Photojournalism students gainvaluable experience

Photo: Angela Wilson

The crowd presses in to shake hands with the president before he boardsAir Force 1 to head to Kansas City for his next campaign stop.

Sheppard keeps the blues alivein Southeast Kansas

By Micah J. TremainPSU Collegio Editor

In 1992, when I heard thatGeorge Bush would be visiting thecampus of Missouri Southern StateCollege in Joplin, Mo., about 27miles from Pittsburg State Univer­sity, I decided that covering such amedia event could be an importantreal world experience for student photojournalists.

After securing five press passes from the White House and undergoing Secret Service security checks,about 10 students, assistant professor of journalism Ron Pruitt, and r fought our way through the crowdto cover this stop on the 1992 presidential campaign trail.

For one former student in my Photojournalism r class, Sept. 11, 1992, proved to be one of the mostmemorable days in his life. Antonio Cyprian Sanchez was confronted by Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff'sofficers after he shot photographs of a verbal confrontation between the officers and several protesterswho had been moved into a designated protest area at the Bush rally.

The protesters, carrying official National Organization for Women signs, Clinton/Gore placards andhomemade posters in opposition to Bush, had been moved to the designated protest area, more than 500yards from the rally area where the president appeared. The area was roped-off with yellow police tapethat read "Crime Scene Do Not Cross."

Sanchez, who had never used a 35 mm SLR camera before the Bush visit to Joplin, walked over to theroped-off protest area when he heard the protesters loudly proclaiming that their first-amendment free

(see President's Visit, pg. 2)

by John KingUniversitas Editor

Important lessonsabout press freedomand freedom of speechlearned first hand

(Editor's Ilote-PSU Alumnus, Lem Sheppard wa named an Honorary PSUTheater Company Member for 1993 for his many professional contributions tothe company.)

It's a sunny day - the grass is freshly mown and the sounds of acarnival surround you as you sit on a blanket in front of a large, whitecement band shell at the Little Balkans Day celebrations in Pittsburg.

After singing a song about hard crust bread, the guy on stage withthe ponytail proudly announces the next act.

"And now," he calls over the sound of the crowd and the kiddie rollercoaster behind you, "we presenta 36-year-old married folk singer with three kids and a master's degree singing the electric blues with his

(see Sheppard, pg. 4)

President's Visit (from pg. J)

speech rights had been violated. Sanchezsaid he began shooti·ng photographwhen the verbal exchanges between thetwo-dozen or so protesters and fourofficers became heated. As Sanchezmoved closer, the officers noticed himand one moved toward him.

"As I was walking up, I saw thepolice officer arguing with one of theladies from NOW," Sanchez said. "Theywere kind of really going at it, so rightaway I'm thinking that would make agood shot. I was getting mostly thecop's reaction, because he was the onewho was more out of control. You couldjust ee on his face the expression ofanger."

Right as I snapped off my third orfourth shot, as I'm looking through theviewfinder, I see the policeman comingcloser to me," Sanchez said. "Hegrabbed me and he goes, 'Who areyou?' And he kind of shook me. Hecame right up to me and grabbed me bythe biceps and forearm with bothhands."

The officer then grabbed for thecamera and asked Sanchez where hispress pass was, Sanchez said. Thestudent explained that he was a studentphotojournalist and did not have a presspass. Sanchez said the officer thendemanded his film and attempted toconfiscate his camera. "As he startedgrabbing my camera away from me­trying to-I said 'No, you can't have myfilm," Sanchez said. "He said, 'Then,you'll have to come with me."

At that point, Sanchez said, theprotesters began loudly protesting theofficer's actions toward him. "Theywere yelling at the officer, 'That'sagainst his fir t amendment rights. Thisis a breach of his constitutional rights' ,"Sanchez said.

"I had asked the officer where he wasgoing to take me, and he didn't reallyanswer me," Sanchez said. "I thought,'Oh gosh, what's going to happen.' Iwas really scared. I thought, 'Gosh, Ihope he doesn't take me around thecorner somewhere and beat ... me.' "After a few minutes, the officer eventu­ally relented and let Sanchez go.

"I thought for sure I was arrested andgoing to jail," Sanchez said. "If you

2

The motorcade press poolgets i/1 position for picturesof the president's departure

through the crowd.

Loudly proclaiming thattheir First Amendmentfree speech rights had

been violated, sel'eral ofthe detained people

continued their protest.

could have seen his face, that wouldhave told you right there that this guymeant business, and he was totally outof control. I'm so glad that there weresome people there who were braveenough to harass the police officer thatwas harassing me. Because, had they notbeen there, who knows what could havehappened to me."

Kathleen Nichols, professor ofEnglish at PSU, witnessed the confron­tation between the officers and Sanchez.Nichols, who was detained in thedesignated protest area, said a heatedconfrontation between the protesters andthe officers preceded the incident withSanchez.

"We had been in the crime scene areafor some time," Nichols said. "Thedeputy sheriff then started saying, 'Ifyou lay down your signs you can leave

. and go back to the rally.' Some peopledid lay down their sign at that point andreturn to the rally. Several of us didn'twant to go back to the rally. So we said,.'Well, let's just take our signs and gohome. There's no point in protesting outhere."

"The deputy sheriff just lost it at thatmoment, and quite an argument en-

Photo: Angela Wilson

Photo: Ron Pm iff

sued," Nichols said. "Among otherthings, he promised to arrest us if wewalked out of the crime circle with oursigns, even for the purpose of goinghome. That's the point where he had hishand on his gun, and I was getting alittle scared myself."

"It was in the middle of that confron­tation, that Cyprian came by and startedtaking pictures, which included theconfrontation," i'chols said. "I thinkthat's what provoked them to react so toCyprian. I mean it turned into a semi­Clint Eastwood film. It was escalatingin mood as time went on. We were juststunned when we saw the deputy go,'Get that guy over there.' The deputiesall turned around. The next thing youknow, they're all swarming around him.They're demanding the camera. They'redemanding the film. The mood was, 'Ican't believe this is happening.' Thetone had even gotten more aggressive.You could see them over there demand­ing very aggressively thi camera andthis film. We were just all shocked. Hewas surrounded. The whole thingshocked us. The whole day shockedus."

