Issue 408: 1 / 24 / 2012

Mayor AC Wharton Delivers the 2012 State of the City Address from Southwest’s Union Avenue Campus

Memphis Mayor AC Wharton addresses the concerns of Memphis stakeholders in his 2012 Sate of the City Address.

The mantra “This is our moment. This is our time.” was continually resounded as Memphis Mayor AC Wharton delivered his 2012 State of the City Address from the Verties Sails Gym on Southwest’s Union Avenue Campus on January 23, a historical event for the College. Southwest President Nathan Essex welcomed the standing-room only crowd by saying, “This event is meaningful to Southwest because we are working very closely with, as are other institutions, both Mayor Wharton and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell on several initiatives to attract and expand businesses, to improve college attainment, and diversify our workforce.”

Mayor Wharton underscored what he deemed four key priorities that have the power to change the trajectory of Memphis for the next four years: (1) Create safe and vibrant neighborhoods, (2) Grow prosperity and opportunity for all, (3) Invest in our young people, and (4) Advance a culture of excellence in city government.

The mayor also announced initiatives that will be launched in the next 100 days: Appointment of a strike force to implement Memphis neighborhood reinvestment strategies - neighborhoods are the connective tissue that ties together our work on jobs, education, public safety, and quality of place; development of procedures to determine the condition of Memphis parks – partner with neighborhood groups to oversee and operate them; move to create a new seven-acre park on the rivefront – embark on a place-making process to find consensus about how to protect the riverfront while making it more attractive and vibrant; plan to move ahead with community policy programs, re-entry programs for former felons, alternative programs for juvenile offenders, and the placement of more cameras in high-crime areas.

Regarding education, the mayor said, “Our progress as a city can be no faster than the progress in education. ... In the next 100 days, I will convene a special task force to evaluate the best strategies for early childhood development and to make recommendations for investing the money now allocated to school funding so our children are ready for school and life."

Also on the program were John Pugliese, senior director of Marketing Communications for the Memphis Grizzlies, Dr. William Evans, CEO of St. Jude Research Hospital, and Pat and Gina Neely of the Food Network’s “Down Home with the Neelys.” The Central High School ROTC conducted the Presentation of Colors, while Melrose High School Senior Class President Justin K. Jones led the Pledge of Allegiance and Keia Johnson sang both the national anthem and "Memphis Lives in Me."

View the State of the City Address photo gallery.

Phi Theta Kappa Launches the “Pledge to Completion” Signing Campaign at Southwest

PhiTheta Kappa members Erin Mullinax (seated left) and Cumira Wicks (standing) solicit student signatures for the Community College Completion Corps pledge signing campaign.

Statistics show the surest way for anyone to land a job in their chosen field is to finish college and earn a degree or certificate. And that's exactly what students at Southwest are promising to do -- pledging to complete their degrees and certifications before leaving the community college for transfer or to enter the job market. Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society is heading the Community College Completion Corps (C4), the national student-led education initiative to raise awareness of the importance of college completion not only for students, but also for the communities they serve.

Students of the Southwest PTK Honor Society encouraged all students of Southwest to actively make the decision to complete by making a pledge. PTK faculty sponsors Dr. Twyla Waters, Dr. Joan McGrory, and Angela Payne designed a pledge that resembles a short survey. In eight multiple-choice questions, students are asked if they have completed all developmental requirements, a first college-level class, a full course load of four college classes, then two semesters, three semesters, four semesters, and finally a college degree. The quick questions ask the student to indicate that they have already completed this requirement or to pick a timeframe of six months, one year, two years, or longer. According to Dr. McGrory, the pledge is short and simple but it encourages students to (a) make an active decision to complete, (b) measure success through incremental steps toward completion, and (c) set the expectation of length of the commitment.

Payne led students in conducting a two-day campaign drive during the first week of classes on the Macon Cove Campus. PTK members Mia Atkins, Karla Dailey, Ty Garrison, Erin Mullinax, Audrea Vaughn, and Cumira Wicks volunteered and encouraged students to take the pledge. As an extra incentive, students who signed the pledge or completed it online were entered into a drawing for a $100 book voucher at the Southwest bookstore. Payne remarked that the student members of PTK took the pledge seriously while also having fun as they encouraged others to complete the pledge. “It was a positive note for the start of the semester,” she stated.

