May 12 - University of Maryland Eastern Shore
May 12 - University of Maryland Eastern Shore
May 12 - University of Maryland Eastern Shore
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INSIGHTS<br />
DIVISION <strong>of</strong> ACADEMIC AFFAIRS<br />
SCHOOL <strong>of</strong> THE ARTS AND PROFESSIONS<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> English and Modern Languages<br />
Volume 19<br />
Issue 4<br />
<strong>May</strong> 20<strong>12</strong><br />
EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENCE<br />
English Education Major Named Department’s Outstanding Student<br />
The annual UMES Honors<br />
Convocation is an opportunity to<br />
salute the <strong>University</strong>’s best and<br />
brightest. The event traditionally<br />
features a celebration <strong>of</strong> one<br />
student from each academic<br />
department for his or her scholarly<br />
accomplishments.<br />
This year, Joscelyne Swift, an<br />
English Education major, was<br />
selected as the Department <strong>of</strong><br />
English and Modern Languages’<br />
most outstanding student.<br />
Ms. Swift<br />
Photo by Jim Glovier<br />
Ms. Swift is a Somerset<br />
County, <strong>Maryland</strong>, native<br />
with a cumulative grade<br />
point average <strong>of</strong> 3.9. She is<br />
a relatively new arrival on<br />
campus, transferring from<br />
Old Dominion <strong>University</strong><br />
in Virginia early in 2011.<br />
Ms. Swift plans to remain<br />
on the <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Shore</strong><br />
following graduation; her<br />
long term goal is to serve as<br />
a local reading specialist.<br />
The recent convocation—the university’s<br />
59th annual— provided a behind-thescenes<br />
opportunity for students from<br />
Hawk Radio, the student radio station<br />
supervised by the English department.<br />
Seniors Corey Alexander and Shakita<br />
Allmond volunteered to assist the staff <strong>of</strong><br />
the Richard A. Henson Honors Program.<br />
They gained valuable field experience<br />
recording interviews with program<br />
participants and attendees which will be<br />
used for promotional and archival<br />
purposes.<br />
ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE<br />
English Majors Attend D.C. Conference to Discuss Global Issues<br />
Both UMES and its Department <strong>of</strong> English<br />
and Modern Languages were well<br />
represented recently at a conference<br />
sponsored by Americans for Informed<br />
Democracy in Washington, D.C.<br />
Senior English majors Randall Hill and<br />
Jacquez Jefferson were joined by<br />
sophomore English Education major<br />
Jeremy Whichard at the 20<strong>12</strong>: Challenge<br />
Accepted Conference held in mid-April on<br />
the campus <strong>of</strong> George Washington<br />
<strong>University</strong>. The event was described by its<br />
organizers as a discussion <strong>of</strong> the biggest<br />
global challenges facing the millennial<br />
generation including security, jobs, climate<br />
change, justice, and hunger.<br />
The students weren’t sent by the<br />
<strong>University</strong>—they decided to attend on<br />
their own initiative after Mr. Jefferson’s<br />
linguistics pr<strong>of</strong>essor,<br />
Barbara Seabrook,<br />
mentioned the conference<br />
in class. “It’s never a<br />
waste <strong>of</strong> instructional time<br />
to make announcements<br />
and encourage students to<br />
take advantage <strong>of</strong> these<br />
opportunities,” Dr.<br />
Seabrook said.<br />
The students are glad she<br />
did. “The conference was<br />
a priceless experience,”<br />
Mr. Jefferson said. “I witnessed...concern<br />
for something other than America and<br />
Americans. It opened my eyes to a<br />
completely different realm <strong>of</strong> thought.”<br />
While the UMES participants noted there<br />
were students from many prestigious<br />
Mr. Hill (L) and Mr. Jefferson<br />
universities<br />
represented at the<br />
conference, they<br />
saw only a few<br />
people <strong>of</strong> color<br />
engaged in the<br />
discussions.<br />
“It would have been<br />
great to have other<br />
HBCUs in<br />
attendance, but I<br />
firmly believe that<br />
Randall, Jacquez,<br />
and I held our own and represented them<br />
