Smc29302 nov15

TRAILBLAZER

1000 Powell Mill Road

Spartanburg, South Carolina 29301

Volume 82 Issue 2 Nov 2015 1

THE

New Faces on Campus: SMC hires new faculty for 2015

This year Spartanburg Methodist College has gained six new professors to fill empty positions in the Economics, English, Chemistry, Spanish, Math, and Art departments.

These professors are Dr. Jonathan Keisler, Dr. Kelly Neil, Mr. Adam Siegfried, Mr. Dennis Ashe, Dr. M. Naeem Ahmad, and Father Ed Cass.

Dr. Jonathan Keisler of the Economics Department was originally from Gilbert, SC and moved to Spartanburg four years ago. He lives five miles away from the college and quickly took the opportunity to work at a campus so close to his home. Clemson was where he earned an education to receive three degrees in economics and a doctoral degree in policy.

To Keisler, the most surprising thing about SMC has been how friendly everyone is. Since he went to such a big school, Keisler wanted to experience a smaller school like SMC firsthand.

When asked if he was a “hard” professor, Keisler replied, “I think my students would say I’m a challenging professor, but fun… they’re going to do work, but we will have fun.” Students can find Keisler at SMC athletic events with his wife and two kids, because he loves supporting the Pioneers.

Dr. Kelly Neil of SMC’s English Department grew up in North

Carolina and was an undergraduate at UNC-Greensboro. Later, she left her home to go to the University of California-Davis in Northern California. She has earned a B.A. and an M.A. in English, and a Ph.D. in Early Modern Literature.

Spartanburg Methodist College charmed her because of how much of a tight knit community it is. Neil “likes how you walk across campus and see professors saying hi to students, so that sense of community really drew [her] here.”

To Neil, the most surprising thing about SMC is how many students are invested in sports. She thinks it’s great how students care so deeply about athletics in addition to their classes.

Neil said that her students would definitely consider her courses challenging, but she hopes they would also think of her class as fun.

Some interesting facts about Neil are that she is a huge dog lover, and loves taking her husky mix Lucy on hikes. She also was originally a music major in college, and played the saxophone.

Dr. Naeem Ahmad is Spartanburg Methodist College’s new professor of math. The SMC mission of teaching undergraduates, the very welcoming faculty and staff, and the connection he felt to SMC are what brought Ahmad to the college.

He was surprised by the SMC faculty and staff because of their being very interested in the students’ success, how well organized they are, and how anyone could tell they are working their hardest to make Spartanburg Methodist College great.

Ahmad received his Master’s and Ph. D. from Kansas State University, then taught several calculous classes there. He then moved to temporary positions in Kansas City. When asked if he was a “hard” professor, Ahmad said, “I think it depends, those students who work harder will say I’m fine, but those students who don’t would say it’s hard.” If Ahmad is not on campus, it is likely that he is cooking or working out, because those are his interests other than math.

Dennis Ashe is the new Spanish teacher, but he will only be at SMC for one year. What brought him to the school was that it fit his concept of a Christian college with morals that are upheld. He also loved that SMC followed an honor code, and after working at SMC for a few months, Ashe stated that, “This is everything I thought it would be when I accepted employment here.”

For Ashe, the most surprising thing about the campus was the support that he has received from fellow faculty members and peers. It’s something he had never found so strongly anywhere else in his 20 years of teaching. cont. on pg. 3

Professor of Economics, Dr. Jonathan Keisler

Professor of English, Dr. Kelly Neil

Professor of Math, Dr. Naeem Ahmad PHOTOS BY EMMA ALEXANDER

Shelves of Hope

By Liz Gort; Staff Writer

SHELVES OF HOPE GOODS PHOTO BY LIZ GORT

Many people today struggle with basic necessities. While it’s easy to live at home and have your parents help you with your needs, many students at SMC do not have that luxury.

Some students that attend SMC live hours away. These same students may not be able to have a job here because they do not have a car or for any other reason. Other students tend to want to focus on their studies and having a job may impede their learning.

SMC’s Shelves of Hope program is designed to help students with just these issues.

A large problem on campuses nationwide is that students with low funds are left hungry.

For example, some students wake up late on weekends and do not go to lunch, then they are left waiting for the café to open when they may already be hungry.

