| Summary: | The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues. w H Reporter February 8, 1985 A Weekly Newsletter for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University / Cullowhee, North Carolina CREATING CHEMICALS IN A COLD, COLD VACUUM When Frank Prochaska induces fluorine atoms to combine with sulfur dioxide at 12 degrees Kelvin (-263 degrees Centigrade), he doesn't expect to find answers about air pollution or a cure for cancer. He does hope to find out some things about the nature of chemical bonding. Because he studies carefully controlled amounts of chemicals at such low temperatures—12 degrees Kelvin is only 12 degrees above absolute zero, the coldest temperature possible—he can create unique molecules and see the effects of different atoms on certain bonds. With the special instruments in his lab, he can learn things about the molecular geometry of these chemicals. Dr. Prochaska performs basic research, research directed to learning more about the behavior of the physical world, rather than research applied to particular uses. He does postulate, however, that the research he is doing may have some practical application for an applied scientist in another field. Because fluorine can react with sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere, for example, an air pollution chemist might need the results of Dr. Prochaska's research. How do you look at the behavior of chemical bonding? Dr. Prochaska has established a lab here for matrix isolation and infrared spectroscopy, with more than $40,000 of the equipment bought from grant funds. The Beckman Infrared Spectrometer was funded in part by a grant from the N.C. Science and Technology Committee, and a new liquid helium refrigerator was funded by the National Science Foundation, with several other grants paying for vacuum line equipment, a liquid nitrogen cold trap, and other cryogenic equipment for matrix-isolation research. The new liquid helium refrigerator will allow Dr. Prochaska to perform experiments at 4 degrees Kelvin, enabling him to use Frank Prochaska reads wavelengths printed out from the infrared spectrometer neon instead of argon as the inert matrix for his research. With neon, a more inert element, he will be able to perform studies on products that do not remain stable in argon. Many of the chemical species Dr. Prochaska studies are not stable or do not exist naturally. Right now, he is studying what happens when sulfur dioxide reacts with fluorine atoms. In these experiments, a mixture containing one molecule of sulfur dioxide for every 200 atoms of argon is combined with another mixture containing one molecule of fluorine for every 200 atoms of argon. When the mixture condenses on the cold cesium iodide "window" at 12 -2- degrees Kelvin, the argon forms a solid matrix that isolates the "guest" molecules. He then submits the sample to photolysis to split the fluorine molecule into its two atoms; the fluorine atoms migrate and react with the sulfur dioxide. In the stratosphere, sulfur dioxide from coal-burning power plants can react with fluorine formed by the decomposition of freon molecules. The products are unstable and can combine quickly with other chemicals, but the concentrations of possible reactants in the stratosphere are low enough to give the fluorine compounds at least a finite life. In the laboratory, the cold temperatures make the compound more stable; in any case, there is nothing in the argon matrix for them to react with. Creating these products in the laboratory has not been done before, but Dr. Prochaska thinks it is possible because other members of the halogen family, chlorine and bromine, form similar compounds. In experiments last summer, he found definite evidence that hydrogen does bond in the same configuration he expects for fluorine. To determine what has happened in the matrix, the condensed sample is submitted to spectrophotometric analysis. The spectrometer prints out a graph showing the infrared wavelengths absorbed by the various products. Dr. Prochaska's students developed an Apple computer program and interface so that the computer can simplify the spectra by subtracting known components. This enables them to identify the unknowns by interpreting the simplified spectra. Because this type of experience gives students direct access to the problems and rewards of research, Dr. Prochaska feels strongly that basic research belongs on a campus like Western's. "Allowing students to participate in research," he says, "gives them something they can't get in the classroom." It gives a student like Matt Fender, the senior chemistry major who is working with him on the fluorine and hytfrogen experiments, experience with the methodology, deductive processes, and analysis inherent in research. "Research is important to me, of course, but at Western it's also important to the educational program for the students." Dr. Prochaska, who won the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award last year, makes an effort to know his students personally, even in the large freshman lecture classes. He chats with them in the laboratory and holds weekly help sessions in the evening. A graduate of Hunter College in New York City, Dr. Prochaska did his graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley and held a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Virginia. He came to Western in 1978 and currently chairs the Long-Range Planning Committee and the SACS standards committee on educational programs. He anticipates publishing the results of his current work, with student researchers as co-authors. