and
Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, will be the speaker.
• The School of Law, 9:30 a.m. May 9 on the Horseshoe. Mark Buyck, a Carolina alumnus and a member of the Board of Trustees, will be the speaker.
• The School of Medicine, 12:30 p.m. May 9 in the Koger Center. Virginia
Eddy, Carolina alumna and director of undergraduate surgical education at
the Maine Medical Center in Portland, will be the speaker.
• The Darla Moore School of Business, the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, the College of Nursing, the S.C. College of
Pharmacy, and the Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, 3 p.m. May 9
in the Colonial Center.President Sorensen will speak.
• The College of Arts and Sciences and the Honors College, 9:30 a.m. May
10 in the Colonial Center. Barbara McConnell Barrett, chair of the U.S.
Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, will speak.
• Doctoral degree candidates, 1 p.m. May 10 in the Koger Center. Mary Anne
Fitzpatrick, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will be the speaker.
• Doctor of humane letters from the College of Education; the College of
Engineering and Computing; the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport
Management; the Fort Jackson Military Base Program; Interdisciplinary
Programs; the School of Music; and the College of Social Work, 4 p.m. May
10 in the Colonial Center. Barbara McConnell Barrett will speak.
McKissick features photo exhibit on barbecue joints
Whether it is drizzled with mustard, drenched in sauce, or soaked in vinegar, barbecue is a Southern tradition.
McKissick Museum will celebrate this culinary favorite with the exhibition “Barbecue Joints & The
Good Folks Who Own Them” through July 19.
Drawn from the companion book, BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbecue Belt, the
exhibit features more than 40 original photographs by author and photographer David Gelin, who traveled
from the Carolinas to Texas studying the cultural and traditional significance of barbecue.
The black-and-white and color images and text take visitors on a visual journey through the heart of
barbecue country, where barbecue traditions are steeped in family and occupational lore.
“Gelin’s work is not a celebration of barbecue alone. His work reaches much deeper,” said Saddler
Taylor, curator of folk life at McKissick. “His photography communicates the intimacy and passion shared
by the people keeping these traditions vibrant and relevant.”
The museum also will sponsor a reception and gallery talk with Gelin from 5:30 to 7 p.m. June 13.
McKissick has a long history of celebrating Southern culture and folk life. In 2002, the museum collaborated on the documentary Southern Stews. The film, directed by Stan Woodward, examined several
of the South’s major culinary traditions, including stew and barbecue. The McKissick Museum Folklife
Resource Center strives to preserve Southern tradition and culture not only through exhibitions and films
but also through publications and demonstrations.
McKissick is the only Columbia museum to offer free regular admission. Located on the Horseshoe, the
museum features two permanent collections and a number of rotating temporary exhibits and provides
educational and cultural programming. McKissick is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday–Friday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sundays and holidays.
For more information on “Barbecue Joints,” call Taylor or Ja-Nae Epps at 7-7251. For more information about McKissick Museum, go to www.cas.sc.edu/mcks.
May 8, 2008
5
Jobs
continued from page 1
administrators smiling.
“Our graduates are very pleased to continue seeing new
opportunities in front of them,” Powers said.
Granted, she added, some areas, such as the construction
industry, housing, and the financial services sector, have taken
hits in the current downturn, and in some instances, there’s
been a ripple effect in other areas; but for the most part, “college hiring is up, and it’s up across the board.”
Powers attributed the sustained hiring posture by employers to the realization that they need to maintain their pipelines
for future leadership because so many baby boomers are anticipating retirement in the next five to 10 years. “They feel like
they need to have their organizations ready for the transitions
that they anticipate,” she said.
Hot fields in which graduates are highly sought after are engineering, health care, accounting, and computer-related jobs,
Powers said, although liberal arts graduates also are needed
and are faring well landing their first jobs out of college.
“There are still occupational fields that look for college
graduates who have a lot of those important professional attributes such as interpersonal skills; good, strong writing skills;
and the ability to think critically,” Powers said.
“Many employers are not tied to a certain major if they are
trying to fill nontechnical positions so much as they’re just
trying to find solid people they can train. We see a lot of that in
management training opportunities and even in areas such as
consulting and finance for our arts and sciences majors.”
Regardless of their majors, all graduates should seek work
in fields in which their interests lie in addition to where there
are opportunities, Powers said. Finding the right field ensures
that new graduates won’t get into a job they don’t enjoy and
have to look for another job later on in a field for which they’re
better suited.
As for students still in school who might be discouraged
about job prospects because of news from the economy,
Powers encouraged them to visit the Career Center and take
advantage of its resources.
