VolumeVolume 42, 42, Issue Issue 1010

January 24,January 24, 2011 2011maconstatement.commaconstatement.com

STATEMENTn acon MM SSnnSSSSnThe

Blue Storm basketball club rebounds to beat Trinity Baptist 62-60

It was over a decade ago when

Macon State College last was able to say that

they off ered a basketball club, but the fall semester

of 2010 showed promise of a rebound.

On Tuesday, Jan. 18 Blue Storm basketball hosted Trinity Baptist College in Macon State’s fi rst home

basketball game since the late 1990’s.

An unexpected challenge met the team before they even hit the court.

Due to certain players on the Blue Storm basketball team being ineligible to

play, the team was short by two players. Two new recruits, Elijah

Acklin and Samil Patel joined the team shortly before the game to help give the team

some depth and to allow the starters to switch out for

rest during the game. The game began with

Blue Storm taking control of the ball, followed by Blue

Storm’s number 7, Koba Kobaidze scoring the fi rst basket of the

game. During the fi rst half, both teams were neck to neck with scores

rarely being more then 4 points apart.

At the start of half time the score was Trinity Baptist 34 to Blue

Storm’s 28. The second half started with momentum in Trinity Baptist’s

favor with the scoring of a 2-point basket and a free throw shot that

was the result of a foul by J.P. Ocubillo. Blue Storm defense

kicked into gear during the second half by taking control of the ball, but Trinity Baptist was

right on their heels. When the scoreboard

buzzed announcing the time running out of the

regular game the score was deadlocked at 53 to 53. This led to 5 minutes of overtime where Blue Storm outscored

their opponents by a fi nal score of 62 to Trinity

Baptist’s 60.

Photo by Lily BillingsleyMSC Blue Storm stacks up to top Trinity Baptist in their Jan. 18 game.

Club Rush Spring 2011

Come and meet with the diff erent clubs here at MSC and fi nd out where you fi t in!

Tue Jan 25 WR Campus.Wed Jan 26 Macon

Campus.The event begins at

10:00 AM and ends at 1:00 PM.

Staff Reports

Spring 2011 Recreation and Wellness Events

Jan. 27 – Rugby Club Tryouts

Feb. 12 – Baseball Club – Opening Day Game - Georgia Tech vs. MSC at Luther Williams Field at 2 p.m.Tailgate party will precede the gameFirst pitch to be thrown by Dr. BellMarketing Club will hand out door prizesAll Sports Clubs will be recognized in pregame ceremony

March 18 – Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks – Van leaves at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $98

April 1-2 – College Relay for Life at Mercer

April 12 - DUI/Texting and Driving Simulator 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

April 12 – Field Day at WRC

April 13 – Field Day at Macon Campus

April 19 – Health Event at WRC Oak Hall

April 25 – Midnight Pancake Breakfast

May 7 - Skydiving

Staff Reports

Blue Stormcontinued on page 4

By Kaleb ClarkStaff Writer

e-mail us at statement@maconstate.edu

staff478-757-3605 FAX 478-757-2626 OFFICE: SLC-120 www.maconstatement.com

LETTERS POLICY: The editor of the Macon Statement will try to print all letters received. Letters should be, at maximum, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include: full name, professional title if a Macon State employee or Georgia resident, or year and major if a student. An address and phone number are required with all letters sent, but this personal information will not be published. The student newspaper reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel, or length. The newspaper

will not, under any circumstance, withhold names. Please address all correspondence to Letter to the Editor at editor@maconstatement.com. Where current events are concerned, priority will be given to those letters written by students, faculty, and staff of Macon State College.

