NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

A Tusculum College class presented a donation to the CHIPS (Change Is Possible) organization on Wednesday, April 6, following its studies and activities focusing on gender issues.

Students in Dr. Angela Keaton’s “Theory and Practice of Citizenship” course hosted a Women’s Fair on Monday and Tuesday, April 4 and 5, in the Niswonger Commons to provide information about these issues. As part of the Women’s Fair, one group of students from the class hosted an unique bake sale to highlight the gender pay gap. The proceeds from the bake sale were donated to the CHIPS program, which is dedicated to helping victims of domestic abuse. Keaton is an assistant professor of history and director of the Honors Program at Tusculum.

To help illustrate differences between pay for men and women, the students sold baked goods at different prices, $1 to males and 75 cents to females. The packaging for the baked goods also contained information about gender pay issues.

As part of the Women’s Fair, another group of students collected a large box full of old wireless phones and accessories to donate to HopeLine, Verizon Wireless’ program that works to prevent domestic violence and raise awareness about the issue. The HopeLine program has awarded more than $7.9 million in grants to domestic violence agencies and organizations throughout the country and has distributed more than 90,000 phones with the equivalent of more than 300 million minutes of free wireless service to victims of domestic violence.

A third group of students developed interactive activities for the Women’s Fair to provide information about women’s heart health.

Following the presentation of the donation, Carolyn McAmis, the executive director of CHIPS, talked to the students about the organization’s service. The CHIPS organization provides a free, confidential and safe shelter to victims of domestic abuse in Carter, Greene and Unicoi counties. In addition, the organization provides individual and group counseling, case planning and referral to appropriate support services and criminal justice/legal advocacy for help through the legal process.

While CHIPS receives grant funds for operating expenses and revenue from its thrift store in Unicoi County, McAmis said, donations such as the one from the Tusculum students are also important to provide for special needs of those it serves.

She explained that some victims leave an abusive situation with only the clothes they are wearing, some have had to leave essential medications or have had a pair of glasses broken by their abuser, and CHIPS helps provide for those and similar needs.

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Historic New Hope Cemetery continues to emerge with the continuing work to rehabilitate the only remnants of what was once an African-American church and school in the Tusculum community.

The cemetery now looks very different and a database has been created about the individuals buried in the cemetery due to the recent efforts of a service-learning class at Tusculum College. The class was taught by Robin Fife, assistant professor of social science.

Located near the intersection of Oak Grove and Old Shiloh roads in what is now a residential area, the cemetery was at the site of what had been the New Hope Presbyterian Church and an affiliated school, established by former slaves following the Civil War. When students learned that the focus of the course would be the rehabilitation of the cemetery, some said they were surprised and doubtful that they would be able to do much of significance.

Discovering how much can be done through a focused effort in a short amount of time is one of the lessons students in the class say they learned from their experiences.  The students were able to accomplish a great deal from beautifying the cemetery to creating a database of individuals buried in the cemetery that will aid in genealogical and historic research. The students also created a grid of the cemetery, mapping out and recording the location of the tombstones and other features of the cemetery. One group created family trees for some of the individuals buried in the cemetery, while another researched the best practices for preserving the tombstones and then put them into practice in cleaning lichen from the markers.

One group sought donations for the rehabilitation process and made recommendations of how the New Hope Cemetery Committee can possibly raise funds for the cemetery’s continued rehabilitation and its maintenance in the future. Another group recorded the progress of the class and made sure that the groups were communicating to ensure efforts were coordinated. The class members gave a presentation about their efforts Wednesday, April 6, which was attended by a number of community members, including members of the New Hope Cemetery Committee.

The class members divided into small groups to take on individual projects that involved their interests and talents. Class member Tom Salinas, from Brownsville, Texas, said that the students were not presented with a specific project to complete. “We had a problem, and we came up with our own projects and solutions,” he said. “Overall, it was a really wonderful experience.”

Clare McBeth of Martin said she learned that a small group can make a difference. “When we all got together and worked hard, we saw things can be changed.”

Other students spoke of the challenging nature of the project and a sense of accomplishment that came after a project was completed. “I like challenges,” said Donayle Watson of Elizabethton. “We had a challenge, and it was doing something to help the community.”

Charles Shrewsbury of Stanton, Va., recalled visiting cemeteries as he accompanied his father on family genealogical searches and said it was rewarding to be able to do something to help family members of those buried in the New Hope Cemetery have access to the cemetery.  “Family relationships are important,” he said. “No one should be forgotten.”

