AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY
www.aubellringer.wordpress.com
VOLUME 58, ISSUE 5
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016
shellie smitley | staff
(Left Photo): Participants of the Walk to Remember start their first 1-mile loop around the Summerville campus on Nov. 10. George Ritchie, dressed in white, walked for 24 hours. (Background photo): American flags on the Summerville campus mark Veterans Day 2015.
ROTC students walk in honor By Inesha Howard staff writer & Shellie Smitley staff writer
The Walk to Remember and Veterans Day Celebration took place on Nov. 10-Nov. 11 on the Summerville campus. “I feel that this campus needs a little bit more veterans’ awareness,” George Richie said at the beginning of the walk. Ritchie, cadet sergeant, said he made a decision to walk for the entire 24 hours. He said he did it for the veterans’ sakes. He packed a backpack with snacks, rain ponchos and music. By 8 p.m., Ritchie had walked for nine hours and said he felt tired but he had no second thoughts about walking all night. “The group of airmen that I saw walking, it was nice to see them come out and show their support,” Ritchie said. He said he only stopped once or twice and ate granola bars while he was walking. He sang while walking with some of the other cadets. At 11:08 p.m. Ritchie said some of his fellow cadets were on campus helping to keep him motivated. “I have been taking more and more breaks because I am getting more and more tired,” Ritchie said. “Not tired like sleep, but my legs are starting to give out on me, so I am taking breaks and walking another mile and alternating like that.” Ritchie said he thought about a lot of different things while he was walking. “Not only how fortunate I am to even be doing something like this because of those veterans (but), I see a lot of the historic sites around here, because this used to be an arsenal,” Ritchie said. “And I start to think about their lives and the lives of the veterans in the cemetery.”
shellie smitley | staff
A rally is held at the D. Douglas Barnard Jr. Amphitheatre in celebration of Veterans Day. President Brooks Keel (left) attended the event.
At 7:20 a.m., the final 3 ½ hour stretch of the walk, Ritchie said although he continued to walk throughout the night he had to walk in shifts because of soreness. “It’s going good,” Ritchie said. “I made it through the night, I didn’t sleep through the night...” He said he walked with Capt. Kenneth DeMars, an associate professor, during the night and spoke to him one-on-one. “I felt that led to better development of myself as a cadet,” Ritchie said. Jake Padgett, cadet battalion commander, said students, staff and community members could sign up to walk a one-mile loop around Summerville campus for as long as they wanted, up to 24 hours, in support of Veterans Day and to promote awareness of the ROTC program at GRU. He said the event was concluded with an awareness rally on Nov. 11. Participants paid a registration fee that included a t-shirt and a meal. Carol Giardina, director of Military & Veterans Services, said
“
I think that sometimes college students forget about all the sacrifices that have been made by veterans so that they can keep their freedom. -- Cadet Battalion Commander Jake Padgett
”
that the Office was in the process of planning a celebration when Cadet Anthony Herrera from the ROTC program contacted her to ask if her department was interested in partnering with the Ranger Club to celebrate Veterans Day at GRU. “Cadet Herrera and some of his fellow cadets came up with idea, “Walk to Remember,” followed by a ceremony,” Giardina said. “Our department staff members thought Cadet Herrera’s ideas were excellent and we began working with him to promote the events.” Giardina said there are veterans on campus who are not using all the services or benefits they have earned. They will become more aware of their benefits and reach out to the Office of Military & Veterans
Services as well as other veterans’ service organizations because of awareness events. “There are kind of two separate things,” Padgett said. “We are working in conjunction with Veterans’ Affairs, but the money that we raise from the people that actually signed up for the actual walk is going to the Fischer House Foundation. Then the Veterans Affairs, it is my understanding, that whatever they raise from their hot dog sales and things like that, that money will go towards their scholarship opportunities separate from ROTC for veterans.” Padgett said raising awareness of the sacrifice that veterans make brings a sense of patriotism and camaraderie to the campus. “I think that sometimes college students forget about all the sacrifices that have been made by veterans so that they can keep their freedom,” Padgett said. “It’s important that those people get recognized.” Willie Walker III, cadet captain, said part of the reason that he walked for two hours is that his
granddad is a veteran who served for over 20 years in the military. “This is a good way to not only show my support for veterans, but also show that our ROTC campus here, that we support them,” Walker said. “So we really want to make them aware especially for Augusta and this campus.” Giardina said that this event was very special to her. She said that she had not served in the military but she is the daughter of a veteran, a mother of a veteran and the grandmother of an active duty service member. “My dad served during World War II, his brother served in Korea and my son and grandson served combat tours for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom,” Giardina said. “I am very proud of my family and their history of service.” Chaundira Wynn, cadet sergeant, said that she is a veteran who served in South Korea and thinks the event is a good cause. “I am actually very passionate about the military itself,” Wynn said. It is something that’s very close to my heart, it got me out of a bad situation, it gave me my education and even after I was discharged, it still helped me as far as housing as far as getting me where I need to be...” Padgett said that in his opinion a veteran is anyone that has raised their right hand and taken a military oath and sacrificed for the U.S. “Most of us take our freedom for granted and often we take those who protect our freedom for granted,” Giardina said. “I hope that by celebrating Veterans Day at GRU our veteran students, staff and faculty will realize how important their service is to each of us.”
