University of South Carolina
September 20, 2012
uscTIMES
A publication for faculty, staff and friends of the university
USC Times
Stories, snippets & scenes from the
University of South Carolina. Aiken
Aik
en /
Beaufort
Beau
fort
Columbia
Lancaster
/ Co l u m b i a / L a n ca s t e r / S a l
Salkehatchie
e tc h i a h e k
on
Sumter
/ S um
Unio ter /
Union
n / Upstat e
the inside
Upstate
7/22/2013
BY LIZ MCCARTHY
THE USC WELCOME Each summer USC welcomes its new students with true Carolina hospitality. Thousands of students and their parents come to campus for an official welcome but a small team of dedicated staff and students are waiting to offer advice, service and a helping hand.
Bethany Naser, director orientation
leaders, mentoring them and helping
and testing services
them reach their full potential.”
Bethany Naser has been working
The orientation staff might be
with college orientation for longer
small, but Walker says the three-
than many in student affairs. With
person team makes it work.
11 full-time summers under her belt,
“We keep each other motivated.
Naser came to Carolina for an op-
The three of us work well together,”
portunity to make some changes.
she says. “I’m excited to finish this
“The opportunity to come here at a time when this office is poised
summer and discuss what we see as the future of orientation at USC.”
for some change is a unique career much opportunity for growth and
Vincent Buonocore, assistant director of orientation and
change, I’m looking forward to
testing services
what orientation will look like next
Vincent Buonocore pictured his
summer. We want to make South
career path completely different,
Carolina a best practice place for
going though multiple majors during
orientation.”
his undergraduate experience. But,
opportunity,” Naser says. “With so
Naser started at USC just a few
like Naser and Walker, he found an
weeks before summer orientation
interest as an orientation leader at
kicked off on May 23 but she says
Springfield College in Massachusetts.
it’s really the students who make orientation successful. “Students really are paramount
“This is probably one of the best jobs you can have in higher education,” says Buonocore, who gradu-
to what we’re doing. They are the
ated from the higher education and
framework and this cannot happen
student affairs program at USC in
without student leaders,” she says.
2012. “We have an enormous responsibility to continue representing the
Merrill Walker, coordinator
university. It’s the beginning of the
of orientation
transition from a high school student
Merrill Walker’s passion for orien-
to a Gamecock.”
tation began as an undergradu-
Buonocore manages the internal
ate student at Carolina when she
and external communication for the
spent three summers welcoming
office as well as the program details
new Gamecocks. The 2011 gradu-
and technology behind USC's orien-
ate quickly changed her career plan
tation. He says Carolina’s orientation
from pre-law to higher education,
program provides a great experience
pursuing a master’s from the College
for new students and the program’s
of Education’s higher education and
future is bright.
student affairs program. “I’m passionate about my uni-
“I think it’s a fantastic experience for new students going through
versity, and I love working with the
orientation,” he says. “We’re grow-
new students, making sure they have
ing and we’re changing and we’re
a positive experience,” she says. “I
getting better. We’re building on the
also like working with the student
strong foundation that we have.”
Wide open spaces Nicholas Lenze, a rising sophomore in the South Carolina Honors College, is spending much of his summer in the mountains — discovering and researching the Appalachian balds for a hiking guide to be published by USC Press. Lenze is working with lead researcher Amy Duernberger, of the South Carolina State Library, to learn more about the balds, open meadows on the summits of mountains where, by all rights, there should be trees. Lenze, who is blogging about his experience said the Honors College’s Exploration Scholars Program played a significant role in his participation in the project.
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University of south carolina
A Slice of Summer: Gamecock Style Whether it’s reading by the pool, creating a new dish in the kitchen or traveling to a different country, the Gamecock nation has shared a variety of ways to spend these famously hot summer months for special features in Day Times.
If you’re looking for a book to read:
McCutchen House we try to use local foods when possible, and this recipe is perfect for local tomatoes and cucumbers. I hate turning on the grill or the oven on a hot day so this chilled soup is a great choice, because you only need a blender.
