Campus Living Family of Four in Residence Hall, p. 2. October 3, 2008

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1 Fresh, New Choices At Renovated Dining Hall, p. 4 Campus Living Family of Four in Residence Hall, p. 2 Getting Ready ECU Marching Pirates Prepare for Game Day, p. 7 ECU Faculty and Staff Newspaper Budget Cuts Examined By John Durham October 3, Officials at are assessing ways to deal with a 2 percent reduction in the university s state appropriations, which was announced in September by the Office of State Budget and Management. The latest reduction, a one-time decrease, amounts to about $5 million. It comes on top of a $2 million permanent cut enacted by the General Assembly during the summer in the state budget bill. Kevin Seitz, vice chancellor for administration and finance at ECU, said, Given the current economic conditions, we had anticipated this mandatory reduction. We appreciate the state s continuing support of the university and we will carefully implement these requirements. Seitz said the university will look at several cost-cutting measures, including a temporary freeze in non-faculty hiring, eliminating non-essential travel and curtailing optional spending. If we have a contractual obligation, such as a lease, we will spend money for that, but we might delay buying a new truck or piece of equipment, he said. Because the budget cut is non-recurring, the university will not be forced to lay off employees as it implements reductions, Seitz said. The university s annual budget totals more than $650 million. Of that, about $250 million is state appropriations. Goal Set for State Giving By Erica Plouffe Lazure As it enters its 23rd year, a goal of $235,000 has been set for East Carolina University s share of the annual State Employees Combined Campaign. With roughly 900 community organizations and charities to choose from, the annual fundraiser provides ECU employees an opportunity to donate to causes and programs that matches their beliefs and interests through Oct. 31. The combination of our individual efforts makes a big difference for our communities, ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard said. ECU has the opportunity, once again, to emphasize leadership and compassion for our neighbors. In 2007, ECU employees c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 1 2 Virtual visitors examine classwork posted by ECU interior design students in a Second Life classroom on East Carolina University s 3-D virtual reality campus. In addition to classrooms, the virtual reality campus includes realistic ECU Hosts Second Life in Virtual World students can now meet, faceto-face, with classmates living in other time zones, teleport to a foreign country, even hold class discussions in a waterfall all from the comfort of their computer desks. Through an online program called Second Life, ECU has created a virtual campus to enhance communication and academic experiences for students and faculty. Everybody is so excited about this technology, said Sharon Collins of ECU s Academic Outreach, who oversees the Second Life project. It just opens up a world of learning. Second Life, com, is a popular, 3-D virtual reality program with more than 14 million users, or residents, worldwide. The ECU students hold class discussions with their avatars seated around a table in the Second Life virtual reality campus. (Contributed photo) representations of campus locations such as the clock tower, the cupola and the Wright Building. Visitors may use avatars - lifelike representations of people - to walk around and interact on the campus. (Photo by Joy Holster) colorful, interactive environment can be accessed, free of charge, by anyone who downloads the program. ECU opened its campus in Second Life in October Staff and student employees in the Academic Outreach department designed ECU s online presence. The 3-D rendition looks remarkably similar to its real-world model. At a virtual bookstore, students avatars, their 3-D representations, can take purple and gold ECU shirts. A recognizable Flanagan Building, cupola and clock tower stand out. And, the Wright Building looks like a spitting image of the original, except for one thing: the virtual version has no roof. The hardest part, said Travis Hufford, an ECU senior, was trying to get away from real life a little bit while making it look like the real campus. Collins noted the difference in thinking between the real world and the virtual world. In the virtual world, she pointed out, students don t have to sit behind walls, although classrooms do exist. Students or, rather, their avatars can meet in the clouds or underwater c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 1 0

2 Page 2 Pieces of Eight October 3, 2008 Living on the Hill: Family Arrangement in Jones Hall By Jeannine Manning Hutson Like many young married couples, April and Dave Barnes live in an apartment with their two young children while saving money to buy a house. What makes their living arrangement a little different is their apartment is surrounded by 346 students in Jones Residence Hall on College Hill, which is home to six residence halls. For April Barnes, it s just a natural fit, she said. We just hear the white noise outside. We have trouble sleeping when the students are gone and it s too quiet, Barnes said. As the residence hall coordinator for Jones, Barnes supervises the 11 student resident advisers in Jones and four at North Campus Crossing, a private apartment complex where ECU students are being housed temporarily this semester. She is also responsible for the overall administrative and programming aspects of the residence hall. Waz Miller, director of residence life for Campus Living, said that Barnes has a warm and approachable demeanor and the students seem to gravitate toward her. She takes a real interest in her staff from their academics to their role on her team. Miller added, She is very committed to her job and very organized. She likes to see the bright side of things, works hard and likes to have fun. I think her organizational skills help her to balance her work and family life. This is Barnes second year living in Jones; she and her husband also lived in Green Residence Hall for two years. Morgan Barnes attends kindergarten at Eastern Elementary. A school bus picks her up and drops her off on campus. My poor husband, she said laughing, was outnumbered one to 420 females. For their children 5-year-old Morgan and 2-year-old Abbie living in the residence hall is all they know. They have basically grown up in the residence halls, she said. A Pitt County school bus picks up Morgan on College Hill at 6:55 every morning to take her to Eastern Elementary, where she is in kindergarten. Abbie attends preschool at the Easter Seals United Cerebral Palsy Center, which is close enough down Elm Street that one of her parents takes her in her stroller to school each day. When asked what she likes about living where she does, Morgan replied, The R.A.s. Barnes laughed. She said her girls were so excited when the resident advis- David (left) and April Barnes (right) travel up the hill to Jones Residence Hall with their children Abbie (left) and Morgan. ers began moving in before the fall semester began. My daughter is probably one of the few kids who had year-olds at her 2-year-old birthday party, Barnes said. A native of northern Minnesota, Barnes grew up six miles from the Canadian border. She joked that adapting to life in North Carolina was probably a bigger hurdle than adjusting to living in a residence hall again. We moved down here in mid-june and by the time we had emptied out our boxes, we were covered in sweat. We re used to it being too cold for the kids to go outside to play, not having to look at the heat index. And the humidity makes it like breathing underwater, she said. Barnes and her husband, who is a native of Iowa, met at the University of North Dakota, where he was in the aviation program. He is now a pilot for U.S. Airways Express, based with a crew at Raleigh-Durham International airport. Barnes earned her undergraduate degree in secondary education focusing on English in middle school and a master s of education degree concentrating in leadership, both from the University of North Dakota. All residence hall coordinators at ECU have master s degrees. For Barnes and her family, the nontraditional housing arrangement has been win-win. I love my job, and it s a good way to pay off school and flight loans. While she loves being around the students, Barnes said it s becoming time for her family to move to a house with a yard a yard that s not shared by hundreds of college students. She wants to stay involved with students and is hoping for an assistant director role or position with off-campus living with on-campus office hours for the academic year. Elm Street Park is right next door, and the kids love when we go there. But it would be nice to have a backyard for them to play in, she said. Right now the girls bikes are stowed in the corner of Barnes office. Their apartment is filled with little girl puzzles and activity kits. The girls share one of the two bedrooms and have a play area off from the living/dining room area. Once every five weeks, I m the coordinator on duty for the residence halls on the Hill. That s the one part of the job that s hard, because if Dave s out of town flying and I have to go out, then I have to call one of my R.A.s to come and sleep on my sofa, she said. One of the rewards of being surrounded by college students is the builtin-sitter factor. The family lives in the residence hall where April serves as residence hall coordinator. (Photos by Cliff Hollis) Students living in Jones Residence Hall are all freshmen who are athletes or are studying music or engineering. Barnes praised the students for their behavior around her girls. They all know I have kids and they are respectful of that and watch their language. She laughed and said some nights it takes 30 minutes to get into their apartment because her girls are quite popular with their fellow Jones residents. My favorite is when the big football players get down on the girls level to say, Hi. And my girls love it. We took them to an ECU basketball game last year and one of the players waved at them, and they yelled back, Hey Jamar. They saw him as one of their dorm friends, she said. The R.A.s and the residents are my favorite part of the job, she said. Jones Residence Hall Coordinator April Barnes interacts with her 2-year-old daughter Abbie at the family s Jones Hall apartment.

