Eberly College of Arts & Sciences: Fall 2006. by West Virginia University-Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Eberly College Magazine Fall 2006

New professors in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences are

Reaching for the Stars

Dr. Duncan Lorimer and Dr. Maura McLaughlin

Contents ON THE COVER

The Eberly College Reaches for the Stars by Michael Alden Winser

FEATURES

Prophecies of a Mothman: Turning Science Fiction into Real Research by Katherine E. Kline

Summer Fun in Strasbourg: Comparative Politics with a Twist by Sarah Braswell

The Bread and Butter of Healthier Living by Katherine E. Kline

Interesting Research, Irritating Rash by Katherine E. Kline

Divided We Stand: Understanding Appalachian Dialects in West Virginia by Sarah Braswell

The Sociology of Football: Helping Us Navigate Our World by Jane Donovan

Becky McCauley: A Rare Breed by Michael Alden Winser

The War Followed Me Home by Christopher Lotspeich

Two Ways to Serve by Michael Alden Winser

Social Work Scholarships Enable Service to West Virginia by Sarah Braswell

Poetry, Publishing and Professorship by Sarah Braswell

Faculty Authors Funding the Future of WVU

Recognizing Alumni Achievement by Jane Donovan

DEPARTMENTS

Message from the Dean

Around the College

Dispatches from the Diaspora: Adventure and Service in Seoul by Daria Darnell

A Student’s Eye View: Confessions of an MFA Student by Renee Nicholson

Keeping your mouth shut? by Rudolph P. Almasy

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences West Virginia University PO Box 6286, 201 Woodburn Hall Morgantown, WV 26506-6286 304-293-4611(t), 304-293-6858(f) www.as.wvu.edu To make sure that you don’t miss the dean’s monthly email letter to alumni and friends of the Eberly College, please keep us updated on new and changed email addresses. Send your information to News@as.wvu.edu. Thank you.

Jane Donovan Magazine Editor

Mary Ellen Mazey, Ph.D. Dean of the College

Michael Alden Winser Sarah Braswell Katherine Kline Writers

Joan Gorham, Ed.D. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Heidi Specht Design

Asuntina S. Levelle, J.D. Assistant Dean for Financial Planning and Management

Fred King, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies

Rudolph P. Almasy, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Development Nicholas G. Evans, Ed.D. Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education

West Virginia University is governed by the Board of Trustees of the University System of West Virginia: Dr.Brian E. Noland, Chancellor; Mary Clare Eros, Chair.

FROM THE DEAN

The Promise of the Land Grant Mission V Vermont Senator Justin Smith Morrill first introduced legislation 149 years ago, in 1857, that would provide for the establishment of land-grant colleges across the United States. His first two attempts failed, but finally, on July 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law. West Virginia University was created as a result of the Morrill Act, and, along with the other land grant colleges, given a special mission: to make higher education accessible to more than just the wealthy elite, to conduct research, and to serve the public. As WVU implements a new strategic plan, we affirm and continue our commitment to fulfill that original “promise” of scholarship, research, and service. This issue of the Eberly College Magazine will show you some of the ways in which this College is involved in that fulfillment.

One of the ways in which the Eberly College is serving the public is through our responses to the foreign policy and homeland security needs of the nation. You will read about Dr. Kevin Daly of the Department of Biology and his efforts to train moths to sniff out plastic explosives. The Political Science and International Studies programs report on their new study abroad program in Strasbourg, France and the unprecedented opportunities for WVU students to increase their understanding of the European Union and international law and politics in the seat of the European Parliament. Our “Dispatches from the Diaspora” column is from Daria Darnell, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer currently assigned to the American Embassy in Seoul, Korea, an area of the world where security concerns are growing ever more urgent. We are also featuring the experiences of two Eberly College students who have interrupted their education to heed their country’s call to military service in Iraq, Jeff Genda and Chris Lotspeich. Jeff ’s accomplishments are impressive, while Chris reminds us that the human toll of warfare is never limited to deaths and injuries. His willingness to share his story of service and suffering is in itself an act of bravery. Beyond the demands of war and diplomacy, the Eberly College’s horizons continue to expand in ways that Oliver P. Chitwood and Marmaduke Dent never would have anticipated. Our faculty members are reaching for the stars, literally, as Duncan Lorimer and Maura McLoughlin of the Physics Department develop a new program in radio

astronomy in conjunction with the Green Bank Observatory. Richard Thomas of Biology studies the effects of global warming on that ever-present pest, poison ivy. Woodburn Professor Kirk Hazen of the English Department explores the nuances of Appalachian dialects in this most Appalachian of states, and Melissa Latimer, the new chair of Sociology, shows us that sometimes Mountaineer football can be more than just a game. Melanie Booth-Butterfield, the first Peggy Rardin McConnell Chair of Speech Communication maps a plan for persuading West Virginians to eat a healthier diet.

Finally, we focus on student achievement. From the English Department, MFA student Renee Nicholson “confesses” her ballet background, and the accomplishments of recent graduate Kristen Abraham are celebrated. We are thrilled to be the home College of the first student in WVU history – and the only one in the nation in 2006 – to win both the Truman and Goldwater Scholarships in the Mary Ellen Mazey, Ph.D. same year. The “Pride” of Morgantown, Dean of the College Becky McCauley, is the subject of our centerpiece. She’s already reached the summit of college achievement and now she’s aiming to go where no human has gone before: Mars. Being a land grant college puts WVU in good company. Among our colleagues in this mission are the Universities of Connecticut, Georgia, Arizona, and Maryland, as well as institutions such as Ohio State, Penn State, Auburn, Purdue, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, and Cornell. We are proud to be a charter member of the movement that brought higher education within the reach of millions of students and changed our nation forever. We continue to reach out to the state, the region, the nation, and the world with our education, research, and service – and we continue to plan strategically for ways to expand and further develop our land-grant goals.

Mary Ellen Mazey, Ph.D. Dean of the College

Arts & Sciences | 1 | Fall 2006

Prophecies of a Mothman

Turning Science Fiction into Real Research by Katherine E. Kline

We all know what they are, fluttering around our porch light in the summer time, but who would ever have suspected that moths, overabundant in West Virginia, could serve in the military or take commands from a general? Or that moths could differentiate between the smell of an apple and the smell of cyanide? Dr. Kevin Daly, WVU’s evolutionary biologist and mothman extraordinaire, has been training moths to do just those tasks.

importance, Daly and other researchers believe that nature may be the key to safety. As he explains, “Through evolutionary adaptation, some species of animals have become exceedingly sensitive to certain odors.” Using Pavlovian conditioning, the rewarding of food after the target odor has been presented, moths develop a learned response of feeding behavior whenever the odor appears. It’s not much different than a human salivating at the smell of a juicy steak.

Training German shepherds is one thing, but moths are a whole different animal, invertebrate to be exact. Daly has been experimenting with moths since 1997. Since then, his research has become more extensive with the process of odor detection, discrimination and olfactory learning and memory. He uses neurobiological and behavioral experimental methods in moths.

The moths require about 30 minutes of individual training. Once a moth learns the behavior, they will remember the odor for their entire lifespan, about two to three weeks. “Once trained, the conditioned feeding response will generalize from the odorant used in conditioning to other odorants that are structurally related,” Dr. Daly explained. He and his students reward the moth with food when the feeding behavior occurs after the presentation of the target odor, and do not reward the moth when the feeding behavior is exhibited without the odor present. Using this method, the moth’s olfactory system

His best known study involves training moths to respond to odor signatures from explosives. With national security of vital

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is fine tuned to recognize different odors, including chemicals found in certain plastic explosives. Daly demonstrated a prototype of the device created to train the moths at a 2001 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) conference. To better equip the moths for battle, and to simplify the moth’s signal patterns, he plans to create a format detailing which feeding behaviors indicate the presence or absence of certain odors the moths detect. This format would allow a military commander to clearly read moth behavioral patterns in the presence of odors, indicating different chemicals. In the meantime, Daly is also working on neurological research. “What we are trying to find is how, neurologically, the moth can discriminate between odors closely related to each other,” he explained. “The neurobiological basis of smells is organized very similar to our own olfactory system. Animals can, therefore, be used as models for biomedical research this way.” In vertebrates, such as humans, odors are detected within the nasal cavity and processed by the olfactory bulb, but invertebrates sense odors by sensilla on the antenna which are processed by the antennal lobe. To access such a complicated system, Dr. Daly must perform brain surgery on each moth. The process is intricate and delicate, so the surgeon must have extreme focus.

ideas we test are driven by them in lab discussions.” To assist in Daly’s research advancements, undergraduates Shreejoy Tripathy (Shepherdstown, WV), Oakland Peters (Ripley, WV), Matthew Duval (Morgantown, WV), and Herbert Parsons (Beckley, WV) research neural computational aspects of olfactory detection and discrimination, while the graduate members of the team, Esther Staudacher (M.A.), from Nairobi, Kenya, and Dr. Chitrita Ghatak, from Calcutta, India, explore the pharmacology of antennal lobe function. Dr. Erich Staudacher, postdoctoral associate from Munich, Germany, is tasked with establishing response properties of identified neurons within the antennal lobe using intracellular methods. The research team moves closer everyday to attaining a full understanding of our own olfactory systems, and how we as mammals recognize and distinguish among odors. Kevin Daly’s cutting edge research is discovering through invertebrates knowledge of the human mind previously considered science fiction. It’s something to think about the next time the scent of fresh baked apple pie brings back childhood memories.

