Daily Helmsman The
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Softball team names assistant Former McNeese State assistant named as assistant to head coach Natalie Poole
Vol. 79 No. 8
see page 7
Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis
www.dailyhelmsman.com
UM senior makes fashion statement
With Ramesses statue, another’s trash becomes UM’s treasure
BY HANNAH OWENGA News Reporter
BY CHRISTOPHER WHITTEN News Reporter
by Aaron Turner
Clarence Simpson, senior communication and fine arts major, scrounged local boutiques, racks of stone wash jeans, while braving that oh-so-familiar thrift store smell, to find what may be fashion gold to display in his first “Awkward Pop Up Shop” this Saturday. The event will be a cash-only shopping experience open to the public from noon to 8 p.m. at 300 South Main in Downtown Memphis. This Saturday, Simpson will turn a vacant downtown building into “An Awkward Pop Up Shop” that will house a number of trendy clothes from surrounding tri-state thrift stores and native designers. The event will also provide a stage for student artists, designers and performers to sponsor diversity through creativity and shopping. “I named this event ‘awkward’ because no one knows each other,” Simpson said. “Everyone is meeting in one place at one time to expose something new and different.” Simpson said he wants to brand an overall shopping experience that includes affordable, yet trendy styles in a cultivated ambiance. Simpson said he came up with the idea for his shop when he found himself “addicted” to the low prices and exclusivity that thrift stores offer and intends to provide the same experience for his peers. The event was promoted through a
Clarence Simpson, senior fashion merchandising major, prepares a model for the upcoming Black Student Association Spring 2011 Annual Fashion Show. web commercial by ACIP productions and FetchEdge, an online lifestyle magazine founded by two recent graduates of Tennessee State University. Social media was another marketing strategy used to boost word of mouth. Simpson admitted he is a little nervous about his first big event. He said planning the final details for a successful, cohesive and cultured event is his main concern until Saturday. “I have a lot of right-hand men for this event,” said Simpson. Kyndra Outlaw, senior merchandising and home furnishing major, will
be acting as one of the right hands on Saturday. Outlaw will assist in transforming the space into a shop and streamlining the shopping experience. “It is my job to make sure the shoppers are immersed into art, music and culture for the perfect shopping ambiance,” Outlaw said. “An Awkward Pop Up Shop” will have two artists, one disc jockey and four clothing lines available for the day. Simpson said he would like Saturday’s event to be the first of many and plans make the “Awkward Popup Shop” a monthly experience.
nology department. Matesich said all professors have access to the new rosters, except those who only teach online classes. “We worked with legal counsel,” he said. “If it’s an online class, My Memphis suppresses the professor’s ability to show photos.” Kent Schull, associate history professor, said he likes the new system, because it allows him to get to know his students faster. “Before it took a few weeks,” he said. “There’s always a student for instance with the same first name, but by the end of this week I’ll know all of the students’ names.” Schull said he usually teaches about 43 students a day, 12 graduate students and 31 undergraduate students. Schull said that at previous universities where he taught, picture rosters were always available and helped with large lecture classes. He said sometimes he would pass the roll around or students could only take their tests if they showed their ID first and he would compare the picture with the one on his roster. The only downside to the new system, he said, is that people change. “Sometimes old or freshman pictures don’t match with what students look like now,” Schull said.
Jacqueline Faulkner, director of academic and retention services, said the new roster system could keep students from answering for others who are missing class. “There’s a direct correlation between attendance and performance. Attendance is important,” she said. Faulkner said The University does not have a mandatory attendance policy, but professors who think a student is missing too many classes can report them for early intervention to make sure the student stays on track in class. Patrick Churvis, junior film major, said he doesn’t see any harm in the new picture roster system. “What can people find wrong with it?” he said. “What can they do? I think it’s fine.” Ryan Davis, junior film major, said he thinks the new rosters are a great idea. “Professors can know what students look like before they come to the class, which can make the learning environment more intimate,” he said. Dominique Eschols, senior biology major, said he saw a professor use the new roster Wednesday, and it caught him by surprise. “In a way, it makes teacher-student relationships less awkward,” he said. “It keeps students safe and keeps a crazy person from walking in and doing students harm.”
Students unwittingly say ‘cheese’ More professors take advantage of rosters with student photos BY ERICA HORTON News Reporter
University of Memphis professors usually have to wait until the first day of classes to see their students’ faces, but changes to the roster system will allow them to get to know their students quicker with a push of the print button. In previous years, when professors printed their rosters they saw a list of student names, though picture rosters were available by request. More professors are becoming aware of the new rosters and are beginning to use them more in class, which became available in January 2011. To add student pictures to their roster, the same pictures students have on their identification cards, professors can select the option in the My Memphis portal. Joseph Matesich, director of enterprise application services, said the easier access to rosters came by request of the Faculty Senate and the Teaching, Learning Advisory Committee through the information tech-
After the Memphis City Council postponed a plan for The University of Memphis to acquire the Ramesses statue, the 20-year-old statue could find its way to campus “very soon”, according to Dr. Lorelei Corcoran of the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology. The Memphis City Council will still need to approve the move, but after issuing a Request for Proposals in March, the best option may actually be The U of M, which will secure a 99-year lease on the Ramesses statue for only $1 per year. This is similar to The University’s deal to lease Lambuth University’s campus for $1 a year during Lambuth’s bankruptcy. The University has secured a private donation to have the 5,000-pound statue and base moved to its new home located at the old law school building off Central Avenue, where the art department and IEAA will be moving later this fall. This is great timing, according to Corcoran, because the IEAA is also receiving a late period sarcophagus from the Arkansas Museum of Discovery in Little Rock that no longer “fits with the museum’s current mission,” according to Corcoran. “We’re well known outside of Memphis,” Corcoran said. These acquisitions and donations come on the heels of a significant donation by the Knapp Foundation, which has donated to the IEAA and Art Museum “several times during the past decade,” according to Patty Bladon, the Development Director for the College of Communication and Fine Arts. “Without their assistance, expanded storage and exhibition space wouldn’t have happened,” Bladon said in reference to the foundation, which has also supported the IEAA’s temporary exhibition programs over the years. The U of M Art Museum received the donation for renovations to design and construct a wall case for their exhibit area that will increase the space the museum has for displays. The case has lower drawers that will be used for storage space as well. This renovation created the space needed for the new sarcophagus from the Arkansas Museum of Discovery. U of M Curator of Egyptian Art, Patricia Podzorski was unavailable for comment on the donations and renovations. She will be in Nashville at the Tennessee State Museum helping close the “Relics, Replicas, and Revivals” exhibition, which ran from March through September. According to Corcoran, The University of Memphis loaned 120 objects to the museum for the exhibition, which drew approximately 70,000 visitors.