3 October 3, 2008 News in Brief Pieces of Eight Page 3 Former U.S. Comptroller General to Speak at ECU The ECU College of Business will host the Hon. David M. Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General, as its fourth speaker in the Cunanan Leadership Speaker Series. Walker s presentation, Keeping America Great, will be held at the Hilton Greenville, Nov. 5 at 3:30 p.m. U.S. Rep. Walter Jones is scheduled to attend and introduce the speaker. The event is free and open to the public. In March, Walker left his position as U.S. Comptroller General where he served as the nation s top auditor as well as head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office. He held both presidential appointments for 10 years. Walker is president and chief executive officer of the newly-established Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Frederick Niswander, dean of the College of Business, said, Mr. Walker is a dynamic speaker with an important message for our country we need to get our financial house in order. As one of the nation s foremost financial authorities, his insight will be both enriching and enlightening. Eligible Faculty May Apply for Phased Retirement Effective Sept. 1, applications are being accepted for participation by eligible faculty members in the ECU Phased Retirement Program. Letters were sent via campus mail Sept. 2 to faculty members who appear to meet eligibility criteria based on Human Resources records. Complete program information is available at aa/aapersonnelforms.cfm. The following institutional officers are authorized to answer questions about the Phased Retirement Program: Lisa Sutton, assistant vice chancellor, Division of Health Sciences, Brody Medical Sciences Building, 4W-54C, or suttonli@ecu.edu; and Linda Ingalls, associate vice chancellor, Division of Academic and Student Affairs, Spilman 221, or ingallsl@ecu.edu. Golden Living Center donates to Brody Golden Living Centers has donated $110,801 to the Department of Family Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine to support the department s nursing home teaching project. The department provides primary medical care for residents of the local Golden Living facility. Hal Garland, executive director of the center, presented the check Sept. 3 to Dr. Kenneth Steinweg, interim chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and director of the medical school s geriatric division; Dr. Tae Joon Lee, medical director at Golden Living Center; and Maria Knupp, a family nurse practitioner in the ECU geriatric division. The money will support instruction of family medicine residents and fellows in geriatrics and help pay for salaries and teaching materials. This year is the 27th the center has supported the teaching project. Health Care Forum Set for Oct. 7 The 2008 Phi Kappa Phi Annual Forum, Health Care: Public or Private Good? will be held 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Oct. 7 at the Brody School of Medicine. Henry J. Aaron, senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., will present, Damnably Hard, Agonizingly Protracted, and Utterly Vital: Health Care Reform in the United States. ECU Board of Trustee Chairman Robert Greczyn, president of the N.C. Blue Cross and Blue Shield, will present the welcoming address and moderate a panel of experts including Pam Silberman, N.C. Institute of Medicine; Mark Hall, Wake Forest University; Charles Willson, ECU Department of Pediatrics; and ECU Board of Trustees member Joel Butler, University Health Systems of Eastern North Carolina. Attendees should register at ECU and Hilton Partner with Jazz at Night The ECU School of Music Jazz Studies Program and the Hilton Greenville Hotel are partnering this fall to host the Jazz at Night series on six Fridays during The first performance was held Sept. 12 for a standing-room-only crowd. Each event features performances by jazz studies students and faculty, as well as occasional guest artists. Carroll Dashiell, director of jazz studies, said the unique town-and-gown partnership will benefit the jazz studies program and students. We are delighted to have a venue like the Hilton Greenville and this type of access for the community to the jazz program, and I know our students will enjoy the audience and the learning experience, Dashiell said. The Hilton offers room packages, a cash appetizer and beverage service, and donates a percentage of restaurant purchases to the jazz studies program. Additional performances are scheduled for Oct. 24, Nov.14, Jan. 23, Feb. 20 and March 27. Pieces of Eight Volume 31, Number 2 Pieces of Eight, a newspaper for faculty and staff, is issued monthly during the academic year by the ECU News Bureau (News & Communication Services). Items may be sent to the Editor via campus mail addressed to Howard House, East Campus; delivered in person to Howard House, corner of East Fifth Street and Rotary Avenue; or ed to holsterj@ecu.edu. Phone inquiries to Editor: Joy Manning Holster (5,000 copies of this issue were printed at an approximate pre-tax cost of $595 or 12 cents per copy.) Lakshmi Narasimhan (left), a new ECU faculty member in computer science, talks with Jason Yao of engineering at a reception for new international faculty. (Photo by Christine Neff) ECU International Faculty Population Sees Growth This summer, Rhonda Brown, immigration specialist for East Carolina University, knew she had been busier than usual obtaining visas and organizing immigration documents. But she didn t know how much busier until she tallied up her list of faculty and staff members from foreign countries. 103, she said. That s a record. In recent years, ECU has seen continued growth in its international faculty population, and the campus community has benefited from the world of experiences and perspectives this group brings with it. From my perspective, having you with us enriches our faculty in so many ways, Marilyn Sheerer, interim provost and vice chancellor for Student Life, told a recent gathering of international faculty. You bring to us your different perspectives and give our students such a wonderful opportunity to learn something about you and where you re from, as well as your area of study and research, she said. Brown assists those faculty members and staff who require nonimmigrant visas to live and work in the United States. These individuals are hired through the normal recruitment process for academic and research positions, both tenure track and fixed-term. Brown has seen an increase in the c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 1 2 ROVER Van Educational By Erica Plouffe Lazure Children across the region are learning the ins and outs of weather sciences - everything from climate change and hurricane awareness to water quality, thanks to a new high-tech van at ECU, dubbed the RENCI ROVER. Filled with laptops, GIS software, and its own weather and radio stations, the ROVER (RENCI Outreach Vehicle for Education and Research) is the key element of the outreach component of ECU s Renaissance Computing Institute/Center for Coastal Systems Informatics and Modeling. It s also slated to play a role in emergency situations, providing mobile, free-standing power and communication capabilities. Michelle Covi, RENCI@ECU s new outreach coordinator and science education specialist, already has dozens of school and community programs lined up. Topics include hurricane awareness, weather and climate change, coastal habitat preservation and water quality. With the ROVER, we can bring a field trip into the classroom, Covi said. We go outside to the ROVER to observe and measure the current weather or water quality and investigate hurricanes in a simulated emergency scenario. Students can make real-life connections to science and technology. The van s most recent appearance was at RENCI@ECU s Open House Oct. 2, an event that showcased research being conducted at the facility. RENCI/CSIM is part of a $1.7 million grant from the Chapel Hill-based Renaissance Computing Institute. Its mission is to support research and outreach that improves understanding of how geographic features, biological coastal processes, and human activity interact and affect the environment, economy and social systems of North Carolina s coastal region. In addition to educational components, the Rover s free-standing server, generator, and radio would be useful during an emergency. The radio is c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 1 2

