w'M'w.tlienew.sargiis.com
A ■ jHl edited by m. cunningham
News & Features
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
riie News Argiis Page 8
L-ove STOR.ies: Married couples working together at WSSU
Tiffany Gibson
Editor In Chief
It's the holiday season, and
love is in the air — especially
at Winston-Salem State.
There are at least 27 married
couples employed at WSSU.
At least two of those cou
ples appreciate their situation
and find that it enriches their
work life.
In 2005, cupid struck Jesse
Pittsley, program director of
exercised science and Sigrid
Hall-Pittsley.
Pittsley said, "When I saw
her, I went 'Whoa! Who is the
hottie?"'
Pittsley described Hall-
Pittsley as being mean when
he first met her.
"So right then I knew she
was a challenge.
"I remember going to
another faculty member and
saying there is a good-looking
woman who works in market
ing," Pittsley said.
However, the feeling was
not mutual when Hall-Pittsley
encountered him.
"I noticed him when I was
in the Red Room," Hall-
Pittsley said.
"He would always stop by
the table and just chit chat. I
could not even fathom that he
was interested. I just thought
he was chatty. I finally got a
clue when he kept bragging
about his big TV.
"He was alluding to the
fact that I needed to come
watch his big TV at his house.
1 was like 'Oh my gosh.' Is he
flirting with me?"' Hall-
Pittsley said.
Pittsley said he enjoys hav
ing his wife work at WSSU.
"Overall I enjoy having a
spouse at the University," he
said.
"When you work at a uni
versity it's a hard place to
work because there is pres
sure from all angles. It is good
to have a person who is on
your side, who you know you
can trust to be there for some
empathy and to support you."
Dara Silver, Visitor
Services/Installation manager
and husband Mike Silver
adjunct professor in the justice
studies department don't see
each other often on campus.
"We work close enough so
that we can do lunch," Mrs.
Silver said.
"Sometimes we go home for
lunch."
Silver said that working
Above: The Pittsleys
Below; The Silvers
with his wife on campus is
not an issue at all and that it
has helped him better appreci
ate WSSU.
"Because Dara works at the
[Diggs] gallery, I have a better
appreciation of the school; we
are both connected and inter
ested in the school. We try to
support the student activi
ties," he said.
The Silvers decided to use
their honeymoon money to
buy a piece of rare art.
"We have an amazing art
collection. We have an origi
nal Beyonce piece by famous
artist David Garibaldi," Mr.
Silver said.
Silver says the only other
person who has a Beyonce
piece is rapper Snoop Dogg,
but his piece is different from
theirs. The Silvers also own a
Barack Obama piece by
Garibaldi.
Being supportive spouses
gives the Silvers an opportu
nity to spend time together.
"We are definitely interested
in each other's professions,"
Mrs. Silver said.
"Mike comes to a lot of
events. If you come to a Diggs
Gallery event, Mike will prob
ably be there," she said.
"When he goes to his
lawyer functions, I go and
support his stuff as well. We
try to get out in the commu
nity as much as we can."
The Pittsleys have worked
together at WSSU for more
than five years, and Mrs. Hall-
Pittsley says they even though
they work on the same cam
pus, they rarely see each
other.
"I think that what most peo
ple don't understand is that
by him being faculty and me
being staff, our work environ
ments are very different,"
Hall-Pittsley said.
"Even though we know a
lot of the same people and we
work at the same University
it's as if we have two com
pletely separate jobs."
Hall-Pittsley said in her
position, it is helpful to have
her husband working here
because he spends more time
with students than she does.
"We are often in positions
where we are talking about
making decisions that effect
the students," she said.
"But because we generally
do not work directly with the
students, I think we are some
times out of touch but think
we know."
"It's really great that I can
come home, and he can tell
me the struggles students are
having or perhaps he is hav
ing," Hall-Pittsley said.
"So it works well together."