Dr. Kevin Daly

Dr. Daly must first secure the moth in a cocoon-like metal tube. Using a microscope, he removes the back of the moth’s head and snips the esophageal tubes that supply nutrients to the moth’s body. “Their circulatory system is different from ours. Our arteries supply not only nutrients to our body but also oxygen,” Daly states as he clears a path to the moth’s brain. “Unlike humans, a moth can live for a while without these arteries because they receive oxygen from a system of tubes called trachea which extend from the exoskeleton to the tissue.” Dr. Daly then drips small amounts of saline solution into the moth’s head while he gently inserts two electrode arrays, a fraction of the size of a pinhead, into the brain. These electrodes will detect electrical activity near where they are placed. Then, odors are introduced to the moth, creating jolts of electricity in different regions of the olfactory brain. The electrical activity is converted into data which are then used to assess the moth’s olfactory system. Daly earned his bachelor’s degree in biopsychology from Western Washington University and his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Ethology and Evolutionary Psychology from the University of Arizona. All of his hard work has helped him to appreciate the significant role his students play in his research. “The undergraduate students are both the key workforce and a real intellectual asset in my lab,” he states. “Many of the

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Twist

Summer Fun in Strasbourg: Comparative Politics with a

by Sarah Braswell

For most WVU students, summer is a chance to exchange books for beachwear and to remember what “sleeping in” means. For ten political science and international studies students, it meant broadening their cultural and political horizons as they traveled to Strasbourg, France, for the inaugural “Comparative Law and Institutions: Europe and the European Union” study abroad program. The program was established this year by the Department of Political Science with a unique purpose in mind. “This trip was designed for pre-law students who don’t speak a foreign language but want to study abroad,” political science professor John Kilwein explained. The program was designed to give students who might otherwise study only American government and policy the opportunity to compare our system with those of the European nations. “We want to give them the experience to learn more about our own legal system in a comparative way,” said Joe Hagan, chair of political science and director of the international studies program. Once the idea was born, the next decision was to choose a location. Strasbourg became an obvious choice for the program because it is home to many important institutions of the European Union, including both the European Parliament and the European Commission (the executive branch of the EU). Other nearby European Union bodies include the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. Another reason for selecting Strasbourg was that the University of Strasbourg, a major European university, is located there. Students agreed that Strasbourg was perfect for the program. “I enjoyed the distinct social culture Strasbourg offered, as it was on the border between France and Germany, and has been owned by both countries in the past,” Toby Buel, a senior political science major from Cross Lanes, WV, said.

Students took two three-credit classes to earn six credits total during the program, which was held from June 9 to July 2. One course, Political Science 493A: Comparative European Legal Systems, was taught by Dr. Kilwein. It examined and compared the United States government with those of England, France, and Germany. “The class taught by Professor Kilwein gave me a detailed understanding of how the countries of Great Britain, Germany, France, and the United States are all similar and different on a global scale,” said Andrew Walker, a senior political science major from Foxborough, Mass. “The classes that were taught were amazingly insightful and gave me a wealth of knowledge about European politics.” Political Science 493B: European Union: Law, Institutions, and Integration was taught by the University of Strasbourg’s Patrick Dollat. His class introduced the students to the European Union’s historical evolution, constitutional framework, and institutions. Kayden Skinner, a junior political science major from New Martinsville, WV, particularly enjoyed the course. “I was able to gain a considerable amount of knowledge about the European Union and its growing importance in the world. I also enjoyed learning from a European perspective,” she said. Buel liked having a European instructor as well. “[He] was a lot of fun. We taught him almost as much English as he taught us political science.” Students also took field trips in order to enrich their classroom experiences. They visited the Council of Europe, attended an EU Parliament human rights hearing, toured the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, visited the European Court in Luxembourg, and went to the World War I battlefield of Verdun. “This trip was excellent in the sense that you can only learn so much in a classroom, but to get the full spectrum, hands-on experience is always the best way to learn a subject,” said Walker.

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Although the students spent most of their time during the week in class, they had their weekends free to relax at their residence, Chateau du Pourtales, or to explore Strasbourg and its surrounding areas. Skinner said that she and some of her classmates traveled to Switzerland and Italy in their free time. “Many students had a Eurail pass, and they just went everywhere,” Kilwein said. Any trip of this magnitude—three weeks’ room and board at a chateau, airfare, tuition, and spending money— will, of course, come with a hefty price tag. However, in order to help reduce the cost to the students, the Eberly College provided $500 Academic Enrichment Grants to each of the program participants. “During my academic career I have had the pleasure of taking a group of college students to Brazil, and I know first-hand what a life changing experience study abroad can be. I am so pleased that the Eberly College financially supports the opportunity for our students to experience and learn in another country and culture,” said Mary Ellen Mazey, Dean of the Eberly College. Though these study abroad students gave up a few of their lazy summer days at home, they gained course credit, experience, hands-on learning, and the opportunity to travel Europe. They also gained memories that will last a lifetime.

Reaching for

the

Stars by Michael Alden Winser

Three years ago, Duncan Lorimer and Maura McLaughlin were involved in the discovery of one of the “holy grails” of radio astronomy and indeed all of astrophysics.

“There are great opportunities for growth both within the department and with Green Bank Observatory. We’ll be building this program from the ground up,” said Maura.

The husband and wife duo, recent hires to the Department of Physics and radio astronomers by profession, were on an international team that in late 2003 discovered the first known double pulsar some 2,000 light-years away from Earth. A double pulsar is a system consisting of two massive, highly compact neutron stars orbiting one another, each weighing more than our Sun but only 12 miles in diameter. Each pulsar produces a beam of radio waves which sweeps across the sky like a lighthouse beacon, except at very fast rates of up to hundreds of times per second. Radio telescopes receive a regular train of pulses as the beam repeatedly crosses the Earth so that the object is observed as a pulsating radio signal. An object of this kind is of revolutionary importance because it has enabled precise testing of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. In 1916, Einstein proposed that matter causes space to curve. An easy way to visualize this is to think of a flat rubber sheet with a bowling ball sitting on it. The sheet is curved and any object less massive than the ball will roll toward it. If the sheet is space-time, then we have a crude but effective method of understanding Einstein’s model of gravity. Their discovery helped solidify the evidence for Einstein’s theory. “This is the most stringent test ever made of GR in the presence of very strong gravitational fields – only black holes show stronger gravitational effects, but they are obviously much more difficult to observe,” says Maura. Black holes are so massive that not even light can escape their gravitational pull. Despite being part of such an epic discovery, the good-natured couple is humble, focusing instead on the exciting possibilities that the discovery has opened up. Maura continues, "The double pulsar is really quite an amazing system. It not only tells us a lot about general relativity, but it is a superb probe of the extreme physics of super-dense matter and strong magnetic fields and is also helping us to understand the complex mechanisms that generate the pulsar's radio beacons.”

And building they are. They have already established a graduate program in the department for Radio Astronomy, and in September added to their team Vlad Krondratiev, a postdoctoral researcher from Russia, to assist them in their research. They’ve been coordinating with scientists at the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Observatory to perform cooperative research as well as take trips with students down to the telescope. Located in Pocahontas County, just over 100 miles south of Morgantown, Green Bank is the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope. Duncan and Maura have begun teaching this year, and will use the classes to gauge current student interest in astronomy. Duncan believes that as more classes are added, interest in astronomy will grow, and more faculty could be hired. With a larger program, they could develop a minor or area of emphasis with Physics and perhaps eventually build a stand alone major program. Dr. Earl Scime, chair of the Department of Physics, comments on the couple, “We are ecstatic to have Duncan and Maura here in the department. They are already attracting students and grants as well as developing strong opportunities to work with Green Bank.” The couple originally met at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which happens to be the world’s largest stationary radio telescope at 305 meters in diameter – more than 3 football fields across. Duncan was a staff scientist at the Observatory and Maura was a graduate student from Cornell. They left Arecibo in 2001 and were married 2 years later when they were researchers at the Jodrell Bank Observatory of the University of Manchester, England. It was there that they helped discover the double pulsar. After Jodrell, they were looking for positions at a university where they could still continue their research, but also where they could teach.

Duncan adds, “We have only just begun to exploit its potential!”

Morgantown’s proximity to Green Bank and the opportunity to build an astronomy program from scratch helped make West Virginia University the perfect fit for Duncan and Maura.

Speaking of potential, that’s what the couple sees in Morgantown. “WVU has the potential to be the largest pulsar group in the US in the next 5-10 years,” says Duncan.

For the fledgling astronomy program and ground-breaking researchers like Duncan and Maura, only the sky is the limit. Or rather…

Arriving in Morgantown in May, they have worked hard to lay the foundations for what they hope will be another internationally renowned program for the University: Radio Astronomy.

The sky is not the limit.