4 Photo by Cliff Hollis Page 4 Raab Brings Cancer Care Home to ECU Med School By Doug Boyd Her parents pioneered advanced cancer care in eastern North Carolina, and now Dr. Rachel Raab has come home to continue the tradition. Raab is one of the newest faculty members in the division of hematology/ oncology at the Brody School of Medicine at. She s following in the footsteps of her parents, Drs. Spencer and Mary Raab, who started the division at ECU s new medical school in Raab, her husband, Dr. Francois Archambault, an anesthesiologist, and their 16-month-old son, Julien, arrived in August after Raab completed a cancer fellowship in New York. It s going well so far, Raab said recently during a break between clinics. It s been a good transition and I ve gotten a lot of support from the people in my department. Raab has an undergraduate degree Dr. Rachel Raab Salmon fillets cooked in a smoker. Sizzling salads topped with pan-seared beef or chicken. Pizza slices served hot from the oven. It may sound more like fine dining than on-campus cuisine, but these menu items and more can now be found at East Carolina University s newly renovated Todd Dining Hall, known as The Fresh Food Company. We re very excited about these changes, Joyce Sealey, food service director at ECU, said. This new model completely changes the common perceptions about dining hall food. Extensive renovations have given the cafeteria on College Hill a lively, market-style atmosphere where food preparation takes center stage. Seven show kitchens offer homestyle meals, grilled sandwiches and entrees, a self-serve produce market, pizza and pasta, homemade desserts and a variety of beverages. Vegetarian fare Pieces of Eight October 3, 2008 Fresh, New Choices Featured in Renovated Dining Hall from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and a medical degree from ECU. She completed residency and fellowship training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. Like her mother, Raab specializes in breast cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of breast cancer among women in North Carolina is approximately 110 to 119 cases for every 100,000 women, with African- American women more likely to die from the disease than other women. Even though we ve come a long way since my parents moved here in the 1970s, there s still a lot to be done for patients in this area, Raab said. The opportunity to sub-specialize in breast cancer helped draw her to ECU. She also said Greenville is a growing city with the chance to be the leader in cancer care for a large portion of the state. Cancer center leaders believe she can be part of that plan. For the region, this is a homecoming to a community that raised her and is proud to have her return, said Dr. Adam Asch, associate director of ECU s Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center. She brings to this job not only her experience as an oncologist, but she knows the region and cared enough to return with her husband. Her mother is revered by many of her patients, and a portrait of Raab s father, who died of cancer in 1993, hangs in the cancer center. Raab teared up a bit as she remembered him. I really can t even imagine what it was like in 1977, she said. I think they realized what the need was here for cancer services. They had a vision. c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 1 2 is available at every meal, and healthy options are promoted throughout the facility. Larry Barnhill and Vergzinette Nobles prepare pizzas to bake in the new pizza deck oven at the newly renovated Todd Dining Hall. (Photo by Marc J. Kawanishi) Construction began in mid-september on the new Trustees Fountain, which is on the site of the former fountain on Wright Circle. The old fountain was removed when decaying utility lines caused the structure to begin sinking. (Photo by Cliff Hollis) Construction Begins on New Fountain at Wright Circle By Jeannine Manning Hutson Almost two years after the removal of the original, a new fountain on Wright Circle is emerging. The chain link construction fencing went up in late August, the sod was removed and a bulldozer began moving dirt to start construction. The $1.18 million project was undertaken when decaying utility lines caused the original fountain to begin to sink. Sink holes had appeared around the fountain, and the structure itself could not maintain necessary water levels. The original fountain was removed in early 2007 as crews repaired and replaced storm sewer lines and steam tunnel drainage and reworked the utility layout of the area around Wright Circle and near the Spilman Building. The original Wright Fountain was Universities around the country have embraced the Fresh Food Company concept that focuses on serving fresh, dedicated in 1932 to honor Robert H. Wright, the first president of what s now. The fountain was rededicated in 1951 to honor Martin L. Wright, director of the Department of Social Science, who served as chair of the campus beautification committee for 15 years. Wright applied his passion for gardening and landscaping towards beautification of public areas of campus, including the fountain and surrounding landscape. The new fountain will honor current and former members of the ECU Board of Trustees, who contributed money to the project. The ECU Board of Trustees voted in 2006 to change the name of the campus landmark. The Trustees Fountain project is expected to be completed in early December, according to information from ECU Facilities and Engineering Services. locally-grown foods and making preparation more visible to the customers, Sealey said. Todd Hall goes a step further by employing high-end cooking tools, such as a new pizza deck oven and a smokehouse that cooks up traditional eastern North Carolina favorites. Other additions include high seating around the deli counter, television screens, multiple beverage stations, even a marble slab in the dessert station to mix toppings into ice cream. One traditional cafeteria item has been taken out of all the dining halls on campus, including Todd. ECU s Dining Services introduced trayless dining this semester as a way to curb food and water waste. Diners no longer use trays to transport their food to the table, though some trays remain available to people with physical or medical challenges. A pilot of the policy held last year at ECU showed that more than 2,000 c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 1 0

5 October 3, 2008 Pieces of Eight Page 5 Nursing Receives Top Award By Crystal Baity s College of Nursing has been designated a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing. Acting Dean Sylvia Brown accepted the award for the college Sept. 20 during the National League for Nursing s Education Summit in San Antonio, Texas. ECU was one of six schools to receive the designation for The University of North Carolina at Greensboro also received distinction. The ECU College of Nursing was lauded for creating environments that promote student learning and professional development, one of several criteria used to evaluate candidates. In everything we do, through all interactions with patients and in our endeavors to contribute to health care quality, College of Nursing seeks to exceed expectations and achieve excellence not just for the accolade of a job well done, but because the health of our constituents depends on our steadfast dedication to excellence, said Brown. Isaacson to Deliver Lecture Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute and former CEO of CNN, will deliver the Premier Lecture in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Voyages of Discovery Lecture Series. Isaacson will speak on Creative Leaders Who Have Shaped Our World, in Wright Auditorium at 7 p.m., on Oct. 8. Isaacson Publications Chapter by David G. Weismiller (Medicine), Colposcopy in Pregnancy, in Colposcopy Principles and Practice: An Integrated Textbook and Atlas. Article by Rachel L. Roper (Microbiology and Immunology) with co-authors, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Vaccine Efficacy in Ferrets: Whole Killed Virus and Adenovirusvectored Vaccines, in the Journal of General Virology. Article by Communication faculty Sachiyo Shearman and Rebecca Dumlao, A Cross- Cultural Comparison of Family Communication Patterns and Conflict Between Young Adults and Parents, in the Journal of Family Communication. Chapter by Vivian W. Mott (Education), Learner-derived Curriculum Development, in Curriculum Development for Adult Learners in the Global Community: Strategic Approaches. ECU faculty and staff serving on a task force to obtain designation were: chair Mary Holland, Robin Webb Corbett, Frances Eason, Laurie Evans, Laura Gantt, Mary K. Kirkpatrick, Therese Lawler, Linda Mayne, Diane Marshburn, Maura S. McAuliffe and Annette Peery. Since 2004, the National League for Nursing has invited nursing schools and colleges to apply based on demonstration of sustained excellence in faculty development, nursing education research or student learning and professional development. Schools must show commitment to continuous quality improvement. The NLN is proud to recognize those schools whose faculty is doing the outstanding work that sets them apart from others, said Dr. Beverly Malone, NLN chief executive officer. By publicly acknowledging these best academic practices, we hope to set the bar higher in nursing programs across the board so that those entering the profession will have the best tools available to meet the challenges of a diverse, everchanging health care environment. As a designee, ECU will help mentor other schools seeking distinction. Isaacson began his career in journalism at The Sunday Times of London. He joined TIME magazine in 1978 and became managing editor in He served as chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, and now leads the Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering openminded dialogue. In December 2007, President George W. Bush appointed him to chair the U.S. Palestinian Public- Private Partnership, which seeks to create economic and educational opportunities in the Palestinian territories. Isaacson also serves as the