Jill Smeltzer, director of counseling at the Powell Resource Center encourages students to learn stress-relieving methods that work for them. If a student feels overwhelmed Smeltzer has brochures with suggestions of how to cope with exams.

Resident Advisors are also a good source for stress-relieving tips.  One RA, Nikki Lynn, has an enjoyable method that works for her. “I enjoy crafting, all kinds of crafting. I like puffy painting and making shirts for APO. It helps.”

Traditional and effective study techniques include time management, exercise, a healthy diet, prioritization, forming study groups, sleep and study breaks. Smeltzer adds that drinking soda before an exam is not always the best idea. While the student will feel an initial rush of energy, it will soon be followed by a crash, which is unsuccessful during the exam itself.

Excessive stress can have a negative effect on exam performance. During this difficult time students should keep their workload in perspective and relax (if possible.) Best of luck!

The Spring 2010 Exam schedule is as follows:

Chelsea Campbell

The Lady Wasps (3-19, 3-13 ODAC) dominated the opening match, scoring five runs in the first inning and four in the second to jump out to a 9-1 lead. All but two E&H starters notched hits in the game, and Ashley Ebersole, Sierra Waters, Amanda Bradley and Chelsea Campbell each had two RBIs. Waters picked up the win inside the circle.

The second game was much more exciting, and still ended favorably for Emory & Henry. The Lady Wasps overcame eight fielding errors to score two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 6-5 walk-off win.

Chelsea Campbell tied the game in the seventh inning with a RBI single to left field, and Anne Saville singled up the middle to drive in the winning run with two outs.

Campbell stung three hits in the second contest to lead E&H. Ashley Ebersole had two hits, including a two-run home run in the first inning. Saville had two hits and Amanda Bradley had 2 RBI in the game. Megan Smith pitched all seven innings for the Lady Wasps, picking up the win and surrendering no earned runs.

The event, which kicks off on April 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the BOV, will include a senior banquet and portfolio showcase, followed by award presentations to an Outstanding Senior and several departmental underclassmen.

A keynote address will follow award presentations and will be given by esteemed alumnus Lori Cogan, Senior VP of Integrated Marketing for the Tombras Group in Johnson City, TN.

Senior Lacey May values the annual event:  “I have attended Mass Comm weekend in the past and it’s exciting being a part of this year’s senior class. It is an excellent opportunity for underclassman to see the end result and the quality professionals that this program is able to produce.”

The event will continue on Saturday, with a free breakfast in Miller at 10 a.m. and an alumni panel at 10:30 in Miller 210. The panel will include Thomas Lester from the newspaper industry, Johnston Memorial Hospital PR professional Chris Dishma, Merdith Walker Denton from broadcast sales, WEHC Radio Manager Richard Graves, graduate degree and consulting professional Delilah White, and sports reporter Jenny Elder.

“The wide range of communications professionals serving on this year’s panel demonstrates Emory & Henry’s commitment to providing its students with diverse opportunities,” Junior Kate Sigety said.

Following the alumni panel, the 2010 seniors will discuss their various internship experiences in an internship panel.

For more information or to reserve your place at the 2010 Mass Comm Weekend, contact Teresa Keller at tkeller@ehc.edu.

By: Hai Yan Chen & Rayce Lamb

New York: Flashing Lights, Broadway, Greenwich Village, Times Square, Macy’s, Tiffany’s, Junior’s Cheesecakes, Empire State Building, ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, 24/7 excitement. . .

Behind the Glamorous Curtain is a side no one would imagine experiencing: depression, poverty, sorrow, and contamination of the environment. Despite the non-glamorous side of New York City there are still people who have hope and strive for happiness every day.

Emory & Henry College students Hai Yan Chen and Rayce Lamb experienced this on their spring break trip with the Bonner Program, and it was not long before they were tossed into reality. Within her first day of service, Hai Yan’s stereotypical image of New York City changed.

“My first day of service was in Brooklyn,” Hai Yan said. “My image of the stereotypical rude New Yorker changed within moments of my encounter with the needy. Instead, they were respectful and welcoming hosts.”

Once they found out that Hai Yan was from Southwest Virginia instead of Brooklyn they would exclaim loudly, “Welcome to Brooklyn!” The image of the vulgar, uncut New Yorker quickly began to fade for students involved in the Bonner experience.
“On my last day of service” Rayce said, “I had the opportunity to experience how poverty reached multiple ethnicities working through a soup-kitchen in Manhattan.”

Despite living in a society where English is the dominate language, people who cannot speak English still manage to smile and say “xie xie” or “gracias,” instead of the “thank-you” we usually take for granted. Despite having to live in a society where they are misunderstood daily, the immigrants still try to make the best of their situation.

On their last night of service, Hai Yan and Rayce had the opportunity to dine with six homeless individuals. Even after three days of service, Hai Yan and Rayce were still surprised to discover that the homeless were everyday people like the remainder of the society.

Regardless of the hardships they face every day, they strive to push forward and live every day to the fullest. In spite of the “stereotype” that society has placed on the homeless, the unique characteristics of their personalities shines through the mask civilization has placed upon them.

“It was an experience I would not give up for anything,” Rayce said when asked about his overall experience. As for Hai Yan, the experience “was life-changing.” Next time you find yourself amidst the glamour in a city atmosphere, look past the shining lights and discover the true life behind the Glamorous Curtain.