The American Civil Liberties Union

Members of thethe press crowdonto a platform

just 100 feet fromthe President to

document hiscampaign stop.

Photo: Angelo Wilson

has filed a lawsuit against the JasperCounty Missouri Sheriff's Departmenton behalf of Sanchez and some of theprotesters involved in the events inJoplin, according to Dick Kurtenbach,executive director of the ACLU ofKansas and western Missouri. Theoutcome of the lawsuit has not yet beendetermined.

As is typical at these kinds of events,members of the press were issued presscredentials and were given access to thepresident by being granted positions onpress platforms, so much of the confron­tation between the police and theprotesters and the incident with Sanchezwas missed by the media. Pittsburgtelevision station, KOAM-TV, used stillphotos shot by PSU photojournalismstudents to visually tell the story aboutthe protesters and Sanchez.

Advanced PSU photojournalismstudents Angela Wilson, Bonnie Trothand Tricia Tucker also had press passes,but they did manage to get photographsof a few people with Clinton/Gore signswho moved through the crowd to therally area and one confrontation betweena person with a Clinton/Gore sign andofficials.

As expected, photojournalists withpress credentials did a good job ofcovering the president's first vi it toJoplin. However, more importantpictures, such as the protesters beingcarted off to the de ignated protest areaand opposition signs being confiscatedand destroyed, were virtually missed bythe media.

The important issue to be consideredfrom this experience for photojournal­ism students is whether newspapers andphotojournalists should allow political

handlers or anyone else to manage theirphotographic coverage of news eventsby issuing press passes.

This was a major news event in thefour-state area of Kansas, Missouri,Arkansas and Oklahoma, because nositting president had ever visited thesouthwest Missouri town of about40,000.

By scrambling to get that great shotof the president speaking and interactingwith the crowd, most papers missed themuch more important story that wasunfolding on the other side of the state­controlled campus, more than 500 yardsaway from where the president wasspeaking. It was a story that I too hadmissed, because I had fought my way toa spot about 30 feet from the president'spodium and was not going to give it up.

To get strong photographic coverageof such important events, the studentslearned that it is imperative that enoughphotographers be assigned to cover themain event and the often more importantactions on the periphery of such politicalrallies. Photojournalists who cover theseevents should also watch for actions thatappear to be serious infringements onfreedom of speech. Otherwise, thestories the public has the most right toknow about may be missed and the pressmay succumb inadvertently to thepolitical handlers and present theirmanaged view of the news.

Finally, it was clearly evident to methat it is important that photojournalismeducators assist in seeking out opportu­nities for photojournalism students tocover major news event so that suchimportant issues as press and free speechcensorship, access and media manipula­tion can be learned fir t hand.

Notes fromSoutheast KansasA Message from the Editor

As we kick-offthis first issue ofUniversitas for the1993-1994 aca­demic year, I'd liketo extend aninvitation to you, asan alumnus ofPittsburg StateUniversity, to getinvolved inUniversitas, thePSU Arts and Sciences Newsletter.

Our mission is really three-fold. First,we want to keep you infonned of issues,developments and happenings at youralma mater. In this issue, you'll findstories and infonnation about specialprograms and people in the College ofArts and Sciences at PSU, and you'll havean opportunity to keep up with news aboutfellow alumni making their contributionsto the world.

Secondly, we encourage you to let usknow what you are up to and how we canmake this publication more informativeand entertaining for you. Perhaps you'vewondered how things have changed sinceyou were a student here. Maybe youwould like to know about a certainprofessor or staff member and what theyare doing now. Let us know your interestsand we'll try to include stories about thoseinterests. Please write to us and tell uswhat turns your career and life have takensince you graduated from Pittsburg StateUniver ity so that we can tell everyoneabout your accomplishments.

Finally, we want you to know that youare a valued part of this great university.We recognize that you are an integral. partof our success, and we would like to inviteyou to continue your involvement with theCollege of Arts and Sciences at PSU bymaking a contribution to the academicdepartment of your choice so that theexcellent reputation you helped establishcan be further enhanced. By doing so, youwill be helping current and future PSUstudents enjoy the fruits of a qualityeducation in the College of Arts andSciences.

-John King, Uni\'ersitas EditorAs istant Professor, Communication

--------------------------..:.....---------3

Photo: Joe Wells

PSU alumnus,Lem Sheppard,contributes his

musical e~i:pertise

during a PSUtheatrical

production.

Sheppard (ji'om pg. 1)

band. Let's give them a big hand."With that introduction, do you stay,

or do you go watch the pig races at theother side of the festival?

If you know the blues and you haveever heard this folk singer before, you'llsit back and prepare to be entertained.

Ask Lem Sheppard and he'll tell youhe's a blues man. If you saw him deckedout in his old black jeans, a red t-shirt,plain white tennis shoes and a redbandanna, you would probably tend toagree with him.

Sheppard is a native of the oldQuindaro section of Kansas City, Kan.His roots have been there ince that wasa Free State area in which slavery wasforbidden even before the Civil War.

The area, Sheppard admitted, is nowjust a ghetto - a far cry from the "smalltown" he remembers growing up in. Buthis is not a story of growing up inpoverty and hardship - one that stereo­typically leads to the creation of a bluesmusician.

The Quindaro area was a strong blackcommunity, with both a black-ownedhospital and a black college, Northwest­ern. The Underground Railroad, anescape route for slaves from the South tothe orth, ran through this area. It alsohas been the home of some of KansasCity's blues greats, one of whom was hisnext door neighbor, Lawrence Wright.

Sheppard did not have heavy expo­sure to blues and jazz when he wasyoung, as one might expect.

