Berry Students Combat Sexual Assault

By Candace Houghton, COM 301
Edited and posted by Chad Rowell, COM 303

The comfort level of the “Berry Bubble” should be challenged during April 13-18 as campus organizations collaborate for Sexual Assault Awareness Week.

Sexual Assault Awareness Week is a student initiative with an aim to educate the campus through the events sponsored by various organizations on campus.

“The overall goal for the week is to make the campus more conducive to survivors feeling comfortable and supported and to combat ignorance at Berry,” said Erin Oakley, who has helped lead the week’s events.

Oakley, who has worked as an advocate for the Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia in Floyd County for two years, was involved in working with events associated with Sexual Assault Awareness Month last April. However, this year she wants to get more student involvement at Berry to bring greater awareness of the issue to the campus.

“Being aware of any issue challenges you to speak out about it,” said Miss Berry 2008 Caroline Gettis, who is also a volunteer at the Sexual Assault Center.

The events will begin Sunday night as Lambda Sigma sets up a pinwheel project in front of Krannert Student Center. The pinwheels will remain on display during the week.

Photo contributed by Lydia Fields
The pinwheels in front of Krannert Center recognize
survivors that the Sexual Assault Center has aided in
the past year.

The events of the week
·Monday - The women’s studies department and the Black Student Alliance are sponsoring a documentary about rape and race titled, “No!”

·Tuesday - A “Voices Ignored” panel, sponsored by Empower, will present survivor stories, statistics and the activist’s voice.

·Wednesday will include an interactive experiential program called “Walkin’ the Walk.” This program will put participants in groups and give them an identity, such as a survivor of sexual assault. From there, participants will make decisions in order to work through the scenario. It is an opportunity for survivors of sexual assault to feel understood and to provide resources, such as advocates from the Sexual Assault Center and counselors from Berry, to be available for debrief and questions.

·There will be a community wide event on Friday called “Speak Out in Rome.” It will be a chance to rally together to show support and learn even more about the topics from the week.

Gettis and Oakley said their hope is that the events earlier in the week will spark an interest and encourage people to come, as they said it will be a very powerful time. It will be held at the outdoor pavilion of the Rome Forum.

More Student Involvement
Sophomore Stephanie Carson is also getting involved with Sexual Assault Awareness Week, as she has put together an art exhibit that will be on display throughout the week.

“I always try to make strong statements with my art,” said Carson, adding that Oakley told her to be as bold and controversial as she wanted.

Carson put together a series with two viewpoints. The first portrays the painful side of sexual assault and incorporates real quotes from victims within the piece. The second, which she called a "resurrection series," counteracts the aspects of the first, with a more uplifting message.

Oakley and Gettis encourage students who want to make an impact to challenge attitudes in today's culture that often makes light of rape.

Gettis also stresses the importance of educating yourself and having a better understanding helps make the campus a better environment for survivors.

"You just can't go back to your ignorance. It snowballs," said Gettis.

Senior Capstone Project Sheds Light on Immigration

By Stephanie Carson, COM 301
Edited and posted by Anna Littlefield, COM 303

He arrived from England seven years ago with a desire to make a fresh start in America at Berry College. But it was not an easy transition.

Aside from dealing with culture differences, he was bombarded with the responsibility of keeping up with a string of paperwork to maintain his eligibility to stay in the U.S. At one point, upon ending a visit home during his time as a student, he found himself unable to re-enter the U.S. and his stay turned into a two month leave, all because he was missing one form.

Liam Shannon was one of four panelists at an immigration panel held in Berry College's science auditorium Tuesday, April 8, 2008, as part of Berry student Hannah Carswell's senior capstone project. The other panelists included Lila Guerra, a Rome resident, Clarice Ford, associate dean of students and Xiaojing Zu, Berry College librarian.

Carswell's intent for the panel, called "Speak Out," was to put faces to the stories of immigration and the hardships they endured. Carswell explained that when people hear the word "immigration," they automatically assume the issue is of illegal immigration, thus giving the word a negative connotation. She wanted to show what people go through when trying to legally enter the country to live.