Contact Inesha Howard at: icarruth@gru.edu. Contact Shellie Smitley at: sbarb@gru.edu.
Faces on Campus What stereotype would you like to see eliminated from your race and/or culture?
inesha howard | Staff
inesha howard | Staff
Inesha howard | Staff
“I would like for everyone to stop thinking that all black men are uneducated and can’t speak for themselves, and can’t actually have an in-depth conversation with someone about things other than drugs and sports,” said Jamel Hodges, manager for the Jaguar Information Center.
“I would like for everyone to stop thinking that all white people are racist. It’s pretty assumed that anything we say is always under a racist microscope,” said Nikki Cabassa, front desk assistant at the Jaguar Information Center.
“That I do nails and that I am good at math. People just automatically think that I am good at nails and that I work at a nail shop and that I am good at math when in reality I suck at math. I hate math,” said Naomi Nguyen, a freshman communications major.
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OPINION
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016
www.aubellringer.wordpress.com
editorial
The voice of
Augusta University EDITORIAL STAFF editor-in-chief SARAH CARTER scarte14@gru.edu layout editor JAMIE SAPP jsapp270@gru.edu copy editors ALEXANDRIA BENNETT abenne19@gru.edu Inesha Howard icarruth@gru.edu ANNA DRESSER adresser@gru.edu staff writers Lucia Conkright lconkrig@gru.edu SHADAN JOHNSON sjohn135@gru.edu SHELLIE SMITLEY sbarb@gru.edu Inesha Howard icarruth@gru.edu ALEXANDRIA BENNETT abenne19@gru.edu JOSHUA ADAMS jadams35@gru.edu ANNA DRESSER adresser@gru.edu TIM HOWARD thowar20@gru.edu contributors Adrienne Hayes adhayes@gru.edu photographer SIDNEY FOWLER sfowler@gru.edu adviser TODD BENNETT tobennett@gru.edu Direct advertising inquiries to: scarte14@gru.edu Address all correspondence to: The Bell Ringer 2500 Walton Way Augusta, Ga 30904 706-737-1600 aubellringer.wordpress.com
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Letters to the editor must be accompanied by the author’s name, phone number and email address. All columns and letters to the editor are the opinion of the author. The views expressed in the Editorial section do not necessarily express those of The Bell Ringer, a designated public forum. Anything submitted to The Bell Ringer is open to be edited or rejected. However, The Bell Ringer staff gives all opinions a fair chance to be heard. All letters will be edited for grammar and style. If you would like to contribute a column or a letter to the editor, send an email to: bellringerproduction@gmail. com.
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Brie weston | contributor
“Just as our institution has been undergoing much change lately, The Bell Ringer has also been considering some innovative developments in newspaper design...”
Augusta University
New beginnings, Lasting opportunities Can you believe that 2016 is finally here? This particular time of year is always exciting and refreshing because it reminds me that there will be more adventures to seek out and many new experiences to learn from during the next 365 days. The arrival of the new year also stimulates a time of personal reflection over the past year, encouraging many to determine what types of resolutions they would desire to accomplish as the new year begins. These goals typically range from career adjustments and redirections to “new and improved” body transformations. From personal experience, I can recall planning for weeks in advance how I would incorporate the “New Year, New You” mindset and what types of lifestyle changes I would like to make in anticipation of each new year. Although the majority of us do not stick to or follow through with all of our personal resolutions, this improvement-based outlook can still be considered commendable and a step in the right direction. Often, however, growth can only be fully realized through change. As many adopt the “New Year, New You” mantra for 2016, our university could consider incorporating a “New Year, New U”
ing much change lately, The Bell Ringer has also been considering some innovative developments in newspaper design and layout since the conclusion of last semester. Beginning in January, The Bell Ringer will transition into an online, student-led publication. We believe that this focused experimentation with format and design will bring about an increase in readership along with many opportunities for our newspaper to be disseminated electronically throughout the local community and beyond. However, throughout this semesBrie weston | contributor ter, we will produce print or “New Year, New University” issues of our work when motto for the coming school year. appropriate. This adage perfectly describes Our staff’s wish is that The the challenges and the changes Bell Ringer continues to be a colthat will certainly come about in lege newspaper that produces exregard to the university’s name cellent, cutting-edge issues that change from Georgia Regents speak to both students and faculty University to Augusta University members here in Augusta, Georas of this past December. gia and throughout the country. Even though this transition It will be inspiring to see how will encourage new beginnings both Augusta University and The and precipitate the development Bell Ringer will continue to grow of new relationships at our uni- and flourish both collectively and versity, we must always remem- individually throughout the comber and be grateful for the expe- ing months. riences and the opportunities that We sincerely appreciate your were presented to us as students continued support of and dediof Georgia Regents University cation to our student newspaper. these past few years. Just as our Warm wishes for a successful and institution has been undergo- productive semester, Jaguars!
