Eight new professors have joined our campus community this semester. Over half of them moved from other parts of the country. Wayne Pollock, who joined the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department, moved from Durham, N.C., after living there for 22 years. His decision was easy to make. Pollock says, "I have always enjoyed being near the water." He will be teaching Intro to Recreation and Leisure Services, Therapeutic Recreation and Leadership and Analysis of Recreation, plus the lab. Dr. Philip Rock, a new biology professor, was a full-time dad in Santa Clara, Calif., before making the move across the country. "Santa Clara was too expensive, and my wife and I wanted to live on the East Coast," Rock says. Rock will be teaching two sections of The World of Biology and one each of Cell Biology and Vertebrate Zoology.

Dr. Victor Townsend, also from the Biology Department, moved from Lafayette, La., but is familiar with the Hampton Roads area. He was an undergraduate student at Old Dominion University and was eager to come back to Hampton Roads. He will be teaching two sections of Human Anatomy and Physiology. Joining Rock and Townsend this year is Dr. Joyce Easter, teaching Organic Chemistry and Organic Lab. Dr. Daniel Margolies, an addition to the history department, is from Madison, Wis. "I like the smaller classes because of the opportunity to interact with the students on a more personal level," said Margolies. Margolies’ time will be spent this semester teaching two sections of History of the US to 1877, America in the Middle Period and the Junior Research Seminar.

Dr. Martha Alexander of the English department feels much the same about Wesleyan as Margolies. She, too, enjoys the smaller class setup. Her background is from Old Dominion University, where she taught international students. Her focus this semester will be on three sections of College Writing. Chuck Pollak, a communications professor, picked Virginia Wesleyan because of its outstanding reputation. He only has positive comments to say about Wesleyan, noting that the attitude of the faculty and students has been "professional and extremely friendly." Pollak will be teaching two sections of Into to Mass Communications this fall. Dr. Malcolm Lively joins the Education team and will be teaching two sections of Teaching Reading/Language Arts. Based on the new professors’ opinions of the smaller classes, and the all-around friendliness of the students and staff, bigger isn’t always better.

Ryan Brown and Kristen Whalen are the new Assistant Directors of Residence Life. Brown is Director of Intramurals and Whalen is an advisor for the First Year Leadership Council. She also works with Lina Cottingham on Weslyean Activities Council and helps R.A.s with programs. Brown oversees all of Village I and the staff personnel. In addition, he is in charge of planning and organizing recreation and intramurals for the campus. "Wesleyan is a big change for me, said Brown. Before Wesleyan, Brown has had previous experience with college students. He was the Building Director at ODU for two years. For the first year, he was in charge of a building of 305 international and undergraduate students. The second year, his building consisted of 600 freshman. At Wesleyan, Brown hopes to change some attitudes. "I want to stop hearing about the apathy of Wesleyan students," said Brown. He believes if everyone would get their own groups, clubs and organizations to sign up for events and participate, instead of accusing others, there would be no more apathy. "It’s like everyone standing around a burning building with fire hoses," said Brown. "And everyone’s looking at each other and saying, ‘Put it out!’"

He thinks students need to stop being victims of their community and become active in it. "I want to see students coming together without the R.A. staff or officials to be part of a community," said Brown. Brown would like to bring sensitivity and toleranceto the Wesleyan community. "I want people to be aware they are working and living with people with not only disabilities, but with lifestyles different than their own," said Brown. Overall, he wants to organize programs for all students and just get everyone involved. Whalen oversees Village II and its resident assistant staff. Before coming to Wesleyan, Whalen was a Hall Director for two years at Virginia Tech. Her building consisted of 620 first-year students. Whalen wants students to be active on campus. "If students are involved," said Whalen, "they have a lot of resume builders, which puts them ahead of others going for the same job with the same degree. Students need to be intentional in what they are involved in," she added. "They need to prove they can get the job ahead of others." So far, she is excited to be working here. "Everyone I’ve met has been really awesome," said Whalen. Whalen looks forward to making the upcoming year a great one.

The Admissions Office has also welcomed new faces to its staff. The year begins with five new admissions counselors: Tanya Williams, Melissa Garrett, Nataki Corneille, Brian O’ Neil and Andrew Hendrix. Tanya Williams is the new admissions counselor for Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. Williams, 23, is a 1999 graduate of James Madison University, where she majored in speech communications with public relations and was very active in Students for Minority Outreach. "I had a great four years at my college," said Williams. She has been happy with the transition so far. Williams said that people on campus have been very helpful in answering questions and making her feel like "part of a team."

"I’ve met a lot of very nice people," said Williams. "They say hi even if they don’t know my name." Williams loves working with people and looks forward to helping students interested in VWC. "It’s so rewarding to see a student on campus that I helped to bring here," Williams said. Melissa Garrett feels right at home in her new position at VWC. Garrett graduated in May and worked as a work-study student in admissions for three and a half years. She is now the admissions counselor for non-local areas in Virginia and all states not covered by the other counselors.

"I love being part of this campus," said Garrett. "I like the people I work with. We work as a team." Garrett, 22, graduated with a degree in social science. While on campus, she participated in many groups and was a sister of Sigma Sigma Sigma. She said as a work study she thought the counselor position would be a fun job. "I want to share my experience at VWC," Garrett said. "I hope to provide good insight into the VWC experience and not only sell the school to prospective students, but help make a good match."

Nataki Corneille became familiar with Virginia Wesleyan while attending Norfolk Academy, but she never imagined herself working here. "The opportunity just fell in my lap," said Cornielle. She is the admissions counselor for New York and New Jersey. "I like working with people and feeling like I can help," she said. Corneille graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1997 with a degree in Art and History. "I have always surrounded myself with people," she said. "I did not want to have a desk job and sit behind a computer all day." She said the transition has been a little overwhelming, since she is not yet familiar with everything VWC has to offer, but she is looking forward to meeting more people and getting involved with the campus. "College is an exciting time," said Cornielle. "I hope to be someone that students can count on to give them honest answers and help them get a good education."

Brian O’Neil graduated from VWC in 1999 but did not stay away for long. He jumped back into the community in June as a counselor for New England and Pennsylvania. "I know most of the staff on campus," said O’Neil. "It was like coming home." After earning a degree in communications, he worked in radio for two years on-air and doing promotion for WNOR FM 99 and WAFX Classic Hits 106.9, The Fox. O’Neil never pictured himself as a counselor but is enjoying the experience. "People used to tell me that I’d be good at sales, if I was selling something I believed in," said O’Neil. "This is definitely something I believe in. This campus was a great place for me. But it has expanded and is phenomenal."

Andrew Hendrix is the veteran of new counselors in the admissions office. Hendrix started his position as Assistant Director of Admissions in April, after leaving a similar position that he held for six years at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Hendrix is especially fond of VWC because of its size and the personal touch in admissions procedure. "We know just about every student by name," said Hendrix. "It’s very personal and a lot of fun." Hendrix will be handling transfer students and students who reapply for admission. He said this can be challenging, because many of these students have more needs than the average freshman. "The biggest thing I can offer is hard work," said Hendrix. "I will be an advocate for the students and help them through the admissions process." Hendrix is not afraid of hard work and long hours, and he has always enjoyed helping others. "I love being involved," said Hendrix. Hendrix said that the transition to VWC has been very smooth ,and he is excited about new prospects and working together with the rest of the VWC community.