here's my video with sound!
Monday, December 14, 2009
The Untold Story
By: Lizzie Cothran
If you’re in the military, you probably understand. You’ve probably been there. You probably get it. If you haven’t, you’re living a completely different life.
Relationships are something that most people tend to assume as the same no matter the situation. Problems will always be expected, but one that deals with the military in combination is a problem all in itself. There is nothing quite like it.
Spouses of military men rarely ever get recognition for the life they live, things they go through, and the support they continuously give.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Relationships are hard enough when you see each other every day. Try being apart for weeks, maybe months, at a time. Add in the extra stress of the military lifestyle, and you’ve got the recipe for disaster. But some people make it work. Some people take that disaster and turn it into a chance to be something amazing with someone special.
Some couples decide to take the extra step to prove that the love they have is worth it. Tiffany and Cory Bridges have been together for four years and married for one. Cory has been enlisted as active duty with the United States Marine Corp for their entire relationship.
Tiffany has lived with her mom for the entirety of their relationship because Cory has been moved around for schooling and things just never worked out for them to live together. Thinking about the four years together, Tiffany shares that there has been quite a few emotional moments, but “Even though we’ve been apart for pretty much our whole relationship, I feel like we’re a very strong couple and we don’t let anything break us down.”
Cory knows that if there is one thing that the Marine Corp has taught him, its patience. “Of course there are the ‘what if’s’ but we lay out rules of our relationship and communication is a big key.”
Living separate as a married couple is hard for the young newlyweds. “I know it’s something we have to do, and this experience will be worth it in the long run,” Tiffany states.
Young Love
Marriage is a huge step in anyone’s life, but a lot of young Marines take that giant leap earlier than most people.
Tiffany and Cory were 18 and 20-years-old when they were married just a few months ago. She recalls, “People thought we were crazy for getting married so young, but about all the marines I know are married at a young age.”
Kaci Williams, another Marine wife, defends her marriage. “It’s just a whole different lifestyle. You just live in the moment and don’t take your time with the person you love for granted because you never know when they’ll be gone!”
According to the Defense Manpower Data Center, the divorce rate for Marines is 20 percent higher than that of the general population. So, that leaves the divorce rate at about 75 percent for Marine Corp marriages.
There are several reasons that research has shown for Marines to marry sooner than average civilians. Some see it as a way to gain a few extra dollars from Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), but when they move out of the barracks, they realize that the money they receive is barely enough to support a family with.
Others marry because they are lonely, and the company of someone for support and may jump to decisions that carry a large burden with it. The Defense Manpower Data Center claims that a lot of Marines are young and aren’t mature enough to make life-long decisions, and should talk to a supervisor before deciding anything one way or the other.
When faced with the facts, young couples are protective of their decisions. Tiffany claims, “We’ve had our moments where it gets rocky, but what relationship doesn’t?”
Even if the facts are scary, the reality is that couples will continue to face the difficulties. Some decide to get married for the reasons that research has shown, but others actually use the real reason for marriage, love.
Regardless of the reason, those that truly do love their spouse deal with situations that most people never will see in their lifetime. None of the pain or loneliness ever gets easier, no matter the money you receive or honor given for the sacrifices they make.
Mary Beth Holyfield, Tiffany’s mother, fully supports the relationship between the two. She has been the rock for her daughter throughout the four years of Cory’s Marine career. “Of course the negative stories affect the relationship, and bad things happen. But good things happen too, and their relationship presses on.”
Reasons for the Struggle
Sometimes couples hear the news before, and other times, they’re not so fortunate and make rushed decisions. Even after hearing the news, some decide that the love they have is worth the try.
“I love my husband more than anything, and I can honestly say he’s my best friend,” Tiffany says despite the research. “Distance can really make or break you, but you learn to hold on and never let go when it really matters.”
Both Tiffany and Cory are completely supportive of each other. As much as Cory needs support with the fact that he’s dealing with Marine Corp duties, he realizes that Tiffany needs just as much. “I hate putting her through this,” he admits, “but if we can get through this, we can get through anything together.”
If you’re in the military, you probably understand. You’ve probably been there. You probably get it. If you haven’t, you’re living a completely different life.
Relationships are something that most people tend to assume as the same no matter the situation. Problems will always be expected, but one that deals with the military in combination is a problem all in itself. There is nothing quite like it.
Spouses of military men rarely ever get recognition for the life they live, things they go through, and the support they continuously give.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Relationships are hard enough when you see each other every day. Try being apart for weeks, maybe months, at a time. Add in the extra stress of the military lifestyle, and you’ve got the recipe for disaster. But some people make it work. Some people take that disaster and turn it into a chance to be something amazing with someone special.Some couples decide to take the extra step to prove that the love they have is worth it. Tiffany and Cory Bridges have been together for four years and married for one. Cory has been enlisted as active duty with the United States Marine Corp for their entire relationship.