• Website information: Our website in-progress is http://www.aubellringer.wordpress.com. Our Facebook profile is The Bell Ringer at Augusta University. Also, our Instagram is bellringer_au and our Twitter page is bellringer_news. • Correction for the last issue on Nov. 18, 2015: For the “Faces on Campus” section in Chris Grant’s quote, the city is named Thomson. We sincerely apologize for this error.
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THE BELL RINGER
NEWS 2 wins for Ethics Team www.aubellringer.wordpress.com
By Inesha Howard staff writer Samantha Carr, an English major, is one of five students who represented Georgia Regents University on Nov. 14 in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ethics Bowl at Clemson University. “We won two out of three (debates)… because we worked really hard,” Carr said. The panel of judges consisted of some of Clemson University’s professors. According to newsstand. clemson.edu, winners of the Regional Ethics Bowl will compete in the National Ethics Bowl. Carr said the teams had to argue six cases in the preliminary rounds, three of which each team determined their own stance, and then they argued against three cases in which other teams formed their own stances. The two-out-of-three wins were not enough to qualify the team to compete in the semi-final round. “It was good, we actually did really well,” Leila Zugasen, a political science major said. “It was like really close, it was tied and then one (judge) decided that we lost by like nine points.” Steven Weiss, associate professor of philosophy, said strengths the Augusta team possessed were that the members worked really well as a group and played off of each other. “When you look at other teams, there was about one or two people speaking and those are the people who prepped that case,” Weiss said. “Our students have discussed these cases so much that we did have the lead person but everyone was able to chime in.” Daniel Williams, an English major, said preparing for the competition involved rigorous
News Briefs Physics club hopes mentoring inspires enrollment By Shellie Smitley staff writer
SHEllie smitley | staff
The Ethics Debate Team practices for the last time on Nov. 11 before the competition at Clemson University on Nov. 14.
Samantha Carr | Contributor
The names of team members are listed on the plaque above for GRU’s Ethics Debate Team. They won twoout-of-three debates on Nov. 14.
and tedious research of 15 cases that involved “log-jam” situations. The team met every Sunday for a month in order to prepare and turned in drafts of work once a week. “We didn’t go in it to necessarily win,” Carr said. “It helped us with our research skills, confidence, team work and collabo-
ration. It promotes better writing and thinking skills. It teaches acceptance of diversity (and) all kinds of stuff. It is so important.” Members of the team are enrolled in the class Contemporary Ethical Behavior (PHIL 3003). The Ethics Bowl takes place once a year and the class is open to all majors. Weiss said the class is offered every fall and that he would love to see freshmen and sophomores take it in 2016. He said questions regarding the class can be addressed to him at sweiss@gru.edu. “You have to be an enrolled student, absolutely, but you don’t necessarily have to be enrolled in the class,” Weiss said. “We can accommodate a student who didn’t want to necessarily enroll in the class. It would make it more difficult because the students usually meet during class times.” Williams said that Weiss did not sway the decisions the team made but he was a mentor and coach. Weiss showed them how to argue and helped them take a
round look at things. Weiss said he was unsure if Augusta will host the event in the future. “It requires a lot of time planning, resources and finances,” Weiss said. “At Clemson, they have what’s called the Rutland Center for Ethics, so they have a whole staff of people.” Although he said SGA is supportive, Weiss said he paid all of his expenses out of pocket. “I don’t know from year to year how we’re going to finance our team, we have to figure that out every year but SGA has been very supportive in giving us funds.” Weiss said that he is always worried about how the team will be funded. He said that he would like to have committed funding to cover basic travel expenses for the students. “One student told me that he was dreading this weekend, but after it was over he said that it was the best weekend he had in a long time,” Weiss said.
Contact Inesha Howard at: icarruth@gru.edu. Shellie Smitley contributed to this story.
Students enjoy French feast By Shadan Johnson staff writer
Shadan Johnson | staff
Matthew Mason watches April Masterson prepare Peach-cherry Clafoutis during the Williams-Sonoma French Cooking Class held by the French Club on Oct. 27.
The French Club hosted its first event, the Williams-Sonoma French Cooking Class, in October. Georgia Regents University students learned how to prepare three French dishes last month: Peach-cherry Clafoutis, Ratatouille and Gratin Dauphinoise. Working diligently, each meal was prepared meticulously from scratch by April Masterson, assistant manager of Williams-Sonoma, while the students looked on. “I have been cooking since I was 10 years old,” Masterson said. “My mother went back to nursing school and my dad was a truck driver. My sister and I were going through frozen meals all the time. And I chose to learn how to cook.” The aroma from different spices permeated the room. “I love cooking and I love these kinds of things,” said Kimberly Young, vice president of the club. “They always teach you these new techniques. My favorite dish was the clafoutis. The scallop potatoes were really good.” Club President Chadelle Sappa said the event was a good learning experience.
“... We are more interconnected,” Sappa said. “So as human beings it’s nice to experience other cultures to be more well-rounded and be knowledgeable of what their tastes are like. I guess to find a common ground, everybody needs food. So it’s kind of like you can always make friends over a dinner or over dessert.” Nicole Meyer, former chair of foreign languages, said that she prepares dinner for French students at her house at the end of each semester and integrates food with conversation. She said events like this offer students an understanding of the importance of food in the French culture. “We learned a lot about French culture,” Meyer said. “We learned a lot about different flavors and ways of approaching it. I think this is a good understanding on how important food is in the French culture.” Masterson said she enjoyed cooking for such a great group of people. Liana Babayan, assistant professor of French, said Matthew Mason, a student enrolled in French 1002, works at Williams-Sonoma and that he coordinated the event. Contact Shadan Johnson at: sjohn135@ gru.edu.