well,” Mr. Whichard said.<br />
Mr. Hill came away with this advice for<br />
his fellow students. “First <strong>of</strong> all, register<br />
to vote. Then, be able to make an<br />
informed decision,” he said.<br />
1
TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE<br />
Drama Society Performs Dinner Theater Retrospective<br />
Long hours and hard work paid <strong>of</strong>f again<br />
this year as Drama Society Director Della<br />
Dameron-Johnson and her student crew<br />
presented another stellar evening <strong>of</strong><br />
musical theater for Dinner Theater 20<strong>12</strong>.<br />
More than a dozen English majors were<br />
joined by numerous campus colleagues<br />
on stage and behind-the-scenes for Do<br />
You Remember: A Musical Revue. The<br />
two acts,<br />
featuring<br />
more than<br />
30 songs<br />
from prior<br />
dinner<br />
theaters,<br />
were tied<br />
together<br />
Preparations begin well<br />
before show time.<br />
by a script<br />
written by<br />
Dr.<br />
Dameron-<br />
Johnson.<br />
The cast<br />
spent the<br />
evening<br />
reminiscing<br />
about their<br />
favorite<br />
songs from<br />
shows<br />
staged since<br />
Jennifer Locust mans the<br />
audio booth.<br />
2001. That included crowd-pleasers from<br />
Motown N More, Blues N BBQ, The Wiz,<br />
The Mikado, The Color Purple and other<br />
past productions.<br />
Do You Remember included several<br />
rousing gospel tunes which featured<br />
members <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>’s Gospel Choir,<br />
which is also under the direction <strong>of</strong> Dr.<br />
Dameron-Johnson.<br />
While the English<br />
department is most<br />
proud <strong>of</strong> the<br />
theater portion <strong>of</strong><br />
dinner theater—<br />
the dinner is<br />
equally renowned.<br />
Students enrolled<br />
in the <strong>University</strong>’s<br />
Hotel-Restaurant<br />
Management Aja Meadows sings the<br />
Program prepare a title song from Purlie.<br />
feast <strong>of</strong> culinary<br />
creations. This<br />
year’s meal featured some two dozen<br />
salad, appetizer, and entrée items, but the<br />
audience seemed most energized at<br />
intermission when they selected treats<br />
from a dessert buffet <strong>of</strong> more than 15<br />
different items.<br />
WORD PLAY: Commonyms<br />
Commonyms are words that have something in common, so they share a<br />
semantic property.<br />
Example: fur trench rain<br />
What do the words FUR, TRENCH and RAIN have in common?<br />
Answer: The semantic property they share is that they are all kinds <strong>of</strong> coats.<br />
Use your lexical competence to determine what semantic property each <strong>of</strong> the<br />
following sets <strong>of</strong> commonyms share.<br />
1. A Ball – A Fish – A Cold<br />
2. A Ball – A Salad – A Coin<br />
3. Fog – A Jack – A Body Builder<br />
4. A Bell – Mouth – A Shoe<br />
5. Seventeen – Time – People<br />
6. A Bottle – A Baseball Player – A Mushroom<br />
7. A Cork – A Question – A Balloon<br />
8. A Tug <strong>of</strong> War – The Nightly News – A Boat<br />
9. A Basketball Court – A Highway – A Bowling Alley<br />
10. A Hockey Game – A Restaurant – A Bank (Answers: Page 6)<br />
Visit the website www.lumosity.com to improve your brain health and performance,<br />
and to enhance memory, attention, and creativity. You can build your own<br />
personalized Brain Training Program on this website.<br />
Visit www.wuzzlesandpuzzles.com for more than 1100 FREE printable puzzles to<br />
test your brain.<br />
Word Play, provided by Dr. Barbara Seabrook, is an Insights monthly feature<br />
which explores the creative use <strong>of</strong> language.<br />
CONGRATULATIONS!<br />
Senior English Education major<br />
Ashley Bell is one <strong>of</strong> seven<br />
UMES students selected as a<br />
<strong>Maryland</strong> “Teacher <strong>of</strong> Promise.”<br />
The program is designed to<br />
identify teacher candidates with<br />
superior academic records<br />
statewide and partner them with<br />
award-winning veteran mentor<br />
teachers during the transition<br />
period between college senior and<br />
classroom teacher.<br />
Participation in the program also<br />
included a daylong conference<br />
