Volume 6 Issue 2 Surviving Together October 2005 English Faculty Member Goes the Distance

David Johnson is in what he Wednesday of every month, describes as his “fourth year about twenty Salisbury area of survivorship.” One more men—all prostate cancer year and his doctor says he’s survivors— meet at St. cured. That milestone is one Alban’s Episcopal Church to the UMES English share their experiences. It’s composition instructor is out of that group that the anxiously awaiting—five Relay team “Prostate Dr. Johnson years without cancer. Streakers” was born. The team is led by a Salisbury It was just before Christmas The Relay is a 24-hour dentist, Dr. Al Rayne, and a in 2001 when Dr. Johnson

fundraising event designed former UMES Vice was diagnosed with prostate 3 not only to raise money for President, Dr. Herman cancer. As an African- cancer research, but also to Franklin. American male, he is in a raise community awareness particularly high risk group While it may seem unusual and to promote prevention. for the disease. Luckily, his for a group of older men to This year, the marathon cancer was caught early and participate in what is fundraiser was held at Perdue successfully treated. He Wicomico County’s largest Stadium and featured seventy celebrates that fact each year slumber party, Dr. Johnson teams walking and running a by participating in the Relay says “it’s the fellowship and relay race through the wee for Life, sponsored by the the camaraderie” that help to hours of the morning. Nearly local chapter of the eight hundred people make the event so successful. American Cancer Society. participated in the event, This year, Dr. Johnson’s team many of them cancer raised $8,000; he collected survivors. “It’s a very $2,125 of that total. sobering experience,” Dr. Johnson said. Before the In addition to a tax deduction teams ever took to the field, for their contributions, Dr. they had raised nearly Johnson hopes his generous supporters also get his $200,000 in pledges. message. Prostate cancer is Dr. Johnson (second from Dr. Johnson got involved in survivable if it’s discovered right) and his Relay team the Relay three years ago and treated early. It can only

SH AND MODERN LANGUAGES through his cancer support be diagnosed through regular Photo by Sue Revelle group. On the second checkups and testing.

Auditions Scheduled for Fall Musical

ND EASTERN SHORE, PRINCESS ANNE, MD 2185 For the first time in recent memory, the The play was written by Bill Stone, Jr. He IC AFFAIRS, SCHOOL OF THE ARTS & PROFESSIONS UMES Drama Society plans to stage a has recently moved to Princess Anne and will musical for its annual fall production. Open serve as a “playwright in residence” for the auditions will be held Wednesday, October UMES 5 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Ella Fitzgerald production. Center for the Performing Arts. “Lost in a

The play will be directed by English faculty Dream” will be DEPARTMENT OF ENGLI

member Della Dameron-Johnson. She performed serves as advisor to the Drama Society and November 3-5. INSIGHTS as advisor to the University’s Gospel Choir. Dr. Dameron- In this production, she gets to wear both Johnson asks hats. The choir members will join seven those who vocalists and eight dancers in a production audition to come prepared to perform two

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLA of “Lost in a Dream.” songs of different tempos. A DIVISION OF ACADEM Founders’ Week Celebrated English Department Well Represented During Events

The annual UMES Founders’ Day, ceremony won’t be held until later this Dameron-Johnson was asked to marking the start of the small church month, a leadership role is not new to Mr. coordinate Founders’ Day “Light Night,” school that became our University, was Cooper. He has recently served as an evening tour of prominent campus successful—in part—because of hard president of the English Honor Society. buildings with historical presentations at working and talented English majors each stop, she turned to her English and faculty members. department colleague Mignon Anderson. Ms. Anderson served as the tour guide at While the department’s contributions Wilson Hall. She told the nearly 150 may not have been overtly apparent, people who participated about the history English faculty and students were busy of the English behind the scenes. Throughout the Department’s week, activities included current and headquarters, former English majors working to and its remind us what a rich history our namesake, institution enjoys. (L to R) Miss UMES Shalani John Alfred The celebration of Vanterpool, Photographer Thomas Banum UMES’s 119th Wiles, and Mr. UMES Michael Cooper Wilson. Ms. Anderson at Wilson birthday was a Wilson was Photo by Jim Glovier Hall on Light Night particularly busy one of two week for senior principal Photo provided by Mr. Cooper could be seen, among other English major founders of the Matthew Whittiker places, welcoming dignitaries at an early Michael Cooper, Princess Anne morning opening of a portrait gallery of the new Mr. Academy, the institution which Miss UMES title holders. Yes, that was UMES. He served eventually became UMES. an English alumni in the audience at the as a student Mr. Cooper unveiling of the exhibit. Last year’s Miss Even when the University’s concert and ambassador at UMES, Lisa Wilkes, returned to UMES gospel choirs raised their voices in song many of the Photo by Jim Glovier to celebrate with other campus queens. to mark the Founders’ Day celebration, Founders’ Day no surprise—there were English majors events. Although his coronation When English faculty member Della there, too.

