OLD GOLD&BLACK W A K E
F O R E S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
T H U R S D AY, J A N U A RY 1 5 , 2 0 0 9
VOL. 92, NO. 16
“Covers the campus like the magnolias”
Outside the Bubble... Australia proposes ‘best job in world’ for large salary
By Caitlin Brooks | News editor
Graphic by Bobby O’Connor/Old Gold & Black
For months, television screens, news stands and radio talk shows bombarded everyone with up-to-the-minute presidential election campaign updates. Voters received encouragement to register from friends, coworkers, student organizations and even Facebook as election mania took hold of the nation and the lives of the American people. From the highly divisive campaign for the Democratic nomination to the presidency to the final moments of election night, America waited with baited breath to hear the results of this historic election; it would be the first time either a woman or a minority led the White House. The results were in: Senator Barack Obama was voted president elect, Senator John McCain congratulated him with grace and poise, and the nation trembled with either excitement and remorse at the prospect of change. The events of the last year were exciting for the public, but they were life-changing for the men and women who dedicated their time and energy to the campaigns through victory or defeat. Several university students sought and gained the opportunity to
work on the presidential campaigns and their unique experiences on the journey to Nov. 4 left them forever changed. A longtime proponent and supporter of McCain, class of 2008 alumnus Molly Nevola decided in October 2007 that she wanted to work for his presidential campaign after graduation in May. When her phone rang in her last class as an undergraduate at the university, she answered it and received the offer she had been waiting for after months of applying and reapplying. Nevola had just 24 hours to accept the offer to work in the scheduling department of McCain’s national headquarters in Arlington, Va. She turned down several “real” jobs to take the position, packed her bags for Washington D.C., and started working for the campaign by the end of May before she even had an apartment in the city. For the next five months, Nevola spent her days in an office processing, organizing and responding to all incoming invitations for McCain to attend various events – everything from birthdays and Bar Mitzvahs to government agency events, galas, balls and Republican rallies. A former Old Gold & Black staff writer, Nevola found great use for her writing skills as she performed a large portion of the writing – both regular regret reponses to events McCain could not attend while on the campaign trail and special letters
See Trail, Page A3
University Law school receives gift appoints new dean By Katie Phillips | Staff writer
By R. Hunter Bratton | Staff writer
Last month while most university students were preparing for their fall examinations, Jill Tiefenthaler, the university’s Provost, announced that the extensive in-house search for a new Dean of the College had ended with the decision to name Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Reynolds Professor of Computational Biophysics, the new Dean of the College. The appointment of Fetrow appears to match the university’s aspiration of “building academic programs of nationally recognized excellence,” as stated in the new Strategic Plan that was eleased last semester. “Jacque’s academic discipline reflects the exponential integration of the sciences, and her research is prolific and excellent,” Tiefenthaler said in an e-mail sent to university students in December. Tiefenthaler declared that the research and scientific exploration of Fetrow is “internationally recognized and respected.” After joining the university in 2003, Fetrow quickly integrated herself into the university academe and is currently an affiliated faculty member of the Wake Forest School of Medicine while simultaneously holding a position with the university’s School of Biomedical Engineering and Science, a joint program with Virginia Tech. “Dr. Fetrow epitomizes Wake Forest’s teacher-scholar ideal and is fully committed to our mission,” Tiefenthaler said. By appointing Fetrow, an academic who has positions in both the physics and computer science departments, the university hopes to bridge high-level research innovation
See Dean, Page A2
The Wake Forest University’s School of Law received a large fund to help those who cannot otherwise support themselves legally. The gift was given by the Legal Aid Society of Northwest North Carolina. The gift is a total of $465,605 and will be used to create the university’s Legal Aid Society Endowed Fund. Law school Dean Blake Morant said, “We are thrilled that the Legal Aid Society has chosen to contribute to the Wake Forest School of Law in such a magnanimous way. This generous gift will expand the Law School’s ability to provide legal services to the poor.” The endowment will support the community outreach program and increase helping the economically disadvantaged in legal matters. The Legal Aid Society of Northwest
North Carolina is the state’s first legal aid society. After combining with the Legal Aids of North Carolina in 2007, the Legal Aid Society sold its building in Winston-Salem and donated the proceeds to the university’s school of law, according to the Legal Aid Society’s board president Cal Adams of Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice. “We wanted to keep the money in the community, and we’ve always had a very close relationship and strong connection with the Law School,” Adams said. “We’re excited about what Dean Morant is trying to do with the pro bono clinical programs. It seemed to be the perfect fit.” Bill Spry, a board member of the Legal Aid Society, said the goal of the board was to see the money go to providing legal services to those who can least afford it. “We wanted the money to continue in some way to serve the
Mysterious credit card charges confuse customers Credit card customers from coast to coast are complaining after finding a mysterious charge for $.25 on their statements. The charges all come from the nonexistent “Adele Services” of Melville, N.Y. It is suspected that someone is trying to steal little amounts of money from a large group of people because larger charges have yet to be discovered.