DISCLAIMER: The Macon Statement is the recognized student newspaper of Macon State College and is published biweekly (Mondays)

during fall and spring semesters. Opinions and ideas expressed in the student newspaper are those of the individual artists, authors, or student editors, and are not those of Macon State College, its Board of Regents, the student body, or the advertisers. The Macon Statement is paid for, in part, through student activity fees. For a review of all Macon Statement policies, see The Macon Statement Handbook at http://www.maconstate.edu/studentlife/statementmedia.aspx

January 24, 2011 January 24, 2011 maconstatement.com maconstatement.com22

Dear Macon State Freshmen and Seniors,

The faculty and staff of Macon State are always interested in fi nding out what we think about the College and our experiences here. One of the ways the College can learn about our opinions is to conduct surveys. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) asks students

to respond to a series of questions regarding their educational experiences. Nationally, more than 2,000,000 students at 1,400 institutions have completed the NSSE since 2000.

On January 26, NSSE will send all Macon State freshmen and seniors a link to the web-based NSSE via their Macon State student e-mail accounts. By understanding what

we believe we have gained from our college educations, the College can pinpoint and address areas that need improvement, both in and out of the classroom. Our responses will be used to improve educational experiences for all Macon State students. Also, Macon State student responses will be compared with the results of the same survey

at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities nationwide.

Participation in the NSSE is completely voluntarily and anonymous. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. In addition to strengthening the College, participants who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for prizes to include:

* all-access campus parking space

* iPad * Aramark gift cardIf you have any questions

about the NSSE, please contact Sara Jeffords, Macon State College Offi ce of Institutional Research, at sara.jeffords@maconstate.edu.

22

Editor-in-Chief: Norma Jean PerkinsManaging Editor: Summer LeverettCopy Editor: Marian G. BrewerPhoto Editor: Kimberly Waddelton

Layout Editor: Lily Billingsley Webmaster: Harry UnderwoodStaff Writer: Tracey BakerStaff Writer: Nic Bell

Staff Writer: Allison L. BoutwellStaff Writer: Kaleb ClarkStaff Writer: Erica D. HillPhotographer: Kelly Geeslin

Want to improve your educational experience at MSC, answer the survey&EDITORIALSEDITORIALS OPINIONSOPINIONS

NSSEcontinued on page 3

January 24, 2011January 24, 2011 maconstatement.com maconstatement.com 33

NSSEcontinued from page 2

ON CAMPUSON CAMPUS

Watch for the e-mail invitation from NSSE containing your log-in information.

The questions are easy. The impact is great. Let your voice be heard!

Ashley O’Neal,Macon State Senior

Amber Osgood,Macon State FreshmanOffi ce of Student Life

You may know him as Chip, Dr. Rogers, Mr. Chip, Dr. Chip, but certainly not as Mr. Rogers! He’s quick to claim that he’s no Pollyanna.

At the age of 46, Dr. Chip Rogers, assistant professor of English, was diagnosed with stage IV chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), in June 2007. CLL occurs when white blood cells multiply so much that they eat the red blood cells, which supply oxygen to the body.

“I was diagnosed just by going to a regular doctor visit-the fi rst time I did

that in my life,” Rogers chuckled. That is when he discovered his white blood cell count was too

high. When asked how CLL

has aff ected his life as a teacher, Rogers responded that it explained his fatigue, but what was already diffi cult was made more diffi cult by the leukemia.

“It made it a little bit harder to be hard on some students,” Rogers said.

According to Rogers, work was a diversion that kept him from thinking about his predicament.

“Even grading papers was escapist!” Rogers laughed. Once he even went to work immediately after chemotherapy, and taught two classes.

In the summer of

2008, Rogers received chemotherapy, which nearly killed his bone marrow. He received 20 units in blood transfusions. According to an article written by Rogers on facebook.com, he went into remission in October 2008.

“Oh no!” Rogers said, when asked if he wanted sympathy or normalcy, “I wanted to be a normal person, in fact that’s why I didn’t tell anybody that I worked with, except for my boss and my job in Oklahoma.”