The group that undertook the cleaning of the cemetery did plenty of that type of work, such as raking up leaves that filled 13 large trash bags. But, they also worked to make the cemetery a more attractive place for visitors by refinishing and repainting three benches that are now providing a place to sit and reflect in the cemetery. The benches were donated to the cemetery through one of the students in the class. The students also built a bridge over the deep ditch between the edge of the road and the entrance into the cemetery.

This group also made some discoveries as they worked. The students uncovered a set of steps at the back of the cemetery that may have led to either the church or the school.

The plotting and mapping group created a grid of the cemetery, using string and stakes to divide the cemetery into four foot by four foot squares. The group then recorded everything located in the squares to create a blueprint and map of the cemetery.

A related group researched the best practices in conserving the tombstones and compiled a list of “do’s and don’ts” for those who would be working in the cemetery in the future.  The group put what they learned into practice, beginning the process of cleaning lichen from some of the markers.

Another group recorded the names of those found on the tombstones, which began their research into who was buried in the cemetery. Researching death certificates, cemetery lists and other information, the students were able to compile a database of individuals buried in the cemetery, listing names, birth and death dates, occupations and causes of death as possible. In their research, the students found the names of 54 persons who may be buried at the cemetery. The students said based on the information they found,  they are almost certain 43 of the 54 are buried in the cemetery, thirty of which are in marked graves and 13 in unmarked.

The group found one person with a Tusculum College connection - Aaron Gudger who was a janitor at the college prior to his death as a result of a car accident.

Another group researched various families whose members are buried in the cemetery and created family trees for those families. The students researched census, birth, death and other records and contacted family members to learn more about the families.

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Fashions of the 1940s will be celebrated April 19 during a benefit for Greene County Habitat for Humanity.

“Vintage Chic Love Affair” is the theme for a fashion show coordinated by the Tusculum College Bonner Leader student service organization and Center for Civic Advancement to benefit Greene County Habitat for Humanity. The fashion show will begin at 6 p.m. on the terrace at the General Morgan Inn.

The fashion show will feature about 30 Tusculum students, some children and community members modeling vintage fashions from the Greene County Habitat’s ReStore. Bonnie Weston, student life coordinator for multicultural affairs, and Tusculum student Trevor Long will be the master of ceremonies for the event.

“This is Habitat’s fourth year working with the Tusculum Bonner Leaders,” said Vicki Culbertson, executive director of Greene County Habitat for Humanity. “We’re excited about this year’s Fashion Show…it just gets better and more entertaining every year!  It is such a pleasure to watch the Bonner Leaders plan, organize, and work toward the ‘big event’.  They take pride in their community involvement and in helping Habitat’s mission to provide decent, safe, affordable housing to families in need.”

Sponsors for the event are Andrew Johnson Bank, Blackburn, Childers & Steagall PLLC, Bob’s Factory Outlet, Tusculum College Center for Civic Advancement and the college’s Student Government Association.

Refreshments will be served during the event.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children. The fashions modeled will be available for purchase following the show. Tickets are available from the Center for Civic Advancement by calling 423.636.7372 and will be available at the door.

All the proceeds will benefit Greene County Habitat for Humanity in its efforts to help families achieve the dream of homeownership by providing decent, safe, affordable housing with a no interest mortgage. Habitat is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian ministry that provides homes to people in need regardless or race or religion and welcomes volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds.

The Habitat ReStore, in a new location on the 11E Bypass across from the Lighthouse Assembly of God Church, provides funds to Habitat from its sales of donated clothes, collectibles, household items, furniture and other items, and those funds are used in Habitat’s efforts to provide affordable housing for residents of Greene County.

The ReStore accepts donations of clothing and accessories and those who may have some items they may want to give are encouraged to do so prior to the event so their fashions may be used. Donations of clothing can be used as part of charitable giving for tax purposes.

Celebrating its 18^th birthday in May, Habitat has placed families in 26 houses throughout Greene County.  The organization is currently planning a house dedication/celebration for the house donated by John Deere Power Products and has started work on a build project, partnering with Cross Roads Missions and Wal-Mart Distribution Center to construct the 27^th home.

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A mystery with a twist, “Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper,” will be coming to the stage April 14-17 at Tusculum College.

