An Interview with artist Scott Thorp See pg. 4
March 20, 2006
Seniors! Tips from CDC See pg. 4
Wilson College
Black History: One mother finds herself making history See pg. 3
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Interview with Wilson’s new counselor See pg. 2
Vol. XXXVII, No.6
THE
WILSON BILLBOARD A Call to Spring
Pussy Willow in front of Edgar Hall.
By Des Arnold I look outside my window. The sun is shining brightly, the birds are singing, and the trees in my yard have started to bud. I think to myself, “It looks so nice outside.” I wander out in my sweatpants and t-shirt, my feet bare, to explore the warm looking world only to be greeted with a blast of freezing cold air when I open the door. I quickly retreat to the warmth and sanctuary of my room. I throw on a sweatshirt and socks to warm-up quickly and again gaze out the window at the world. The weather has been strange lately. We had numerous
Photo taken by Des Arnold.
60 degree days in January, even a few in February. However, now we have 40 degree days, if we are lucky, but most of the days lately have been in the high 30s with a wind chill of 28. I thought spring was coming early, but where did it go? Where is the warmth? How I long for the green grass between my toes, the smell of freshly bloomed flowers, the taste of fresh picked greens in my salad, and the clean smell of a spring rain. It seems I am not the only being longing for spring. The trees have begun to bud and flowers have begun to poke through the dirt all over campus. Birds are fly-
W HAT ’ S I NSIDE News......................................................Page 2 Classifieds.............................................Page 2 Features................................................Page 3 Style.......................................................Page 4
ing and singing all over the place. This could only mean one thing: spring is near. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day, predicting six more weeks of winter. I predict that Punxsutawney Phil was wrong and spring is closer then we think. If I am wrong, however, then I’ve got a plan. I will go buy a few bouquets of flowers to display around my room. I will open all of the curtains and allow sunlight to enter. I will turn up my heat, slightly, put on a pair of shorts and a tank top, and just image that the grass is between my toes, as I smell the flowers.
Wilson’s Website By Robin Herring January 1, 2006 marked the six month anniversary of the launch of the new Wilson College website. Denise McDowell, Wilson’s Fund Director and Web Manager, came to Wilson College in May of 2005, and immediately began work on the new website. Following the lead of web design consultants from G-2-G, McDowell worked tirelessly with Director of Computer Services, Kevin Gallagher, and Computer Services Technician, Alan Shoop, to launch the new website on June 13, 2005. On that day, the website contained approximately 1500 individual pages. Now six months later, there are over 3000 individual web pages on the site, with new pages being created daily. With web pages being developed quickly, and McDowell accepting the position of the Wilson Fund Director, it became apparent that assistance would be needed to manage the website. Afton Eyler was hired in November 2005 as the Assistant Web
Wilson Website Celebrates six month Anniversary Manager. Eyler holds a degree in Computer Science with a concentration in Graphics from Shippensburg University. To assess the usability of the website, and gather opinions, McDowell and Eyler distributed a survey to students, faculty, and staff. The survey was comprised of six questions. The results of the survey, based on 122 people, showed some amazing facts. McDowell said that the website will always be a “work in progress” as existing pages are continually upgraded and new ones are created. Coming in the summer of 2006 is an interactive virtual tour, with five tour guides who visit twenty locations around campus. Also in development are message boards and blogs. The Wilson Website is just one more way the college is continuing to serve current students, communicate information to faculty and staff, and provide information to perspective students and their parents. To see the survey results, go to page 2, boxed insert.