where Ms. Bell and her colleagues<br />
heard 2011 National Teacher <strong>of</strong><br />
the Year Michelle Shearer deliver<br />
the keynote address: “Teaching,<br />
Learning, and the Power <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Human Factor.”<br />
Ms. Bell is a member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
UMES Honors Program and<br />
Sigma Tau Delta, an international<br />
English honor society. She also<br />
serves as a tutor in the <strong>University</strong><br />
Writing Center.<br />
2
WRITING CENTER ANTICIPATION<br />
New Director Assumes Responsibility in September<br />
By Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Terry Smith<br />
As I’m sure most <strong>of</strong> you have heard, I will<br />
be Director <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> Writing<br />
Center next fall, and I’m really looking<br />
forward to it. Dean Cooledge, who has<br />
done a wonderful job <strong>of</strong> developing<br />
UMES’ writing center since he founded it<br />
four years ago, is excited about returning<br />
to his literary research. And I, who<br />
directed the writing center at Salisbury<br />
<strong>University</strong> for four years and at Wor-Wic<br />
Community College for five years, am<br />
excited about returning to this rewarding<br />
part <strong>of</strong> my career. Even though my new<br />
responsibilities don’t start until next fall,<br />
recently I’ve been enthusiastically engaged<br />
in several writing center activities.<br />
On March 31, I drove to Shippensburg<br />
<strong>University</strong> early in the morning to present<br />
at the Mid-Atlantic Writing Centers<br />
Association (MAWCA) Conference for the<br />
third consecutive year. My presentation,<br />
“Changing the Way Writing Center Tutors<br />
Perceive Rhetorical Effectiveness:<br />
Training English-Major Tutors to Tutor<br />
COMPARING<br />
NOTES<br />
Technical Writing,” was<br />
well received. Further, I<br />
had the chance to renew<br />
relationships with people<br />
I hadn’t seen since last<br />
year’s conference and<br />
others I hadn’t seen in<br />
even longer. One <strong>of</strong><br />
them was the conference<br />
keynote speaker, Ben<br />
Rafoth.<br />
I had no idea until I<br />
arrived at the conference<br />
that Dr. Rafoth would be<br />
the keynote speaker, and<br />
it was a delightful discovery.<br />
In addition to being the director <strong>of</strong> the<br />
writing center at Indiana <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Pennsylvania, Ben is an internationally<br />
known and respected writing center<br />
scholar. I am currently in the process <strong>of</strong><br />
reviewing one <strong>of</strong> his several books on<br />
writing centers for The Writing Lab<br />
Newsletter, and Ben was a member <strong>of</strong> my<br />
comprehensive exam committee for<br />
CAUGHT<br />
DOING GOOD<br />
Dr. Rafoth (L) and Dr. Smith<br />
Photo provided by Dr. Smith<br />
Composition Theory<br />
with a question on<br />
writing centers. But<br />
the best part is still to<br />
come.<br />
As Ben and I talked, I<br />
discovered that he<br />
was going to be one<br />
<strong>of</strong> the leaders <strong>of</strong> the<br />
International Writing<br />
Center Association<br />
Summer Institute<br />
20<strong>12</strong>. I really wanted<br />
to attend since I knew<br />
it would be an<br />
opportunity to immerse myself in the<br />
latest and the best in writing center<br />
scholarship and practice, but I knew I<br />
could not afford the $950 tuition.<br />
However, I applied for and received a<br />
full scholarship, so I’ll be spending July<br />
29-August 3 at Seven Springs in<br />
Western Pennsylvania, studying with the<br />
leading scholars on writing centers. I<br />
plan to return to UMES full <strong>of</strong> great<br />
ideas for our writing center!<br />
HAPPY<br />
CUSTOMERS<br />
Spanish language<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor Nydia<br />
Gregory traveled to<br />
Winston Salem State<br />
<strong>University</strong> in North<br />
Carolina recently.<br />
Her primary purpose<br />
was to accompany<br />
her daughter on a<br />
campus tour, but she<br />
also visited the Dr. Gregory<br />
HBCU’s Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> English and Foreign Languages.<br />
