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Unofficial Grapevine USF St. Petersburg campus University History: Campus Publications

10-1-1995

Unofficial Grapevine : 1995 : 10 Unofficial Grapevine : 1995 : 10

University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

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J. SCHNUR POY 118 , FL

Vol. 3, No.2 October 1995

News for Faculty and Staff at USF St. Petersburg

••••••••••• ! Dean's Corner! • Bill Heller • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

A great way to turn 30

Thanks to everyone for helping launch our 30th anniver­sary year so successfully.

Enrollment is up slightly and a lot of exciting things are happening, some for the very first time.

The Oasis Program will soon enroll 15 eighth-graders -thanks to director Jim Martin and Terry Rose. The Florida Comprehensive System for Personnel Development Office is now in place and already having a statewide impact - thanks to Gerald Bacoats and Lee Sherry.

A Student Activities Board is beginning to develop a new direction for campus activities -watch the Grapevine calendar for upcoming events.

A special task group has developed a wonderful series of events to usher in the Splendors of Ancient Egypt exhibit, sched­uled to open at the Florida International Museum in Janu­ary; this special series celebrat-

ing the exhibit will be held on campus the week of Nov. 13.

The Ethics Center has recruited two outstanding post­doctoral scholars and has initi­ated an exemplary ethics pilot program for school personnel -please attend the center's Wednesday noon lectures.

The new distance learning studio at USF St. Petersburg is beaming marine science classes out to the Tampa, Sarasota and Lakeland campuses.

The new Poynter Library is becoming more impressive everyday, and its dedication is set for May 31. The Paul Getting Memorial Building for the USGS expansion is now evident at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Third Street S. Construction for the YWCA!USF Family Village will begin next year.

To top it all off, USF's football team is undefeated.

Indeed, we've had a great beginning for our 30th year!

Heartwalk '95 on Oct. 7 - in memory of Harry Schalematl -

Yom· walk, and your gifts, can make a difference.

• CPA candidates excel USF continues its excellence

in educating accounting students. The latest statistics show the university has the second highest pass-rate in the nation for CPA candidates who take the exam for the first time. Congrats, COBA! • Combat stress, tone up

Looking for a new way to relax, lose weight and tone muscles? Classes in yoga, body awareness and the Thera-Band are starting on Mondays in the CAC, for $5 each session.

Noa Spector-Flock, an instruc­tor in the USF dance and theater department, will lead the sessions.

Body awareness, from 5-6 p.m., helps participants re-educate their bodies and achieve better movement and posture. Thera­Band classes, from 6:15 -7:15p.m., promote better strength, flexibility and coordination through use of an elastic band. Yoga classes, from 7:30-8:30 p.m., help reduce anxiety and increase circulation. Classes run Oct. 2 - Dec. 4.

See Latest on page 2

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Latest from page 1

e Spell T-H-A-N-K-S The campus fronted a team for

Spelldown '95, a fun but competitive spelling bee held each September to raise awareness about the literacy crisis in Pinellas County.

The USF St. Petersburg team included Barbara Frye, Ruth Short, Connie Brown, Rob Huntley, Jay Black and his wife, Leslie, and Winston Bridges and his wife, Patti.

The team had to spell tricky words like schefflera, glissando, ytterbium and euphonium. Not an easy task- many thanks to our team of brave souls. • Camp for Girls Wins NSF Grant

The National Science Foundation awarded a $99,878 grant to the Oceanography Camp for Girls, a program sponsored by the marine science deparhnent.

Through this award, the camp has been recognized as a NSF Model Program for Women and Girls and will broaden its scope to serve more students from throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Now in its fifth year, the St. Peters­burg-based camp is a summer pro­gram that encourages eighth-grade girls to consider careers in science by giving them hands-on experience in biology, physics, chemistry, geology and math during field trips and laboratory experiments. Working alongside marine science faculty and graduate students, the girls develop self-confidence while they learn about their environment.

The grant will also allow the program to provide housing to the campers. Previously, the camp had facilities only for day students.

To give Tampa Bay area women the opportunity to become a· camper for the day and learn about the local marine environment, the Oceanogra­phy Camp for Girls is having a science adventure Saturday, Nov. 18 at Fort DeSoto Park. Participants are asked to make a tax-deductible $150 gift to the Sirens of the Sea fundraiser. • Ethnic NewsWatch available

A unique collection of more than 100,000 articles from minority newspapers and magazines is available at the Poynter Library.

Ethnic NewsWatch is a database

on CD-ROM that lists articles from some 100 publications that focus on minority issues. African American, Hispanic, Jewish and Native Ameri­can articles are some of the offerings. The database is updated monthly, and all of the articles are unabridged and complete. The CD-ROM is easy to use, and reference desk staff are available to help beginners. The user can call up articles, scan them on a screen, then print them or download them to a disk. Ask for Ethnic News Watch. • Marine Science unveils new logo

The Department of Marine Science has adopted a jazzy new logo, pictured below. When printed in color, the logo will be vibrant shades of teal.