Nationally, community colleges are implementing various campaign strategies. Southwest’s Chapter of PTK in collaboration with the Office of Student Retention and Graduation will encourage students to take the completion pledge through many channels including a banner signing ceremony held at the PTK initiation ceremony and widespread outreach to all students in the ACAD1100 Academic Success course through the leadership of Dr. Marguerite Jackson-Jones, and the team of ACAD1100 instructors. Moreover, Southwest clubs will be challenged to continue this pledge drive with Phoenix Worthy, Student Activities coordinator, leading the effort.

“Phi Theta Kappa’s national degree completion campaign sets the stage for transforming our college culture into one that not only takes pride in being the largest community college in Tennessee; it also desires to exemplify the kind of campus atmosphere that exudes excitement at just the thought of graduating thousands of students who are ready to start a career or seek a bachelor’s degree. The Office of Student Retention and Graduation is delighted to work with Southwest’s PTK advisors and other departments to provide a creative means of focus for students as they ascend from possibility to the reality of completion,” said Dr. Cynthia Calhoun, executive director of Office of Student Retention and Graduation.

Memphis Mayor Says Neighborhoods, Education, Jobs Are Key Priorities

Reprinted from The Commercial Appeal
Monday, January 23, 2012
By Amos Maki

Mayor A C Wharton detailed an ambitious agenda today for his next four years in office, including plans for supporting education, wiping away blight and redeveloping neighborhoods, reducing handgun violence and attracting more jobs.

Wharton, who took office after winning a special election in 2009 to serve the remaining two years of former mayor Willie Herenton's last term, began his first full term this month. He presented his 100-day plan to improve neighborhoods and address other priorities to a crowd gathered for his State of the City address at Southwest Tennessee Community College's Verties Sails Building.

Wharton said that despite tough economic times, new jobs are on the way – from deals with Electrolux, Mitsubishi Power Products Inc., Great American Steamboat Company and City Brewing that Wharton helped to consummate – and that Memphis is turning a corner.

“If history tells us anything about Memphis, we are at our best when things are at their worst,” said Wharton. “This is not where we find ourselves today. The state of the city is strong and resilient.”

Wharton said over the next 100 days, the city would examine every city park, develop a consistent plan for park maintenance and investment, and develop plans to partner with neighborhood and community development groups.

The city also will likely launch another wave of lawsuits against negligent property owners. In 2010, the city filed 138 suits in civil court under the Neighborhood Preservation Act as part of an effort to clear deteriorating properties.

“These reinvestment strategies will be implemented by a strike force equipped to act courageously and in solidarity with the people in our neighborhoods,” said Wharton. “Neighborhoods are the connective tissue that ties together our work on jobs, education, public safety and quality of place.”

Wharton said the city will remain involved in education once the merger of Shelby County Schools and Memphis City Schools is complete. City leaders believe once the school systems are merged the city will no longer be legally responsible for providing MCS with $60 million to $70 million in additional funds it has provided over the decades.

Wharton said he is assembling a committee to determine the city’s future role in education and that the city’s support for education could come in the form of early childhood and after-school programs for children.
“In two years, city government’s role in education will change but our responsibility won’t,” said Wharton. “Research indicates that what takes place outside the classroom is just as important in determining academic success as what happens inside it.”

Wharton also spoke about a top-to-bottom review of the Memphis Police Department - the city recently signed a contract with Washington-based Police Executive Research Forum to perform the review – and a new focus on “community policing.”

“We will fight gun violence and gang activity, and we’ll do it with a carrot and a stick,” said Wharton. “We’ll punish strictly anyone who uses a gun in the commission of a crime, but we’ll also create the jobs that give youths better choices for their lives.”

Wharton will have considerable resources at his disposal to pursue some of his top priorities:

Memphis is one of five cities splitting a $24 million grant as part of the Mayors Project, a government innovation program of Bloomberg Philanthropies. The eight-member "Innovation Delivery Team," led by Doug McGowan, former head of the Naval Support Activity Mid-South base in Millington, will use the city's nearly $5 million Bloomberg grant to develop strategies to revive key portions of the inner city and reduce handgun violence, particularly among the city's youth.