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, the Society of Sigma Xi, the American Chemical Society, and the American Physical Society. H.F. ROBINSON (director, University Studies) has been in Zaire with a 15-member task force appointed by President Reagan to help strengthen the agriculture of that nation. Dr. Robinson said he sees the Zaire mission as "part of an overall plan whereby the United States will do everything possible to help key Third World countries to help themselves in overcoming critical problems of food, nutrition, and economic development." The task force will concentrate on policy questions and production incentives, financial support of agriculture, research, manpower and training, and private investment in the country. As the designated expert on biological science, Dr. Robinson will be responsible for submitting reports on agricultural research, seed production, and forestry. LESTER LAMINACK and CAROLYN MEIGS (Elementary Education and Reading) presented a session entitled "Language Experiences— Stepping Stones to Reading and Writing" at the 10th Southeastern Regional Conference of the International Reading Association Nov. 8 in Lexington, Ky. Dr. Laminack presented another session, "Feed Your Students with Success," on Nov. 9. JOHN BELL (associate dean, Arts and Sciences) addressed the Highlands Rotary Club January 8. His topic was "Boom and Bust in Bincombe," an account of land speculation and bank failures in the 1920s and 1930s. On January 17, he presided at a meeting of the executive committee of the N.C. Literary and Historical Association. -3- This meeting was concerned with the re-establishment of the North Carolina Book Club, a marketing agency to encourage the writing and publication of books about the state. F1NN-AAGE ESBENSEN (Criminal Justice and Sociology), a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, has recently been appointed to the academy's International Criminal Justice Committee for 1986 and its program committee for 1986 and 1987. PUBLICATIONS J. Richard Gentry. "Developmental Aspects of Learning to Spell," in Academic Therapy, 20, 1 (September 1984). Shirley Kool. "The Financial Aid Work Coordinator's Role in Training Supervisors for the Development of Students as Workers," in Student Services; The State of Our Work (The Third Compendium of Papers by Student Services Officers of The University of North Carolina), 1984. Lester L. Laminack. "Science and LEA—A Winning Combination," in The Alabama Reader (December 1984). Lester L. Laminack and Patricia J. Anderson. "How to Make Sense Out of Achievement Tests," in Early Years (December 1984). George M. Schuncke. "Global Awareness and Young Children: Beginning the Process," in The Social Studies, 75, 6 (November/ December, 1984). ANNOUNCEMENTS This week was Cooperative Education Week at Western, and more than 40 employers representing careers ranging from communications to banking were on campus to discuss job trends and what employers look for in a college graduate. They made presentations during classes in all areas of the university. The WCU Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mario Gaetano, will perform in their annual winter concert tour Feb. 13-16, appearing at high schools in Cherokee, Concord, Greensboro, Mt. Airy, and Chapel Hill. In addition, the band will appear at the University of North Carolina Jazz Festival in Chapel Hill Feb. 16. The Division of Continuing Education is currently offering a non-credit course on "Statistical Process Control (SPC7' to employees at the Outboard Marine Corporation plant in Burnsville. Jerry Cook of the industrial education and technology department is the instructor. During the five-week course, 50 employees are learning the basics of SPC through lecture, videotapes, and workbook-practice sessions. This is Black History Month, and Western's students are celebrating with a trip to the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta and a trip to the state minority leadership conference at UNC-Chapel Hill. See page 4 for other events of interest. TIRED OF WHAT YOU'RE TEACHING? Peter G. Beidler, a professor of English at Lehigh University who was named Professor of the Year in 1983 by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, has a prescription for "bored and boring" faculty members: teach a new course in a field you know little about. It gives you a chance to be a student again. As reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education (Nov. 28, 1984), Professor Beidler is a specialist in Chaucer who found excitement in taking on a course about American Indians. It led to deeper study and scholarship. Since then, he has taught on gerontology, misfits, madness, and creative writing. DIRECTOR SOUGHT FOR RURAL EDUCATION Applications are being accepted for the position of acting director, Office of Rural Education, for the period March 1 through June 30, 1985. A bachelor's degree is required. A graduate degree, educational experience, and management skills are desired. Salary is negotiable. Send application letter, curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation to: Dean, School of Education and Psychology Western Carolina University Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 Deadline for receipt of application is February 18, 1985, or until position is filled. Western Carolina University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. -4- CAMPUS EVENTS The dinner speaker at tomorrow's military belli will be Brigadier General Bernard Loeffke, chief of staff with the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C. Tickets for the semiformal dinner and dance, which begins Saturday night at 6:30 in the Grand-room, may be obtained by calling the department of military science at ext. 7438. General Loeffke, who holds a master's in Russian and Soviet studies and a Ph.D. in political science, speaks Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, and