Since then, Rogers has been involved with Team in Training and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Modern day super heroes can be found at MSCBy Allison L. BoutwellStaff Writer

Photo by Allison L. BoutwellDr. Chip Rogers is an Assistant Professor of English at Macon State College

Spring auditions were held Jan. 18-20 for Macon State College’s Company of Players’ production of Tom Stoppard’s play, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.”Director Jason Levitt said

that he was looking for 15 to 25 people for the play. Call backs will be Jan. 24 from 6-9 pm. This is Levitt’s fourth year

directing plays at Macon State College. Levitt said that he wants experienced and inexperienced students to participate, as the program provides students with supportive opportunities to learn about the art and craft of theater. The story line for the

play is very fast paced and loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Levitt said his analogy

for the play was: “words, words, that’s all we have going on!”Levitt said he has 43

years of theater and education experience and none of this would exist if God didn’t bless him. He added that God gave him gifts, such as exceptional students who participate in his plays. Levitt also said that he is

grateful for the continued support of the Macon State staff , the funding through student activity fees and most of all, the students who participate.

Company of Players auditions held for the spring playBy Erica D. HillStaff Writer

January 24, 2011January 24, 2011 maconstatement.com maconstatement.com44 FEATUREFEATURE

What did E. J. Rose think pushed his team over the top? “The crowd, the cheerleaders did a good job cheering by rooting us on and getting us hyped. We just wanted to pull out a win for our home,” he said.

Jayce Goosby led the Blue Storm basketball team with a scoring of 24 points, followed by;

E. J. Rose who scored 15, Koba Kobadaidze scoring 11, J. P. Ocubillo scored 6, Damien Fluellen scored 4, and Dennis Jackson scored 2 points.

“For us being a fi rst year team you guys are looking at us like we aren’t going to win. Come out to the games because it’s gonna be a show,” said student Dominique Shivers, freshman, business administration major.

Close friends Kwab Opoku-Fianko and E. J. Rose worked together with adviser, Recreation and Wellness Director, James Hagler to bring together Macon State’s fi rst basketball team since 1999. The new

basketball team has discarded their old name of the Mustangs and will work on establishing themselves under Macon State’s new mascot, Blue Storm.

When asked about his motivation for jumpstarting the basketball program at Macon State Rose said, “I didn’t play high school ball, so that is what made me want to start up this team. With Macon State not having a basketball team, I wanted to be the one to bring it there.”

Rose now serves as president and team leader, in charge of rallying the team and setting up practice times.

According to Coach James Hagler the team has struggled with balancing classes, work, and practice. Imbalance caught up with Blue Storm basketball when they lost their fi rst away game to Chattahoochee Technical College on Nov. 21, 2010 where Blue Storm basketball scored 47 points verses their opponent’s score of 105.

“Everybody been talking about our other game last semester. We’re past that now,” said student Jared Redding, freshman, business administration major.

Blue Stormcontinued from Front Page

Photo by Lily BillingsleyEJ Rose (No. 5) scores again to add to his total of 15 points.

Photo by Lily BillingsleyBlue Storm defense holds Trinity Baptist on points.

Photo by Lily BillingsleyJP Ocubillo (No. 31) outmaneuvers Trinity Baptist.

Photo by Lily BillingsleyKoba Kobaidze (No. 7) scored the fi rst point for Blue Storm.

Photo by Lily BillingsleyJayce Goosby (No. 33) was top scorer for Blue Storm with 24 points.

Photo by Lily BillingsleyCoach James Hagler talks about strategies to the team.

Photo by Lily BillingsleyBlue Storm defense holds Trinity Baptist on points.

January 24, 2011January 24, 2011 maconstatement.com maconstatement.com 55FEATUREFEATURE

Top Photos by Lily BillingsleyMSC Macon campus main entrance near the Administration Building.

Bottom Photos by Johanna AcevedoMSC Macon campus main entrance near the Administration

Building.

Photo by Kelly GeeslinIt is an icy path to the Church of the Wildwood.

Photo by Kelly GeeslinTire tracks show the thickness of the ice covering a residential Macon street.

January 24, 2011January 24, 2011 maconstatement.com maconstatement.com66

Enforcement of the new smoking policy will begin when signs are posted

By Tracey BakerStaff WriterIn December, the

Macon State community participated in an online survey regarding tobacco use on campus. A new smoking policy was implemented beginning Jan. 1.