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The

Bread & Butter

According to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, “about 16.3% of middle school students and 33.7% of high school students in West Virginia currently smoke cigarettes (an estimated 38,558 students) and about 12.9% of middle school boys and 21.5% of high school boys currently use smokeless tobacco.” Statistics like these have prompted one West Virginia University professor to want to make a difference. Dr. Melanie BoothButterfield, the first Peggy Rardin McConnell Chair of Speech Communication in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at WVU, wants to influence students and others to make the decision to lead a healthier life. She has found that influential health communication, in and out of the classroom, is the key to changing society's attitudes about leading healthier lives. “Many studies show that most people know what they should be doing,” remarked Dr. Booth-Butterfield, “but we want to influence their behavior, as well. Overall, as a society, we tend to rely too much on straight education. We need to use persuasion to change people's attitudes and behaviors about health.” In her textbook, Influential Health Communication, she described the problem: “As much as we like to, we cannot wave a magic wand and make people be more healthy. It’s also certain that we can’t just tell someone to quit doing unhealthy activities and have them stop.” The Peggy Rardin McConnell Chair in Speech Communication is intended to provide the resources needed to enhance speech communication among WVU students. The position was created in 2003 when John McConnell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Worthington Industries, Inc., donated $1 million to the West Virginia University Foundation, Inc., to endow a faculty position to honor his wife, Peggy Rardin McConnell. With the

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Healthier Living by Katherine E. Kline

support from the McConnell Chair endowment, Dr. BoothButterfield will develop an advanced Health Communication course in which students will use tactics to influence others in the way they think, feel and behave about health.

application to be considered for the McConnell Chair, “and the projects benefit from receiving the additional resources available.”

With this honor, she will also research new ways to support people’s good decisions, deter them from wrong ones, and pass her knowledge to a new generation of students interested in becoming influential health communicators. Students can enroll in an advanced, year-long health communication course that is separated into two sections: in the Fall semester, students create, test and conduct campaigns, and in the Spring semester, they present their findings to public audiences. The course concludes at the McConnell Communication Conference which will focus on a different theme each year and include expert speakers, instructional seminars and venues for students to present their results from the previous semester. The conference will be open to West Virginia citizens interested in improving their own health. “Projects that students have done in the past revolve around the strategic use of influential messages,” she explained. “For example, there were two studies the students designed which used communication information tactics to influence others to use stairs instead of elevators.” West Virginia often ranks poorly in positive health behaviors, with high scores in tobacco use, smoking during pregnancy, and obesity and low scores in areas such as preventive health care, flu shots, and seat belt usage. With the help of the McConnell project, Dr. Booth-Butterfield and her students can develop awareness of health and influence citizens to make the right decisions to lead a healthier life. The research projects articulate how communication can change health behaviors in everyday lives. “The students are guided through the steps to conduct pedagogically-sound, team research intervention projects, enact the ground-work, project planning, and set-up,” wrote Dr. Booth-Butterfield. “They engage in message development and testing, implementing communication influence principles to the specific applications.” These will take place, with varying topics, in different settings: shopping malls, campus residence halls, community businesses, fraternities and sororities, and nonprofit agencies. Dr. Booth-Butterfield is committed to giving the students as many resources as possible so that they can turn their proposals into applied research. To receive funding to work with nonprofit, health-related organizations in the state, students will need to write a grant proposal. “Students gain the advantage of having introductory grant-writing experiences,” she wrote in her

“A large part of the grant supported by resources from the Peggy Rardin McConnell Chair will go to defray expenses for students when they give presentations and attend professional conventions. This way, they can actually get out there and get the high level professional opportunities,” she said. “This grant will be the difference between a research proposal that fails and research that is truly worthwhile to the community.” Results will reach people at a regional level through the Eastern Communication Association, Central States Communication Association and National Communication Association. WVU will partner with groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, Community Medicine, Injury Prevention Center, Injury Service Prevention Center and state high schools to organize various health conferences. Students will also attend the West Virginia Undergraduate Research Conference at the State Capitol. Dr. Booth-Butterfield described the impact of this research on WVU students: “Not only does this agenda provide visibility and experiences for students, but professional networking is enhanced as students conduct and explain research that is sufficiently expert to be presented in competitive arenas.” But this research will impact West Virginians as well by providing alternatives to unhealthy decisions. For example, by making the backyard the only smoking-allowed area in a household, parents can reduce children’s second-hand smoke exposure. The promotion of these alternatives in health conferences will encourage citizens to take new approaches to reducing unhealthy activities. As Dr. Matthew Martin, Chair of the Department of Communication Studies, explained: “The work Dr. BoothButterfield has done in the past and has proposed for the future has a direct impact on the health and welfare for the citizens of West Virginia and beyond.”

“Many studies show that most people know what they should be doing, but we want to influence their behavior, as well.”

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Interesting Research

Irritating Rash by Katherine E. Kline

From above, the vast circles of white towers rising from the tree tops appear extraterrestrial. But on the forest floor, it is apparent that Dr. Richard Thomas is experimenting with something all too familiar: poison ivy.

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Approximately 80 percent of humans develop Toxicodendron dermatitis, the common rash that leaves us running for the calamine lotion. It is caused by the human immune system’s reaction to urushiol, the active component in poison ivy. Annually, poison ivy causes more than 350,000 reported cases of the rash. As bothersome as poison ivy can be today, a study co-authored by Dr. Thomas reports that by 2050, it could get a lot worse. Dr. Richard Thomas’ six-year study of the effects of global warming on the growth of poison ivy was published in the June 2006 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. His research was conducted in the experimental Duke University Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) forest, located near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “Carbon dioxide is released through large pipes in a ring of towers in the forest, monitored and controlled by computers to be the approximate concentration that is expected in the year 2050,” said Thomas. This experiment was the first to manipulate an intact forest ecosystem. “It builds on many greenhouse and chamber experiments where individual plants were examined under different conditions of climate change,” he continued. “Now there is a whole network of FACE experiments worldwide that examines many types of ecosystems.” The main objective of FACE research is to understand the role of forest in the global carbon cycle.

can grow up through the canopy and choke out other plants,” he added. “If poison ivy or other vines gain an advantage over other plants, the world will certainly get weedier.” Thomas earned his Ph.D. from Clemson University working on plant responses to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change. For his post-doctoral research, he and a pioneer in this type of research, Dr. Boyd Strain, developed a project that examined the interaction between soil fertility and elevated atmospheric CO2 on tree growth and physiology. They grew trees in 15-foot high outdoor chambers. As the trees grew taller, they became too large for the chambers. This limitation and the need to incorporate ecosystem responses to the analysis, led to the development of FACE and his current research at WVU. “The Department of Biology at WVU has a small but very strong group of faculty whose research is focused on ecological issues, including global environmental change,” Thomas reflected. “This provides a very supportive atmosphere to conduct my research and helps attract excellent graduate students.”

The findings indicated that under levels of atmospheric CO2 predicted for the year 2050, poison ivy may grow larger and become more noxious. The study compared poison ivy at CO2 levels of 2050 to poison ivy at the current CO2 levels. By 2004, measurements showed poison ivy exposed to the elevated-CO2 had an increased concentration of 153% more urushiol and had grown 150% larger than the poison ivy’s growth at current CO2 levels. “Our research on poison ivy is one of the first that links increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide with a change in human health, but it also indicates a potentially strong negative effect on forest health,” he said. “We found that poison ivy responded to elevated CO2 to a greater degree than almost any other plant species in the forest, including trees.” What does this mean for the future? One likely scenario is that a vicious cycle will ensue. Higher levels of CO2 will increase poison ivy reproduction, which will increase tree mortality, which will decrease CO2 consumption, and we all will become a little itchier. “Many policy makers hope that forest trees will take up much of the carbon added to the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels and thus ameliorate climate change by absorbing this greenhouse gas. This research suggests that forests will take up some but probably not enough to mitigate climate change,” Thomas stated. “Vines can severely affect forest structure and function because they use other plants as their support and

“I’ve been very lucky to have had excellent graduate students at WVU,” Dr. Thomas continued. “I currently have research projects at Duke Forest in North Carolina, the Fernow Experimental Forest in Parsons, West Virginia and SoyFACE at the University of Illinois. Since I am unable to go to these places all of the time to do the research myself, I look for graduate students who are intelligent, self-motivated and independent. I’ve had students in whom I have a tremendous amount of confidence, and I don’t worry when I send one to North Carolina or Parsons, West Virginia on a research campaign. In turn, this independence leads to students who can think for themselves and who can eventually develop their own science programs. I give all the credit to my students for my research successes.” The hope is that Dr. Richard Thomas’ research will encourage student growth in the WVU Department of Biology.

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Divided We Stand: Understanding Appalachian Dialects in West Virginia By Sarah Braswell northern panhandle. The divide among regions most likely resulted from many different factors, including settlement patterns, the Civil War, and identification with similar people. However, the single most influential factor in dialect formation is one’s peer group from ages 8 to 18. This can explain why two people who have lived in the same region can have completely different dialects.

