Issue 423: 5 / 14 / 2012

The 2012 Faculty and Staff Awards Reception Review

Dewayne G. Benson (left) presented the Jim Willis award by President Nathan L. Essex.

Working hard all year for most of us has it dividends, yet some individuals especially stand out and receive recognition from their co-workers and supervisors. It is at Southwest's annual Faculty and Staff Awards Reception that these individuals are honored. The 2012 reception was held on April 27 in its usual venue, the Verties Sails Gym. The following awards were presented:

Support Staff Awards

Support Staff Employee of the Year - Tilicia L. Washington
Support Staff Professional Growth - Brandi N. Martin
Support Staff Service to the College - Cathy L. Farr
Kenneth W. Mathis Environmental Service Award - Bonnie Carol Fisher

Police Services/Public Safety Awards

Director of Public Safety Award of the Year - Police Officer Kristoffer D. Billington
Distinguished Service Award - Police Officer Ronald L. Ross
Officer Appreciation of the Year Award - David C. Boone

PASO (Professional and Administrative Staff Organization) Awards - for "Service to the College, Our Students and Our Community" were presented to the following:

Barbara Helton
Lennon Pearson
Sherri Scott
Betty Kimbrough
Major Barbara Holmes
Teresa Calloway

Faculty Awards

Farris Award - Amy Waddell
Curriculum and Instruction - Ken Carpenter
Service to the College - Amanda Banker
Professional Growth and Development - Annette Fournet
International Studies Globalization - Tamara McColgan
Service to the College-Classified Staff Award - Cathy Farr
Community Service Award - Dr. Joan McGrory
Leadership Activities Award - Cynthia Abadie

Vice Presidents Divisional Awards

Academic Affairs Provost’s Award - Continuing Education

Harry Taylor
Ronald Wells
Amy Shead
John Churchill
David Penna
Alyanna Alsham-Brooks
Yvonne Martin
Cortez Nunley

Financial and Administrative Services Vice President’s Award - Korrick M. Brown
Information Technology Services Vice President’s Award for Excellence - Scott Martin
Student Services and Enrollment Management Vice Presidents’ Award for Excellence - Thalia Wilson
Institutional Advancement Vice President’s Award for Excellence - Robert Jackson
Human Resources and Affirmative Action Executive Director’s Award for Excellence - Loretta Bartlett

Jim Willis Spirit Award

Dewayne G. Benson

View the 2012 Faculty and Staff Awards Photo Gallery.

Southwest Holds Business Administration Advisory Meeting

Lisa Hadley (far right) updates advisory members on current issues.

Dean of Career Studies Mike Stephens welcomed members of Southwest’s Business Administration Advisory Committee to a breakfast meeting held on April 20 at the Macon Cove Campus, expressing appreciation for their commitment throughout the academic year. Southwest Vice President for Financial and Administrative Services Ronald Parr and Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Robert Miller were special staff guests.

A focal point of the meeting was the Outstanding Business Advisory Board Committee Member 2011-2012 Award presented to Tim Brown, CFA, president of Brown Financial Management Group, by Associate Professor of Business and Legal Studies Thurston Shrader for Brown’s long-standing commitment and service to the program. Also presented to Law Enforcement Professional Bob T. Van Keuren was the Outstanding Curriculum Development in Business Studies 2011-2012 Award by Department Head of Business and Legal Studies Lisa E. Hadley for Van Keuren‘s development of courses for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program.

Brown has been an advisory member for 14 years and has been active in many departmental functions. He also teaches Principles of Insurance as an adjunct for the college. Van Keuren holds a criminal justice degree and has more than 30 years of diverse law enforcement and management/supervisory experience. He most recently completed eight years as the resident agent in charge for the U.S. Customs Service, Memphis, TN.

Providing an update of the Business Studies Program, Hadley introduced initiatives regarding the new funding formula and Southwest’s renewed focus on recruitment, engagement, and retention of students. These initiatives included cohort programs, accelerated programs, and transfer programs. She also described Tennessee Achieves, a grant-based program supported by organizations in the community that encourage high school graduates to advance to higher education in a community college by funding college tuition.

Assistant Professor of Business and Legal Studies Cynthia Abadie outlined proposed revisions to the Homeland Security Technical Certificate program, indicating the goal is to respond to community needs, specifically the growing demand for homeland security training in the transportation industry. Associate Professor of Business and Legal Studies Ashley Geisewite introduced a new accelerated and cohort program schedule for an existing degree program: Associate of Applied Science Degree in Business and Commerce with a concentration in Management. Geisewite explained that a goal of the program was to reduce confusion by offering the student a guided list of classes, facilitating the cohort nature of the program.

