CSU Magazine - Students Serve Hurricane Sandy Victims

vol. 2 3 •

no. 1

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Brooks Moore ’69, retired educator

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE COLLEGE MEMORIES? One of my favorite memories was playing golf with my brother as members of the first Baptist College golf team. The excitement we both felt when we won our first college golf match against the College of Charleston was exhilarating!

WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN AT CSU THAT HELPED MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL? I learned that hard work pays off! I learned that friendships can be lifelong! I learned that my faith helped sustain me through some difficult times.

WHICH FACULTY OR STAFF MEMBER LEFT THE BIGGEST IMPRESSION ON YOU? Mr. Harry Crosby, my golf coach, not only taught me the game of golf but modeled for me that it is not what happens to us in life but rather how we choose to respond to it that matters.

Dr. Royce Breland, my marketing professor, made marketing relevant, entertaining and truly cared about each and every one of his students.

Coach Howard Bagwell and Coach Jim Settle were both men of character and practiced what they preached.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO COLLEGE FOR ONE HOUR IN TIME WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO DO? Study harder for my Spanish exam! I had to take Spanish 202 twice before passing the course.

AS AN ALUMNUS WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUR CURRENT STUDENTS? Remember that knowledge is a gift. Use your knowledge to make this world a better place.

No matter what endeavor you choose you must have people skills. Diversity makes this world interesting, never fail to appreciate it. Practice your faith through your works and always remember there is a higher power in charge!

WHY HAVE YOU SUPPORTED CSU ALL THESE YEARS INCLUDING PLACING IT IN YOUR ESTATE PLAN? I feel the greatest gift one can give is knowledge. My professional career afforded me the opportunity to see the fruits of knowledge develop in myself and others. As a member of the Legacy Society I can pass the gift of knowledge on to the next generation and hopefully they will do likewise. We give our children two things in life – moral character and an education. The Legacy Society provided me with an opportunity to give back to young students the many blessings that I have received. I encourage all alumni and friends of the university to prayerfully consider joining the Legacy Society.

For additional information about Office of Planned Giving contact:

Lili Gresham Hiser Director of Corporate Relations and Planned Giving 843-863-7517 legacy@csuniv.edu

c h arles ton souther n. edu/l eg acy

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from the president

Dear Friends, Service is a major component of our efforts to educate the students who currently call Charleston Southern home. Our vision as a University is to integrate faith in learning, leading and serving. The stories and photos in this issue of CSU Magazine clearly show the life of service our students, faculty and staff live.

The seven students who traveled to Staten Island over Christmas break to mud out homes affected by Hurricane Sandy returned to campus in January with hearts still full of thankfulness for the blessings we all too often take for granted. One of our administrative assistants and her children will soon be sleeping in their new Habitat for Humanity home, thanks in part to labor provided by CSU students.

Our baseball team volunteers with the Summerville Miracle League; our students packed 1,049 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, and our students are working with the A21 campaign to end human trafficking. Alumnus Lisa Barr Surratt ’03 is heading up the East Coast office for A21, and I am sure you will be hearing more about the efforts of this organization in the days ahead.

The stories in these pages offer just a glimpse of what the CSU family is doing to serve others. The 74,467 hours that our students provided in service during the past year blessed countless people in need of a helping hand.

Many of our students are on the receiving end of the generosity of our supporters. More than 95 percent of CSU students receive some form of financial aid. Their appreciation for what they have been given is seen in their desire to give to others. All of us at the University are grateful for the continuing support of our donors, alumni and friends.

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Sincerely,

Jairy C. Hunter, Jr.

President

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CSU

magazine

a publication of charleston southern university

volume 23 number 1 Spring 2013

about the cover:

Editorial Staff: Jan Joslin ’82, Editor, Director of Publications John Strubel ’11, Director of Integrated Marketing Sherry Atkinson, University Relations Officer Christi Pearson, Web Developer Contributing Writers: Veronica Boulden ’03 Rachelle Rea ’14 Sports Information Nicole Thomas ’13 Mike Woodard ’15 Contributing Photographers: Veronica Boulden ’03 Lili Hiser ’02 Peter Finger Sports Information Contributing designers: Kara Butler ’13 CSU Magazine is published three times a year by the university relations office for alumni and friends of Charleston Southern University. Address changes should be sent to advancement@csuniv.edu or CSU Advancement Office, PO Box 118087, Charleston, SC 29423-8087.

Students who helped Hurricane Sandy victims, clockwise from top: Bryan Williams, Ethan Templeton, Emily Sizemore, Joy Currence, Jake King, Marcus Davis and Amy Rumble. photo by Sherry Atkinson

charlestonsouthern.edu CSU Magazine on the web: csumagazine.com

Design and layout by:

843.324.2004 • www.facebook.com/bobduranddesign

Printed by:

345 Dreher Road, West Columbia, SC 29169 803.791.1786 • fax: 803.794.9487 • www.sunprintingusa.com

© 2013 Charleston Southern University

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contents l e arnin g

l e a d i n g serving s chool ti es

8

18

26

42

Planting Seeds and Chalk Drawings in Nepal

Scott Appointed to U.S. Senate

Students Serve Hurricane Sandy Victims

From Charleston to Waterbury, Connecticut: the Boulden Family

4 Degree Added to Curriculum 4 Vance Named CAPS Dean 5 Mobile App Winners 6 Embler Still Running

16 Chadwell Named

20 What Does Service Learning

Football Coach

Look Like?

16 Register for SYNC ’13

20 Shoe Box Packing Party 21 For the Love of the Game 22 Surratt Bringing

Conference

17 Construction Update 18 Robin Franklin Representing State

19 Athletic News

Her “A” Game

24 Service Infographic 32 Habitat Home for

34 Class Notes 36 Baby Bucs 38 Alumni News 39 Memorials 40 Women’s Council Auction 10th Anniversary

41 Alumni Profile: Michia Rohrssen

One of CSU’s Own

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LEARNING

Sociology with Human Services Emphasis Degree Added to Curriculum

By Jan Joslin

T

he bachelor of science in sociology degree with a human services emphasis, launched in spring semester, provides additional study in important aspects of functioning in human services organizations that will help students develop skills in budgeting, marketing, resource management and entrepreneurship as they prepare for entry into the job market and for continuing on to graduate school.

“The human needs of people in communities across our country are great,” said Dr. David Naylor, professor of sociology. “A vast network of local, state and federal organizations exists to help people in every city and town. These agencies need employees who are passionate about helping others, know how organizations

like theirs work and are willing to contribute to their mission right away. Career opportunities may include domestic violence and family support, poverty relief, health care and youth support programs.”

The field of human services is expected to continue growing as more of the population ages, needs mental and/or substance abuse care or assistance with employment, housing and health care.

Naylor said, “Human services organizations are businesses. While they are typically small, community-based not-for-profit organizations, they still have to manage clients, employees and constituencies, as well as budgets, public relations and advertising in a competitive marketplace. Courses in this emphasis help

give students backgrounds in these areas so that they should feel comfortable with these workplace tasks and begin to contribute right away.”

An advantage of the sociology/human services emphasis is its flexibility to customize around students’ busy schedules as all of the human services emphasis hours (18 hours) are offered exclusively online in six 7-week courses. The required courses in sociology (19 hours) are offered exclusively on campus. The liberal arts core and general elective courses are exclusively on-campus courses. Three hours in the human services emphasis will be offered both online and on campus.

Vance Named Dean of College of Adult and Professional Studies

By Jan Joslin

G

ary Vance has been named dean of the College of Adult and Professional Studies.

Vance’s 26 years in the corporate world have prepared him to lead CSU’s growing College of Adult and Professional Studies. In addition to the bachelor of science in organizational management, students may now enroll in the master of science in organizational management. The first classes for the master’s degree started in the fall.

“Our master’s program is accelerated, relevant and provides the skills that are important in today’s business world,” said Vance. The faith aspect of Charleston Southern’s program intrigued Vance. “We offer a servant leadership course to help people understand that model of faith leadership and help students explore what a Christian worldview means and what it means

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in the business world,” he said.

Vance received an undergraduate degree in engineering from Purdue and later earned a master of business administration from Winthrop through an online program.

His background and experience are serving him well in his new position. “My MBA gives me a good background from a student perspective of what it is like to go back to school, and my experience as an executive gives me a good idea about what managers would like for their people to know, skills like team building and critical thinking,” said Vance.

Vance plans to seek out opportunities to connect with his business contacts and help them see what a degree can do for their employees. “Because our program is online, it opens itself up to anyone – we have no borders, no boundaries,” said Vance.

The online program uses an asynchronous model which allows students to access their course anytime, and CSU partners with Pearson Learning Solutions to leverage leading technology innovations.

“Basically, we encounter people who think college is impossible, and we help them see it is possible,” said Vance. “The degrees we offer are relevant to the working world, and we want to show people how to make the impossible possible.”

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LEARNING

Computer Students Win CDCA Mobile App Challenge Story and Photos by Sherry Atkinson

D

r. Valerie Sessions, associate professor of computer and information science, consistently sends out emails to her computer students; she knows the value of internships and growth opportunities.

Last fall she told the students about a Mobile App Challenge sponsored by the Charleston Defense Contractors Association. Sessions made sure they understood there was a nice sum of money for students who placed.

“Mobile App development is a huge topic in computer science, so we began to add that coursework to our classes, “said Sessions. They have also included a Java course, and they teach how to create Android apps. “The students really enjoy it, and they go well beyond what we do in the classroom and make their own apps,” she said.

Justin Ramos says if there is something he needs to do on the computer, he just makes it.

Ramos transferred to CSU from Fort Campbell, Ky., after serving in the Army in Afghanistan and will graduate in spring 2014.

He and his wife have a three-year-old daughter who inspired the app he created.

The apps were evaluated by a panel of judges.

Second place went to Ramos. He designed the app for his daughter who loves to play with iPads and phones. The app consists of the alphabet and letter sounds. He named it ABC-XYZ. Two arrows are on either side of the app which allows you to move backward or forward to change the letters. When the letter is changed, the new letter makes its letter sound.

“She actually uses it quite a bit, and repeating the letters helps her learn the alphabet,” he said.

Ramos was awarded $1,000 and a $500 scholarship went to Charleston Southern. The prize money was put to good use – a Christmas Disney World vacation. “Everything I’ve done, I have pretty much done for her, because she loves princesses and all that stuff,” he said.

