4
St. Andrews Academics
“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it. - Voltaire
Growing Communications/Theatre Department
Richard Vance
As the leader of the communications
department for the past six years,
Richard Brett has seen his share of ups
and downs. While the department has
not quite reached it’s peak, it is well
on it’s way with a new administration
who Brett says “favors the arts.”
Also on the way is a new theater
department head, Mark Manette,
whom Richard describes as “a very
personable, approachable teacher
who uses authority without being
intimidating.” This allows for Brett to
worry more about his duties as a video
production teacher, while Manette will
focus on the theater side. Seeing as
video production is what I love to do, I
focused more on that aspect and got to
know the person who will be teaching
me for the next couple of years.
Richard was quick to point out
that “I’m one of those folks who tie in
here,” meaning he barely has time to
do anything else. However, he does
still have his own goals and in fact,
when I looked around his office I saw
quite a few awards including a regional
emmy award, and an award from a
large festival in Washington D.C.
which basically gives him the right to
film overseas if he wants to. Richard
also enjoys watching movies that
aren’t “Hollywood Mainstream,” and
enjoys traveling abroad (recently took
a group in the fall to Brunnenburg).
Brett’s main focus in his spare
time is on screen writing, where he
actually has a partner in Colorado he
is working with to finalize a horror
script to send into either Sci-fi or a
lower budget film studio. While that
is awesome all by itself, many people
Where are They Now^? Alumni Experiences
After Knight Life
Eleanor Wainscott
Richard Brett filming. Picture courtesy of
Richard Brett.
Brett’s inspiration for getting into
film, was the movie Jaws, which he
saw in theaters in 1975. He reminded
me that it was “ a wonder it even got
to theaters period, they were literally
writing the script as they went along”.
After that he took some beginning
video classes at Carlton College in
Northfield, Minnesota. Which is where
he earned his first degree, a Bachelors
degree in Social Anthropology. Brett
continued into grad school on his
thirst for film, and ended up getting
two more degrees. A film and video
masters decree from Iowa, as well as a
broadcast mediums master of fine arts
degree from UNC Greensboro. He
likes to work on his own projects, but
finds that most of his time is spent here.
During a recent interview for an article 1
wrote for The Daily Southerner newspaper
in Tarboro, Southwest Edgecombe High
School Counselor Marian Pittman told me
that she believes that it takes some years to
develop your passion. Pittman said that she
can relate to the students when they say they
like something, but have no true feelings for it.
I agree with Pittman and can also
relate to the students. 1 finished my degree
in Communications in May of 2004. My
decision to major in this area was based on
the fact that 1 like film and television. I also
like horses and photography. However, upon
reflection, I have no true feelings for those
pursuits. I left for Tarboro in December of
2006 for the job at The Daily Southerner to be
a staflF writer and I truly feel this is my passion.
Why do I feel this is my passion?
Eleanor Wainscott in
Washington D.C. Picture courtesy
of Eleanor Wainscott.
The reason I feel this is my passion
is because it has helped me grow personally. I
enjoy talking to various people. Ask my mom
or any of my friends and they will tell you
this is not somethiag that they would expect
to hear me say, as normally I’ve had a very
hard time relating and talking to people. Now,
talking with Pittman and several other people
made me realize that there can be some really
cool, fun people out there. You never know
who you are going to meet who you may have
a connection with or who may just serve the
purpose of saying the right thing at the right
moment; it’s a chance and a flin chance.
This personal development makes me
very happy and pleased; 1 have a big sm i le on my
fece. I’m very excited to continue down this path
and one day win a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism.
Speaking of winning the Pulitzer
Prize, dreaming big is the most importsint
lesson 1 learned at St. Andrews Presbyterian
College. A fiiend once wrote in a card
to me, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you
miss you will land amongst the stars.”
So, my advice is to aim high and
don't be afraid to take risks. Don’t be afraid to
stretchy ^nd take a hard course or hard professor.
A mentor once told me, “It is
r’ 6 JL'' . , ’ .
a grave mistake to never try anything
because you are afi^id of failure.”
Also, participate in an extracurricular
activity that you previously dismissed or
cannot imagine yourself doing. For a short
while, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity
as a crew leader. I had no prior construction or
leadership experience, but 1 learned to hammer a
nail, build fi^es and guide volunteers through
the process. I gained a sense of empowerment.
Lastly, empowerment and controlling
my own destiny is the most important lesson
I have learned since leaving St. Andrews.
