Jackson County Center Offers and Excellent Learning Experience 4-12-2011

by Jeff Bell

   

    The Jackson County Center of WVU Parkersburg (JCC) has been extremely busy with activities and events. New technology, improved comforts and educational presentations have made the campus an excellent learning atmosphere, leading the way for several more activities in April.

    The new Community Conference Center has been a valuable tool in classroom and speaking engagements. Students have had the capability to view many guest speakers via the video-conferencing equipment thus saving the hour drive to and from the main campus. The student lobby/multi-purpose area has had some improvements as well.

    The WVU Parkersburg Foundation, under the direction of Executive Director Kimberly Jones, has furnished the lobby/multi-purpose area with all new furniture. The improved aesthetics and comfort of the new furniture are intended to increase the use of the area, according to JCC Director John Gorrell. The upgrade in comfort has been ideal for the recent movie nights.

    Movie nights, sponsored by the JCC Student Government, have increased some social gathering at the campus. Movies, such as Jeff Bridges’ "True Grit", have been shown on the lobby/multi-purpose area big-screen television free of charge to anyone involved with the JCC. Snacks and other refreshments have been available. Another form of educational entertainment has been in the form of historical presentations.

    Mrs. Freda Bradley presented a historic portrayal of Mary Knight, a Jackson County resident during the time of the Civil War. Bradley’s husband, David, portrayed a Union surgeon. The presentation captured the essence of the hardships of life during the trying times of the 1860s. More events, social opportunities and educational experiences are available and scheduled for April.

    The statewide Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Conference was recently held on April 8-9. According to the official TESOL Mission Statement, TESOL’s mission is to develop and maintain professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages.

    The American Red Cross will be holding a community blood drive at the JCC from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 18. Blood supplies are low nationwide for the upcoming spring and summer months and donation are needed.  Another event will allow students to have their voice heard in the month of April. On April 19 the WVU Parkersburg Presidential Cabinet will meet from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Students are invited and will be permitted to interact with the Cabinet during the meeting. Immediately following the cabinet meeting, President Gnage will attend a student ice cream social, where students will be offered more time of social interaction and questioning with the president.

    Students are invited to contact the JCC for more information on any of the scheduled events and opportunities at (304) 372-6992.

NJROTC Program at Risk-by Jeff Bell 3-29-2011

          PHS NJROTC
                    Stay or Go?

by Jeff Bell

 The federal government has initiated several budget cuts nationwide, but one in particular impacts students close to home. The Parkersburg High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) is scheduled to dissolve at the end of the year.  According to Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Smith, with decreasing interest and enrollment, the Department of the Navy has decided the PHS NJROTC program is just not cost effective. “We need to show the Navy just how valuable this relatively cheap program is. Just one F-18 demonstration flight could keep this program open for an additional eight years,” Smith said.

    WVU Parkersburg Veterans Corps members attended the community support rally held March 14 on the front lawn of PHS. “It’s very important to show our complete support, sign the petitions and talk with the people involved,” John Wilson, veteran work study, said.

    The meeting is simply another step in the long process of saving this program. “We are going to follow the old saying, ‘The squeaky wheel gets the oil,’ and we are going to be as squeaky as we can be,” Ralph Board, PHS principal, said. “The cadets love the program; the programs loves PHS and PHS loves this program,” Board said. Several politicians either sent representatives or attended. Todd Anderson, representative from Senator Manchin’s office read a letter from Manchin addressing the PHS NJROTC cadets and supporters. “I am in complete support of this NJROTC program and have sent a letter to the Department of the Navy on your behalf,” Anderson read.

    Parkersburg Chief of Police Joseph Martin represented the City of Parkersburg in voicing concern for the loss of this program. “You guys need to work hard promoting and recruiting yourselves. You can save this program by showing the Navy the support this program can have. Increase your numbers and increase your value,” Martin said.

    To support the NJROTC program, students can write several political offices:  1. The Honorable Jay Rockefeller, United States Senate, 531 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510-4802; 2.  The Honorable Joe Manchin, United States Senate, 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510-4801; 3. Honorable Ray Mabus, Office of the Secretary of the Navy, 2000 Navy Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20350-2000



           

"We need to support these students in every way that we can. Remember, freedom is never free,"   Wilson said.

Foreign Languages 3/8/2011

Students Run For The Border...

by Jeff Bell

   Traveling for two weeks throughout the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico visiting museums, beautiful historical governmental buildings, and cathedrals, and also attending free concerts, is an assignment for two students in Spanish 397 at the Jackson County Center of WVU Parkersburg (JCC).