Revelry Repertory Theatre will premier the original mystery with performances at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14-Saturday, April 16 and a 2 p.m. matinee, Sunday, April 17. All performances will be in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus. The play is part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s 2010-11 performance and lecture series.

“Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper,” written and directed by respected local actor Doug Presley, explores the notorious, unsolved 19^th century serial murders of prostitutes in the White Chapel section of London.

However, audiences should not expect a definite answer to the mystery of the identity of Jack the Ripper as each performance will have a different ending presenting one of four separate possible suspects as the murderer. Presley describes two of the suspects as probable candidates as the murderer and the other two as interesting suspects. Each performance’s ending will be a surprise to all but the stage manager, crew and the actor playing the Jack the Ripper suspect for that evening.

Presley first began to research Jack the Ripper as he was searching for a topic on which to base a scary play to be staged at Halloween. But, the deeper he researched about the murders, Presley said he realized he needed to tell the story of the victims of the crimes and their struggles to survive in the poorest section of London, which was the most prosperous city in the world at the time.

One of the victims was a widow, whose husband had died two years prior to her murder on Christmas Day, and with the low wages in jobs for women, had to resort to prostitution to provide for her family, Presley noted.

Another of the victims, Mary Kelly, was a woman of higher means than the other victims, an artist who was part of a brothel in the prosperous West End of London, Presley said, which prompts the question of what she was doing in White Chapel. An answer to that question is proposed in one of the endings.

In telling the stories of the victims, the play does not lose the edginess and scariness in depicting the vicious murders and the desperation and destitution of life in White Chapel. The play’s characters, some colorful and others unsavory, are expertly brought to life by a talented cast of actors, who include some local favorites including Wess duBrisk, Chris Greene, Seth Holt, Sandy Nienaber, Robbie Poteete and Brian Ricker. Due to a medical emergency of a cast member, Presley will also be appearing in the play. The cast also includes a number of Tusculum College students such as Jade Bussell, Anney Cox, Zackery Elliott, Valerie Harrell, Allison Harris, Andrew Herzig, Josh Hickson, Billie Jennings, Kayla Jones and Jeffrey Peck.

Accentuating the poverty of White Chapel and the gruesome crime scenes are the sets, expertly designed for the play by Frank Mengel, technical director and stage manager of Tusculum College Arts Outreach. The revolving sets also include the insides of the homes of the suspects, providing more clues into the mindset of those who may have been Jack the Ripper.

Period attire for the actors is being provided by Barbara Holt, costume director for Arts Outreach.

The playwright and director also received assistance in keeping the dialogue period-appropriate from one of the cast, Wess duBrisk and his wife, Marilyn, who is artist-in-resident at Tusculum College and director of its Arts Outreach program.

Presley is a veteran of many of the Arts Outreach theatrical programs under duBrisk’s direction and first appeared on stage at age nine in the Annie Hogan Byrd auditorium. “I never dreamed that a play I wrote and directed would be performed on the same stage where I started,” he said.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors (60 years of age and older). With the nature of the story, the violent murder of prostitutes, no children’s tickets will be sold. To reserve tickets, please call 423.798.1620 or e-mail jhollowell@tusculum.edu.

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Experiencing a different culture, interacting with other college students from a variety of backgrounds and discussing global issues helped make traveling to Salzburg, Austria, a life-changing trip for three Tusculum College students.

Mitchell Taylor, Sam Underwood and Altoine Wilson attended the Salzburg Global Seminar as representatives of Tusculum in January. All three students, who were selected for the seminar based on nominations from faculty, are sophomores. Taylor, from Kodak, Tenn., and Sam Underwood, from Muncie, Ind., are business majors. Wilson, who is from Covington, Ga., is a film and broadcasting major. The session that the Tusculum students attended was the “Mellon Fellow Community Initiative Student Seminar on Global Citizenship: America and the World.”

In a presentation about their trip on Monday, March 28, Underwood encouraged her fellow students to travel internationally if they get the opportunity. “After this trip, we were truly changed people,” she said. “It changes your mindset.”

While the seminar is designed to introduce a variety of viewpoints to its participants and broaden their perspectives, Underwood noted international travel for pleasure can also have a changing affect in immersing individuals into different cultures.

Wilson said the three “didn’t really know what to expect. I thought it would be a chance of a lifetime and it was.” It was the first time for travel outside of the country for Wilson and Underwood. Taylor had taken an earlier trip to South America.