Larry Hartman, president of the Physics Club, said members are assisting high school Physic Club students at Aquinas High School with robotics projects. Hartman said this is not a formal arrangement but they are going on their fourth week of mentoring. He said he hopes the relationship will grow to a point where they will be able to sponsor competitions in the future. They are working on implementing mentoring at Lakeside High School as well. “I think the response has been pretty positive,” Hartman said. “This is a project-oriented activity, so they are working on projects in small groups of three or four (students) and having more than just the instructor going around from table to table, which is really good.” The students at Aquinas have never had an electronics or robotics class. The project they are working on now is to make a simple remote control car. They are learning how to hook up photo sensors and motor drivers to Arduino boards. “So this is all brand new to them and you have to provide a good bit of mentorship and instruction for them to understand what is going on with this robotics project sitting in front of them,” Hartman said. He said the benefits to Georgia Regents University’s club members are that it gets them out of the classroom and it is a community activity that gets them interacting with people in the community. “In terms of the physics program here, part of what we are hoping for is that some of those students will remember, ‘hey, we had physics students over here teaching us,’” Hartman said. “GRU has a physics program that does some of these things. I can attend GRU locally rather than having to go across the country and still get the value of an education.” Contact Shellie Smitley at: sbarb@gru.edu.
Student gets his seat back By Shellie Smitley staff writer An incident between two chemistry students in the Science Hall on the Summerville campus on Nov. 5 is classified as simple battery by the Public Safety Department. Jaleel Bolden became verbally aggressive and then shortly afterwards lifted Bailey Fisher out of her seat by her book bag, according to the incident report filed by Chris Adcox, Public Safety. Fisher said in a written statement taken the same day that this is not the first time that Bolden has demonstrated verbal aggression toward her. According to the report, Fisher was seated in Bolden’s seat and was about to take a test when the incident occurred. Bolden admitted to Adcox by phone that he picked Fisher up out of her chair but was unaware that it was a serious issue. Adcox spoke to Bolden about being more respectful of Fisher and giving her more space in class. Fisher said she did wish to prosecute. “No further action was requested of or taken by the Public Safety Department,” according to the report. Contact Shellie Smitley at: sbarb@gru.edu.
Daily Crime Log for November 5 - 18, 2015 Incident (Classification) Entering Auto Entering Auto Theft by Taking Harassing Phone Calls Theft by Taking Simple Battery Suspended License Theft by Taking Criminal Damage to Property Theft by Taking Criminal Damage to Property Theft by Taking Disorderly Conduct Theft by Taking Theft by Taking
Case Number 15-0336 15-0337 15-0338 15-0339 15-0340 15-0341 15-0342 15-0343 15-0344 15-0345 15-0346 15-0347 15-0348 15-0349 15-0350
Date/Time Reported 11/05/15 – 11:49 11/04/15 – 16:38 11/04/15 – 16:47 11/05/15 – 02:36 11/05/15 – 16:59 11/06/15 – 18:37 11/08/15 – 16:22 11/10/15 – 11:12 11/10/15 – 19:08 11/11/15 – 07:33 11/11/18 – 22:08 11/17/15 – 18:42 11/18/15 – 15:23 11/18/15 – 21:13 11/18/15 – 20:57
Date/Time Occurred 11/05/15 – 11:49 11/04/15 – 16:38 11/04/15 – 16:47 11/05/15 – 02:36 11/05/15 – 16:59 11/05/15 – 13:00 11/08/15 – 16:22 11/10/15 – 11:12 11/10/15 – 19:08 11/11/15 – 07:33 11/11/18 – 22:08 11/17/15 – 18:42 11/18/15 – 15:23 11/18/15 – 21:13 11/18/15 – 20:57
Location Occurred Lot 50 Lot 50 Deck 4 GR Medical Center GR Medical Center Science Hall 15th Street GR Medical Center Deck 21 GR Medical Center GR Medical Center GR Medical Center Lot 05 Summerville Campus Wellness Center
Disposition Active Active Active Active Active Active Arrest Active Active Active Active Active Arrest Active Active
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016
NEWS www.aubellringer.wordpress.com
Panel focuses on racism By Shellie Smitley staff writer “Now you think racism is going to stop, hell no, as a matter of fact, hell no,” said Clint Bryant, athletic director. Bryant was one of four panelists in a discussion called “Let’s Talk: Racism and Reactions in Higher Education” held on Nov. 16 in the JSAC Ballroom. The discussion was led by Quincy Byrdsong, chief diversity officer. In a separate interview with The Bell Ringer on Nov. 18, Byrdsong clarified remarks made by some of the panelists. “The goal was to create a form for dialogue,” said Byrdsong. He said he is not worried in the sense that Georgia Regents University is a racially-charged campus. “If it was (racially-charged), I am sure that I would not be here,” Byrdsong said. Assistant Professor Lindsey West from the Office of Diversity was one of the panel speakers. She said that subtle forms of racism exist on the university’s campuses. “Yes there are more overt forms of racism that do occur to date, that occur for our students, that occur for our faculty of color and the more covert subtle forms that happen with (us) so much frequency, it is heartbreaking,” said West. She said that she hears students talking about professors who assume that the students are not going to be pre-med and advise them for easier classes. Then, she said, they are tracked for longer times at school. “They are recommended to go a certain route and those are the little things that can have a huge tipping point on that person’s life,” said West. Byrdsong said once there is a better way to assess the climate at the university there will be better opportunities to develop strategies to improve it. “One of the things that I am going to do as chief diversity of-
News Briefs Reese Library adjusts for renovations By Shellie Smitley staff writer
Brianna Hardy | contributor
A panel of speakers from Augusta University discuss racism on Nov. 16 after recent events at Missouri University.
