Faculty welcomes five new faces to campus
by Clayton Mercurio
Freshmen are not the only new members of the campus community; Wesleyan is fortunate enough to have five new additions to its faculty and staff. This is your opportunity to meet them.
Lisa Pagano Carstens
Department: English
Hometown: Olympia, WA
Experience: University of California at Irvine
Interests: theater and restaurants
First impression of VWC: It has a friendly and
energetic atmosphere.
Hero: My high school English teacher had a great
influence on me.
Habits/pet peeves: I am easily distracted.
Book or song that would best describe your life:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Most embarrassing moment: “Too many of
those to just pick one.”
If you were to change one thing about yourself, what
would it be? My height.
If you had 15 minutes on national television, what would
you discuss? Putting more money into higher education.
If you were stranded in an elevator, who would you want
to be stranded with? Steve Martin, because he would keep
me entertained.
Goal at VWC: “To live long and
prosper.”
Kimberly S. Drake
Department: English
Hometown: Glendale, CA
Experience: University of California at Berkeley
Hobbies/interests: soccer; softball; reading and
writing mysteries
First impression of VWC: I like the friendly and
intimate atmosphere and that the students seem interested in
learning.
Hero: “Many different people but usually
women doing stuff men did.”
Habits/pet peeve: Staying up late and the misuse
of the apostrophes.
Book or song that would best describe your life:
“My life is far too complicated” to name a book or
song.
Most embarrassing moment: “I’ve
repressed about every one of them.”
If you could change one thing about yourself what would
it be? To be able to sleep four hours a night and still
function normally.
If you had 15 minutes on national television what would
you discuss? World hunger, racism, gender and class
equality: “Scary things that would probably get me
killed.”
If you were stranded in an elevator, who would you like
to be stranded with? Freud—so I could tell him how
his ideas were wrong.
Goal at VWC: To become president within four
years.
J. Christopher Haley
Department: Geological science
Hometown: Leesburg, VA
Experience: Montana State University and Miami
University of Ohio
Hobbies/interests: hiking; biking; sailing;
other outdoor activities
First impression of VWC: I like the size,
department interaction, and the positive attitudes of the
students.
Heroes: Thomas Jefferson; Charles Darwin; David
Elliot (his graduate school advisor).
Habits/pet peeves: Virginian drivers on the
interstate and rush hour traffic.
Book or song that best describes your life: Blue
Highways by William Moon.
Most embarrassing moment: The political speech I
gave in sixth grade. I was so nervous that I was laughed off
stage; I vowed never to speak in front of a large crowd again.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would
it be? To get my hair back!
If you had 15 minutes on national television, what would
you discuss? I would tell the people not to believe
anything else on national TV except for this announcement.
Goal at VWC: “To get the environmental
science major running and to have bright students contributing to
society in a positive way.”
Theodore M. Vial, Jr.
Department: Religious studies
Hometown: New Jersey
Experience: University of Chicago and University
of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN Age: 35
Hobbies/interests: reading and sailing
First impression of VWC: I like the beautiful
campus and the helpful staff.
Hero: David Hume
Habit: Walking the dog too many times a day.
Book or song that would best describe your life:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Most embarrassing moment: The first time I had
to teach a class. It felt like I was teaching endlessly, but it
was only for 20 minutes and I had finished the lesson too soon.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would
it be? I would want to be able to dunk a basketball.
If you had 15 minutes on national television, what would
you discuss? Problems such as the growing disparity
between the rich and poor and race relations.
If you were stranded in an elevator, who would you want
to be stranded with? An elevator repairman.
Goal at VWC: “To teach a bunch of great
classes in various courses.”
*Note: Dr. Vial and his wife just had a baby boy
that will soon be 5 weeks old.
Robert Chapman
Nickname: Chappy
Department: College chaplain
Hometown: Norfolk, VA
Experience: University of Virginia Medical
Center and United Methodist Churches
Hobbies/interests: biking; baseball; volleyball;
running
First impression of VWC: I like the size,
diversity, and the communal feeling of VWC.
Hero: Dr. Owen T. Kelly, and William Clogan
Habit: “I eat too many Krispy Kreme
doughnuts.”
Pet Peeve: People who stereotype members of the
clergy as being “somewhat square or narrow-minded.”
Book or song that would best describe your life:
theme music from Raiders of the Lost Ark; The Road Less Taken by
Robert Frost; Pilgrims’ Progress by John Bunyan
Most embarrassing moment: I met a woman who
infrequently attended my church at a Hallmark store. I told her,
“I didn’t know you were pregnant.” “I’m
NOT pregnant,” replied the woman.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would
it be? Nothing; I am pretty content with myself.
If you had 15 minutes on national television, what would
you discuss? I would be on Seinfeld making jokes with
Kramer and George.
If you were stranded in an elevator, who would you want
to be stranded with? Sharon Stone.
Goal at VWC: To share the college experience in
academic, athletic, social, and religious means.
*Note: Chaplain Chapman is very happy with being
back on the VWC campus. A 1979 Wesleyan graduate, he has
witnessed the development of the college and its surrounding
community. Chapman has many photographs from his years at VWC and
welcomes everyone to stop by and visit him in his office across
from the Village II Commons.