"You don't just decide to come to the U.S. and you write a letter and they say 'yes, you've got citizenship, please come over'," said Shannon. It's a very difficult and expensive process for those who attempt to immigrate to the U.S. for better opportunities, said Guerra, who emigrated from Colombia.

Ford, advisor of the International Student Association at Berry, explained that the process has even become increasingly harder since 2001 and it will continue to.

Dr. Clarice Ford
photo courtesy of Berry College Office of First Year Experience

Both she and Zu explained that the student visa is probably the easiest visa to obtain, but it only lasts for the length of study. Zu, who emigrated from China six years ago, received such a visa and later moved to a working visa, which then only lasts six years. Unfortunately for Zu, if she wanted to visit home for more than two weeks with such a visa, she would have to re-apply, pay $100 and spend a day in an office for processing.

Aside from the paperwork, each panelist described their memories of culture shock when entering the country for the first time.

Zu said she was expecting "New York City" when she arrived and was surprised to find something very different. She had a hard time adjusting to the differences in personal space in the U.S. She even found herself in a mild confrontation when she placed her hand on an individual's back on a crowded street, thinking little of it.

Guerra described the hardships of being considered well-off financially in one country and a "nobody" in another.

"It's a tremendous struggle," Guerra said. "It takes years to adjust to American life."

Shannon found it difficult to adjust to Berry College's rules on curfew and on-campus drinking. Though this received audience laughter and smiles, it does reflect the trials immigrants go through to acclimate themselves to a new environment.

After the event, Guerra explained her reason for wanting to participate in the panel.

"I think people are poorly informed. In some cases, they don't know or they don't care to know," said Guerra. "So if you speak, others may hear and be more receptive to people's needs. If people were informed more, we'd be able to help the community more and be more sensitive."

Carswell explained afterward that she had not expected as much audience interaction as the panel received. The audience was very diverse and included faculty members and students, as well as a good mix of males and females.

There are currently 43 international students enrolled at Berry College representing 17 countries, according to the Berry College Office of Admissions' Web page. The topic was also brought up April 1 at a screening of "Made in L.A." as well as a discussion following the film. These events were part of "Immigration Week" on campus.

"Dungeons and Dragons": Starring Tom Baldvins

By Jared Colvin, COM 301
Edited and posted by Leigh Harris, COM 303

It's after midnight, and Tom Baldvins is still cloning dinosaurs to be the main attraction in his theme park.

"He kind of obsesses over it a little bit," said Nathan Schwartz, Baldvins' roommate and freshman environmental science major. "He's very into it and likes to talk about it."

Baldvins, 18, is a freshman biology major at Berry College who may obsess over some games, but his 43 credit hours prove he's no slacker. He aspires to become a vertebrate paleontologist, but in the meantime, he's content to play alternate reality games like "Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis" to experience strange and unusual circumstances. Gaming for more than half his life, Baldvins believes games, especially those involving role play, add a much needed zest to the mundane aspects of everyday life.

"They allow you to explore a totally different world without actually being there," he said, "because they engross you in the story. School gets really stressful, and it's fun to play video games for 30 minutes or an hour. It refreshes me so I can get back to work."

When asked why he consistently chooses to pick up game controllers to experience new worlds rather than reading books or watching videos, Baldvins explained that movies and novels aren't quite the same as alternate reality games; although he's an avid fiction reader, Baldvins prefers how the games place him in the leading role.

"Video games take you in," he said. "Movies and books don't capture the fun of it because you're watching in third person. That movie they based off of 'Dungeons and Dragons' wasn't too good, but a person playing the same adventure would find it totally amazing."

"Dungeons and Dragons" also known as D&D, is a 34-year-old type of board game which requires players to adopt a fictional persona in order to complete imaginary adventures in a fantasy setting. Baldvins and a group of his friends dedicate upwards of seven hours every Friday night to play the game. When asked why he often prefers D&D to modern video games, Baldvins was adamant.

"I can do whatever I want in D&D, but in video games I can't," he explained. "New video games cost $60. D&D is keeping up, bringing out new stuff and it's a lot less expensive to play— you just need three books and your dice."

The leader of Baldvins’ D&D group, Anne Callaway, confessed that she doesn't play the same computer and video games as Baldvins, but she admires his imagination and sense of organization.