"I personally knew one of KansasCity's most popular blues musicians, andI knew him as my next door neighbor'sfather. . .I knew him as a family man, anda guy that worked on cars at a bodyshop."

Sheppard began his experience withmusic like so many musicians - pickingup a guitar, playing chords, creatinglyrics. But at 3 and 4 years old, he wasjust having fun. "I don't really look at itas a gift, but I could sing probably fiveor six real nice, funny songs and tell youthat I wrote them 34 years ago."

Sheppard found his way to southeastKansas like many have before and afterhis arrival - in search of education."My two older brothers and sisters wentto school down South ... and I had a

4

brother who went toschool down here (atPSU). A lot of my familywere going to school...To me, I just wanted toget it over with 0 I didn'tput a lot of thought intowhere I was going 'toschool."

At the time, guitarwasn't offered in collegeso he picked, well, thecoolest looking instru-ment he found - thesaxophone. He had a littleexperience with the sax,having to take it in juniorcollege, and he also had played a littlesax when he was younger.

"Some kid, he either borrowedsomebody's sax or stole it for five daysand gave it to me ... I learned that Iliked it in those five days. I kept itlonger than that because I remember Iactually played it in a band about amonth or two after that."

Sheppard decided on saxophone forpart of his college education because healso knew it would help him in hismusic career.

"There was always this other side ofme that was a guitar player, that knewthis was how I was going to make aliving - playing guitar. But I didn'tfeel like I was jumping through hoops,studying sax and getting a musicdegree. It was all going to help me inthe long run."

It was "just dumb luck" that he cameto Pittsburg State University when oneof the best saxophone instructors in thecountry, Bob Schott, was on staff.

"We had a big dinner at the juniorcollege I went to and we all stood upand said where they were going to go.So I decided I was going to go to PittState and my sax teacher said, 'You aregoing to have one of the best saxteachers in the world.' He said that hehad studied with him and they (both)had studied in France with the father ofthe modern axophone."

So, not even able to read music,Sheppard came to Pitt State to major inmusic. He left the school with morethan a classical education. "When youstudy classical music (one of his

degrees is in classical saxophone),you're studying the music. But if youare going to study sax, just straight outsax, whether you are going to play jazzor blues or whatever, you still study thesame way - you study the instrument. Iwent a step further (than the degree) andstudied the instrument as well." Whenhe was done, Sheppard had earned adegree in classical saxophone, musiceducation and a master's in musiccomposition and theory.

After school, Sheppard's experiencein electric guitar music, including fusionand jazz, would not bring him the famethat his acou tical folk music has. And,he admits, he got into folk musicbecause of the money that was there.

His folk experience began when hewas required, for his major, to play in achoir. The shows for thi choir consistedof traditional spirituals and black music,and the instructor put together somepieces for Sheppard to perform alongwith playing backup. At the TopekaFolkLife Festival he ended up, as part ofthe show, on stage playing some solos.

"I did my regular thing in (theinstructor's) show - did my two orthree numbers, played sax for one of thesongs and sang backup. People reallygot into the acoustic stuff, and I hadblown it off. I thought (folk) was simplemusic; that it was beneath me.

"That was when it hit me. I mean, allthe years I had played electric guitar noone said anything about it. .. ' I wasinvited back (to the festival) the nextyear as a soloist. That meant a lot. Thatmeant money."

103.9 FM • BARTLESVILLE

It is apleasure togreet ouralumni andfriends at theconclusion ofanother greatyear for theCollege ofArts andSciences. Asyou probably know, we are experi­encing another year of increasedenrollment with correspondingpressures on class sizes and availabil­ity of courses in some critical areas.Happily, we were able to makespecial adjustments that permitted usto offer a sufficient number ofsectio;lS to meet student needs inthose areas. As we grow, we aredetermined to maintain the quality ofclassroom teaching and the focus onpersonal attention to our students thatare so much a part of the reputationand tradition of our University.

Our students and our facultycontinue to be the real strengths ofthe College of Arts and Sciences. Thecomposite ACT score for ourentering freshman class has, hown asubstantial increase over the pastfive-year period. At the same time,we have an excellent faculty ofwhom I am extremely proud, not onlybecause ~f their commitment andperfornlance in the classroom, butalso because of their continuingscholarship, research and creativity intheir disciplines. I believe that thefaculty of our College of Arts andSciences stand out among our peerinstitutions because of the excellentcontributions they are making inthese categories. On the national and,in some cases, international levels,our faculty are earning recognition,for example, for their creativecontributions in mt and music andliterature; for their expertise on theecology of the Brazilian rain forest aswell as of our own state; for cutting

(see Dean's Notes, pg. 6)

89.9 FM

finding there's a lot of music out therewe don't know about. And if we knowabout it, we don't know what to call it."

Sheppard's educ<ltion, in fact, hastaken his status as a blues man into areaswhere not many musiCians are known tohave gone. Using his research andknowledge of music, he lectures ·tocollege students in humanitie and musicclasses 'about his folk music and itsimpact.

"When I look at this whole thing ofblues and folk music, I want to make mycontribution as a scholar, and that's thedirection I'm moving in now ... I'llalways be a musician, but I have morefun being a bit of a scholar."

A scholar or not, he still ees himselfand what he does as the acts and musicof a blues man. "I remember once I didan interview and it started out 'WhenLemuel Sheppard dies he wants (hisobituary) to say 'Blues man dies.' Itwould be an honor for me to call myselfthat, but I think I've passed the test.When I went to Kansas City, one of theblues guitar players there - I've knownof him for a long time - he said to me,'It's good to meet you, I've been hearingabout you for years. Now I'm finallygoing to get a chance to hear you. ",

That kind of respect seems to mean asmuch to Sheppard as the music itself.