co-chair of the U.S. Vietnamese Dialogue on Agent Orange. He has authored several books, including Einstein: His Life and Universe, Benjamin Franklin: an American Life, and Kissinger: A Biography. The Premier Lecture is sponsored by the David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard endowment fund. The Whichard family has published the Daily Reflector newspaper in Greenville for more than 100 years and has been longtime supporters of ECU. Tickets are free for the ECU community and $10 for the public at ECU s Central Ticket Office, For additional information, visit ecu.edu/voyages. Publication by Juan J. Daneri (Foreign Languages and Literatures), Fernando de Alva Ixtilxochitl in the Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Article by Jennifer M. Valko (Foreign Languages and Literatures), Soñar con el futuro. Proyectos inmigratorios para la Patagonia argentina en Roberto J. Payró y Teodoro Alemann, in Iberoamericana, América Latina - España - Portugal. Article by Robin Tutor (Agromedicine), Max Zarate (Health Education and Promotion) and Sharon Loury (Nursing), Pesticide Exposure Surveillance and Prevention Skills of Staff in Eastern North Carolina Health Departments, in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. Also by Loury with co-author, Correlates of Alcohol and Tobacco Use Among Mexican Americans in Rural North Carolina, in Family and Community Health. Dr. Yan-Hua Chen (right), shown with research specialist Rodney Tatum, is studying the protein claudin-7 and the role it plays in hypertension. (Photo by Cliff Hollis) Protein Could Lead To New Blood Pressure Treatment By Doug Boyd Funded by a $1.6 million grant, an researcher is studying a protein that might hold a key to reducing high blood pressure and improving kidney function in people with kidney disease. Dr. Yan-Hua Chen, an associate professor of anatomy and cell biology at the Brody School of Medicine at ECU, has received the five-year grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the function of claudin-7, a protein that makes up part of the barrier that controls the flow of molecules between cells. Chen s preliminary research has shown that claudin-7 interacts with an enzyme called WNK4 kinase and forms a pathway for chloride ions to enter the bloodstream. Interaction of claudin-7 with a mutated version of WNK-4 may lead to high blood pressure. Understanding the role of claudin- 7 in these intercellular barriers and pathways could lead to medicines that could help people with high blood pressure ECU Senators Walk for Heart A group of staff members will walk for the heart Oct. 11, as part of this year s Down East Heart Walk. About 25 employees, many of them involved with ECU s Staff Senate, have registered for the American Heart Association event to be held at Greensprings Park in Greenville. They hope to raise $2,400 to contribute to research and education on heart disease and strokes. This marks the third year the Staff Senate has spearheaded ECU s involvement in the walk. The biggest goal for us is to raise awareness of what a critical issue heart disease is, said Paula Daughtry, chair of the Staff Senate. Heart disease and stroke rank as the nation s number one and number three killers, claiming more than 91,000 American lives each year, according to the as well as kidney disease, Chen said. It could also help people whose blood pressure is too low. We need to find out the mechanism of this claudin-7 in the control of ionic balance in the body, Chen said. The next five years will be very exciting for us. Chen began her research with grants last year from the ECU Division of Research and Graduate Studies and the N.C. Biotechnology Center, which allowed her to collect necessary data to revise and resubmit her federal grant request. Chen is working with fellow ECU scientists Dr. Qun Lu of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Dr. Abdel Abdel-Rahman of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology on the claudin-7 study. In another study involving the protein, she is working with Dr. Kathryn Verbanac, a scientist in the ECU Department of Surgery, to discover how claudin-7 might suppress tumors in lung cancer. That research is funded by a $143,271 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of NIH. American Heart Association. The disease is prevalent in this part of the country. ECU employees can sign up to walk or contribute funds to the cause by visiting the web site, org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent= Daughtry will also take checks made out to the American Heart Association. The event raises awareness about the Staff Senate while fulfilling its mission of serving the community, Daughtry said. It helps ECU, and it helps our community, she said. The Staff Senate, which represents all university employees except faculty members, meets monthly. The next meeting will be held Oct. 16, at 2:30 p.m., in Mendenhall Student Center. For more information, contact Paula Daughtry by phone, , or , daughtryp@ecu.edu.

6 Page 6 Pieces of Eight October 3, 2008 Pirates Prepare for Game Day EDITOR S NOTE: As s football team continues to draw capacity crowds in one of the most exciting seasons in a decade, Pieces of Eight takes a look at some of the other elements that make up a game day. Read on to find out how Joey Perry, ECU s sports turf manager, gets the field ready for its close-ups on ESPN, and how the ECU Marching Pirates prepare for the important job of entertaining and motivating the crowd. ECU sports turf manager Joel Perry and his team carefully paint the football field at ECU s Dowdy-Ficklen stadium in preparation for the Pirates first home game on Sept. 9. Although it is a year-round job to keep the field in excellent condition, each home game paint job on the field can take as much as two days. Perry s reward comes on game day, when thousands of fans crowd the stadium and enjoy the results of his efforts. (Photo by Marc J. Kawanishi) Perry Tames the Turf for Another Football Season Head down, earphones in, Joey Perry looked intently at the patch of green grass in front of him, carefully turning it a bright, East Carolina gold with the spray paint wand in his hand. There s not many people I trust to paint out here, he said, smiling. Out here is the football field at East Carolina University s Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Just two days before the Pirate s first home game, the field looked picturesque lush, dark green and newly painted with white yard lines. For nine seasons, Perry, ECU s sports turf manager, has maintained this field and all of the university s outdoor athletic facilities with a sort of fatherly pride. We want everybody to come in and be proud. It s everybody s field, he said. Though, smiling, he added, Well, I really feel like it s my field. But on game day, it s everybody s. Perry began taming turf as a young athlete. He started working on the recreation fields he played on to make a little money on the side. He went on to study parks recreation and tourism at North Carolina State University, and worked full time for the grounds crew while completing his degree. He came to ECU in August 2000 and, since then, has followed a rigorous routine to keep the fields in playing condition. It s a year-round job with busy days for him and his staff of mostly part-time student workers. Preparations for the new football season begin in the spring. I try to push the Bermuda grass out here as hard as I can to get it ready for the season, Perry said. Bermuda grass grows well in Greenville s transitional climate. Perry prefers a hybrid variety called Tifway 419 that holds up under the weight of football cleats, tackles and touchdowns. But even Bermuda grass needs rain, and this summer s dry months proved challenging to the veteran groundskeeper. When it comes down to it, you can put all the fertilizer on it you want. But if you don t get that heavenly rain, you re not going to get that dark green color, he said. Luckily, the rain did come, weeks before the Pirates first game in Greenville. Maintenance became a matter of mowing, but not with your everyday lawn mower. Perry s machine cost more than $45,000. This is like cutting your hair. You don t want somebody cutting your hair with a propeller blade. You want somebody with sharp scissors, he explained. The two-day task of painting the football field s yard and goal lines and the purple and gold pirate at the 50-yard line typically starts the Wednesday before a game, Perry said. On Fridays, the opposing team has a chance to preview the field no cleats allowed. Then, on game day, Perry is at the stadium by 7:30 a.m., doing last minute conditioning and putting out mats near the team benches to protect his grass. His crew also installs parking lot signs and trashcans for tailgaters. Come game time, when 43,000 fans look intently at his football field, Perry s gaze will be pointing the other way. He admits, he doesn t get too excited when the team enters the stadium for the start of a new season. He s more energized to see the fans. Sure, I want the team to win, and I want them to play good. But, I get more of a thrill when the people walk up in the stands and look down on the grass, he said. Every game is a point of pride. I want it to look as good as it can, every game.