“There are a lot of people who enjoy helping college
students, and the students need to use those resources to
their advantage,” she said. “They also need to network with
family members, neighbors, friends, and others who can refer
them to folks within the types of companies and organizations
they’re interested in working with.
“There are a lot of resources out there. They just need to
use them.”
History
continued from page 1
and Ward One. The students gathered more than 70 hours
of oral interviews with former residents and created a video
presentation titled Lest We Forget.
“We were all like sponges soaking up all of your words and
experiences,” Dessow told the former residents. “Each of your
stories was a blessing and gave us valuable life lessons.”
Following the presentation, former community members
from all three neighborhoods told their stories during a call
and response period that became a mini reunion at which family friends reunited and friendly rivalries resurfaced.
“We didn’t know we were poor,” one resident said. “There
was so much love and joy.”
“Ward One was a great place, and we’re still together,” said
another resident, referring to the Ward One reunion held the
third Saturday of each month at Union Baptist Church.
A resident from Wheeler Hill said: “We took care of each
other and shared food with each other. It is a joy to know
where you come from. I’m proud of my community.”
Many of the residents brought photographs and household
items to display: a cast-iron kettle, ceramic kitchen bowls,
andirons from a fireplace, and even a children’s game created
from dried peach pits and small rubber balls.
Although the University played a role in relocating some
of the residents from their neighborhoods as the campus
expanded, the community members thanked Donaldson, his
students, and the administration for their work and commitment to reclaim and preserve their history.
Donaldson will teach the class again in the fall.
Winner
continued from page 1
Research Award for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering.
Thomas L. Leatherman, chair and a professor in the
Department of Anthropology, was named the Ada B. Thomas
Outstanding Faculty Advisor. Leslie C. Wingard in the Arnold
School of Public Health received the Ada B. Thomas Outstanding Staff Advisor Award at Awards Day ceremonies earlier.
Benjamin L. Hankin, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, and Rekha C. Patel, an associate professor
in the Department of Biological Sciences, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Awards.
Following the presentation of awards, the faculty approved
several proposed changes made by the Faculty Advisory Committee to the Faculty Manual. The Faculty Senate met after the
General Faculty Meeting.
The next General Faculty Meeting will be held at 2 p.m.
Sept. 3 in the School of Law Auditorium. The next Faculty
Senate meeting will be held at 3 p.m. June 25 in the School of
Law Auditorium.
6
May 8, 2008
Times reader survey brings many reader responses
A recently concluded readership survey of Times has provided
hundreds of responses, including opinions and content suggestions for the University’s periodical for faculty and staff.
The reader survey was the third conducted for Times,
which began publication in its current, twice-monthly tabloid
format in 1990. Like the previous two surveys, more than half
of respondents said they considered Times a very important
or important source of information about the University, and
nearly 80 percent said they were very or mostly satisfied with
the periodical.
More than eight in 10 respondents said they considered
Times to be a very or mostly accurate source of University
information, and about two-thirds said they occasionally or
often acted on information they read in Times, such as attending a play, a concert, or a lecture.
About 70 percent said they read everything or at least some
things—about 25 percent said they skim the periodical. More
than half said Times at least occasionally spurs conversation in
their offices.
Moore Memorial Lecture
in Business is May 19
The George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and
Economics at USC Upstate will sponsor the second-annual
William S. Moore Memorial Lecture in Business from 7:30 to
9:45 a.m. May 19 in downtown Spartanburg.
The keynote speaker is U.S. Secret Service agent Darren
White, and the topic is “Identity Theft and Counterfeiting.”
Over the past decade, the Secret Service has successfully
seized an estimated 90 percent of counterfeited currency
before it has reached circulation. However, identity theft has
increased. Millions of Americans suffer both the emotional
trauma and financial problems associated with identity theft
each year.
At the same time, both the public and private sectors have
grappled with difficult and costly decisions about safeguard
investments to protect the public. Multiple efforts involve
federal, state, and local agencies in combating identity theft.
At the state level, Gov. Mark Sanford has signed the “Financial
Identity Fraud and Identity Theft Protection Act,” which takes
effect Dec. 31.
White has more than 18 years experience with the U.S.
Secret Service. Before coming to South Carolina, White
worked in the Presidential Protective Division, The White
House, with both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
He also was in the Technical Security Division in
Washington, D.C.
The cost to attend the lecture is $15 per person, which
includes a buffet breakfast. To make reservations, call
864-503-5218.
Sisters
continued from page 1
not only would all of them go to the University of South Carolina at once while living at home with their mother, but they
would also graduate together.