A total of 1,586 individuals participated in the survey. The results reported that 82 percent of participants were students. According to the survey, 72 percent of participants supported a campus-wide policy that permits the use of tobacco and tobacco products only in designated areas on campus. Lynn McCraney, Dean of Students, said, “Students, faculty, staff and guest have encountered diffi culty in escaping secondhand smoke as they enter and exit campus buildings and

have asked for this type of policy for years.”

Chief Shawn Douglas of Public Safety said there would be penalties for tobacco use in non-tobacco areas. The fi rst

off ense will result in a warning being issued to that individual; any violation of the smoking policy after the initial warning ticket will be $10 per violation.

A student found to be a habitual violator of the rule would be sent before the disciplinary board. Human Resources will be notifi ed if a staff or faculty member is found to be a habitual violator.

“Plant services are in the process of putting up no

smoking or tobacco signs that will direct tobacco users to areas where tobacco use is allowed,” said Douglas.

The tobacco use areas will be approximately

50 feet or 20 paces from main entries. “This will ensure that anyone who is allergic to tobacco or wishes to refrain from secondhand smoke can do so,” said Douglas.

“Persons are not allowed to walk across campus and smoke,” said Chief Douglas.

According to Dean McCraney, smoking will still be allowed in personal cars.

Currently there are two tobacco areas on the

Warner Robins Campus: the south side of Oak Hall and the center courtyard of Academic Services/Thomas Hall.

Macon campus has six areas: (1) The car wash

station at Residence Life; (2) behind Plant Operations; (3) the gazebo will cover the buildings for Learning Support, the library and the Science Annex building; (4) Jones and PSC building area is located behind Jones on the fi rst fl oor at the entrance of the PSC building; (5) humanities area is located on northwest side where the plants are located and (6) Student Life Center area will be located at the rear

of the building near the lake.

“We want to promote this in a positive light and we also want to provide a happy median for those who do smoke,” said Douglas.

“Full force of the rules will begin in approximately two weeks. By then all the smoking receptacles will be in place and the signs will be up as well,” said Douglas.

Senior nursing student, Clay Burdette said, “I am glad I don’t have to walk through smoke anymore.”

“I like being able to walk into a building without a cloud of smoke in my face,” said Elizabeth Peterman, junior, nursing student.

Junior nursing student, Deedra Hoeft said, “I’m all for it!”

Jamie Watson, a junior English major said, “I have yet to see it enforced, I didn’t vote for it, but when they put up covered areas, I will smoke there. Right now I smoke where there are ash trays.”

Shannon Williamson has joined the Macon State College Department of Public Safety as lieutenant and second-in-command. A native of Barnesville, Williamson

has 12 years of law-enforcement experience. He previously served in the Lamar County Sheriff ’s Offi ce, where he was dayshift supervisor and sergeant on patrol. He has also served with the Barnesville Police

Department and the Gordon College Police Department. Williamson is an Army veteran who was serving as a military police offi cer in Bosnia when the 9/11 attacks occurred. He has accumulated more than 1,800 hours of

training and is specialized in such areas as interstate criminal interdictions, K-9 units, and narcotics investigations, and was a SWAT team police counter sniper.

ON CAMPUSON CAMPUS

The Wellness Center at Macon State is now open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 6:30

a.m. to noon on Fridays in order to accommodate students.

According to the

Director of Recreation and Wellness, James Hagler, the reason for the new hours is to accommodate students. The new hours came because of student suggestions, and from Macon State looking at what other schools are doing.

“If we can do what students want because that’s what we’re here for, we’ll try to accommodate them,” Hagler said. “I know a lot of people like to work out before they get their day started and so we just wanted to accommodate as many people as we could.”

Hagler, who works out at 6:30 a.m., said that he saw the advantages

of having the Wellness Center open at 6:30 a.m. He cited getting up early as a con to the new hours; however, he said that he has three staff workers who volunteered to work at 6:30 a.m.

“Everybody’s schedule varies,” Mendy Smith, a senior health services administration major said. “It’s [the new schedule] defi nitely catering to everyone.”