Graduate student Sarah Hamilton and Dr. Kirk Hazen Whether one is a native West Virginian or someone whose loyalty was established later in life, nearly every West Virginia University student and alum is familiar with the many stereotypes that come along with that Mountaineer status. One of the most common is that of the statewide “West Virginia twang.” One Eberly College professor is working to challenge misconceptions about dialects in Appalachia, one West Virginian at a time. Professor Kirk Hazen is the English Department’s linguist and director of the West Virginia Dialect Project (WVDP). Hazen, along with Sarah Hamilton, an English graduate student from Cincinnati, Ohio, is studying Appalachian dialects in West Virginia in order to better understand how language works and to educate the public about it. “There is so much misconception about how language works,” said Hazen. “We are, in the study of language, where biology was 100 years ago.” Hazen defines linguistics as the science of language and is quick to point out that dialect study is an empirical field. His own interests lie in the study of variation and change in dialects. Though he presents his findings through quantitative statistical analyses, the field has not always operated that way. “The downside to the study of Appalachian English is that much of what is said is based in scholarship from the 1970s, before it was mathematical, so we don’t have a lot of findings,” Hazen said. Hazen and Hamilton have interviewed 129 West Virginia residents with the help of undergraduates Ross Israel of Clarksburg, and Ashley Wise and Kylie Edmond of Morgantown. They have also been assisted by numerous volunteers. The purpose of the interviews is to gather information about West Virginia dialects and how language is changing in this area of Appalachia. The interviews are informal, and the subjects are questioned about their lives and their communities. In this way, not only can regional dialects be studied, but the rich oral traditions of West Virginia communities can be passed on. The project has found that dialects vary greatly throughout the Mountain State. “West Virginia is very diverse,” Hazen said. According to Hazen, dialect maps of West Virginia divide the state into four distinct regions— north, south, eastern panhandle, and

Hazen has found that there are some distinct differences between speakers in northern and southern West Virginia. Throughout the state, people exhibit the “low-back merger,” where they will, for example, pronounce the words “caught” and “cot” the same way. However, southern speakers will have the “prenasal front-lax merger,” where the pronunciation of “pin” and “pen” are the same, much more often than northerners will. Another noticeable difference is the tendency of northerners to pronounce the “-ing” at the end of a verb such as “walking,” while southerners will pronounce it as more of a “-in” sound, so that the word will sound like “walkin’.” Because of these differences, many non-Southern speakers believe that those with these particular speech patterns are speaking English incorrectly. Through his involvement in the project, Hazen wants to dispel this myth. The WVDP website states that “dialects are part of our daily culture, as much as the foods we eat and the clothes we wear. We form our identities through the ways we speak, and our dialect represents who we are. Bad mouthing someone’s dialect is in effect attacking who they are.” Hazen hopes that through his presentations and publications about Appalachian dialect he will help the public to understand that there is no such thing as a “right” or “wrong” dialect. “Correctness is not measured in absolutes,” he said. He also hopes to be an advocate for those who are discriminated against because of their dialect. Hazen is the author of Identity and Ethnicity in the Rural South (Duke University Press, 2000) and numerous articles including “Mergers in the Mountains,” “The Final Days of Appalachian Heritage Language,” “Migration and the Appalachian Diaspora,” and “A Modern Sociolinguistic View of Appalachian English”. He has given lectures and dialect awareness programs to civic groups and schools for twelve years and has served on the NSF linguistics panel and as an associate editor for the journal Language. He was also selected for a Woodburn Professorship, a two-year appointment from the Eberly College which recognizes mid-career excellence. It is no secret that West Virginians are proud of who they are and where they come from. With people like Hazen working to understand and promote the language and culture of West Virginia, there is no doubt that West Virginians and their many dialects will soon be seen in a much different light by outsiders— and by each other.

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The Sociology of Football: Helping us Navigate our World As revered as Andy Griffith is these days – especially in Morgantown, the hometown of his late sidekick, Eberly College alumnus Don Knotts – Andy may not be completely right on this one. Sometimes football isn’t just a game. Sometimes, it’s more than that – it’s an opportunity to study the unspoken rules that guide human behavior. “There is a sociological aspect to every part of our lives, even something as simple and routine as going to a football game” said Dr. Melissa Latimer, the new Chair of Sociology and Anthropology. “The sociological perspective helps us see the layers of factors affecting our everyday, takenfor-granted experiences and it helps us to see the ‘everyday’ from the perspective of an outsider or a stranger. Since humans are social beings, almost anything can be scientifically studied using sociology – race, ethnicity, inequality, social policy, education, crime and social problems, family, aging, religion, even Mountaineer football.”

depending upon the identity of the opposing team? Are there rules unique to WVU football? Another sociological study of football might include consideration of the “actors” in the game – coaches, players, band members, cheerleaders, Mountaineer Maniacs, faculty members, ticket takers, security guards, and the roles each play. “Are there patterns in terms of who is most likely to take on one of those well-defined roles?” Latimer asked. “Have those patterns changed over time?”

“What it was was football.” – Andy Griffith

The newly-redesigned Sociology and Anthropology website is using WVU football, with all its national media attention this fall, to make the academic point. As Dr. Latimer recognized, “On game days, Morgantown, a city of about 27,000 residents, receives 60,000 football fans, becoming, for a moment in time, the largest city in West Virginia, full of opportunities to study the way humans behave in this particular social situation.” From a photo of a full Milan Puskar Stadium, with The Pride of West Virginia in the midst of its pre-game show, forming a map of the state, the website turns to a series of questions: • What do you see in this picture? • How might a sociologist or anthropologist help you see this football game differently? • What might a criminologist ask about this game? • What might a graduate student in our applied Master’s degree program ask about this game? “We have a list of our own answers to these questions,” Latimer said, “but we’re looking forward to seeing how the people who visit our website respond.” For example, a sociologist and/or anthropologist might be interested in the rules that govern fan behavior at a game and how they differ from the rules that govern classroom behavior. Who makes those rules? How are the rules learned? What happens if the rules are violated? Do the rules change

By Jane Donovan

What about the financial impact of football on the neighborhoods surrounding the stadium, the city of Morgantown, Monongalia County, and even the State of West Virginia?

A question that sociologists would love to explore, and to which Dr. Latimer gets enthusiastic responses from WVU alumni, has to do with couch burning. When and how did it get started? How does it get constructed as a social problem? “I know, I know, the answer to the when and how question is immediately following the 17-14 WVU victory over the then top-ranked Pitt Panthers starring Tony Dorsett, in 1975,” she laughs. “But why did it continue? Why is it associated with WVU when it and far more destructive behaviors occur on many campuses across the country?” And finally, where does all that trash go? “We hope to engage our constituents – students, potential students, alumni, community members – in a dialogue through our website, beginning with the case study of WVU football this fall. If this goes well, next year we’ll try a different issue,” Latimer stated. “We’re using something specific to WVU yet universal to American culture to explain sociology and, hopefully, to attract students who find this way of studying human behavior to be thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating. In this global society, sociology is more important than ever in helping us successfully navigate our world.” The Division of Sociology and Anthropology website can be found at http://www.as.wvu.edu/soca/

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A Rare Breed A True Scholar to Change the World

by Michael Alden Winser

Imagine this: One minute you are hard at work in the lab, and the next minute camera crews and reporters burst in the door offering congratulations and asking questions. Weeks later, you introduce the President of WVU to a crowd of supporters in Washington, D.C. Your name gets engraved on multiple plaques and nearly all your teachers have heard of you. A. Did you win the lottery? B. Are you a national hero? C. Are you another sophomore sensation from the football field? The answer is D. None of the above. You are Morgantown native Rebecca McCauley, who made WVU history this spring when she was named both a Goldwater Scholar and Truman Scholar, something never before achieved at this University Double scholars are a rare breed and, indeed, she is the only student in the nation this year to receive both awards. Even more impressive, Becky is a first-generation college student. “You come in and almost feel like you’re at a disadvantage because your parents weren’t doctors; you really don’t know what college is going to be like. To come in and excel is huge,” said McCauley. Becky didn’t come to college just because that is what was expected of her. She came because she is personally driven to achieve her dreams. She worked hard to get scholarships and grants so that she could afford to attend. “I hope this can send a message to other kids: No matter who you are, or what your background, you can get through college with full financial support and without having to take out loans. There are so many scholarships and grants out there. All it takes is the time and effort to find and apply for them.” Becky is a two-time Eberly Scholar, a PROMISE scholar and Presidential scholar. She’s a past recipient of the Robert and

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Patricia Miller Stultz Chemistry Scholarship, and also took advantage of the Eberly College Undergraduate Academic Enrichment Program, which awards up to $500 to students to further their education. In addition to being a double scholar, Becky is also a double major in Biology and Chemistry with a minor in Geology. Though this may seem to be an odd configuration, it fits perfectly with Becky’s career goals. She wants to study terraforming. Terraforming is the science of changing another planet or moon so that it can sustain human life from Earth, a process that was previously thought to be nothing more than the subject of science fiction. Scientists have theorized a variety of means to change a planet’s atmosphere, temperature, and other aspects in order that it sustain life. For instance, certain vegetation could make a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere more habitable by producing more oxygen, or ice asteroids could be diverted to collide with the planet to release important elements into its atmosphere, such as nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. McCauley’s interest in terraforming stemmed from a high school internship with the Eberly College’s own Dr. John Littleton, professor of Physics, through NASA’s Science and Engineering Apprentice Program. “It’s my biased opinion that it’s the destiny of the human race to go out into the stars and explore,” she explained. “I also think we’re injuring our planet and it’s important that we look at other means of sustaining humanity. There are lots of reasons to do so: resource depletion, human population growth, etc. Eventually there will be a meteor impact that could cause mass extinctions, and humanity doesn’t really have a defense for something like that. Inhabiting another planet would be a don’t-put-all-your-eggs-into-one-basket kind of thing.” With Dr. Jonathan Cumming, chair of the Department of Biology, she studied how plants respond to and protect themselves against aluminum, a soil toxin originating from mine drainage and acid rain. She used her work from that experience as the centerpiece of her application for the first of her awards, the research-based Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, which pays undergraduate tuition and expenses of up to $7,500 a year.

