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6 North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804 December 16, 2021 CAMPUS LIFE New Professor Joins NC Wesleyan Psychology Department Dr. Alyssa Jones, a special ist in eyewitness memory and identification, has joined the psychology faculty as an assis tant professor. She moved to North Carolina from her home state of Texas, where she earned her graduate degrees as well as a BA at Texas Rev. Drum Transitions to Visiting Professor after 16 Years as Chaplain Dr. Barry Drum, long a famil iar’ face on campus, whether at prayer services, a lecture podium, commencement ceremonies or Bishop football games, has moved from the chaplain’s office to a full-time teaching position. He began as an adjunct instructor at the college in 2000. “I instantly fell in love with the uniquely diverse campus,” he recalled. Drum said he’s taught a full course load at Wesleyan ever since his first year. The Catawba County native continued to teach as an adjunct until 2002, when he was hired as a part- time chaplain. That turned into a full-time position in 2005 and he filled that role-while still teach ing a heavy course load-until Bishops Make New Year’s Resolutions...or Not By Mary Alice Butler Decree Staff Writer At the end of every year, Americans reflect on their adventures, hardships, and hab its. They consider what went wrong or right, and what needs work. Their reflections are then shaped into their New Year’s resolutions for the upcoming months, whether it involves losing weight, learning a new skill, or saving more money. Last month the Decree inter viewed Wesleyan students, staff and faculty about their 2022 resolutions. Senior Chandler Jordan believes that resolutions are important for developing a positive mindset for the year to come; at the same time, he ad mitted he’s not been consistent in keeping past resolutions. Jordan declined to share his goals for 2022 but said he’s hoping to achieve them this time. He advises others to set smaller goals and not to put a time limit on their resolutions. Desiree Walker, a sopho more on the volleyball team, has resolved to hit the weight room and focus on endurance and muscle definition. Walker grew up in a home where mak ing resolutions was a common practice for her family. Asked to offer advice to others, she responded, “Just go for it, dude.” Sports Information Direc tor Troy Baranik believes in making resolutions but ac knowledges that he’s not always consistent. In 2022 he intends to learn more about live-streaming athletic events, improve his writing, and train a new intern. Junior Makayla Ahart is taking a different route with her resolutions. She wants to save more money, she said. Employed at an Italian restau rant back home, Ahart often struggles with her spending habits, a trait, she said, that she inherited from her mother. Ahart believes in the basic idea Wesleyan University in 2015. Following is a profile as part of the Decree’s continuing series on new faculty: JOBTITLE AT NCWC: Assistant Professor of Psychology. YOUR HOMETOWN: Fort Worth, Texas. DEGREES EARNED: B.A.in Psychology from Texas Wesleyan last summer, when, he sard, the Methodist Church made changes in its chaplaincy program. He is now a full-time member of the religious studies department as a visiting assistant professor. Dmm said he still enjoys teaching both traditional and APS classes. “I’m convinced the religious studies program is the strongest it’s ever been at Wesleyan," he said. A graduate of Millbrook High School in Raleigh, Dram earned a BA. in sociology from the Univer sity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a B.S. in religion, Emmanuel College of Franklin Springs, Geor gia; an MDiv. degree in religion, Duke University; a master’s in adult education. North Carolina State; and a doctorate in religious of creating new goals for the year, but worries about setting unrealis tic ones. “You can feel pressured at the start of every year to have some kind of extravagant goals,” she said, “and it can become diffi cult to achieve the high standards you set for yourself.” While some find New Year’s resolutions to be fun, refreshing, and exciting, others find them stressful, unattainable, and time consuming. “We make a resolution that is so big in order for it to be meaningful and then we get overwhelmed,” said Assistant Athletic Director Mike Armbruster. Instead of annual resolutions, Armbruster sets smaller, more achievable goals. One year he read a book a month as a way to improve both his professional and personal life, he said. Junior Gabby Saal pointed out BASS from pg3 hospitals to catch their new RN residents