Chinese. A graduate of West Point, he served three tours in Southeast Asia. In 1970 he was selected a White House Fellow and served as a staff assistant in the National Security Council in the White House. In 1973 General Loeffke became director of the President's Commission on White House Fellows. In 1974 he was the Chief of Strategy and War Plans Division in the Army Operational Staff in the Pentagon. He served as Army Attache to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 1977 until 1979 and returned to the Pentagon in 1980. He spent two and a half years as U.S. Defense Attache in the People's Republic of China, where he became the first foreign paratrooper to jump with a Chinese airborne unit, and came to Fort Bragg last 3uly. Among his decorations are the Silver Star with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Purple Heart. "Harlem Nocturne - A Salute to Black Performers from the Cotton Club to Broadway" will come to the Hoey Auditorium stage Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. as part of the Lectures, Concerts, and Exhibitions Series. Based on music created by such great black performers as Bert Williams, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, and Cab Calloway, to mention just a few, "Harlem Nocturne" is a fully staged evening of song and dance in tribute to those who first called Harlem their cultural home. Among the songs included are "Mood Indigo," "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street," "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm," "Dinah," and "Sweet Georgia Brown." Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for non-WCU students, and $1 for WCU students. Call Doug Davis at ext. 7234 for reservations. The first of two Certificate in Management courses offered through the Division of Continuing Education will be held Monday evenings February 11-March 18 in Asheville. "Getting Results with Time Management" will be offered in cooperation with the American Management Association's Extension Institute, which awards the certificate after successful completion of six courses costing $150 each. For more information, call ext. 7397. As part of the student activities celebrating Black History Month, Drew Pearson, former wide receiver with the NFL Dallas Cowboys, will speak Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Music-English Building. Now a sports-caster with NBC, he will discuss broadcasting and his NFL experiences. He retired from the NFL after the 1983 season and was the Cowboys' "big play" wide receiver. He is known for an 83-yard touchdown pass as an unheralded rookie and holds several Dallas club records. He ranks 14th in the NFL in career receptions. His visit is sponsored by the Minority Affairs Committee of Last Minute Productions. The public is invited and there is no charge for admission. A reception will follow in the Cherokee Room of Hinds University Center. The Computer Center will offer three workshops next week and the week following, each at two different times. Digital Command Language will be taught Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 12 and 13, from 1:30 until 5 p.m. Edit/EDT will be taught Thursday and Monday, Feb. 14 and 18, from 2 until 5 p.m. And SPSSX will be taught by Nick Norgaard Wednesday or Thursday, Feb. 20 or 21, from 3 until 5 p.m. Call the Computer Center if you're interested. A reminder of the schedules for our local NCAEOP annual February Bake Sales which began last Monday, February 4, and continue through the month. These sales provide funds for a scholarship given to a deserving student by the Cullowhee chapter. In Bird Building, there are sales every Monday from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. In the Robinson Administration Building, sales will occur again the next two Mondays from 8:30 until 2. Forsyth's members will sell only on Monday, February 18, from 8:30 until 2. Killian/Clinic Annex will have another bake sale on Thursday, February 14. In McKee, the sales will occur every Monday from 9 a.m. until all goods are sold. The Physical Plant will have its sales every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. and also will raffle off a cake every Monday and Friday during the month. g Reporter JL. February 15, 1985 A Weekly Newsletter for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University / Cullowhee, North Carolina PARRISH SCHOOL HONORS FOX The director of Western's Caribbean and Latin American Programs, Burton Fox, was honored last fall when a new library in Colombia, bearing his name, was dedicated. At the same time, he received the Award of Condecoracion Simon Bolivar. The new 16,000 square foot library at the Colegio Karl C. Parrish in Barranquilla, Colombia, was dedicated September 16. The building is described in the news bulletin of the Inter-Regional Center for Curriculum and Materials Development as "architecturally the most modern one of its kind on the North Coast of Colombia." Burton Fox, who has been associated with Western's international programs since 1970, is director of the Inter-Regional Center, which provides liaison and support in a variety of ways for the American schools in that region. Western's former president Alex Pow brought him to Western to begin our international programs with the placement of student teachers in the American schools there. From his base in Barranquilla, Dr. Fox also directed a study of North African American schools for the university. When H.F. Robinson came as chancellor, Dr. Fox began to work with programs not only in education but in other areas such as business, which we teach in Jamaica, and the "Winter in Colombia" program for liberal arts students. After the university's international involvement expanded to circle