7 October 3, 2008 Pieces of Eight Page 7 Marching Band Maintains the Game Day Beat At the end of each halftime show as the band plays its last note, the dance team and color guard strike a final pose and the twirler catches an airborne, flaming baton s Marching Pirates hear an awesome sound: the roar of 43,000 cheering fans. At that moment, said Adam Agee, an ECU sophomore and assistant drum major, You feel like a rock star. But getting to that point takes more grit than glamour. The group of talented students and staff that make up the marching band work hard, week after week, to entertain and motivate Pirates football fans. Preparations start long before the first football game of the season. Christopher Knighten, band director, starts planning shows in the spring when the football schedule is announced. We re at the point now, with this program, where we try not to repeat a show at a home game. This year we re doing six different shows, he said. Knighten and his staff of graduate assistants and instructors pick the music and choreograph the drill (the formations the band creates on the field) based on how much time they have in between games to teach new material. During a week-long camp in August, the band learned one halftime show, the pre-game show and some of the stand music. The other five shows are taught throughout the season. Training more than 240 people at one time can be chaotic, so Knighten relies on students to teach each other. Forty percent of the band members play a teaching role at practice, helping other students learn new drill. It provides good experience for those Christopher Knighten ECU graduate and Color Guard Instructor Grace Duque teaches new material, as the Marching Pirates prepare for students seeking education degrees, who make up 60 percent of the program, Knighten said. At a recent Monday afternoon practice, the band split into sections to rehearse music for a Movie Themes show, which features songs from Back to the Future and The Magnificent Seven. Trombones and tubas, don t rush the rhythm. Hang back, and let it groove, Jesse Rackley, teaching assistant, told his brass section. Will Goodyear, percussion instructor, worked with a group of about 20 percussionists. We have an enormous amount of material to learn, he said. We re always learning new pieces of music for the halftime show and to play in the stands. Drum Major Tremayne Smith, an ECU junior who watched from the sidelines, said game day performance is always on his mind. Whatever we get done at practice is put on the field, and on Saturday, at any given time, there are 43,000 people watching, Smith said. That prospect might strike fear in more timid hearts, but not in these performers. Courtney Stearn, featured twirler, said she gets an adrenaline rush in front of the crowd. When the band plays that first note in the pre-game show and the crowd reacts, I have no choice but to respond to that. It s a wonderful feeling, she said. Come game day, the band meets two hours before kick-off at a an ECU home game. Long hours of practice are critical for the band s success. (Photos by Cliff Hollis) practice field on College Hill. It does a quick rehearsal and then parades, in uniform, to the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, stopping along the way to play for tailgaters. After the pre-game show, which includes the playing of the national anthem, the band takes to the stands, playing music and starting cheers as the crowd joins in. We try to keep a lot of the college game environment going by playing between plays, particularly when the other team has the ball, Knighten said. It s always an exciting time because we sit right in the middle of the student body, and there is a lot of energy on game day. Smith said the band plays an integral role in motivating the crowd, which in turn motivates the team. The band gets it going. If (our team) is down, and the band can get motivated, the crowd will get going and the team will get going, he said. This season, with a highly ranked football team to support, band members feel a heightened sense of excitement and responsibility in their role. Everybody in the band knows how important this season could be, not just for our football team but for our entire school, Agee said. He hopes the football team finishes the season without a loss. But, he added, If they don t win another game we ll still be behind them. A musician in the ECU Marching Pirates practices a musical selection as the band prepares for their game day performance.

8 Photo by Cliff Hollis Page 8 Pieces of Eight October 3, 2008 Faculty, Staff Can Get Fit at Student Recreation Center Laughter came easy to participants in a free Laughter Yoga class hosted at the Student Recreation Center this September. The class joined in as instructor Rhonda Locklair clapped her hands in rhythm, chanting aloud, Very good, very good, yeah! Very good, very good, yeah! By the second yeah, students couldn t help but smile, and the belly laughing soon followed. Locklair admitted, the exercises may seem silly at first, but the activity has some serious health benefits. It can relieve stress, oxygenate the body and massage internal organs while providing a workout, she said. It s the most fun, transformative exercise I ve ever done, Locklair said. It s truly a miracle worker. Laughter Yoga is just one of many ways s Campus Recreation and Wellness Center (CRW) aims to keep students, faculty and staff fit. We re not just about treadmills or weights, tracks or indoor pools. We re about putting it all together for you, said Sam Combs, assistant director of fitness. If you re committed to becoming fitter and stronger, this is the place for you. The center offers a variety of ways One Way or Another: ECU Beats State Pirates may have struggled with the North Carolina State University Wolfpack on the football field, but in the first-ever ECU vs. NCSU Blood Battle organized by the ECU Student Pirate Club and the American Red Cross, the Pirates scored a clear victory. The event kicked off Sept. 16 with a donor challenge held at the NCSU campus. The next day, ECU students donated blood to show their support for the university, especially in light of the upcoming ECU-NCSU football contest on Sept. 20. Hundreds of ECU donors waited in long lines at the Murphy Center, leading ECU to victory with 315 pints collected. NCSU students donated 93 pints. The blood drive was a win for the American Red Cross as well. The Mid-Atlantic region alone needs to collect between 500 and 600 units of blood daily, to treat issues such as cancer, leukemia, sickle cell anemia, premature infants. Every two seconds someone needs blood. Those who missed the challenge, but would like to give blood, may log on to or call GIVELIFE for a list of upcoming blood drives. Donors should be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in overall good health. Students in Rhonda Locklair s Laughter Yoga class at the ECU Student Recreation Center greet each other with a handshake and a deep belly laugh. Locklair (center) explains to her students that laughter provides a good workout while helping to relieve stress. The program is one of many fitness programs offered by ECU s Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. (Photo by Christine Neff) to do that, from traditional cardio and weightlifting exercises to personal training sessions, weekend kayaking trips to lunch-hour dance classes. The facility has an indoor pool for lap swimming and recreational play, an outdoor pool, a weight and fitness area, an indoor track, multipurpose courts, a 27-foot climbing wall and more. In addition, the center offers classes that incorporate elements of yoga, Pilates, fitness and dance. Members can learn Scottish Country Dancing, practice Hatha In coordination with the Recognition and Rewards Committee of the ECU Staff Senate, the Pieces of Eight series honoring exceptional ECU staff recognizes Norm Cole. By Judy Currin Norm Cole has never played organized soccer. I played a little basketball in high school and volleyball as an undergraduate at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., Cole said. And some pick-up games in graduate school, but that s about it. After completing requirements for his master s in education from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla., Cole joined the staff at ECU. Now in his third year as College Hill Suites coordinator, he is also beginning his fifth season as a volunteer coach for the Pitt-Greenville Soccer Association Youth Recreational League. When Norm came to Greenville, he wanted to get involved with the community, said Waz Miller, assistant vice chancellor and director of residence life. She mentioned a variety of opportunities. Youth soccer appealed to Cole. But Cole had never played the game. Well, why not? Cole said. It s a whole lot of fun and running around a field with kids for an hour is the best stress relief I know. Cole coaches Miller s seven-yearold daughter s team and recently added Yoga, even try out some ballroom dance moves. Some of these programs are free to CRW members, while others have an additional fee. All programs are open to members and non-members. The more adventure-minded can embark on backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing and caving trips throughout the region. Brad Beggs, director of the adventure program, said these trips fit all ability levels. We can do really exciting, a team of four-year-old boys, which includes Miller s son. All the kids call him Coach Norm. It s gratifying to be able to teach them the skills of the game and watch them grow in ability and selfconfidence, he said. Cole took an active stance in his own soccer education, acquiring four state youth licenses issued by the United States Soccer Federation. In six months, he plans on testing for the national D license. He s joined the professional coaching organization, and has developed his own curriculum based on having fun. Above all else, Cole said, Soccer is a game, and kids are kids and should have fun playing a game. His coaching philosophy mirrors the student development goals he puts forth as a hall coordinator. His focus is on skill development, not winning. Cole s approach to coaching is guided discovery. The game (and life) is best learned and most owned by the players when they find their own answer to the challenges the game presents, he said. His long-term goal is to help in the development