UNIVERS ITY OF SOUTH FLORJOA S T rETER S BURG

• Gator arrives late for fall classes Campus police officer Bobby

Wade finally got to use his alligator­roping skills on a September morn­ing when he was called to investi­gate a "sighting" at USF St. Peters­burg.

At first he thought it was a joke. Then, as he searched for the gator along with campus police dispatcher Martha Ewing, Ewing nearly stepped on a 3 u2 foot alligator.

Together they coaxed it to the fence around the Snell House to get it out of the way of traffic. After Ewing fetched the department's dog­catcher net, Wade captured the alligator and taped its mouth shut, just like he learned at the Police Academy. Then, he roped a 7-foot, 170-pound gator!

An officer from the Wildlife Department eventually took the alligator to Lake Maggiore and set it free. Bravo, campus police! • Faculty retreat on high seas

The College of Education started its academic year by holding its faculty retreat on several sailboats in Bayboro Harbor. While the Irwin 25, skippered by Steve Lang and crewed by Cyndie Collins, had a pleasant and fruitful sail, the Paceship 23 ran into bad luck.

The craft, skippered by Terry Rose and crewed by Kim Stoddard, faced a series of mishaps. Halfway up the channel the outboard motor quit, leaving the boat drifting in circles 100 yards offshore.

After narrowly avoiding a head­on by a large motor boat, the Irwin 25 was restarted briefly, only to see the brave passengers - comprising Renee Hoffman, Steve Micklo and Maryann Harrell- stopped by the Coast Guard for an incorrectly applied registration sticker. After a lecture by a 20-year-old with a gun, the Irwin 25 headed out again under sail.

But a dying wind soon forced the return of the forlorn group, but not before Stoddard, Rose and Micklo fell off the boat. That left the tiller in the hands of Hoffman, a novice, and the mainsheet in the control of Harrell.

Somehow they made it back to Haney Landing, where showers and strong drink awaited them. Despite their troubles, the survivors vowed to try it again next year, "come hell or high water." • Staff changes

Joyce Suchy, formerly adminis­trative assistant to Bernard Mackey, now works for Herm Brames and Winston Bridges in the Dean's office.

She filled the position after Joneen Maczis moved to Student Mfairs as administrative assistant. Maczis replaces Greg Fata, who recently moved to Chicago where he will start his own consulting busi­ness.

Two post-doctoral scholars, Laurie Calhoun and Peggy DesAutels, have joined the campus's ethics center.

Welcome back to Bob McKenzie, who recently returned to the campus and works in the library's media services department. • In memory ...

Gifts in memory of the late Harry Schaleman can be directed to either the campus's new geography lab or to the visiting faculty room at the library. Both will bear his name. The library also has commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of Schaleman. Make checks payable to the USF Foundation and deliver to Julie Gillespie or Donna Knudsen .

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Coalition puts science on fast track Gerry Meisels is helping to make science a priority in Tampa Bay schools.

The first alarm was sounded back in 1983, when A Nation at Risk, a government report, pointed out that U.S. students are falling behind the rest of the world in math and science skills. That's true, but it's not the whole picture, says Gerry Meisels, founding director of the Coalition for Science Literacy (CSL).

A lot of ink subsequently was spilled on the subject of the country's educational woes. The report spawned numerous books and articles that bashed universities in particular and the whole educational system in general. The PC move­ment was born.

"The important thing," said Meisels, "is that the scientific community began responding to this. A series of documents followed the report that addressed educa­tional reform at all levels."

In 1985, for example, Project 2061 was established by the Ameri­can Association for the Advance­ment of Science. Its first product was an insightful book in 1990 called Science for All Americans.

The coalition that Meisels organized is the latest effort to bring together educators and community activists to fix the system. It has one underlying premise: the U.S. needs to do more to bring math and science into the everyday lives of its citi­zens.

This is a nonpartisan priority, Meisels says. "Both parties support it. Science itself is the key to our future. Reasoning skills help protect us from charlatans, unscrupulous sales practices-and political demagogues."

Our quality of life today came about through the use of scientific and technological development, a CSL publication points out. We need to sustain that and improve on it in order to stay competitive in today's world, says Meisels, who chaired the chemistry departments at both the University of Houston and the University of Nebraska and was dean of Arts and Sciences at N e­braska before joining USF in 1989.

He served as USF's provost from 1989 to 1994.

In 1991 he was head of the nationally prestigious Council of Scientific Society Presidents and in 1992 led a committee that helped shape the Clinton administration's science policy.

In 1993 President Clinton established a task force to develop recommendations for a national policy on science. The resulting document called for nothing less than scientific literacy for all Ameri­cans. In the report Meisels saw a mandate for new initiatives close to home.

In 1994 he founded CSL, a program housed at USF St. Peters­burg that promotes science literacy in the Tampa Bay area. He felt that his reputation as a scientist and his connections in Washington and throughout the country would serve him well in the new position.

And they have. The coalition, which he directs, is a network of people and organizations locally, committed to enhancing science, math and technology. Although partially funded by USF, the coali­tion also is supported by grants and the private sector.