ficer is try to create more mechanisms for those kind of things to be reported,” said Byrdsong. West said the event was a preventative measure for racist acts that could potentially take place at the new dorms set to open in the fall. “… We are at another tipping point… we are about to get 754 rooms downtown, right?” said West. “Now students are going to be living together… There are going to be all sort of situations in those however many square feet, where things are going to happen...” Byrdsong said that what he got from West’s comment was that the university has to be proactive and that it cannot wait for another racial or verbally racial incident to occur before a discussion is started. “In the issues that we have out in the community, out of students living in apartment buildings, not on our campus, drugs, alcohol, sexual misconduct, we are going to see an increase of that just because we have more students living on campus,” Panelist Scott Wallace, dean of student life, said. “... And we hope that we can educate our students in a way that there are not racial tensions or racial biases in
our residence (dorms).” Bryant said that what occurs on college campuses is that some people are not held accountable by other groups. He also said sometimes the best protests have nothing to do with legality. “The Boston Tea Party was not legal, was not legal at all, but look at the result, and I think that is what happened in Missouri,” Bryant said. “A student stood up and said enough is enough, I am not being listened to, so I am going to go on a hunger strike and it brought national attention to the issue… We need more of those types of things to occur.” Byrdsong said the university needs to create more avenues for students to be activists and to be able to mobilize around issues that are a concern to them. He said more opportunities and clear mechanisms are needed in order to enable students to have input on the quality of their student experience. “Do we need more protests?” Byrdsong said. “Do we need more illegal protests? No. We need national attention for the things that we are doing to improve the Higher Ed. industry.”
Sylvia Godinez, a pre-dental student, said that she felt the event was a good way to bring awareness to the school and she is looking forward to a student panel next time. “I think it would be more beneficial for the students and I hope that the next time there is something like this more students come out,” Godinez said. She said she hears of and has experienced racism on campus. “Ah well, on some occasions, I don’t know, like people were saying yesterday (during the event), maybe it was just made up in my head or maybe it wasn’t,” Godinez said. Nancy Hui, a Chinese-American student, said she and her boyfriend are often assumed to be brother and sister because they are both Chinese–Americans. In spite of that, she feels that racism is not what needs to be addressed at the university. “I think the only issue addressed on this campus should be about homosexuals,” Hui said. “That is probably the only main issue on this campus. Racism, I don’t think is that big, not as big as people targeting homosexuals.”
Contact Shellie sbarb@gru.edu.
Smitley
at:
Rain gauges offer “outside the textbook” learning By Shellie Smitley staff writer “One of the things that we have been doing over the last four or five years is getting more into micro-controllers,” Andy Hauger, professor of physics, said. He said students under his advisement and in cooperation with the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy are taking advantage of some of the latest technology to build devices that require interdisciplinary approaches. “… We are taking electrical sensors and we’re controlling and measuring things with these things called micro-controllers…and then we can use that to collect data or put that data on a website or use that data to control something...,” Hauger said. Hauger said that during a summer internship, Michael Roeber, a computer science major, was the student that “led the program” by developing all of the electronics. “He (Roeber) took (a rain gauge)…and set that into an Arduino and was able to put a …T-Mobile card, SMS, and it can take that information and text that to another one of these with another cell phone card …so we have these sensors that are out in the woods….and they can actually send that rainfall to a collection point and then that collection point eventually will be able to display water fall,” Hauger said. “Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software,” according to arduino.cc. The plan is to put dozens of them around the county. Currently, there are five around the county that are working, according to Hauger. “What is kind of cool about it is that it involves measuring and sensing an environmentally important variable …taking that and using …analog and digital electronics that we teach here at GRU and using cell technology to basically take that and put that on the internet and then…you are able to display, use and map it …” Hauger said. Thomas Crute, chair of the Chemistry & Physics Department, said the project is a terrific opportunity to marry science with creativity.
Shellie Smitley | Staff
Physics students created rain gauges that measure local rainfall. The gauges involve the use of micro-controllers and the project is in cooperation with the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy.