Baseball team honors Obama with name change For its Jan. 23 game, the Brooklyn Cyclones will change its name to the Baracklyn Cyclones. The team will wear red, white and blue jerseys with its new name on them, give out free Barack Obama bobbleheads to the first 2,500 fans and have a “Joe the Plumber” special. There are many more special promotions including one where anyone named Barack, with an ID, gets in for free.
Slumdog Millionaire wins big at Golden Globes Slumdog Millionaire, a film about orphans and criminals in Mumbai, won four Golden Globes on Jan. 11. It took home awards for best drama, best director, best screenplay and best musical score. Other highlights of the award ceremony include Kate Winslet winning best actress (Revolutionary Road) and best supporting actress (The Reader) honors along with Heath Ledger winning for his role in The Dark Knight as the Joker.
Nintendo offers easier way to play games Bobby O’Connor/Old Gold & Black
A new fund will support outreach programs. mandate of the Legal Aid Society,” he said. “We believed the law school can use the money to fund clinics to provide legal aid to the poor.” Spry has practiced law in Winston-Salem for 20 years.
Nintendo is proposing a patent that will allow more user-friendly ways to play its games. It allows gamers to start at any point in the game without unlocking any previous levels. It will also allow games to have demonstration videos available in case a player gets stuck.
Staff member receives esteemed award By Cheryl Johnson | Staff writer
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) recently awarded a Meritorious Service Award to Harold R. Holmes, the associate vice president and dean of student services at the university, during its annual conference in San Antonio, Texas. for his participation in 30 reaffirmation visits. A native of New York City, Holmes graduated from Hampton University with a bachelor’s degree in business management and from Fordham University with a master’s degree in
management. He has completed both the College Management Program at Carnegie Mellon University and the Management Development Program at Harvard University. Holmes is a member of The Network’s Council of Advisors and is involved in the leadership of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and other professional and civic organizations at both national and regional levels such as the Compliance Certification Consultant group. Holmes joined the university community in 1987 as the director of career services. Prior to his arrival, Holmes
Life | B5
INSIDE:
The Australian Tourism Board in Queensland announced on Jan. 13 that it is offering $105,000 for someone to live on Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef for six months. The job recipient will be the island’s caretaker and will only be required to stroll the beaches, snorkel the reef, perform minor tasks and report to a world-wide audience by weekly blogs, photo diaries and videos. This campaign is to protect the tourism industry of Australia during economic hardship.
Sound Off
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Police Beat
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WAKE Radio discusses the top albums of 2008 in this special edition of Sound Judgment
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• University students spend break volunteering | A2
held a number of management positions in the banking industry, both in New York City and Winston-Salem. SACS is a regional educational accreditation agency for over 13,000 public and private educational institutions ranging from preschool to college level in the southern United States. This organization is the recognized regional accrediting body in 11 southern states and in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. SACS accredits educational institutions in the states of Virginia, Florida, Geor-
Sports | B1 Athletes Awarded Soccer players Sam Cronin and Marcus Tracy and linebacker Aaron Curry were all honored with national awards this past fall.
gia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas, as well as schools for U.S. students in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The Meritorious Service Award was initiated by Business Affairs in 1986 to recognize excellence among staff personnel. Each year since its founding, university officers have presented Meritorious Service Awards to one employee within their respective areas. These professionals then join the ranks
See Holmes, Page A2
Opinion | A5 Clogged Plumbing Joe the Plumber fails to see big picture as he narrow-mindedly reports from Israel.