Volume 4 Issue 4 Duel of the Titans December 2004 Students Take on Faculty in English Jeopardy Match

The English Honor Society’s Meadows and academic team Jeopardy match took on a member Earl Holland. decidedly more competitive Defending the faculty’s honor tone this year. This year there were Page Hammond and were more than just bragging Richard Keenan. rights at stake. The students Dr. Keenan emerged the were playing against the victor by a substantial margin; English faculty; it was Mr. Holland secured second standing room only. Faculty participants (L to R) Melissa Greene, Bonni Mil- place. Miriam Gyimah, ler, Page Hammond and advisor to the honor society,

Richard Keenan offered this consolation to her fellow English faculty 3 and invited their teachers to members, “considering how join them. All questions well the students did, I think centered on content covered you are doing great jobs as in UMES English classes including literary terms, instructors.”

grammar, poetry, and a Department Chair Richard broad cross section of Keenan (left foreground) literature. surveys the competition Several preliminary matches were held to winnow the The UMES chapter of Sigma competition to the most Tau Delta holds its Jeopardy knowledgeable, or at least competition each semester to those with the quickest showcase the academic button pushing reflexes. Fall 2004 Jeopardy Champions knowledge of our student Representing the students in (L to R) senior English major participants. This year the the final round were honor Earl Holland and Department students added a new element society member Deborah Chair Richard Keenan English Ed Scholarship Winners

SH AND MODERN LANGUAGES With mounting tuition costs scholarship program on our average of 3.2. She is and skyrocketing book bills, campus, the company has scheduled to graduate in May students need to stretch provided $5,000 to assist ten of next year. She plans to every education dollar. UMES teacher candidates. student teach next semester in Recognizing the realities of Wicomico County public Ms. Hall is a senior from college costs, one English schools. ND EASTERN SHORE, PRINCESS ANNE, MD 2185 Roosevelt, New York who

IC AFFAIRS, SCHOOL OF THE ARTS & PROFESSIONSfaculty member has found a maintains a grade point Ms. Peterson is a junior from way to help at least two of Preston, Maryland, whose her advisees celebrate their cumulative grade point academic achievements average is 3.4. She and cushion the economic successfully completed the blow. Praxis I test recently to

Barbara Seabrook, the gain admission to the DEPARTMENT OF ENGLI

department’s coordinator UMES professional

of English education education program. INSIGHTS majors, nominated Scholarship winners with the “I’m proud of our teacher Samantha Hall and Sharlene faculty member who nominated candidates and pleased that Peterson for $500 them. (L to R) Samantha Hall, Verizon agrees that these are scholarships generously Barbara Seabrook and

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLA stellar students worthy of offered by Verizon A DIVISION OF ACADEM Sharlene Peterson Wireless. As part of a larger support,” says Dr. Seabrook. Fulbright Scholar Faculty Members Joins Department Attend Conference

The Spring 2005 semester in the Four members of the English department Department of English and Modern faculty attended a conference on Languages will be enhanced by the composition writing held at the presence of a visiting scholar. Cheikh Community College of Baltimore County Ahmadou in Catonsville recently. Page Hammond, Dieng, a Sandy Johnston, Simeon Shoge, and native of Kathleen Winter all teach English 101 Senegal, and 102 at UMES. will join the faculty. The Catonsville conference was entitled “College Composition Conversations II” Dr. Dieng is and featured panel discussions designed no stranger to share best practices for teaching to higher writing through literature. Conference education in attendees included English and language America. arts teachers spanning kindergarten He has through higher ed. studied and/or One of the first activities included the Dr. Cheikh Ahmadou Dieng taught in grading of a sample student essay. Ms. numerous Hammond says “It was reassuring to see U.S. institutions as well as in a number that nearly all of us agreed on writing of other countries including Wales, standards, regardless of where we Ireland, Germany, England, and taught.” Austria. Dr. Dieng has studied English, French, and Russian. He is an expert in Elizabethan drama, African literature, and has also found time to write poetry and an as yet unpublished novel. The Fulbright program has supported Dr. Dieng’s scholarship in the past, WHWK, our student radio selecting him as a junior scholar in the 1980s and providing funding as a station, held a recent “mixer” to UMES English faculty attend conference in senior scholar in the 1990s. welcome new staff members Catonsville (L to R) Simeon Shoge, Kathleen Winter, Page Hammond, and Sandy Johnston Local Politician Visits Classes BREAKING A member of Salisbury’s city council, grammar, clear diction, and voice Lavonzella Siggers, met with some of the projection. Her visit came in the days students enrolled in the department’s following the presidential election, and NEWS speech classes recently. She visited the students had the opportunity to discuss UMES campus at the invitation of politics as well as public speaking. English faculty member Wil Rose. As this newsletter was going Students in Mr. Rose’s speech to press, Insights has classes heard Ms. Siggers discuss learned there is a new the critical need for public doctor in the house. French speaking skills in government policy making. The ability to instructor Susan Cooledge articulate ideas in concrete terms has successfully defended is necessary for community understanding and consensus her doctoral dissertation at building. Ms. Siggers emphasized the University of Arizona! the importance of proper Ms. Siggers meets with UMES speech classes Behind the Scenes in “Tinseltown” English Faculty Member Meets Who’s Whom in Hollywood

Students in the UMES English level teachers with current information department who seek a career in about the industry, but it also is an effort entertainment television have moved by the Academy to reach beyond Southern significantly closer to their goal. They California for the next great talent or now have a faculty program idea. member brimming Another valuable feature of the program is with up-to-date the cross-pollination between faculty information members. The teachers represented a regarding internships diverse population with unique student and other training bodies. Their institutions ran the gamut opportunities. She also has just Workshop participants hear from a panel developed some well of television directors including Thomas known contacts in Schlamme (left, bearded) who has served the entertainment as both director and executive producer of industry. NBC’s highly acclaimed “West Wing”