“It’s a matter of equal opportunity, people working on stuff, all they have to do is express an interest and some seriousness about it and we will try to get them involved,” Crute said. “As a matter of fact we have a lot of students that are not physics majors. Some of them turn into physics majors because they see how cool it is...” Out-of-the-textbook learning is something that is encouraged by Georgia Regents University. “The College of Science and Mathematics is committed to providing an undergraduate experience promoting scientific inquiry and discovery and is also dedicated to creating opportunities for intellectual growth and community involvement,” according to gru.edu. Crute said students in the physics classes are also designing their own amplifiers using sensors. Last year during the inquiry classes, some students designed jack-o-lanterns that had sonic sensors that changed lights and played sounds as spectators approached. One student designed a football helmet that could detect and alert the coach by text message if impact was hard enough to cause a concussion. “These are clever students” Crute said. “These were their ideas and they actually made it work.”
Crute said the department is trying to strengthen the relationship with E-Z-Go Textron and taking over projects that the company does not have the time or the energy for and projects that the company is willing to allow students to work on. The projects take place outside of class. “We have more going on, E-Z-Go Textron, specialized vehicles, gave us a vehicle, golf cart, it’s an electric vehicle and one of the things they are wanting us to do with that …is to make this into an autonomous vehicle,” Hauger said. Chris Cohen, physics major, said the three main goals of the project are to automate it, make sure it can drive itself where it needs to go and some upgrades that involve the automation of several tests. The stated goal is to be able to test drive the golf carts in situations where it would be unsafe to have a human driving them. He said the project should be concluded by next year and they hope to be able to showcase it at the science fair. “We are basically finding out that there is very inexpensive electronics and technology out there that you can connect sensors to these programmable chips or devices ….and use those then to control things,” Hauger said. He said most of the devices that the students are developing already exist. “The advantage to our way of doing this is that we can accurately add some bells and whistles that we think are better…,” Hauger said. “We are writing code, but they are using software that is available for free… Most of the components are cheap…so therefore we can make a bunch of them...There is more that we can do with later phases…” He said that this opens up a whole world of experience in terms of learning for students, but also in terms of making connections with people who eventually will be hiring. “…This stuff is not in the back of the book…,” Hauger said. “When you are going to go and do something at a deep level like that, there is a different kind of learning that happens…” Contact Shellie Smitley at: sbarb@gru.edu.
The Special Collections department of the Reese Library can temporarily be found on the first floor. Head Librarian, Barbara Mann, said The Board of Regents approved the renovation of the library’s HVAC system. The project is set to be completed within a year and includes three phases. Ajax Building Corporation installed a new HVAC unit at the loading-dock area during the summer and recently began the renovation process on the third floor, where Special Collections is normally located. The temporary move for the department is expected to last about four weeks. “They will be bringing down materials that are being most used and if there is something that needs to be retrieved we will be able to go up and get it,” Mann said. “I even have my own hard hat so I can go up in the area to get it.” Mann said the second phase will include renovating the second floor of the library and the third phase will include renovations on the first floor. She said the construction company will cooperate with keeping the library quiet during the final exams period. She said the Family Study Room will also be available during that time. “It is a benefit for everybody,” Mann said. “It will be better conditions for us. We have staff who in the winter time are so cold they are having to wear coats and sometimes they have fingerless gloves on because it is so cold in their areas. So by getting this system in and making sure the heat is even and the cool is even, it will be good for our users, good for our staff, it will be a plus for everyone involved. It’s a very positive thing.” Rebecca Bailey, project manager, said the original HVAC system that is being renovated was installed during the 1970s and was not operating at optimum capacity. She said there are plans to renovate the entire building’s system. Contact Shellie Smitley at: sbarb@ gru.edu.
Children have a “ball” playing tennis By Shellie Smitley staff writer Children at the Georgia Regents University Literacy Center are benefitting from exercise combined with tutoring. Jenny Landrum, evening supervisor of the center, said for four weeks beginning in September and into October two kinesiology students from Augusta University, Zach Patterson and Brandi Richardson, taught children at the center how to play tennis at the Newman Tennis Center courts. “It helped because the kids wanted to come for one thing,” Landrum said. “Parents had no trouble getting them here because they were going to come and either go play tennis before their reading or after.” She said 10 children ages 6-12, who were already receiving services at the center, alternated between an hour of tennis and an hour of studying. “It went over with such rave and great reviews and everything was so great, it is going to be revisited in the spring,” Landrum said. Charles Darracott, associate professor of Kinesiology, said he is making efforts to apply for a grant for the program and is looking into golf as a potential sport to teach the children in the spring. He and his wife, Shirley Darracott, associate professor of Kinesiology, co-directed the tennis instruction. At the end of each tennis session, the children received a drink and a healthy snack. Contact Shellie Smitley at: sbarb@ gru.edu.
