February 6, 2007
Vol. 10 No. 20


Community News

WWC, WCU receive grant from biotech center for light microscopy system

Warren Wilson College and Western Carolina University have received a grant of $62,010 from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for a new light microscopy system and expanded DNA analysis equipment. The grant will enhance undergraduate research at both institutions.

Directed by biology professors Paul Bartels of WWC and Sean O’Connell of WCU, biology and environmental studies students will be engaged in identifying microorganisms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as part of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. Bartels and a team of 20 undergraduates have found 70 new park records of tardigrade species over the past several years, including 14 that likely are new to science. (Tardigrades are sediment-dwelling micro invertebrates commonly known as water bears.) O’Connell, working with 160 undergraduates, has found 386 new bacterial species in the Smokies park.

“We’re very excited about this grant from the N.C. Biotechnology Center,” Bartels said. “Sean O’Connell and I have been working for several years on different organisms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and our work should move forward much more rapidly now. Additionally, the microscope we are getting is a very powerful instrument that can do five types of microscopy, all in one system.”

The microscope system will be housed at Warren Wilson. The DNA analysis laboratory is at Western Carolina.

According to its website, the N.C. biotech center is the “world's first government-sponsored organization dedicated to developing the biotechnology industry. Our mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina through support of biotechnology research, business and education statewide.”

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President Pfeiffer signs letter of intent for climate commitment

President Pfeiffer has signed a letter of intent for the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, an initiative modeled after the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

The climate commitment is an effort to make campuses more sustainable and to help address global warming. Presidents and chancellors make institutional pledges to reduce and eventually neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses.

“Warren Wilson College has been a national leader for some time in sustainable facilities and practices,” Pfeiffer said, “and we’re glad to be among the schools committing to signing this vitally important agreement.”

Signers of the commitment agree to take several steps in pursuit of climate neutrality, obligating their schools to work toward having little or no effect on the Earth’s climate. Participating institutions are required to make an action plan, emissions inventory and progress reports available to the public through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Warren Wilson’s Pfeiffer and James Moeser, chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, currently are the two committed charter signatories from the state of North Carolina. The climate initiative seeks the commitment of at least 200 presidents and chancellors by June, when a national summit of the group will be held. More than 1,000 such commitments are sought by December 2009.

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Masters of the Flat-Picked Guitar

Wed., Feb. 7, 7-8 p.m. at Sage Café. A free concert featuring three flat-pick guitar players from western NC. Leonard Hollifield of Weaverville plays guitar with the Stony Knob Boys, the house band at Shindig-on-the Green and the Asheville Folk and Dance Festival. As a child he played on WWNC radio before touring with the Kingsmen. Bryce Parham of Leicester is a great lead and rhythm bluegrass guitarist who also plays in a classical guitar trio. He learned guitar by transferring Earl Scruggs' banjo style to the guitar. Lawrence Dillingham grew up in a musical family in Buncombe County and learned from his father who plays the banjo and guitar. Lawrence is well respected locally for his flat-picking style guitar playing. This series of Appalachian music concerts is made possible by support from Warren Wilson’s Lyceum committee, Academic Affairs, and the Swannanoa Gathering.

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2007 Phonathon

The 2007 Phonathon is Feb. 12 - March 1. Calling will take place Mon. - Thurs., 6-9 p.m., in the Orr Cottage. Free food, fun themes, prizes and work credit for all! Phonathon raises money for the WWC Fund (Annual Fund) which supports scholarships, academics, the Work Program, service-learning, faculty/staff salaries, and so much more at the College we all love. For questions or to sign up, contact Miranda (ext. 2088, mhipple@warren-wilson.edu) or Tracy (ext. 2039, tbleeker@warren-wilson.edu).

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Award of 118 Northwest Lane

The house located at 118 Northwest Lane was advertised for sale and awarded to Larry Modlin, in accordance with the College's policy on purchasing campus housing.

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Bragg, Brewer to read as part of Warren Wilson reading series

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Rick Bragg and Sonny Brewer will read from their work Feb. 7. The reading, free to the public and part of a reading series sponsored by the College’s undergraduate creative writing program, begins at 8 p.m. in Canon Lounge. Info: Christine Hale, 771-3021.

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Mind’s Eye: Photographs by Peter Schlessinger

The exhibit at Holden Gallery runs Feb. 9 - March 30. The show opens with a reception Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m., followed by a gallery talk by the artist at 7:30 p.m. Gallery hours: 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Mon. - Thurs., and 1-4 p.m. Sun. Info: ext. 3038. During the show, the Holden Hallways will be displaying "Hot Wax: Encaustic Paintings" which is a group show from the Encaustic Painting class of fall 2006.

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Warren Wilson students to stage The Vagina Monologues

As part of the V-Day College Campaign, in support of a global movement to end violence against women and girls, WWC students will present The Vagina Monologues Feb. 9-10. Each performance of the Eve Ensler play will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Kittredge Theater, with all proceeds going to local women’s organizations Our Voice and Helpmate. Described as “funny” and “poignant” by The New York Times, the play delves into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women’s experiences. First performed by Ensler off-Broadway, the play has been staged to great acclaim throughout the world. Tickets to the Warren Wilson performance are $5 for students and $8 for all others, and may be reserved by calling (828) 771-3040. For more details about V-Day at the College, call 771-5919 or email rmoss@warren-wilson.edu. To learn more about V-Day campaigns worldwide, visit www.vday.org.