The oldest, Jennifer, 22, enrolled at Midlands Tech for one
year to wait for her twin sisters, Michelle and Morgan, 21, to
finish high school before the three started at Carolina.
This weekend, Jennifer will receive her degree in education with honors, while Michelle and Morgan will receive their
degrees in nursing and biology/pre-med, respectively.
How did they do it?
To put it succinctly, scholarships, part-time jobs, student
loans, spiritual guidance, and “people in the community who
cared about the family,” Diane said.
Morgan and Michelle both won hefty Horatio Alger
scholarships, while Morgan earned a lottery-funded Palmetto
Fellows Scholarship and Michelle got a lottery-funded Life
Scholarship. They also got Rotary scholarships and University
scholarships. Jennifer earned a Life Scholarship and received
a student loan, which she’ll get help repaying when she begins
work as a teacher in the fall at Wood Elementary School in
Lexington.
The three also worked at the offices of doctors in the community who were “very kind and generous to give them jobs
that kept them close at hand for me while I worked,” Diane
said.
“I was blessed to have people who cared enough about us
to help us through a tough time. We’ve been very fortunate.”
The whole experience has been an object lesson in learning
to grow together and help other families, said Diane, noting
that Morgan became a speaker for Mental Health of America
to let audiences know that “no matter what happens in the
way of tragedies in your life, you can keep going and you can
succeed.
“It’s been a busy time and an emotional time,” Diane said.
“Losing their dad wasn’t easy, but somewhere along the way
the girls drew on a strength that pulled them together. They
were determined to succeed and to move forward. That is what
their father would have wanted.”
About 80 percent of respondents said a Web site devoted
exclusively to faculty and staff news would be somewhat to
very useful. Plans are in the works to create an online site that
will combine news from several University sources.
How can Times improve? More than half of survey
respondents said they want to see more stories on University
policies, issues, plans, and growth. Several commented on the
need for more information on University health and wellness programs, human resources issues, and, perhaps most
importantly, more communication from the University’s key
administrators.
Previous reader surveys have prompted subtle but significant changes in Times, and the periodicals staff in University
Publications will consider all suggestions from the current
survey in planning for future issues. Comments and suggestions from faculty and staff about the publication always
are welcome. Contact Larry Wood, Times editor, at 7-3478
(larryw@gwm.sc.edu) or Chris Horn, periodicals director, at
7-3687 (chorn@sc.edu).
Staff spotlight
■ Name: Naomi F. Hayes
■ Title: Licensed practical nurse
■ Department: Thomson Student Health Center
■ Background: I am originally from Westville, but I
tell everyone that I’m from Camden because no one has
heard of Westville! I have worked at the Thomson Student Health Center for 10 years. Prior to that, I worked at
Palmetto Health Baptist for 10 years.
■ What brought you to Carolina? I enjoy working with a younger
generation. It has been a wonderful,
eye-opening experience. I also look at
working at Carolina as a chance to get
a “heads up” on what to expect when
my two children start college.
■ Tell us about your job. I work in
the Allergy Clinic at the Thomson Student Health Center. This is especially
Hayes
nice because I regularly see a small
group of students who come to me to
administer their allergy injections. I also give all other
shots and do TB testing. My goal as a nurse is to put the
students’ needs first. I am not only here for the students,
but I am also here because of the students.
■ What do you like about the job? I really like
the rapport I have developed with the students. I love
knowing that I have said or done something to make
our students feel better or help them to continue their
academic studies.
■ What is challenging about it? The most challenging thing about working in the allergy clinic is trying to
communicate with students who may be behind in their
injection schedules about why I cannot increase their
dosages. They can get really upset about that.
■ How do you spend your free time? I enjoy singing
in my church’s gospel choir and am very active in several
ministries within my church. Most of my free time is
spent with my family: my husband and our two teenage
children. We love to travel. We plan to go out to Texas
soon, and to Detroit, Mich.—home of the Temptations.
I’m really looking forward to going to Hitsville, USA!