The trip was focused on learning, Wilson said, and the participants addressed many controversial subjects, as well as how Americans view the rest of the world and how the rest of the world views the United States. The students described one activity in which they acted out Plato’s allegory of a cave to illustrate how people sometimes live in a bubble and how painful it can be to be forced out of that comfort zone to look at what is happening in the world.

Taylor said that one of the most important opportunities of the trip was getting to know and make friends with the other seminar participants who came from a variety of backgrounds. Participants came from a number of Appalachian region colleges as well as universities across the nation.

“I was impressed by others’ passion for various issues and their desire to make a difference in the world,” he said.

The Salzburg Global Seminars are held at the Schloss Leopoldskron, a regal, 18^th century castle surrounded by immaculate grounds with breathtaking views of the adjoining lake and the Alps.

“Our living conditions were really nice,” Taylor said. “The whole place was very beautiful.” The students’ living quarters were at the Meierhof, about 200 yards from Schloss Leopoldskron. There, students had access to a computer library, where they could stay in touch with their families, and a lounge area where seminar participants could relax at the end of the day.

The students took many photos of the palace’s ornate architectural features and the gardens and sculptures surrounding the palace. After the seminar sessions, students would gather for continuing discussion of issues raised in various rooms in the palace, Taylor said.

The Austrian cuisine served at the Schloss Leopoldskron reflected the surroundings. “There was amazing food at the Schloss,” Underwood said. “We were fed like royalty.”

Austrian food was similar to German cuisine, she continued, and all their meals featured quality meats and fresh vegetables. “All of the food seemed healthier and tasted better.”

Although most of the students’ time was spent at the seminar, the participants took a day trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp in southern Germany, touring what remains of the camp and visiting the museum and memorial at the site. “I can’t describe in words what it felt like,” Underwood said.

Seminar participants also had a couple days to explore Salzburg. In the older part of the town, “there was a ton of beautiful Gothic architecture,” Taylor said. “We also saw lots of street performers, but they weren’t like the guitarists you see on streets here. They were playing the harp and violin.”

Tusculum is currently planning international trips for the upcoming 2011-12 academic year. The current academic year has been the best for the college for international study as more students have participated in short-term study abroad trips than ever before, said Dr. Geir Bergvin, director of the Tusculum’s Center for Global Studies. Students have recently returned from trips to Central America and Europe.

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Tusculum College students have spent the past three weeks working to landscape the historic African-American New Hope Cemetery, mapping the cemetery and researching the stories of the people who are buried there.

The students will make a presentation about what they have done and learned at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, in Room 101 of the Charles Oliver Gray Annex. The students are part of a Service-Learning in Northeast Tennessee course taught by Robin Fife, assistant professor of social science.

The presentation is open to the public.

The students have worked to landscape the cemetery, located near the intersection of New Hope and Old Shiloh roads.  The class members have also been mapping the cemetery to record the location of the headstones and the information on each one. The students have been doing research to discover more information about the individuals and their lives. Creation of a web site to include photos of the headstones and the information they have discovered about the individuals there is another project the students have undertaken.

Following the presentation, the public is invited to visit the cemetery to see the work of the students. Some members of the Pioneer Band will play at the cemetery as well.

The cemetery is all that remains of an African-American congregation’s church that once stood nearby, the New Hope Presbyterian Church.

The church also has ties to Tusculum College. In 1869, the Rev. William Stephenson Doak was appointed by the Holston Presbytery to serve as an itinerant missionary in Greene County and as such, preached to a group of African-Americans meeting for worship in a school house near Holley Creek.  At the time, Doak was serving as president of Tusculum College.

The group decided to form a church, which became New Hope, and requested affiliation with the Holston Presbytery, a governing body of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that includes churches in 12 Northeast Tennessee counties and one in Southwest Virginia.  Tusculum College also has a covenant agreement with the Holston Presbytery.

Tusculum students have been involved in the clean-up and rehabilitation of the cemetery since it was rediscovered about eight years ago.

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A plastic bucket of water and a bowl of rice were waiting as dinner for a majority of the participants of the Oxfam Hunger Banquet Wednesday (March 23) at Tusculum College.

Representing the food resources of roughly half of the world’s population, the meager amount of food was shared by Tusculum students who sat on the floor and had no utensils to use other than plastic cups.