Michael Spencer, a junior accounting major and a student assistant at the Wellness Center, is one of the workers who volunteered for the early shift. Spencer said that he arrives at the Wellness Center at 6:15 a.m.

According to Spencer; part of his duties is to plug in the machines and to open the Wellness Center at 6:30 a.m.

“I’m a morning person anyway. I know a lot of people that like to work out, but can’t because of classes,” Spencer said.

The new hours give those people the extra time they need to work out; plus the early hours are good for faculty members who have family to go home to after work, according to Spencer.

Hagler said that the new hours are a sort of trial, but he thinks the Wellness Center will keep the new hours.

“If we get two or three

weeks in and we’re only having one or two people taking advantage of it, then we would end it,” Hagler said.

Hagler said that on average six or seven students have been using

the gym during the new hours. Eight had already come as of 8:15 a.m. the day of the interview.

Wellness Center opens earlier to accommodate studentsBy Allison L. BotwellStaff Writer

Enforcement of the new smoking policy will begin when signs are posted By Tracey BakerStaff Writer

MSC Public Safety Department’s newest member and second-in-commandNews Bureau

Photo submitted by News BureauLt. Shannon Williamson

January 24, 2011January 24, 2011 maconstatement.com maconstatement.com 77

MSC presents Black History Month activities

Macon’s College Town Film Series more than just a night at the movies

COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY

Macon State College’s 2011 Black History Month activities will feature the chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and a look into the history of jazz. Both events are free and open to the public. • Marquetta L. Goodwine, offi cially known as Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, will present a program on the Gullah/Geechee people at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7, in the Arts Complex Theater at Macon State College. The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both

the coastal plain and the Sea Islands. The Gullah people and their language are also called Geechee. The Gullah are known for preserving more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African-American community in the United States. Queen Quet is a published author, computer scientist, mathematician, historian, and preservationist. She founded the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, the premiere advocacy organization for the continuation of Gullah/Geechee culture. Her writings include a 30-volume

series on Gullah/Geechee culture and a Gullah anthology.

• Jimmy Mills and the GQ Jazz Quintet will present “The History of Jazz,” a performance and lecture, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, in the rehearsal hall of the Arts Complex at Macon State College.

For more information about these events, contact Dr. Mary Mears at 478-471-2888 or mary.mears@maconstate.edu.

Black History Month is sponsored by the college’s Black History Month Committee and supported by the Offi ce of Student Aff airs. All events are free and open to the public.

While college students never have a shortage of activities to do downtown, The CollegeTown Film Series, hosted at the historic Douglas Theater, is just the right balance of entertainment and academia.

Created in 1999 as a joint eff ort between Macon State College, Mercer University, and Wesleyan College, The CollegeTown Film Series is an annual event that sees all three local Macon colleges rent out the Douglas Theater and present fi lms based on specifi c themes to the students and community of Macon. Dr. Bob Burnham, a professor of History at Macon State College, has been involved with the series since it’s inception. He was on the Board of Directors for the Historic Douglas Theater and wanted to come up with an idea that would see all three Macon area institutions interact and give back to the community, especially downtown.

Dr. Burnham’s idea was an educational and cultural mission to reintroduce the Douglas Theater to the downtown community after its renovation. He wanted to give the colleges more of a chance to work together, but he also wanted to establish a downtown presence for Macon State College, just like Mercer and Wesleyan already had. The two colleges across town were more than willing to be a part of this idea, and they have co-sponsored the event every year of its existence.

Each year faculty from all three colleges meets to discuss possible themes for the series. Past themes include 2007’s “Civilization and it’s Discontents”, 2008’s “Southern Comfort”, 2009’s “City Life”, and last year’s “Madness”.

For each particular

theme, a faculty member from each institution chooses a fi lm they believe fi ts the theme for the year. This year’s presenters are Patrick

Brennan of Macon State College, Craig Coleman of Mercer University and Tom Ellington of Wesleyan College. They are presenting “Children of Men”, “Ghost Dog” and “Last Night” respectively.