    Jennifer Valdez and Timothy Duley will create a work covering the history and culture of Mexico, while studying at IMAC, Spanish language systems.

    IMAC is an international Spanish language school with many other locations worldwide, such as Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Spain and Ecuador. A simple game is given the credit for this educational experience.

    Anthony Betonte, class instructor, while on a trip to Guadalajara with the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), won second place competing in a traditional Mexican game. The game of Balero requires one to catch a small ball attached to a string in a cup, usually a timed competition. The second place award is a four-week IMAC training session for the instructor; however, Betonte traded this for two- two-week sessions for some of his best students to experience Guadalajara and the true Mexican culture.

    Guadalajara is the capital of Mexico. The city has several nicknames, three of which are The City of Roses, the City of Murals and The Pearl of The West. Guadalajara was founded in 1542 by Spanish explorers seeking gold, and has become the second largest city in Mexico. “I’m excited to see everything Guadalajara has,” Valdez said. The city is full of historical murals, beautiful cathedrals and interesting people.

    Tapatio is the name of the people of Guadalajara; most are friendly and very helpful, according to Betonte. The students will gain firsthand knowledge of the Tapatio people as they will need to traverse the city using the various forms of mass transit available, speaking only the Spanish language.                                                According to Betonte, the mass transit is extensive, but not complete. The students will need to walk to some of their destinations.

    The Guadalajara climate is very temperate, maintaining an average temperature of 75 degrees annually. “It does usually rain for a brief period every afternoon or evening,” Betonte said. “They (the students) will need to be prepared for that and pack accordingly.”

    Valdez and Duley will be staying in homes of local Tapatio people, again where only Spanish is spoken. The homes will be somewhat close to the campus of IMAC., this will reduce overall costs of lodging and transit to and from the campus.

    According to Betonte, a majority of the cost is being funded by the WVU Parkersburg foundation under the direction of Executive Director Kimberly Jones and has been approved by Dr. Rhonda Richardson, senior vice president of academic affairs, and Denise McClung, division chair for social sciences and languages. Valdez and Duley will only need to raise approximately $300 for incidentals (food and souvenirs).

The students have several fund-raising ideas. “We plan on possibly holding a bake/hotdog sale or car wash, but we will need to obtain permission of the campus (JCC) to do so,” Duley said. This trip is very educational and the students could use any help available. For information on fund-raising activities for this trip, contact Anthony Betonte at on main campus.

All Glazed Over:Professor helps students excel within the 3-D pottery program 3/8/2011




Sign Made by all of Orcutt's Students


         by Jason Hall

    Even though there is a large sign that reads “3-D ART,” the pottery studio is discreetly tucked away in the depths of the campus at WVU Parkersburg.

    When opening the door to the studio, carefully look around before walking among the buckets of water, hoses, electrical cords, and drills. These obstacles are the tools of the trade that are encountered throughout the 2000-foot studio.

    The odd aroma of glaze baking is an obvious indication that students have been busy producing masterpieces of clay.

    Throughout the past three years, the pottery program has been modifying its studio.

    Although the three-year-old electric kiln is a welcome asset to the studio, the new potter’s wheels have been the newest edition to room 0200.

 Enrollment growth averaged 10-14 students every semester over the past three years making it clear that Instructor Zachary Orcutt needed more space.

    Orcutt hails from upstate New York and has a BFA from Syracuse University, MFA from Bowling Green State University and attended an apprenticeship program at Johnson Atlier Technical Institute of Sculpture, where he learned bronze casting. The college awarded Orcutt “Promising New Faculty” in 2007-08 and the “Faculty of the Year” award in 2009-2010.

        The traditional potter’s wheel is heavy and large; therefore to create more space WVU Parkersburg purchased 10 new Pacifica Eklecric Potters Wheels.

    “The new electric wheels are nice because they are much easier to use and are much lighter and smaller. We are now well equipped,” Orcutt said.
      Although the gas kiln is so old that the door has been replaced, it still maintains the 2,345 degrees integrity of a new one. “It still produces a nice glaze result, and I’m trying to research grants so that the pottery program might maintain and possibly prosper,” Orcutt said.

    WVU Parkersburg students will showcase some of the pieces created by the program April 18 and 19 outside the library between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

            The Parkersburg Art Center will host an exhibit on Mar. 18 – April 18 of the WVU Parkersburg students and faculty artwork.The Parkersburg Art Center will host a reception for the artists on Mar. 25.
 

Potter's Wheels



Foreign Languages Expand Employment Opportunities--by Jacob Adkins 3/8/2011

by Jacob Adkins

    Randy Oldaker, Full Professor of Ancient and Modern Languages, believes that to better understand a foreign language is to better understand how the world works.