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Natural Science Seminars

Mon., Feb. 12. At 4 p.m., Sarah DeLeiris will present her NSS. At 4:30, Aaron Malenke will present “Metalloestrogen concentrations in the blood of American alligators, Alligator mississippiensis, in two Florida lakes.” Mentor: Dr. John Brock.

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Black History Month Event - "Reclaiming A Stolen Legacy" - A multi-media presentation

Feb. 15, 6-9 p.m., Canon Lounge. The presentation will give an outline of the modern development of Black History Month celebrations in the US from 1926 to the present. It will also trace the development of African civilizations (science, culture & religion) from its pre-Egyptian origins to the coming of the Greeks and Romans, to the Moors, up to the Rastafarians of modern times. The presentation will examine the pivotal roles of the Greek scholars in the loss or hijacking of African history and science. It will explore the alarming extent to which modern mass communications media is distorting the hidden legacy of African history. The presentation will deconstruct the psychological and political binary oppositions of the instrinsically fractured "Negro Identity" and will answer the following questions: Is Black/African History Month still relevant? And if so to whom? What is the purpose of African History? What is the true legacy of African History and was it stolen or just lost? How can this legacy be reclaimed? Presenters: Internationally known journalist and publisher of "Rootz, Reggae and Culture" magazine I. Jabulani Tafari and master herbalist and acclaimed educator priest Douglas Smith. This event is part of a series Celebrating African and African American History, Culture and Spirituality, and is brought to you by Service-Learning and the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs. More info ext. 3775.

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The Blood Drive is back

Thank you to all who gave blood or volunteered as a greeter or canteen person last semester. We need your help again at this semester's blood drive on Tues., Feb. 20, 1:30-8:30 p.m. Anyone who is interested in helping with the blood drive or giving blood should email Kate (kdonaldson@warren-wilson.edu) or Katie (kblankenship@warren-wilson.edu). Blood donations are very low during the winter months, we need all the help we can get!

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Down for the Down and Out

It is time to clean out your closets, gear rooms, and pickup trucks for a good cause. NC Outward Bound School is collecting retired outdoor gear for Asheville's homeless population. Here’s how to help. Needed (used) items: down or synthetic fill jackets, Gortex jackets, fleece, synthetic long-John layers, hats, gloves, socks, sleeping bags and pads, tents and tarps, dry bags or backpacks lined with garbage bags. You can drop off items at the NC Outward Bound office on Riceville Road near campus. Info: Lucia, 216.7292.

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Safety tip of the week

New generator's must have new warning labels. Most people would not think about firing up a portable gasoline-powered generator inside a home or garage. But not everyone is aware of the deadly risk of generator-related carbon monoxide poisoning, which claimed 64 lives across the US in 2005 and 32 lives between October and December 2006. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered that all new portable generators sold in the US contain warning labels stating: “Using a generator indoors can kill you in minutes.” People seem to be making bad choices about where to use these generators following hurricanes, ice storms and other events that cause electrical power outages. Workers have also died as a result of using these generators indoors at construction and other sites. Please Contact the OST Office with any questions or comments at ext. 3017

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Service Learning

Camp Hope in Saint Bernard Parish, New Orleans, helped WWC students so much during winter break. They provided a place to bathe, do laundry, sleep and eat three meals a day. In addition, they lent tools to complete gutting jobs that wouldn’t have otherwise been finished. They normally charge one hundred dollars per person per week. They allowed 35 students and staff to stay for less than fifty per person! If you can, contribute something to them: Make checks payable to: NOLA Habitat for
Humanity Put in the re: Camp Hope Donations are tax deductible. Mail to: NOLA Habitat for Humanity; 6701 E Saint Bernard Highway Violet, LA 70092. If you’d like to thank them by phone, call: 504-682-9267 and talk to: Jen, Pat or Emily.

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WorldWide
Lower Laursen
Ext. 3057

Students from SOC377 - Thailand: Social Changes and Inequalities will be giving a presentation about their experiences on Monday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. in Canon Lounge. Join them to learn more about this course that focused on social stratifications and inequalities in Thailand.

Applications for fall 2007 WWC programs are due to Naomi Otterness in the WorldWide office by Feb. 15. This includes applications for BorderLinks (Mexico); Capital Normal University (China); the International Enrichment London semester; the Oxford program; Universite Catholique de l'Ouest (France); University of Trier-Birkenfeld Environmental Campus (Germany); Kansai Gaidai University (Japan); Hannam University (South Korea); University of Ulster (Northern Ireland); University of Granada (Spain); and Payap University (Thailand).

External program approval forms for summer and fall 2007 study abroad programs are due in the WorldWide office by March 1.

Spring WorldWide travelers, please remember that the WorldWide office must have a copy of your passport on file at least 8 weeks prior to travel.