Tiffany has lived with her mom for the entirety of their relationship because Cory has been moved around for schooling and things just never worked out for them to live together. Thinking about the four years together, Tiffany shares that there has been quite a few emotional moments, but “Even though we’ve been apart for pretty much our whole relationship, I feel like we’re a very strong couple and we don’t let anything break us down.”
Cory knows that if there is one thing that the Marine Corp has taught him, its patience. “Of course there are the ‘what if’s’ but we lay out rules of our relationship and communication is a big key.”
Living separate as a married couple is hard for the young newlyweds. “I know it’s something we have to do, and this experience will be worth it in the long run,” Tiffany states.
Young Love
Marriage is a huge step in anyone’s life, but a lot of young Marines take that giant leap earlier than most people.
Tiffany and Cory were 18 and 20-years-old when they were married just a few months ago. She recalls, “People thought we were crazy for getting married so young, but about all the marines I know are married at a young age.”
Kaci Williams, another Marine wife, defends her marriage. “It’s just a whole different lifestyle. You just live in the moment and don’t take your time with the person you love for granted because you never know when they’ll be gone!”
According to the Defense Manpower Data Center, the divorce rate for Marines is 20 percent higher than that of the general population. So, that leaves the divorce rate at about 75 percent for Marine Corp marriages.
There are several reasons that research has shown for Marines to marry sooner than average civilians. Some see it as a way to gain a few extra dollars from Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), but when they move out of the barracks, they realize that the money they receive is barely enough to support a family with.
Others marry because they are lonely, and the company of someone for support and may jump to decisions that carry a large burden with it. The Defense Manpower Data Center claims that a lot of Marines are young and aren’t mature enough to make life-long decisions, and should talk to a supervisor before deciding anything one way or the other.
When faced with the facts, young couples are protective of their decisions. Tiffany claims, “We’ve had our moments where it gets rocky, but what relationship doesn’t?”
Even if the facts are scary, the reality is that couples will continue to face the difficulties. Some decide to get married for the reasons that research has shown, but others actually use the real reason for marriage, love.
Regardless of the reason, those that truly do love their spouse deal with situations that most people never will see in their lifetime. None of the pain or loneliness ever gets easier, no matter the money you receive or honor given for the sacrifices they make.
Mary Beth Holyfield, Tiffany’s mother, fully supports the relationship between the two. She has been the rock for her daughter throughout the four years of Cory’s Marine career. “Of course the negative stories affect the relationship, and bad things happen. But good things happen too, and their relationship presses on.”
Reasons for the Struggle
Sometimes couples hear the news before, and other times, they’re not so fortunate and make rushed decisions. Even after hearing the news, some decide that the love they have is worth the try.
“I love my husband more than anything, and I can honestly say he’s my best friend,” Tiffany says despite the research. “Distance can really make or break you, but you learn to hold on and never let go when it really matters.”
Both Tiffany and Cory are completely supportive of each other. As much as Cory needs support with the fact that he’s dealing with Marine Corp duties, he realizes that Tiffany needs just as much. “I hate putting her through this,” he admits, “but if we can get through this, we can get through anything together.”
Distance, statistics, and stories take their toll on some, but others tolerate the struggle and move on. Military couples are incompatible unless both parties are fully committed.
The Marine Corp motto is “Semper Fidelis” which means “Always Faithful.” Tiffany knows that the slogan is not only true to the job, but to all parts of life. “Although I’m not the Marine, I am the one that stands behind him, and I live every day knowing that he is worth this,” she declares. “Semper Fidelis defines who we are. Whether we’re young, old, rich or poor, we’ll always be faithful to each other, ourselves, and our relationship.”
The Marine Corp motto is “Semper Fidelis” which means “Always Faithful.” Tiffany knows that the slogan is not only true to the job, but to all parts of life. “Although I’m not the Marine, I am the one that stands behind him, and I live every day knowing that he is worth this,” she declares. “Semper Fidelis defines who we are. Whether we’re young, old, rich or poor, we’ll always be faithful to each other, ourselves, and our relationship.”
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Little Moments, Big Magic
By Lyndsay RowleyTeresa's face lights up with joy as she says, "the students at High Point University have no idea how many lives they have truly touched, and possibly saved."
Teresa Jackson is the liaison for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program to High Point University, and every Little for a High Point University student must go through her.
Surrounding HPU, there are several low-end neighborhoods that house children who are less fortunate.
"Having a Big Brother or Sister is a sort of outlet for these children. Some of them don't have very strong role models so they can use all the support they can get," Teresa explains.
Sometimes all a child needs is to know that they are not alone and that they have someone there to help them through the problems in their life.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters program is a mentoring program for youths ages 6 through 18.
There are two different types of programs for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
There is a community-based mentor program where Bigs and Littles meet for an hour a week in their community to share quality time together.
There is also the school-based mentoring program where Bigs and Littles meet once a week in the Little's school to share some quality time together.
The Dedication
Tara Dyer, a volunteer in the program, says, "It amazing how much these children will open up to us after a short period of time."
Dyer is a senior at HPU and was assigned a boy in second grade two years ago.
Tara has a child who has a rough home life, because of an absent father.