    As Oldaker explained how just knowing a foreign language can help a student obtain a job. When he first moved to the Mid-Ohio Valley, a local shoe store hired because he knew how to speak Spanish and there were a large number of customers who also spoke Spanish coming to the store.  They needed someone that

communicate with them.

    Oldaker believes students that they should take more than just two semesters of a foreign language, knowing that to fully understand a language take a lifetime. He recommends that students take four semesters to get a basic elementary grasp of a language. In order to attain advanced knowledge of the

Languages he suggests five to six semesters of the language.

 With the number of multinational corporations in the region, employers need to hire those who can speak a variety of languages. Knowledge of a foreign language can also be helpful with Journalism, because of the need for translators who can help reporters in a country understand what is happening. An example for this would the uprising in Egypt. Without people who are able to speak Arabic to translate for journalist who do not speak Arabic, the would have no idea of thesituation and how the people of Egypt felt about the

Government.

    Also having knowledge of a foreign language can make vacations more interesting. As Oldaker says,

 “It’s nice to look at the buildings, but if you want to experience the culture you need to be able to understand what is in the magazines, newspapers and television.”

    By reading magazines and newspapers from many countries, one can help learn about what is happening in that country and their views on different issues.

    Many departments of the government, from the CIA, FBI, Armed Services and the State Department, share the need for people who can effectively communicate.

            WVU at Parkersburg offers many different language courses, German, Japanese, French, Latin, Ancient Greek and Spanish

Couples Learn to Work on Issues--by Joe Wolfe 3/8/2011

After the issues are worked out....

by Joe Wolfe

    In any sustainable relationship, outlets must exist that enable, as well as cater to, the attention and care of two like-minded individuals. Within this institution, an outlet does exist that focuses on the process and functionality of healthy relationships in general. “What it really Means to be in a Healthy Relationship” was presented on Mar. 2 at WVU Parkersburg, and is the first of a multi-part seminar that focuses on healthy relationships.

    Kurt Klettner, who organized the event, and is a counselor at WVU Parkersburg, explained, “Wednesday’s seminar was primarily an introduction into the process of healthy relationships. The event’s presenter, LeAnn Bates, who has Master’s level training and is also a licensed professional counselor, talked about the concept of healthy relationships and how we can sustain them.”

    For the sake of clarifying, it is important to state that there are no distinguishing factors that might exclude an individual’s interpretation of a relationship.  “Relationships can include boyfriend/girlfriend, and husband/wife unions.  They could be friendships, and they can include parent/child relations,” Klettner added. “It is important that this concept be introduced to students in a general way because relationships can take on many forms.”

    Presenter LeAnn Bates emphasized the value of expressions of love and expressions of forgiveness. She feels the importance of dealing with issues in a relationship is central to these two forms of expression.  Bates also expressed the importance of understanding that conflict in a relationship is not confined merely to those who fall under the title “couple.”

    In addition, Bates’ presentation highlighted the importance of relationship skills. More specifically, she feels that difficulty in any relationship can be addressed through an individual’s willingness to develop, and utilize new skills. This employment of skills, according to Bates, will enable an individual to further nurture a relationship.

    Part II of the Healthy Relationship Seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 23, at 11 a.m. in room 2211. In maintaining courses with the subject matter of the first installment, Bates introduced elements of physical intimacy and the concept of pregnancy. Part II, titled “How to Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy – How to Manage Unplanned Pregnancy” will be presented by Judy Ryan, who is a Family Nurse Practitioner.

    To obtain further information, contact Klettner.

            It should be noted that brief counseling is available at WVU Parkersburg through Klettner’s office.  This is a service provided by the student counseling center and is offered to couples who may be facing challenges within their relationships.

WCE is Fast Tracking~by Trey Bailey 2/8/2011

by Trey Bailey

     WCE, what does that stand for?  Fast track certificate programs, what are these?  The easiest way to answer both of these questions to walk down the new walkway built in front of the WVU Parkersburg campus and look to the building on the hill across the street. 

This building is the Workforce and Community Education building.  They offer many great things for the community, such as fast track certificate programs.

Some of the certificate programs that are offered with the WCE are MDA or Medical Office Assistant, Lobotomy, real estate, home inspector and dental assistant.  Also, Lobotomy is now being offered with a complete national exam.

     These certificate programs are designed to assist people such as displaced workers and non-traditional college students go directly back into the workforce for employment.  The best part about these programs is that they can be finished within 90 to 120 hours.  

