Fall 2007 www.clemson.edu/clemsonworld Coming clean with energy Psyching out stress Young scientists rock Connecting intellect and soul Post-Katrina housing FALL 2007 VOL. 60, NO. 4 Departments President’s View page 2 World View Features page 4 Faces of Philanthropy Performance Under Stress 8 page 13 Clemson psychology research could make life safer for soldiers, police Lifelong Connections page 26 and other emergency responders. Alumni National Council Sizzlin’ Science 14 page 28 Find out why S.C. students and Student Life teachers are especially excited page 30 about science. Classmates page 32 Helping Good People 18 Avoid Bad Choices Commitment page 46 See what the University is doing Taps to make ethical behavior a part page 48 of the Clemson experience. Coming Clean with Energy 20 Clemson researchers are fi nding alternative energy sources in unusual places. A Home of One’s Own 22 Discover the Dry-In House, an award-winning design for reconstruction in New Orleans. PATRICK WRIGHT PATRICK Cover photography - Patrick Wright Artifacts of Anna Calhoun Clemson on display at Fort Hill President’s View Executive Editor We learned two important lessons from the Virginia Tech tragedy. Swift, accurate communica- Dave Dryden How Safe Is Clemson? tion is vitally important. And we need to share information and act when individuals pose a threat to themselves and to others. Art Director Judy Morrison aculty and students returned to campus this fall to a spate of good news In response, we added six new police offi cers this fall, along with the resources to support them. We stories. are also: Editor Liz Newall We had set records in the last fi scal year for private giving, research • strengthening an existing siren system for severe weather alerts. We’ll add towers and voice funding, alumni and IPTAY participation levels, and student applications. message capability for other types of warnings to some sirens. Classes Editor & Clemson had also risen to 27th in the U.S. News rankings of the nation’s top public • expanding the E-911 system in conjunction with Pickens County. This will “go live” in Advertising Director F January 2008. Sallie Leigh universities. (864) 656-7897 • launching an electronic emergency notifi cation system across several platforms. The system will Soon, however, we faced a handful of incidents that reveal clearly why campus send emails and “pop up” messages to computers and text messages to cell phones whose users Contributors safety and security have been our paramount concerns in 2007. In short order, we have signed up for the service. Dale Cochran had a series of three emailed bomb threats, all apparently part of a pattern of false Debbie Dunning • expanding the duties of designated security coordinators in each campus building. We’ll also alarms at more than a dozen universities. The second came on Labor Day, the morn- Catherine Sams provide additional training for those individuals. News Services ing of our nationally televised football opener against Florida State. Publications and Promotion A few weeks later, a man was arrested for kidnapping and robbing a female We have hired outside consultants to help us with a campuswide risk assessment analysis. They’ll student on Parkway Drive near the President’s Home. In September, there was a pre- Photographers evaluate our policies and procedures along with such concrete measures as door-locking/card-access Patrick Wright trial hearing in the case of the man charged in the May 2006 murder of our student systems, emergency phone systems, closed-circuit TV systems and others. Craig Mahaffey Tiffany Souers in her off-campus apartment. Our response, however, must go beyond strengthening physical security. Into this mix came the reports and recommendations of the review panels looking University Offi cials The most troubling aspect of the Virginia Tech incident, for me, was the university’s failure to “con- President into the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007. nect the dots” about a troubled and violent student. Many individuals saw the warning signs — students, James F. Barker At Clemson, a complete review of our safety policies and procedures began the day parents, teachers, RAs, counselors, even the police and the judicial system. Yet they felt legally and ethi- of the Virginia Tech tragedy, and continued throughout the summer. By fall, we had Board of Trustees cally constrained from sharing information in a way that could have helped the student and prevented Leon J. Hendrix Jr., taken several steps recommended in the Virginia report, and others are in the works. chairman; John J. Britton, other students from becoming his victims. I’d like to use this column to update alumni, parents, students, faculty and vice chairman; Bill L. Amick, We now know that was a misinterpretation of federal privacy laws and guidelines. At Clemson, the Thomas C. Lynch Jr., staff