"By the end of year one my little brother was more comfortable talking to me than his teacher about his home life. He has really let me in his life," Dyer says smiling.
Putting her hand to her chest, Dyer says, "one day when I was not at the school, my Little was having a rough day, and he told his teacher that he only wanted to talk to me. When I heard about that, I almost started to cry."
HPU has had students volunteering for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for 10 years.
Nodding her head in approval, Teresa says, "I have been working for Big Brothers Big Sister for 14 years and every year I work with High Point students it seems like we get more dedicated volunteers."
Mikel Rodenburg is a senior baseball player at HPU, and has been volunteering for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for three years.
"I am so dedicated to the program because it's nice to feel needed. I feel like I am really helping these kids," Rodenburg says with wide eyes.
Rodenburg explains that he has a Little who has an absent father and a mother who works three jobs.
"My Little has to help out a lot at home so when I come it is a time for him to have fun and let loose, because when he goes home he has to help his mom with the other kids. He doesn't have a lot of time to just be a kid," says Rodenburg.
"The sports teams at High Point University have been so amazing through the years. For the most part, they are all involved and they all do such a great job with the kids," Teresa explains.
Throwing her arms up in excitement Teresa exclaims, "I always have children coming up to me when I go to the schools asking me when their Bigs are coming to see them!"
Teresa explains how college kids are going through a transitional phase into the real world, so sometimes they can use the comradery that the program provides just as much as the children.
"Sometime college kids are confused on who they are and what they want to become, and sometimes a child who really needs them can help to figure it out," Teresa says with a grin.
The Teacher
Megan Kaminskas is a senior at High Point University, and she says she was lost before Big Brothers Big Sisters.
"I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life, but then I started volunteering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program," Kaminskas explains.
Giggling Kaminskas explains, "I guess my calling was to be a teacher, and I figured that out within the first month of volunteering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program."
Kaminskas explains that on day her Little was so frustrated doing a math problem that he threw his pencil across the room.
Kaminskas explains, "I went and picked up the pencil and told him that he'll never get it if he gives up."
Kaminskas says that she explained the math problem in a different way using candy and her Little started to understand.
From that day on her Little saved the hard math problems for when Kaminskas came to see him so she could explain them.
Soon her Little was getting much better grades in math.
The Process
Even though the High Point Students have a good reputation with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, it doesn't mean that just anyone can volunteer.
Shaking her finger in authority, Teresa says, "we do an extensive background check on every person that wants to become a volunteer."
Volunteers also have to have two references that can talk about their ability as a mentor.
After volunteers pass the background check, they will have a meeting with Teresa in order to try and figure out what kind of child they would best be matched with.
"We want to match volunteers with children who will fit their personality," Teresa explains.
Teresa asks the volunteers a series of questions and then will figure out which child, that wants a Big, would best benefit from their time.
"I ask the volunteers all different questions, like their likes and dislikes. I ask them if they have siblings, and what kind of family they come from. This helps to see how they will be with children," says Teresa.
Teresa has to really try and figure out the kind of person a volunteer is, because they want the matches to last.
"I can't put a child who is a big trouble maker with a volunteer who doesn't have thick skin, or they will just give up," says Teresa.
Most Memorable Match
Teresa explains her most memorable match, "I matched a female High Point student with a little boy who was always a trouble maker."
The little boy was in the principal’s office almost every day. He had an absent father and his mother was supporting eight children in her house, and working two jobs.
"The day I had the initial interview with the young woman, I knew right away that she would be perfect for the little boy," explains Teresa.
The little boy gave the young woman a hard time for the first couple of months. He had his guard up and did not want to let her break it down.
Teresa smiles, "finally, the little boy started letting her into his life. Before I knew it, all he talked about was his Big."
The little boy started doing better in school and was in the principal's office much less.
Teresa says, "I really don't know what kind of path that little boy would have gone down, but I know that she stopped him from going down a bad one."
Teresa states that in 2001 the Big Brothers Big Sisters program coined the phrase, "little moments, big magic."
In the Big Brothers Big Sisters program it is the little moments, like watching a child open up to their Big for the first time, that create the big magic.
Sidebar:
Facts About Big Brothers Big Sisters:
• Children who have a Big are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• Children who have a Big are 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• Children who have a Big are 52% less likely to skip school
• Children who have a Big are 37% less likely to skip a class
• Children who have a Big are more confident of their performance in schoolwork
• Children who have a Big are one-third less likely to hit someone
• Children who have a Big get along better with their families
Sidebar:
DJ and I
By Lyndsay Rowley
I remember when I saw DJ for the first time; a tough guy sitting with his arms folded, and an unwelcoming look on his face. This was his way of showing the world that he wasn't letting anyone in.
I spent countless hours trying to crack him, but after a few weeks I saw that I needed a new angle.
So, one day I took him to the gym in his school to play basketball. After he had lost to a girl a couple of times, he began to see that I wasn't half bad. He began to open up to me; telling me his fears and dreams.