Founders’ Day Fireworks English faculty member Joseph Davis had better than a front row seat for this year’s fireworks display. He’s friends with the Flint family, the pyrotechnists who staged our show, so he took these great behind-the–scenes photos for us. DEMOCRACY MATTERS: WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST IMPERIALISM English Faculty Member Reviews Recent Book by Cornel West

By Chester Hedgepeth Reliance” becomes axiomatic for it suggests, contrary to his that we are either all spiritual of a Black moral code and is argument, that democracy is or all secular. If so we submit ironically pitted against the substantive and of to dichotomous, f one wants a snapshot of interdependence associated consequence. As a plural noun Kierkegaardian faults—not the turbulent sixties in with socialist economic it trivializes the concept by examining the spectrum of America, one need only politics. This apparent indicating somewhat human behavior but looking to read West’s strongly contradiction impoverishes cavalierly a list of issues that only at extremes! Readers of Ioratorical thought piece West’s position even more. need to be addressed in the Democracy Matters , Democracy Matters. It will He argues further that more hopeful future. Either therefore, anticipated a more take you back to those years of America’s imperialistic way the unfortunate ambiguity hopeful, multi-dimensional civil rights turmoil and the movement is comparable to only retards further his case review of the topic with a Vietnam war and, even back Roman and British empire- against what he calls focus on the future beyond to nineteenth century literary building and that America is imperialism. Social Security issues. America as West attempts to doomed to the same fate as Americans need more than If West must eschew the document his theses that this these countries. The fact that anything else, informed propensity for power in our country’s Age of Innocence neither of these empires leadership with a vision democracy, then he must also has been replaced by an fostered the ideals of freedom toward the corrective reject the associated features “aggressive military, free and democratic systems is not evolution of our outdated of that system. For example, market economy, and developed by West. What is electoral system. We need a he condemns America’s authoritarianism.” This implied is that America, in 21st century political founders as aristocratic and anachronistic work, relieved order to experience a “true” structure engendered by the materialistic; however, they somewhat by its excellent democracy, must establish an brightest minds of our time. are in fact the ones who historical compressions in the egalitarian political system to contributed the basic lexicon chapters on Christianity and share wealth with the poor, of American English to break Jewish and Islamic identity, while simultaneously both political and linguistic suffers greatly from rhetorical practicing agape and sharing. Editor’s Note: ties with Britain. West’s proselytizing and a dearth of This, he believes, would declamatory language could This book review was contemporary, quantitative mitigate the overbalance of have been more effective had written by Dr. Chester data to support the case for materialism of the wealthy and he chosen to write in Ebonics Hedgepeth, UMES Professor current issues. the extreme poverty of the rest of the kind Zora Neale of English and Director of of society. The fate of such Once you surmount the heavy Hurston showcases in her the University’s African communal and socialistic oratory and double entendre of twentieth-century novel Their Language Research Project. tendencies is not developed in the book’s title (is Matters a Eyes Were Watching God the book. West attributes verb or noun?) and the which reveals the truly America’s expansionism to pervasive name-calling indigenous personalities and greed and a “will to power” as leveled against the Bush identities of Blacks! Martin exhibited by the unbridled administration and white Luther King, however, acquisitiveness of its leaders America, you are faced with through both sermons and and business elites. either/or solutions to the deeds spoke more eloquently problems of imperialism. You This strongly vitriolic piece is of the failure of social reform are either a “Constantine happily moderated by the whether broadcast at the street Christian” who supports cataloguing of this country’s level or institutionally. Neither Dr. Hedgepeth imperialism or a “Prophetic prominent African-American effort can be successful he Christian” who maintains the political, sports, civil rights, proclaims if the issues are not His review of Cornel West’s moral core of sought-for and entertainment figures. theologically based. Democracy Matters: values. A country’s leader Young people reading the Winning the Fight Against Finally, we must all realize possesses either a Nietzchean book are unlikely to have Imperialism (Penguin, 2004) that the end of wealth is not “Will to Power” or is heard of these individuals and will be published in the fall always for self- isolationist and altruistic. You so it is an excellent roll-call issue of the Zora Neale aggrandizement; it may signal are, in short, either an enemy for heritage’s sake. Hurston Forum. a personal need to self- of imperialism or you support West’s double edged-sword, actualize a la Maslow, i.e., to a return to the halcyon days of Matters disappoints if we create a more perfect spiritual Emerson who advocated non- All Rights Reserved. interpret the word as a verb, self. We must never assume conformity. Emerson’s “Self WHWK FM MOVES UP TEACHER Transmitting Antenna Raised EDUCATION With the help of Choptank Electric staff was COMMITTEE Cooperative, UMES’s student-run radio still getting station may have solved some FM organized transmission problems. The utility for the fall FORMED company donated and installed a 45-foot semester pole at WHWK recently. when the Barbara JoAnn pole was The student station broadcasts very low Seabrook will chair a installed, it power AM (1620) and FM (88.3) signals newly-formed English was not designed to reach only the campus Education Advisory clear at community, but its FM signal was not Committee. She will be press time received clearly in certain UMES joined by composition if the buildings. To solve the problem, adjunct instructors Lorna Rock changes Dr. Seabrook radio instructor Bill Reddish asked the and Ron Webster. have engineering staff at Delmarva improved FM antenna installed atop This committee will Broadcasting where he works fulltime for the utility pole outside WHWK function in an advisory capacity to advice. The experts said raising the station’s increase awareness of the UMES teacher transmission antenna above the station’s on-campus transmission. training process and to monitor the one story building might help. expectations of teacher candidates in the The radio station was created and Since the radio station does not receive English department. equipped through a Title III grant to the dedicated University funding for its UMES English department. While Results of committee meetings will be operation, Mr. Reddish turned to the WHWK operates as a student shared with the English faculty at the community for help. Choptank Electric organization, the facility is also used for monthly department meetings and agreed to donate a utility pole, attach the the instruction of English majors through the English department WHWK FM antenna, and install the pole interested in radio careers. newsletter. next to the building. Since the station Race, Class, Sex…& Species? LANGUAGE CONFERENCE Adjunct speech instructor Pattrice Jones will be a featured speaker this month at the University System of Maryland’s third faculty conference. The focus this year is "Speaking Truth to Power: Rethinking/Relearning Diversity in a Post-9/11 World." IN D.C. Ms. Jones teaches public speaking at UMES, but she is also an animal rights activist The African who founded the Eastern Shore Chicken Sanctuary five years ago. She was chosen to Studies Association participate in the upcoming forum as part of a panel entitled “Confronting Issues of will hold its annual Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality In and Out of the Classroom." Ms. Jones meeting next plans to compare the struggle for animal liberation to the struggles against poverty month in and for preservation of the environment. Washington, D.C. This year’s She hopes her presentation “will challenge even the Dr. Okafor most progressive conference attendees to confront conference is their own unspoken, and perhaps inaccurate, entitled “Health, assumptions about their own power over animals.” Knowledge, and the Body Politic in She plans to offer “a framework for understanding Africa and the African Diaspora.” how the social construction of ideas about animals UMES English Professor Clement ends up hurting women, people of color, and gay men Okafor is scheduled to chair a panel and lesbians.” discussion at the conference and to The conference will be held Saturday, October 15 at present his own scholarly work, “Igbo the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Seasonal Festivals: Markers of Sacred Time.” Dr. Okafor, a native of Nigeria, Ms. Jones with a rooster The keynote speaker at the event is scheduled to be has done extensive research on the Igbo rescued by her sanctuary civil rights leader Roger Wilkens. people, one of Nigeria’s largest ethnic Photo by Miriam Jones groups. ON THE ROAD AGAIN ‘05 UMES Trip Planned to Communications Job Fair FACULTY