The service-oriented Harry S. Truman Scholarship is worth $30,000 and Becky plans to use the money to pursue her Ph.D. She applied to the Truman Scholarship Foundation by expressing her concerns about NASA’s priorities. “In (President George) Bush’s vision for space exploration, they’re going to phase out the shuttles, go to the moon and then to Mars. I wrote that a better way to go about it would be to cut the amount of money that’s being spent on the initiative and go straight to Mars, which cuts the budget tremendously and would allow more programs to continue at NASA.” Becky doesn’t just want NASA to go to Mars; she wants to go there herself. She’s currently researching doctoral programs for astrobiology, and after earning her Ph.D., she wants to become an astronaut. Becky is sad to have to leave Morgantown though. “I really wish there was a job market for astronauts here. I’m really sad that I’ll have to leave to go to graduate school and get the career I want. I’ve grown up here. I like that I can walk down the street and see people I know. You can’t get that in bigger cities.” “After I’ve landed on Mars and I come back, hopefully, there’s always the possibility of teaching at WVU.” Wherever she ends up, McCauley is certain to change the world. Or at least Mars.

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The War Followed Me Home by Christopher Lotspeich

Chris Lotspeich is a junior religious studies major from Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.

Several hundred WVU students – along with thousands of other college students across the nation – are interrupting their education to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are no college deferments for members of the National Guard and the Reserves during this time of conflict. We asked a student in the Eberly College to share some of his experiences with our readers. I was attending the last few lectures of the semester and preparing for final exams in December 2002 when my cell phone rang. The 646th Quartermaster (Qm) Company was calling to announce that I would be mobilizing in January. My immediate reaction was that it would be an exciting adventure. “Hey, they are going to take a few college boys out of school to go fight a war,” I thought. It took some time for the enormity of what was happening to dawn on me. We were transferred to the 233rd Qm Co near Philadelphia, where we readied equipment to go overseas. From there, we went to the bitterly cold and snowy Fort Drum, NY. We trained for two months, learning how to set up perimeters around our area of operation, how to pull convoy security, and the basics of first aid. We landed in the Middle East, watched the statue of Saddam Hussein fall, then spent a week in Kuwait City preparing to set up a battlefield support fuel system in Gharma, northwest of Baghdad, a station to be known as Camp Resolute. At Camp Resolute, we installed a 700,000 gallon diesel Fuel System Supply Point. It covered an area about the size of Milan

Puskar Stadium with miles of hard and soft hose, 350 gallon per minute fuel pumps, and 50,000 gallon plastic fuel bags. Fuel arrived in 5,000 gallon tanker truck convoys that came and went all day long, 20 trucks at a time, from Kuwaiti refineries, pumped by pipeline to a Tactical Petroleum Terminal (TPT) in an Army camp on the border of Kuwait and Iraq. During the first push into Iraq, the Army laid 167 miles of pipeline to Nasiriyah, to another TPT. From there, the diesel came to us and we directed it to the front. At night, I sat on my truck and watched the tracers and flares of nearby infantry battles. One day, we were ordered to build shelters and fighting positions on the perimeter of our camp. We remained calm, doing our best to prepare in case of the worst. We stayed out there all day, but nothing happened and we received orders to tear down the camp. For the rest of our time, we patrolled the pipeline in southern Iraq, ran existing TPTs, and tore down other TPTs. After an exhausting nine months, thankfully, everyone in my unit made it home safely. Camp Resolute only existed for a month and a half, but our unit holds the record for handling the most fuel for any war in U.S. history, nearly 2.3 billion gallons. My experience in Iraq was not over just because I came home. My mother soon realized something was wrong, but I moved back to Morgantown, into an apartment with two of my Army buddies. I couldn’t wait to start school, but about a month into the semester, things fell apart. I moved in with my dad and tried to

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From Flight Medic to Medical School

work with him, but I was unmotivated and short-tempered. I wanted to go back overseas. I tried to join the Army, but my paperwork was delayed, so I thought I’d finish my degree and then enlist.

Two Ways To Serve

by Michael Alden Winser

The fall semester of 2004 was awful. I couldn’t sleep. I was trying to study, but I began having terrible panic attacks. Twice I went to the emergency room and tried to convince the doctors, wrongly, that I was having a heart attack. As the semester ended, I became delusional. I thought that people were chasing me. I didn’t understand where my next meal would come from. I thought that I was someone else. Finally, I checked myself into the Pittsburgh Veterans Administration hospital where I was diagnosed with psychosis. I couldn’t believe it. I never thought anything like that could happen to me. My experiences in Iraq came rushing back and hit me like a ton of bricks. I saw tracer rounds flying across the road. I saw fighting and felt explosions. I thought there was a minefield around the hospital. When I was released from the hospital, I sought counseling at the Morgantown Veterans Center, which was extremely helpful. My family and friends were there for me, too. I never realized that so many people cared about me. After a year, I started feeling like my old self again. I realize now that I should have gotten help as soon as I returned from Iraq. Everyone who comes home from the war should have some counseling. With the help of the wonderful VA counselors, I’ve been able to make peace with my experiences and assimilate them into the whole person I am becoming. I’m not the only veteran of the Iraq War who has returned to campus after time in the desert. We join a long line of Mountaineers who have served our country. We come home to WVU valuing our education, our freedom, and our opportunities more than we ever dreamed possible.

For most, after serving in the military in Iraq, just getting back alive would be a gift in itself. Jeff Genda returned home to another gift: the Lloyd R. Gribble Award. While serving in Iraq, Genda was selected by Alpha Epsilon Delta, the pre-med honorary, to receive the $2000 award for 2005-06. A Staff Sergeant in the Air National Guard, Genda was deployed in September of 2005 and served as a Flight Medic at Balad Airbase in Northern Iraq. Only forty-two miles north of Baghdad, Balad is one of the largest airbases in Iraq. While there, he received word that he had been selected for the Gribble Award but he could not receive his award until February, when he finally returned to WVU. Alpha Epsilon Delta annually presents the Lloyd R. Gribble Award to outstanding undergraduate students who have completed 70 or more hours of course work and who plan to seek entrance into medical, dental, or optometry school. A senior Chemistry/Biochemistry double major on the pre-med track, Genda is also a Resident Assistant (RA) at Pierpont Apartments and has been with the RA program for 4 years. He will graduate this spring and has put the $2000 toward books and also into his savings for medical school. “It’s a big honor to receive such an award and I am very thankful to have some financial support to help with medical school costs,” he said. Arts & Sciences | 15 | Fall 2006

This gentleman and his wife have run a fruit stand in Philippi,WestVirginia for several years. Prior to this, he worked on the railroad for many years, where he earned his living splitting chestnut trees into rails.

Photography by Neal Newfield, Associate Professor of Social Work

Social Work Scholarships Enable

Service to West Virginia

by Sarah Braswell

Since the 1960 Kennedy campaign, the precarious nature of life for some West Virginians has been well-documented. There are many ways to assist those in need, but one of the best ways is by providing social services. West Virginia needs social workers to do this, and Betty Barrett is helping to make that happen. Barrett’s enthusiasm for community development and for the welfare of the state led her to establish a scholarship for students in the School of Applied Social Sciences, housed in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. “My passion is community development, especially the related issues of poverty, housing, economic development and education,” Barrett said in a 2001 testimonial. “That is why my husband and I endowed a scholarship.” Barrett and her husband Eddie established the Barrett Community Development Scholars Fund in 2001 to provide scholarship funds to graduate students in fields within the School Arts & Sciences | 16 | Fall 2006

of Applied Social Sciences. The Huntington residents wanted to support individuals who will work with West Virginia communities to improve the quality of life for citizens. “By creating this endowed scholarship, the Barretts have demonstrated their commitment to community development in West Virginia. The scholarship gives the Division of Social Work the opportunity to recognize students who have the potential to be a positive force at the community level,” said Ginny Majewski, Chair of the Division of Social Work. This year’s recipient is unique in that she is enrolled in the offcampus MSW program in Martinsburg. "I am very honored to have been selected as a scholarship recipient,” Alicia Moreno Billy said. “Every little bit helps financially. This scholarship has helped me be accountable to people who really care about community organizing in West Virginia communities. I want to make the Barretts proud,” she smiled.

Betty Barrett’s contributions to the community have been recognized by several organizations. In April 2006, she was selected for induction into the First Annual West Virginia Affordable Housing Hall of Fame. She was the first “Tri-State Citizen of the Year,” is a former Huntington City Council member, and has been director of the West Virginia Education Alliance and West Virginia Kids Count. She has also been named “Citizen of the Year” by the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. Part of the reason Barrett wanted to establish a scholarship at WVU is because of the unique approach the School of Applied Social Sciences takes to the study of community development and social work. “I know that community development is not a one-person or one discipline activity,” she said. “It requires many people using a collaborative approach. This School includes social work, public administration and sociology— a natural partnership.” Betty and Eddie Barrett encourage other alumni to contribute to any of the programs at West Virginia University. “For most of us, West Virginia University was the turning point in our lives. And, how can I leave my imprint on this institution? You can set up an endowment to benefit your particular areas of interest,” said Eddie Barrett during the Building Greatness campaign. Betty Barrett has high hopes for the future of the student recipients of the scholarship. “I like the prospect of Barrett Community Development Scholars coming to communities across the state with skills in all these areas, to work with and build organizations to improve health and welfare where they live. They will have the potential to expand what I do across the state and carry on when I am no longer here. This is a kind of legacy Ed and I want to give to our state through partnership with West Virginia University.”

