Newspapers / Gardner-Webb University Student Newspaper / March 22, 2002, edition 1 / Page 4
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Page 4 Friday, March 22, 2002 News LOTS enriches learning with untraditional methods Margaret O’DriscoIl Pilot design editor If learning only took place from a desk in a stuffy class room without any discussion, would you want to learn more? Perhaps you soak in knowledge better over a cup of coffee or in a heated debate? It may not be well known, but the solutions to these questions can be found here at GWU. Seven years ago, a group of GWU faculty generated an idea over casual conversation to increase academic aware ness across campus. The result: Year Of The Scholar, or YOTS as it is commonly referred to. The idea behind YOTS was to attempt a one- year pro gram that would promote acad emic scholarship outside of the traditional classroom setting. "We wanted this program to encourage students and faculty to increase the academic atmosphere in an informal way,” said Joyce Brown, pro fessor of English. From this program, GWU now has several academic endeavors such as lecture series, lunch discussions, the GW Review (an undergraduate Photo by Joy Marlnelll Acoustic Fusion band members, Ezra Edgerton (left) and Dale Rucker played at the Broadriver Cojfee Co. sponsered by Life of the Scholar (LOTS), an organization of professors who want to see more activities provided for the campus. scholarly journal published on campus), and the scholarship showcase. One of the most successful programs from its beginning weis the film festival series. Faculty and students would meet to view and discuss cul tural movies that differ from the norm. Due to the lack of funding, the film festival is no longer a part of YOTS, but a film course has emerged because of it. Administration has budget ed a small fund for the Year of the Scholar program and facul ty members are hopeful that they will continue in this sup port. Recently, the name YOTS was changed to Life of the Scholar, or LOTS, after several faculty members decided there was a need for a new name. Originally, the program was to last only a year, but due to its success has lasted for consecu tive years. “There are ‘lots’ of things you can do to enhance scholar ship,” said Leslie Brown, pro fessor of Biology and foimder of the YOTS program. One of the problems faced by faculty promoting LOTS is publicity and event attendance. Flyers, newsletters, and faculty e-mails are used to inform stu dents of LOTS events and the entire student body is wel comed to participate. “We want the athlete who may be interested in reading Gap Creek as well as those who are religiously and academical ly inclined,” said Joyce Brown. Another program associat ed with LOTS was started when Tom English was a pro fessor at Gardner-Webb. The Scholarship Showcase is an event to promote interest and appreciation for scholarly work. This year the Showcase will be held on March 28, in Ritch Banquet Hall. Professor Tamara Cox is coordinating the showcase this year. “Students benefit fi'om this program through the exposure they receive fi’om fnends and faculty members to different levels of scholarship,” said Cox. The showcase allows stu dents to display and discuss scholarly work they have done throughout the year, as well as read chosen pieces aloud dur ing a colloquium. Travel endowment allows English students to attend conferences Monica Houser Pilot ad manager Traveling to conferences will be a little easier for English students in the future, thanks to the Gravett-Johnson Professional Travel Endowment Fund. Darlene Gravett, a profes sor of English and dean of the Graduate School of English, recently set up this fund to defray the costs of professional travel by undergraduate and graduate English students. Professional travel consti tutes travel to meetings and conferences, such as the Sigma Tau Delta conference, where seniors Kelli Edmonds, Anna Moose and Abby Wolford pre sented papers March 13-16. These three students were the first to utilize this fund, set up in Dec. 2001. jj ‘This is a great opportunity to allow students to participate in [the traveling] aspect of scholarly life. Gayle Price “I am really glad [the English department] gave me the money. I wouldn’t have been able to go otherwise,” said Wolford. Gravett established this fund in memory of her parents, Arthur W. and Nadine M. Johnson. “I decided that this would be the best way I could honor my parents and help students at the same time,” she said. The fund, which uses the interest drawn from the actual gift, will be available indefi nitely, and the English depart ment faculty will determine recipients. “We want this to be a com petitive thing, allowing stu dents to apply yearly and selecting the most deserving,” said Gravett. Gravett also added that the English department has had many strong students in the past that the faculty wanted to see present papers, but there was never any money available to help them. “This is a great opportuni ty to allow students to partici pate in [the traveling] aspect of scholarly life,” said Gayle Price, chair of the English department. GWU Christian environment Continued from page 1 As a non-Christian at a Christian school, Rothem has wondered why the school has continued its religious affilia tion. “I don’t know why Gardner-Webb feels obligated to be a ‘Christian’ university. Does it get money from reli gious groups?” He asked. Gil Blackburn, vice presi dent and dean of academic affairs, affirmed that Gardner- Webb does indeed receive financial aid from the North Carolina Baptist State Convention. He estimated that the school’s day program receives around $1 million a year. He also stated that the Divinity School receives about $250,000 a year. Blackburn clarified, how ever, that Gardner-Webb is not religiously affiliated in order to receive financial help. “Gardner-Webb was estab lished by two Baptist associa tions to provide education under a CMstian foundation,” Blackburn continued. “We see education incomplete without the Christian dimension.” Despite conflicting beliefs as to what the spiritual focus of GWU should and should not be, Tracy Jessup, minister to the University, summed up what he believes makes Gardner-Webb a Christian uni versity. “[A Christian univeristy occurs] when Christ is at the core of who you are and what you do as an institution rather than an addendum to who you are and what you do,” said Jessup. “It is not a title you add on—it is something that revolu tionizes our lives and total being.”
Gardner-Webb University Student Newspaper
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March 22, 2002, edition 1
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