"I met him through D&D," she said. "Over the year he really impressed me. Although he doesn't speak out a lot, everything he says is thoughtful and to the point. He's down to earth and organized. In fact, he was nominated to become treasurer of our club and won."

The Alternate Realities Club of Berry College, of which Callaway is president, dedicates itself to entertainment through fantasy and science fiction. Even as the treasurer, Baldvins is still able to make time for his classes, friends, and games.

"I think when someone is able to keep up with their real life, and keep up with what so many people would consider a fantasy life, it really shows a strength of character," said Callaway. "It may seem easy to do since it's fiction, but when you have so many classes and a social life to look after, it can be challenging."

Baldvins may have his hands full as a biology student and club treasurer, but there's no doubt he'll leave plenty of time available to clone more dinosaurs.

Berry's New Provost: Dr. Kathryn Whatley

By Lindsey Banks, COM 301
Edited and posted by Kate Fitchett, COM 303

The search is over for Berry College.

Dr. Kathryn Whatley now holds the title of provost and chief academic officer, and the challenging task of managing all of the academics of the institution.

Whatley, the newest addition to the staff at Berry, began work in her office in Hermann Hall on March 17, 2008, and is still trying to learn all of the responsibilities of the provost at Berry. The provost is in charge of everything that composes the academics of the college, including the faculty, the academic programs and, in the absence of the president, serves as the acting president.

Dr. Kathryn Whatley
Photo courtesy of Berry College

The Search
In order to ensure that the best candidate for Berry’s provost was selected, students and faculty came together to form the provost search committee.

“We were looking for someone who was willing to work with President [Stephen] Briggs, work with his plans and was passionate about making that plan reality,” said Laura Sutton, a student on the provost search committee and the president of the student government association.

Whatley discovered Berry’s search for a provost in an online advertisement, and some of her friends and colleagues encouraged her to apply. She said she immediately found Berry to be at the center of an appealing environment.

“I was attracted to the whole culture and the head, the heart and the hands theme. The academic reputation of Berry is impressive, too,” said Whatley.

Sutton said she was an immediate fan of Whatley and wanted her to get to know the students as soon as possible.

“One of the reasons Dr. Whatley was the best candidate is because she is open and approachable for students. She understands the mission of Berry and is passionate about students,” said Sutton.

The Transition
Whatley said that she is prepared to take on all of the responsibilities of provost at Berry. She has been actively involved in higher education since her graduation from Wake Forest University with an undergraduate degree in physics. Whatley went on to complete her graduate and doctorate degree in experimental nuclear physics from Duke University.

Whatley was involved in the administration at her previous institution, The University of North Carolina at Asheville, for more than 20 years. Her strong background in academic administration is a result of her time spent in the position equivalent to the interim provost at UNC Asheville.

“I learned so much from her about leadership and about the work of academic affairs. And we had great fun, too!” said Edward Katz, the former Dean of University Programs at UNC Asheville and Whatley’s co-worker for five years.

Katz did not want to see her leave UNC Asheville, but admitted that it was a good chance for her.

“I think that she will bring a wealth of experience to Berry College, along with a deep commitment to students and faculty,” said Katz.

Whatley said that leaving her position as interim provost at UNC Asheville was wrenching, but she believes that Berry is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“It was a good time for my family to make the transition. I felt like we needed to
take advantage of a new opportunity,” said Whatley.

Whatley is married to Jac Whatley and they have two children, Katie, 21, and Michael, 18. Whatley said that having two children in college will help her to relate to parents who are bringing their children to college for the first time. Dr. Kathy McKee, interim provost prior to Whatley, said that Whatley will bring a different, parent-like perspective to the provost position and is glad that she came to Berry.

The Learning
McKee said that Whatley is still getting acclimated with the college and is going to learn more about Berry this summer. McKee is still working closely with Whatley and doing everything that she can to help the new provost.

“She is delightful. Her immediate focus is getting to know the institution and coming to understand how we are organized. This summer she is going to gain a deeper knowledge in the academic programs and their strengths,” said McKee.