After open floor discussions and recommendations, Hadley concluded the meeting by encouraging Advisory Board members to continue to offer their valuable input.

View more photos of the Business Advisory Meeting.

London Does Not Disappoint

Southwest student Pamela E. Williams is framed by Buckingham Palace.

Southwest professor Levi Frazier said one of the highlights of the trip was visiting the British Museum, which houses the Basalt or Shabaka stone, named after Egyptian Pharaoh, Shabaka. On this stone is written The Memphite Dramas, the oldest recorded dramatic scripts ever found, which gives Memphis, Egypt the title, by most authorities, as the birthplace of theatre. The Memphite Dramas not only celebrate the birth of the world and man, but they also celebrate the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by Menes. (Courtesy photos)

Reprinted from a Special to the Tri-State Defender
April 27, 2012
by Pamela E. Williams

Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Theater and Music Appreciation classes recently completed their 2012 London study abroad experience. Pamela Williams, a Theatre Appreciation student, shares her account.

Watching Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira on the “Today Show” as they covered the Royal Wedding from London, England in April 2011 prepared me very little for the picturesque city I would encounter a year later.

A ten-hour plane ride and a six-hour time change could not squelch my excitement about seeing The Queen’s country. After standing in customs for what seemed life forever, students from Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Theater and Music Appreciation classes were allowed to collect luggage and board the famous red double-decker bus – transit we would get to know well while in London – to transport us to our residence for the coming eight days. Located in the Chelsea District, our IES dormitory rooms were small and compact, but no matter, because other than sleeping, we would see very little of them.

In London, people drive on the left in cars where the driver sits on the right. My classmates got a good laugh at my expense as I tried to enter a London cab. I was to ride up front with the driver, so when I proceeded to get into the cab, I attempted to enter from the right side of the car – the driver’s side. The cab driver thought this was hilarious as well and asked if I wanted to drive. In addition to cab and bus rides, we also traveled by train and tube, London’s underground transport.

We hit the ground running, taking in the first of four plays, “Snookered,” the story of four Pakistani friends dealing with race, death and religion in London, at the famed Bush Theatre. In the next eight days, both Theater and Music classes would take in the Broadway productions of “Les Misérables” and “The Lion King,” along with symphonies and operas.

The culture of London would then extend its hand toward the sights of the capital city of England. It was a humbling experience to walk the corridors of the Westminster Abbey and see the tombs of the queens of old and the memorials of the likes of Charles Dickens and George Frideric Handel, famous for his oratorio “Messiah.” As we walked over the graves of famous poets, musicians and scientists, one could not help but to be in awe by the serene nature of the church. A church service and a two-hour tour is just not enough time to embrace the entire Abbey.

During the remainder of our stay, our classes were further immersed in London’s culture by visiting the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum. Nothing, however, could prepare our eyes for the beauty of the countryside along the outskirts of London.

After checking out Buckingham Palace – who could go to London and not visit The Queen’s palace – a chartered bus drove us up to Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, where lush green grass grows even in winter. The architecture alone is worth the two-hour trek.

We visited and toured Oxford University, where some portions of the Harry Potter films were made, as well as the birthplace of William Shakespeare and his world famous Globe Theatre. As if our senses couldn’t be overwhelmed any further, cue an acting workshop at the impressive University of Surrey and you have someone who wants to relocate to London.

A tour down the River Thames yielded a memorable view from the water of Parliament and the London Bridge. And from a capsule on the London Eye, the aerial view of Big Ben and the cityscape took our breath away from above.

As we took in the sights of London, we also experienced amazing cuisine. Although we experienced Italian and Mediterranean fare, we couldn’t leave London without trying her famous fish and chips.

I would be remised if I didn’t mention the weather there. Yes, it is just like you might imagine: cloudy most days, rainy one minute and then sunny the next. Mix in the cold and you have typical London weather in the winter.

Weather aside, I am planning another trip to London to take in all the sites I didn’t see. Eight days just wasn’t enough for this Southwest College student.

The Scoop Moves to Summer Schedule

Today marks the beginning of the Scoop’s summer schedule. It is normally published bi-weekly, with the next edition coming out on June 4.

Door-to-door Alarm Scams Are Common; Here's What to Do

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

“My mom is 67 and has Alzheimer’s. She has an alarm system through another company. This company came in claiming to upgrade her system and that her company was going out of business. She received a statement in the mail with a charge of $1,774.21 and she did not recognize this bill. She is still under contract with the original company and now she is under their contract, too. She had no reason to switch over to another company.”

The alarm company involved in this complaint has had a bad record with the BBB for many years. They refunded the money, but only after requiring the daughter to prove that her mother had Alzheimer’s. Other people who were deceived by this company weren’t so lucky.