I learned DJ was involved in gangs and thought school was a joke.
DJ began to do a little better in school and was mouthing off a little less, but I wanted more for him. I wanted him to be great.
I remember coming to his school one day after he had gotten in a lot of trouble. I went and got him from the principal’s office.
He wouldn't even look at me, let alone speak to me. I kept asking questions until he finally blew up and yelled, "What do you care!"
It occurred to me in that moment that DJ thought I was going to give up on him like others in his life had.
I sat down in front of him and said, "DJ, look at me. I'm not going anywhere. You can keep pushing away but I'm going to keep coming back. I'm not ever going to give up on you."
DJ gave me a big hug, and from then on things began to change. DJ started trying harder in school and getting in less trouble.
His grades started to go up and he talked less and less about the gangs he was involved in. Sometimes all a child needs is to know they are not alone.
DJ goes to a different school now, and is no longer my Little Brother. However, he is doing great.
Many people think that the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is about the Littles, but I have come to learn it is just as much about the Bigs.
DJ taught me to have faith in people, and I will forever be grateful to him for that.
Teresa Jackson Speaks About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Friday, December 11, 2009
Sidebar: One Student's Experience of Life on the Honors Floor
By Cathy Caudill
It’s a weekend night. A few of the honors students have trickled out to parties, but many of the students are simply hanging out with friends.
Up on the fourth floor, a group of students are laughing. Taylor Dodge and her friends are playing Quelf—the most ridiculous board game she has ever played, where players enact the silly instructions on the cards.
Randy’s head is wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy; Ryan is speaking in an Irish accent and sounds like a leprechaun; Taylor’s hand is sitting in a bowl of warm water. Ryan draws another card that says he must speak like the opposite sex: now he sounds like a lady leprechaun.
“We were dying!” says Taylor. “We could not play straight, he was making us laugh so hard. My stomach hurt so bad from laughing.”
Taylor and her friends are all neighbors, and spend all of their time together. They play games together; they eat together; they do their homework together. Sometimes they sing along to musicals on DVD, sometimes she is helping her friend in Spanish. Sometimes they are playing Halo, sometimes her friend helps her in calculus.
It is Taylor’s first semester at school, and she marvels that she never had to endure her worst fears of going to college. “I was worried that people wouldn’t like me, or that I wouldn’t make friends, or that I’d have to eat alone in the cafeteria: be that poor little lonely soul.”
But being in the honors dormitory has helped her and many other honors students make the transition a lot easier.
Her friend, Cora Glass, says, “You knew you’d have some stuff in common with the people living on this floor, just by the fact that they’d picked to live on this floor. I generally thought that the people who chose to live here were going to be somewhat more studious.”
Taylor agrees. “It helped me make a lot more friends a lot faster. I have a lot more in common with the people. It’s much more comfortable for me to develop relationships with people who share the same interests and have the same values. For the most part everybody’s ideas about school are in the same place, so it’s very conducive—they work hard, school is very important.”
Taylor says, “I have friends in other dorms, but they come to this dorm to hang out." She has one friend who lives in McEwan across campus that knows hardly anybody in her own hall, but knows every honors dorm resident by name. “She’s trying to move in next semester—she practically lives here anyway,” jokes Taylor. “She’s an honors floor adoptee.”
There is something magnetic about the honors floor: the sense of community that has been born within the intellectual populace. Students are close enough that they can enter each other’s suites without knocking. Hardly any of them confine themselves to their rooms, and they are familiar with nearly everyone on the hall.
Taylor is glad that she had gotten to live in the honors hall. “Honestly, if I had gone into an environment where I felt like I didn’t have much in common with the people around me, I would have made even less effort to integrate myself with any group, or get involved at all. I think I would have been one of those students who goes straight to class and straight back to the room, staying there all the time and never having any fun.”
Fortunately, Taylor did not have to endure incoming freshman’s worst nightmare. “Now," she says with a smile, "I’m one of the students who goes straight from class to do my homework and then goofs off the rest of the night."
It’s a weekend night. A few of the honors students have trickled out to parties, but many of the students are simply hanging out with friends.
Up on the fourth floor, a group of students are laughing. Taylor Dodge and her friends are playing Quelf—the most ridiculous board game she has ever played, where players enact the silly instructions on the cards.
Randy’s head is wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy; Ryan is speaking in an Irish accent and sounds like a leprechaun; Taylor’s hand is sitting in a bowl of warm water. Ryan draws another card that says he must speak like the opposite sex: now he sounds like a lady leprechaun.
“We were dying!” says Taylor. “We could not play straight, he was making us laugh so hard. My stomach hurt so bad from laughing.”
Taylor and her friends are all neighbors, and spend all of their time together. They play games together; they eat together; they do their homework together. Sometimes they sing along to musicals on DVD, sometimes she is helping her friend in Spanish. Sometimes they are playing Halo, sometimes her friend helps her in calculus.
It is Taylor’s first semester at school, and she marvels that she never had to endure her worst fears of going to college. “I was worried that people wouldn’t like me, or that I wouldn’t make friends, or that I’d have to eat alone in the cafeteria: be that poor little lonely soul.”