An $11.5 million initiative called Family Rewards, first tested in New York City, will offer cash incentives to Memphis teenagers who show regular school attendance, get good grades and go to the doctor and dentist.

Memphis was one of six cities chosen to participate in a White House initiative called "Strong Cities, Strong Communities."

"We have in effect created our own national think tank focused only on the problems of Memphis, and for the first time in history, we are a national hub for innovative answers to tough urban issues,” said Wharton.

Southwest Welcome Center Points the Way

The first day of class can be intimidating and frustrating for first-time students. The Southwest Welcome Center provides direction − assuring that students find their way to classes, the bookstore, and the offices of the staff and administratrors who serve Southwest students.

How to Tell When an 'Official' Notice Really Isn't Official

Reprinted from a Special to The Commercial Appeal
By Randy Hutchinson
President of the BBB

What would you think if you received a letter with this language on the envelope – “Warning: $2,000 Fine For Any Person Interfering or Obstructing With Delivery Of This Letter. U.S. Mail TTT.18 U.S. Code”?

Is it possible the sender wants you to think it’s some sort of official mailing from the government that you need to open immediately? Additional language on the envelope says that time sensitive material is enclosed and requests a response within five days. In this column, I’ll offer advice on two topics – these kinds of mailings and a troublesome industry that makes use of them.

One of the challenges direct mail marketers face is getting their solicitations opened rather than consigned immediately to the round file. I remember a credit card solicitation that was mailed in a box rather than a standard #10 envelope. It certainly cost more to mail, but if more people opened it and ultimately accepted the offer, it paid for itself.

The question is when does “creative” cross the line into “deceptive”? The crooks who send out phony lottery and sweepstakes letters are particularly imaginative in designing their envelopes to entice recipients to open them. We have samples with return addresses of “Department of Allocations” and “Monetary Disbursal Department”. Some contain official looking seals.

I become more concerned when the creative marketing extends to the contents of the envelope. One company sent local consumers a letter that suggests they’re due a refund of thousands of dollars on mortgage interest they’ve paid. It talks about a mortgage audit having been performed based on city and county records and includes a listing number that looks like an official property recording number.

The solicitation appears to be from the government or the homeowner’s mortgage company. There’s no company name on the envelope or the letter. The fine print, however, does say it’s not a government offer and contains three initials that I was able to determine are another name for a company in Utah. The FTC calls some offers like this “forensic mortgage loan audit scams.”

Whether these solicitations are deceptive is in the eye of the beholder. The BBB Code of Advertising says that an advertisement as a whole can be misleading even though every sentence is literally true. My advice is to read any solicitation carefully, including the fine print. Don’t be mesmerized by creative language. Be particularly wary if there’s no company name and address on it.

In an earlier column, I warned about offers from companies that sell vehicle service contracts, also known as extended warranties. The language I cited in the opening paragraph of this column came from a solicitation I received from one such company. A Germantown resident sent me a solicitation from another company with almost identical language.

These solicitations are often designed to look like they’re coming from the manufacturer of your car when they’re actually being sent by unrelated companies. While some of the companies are legitimate, others mislead consumers about what repairs are covered. Do your research before buying one of these vehicle service contracts.

Remember the language about the enclosed materials in the solicitation I received being time sensitive, requiring my immediate response? It attempted to sell me an extended warranty on a car that was totaled in an accident two years ago.

Saluqis Defeat Motlow State and Vol State in Conference Games

Marshun Newell

The Southwest men’s basketball team improved to 8-4 on the season with conference wins on the road at Motlow State 86-83 on January 20 and at Vol State 95-93 on January 21.

Freshman guard Marshun Newell was the leading scorer in both games with 24 points against Motlow State and 21 against Vol State. Sophomore forward Antwon Oliver had 19 points against Motlow State and 18 points against Vol State.

The Lady Saluqis lost to both Motlow State 69-67 and Vol State 77-73 to drop to 15-4 on the season.

Both teams return to action this weekend with games at the Verties Sails Gymnasium against Roane State on January 27 (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.) and Walters State on January 28 (women 2 p.m., men 4 p.m.).