"That made me feel good, thatwhatever I'm doing, it's importantenough for someone like that in KansasCity (where he hasn't played for 15years) and the old guys, 60 to 70 yearsold, to respect me for it." •

Sheppard has aspirations for higherground. He has received a grant forstudio time and recording a tape, whichhe plans on sending to concert halls andagents in hopes of expanding his music'sinfluence and popularity.

But no matter what his limits prove tobe, this blues man's impact has alreadybeen felt in his corner of the world.

Sheppard's memories of LawrenceWright, his famous Kansas Cityneighbor, taught him that a musiciancan't just survive on playing from clubto club, especially if he has a family.

"It hit me once (as a kid) when sometrash was blowing across the yard andthere was a big poster of 'LawrenceWright at the Starlight Theater. .. but hestill had that body shop. That's how hemade a good part of his living.

"I did realize that he played a lot ofclubs - something I didn't want to do. Ididn't want to be a Kansas City club­based musician bustin' my butt in totalobscurity."

He put together a two-hour show offolk music, understanding that this wassomething he had to do to survive as amusician.

"The show was patterned after whatother folk singers were doing on thecircuit - kind of mixing it up with alittle traditional music and blues. Thechoice to go folk was really - and thissounds crude - but was totally finan­ciaL"

Because he is a husband and thefather of three children, finding a nichein the area music scene as well ateaching guitar and sax (and any othersingle reed instrument) is important toSheppard. Although he enjoys playingwith bands, Sheppard knows hisexperience and knowledge of folk is hismainstay. Since his first days in folkmusic, he has researched the music andhas developed a growing appreciation.

"Once I got introduced to (folkmusic), got into the library here, dug upthe Library of Congress records and sawhow far back it went, I made my ownassessment of what this vast bunch ofmusic was. (I saw) where to draw theline between folk, African-Americanfolk, blues, and now eyen to draw linesbetween blues, African-American folk,African-American country music. I'm

-------------------------------5

Call the Wilkinson Alumni Center •

at 316/235-4758

for more information.

Switzerland andthe French Riveria

Travel with thePSU Alumni Association

to Switzerland andthe French Riveria

September 2-10, 1994

$995(plus tax) per person

Dean's Notes (from pg. 5)

edge research in pure mathematics,industrial chemistry, planetary atmo­spheres and thin film semiconductorphysics; and for impressive contribu­tions in European and Asian history,South American political science andmass media communications in Greece.

In this issue you will notice that someof the professors who for many yearshave helped to make PSU the greatinstitution that she is will be retiring atthe end of this year. Each of thesefaculty is well kno~n for excellence inteaching and for dedication to thementoring of students. Four of theseprofessors will have served from 28 to31 years each at PSU and three of themserve, or have served, as departmentchairpersons. While we are extremelypleased with the quality of the newfaculty that we continue to attract toPSU, we know that we are never ableactually to replace professors of thiscaliber. We can only hope to find newones... like them!

1j

NursingCheryl Giefer and Ellen Carson

presented a poster at the Rocky Moun­tain Nurse Educator's conference inCopper Mountain, Colo., and Gieferpresented "Technological Dependency:Responsibilities and Reactions of RuralFamily Members" at the InternationalConference on Community HealthNursing Research in Edmonton,Alberta. Giefer is pursuing a Ph.D. atthe University of Arkansas. Carson,who is also pursuing her Ph.D. at theUniversity of Arkansas, was honored bythe KSNA as the 1993 recipient of theAJN writing award for her manuscript,"Infections Waste Disposal: An Epide­miological View and the ProfessionalNurse's Role." ,

Carolyn Brooker participated in afaculty development conference oninteractive teaching in Williamsburg,Va., and in the American NursesAssociation's biannual delegateassembly in Washington, D.C., lastJune. She has developed a recruitmentvideocassette on computer for theNursing Department.

PhysicsThe PSU Physics Club, advised by

Larry Long, hosted the first zonemeeting of the Society of PhysicsStudents ever held on the PSU campusin the fall of 1992. Schools fromKansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texasattended. Ten members of the club

Departmental NewsForeign Language

Collen Gray and Bert Patrickreceived funding from the KansasCouncil for the Humanities to conducts~mmer seminars for school teachers.Patrick's seminar, "RediscoveringColumbus: New Interpretations of the'Discovery' of America," includedteachers from various disciplines.Gray's seminar, "A Heritage of Spanish,Indigenous and Mestizo Cultures inMexico," was designed for Spanishteachers. Patrick also accompanied eightstudents in a study tour to Mexico Cityand Oaxaca during the summer of 1993.

Communication DepartmentRon Pruitt is the recipient of a

$3,000 Freedom Forum grant for 1994.Pruitt is one of 12 persons across theU.S. to receive such a grant. The grantwill be used to fund a series of articleson the loss of Native American culture,particularly among the smaller tribes.The series also will focus on the povertycontinuing to be endured by manyNative Americans, particularly full­blooded Native Americans.

John King was named nationalchairman of the teaching committee ofthe Visual Communication Division ofthe Association for Education inJournalism and Mass Communications.He is actively involved in planning theteaching sessions for the nationalconference in Atlanta this year.

King also has worked to organize theregion 7 conference for the NationalPress Photographers Association, whichwas held on campus April 2. Newspaper

~ .and television photojournalIsts andstudent photojournalists from Kansas,Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansasattended the event at PSU.

John Green successfully defendedhis doctoral thesis at the University ofPlymouth in England. His research wasconcerned with therapeutic benefits oftheater and in particular, the pioneeringwork undertaken by the Italian theaterpractitioner Alessandro Fersen. Green isthe first graduate of the newly formedSchool of Performance Studies at theUniversity of Plymouth.

Thimios Zaharop·oulos led a groupof 30 people on a tour of Greece lastsummer. While there, a group of eightfaculty from the College of Arts andSciences visited New York College, asmall private institution that has anexchange agreement with PSU.Zanqropoulos is the author of the bo.o.k"Mass Media in Greece: Power, PolitICSand Privatization," which was publishedlast year.