the globe, his role refocused on the Caribbean; although he keeps informed of Western's activities in other parts of the world, now he is responsible solely for our programs in the Caribbean and Latin America. His work with the Karl C. Parrish School has made it possible for us to carry on some of our programs, according to Yvonne Phillips, assistant vice-chancellor for academic affairs. And his presence there has been important to the school as well. "Because of his being based in Barranquilla, he's had a very close and long and intimate connection with them. He's done a lot for them," Dr. Phillips said. In his remarks at the ceremonies, Dr. Fox called the school "one of the finest in overseas education" and credited the many people who have helped make it so. He said, "It is only because of the flexibility and imagination of the parents and school leaders throughout the years that we have been able to accomplish as much as we have. Their willingness to permit their school to become both experimental and open to others for investigation has created an atmosphere in which one could pursue all manner of international projects." Dr. Fox, who was director of the Parrish School from 1964 until 1970 and has been for over a decade director of the Inter- Regional Center, was presented the special Bolivar award by Dr. Doris Eder de Zambrano, Minister of Education, on behalf of the Colombian government. Major addresses were offered by the Honorable Lewis Tambs, U.S. ambassador to Colombia; Ernest N. Mannino, director of the Office of Overseas Schools with the U.S. Department of State; and the Honorable Fuad Char, governor of the Department of Atlantico. Remarks by Karl Parrish himself, president emeritus of the school's board of trustees, were presented by Roberto Muvdi. Now in the United States, Parrish was unable to attend in person. -2- The speakers' theme was Fox's service to international education and understanding. He came to direct the Parrish School after some years at the Columbus School in Medellin. Later he became regional superintendent for the schools in Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Medellin, and after the Inter-Regional Center was created in 1969, he became its director. Dr. Mannino spoke about Dr. Fox's service to overseas education in other parts of the world, as well. Over 200 letters from educators worldwide were bound and presented to Dr. Fox in honor of the occasion. Dr. German Tatis, representing the Colegio Jorge Washington in Cartagena, presented a special plaque to commemorate his years of service and cooperation with that school. Approximately 600 people attended the ceremonies, including school administrators from the several schools in Colombia forming the Association of Colombian-Caribbean American Schools; Dr. Salvatore Rinaldi, regional education officer for the Office of Overseas Schools in the U.S. Department of State; and other distinguished guests from both Colombia and abroad. RICK HARRISON (head, Biology) recently received an interesting letter in response to his "Naturalist's Notebook," a column he has been writing for the Sunday Asheviile Citizen-Times for three years. Most of the letters he gets ask how to keep the squirrels from eating the bark on the trees, how to get purple martins to come to their martin house, and the like. This letter was different. It came from a professor emeritus of biology who recently moved to Asheviile from Michigan State University at East Lansing. "As a matter of fact," the letter says, "your writing was one of the decisive contributions to our decision to move to Asheviile from Michigan. As you may know, up north there is a well developed mythology concerning various aspects of life in the South-including one's ability to express one's self openly on such subjects as organic evolution. Before actually coming to Asheviile, we took the Sunday edition of the paper for quite a few months. I was highly pleased to see so many of your articles with so very strong an evolutionary theme. They were, indeed, very good biology. In terms of your articles, I don't think that I ever saw any negative reaction to them as far as letters-to-the-editor are concerned. It seems that one can be a good biologist!" LUCY PULS (Art) had an exhibition of sculpture at the Tate Gallery on the Athens campus of the University of Georgia January 8 to February 2. She is exhibiting outdoor cement sculpture at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem from February 2 until March 4. DAN BABIOR (Art) is exhibiting hand-colored photo-montage at the Waterworks Gallery in Salisbury, N.C., from January 20 until February 25. SANDRA SKINNER-ANNABLE (Home Economics) attended the National Retail Merchants Association's 74th Annual Convention and Exposition and a meeting of the American Collegiate Retail Association held concurrently in New York City Jan. 13-17. RICHARD GENTRY (Elementary Education and Reading) was a featured speaker at the 10th Annual Language Arts Conference held by the East York-Scarborough Reading Association in Toronto, Canada, Feb. 13-15. He will present research reports and workshop sessions on early spelling and writing development. Attending were two to three thousand teachers from across Canada. SUSAN BAUMANN (Hunter Library) published an article last year which is now being reprinted. Emery-Pratt Company of Owosso, Michigan, is reprinting "An Application of Davis' 'Model for a Vendor Study'," which appeared in Library Acquisitions: Theory and Practice, Volume 8, for use in its 1985 national marketing campaign. BERT WILEY (Music) addressed the Murphy Music Club at their organizational meeting February 3. His topic was "Professionalism for the Independent Studio Teacher." DONALD L. LOEFFLER (Speech and Theatre Arts) attended