Ramos continues to build his resume. He definitely included his ABC – XYZ app, and now he’s creating a video game for the Windows phone. When it’s finished, he’ll add that to his resume as well, and then put it up for sale.

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Steven Daniels had a rocky start when he chose to major in computer science. He wasn’t familiar with computers other than browsing the Internet or typing Word documents.

However, he had prayed about what his major should be and felt God’s answer was computer science.

“I didn’t grow up with a computer in my home; I really didn’t have a computer until I was 14 or 15,” he said. But Daniels had drive and a lot of support from the computer science faculty.

He worked hard on and off campus.

In fall 2012 he worked at the Berkeley County School District in the office of technology and was a full-time student. In the spring of that same year, Daniels worked four jobs and went to school full time. “It was interesting,” he laughed. “It made me tough.”

Daniels caught wind of the Mobile Application Challenge. “I read that there was some prize money … and decided I might as well do it; it was my senior year,” he said.

Since this was a first, second and third prize competition, Daniels decided to enter three different apps as he could possibly win all three.

Daniels placed third for his College Conversion App and also won the Attendee Favorite. The College Conversion App was a unit converter which would convert whatever conversion the student needed for their particular major. “When I submitted my apps, I was confident I would place,” he said.

For the two applications, Daniels was awarded $750 for third place and $750 for winning Attendee Favorite. A $500 scholarship was given to Charleston Southern.

When asked about how he will spend the prize money, he didn’t hesitate - the money is going toward his honeymoon this summer.

Daniels graduated Dec. 11, 2012, and was hired at Aircraft Armament three days later and is currently working on a flight simulator for the B1 aircraft.

Justin Ramos

Steven Daniels

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Embler

Still

Running Seeing him sitting comfortably in his office chair, you would never dream that Marc Embler was dizzy and nauseated. Earlier that morning, he had completed an extremely intense workout in preparation for the Charleston Turkey Day Run. He shrugs nonchalantly and says the effects will last a couple of days.

By Sherry Atkinson

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l ear ning mbler does a hard workout every three to four days. He starts with a five-mile warm up; next he runs six one-mile repeats, which means he runs a mile then rests a minute, runs another and so forth until he completes the six miles…running at a 5 minutes, 50 second pace. “That’s the grind I’m talking about,” he says.

On the other three to four days of the week, he runs six to 12 miles. No wonder he goes through seven to eight pairs of running shoes a year.

By the end of 2012, he will have run in 17 races ranging from 5Ks to the Boston Marathon. “I keep saying I’m going to back off, slow down, but I don’t know if I can,” Embler says shaking his head.

Someone once asked him why he runs. “That was a very good question,” he said. Before Embler could answer a friend nearby piped up, “Because that’s what he does.”

Actually, racing appears to run (pun intended) in his family. His older brother, Mical, ran track at Baptist College at Charleston (now Charleston Southern) in the early 70s on a track scholarship. Marc wasn’t far behind.

He came to Baptist College in 1975 and snagged a track scholarship as well.

He majored in psychology and physical education and graduated in 1979. He finished graduate school at the University of South Carolina then returned to Baptist College in 1981 to coach track and cross country for three years. That’s when he recruited his younger brother, Mitch, to run track at the college. Mitch was also awarded a track scholarship.

Embler has been back at Charleston Southern now for two years and is the interim department chair of criminal justice/graduate director of criminal justice.

Prior to coming to CSU, he was a supervisory United States probation officer. Of course, he makes good use of the CSU track.

It took the Embler parents a little longer before they caught the running bug; they were in their early 40s when they started racing. Embler’s mother set several state records during that time. She ran the Cooper River Bridge Run for years and was 78 when she ran her final Bridge Run. “I think she knew at that time that her body said, ‘okay, that’s enough.’ She’s like me – we don’t know how to walk it or just go out and enjoy it,” Embler said.

The parents wanted their children to go on to college and encouraged them all to get scholarships. At one point, three of the four Embler children were in college at the same time including Embler’s sister, Julie, who enrolled at Baptist College in 1973.

Embler took his parent’s advice and ended up playing football, basketball and track in high school. But as much as he loved playing basketball he was more successful in track.

“Basketball is so fun. That’s why they call it ‘playing’ basketball,” Embler said. “Workouts aren’t really fun.

But it’s very clear that God has had my path, and every time I tried to take control of it, it didn’t work. I have no doubts that He has led me.”

So Embler continues to work out, run and race. Last October he and his wife, Ruth-Marie, raced with 2,252 other runners in the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon. Both Marc and Marie finished first place in their age and gender divisions and currently hold the state records.

“Ruth-Marie is a runner and has been very successful; she’s got the guts and the talent. She’s actually my claim to fame,” he laughed, but he wasn’t kidding.

Several years ago, Ruth-Marie entered a seven-day, 152-mile Sahara Desert Marathon. The competitors were required to be self-sufficient, carrying their own gear and food. Embler said that ESPN had interviewed Ruth-Marie prior to the event and was baffled when she finished as the second place female.

During a pause, Embler comments, “Forty years running should be enough, don’t you think? I keep talking about slowing down, but I really don’t know if I can do that.”

No doubt he’ll keep racing … because it’s what he does.

Note: Marc and Ruth-Marie were named U.S. Track and Field South Carolina distance runners

opposite: Embler running in the Boston Marathon.

Embler siblings: Marc ’79, Mitch ’90, Julie ’76 and Mical ’75 Photos provided

outstanding masters competitors for 2012. They became the first married couple to win the awards.

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Planting Seeds

By Rachelle Rea Photos by Ed Speyers

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and

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Drawings in Nepal

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l e a r ning

“And the

restaurants

aren’t like American

restaurants,

where you go in, sit down,

order, and your food arrives in

20 minutes. No, in Nepal you

order hours in advance and

when you get

there, it might be ready. Still,

it’s very good.”

-David Naylor

10 CSU magazine CSU v23 n1.indd 10

n Nepal, “everybody wants to sell you a god,” Professor Ed Speyers said. The assistant professor of graphic design would know. He and sociology professor, Dr. David Naylor, took a group of 12 students there to study sociology and photography and conduct a Vacation Bible School last Maymester.

“We were gone for 10 days,” Naylor said. “We traveled for 32 straight hours to get there.”

The group traveled across 10 time zones to arrive at their destination, Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal.

“We arrived about the time we left,” Speyers said.

While in Doha Qutar on the east coast of Saudi Arabia between flights, Naylor said the students were surrounded by women with covered faces and men in headdresses. “They started to think, ‘hey, we’re in a foreign country.’”

That was exactly what Naylor wanted. His goal was to “immerse” his students in Nepali culture. “We visited Buddhist and Hindu temples. We walked up and down the streets alongside the people—people, cars, trucks and cows.”

“Cows are very sacred,” Speyers said. “They let them go wherever they want.” That translated to “lots of opportunities for pictures.”

The group stayed in a boardinghouse, where they ate one or two meals each day. They ate at different restaurants each night, ordering according to their hosts’ suggestions. “The food there can absolutely destroy your stomach,” Naylor warns.

Their favorite restaurant was right beside the temple.

“It was like a bazaar,” Naylor said. “Shops all around the temple.”

Naylor continues, “And the restaurants aren’t like American restaurants, where you go in, sit down, order, and your food arrives in 20 minutes. No, in Nepal you order hours in advance and when you get there, it might be ready. Still, it’s very good.”

During the mornings of the seven days the group spent in Nepal, they studied and photographed the city.

“The logistics are always difficult when you’re moving 16 people around,” Naylor said. “We piled into the bus, and we had people sitting on each other’s laps with supplies piled on top of us, too.”

But they made it work. They had to. “We had a lot of traveling,” he adds. They were visiting temples hundreds of years old, after all.

Speyers looks on the bright side when it came to the bus. “It was very reliable transportation for us. And it was about the biggest vehicle you could have. The corners are so tight and there are so many bumps in the road.”

They weren’t always in the bus, of course. “We did a good bit of walking,” Speyers said. “They don’t really have that many sidewalks, so the traffic just winds its way around you. That’s pretty typical downtown Kathmandu…Most of the cars there are stick-shift and for most, making it out of second or third gear, it doesn’t happen very often.”

Did anyone get lost? “We stayed in groups,” student Emily Godwin said. If anyone got the least bit separated, they knew to “look for Professor Speyers. He’s tall. You can pick him out of a crowd.”

Goldfish and Jump Rope The favored destination was the school they visited each afternoon. “It was a Buddhist school,” Dr. Naylor said. “There was a big Buddha sitting in the playground.”

A playground devoid of toys.

“These are middle to upper-class students,” Speyers said. “Still, access to resources was low, very low.”

Naylor attested to that, as well. “The doorways were missing doors. There was no playground equipment.”

The group took hundreds of pounds of supplies, including toys.

“We took about 40 pounds of animal crackers,” Naylor adds. “That’s a lot of animal crackers.”

“And don’t forget the goldfish,” Godwin reminds him.

“Yes, the goldfish!” Naylor rolls his eyes heavenward.

According to Naylor, the group spent “one memorable evening dumping all of the supplies onto a bed” and packing it up in suitcases. Every person took one suitcase of their own and an extra suitcase stuffed with supplies.

The recipients of the goldfish—the children of the school—made an impression. “They were very, very thankful to be there. They knew what a privilege their education was,” Speyers said. “And they were really cute and friendly.”

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The conditions were felt in more ways than one.

“Classrooms weren’t electrified at all. They had open windows—not even windows, just like a window frame.

And that was the light they taught by. They had a white ceiling, and I would bounce the flash off that to get good lighting, the best lighting conditions I could,” Speyers said.

The best memories for most of the group center on the school, specifically the courtyard that was the playground where the group played hopscotch, soccer, volleyball—“They sort of understood that one,” Speyers remembers—and jump rope with the kids.

At one point, the students snaked the jump rope on the ground. According to Speyers, the school children interrupted, saying, “No, no, this is how you play this.” Then they demonstrated a dance. “It was really amazing the fun they could have with a piece of string and over here, we want an Xbox,” Speyers said. “It was really impressive to see how creative they could be with something so simple.”

But the main hit?

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Got Chalk?

“Some of them were a little bashful,” Speyers said. “But we gave them chalk.”

“The courtyard was all brick,” Godwin said, “so you couldn’t really draw on that because sometimes the bricks were raised.” So they drew all over the walls. One of the highlights of the trip for Godwin was teaching a three-year-old how to draw a smiley face.

“There was a mural,” Godwin said. Was? She smiles.