Global Gamecocks
(The recipe can be found online at http://bit. ly/18IXch3)
April Blake, administrative assistant in the Office of Fellowships & Scholar Programs and local food blogger My favorite summer dish is a zucchini and squash ribbon salad with basil and goat cheese. (The recipe can be found online at http://bit. ly/184uvLV) I love it because I get a ton of sum-
Faculty and staff members share where they will be traveling this summer for
mer squash from my Pinckney’s Produce CSA
research, work and vacation.
share and am always looking for new ways to use
the slices into the pretty, thin ribbons in a way
Patrick Hickey, clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing and faculty principal of the Capstone Scholars Program
that I would never be able to do with just a knife.
My travel home to Almonte, Ontario, will be
it up. It also gives me a reason to use one of my favorite kitchen toys — my mandolin, which cuts
The tangy goat cheese and the toasted pine nuts
different this time as my wife wants to see
First lady Patricia Moore-Pastides
really ramp up the flavor in this dish. Aside from
Canada from the eyes of a tourist. In Ot-
I’m currently reading “The Flamethrowers” by
toasting the pine nuts, this is a totally cook-free
tawa we will “act like tourists” by going on
Rachel Kushner, which was given to me by my
dish, which is exactly what I am looking for when
the Rideau Canal cruise, Ottawa River boat
son, who said it’s the hottest book in New York
it’s July and there’s no way I want to stand over a
cruise, visiting museums and checking out
right now. I’ve been dying to read “Van Gogh the
hot stove.
popular sites.
If you’re looking for a summer flick:
Ed Madden, English professor and interim director of Women’s and Gender Studies
Simon Tarr, associate professor of art in the College of Arts & Sciences
val research. After three years of persistent
Life” by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, so that’s next on my list. For travel, I’ll take paperbacks: Jeffrey Eugenides’ “The Marriage Plot,” and since I just met the Leonards at the Thomas Cooper Society annual meeting, “Raylan” by Elmore and “All He Saw was the Girl” by Peter.
Courtney Worsham, marketing instructor at the Darla Moore School of Business I got an early start to my summer reading with “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova. It’s a powerful book about a Harvard Ph.D. psychology professor who
My favorite summer movie of all time would have to be “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Not only is it a masterpiece of filmmaking, but also it is the perfect summer escapist fantasy — faraway lands, good versus evil, chasing a truck on a horse and lots of explosions.
In July I will be in London to pursue archiinternet queries about Colm O’Clubhain (or Colm Clifford), an Irish gay playwright and poet, I got an email from his sister, who not only steered me toward some essential resources but also put me in touch with friends of Colm’s. While I’m looking forward to seeing what I can find in the archives, I’m
learns she has early onset Alzheimer’s when she
even more excited to meet Colm’s friends,
is just 50-years-old. It explores the disease from
who not only promise good stories about
the protagonist’s perspective as an academician
him but also have copies of his unpublished
as well as a wife and mother.
plays and poetry.
Others on her list: “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn and
Debbie Truluck, School of Medicine director of alumni relations
“Reconstructing Amelia” by Kimberly McGreight
If you’re looking for a new summer dish:
I plan to spend my summer vacation on Lake
Joel Reynolds, culinary instructor in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management
for water sports, swimming, boating, relaxing
Murray in famously hot, Columbia. It is the best kept secret in South Carolina. It is ideal and enjoying the summer with family and photo courtesy or @columbiasc/Columbia Metropolitan CVB Instagram
A recipe we love at the McCutchen House for summer is a simple tomato gazpacho. It's perfect for our famously hot Carolina days. Here at the
friends. One day at the lake is better than a month in town.
Dawn Campbell, curriculum coordinator for I took my 6-year old to see a great movie recent-
Katherine Chaddock, professor in the College of Education
ly. “Epic” is about believing and trusting, not only
My two months in France began in June by
in yourself but in others and in things we can’t
exchanging my professor role for a student
see, feel, etc. It is about faith and commitment.
role. I am now in French language class four
These are good values to teach our children (and
hours each day for four weeks. My 16 fellow
grown-ups). I think more and more movies are
students are from nine countries and five
being tailored to a wide range of audiences, and
continents, and our immersion is strictly in
“Epic” definitely covers a diversity of age groups.
French. In addition to the language, I am
the Center for Child and Family Studies
learning a lot about teaching and learning that I expect to bring back to my classes.