Orr Forum Preview By Youkyung Jin
A recent survey says half of Americans consider Islam negative. According to surveys by ABC broadcasting and Washington Post, 48% of Americans say “I do not support Islam” while 43% says yes. What shapes American’s attitude toward Islam? Is there any influence of media and or political spinning? Do Americans know who the Muslims are? If you are not ready to answer this question, you may want to consider an upcoming event at Wilson College, the Orr Forum. Wilson College will host the
2006 Orr Forum on Religion on Monday, March 27th, with focus on the topic“Islam in America: Challenges and Opportunities.” A forum, held at 10 a.m., will discuss vital and growing influences of the Islamic community as well as Islam’s images on American media. The main lecture of this forum is the Orr Lecture, held at 7:30 p.m.,“Becoming a Model Community: The Future of American Muslims,” by highly Con’d pg. 2, See ORR
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20 March 2006
NEWS Inside the mind of Wilson’s new counselor By Heather Burke Cindy Shoemaker is the new Director of Counseling here at Wilson, coming in after Kim Bridgman’s departure last fall. She was born and raised in Chambersburg, and was in the graduating class at Wilson in 1977. After four years as an undergrad, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in both Psychology and Sociology. She then moved on to Graduate school were she obtained her Masters in Community Mental Health Consoling at Shippensburg • • • • • • • • • • •
University in 1981. When asked about what attracted her to this particular field, she stated that “I wanted to be a counselor ever since I was in ninth grade. I was first fascinated with the field of psychology, and then I discovered that I wanted to learn how to apply the psychology to help people.” She than went on to say that her favorite part about her job is that she gets to develop relationships with people, as well as empowering them to be the best that they can be. At times, she says, the
Web Survey Results 89% of visitors to the website said that there was little or no effort in finding the website. 75% of results show that visitors think the website is either “Very” or “Somewhat” appealing/compelling. When asked to rate the website from 1-5 (1=horrible, 5=wonderful), 33% of visitors ranked it a “5”, and 27% of visitors ranked it a “4.” Those who visit the website most are 32% CFW students, 29% Staff, and 18% CCE students. 49% are age 17-23 years, 20% are age 24-35, and 10% are age 3650. 92% are female visitors, while 8% are male visitors. The main reason for visiting the website was to access email. 76% of those responding said they visit the website everyday. 52% of those responding said they visited the website from home. When asked the biggest challenge with the website, 34% responded they had no challenges and 23% responded that it was hard to navigate through the information. When asked to compare Wilson College’s website to other websites (rated the following categories: visual appearance, layout, content, writing style, usability, photos, overall), the response was rated “Very Good” in six out of the seven categories asked about, and rated “Good” in the photos category.
job gets stressful, that she’s had to deal with difficult cases. “It’s emotionally difficult sometimes because when somebody has a multiplicity of issues, it’s difficult to know which issue to start with.” Aside from being a counselor, Cindy is involved in a lot of activities outside of campus. She likes to travel, to play racquetball and volleyball, biking on the Rail Trail, and going up to her cabin with her Irish Setter. She says that “whenever I put my sneakers on my dog spins in circle because she thinks we’re going up to the cabin.” She is also a member of the Franklin/Fulton Counties Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Drug and Alcohol Advisory Board. She currently lives in Chambersburg with her dog and two cats, one of whom she says terrorizes everyone. Bull’s Eye, also known as “Bully”, she says, likes to terrorize her, the dog, and the other cat. She added with a chuckle at the end of the interview that she is divorced, but is currently “single and looking” for all those who may be interested. Cindy exudes great passion for Wilson, and says that doing her undergraduate studies here was the best four years of her life. She says she is now very glad to be back on campus as a professional, and able to provide aid to the students.