“They traced over that.”

“Everything got chalked,” Speyers said. “And the headmaster was really good about that.”

While at the school, the students taught the stories of creation, the nativity, and Jesus’ resurrection. They alternated between groups of children, teaching the older children one afternoon and the younger ones the next. “They were very attentive,” Speyers said.

One of the students had been on mission trips before and shared songs that the children ended up adoring.

“They were interactive,” Naylor said. “The kids got to jump up and move around.”

“Everything

got chalked.

And the

headmaster was really

good about that.”

-Ed Speyers

CSU magazine 11 2/27/13 8:30 AM

l e a r ning

Planting Seeds “God opened my eyes to a

whole new world, completely

unfamiliar to me; it’s one

thing to know

about Buddhism

& Hinduism, but it’s so different

to experience it

firsthand. Going

on this trip truly opened my eyes to how lost the world is and

how sad a life

without Jesus is.

I’ve never felt

so compelled to fulfill the great

commission in

my life in such a

deep way.”

– Kristina Crosby

12 CSU magazine CSU v23 n1.indd 12

Michael Cardoso brought his guitar, so they had music.

“The kids thought Mike was really cool because he played the guitar,” Speyers said.

They didn’t just get excited over the songs, however.

“After a few days, we’d arrive at the school, and you’d think we were celebrities,” Speyers said. “The kids would scream and were all excited that we were going to teach them and about all the fun we’d have.”

Some of that fun included cultural melding. The students did the Macarena. “[That’s] a piece of American trivia that I’m not sure we should be taking into other countries,” Speyers said with a smile.

More of that fun included an activity that defies cultural barriers: coloring. “We took thousands of crayons,” Naylor said. “And worksheets. And paper.”

The worksheets had pictures depicting the different days of the Creation story.

“They thought it was just the best thing ever that we brought crayons over along with things they could color on,” Speyers said.

“They were quite happy just to be talking to us,” Speyers remembers. “The older kids had just enough of a grasp of English that they could…ask us more in-depth questions. And the girls [in the school] really looked up to the ladies in the class, you know, being from the States and in college.”

“They thought we knew all these celebrities,” Godwin said.

“They thought Shannon’s long blond hair was the biggest deal ever,” Speyers said. “They don’t see wavy or blond hair.”

Godwin said that the entire trip was a “valuable experience... [because] you get to share God with them.”

“The children hadn’t ever heard the name of Jesus before,” Naylor said. “The teachers had and were full of questions… [But] you don’t go on a trip like this and expect to convert anybody.”

Speyers agreed. “It’s hard to have a lasting impact when you’re only there for a week.”

Naylor stated the mission of their trip in a single sentence: “You go to plant seeds.”

Of course, it wasn’t always chalk smiley faces and creation-story coloring sheets. “It’s a challenge to talk about God or Jesus when the people have been immersed in another religion,” Naylor said. “And they’re absolutely convinced that their religion is right and best.”

Godwin remembers that their tour guide to one of the temples was “very set in his beliefs. And he knew the Christian faith. He was telling us our Christian beliefs and the parallels with his religion.”

It can get even more complicated than tradition sometimes. “There are all these small shrines,” Speyers said. “It’s hard to know what deity everybody is worshiping.”

“A lot of people will ask, why go 10,000 miles away when there are people right here with needs?” Naylor leans forward in his chair. “And the answer is nobody else will teach them if we don’t go. They need to hear from us. That’s part of the job of a disciple: go and tell all nations. It’s part of the school motto. No one in America has not heard the name of Jesus. But growing up in another major religion, you don’t.”

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l e a r ning

“One of

the most

alarming

things was

seeing the people at

the Buddhist

temple who had come

from other

countries

to practice

Buddhism.”

- Emily

Godwin

About the Nepali people, Speyers said, “They’re so desperate to hear the Gospel.”

Naylor said that participating in a trip like this “in a school environment provides not only opportunity, but structure. We did everything in a wholesome Christianoriented way. You don’t have to worry about what’s going to happen next or whether or not you’re going to be taken care of. When you’re on your own in a foreign country, it’s unsettling. This removes that from being a problem.”

Godwin said, “One of the most alarming things was seeing the people at the Buddhist temple who had come from other countries to practice Buddhism.”

Speyers said, “There’s a lot of spiritual tourism, as they call it. And this is very confusing to people who live in Nepal. ‘Well, we have all of these people coming to our country to understand our religion. Why should I take the time to learn yours?’ It does send a mixed message and make things difficult…It’s a tricky predicament to be in.”

He adds, “From a mission standpoint, it’s a tricky balance of being that Christian exposure while being respectful of those who didn’t understand the concept of a Savior.”

The group seems to have achieved that balance and considers the trip to be a success worth repeating.

Naylor asked Godwin, “Wasn’t it cool to plan it and then see it unfold?”

“Yes. Definitely yes,” she said.

It was her first international trip. “Of course it would be around the world.”

“This was my eighth [mission] trip,” Naylor said. “It was the best one ever. You would think after all these times, it would be ho-hum. It wasn’t. It was amazing, invigorating, wonderful. You’re serving the Lord and your students are serving the Lord. For a teacher, that is the best.”

Left to right: Professor Ed Speyers, Cathy Dodds, Shannon Kiefer, Casey Crook, Alaina Lee, Michaela Luna, Emily Godwin, Adam Wells, Brittany Stilwell, Chris Fix, Laura Barber, Michael Cardoso, Kristina Crosby, Dr. David Naylor

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leading

Chadwell named head football coach

By CSU Sports Information

C

SU has named Jamey Chadwell as its new head football coach. Chadwell, 36, becomes the third head football coach in CSU history. He replaces Jay Mills, who retired early in January after 10 seasons as CSU’s head coach.

Chadwell, who is 25-21 in his four seasons as a head coach, spent five seasons at CSU as an assistant, all as a part of Mills’ staff, and now returns to head a program he helped build. “(CSU) is a place I care about deeply,” said Chadwell. “I have a passion for this school and its mission, as well as the people at CSU. This job is something I have been working toward since I left. I have always wanted to come back here and lead this program. Charleston Southern is a special place; Charleston is a great city; my wife and I got married here, and we are going to make this community and this university proud of this program.”

Chadwell’s support from coaches and former student-athletes with CSU ties made the decision to bring him back to lead the Bucs’ program an easy one. “When this position opened up, there was an incredible outpouring

of support for Jamey from a number of groups,” Athletic Director Hank Small said.

Chadwell spent the last four seasons as a head coach at two Division II programs, most recently as the first-year head coach at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. Prior to DSU, he put North Greenville University on the national map at the D-II level.

He began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater ETSU in 2000. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and business education in May 2000 from East Tennessee State. He also completed his master of business administration from Charleston Southern in May 2006. Chadwell is married to the former Solmaz Zarrineh, and the couple has one son, Jameson (3) and one daughter, Avery, born Jan. 13.

SYNC ’13 Conference Gospel-Centered. Missional Leading.

By Sherry Atkinson

I

t’s not too late to register for SYNC ’13.

Three years ago Charleston Southern had a heartbeat to reach youth ministers, and the first SYNC Conference was born. “The SYNC Conference has expanded to include pastors, pastoral staff and marketplace leaders interested in producing strategic change through missional means and ideas,” said Dr. Rick Brewer, vice president for student affairs and athletics.

CSU and the South Carolina Baptist Convention have partnered together to produce the SYNC Conference. “At the convention,” Mark Powers, SCBC director of worship and music, said, “we are working to redesign our events so that they are missional in intent.

Everything we are doing is moving in that direction, so the SYNC Conference is right in line with my heartbeat.”

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During the two-day conference, April 18 & 19, conferees will be involved in spiritual enrichment, leadership development, creative ideas sessions, lunch dialogues and keynote speakers who will both inspire and challenge.

On the program are: • Sonny Holmes, lead pastor of Northwood Baptist Church, North Charleston • Reggie McNeal, missional leadership specialist, Leadership Network of Dallas, Texas • Doug Paul, director of content, 3DM, Pawleys Island, S.C. • Alvin Reid, professor of evangelism and student ministry, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C. • Phil Wickham, vocalist and worship leader, San Diego, California • Pete Wilson, founding and senior pastor of Cross Point Church, Nashville, Tennessee

In light of the SYNC Conference, Brewer cites Leonard Sweet’s book, So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and the Church. Sweet speaks of an MRI-shaped life model with the framework as Missional, Relational and Incarnational.

“There is a generation that is hungry for an experience that is missional, relational and incarnational,” Brewer said. “We’re excited as to what can happen in the future as we continue to respond to the needs and issues as well as being on the leading edge of ideas to encourage and build the local church.”

Register online at charlestonsouthern.edu/sync For more information, call 843-863-8082

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leading

three building expansions under way

Construction Update

Hunter Reception Center

Derry Patterson Wingo Nursing Building

The 4,733-square-foot expansion to the Hunter Reception Center almost doubles the size of the existing building. In addition, approximately 1,200 square feet of the original building will be renovated.

The expansion is scheduled for completion in summer 2013 and will allow the College of Adult and Professional Studies, student accounts and cashier offices to relocate to the Hunter Reception Center.

“Service to our students is our number one priority, so we are excited about the expansion to the building which will allow us to better serve our students,” said Debbie Williamson, vice president for enrollment management.

The College of Adult and Professional Studies will relocate to the Hunter Reception Center from the lower level of the Library once the expansion is complete. “Our program is in a growth mode, so these new facilities are exciting, and it will be helpful to be in close proximity to the enrollment team,” said Gary Vance, dean of CAPS. The Hunter Reception Center opened in 1991 and was constructed with funds donated by Hunter’s friends and family in his hometown of Lancaster, South Carolina.

The 16,100-square-foot expansion to the Nursing Building provides space for skills teaching labs, a Home Health Suite teaching lab, an interactive space for nursing students and additional classrooms and faculty offices.

“The expansion will allow the program to admit more of our qualified applicants and provide them with state-of-the-art learning resources,” said Dr. Tara Hulsey, dean of the nursing program.

The Wingo School of Nursing has a 96 percent six-year average pass rate on the national exam required to receive a license to practice (National Council Licensure Examination).

Hulsey said, “This is the highest six-year pass rate of all accredited BSN programs in the state of South Carolina.”

“The nursing alumni and faculty set the stage that the expectations are high for us,” said Elizabeth Ash, a senior nursing major from Summerville. “Our professors constantly push us to do well.”