Another big goal of the Workforce and Community Education is to send workers back out into the workforce and prepared for work.  They help individuals gain the skills and abilities they need to operate on a day-to-day basis in a difficult job market.

“We help people who are having problems finding employment gain the confidence to be able to find jobs suitable for themselves out there,” said Martha L. Leeson.  “With many of these students they are first generation college students and need to be given the opportunity to pick up other skills such as resume building.”

     The building itself is large enough to hold three class- rooms.  Two rooms can seat 21 and one can hold 50 but the 50--seat room can be split for two classes with a barrier. 

Not only is the WCE helping make things better for students on campus, but also for workers off campus.  The WCE offers outside directors for teaching courses off campus.  They actually set up classes on site at such places as Dupont, where the instructor is paid to travel and given material to directly teach a specific course at off campus locations. 

            For any information contact the WVU Parkersburg Workforce and Community Education at 424-8000.

Leadership Academy Works Together for Success~by Trey Bailey 2/8/2011

All 15 Members of the Leadership Academy

by Trey Bailey

WVU Parkersburg faculty and staff are once again working to improve student’s individual college experiences.

The Leadership Academy is one part of that improvement process. 

The Leadership Academy is a course that faculty and staff take to help build leadership skills and also to improve the WVU Parkersburg campus for everyone.

The Academy tackles projects throughout the school year to possibly make changes for the following year.

The Academy meets at various times to learn from the Leadership Challenge 4th Addition by James M. Kouzes and Berry Z. Posner.

The 13 members who are currently a part of the Leadership Academy pair to tackle issues that need improvement on campus.  The President's council makes the decision on which projects the Leadership Academy will work on during the year.

Dr. Cindy Kelley, co-facilitator of the Leadership Academy said,  “The leadership program does a lot of research on how to improve students and faculty experience here.”  She said these research projects are “important” to improving our school for years to come.

Some of the areas on campus identified as needing improvement consist of the honors college, exploring course offering opportunities, improving communications with financial aid services and developing entrepreneurial ideas for the downtown center.

The Leadership Academy “actually just started back this school year.  There was no academy last year,” Kelley said.

The Leadership Academy operates from August til June and is open to faculty and staff to apply in May.

A State Leadership conference is set to take place on campus March 31.  Students and faculty from around the state will be invited to take part.  The Annual Leadership Today Conference will also take place on campus April 1.

For any information on the Leadership Academy, contact Cindy Kelley or Denise McClung both of which have offices located in rooms 1022 for McClung and 1026 for Kelley.

Welding Department Keeping Pace with Industry~by Jason Hall 2/8/2011

by Jason Hall

The industrial maintenance and welding departments are currently going through a transition that will improve the courses for the instructors and the students.

David Thompson, the chair of Science and Technology Division and Instructor of Electronic Engineer Technology said, “Classes of old used to contain a mix and match of students with different skills and some of the guys would test out.”

“WVU Parkersburg is in a transition of placing students of the same skill in the same class, which puts the students on the same page,” Thompson said. The transition will help WVU Parkersburg meet industrial standards and state requirements, which will add to the value of the degree for any student attending the college.

“Students used to attend WVU Parkersburg welding classes just to learn how to weld a little, or for a quick certificate, and then leave with minimum requirements not realizing how close they might have been to a degree rather than a certificate from the Board of Education,” said Thompson.

“WVU Parkersburg is making changes to keep up with the industry. The newest edition to our welding program is full-time welding instructor Craig Bills.   He is proving to be a real asset,” said Max Sterrett program coordinator.

WVU Parkersburg is hoping to raise the bar for the welding department by working with American Welding Society. WVU Parkersburg is currently working with AWS to help students better prepare for jobs in the field by providing knowledge of the welding industry, as well as performance based evaluations. This will include some bookwork and exams.

AWS is a nationally recognized organization that is responsible for certifying welders as well as educators and developing curriculum for the welding trade.

Although some of the students are not too thrilled about the idea of exams, doing this  will better prepare the student for a job in the field,” Sterrett said.

“The Industrial Machine program has recently accepted a state grant that allowed for the purchased of new equipment.

“The equipment we did have was from the 60s and 70s. We now have eight new lathes, four new mills, two new CNC machines, and a surface grinder. We also added an electrical instrumentation and certification to the multi-craft department, we are also excited about a new building for the Applied Technology Center that is scheduled to break ground in the spring,” Sterrett said.

            The construction should be complete within a year. The building will be located across the street from the Caperton Center. Any questions concerning the multi craft classes call Max Sterrett at (304) 424-8294 or email max.sterrett@mail.wvu.edu.