USC Times 7/22/2013
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Administrator reinvents role in graduate education
BY HANNAH SPICHER
Dale Moore probably knows as
me with a problem,
much about the nuts-and-bolts of
I help them
academic policies for graduate education than any other person at USC. Since 1989, Moore has been on staff at The Graduate School, with responsibility at different times for tasks as varied as admissions, recruitment, development, registration, gradu-
stand their problem and
can leave feeling as if I made
what their options are for addressing
ation clearance, progress to degree, international recruitment and admis-
that problem.
sions, and theses and dissertation submissions.
Because of my
“I started here as a G.A. (graduate assistant) for Dean Reeves almost
“At the end of the day, if I
better under-
a difference, my efforts have
experience as an administrator, I
been worthwhile”
25 years ago,” says Moore, a South Carolina native and USC alumnus. “I
am well-versed in those options.
never would have guessed that a part-time position would lead to a satis-
This empowers me to be a more
fying career in graduate education.”
effective ombudsman and a better advocate for fairness.” Students who turn to an ombudsman may find the process is more
But the challenge and the opportunity to make things better compelled
informal, less combative, and at times, much more effective than formal
him to stay. “I have been privileged to work with many outstanding mentors and colleagues who made the decision to remain at USC an easy one to make,” he
proceedings, where people might feel constrained by policy or unprepared for the unintended consequences of a lengthy process. Still, there are no guarantees that everyone will walk away happy.
says. “If you make it your business to find answers, and to not confine your-
“Students come in expecting favorable results. Sometimes I can help
self too squarely to your job description, you’ll discover all manner of things! Over the years the ‘tangents’ I pursued are what have broadened and honed
them; sometimes they have no desirable options,” says Moore. But the times that he can help are what make his job meaningful, he says.
my skill set.”
“It’s been rewarding — a privilege — to work here all these years,” he
Last year Moore was promoted to assistant dean and named The Graduate School’s first Graduate Student Ombudsman — an informal, confidential,
says. “People in higher education want to serve, want to make a differ-
neutral and unaligned resource for addressing concerns and conflicts.
ence. At the end of the day, if I can leave feeling as if I made a difference,
“In my role as ombudsman, I am not an arbiter or a student advocate
my efforts have been worthwhile.”
as such” says Moore. “Instead, I am a facilitator. When students come to
S ystemwide
Q
&
Rena Kratky, Spanish instructor at USC Beaufort
A
You distinguished yourself first as an undergraduate at USC Beaufort and then as an instructor here. Tell us about
What’s been going on around the USC System this summer? Aiken
Wells Fargo recently donated funds to USC Aiken to start a new program for middle school students at the Ruth Patrick Science Center named The Wells Fargo STEM Success Project.
Salkehatchie
USC Salkehatchie hosts a ‘STEAMy’ summer for middle school students to enjoy STEAM camp to develop interest in science, technology, engineering, art and math.
Beaufort
ish program here at USCB. That was in 2006. Babet Alvarez, a
USC and USCB researchers collaborate with the town of Bluffton and Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce in a Bluffton
Spanish professor and chair of the Department of Humanities
re-branding project.
that. I was the first person to receive a bachelor’s degree in the Span-
and Fine Arts, was my mentor. She was wonderful. After graduation, I went on to the College of Charleston and earned a master’s of education degree in languages with a concentration in
Sumter
of the university’s chapter of Gamma Beta Phi, the national honor
USC Sumter professor Salvador Macias was selected to participate in the College Board’s annual Advanced
society. It went defunct sometime after I graduated, but when I
Placement Reading in Psychology.
Spanish. When I was an undergraduate at USCB, I was president
returned as an instructor last year, I was asked to resurrect it. We started from zero members and built our membership up to 160. Today, it’s a viable academic and service organization.
Now, as a Spanish Instructor at the university, you are immensely popular with your students. You have 17 reviews on RateMyProfessors.com and all 17 are positive. In fact, you have a rating of 4.9 out of 5.0 in overall quality. How do you explain that? That’s easy. I love my students. I really care about them. I make time to meet with my students individually if they require a little extra help to work through the material. I teach five classes. That’s between 125 and 150 students a semester. But no matter how many students I have, I make sure they all receive individual attention. I want them to learn; I want them to succeed.