When asked how he chooses his fi lms, Dr. Brennan said, “I look for a movie that engages a theme intelligently and provocatively and that has some cerebral content besides just the emotional.”

“Children of Men” deals with the fall of mankind, which is in a way a diff erent kind of end times. “While there are more movies that deal explicitly with the end times, if they are not doing something interesting culturally, then that’s not something I would choose,” Brennan said.

What is interesting

about the series is the perspective of the presenters. Dr. Brennan did fi lm production in Undergrad, Mr. Coleman from Mercer is a professor

of Political Science, and Mr. Ellington of Wesleyan is a professor of Art. These varying backgrounds and disciplines give a unique stance on not only the fi lms being presented, but also the theme itself.

The CollegeTown Film Series opens Thursday, Jan. 20 at The Historic Douglas Theater with the showing of “Late Night” presented by Tom Ellington. Craig Coleman will present “Ghost Dog” on Thursday, Jan. 27, and the series concludes on Thursday, Feb. 3 with the presentation of “Children of Men” presented by Patrick Brennan.

The Douglas Theater is located at 355 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. It is free for students with valid student ID and $5 for faculty, staff and the general public. All ticket sales are proceeds for The Historic Douglas Theater.

News BureauBy Nic BellStaff Writer

January 24, 2011January 24, 2011 maconstatement.com maconstatement.com88

Every Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the library’s conference room, librarians get together to de-stress, discuss and work on crafts and talk about books with the Macon State community.

Robin Grant, a reference librarian, came up with the idea because four of the library workers like to do crafts. Grant said she thought maybe they could

come together and listen to an audio book; or if someone wanted to, read a passage of a book they wished to discuss.

“You don’t realize what people do in their spare time,” Grant said.

Grant said her specialty is knitting. “Knitting is fun. It’s very relaxing to me. I like to quilt as well,” she said.

April Renfroe-Warren, a cataloging librarian, likes to cross-stitch. “I want to learn how to knit. I like to paint bird houses and painting on canvas just for fun. I also like stamps,” said Renfroe-Warren.

Brandi McDonugh, a librarian assistant, likes to draw and paint ceramics. “My favorite thing to do is to sew. I sew clothes and quilts. I take cloths with pictures and embroider the picture and make it into a quilt,” said McDonugh.

Assistant librarian Felicia

Haywood said her passion is making creatures. She is on the International Plush Team, who published a book last year called “Get Stuffed.” Haywood also enjoys knitting and sewing. “I really do every kind of craft. I can’t draw to save my life, but everything I know to do, I self-taught myself,” she said.

“I hope that people will come and take a break in the middle of the week and enjoy doing crafts.

lso get to know your librarians,” Haywood said.

ON CAMPUSON CAMPUSDe-stress with crafty librarians and friends at MSC libraryBy Tracey BakerStaff Writer

An evening of total elegance and grace music will be off ered on Jan. 24 at 7:30 pm promptly at the Art Complex Rehearsal Hall.

Vocalist Rebecca Lanning, associate professor of Music and pianist Melanie Buckner decided to do the concert because “Singers like to sing” stated Lanning.

For students who have never been to a classical recital the rules diff er from a regular concert. There are three etiquette guidelines to a recital such as one set is eight songs and you are to applause at the end of the set. Second etiquette guideline is never interrupting the vocalist or pianist by walking in an out of the concert. The third guideline is, Lanning said she wants the crowd to enjoy the music!

The music selection is 18th century Italian, 19th century German, 20th century American English one piece from a popular composer George Gershwin, Lanning said. There will be a special multi media element added to enhance the pieces in the German set.

Concert Recital to be held Jan. 24By Erica D. HillStaff Writer

Photo by Tracey BakerFelicia Haywood’s plush creature made its debut before the meeting started.

Photo by Tracey BakerRobin Grant guides April Renfroe-Warren through various knitting techniques.

Photo by Tracey BakerCross-stitching is a relaxing pastime for April Renfro-Warren.