Nurses: Lifting Spirits,Touching Lives
National Nurses Week is May 6–12
Times • Vol. 19, No. 8 • May 8, 2008
Times is published 20 times a year for the faculty
and staff of the University of South Carolina by
the Department of University Publications,
Laurence W. Pearce, director. lpearce@gwm.sc.edu
Director of periodicals: Chris Horn chorn@gwm.sc.edu
Managing editor: Larry Wood larryw@gwm.sc.edu
Design editor: Betty Lynn Compton blc@gwm.sc.edu
Senior writers: Marshall Swanson mswanson@gwm.sc.edu
Kathy Henry Dowell kdowell@gwm.sc.edu
Photographers: Michael Brown mfbrown@gwm.sc.edu
Kim Truett ktruett@gwm.sc.edu
To reach us: 7-8161 or larryw@gwm.sc.edu
Campus correspondents: Office of Media Relations, Columbia;
Jennifer Lake, Aiken; Shana Funderburk, Lancaster; Jane Brewer,
Salkehatchie; Misty Hatfield, Sumter; Tammy Whaley, Upstate; Terry
Young, Union.
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified
persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age,
disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The University of
South Carolina has designated as the ADA Title II, section 504, and
Title IX coordinator the Executive Assistant to the President for
Equal Opportunity Programs. The Office of the Executive Assistant
to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs is located at 1600
Hampton St., Suite 805, Columbia, S.C.; telephone 803-777-3854.
Faculty/staff news
Faculty/staff items include presentations of papers and projects for national
and international organizations, appointments to professional organizations and
boards, special honors, and publication of papers, articles, and books. Submissions should be typed, contain full information (see listings for style), and be sent
only once to Editor, Times, 920 Sumter St., Columbia campus. Send by e-mail to:
chorn@gwm.sc.edu.
■ BOOKS AND CHAPTERS
Elizabeth Baxley, family and preventive medicine, “Psychosocial Interventions in Pregnancy,” Family Medicine Obstetrics,Third Edition, and, co-editor,
with S.J. Ratcliffe, E. Sakornbut, M. Cline, Elsevier, Philadelphia, Pa., and, same
volume, with Virginia Beasley (S.C. DHEC), “Smoking in Pregnancy,” and,
“Substance Abuse in Pregnancy,” and, with Kevin Bennett, family and
preventive medicine, “Pregnancy Interventions,” and, with Rachel Brown,
family and preventive medicine, “Preparation for Parenting and Family
Issues,” and, with Charles Carter, family and preventive medicine,
“Mastitis” and “Postpartum Endometritis,” and “Delayed Postpartum
Hemorrhage,” and “Postpartum Thyroiditis,” and, with Rachel Hall,
family and preventive medicine, “Physiologic Changes and Common
Discomforts of Pregnancy.”
Chester DePratter, S.C. Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology, Greg Paulk and David Hurst Thomas, “Archaeological Sites
Recorded in the Shoreline Survey,” Native American Landscapes of St.
Catherines Island, Georgia, American Museum of Natural History, New
York, and, same volume, with David Hurst Thomas and Harold B.
Rollins, “The Changing Shape of St. Catherines Island.”
Charles Carter, family and preventive medicine, Janelle Guirguis-Blake (University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle,
Wash.), David Meyers (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Rockville, Md.), Renee Crichlow (Montana Family Practice Residency
Program, Billings, Mont.), and Jane Wilson (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.), “Preventive Health Care,”
Textbook of Family Medicine, 7th Edition, R. Rael, editor,
W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, Pa, and, same volume, with
James Stallworth and Robert Holleman, pediatrics, “Urinary
Tract Disorders.”
Rachel Hall, family and preventive medicine, “Paracervical Blocks,”
Family Medicine Obstetrics,Third Edition, S.J. Ratcliffe, E.G. Baxley,
E. Sakornbut, and M. Cline, editors, Elsevier, Philadelphia, Pa., and,
same volume, with Stephen Ratcliffe, (Lancaster General Hospital,
Lancaster, Pa), “Infections in Pregnancy.”
Jamee Lucas, family and preventive medicine, “Malpresentations
and Malpositions,” Family Medicine Obstetrics,Third Edition, S.J. Ratcliffe,
E.G. Baxley, E. Sakornbut, and M. Cline, editors, Elsevier,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Other Approaches,” Society for American Archaeology,Vancouver, Canada,
and, same conference, with David G. Anderson, “Ecological Niche Modeling
with PIDBA and FEAD,” and, with Rafael Suárez, “The Pleistocene-Holocene
Transition in Uruguay.”
Ran Wei, journalism and mass communications, and Shuhua Zhou (University of Alabama), “Effects of message sensation value in bird flu TV news
stories on audience arousal and perception of story quality,” Broadcast
Education Association, Las Vegas, Nev., and, same conference, with Jinghua
Huang (Communication University of China), “Profiling user responses to
mobile TV: Effects of individual differences, mobility and technology cluster
on critical mass.”