Lancaster
This month USC Lancaster hosted a beam signing for donors and members of the university community for Founders Hall, the new classroom building that will
A season for deep cleaning Think all is quiet in the residence halls when students living on campus leave for the summer? Think again. “During the school year our No. 1 thing is taking care of students — the hallways, the bathrooms, the entrances. In the summer, everything changes. We take it up another notch,” said Barbie Rivera, the custodial manager for USC Housing. Step One: Security details check the rooms to be sure students don’t leave anything behind. It happens. Step Two: Maintenance workers check each room — from blinds to plumbing — to determine if any fixes are needed. Step Three: Now it’s time for the university’s team of 70 custodial workers assigned to the residence halls to get started. They
open for classes in fall 2014.
work their way from ceiling to
Upstate
ping and waxing floors, shampoo-
USC Upstate’s Jennifer Parker has been selected to serve as president of the South Carolina Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.
floor — dusting every ledge, striping carpets, cleaning each bed and mattress, and the list goes on. In all, nearly 4,000 on-campus rooms are cleaned. — Megan Sexton
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University of south carolina
Keeping Carolina cool A dedicated team of operators keeps the USC
circulating around campus — more than 6,000
campus cool during the famously hot summer
gallons per minute at the East Energy plant.
months. While how Carolina stays cool is a bit
That keeps energy operators busy checking
technical, the energy plant operators — scat-
levels and temperatures. Then the heating, ventilation and air con-
tered in the four plants around campus — are constantly on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Todd Yarborough, energy facilities assistant superintendent, keeps his team of 13 opera-
ditioning workers in the buildings monitor the individual units. This means the teams have to work together, Yarborough says. The energy team has been looking for ways
tors (the staff is about three or four operators short currently) focused on making sure the 13
to save energy and cut costs. And they’ve had
chillers, which produce and circulate 42-degree
some success, Yarborough says, noting new
water throughout campus, are running properly.
variable speed drives and heat plates that have
The chillers chill and pump cold water
been installed. If there is a problem with the overall energy
throughout the system for the individual units for the buildings around campus. The four energy plants keep cold water
system, Yarborough says he is confident they could fix it within a few hours. —Liz McCarthy
S CIENCE CORNER
Protecting the surf South Carolina’s coastline is likely the most important natural resource in the state, but inland water management might be causing unintended consequences there. Stormwater detention ponds help manage flooding where impervious surfaces have been constructed, and they’re often treated with copper sulfate to kill algae. When ponds are flushed out by rainfall, the contents wash to the coast and appear to contribute to the problem of too little oxygen in near-shore waters. Erik Smith of USC’s Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences and Tammi Richardson in Columbia are overseeing Lauren Hehman’s master’s research into how aeration fountains might be a better option for managing algae growth in stormwater ponds in the Grand Strand.
Judge the book by its cover The winning poster design for this year’s First-Year Reading Experience book, “The Postmortal,” is also getting a second life as the book’s cover art by Penguin Publishers. As a project for ART 346, junior and senior design students imagine book covers for the book. This year’s winning design is by Jessie Langs, a senior art student. Coming up with a design idea for the book, a thriller about what happens when a cure for aging is discovered, took several fits and starts. “It was maybe my sixth or seventh idea to do the evolutionary model, and initially, it looked a little bit different, but I didn’t want the people to be so specific that you knew this was this person from the book. I wanted it to be generic enough that it could be anybody,” Langs said.
uscTIMES Vol. 24, No.12 JULY 22, 2013 USC Times is published 20 times a year for the faculty and staff of the University of South Carolina by the Division of Communications. The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation or veteran status.
Managing editor: Liz McCarthy Designer: Linda Dodge Contributors: Peggy Binette, Craig Brandhorst, Frenché Brewer, Glenn Hare, Thom Harman, Chris Horn, Page Ivey, Steven Powell, Megan Sexton and Jeff Stensland Photographers: Kim Truett To reach us: 803-777-2848 or lizmccarthy@sc.edu Campus correspondents: Patti McGrath, Aiken Candace Brasseur, Beaufort Shana Dry, Lancaster Jane Brewer, Salkehatchie Misty Hatfield, Sumter Tammy Whaley, Upstate Annie Smith, Union
Submissions: Did you know you can submit photos, stories or ideas for future issues of USC Times? Share your story by emailing or calling Liz McCarthy at lizmccarthy@sc.edu, 803-777-2848
Correction: In the May 9 issue of USC Times', the feature on "Successful Graduates" (page two) incorrectly identified Earnest Saylor Jr. We regret the error.