THE BELL RINGER
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Demolition marks the era of good times By Shellie Smitley staff writer
Soon to be a wrecking ball’s creation, the Summerville campus natatorium encases bygone echoes of splashing water, shouts of camaraderie and chlorinated poignancy like a cocoon waiting to release its fun-streaked memories. Richard Harrison, former swim team coach, said he coached both men and women students in the pool from “1972 to about 1985.” He said the pool, one of only three indoor pools in Augusta at the time, had an aluminum liner. The pool was built in 1967. “It was a beautiful pool, six lanes, 25 yards long, and (it met) NCAA specifications, so we had a NCAA swim team,” Harrison said. Dave Freeman, director of facilities, said the pool was relined with a PVC liner in 1997. “We started losing water,” Harrison said. “So I took a bottle of red dye and went down there and started squirting dye to see where it was going, and there were a lot of little pin holes in the bottom of the pool....and so... we actually put a liner in the pool and that lasted for a long time...” Steve Zimmerman, facilities services manager, said the pool now has multiple problems including the piping, the lack of meeting certain American Disabilities Act requirements, no air conditioning installed and the electrical system is corroded. “The outside, you can walk around, after 50 years of chlorine in the air, (it) took its toll,” Freeman said. President Brooks Keel said the Master Plan includes a proposal to tear it down because the cost of renovating it would be “astronomical.” Freeman said the tentative plan is to demolish the pool within the
next year. “It was just cost-prohibitive to pull everything out and fix it,” Harrison said. “It would have been well over a million dollars to fix that pool, and that is when they decided to go ahead and close it down (in 2007).” Swimming was required by the Board of Regents for most students, including Keel, who was enrolled during the earlier years. “I vaguely remember him (Keel) as a student,” Harrison said. “There was a swimming requirement back then where everybody had to take a swim class.” The pool was more than a requirement or an extra-curricular activity for the coach and his team members. “It was our home away from home,” Harrison said. Dennis Burau, a former assistant professor, said Harrison’s office “was in the pool.” Prior to the Physical Plant taking care of the pool, the responsibility belonged, for a short time, to Harrison and Burau. Harrison said the chlorine system consisted of a “huge” chlorine tank in the filter room. “We would turn it on when we thought we needed chlorine and turn it off when we thought we had enough,” Harrison said. “A lot of times we would turn it on and forget to turn it off. We would come in the next day and nobody could get near the pool...” He said it was also he and Burau whom would sometimes forget to turn the water off after filling it. “... We would come in the next day and the decks would be underwater on the inside of the building,” Harrison said. “We would have swim practice and we would have a new event. We would put our kickboards on the flooded deck, put two hands on the kickboard and then
Shellie smitley | staff
A single light shines in the natatorium that was built in 1967 on the Summerville campus. The Master Plan includes a tentative plan for demolition of the building within the next year.
run around the deck in a race, like you were pushing a sled...we would make the best of the situation.” Burau said that he could not confirm that either one of those incidences occurred. George Christenberry, now deceased, was the president of the school when it was known as Augusta College. Christenberry was also a deacon at the First Baptist Church. Harrison said with a mischievous tone that there was a “streaking” trend occurring on campus during that time. “I’m afraid the swimmers led the way,” Harrison said. “...I did not know about that at the time...they closed our campus down one time (because of it)...A couple of guys on the swim team started it...” Harrison said Keel “most certainly would” recall the streaking incidences. “I am not accusing him of doing it, but he would know about it,” Harrison said. Keel said although the streaking incidences occurred before he actually enrolled at Augusta College, he was aware of them. Burau said he did not know who started it, but he knew some of the team’s members were involved. “Oh I remember that,” he said laughing. “I got a call from the dean and he said ‘you need to come over to the campus, these people are running around campus naked and we need some help.’” The pool was not just an edifice for pranks and blunders. Harrison said the team had a good time, but they were also good athletes with “excellent” grades. Burau said he does not ever remember a female team member that
Students are raising funds for trip to Ireland By Lucia Conkright staff writer Students working with Professor Debra van Tuyll are finding ways to help raise funds for a study abroad trip to Ireland to take place May 16 through June 20. Van Tuyll said that they are looking to put on a Ceili in January, a type of Irish dance party, which will also serve as a fundraiser for the trip. “We’re on target,” van Tuyll said. She said this is only one of several events students have put on in order to raise money for the trip. They put on a Christmas program on Dec. 13, reenacting what Christmas in Ireland was like before it was modernized. The event featured a number of Irish Christmas carols along with traditional ones. “We usually end up raising somewhere between $1,500 and $2,000 dollars on any given year,” van Tuyll said in Nov. “We’ve deposited $900 at study abroad so far. I think we stand to raise another $500 or $600 in December.” Despite the rainy weather, the Maxwell Theatre saw a fair turnout on Nov. 9 for the screening of the Irish-themed movie, “The Quiet Man.” The movie, starring John Wayne and the late Maureen O’Hara, served as both a Cinema Series event and a fundraiser for students hoping to study abroad in Ireland. The movie screening was accompanied by live Irish music played for a short time before and after the movie. Donations were accepted on entrance to the theater and students sat behind tables at the theater entrances selling desserts to
lucia conkrighT | staff
The Irish band Deceadaoin plays music at the Maxwell Theatre on Nov. 9.