Naming Opportunities in New Buildings

Christian Leadership Building The Christian Leadership Building is nearing completion and is expected to be ready in late spring.

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The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Institute of Medicine report is calling for 80 percent of the nation’s nurses to have a minimum of a bachelor of science in nursing by 2020.

Hulsey said, “Fifty percent of nurses in the nation hold a BSN, and only 30 percent of nurses in South Carolina have a BSN.” “Expanding the program as a whole will allow a more diverse student population,” said Beth Ann Hoisington, a junior from Goose Creek.

The School of Nursing expansion is expected to be completed by fall 2013. The bachelor of science in nursing program expanded from admitting 40 students a year to admitting 80 students a year last fall.

The University will dedicate new buildings this fall: the Christian Leadership Building and the expansion of the Derry Patterson Wingo School of Nursing. These buildings will transform the lives of current and future students. Naming opportunities for these new buildings are available. These opportunities are fully tax-deductible and come in many sizes and levels, beginning at $1,000.

A naming opportunity can be creatively structured to allow you to make an impact and provide a way to highlight a loved one with an in honor or in memory gift. We hope you will consider being part of one of these special projects. Call the advancement office at 843-863-7513 or email advancement@ csuniv.edu to discuss an opportunity to Transform lives, tailored just for you.

Please visit www.charleston southern.edu/ advancement for more information regarding these important new facilities.

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leading

Robin Franklin Appointed

By Sherry Atkinson

R

obin Franklin, assistant professor of education, has been appointed by the South Carolina Department of Education to represent South Carolina in a multistate standard setting study. The study, to be conducted

by Educational Testing Service for the new Praxis Academic Skills for Educators test, will take place on the ETS Princeton Campus.

Franklin will work with other educators, one representative from every state, who will work toward a consensus on the Praxis I test. It is called a Multistate Standard Setting Approach, instead of each state working on their own to come up with the score.

“Basically, what they are doing is bringing together all the states that use Praxis to go to Princeton to find a consensus,” Franklin said.

“Each state has a different cut off score. Each state can still decide what their cut off score will be, but it will be using this process.”

Franklin says being appointed allows the CSU education program to be part of decision making on a state level. She feels the program is making gains in that way.

“This is also a good thing because we get to help make decisions about this important test and all of our students are responsible for taking it. Hopefully, this will give me insight to be able to help our students,” she said. Education students are required to pass a total of three Praxis tests.

Governor appoints to U.S. Senate Seat South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced the appointment of Representative Tim Scott to fill Jim DeMint’s seat in the U.S. Senate Dec. 17.

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Franklin has been at the University for three years. Prior to that, she taught in public school for 15 years in Virginia. She taught elementary students and then became an assistant principal.

Tim Scott

DeMint resigned from the Senate to lead the Heritage Foundation.

Scott, a 1988 graduate with a degree in political science, was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2010 to represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District and was re-elected in 2012.

Scott has been named to five committees for the 113th Congress: • Commerce, Science and Transportation • Health, Education, Labor and Pensions • Energy and Natural Resources • Small Business • Aging In an interview with CSU Magazine in fall 2011, Scott said, “Politics is my mission field.

I don’t do it well all the time, but I am an ambassador for the Lord’s love all the time.

“One of the things that happened during my four years at CSU was the ability to learn how to think, how to process, how to plan, to uncover my potential,” he said. “The Lord’s Word, the Bible itself, is an opportunity to excavate, to dig into it and bring out the pearls and the jewels that are important for what He has called you to do. And you discover that on this campus in a way that is very meaningful, and I believe it was part of the foundation that serves me today,” he said.

Scott is realistic about the problems facing our government and leaders. “I see the problems of our nation and our survival,” said Scott. “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, when my life is in His hands, I am safe as I can be.”

Prior to his stint as a U.S. Congressman, Scott served two years in the S.C. House of Representatives and 13 years on Charleston County Council. He has been the owner of Tim Scott Allstate.

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leading by sports information

Football players volunteer at Sports Math Night

C

ollege algebra and statistics are part of the CSU football players’ daily routines, but in January they brushed up on their elementary math skills at Flowertown Elementary’s Sports Math Night.

Ten athletes volunteered at Sports Math Night, which brought hundreds of students and family members to Flowertown for a night of activities aimed at making math fun. The Bucs met and posed for pictures with many students and

participated in a number of math-centered activities.

Some of the favorite activity stations among the players were cup stacking speed drills, which assist with hand-eye coordination and concentration skills, and FASTT Math, a computer program that helps students review common core math standards. The players also recorded students’ predictions for the winner of the Super Bowl and distributed stickers to

students in exchange for completed activities.

Freshman Seth Harrelson said, “This is a great opportunity to come out here with these kids, help out the community, and maybe inspire some kids to someday play football and get involved with their community.” CSU football players typically take part in several community outreach events similar to Sports Math Night each year.

Golfers partner with Special Olympics golf program

F

or the past four years, the CSU men’s and women’s golf teams have partnered with the Dorchester Dragons, a Special Olympics team serving Dorchester County, in order to help their athletes improve in golf.

CSU golfers, under the direction of Mike Wilson, have met with the Dragons every Thursday in the fall to work on skill training.

The skills covered include chipping, putting,

iron play and driving the ball. The Bucs lead the Dragons in practicing a different skill set at each Thursday meeting.

The Dragons have approximately 15 athletes, which enables each athlete to pair up with a CSU golfer for more individualized instruction.

The eight-week session is capped by a meeting in which the Bucs and Dragons play three holes of golf and then enjoy a fellowship dinner.

“I’ve worked with the Dragons for four years.

It’s been a great opportunity for my teammates and me,” said senior golfer, J.P. Newsome, about his experience. “I feel it is our duty and honor as Christians to serve and help those in need.

This is one of my favorite things about being a member of the golf team at CSU.”

FCA kicks off spring semester events

A

ssistant football coach David Padilla summed up his message at the first Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting of the semester in three words: “God is better.”

Using personal examples and anecdotes, Padilla, who is also campus director for FCA, encouraged the crowd to view God as a father figure who wants nothing more than for His people to love Him. He reminded the studentathletes that “the Bible is not a rule book but a love story of the relationship between us and our Savior.” According to Padilla, everyone falls into tough times and temptations, but they succeed when they choose God over those pitfalls.

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He read a poem written by Paul Harvey titled “If I Were the Devil” that described the chaos that occurs when things of the world begin to replace God in society. Even though it was written several decades ago, Padilla pointed out the similarities between the poem and today’s culture and told the student-athletes that the only way to avoid such temptation is to give their lives to Jesus because He has already conquered and defeated it all.

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serving

What does service learning look like?

By Jan Joslin

T

he 74,467 hours of service Charleston Southern students performed in the last year is a pretty impressive number.

And 827 students worked those hours. Numbers are nice, but what does 74,467 hours of service really look like?

It looks like seven students giving up part of their Christmas break to mud out homes on Staten Island damaged during Hurricane Sandy.

It is days of hard labor, wearing masks and protective suits to guard against harmful mold and who knows what else.

It is teams of students giving up free time to work on a Habitat for Humanity house that a single mom working at CSU will move into with her four children.

It is freshmen donating canned goods, toiletries and flip-flops to the Crisis Ministries homeless shelter during their first week on campus.

It is baseball players loving on some children with special needs who just want a chance to be like other children.

It is students, faculty and staff packing 1,049 Christmas shoeboxes for children they will never meet in countries around the world.

It is partnering with a local high school where students struggle to graduate and extending a helping hand through tutoring, mentoring and creating a scholarship for seniors to attend CSU. It is students and employees funding their own way to serve people in other states and countries.

It is the partnership CSU has with our community through Eagle Harbor Boy’s Ranch, Summerville Miracle League, Crisis Ministries, Water Missions International, A21 Campaign, Habitat for Humanity and Stall High School.

One of the ways students and employees impact our world is through the integration of faith through service. As Christians we are called to serve. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV).

“....when we serve in His Name “unto the least of these” we know we release the Presence of Jesus Christ into the environment where we sacrificially serve,” said Dr. Rick Brewer, vice president for student affairs and athletics.

“Responding to the needs of others reminds our students of how blessed they are while gaining a deeper understanding of the immense social justice issues of the day. And, we’re convinced service-learning experiences contribute to the development of servant-leaders now and in the future. Service also gives students a chance to apply what they are learning in real-life situations.”

And studies have shown that service has an effect on students’ spirituality and allows them to make connections between their personal faith and values and their service in the community.

Community service is the link between reaching our community and fulfilling our University vision of integrating faith in learning, leading and serving.

Shoe Box Packing Party

S

tudents at Elevate, CSU’s midweek worship time, packed 1,049 shoe boxes to be distributed around the world by Samaritan’s Purse as part of its annual Operation Christmas Child.

Children living in poverty-stricken areas of the world received the boxes which were packed with care by students and area church volunteers. Dean of Students, Clark Carter, and Campus Minister, Jon Davis, then drove the boxes to Charlotte to the regional assembly center.

Students, encouraged by their success in packing more than 300 boxes in one night before Christmas 2011, went all out to more than triple the number of boxes packed in 2012.

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serving

For the

By Mike Woodard

Love

of the Game

I

n the fall the CSU baseball team got the opportunity to volunteer at the Summerville Miracle League. They usually serve the community once a semester, and the Miracle League was the first thing on their mind. The team has a heart for kids with special needs, especially since two players have a brother involved in the Miracle League.

The Miracle League is an organization that provides a chance for children and young adults to play our national pastime.

Every CSU baseball player is matched with a child, or a buddy, for the day. The player and the child go out to their position and field the ball and throw it. Then they get in the batter’s box and hit the ball off the tee and run to first base. Sophomore centerfielder Bobby Ison said, “My buddy was a kid named Braxton, and I treated him just like my best friend, and for that day, he was my best friend.”

It was a great experience for the baseball team and for the kids involved. “The smile doesn’t leave their face; the smile doesn’t leave your face,” Ison said. “They help me become a better person.”

Volunteering with the Miracle League helped the team appreciate the game that they may seem to take for granted at times. “They’re the happiest kids in the world, and they’re only out there for an hour. It made me think that maybe we should step back and start living for the day.”

The Miracle League touches lives with the sharing of the game of baseball. It’s a game that unites those who seem to be different but aren’t really that different after all. It gives you a chance to appreciate what the game is all about when everything is over, which is everyone having fun. Stats don’t carry the weight and the score doesn’t decide the true winner.