Linda Shimizu, chemistry and biochemistry, “Macrocyclic ureas: A simple
building block for supramolecular structures,” invited lecture, North Dakota
State University, Fargo, N.D.
■ Lighter times
■ ARTICLES
Kevin Bennett, family and preventive medicine, Janice Probst,
health services policy & management, and Charity Moore (University
Annual membership drive? Go ahead and renew us at the monarch level.
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine), “Estimating uncompensated care
charges for rural hospitals,” Journal of Rural Health, and, with Jihong
Lui, epidemiology and biostatistics, and N. Huran and Debeshi
Nora Martin, marketing, “Sleeping Your Way to a Better Grade: A Study
Maitra (USC graduate students), “Obesity among adolescents in rural areas:
of Class Times and Course Achievement,” American Marketing Association
A state by state chartbook,” South Carolina Rural Health Research Center.
International Collegiate Conference, New Orleans, La.
Kenneth Kelly, anthropology, “Plantation archaeology in the French West
Hans-Conrad zur Loye, chemistry and biochemistry, “Coordination PolyIndies,” Archologiques.
mer and Mixed-Metal Halometallates: Optical Properties and ThermochroJosh Mann, family and preventive medicine, Robert McKeown, epidemiolmic Behavior,” invited lecture, Francis Marion University, Florence.
ogy and biostatistics, Janice Bacon, obstetrics and gynecology, Rouman
J. Daniel Jenkins, music, “Formal versus Contextual Modes of Analysis
Vesselinov, statistics, with Freda Bush, “Religiosity, spirituality, and depresof Schoenberg’s Atonal period Works,” Approaches to Music Research:
sion in pregnant women,” International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, and
Between Practice and Epistemology, University of Ljublijana, Slovenia.
“Religiosity, spirituality, and anxiety in southern U.S. women,” Archives of
Vince Connors, biology, Upstate, I. de Buron, S. France, W.A. Roumillat,
Women’s Mental Health.
L.C. Tsoi, and T. Bryan, “The philometrids of the Southern Flounder, an
Suzanne McDermott and Tan Platt, family and preventive medicine,
update,” Association of Southeastern Biologists and the Southeastern
Robert Moran, public health, Terri Isaac, Hope Wood, and Srikanth Dasari,
Society of Parasitologists, Spartanburg, also, same meeting, invited chair for
“Risk for onset of health conditions among community living adults with
parasitology session.
spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries,” Primary Health Care Research and
Development, and, same authors, “Health conditions among women with a
■ OTHER
disability,” Journal of Women’s Health, and, “Prevalence of diabetes in persons
David A. Rotholz, pediatrics, Center for Disability Resources, appointed
with disabilities,” Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities.
associate editor of the journal Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Suzanne R.Thorpe, chemistry and biochemistry, John W. Baynes,
P. Lee Ferguson, chemistry and biochemistry, provided testimony before
exercise science, M. Blatnik, and N. Frizzell, “Inactivation of Glyceraldethe U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on research needs in environmental/
hyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase by Fumarate and Formation of S-(2health impacts of nanotechnology, Washington, D.C.
succinyl)cysteine: a Novel Chemical Modification of Protein and Biomarker
of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Diabetes,” Diabetes.
Courtney Worsham, marketing, was the keynote speaker for Omicron
Delta Kappa induction and named an honorary inductee into the leadership
Xuemei Sui, exercise science, Michael J. LaMonte, James N. Laditka,
fraternity at USC.
and James W. Hardin, epidemiology and biostatistics, Nancy Chase, and
Steven P. Hooker and Steven N. Blair, exercise science, “CardiorespiraRita Jing-Ann Chou, social work, named a Hartford Geriatric Social Work
tory Fitness and Adiposity as Mortality Predictors in Older Adults,” Journal of
Scholar.
the American Medical Association.
Kendall Roth, international business, named an Academy of International
Business Fellow by the Academy of International Business in recognition of
■ PRESENTATIONS
his scholarly contributions in the field.
Janet G. Hudson, history, continuing education, “Black South Carolinians
Steve Mann, finance, listed on the Social Science Research Network’s Top
and World War I: Negotiating Class, War and White Supremacy,” Race &
Ten download list for Financial Economics Network Conferences for his
Place in The American South, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
paper, “The Search for Relative Value in Bonds.”
Betsy Bender, hotel, restaurant, and tourism management, “Vacation ComSara Wilcox, exercise science, Deborah Parra-Medina, health promopression—what do leisure travelers need now?” Hotel Sales and Marketing
tion, education, and behavior, Gwen M. Felton, Mary Beth Poston, and
Association Resort Conference, San Diego, Calif.