Billboard is always looking for writers and photographers, or anyone looking to gain newspaper experience. Looks great on a resume! Contact: billboard@wilson.edu
WAN TE D : Computers, PDA’s, Monitors, Cell Phones, Printers and Print Cartridges, Computers, and various other electronics. Contact Des Arnold
(717)253-0893
Barn Help Needed: 4 horses, clean stalls/turn-out Flexible hrs. once/week to give me a break.$10 hr, min. 2 hrs, located in Shippensburg. Contact Bonnie (717)530-5499
FREE: Rabbit with cage. Have 2 rabbits, 2 cages. Contact: Sarah (717)2672241
The Billboard is published tri-weekly. Subscriptions are $18 per year, payable to: The Billboard c/o Subscriptions Wilson College 1015 Philadelphia Ave. Chambersburg, PA. 17201
By Joanne Bolling
Wanda Finney’s smile widens a little more when she is showing the jewelry from The Barron Blewett Hunnicutt Classics Gallery. The collection is of Greek, Roman and Egyptian pieces. It has taken over forty years for a collection of this kind to come together. Wanda has one work/study student that helps her organize this huge place of memories. Her name is Rochelle Banner, and she has worked with Wanda for three years. It must be wonderful to have another set of hands to help with all of Wilson’s precious pieces of history. Also exhibited at the Hankey Center is a hands on exhibit. Pieces of Wilson history you can touch. Wanda has several hands on exhibits throughout the year. Currently, she has photos of a memorable event called May Day. May Day was very popular at Wilson in the 1920s. There was a May Queen who was called Queen Bess. The girl who won
ORR respected religion scholar and writer Jamillah Karim, Ph.D., assistant professor of religion at Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga., and a specialist in Islam in America, women and Islam, race and Islam and Muslim immigration. Four workshops, including a presentation about “Images of Muslims in American Media” by Peter LaChapelle, assistant pro-
the title had best represented Queen Elizabeth. The Hankey Center also has a full collection of all the yearbooks. The 1st and 2nd yearbooks are the classes of 1895 and 1896. The yearbook then was named OLIO. The third yearbook was called By the Conocheague, and in 1900 it was named The Conocheaque. What is in the Archives? There are Records of the College’s Trustee’s minutes back to 1868 and even before Wilson College existed. There is artwork, big and small, college memorabilia such as dinks, banners, and even some 1940 hockey uniforms and old hockey sticks. Also, photographs that are organized by class year, records of visitors to Wilson all the way back to the 1940s, and even old photos of the Wilson College staff. Also stored is all of the copies of The Billboard newspapers, some of them dating all the way back to 1921. fessor of Mass Communications, will be held throughout the day. Orr forum is free and open to the public; student participation is highly recommended. It is a great opportunity to explore ethnic groups. For the preregisteration and more information, students should contact Dr. David True, Ph.D., Wilson College Department of Philosophy and Religion Chair.
THE BILLBOARD STAFF
Classifieds Place your ad here! the Billboard is now accepting personal ads. Need a study buddy? Advertise here! Want some extra cash for that old algebra book? Sell it on classifieds! Too many hamsters? Not any more! To advertise, just send a description of what it is your selling and your contact info. We’ll post it for free! Please send to billboard@wilson.edu.
A Touch of Wilson History
Advisor Peter La Chapelle
WC
Editor-in-Chief Heather Layman ‘06
Style Editor Martine Bourque
News Editor Caryn Watson ‘07
Features Editor Des Arnold ‘07
Copy Editor Heather Burke ‘07 International/ Editorials Editor YouKyung Jin ‘07
Staff Writers and Photographers
Joanne Bolling ‘08
Patience Cady ‘09
Jin Young Na ‘09
Robin Herring ‘07
Debe Clark ‘07.5
Iryna Machkur ‘07
Shanda Welte ‘09
Jess Elser ‘09
Business Managers: Darwin Jackson ‘07.5 and Sara Kann ‘07
Mission Statement The Wilson Billboard is a tri-weekly student-run newspaper serving the Wilson College community. Its purpose is to relay important information to the campus and provide a forum for democratic discussion. The Billboard strives to encourge communication between student, faculty, staff, and administration.
20 March 2006
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World News By Youkyung Jin
Features PennVISION AmeriCorps Opportunities
Asia: Chinese government decided to expand RFID social security card to entire citizen. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Are you looking for someis automatic identification method, and its tag can be incorporated thing new and exciting and are into product or human. Chinese national security agency will accomtired of the same old boring job? plish this project before 2008 Beijing Olympic. Well, then you should consider joining PennVISION EU: European Union official criticized member countries that AmeriCorps. policies to prevent national corporations from mergers and acquisiPennVISION AmeriCorps tions by foreign corporations. members are just like you and range in age, gender, religion, and Middle East: Fighting has continued to take place in Iraq beeducation level, but all are willing tween Sunnis and Shiites after an attack on an important mosque to dedicate 9-12 months of sertwo weeks ago. Al-Jaafari rejected on a push by Iraq’s other main vice to help improve their local political blocs to replace him as prime minister, and it deepen country’s community. We work with local political crisis. non-profit organizations to create volunteer programs and provide South America: Brazil’s sugar industry gears up for a new world outreach into the community. You fuel –Ethanol. As biggest and lowest-cost sugar producer, Brazil decan choose part time (900 hours) veloping its potentiality in energy industry.