She learned that all <strong>of</strong> the school’s foreign<br />
language instruction takes place in a lab,<br />
which is similar to Dr. Gregory’s use <strong>of</strong><br />
UMES’ Foreign Language Instructional<br />
Center for her classes. “It validated what I<br />
do,” she said.<br />
Dr. Gregory acknowledges that Winston<br />
Salem’s larger lab size was desirable.<br />
English staff member Pat Jones-Bailey<br />
was one <strong>of</strong> six candidates considered for<br />
the <strong>University</strong>’s sixth annual “Caught<br />
Doing Good” award. The nominees were<br />
honored at the recent 20<strong>12</strong> Leadership<br />
Luncheon. Crystal Purnell from the<br />
Center for Access and Academic Success<br />
was selected as the award winner, but Ms.<br />
Jones-Bailey can still be caught doing<br />
good in the English department <strong>of</strong>fice.<br />
President Mortimer Neufville and Ms.<br />
Jones-Bailey<br />
Photo by Jim Glovier<br />
A group <strong>of</strong> students met recently to<br />
discuss the radio and television activities<br />
supported on campus by the U.S.<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Education’s Title III<br />
program. Among other things, those<br />
federal dollars established the student<br />
radio station, fund the video production<br />
unit Discover UMES, pay for a faculty<br />
member to teach communication courses,<br />
and support other staff members related<br />
to those activities.<br />
Twice a year an “external evaluator”<br />
travels to UMES to gauge the merit <strong>of</strong><br />
those federal expenditures. Last month<br />
the evaluator, Sam Gough, asked to meet<br />
with students who participate in<br />
communication activities.<br />
Corey Alexander, Akouba Marina Anoh,<br />
Melissa Lindsay, Jennifer Locust, and<br />
Brandon Shoats told Mr. Gough they are<br />
well served by the federal expenditures.<br />
3
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS<br />
Embrace Diversity: Study Foreign Language and Culture<br />
By Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Carole Champagne<br />
The <strong>Maryland</strong> International Consortium,<br />
which I was invited to join, met for the<br />
first time on April 19 in Annapolis.<br />
<strong>Maryland</strong> Secretary <strong>of</strong> State John P.<br />
McDonough welcomed delegates from<br />
Sister Cities throughout the state. Governor<br />
O’Malley has strengthened cultural and<br />
economic ties with cities in Brazil, China,<br />
Japan, and Mexico in the past few years.<br />
Sister city and state agreements are gaining<br />
strength with St. Petersburg and the<br />
Leningrad Region <strong>of</strong> Russia. Estonian<br />
delegates reinforced their strong linkages<br />
with <strong>Maryland</strong> and the consortium.<br />
The Secretary <strong>of</strong> State encouraged<br />
collaboration and resource sharing between<br />
associations throughout the state. As a<br />
member <strong>of</strong> the board <strong>of</strong> directors <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Sister Cities Association <strong>of</strong> Salisbury/<br />
Wicomico County, I support the mission <strong>of</strong><br />
the association. We promote international<br />
exchanges that create enduring bonds<br />
through cultural awareness and<br />
understanding, economic development, and<br />
all levels <strong>of</strong> education.<br />
The association is co-hosting the<br />
Celebrating the Beauty <strong>of</strong> Diversity<br />
Conference with the Wicomico County<br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Education. The diversity<br />
conference will<br />
appropriately be held on<br />
<strong>May</strong> 5 (Cinco de <strong>May</strong>o).<br />
Participants will discuss<br />
current issues related to<br />
multicultural and diverse<br />
students. We hope to<br />
improve the educational<br />
opportunities <strong>of</strong> ESOL<br />
students (English<br />
Speakers <strong>of</strong> Other<br />
Languages). All members<br />
<strong>of</strong> the local community<br />
are invited to the<br />
conference at Prince<br />
Elementary School on<br />
Cinco de <strong>May</strong>o, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.<br />