. . ,

... ,

-Orville Brill, DeanCollege of Arts and Sciences

TRAVEL SPECIAL, .

" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6

Universitas

attended the pring zone meeting of theSociety of Physics Students, which washeld at KU. At that meeting, PSUPhysics Club President Bob Murry wonfirst prize in the student paper competi­tion for his paper on the chaotic motionof a dripping faucet.

Speaking ofwater.. .The Physics Clubleft for the Midwest Solid State Confer­ence in Columbia, Mo., in the midst ofone of the rainiest days in southeastKansas history. The IS-inch rainfallflooded many roads and the clubencountered one motorist whose car hadbeen swept off the roadway. Club Vice­President Todd Koon helped get themotorist out of her car and the club tookher to afety before continuing theirjourney. Unlike the Boy Scouts, thePhysics Club does not award badges forthe good deeds they do.

Bruce Daniel has received the GreatPlains Planetarium Association Distin­guished Service Award. Currentexperiments involve direct instruction todevelop student perceptions of spatialand temporal arrangements. Results arebeing used in teaching undergraduatephysics students and are included in anew text being written for a physicalscience course for elementary educationstudents. .

Grant helps equip lab - PSU'sthree-year National Science FoundationUndergraduate Laboratory ImprovementGrant concluded in 1993. The threemajor pieces of equipment purchasedunder the grant were a research grademicroscope with a bright field, darkfield and Nomaski capability, a residualgas analyzer and a turbo vacuum stationwith gauging. The total grant was for$43,000 and the equipment is a greatasset to PSU's laboratory. The newequipment gives students hands-on labexperience with state-of-the-art equip­ment.

Departmental Newssome years ago was recently brought online through the efforts of KeithChadwick, the department's sciencemaintenance person. This equipmentgives the depaItment new capabilities ina very important area of chemistry.

Thanks largely to the efforts of PeterHamlet, the local section of the Ameri­can Chemical Society received an awardfrom the national office of the ACS forits outstanding contribution to NationalChemistry Week. Hamlet designed achemistry kit for fifth grade students thatincluded brochures and stickers as wellas instructions and supplies for thecreation of a semi-elastic ball. The kits,designed to encourage students' intere tin chemistry, were used by more than5,000 students in southwe t Missouri,southeast Kansas and northeast Okla­homa. The kits were made available tothe students by the MO-KAN-OKSection of the American ChemicalSociety.

. Khamis Siam, along with theDepartments of Biology and Math andthe Divi ion of Continuing Studies,directed a major NSF grant this year.The project, "Enhancement of Science/Mathematics Faculty Tnrough Model­ing: A Path Toward Critical Thinking,"involved mostly area communitycolleges.

Social ScienceThe Department of Social Science

has prepared an initial proposal for theestablishment of a master of social workdegree to be offered at PSU. If theproposal is approved, it could beginaccepting students within two years.

Don Viney, philosophy, is using his1994 spring sabbatical to study a long­time interest, the philosophy of JulesLequier (1814-1862). Viney plans to

read, translate and write about Lequier'swork. In addition, he will travel toFrance to visit the Lequier archives inRennes and the philosopher's home andgrave marker in Saint Brieuc.

Bradley Cameron, social work, isusing his sabbatical leave to do graduatestudy in sociology at the University ofArkansas.

Harry Humphries, sociology, hasbeen recommended by the Council forInternational Exchange of Scholars toreceive the J. William Fulbright ForeignScholarship for the 1994-95 academicyear.

HistoryMartin Campion shared his com­

puter history game, "Masters andSlaves," at the North American Simula­tion and Gaming Association Meeting atthe University of Indiana last October.Campion was also a participant in aroundtable discussion of computer­assisted history education for theOrganization of American Historians.

Surendra Gupta has conducted twostudy tours during the past year. Onewas to China, under the auspices of theDivision of Continuing Studies, and theother was to Russia.

James B:M. Schick conductedresearch in the United Kingdom lastyear and is scheduled to participate on ascholarly panel in London this spring.Schick organized the roundtablediscussion of computer-assisted historyeducation for the Organization ofAmerican Historians.

Thomas Walther is using hissabbatical leave this spring to study coalmining accidents in the United Kingdomand in Southeast Kansas.

ChemistryAn 80 MHz Brucker Fourier Trans­

form multi-nuclear NMR instrument thatwas a gift from the University of Kansas

John King, Editor • Ron Womble, Managing EditorUnil'ersiras is published by the Dean's Office with assistance from the PSU Public RelationsOffice and is printed by students in the PSU Printing Department. For additional copies or tocontribute information, please contact: Universitas Editor, PSU Department of Communica-

tion, 434 Grubbs Hall, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kan. 66762, 316/235-4716.

----------------------------------------7

Class of 1971Bill Russell, fine arts, has a chiropracticpractice in St. Louis where he specializesin sports and performing arts injuries.

Class of 1971Richard Allen, English, is a familyphysician in Wagoner, Okla. He stillwrites and continues to enjoy poetry.

Class of 1973Carolyn Banks, nursing, has recentlybeen appointed vice-president of patientcare at Pratt Regional Medical Center inPratt, Kan.

Class of 1975Leona Lust Beezley, nursing, directs theNeosho County Community Collegenursing programs in Ottawa, Chanuteand Independence. She and her husband,George, have three children.

Class of1977Jean M. (Specht) Burnett, nursing, is acertified nurse-midwife with the AirForce currently stationed at AndrewsAFB, Washington, D.C. She is a clinicalnurse-midwifery instructor and serves asadjunct faculty at Georgetown Universitywhere she teaches both civiltan andmilitary midwifery students.

Teresa (Miller) Copling, nursing, isworking on a medical mission in Taker,Chile. This is her fourth trip to SouthAmerica in the past 36 months.