Amanda McClain, “Adoption and implementation of a physical activity and
Steven P. Hooker, exercise science, Natalie Colabianchi, epidemiollow-fat diet intervention in community health centers,” received a Citation
ogy and biostatistics, A. Mathews, and D. Pluto, “Pedestrian activity among
Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine at its annual scientific meetCalifornia adults: Who is active, where, and for what purpose?” Active Living
ing, San Diego. At the same conference, Wilcox, Ruth Saunders, health
Research Conference, Washington, D.C., and, with J.A. Reed, C-Anne Arant,
promotion, education, and behavior, Meghan Baruth, Marilyn Laken, Marge
and A.E. Price, “Evaluating the Impact of an Urban Rail/Trail Conversion
Condrasky, and Allen W. Parrott, received a Citation Award for their paper,
Project: Comparing Demographic Characteristics of Rail/Trail Users with
“Physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and church support in
Census Data of Adjacent Neighborhoods,” International Walk21 Conference,
African American church members.”
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Tom Dimashe, Thomas Whitacre, and Janice Fergusson, accounting,
Kenneth Kelly, anthropology, “Atlantic perspectives on the African DiasGeorgia Holmes Doran, Office of Career Management and Professional
pora: Archaeological research in French West Africa and the French West
Development, and Alston Lippert, economics, recognized by Office of
Indies,” Society for American Archaeology,Vancouver, Canada.
Student Disability Services with a Two Thumbs Up Award for making a
significant difference in the life of a student with disabilities.
J. Daniel Jenkins, music, “Responses to the ‘Cutting Conspiracy’: Arnold
Schoenberg and Disability,” USC Women’s Studies Conference, and “A(n)
(A)tonal Problem: Text and Music in ‘Wenn ich heut nicht,’” Music Theory
Southeast Conference, Greensboro, N.C.
■ Job vacancies
Patrick D. Nolan, sociology, “Guns on Campus? The Case for ConcealedFor up-to-date information on USC Columbia vacancies
Carry,” panel at the Southern Sociological Society, Richmond,Va.
and vacancies at other campuses, go to uscjobs.sc.edu.
J. Christopher Gillam, S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology,
The employment office is located at 1600 Hampton St.
“Prospectus on Archaeological Geographic Information System (GIS) Applications and Modeling in the Japanese Sea Basin,” Neolithic and Neolithisation in the Japanese Sea Basin: Individual and the Historical Landscape, Far
East National University,Vladivostok, Russia, and “Modeling Paleoindian
Sites and Assemblages: PIDBA (Paleoindian Database of the Americas) and
First-of-its-kind school
meal research is funded
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the
National Institutes of Health has awarded Suzi Baxter,
a research professor with the Institute for Families in
Society, an Exploratory/Developmental Research Grand
Award for her project titled “Is Childhood Obesity Related to Participation in School Meals?”
“Many obese individuals are
served by government-funded
food assistance programs, so
there is concern that participation in these programs may be
related to obesity,” said Baxter,
a member of the University’s
Research Consortium on Children
and Families. “This newly funded
two-year project will use existing
data from approximately 1,260
Baxter
fourth-grade children in one of
my other NIH-funded studies to
provide cost-efficient preliminary
evidence concerning a possible
relationship between childhood
obesity and daily participation in
the School Breakfast Program and
National School Lunch Program.”
Baxter’s is the first research on
this topic to use daily participation in school meals or observed
Hardin
energy intake. Results of this
research will inform the design
of future controlled trials and/or cohort studies to
understand pathways to obesity among children who
participate in the School Breakfast Program and National
School Lunch Program.
James Hardin, an associate research professor in
the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, is a
co-investigator on the new grant. He also is an affiliate
associate research professor with the Institute for Families in Society, director of the Biostatistical Collaborative
Unit for Health Sciences, and a member of the Research
Consortium on Children and Families.
HRSM honors Bender, Grady
Betsy Bender received the Harry E. and Carmen S.
Varney Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award, and
John Grady received the Patricia G. Moody Distinguished
Researcher and Scholar of the Year Award from the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management.
Bender is an associate professor in the School of
Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management. She holds
a doctorate in education and has experience in the hotel,
resort, and restaurant industries at both the unit and corporate level. She teaches classes in hotel management to
graduate and undergraduate students. The Varney Award
recognizes outstanding teaching excellence in the college.
Current students make the nominations, and a committee of students and faculty select the recipient.