Keep your head up and don’t let
anyone else control your destiny. If a person
or company is not part of the program that will
improve your life, thenyou don’tneed them or it.
Good luck with your time
at St. Andrews and I wish you luck
with whatever you decide to do.
probably don’t know what exactly
he does for the video department, or
how he works hard to keep it growing
When Richard arrived here six years
ago, the video and film program was
a joke. The place where the camera’s
now have their home was as Brett
recalls “basically a big closet, there
was one camera just lying out of
its box with no mic on it, only later
after cleaning did I find it”. He also
used money from Scotland County to
make a cable access channel (channel
17) that would help him pay for new
equipment. The big white wall in
the EFAC room of Vardell that we all
know, was just “large tiles” according
to Brett. He stripped them down with
the help of another person, and painted
the whole thing white, added some
speakers, and also put a tower in the
back with a projector. This allows
for people to come watch movies in
a theater like setting. He is not done
however, “The green screen was just
made a year ago”, he said, while also
stating “I would like to add more digital
video cameras so when VHS is gone
we can just move on”. Brett believes
we are headed in the right direction.
“Oh yea, definitely, especially
with the new theater person”. With
continual work on the webpage, Brett
hopes to bring more prospective
students in to visit. Just with talking
to him, the way he stays energetic
when you know he’s tired, pushes you
to do more. I know with the rise in a
new administration, and the hard work
Brett has put in, there is no way the
program couldn’t be on the rise. After
all, I wasn’t expecting to want to come
here when I came for an open house.
I was a film college in California
just a few months before, and didn’t
have high expectations for a small
school in North Carolina. However,
after watching some of the things
Brett and others had done here, and
then talking to Brett, I realized there
is a lot of untapped potential here.
St. Andrews Academic Department News
(Continued from page 4.)
Business Department
Loren Cornish’s Intermiadate Ac
counting il class has been actively
involved within the Laurinburg
community. On February 6, 2007
the class visited the offices of
Ritch Breeden & Company. This
is a local Certified Public Ac
counting (CPA) firm owned by
Ken Ritch and David Breeden.
The students were afiford-
ed the opportunity to discuss the
business with both owners. They
learned how a small town CPA
firm operates and what it takes to
become and practice as a Certified
Public Accountant. Their discus
sions included ethics and continu
ing education concerns as well. It
was pointed out to the students that
major changes have occurred in the
profession since the fall of Arthur
Anderson in the Enron scandal.
The students also were exposed
to actual practitioners telling them
that they could not possibly learn
all there was to know as a Certified
Public Accountant. They were told
it was more important to know how
to handle the information you are
dealing vrith and have the ability to
research and learn on your own, as
you are confronted with situations
you are not familiar with, especially
since in the accounting field if you
have not handled a like situation in
the recent past there is a good chance
there is a new procedure or account
ing standard to be concerned witti
provided by Loren Cornish
that relates to what you are doing.
The students all returned to
school with a better perspective
of why they are learning what
they are in the class and why I
approach the class the way I do.
On February 8, 2007 Mr. Brad
ley Williams CPA of Quality OU
in Rockingham visited the class
and gave a presentation concern
ing his Job as the accountant for a
private gasoline distributorship.
“The classes I take at St. An
drews will not teach me the ins
and outs of accounting for an oil
company, but my general under
standing of accounting principles
will allow me to adapt to the
needs of any realm of practice.”
Mr. Williams discussed the need
to be continually learning. He dis
cussed how his job was a different
specialization than the Certified
Public Accountant working in a CPA
firm. He discussed the need to keep
up with technology for not only the
accounting records but for all func
tions .of a business. Other discus
sions concerned liability Issues,
relations with customers, handling
government regulations and operat
ing in a highly competitive business.
This presentation has shown how
accountmg fits into the business
world as an integral part of a busi
ness and industries as a whole. “
“Accounting is not an independent
practice, but it reflects and interacts
with other things such as finance,
economics and management. It can
not be isolated and separated from
these things. As an example, the oil
industry is under many economic
stresses right now, and accounting
practices of a firm reflect that. The
market rate for oil fluctuates at an
unbelievable rate, and as such an
accountant must be able to deci
pher the most appropriate way to
record costs, revenues, etc. to most
accurately reflect their business
transactions. This is significant be
cause it shows how a background
in accounting is extremely valuable
whether ornot one pursues certifica
tion or works directly in the field.”