Class of1978Bill Rhodes, nul' ing, completed hismaster of arts degree in organizationalmanagement in 1992 at the University ofPhoenix, Albuquerque campus. He is anassociate administrator for CanbyCommunity Health Services, a 102-bedacute and long-term care facility. He alsoserves as secretary/treasurer for DistrictE. M.O.N.E. (Minnesota Organization ofNurse Executives).

Class of 1979Jennifer Jackman, nursing and amember of PSU's first master of sciencein nursing class, is the nurse manager of

8

Alumni Newsmedicai/ICUIER units at Allen CountyHospital in lola, Kan.

David Chaussard, nursing, returned toPSU to earn an MBA degree in I982. H~is the director of nursing services at theC1~remore Regional Hospital inClaremore, Okla., and serves on theRogers State College N'Arsing AdvisoryCommittee, the Oklahoma CommunityHealthcare Alliance Board and the EO

ursing Advisory Board. He is chairper­son of the Goals 2000 Claremore AreaChamber of Commerce Sub-Committeeon Education as well as president of theClaremore Home Health Board.

Class of 1981John D. Beran, BA, has recentlyreturned to the Kansas City area to take aposition with Media/professionalInsurance - E&O Professionals. In1990, he received the outstanding serviceaward from the Independent InsuranceAgents of Kansas.

Class of1982Paula (Deines) Berg, nursing, works inthe OR and on a medical-surgicaltelemetry floor.

Class of 1983Lisa Farrell-Roberts, nursing, finishedher master of nursing degree in neuro­science nursing at the University ofWashington last fall. She is now arehabilitation/neurological clinical nursespecialist at Northwest Hospital inSeattle, Wash.

Class of 1984Donna Bramlett, nursing, completed amasters degree in nursing/health policy atthe University of Maryland in 1992. Sheis currently employed by Arnold &Porter, Washington, D.C., as a medicalspecialist.

Class of 1985Teresa M. (Reiner) Ward, nursing, iscurrently working at St. Francis HospitalMedical Center in Topeka as a medical­surgical clinical nurse specialist. Shebegan attending enterstomal therapy

school in January and is also working asan advanced registered nurse practitionerfor a Topeka physician.

Beverly Cunningham, nursing, re­ceived a master of science degree fromOklahoma University and is now aclinical education consultant for Nellcor,Inc. She is president of her own com­pany, Case Management Consultants ofTulsa. She does seminars and consultsfor hospitals looking at case manage­ment.

Thane Doss, English, is pursuing aPh.D. at the City University of N.Y. Heis teaching at the Kingsborough Com­munity College (CUNY) in Brooklynand i a featured poet for the ShelleySociety of New York.

Brent Crandon, biology, is a doctor ofoptometry in Lawrence, Kan. He and hiswife, Elizabeth, have two daughters.

Class of1986Capt. Peter A. Gallagher, education, isa company commander for AlphaCompany, 112 Signal Battalion (SpecialOperations Airborne) of the Army inFort Bragg, N.C. His company providescommunications to Special Operationsforces worldwide.

Donna Marie (Eagan) Gallagher,elementary educa'tion, is a first gradeteacher at Benjamin Martin ElementarySchool in Fayetteville, .c. She and herhusband, Capt. Peter Gallagher (above),have two sons.

Class of1987Renee (Willingham) Hamilton,nursing, is an ICU nurse at CentralBaptist Hospital in Lexington, Ky. Afterfour years in the Air Force Nurse Corpsand service in Operation Desert Storm,Renee is now working toward a mastersdegree in community health administra­tion and public wellness.

Karen McCormick, nursing, is cur­rently working part-time at a physician'soffice and is assisting in her husband'sinsurance office at home and spending as

much time as possible with her twochildren.

Michael D. Reisig, sociology & psy­chology, received a masters degree incriminal justice in 1992 and is currentlyworking on a Ph.D. in political science atWashington State University. He teachescrime control policy and was awardedfirst place in the 1992 Alpha Phi Sigmanational criminal justice paper competi­tion, graduate division.

Paula (Stephens) Whattey, nursing, isworking as an occupational health nursedoing workers' compensation consultingfor Lockton Insurance Co., in KansasCity. She is also combining her nursingand Spanish degrees by volunteering as amedical missionary in Mexico throughthe United Methodist Church.

Class of1988Charlene Anderson, music, is anelementary music teacher in the Indepen­dence, Mo., schools. She and herhusband, Todd, have one daughter.

Brian Hauck, communication, is thehead of the Speech and Theater Depart­ment at NEO A&M in Miami, Okla. Heand his wife, Judy, have two children.

Class of1989Mickey Barnett, communication, hasreturned home to Colorado. Mickey

recently completed paralegal certifica­tion and is working as a legal assistant/investigator in Denver.

Michael Ross, nursing, accepted aposition in January at St. John's Re­gional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., aschief flight 'nurse for the newly formedMedFlight program.

Lisa A. Jordan, home economics, is abridal consultant. She and her motherhave just purchased their own bridalshop, Randall's Bridal and FormalWear, in Kansas City, Kan.

Class of1990Timothy Bergen, sociology, is aprofessor at the University of SouthCarolina. He has written a book, "SocialFoundations of American PublicEducation," which was published byMcGraw Hill in 1993. He recentlyreturned from Mali and Burkina Fasowhere he was lecturing. He and his wife,Lori, have two sons.

Class of1992Starla K. Ward, biology, is completingher first year in a four-year program atthe Northeastern State UniversityCollege of Optometry.

Barbara (Dunkin) Caldwell, musiceducation, is a teacher's aide in Joplin.