The Miracle League was founded in 1999, and now after 14 years of existence, has a total of 250 branches. The Miracle League helps more than 200,000 people around the world take part in the game of baseball.

Volunteering with the Miracle League helped the team appreciate the game that they may seem to take for granted at times. photo by Brittany Pack

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s e r ving

Surratt Bringing Her Game “A”

By Nicole Thomas

To many, Lisa Barr Surratt, a 2003 graduate, is a charming, intelligent and outgoing preacher’s wife and mother of two, with one on the way. To others, she, a physician’s assistant in the emergency room at Summerville Medical Center, is Doc. However, what many do not know — but are starting to — is that she has added pioneer, activist and abolitionist to her repertoire of titles. In June of 2012, she officially opened the East Coast A21 office in Mount Pleasant.

The A21 Campaign, or simply A21, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is “abolishing slavery in the 21st century.” The slavery that they are referring to is human trafficking. According to the A21 website, “There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe. Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will.”

When people think of human trafficking, Eastern Europe immediately comes to mind. Rarely does anyone equate the term with something that could be happening in the United States, the land of the free. Moreover, Charlestonians could never fathom human trafficking happening in their own back yard, the Holy City.

Sadly, it is happening in the United States, and it does happen around Charleston. And, it is a bigger problem than we have solutions for, says Surratt. That’s where she comes in.

Surratt “stepped into her purpose,” as she puts it, to combat the horrible injustice and lack of awareness related to human trafficking, but not on purpose. At the urging of her husband to become more involved with the ministry, she attended a Christian women’s conference where she struck up a conversation with a fellow knee surgery sufferer. It just so happened that this woman was Christine Caine, a motivational speaker and founder of The A21 Campaign.

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At first, the thought of becoming involved with anything like that was scary, Surratt says. But, as the months went on the signs were all around her, and she felt God was calling her. While preparing to speak at a women’s retreat (unrelated to A21 or human trafficking), she felt very connected to the Book of Esther, and her purpose became obvious. “I felt this huge responsibility.

I finally just surrendered and began looking into it,” she said.

“There are organizations all over the world that are fighting trafficking in Eastern Europe, but who’s doing it in our back yard?” she asks. The answer is she is. She began by talking to law enforcement and started networking. Before she knew it, she had made contacts all the way to the top state officials and had rallied a community of volunteers to get involved. She corroborated with Caine of The A21 Campaign and became the director of its East Coast, United States office.

A21’s tactics?

• Prevention through awareness and education • Protection by providing shelters and transition homes to victims • Prosecution of traffickers through legal representation • And, partnerships with law enforcement, service providers and community members to strengthen the response to human trafficking A21 was asked recently to participate with a state task force led by the Attorney General’s office as an NGO, nongovernment organization, to help with educational awareness efforts in the community relating to trafficking. From speaking at seminars to distributing awareness brochures in the community, she hopes her efforts and those of the volunteers will reach far and wide.

CSU has chosen The A21 Campaign as one of seven ministry partnerships for 2013. To find out more or get involved with The A21 Campaign and their national or global initiatives, visit their website: www. thea21campaign.org.

Quick Facts about trafficking: • Every 30 seconds another person becomes a victim of human trafficking • 99% of victims are not rescued • An estimated 27 million men, women and children across the globe are exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will • Average age of trafficking victims is 12 years old

National Statistics: • NHTRC (National Human Trafficking Resource Center) reported 2,165 potential human trafficking victims in 2011, the most recent statistics available • Of these victims 67.48% were exploited for sex trafficking • 10% of the victims were minors • Call volume to the NHTRC crisis hotline increased 61% from 11,874 in 2010 to 19,427 in 2011 • California, Texas, Florida and New York had the highest number of reports • NHTRC has received reports of potential human trafficking in every state

When people think of human trafficking, Eastern Europe immediately comes to mind.

Rarely does anyone equate the term with something that could be happening in the United States, the land of the free.

• It is estimated that there are 100,000 children in the sex trade in the United States each year, according to NHTRC

South Carolina Statistics: • 18 potential cases of human trafficking in S.C. during the first three quarters of 2012, the most recent statistics available • 170 calls to the NHTRC referenced S.C. in 2011 • NHTRC reported 20 potential human trafficking cases in 2011 for S.C. • Approximately one quarter of the potential human trafficking cases in S.C. reference minors • The highest concentration of calls were from the Myrtle Beach, Columbia and Charleston areas, respectively • S.C. first confirmed case of human trafficking occurred in 2007 and involved a 14 year old girl • June 18, 2012 Gov. Haley signed Bill 3757, strengthening human trafficking laws in S.C.

photos provided

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infographic by Kara Butler CSU v23 n1.indd 25

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Students

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s er v ing

Serve

HURRICANE SANDY

A small army of Charleston Southern University students poured out of a van and huddled along a cold, damp street in New York. Behind the hoodies and orange ski caps were rosy noses atop smiling pink and purple lips shivering in the December morning air.

Under gray skies and lifeless trees, spaghetti-thin black power lines dangled above the street filled with the remains of people’s lives –furniture, appliances and one-time living room walls. Ethan Templeton, a sophomore, scanned the street for signs of life.

“The streets were dead,” said Templeton. “People couldn’t live in those houses anymore. There were volunteers working, but a lot of the houses were still untouched.”

“It was sad,” added Amy Rumble, a freshman prenursing student. “It was humbling. It made me grateful for everything I had.”

Victims

By John Strubel

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H s e r ving

urricane Sandy ripped through the Northeast in late October, dropping a foot of rain and storm surges reported up to 14 feet high, causing nearly 10 billion dollars in property damage. The power of the Category One hurricane caused power outages to eight million homes across the country (2.6 in New Jersey). Twentytwo people perished in the storm.

The beaten down homes brought back haunting memories for Duncan, South Carolina, native Emily Sizemore, a sophomore prenursing student, and Marcus Davis, a junior religion major from Cheraw, South Carolina, who both lost their homes to a fire in their teens.

“It was really difficult because for a while I focused on that and other things like asking God why he would let these things happen; if I was going to learn from the experience why wasn’t He giving me peace and some sort of happiness to deal with a lot of the stuff I’d been through,” remembers Sizemore.

“To see these people take their situation and make something better out of it instead of dwelling on it, that was a big lesson for me,” said Sizemore. “I learned to continue to strive to have a better outlook because of some of the encouragement they showed me.”

“When my house burned down a lot of people in our community stepped up and helped our family,” added Davis. “I know that feeling of need and not wanting to ask for help. Why not go and return the favor?”

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Still, the CSU team mustered a collective smile.

The devastation impressed Jake King. He would spend the week whispering prayers of thankfulness and appreciation. Jesus sent him to Staten Island to teach him to embrace suffering and depend on the Lord through good and bad. “If these people can lose their homes, their lives, their memories and they can come out of it with a sense of hope and push forward, then I can do the same with all the blessing I have in my life,” said King, a freshman religion major from Goose Creek.

Hope is a powerful thing. While they waited, Templeton stood beside King and prayed too. Through the week he felt a profound sense of joy and thankfulness.

“I can’t tell how happy I am to walk anywhere on this campus, in any building and not have to wear mud boots or a face mask,” said Templeton. “The mold spores and how wet it was in those houses you couldn’t go in there like this (t-shirt and jeans) and be safe.”

As the team moved inside and began pulling apart homes, reality bit into their respective spirits as they removed sheetrock, flooring and ceilings. Templeton remembers his hand sinking into the damp wall of one home.

“The water had set in and they were just uninhabitable,” he said. “We had to take out everything in the house.

They lost everything.”

Following a two-hour training session in Columbia, the CSU student contingency boarded a bus and traveled north on I-95 to New York two weeks before Christmas.

None of the students had ever been involved in disaster relief. Everyone was anxious but excited to lend a hand – literally.

“Watching colleges coming together from all across South Carolina to serve one God,” said King, “we all had this mindset that these people went through something hard, and we want to make a difference – and help – through Christ.”

As volunteers, the Charleston Southern students performed mud outs, removing furniture, carpet, appliances and walls damaged as a result of flooding; gutting each house and preparing for rebuild. The work was exhausting and emotional. When the group moved into a second house, workers shared the owner’s story. The woman who owned the home was recently widowed. Rumble remembers the impact of the owner’s story.

“We were going into the basement to do a mud out, and we had to get rid of everything in the basement,” remembers Rumble. “She had so much in the basement and a lot of it looked like it was probably very special to her. We had to remove a lot of her husband’s things. Her memories of him were gone.”

Sizemore zipped up her HAZMAT suit, took a deep breath, pulled a face mask over her mouth and stared at the crawl space underneath another home. This will be a first, she thought. Sizemore could only expect the unexpected.

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“I still don’t think I was ready to see what was under that house,” she said. “It was about a ½ inch of mud, everything was soaked and everything was ruined.

Nothing was salvageable. This was someone’s life.”

Another home, another life unraveled. Day after day CSU students found themselves stepping in and out of stranger’s lives. They worked vicariously through their damaged lives, discarding family keepsakes into random dumpsters.

Each home revealed another story, another life.

Davis brought out a photo album filled with photos of birthdays, weddings and precious childhood moments, frozen in time. The group of CSU students gathered in a small circle and gently flipped through the damaged pages. Bryan Williams shook his head in disbelief.

“I think of my mom and grandmother and how much they look to those memories; they took photographs and recorded so they’d never forget,” said Williams, a sophomore from Camden, South Carolina. “The family will never be able to look back at those memories again.

How devastating is it not to have that record anymore?”

While the loss was disappointing, the life gave the workers hope. That life was Mary – or, Ms. Mary as the CSU students called her. A lifelong New York resident, Mary visited the students daily with a joyful smile on her face. She would wrap her arms around each student and offer a word of encouragement. The elderly Ms. Mary walked onto the site with a slight hunch … cold and tired, black and red, long black coat with furry around her neck, short in height, short, gray hair.

“Ms. Mary was very selfless,” said Williams, who is double majoring in math education and youth ministry.

“She showed me that even through bad times there is joy that you can still find in Christ.”

“The people adapted to the change; I thought that was amazing,” added sophomore Joy Currence, a youth ministry and psychology double major from Rock Hill, S.C. “We were walking down the street and saw one man, he was just thankful to be alive. I just thought that was very strong – coming out of his mouth.”