the mid-year meeting of University and College Theatre Association (UCTA) Feb. 2-4 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Dr. Loeffler is immediate past president of UCTA and is on the executive board. Remember - Spring Break is March 9-17. February is half over! -3- NOMINATIONS FOR REID SERVICE AWARDS S.P. Yurkovich, chairman of the Selection Committee for the Paul A. Reid Distinguished Service Awards, has issued a call for nominations for the awards to be given at the Spring Awards and Recognition Dinner. Nominations will be accepted until February 22. Two awards, each for $1,000, will be made. One award is given for distinguished service by a faculty member and the other for distinguished service by a member of the administration staff. Nominations for the awards may be made by members of the faculty, administration, staff, student body, board of trustees, and alumni of the university. The nomination form, a format for vita, and criteria for the awards have been sent to university personnel. Additional forms can be requested from Freda McCall, secretary to the Selection Committee. Members of the selection committee, in addition to Dr. Yurkovich, are John Schell, Robert Edwards, and Steve Woody, members of the board of trustees; J.C. Alexander, James Bryant, Paul Flynn, Barbara Mann, and John McCreary. Send nominations to Dr. Yurkovich at Room 215 Stillwell, WCU. If you have questions, call him or Mrs. McCall at ext. 7268. WESTERN ON THE AIR C. Dale Carpenter (Human Services) was a guest on the half-hour "Carolina Newsmakers" program at WLOS-TV in Asheville Nov. 25. Appearing with him was Florence Beezer, a Buncombe County elementary school teacher who was the 1984 Learning Disabilities Teacher of the Year in North Carolina. Mrs. Beezer was certified in learning disabilities through Western but is a graduate of the College of Charleston. They discussed recognition of learning disabilities, the role of parents, and programs in the schools for these children. Tyler Blethen and Curtis Wood (History) appeared Dec. 6 on "Tennessee This Morning," WATE-TV, Knoxville. They discussed with host Bob Gray the migration patterns of the Scotch-Irish into America and to the Carolinas. Vivian Deitz (interim head, Nursing), Joe Beck (Environmental Health), and Carol Stephens (Nursing) were guests on "The Nancy Welch Show" for a feature on health care trends that appeared on successive days last week on WSPA-TV, Spartanburg, S.C. Mrs. Deitz talked about the role of parents in assisting the nursing staff when a child is hospitalized. Beck discussed indoor air pollutants. Ms. Stephens talked about the importance of mental health skills in nursing education. Starlett Craig (assistant to the vice chancellor, Student Development) is appearing with WCU junior Regina Hill on "Montage" to report on the mentoring program for minority students at Western. The program, which began in 1983, has shown success in helping the university retain minority students. The segments air Feb. 10 and 17 on WPTF-TV in Raleigh, N.C. Glenn Hardesty (Financial Aid) will be a guest on the "Good Morning" program on WFMY-TV in Greensboro, N.C. He will tape the program on Feb. 18 to be aired later in the week. His subject is the process of applying for financial aid and he focuses on high school seniors who need to begin the process now if they want financial aid in the freshman year. In addition to these appearances arranged by the Office of Public Information, Mike Naylor (Cooperative Education) appeared Feb. 3 with two students on "Carolina Newsmakers," WLOS-TV, Asheville, in recognition of Cooperative Education Week. Michele Layne, a senior management major, and Mark Benge, a junior computer science major, joined in discussing the advantages of cooperative education. WANTED The department of speech and theatre arts needs expendable second-hand household objects that might be found in a re-sale shop. They may be usable, broken, or repaired. No items should be larger than a television set. These objects will be used as a part of the setting for American Buffalo, which will be produced in the Experimental Theatre March 1-5. No items will be returned because of the nature of the finail scene of the play. Faculty and staff who wish to donate items should bring them to the Experimental Theatre during working hours Feb. 18-26. CAMPUS EVENTS Chancellor Myron L. Coulter will deliver his "State of the University" message next Wednesday, February 20, at 3:30 p.m. in the Music-English Recital Hall. All members of the faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. Dames at Sea, a musical comedy based on the nostalgia of 1930s Hollywood musicals, will be staged Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 21-23, in Hoey Auditorium. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. This long-running play, selected "best musical of the year" by several leading national publications, concerns a hometown girl and boy who make it big on Broadway. Directed by Don Loeffler and conducted by Tom Tyra, the production costs $5 for adults, $3 for students and senior citizens, and $2 for children. Call ext. 7363 or 7491 for reservations. "Papermakers Invitational" is the next Chelsea Gallery show. One of the artists, Nancy Albertson, speaks of her work in terms of Gestalt philosophy because the paper forms "a whole miraculously bonding itself together." Another, Mary Prather, compares it with cooking and says, though she uses all sorts of fibers and sometimes even clay, "All my paper is meatless." Jean Thickens Francis says, "I like to use a base of cotton rag and linters with additives of thistledown, cattail fluff, flowers and leaves, and collage material of tiny pieces of my family's and friends' favorite old clothes and handwork, silk