Poetry, Publishing, and Professorship

Kristin Abraham Her style is unique. Her words, undeniably intriguing. Her talent— unmistakable. It is the combination of all three that has catapulted her to success in the poetry world. Kristin Abraham graduated from the Eberly College in May 2006 with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in poetry and is quickly gaining recognition as one of the nation’s most gifted emerging poets. Abraham’s poem, “Little Red Riding Hood Missed the Bus,” was selected for inclusion in Best New Poets 2005, an anthology that includes poetry by fifty upand-coming writers. She also won the 2005 Elixir Press Chapbook Competition for her manuscript Orange Reminds You of Listening, and her novella manuscript “Cog” was a semifinalist in the 2005 Bullfight Little Book Prize. Abraham’s poetry, along with her lyrical and critical essays, can be found in several prominent journals, including The Journal, Delmar, Harpur Palate, Elixir, and Phoebe. She credits the diverse offerings of the MFA program with helping her to expand her skills. “The WVU MFA Program isn’t just a creative writing program; it allowed me to become a well-rounded degree holder: not only did I take writing classes and meet wonderful teachers and peers in my field, I also took literature and teaching classes, which gave me the chance to work with excellent professors and colleagues outside of the creative writers. In the end, my entire experience at WVU has contributed to my writing achievements and my dedication to my profession.” Perhaps Abraham will have the opportunity to give back to others what she has gained from her experience at WVU —she recently accepted a position as an assistant professor of English at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan.

This West Virginia resident’s house was condemned and deemed unfit to be inhabited. She was required to have it repaired in order to raise her children there. Arts & Sciences | 17 | Fall 2006

“Kristin is a wonderful young poet and was a real force in our MFA program,” said Mary Ann Samyn, an assistant professor of English who directed Abraham’s Master’s thesis. Samyn, herself a published poet, believes that Kristin’s journey into the poetic and academic worlds is just beginning. “I expect we’ll continue to hear good things about Kristin.”

EBERLY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

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The eight students who received the 2006 Order of Augusta, WVU’s highest academic honor for undergraduates, included five from the Eberly College: Jennifer Audia of Salem WV (political science); Daniel Carrier of Morgantown WV (chemistry); Christopher Deskins of Pineville WV (biology); John Estep of Sistersville WV (political science) and Johannes Herber of Darmstadt, Germany (political science). The Order of Augusta was established by the WVU Foundation in 1995 to recognize a highly select group of students based on their superior scholarship, demonstrated leadership, and record of community and public service. Each student received a medallion and each name will be engraved on a plaque at WVU’s Scholars Walk, in front of the Wise Library on the Downtown campus. Marshall S. Miller, founder and owner of one of the nation’s leading engineering and geological consulting firms, Marshall Miller and Associates, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree during WVU commencement activities in May 2006. Miller holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from the Eberly College and serves on the College Advisory Board. Stuart Robbins and Vaughn Kiger, alumni of the Department of History, were inducted into the Order of Vandalia during commencement weekend as well. Robbins is retired managing director of global equities for Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, a leading Wall Street investment firm. Kiger is a long-time Morgantown businessman who has served WVU in many capacities. The Order of Vandalia is reserved for those who have demonstrated extraordinary service, loyalty, and dedication to WVU. Three Eberly College professors were among the five selected for this year’s WVU Foundation Outstanding Teacher Awards: Katherine Aaslestad, associate professor of history; Aaron Gale, associate professor of religious studies; and Hong-Jian Lai, professor of mathematics. Each award winner received a $2,500 honorarium or a $5,000 U.S. savings bond from the WVU Foundation.

Libby Chitwood Appel’s latest book, Dancing with GIs, is garnering excellent reviews and selling well. A memoir of her experiences as a Red Cross volunteer during World War II in Washington, D.C., India, and Pakistan, the volume is available for purchase at amazon.com. Libby is a 1934 graduate of the Eberly College and the daughter of well-known history professor Oliver P. Chitwood. Andy Richardson of Charleston WV, Vice President for National Development and Administrative Services for Acordia Employers Service, is the newest member of the Eberly College Advisory Board. He was the first Commissioner of the WV Bureau of Employment Programs, responsible for administering the state job service system, job training programs, unemployment compensation system, and workers' compensation system. During his tenure as Commissioner, the state Workers' Compensation Fund received its first clean audit opinion in the program's 80-year history, establishing the groundwork that has led to privatization of the system. Andy holds a BA in political science from the Eberly College and a JD from the WVU College of Law. He has served as an assistant prosecutor, staff counsel and acting commissioner of the WV Department of Employment Security, in private practice, and as an executive with McDonough Caperton Insurance Group. He is a former member and finance chair of the South Charleston City Council. Andy is active in a number of community programs, including WVU, his church, the Boy Scouts of America, and Leadership West Virginia. He is the father of two sons, Chris, a junior at WVU, and Coleman, a sophomore at West Virginia State University. Gerald Pops, professor of Public Administration, has received outside financial support and a sabbatical from WVU to write a biography of General George C. Marshall, a native of Uniontown PA. “Public service lacks heroes,” Pops noted, “and Marshall is one of the profession’s best heroes.”

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Dr. Barbara Howe, director of the Center for Women's Studies in the Eberly College, was elected president of the National Women's Studies Association. Howe will serve a two-year term, during which she hopes to promote diversity and open leadership roles to new members within the organization.

A new limited-edition book documents the history and significance of the WVU “Peace Tree,” which was first planted by the Native American Studies Program between Woodburn Circle and E. Moore Hall in 1992. The Peace Tree represents the Great Tree of Peace planted in Onondaga NY about 1,000 years ago, to symbolize the peace achieved among the warring Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk Nations. The book, White Pine Spirit of Peace: The WVU Peace Tree, is available from University Librarian Anna Schein, who edited the work, at 304-293-4040 ext 4065 or Betty Matlick, WVU Bookstores, at 304-293-7464. Dean Mary Ellen Mazey has announced the appointment of two department chairs and a program director in the Eberly College. Dr. Melissa Latimer is the new Chair of the Division of Sociology and Anthropology and Dr. Donald Hall is the new Chair of Foreign Languages. Dr. Suzanne Bell is the new director of the Forensic and Investigative Science Program. A number of persons affiliated with the Eberly College have been appointed to the 17-person search committee that will help select WVU’s next president. Committee members include Dean Mary Ellen Mazey; current students Elizabeth Belch, a senior from Uniontown PA who is majoring in international studies and political science and serves as vice president of the WVU Student Government and Meg Bulger, Pittsburgh PA, a senior majoring in multidisciplinary studies; Eberly College alumni WV Circuit Court Judge Irene Berger, Dr. James Brick, Dr. Thomas Clark, Ron Justice, Terry Nebel, and Robert Wells. Clark and Wells are members of the WVU Board of Governors. Brick is chair and professor of medicine at WVU. Nebel is Chair of the WVU Staff Council. Justice is mayor of Morgantown and assistant dean of students at WVU. Jacki Englehardt is the new Coordinator of Professional and Community Education in the Division of Social Work. She brings extensive practical experience to the position, having spent the last 6 years as Director of the Scott’s Run Settlement House in Osage, and, for the 7 previous years, as a social worker with Morgantown’s Health Right.

A team of Morgantown-area middle schoolers coached by Physics Department Chair Earl Scime and Physics Department electronics technician Phil Tucker placed third in the Technical Robot Programming portion of the FIRST LEGO League World Festival at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in April. The event featured 50 teams from across the U.S. and 30 teams from other nations, including China, Australia, Mexico, and Italy. The Morgantown Roboteers were also one of 10 teams to receive the Gracious Professionalism Award for displaying exceptional conduct and sportsmanship.

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Myers in New Zealand.

Dr. Thomas H. Myers, professor of physics and co-director of the WV Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Education Initiative (WVNano), is one of this year’s two recipients of the Robert C. Byrd Professorship Awards. Funded through the WVU Research Corporation, the Byrd Professorships acknowledge outstanding professional accomplishments and leadership among WVU faculty. Myers was previously recognized by the Eberly College for his significant research contributions in the field of gallium nitride films and has received outstanding teaching awards from both the Eberly College and the WVU Foundation. He recently returned to Morgantown after spending a sabbatical at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he was awarded a Visiting Erskine Fellowship.

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continued

Tammy Carrico, Tom Milam, and Diana Hammack

Tammy Carrico, Tom Milam, and Diana Hammack are the recipients of this year’s Eberly College Outstanding Staff Awards. Carrico, administrative associate in the Department of Psychology, received this year’s award in the Professional category. Carrico was nominated by ten faculty members in the Department of Psychology for her professionalism, positive attitude, dedication, and dependability. “Tammy gracefully juggles a complex and ever-changing set of challenges with consistently excellent results,” said Dr. Michael Perone, Chair of the Department of Psychology. Senior Laboratory Instrument Specialist Tom Milam is known by Physics students and faculty as the Department’s “do-it-all” handy man. The recipient of the award in the Technical category, Milam helps to design projects and to repair equipment in the Department of Physics, as well as other Eberly College departments, including biology and psychology. “What sets Tom apart is his willingness to work with faculty and students when they make requests for projects to be completed,” said Physics Chair Earl Scime. Hammack, Accounting Clerk in the Department of Biology, is the recipient of the award in the Clerical category. “Diana can be counted upon to do whatever needs to be done,” said Marlene DeWitt, administrative associate in the Department of Biology Dr. James N. Shafer, retired professor of psychology, passed away in late August. Shafer taught at WVU from 1953 to 1993. “Jim was a leader in the development of the department’s master’s and doctoral programs,” said the current chair of psychology, Michael Perone. “He directed the Ph.D. program in experimental psychology and was an influential teacher at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.” A native of Ohio, Shafer held a Ph.D. from Ohio State University, and was a veteran of World War II.