But being in the honors dormitory has helped her and many other honors students make the transition a lot easier.
Her friend, Cora Glass, says, “You knew you’d have some stuff in common with the people living on this floor, just by the fact that they’d picked to live on this floor. I generally thought that the people who chose to live here were going to be somewhat more studious.”
Taylor agrees. “It helped me make a lot more friends a lot faster. I have a lot more in common with the people. It’s much more comfortable for me to develop relationships with people who share the same interests and have the same values. For the most part everybody’s ideas about school are in the same place, so it’s very conducive—they work hard, school is very important.”
Taylor says, “I have friends in other dorms, but they come to this dorm to hang out." She has one friend who lives in McEwan across campus that knows hardly anybody in her own hall, but knows every honors dorm resident by name. “She’s trying to move in next semester—she practically lives here anyway,” jokes Taylor. “She’s an honors floor adoptee.”
There is something magnetic about the honors floor: the sense of community that has been born within the intellectual populace. Students are close enough that they can enter each other’s suites without knocking. Hardly any of them confine themselves to their rooms, and they are familiar with nearly everyone on the hall.
Taylor is glad that she had gotten to live in the honors hall. “Honestly, if I had gone into an environment where I felt like I didn’t have much in common with the people around me, I would have made even less effort to integrate myself with any group, or get involved at all. I think I would have been one of those students who goes straight to class and straight back to the room, staying there all the time and never having any fun.”
Fortunately, Taylor did not have to endure incoming freshman’s worst nightmare. “Now," she says with a smile, "I’m one of the students who goes straight from class to do my homework and then goofs off the rest of the night."
Back to School: HPU Professor DeSantis' Life in the Honors Dormitory
By Cathy Caudill
Matthew DeSantis is 29 and living in a college dormitory once more.
It’s different from the first time he lived in a dorm 10 years earlier.
To start, High Point University’s polished, condo-esque suites are far nicer than the condemned 15-by-15 dorm he inhabited with four other men at Furman College. Not to mention he has this suite all to himself.
And he doesn’t have to pay to live there.
And he is no longer a student—he is a professor among students.
DeSantis is an assistant professor of political science HPU. A few months earlier, he was asked if he would be interested in being the Faculty in Residence on the honors floor at York Hall. It was the first time the university had created a floor exclusively for honors students, and he would become the first faculty member to live on the floor with the students.
“I was really honored to be asked,” he says, and then laughs that there was only a small pool of potential candidates to begin with. Most of the faculty are married and have children, and the school couldn’t host a family in the dorm.
DeSantis is young—relatively close in age to his students—and single, therefore an ideal candidate.
His duties are pretty open-ended: to help convert the hall from an ordinary dorm into an area of intellectual discourse, and to make himself available to the students in case they need to speak to him about academic or personal problems.
It’s strange, but enjoyable to be back in a dormitory. He appreciates that he can be a resource to the students, and muses about the convenience of having a home with utilities at no cost to himself.
He laughs that his father also liked this aspect. “He knew that he could stop sending me money,” DeSantis says. He also laughs that it upset his mother, who did not view the move in the economic light that his father had.
He humorously mimics his mother’s rapid-fire rant: “You’re single at 29, you’re living in the dorms, you’re just not gonna find a woman before you’re 30.”
But aside from missing his dishwasher (“I have utensils in my sink from probably a month ago”) and the far-too-frequent fire alarms, he finds that the dorm is even nicer than his old apartment.
Faculty in Residence
DeSantis reaches for his phone: he has a text message from a student. This doesn’t surprise him—he has given his number to all of his students, even ones that don’t live on his floor. “Just don’t call me, text me,” he’d laugh. “If I see a random 336 number, I’m not going to pick up.”
This student isn’t in the honors program, but he remembers she had taken a class with him. After identifying herself, she says that she has a problem and would like to talk to him.
DeSantis glances at the time. It’s a bit late—11:00 p.m.—but he is usually up past 1 a.m. anyway. He responds that he would be glad to meet her up in one of the 4th floor lounges.
The student arrives, and she is visibly upset. She is going through a rough time with her family, and desperately needed someone to talk to. DeSantis was happy to be that someone.
They talk for nearly two and a half hours—sometimes about how she felt, sometimes about his own family experiences. When she left at 1:30 a.m., she seemed to be in a better mind-set, and DeSantis was glad to have been helpful.
This is the most important part of his job: to be available to students when they need him. He wishes that all of the university’s students could learn to be comfortable around the faculty. In the dormitory, he spends much of his time engaging in conversations with the students, putting them at ease by the sheer virtue of talking. A student may knock on his door to ask a single question and leave 30 minutes later.
DeSantis hopes that by familiarizing himself with the students, they may be able to think to themselves, “Hmm, he’s a guy that I can go and talk to if I have an issue; and if I have a problem, I can talk to him! And I don’t need to feel weird or intimidated by that.” He spends much of his time on the fourth-floor lounge, letting the students know that he is both available and approachable.