threads or old prints, papers and water-colors. The paper becomes a treasury of the shared experiences of our lives much like a quilt." Beverly Plummer says her paper plates are "actually strong enough to hold a hot dog, baked beans, and an order of french fries." Barbara Layne is with the department of art at USC in Columbia, and Jean Thickens-Francis works independently in Tupelo, Miss. The other artists work in western North Carolina. The opening reception and informal gallery talk will be Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. The Western Carolina Wellness Committee will present a panel discussion, "What Is Wellness Anyway?" on Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. in the Catamount Room of the university center. Speakers will be Ed Kesgen of the therapeutic recreation program, Tom Dorsel of the psychology department, Mardy Davies of the Career Planning and Placement Center, and the Rev. Sherry Mattson of St. David's Canterbury House. They will discuss physical, emotional, social, occupational, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions of wellness. The community is invited. Call ext. 7469 for more information. The dean of the College of Commerce and Industry at Clemson University will be on campus as a visiting scholar next Thursday, Feb. 21. After a luncheon with the MBA Association, he will meet with faculty in the departments of earth science and of economics and finance. Thursday night he will lecture on "Trade, Tariffs, and Textiles" at UNC-Asheville (222 Rhoades Science Building, 6 p.m.). On Friday, he will talk to a history class and hold discussions with School of Business faculty and students. His public lecture on campus, scheduled for 1 p.m. in Forsyth Auditorium, will be on "The Emerging Economy of the Southeast." For more information, call Frank O'Connor at ext. 7401. "Exercise Anywhere, Anytime" is February's subject for "Lunchtime Treats," the free monthly series sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education. Set for Thursday, Feb. 21, from noon until 1 or as schedules permit, the "treat" features Kathy Roten, a WCU grad with 14 years experience teaching health and physical education. She will teach simple exercises to do at your desk, reading, or watching t.v.—exercises to tone and relax you and ease the stiffness and tension from sitting too long. Come to Brown Cafeteria and bring your lunch to the Mary Will Mitchell Room. Last month's lunchtime speaker, Richard Campbell, director of Traffic and Security, outlined several ways to ward off a physical assault and emphasized steps that may be taken to avoid and prevent attacks from occurring in the first place. If your group would like him to make a presentation, contact his office at ext. 7301. He is also willing to teach an evening course on "Self Defensive Throws" if enough people are interested; to express an interest, call him or Continuing Ed. at ext. 7397. The Computer Center will offer two workshops next week. Edit/EDT will be taught Monday, Feb. 18, from 2 until 5 p.m. SPSSX will be taught Wednesday or Thursday, Feb. 20 or 21, from 3 until 5 p.m. Call the Computer Center if you're interested. H Reporter A Weekly Newsletter for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University / Cullowhee, North Carolina TRACKING THE COWBOY'S LITERARY TRAIL When Jim Nicholl applies his scholarly energies to the subject of cowboys, it's not just Gene Autry that lies in his memory but images of real men working with real cows. He grew up in the Texas panhandle and spent summers on his grandfather's ranches, one with "windmill water and no electricity." "I was never the cowboy type, though," Dr. Nicholl says. "I did wear boots to high school. I liked boots. But I didn't usually wear Western clothes. Some people did." with cowboy calendar on his office wall narratives with fictional accounts. As it turned out, probably the most accurate account is really fiction." Andy Adams's The Log of a Cowboy, a novel by a man who never drove cattle on the trail, is much fuller and more detailed than the autobiographical accounts, he says, adding that "It's an interesting commentary on what the literary artist does." In another work, Dr. Nicholl thinks he has found the first fictional cowboy hero. He's in a boy's book, Arthur Morecamp's Live Boys on the Trail. Yet this story of an Anglo and a Chicano boy on an 1876 cattle drive to Ellis, Kansas, had less influence on the public's conception of cowboys than the pulp fiction that came later. Now Dr. Nicholl is working on another person with an interesting connection to western North Carolina as well as the great American West. This millionaire walked into a rare book shop in New York City one Now the Nicholls have a "Western wall" in their family Dr. Nicholl room, decorated with items they've collected or been given by family members. They also raise Tennessee walking and racking horses, some for show but mostly for pleasure. Only in recent years have cowboys become a professional as well as a personal interest for Dr. Nicholl, who is now head of the WCU English department. After teaching a course here on Western literature and film some years ago, he attended a Summer Seminar on the American West sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities at the Huntington Library in southern California. "What I was trying to look at then," Dr. Nicholl says, "was the fall of the cowboy— what happened to end the free life we associate with the cowboy." Among the many resources of the Huntington were first-person accounts of the long trail drives moving cattle to the rail heads where they were shipped. In his studies, Dr. Nicholl says, "One trail I went down was comparing actual cattle drive -2- day and said, "I want every book