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rGuess what's got PSU Head Football Coach Chuck Broyles 1smiling these days?No, it's not another national championship ring or anotherleague championship title. It's not even a new, top-notchrecruit. Chuck's smiling these days because he just saved $125by upgrading his PSU Alumni Association membership fromannual to life. In 1994, PSU Alumni Association lifememberships will go from $200 to $325, so smart AlumniAssociation members will want to join Chuck Broyles andupgrade their memberships right away. Just ask Chuck, it's a

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PSU receives telescope from New Mexico State

PSU Distinguished Visiting Writers SeriesThe 1993-94 Pittsburg State University Distinguished Visiting Writers Series

began with a visit from poet and editor Donald Hall.Other speakers include essayist, and Kansas City Star columnist, Charles

Gusewell, fiction writer Robley Wilson, poet Jeanne Murray Walker and the studentwinners of the Sigma Tau Delta Creative Writing contest.

The series is funded by the PSU Fee Council, the English Department, Friends ofTimmons Chapel, PSU Women's Studies, the Alumni Association and the PSUFoundation. Jo McDougall directs the series, and Charles Cagle provides thepublicity and art work.

Computer classroom is on lineThe English Department acquired a new computer-equipped classroom during the

Fall 1993 semester.The facility has 24 IBM PS System 386 computers which are linked through the

university's computer network. The classroom also has six printers and aninstructor's station. The station has an overhead projection panel that allows theteacher to project models and samples of student work on a screen. The room will beused exclusively for the computer-assisted instruction of writing at all levels, fromfreshman composition to graduate expository composition.

The department's ultimate aim is for all writing classes to have a substantialcomputer component. Several instructors are already using the facility on a volunteerbasis. At first, students will be primarily utilizing the word proces ing capabilitie ofthe facility; but eventually the goal is to install an interactive network that will allowstudents to work together on group projects, to carryon written dialogues amongthemselves and to have their work evaluated by other students or the teacher throughthe network.

The cost for equipment and renovation of the computer classroom was approxi­mately $100,000. The renovation was done by Messenger Construction Company ofPittsburg.

Nursing addsmasters degree

Re ponding to a widespread demandfor an advanced nursing degree option insoutheast Kansas, the PSU Departmentof Nursing began a new master's degreein nursing last fall. The degree programwas approved by the Kansas Board ofRegents the previous spring.

Jo-Ann Marrs, Nursing Departmentchairperson, said the departmentreceived more than 200 requests forenrollment packets within the monthafter the Regents' approval of theprogram. Previously, the nearestmaster's degree programs in nursingwere in Wichita and Lawrence.

Marrs said the PSU master's programfocuses on health promotion and diseaseprevention through a family healthemphasis. Graduates will be prepared inthe areas of education, admini trationand gerontology. A nur e practitionerfocus is being considered for the future.

Marrs said that because many of thestudents are part-time or full-timeworking nurses, the classes for the newmasters program are organized with thepart-time student in mind.

The PSU Nursing Departmentgraduated its first BSN graduate in 1973.

Joanna Freemanreceives outstandingfaculty award

Joanna Freeman was chosen as theEnglish Department's OutstandingFaculty Member for 1993. The selectionwas made by members of Sigma TauDelta, the English Honor Society.

Freeman will be retiring at the end ofthis year after 25 years at PSU. She is aninstructor for English compositioncourses and technical writing courses.She has also taught courses in Britishliterature, the Bible as literature and theEnglish novel.

She has written numerous articles aswell as a textbook for technical writing.She pioneered and guided the technicalwriting program at PSU.

Federal Aviation Administration isconstructing a high power radar unit onthe mesa for the detection of low-flyingaircraft.

In addition to the telescope anddome, PSU also received a Boller andChivens grating spectrograph; ascanning spectrophotometer and aphotometer. All of these instrumentscan be attached to the telescope toanalyze the light from the object beingobserved. The delicate optical parts ofthe telescope and the instruments arenow being housed in Yates Hall,pending the availability of funding forthe construction of the observatory.Current plans call for the constructionof a new observatory southwest ofPittsburg for research projects forundergraduate and graduate-levelphysics majors and laboratory exercisesfor physical science and astronomyclasses at the university.

Last November, David Kuehn,Physics, and Tom Musgrove, School ofTechnology, traveled to Las Cruces,N.M., to supervise the disassembly,packing and moving of a telescope anddome that PSU had recently purchased.The telescope is of Cassegrainian designand has an aperture of 61 cm (24 inches)with a focal ratio off/15. This gives thetelescope almost six times the lightgathering ability of the Russ Hallrefracting telescope.

The telescope was moved from theBlue Mesa Station of the New MexicoState University Observatory, locatedabout 40 miles northwest of Las Cruces.The observatory had been in operationsince 1967. The optical system of thetelescope was designed by Clyde W.Tombaugh, the discoverer of the planetPluto and professor emeritus at NewMexico State. MSU was decommis­sioning the telescope because the

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New Arts & Sciences FacultyNew faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for the 1993-94 academicyear include:

Meats publishespoetry book

Steven Meats had a book of poemsentitled "Looking for the Pale Eagle"published in June 1993.

Meats has been a professor ofEnglish at PSU since 1979 and chair ofthe department for the past 10 years.This book, published by the WoodleyMemorial Press of Washburn Univer­sity in Topeka, contains 44 poemswritten over a period of 15 years. Thepoems describe personal experiences aswell as family history.

Meats has given readings from thisbook in Pittsburg, Topeka, Kansas City,Chicago and Lincoln, Neb.

Cagle publishesnovella

Charles Cagle, PSU fiction writingprofessor, recently had a novellapublished entitled "Ballad of SpringRiver."

The publication was the result of acontest sponsored by the 7th AnnualRobert E. Gross Competition partiallyin an attempt to renew interest in one ofthe oldest literary forms, the novella.His novella, along with two others,were published in a book form editionby the Woodley Memorial Press ofTopeka.

The novella originally appeared as ashort story in the Summer 1984 editionof "The Little Balkans Review," and itwas subtitled "The Blue Squirrel." Thestory is about an old Civil War "medi­cine man" who is haunted by a youngboy in Union blue who he killed duringthe war.