DeSantis hopes that his efforts will make the students comfortable not just with him, but with the entire university faculty. He hopes that students can recognize through him that it’s okay to approach the faculty with both academic and personal issues.
“I can’t understate how important it is that [students feel comfortable around faculty members]. I think that’s one of the most important things that this program can do—not only for the honors students, but for all of the students.”
Still he’s careful about not becoming too personal with students, politely cutting them off if they start to give him “too much information.” He also laughs about putting his head in his hands, shaking it after passing one of his students on a weeknight who reeked of alcohol. “Oh, well,” he chuckles.
Brown-Bagging It
Taylor Dodge is sitting in the lounge with about 15 other honors students. They’re not playing Apples to Apples or Quelf—they are learning about social deviance.
DeSantis has arranged for professor of sociology Dr. Hayes to speak to the students about his research and engage in open discussion. The students sit around casually but listen intently as they munch on the luncheon food that was also provided.
By the time the discussion is over, students of all majors—not just sociology—are curious to learn more. He informs them that he is teaching a class on it next semester, and a few decide right then that their names will be on his roster.
Hayes is one of the four professors who have spoken to the honors students in DeSantis’ Brown Bag Series. Professor of economics, Dr. Crofton, professor of chemistry and physical science, Dr. Titus, and professor of history, Dr. Schneid have also discussed their research with the students. The students marvel that they have actually found great interest in private insurance, physics, and Italian military history.
Dodge, who has attended most of the discussions, reflects on Crofton’s lecture on insurance: “It was actually pretty informative. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as private insurance; I always thought you had to be a member of FDIC.”
“We do [the discussions] in a very informal way,” says DeSantis. “The students are encouraged to engage with the faculty, back-and-fourth.” These informal, intellectual discussions are yet another catalyst to DeSantis’ aim of bringing down the student-professor barrier.
Meanwhile, the faculty speakers have the enjoyment of sharing their independent research with the students—research that they don’t often have an opportunity to share with their classes.
In his search for next semester’s Brown Bag lineup, DeSantis has yet to hit the bottom of the well of teachers who want to share their research. He already has 5 more professors lined up; he is hoping he can arrange time for 8.
Great Expectations
The honors floor is staging a not-so-hostile takeover of York Hall. Next year, the 3rd floor is tentatively joining the 4th in hosting exclusively honors students. Within the next two to three years, the university plans on converting the entire dormitory into an honors residence hall.
Whether the school will be able to find a faculty member for each floor is still pending, but as the staff steadily increases, DeSantis thinks they may be able to do so. DeSantis himself may stick around for another year—possibly mentor the third-floor faculty newbie—and then move back off campus at the close of the year.
But he won’t stay longer than one more year: life outside the dorm is calling him back. “You get the wonderful perks, but from a social standpoint it’s miserable,” says DeSantis. “I’ve had to put my social life on hold for several months. If they ask me to do it for one more year I certainly would, but I want more faculty members than just me to have this experience.”
In the meantime, DeSantis strives to convert his own floor into the fabled land of intellectual discourse. With school funding, they have already bought several tables that scatter the hallway and pack the lounges.
“I’ve seen so many students studying together up here,” says DeSantis, “so many working on projects, taking advice, talking to each other about things: it’s a great way for students to be able to lean on each other and help each other out.”
The tables are just the beginning of the floor’s ongoing transformation. By the end of the spring semester, the posters of grinning High Point students will be replaced by photographs of artwork: iconic images that may intellectually engage the students. They will also bear captions drawing attention to classes that the university offers.
Perhaps the controversial photo of a Buddhist monk setting himself afire may inspire a student to take an Eastern philosophy course. Across the hall, one of Frieda Kahlo’s self-portraits will promote a psychology course: “How do you see yourself?” it will say.
The honors floor is in its infancy, but it already bears the signs of success. Students on the floor are involved and engaged with each other, and it has truly become the intellectual environment that DeSantis and the people within the honors program had hoped it would become.
"Everyone is here for a reason," says DeSantis. "Everyone had to sign up. Everyone here took a proactive approach and wanted to be on this hall, so they're fostering really great relationships."
It's Not Easy Being Green, or Is It?
By Alyssa Wiley
You wake up and sleepily sit down at your kitchen table to eat some breakfast. You realize that you’ve run out of clean socks and toss a load of laundry in the washer before class. Then, you dash across the promenade and grab a water bottle from the kiosk.
Already, you have encountered five or more green products, which are the result of some ofHigh Point University
So, there’s three. Now, what are the other two?
The napkin that you may have picked up from the kiosk with your water is made of recycled materials. And, finally, there are several recycling cans around campus, where you, hopefully, disposed of your bottle, when you were finished.
HPU is making great strides to becoming a greener and more environmentally friendly campus.
The university is finding ways to make everything from the kind of oil they use in the cafeteria to forms of transportation, such as security’s T3’s, more green.