of creative, exciting, skilled and passionate soccer players, while positively influencing their overall development as people. Norm s optimism and patient manner assist him on the field as well as in the hall, Miller said. Having never worked with young children before, Cole has faced some extreme stuff, or we can be out there enjoying the scenery and relaxing. It s only a matter of how far you want to take it, he said. For a more social workout experience, ECU faculty and staff participate in intramural sports. About 25 different sports are played each year, including basketball, wiffleball, dodgeball and kickball. If you haven t played kickball since you were 10 years old, you need to come out and try it. It will take you back, said Kathryn Hunt, associate director of marketing for CRW. New this semester, the center is encouraging regular physical activity through an online incentive program, Pirates That Thrive. Registered members sign on to a web site, to log their exercise minutes between Sept. 15 and Oct. 26. Prizes are awarded at the end of the six-week period to those participants that reach time goals. ECU faculty and staff, and their family members, can purchase a yearlong membership for $264. A semester pass costs $110. Payroll deduction services are available. ECU employees who have never had a membership can use the facility, free, for one month. For additional information about the Student Recreation Center classes, activities and memberships, visit or call Cole Strives to Develop Passionate Players care-taking challenges of his own. He s always tying shoes, helping them put on pinneys and even dealing with pony-tail issues. (Pinneys are nylon vests used to divide one team into two for practice.) Cole said he has made great friends through coaching. It s my way of making connections and friendships outside of my work. My soccer families have become an extended family, he said. Norm s willingness to give of his time and talents is unparalleled, Miller said. He is a true credit to ECU and the Greenville community. Norm Cole

9 October 3, 2008 Pieces of Eight Page 9 Display Provides Snapshot Look at Russian Life, History Yelena Francis, a new Russian instructor at, hopes to give the ECU community an insider s look at her native country through an exhibit on display now at Joyner Library. Russia Ancient and Modern takes a snapshot look at scenes in and around St. Petersburg, Russia. Francis solicited photographs from former classmates and students, friends and relatives for the display. I told them about my idea, and they began to send me pictures. Finally, I was almost buried under them, she said. The small exhibit in the hallway past the library s reference desk shows about 18 photographs of buildings, scenery and people. The boyhood home of famed Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov is pictured, as well as the cabin that housed the nanny of poet Alexander Pushkin. A photograph of the Resurrection of Christ church in one of Russia s oldest cities hangs above a picture of a park founded by Catherine the Great. Francis chose pictures that would remind people of Russia s great cultural heritage and diverse population. This is a mosaic that tells a little bit about mysterious Russia that is so far, so big and so different, she said. The display includes novels, films and music by Russian artists. It is the first of several exhibits Francis plans to bring to campus. The display will be at the library through October. Persons interested in Russian history and culture can also attend a movie night sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages. Russian films with English subtitles are shown on the first and third Wednesdays of the month in ECU s Bate Building In the Spotlight Yelena Francis, Russian instructor at ECU, stands in front of a display of photographs taken in her native country. (Photo by Christine Neff) Appointments/Elections Joseph Walas (Glassblowing Services) was appointed as board trustee of the American Scientific Glassblowers Society. Communication faculty Erick Green and Bernard Timberg were named to the board of directors of the Eastern N.C. Film Commission. Lou Anna Hardee (Education) was named lieutenant governor of the Optimist N.C. East District, Zone 3. Virginia Hardy (Medicine) was appointed by Pitt County Commissioners for a four-year term on the Pitt Community College Board of Trustees. NewsMakers Will Banks (English) on The State of Things, WUNC N.C. Public Radio, discussing his work with the Tar River Writing Project, Aug. 20. Peter Francia (Political Science), quoted in an Associated Press story on Leadership Scholar Dr. Irene Hamrick, a geriatric specialist at the Brody School of Medicine, was selected as a leadership scholar by the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs. Hamrick is one of two participants selected this year. She will receive tuition and expenses for formal leadership training, national geriatrics mentor honorarium and site visit expenses for two years. She is an associate professor of family medicine and a medical graduate of ECU. She completed her geriatric fellowship at ECU, is geriatric division director and geriatric fellowship director. the politics of NAFTA in the presidential election. The story was picked up by the WTOP in Washington, D.C., Aug. 29. Francia was also quoted in the Rocky Mount Telegram on Randy Stewart s race for the N.C. House, Aug. 26. Sy Saeed (Psychiatry, Health Sciences) in The News and Observer on the value of partnerships between universities and mental health agencies, Aug. 29. Rachel L. Roper (Microbiology and Immunology), featured in the North Carolina Biotechnology Center newsletter for her research on stopping the spread of the monkeypox virus, Sept. 4. Robert Tanenberg (Medicine) on the Down East Journal, Public Radio East, on diabetes in eastern N.C., Sept. 5. ECU football coach Skip Holtz in The New York Times and USA Today discussing the Pirate football team s unexpected wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia, Sept. 7 and 11. Yan-Hua Chen (Medicine) on Down East Journal, Public Radio East, discussing research on treating hypertension and kidney disease, Sept. 12. Sylvia Brown and Laura Gantt (Nursing) with nursing students C. Biggerstaff and J. Gill, in The Daily Reflector, on the College of Nursing s mission and growth in students, research and initiatives, Sept. 15. Service, Honors and Professional Activities John Heilmann (Allied Health) received one of five 2008 Advancing Academic Careers Awards from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. The award is aimed at reducing the shortages of PhD-level faculty in communication sciences and disorders by supporting activities such as mentoring student research, conducting research and improving grant writing skills. George Bissinger (Physics) was named a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America in recognition of his contributions to the knowledge of acoustics, specifically his research involving violin acoustics. The 2008 Third Facilities Services Awards for Excellence recipients, for service, include Danny Braxton with Recycling Services, Mike Cox with Grounds Services, Artis Moore with Utilities Services Steam, and Darrell Roebuck with Building Services Carpentry. Daniel Bara (Music) was artistic director of the New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Choral Studies this summer. Serving as faculty in the program were ECU School of Music faculty members Sharon Munden, John Kramar and Eric Stellrecht. Graduates from the ECU School of Music also served in faculty and administrative roles. School of Music faculty Amy Carr-Richardson, Mark Richardson and Lori Wacker were selected to serve among 130 advanced placement readers for the College Boards Advanced Placement Program and Educational Testing Service 2008 music theory AP exams in Lincoln, Neb. ECU Communication professors Erick Yates Green and Bernard Timberg attended the University Film and Video Association convention in Colorado Springs, Colo., where their film Bunny Sanders: The Mayor Who Stood Up, was featured in the formal screening series. Green and Timberg also led a panel discussion and screened their work in progress, The New Country Doctor, featuring N.C. Family Physician of the Year and ECU alumnus Mott Blair of Wallace, N.C. The film is a first in a planned series on rural medicine in the state. Timberg participated in the UFVA Fair Use Interest Group, distributing a fair use best practices statement for film, video and online production. Green and Timberg received a faculty grant to complete an expanded version of the Bunny Sanders film, to include details on the No- OLF campaign and its impact upon rural communities in eastern North Carolina. Stephen J. Culver (Geological Sciences) was named the 2008 Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor, an honor bestowed upon a new recipient at the beginning of each academic year. ECU Business Services presented Quest for Excellent Awards for outstanding service during a summer recognition luncheon Aug. 7. The winners and their awards follow: Ginger Ferrell (Dowdy Student Stores), First Mate Award for her team building and motivational efforts; Chuck Boulineau (Materials Management), Navigator Award for his behind-the-scenes efforts as tech support analyst; Monique Barrett (Mail Services), Captain Award for superior customer service; Donny Simmons (University Printing and Graphics), Explorer Award for outstanding dedication and initiative; and Tim Daughtry (Central Stores and Receiving), the Business Services Leadership Award for his dedication and willingness to take on challenging projects. Selected by a committee of peers, the winners received prizes from Business Services and ECU s Treasured Pirate program. Shining Start Awards were presented to the following for their performance as new employees: James Artis, Paul Goodson and Danny Langley with University Printing and Graphics; Terry Windham and Betsy Everett with Dowdy Student Stores, Katie Heacox of the 1 Card Office, and Karen Simmons with Business Services. Dr. Phyllis Horns, interim vice chancellor for health sciences, recognized Ed Hollowell at the 30th annual Health Law Forum with a proclamation declaring him affiliate professor of medical jurisprudence. Hollowell helped begin the health law forum and led it for many years, as well as teaching a class in medical-legal issues at Brody.