By Annie Gelwicks, writer
or full time (1700 hours), but hurry, spots are filling up fast! We offer benefits such as a living allowance ($10,600 for full time, $5,398 for part time), an education award of $4,725 for full time and $2,362 for part time that can be used to pay back student loans or pay for higher education, student loan forbearance during your time of service, basic health insurance for full time members, childcare benefits for those who qualify, and professional training. If you would like more information, or if you have any
Making Black History at Wilson From unemployment to undergrad, one woman’s story College By Caryn Watson Who would have thought that after working a job and being laid off, soon after you trained your replacement, that you would find the direction for your next steps on a day time talk show? Wilson College economics major, Chaurice Capps did just that. She found her new direction while watching a segment on “The View”, where Star Jones Reynolds and Meredith Vieira talked about their visit to Wilson college where Vieira received an honorary degree. Capps said, “They talked about the Women With Children program and showed a picture of a mom and child walking across the stage in cap and gown.” That picture on “The View” was enough to get Capps thinking about her own direction. “I contacted Wilson College and spoke with the director. She told me that they had received many inquires after The View’s broadcast,” Capps said. That was in 2002. When she and her daughters arrived in January of 2003 she said, “There was a group of children with a picture that said ‘welcome Te-a and Tekoa’.” The rest is history. Chaurice Capps will be graduating Spring 2006 with a degree in Economics and a minor in Sociology. Just as she saw in the picture on The View, she
and her daughters will also walk across the Wilson College stage. When asked about any advice she would give to students with children who have just begun she says, “Nothing is impossible. If I can do it, you have no excuse. Life didn’t end once you had a child. [Having a child] is just the beginning.” Her advice on entering the program: “Seek out a foundation. Don’t be afraid to explore beyond what you are used to and comfortable with. Remember, you are more than just a mom.” Chaurice Capps used to give that pep talk to young mothers visiting the college from a local teen mothers program and it was not just talk. During her time at Wilson, Chaurice has participated in many extra curricular activities such as being a student ambassador, First Year Seminar Peer Teacher, Black Student Union (BSU) President and Vice President, member of the President Advisory Council on International and Multicultural Events (PACIME) and Resident Assistant. Most recently, she addressed incoming students, faculty and visitors during Fall Convocation in 2005. One of the memorable highlights of her experience here at Wilson was when she participated in a step show choreographed and performed by members of BSU during an Orchesis concert. Orchesis is Wilson’s
guest
questions about this exciting opportunity please contact Annie Gelwicks at (717) 264-4301 or agelwicks@mhaff.org. Our office is located at The Mental Health Association 540 East Washington Street Chambersburg PA 17201. For general information on AmeriCorps check out the website at www.americorps.org. Our program will begin the end of March, so hurry and apply today!! Annie is a 2004 graduate of Wilson, and did her AmeriCorps term working for Matt Steiman of the Fulton Center of Sustainable Living.
History in the Making By Caryn Watson
Chaurice Capps, class of 2006 with twins Te-a and Tekoa and daughter Alexia modern dance troupe. Capps cochoreographed the show along with Melissa Bartley in honor of Brown vs The Board of Education. However, the accolades do not go to her as she puts it, “It was unbelievable how so many different people who were black and white and other worked together. I watched in amazement as we came together and learned the steps and then performed it. The audience was also amazed!” From that initial event the step team received invitations to perform at other places. While Capps is not quick to take the credit for the teams success, her personal ability to work with a group stems from her participation in the neo-gospel group “Houri” (pronounced ow-ree).