The Northeast Conference on the Teaching<br />
<strong>of</strong> Foreign Languages celebrated the<br />
diversity <strong>of</strong> our educational communities<br />
in the Mid-Atlantic as well as Northeast<br />
region <strong>of</strong> the country. The conference was<br />
held in Baltimore from April 20 through<br />
24. A variety <strong>of</strong> sessions <strong>of</strong>fered cultural<br />
and pedagogical topics related to languages<br />
from Latin and Italian to Russian and<br />
Japanese. Films, workshops, and<br />
networking sessions filled my schedule.<br />
Opportunities for study abroad are<br />
increasing, despite the weak economy.<br />
Students majoring in all degree programs<br />
are encouraged to study abroad.<br />
LITERATURE COMES ALIVE<br />
Students Hear From Award Winning Author<br />
Dr. Champagne (fourth from right)<br />
poses with members <strong>of</strong> the Estonian<br />
delegation and others at the Sister<br />
Cities meeting.<br />
Photo provided by Dr. Champagne<br />
International<br />
education will enrich<br />
your academic as well<br />
as your cultural<br />
competencies. I have<br />
served as the<br />
Benjamin A. Gilman<br />
International<br />
Scholarship Study<br />
Abroad Certifying<br />
Advisor since 2011.<br />
Students who receive<br />
Pell Grants are<br />
eligible to receive up<br />
to $8,000 to study<br />
abroad for a year or<br />
$4,000 to $5,000 to<br />
study abroad for a summer or semester.<br />
Several UMES students submitted<br />
excellent applications this year. On <strong>May</strong><br />
11, I will serve on the National Selection<br />
Committee with the Gilman Foundation<br />
in Houston. We will review applications<br />
from college students throughout the<br />
United States. Students may apply for<br />
the October 20<strong>12</strong> deadline if they plan to<br />
study abroad in 2013.<br />
The world <strong>of</strong> possibilities awaits<br />
students who step beyond the familiar<br />
and learn second (or third, or fourth…)<br />
languages. Browse study abroad<br />
opportunities at the portal to global<br />
studies at http://www.iiepassport.org/.<br />
The printed page collided with reality for a<br />
group <strong>of</strong> students enrolled in Amy<br />
Hagenrater-Gooding’s Special Topics in<br />
Literature class (ENGL345) this semester.<br />
Dr. Hagenrater-Gooding<br />
envisioned a course which<br />
would study literature that<br />
changed the world and examine<br />
how the world has changed<br />
literature. Among the books on<br />
the reading list: The Jungle, The<br />
Catcher in the Rye, Black Like<br />
Me, and the poignant and<br />
powerful Vietnam War<br />
remembrance The Things They<br />
Dr. Hagenrater-<br />
Gooding<br />
Carried by Tim O’Brien.<br />
Her selection <strong>of</strong> O’Brien’s book<br />
was fortuitous. It’s a National<br />
Endowment for the<br />
Arts “Big Read”<br />
selection for 20<strong>12</strong>.<br />
Because many local<br />
residents are<br />
participating in the<br />
“Big Read,” Mr.<br />
O’Brien was invited to discuss<br />
his book in nearby Berlin,<br />
<strong>Maryland</strong>.<br />
Five UMES students—LaBasha<br />
Alexander, Brittany David,<br />
McKenzie Davis, Meghin<br />
Seldon, and Lauren Tatum—<br />
attended the lecture with Dr.<br />
Hagenrater-Gooding.<br />
Ms. Alexander was<br />
particularly struck by the<br />
author’s recounting <strong>of</strong> his<br />
experiences as a Vietnam<br />
veteran. “Living in the USA,<br />
you never really think about the whole<br />
aspect <strong>of</strong> war. You only give your<br />
attention to the side in which it affects<br />
you, but in all honesty, we are all fighting<br />
for something,” she said. “We all want<br />
freedom, no matter the cost.”<br />
4
A SUMMER OF LEARNING<br />
Language Lab Offers Unique Opportunity<br />
Registration is open for The Summer<br />
Language Experience at UMES July 16-<br />
27. High school and home school students<br />
entering grades 9 through <strong>12</strong> will study<br />
either Arabic or Chinese in an intensive,<br />
non-residential program designed to<br />
provide beginners with an introduction to<br />
the language as well as cultural<br />
understanding.<br />
Students will study Modern Standard<br />