Douglas S. Carmichael, assistantprofessor in the Biology Department.Carmichael· received a bachelor of artsdegree and a Ph.D., both from theUniversity of Tennessee in Knoxville.He came to PSU from the University ofTennessee, where he was a graduateteaching assistant. At PSU he teachesanatomy, physiology and molecular/cellular biology.

Virginia M. Green, assistant professorin the Department of Foreign Lan­guages. Green received a bachelor ofarts degree from the University of PugetSound and a Ph.D. from Duke Univer­sity. She came to PSU from CarnegieMellon University where she was aninstructor. She will teach Frenchcourses at PSU.

Kelly A. Woestman, assistant professorin the History Department. Woestmanreceived a bachelor of science and amaster of arts degree from PittsburgState and a Ph.D. from the University ofNorth Texas. Woestman came to PSUfrom the University of West Florida inPensacola, where she was an instructorand coordinator for secondary socialstudies. She teaches American historyat PSU.

Hazel K. Coltharp, assistant professorin the Mathematics Department.Coltharp received both a bachelor ofarts and a master of science degree fromPSU and a Ph.D. from the University ofMissouri, Kansas City. Coltharp cameto PSU from Johnson County Commu-

nity College in Overland Park, whereshe was an instructor. She teaches matheducation courses at PS U.

Michael S. Sullivan, lecturer in theDepartment of Music. Sullivan receiveda bachelor of music education degreefrom Florida State University and amaster of music degree from theUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Hecame to P$U from Florida State Univer­sity in Tallahassee, where he was ateaching assistant. Sullivan teachesclarinet, saxophone and flute at PSU.

Beverly K. Lunsford, assistant profes­sor in the Department of Nursing.Lunsford received a bachelor of sciencedegree in nursing from MarymountCollege, a master's degree in nursingfrom the University of Kansas and is adoctoral candidate at Catholic Universityof America. Lunsford came to PSUfrom the Visiting Nurse Association inWashington, D.C., where she was a staffnurse. She teaches theory and clinicalcourses at PSu.

Frances I. Busby, lecturer in theDepartment of Social Science. Busbyreceived a bachelor of arts degree fromColumbia College and a master of socialwork degree from the University ofMissouri, Columbia. She came to PSUfrom Cox Medical Center South inSpringfield, Mo., where she was aneonatal intensive care nursery socialworker. She teaches social work coursesat PSU.

Retiring FacultyThe following faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have announcedtheir retirement:

.Jo Anna Freeman, English, a member of the PSU faculty since 1965Martin Campion, History, a member of the PSU faculty since 1965Bettie Duncan, biology, a member of the PSU faculty since 1966Dean Bishop, biology, a member of the PSU faculty since 1964Clarence Pfluger, chemistry, a member of the PSU faculty since 1989James Thomas, physics, a member of the PStJ faculty since 1963

Bishop is a former department chairperson and Pfluger and Thomas are currentlydepartment chairpersons.

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For more information on planned giving options, contact the PSU Foundation,Wilkinson Alumni Center, 401 East Ford, Pittsburg, Kan. 66762. 316/235-4768.

Planned Giving Optionsat Pittsburg State University

Bequests-gifts that are made through wills--have always been a very importantsource of income for charitable organizations in this country. Pittsburg StateUniversity is no exception. A person's will usually reflects the interests,affections and convictions ofa lifetime. The Pittsburg Stale University Foundation,Inc., is (he appropriate organization to receive bequests to benefit the university.The tax identification number is 48-610-4332.

Everyone Needs A WillMore than one-half of the adults in this country do not have wills. That is anastonishing fact. A will is the appropriate means of disposition of property afterdeath. All of us who want to make our own decisions about this matter shouldhave wills. In the absence of a will, the state will make decisions concerning aperson's assets. If you already have a will, you should remember to review itperiodically. You should be certain that your will reflects current concerns anddesires. It is especially important for you to review your will if you have movedfrom another state since your will was drawn. You will want to confer with anattorney to make sure that your will conforms to the new state laws.

NON·PROFIT ORG.u.s. POSTAGE

PAIDPermit No. 111

Joplin, MO 64801

Four Types of BequestI. A Specific Gift: You can leave a particular sum of money or a particular

piece of property, such as stocks, bonds, or real estate.2. A Percentage of the Estate: It is possible to stipulate in your will that the

PSU Foundation should receive a specified percentage of the total estate.3. A Residual Gift: You may stipulate that the PSU Foundation should

receive those assets that remain in the estate after all other bequests havebeen made.

4. Testamentary Trust: A testamentary trust is a trust established in a will.A typical form of trust provides an income for life for one or twobeneficiaries, and directs the trust assets to the PSU Foundation upon thedeath of the beneficiary.

Pittsburg State UniversityCollege of Arts and Sciences1701 South BroadwayPittsburg, Kansas 66762

American professorhelps the Japaneseunderstand LatinAmerica

When the Japanese wanted to gain abetter understanding of Latin America,one of the persons they called upon wasan American univeristy professor. Dr.Paul Zagorski, Pittsburg State Univer­sity political science professor, repre­sented the United States last month atthe Second Edition Conference spon­sored by the Japanese-Latin AmericanAssociation and the Foreign Administra­tion.

Japan is interested in investing in andproviding aid to Latin Americancountries, Zagorski said, and thisconference is intended to help theJapanese get other perspectives on LatinAmerica and its regional issues.

At the conference, Zagorski pre­sented a paper entitled, "The NewTerrain of Civil Military Relation inLatin America." His paper de cribe thevarious roles of the military in LatinAmerica in the 1990s. Zagorski said allof the presentations were in Spanish.

Zagorski has written a good dealabout Latin America. His book,"Democracy versus National Security,"which was published by Lynne Riennerin 1992, is an examination of democracyand the armed forces in Latin America.That may have been one of the primaryreasons he was invited to the confer­ence, according to Zagorski.

''I'm one of the few people who havewritten a book on the topic the associa­tion wanted," Zagorski said. "I am verypleased and flattered that 1 was selectedto speak."