Whatley has always wanted to be in higher education. When she was a student at Wake Forest, the provost Edwin Wilson had a strong impact on her life. One of her professors once asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up and she said, “I want to be Provost Wilson when I grow up.”

New York Times Columnist Speaks on Campus

By Susanna Sisco, COM 310
Edited and posted by Kate Slusser, COM 303

David Brooks, conservative New York Times columnist, said in an on-campus lecture Thursday night that, although he is a Sen. John McCain fan, Sen. Barack Obama is sure to win the election this year.

Brooks, 46, spoke on politics as part of the Gloria Shatto Lecture Series in the Mount Berry Chapel from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. Following the speech, he spent 25 minutes answering questions from the audience, which consisted of a wide age group: students, faculty, alumni and community members.

David Brooks
Photo courtesy of thinkprogress.org

Besides his columnist position, Brooks has been a senior editor at the Weekly Standard , a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly , and an Opinion-Editorials editor for the Wall Street Journal. He is currently a commentator on “The News Hour with Jim Lehner” and a recurrent analyst on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

Brooks gave his audience an insider’s perspective on politicians, including some challenges they face and the strengths and weaknesses of all three major presidential candidates.

• John McCain- Brooks said he thinks McCain has an incredibly high energy level, like a fighter pilot. He knows a lot about foreign policy but very little about domestic policy. McCain is a social butterfly who can’t sit still and whose office is in the middle of the suite so everyone must walk through it. He has a great moral sense, but he resists organization. Brooks said he believes McCain is a Republican that a lot of Democrats can get behind.

• Hillary Clinton - She is very intelligent and disciplined, Brooks said. Clinton was a very good senator, and she works incredibly hard. She does not trust; however, and she thinks of running for office as war. She hasn’t run a particularly good campaign and has an awfully low chance of winning the election, according to Brooks.

• Barack Obama- Brooks said Obama is very perceptive and eloquent. He places a tremendous emphasis on unity, and he has an extraordinarily supple mind. His weaknesses are his lack of confidence and his lack of involvement in House actions. Although he wants to bring people together, this could prove hard for him because he is not in the center on issues. Also, he is so good at seeing both sides of an issue that, Brooks said, this could lead to trouble in making decisions.

Brooks said that it would be foolish to vote against the Democrats this year. He explained that, when polled, 80 percent of Americans said they are currently dissatisfied with where this country is going. Since Republicans are presently in control and have been for eight years, Brooks said, citizens will want a new party in charge. He said it is probable that Obama will win the election.

Even though Brooks said Obama is the likeliest winner, Brooks said he favors McCain. Contrary to the reputation of most politicians, Brooks said that McCain, his closest friend out of the candidates, is a good man.

“He is perfectly honest with me, unfailingly and sometimes self-destructively honest,” Brooks said.

After Brooks’ speech, many audience members said that they enjoyed the lecture and had different positive feedback.

“I thought he was really impressive,” Dan Lipscomb, a 1969 Berry grad, said. “He was really funny- especially when he said being a conservative at the New York Times is like being a chief rabbi in Mecca.”

Both faculty and students had good things to say about Brooks’ lecture.

“I think it was very informative and comical,” sophomore history major Scott Alan Hill said. “I really liked the insight into the private life of politicians- how they communicate or don’t communicate with each other was interesting.”

Berry College President Dr. Stephen R. Briggs also attended and said he was impressed with Brooks.

“I thought he was exactly the kind of speaker we needed,” Briggs said. “He was funny, smart, thoughtful, balanced. He helped us think. It really restores your faith in journalism.”

Brooks kept his audience laughing with frequent jokes. He commented that senators have big heads.

“What senators have are not heads, they are containers for heads,” Brooks said. Brooks also said that although politicians are people’s people, they have very few true friends.

“They are so used to climbing that they don’t develop relationships side by side,” he said. “They feel this incredible loneliness and sometimes they lurch out in the cruelest ways for human contact.”

Brooks commented that politicians, besides being lonelier than expected, are also usually a lot different in person than on television, especially President George Bush.