on the changes we’ve made, and attempt to answer an unanswerable ques- Student Affairs division is developing a program called PROPP — Proactive Reporting of Potential Louis B. Lynn, tion: How safe is Clemson? Patricia Herring McAbee, Problems. The fi rst phase is a care network to ensure that information is shared, when appropriate, The fi rst thing to remember is that Clemson is a small, friendly, relatively safe Leslie G. McCraw, among the various offi ces and departments that may pick up on trouble. E. Smyth McKissick III, community. But, then, so is Blacksburg, Va. Much has changed since April 2007 for every college and university. Clemson received national Thomas B. McTeer Jr., Because Clemson College actually pre-dates the city, we evolved as both an Robert L. Peeler, recognition on ABC’s “World News Tonight” in September for all the positive things we have done in Campus safety educational institution and a municipality. We once provided all municipal services William C. Smith Jr., the last few months to implement the lessons learned from Virginia Tech and to improve on our safety Joseph D. Swann, like power, water, and police and fi re protection both on campus and off. (Our fi re performance. David H. Wilkins and security have been department still serves the entire Clemson community under an arrangement with I am reminded, though, of a best-selling book title some years ago: When Bad Things Happen to Good © 2007 Clemson University the city.) People. Bad things also happen to good universities, and they will happen again at Clemson. Clemson World is published quarterly for our paramount concerns As a result, the University today has a professional police force and fi re depart- alumni and friends of Clemson Univer- We live in a world where one angry or bored person, perhaps half a world away, can temporarily shut sity by the Division of Advancement. ment with highly trained fi rst responders, including EMS personnel. Our police force in 2007. down parts of our campus with a single malicious email. We must take every threat seriously, and we do. Editorial offi ces are in the Department includes an investigative unit. Offi cers carry weapons, have arrest powers, and train of Publications and Promotion, Clemson But we must not let fear knock us off course or derail a student’s education. University, 114 Daniel Dr., Clemson, in both campus and community policing. We must be as proactive as possible to ward off danger but be prepared to act in a professional, caring SC 29631-1520 (FAX: 864-656-5004). Our offi cers are not simply “security guards.” Parents and grandparents can help Copyright© Publications and Promotion, way in response to it. Clemson University. Story ideas and let- us help our students understand this distinction. It’s an important one, especially if a How safe is Clemson? As safe as we can make it, which will never be quite safe enough. ters are welcome, but publisher assumes student is arrested. It’s a real arrest. no responsibility for return of unsolicited (For more on campus safety, go to www.clemson.edu/cusafety.) manuscripts or art. Send address changes We have a well-defi ned campus crisis-management team. It has responded ably to to Records, 110 Daniel Dr., Clemson, SC the off-campus murder of Tiffany Souers and other emergencies. Our professionals 29631-1520 (FAX: 864-656-1692), or call 1-800-313-6517. meet regularly with public safety offi cials in neighboring jurisdictions to make sure the lines of communication and cooperation are well established and functioning. CLEMSON WORLD Many of our students live off campus in surrounding communities, and we host CORPORATE SPONSORS more than one million visitors to campus each year. This dialogue and cross-training Alumni Online Services are essential. Crisis planning and joint disaster exercises have long been held on a ARAMARK The Clemson Corps number of topics, ranging from nuclear emergencies and chemical spills to pandemic James F. Barker, FAIA Coca-Cola Company fl u-preparedness drills. President Conference Center and Inn at Clemson University A new student-led Safety Task Force began meeting regularly last year to discuss Solid Green crime-related problems and issues and to help us reach students with safety informa- Tom Winkopp Properties tion. 2 CLEMSON WORLD FALL 2007 3 DEI partners with ‘Lab’ on the Endeavour Clemson motorsports A CLEMSON BIOENGINEERING team landed at the Kennedy Space WWorldorld VViewiew Center in August as the Endeavour shuttle landed at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Eight graduate and undergraduate Highest U.S. News ranking so far A biochip students, led by bioengineering profes- as small as a sor Ted Bateman, looked at function U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKS CLEMSON 27th AMONG grain of rice and molecular changes caused by the nation’s 164 public doctoral-granting universities, the only S.C.