Arabic with Dr. Mohamed Tirab or<br />
Mandarin Chinese with Ms. Susan Yin for<br />
six hours each day over 10 weekdays in<br />
UMES’ state-<strong>of</strong>-the-art Foreign Language<br />
Instructional Center (FLIC) classroom.<br />
The fee for either <strong>of</strong> the two-week<br />
programs is $280; financial assistance is<br />
available. All materials are included.<br />
“This is a great opportunity for motivated<br />
students who want to make the most <strong>of</strong><br />
Sometimes people who speak s<strong>of</strong>tly make<br />
the loudest noise. Two UMES English<br />
majors ended their athletic seasons with<br />
national honors; both are quietly<br />
unassuming about their accomplishments.<br />
Senior Adobi Agbasi rejected 108 shots in<br />
29 basketball games to finish third in the<br />
nation in blocked shots per game,<br />
averaging 3.72 blocks per contest. She<br />
told the local daily newspaper when it<br />
reported her accomplishment, “I was just<br />
really happy to tell my family about it.<br />
They were so<br />
happy for me.”<br />
Ms. Agbasi’s<br />
stellar defensive<br />
play also earned<br />
her a new school<br />
record for<br />
blocked shots.<br />
She finished her<br />
career with 239<br />
blocks,<br />
surpassing the<br />
previous UMES Ms. Agbasi<br />
record by eight.<br />
their summer by<br />
learning a new<br />
language,” said<br />
Tammy Gharbi,<br />
FLIC Acting<br />
Coordinator. “It<br />
would take nearly<br />
15 weeks in a<br />
traditional high<br />
school schedule to<br />
accomplish the 60 Ms. Gharbi<br />
hours <strong>of</strong><br />
instruction <strong>of</strong>fered in The Summer<br />
Language Experience.”<br />
FLIC is a Title III Activity that promotes<br />
foreign language instruction for UMES,<br />
the community, and K-<strong>12</strong> educators.<br />
Visit www.umes.edu/FLIC for more<br />
information or call 410-651-6543.<br />
NOTICED NATIONALLY<br />
English Majors Make Their Mark<br />
Meanwhile,<br />
junior sprinter<br />
Andre Walsh<br />
was one <strong>of</strong> only<br />
two Hawks<br />
from the indoor<br />
track team to<br />
qualify for the<br />
NCAA Division<br />
One<br />
Championships.<br />
He returned<br />
from the Mr. Walsh<br />
event in Photos by Mark Sutton<br />
Nampa,<br />
Idaho, as a Second-Team All-American<br />
in the 200-meter dash.<br />
Mr. Walsh’s accomplishment was also<br />
featured prominently on the front page<br />
<strong>of</strong> The Daily Times sports section. The<br />
Jamaican native told the newspaper’s<br />
reporter he hopes his exposure at the<br />
national competition this year will help<br />
him be prepared to do even better next<br />
year.<br />
SPRINGFEST 20<strong>12</strong><br />
Hawk Radio DJs Candace Sewell (L)<br />
and Sean Irwin get set to kick <strong>of</strong>f a<br />
remote show in the midst <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Springfest festivities. They were the<br />
first shift in a series <strong>of</strong> student hosts<br />
who entertained visitors with music<br />
and conversation throughout the<br />
afternoon.<br />
YOU’RE INVITED!<br />
WHAT:<br />
A Cinco de <strong>May</strong>o fiesta with<br />
UMES Spanish language<br />
students<br />
WHERE:<br />
Room 2147 in the Student<br />
Services Center<br />
WHEN:<br />
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on<br />
Wednesday, <strong>May</strong> 9<br />
SPANISH FOR HEALTH<br />
CARE<br />
PROFESSIONALS<br />
MAY 22, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.<br />
UMES FOREIGN LANGUAGE<br />
INSTRUCTIONAL CENTER<br />
COURSE FEE: $149<br />
All materials included<br />
Questions?<br />
Call 410-651-6543 or email<br />
FLIC @ umes.edu<br />
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FINANCIAL LITERACY<br />
English Major Links Finances to Retention<br />
English major<br />
Lawrence Banton is<br />
on a mission to make<br />
sure UMES students<br />
are financially literate.<br />
As a member <strong>of</strong> a<br />
newly formed group<br />
<strong>of</strong> peer educators, he<br />
presents programs to<br />
Mr. Banton<br />
help students<br />
understand how a<br />
mountain <strong>of</strong> college loans will influence<br />
their future. He also <strong>of</strong>fers information<br />