Local businesses, in particular, stand to gain from any progress that comes about as a result of CSL's efforts. Workers with reasoning skills and a basic knowledge of the world are a critical resource for corporations and industries of all kinds, Meisels points out.

'We need to work on science literacy in three areas," he said, "the school system, the community colleges and universities and the community in general."

There is no quick fix to the problem. Instead, people who are close to the issue see sweeping reform and a long haul that will eventually result in a new curricu­lum for all students- elementary, secondary and college - one that emphasizes a common core oflearn­ing. There needs to be continuity in the science curriculum, which means

that teachers have to communi­cate more with each other across grade levels.

Last year Meisels personally visited more than 60 el.ementary and middle schools in the Tampa Bay area and in Hunts­ville, Ala., to see how the changes made so far are working. "I found excitement, vibrancy and action that is totally contrary to the stereotype of schools dominated by beaten-down and burned-out teachers. I did not see a single teacher in whose class I would not place my own daughter."

The core curriculum should focus, the coalition believes, on the connections between the natural and social sciences and their relation, in turn, to mathematics and technol­ogy. A key goal is to instill in stu­dents the ability to think critically, which is at the heart of science literacy.

Television is a formidable force. Since it's hard to compete with TV, the coalition is trying to use the same medium to get its message across. Plans are in the works to develop 39 half-hour shows that will combine news footage and drama to show parents the kind of revolution that is taking place in the schools.

With parents better informed, CSL can work toward one of its objectives, a systemwide reform of science education in Pinellas elemen­tary schools. One study found that many students lose interest in science by the time they reach third grade. The coalition hopes to bring new teaching methods to all 81 public elementary schools in the county.

This month CSL hosts a confer­ence for science teachers, university faculty and Florida Department of Education representatives to coordi­nate plans for the future.

-Susan Fernandez ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Faculty/Staff Notes Bob Dardenne and Mike

Killenberg, journalism studies, received good reviews in major journalism publications on their new book, The Conversation of Journal­ism: Communication, Community and News. Journalism Quarterly and American Journalism Book Reviews hailed the book as "thought­ful," and "a useful contribution."

Danny Jorgensen, religious studies, published "Conflict in the Camps of Israel: The 1853 Cutlerite Schism" in a recent issue of Journal of Mormon History.

Jacob Neusner, religious studies, was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the Florida Department of Corrections for service as a citizen volunteer in crime prevention.

Ambe Njoh, government and international affairs, presented "Barriers and Opportunities for Inter-Agency Coordination in the Transportation Field in Cameroon" at the 30th annual meeting of the Canadian Transportation Research Forum in Quebec in May. He also published an article of the same title in the July issue of NUCS Journal (National Union of Cameroon Students).

Art Schwartz Jr., finance, recently presented "Airway Indus­trial Partners" at the 11th annual meeting of the American Real Estate Society in Hilton Head, S.C. He is on a yearlong sabbatical.

Ron Bugg, physical plant, was invited to join a Men's half-century baseball league that travels the state for games. Bugg is the second-fastest player on his team, called the Silver Rays. Not bad for an old guy.

David Naar, marine science, recently presented "Geophysical Investigation at Easter Island (South Pacific)" and "A 3-D Geo­physical Characterization of a Seamount at the Easter Salas y Gomez Chain (Nazca Plate)" at the 1995 European Geophysical Society Convention.

Don't miss these events! Oct. 4

Oct.5

Oct.6

Oct. 7

Oct.ll

Oct.13

Oct.14

Oct. 25

On Campus Flu Shots Get your flu shots from noon to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30-6 p.m. in Davis Hall Lobby. $15, cash or check.

Open House for Nursing and Ethics Programs 4-6 p.m. in the 100 Fifth Ave. S building.

Common Ground Music Series Featuring Belinda Womack. Free. 5-7 p.m. on Central Avenue between Second and Third streets. Call Lisa Wharton (9561 ).

Heartwalk '95- "Walk for Harry Schaleman" A continental breakfast from 8-9 a .m. in the CAC precedes this 3-mile walk, which is a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. Call Lisa Wharton (9561) to join the USF team.

Wednesday Night Jam Featuring the Little Gracie Band. 8 p.m. poolside.

Support Staff Meetings with Campus Dean Nosh Danish with Dean Heller while exchanging ideas about the campus. Contact Pearl Williamson with any specific agenda items or concerns. 8:30 a.m. in the Dean's Conference Room.

Paws on Parade Join the USF St. Petersburg team for this SPCA Pet walk. 8 a.m. in Straub Park. Get sponsors and bring any pet you have! Call Sudsy Tschiderer (9598) for details.

Wednesday Night Jam Featuring hypnotist Joe LaMonica and magician/psychic Paul Espo. 8 p.m. in the Bayboro Cafe. A USF Coffee House production.

Nov. 13-17 Splendors of the Nile Symposium

Nov.15

Join us for this series of lectures, films and exhibits which will highlight the fascinating and diverse culture of ancient Egypt.

A Look at World War II Featuring Dave Carr as he commemorates the 50th anniversary of the end of WW II. 5:30p.m. at the Museum of History. $20.

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