The Federal Trade Commission says to watch out for these practices by door-to-door alarm sales agents:

They target houses with signs from other alarm companies and tell the homeowners they’re here to upgrade the system. Or they may claim the other company has gone out of business or bankrupt and they’ve taken over the account.
They make a limited-time offer and claim you need to act now. The offer may include “free” equipment, although you’re generally going to have to sign a long-term and maybe costly monitoring contract to get it.
They use scare tactics. For example, they may talk about a rash of burglaries in your neighborhood that may or may not have actually taken place.

The Electronic Security Association has adopted strict policies to improve the ethical conduct of its members. They include requirements for providing identification, not making false statements about the competition, and full and clear disclosure of termination fees and refund policies.

The BBB offers this advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of a door-to-door alarm scam:

Check the company out with the BBB at www.bbb.org.
Don’t be pressured – a reputable company will let you check out the offer and compare bids from other companies.
Recognize that offers of free equipment usually involve a contract for monitoring the system. Be sure you understand the term of the contract and monthly cost. Many contracts have automatic renewal clauses if you don’t cancel them within a certain number of days of the renewal date.
Understand what your obligations are if you move.

Finally, be sure that all promises made by the salesperson are in the contract and be sure you read and understand it. One lady complained that the salesperson told her she was signing up for 12 months. When she tried to cancel after 12 months of bad service, she found out she had another 48 months to go.

Southwest Baseball Team Finishes Fifth in Region Tourney

Nick Reeves

The Southwest baseball team came in fifth place in the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII tournament in Chattanooga last week. Under first-year head coach George Sykes, the Saluqis finished the season with a 20-33 overall record, their best since the 2008 season.

After ending the TCCAA regular season in eighth place, Southwest faced ninth-place Roane State in a play-in game on May 6 with the winner advancing to the eight-team double elimination tournament. The Saluqis defeated Roane State 3-1 as winning pitcher Luke Deaton allowed only three hits and no earned runs through 8-1/3 innings. Southwest fell behind 1-0 in the sixth as Roane State scored the game’s first run on a throwing error. Then in the bottom of the seventh, the Saluqis tied the game as pinch-runner Sam Braswell scored on a double-steal (of home and second base) with Cameron Dougher, who later scored the go-ahead run on a single by Gadier Charriez.

The Saluqis lost a first-round tournament game on May 7 to regular season champion and top-seed Columbia State by a score of 6-2. Freshman catcher Brett Steadman had three hits in the game including two doubles. In a second-round elimination game against Jackson State, the Saluqis scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Generals 5-4. Down 4-0 going into the last inning, David West led off with a double followed by a single by Nick Reeves, a walk by Marcus Burk and a single by Christian Crawford that scored West with the Saluqis’ first run. Steadman then singled to drive in Reeves to make the score 4-2. After pinch-hitter Carlos Alegria reached on an error, scoring both Burk and Crawford to tie the game at 4-4, Alonzo Powell reached on another Jackson State error which scored Steadman with the winning run. In the third round, Southwest again faced Columbia State and was defeated 10-1 which ended the Saluqis’ season. Both Reeves and Crawford had two hits including a double and Powell added two singles. Reeves was the Saluqis’ top hitter in the four games with a total of seven hits including three in the play-in game against Roane State and Powell had six total hits, all singles.

Southwest Softball Team Defeats Motlow and Columbia for Top Four Finish

Morgan Kirk

The Southwest softball team placed fourth in last week’s TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Tournament, the best ever finish for the Lady Saluqis. They finished the season with a 31-31 overall record, marking the fifth straight season with at least 30 victories.

After losing to third-seed and eventual tournament runner-up Walters State 9-0 in a first-round game on May 7, the Lady Saluqis came back to defeat Motlow State 4-3 later that night to stay alive in the tournament. Down 3-2 to Motlow State going into the bottom of the seventh inning, pinch-hitter Hollye Taylor’s two-out single scored Morgan Kirk with the tying run. Caroline Jacobs and Makayla Rice followed that up with consecutive base hits to load the bases before Heidi Molder reached on an error which scored pinch-runner Ashley Hobson with the winning run.

In the third round on May 8 against Columbia State, the Lady Saluqis scored nine runs in the first two innings (highlighted by a first-inning lead-off triple by Jacobs and a grand slam by Haylee Power) to take a 9-0 lead and held on for a 9-7 victory. Jacobs and Ali Hare each had three hits in the game while Rice and Stephanie Steen added two hits each. In a fourth-round game later that night that began at nearly 11 p.m., Southwest lost for a second time in the tournament to Walters State; this time by a score of 10-0, eliminating the Lady Saluqis from the tournament and ending their season.