Beverly Shumaker and members of the Campus Club are gathering information and photographs for a book about the club, which will observe its 100th anniversary in 2012. The Campus Club is thought to be among the oldest nonstudent organizations at WVU. Contributions can be sent to johnsamsell@hotmail.com. Several distinguished faculty members retired from the Eberly College this year. James B. “Doc” Whisker, professor of political science, retired in January after 38 years of service. Political Science chair Joe Hagan commented that “Students and alumni are devoted to what and how [Whisker] teaches.” Thomas H. Miles, professor of English, retired in May after 29 years. “Since 1976, his first year at WVU, Tom Miles served the English Department through on-line teaching innovations and a series of important administrative positions, beginning as Coordinator of the Undergraduate Writing Program for 8 years, followed by an appointment as Supervisor of Scientific and Technical Writing, a post he held for 16 years,” reported English Department chair Timothy Dow Adams. The History Department lost two key faculty members to retirement this year. “A specialist in early American political history and biography, Mary Lou Lustig was only the second female faculty member to be promoted to the rank of Professor in the history of our department. Her contributions to the department’s graduate program were particularly noteworthy,” History Chair Robert Blobaum stated, “and Stephen McCluskey was a pioneer in bringing computer technology to the History Department, the Eberly College and West Virginia. His book Astronomies and Cultures in Early Medieval Europe, published originally by Cambridge University Press in 1998, also appeared in paperback and remains very highly regarded by the profession.” Of retiring Statistics Professor Dan Chilko, department chair Jim Harner said, “Dan Chilko willingly and enthusiastically assists students and faculty in solving difficult statistical computing problems using his expansive knowledge of SAS and JMP.”

Arts & Sciences | 20 | Fall 2006

BOOKS

by Eberly College faculty members published in 2005-2006:

Katherine Aaslestad, associate professor of history, Local Identity, Civic Culture, and German Nationalism in North Germany during the Revolutionary Era (Brill, 2005). Theodore A. Avtgis, associate professor of communication studies, and A. S. Rancer, Argumentative and Aggressive Communication: Theory, Research and Application (Sage, 2006). Robert Blobaum, ed., Eberly Family Professor and chair of history, Antisemitism and its Opponents in Modern Poland (Cornell University Press, 2005). Melanie Booth-Butterfield, professor of communication studies, Influential Health Communication (Allyn and Bacon, 2006). Mark Brazaitis, assistant professor of English, An American Affair, winner of the 2004 George Garrett Prize in Short Fiction, (Texas Review Press, 2005). Jonathan Burton, associate professor of English, Traffic and Turning: Islam and English Drama, 1579-1624 (University of Delaware Press, 2005). Cynthia Chalupa, assistant professor of foreign languages, Gearing Up in the Twenty-First Century: An Instructor’s Guide to Teaching German TV and Media Literacy (American Association of Teachers of German/Goethe Institut, 2005). Elizabeth Fones-Wolf, professor of history, Waves of Opposition: Labor and the Struggle for Democratic Media (University of Illinois Press, 2006). Kenneth Fones-Wolf, professor of history, Glass Towns: Industry, Labor, and Political Economy in Appalachia (University of Illinois Press, 2006). Aaron Gale, associate professor and coordinator of the Religious Studies Program, Redefining Ancient Borders (Continuum Press, 2005).

Julie Hicks-Patrick, associate professor of psychology, and B. Hayslip, Custodial Grandparenting: Individual, Cultural, and Ethnic Diversity (Springer, 2005). Kevin T. Larkin, professor of psychology, Stress and Hypertension: Examining the Relation between Psychological Stress and High Blood Pressure (Yale University Press, 2005). Nancy Lohmann, professor of social work and Roger Lohmann, professor of social work, eds., Rural Social Work Practice (Columbia University Press, 2005). Steven Zdatny, associate professor of history, Fashion, Work, and Politics in Modern France (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006).

Arts & Sciences | 21 | Fall 2006

Funding the Future of WVU The paid-up life insurance policy you purchased years ago for an important purpose may now be a tax-wise way to help the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences carry out a special goal you have in mind. Whether you’ve wanted to create a scholarship, faculty support fund, library resources, facility improvement fund, or something else to benefit the College, a paid-up policy can help you accomplish that. It’s easy to do. Simply secure a “change of owner” form from the insurance company’s agent and fill it out. To help the Eberly College, you’ll make the West Virginia University Foundation, Inc. the new policy owner. The Foundation staff at 1-800-847-3856 can help you with other details of making this gift. Be sure to mention that the gift is intended to benefit the Eberly College, and a written agreement listing the specific terms of your gift can be prepared. Donating a paid-up policy will provide a current income tax deduction for you. The Foundation staff can also secure the right forms to establish that. Another source for such a gift may be an employment-related policy. If your employer provides permanent life insurance which continues after you retire, you may name the WVU Foundation, Inc. as its beneficiary. Once you’ve done that, a written agreement about your gift fund is also appropriate to assure that the policy’s proceeds will aid the Eberly College in the way you feel is important to its future. Truly, a life insurance policy can help carry out your dream for the Eberly College – and we appreciate that so much!

Alumni Achievement

Recognizing

by Jane Donovan

What do these people have in common? • A Pittsburgh attorney who is one of the nation’s leading experts on insurance law • An award-winning children’s author whose books are set in rural West Virginia • A justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals • The president of the National League of Women Voters • A Virginia Congressman

All these people hold degrees from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at WVU, but they also share something more: they are past recipients of the Eberly College Alumni Recognition Award. Beginning with West Virginia Poet Laureate Irene McKinney in 1999, the College has acknowledged 29 of its most distinguished graduates with this honor. “The award was established to bring to the attention of the WVU campus, the community, and the nation the value and importance of an arts and sciences education,” said Dean Mary Ellen Mazey, herself an award winner during her tenure as dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Wright State University. “We want to honor alumni whose lives reflect the commitment and excitement which broadly-educated arts and sciences graduates bring to their civic leadership, social welfare activities, professional or business life, intellectual pursuits, and cultural pursuits.” The Eberly College Alumni Recognition Award is intended to celebrate living college alumni, regardless of major or degree level, who are making important contributions to their community or profession, who demonstrate the value of lifelong learning, and whose lives, in one way or another, reflect the value and diversity of a liberal arts and sciences education. Recipients demonstrate the full development of a person as an individual and a member of society, the importance of knowledge and truth-seeking as characteristics of the educated citizen, and the nurturing of self-appraisal, open-mindedness, respect for others, service to others, and an understanding of one’s ethical obligations. “I am deeply honored to receive the Eberly College Alumni Recognition Award,” said Peter J. Kalis, that Pittsburgh attorney listed above. "My fondness for WVU and the Eberly

College of Arts and Sciences is exceeded only by my appreciation for what they have meant in my life.” Kalis, WVU’s 17th Rhodes Scholar and former student body president, is the Chairman and Managing Partner of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP and was Peter J. Kalis selected by his peers for inclusion in The World's Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and Lawdragon Magazine’s “500 Leading Lawyers in America.” The other award-winning alumni mentioned above are Cheryl Ware, Larry V. Starcher, Rebecca C. Cain, and G. William Whitehurst. Ware is the author of four delightful children’s books, three of which are set in Belington WV. Her work has been judged as outstanding by the Junior Library Guild and has appeared on amazon.com’s top 20 list of best new books for older readers. Justice Larry V. Starcher has twice served terms as Chief Justice of the WV Supreme Court of Appeals. At the completion of his current term, in 2008, he will have served 32 years as an elected judicial official in West Virginia. Rebecca Cain served three terms as president of the National League of Women Voters, during which she led the successful push for the National Voter Registration Act or “Motor Voter Act.” Congressman Whitehurst, currently the Kaufman Lecturer in Public Affairs at Old Dominion University, said that “My 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives saw me better prepared for the responsibilities of office as a result of my Ph.D. in history from WVU. Perhaps the finest compliment that I received came from several European parliamentarians with whom I served as delegates to the North Atlantic Assembly. They told me that I was the only American delegate who 'thought like a European.' For that West Virginia University can claim at least partial credit.”

Arts & Sciences | 22 | Fall 2006

Funding Needs As the year draws to a close and you’re considering a gift for the Eberly College, please keep in mind these specific needs: WVU Debate Team Calliope, WVU’s student literary magazine Tomchin Planetarium Books of Alumni Recognition Awardee Cheryl Ware

WVU Press College-wide named Professorships Program funds for Ethics Day WVU Writing Center

A full list of past recipients is available on-line at http://www.as.wvu.edu/newroot/alumni/year.html. If you know someone who might qualify, please send in a nomination. A nomination should include the name and address of the nominee and a statement of one or two pages explaining why that person should be recognized. Appropriate supporting material will be welcomed. The Office of the Dean, in consultation with the Dean’s Advisory Committee (a standing committee of College faculty), will recommend candidates to the Eberly College Advisory Board. The Board will approve recommendations at its regular meetings. Nomination forms are available on-line at http://www.as.wvu.edu/New_Folder/alumni/awards/nom inationform.html

“It’s simply about recognizing excellence. The Eberly College has alumni who have accomplished extraordinary things and provided extraordinary service to the state, the nation, and the world.” —Dean Mazey

Formore information, please contact Dr. Rudolph P. Almasy at 304-293-4611 or Rudy.Almasy@mail.wvu.edu

CALLING ALL DEBATERS! We’re trying to identify former members of the WVU Debate Team. If you were ever on the Debate Team at WVU, please contact Dr. Rudolph P. Almasy at Rudy.Almasy@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-4611.