ENTERTAmiNG CRITICISM
‘ Winter Songs' CD offers new
versions of traditional favorites
Marcus Cunningham
Copy Desk Chief
Get into the holiday spirit with
"The Hotel Cafe Presents...Winter
Songs."
"Winter Songs" is a holiday CD
comprised of only female singers
and songwriters including Katy
Perry, Fiona Apple, and Sara
Bareilles.
The album features both original
and traditional holiday songs across
multiple genres including rock,
country and alternative.
Perhaps one of the best parts of
"Winter Songs" is how it engages
the listener with traditional tunes.
"Winter Songs" manages to main
tain a modern sound with even the
most classical of songs.
Perry sings a bluesy interpretation
of "White Christmas" with simple
acoustic instruments and a raspy
tone that really bring the lyrics alive.
An original piece such as "Maybe
Next Year" by Meiko is maybe one
the most edgy in terms of content on
the album.
Her lyrics tell the story of a
woman who is unsympathetic for
the wrong she has done, and per
haps maybe next year she'll do bet
ter.
The cover song of the album is
"Winter Song," and it is a duet with
Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson.
This as well is an original piece, and
it is without doubt a love song.
Bareilles and Michaelson seem to
fit perfectly together creating a slow
song that is not boring and has a
very smooth and mellow feel.
Songs like "Sleigh Ride" and
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" are just
a few of the classics that were
turned into up-to-date up tempo
versions.
Apple sings a version of "Frosty
the Snowman" that is one of my
favorite cuts on the album.
It rings true to the original with
lyrics and melody, and uses acoustic
instruments that almost make you
feel as if you're at a concert.
The women featured on "Winter
Songs" showed great creativity with
their original pieces as well as their
interpretations of the classics, creat
ing a holiday CD that is very con
temporary and will also please those
looking for the more traditional
sounds.
‘Bad Santa’ DVD not too bad for holiday viewing
Marcus Cunningham
Copy Desk Chief
Bring in this holiday season with
one of the crudest Christmas movies
you will ever see. "Bad Santa" is a
2003 comedy directed by Terry
Zwigoff featuring Billy Bob
Thornton, the late Bernie Mac and
the late John Ritter.
Willie Stokes (Thornton) is the pro
tagonist of the story and at times his
actions can make it hard to side with
him.
He is a foul-mouthed, thieving
alcoholic who takes on the occupa
tion of mall Santa as a cover-up.
While in disguise, he robs the malls
during the holidays and lives off the
earnings until the next holiday sea
son.
Willie is not alone in his schemes.
He is accompanied by a dwarf (Tony
Cox) named Marcus who plays an
elf. While Marcus and Willie may
work together, they do not like each
other. "You are an emotional crip
ple," Marcus says. "Everything
about you is ugly."
In the beginning of the movie, you
can sense an internal struggle within
Willie. After robbing another mall he
tells Marcus he's moving to Miami,
and he's cleaning his act up. Willie
keeps good on one of his promises as
he relocates to the sunny Miami
beaches. But he is far from clean.
Low on cash and tough on luck,
Willie resorts to planning another
theft with his partner Marcus, at a
mall in Arizona.
Now we watch as Willie begins to
change his ways.
Other key characters to watch are
Bob Chipeska (Ritter) mall manager,
who from the start has it in for Willie.
And Gin (Mac) the chief security
guard with an affinity for a nice pedi
cure and much like Willie, has a
black heart. In one scene Gin catches
a child stealing video games, in
return threatens the boy and takes
the child's MP3 player.
While in Arizona, Willie develops a
relationship with a bartender named
Sue (Lauren Graham) who has a
fetish for men in Santa suits, and he
befriends a young plump boy who
seems to be possibly mentally chal
lenged.
While his intentions of befriending
the boy may be disingenuous, Willie
eventually takes a true liking to him
and gives him pointers on dealing
with bullies and life in general.
Bad Santa is a "dark" comedy that
may not be for all. However, if you
are not easily offended and up for a
good laugh, you will love it.
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