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| Photo by BLADEN FINCH A raindrop on the camera lens highlights the day’s atmosphere as Wesleyan students Morgan Gunn, Keren Larkin, Laura Wiederwax and Lesley Eder bag potatoes as part of the potato bagging competition with Roanoke College on April 9. |
"It was one of those rare times when a strong sense of community permeated the air," said President Billy Greer, in a letter to the student body. The morning of April 9, in front of Godwin Hall, students, faculty, maintenance, coaches, rain, and a mouse came together to make it a day no one will ever forget.
"It was nice to see students and faculty come together to support a common cause," said junior Teresa Mucci. "It gave me an opportunity to talk and work with people that I had never met before. It was nice to see the different teams and coaches helping out as well. It made me forget about the rain and the cold weather and I had a lot of fun."
"The main person I was happy to see was President Greer sitting in the middle of it all in his chair," said senior Rachelle Jackson, intern for Community Service. "I was so proud to see everyone in the midst of the potatoes digging and bagging. But throughout everything, I think it went beautifully."
As some students woke up that morning and looked out the window, they would not have thought it was going to turn out the way it did. "When I woke up I thought to myself, I have to go out there in the freezing cold rain," said sophomore Michelle Bolling. "But then I ended up skipping class and having so much fun."
"I was really excited," said Erica Clarke, programming coordinator
of Community Service. "We had 150 students sign up and I would have been
happy if 75 of them showed up, but 101 students came. I wasn't expecting that
much because of the rain."
This was not the first time Wesleyan held a potato drop, but it was the first
time it was competitive. The first one was held in the spring of 2001.
"We only do this every other year because it's hard for the food bank to come up with the potatoes," said Clarke. "So there won't be another one until spring 2005, but there have been requests to have one next year. So, we'll see what happens."
Please see Potatoes, page 2
BASEBALL WINS ODAC TITLE |
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| Photo courtesy of ADAM HAMILTON The 2003 baseball team completed a sweep of the regular-season and tournament with an overall in-conference record of 21-2, earning them their fourth championship in seven years. See story page 16. |
Four honorary doctoral degrees will be conferred during the graduation ceremony this year. The recipients include Senator John Warner, Helen Hoffman, Robert Nasbaum and the deceased Dean Wilson. "This is the second year we are conferring honorary doctorates," said President William T. Greer. "These degrees show maturity of an institution."
Every fall students, faculty and staff are encouraged to submit nominations for the honorary degrees. The doctorate committee includes the President of the college, the Dean of Academics and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, among others. Over 20 names have been considered by the committee in the last two years. The recipients are usually well-known for their dedication to and support of the college and community.
Wilson was the dean of academics at Virginia Wesleyan from 1972 until 1990. Wilson also served as the Dean of Academics at Wofford College, NC. He was in line to become the chairman of the humanities department when he decided to come to Wesleyan.
Please see Degrees, page 2
The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and the bugs have slowly, but surely, begun to invade the dorm rooms. Along with the standard insects that seem to appear every year, a new, but not uncommon, insect has been appearing in large numbers throughout Village III. Termites have been spotted throughout the downstairs rooms in both South and Teagle halls. "I walked in my suite after class," recalls South hall suite B resident Genna Stargell, "and there were a million little [termites] all over the place. It was hilarious watching everyone freak out and run around. But it was not hilarious when the school handed us a can of Raid to get rid of the problem!"
In a situation such as this one, the physical plant staff is responsible for controlling the infestation, but physical plant worker David Hopper said there was no real prevention from these bugs. "During this time of year the eggs start to hatch, and they come in from the woods," said Hopper. "It is impossible to seal up an entire building. It happens every year and we spray on an as-needed basis."
Wesleyan does, in fact, have a contract with a local Orkin company, but the most they can do is spray pesticide in certain areas. It takes a few weeks or months to decide whether the infestation is a do-it-yourself treatment or one that is complex and requires a licensed contractor.
Please see Bugs, page 3
At this year's graduation ceremony, Virginia Wesleyan College will proudly welcome Virginia Senator John W. Warner as keynote speaker. As 2003 graduates close this chapter in their lives, a new chapter will open – one marked with hopes, ambitions, anxieties and uncertainties. As this year's commencement speaker, Warner will serve to preface this occasion by inspiring these graduates with words of advice and reassurance. Having delivered commencement addresses to several graduating classes in the past, some as large as 4,000 students, Wesleyan is honored that Warner will be sharing this event with the 270 students receiving their diplomas on May 17.
When asked why Warner was sought as this year's commencement speaker, Vice President for College Advancement Tim McDermott said, "I think that it had a lot to do with the prominence that he has within the state and nationally, his long tenure in the Senate, and his position as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee." Warner is in his twenty-fifth year of service in the United States Senate, having been elected to his fifth term in November 2002. He was first elected to the Senate in 1978, making him the third longest serving U.S. Senator in Virginia's history.
Warner has been a public servant for almost 40 years, having served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Marine Corps during the Korean War. Warner received his undergraduate degree in basic engineering sciences from Washington and Lee University in 1949, and after his second tour of active military duty, went on to receive his law degree from the University of Virginia. Warner's distinguished career includes his presidential appointment as the Under Secretary of the Navy in 1969, his service as the Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974, being member and former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and his appointment as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in 1998. He also served on the Senate Intelligence Committee for eight years, and was Vice Chairman of that committee from 1993 to 1995.
Please see Warner, page 3
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