Coordinated by the Tusculum Bonner Leader student service organization, the Oxfam Hunger Banquet is designed to give participants, through their experience, an understanding of how the world’s food resources are distributed among the world population and some of the issues faced by people living at each level.

As they entered, each participant in the Hunger Banquet received a ticket that indicated in which economic group (low, middle, or high) he or she was assigned. The ticket also described the life of a specific individual in that economic group. Some tickets described two individuals, one in the economic group in a third world country and another one in the United States who had been helped by one of Oxfam’s programs to assist people in becoming self-sufficient.

Bonner Leader Kalie Smith served as the master of ceremonies, sharing statistics about each of the income groups.  The majority of the students and staff who attended were in the low-income group, representing about 50 percent of the world’s population. Smith told the group about a widow in Ethiopia struggling to raise seven children, a family that typically eats one small meal a day.

A smaller group was designated as the middle-income group, representing about 35 percent of the world’s population. This group fared a bit better as they were able to sit on chairs for their meal of rice and beans. This group did have plastic forks and plates to use during their meal.  Smith noted that this group often lives paycheck to paycheck and a loss of a job, a bad growing season or some other factor over which they usually have no control can result in dropping down into the low-income group.

Four people received “high-income” cards and were seated at a table set with silverware and glass tableware to be served a meal of pasta and salad. Smith noted that the high-income group represented about 15 percent of the world’s population, those earning $12,000 per year and up who can afford nutritious meals each day.

Smith also shared information from Oxfam about the causes of hunger, noting it is not an issue of a lack of food production but an unequal distribution of resources.

Participants were encouraged to learn more about hunger and its root causes, to share that information with others and to become involved with a group like Oxfam America that works to find solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice.

Oxfam America is a part of Oxfam International, a confederation of 14 Oxfams working in 98 countries. Together with individuals and local groups in these countries, Oxfam works to feed the hungry, help people overcome poverty and fight for social justice.

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Tusculum College’s Bonner Leader student service organization will hold a “Tag Sale” on Saturday, April 16, to benefit the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The Bonner Tag Sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Pioneer Gym in the Niswonger Commons on the Tusculum campus. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to the American Red Cross’s Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief fund.

A car wash to collect donations will also take place at the same time as the tag sale.

Donations such as clothing and household items for the tag sale are being accepted by the college’s Center for Civic Advancement through Monday, April 11. Please call (423) 636-7327 for more information about making donations.

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Elizabeth McDonnell, a senior majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing, was named “Student of the Block” for the Sixth Block at Tusculum College.

McDonnell, who is from Memphis, Tenn., was recognized in a ceremony on March 24. The Student of the Block Award is presented each block by the Office of Student Affairs to recognize students for academic achievement, leadership on campus and contributions to the college community. A plaque describing McDonnell and her accomplishments will be displayed in the Niswonger Commons and then rotated through other academic buildings on campus.

An academically gifted student who also devotes much time to community service, McDonnell’s accomplishments, quiet and modest demeanor and reflective personality have made her a favorite among the Tusculum English Department faculty and staff. She received an unprecedented four nominations for the award.

“Elizabeth has lived up to every hope I had for her,” said Wayne Thomas, assistant professor of English and journalism. “I have asked Elizabeth to facilitate a class or two in my Intermediate Creative Writing course this spring. I asked Elizabeth to do this for me because I’ve noticed that students look forward to the days she’s up for a workshop as much as I do.”

“In addition to her hard work and intelligence, Ella (as Elizabeth is known to many on campus) has many other stellar qualities,” said Dr. Shelia Morton, assistant professor English. “She has won several awards … with all of this, however, one of the things that further impresses me about Ella is her very real consideration of ethics and her responsibility to a world in need.”

“Early in her time at Tusculum, Elizabeth set her goals and her primary focus remained aimed at reaching those goals,” said Pat Stansberry, administrative assistant to the Academic Resource Center. “And four years later, she has reached them with excellence … she is articulate, dependable, creative and an all around example of what a Tusculum graduate is expected to be.”

Noting that McDonnell won the Meacham Workshop Creative Nonfiction Award in 2010, Assistant Professor of English Dr. Desirae Matherly said that in addition to doing promising work in non-fiction, “she is dependable and dedicated to her craft and her dedication to service learning at projects at Tusculum College represents her commitment to helping other people.” McDonnell was also recently named winner of the non-fiction category of the Curtis and Billie Owens Literary Awards, which recognizes Tusculum students for excellence in creative writing, and was a presenter at the Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference.

