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Volume 87 Issue 10 • Feb. 4, 2013
210-486-1776 • Single copies free
Huffington Post invites chancellor to blog
Heads up Black History Month events fill calendar February is Black History Month and this year’s theme is the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. This college is celebrating Black History Month with the following: Monday The Black Student Alliance will sponsor the opening ceremony featuring President Robert Zeigler 9 a.m-10:30 a.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center. Call 210-4860598 or email bsasac@gmail.com. Thursday National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day activities will be sponsored by the Black Student Alliance. Information and free testing will be available from 10 a.m.noon in the mall and health promotions office in Loftin. Call 210-4860598 or email bsasac@gmail.com. Feb. 12 The Black History Month Committee and the Black Student Alliance will sponsor presentations from the Emancipation Proclamation & BSA Scholarship Founders from 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. in the craft room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0598 or email bsasac@ gmail.com.
St. Philip’s celebrates Black History Month St. Philip’s College is honoring Black History Month with six events. There will be a continental breakfast 9 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Heritage Room in the MLK campus. Bishop David Copeland, Pastor of New Creation Christian Fellowship and MLK Commission Chairman 2013, will speak after the breakfast from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., artist Howard Rhoder will be in the Morgan Gallery for a meet and greet. On Thursday, there will be a screening of “Remember the Titans” from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Heritage Room and 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Southwest Campus. The President’s Lecture Series presents Herman Boone, former T.C. Williams High School football coach featured in the movie “Remember the Titans,” at 11 a.m. Feb. 12 in the theater of the Watson Fine Arts Center. The San Antonio Youth Wind Ensemble will play at 8 p.m. Feb. 16 in the theater of the Watson Fine Arts Center. St. Philip’s culinary art students will sponsor a soul food feast at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 22 in the Heritage Room. This event accepts cash or checks only.
See Events, Page 2
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By Rebecca Salinas
rsalinas191@student.alamo.edu
Cait Coker, coordinator of research services at Texas A&M University, College Station, hands books from the Morrison Collection to Robin Hutchison, collection manager lecturer, to pack for transfer to the university Thursday. Monica Correa
Morrison collection moves out Alamo Colleges faculty and students still will be able to access the collection at Texas A&M University. By Rebecca Salinas
rsalinas191@student.alamo.edu
Despite the fourth floor of Moody Learning Center being closed for construction, librarians from Texas A&M University, College Station, packed up the Lois Goddard Morrison Collection Thursday to transfer to their university’s Cushing Memorial Library and Archives. The Alamo Colleges board of trustees approved the donation of the 18th-century collection during their December regular board meeting. Director Eileen Oliver said the collection was lightly used since its 1968 establishment. “It’s kind of a waste to have a valuable collection of materials sitting there, we felt it would be better used at a university where there is research and more in-depth research takes place,” Oliver said. According to an interlocal agreement, “The advent of the Internet has reduced the demand for physical access to such collections as the (Morrison) Collection …” It also states the Internet has reduced the value of the collections and value lies upon cataloguing such items for the Internet. Oliver said this college first initi-
ated the transfer because the collection was lightly used, although, she said English professors wanted it to remain because of its value. The McAllister Collection, which has Texas-related materials, will remain on the fourth floor of the library, along with the Daughters of the American Revolution’s collection. Oliver said a rare books dealer evaluated the Morrison collection several years ago and he found several institutions that could make good use of the collection. The Ranger reported that the collection was valued at $444,503.99. She said Texas A&M already has a 17th-century collection of books, so they also wanted to have an 18th century collection of materials. “I’m very happy that it is going to a research institute where it is going to be used, because that is the purpose of the collection, not to just sit in a room and not be used,” She said. “I think it’s a very positive outcome for the collection.” Only the original material Morrison donated is being transferred to Texas A&M, Oliver said. “No materials that are being donated have been added to it from us,” Oliver said.
There are about 4,200 items in the collection and 1,100 of them are from Morrison herself. Morrison was a former dean of women at this college for 14 years who retired in 1968. The collection contains British literature pieces from the mid-17th to 18th centuries with items such as The Spectator, The Tatler and The Bee. Works from authors Edgar Allan Poe, Eustace Budgell and Joseph Addison are also featured in the collection. Oliver said the collection had to remain under lights to prevent mildew and mold, and a special air conditioning unit had to be installed to house the collection in the Baskin Suite. The fourth floor of Moody is under construction and the air conditioning unit will have to be upgraded for the other collections. Oliver said the extra space will be used for a reading area with large tables to look at material from the other collections and a meeting area. According to the agreement, faculty and students from the Alamo Colleges still will be able to access the collection during Cushing’s library business hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call the Cushing staff at 979-845-1951 or visit cushing.library.tamu.edu.
Chancellor Bruce Leslie was selected to blog for The Huffington Post because of his success as chancellor, Leo Zuniga, associate vice chancellor of communications, said Jan. 25. The Alamo Colleges board of trustees approved Leslie’s unpaid blog 9-0 during the regular board meeting Jan. 22 in Killen Center. The blog was not an agenda item, but Zuniga’s board meeting report states the blog was discussed during executive session. Neither Leslie nor a representative of Huffington Post were available for comment. Zuniga said the Huffington Post was interested in Leslie because the district was the only community college system selected in Texas to be in a project called Developing a Community College Student Roadmap. “Given the recent history of the Alamo Colleges, in terms of awards we have received at the national level, this brought it to their attention, and they’re interested in Dr. Leslie writing a blog because of his expertise in higher education,” he said. Zuniga said the district won the Bellwether Award last year for the planning, governance and finance division. This year, the district is a finalist for the Bellwether Award in the workforce development category. The winner will be announced at the Community College Futures Assembly’s annual meeting Wednesday in Orlando, Fla. He said the district is also among Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges. Zuniga said Leslie will choose the topic he wants to write about and the blog will appear on the Huffington Post’s college website at huffingtonpost.com/college. He said the blogs will be published within the next couple of months.
SGA prepares for Community College Day at statehouse SGA will be voting today at noon in Room 260 of Loftin to amend its constitution to add two new officers, a historian and a parliamentarian. By Michael Meinen sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The Student Government Association discussed multiple events at their Jan. 28 meeting, but focused on Tuesday’s Community College Day. Members of SGA and clubs, accompanied by a select group of faculty, will travel to Austin to confer with state legislators on issues facing college students today.
Thousands of students across the state will lobby for increasing financial aid to match rising tuition costs and the rising cost of textbooks. “It is unknown what the trip will cost since the SGA does not know the amount of students attending,” SGA President Jacob Wong said. All students are welcome to attend, but Wong said they must observe a strict dress code of “coat and tie” wear.
Buses will leave SAC at 6 a.m. and return about 5 p.m. Students will meet at the office of student life in Room 260 of Loftin Student Center. Sack lunches will be provided. SGA meetings are noon-1 p.m. the first three Mondays of each month in the craft room of Loftin. For more information, call Mark Bigelow, assistant coordinator of leadership and activities, at 210-486-0125 or e-mail him at mbigelow2@alamo. edu.