10 Page 10 Pieces of Eight October 3, 2008 Second Life in Virtual World c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 1 for discussions, she said. I m for learning outside of boundaries, and I would have been so thrilled to have this in college. This allows you to express yourself with a little bit more freedom, and you can learn so much from other people this way, Collins said. The technology has been used primarily by distance education courses. Elizabeth Hodge, an associate professor in the Department of Business and Information Technologies Education, has taught several courses within the virtual environment and received positive feedback from her students. The program enhances group work and class discussions, and increases their connection to each other and the university, she has been told. A lot of students said, it s the first time I felt like a part of the university, Hodge said, adding that most of her distance education students will not set foot on campus until graduation day. ECU faculty and staff are applying the technology in other ways, too. ECU students designed a campus in Second Life that mimics the real thing. (Contributed photo) Presentations by Anna Froula (English): Archiving Realities of National Trauma, on the panel The Struggling of Memory against Forgetting: Using and Generating Archives in Freshman Composition, at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in New Orleans; Visualizing American Women at War, at Southampton Solent University in Southampton, UK; and Anticipating the War on Terror : 28 Days Later and the Culture of Fear, as part of a seminar on The Arrival of a Departure: 9/11 and the Antinomies of Postmodernity, at the American Comparative Literature Association conference in Long Beach, Calif. Poetry by John Hoppenthaler (English): December Settles in Over Haverstraw Bay, as the February Web selection for Verse Daily; College Town, as Verse Daily s poem of the day; and A Jar of Rain, in Blooming through the Ashes: An International Anthology on Violence and the Human Spirit. Hoppenthaler was also featured on the March 2008 Writers and Books page of the North Carolina Arts Council. Presentations by Amanda Klein (English), Let s take em back : Reconstructing an Authentic Los Angeles in the Contemporary Hip Hop Video, at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference in Philadelphia, Penn., and Postmodern Marketing, Generation Y and the Multi-Platform Viewing Experience of MTV s The Hills, at Console-ing Passions: An Presentations Some faculty members hold virtual office hours in Second Life. Others use it as a tool for professional development, attending conferences online and chatting with their counterparts at universities around the world. Distance Education Coordinators at ECU s Joyner and Laupus libraries have developed library resources in the Second Life campus. The virtual, three-floor library has a reference desk, instructional rooms and links to academic journals and other research resources available at the click of a mouse. Yolanda Hollingsworth of Joyner Library called Second Life an extra outreach for both distance education and traditional students. It provides another access point for existing material, which is always good to have, she said. Academic Outreach assists faculty in developing and hosting courses in virtual classrooms. Between 15 and 20 faculty in a variety of disciplines use the technology now, and many others have shown an interest, Collins said. A Second Life task force established this summer at ECU has been looking at ways to incorporate the technology in the classroom. The variety of resources and relative ease of the program makes the program accessible to students even nontraditional ones, Collins said. It s not for everybody, but it is one of the pieces of technology we can give students to help them be successful. ECU will host a conference, Real Education in a Virtual World: Using Online Virtual Environments for Teaching and Learning, entirely in Second Life on Nov. 10 and 11. For information about the conference or to learn more about ECU s virtual campus, contact Sharon Collins at International Conference on Television, Audio, Video, New Media, and Feminism hosted by the University of California, Santa Barbara. Presentations by Foreign Languages and Literatures faculty at the 8th Jornadas Andinas de Literatura Latinoamericana conference in Santiago, Chile: by Juan J. Daneri, Economía colonial y conversión religiosa en el Coloquio de los reyes de Tlaxcala ; and by Jennifer M. Valko, Autoetnografía, representación y traducción en El machi de Lanín: un médico alemán en la cordillera patagónica de Bertha Koessler-Ilg. Presentation by John B. Harer (Education), Defending Gay and Lesbian Young Adult Literature, a refereed paper, at the International Forbidden Fruit Conference in Southport, England. Presentation by Rachel Roper (Microbiology and Immunology), a seminar on Vaccinia Virus Inhibition of Antigen Presentation, Role of A35, at the 17th International Poxvirus Meeting in Grainau, Germany. Presentations by Cynthia Bickley-Green (Art), 21st Century Art-making: Practical and Creative Applications of Neuro-science in the Art Class: Reclaiming Vision in Visual Art ; and Youth Violence and the Development of Prosocial Behaviors through Art, at the 2008 International Society for Education through ArtWorld, 32nd Congress in Osaka, Japan. Trustees Attend Groundbreaking ECU Board of Trustees members Bruce N. Austin, Jr. of Manteo; Robert O. Hill, Jr. of Kinston; and David S. Brody of Kinston (left to right) talk during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Eastern Carolina Family Medicine Center. The groundbreaking was held Sept. 26, and the building should be completed by late The new center will be nearly triple the size of the current facility, which was built in (Photo by Cliff Hollis) Voice of the Pirates to Ride for Nursing Scholarship By Crystal Baity Jeff Charles, the voice of the East Carolina University Pirates, will trade field side for the open road on Oct. 4 in a motorcycle ride to raise funds for a nursing scholarship. The ride will benefit the Heather Anne Purtee Memorial Scholarship in the ECU College of Nursing. The scholarship is named for Debra and Jeff Charles daughter, who was killed in an automobile accident in December She was 19 and an ECU nursing student. The motorcycle ride is an opportunity to provide scholarship assistance to deserving ECU nursing students while honoring and preserving the memory of our daughter, Heather Anne Purtee, Charles said. She loved nursing. It really was her dream. This is the fifth year that Charles has hosted the event, which previously raised funds for the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf in Wilson. New Choices in Dining Hall c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 4 gallons of water were being used weekly to wash cafeteria trays. The study found food waste per person was between.12 and.24 pounds higher on days when trays were available. When trays were not in use, total food waste was reduced by about 2,813 pounds over a two-day period. Renovations at Todd Hall started in April 2008, and the facility opened to students for dinner on Sept. 3. The cost of the renovation was about $3 million, paid Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at J&E Harley Davidson in Winterville. No pre-registration is needed. The ride to Washington will begin at 10 a.m. A donation of $10 or more includes breakfast from Krispy Kreme, lunch from Domino s Pizza and Logan s Roadhouse and beverages from Pepsi. The ride returns to Greenville at about 12:30 p.m. at Ron Ayers Motorsports. It s open to everybody, Charles said. We have veteran riders and we have people just getting started. People sometimes bring their children. Past riders have come from the local area as well as Raleigh, Elizabeth City and Lumberton, Charles said. Charles is in his 21st year as the Voice of the Pirates and has been riding motorcycles about as long. We look forward to having everybody come out, he said. To contribute, contact Mark Alexander, development officer in the College of Nursing, at for by proceeds from student meal plans. Renovations included the installation of a new HVAC system, a new dish washing machine and pulper that compresses food and paper waste. ECU faculty and staff can dine at Todd Dining Hall for the following prices: breakfast, $4.85, lunch, $7.20 and dinner, $7.60 (plus sales tax). Pirate Bucks, cash, Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Daily menus and nutritional information are available at

11 October 3, 2008 Campus Calendar Pieces of Eight Page 11 OCTOBER THURSDAY 2 ECU/Loessin Theatre, Of Thee I Sing, McGinnis Theatre, through Oct. 7. Performances nightly at 8 p.m. except Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Lecture, Sustainable Development and Sustainable Tourism: Business, the Community, and the Environment, Bernard Lane. Bate 1031, 3:30 p.m. SATURDAY 4 Multicultural Student Leadership Conference, Mendenhall, 10 a.m. WEDNESDAY 8 Voyages of Discovery Lecture Series: Premier Lecture Walter Isaacson, Six Thinkers Who Influenced History, Wright Auditorium, 7 p.m. THURSDAY 9 Latin Dance Lessons, Mendenhall 221, 6 p.m. SATURDAY 11 Fall Break, through Oct. 14. Symposium, Twenty-five Years and Counting: Current Archaeological Research in the North Carolina Coastal Plain, Willis Building. Reception on Oct. 10. ECU Pirate Football, vs. Virginia, Charlottesville, Va., Time TBA. Contra Dance, Willis Building, lesson, 7 p.m.; dance, 7:30 10 p.m. MONDAY 13 The Institute on Race, Class, and Culture Informational/Reception, Ledonia Wright Cultural Center Gallery, 4 p.m. WEDNESDAY 15 State Holiday makeup day Classes which would have met Sept. 1 will meet this day. Wednesday classes will not meet. Panel Discussion: Diversifying the Faculty and the Faculty Manual, 1632 Old Cafeteria Complex, noon 1 p.m. OID Diversity Discussion and Dinner Series, Hispanic/Latino Issues at ECU, Mendenhall, 5 p.m. THURSDAY 16 Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, Quartets plus one, A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall, 7 p.m. Another performance at 8 p.m., Oct. 17. FRIDAY 