“It’s exciting how far we’ve come, since I came here…as far as our concern in going green,” says Spencer Hatcher, a senior.
The GreenTeam
High Point University
According to David Bryden, the head of HPU’s Green Team, the first green initiative began in the 1970s.
Back then, you couldn’t stop printing a document once it had started. So, the library began the “white paper service” to recycle unwanted paper.
The second green initiative was the recycling bins, suggested by Gart Evans, former head of security.
Now, says David, “They’re taking out a phenomenal amount of recycling each week [from the University].”
The Green Team, which is made up of faculty members, such as Marty Bell, administrators, like Rodger Clodfelter, Director of Wow, and Pete Mendale of dining services, has lobbied for many of the more recent initiatives.
Among the most notable ones are motion-censored lights in the restrooms, which turn on only when someone comes in, toilets with controlled water-flow, and retention gardens, which are located behind the Village and in the parking lot across from the fine arts building.
What’s a retention garden, you might ask?
According to David, a bio-retention garden, “Catches all the nasty garbage [from near by parking lots].”
With all the green initiatives taking place on campus, HPU takes some of the guesswork out of being green for you. But, how can become green on your own?
Some Tips:
Going green doesn’t mean you have to wear clothes made entirely out of hemp and drive a hybrid, not that there’s anything wrong with the people that choose to do this, but going green doesn’t have to be that extreme.
There are a few easy tips that can really make a huge difference in reducing the size of your carbon footprint.
Tip #1: Invest in a water filter/purifier.
Although most tap water inAmerica
Therefore, getting a water filter is a great alternative. Plus, it will save you money (and who doesn’t like that?). Sure, it may be a little more of an investment up front, but in the end it will coast less than buying dozens and dozens of water bottles; and, of course, it’s more green.
If you’re concerned, though, about having something more portable, use a Nalgene, or some sort of reusable water bottle, that you can use to carry around through the day or when you exercise.
Tip #2: Recycle
It may seem odd that recycling is tip #2, but the best way to be green is to find a way where you don’t even need to recycle in the first place.
But, even if you don’t use water bottles, it is almost inevitable that some kind of plastic bottle will make its way into your fridge, whether it be a milk carton, or a liter of soda. So, recycle them.
There are recycling cans in almost every HPU dorm or apartment, and, now, there are also several recycling dumpsters too (painted bright green, so you can’t miss them).
Tip #3: Use a reusable shopping bag
Paper or plastic? The best answer is “neither.” If you do a good deal of grocery shopping, the best way to go is a reusable shopping bag. While paper bags are often thought to be a better alternative to plastic, more energy actually goes into manufacturing a paper bag than a plastic one.
Are We Green Enough?
No.
At least, that’s what David and Spencer would say.
While HPU is taking some steps, more involvement from students could really reduce the University’s carbon foot-print.
“I think there needs to be more awareness,” says David.
Spencer agrees, “They could publicize the things that they do have…and actively
participate in the ones that are applicable.”
HPU, however, is planning for a greener future. They are thinking about participating in RecycleMania this year, a recycling competition with other Universities.
In addition, according to Rodger Clodfelter, the university is investigating green roofs and solar energy. As well as considering having a compost pile somewhere; and, they are trying to implement green construction and building methods.
They plan to build the Greek Village, for instance, in a “natural area” that won’t disturb water flow.
“I think it’s great that we’re starting somewhere,” says Spencer, “but I think there’s always work to be done in terms of being environmentally friendly. This is all that we have. This is the only world we get and if we don’t take care of it there won’t be any resources for us to use at some point.”
To see what's green on HPU's campus, visit my video on Youtube
Sources/Links:
10 Myths About Living Green
The Green Guide
Myth Buster's Quizzes
UK Tests Dirty Diaper Recycling
You wake up and sleepily sit down at your kitchen table to eat some breakfast. You realize that you’ve run out of clean socks and toss a load of laundry in the washer before class. Then, you dash across the promenade and grab a water bottle from the kiosk.
Already, you have encountered five or more green products, which are the result of some of
So, there’s three. Now, what are the other two?
The napkin that you may have picked up from the kiosk with your water is made of recycled materials. And, finally, there are several recycling cans around campus, where you, hopefully, disposed of your bottle, when you were finished.
HPU is making great strides to becoming a greener and more environmentally friendly campus.
The university is finding ways to make everything from the kind of oil they use in the cafeteria to forms of transportation, such as security’s T3’s, more green.
“It’s exciting how far we’ve come, since I came here…as far as our concern in going green,” says Spencer Hatcher, a senior.
The GreenTeam
High Point
According to David Bryden, the head of HPU’s Green Team, the first green initiative began in the 1970s.
Back then, you couldn’t stop printing a document once it had started. So, the library began the “white paper service” to recycle unwanted paper.
The second green initiative was the recycling bins, suggested by Gart Evans, former head of security.
Now, says David, “They’re taking out a phenomenal amount of recycling each week [from the University].”