McDonnell is heavily involved in student organizations, participates in service-learning opportunities on campus and enjoys playing a large role in the English Department writing publications, including the Tusculum Review literary magazine and The Pioneer Frontier student newspaper. “These experiences have heavily influenced the person I am today, in so much that they are in many ways the foundation of growth in all areas of my life,” she said.

That involvement includes being a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, Association of Writers and Writing Programs, English Student Organization, The Pioneer Frontier staff, Sweatshop Press, Residence Hall Association and the Open Door Society.

Balancing her busy schedule of classes, writing assignments and student organization involvement is not easy, but McDonnell finds time to volunteer to help better her community. She has worked as a tutor at Chuckey-Doak High School to help students improve their writing skills and take an active interest in their school work and worked with Common Ground Relief in rebuilding homes in New Orleans as part of a service-learning course. In her native Memphis, she has served as a day care counselor with Cooper Cottage Daycare and served breakfast to the homeless at the Calgary Church soup kitchen.

The daughter of James and Donna McDonnell, she chose to attend Tusculum because she loved the campus and considered the college’s block schedule, which involves taking one course at a time, a good way to become immersed in classes. Though she originally was interested in education and a career in working with the kindergarten age group, she quickly realized that her passion lay in writing and changed her major to creative writing.

McDonnell lists Heather Patterson, assistant professor English; Robin Fife, assistant professor of social science; Dr. Angela Keaton, assistant professor of history; Dr. Troy Goodale, assistant professor of political science; Deborah Bryan, assistant professor of art; Dr. Matherly; Dr. Thomas and Dr. Morton as her favorite and most influential professors.

“The entire English Department has been a family to me throughout my years at Tusculum, including Ms. Stansberry,” she said. “They have offered me support, insight, opportunity, encouraged me to do what I love, and they have been there for me through challenging moments in my life … as both friends and family.”

McDonnell said her proudest moment will be when she graduates in May as the first member of her immediate family to obtain a college degree. “When I graduate, I think I will feel good because I have worked and put everything into the time I have had at Tusculum,” she said. “I am proud of myself for being self-driven, my own motivator and sometimes my own worst critic because it has gotten me where I want to be.”
After graduation, McDonnell plans to attend graduate school. She has received early acceptance into Chatham College’s prestigious non-fiction master of fine arts program.

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Simon Holzapel, a senior at Tusculum College majoring in sports science, has been selected as one of the three student delegates to the Alliance Assembly of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).

The Alliance Assembly is a governing body of AAHPERD with approximately 250 representatives from all states, districts, territories and national associations. The student delegates will represent all student members, both graduate and undergraduate, of the AAHPERD with the authority to vote on behalf of these students.

This is the first time that a Tusculum College student has been chosen as a delegate. In addition to Holzapfel, one student from Purdue University and another from the University of Washington will serve as delegates. They will serve a term ending Dec. 31, 2011.

Tusculum Professor of Education Dr. Kirpal Mahal encouraged Holzapfel, a native of Nuremberg, Germany, to apply for the tremendous learning opportunity that a delegate position would bring. Dr. Mahal said that it is a great honor for the college and the Department of Physical Education and Sport Studies to have Holzapfel selected as one of only three students nationwide. “Although we are small, we have taken long strides because of the brilliance of our students and support of our administration,” he said.

As a delegate, Holzapfel is required to attend the Alliance Assembly Session to be held in San Diego on April 2 during the 126^th National AAHPERD Convention, which starts on March 30. The session, lasting four hours, will be preceded by a number of preparation and discussion forums during the convention.

Delegates have a duty to cast votes in the election of the Alliance’s president-elect and to take action on proposed motions that include adding the District of Columbia as a  different structure from a state or territorial association to the Alliance, recognizing overseas associations as affiliated organizations and not as integral parts of the Alliance. Delegates can also bring forward motions on which the Assembly must take action.

Dr. Mahal will accompany Holzapfel and a group of other Physical Education, Sports Science and Sport Management students to the convention. Also attending the convention will be Elisa Andriano of North York, Ontario; Calvin Britt of Augusta, Ga.; Dean Hopewell of Leicester, England; Cassandra Melnike of Pickering, Ontario; Angie Michaud of Surgionsville, Tenn., and Katie Prisco of Rogersville, Tenn.

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