“Well, the biggest difference is that he’s about 80 IQ points smarter in person,” Brooks said. “It’s funny, when you’ll talk about Russian history with him in person, he’ll talk about books he’s read or about Peter the Great. Stuff he would never talk about in public. His manner is also very different. He’s much more Texas in person. He slouches, he sort of snorts, he sits crooked, he has an imaginary chaw on the side of his mouth, he’s actually quite profane.”

Brooks not only offered a journalist’s insight on politicians, but he also offered advice to students hoping to break into the journalism business.

“The first thing I would say is learn at lot about the world, not just about journalism. So I was a history major, philosophy, English, economics,” Brooks said. “The second thing is you’ve got to bring something to the table, some body of knowledge. For somebody who wanted to go into print journalism, be aware that you have to think of how it’s going to change. Television journalism seems like it’s going to survive. I’d say it’s doing quite well.”

Brooks, a former traveling professor of public policy, said that he enjoys speaking to college students and that Berry treated him well.

The Gloria Shatto Lecture Series honors Dr. Gloria M. Shatto, the president of Berry College from 1980 to 1998 and the first woman to be president of a college or university in Georgia. She helped create the WinShape program and increased Berry’s recognition as one of the best comprehensive colleges in the southeast. Shatto believed that learning can take place not only in the classroom or in textbooks but also in the world, and her lecture series was created to give Berry students the opportunity to learn from worldly speakers.

Emotions Abound During Senior Art Show

New art pieces in Moon Gallery reflect student insight.

By Kimberly Harbrecht
Edited and Posted by Rachel Miller

After years of hard work and creativity, seniors Shannon Douglas and Stephanie Kipfer combined efforts for their first official gallery showings with the exhibition of their senior art theses.

The themes of the exhibit focus on life and their experiences. “Tiny Dreams” is a tangible representation of Kipfer’s thoughts and dreams, while “Remember This” is a collection of significant moments in Douglas’ life.

Inspiration Through Her Eyes
“There are moments in which one is aware of its significance as it transpires,” Douglas said. “I catalogued a particular image to remember that moment and showed the significance of it with the medium.”

Whether the inspiration came from a book, family member or event, Douglas compiled every painful and tender emotion she experienced and transcribed them onto the blank canvases. The result was a combination of both realistic and abstract images constructed of bold colors.

“Conceived in Autumn” exemplifies this new approach to art through the use of mixed mediums. Douglas added entirely new dimensions and emotions to the paintings through the combination of paint, charcoal and acrylic.

“It’s about playing with the boundaries of drawing and painting, creating a hybrid,” Douglas said.

“‘Conceived in Autumn’ combines both drawing and painting to enable both internal and external realities to co-exist in the picture plane,” Douglas said in her artist statement.

"They Were Here First " painted by Shannon Douglas
Photo courtesy of Shannon Douglas

“They Were Here First” also plays with the complexity of reality and its boundaries, depicting a couple embracing yet invisible in each other’s arms.

At the student symposium, Douglas presented “Standing in the Ashes at the End of the World” to show how the use of specific colors is essential to bring to mind the same feelings and emotions Douglas experienced at the time.

By showing the scene of a woman surrounded by abstract buildings, the sensations depicted by the painting are drastically changed, leaving behind a heinous color that evokes anxiety and even nausea. The addition of the green shades is essential to the purpose and message of this piece of art. These approaches and techniques Douglas utilized lead her pieces to appear radiant to all viewers.

Through the display and implementation of Douglas’ art, she allowed viewers to experience moments of her life from her perspective, achieving the intent and purpose of her art.

“The way she presents her work allows for art to be more than just art and beauty,” said senior Lyndsey Johnson. “The art has a purpose.”

What truly sets this gallery apart is the addition of Kipfer’s art and the interaction between bold colors and life experiences.

Left to right: Seniors Shannon Douglas and Stephanie Kipfer with their collaborative piece

Photo Courtsey of Shannon Douglas

“I think the shows are strong; both created very different bodies of work with very different concerns that hold together well as a single body of work individually,” said Dr. Brad Adams, art professor and advisor to both Douglas and Kipfer.

Dreams Create Art
Kipfer approached her art by first looking inside her mind and exploring its depths. What she found were “Tiny Dreams,” the title of her show.