Arts & Sciences | 23 | Fall 2006

Dispatches from the Diaspora

Adventure and Service in Seoul by Daria Darnell

gets close to the end of my tour, and it’s time to look for a new assignment, and I see a world map with so many unexplored places . . . and I fall in love with my career all over again.

With WVU Mountaineers everywhere, I cheered for our football team during the Sugar Bowl. It’s just that in my case, it was from my office and it was already Tuesday morning on my side of the world. I work at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, and I am grateful that the Armed Forces Network made it possible for me to participate in that thrilling game featuring my alma mater. I’m a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. I graduated from WVU’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1993, went to graduate school for one year, and joined the State Department in June 1994. Over the course of the past twelve years, I’ve lived and worked in four countries (Macedonia, Colombia, Slovakia, and now Korea), visited many more, and can now speak Spanish, Slovak, and a smattering of Korean. Probably the question I am asked most often about life in the Foreign Service is, “Don’t you miss your home?” Not only did I graduate from WVU, I’m a native West Virginian, born and raised in Martinsburg, and sometimes I do miss my home state. I miss the beautiful colors of leaves in the autumn, and seeing Woodburn Hall decorated with lights in the winter, and really good biscuits with sausage gravy. But then I think about everything I’ve done since graduating WVU! I’ve walked around Machu Picchu at dawn, sunbathed on an almostempty beach in Greece, and visited the largest seated outdoor Buddha in the world. I’ve seen opera in Vienna and soccer in Skopje and baseball in Seoul. And about once a year, I do get to come home and reacquaint myself with life in the U.S. and my hometown. The second-most frequent question is “Don’t you get tired of moving?” To be quite honest, yes, every time I move into a new home and see the giant pile of boxes that needs to be unpacked, I mutter something under my breath about how this is positively the last time I am going to move! But then it

My particular specialty within the Foreign Service is consular work, which I’ve been doing for all but two years of my career. Consular officers assist American citizens with routine (passport renewal) and non-routine (prison visits) services. We also process visa applications for both intending immigrants and people who plan short stays in the United States for tourism or business or study. Occasionally I’ ll see a student applying for a visa to study at WVU, and I’m reminded of how interconnected our world is. Keeping in touch with WVU isn’t always easy when you live far from Morgantown. When I was posted to Washington D.C., from 1999-2002, I could travel to University events and football games and feel that sense of connection with WVU. I even gave a presentation to a group of freshmen majoring in Political Science about the joys and challenges of the Foreign Service. Now that I’m back overseas, my dad – also a WVU alumnus – keeps me in touch during our weekly phone calls by passing along news from his trips to Morgantown. I drink coffee every morning from a WVU mug, keep a WVU notepad on my desk, and have a WVU plaque on my wall at home. I never pass up an opportunity to recruit a high school student who is undecided about his or her choice of college – what better place to study than a world-class university in a beautiful setting with excellent professors? I am truly indebted to the professors who made such a difference in my life – Dr. Hammock, Dr. Hagan and Dr. Brisbin in the Political Science Department and my Russian professor, Dr. Bendena – and I want other students to have that same experience. I hope other WVU grads will join me in the Foreign Service. You don’t need to have a Political Science or International Relations degree – any background is welcome. You don’t have to join straight out of college or graduate school – the average age of a new Foreign Service class is around 30, and officers bring diverse work and life experiences to the State Department. If you have a sense of adventure, a strong desire to serve the United States, a willingness to live in sometimes difficult conditions, and an interest in how U.S. foreign policy is made and carried out, then you have everything you need – that and the knowledge that your time at WVU has prepared you for any challenge anywhere in the world. Dispatches from the Diaspora is an occasional column written by WVU alumni who are living outside the boundaries of West Virginia, but who remain committed to WVU and the Eberly College and find creative and thoughtful ways to stay connected.

Arts & Sciences | 24 | Fall 2006

A Student’s Eye View:

CONFESSIONS

OF AN

MFA STUDENT by Renee Nicholson

It comes out like a confession: I was once a ballet dancer. When I was young, my parents took me to a Japanese steak house. I was surprised and delighted by the chef, who sliced our meat right in front of us in swift, sure strokes. I remember the glint of the knives as he worked, the steak thinned and then sizzling. There was something energetic, almost manic to the whole thing, dinner made into a spectacle. It may seem strange to remember – a night out to eat – when recalling my past as a ballet dancer. But I was the kind of dancer that was like the chef wielding the knives, my legs fast and sure as they cleaved the air into thin, precise slices. One of my old instructors called me “Fancy Feet” as I tossed myself into a combination of quick jumps and clean beats. Sissone—like scissors snipping across the studio floor. The brisk glissade assemblé. This was the language of the petite allegro, my favorite part of my daily ballet classes. Ballet begins very young, and I had spent my elementary, middle school and high school years in a studio lined with mirrors and barres. It wasn’t easy to train as a dancer; hours of keeping up schoolwork were followed by greater effort every day in ballet classes and rehearsals. But as a dancer I had this one convenience – I defined myself within the world of classical ballet. When I was stressed, there was technique, when I was happy there was the soaring feeling of a grand jété, a split in the air and a few seconds of flight. I don’t dance anymore because I can’t. Shortly into my career as a ballet dancer, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. It felt like all those years of intensity had led to nothing. When I couldn’t dance anymore, it wasn’t just losing the steps; it was the loss of an entire identity. I found myself searching for what I might want to do next. I explored: science, psychology, history, languages, anything

new. One such class was an introductory course in creative writing. Over a semester, I found in words the same drive that I did in ballet’s steps. There was the desire to express something just the right way, to practice how sentences worked and rolled together into paragraphs, how those became thoughts and images on a page. Characters arced and swelled, coming to life and establishing voices. I have to be honest. Those early stories are sometimes painful to reread, but in them was a glimmer of hope, the promise that the writer might develop. Like dancing, writing requires years of practice, of exposure to teachers and workshops and technique. I had to be willing to come to it every day, just like in the studio. Progress is slow. To be a dancer or a writer, you must be a person who loves the process of those art forms, the kind of person who can focus on the tiniest of details and still step back and see the work as a whole.

and progress. I came here with a similar goal: to develop a different art. I say it like a secret: I am a writer. It’s been more than ten years since I’ve been on the stage, but since I’ve been in the MFA program at WVU, the stories of my past life have emerged. They are sometimes dark or sad or tinged with regret, but always they are filled with redemption. When I write, I have the chance to remember that world of movement, and to feel again the little glint between sharp knives that really are my feet, carving a combination of leaps across a studio floor. On the page, I am always a ballerina, yet always a writer, too.

Dancing has rhythm and lyricism. As I continued to study writing, I saw that words on a page have a rhythm too. Stories and essays are more than just forms. They are constructed with patterns and words, creating a shape. It may sound daunting and it is, just like learning the “Rose Adagio” for Sleeping Beauty is a lesson in patience, artistry, authority, and grace, but when you get it, when it works, there is nothing like that feeling. I came to WVU to work on a MFA and to seek out mentors. As a dancer, I was always looking for the best teachers and coaches, spending my summers at various company schools where I could train Arts & Sciences | 25 | Fall 2006

Renee Nicholson is an MFA student from Columbus, Ohio.

Nonprofit Organization US Postage PAID Morgantown, WV 26506 Permit No. 34

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences 201 Woodburn Hall West Virginia University PO Box 6286 Morgantown, WV 26506-6286 Change Service Requested

Keeping Your Mouth Shut? Are you thinking of including West Virginia Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eberly College in your will? Perhaps you already have. Well, read on! Research on philanthropy indicates that almost 70% of bequest donors do NOT notify the charitable beneficiary of their intended gift. Perhaps there are good reasons for not sharing such information. But there are certain things to consider. First, the language of a bequest is important so that the gift actually does what the donor wants it to do. The language West Virginia University encourages you to use for a gift to the Eberly College goes something like this: I bequeath X to the WVU Foundation, Inc. for the benefit of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences for Y purpose. So if you are one of the 70%, please double check the language. Second, you might want to work on an agreement now with the Eberly College which will determine how your bequest will be administered. Together we would determine the name of the fund and the restrictions you prefer. An agreement also enables you to include information on yourself as the donor and why you have made the decision to support WVU this way. For example, if you intend to create a scholarship, we believe future scholarship recipients should know something about you and your relationship to WVU. After all, they are probably following in your footsteps. Third, notifying us now enables us to extend a sincere invitation for you to join the Irvin Stewart Society. Membership in this society sends a strong message to others to consider supporting their alma mater as you are doing. The Irvin Stewart Society also gives you a special connection to WVU. If you have a bequest coming to WVU, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be in the silent 70%. Notify the WVU Foundation or Associate Dean Rudolph Almasy (Rudy.Almasy@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-4611). Everyone benefits that way. Dr. Almasy is eager to hear from you.