Capps writes and arranges songs for the group. Their latest cd is entitled “Fire”. Their first CD is called “He’s in Me” and can be found at the web site www.cdbaby.com/houri. Outside of her education, that’s how Capps spends her free time. Aside from that it’s her daughters, Te-a, Tekoa and Alexia. Capps confides, “Before I came here, I was looking for a way to maintain a certain lifestyle while trying to gain stability for them — what better place is there than at a college to show my girls how important education is?” Chaurice Capps plans to pursue a master’s degree in public administration and public policy after graduation. *
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Black History is in the making right here at Wilson College. In recognition of Black History month, we go off the beaten path of highlighting the widely sung heroes like civil rights activists Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks (rest in peace) and the lesser known such as brain surgeon Ben Carson to bring you into the awareness of “black history in the making.” Countless African Americans who have gone on to make a mark on America and its history, more often than not, had very humble beginnings somewhere. Wilson College and the black women who have sung the alma mater, presided over WCGA, were odds or evens and who don or donned the royal colors of the phoenix are making black history. They are not just women with children. They are the offspring of Sarah Wilson.The story below begins the four part series on “Making Black History at Wilson College.” Chaurice Capps goes from Unemployment to Bachelor Degree Candidate This is the first profile in a four part series on black women attending and making history at Wilson College.
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20 March 2006
STYLE
Career Corner: Graduation Check List By Heaher Drumm As spring arrives, it suddenly hits us in the face that for our seniors, GRADUATION IS HERE!!! Sooner or later, you will all be seniors, and planning for after graduation cannot begin too soon. As we prepare to watch our seniors march down the aisle in full regalia and walk off into the world beyond Wilson, I can’t help but think about what the Career Development Center can do to help them succeed. Stop by the CDC to share your information about jobs and grad school plans you have for after graduation. Allow your Wilson family, and those who will be the future of the Wilson family, share in your successes! Stop by the CDC to pick up your FREE copy of 2006 Career Choices. These magazines focus on Science and Engineering, the Humanities, or Multicultural issues. Go to www.jobweb.com/ surveys/2006/student.htm and fill out the Recent Graduate and Alumni Survey and you will be entered to win round trip airfare for two anywhere in the US. What a graduation gift that
would be! Become an expert on promoting yourself to potential employers at a resume workshop. Participate in mock interviews and learn what answers are preferred and what questions you should be asking. Attend the Backpack-toBriefcase seminar so that you can have a smoother transition from being a student to being in the world of work. Attend the numerous job fairs in the area to have a job in the bag before graduation. There are several listed in the bi-weekly Ebulletins sent from the CDC. Be sure to check out www.collegecentral.net/wilson for mentors and job postings. Register to be a mentor to those that follow you and find mentors to aid you in your career path. Employers from across the country post on CCN so you may continue to use this site throughout your career. Post your resume on www.collegecentral.net/wilson. Let employers find you! Meet with Heather in the CDC to discuss job search strategies. As they say on NBC: The More You Know…… Don’t forget to fill out your
graduate survey when it comes in the mail in the fall. This helps us to refer students for future jobs or internships, as well as keep you that much closer to your alma mater. You may leave Wilson, but Wilson will never leave you.