17 Salsa Dance, Willis Building, lesson, 7 p.m.; dance 7:30 10 p.m. Creative Conversations: Addressing Images of Diversity in Arts, Film and Media; Mendenhall Student Center Great Rooms, 10 a.m. 4 p.m. SATURDAY 18 ECU Pirate Football, vs. Memphis, Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, noon. MONDAY 20 Live Webcast, Growing Green: A Sustainable Approach to Residential Construction, Brody Tech Center, 2 p.m. THURSDAY 23 ECU Graduate and Professional School Fair, Mendenhall, noon 3 p.m. S. Rudolph Alexander Performance Arts Series, Philadanco: In the Black Tradition, Wright Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Comic Operetta, H.M.S. Pinafore, A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall. Through Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.; and Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. FRIDAY 24 Latino Issues Fall Conference, Mendenhall Student Center, 9 a.m. Family Fare Series, Storybook Theatre: The Jungle Book, Wright Auditorium, 7 p.m. Jazz at Night Series, Greenville Hilton Hotel Ball Room, 8 p.m. MONDAY 27 Lecture, Resurrection and Dissection: A Short History of Grave-Robbing, Todd Savitt, Evelyn Fike Laupus Gallery in Laupus Library, 4:30 p.m. U.S. Army Tuba Euphonium 4tet, Fletcher, 8 p.m. TUESDAY 28 Guest Artist Julianne Baird, Fletcher, 8 p.m. WEDNESDAY 29 Octubafest I, Fletcher, 7 p.m.; and on Oct. 30, Octubafest II, Fletcher, 7 p.m. The Alvin Ailey Dancers, Wright Auditorium, 7 p.m. NOVEMBER SATURDAY 1 Native American Powwow, Mendenhall Student Center, noon - 3 p.m. SUNDAY 2 ECU Pirate Football, vs. UCF, Orlando, Fla., 8 p.m. MONDAY 3 Lecture, Democedes of Croton and the State of Pre-Hippocratic Medicine in Ancient Greece, Anthony J. Papalas. Evelyn Fike Laupus Gallery in Laupus Library, 4:30 p.m. Premiere Performances Concert, Fletcher, 8 p.m. Exhibitions Microscope Collections Exhibit, Laupus Library. Through Dec. 31. Faculty Exhibition, Gray Gallery. Through Nov. 22. Russia - Ancient and Modern, Joyner Library. Through October. Volunteers packaged 250,000 meals for the world s hungry at the Million Meals event held Aug. 23 at C.M. Eppes Middle School. The event was organized by ECU s Volunteer and Service Learning Center. (Photo by Marc J. Kawanishi) ECU Helps Fight Hunger Recipe: One scoop of soy protein. One chicken-flavored vitamin tablet. A spoonful of dried vegetables and a cup of rice. Seal the ingredients in a plastic bag and box for transport. This simple process, repeated thousands upon thousands of times across the state Saturday, Aug. 23, as part of the University Million Meals Event, will feed one million of the world s hungriest people. More than 750 volunteers from, churches, civic groups and other organizations in Greenville came out to C.M. Eppes Middle School to package the meals. Volunteers at the event, which was organized by ECU s Volunteer and Service Learning Center, put together 250,000 meals during three, four-hour shifts. Similar events took place at colleges throughout North Carolina. In total, volunteers packaged a record-breaking one million meals in a single day. What we re doing here today is taking an initial step in ending world hunger, said Rick Kearney of Stop Hunger Now, the Raleigh-based hunger relief organization that planned the event. The meals were transported to some of the most destitute regions of El Salvador, Haiti and India, according to Stop Hunger Now. Meals destined for El Salvador will feed students enrolled in schools and technical skills training. The packages provided to Haiti will aid victims of a food shortage caused by rising prices. And in India, the meals will feed people affected by a rodent outbreak that wiped out rice crops. Before the first shift, Marilyn Sheerer, ECU s interim provost and vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, thanked and motivated the volunteers. We re making a dent in what is the world s largest problem, in my perspective, she said. Go get them! Other participating colleges were NC State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Peace College, Meredith College, Saint Augustine s College, Duke University and NC Central University.

12 Page 12 Pieces of Eight October 3, 2008 On Campus ROVER Van c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 3 operated by Paul Fletcher, a Brody School of Medicine professor and amateur radio operator with years of emergency response radio experience. It has broadcasting and receiving capabilities. Donna Kain, RENCI@ECU s Outreach Director and professor of English, has made connections with emergency managers across eastern North Carolina. Plans are under way to make the ROVER a part of the network of emergency response vehicles in the event of a catastrophe. For more information, visit www. ecu.edu/renci or contact Michelle Covi at ECU Goal Set c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 1 During the annual King and Queen of the Halls event held on College Hill Sept. 18, students competed to win awards for their residence halls. They acquired points for spirit, participation and from games played at the event. White International Faculty Population Grows c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 3 number of international hires at ECU since she started working with the group in When I first started, the east campus had very few departments that were hiring internationally, she said. That has changed within the last five years. Now, she said, nearly all academic departments on campus have international members. Just this semester, 32 nonimmigrant, international scholars joined ECU s faculty. Together with returning international faculty, a group more than 100-strong, they represent 30 different countries, from Bulgaria to Belize, Pakistan to the Philippines. James Gehlhar, associate vice chancellor for International Affairs, expects this growth to continue as more foreigners complete doctoral degree programs. As a research university, we really rely on international faculty, he said. They bring diversity to campus, and they bring skills we can t always find in the U.S. They enrich the campus and greater community in other ways, too, he said. Their families diversify the Greenville area; their children attend area schools where they teach others about their culture. And, they enhance their academic departments research opportunities, Gehlhar said. Scholars like these inspire our faculty to collaborate on new projects and think about things in new ways, he said. Michael Dingfelder, assistant professor of physics, knows the importance of collaboration. In his field, he said, research nearly always involves colleagues in other countries. All collaboration is international now. It s the only way to survive, he said. A native of Germany, Dingfelder came to ECU six years ago from Barcelona, Spain. Moving from a European city to rural North Carolina proved to be a pretty big shock, he said, but he has enjoyed his time here. He is a member of the International Faculty and Staff Committee and helps students in the German and Spanish clubs with their language skills. And, he has found compatriots far from home: two of his colleagues have German wives. Lakshmi Narasimhan, a new member of the computer science faculty, came to ECU from Australia for the research opportunities available in the United States. His field of software engineering residence hall won the top king award for men, while Clement won the top women s queen award. Above, Will McGlone from Scott Hall cools off with a slippery, soapy run down a Slip N Slide. (Photos by Cliff Hollis) calls for diversity among scholars, he said. This field is applicable all over the world, in all types of ways. A rich diversity among researchers further promotes it, he said. Narasimhan said a diverse student population is beneficial, too. More than 200 international students attend ECU this semester. In one of Narasimhan s recent classes, a student from Korea provided insight into a Korean-based cell phone technology. The learning experience was enhanced for me, as well as my students, Narasimhan said. ECU will celebrate its international faculty, staff and students during International Education Week, Nov. 17 to 21. Activities include information sessions on study abroad and Fulbright scholar programs, activities for area elementary school teachers and social events. The flags at the International House on campus represent countries of origin for ECU s international students, faculty and staff. (Photo by Christine Neff) contributed more than $218,000 to these causes. This year s campaign co-chairs, Lathan Turner (East Campus) and Jeff Coghill (West Campus), are seeking nearly an 8 percent increase in giving from last year. The charities range from healthrelated and service organizations to after school and social programs. Payment is available through payroll deduction, check, cash, credit card or PayPal. The SECC is conducted every fall so that charitable contributions are solicited from state employees only once per year. The resource guide, which can be downloaded from provides information on eligible charities. Cancer Care c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 4 Raab remembered how one or both of her parents would be on call practically all day every day all those years. When out with her mother, they would run into patients her mother had helped or their family members. They were so appreciative of everything she had done for them, Raab said. I felt like she was really having an impact on people s lives. In the brief time that she s been at ECU, Raab has already seen patients her mom treated and who remembered the compassionate care they received. Her mother, though retired from the ECU faculty, still sees patients at a Tarboro clinic. I think there is a need for both their services here, and also I think Rachel can contribute significantly to the care of patients in this region, especially breast cancer patients, Dr. Mary Raab said of her daughter and son-in-law. She said she tried to stay neutral in their decision about where to practice, but is thrilled they choose Greenville. I think her father it would really warm his heart, Raab said. I feel like she s really dedicated to the cause. I m very proud of her.