With Shelves of Hope, students are able to obtain snacks to keep in their rooms for no charge

at all! This helps many students and their parents.

All students have to do is obtain a referral form, fill it out with their name and what they would like, and turn it into Mrs. Stacey Mason in the Housing Office.

Mason really wants to help students in need.

SMC students should definitely take advantage of this great tool. Mason is not only in charge of Residence Life and assigning students rooms, but she also makes sure to help out her students by providing this great resource that is Shelves of Hope.

Shelves of Hope is an on campus program run

by Mason that assists all students, residents or commuters, by supplying personal hygiene and food items. Students can take advantage of this program by filling out a Student Referral Form and returning it to Mason either through e-mail or her on campus mail box.

cont. on pg. 4

1000 Powell Mill Road

Spartanburg, South Carolina 29301

Volume 82

Issue 2 Nov 2015 2

Breast Cancer Awareness

By Alyssa Vezzetti, Staff Writer Fall is finally here. That means the arrival of falling leaves, the cold chill in the wind, and of course the holidays. With all the events that come with the season month, October was also breast cancer awareness month.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) was founded in 1985. It is a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the Imperial Chemical Industries. The purpose of this month is to make people aware of breast cancer and how harmful it is.

The NBCAM’s goal is to promote mammography for men and women. Yes, men can also get breast cancer just like women can. So if you’re a man and seem to be tuning out of this article, I advise you to keep reading.

Although breast cancer is more common in older men and women, younger adults can still develop it. College students don’t think they can get breast cancer, when in fact they can. Despite the fact that this happens in young adulthoodn very rarely, it is still possible.

Most colleges try to enforce the awareness of breast cancer with sports. Here at SMC, our softball team and

EDITOR Emma Alexander ASSISTANT EDITOR Tamara Deal GRAPHICS EDITOR Lainey Kummer COPY EDITOR Emily Edmonds PHOTOGRAPHER Chris Merritt FACULTY ADVISOR Bethany Perkins STAFF

Taylor Edwards Tyesha Foster Liz Gort Lainey Kummer Abby Martin Destini Richardson Jarmesha Tate Alyssa Vezzetti

The Trailblazer staff works to inform the SMC community about events of interest. The staff influences its readers through responsible editorials and entertains through features content. All bylined editorials reflect the opinion of the writer only. Stories are edited for content and accuracy by the advisor.

Have an opinion?

The Trailblazer actively seeks student contributors to write articles, editorials, photographs, or responses to previously printed pieces with letters to the editor.

Send your contribution to trailblazer@smcsc.edu

Ashton Osborne, a softball player at SMC says, “During the month we wear pink jerseys.

I think it’s extremely important for people to be aware of how serious this cancer is.” The volleyball girls also have pink out games.

So be aware and do what is possible to get involved and help the cause.

Being highly aware of breast cancer can be beneficial to everyone. The best way to fight breast cancer is to have plan to detect the disease in its early stages. When breast cancer is detected early, the survival rate is much higher than if it is detected later. Studies show that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, so it is good to start getting examined when you reach adulthood. Getting an examination done for breast cancer does not always mean going to the doctor. Many women do self-exams every few months or when they feel something unusual. A self-exam is simply feeling around the breast area for any kind of hard lump.

There are many common risk factors to detect breast cancer. Women over the age of 60 are

more likely to be diagnosed than younger women are. For gender, breast cancer is more common in women than in men. Although nearly 2,000 men get diagnosed each year, the National Cancer institute estimates that over 190,000 women are diagnosed per year.

People who are obese have a higher risk as well because the fat tissue can lead to an increase in estrogen.

In the month of October there are a variety of events and races that take place to raise money for the cure. This includes walks and runs and, of course, wearing the traditional pink ribbon.

Every year in October the famous Race for Cure is held in over 100 cities in the United States. The Race for Cure Organization raises over $36 million a year. It is currently being organized in cities across the world.

This year there were two locations fairly close to the Spartanburg area; Pack Square Park in Asheville, NC on October 24th and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC on October 17th.

What Did You do for Fall Break?

By: Tyesha Foster; Staff Writer

By Fall break most students are all starting to get what college is about, wondering when a break will ever come.

School is stressful, so you are counting down the days to when you can just relax.

