Page A2
Friday, February 23, 2007
The Pilot
News
Library survey reveals need
to explain available services
Photos by: Rachel Lloyd
Several GWU teachers play every monday night at Broad River Coffee shop during open mic night. Here,
Dr. Blevins plays his bass. Dr. English and Dr. Parker play weekly during open mic night at BRCC.
Professors string together off the clock
By Ashley Chatham
kchatham@gardner-webb.
edu
Visit the Broad River
Coffee Company on a Mon
day night and you might
here bluegrass and acousti
cal sounds. You might even
see a familiar Gardner-Webb
University professor.
Open mic night at The
BRCC has frequently at
tracted GWU professors,
such as Dr. James English,
Dr. David Parketj Dr. Don
Olive and Dr. Kent Blevins.
Playing the acoustic
guitar, the bass guitar and
the bongo, these professors
have also attracted many
students with their rhythmic
sequence of sounds.
“Having open mic night
is good for the community,
good for Boiling Springs
nad good to have a venue
that people can invest them
selves in,” said English. “I
like having this venue and,
to me, it’s community ser
vice.”
English originally spoke
with Seth Stevens, BRCC’s
owner, for approval of an
open mic night.
“(Stevens) lets us do this
at his own risk and (he) and
his crew should get a lot of
the credit for letting us use
the facility,” said English.
Three people, who have
never sang in public before,
have sang at the BRCC in
the last month. One student
read a personal essay and
another read poetry.
“It is really expanding
and we hope to continue
getting a variety of talents,
such as a drummer and a
bass player, and open the
stage up to rock also,” said
English.
Equipment is supplied
for those interested; how
ever, individuals can bring
their own equipment to feel
more comfortable.
English says he would
like to find a student to or
ganize the activity, but a
faculty member is more per
manent and the organizing
position wouldn’t change
hands with graduations.
There’s been enough
interest that the professors
have to monitor time now to
keep music flowing.
“Do people want the mic
to themselves, do they want
back up instruments, or do
they just want to sit in and
jam with us?” said English.
“We have to keep the music
moving and makie it consis
tent each week, but that all
Technology makes psychology comfortable
Cleveland County patients benefit from telecommunications
By Karl Kakadelis
Pilot Staff Writer
A technological im
provement for the psy
chological community has
made its way ’to counseling
centers in Cleveland County
and could eventually benefit
students at Oardner-Webb
University.
Telemental Health, a
new psychological therapy,
provides mental health ser
vices via telecommunica
tions systems. This enables
two-way interactive and
“real time,” communication
between a patient and the
provider.
The form of therapy is
becoming very popular.
Some experts in the field
believe teletherapy is pref
erable to the current in-per
son format. For the client,
this new form is more relax
ing and relieves stress with
out a trip to a counseling
center. Telemental Health
helps eliminate travel for
clients and travel time for
counselors.
“This great possibility
of therapy would be a ben
efit for the students and the
counseling community,”
said Dr. Jim Whitlow, who
counsels students at Gard
ner-Webb University,
The software would
also allow the counselor or
therapist to document the
Alexander to run again for Shelby mayor seat;
Incumbent says GWU vital to city and county
By Matt Tessnear
matthewtl 984@earthlink, net
Ted Alexander feels his
term as Shelby’s mayor has
been so successful that he’s
going to run for re-election
on Oct. 9.
Alexander announced
his intentions for re-elec
tion Feb. 5. Prayer and the
encouragement of residents
aided the decision to run for
another term, he said.
“I really do feel as if
God leads you to do some
thing as it’s a calling,” said
Alexander. “I think public
service and public office are
callings. (Running again)
was also affirmed by the re
sponse I got firom individu
als.”
Alexander said that the
city of Shelby has an impor
tant relationship with Gard-
ner-Webb University, and
can improve that by provid
ing more student internships
with different committees
and task forces.
“Gardner-Webb is such
an asset for the entire coun
ty, Shelby in particular,”
said Alexander. “One of the
things that I’m really trying
to do and hope to increase
in the next few years is to
involve Gardner-Webb and
its students in Shelby. With
our ‘Weed and Seed’ pro
gram, we’ve partnered with
the divinity school. The His
toric Shelby Foundation has
bought a house in one of otu'
neglected neighborhoods.
Hopeflally, by the end of the
month, we’re going to have
two divinity students move
into the (renovated) house
and be missionaries to that
community.”