Marilyn Buerkle Ms. Buerkle country apply to attend; the foundation was selected by outside CBS chooses twenty applicants each year. The the Academy of production participants are invited on an all- Television Arts & facility where expense-paid trip to Burbank, California, Sciences many soap to learn more about career opportunities Foundation to operas are shot for their students. participate in its Crew members block shots with actress recent faculty seminar. Hundreds of “Since my background is almost Joan Van Ark (far left) on the set of “The college television teachers across the exclusively in broadcast journalism, this Young and the Restless” close up look at the entertainment side of the business has been invaluable,” Ms. from small—Southern Maine Community Buerkle said. College—to large—San Francisco State University. While the seminar agenda was The five day seminar was tightly packed tightly scheduled, the faculty still found with numerous panel discussions and a time to exchange ideas for class projects series of field trips. Faculty members and teaching techniques. heard from script writers, series producers, program developers, It isn’t really possible to investigate the documentary makers, television feature entire television industry in just five days, film producers, programming executives, stunt coordinators, location scouts, and Burbank headquarters of the Academy of the lawyers who keep them all out of Television Arts & Sciences with a giant court. Emmy award as fountain centerpiece Field trips included a visit to Digital Filmworks, a company that creates computer animation for movies and television. The faculty members also took a tour of the Warner Brothers production lot where many classic films and television shows have been shot. And, the group was invited behind the Faculty members visit the set of “ER” on scenes of the daytime drama, The Young the Warner Brothers production lot and the Restless, the only American daytime program shot in a high definition so the Academy provided a number of digital format. scripts, books, and directories to take back Academy grounds feature a sculpture This is the seventeenth annual faculty home. They are resources that will be garden honoring TV pioneers, including seminar sponsored by the Academy. It’s made available to all of the UMES English comedian Bill Cosby primarily designed to provide college department faculty during our December staff meeting. Scholarly Good Writing ENGLISH Pays Off TEACHER & Presentations GUEST wo members of the Department of ignon Anderson, a member FEATURED ON English and Modern Languages of the English faculty, can T set off in opposite directions M take great pride in the WESM FM recently to present papers at scholarly writing skills of students in the UMES conferences. Honors Program. Two of those Guest speakers on campus benefit our students were recent winners of an students, but inviting those guests to Dr. Dean Cooledge headed north. He essay contest sponsored by the appear on UMES’ NPR radio affiliate presented a paper entitled, “Edward Thurgood Marshall Scholars benefits our entire community. So, Hopper’s Subversive Pastoralism in the Foundation. speech instructor Wil Rose joined his Urban Landscape” at the Mid-Atlantic classroom guest, poet and photographer Popular and American Culture Ms. Anderson is responsible for Ellis Marsalis III, for a discussion on Association Conference in Buffalo, New teaching the composition classes for WESM FM’s On the Forefront last York. The group held its international the UMES honors students. She also month. conference November 5-7. reviewed the students’ essays prior to their submission. Mr. Marsalis hails from New Orleans and Dr. Clement Okafor headed south. He a famous family of jazz musicians that served as chair for a discussion on Igbo Erika Temple, a junior majoring in includes his well known brothers literature, native to Nigeria, at the Business Education, and Rachael Branford and Wynton. He discussed his African Studies Association’s forty- Goodwin, a junior in Criminal Justice, recent book which pays tribute to his new seventh annual meeting in New Orleans, both wrote winning essays. Ms. hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, Louisiana, held November 11-14. As part Temple won a notebook computer for written under the pen name t.p. luce. of that discussion, he also presented his her efforts. As the grand prize winner, own paper entitled, “Igbo Enwe Eze: Ms. Goodwin received a digital Fact or Fiction.” camera, backpack, notebook GUEST POET ON computer, and printer. UMES CAMPUS Sharon Klander, a published poet and UMES African Language Project college professor from Houston, Texas, Linguists from around the world gathered environment of the Igbo language of visited the UMES “Studies in Poetry” in Ocean City, Maryland recently for the Nigeria by UMES English faculty class last month. fourth international conference on member, and Nigerian native, Clement Ms. Klander was the guest of Sandra African languages sponsored by the Okafor. Christian, the instructor of the course. UMES African Language Research Dr. Hedgepeth told a reporter from Ms. Klander offered her insight on the Project. That project is directed by Salisbury’s Daily Times at the start of works of Eavan Boland, Anna Laetitia English faculty member Chester the conference that studying languages Barbauld, Lucille Clifton, and Emily Hedgepeth. is critical because “the ability of Dickinson. Ms. Christian says her Another English faculty member played people to understand one another is students were clearly interested in the a role in the event, too. The conference critical to their political, social, and presentation, joking, “they even took included a presentation on the cultural economic welfare.” notes!” Ms. Christian asked the students to DECEMBER CALENDAR write comments specific to Ms. Klander’s presentation, and she 7 English Dept. Meeting 11 am Wilson 2113 forwarded them as part of the thank you 7-8 Graduating Senior Exams she sent to her guest. 9 Harlem Boys Choir 8 pm PAC 10NOVEMBER Senior Grades CALENDAR Due by 2 pm Insights is edited by faculty member Marilyn Buerkle with the assistance 13-17 Final Exams of instructional design specialist 18 Winter Commencement 10 am Hytche Center Kaye Pinhey and composition 18 UMES Holiday Party 6 pm SSC Ballroom instructor Ron Webster. If you have 20 English Dept. Luncheon 12 pm Wilson Hall information you would like to appear 21 Undergrad Grades Due by 2 pm in this publication, please contact our editor at 410-651-8349 or email 12/24-1/3 Campus Closed her at [email protected].