Grady is an assistant professor in the Department of
Sport and Entertainment Management. He holds both
a Ph.D. and J.D. and is an expert in sport law. He has
distinguished himself as a student mentor having been
the supervisor of note on four Magellan Scholars
applications. The Moody Award encourages and recognizes outstanding research achievements by faculty
within the college.
International business
professor to be honored
Randy Folks, a distinguished professor emeritus of international business in the Moore School of Business, has
been named the Academy of International Business (AIB)
Fellows’ International Educator of the Year.
Folks will be recognized at the AIB’s annual meeting
to be held in Milan in July.
Folks is executive director of the Moore School’s Center for International Business Education and Research
(CIBER). Folks, who earned his bachelor’s degree from
Harvard College and doctorate from Harvard University
in 1966 and 1970, respectively, has been instrumental in
developing the Moore School’s top-ranked program in international business and establishing its CIBER in 1989.
Under Folks’ leadership, CIBER is becoming a leader
in the areas of African business and U.S.-Africa business
relations.
May 8, 2008
7
■ Robert Smalls of South Carolina
Professor’s book chronicles life of heroic
slave who became noted political leader
By Marshall Swanson
In the early morning hours of May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, a 23-year-old Civil War-era slave, commandeered a Confederate ship, the Planter, in Charleston harbor, and sailed it with other members
of the slave crew to freedom past five heavily fortified checkpoints before turning it over to the Union
Navy.
The daring act delivered Smalls from slavery, brought him worldwide renown, and served as the
launching point for a remarkable post-war career that made him one of the most famous African
Americans in South Carolina history.
Before he died at age 76 in 1915, Smalls had become a noted community
leader, businessman and entrepreneur, a founder of the Republican Party in
South Carolina, a major general in the state militia, a member of both houses
of South Carolina’s Legislature, a five-term U.S. Congressman, and a delegate
to the 1868 and 1895 state Constitutional Conventions.
His achievements were all the more remarkable because at the time of
his electrifying escape from slavery, Smalls could not read or write. He later
achieved literacy by hiring a personal tutor.
“Smalls certainly was the most famous black political leader during
Reconstruction in South Carolina, and his capture of the Planter made him
a national hero during the Civil War,” said Andrew Billingsley, a professor
of sociology and African American Studies at the University who authored a
Billingsley
2007 biography of Smalls, Yearning to Breathe Free, Robert Smalls of South
Carolina and His Families (University of South Carolina Press).
Although Smalls’ role in the state’s history is documented, it isn’t widely known to the general
public. But Billingsley, who also is a senior scholar in residence at Carolina’s Institute for Families in
Society, believes that publication of the book is adding momentum to a movement to affirm Smalls’
rightful place in history.
After the Civil War, Smalls became a leader in the state’s then black majority that helped usher
in what Billingsley refers to as “biracial political democracy” for the first time in the state’s 200-year
history.
Although Reconstruction lasted only 10 years and was a turbulent period, the era is remembered
for several landmark political achievements. Among them was creation of the highly regarded 1868
state constitution, establishment of a system of free compulsory public schools for black and white
students, and the reopening of the University of South Carolina to whites and blacks, making it one
of the first state universities in the South open to both races after the war.
In 1895, the state’s Democratic leaders overturned the 1868 constitution and replaced it with
another one that essentially dissolved black voting and other rights. But a motion at the 1895 convention backed by Smalls calling for creation of a college for blacks was passed and resulted in the
founding of S.C. State University in 1896.
In 1877, Smalls was convicted (but later pardoned) for having taken a bribe when he was in the
Legislature in what many observers believed was a trumped-up case designed to force him from
public office. But even that experience didn’t keep him down, Billingsley said.
“Smalls did not allow personal defeats to keep him from trying again,” he said, adding, “He was a
model of determination in his political career whose most important contribution to the state was his
leadership in education.”
Smalls established a school in Beaufort for newly freed black students and became superintendent of education for the county school system, noteworthy achievements for somebody who started
out as an untutored man, Billingsley said. “But he was bright, aggressive, and after the war, wealthy,
so he had a lot of influence in the realm of education.
“One of the things I learned from the Robert Smalls story is how things like courage, intelligence,
persistence, and the ability to establish relations with people were personal attributes,” Billingsley
said. “He was able to work with people beyond personal conflicts. That’s something all political leaders could learn today.”
The growing awareness of Robert Smalls,
right, has prompted a movement in the
S.C. Legislature to study the feasibility of a
monument honoring the trailblazer
of state history.