Four major obstacles
now face Shelby, accord
ing to Alexander: the lack
of available, developable
land and buildings; the need
to pursue different facets of
economic development such
as heritage tourism; the loss
of more than $300 million
in retail leakage; and the
continuing need for com
munity development. Steps
have been taken over the
last three years to address
depends on the number of
people wanting to play.
English has worked with
various open mic nights in
other cities and, while each
is organized differently,
he’s excited about facilitat
ing this one. He’s even de
veloped the idea of having
a coffee shop located under
the cafe to create a similar
atmosphere with more va
riety.
“It is healthy for stu
dents (to feel confident and
express themselves),” said
English, “whether by mu
sic, reading poetry or doing
an interpretive dance.”
The audience increases
each week, and so does
the number of participants,
which range from high
school students to commu
nity members,
In spring 2006, the li
brary distributed user-sat-
isfaction surveys, querying
students and faculty on the
main campus and at remote
centers. Many of the re
sponses were well thought
out and useful to us, and we'
have already implemented
some changes based on the
input. In a later issue, we
will address some of these
responses.
There were some mis
conceptions that left: us
scratching our heads. A few
of these questions or com
ments are below. These, too,
serve a purpose, because the
misconceptions mean that
we have to work harder to
get the word out about our
resources and services.
Comment: I’ve never
been sure about why the re
ligion department was sepa
rated fi'om non-fiction, , , .
Response: Well, it
isn’t. We use the Library of
Congress classification sys
tem, and fiction and nonfic
tion are not separated. The
grouping is by subject, with
letters of the alphabet rep
resenting different subjects.
We can’t fit the entire Main
collection on one floor, so
we have A-F on the third
floor and G-Z on the first
floor. Other collections are
on the main (second) floor:
reference, non-print, chil
dren’s literature, etc.
Comment: Needs to be
open 24 hours. All other
schools are!! (and similar
comments)
Response: Not exactly.
In the last comprehensive
survey on this topic, con
ducted in 2004, data was
gathered from all 3,700
academic libraries in the
United States. Of the 3,700,
only 24 were open 24/7.
Our 2006 survey of a group
of peer institutions showed
that we are right, in the mid
dle in terms of the hours we
are open.
Comment: Put the li
brary online!
Response: We first
thought that students who
made this request meant
we should have a Web site
(which we do) or an online
catalog (ditto). Then we
realized that they think we
should digitize the text of
all our books and have it
online. Oh, my. We would
have to hire people to do
the digitizing, purchase
multiple sets of expensive
digitizing equipment, find a
place for them to set up and
do it, and pay staggering
fees to the copyright holders
of this material - otherwise
it’s illegal. We have about
220,000 volumes. Even if
we had the money, and even
if we chose only the most
recently published 25,000
volumes, it would take years
and just wouldn’t be practi
cal. In theory, though, it’s a
great idea.
Comment: Let students
check out movies. Not have
to drive back just to watch it
on campus.
Response: Students
can check out our non-print
materials. One exception is
when a professor has put an
item on reserve for a class,
and that’s the professor’s
call.
Comment: The library
access is not an issue, but
the GWU site is not acces
sible by most libraries. I
have borrowed computers
that could not access the
GWU site.
Response: This one
throws me completely. Any
suggestions?
same information, such as
body temperature change,
dilation of the pupils and
perspiration, as if they were
sitting right in front of the
client.
A therapist could also
document this in group
therapy.
The benefit of this type
of study, and the use of Tele
mental Health, is increasing
rapidly.
It could eventually bene
fit those in the business and
education industries as well.
The idea of not having to be
physically at a location in
order to complete work is
an amazing possibility; one
that is now available for the
public.
NOT YOUR
AVERAGE SUNDAY.
these issues, he said.
During Alexander’s
three years in office, the
violent crime rate in Shelby
has decreased by 30 per
cent, and the crime index
is the lowest it has been in
15 years, according to a let
ter from Alexander to The
Pilot,
“I believe I have earned
the trust of the people of
Shelby to do the right things
necessary to move us for
ward together as a com
munity,” Alexander said in
the letter. “I continue to see
serving as mayor of Shelby
as just that - service, and
my leadership style reflects
rriy philosophy of engaging,
empowering and assisting
others as we strive together
to improve our city.”
Alexander can file pa
pers to run for re-election
July 6. No others have an
nounced they will run at this
time.
Alexander welcomes
ideas and suggestions. He
can be reached at 704-481-
1272.
NATHNIAL^
GUAT
'***
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