Fall break started after class Friday, October 9th and lasted until Tuesday October 13th.

Some of your fellow students decided to share what they did during their first official college break.

Gabby Williams, a freshman, says her fall break was full of sleeping because since she has been in college she has really not been getting a lot of sleep. Williams says she slept in every day and watch movies.

Cymone Smith, a freshman, says her fall break was a small getaway to Atlanta with some friends. Smith says she went shopping at Charlotte Russe to get great deals on sweaters and other merchandise. Smith also says she is ready to have some much needed girl talk.

Then sophomore Kevin Bennett says his fall break was spent playing the new game 2k game with his friends. Bennett says he treated his girlfriend to a nice dinner and took her out. Kevin said most important thing he did over the break was study for his class.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LITTLEJOHN FAMILY

Randall Smith, sophomore, says his fall break was boring because he had to babysit the whole time. Smith said he wished his girlfriend could come over but she was busy working.

Gerkia Littlejohn said for her fall break she and her family visited Bush Gardens and the rode rides and had a great time.

Littlejohn said she and her family also got a new van and their trip was mostly about enjoying that.

Make the best of it.

If fall break didn’t go as planned, make sure you plan ahead for Thanksgiving break so all your plans will be smooth sailing. The time is now to plan so you won’t be left in the dirt as what to do next time you have a break.

1000 Powell Mill Road

Spartanburg, South Carolina 29301

Volume 82 Issue 2 Nov 2015 3

Homecoming Week 2015 November 9-14 Homecoming Competitions for Campus Clubs Banner Competition - $100 Prize + points Student Center Window Decorating Spirit Competition - $100 Prize + points Homecoming Court, Homecoming King and Queen Lip Sync Battle – Group and Individual Prizes + points Homecoming Spirit Award - $200 Prize (Earn points by your group’s participation in activities)

Lip Synch Battle

Club, Team & Residence Hall Info.

Questions?

Friday, November 13th, 7 pm Gibbs Auditorium Deadline to sign up November 11th.

See Student Activities office for a registration form and list of rules.

New Faculty continued from pg. 1 Anyone that asks Ashe about his life would say that it has been very busy, starting off when he left his hometown of Hendersonville, NC to join the U.S. Navy. He then went to Appalachian State University to receive a Master’s in Spanish, a Bachelor’s in Spanish, and another Bachelor’s in History.

Ashe is certified to teach ESOL, Spanish, and history in three different states, and once worked at Vincennes University in Indiana, which is a Coast Guard school, for three years teaching Spanish. He has taught at international schools in Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, and in the Philippines. Something surprising about his personal life is that he is married to a Colombian woman, with whom he only speaks Spanish at home.

Father Ed Cass is the new temporary Art professor at SMC, but he had taught here previously and really enjoyed it. After judging the literary magazine, Cass received a call from Professor Mark Gibbs and Dr. Ann Bowles and asked if he was interested in a one year opening. Cass took it because he “thinks SMC is one of the best two year colleges in the country and because [he] loves helping students get their foundations ready to finish up their degrees.”

Contact Kim Caton at catonk@smcsc.edu 587-4006

Mr. Adam Siegfried Cass is from Greenville, but went to USC, Furman, Winthrop, and SCAD. At the University of South Carolina, he received a Master’s in Art Studio and a Bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies. He did graduate work at Winthrop and graduate work in religion at Southern Wesleyan University.

On top of all of that, Cass is also a Franciscan Friar and artist himself.

To Cass, the most surprising thing about SMC is how open and supportive they are of all lifestyles of students and faculty. “It is not something you would expect from a school with a religious orientation, and I think it is the best thing they have going on, aside from excellent faculty and their great programs.

It’s their openness to all of their students, and the fact that they fight for their students to be who they are… they don’t try to change you.

They just try to enhance your ability to grow into who you want to be,” he said.

SMC is glad to have these additions to their academic faculty, even though half of them are only filling one year positions. They notice and appreciate SMC’s charm and see that the school is working hard to bring SMC nothing but success for their students.

Father Ed Cass

Mr. Dennis Ashe

1000 Powell Mill Road

Spartanburg, South Carolina 29301

Calendar of Events November 5-7th SMC Players Fall Production of “The Foreigner” Gibbs Auditorium, 7-9 pm *SMC 101 Credit

November 9 - 14th Homecoming Week SMC Idol- Tuesday, Nov. 10th Create-a-Critter Wednesday, Nov. 11th Homecoming Dance @ Indigo Hall Thursday, Nov. 12th 8:30-11:30 p.m.