As the team packed and prepared for the 14-hour ride back to South Carolina, they knew what was ahead of them; a warm house, family, a Christmas meal and gifts.

They also knew what they were leaving behind; homes in disrepair, broken lives, mourning and a shattered Christmas memory.

Jake King took one last look at the street and the homes still in need of desperate attention. He prayed a simple prayer as the bus pulled away. “God help these people find joy in You this season.”

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s e r ving

“To see these people take their situation and make something better out of it instead of dwelling on it, that was a big lesson for me.”

– Emily Sizemore

“The people adapted to the change; I thought that was amazing.”

– Joy Currence

“If these people can lose their homes, their lives, their memories and they can come out of it with a sense of hope and push forward, then I can do the same with all the blessing I have in my life.”

– Jake King

“She showed me that even through bad times there is joy that you can still find in Christ.”

– Bryan Williams

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“We were going into the basement to do a mud out, and we had to get rid of everything.”

– Amy Rumble

“I know that feeling of need and not wanting to ask for help. Why not go and return the favor?”

“The mold spores and how wet it was in those houses, you couldn’t go in there like this (t-shirt and jeans) and be safe.”

– Ethan Templeton

– Marcus Davis

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s e r ving

Students

and Habitat for Humanity providing for

one of

CSU’s Story and Photos By Sherry Atkinson

Brittany Pack, CSU’s AmeriCorps Vista coordinator, second from right, pauses during a Habitat workday with students Kristen Godwin, Nicholas Lee and Chelsea Hoover.

32 CSU magazine CSU v23 n1.indd 32

own

t was good to hear Kristan Dahl laugh.

Moving into her new home is just a couple of months away, and the end is finally in sight.

“A lot of our things are in storage,” she said, mentally processing what needs to be done. “Someone gave us a nice couch; we haven’t had a couch in seven years,” she laughed. “I feel silly being excited about a couch, but it is a really nice couch.”

In 2006 Dahl landed a job in Charleston and left Minnesota and a dangerous marriage. While en route to Charleston, she received a phone call from the company who hired her and found out there would be no job waiting for her.

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A new city. No job. Four children.

But when she got to Charleston, she was offered a grant position at MUSC. She stayed there several years, but when the grant money was not renewed, once again she was jobless.

Dahl and her children ended up in a trailer park in Berkeley County. The trailer is in horrible disrepair – roof and pipe leaks, rotting plywood, unsafe electrical wiring, insufficient heating and cooling. They live in two bedrooms on either ends of the trailer. There is no kitchen or living area to speak of.

Not only do they live with difficulties inside the trailer they also live in a community where drugs, alcohol and theft are rampant.

But even in the midst of the turmoil, Dahl says the family has grown closer together. They held to their faith even through the toughest times and are involved at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Summerville. There they found a home.

As Dahl began to know the church folks, she wanted to reach out to them like they had stretched to reach out to her and her family. When she discovered a need among the people, she would knit them prayer shawls and send hand-written cards to those going through difficult times. She said, “It helps keep my mind off myself.”

Dahl worked a couple of jobs that helped keep the family afloat, but she knew it was imperative that she find a way to move out of the trailer park.

She applied for several available jobs at Charleston Southern and in 2010 was hired as an administrative assistant. When people found out about her dire situation, they encouraged her to consider applying to Habitat for Humanity. After being employed for six months, she filled out an online application in February 2011. In May of that same year, she received the letter of approval for a Habitat House. The family was thrilled!

But there were some bumps along the way.

Several of the children were settled in Goose Creek schools. To keep them from having to change schools, she requested to have the house built in Goose Creek instead of Moncks Corner, which did slow down the process. But in the end, the house is going up in Goose Creek.

The children are thriving in their schools. Heather will finish at Columbia College in May and plans to attend seminary. Ashley is a freshman at the University of South Carolina studying biomedical engineering. Lindsey will graduate soon and is considering culinary school or theater. Riley is in the Gifted and Talented class at school.

Dahl would also like to go back to school and earn a degree in social work. With all that has happened in her life, she wants to give back and has found ways to help others in tough situations. “Sometimes just doing small things like putting them in touch with people who

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might be able to help them actually does more than you realize,” she said. “I am excited about paying it forward.”

Volunteerism is a fundamental part of building a Habitat House.

According to Brittany Pack, campus service learning coordinator, CSU students have been involved in the building process. The Campus Activities Board and Phi Beta Sigma fraternity have participated in the build. Also the ROTC volunteered at the Habitat Resale Store, and several other students volunteered as part of their serving learning requirement. And, of course, other Habitat volunteers have worked numerous hours. Members of St. Luke’s donated money for kitchen appliances and are going to throw a House Warming party to help stock the house with needed items.

Dahl does not take any of this for granted. She says the family has been humbled by their experiences. Dahl is a survivor and has raised four children who love, admire and support her. “This is something I never wanted to go through, but this was something that was part of my journey,” Dahl said. “None of it has been easy, but I know God has always been with us.”

Around the beginning of March, the house will be finished. Their 1,162-square-foot house, three bedrooms and a bath will be a blessed change with a roof and pipes that don’t leak, safe electrical wiring, heating and cooling, no rotted plywood and a safer neighborhood.

The house is on a quiet street, and their yard is almost an acre.

“When we leave the dumpy trailer and go to the house, it’s so quiet and so beautiful,” Dahl said, “and we’re going to be able to sit outside!”

“When we leave the dumpy trailer and go to the house, it’s so quiet and so beautiful. And we’re going to be able to sit outside!”

- Kristan Dahl

Work continues on the house Kristan Dahl and her children will call home.

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Class

notes

1979

1992

Audrey L. Parker is a legal assistant with the Law Offices of Robertson Wendt in Charleston.

She previously worked with the U.S. Probation Office and the Charleston County Attorney’s Office.

John Dulude MBA is a partner at Environmental Resources Management in Charleston. He previously worked at Santee Cooper.

1985

1994

Virginia Phillips and her husband, Robert, who also attended CSU, Russell W. Holley is the offensive live just south of Dallas, Texas. coordinator for the varsity football Robert is a process adviser for Dart Container, and Virginia team and head boy’s track coach worked for Farmers Insurance as a at Ridgeland-Hardeeville High special claims adjuster but is now School in Ridgeland, S.C. He retired due to disabling Epilepsy. is also a certified high school basketball official in South Carolina and Georgia. Recent coaching awards include: Region Coach of the Year 2012, Ridgeland High School Coach of the Year 2011, Boy’s Track Region Champions 2011, State RunnerUps 2012, Varsity Football second round state playoff participants in 2010 and 2011 and broke school offensive scoring record in 2010 and 2011.

1995

1989 Doug Kifer is the business development manager for Departure Media Airport Advertising in Charleston. He formerly worked with The Post and Courier.

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Compiled by Jan Joslin ’82

Craig Washington, principal of Southside Middle School in Florence, was recently featured in the Florence Morning News after the South Carolina Art Education Association named him the SCAEA Outstanding Principal. Craig has been principal at Southside since 2006 and is a strong supporter of the arts.

2001

1997 Thomas Webb earned a juris doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in May 2012 and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in November.

1999

Billy Boyd, a sergeant with the North Carolina Central University police staff, received the LoJack for Laptop Law Enforcement Award from Absolute Software Corporation at the annual College and University Police and Investigators Conference at George Mason University. The award is presented to a law enforcement officer or law enforcement agency Keva D. Keyes and her son, Kevin for the high number of cases solved using the LoJack software.

Mikeyel Keyes-Steedley, meet Bucky at a recent football game on Billy was the first recipient. Also, he recently received the Advanced campus.

Law Enforcement Certificate sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Justice Criminal Justice Standards Division.

Christi Pinson Solivan and her husband announce the adoption of a daughter. Christi writes, “We adopted her from Henan Province in China on Sept. 10, 2012. Her name is Chariss Jiao Solivan, and she is 2 ½ years old. She has two older brothers, Elijah, 7, and Aiden, 4, and one younger sister, Cadence, 2. We are so blessed to have experienced the miracle of having three biological children and now the miracle of adoption!

It has been an amazing journey to bring her home.”

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2004

2009

2010

Danielle Jenkins has been named marketing executive assistant at Food Service, Inc., in Lexington, S.C.

Cara Laurel Goodman and Jeffrey Brandon Cochran MBA were married Aug. 18, 2012, in Greenville. He is employed by the University of South Carolina, and they live in Columbia.

Rebecca Mantho was married to Thomas Schmidt on March 13, 2010, in historic downtown Kelly and Aaron ’05 Ellison met, Savannah, Ga. Rebecca and dated and got married while at CSU. Kelly writes, “Aaron played Thomas live in Savannah. Since football, and I played softball. We graduating from CSU, Rebecca has now live in Winchester, Va., with been employed with the Savannah Airport Commission and is our daughters, Rylee and Regan.

Steven Andrew Murray was Aaron is an owner of a Chick-fil-A currently an accountant II – HR selected as apprentice artist with professional. franchise at Apple Blossom Mall, Sarasota Opera for their 2013 and I am a clinical director at Winter Season, which runs Graton Integrated Health Network Lori Swan MBA has received January through March. The a promotion at TD Bank to with individuals with complex Apprentice Artist Program is disabilities. I bought Aaron a brick commercial relationship manager an intensive program designed for the Southcoast region. at CSU to celebrate our 8-year to give young opera singers wedding anniversary.” professional experience. The Winter Season at Sarasota will include performances of Puccini’s Turandot, Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, Michael Himes is the executive director of Alpha-Omega Medical Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, and Verdi’s Un giorno di Regno. Steven, Missions. The newly founded a tenor, will sing in the operas as organization is orchestrating well as participate in recitals and medical and education trips to concerts at Sarasota Opera. He Africa beginning with Tanzania, will also receive daily instruction particularly in areas around in language, musicianship and Kilimanjaro. You can find out more about the ministry at www. acting from the staff and guests of Sarasota Opera. Steven was a alpha-omegamissions.org. voice student of Dr. Jill Terhaar Lewis, associate professor of music David A. Richardson has been at CSU. He recently completed named an artistic director with a master of music degree from the Charleston Symphony Lauren Mantho Abel and Garrett Shenandoah University in Orchestra Gospel Choir and the Abel ’09 proudly announce the Winchester, Virginia.

CSO Spiritual Ensemble.