The Green Team, which is made up of faculty members, such as Marty Bell, administrators, like Rodger Clodfelter, Director of Wow, and Pete Mendale of dining services, has lobbied for many of the more recent initiatives.
Among the most notable ones are motion-censored lights in the restrooms, which turn on only when someone comes in, toilets with controlled water-flow, and retention gardens, which are located behind the Village and in the parking lot across from the fine arts building.
What’s a retention garden, you might ask?
According to David, a bio-retention garden, “Catches all the nasty garbage [from near by parking lots].”
With all the green initiatives taking place on campus, HPU takes some of the guesswork out of being green for you. But, how can become green on your own?
Some Tips:
Going green doesn’t mean you have to wear clothes made entirely out of hemp and drive a hybrid, not that there’s anything wrong with the people that choose to do this, but going green doesn’t have to be that extreme.
There are a few easy tips that can really make a huge difference in reducing the size of your carbon footprint.
Tip #1: Invest in a water filter/purifier.
Although most tap water in
Therefore, getting a water filter is a great alternative. Plus, it will save you money (and who doesn’t like that?). Sure, it may be a little more of an investment up front, but in the end it will coast less than buying dozens and dozens of water bottles; and, of course, it’s more green.
If you’re concerned, though, about having something more portable, use a Nalgene, or some sort of reusable water bottle, that you can use to carry around through the day or when you exercise.
Tip #2: Recycle
It may seem odd that recycling is tip #2, but the best way to be green is to find a way where you don’t even need to recycle in the first place.
But, even if you don’t use water bottles, it is almost inevitable that some kind of plastic bottle will make its way into your fridge, whether it be a milk carton, or a liter of soda. So, recycle them.
There are recycling cans in almost every HPU dorm or apartment, and, now, there are also several recycling dumpsters too (painted bright green, so you can’t miss them).
Tip #3: Use a reusable shopping bag
Paper or plastic? The best answer is “neither.” If you do a good deal of grocery shopping, the best way to go is a reusable shopping bag. While paper bags are often thought to be a better alternative to plastic, more energy actually goes into manufacturing a paper bag than a plastic one.
Are We Green Enough?
No.
At least, that’s what David and Spencer would say.
While HPU is taking some steps, more involvement from students could really reduce the University’s carbon foot-print.
“I think there needs to be more awareness,” says David.
Spencer agrees, “They could publicize the things that they do have…and actively
participate in the ones that are applicable.”
HPU, however, is planning for a greener future. They are thinking about participating in RecycleMania this year, a recycling competition with other Universities.
In addition, according to Rodger Clodfelter, the university is investigating green roofs and solar energy. As well as considering having a compost pile somewhere; and, they are trying to implement green construction and building methods.
They plan to build the Greek Village, for instance, in a “natural area” that won’t disturb water flow.
“I think it’s great that we’re starting somewhere,” says Spencer, “but I think there’s always work to be done in terms of being environmentally friendly. This is all that we have. This is the only world we get and if we don’t take care of it there won’t be any resources for us to use at some point.”
To see what's green on HPU's campus, visit my video on Youtube
Sources/Links:
10 Myths About Living Green
The Green Guide
Myth Buster's Quizzes
UK Tests Dirty Diaper Recycling
Rise To The Beat (sidebar)
Adam Gandy is the man in charge of all things dealing with advertising, marketing and promotional work that surround The Movement. He posts daily updates on the top social networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.
This way, fans are able to stay up-to-date in regards to recent happenings and tour information. Internet sites, like the ones mentioned above, are just an incredible way to advertise and promote.
Gandy also heads up a group of dedicated fans called The Movement Street Team. People from all over sign up to be a part of this promotional team whose purpose is to further spread the sound of The Movement.
Two weeks prior to a show, Street Teamers customize and print flyers from The Movement’s Official Web site. Flyers include venue information like the ‘Who’ ‘What’ ‘When’ and ‘Where’. Then they must post them in high-visibility places like music stores, surf and skate shops and college campuses.
In order to be praised for doing a job well-done, Street Teamers are required to forward pictures of themselves next to the flyers hung around the various locations. Gandy then rewards them with 2 free tickets to the upcoming show.
Members are also encouraged to create events and groups using Facebook and MySpace. After all, every little bit counts.
The Movement’s Official Web site provides listeners with a brief history of the band, song lyrics and tour information. The Web site also includes a place for fans to interact with the guys and with other Movement listeners, through the use of discussion boards. People can post memories they have shared with the band and even give feedback on past shows.
The Movement also encourages fans to vote for their favorite song or choose from a list of other bands they hope to the see the guys on tour with some time in future. There is also a section of items for sale for those who wish to flaunt their love for The Movement. They have T-shirts, stickers and CD’s for sale.
Not to forget, the best part of the website, the tons of pictures and videos shared between concert-goers from all over. Live concert videos line the homepage, giving visitors a little taste of The Movement’s sound, along with a little taste of their personality too.
Help spread The Movement vibe and become a member of The Movement Street Team!
Email Adam Gandy (abgandy83@gmail.com) or visit The Movement Street Team.
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