“When I make a painting, I have an image in my mind, like a tiny dream,” Kipfer said. “It is a cross section of the artists’ mind – a manifestation.”

This theme transpires in each painting, but stems from one in particular. “Homage to ‘Grey,’” a tribute to the song by Ani DiFranco, combines the technique of paneling, dividing the entire work into smaller sections, and the addition of text to create a tangible image of the song.

“I smoke and I drink and every time I blink, I have a tiny dream,” DiFranco sings on “Grey”; which was written on the painting and stands as the basis for Kipfer’s inspiration. The slight haze that covers the canvas contributes to the emotion of dreaming; making it clear that it is not actual reality.

Kipfer’s “Procrastinating” piece creates a depth unmatched by the other paintings achieved through the use of spray paint. Within the painting, time is being eaten away as the distance looms on in the background.

“I wanted to create an image of what procrastination looks like in my head,” Kipfer said. “It took forever to finish it.”

Hanging the 14 original pieces for the opening on Friday, April 11 was one of the most exciting aspects of the exhibit for the artists.

“Both artists were very enthusiastic about creating a clear representation of their work through the installation and lighting of their shows,” said Adams.

“I wasn’t sure how everything would turn out, but once it went in the gallery with the lighting, it really came together,” said Kipfer.

With Kipfer’s eagerness to discuss each painting and the story behind them, it is apparent that a true passion exists.

“I wouldn’t be in school for anything else,” she said.

Future Plans
After graduation in the spring, both Kipfer and Douglas plan to continue their careers in art. Douglas plans to explore the New York City art scene in the fall and Kipfer hopes to intern with Cartoon Network in Atlanta and continue painting.

The exhibition was displayed in the Moon Gallery through April 11-19 as part of a series of senior art shows.

Out of the Garage

Berry Motor Works rolls forward with new leadership, emphasis

Scott Richards ( middle), former member of Berry Motor Works

Photos: Thanks to Scott Richards

By Caitlyn Barron, COM 301
Edited and posted by Laura Price, COM 303

Nothing beats a classic BMW.

Berry Motor Works, BMW, is a 12-person, on-campus organization that specializes in the promotion of lifelong skills in basic automobile knowledge. Founded four years ago, the group emphasizes the enjoyment and safety awareness of motor vehicles.

“It’s an everyday escape from the college experience,” said Scott Richards, former member of Berry Motor Works

After the club’s first year, founder Andy Johns graduated, leaving the club without a president. BMW became nonexistent until 2007 when brothers, David and Scott Richards, former members of BMW, asked Isaac Jessup to reorganize the club.

Completely transformed, BMW focuses largely around the current expressed interest by its members in motorcycles more then automobiles. The club also holds events that include car and motorcycle shows.

When not riding a motorcycle, you can often find members gathering in the Krannert Center lobby on Monday nights before heading to dinner or to practice behind the Cage Center. There, the group is learning how to ride motorcycles. The riding lessons start out gradually around campus, but are frequently taken off campus so that it does not disturb students and faculty that may disprove of motorcycles.

Surprisingly, being a mechanically geared group, there is an equal amount of men and women. All three men agreed that they enjoyed working with women. The women in the club are very interested in learning about how to ride motorcycles as well as work on different projects and sometimes pay even more attention then the men.

“You see guys have this little ego thing going on, it kind of prevents them from listening to what we actually tell them to do,” said David Richards. “It’s really funny watching them get on the motorcycle for the first time and letting them have it; they listen better after that.”

Besides showing members the fun of riding motorcycles or teaching self achievement lessons like changing one’s own spark plugs or oil they share personal experiences. Scott Richards recently was involved in a motorcycle accident, of which he has almost completely recovered.

Picture of Scott Richards wreck

He shared his personal experience with BMW, making them aware that when something does go wrong the motorcyclist is either going less than 12 mph or they are a victim to someone else’s fault.

Not only does BMW want to instill vehicle knowledge to all of its members, but basic communication skills that they know Berry students will need when they graduate. The members feel a real sense of achievement sharing their knowledge with others that want to learn and have fun. BMW feels a sense of accomplishment seeing its members learning other life long skills besides, what they have learned from classes.