raise money as well. The event was kicked off by the band Deceadaoin, a local Irish band. Debra van Tuyll, a member of the band, said that the band’s name comes from the Irish word for Wednesday, chosen because that is the day they regularly rehearse on. “For about the last year, we’ve been doing different gigs around town,” van Tuyll said. “We played twice a week down at O’Donovan’s before it closed and donated a portion of the tips that we got. And we’ve done other things that we’ve gotten paid for and split it with the study abroad or the band or just given it all to study abroad.” The band played a number of Irish songs, often accompanied by lively singing. Those who had seen the movie before could recognize one of those as a song from the movie itself. The movie began after a short introduction from O’Hara filmed before her death on Oct. 24.
van Tuyll said “The Quiet Man” was chosen because of the widespread appeal it offered as well as raising awareness for the study abroad trip to Ireland. “It’s an absolutely picturesque, gorgeous setting,” van Tuyll said. “And if you’ve seen the movie, the town looks exactly the same today. The only difference is the roads are paved.” The donations, along with the money earned from the desserts, went toward the university’s study abroad trip to Ireland. According to van Tuyll, the trip has taken place every other year for the past few years. “The first one was in 2010,” she said. “This will be the fourth one.” Anyone wishing to make a donation or to find out more about the study abroad trip to Ireland should contact van Tuyll at dvantuyl@gru. edu.
Contact Lucia Conkright at: lconkrig@gru.edu.
had a bad grade and fondly described some of the guys on the team as “knuckleheads” that did alright. “We had seasons like 13-0 and 12-1. We beat Georgia Tech and Emory and Appalachian State. We beat a lot of different programs. We swam Clemson and competed well with them...” – Richard Harrison, former swim coach “We had seasons like 13-0 White Columns 1973 | Augusta College yearand 12-1. We beat Georgia Tech book and Emory and Appalachian A 1973 yearbook photo records the names of the men’s swim team members and a State,” Harrison said. “We beat 13-1 record for the season. a lot of different programs. We swam Clemson and competed pool and the swim team conjures well with them...” up memories that are “good” and Zimmerman said the pool was “fun.” used by MCG students, staff and With its yellowish glow and faculty for recreational purposes. foreboding emptiness, the pool He said his daughters, now grown, does not look like an era coming to learned to swim in the pool. an end. Freeman was insistent on its Freeman said he took ROTC well-deserved demise when he said students, during 2002 and 2003, to it has roof leaks that require garthe pool to practice water survival bage cans that have to be emptied techniques. periodically. Harrison said he will only miss “If you walk around outside the pool from a “nostalgic point” you can see the actual structure (of view). He said that the pool’s is deteriorating,” Freeman said. size is no longer practical for the in- “And a matter of fact, we have a creased population of the universi- proposal to put a fence around it, ty. He regrets that the university no just to keep everybody safe as they longer has a swim team. are walking.” “I think it is a shame because One light continues to glow it is not an expensive sport and it’s from a restroom inside. The light is something (both) men and women on but no one will ever again concan get involved with,” Harrison sider the pool their second home. Contact Shellie Smitley at: sbarb@ said. Burau said that recalling the gru.edu.
Summer research deadlines draw near By Jamie Sapp staff writer There is value in summer research programs for students, according to Abigail Drescher of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship. At Augusta University, the Center is known for offering various research opportunities to students, which include Brown Bag Seminars, the Summer Scholars Program, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Portal, Inside Editions, the Arsenal and Mentor Matching and Advising. “SURP” stands for Summer Undergraduate Research Programs and SURping consists of some of those various research programs for students to take advantage of. According to the CURS presentation, SURPing is found mostly in the STEM fields, but there are other fields available. They are usually paid and offer part-time or full-time positions. “They range from six to 10 weeks,” she said. “They are available all in Augusta and all over the country.” During the CURS presentation on Nov. 18 in the JSAC Butler Room, Drescher said getting hands-on experience and deepening one’s classroom knowledge were a few of the reasons why students should participate in these programs. “SURP” programs are usually geared toward rising juniors and seniors. The students can be any major but need to have taken some lab science courses. According to the CURS presentation, in order for students to “SURP,” they must have a 3.0 GPA for most programs, a resume,
letters of recommendation, a purpose statement and motivation. The STAR program stands for “Student Training and Research” and it is also a summer research program. “STAR is another program that is through the graduate school,” Drescher said. “Summer Scholars Program is only open to GRU students and STAR is specifically for science majors.” STAR applications are due on February 12, 2016, and the CURS Summer Scholars Program applications are due on March 30, 2016. Student Education Enlightenment Program (SEEP) is a different type of program. Drescher said the program applications are due on February 29, 2016. The CURS program also offers courses for students. According to the GRU website, they are designed for undergraduate students and give them the opportunity to finish undergraduate research and bring creative activity into the process. However, the CURS courses have zero credit hours. For the CURS Summer Scholars Program, Drescher said it requires a 20-hour weekly period of research work. Drescher said there are other locations where students can join various research programs, such as Cornell University or Ohio State University. “A lot of these programs will pay for your travel, housing, and offer a living stipend while working,” Drescher said. “It just depends on the program and what they are able to offer.” Contact Jamie Sapp at: jsapp270@gru.edu.
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016
Congratulations to the Spring 2016
Bell Ringer staff!
Editor in Chief
Sarah Carter Layout Editor
Jamie Sapp Staff Writers
Josh Adams Alexandria Bennett Anna Dresser Inesha Howard Tim Howard