Spanish Fiesta! Friday, March 31 8 p.m.-midnight Music, dancing, & pinata! Students: $2 Faculty/Staff: $5 Children: $
Fashion Fun Spring Style Tips By Jess Elser “So…you’re going to Spring Fling, right?” “Well, I don’t know. I don’t have anything to wear.” How many times have we all heard that? Going to a party? Taking your brother to prom as a pity date? Hey, things happen. No matter how much you avoid it, soon you are going to have to buy yourself a dress. It’s the second most crucial part of event planning(the first being finding an event to attend). But don’t sweat it. We’ll have you dressing up, without feeling down. The first thing you need to know is what kind of dress? Seems easy enough. The event will usually tell you how casual or formal you should be, but it is up to you to add your own flare and determine how many heads you want to turn. For a fun look at a formal event, try adding some colorful, flashy, inexpensive jewelry and some thick chunky bracelets. If you are going to something semi-formal, glam it up a tad by buying a short dress that flares out at the hip, or picking something with ruffles and unique detailing. A classic dress can be all your own with just some minor tweaks. Let’s say you have it narrowed down to 5 dresses. How
do you choose the one that best suits you? All girls want to look good. Choose the dress that flatters your body. You know what I mean. That one dress that will make everyone’s eyeballs fall out and tongues drag on the floor. Dark dresses and A-line dresses are classics that flatter every figure. As far as color is concerned, red and other warm tones are great for evening occasions. Blue, pink, and white flatter everyone’s figure, and soft prints look good for a mid-day or less formal occasion. You may not think about it, but the dress should conform to you, not you to the dress. For example, if you have a beautiful dangling necklace, try a strapless. Got gorgeous diamond studded bracelets? Try a halter. You always want to show off your best feature. If it’s legs, then get a cute short dress or one with a long slit, strap on some stilettos, and you are ready to go. And it doesn’t have to be something that dramatic. If you like your eyes, then use bright and bold eyeshadows. But the number one rule is CONFIDENCE. The more you act and feel like a million bucks, the more people will find it hard to take their eyes off you. Now go out there and party!
Harmonics: Art Exhibit features Scott Thorp By Caryn Watson interest in art? In math, one plus one plus ST: I took my first art class durone equals three; always. In art, ing my third year of college. I had there is no formula manipulated an opening in my schedule and or equation solved that equals a wanted to fill it with a fun course. At the time, I was going to major piece of art. Or is there? Does our one of three subjects: astronomy, view of art depend on a specific physics or computer science. But combination of lines arranged in after my first drawing class, I was such a way that each intersec- hooked. I took an art class for the tion equates to a + r + t = c -- or next three quarters. Shortly after that I changed to an art major. something equal to that? While everyone may view CW: How has it evolved over art in a different way, Scott Thorp time (or has it)? sees art relative to history. He ST: My interest in art has only said, “I see artwork as a more grown. I can’t get enough of mucomplex and truthful depiction of seums. Art seems to cut to the core of matters. It is provocative. history than books on history.” Scott Thorp is artist of the It makes me think. But it doesn’t collection of work, Harmonics, give me all the answers. Manet’s recently on display in the A Bar at the Folies-Bergere is a Bogigian Art Gallery. I posed perfect example. I also see artwork as a more some questions to Thorp about complex and truthful depiction of art and this is how it went: history than books on history. CW: When did you begin your Paintings made in the 1500’s are
not only records of what the world pletely. It was as if I went inside looked like at that time. They are my head. I began to paint how I also a record of how a person built thought. Now, my paintings are a a painting at that time. The pro- process of investigating images. gression of layering paint in the I consider them expressions of an Renaissance is much different investigation. They come together than the layering of paint in Im- like pages from a lab book. They pressionism. The materials in the are all a series of experiments. painting are from that period. Ev- The findings from one lead to the erything about a painting is his- start of another. torical. CW: Has any artist (past or CW: You said your art is a reflec- present) influenced your style of tion of you. Elaborate on this. art? ST: When I was an undergrad, ST: I’m like a sponge. I’m inI wanted to be a portrait and land- fluenced by everything and evscape painter. However, when I eryone. My main influences are: would finish a painting, it always Caravaggio, Van Gogh, Terry felt like a copy of a landscape. I Winters, Artemisia Gentileshi, and didn’t feel that the painting was Fiona Rae. an extension of me. It was sug- CW: What is the key idea about gested to me that I should paint creating art that you share with self-portraits to solve this problem. your students? I did. I painted a bunch of them. ST: I always tell them to make After a while, out of boredom, I a lot of it. The more you make started to change my face. Even- the comfortable you are with tually, my face disappeared com- making it. There is a big differ-
ence in being a weekend artist and someone who is possessed by art. In making art all the time, you are more personal with your medium. Scott Thorpe is currently a professor of drawing and two-dimensional foundations at the Savannah College of Art and Design. If you missed Scott’s work in the Bogigian you can still view it online at www.wilson.edu . Type in key word: Bogigian.
Untitled oil on panel, 2003, Scott Thorp