■ If you go
What: Premiere of Robert Smalls: A Patriot’s
Journey from Slavery to Capitol Hill, a documentary
about Smalls, by Idrena Ifill
When: 2 p.m. May 17
Where: American Theater, 446 King St.,
Charleston
Admission: $5 for adults and free for students
and children; for tickets, call 843-216-0442
New book details milestone discovery
highlighting state’s ceramic heritage
For decades, historians and archaeologists assumed that the first soft-paste porcelain
made in America was manufactured at the Bonnin and Morris factory in Philadelphia
between 1770 and 1772.
But now, a series of articles published in the 2007 volume of the prestigious
Ceramics in America series (Chipstone Foundation, Milwaukee), edited by Robert
Hunter, concludes that America’s first porcelain was actually made in Cain Hoy, near
Charleston, between 1765 and
1770 by a Staffordshire, England,
potter named John Bartlam.
Bartlam’s story is told in four
articles of the book dedicated to
American porcelain: “America’s
First Porcelain Manufacturer,”
by Hunter; “John Bartlam’s Porcelain at Cain Hoy, 1765–1770,”
by Stan South, an archaeologist with the University’s S.C.
Institute of Archaeology and
Photo by Stan South, S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology
Anthropology; “John Bartlam’s
This example of John Bartlam’s ceramics made in Cain Hoy,
S.C., on the Wando River north of Charleston provides eviPorcelain at Cain Hoy: A Closer
dence of the first soft-paste porcelain made in America.
Look,” by Lisa R. Hudgins, a
research assistant with the S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology; and “Geochemistry of High-Fired Bartlam Ceramics,” by J. Victor Owen, chair of the Department of Geology at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“The papers demonstrate conclusively that South Carolina can now lay claim to
the first porcelain factory in America, once again bringing the Palmetto State’s vibrant
ceramic heritage into the spotlight,” South said.
Originally outlined in books published by South in 1993 and 2004, the important
discovery in the history of Staffordshire-type ceramics in America resulted from two
expeditions carried out at Cain Hoy (today known as Cainhoy about nine miles north
of Charleston) by South and his colleagues in 1992.
The porcelain sherds, referred to by Bartlam as “China,” were found along with
many types of Bartlam’s polychrome creamware, tortoiseshell, and other exotic moldmade forms.
“The artifacts found at Cain Hoy placed Bartlam as American’s first creamware
potter, which caused a stir among archaeologists and collectors interested in learning
what those talking artifact fragments have to tell us about the past,” South said.
Subsequent lab analysis and archival research by Hudgins and South led to the
conclusion that Bartlam was making porcelain in his South Carolina factory.
Student speak
■ Name: Brian Wolfe
■ Class/major: Freshman business management major
■ Hometown: West Columbia
■ You ride a moped on the Columbia campus. What kind of
moped is it, how much did it cost, and how often do you use it?
It’s a Roketa moped with a 50cc engine. It was $1,500 at Palmetto Powersports in Columbia. They’re available online for about $1,000, but you get
a little more customer service when you purchase them locally.
■ Do you use the moped to get around on campus every day?
Yes, I use it all the time. I live in a house down by Granby Mills, about a
mile and a half away, and it’s my only form of transportation.
■ How has it worked out for you in your campus routine? It’s
very convenient. I can park it right in front of just about any building. The
fact that it gets excellent gas mileage is also a definite benefit.
■ How often do you have to refuel it? About once every week and
a half. I put about $3 worth of premium gas in it. The tank holds about a
gallon of gas.
■ How fast does it go? About 30 miles per hour, 35 downhill. It’s good
8
May 8, 2008
for riding within a five-mile radius of wherever you live. I wouldn’t ride it
where there’s a 45 mile-per-hour or higher speed limit. But for riding on
campus and to and from the house it’s very convenient.
■No insurance or registration is required for mopeds. How
much of an added benefit is that? I really enjoy not having to buy
insurance. That’s one of the main reasons I got it. But it was also easy to
buy. I’ve enjoyed riding it, and it’s a lot of fun.
■ How did you get the idea of riding a moped for campus
transportation? I actually looked into getting one before I came to the
University. I had a parking permit for the Barnwell lot, but I didn’t like
dealing with the bus schedule. That’s when I decided to get the moped.
■ What’s the best thing about owning it? A combination of good
gas mileage, inexpensive maintenance, and the convenience of being able
to park close to class buildings.
■ Is there anything about it that you don’t like? Not really. Sometimes I feel it’s a little low in power, but that is partly why I keep it within
a five-mile radius of where I live and don’t take it on high-speed roads.
You also can’t ride it on the sidewalk, or you’ll get a ticket.
Michael Brown