with the word cowboy printed in it." Eventually, he put together the greatest collection of materials on the range cattle industry ever amassed by an individual—the Philip Ashton Rollins Collection in the Princeton University Library. Philip Ashton Rollins came from an old New England family and married Bertha Brewster Pack, one of "the Packs of Asheville," who gave their name to Pack Square and Pack Library. Rollins's father—a lawyer educated at Dartmouth and Harvard, a sub- Cabinet member in the Lincoln administration, and a Philadelphia banker—bought large ranches in Montana and Wyoming in the 1870s. One ranch, his son later said, was bigger than the state of Massachusetts. After his mother, a popular writer herself, died when he was a small boy, Rollins's father took him out west. He spent time with the "old mountain man" Jim Bridger, and Rollins later recalled three occasions when his life was saved by cowboys. Twice, in fact, cowboys died saving Rollins. Remembering the old trapper, he many years later endowed the James Bridger Room at Princeton to house his collection of Western Americana. Rollins himself went on with his education. When he was in his teens and a student at Princeton, his father died, leaving him a millionaire. Rollins went on to earn a master's in history at Princeton and attended law school at Columbia and NYU. He also went on a paleontological expedition to Oregon and big game hunts in Siberia and Alaska, finally settling down as a partner in his uncle's law firm to take care of rich people's money. "He had a rich Ivy Leaguer's career," Dr. Nicholl says. Years later, when Rollins was nearly 50 years old, he began his collection in earnest; Mrs. Rollins helped with cataloguing. He used the materials to write a book, The Cowboy, which went through many editions after its publication in 1922. Dr. Nicholl says it was written to correct false ideas created by silent movies and pulp novels, but, ironically, their popularity helped the book's sales. "It's still probably the best secondary book on the subject," Dr. Nicholl says. "It's still in print in paperback—a touchstone book. He had the advantage of having grown up inside that kind of life." Dr. Nicholl has been able to work with materials in the Rollins Collection twice, after trips to Princeton to read Advanced Placement exams for the Educational Testing Service. One gift Rollins gave the library was a set of notes made by Walt Whitman on his 1879 trip to the West. "I did a little piece on Whitman's trip," Dr. Nicholl says. "It was fascinating to hold those notes—like holding a piece of the true cross." Among Rollins's personal papers are letters, he says, from "anyone who was anyone in Western writing, from Andy Adams to Owen Wister, author of The Virginian." There are also overland narratives, "some not yet edited," he says. Another result of Dr. Nicholl's research has been a dedication to Rollins that is appearing in the winter issue of Arizona and the West. He has plans for a biography, too. By no means has he finished exploring the many trails in the Rollins Collection. YVONNE SADDLER (Communication Disorders) and two graduate assistants in education, Carol Mellen and Jill King, attended the Southeast Regional Conference of Kappa Delta Pi, an International Honor Society in Education in Jacksonville, Fla., Feb. 1-3. The conference theme was "Seventy-five Years of Commitment to Excellence in Education—Continuing the Quest." Ms. Saddler is the counselor to WCU's Mu Eta Chapter. Ms. Mellen is president, Ms. King secretary-treasurer. JERRY RICE (director, Summer School) has been elected by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to serve on its 14- member North Carolina Secondary Committee. He will serve as coordinator of SACS's Eighth District, which comprises the 17 counties west of and including Mitchell, McDowell, Rutherford, and Cleveland. During his three-year term, he will be responsible for coordinating and approving consultants and visiting committee chairmen to secondary schools in the region. Previously Dr. Rice served two terms on the N.C. Elementary Committee for SACS, and he has been a SACS consultant to more than 35 schools in the state. He has served on four occasions as a member of visiting committees in Duval and Clay counties in Florida. -3- DEAN OF TECHNOLOGY SOUGHT A search is under way for a new dean of the School of Technology and Applied Science. The search committee is looking for candidates with appropriate teaching/industrial experience, a record of scholarly activity, demonstrated administrative and leadership ability, and credentials sufficient to qualify for the rank of professor. A doctorate with a background in engineering or engineering technology or a technological field is preferred. The dean is responsible for the school's personnel, programs, and budgets. The school's departments— criminal justice, home economics, and industrial education and technology—offer five master's and thirteen bachelor's degree programs in such career-oriented fields as engineering technology, industrial technology, industrial distribution, clothing and textiles, interior design, food service management, and nutrition and dietetics. The dean's position requires strong liaison with area industries, businesses, and two-year technical institutes, and a commitment to outreach programming and regional service. The position is available as soon as an appointee is identified, but the effective date is negotiable. Salary is open and competitive. Nominations or applications and resumes, including the names of three references, should be submitted by March 1 to: Harry Ramsey, Chairman Dean's Search Committee 530 Robinson Administration Bldg. Western Carolina University Cullowhee, N.C. 28723 Phone ext. 7423 or (704) 258-6642 Western Carolina University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. Also serving on the search committee are William D. Hyatt (Criminal Justice), Joyce Baldwin and Michael Lee (Home Economics), William Medaris and Bobby Setzer (IndusTommy Steele of Jamaica plays the guitar and sings one of his own compositions at the home of Chancellor and Mrs. Myron Coulter during their reception for international students and host families. Approximately 100 people attended, including students from every continent except Australia. The host family program began in 1978 with 15 families and 25 international students. Today 54 families and nearly 75 international students participate. trial Education and Technology), Betty Gene Alley (chief court counselor of the 30th Judicial District), and students Peggy Jones, Andrea Godette, and Jeffrey Chapman. WANT A SPEAKER FOR YOUR CLASS? Scholars from Swaziland and the People's Republic of China are on campus this semester, and they are willing to speak to groups and organizations in the region. Li Zhaotong, vice president of Yunnan University, and Yang Bangshin, an English professor in the university's foreign languages department, are on the WCU campus as part of a three-year-old faculty exchange program with China's Yunnan University. Li and Yang are available to give lectures and informal presentations on China's economic reforms, its system of higher education, minority regions, and various aspects of China's modernization since the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76. Musa Dlamini, head of the political science faculty at the University of Swaziland, is available for talks on African government and the politics of foreign aid. Lucy Dlamini's areas of expertise are African -k-literature, Afro-American-Caribbean literature, and the situation of the writer in South Africa. She is a lecturer in African literature at the University of Swaziland. If you'd like to arrange for any of these people to speak, contact Ellerd Hulbert at ext. 95. 7k CAMPUS EVENTS Art - Opening next week in Belk Gallery is an exhibit of recent work by art professors Perry Kelly and William Buchanan. Photography, weaving and dyeing, and ceramics will be displayed in this show, titled "Photos/Fibers/Clay." An opening reception will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, February 25. Concert - The Georgia Woodwind Quintet, a faculty ensemble in the University of Georgia School of Music, will play in concert Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall. On the program are quintets by Franz Danzi and by the group's oboist, John Corina, a suite by Charles Lefebvre, and "Opus Number Zoo," an unusual and often humorous work by Luciano Berio. The concert is part of the Lectures, Concerts, and Exhibitions Series and is free to all subscribers. Other adult tickets are $5, non-WCU students $2, and WCU students with i.d. $1. Theatre - Western's University Players will stage the Pulitzer Prize winning play American Buffalo Friday-Tuesday, March 1-5, in the Experimental Theatre. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. and all tickets are $2. The experimental production, directed by Betsy Bisson, concerns the friendships and personalities of three small-time crooks who plot to steal a valuable Buffalo nickel. A1 Pacino played the lead in a recent Broadway revival hailed as "the best American play of the decade." Auditions - Two males and four females are needed for roles in Crimes of the Heart, an upcoming production. Auditions begin at 7 p.m. in Hoey Auditorium Monday, Feb. 25; a second session begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in the Niggli Theatre. Rescheduled - The "Harlem Nocturne" performance, a salute to black performers from the Cotton Club to Broadway, has been rescheduled for Monday, March It was postponed because of snow. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show in Hoey Auditorium are $5 for adults, $2 for students; tickets sold for the earlier performance will be honored. Art - An opening reception for the "Paper-makers Invitational" exhibit in Chelsea Gallery will include informal talks by the artists. It begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 26. Computer workshop - The Computer Center has rescheduled the SPSSX workshop which was cancelled Feb. 20 because of a conflict with Chancellor Coulter's "State of the University" message. Nick Norgaard will teach the workshop again on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 3 until 5 p.m. Call the Computer Center if you're interested. Olympics of the Mind - Western will host the western regional tournament in the state-wide Olympics of the Mind competition for secondary and junior high school gifted students February 28-March 1. Rock concert - The Charlotte rock group "Sugar Creek" will play in Hoey Auditorium at 8 p.m. Thursday, February 26. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for students. The band has been seen on Ed McMahan's program "Star Search." BRENDA ANDERS IS EOP FOR FEBRUARY This month the Cullowhee branch of the N.C. Association of Educational Office Personnel is honoring Brenda Anders as its EOP of the Month. Brenda, who is secretary in the department of human services, has worked in that position four and a half years. A native of Maryville, Tenn., and a graduate of Knoxville Business College, she previously worked for a law firm in Texas. Brenda is president of the Newcomers Club and a member of the board of directors of Dogwood Crafters, which she formerly served as president. She is also a member of the Make and Hoe Garden Club. She and her husband, Bob, the director of the Computer Center, live in the Savannah Community.
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