to share information regarding Wesleyan’s program. Q: Now let’s talk about the field of nursing in general. There was high demand for nurses even be fore the pandemic struck, con’ect? A: While it’s true that some nurses have left the profession in the past two years, the current shortage is more a case of supply vs. demand. The aging Baby Boomer population is affecting the rate of supply for RNs, as many leave the field due to normal retirement. At the same time, the population is living longer with more comorbidities, requiring more healthcaie resources for longer peri ods. In October, WakeMed Hospital reported that Wake County alone has 800 vacancies for nursing positions. Due to growing nurse short age, the North Carolina Board of Nursing created the NC Nursecast interactive supply vs. demand forecasting application. By 2033, we're expecting the state to rank second in the U.S. for the highest number of nurse vacancies at 12,000. Due to early retirements, that number could rise as high as University in 2015; M.S. in General Psychology (2018) and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a focus on Experimental/Cognitive Psychol ogy from Texas A&M University- Commerce (2021). PREVIOUS JOB EXPERIENCE: Applied Cognition Lab Coordinator/ Graduate Assistant Researcher at Texas A&M University-Commerce. education, Southeastern Baptist Seminary at Wake Forest. His dissertation, titled “The Wesleyan Way: A Methodist Methodology of Making Disciples,” is scheduled to be published later this year. Married to the former Karen Jones for the past 38 years, Dram is the father of a son, Kenan, who's an attorney with the North Carolina state legislature. His hobbies include motorcycles, cars, and tree farming. Drum said he enjoys all aspects of teaching at Wesleyan. He be- lieves the intimate class sizes pro vide the college with an advantage over larger schools, adding, “It’s very satisfying when I see Battling Bishop alumni succeed in life.” that New Year's resolutions can give Americans an excuse to pro crastinate and not make necessary changes. "We live in a world of uncertainty, so why wait?” she said. While she believes in mak ing changes on the spot, she understands that it may take some time to achieve her goals. Saal stressed that it’s okay if it takes you longer than others to reach your destination. “Each step, even a small one, is a step forward,” she stated. Other Bishops consider reso lutions a waste of time. “It’s stupid, the idea that on this magical day we all should start a new resolution,” history professor Chad Ross said. He described it as an "unsuf- ferable idea” that Americans put their goals on hold until the start of a new year. 21,000, the board estimates. Q: How has the pandemic impacted the nursing shortage as well as enrollments in nursing programs around the country? A: The pandemic has exacerbated existing problems. As I noted ear lier, there was already a shortage of nurses. Then many nurses, some already near retirement, left at the beginning of the pandemic, while others left the profession rather than submit to vaccination mandates. Of course, the pandemic has dampened overall enrollment and challenged students who have en tered the program. When you think about it, our students often serve as “front-line” nursing staff, who’ve been required to work additional shifts due to staffing shortages. Fre quently they’re trying to balance heavy workloads, homeschool and other family obligations, and their own studies. The pandemic has really tested their resilience. It's worth noting that in the past two years traditional BSN programs have seen their enrollment increase, as college students want to become part of the nursing profession. The pandemic has really illuminated the contribution made by nurses. Professor Alyssa Jones PREVIOUSTEACHING EXPERI ENCE: Graduate Assistant Teacher at Texas A&M University-Commerce for six years. I primarily taught Research Methods in Psychology/ Experimental Psychology and, to a lesser extent, Introduction to Psychol ogy, Abnormal Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, and Psychological Statistics. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO NCWC: Having attended a Wesleyan institu tion, I was interested in a small, student-oriented environment such as NCWC’s. I want to be the type of professor that I had as an under graduate, meaning I want to inspire students to understand that they’re worthy and capable of pursuing their goals. It only takes one professor to change a student’s life, so becoming part of a faculty that believes the same is exactly where I need to be. YOUR AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION: Cognitive psychology, in particular eyewitness memory and identifica tion. My dissertation title was: “Filler Selection Method Effects on Lineup Identification and Lineup Fairness.” COURSES YOU EXPECT TO TEACH BRIEFS^ The Bishops closed out the 2021 season with two losses in a tri-meet October 31 at Danville against Meredith and host Averett, which beat Wesleyan in a five-set match. Wesleyan ended the season with an overall record of 18-13, its first winning mark since 2012. Stat Leaders: Three seniors recorded more than 250 kills— Michaela Seawell (296), Lauren Weaver (291), and Sydney Barnwell (269). Junior defensive specialist Kira Kristjanson led the team with 460 digs, while sopho more setter Sloan Martin fell just short of 1,000 assists with 986 (the program record is 1,260, set in 2007 by Caitlin George). Besides tallying the second most kills on the team. Weaver ranked first in blocks with 95. The middle blocker earned a spot on All-Conference Second Team, East Division. Football The Bishops football team lost three of its last four games, finishing with a 4-4 conference record (4-6 overall). On Senior Day, Wesleyan vanquished Southern Virginia, the newest member of the USA South Conference, by a score of 19-10. QB Zach Marquis led the way, passing for three touchdowns, while Anthony Byrd gained 121 yards on 27 carries, and line backer Luke Morehead recorded a team-high nine tackles. In the season finale, host Methodist pounded the Bishops, 38-7, amassing 671 yards in total offense. Wesleyan’s Byrd ran for 189 yards in the losing effort. Wesleyan’s young team will AT NC WESLEYAN: Cognitive Psychology, Introduction to Psy chology, Physiological Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology, Psychological Statistics, Learning, Drugs and Human Behavior, Senior Seminar, as well as Special Topics on a variety of topics such as Eye- witness Memory, Face Processing, Meditation, and Pseudoscience. YOURTEACHING PHILOSOPHY: I emphasize an instructional method that provides students with the tools and support to become life-long, skilled learners. I think it’s important to ensure that students apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world. It’s crucial for students to understand not only what they’re learning; they also need to know why they’re learning it and how to use it in their everyday lives. This entails the following: 1) the application of psychological concepts, espe cially those involving cognition and instruction, to facilitate optimal learn ing, 2) the use of experiential learn ing assignments that promote student engagement, and 3) the incorporation of scientific research to develop and refine critical-thinking skills. HOBBIES: Writing poetry and spending time with my two cats, TunaLuna and Viz. LIST OF FAVORITES: FAVORITE TV SHOWS: “Game of Thrones” and “Hawkeye.” FAVORITE MOVIES: Any Marvel movie, plus “Ready Player One.” FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST: Tash Sultana. FAVORITE CUISINE: Tex Mex. FAVORITE BOOK(S): “Hany Potter.” FAVORITE PLACE: Seattle. ONE SURPRISING THING ABOUT YOU: I like to hula-hoop, but not just standard hooping. I do dance and trick hula-hooping. enter next season without an in cumbent quarterback. Three fresh men —Marquis, Chaz Hirschman, and Alex Stack—as well as sophomore Storm Yarbrough all took a significant number of snaps during 2021, with Yarbrough lead ing in most statistical categories (65 of 130 passes for a 50 percent completion rate, six touchdowns, five interceptions). After senior Jeff Black suf fered a season-ending injury, the running game was led by Byrd, a sophomore (450 total yards, or 4.6 yards per carry) and freshman Trevon Crank (571 yards, 5.9 per cany.) Women's Soccer The Bishops crushed Salem College, 3-0, in a Senior Day matchup at Scalf Field. Senior Alicia Jacobs posted a shutout for Wesleyan, stopping the only two shots she faced from the Salem offense. Seniors tallied the first two goals for the Bishops, with Khristel Thompson and Megan Mackey each scoring their second of the season. The Bishops made it back-to- back wins a week later with a 1-0 victory over visiting Averett. Jacobs made four saves for the shutout, while Vendela Dolsenius recorded the game’s only goal on an assist from Allison Newman. The final match saw the Bish ops fall to Greensboro, 1-0, on the road October 24. Wesleyan placed eighth in the East Division with a 3-6 record. Methodist finished first with an unblemished 9-0 confer ence mark after the Monarchs yielded just four goals in conference action. Newcomer Southern Virginia was second in the division at 6-3.
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