Homecoming Day Activities All day Saturday, Nov. 14th Men’s and Women’s games at 2:00 & 4:00 pm

Tuesday, November 17th Wings, Trivia and Movie Night

The Hanging of the Greens SMC Mission Davis Chapel 7 p.m. November 30, 2015

Volume 82

Issue 2 Nov 2015 4

The Write Place and Tutoring Lab

By Jarmesha Tate; Staff Writer Spartanburg Methodist College has a few things to offer around campus to help students academically or with their homework. There is the Write Place and the Tutoring Lab to help students with their hardest subjects The newly named Write Place is staffed by English faculty. Its director is Jane Brackett, who has been here 34 years teaching English composition and literature.

It’s open Monday-Thursday 12 hours per week, located in the Ellis building, 2nd floor, room 216.

English professors who staff the Write Place are available to help students with their writing assignments or projects for any course on campus. The Write Place has been here on campus for 18 years, and it has helped students do better with their work. The Write Place helps students get started with the writing process, the introduction or any part of the paper. The staff will assist with developing new ideas, organization, revision, and proofreading.

The most challenging part of composition class is that writing well has a complicated process. The purpose of the Write Place is to help students with the writing process and to show them how to revise and edit

the paper.

Then there is the Tutoring Lab directed by Steven Jeter, who has been here 20 years. The Tutoring Lab provides academic assistance to students who may be struggling with the course material. They provide individual tutoring MondayThursday from 9am-9pm.

They also provide study groups Monday-Thursday for tests or exams. In addition, there is a study group on Sunday for any exams that may occur on Monday.

To become a tutor a student has to be recommended by three faculty or staff members because they know that person’s personality and character. They consider your work ethic, and if you are academically driven.

You must have a 3.0 GPA to even qualify for a tutor position. After you have been recommended you will need three more references.

Tutoring is the highest paid position on campus. The tutors help with courses that they have already taken and the classes they are currently taking.

Spartanburg Methodist College students say that The Write Place and the Tutoring Lab are very helpful when it comes to helping them with writing their papers and helping them to make

good grades by just making corrections or editing the paper. Freshman Kelsie Ellenburg said, “The Write Place helps me with my work.

They also help me prepare so I can turn in a good essay.”

As for the tutors, they love their jobs. Tutor Austin Miller said, “I love tutoring other students because it helps them do better in school and it also helps me grow as a student.”

Being a tutor is very helpful to the students. It shows them that other students are here to help and understand the situation they may be in when it comes to their work.

Tutor Andy Yee said, “I have focused on working in my class and I like to know more people’s names and get to have conversations with one another.”

The Write Place and The Tutoring Lab are designed to help students that may be struggling in any courses and to assist you if you need help with your paper or homework Getting help from other people is always a good thing and makes you become a better student. The Write Place helps you with your writing process and the tutoring lab helps you with any subject.

If you need any assistance with assignments the Write Place and The Tutoring Lab are the places that can help.

Shelves of Hope continued from pg. 1

Mason says, “Shelves of Hope provides emergency assistance to any SMC student in need, and this has been made possible by donations received from faculty and staff.” Students can even remain anonymous if they would like by having a faculty member, teacher, or fellow student fill out the form and turn it in to Mason.

The Shelves of Hope is housed in the Housing Offices which are located upstairs in the Student Center across from the bookstore.

Some items carried are: deodorant, band aids, soap, shampoo, shaving cream, laundry detergent, toothpaste, and other hygiene items. There are also many food items available like: canned fruits, Pringles cans, Gold fish crackers, peanut butter, granola bars, cereal, and every college student’s favorite, Ramen noodles.

The shelves are kept stocked thanks to donations by various faculty and staff. Mason says, “Faculty will just call me up and say ‘I’m going shopping, what do you need?’” Everyone seems to be very helpful.

So if you or a friend are in need of personal items or snacks, remember there is a program on campus aimed at helping students out!

THE TUTORING CENTER IS ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE WALKER BUILDING PHOTO BY JARMEESHA TATE