Again this year, the UMES Office of Each year Howard’s School of EXHIBITION Career Services and the Department of Communications plans a two day English and Modern Languages have conference that focuses exclusively on combined forces to take a busload of jobs and internships in radio, TV, film, students to the annual communications public relations, and print media. job fair at Howard University in Students have an opportunity to meet Washington, D.C. with representatives of many of the nation’s premier broadcast and cable networks, newspapers, advertising agencies, and other media related companies. The event also features panel discussions with advice from industry executives and other experts. The UMES students will spend Thursday, October 13 on the Howard campus. Sign-up for the bus trip is underway. Preference will be given to UMES students meet with graduating seniors with a concentration representatives of FOX Television at in telecommunications. last year’s job fair at Howard

CONGRATULATIONS The Drs. Cooledge (Dean & Susan) are the proud parents of a new baby boy. He arrived a little early, so unfortunately Mom missed her baby shower. She was in the hospital delivering the new arrival instead.

SPEEDY RECOVERY We are happy to welcome Carole Champagne back to work following an appendicitis in September. If we knew how to say “Hope You’re Feeling Better” in Spanish, we would—but now’s the time to confess that any Spanish colloquialisms that have appeared in this newsletter in the past have been translated from the editor’s English by Dr. Champagne. Without her help, our get well wishes in English will have to suffice.

GOOD LUCK James “Andre” Watson begins his first fulltime journalism job this month. The December ‘04 UMES English graduate has been hired as a sports reporter at the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. English Faculty FORE! member Joseph Davis Be sure to check out www.skipjack.net this month. English faculty member Marilyn Buerkle has written the cover story about junior golf. created these images as part of a series of digitally manipulated photographs for Insights is edited by faculty member Marilyn Buerkle with the exhibition at the assistance of Instructional Design Specialist Kaye Pinhey and Mosely Gallery during composition instructor Ron Webster. If you have information you would like to appear in this publication, please contact our September. editor at 410-651-8349 or email her at [email protected].