about balancing a checkbook, managing a<br />
credit card, and looking for scholarships<br />
and grants as an alternative to loans.<br />
The program is called FLIPS—Financial<br />
Literacy is Paramount for Success—and<br />
it’s part <strong>of</strong> UMES’ multi-faceted focus<br />
on improving retention rates.<br />
Money problems force many students to<br />
leave college; Mr. Banton believes FLIPS<br />
will help to change that. He was invited<br />
to the annual HBCU Conference on<br />
Retention held recently in Ocean City to<br />
share some <strong>of</strong> the innovative strategies<br />
the FLIPS crew has developed to spread<br />
its message.<br />
While there is still room for<br />
improvement, the English department<br />
was pleased to learn recently that its<br />
successful freshman retention rate <strong>of</strong><br />
73.3% from 2010 to 2011 places it in the<br />
top ten <strong>of</strong> 32 academic programs campus<br />
wide.<br />
CREATIVE COMPETITION<br />
English Major Wins at the “Ultimate Cypher”<br />
Delaware native<br />
and junior English<br />
major Kyla Bibbins<br />
won a recent<br />
campus rap<br />
competition dubbed<br />
the “Ultimate<br />
Cypher.” The event<br />
was organized by<br />
Hawk Radio, the<br />
student managed<br />
radio station.<br />
Ms. Bibbins<br />
There were guest<br />
artists who<br />
performed music, poetry, and rap, but the<br />
competition element <strong>of</strong> the evening<br />
featured a group <strong>of</strong> UMES students who<br />
were selected through a prior audition<br />
process.<br />
After an initial performance, a panel <strong>of</strong><br />
judges selected three finalists. During the<br />
second round, the audience chose Ms.<br />
Bibbins as the winner <strong>of</strong> a $50 prize.<br />
The event also had a public service<br />
message. Hawk Radio partnered with a<br />
national nonpr<strong>of</strong>it called Life Beat. The<br />
group uses<br />
the power<br />
<strong>of</strong> the<br />
music<br />
industry to<br />
spread<br />
public<br />
awareness<br />
in the<br />
fight<br />
against<br />
H.I.V. and<br />
AIDS.<br />
Jasmine Walden (L) and Kayla<br />
Washington greet guests with<br />
free condoms.<br />
ALUMNI UPDATE<br />
Brittany Peterson, Class <strong>of</strong> 2011, is<br />
currently interning at Hot97, a hip hop<br />
radio station in New York City, as part<br />
<strong>of</strong> her master’s program at Morgan<br />
State <strong>University</strong>.<br />
Christina Taylor, Class <strong>of</strong> 2009, has<br />
just started a new job as a technical<br />
director and studio technician at<br />
WMDT TV, the ABC affiliate in<br />
Salisbury, <strong>Maryland</strong>.<br />
Jessica Taylor, who earned her English<br />
degree in 2010 and was a student<br />
employee in the department, is an<br />
account executive in D.C. at MAYA<br />
Advertising and Communication, a<br />
multicultural ad agency that specializes<br />
in minority marketing. She wants the<br />
English faculty and staff to know she is<br />
no longer allergic to being on time!<br />
WORD PLAY ANSWERS<br />
FROM PAGE TWO:<br />
1. They are caught.<br />
2. They are tossed.<br />
3. They lift.<br />
4. They have tongues.<br />
5. They are magazines.<br />
6. They have caps.<br />
7. They are popped.<br />
8. They have anchors.<br />
9. They have lanes.<br />
10. They have checks.<br />
CORRECTION: Last month we<br />
reported that during spring break David<br />
Johnson was a presenter at an assessment<br />
conference at Stevenson <strong>University</strong>. That<br />
was his plan, but Dr. Johnson spent the<br />
time at Peninsula Regional Medical Center<br />
instead. Fully recovered from an<br />
unexpected health problem, he returned to<br />
the classroom almost immediately.<br />
Insights is written and edited, except as noted, by communications instructor Marilyn<br />
Buerkle. Technical associate Eric Hammond is responsible for desktop publishing.<br />
Copy is pro<strong>of</strong>read by composition instructor Sandy Johnston. Photos are by Marilyn<br />
Buerkle, except as noted. If you have information you would like to appear in this<br />
publication, contact our editor at 410-651-8349 or email her at mlbuerkle@umes.edu.<br />
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