He is the birth of their first child, Dylan director of choral activities at Fort John Abel. Dylan was born Nov. 2, Trey Oakley is the executive 2011, weighed 7 lbs 5 oz. and was Dorchester High School in North director of the Williams YMCA Charleston, S.C. 20 in. long. Lauren is currently a of Avery County in Linville, N.C. pharmacist for Publix, and Garrett Previously he was director of is a worship leader at Seacoast operations at Williams YMCA and Church in Mt. Pleasant. They live has been a public school baseball, in Mt. Pleasant. football and track coach.

2006

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2008

Bryan Miller MBA has been named vice president of national sales for Inline Distributing Company of California, a leading national distributor of industrial supplies. His background includes strategic planning, market segmentation analysis, continuous improvement and customer relationship management.

2012 G.B. Peralta Sr., MSCJ has been promoted from lieutenant to captain in the S.C. Highway Patrol, overseeing the executive services office in the S.C. Highway Patrol headquarters in Blythewood, S.C. He has been responsible for developing initiatives such as the Crash Reduction Enforcement Plan, Speed/Alcohol Overtime Enforcement Project and the Safety Improvement Team.

Veronica Vereen MBA, on right, works for The Citadel Foundation in Charleston. She visited with Beth Myers ’08 and President Jairy Hunter at a recent meeting of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

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Baby Bucs 3

1 5 6

4

2

7

8

1. Amelia Rae Ratliff, third child of W. Baker Ratliff III ’03 and Jennifer Ratliff

5. Lizzie Ceclia Boan, daughter of Jarred Boan ’04 and Brandi Boan

2. Annabeth Mckenly Kopp, daughter of Julie Gunnin Kopp ’07 and Wynn Kopp and the granddaughter of Ken ’69 and Cindy ’70 Gunnin

6. Sophia Claire Copeland, daughter of Ashley Smith Copeland ’03 and Casey Copeland

3. Dylan Abel, son of Lauren ’06 and Garrett ’09 Abel

7. Joshua Lee Caines Jr., son of Amanda Smith Caines ’07 and Josh Caines

4. Lillian Cade Parker, daughter of William M. Parker ’00 and Melissa P. Parker, lecturer of English at CSU, and granddaughter of Linda Parker, purchasing department at CSU

8. Sloan Violet Beeman, daughter of Jennifer Sloan Beeman ’02

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Ordering a shirt CSU graduates – if you have a child under the age of 2 or are expecting a child, let us know at alumni@csuniv.edu, and we will send a CSU creeper for your Baby Buc. The shirt is free of charge – all we ask in return is a photo of your Baby Buc for the magazine.

9

11

10

Calling All Baby Bucs!

Submitting a photo Send a picture of your Baby Buc wearing the shirt to alumni@csuniv. edu. Pictures should be 1 MB in size or larger and in jpg format.

12

13

9. Kevin Mikeyel Keyes-Steedley, son of Keva D. Keyes ’95 and Michael Scott Steedley, grandson of Johnnie Mae Keyes, retired library tech from CSU, and nephew of Karen D. Keyes ’95

11. Adalyn Kay Brewer, daughter of Krista Brewer ’04 and Jason Brewer ’04, granddaughter of Rick Brewer ’77, ’96 MBA, vice president of student affairs and athletics at CSU, and Cathy Brewer ’89

10. Elouise Marie “Ellie” Atkinson, daughter of Tina Buchanan Atkinson ’06 and Christopher Atkinson ’06, granddaughter of Sherry Atkinson, university relations office at CSU

12. Leighton Grace Walker, granddaughter of Virginia Phillips ’94 and Robert Phillips, who attended CSU

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13. Analeigh Faith Nuckolls, daughter of Andrea Webb Nuckolls ’07 and Jeremy Stuart Nuckolls ’06, granddaughter of Shirley Nuckolls of the CSU office of the vice president for student affairs and athletics

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school ties Keep up with alumni events on the web at charlestonsouthern.edu/alumni.

Alumni News CSU Alumni Association

All graduates of the University are members of the CSU Alumni Association. The CSUAA is a nondues association providing a variety of benefits and services that help alumni maintain connections to CSU and fellow graduates.

Alumni Association Board of Directors (2012-2013) Alumni Board Officers • President: Anne Turner ’86, ’89 • Vice President: Rex Divine ’85 • Secretary: Lecius Moorer ’00 • Treasurer: David Weiss ’03 • Past President: Aaron Dunn ’82 Board Members • Hope S. Harrison ’88 • Mary Palmer Hutto ’90, ’94 • Scot Carnell ’91 • Lori McFadden ’84 • Wayne Dasher ’81 • Ron Jaicks ’93 • Thomas Cannistra ’02 • Meg Barton Hinson ’04

Pictured are: Front row: Hope Harrison, Aaron Dunn, Lecius Moorer, Middle row: Thomas Cannistra, Ron Jaicks, David Weiss, Back row: Scot Carnell, Wayne Dasher, Rex Divine

Mark your calendars!

Homecoming 2013 is the weekend of October 26.

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Alumni Awards The CSUAA presents up to six awards a year to alumni who are excelling in their work or in service, etc. More information is available at www.charlestonsouthern.edu/alumni. To nominate an alumnus you feel is worthy of an award – email alumni@csuniv.edu.

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school ties e-Newsletter The alumni office brings you the alumni and friends e-Newsletter once a month.

If you are not receiving the newsletter, it’s because we don’t have your current email address.

Please send an email to alumni@charlestonsouthern.edu or alumninews@csuniv.edu to be added to the list.

phonathon 2013 Did you miss our call? Student callers have been busy making contact with alumni to contribute to the Charleston Southern Fund. If we missed you, it’s not too late to make a contribution – simply give online www.charlestonsouthern.edu/advancement/ howtogive or use the postage-paid envelope in the magazine.

Choral Reunion Concert Did you sing with the choral groups from 1993 – 2013? Mark your calendars for a concert celebrating 20 years of Dr. Valerie Bullock leading the CSU choral programs.

Tentative plans call for a rehearsal Friday evening (Oct. 25), a rehearsal Saturday morning, (Oct. 26) and a concert planned for Saturday evening.

Contact alumni@csuniv.edu for more information.

Paul Pridgen, University Founder, Dies

By Jan Joslin

O

ne of Charleston Southern’s heroes, the Reverend Paul Pridgen Jr., pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church of North Charleston, died Oct. 28, 2012.

Pridgen, a member of the founding board of trustees, was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity by the University in 1970 in recognition of his leadership in the early days of the school.

President Jairy Hunter said, “Dr. Paul Pridgen and his family were founders of the University.

Paul was instrumental in the establishment of the young University. He led his church to provide classroom space for the University during the start-up period, and we are indebted to his leadership.”

Pridgen served as pastor of First Baptist Church of North Charleston, from 1962 until he retired in 1991. His family included a long line of pastors, and Pridgen succeeded his father as pastor of FBNC. The young pastor was a Christian leader in the community and embraced the idea of a new college in the Lowcountry. The late Margaret Gilmore wrote of Pridgen’s influence in the planning stages of the University: “Paul Pridgen

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was a recognized leader and an individual of strong persuasive powers. During lengthy meetings at 48 Meeting Street, Pridgen could be counted upon to get things back on course when discussions were about to get out of hand and personalities about to clash. Six feet plus and with a voice to match, he did not dominate, but his presence was always felt and his words respected.”

It was under Pridgen’s leadership that the First Baptist Church of North Charleston stepped up and offered their facilities as classroom space for the school’s first academic year. This was no small venture as architectural changes had to be made to the education building and fire codes had to be met.

Throughout his years at First Baptist, Pridgen continued to play a part in the life of the University. He was present for groundbreakings and dedications and inaugurations of presidents. Many times he was called upon to lead the invocation or benediction at official ceremonies.

Memorials Robert Wheeler “Bob” Ashby, age 79, died Jan. 2 in Moncks Corner, S.C. He was a longtime member of the CSU Board of Visitors. He was a Navy veteran and formerly owned Sherwood Mobile Home Park.

Rev. Paul Pridgen Jr., age 85, died Oct. 28, 2012, in Charleston. He was pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church, North Charleston and was a founding member of the CSU Board of Trustees.

Gene Smith ’81 age 68, died Oct. 21, 2012, in St. Matthews, S.C. He was retired from Westinghouse.

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Women’s Council Celebrates Auction’s 10th Anniversary

By Sherry Atkinson

N

ovember marked the 10th Anniversary of the Women’s Council Shopping for Scholars Auction.

The late Charlene Kirk, who has been called a spark plug for the college, founded the council in 1983. Kirk was involved in local and state missions and was a member of the CSU Board of Trustees.

The Women’s Council has been involved with efforts to beautify the campus and spearheading the creation of the Margaret Gilmore Garden.

Each year when a new class of students arrives, the WC supplies goodies at a reception for the tired parents after move-in.

Before they started holding the auction, the group worked tirelessly to earn money for student scholarships. They held fashion shows, dinner shows and spaghetti dinners; they sold calendars, cookbooks, throws and a myriad of other items but would barely break even.

Since all the money raised goes 100 percent to student scholarships, the women were determined to come up with an idea that would be more lucrative. In 2003 they decided to try an auction.

Each of the 25 members bought three gifts and invited three friends to come to the auction. The result was $6,000, a tidy sum which thrilled the ladies.

Over the next several years the auction gained momentum. Over the last 10 years, the council has raised $223,775.50, which includes $35,748.50 from the most recent auction, and provided scholarships to 22 students.

Currently, the council has two scholarships named for Charlene B. Kirk and Mattie Leigh Francese. Francese was an active member of the Women’s Council, and the scholarship was named in her memory when she was tragically killed in a car accident in 1985.

Auction items are donated by council members, businesses and friends of the University.

All the items are new except for an occasional vintage item. Items ranging from handmade baby gowns to special dinners to Christmas

baskets to vacation home stays and more are auctioned. And the silent auction is always a favorite.

“All year long, we are directed toward that auction,” said Sissy Hunter, ex officio council member and wife of CSU President, Dr. Jairy Hunter. “We start gathering donations as soon as the auction is over.”

Three days before the auction, things are buzzing as the women set up shop on campus.

Items are hauled in and logged into the auction computer system. It’s a busy time and can be quite exhausting as the women spend countless hours preparing, but spirits remain high.

On auction day, when auctioneer, David Meares, steps up, the next three hours are filled with laughter and playful fun. “When it comes to bidding, you have no friends,” Hunter laughed.

CSU students wind around the tables, showing interested bidders the items up close and reminding them that this is an opportunity to financially help students. Susan Johnson ’70, the current WC chairperson, said that many times the items sell for more because the bidders know that all the money goes for scholarships.

“It all works because of the commitment of the ladies,” said Johnson. “There is a great spirit of giving from everyone involved.”

Soon the auction is over and buyers leave with their treasures. For the Women’s Council, the next auction is just beginning.

Susan Johnson

Get the questions that keep you up at night answered at a free session offered by Valerie Rumbough of the S.C. Baptist Foundation Cothran Law Office, LLC and the CSU advancement office Friday, April 19, 6 p.m.

Charleston Room, Strom Thurmond Center Space is limited. RSVP to lhiser@csuniv.edu or call 843-863-7517

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school ties Story and photo by Sherry Atkinson

Alumni Profile: Michia Rohrssen

M

ichia Rohrssen is 23 years old and a 2011 CSU graduate. Although originally from Ithaca, New York, he grew up in the Lowcountry and graduated from Northwood Academy in North Charleston.

Rohrssen has always been interested in computers and majored in computer science and information systems. When he was a freshman he decided to start his own business. It seemed only natural that Internet marketing would be the easiest and smartest way to go. He launched a few businesses with varying success then

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landed a position at Motley Rice managing the firm’s Web marketing while he was still a student.

“It was then that I realized I could do this the rest of my life,” he said. “I like to take my ideas and turn them into a business that will support my lifestyle; to me, that’s the most exciting part.”

In January 2012, he moved to Dallas, Texas, to start a job, but it ended up not working out. He had created a computer program and decided to contact some of his clients to see if they had any interest in working with him on a website project.

One of his clients was impressed with what Rohrssen had done, and they began to research websites. They discovered that a lot of the dentistry sites were outdated and did not offer good review systems. “We knew we could do it better,” Rohrssen said.

The two partnered, and in February 2012, they began to work on their site.

Initially they connected with Google’s data which had information on all the dentists in the United States. After compiling the data to meet their needs, it was time to move ahead.

“We had a dedicated group of writers, as obviously we have a lot of content,” he said. They have also had four different programmers, with each one building a

different aspect of the site. And at any time, they employ 10 to 15 people.

Rohrssen was still living in Dallas when his lease came up for renewal. This posed an interesting situation for him since he loves to travel abroad. In 2011, he spent two months in Beijing and two weeks in India. For him, the decision was easy – find a way to go abroad.

“I figured it would be cheaper to sell everything. So I sold my car, my furniture, everything,” he said. “They were just things.” He shipped one box home and had one suitcase and his laptop when he left for Asia in May of last year and stayed there for three months.

During that time he launched the website from his hotel room in a northern Thailand city.

The site has more than 10,000 pages, which equals 10,000 cities, and each page has more than 1,000 words. The pages include the local weather and the news. It also identified types of dentists and their specialties in that city as well as sharing the top-rated dentists.

Rohrssen says they started building their own profiles but were not able to launch them until January 14, 2013. The new profiles offer more information about the dentists - a directional map, patient reviews, services offered, office hours, social media profiles. “It was a massive project,” he said, “but it gives more options for the patients.”

Currently, Rohrssen is working on top-level conceptualization of the market and looking at the next six months and setting goals. It is his job to come up with a road map to get them to their goals. After everything is in place, they will hire employees who will use the footprint he has created.

“The local dentist rating is my main focus right now. That’s what I see the most promise in,” he said. The numbers also sound promising. They receive 2,000 to 4,000 people looking for a dentist every day. Rohrssen is pleased with how things are going. “We have been very lucky to receive a warm welcome from people in the community,” he said. “It was something that was needed, and we made it and marketed it, and we did it well.”

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Alumni Profile:

By Veronica Boulden all photos provided

Charleston to Waterbury, Connecticut Veronica Evans Boulden ’03 and Dwayne Boulden ’03 live in Waterbury, Connecticut, with their three daughters. Veronica is a stay-at-home mom and homeschools their two oldest daughters. Dwayne designs software for eGovernment at Fairfax Data Systems in New Milford, Conn. His work takes him into the state capital, Hartford, at least once a week.

W

e never expected to move north of the Mason Dixon line, but we have been so happy here. After eight years, Connecticut is home. In many ways, life here is as idyllic as a Norman Rockwell painting. Kids still swim in ponds. The mailmen come right to the door. Neighbors know and look after one another. It’s a great place to raise a family.

One of the best parts about living in Connecticut is our proximity to so many places of interest. We are within driving distance of just about anywhere we could ever want to visit in the Northeast.

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Big Cities: Our city, Waterbury, Connecticut, is located between Boston and New York and half an hour from New Haven and the state capital, Hartford.

So we try and take advantage of our proximity to so much culture and history by going on field trips into the cities to see age-appropriate destinations. As big as cities are, they are full of things for small children to enjoy. We often say we’d rather go on 10 trips to the city than one vacation to Disney.

Boston Public Gardens is featured in two timeless children’s books, The Trumpet of the Swan by EB White and Make Way for Ducklings

by Robert McCloskey, so we read those books to the girls then took them into the city to see the beautiful park, ride the swan boats and have a picnic under a large willow tree before splashing in Boston’s Duck Pond, a shallow, concrete pool that offers a break from the heat in summer and then freezes and turns into a skating rink in winter.

After studying about Chinese history, culture and religion in our homeschool history lessons, we went to New York City to visit Chinatown.

We tasted teas, ate authentic food and took a tour of a Buddhist temple.

We take the kids into Hartford for a day to have lunch with Dwayne and then see the sites when he’s off work. Connecticut’s state house is magnificent, to be honest, even some of the buildings in Washington D.C., really pale in comparison. Next to the state capitol is the nation’s first public park, Bushnell. The park has a famous, antique carousel for the kids to ride, and they sell hot, buttered popcorn to eat while you stroll around the park.

The campus of Yale in New Haven is only a quick trip down back roads from our house.

I’ve taken the girls to see the orchestra play in their gorgeous Woolsey Hall. The Yale Peabody Museum is a great place to visit with kids. And the Yale Art Gallery was recently redone and has a very nice collection.

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Small Towns: We are also close to several quintessential small towns, two of which are Stockbridge and Sturbridge, Massachusetts. These towns aren’t in Connecticut, but since everything is so close together here, they aren’t too far away to go, see and be home in a matter of a few hours.

Stockbridge, Massachusetts, is where the famous American artist, Norman Rockwell, lived and worked. The Norman Rockwell Museum is loaded with the iconic images he painted for the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. His art celebrates life in America, and more specifically, life in New England, so living here makes me appreciate his art more, and seeing his art always makes me appreciate New England more.

Sturbridge is another one of our favorite small towns because of Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum. The museum hosts an annual homeschool day, and that’s when we like to go and spend the day in the 1800s. As far as living history museums go, Sturbridge is as good as it gets. Some say Old Sturbridge even exceeds Colonial Williamsburg.

Nature: New England is full of natural beauty, and Connecticut, in particular, has an extensive state parks system that many families use for recreation. We like to take our kids hiking on the trails at Kettletown State Park. It’s especially rewarding to go hiking in the fall and see all the leaves changing colors. People come from all over the world to see our leaves change.

Those calendars with photos of fall leaves aren’t digitally enhanced. The colors really are that spectacular, truly.

Dinosaur State Park is a popular destination for families with small children. The park boasts a treasure of natural history: 500 actual Dilophosaurus footprints on display! They are in a park building designed to protect them from the elements with another 1,500 footprints buried beneath the park’s soil to keep them preserved.

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Food: As for local fair, Waterbury is the hot dog capital of the world. If you like hotdogs, you should visit Frankie’s and pile toppings of your choice onto your footlong dog. The hotdogs don’t even come shorter than that! If you are in the mood for a hearty sandwich, you should visit Nardelli’s for one of their award winning grinders on fresh baked Italian bread. And if you are near New Haven, you should have the famous Pepe’s pizza. Their brick ovens are famous, and their pizza sauce is incredible!

Tragedy in Newtown: Unfortunately, our state made national news in December with the tragic school shooting in Newtown. We live in Waterbury, about 25 minutes from Newtown, and our church, Walnut Hill, has several campuses all over the region. Our pastors were called to the scene, some had kids in the school that day, and they were there supporting the families in the firehouse when they were told their children were killed. Our main pastor, Clive Calver, was the president of World Relief for several years before coming to be pastor of Walnut Hill, so he has experience dealing with disasters of this magnitude. Our church has created a special fund to support the community’s long-term recovery. The intent is to provide Christian counseling free of charge to the children and families who were affected and to help meet any needs of the school, etc. If you have felt led to give or offer support to Christians in the area, you can visit www.walnuthillcc.org to connect with a church in the thick of relief efforts, and please join us in prayer for our region.

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Keep in Touch

Thank You to our Board of Visitors, Alumni & Friends

We want to hear from you – send us information about job changes, family additions and memories from your time at CSU. Deadline for the summer issue of CSU Magazine is May 15, 2013.

Photos should be at least 1MB in size. (If you send a professional photograph, please include permission to print from the photographer.)

Send Class Notes to: jjoslin@csuniv.edu or mail to: Class Notes CSU University Relations PO Box 118087 Charleston, SC 29423-8087 Send address changes to: advancement@csuniv.edu Name change on your permanent record: registrar@csuniv.edu Jessica M. Garcia sophomore nursing major Spartanburg, S.C.

To make an impact, contact the Advancement Office, 843-863-7513, advancement@csuniv.edu, www.charlestonsouthern.edu/advancement

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Gabriela Johnson, daughter of Wes and Juliana ’08 Johnson

Buy a Brick. Build a tradition Personalizing a brick is a great way to celebrate your time at Charleston Southern, to commemorate friendships and memories made, to honor your favorite faculty or staff member or to memorialize a loved one.

Please join us in building a tradition! The cost of $100 per brick includes engraving, plus a gift to the Charleston Southern Fund to support student scholarships.

The annual Charleston Southern Fund provides unrestricted scholarship support for students. Every gift to the Fund goes directly to help students.

Providing access for students to attend CSU and become the next generation of Christian leaders has always been the University’s top priority, and your support for the Charleston Southern Fund helps make that experience possible.

Order your brick or make your gift to support our students by using the envelope in the magazine, go to charlestonsouthern. edu/brick or contact the alumni office at 843-863-7516.

www.charlestonsouthern.edu/brick

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The redesigned and improved CSU website is live – check it out at charlestonsouthern.edu CSU v23 n1.indd 4

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