Since his time began on the Town Council four years ago, he has revitalized several buildings in the town square and has helped bring in five new businesses, which has helped in creating new jobs. He is the co-founder of Project Glade, a non-profit organization that is helping to restore the community.

He is now a candidate for mayor of Glade Spring in the upcoming May 4 election.
Coburn was born in 1970 in Mississippi. With a father in the Air Force, Coburn’s family moved around a lot. Before he was five years old, they lived everywhere from Virginia to Shreveport, Calif. His father is now settled in Abingdon, Va. His mother currently lives in Florida, and his sister lives in New Zealand, but both are planning on moving to this area soon. Coburn predicts a family reunion of sorts within the next six months.

Majoring in electronic imagery, Coburn graduated from the Atlanta College of Art in Atlanta, Ga. He remained there for 15 years before moving to Glade Spring six years ago. He owns and runs his own ad agency, Coburn Creative, which is based in Glade Spring. With his ad agency, he serves local clients such as the Barter Theatre, and wider spread clients such as Coca-Cola and Marvel Comics.

In addition to both serving on town council and running his ad agency, is an adjunct professor at Emory & Henry College, teaching a web design class. “He’s laid back but structured and he cares about the learning environment and staying on task, even though he likes to have fun and joke around,” said senior Jonathan Schmidt. Coburn has employed two Emory graduates at his ad agency.

In 2009, Coburn was honored with the Tri-Cities Business Journal 40 under Forty award for his contributions to both Glade Spring and the surrounding community.

“When I moved here in 2004, there wasn’t a strong civic organization,” Coburn said. He strived to change that when he began serving on the Town Council. “I decided to run for mayor because no one on the council wanted to run and I wanted continuity between this administration and the next.” Current mayor Steve Rowland has endorsed Coburn in the upcoming election.

Coburn’s platform of change for Glade Spring involves a business approach. He wants to continue to fight the blight that exists in town, continue to incubate an increase in economic development, and heighten community involvement.

“As a voter, what I’m interested in is the continued revitalization and growth of the down town square,” says Emory & Henry Vice President for Institutional Advancement Greg McMillan, who is an 11-year resident of Glade Spring.

In addition to the continuation of growth in the down town area, Coburn hopes to renovate things like a depleting church and school building, as well as give a tax break to people who are restoring older buildings. Currently, Glade Spring has the lowest property tax in the county, and Coburn wants to do all he can without raising that. He wants to work with county and federal governments to get grants for the town and help get the money back in the community.

Coburn also says if he becomes mayor, he will continue bringing in places of opportunity to Glade Spring. He also wants to add parks and trails and resolve maintenance issues like garbage pickup and maintaining foliage in the town. In addition to fixing these areas, he strives to add to the police force which currently consists of two officers. Coburn says these issues can and will be fixed with time and increased income to the town, which will come about with federal grants and growth in the economic development. “We need to work together to see how it can happen,” Coburn said.

Another significant part of Coburn’s plan for the town involves getting the citizens involved. He wants to utilize a web presence for the town government in order to put out announcements and project information about public forums that are available for the community members to attend.

“We don’t have all the answers here so it’s nice to hear different points of view,” said McMillan when the issue of Coburn’s time in the area arose. “I think he’s involved himself in the issues enough to know what is going on so I would hope that any concern that was expressed about his not being a native of Glade Spring could be addressed by the fact that he has assimilated into the community by his service in town government and investing in the community.”

Elections will be held Tuesday, May 4 for mayor and three town council positions.

One of these changes will be no longer having a squatting policy.  Unfortunately, many students will be misplaced due to the shift of housing options. Therefore, the only fair way to address the issue is to not allow anyone to squat.

A second change is that every student will need to predetermine who his or her roommate will be before room draw takes place. Students without a roommate must choose a single room or wait until the end of their grade to choose.

The housing options for the 2010-2011 academic year will vastly change as well. Co-ed dorms will include Linden, Cambridge, Hillman, Elm Hall, and Ma-Wa (freshmen only.) Female residencies are Crowe’s Nest, Weaver, and Stuart (freshmen only) while male residencies are Waterhouse, Carriger, Matthews (freshmen only), and Sullins (freshmen only.) There are three Honors housing options for those who meet the academic requirement – Princeton for boys, Collins for freshmen girls, and Damer for rising sophomore girls. Additional theme housing will also be available for those who fit the criteria, such as religious life, theatre arts, math and sciences, healthy living, and eco housing.

Director of Housing Jimmy Whited anticipates that room draw will be a great success.

“We are very excited and anxious to see how it’ll go,” says Whited. “There’s a lot of buzz about Hillman. There is a lot of excitement about room draw, but apprehension as well.”

In order to participate in room draw students must have their account with the Centralized Student Assistance Office current by 10:00 a.m. on March 26^th.  Students must also bring their student ID to the actual room draw.

If a student cannot attend they must assign a proxy prior to room draw.

Dates of room draw are March 26^th for rising juniors and seniors and April 8^th for rising sophomores.

The programs main goal is to address common stressful issues that students are faced with such as high levels of stress, especially during exam time. The meetings focal point is presenting the audience with stress, substance abuse, and anger management strategies. The program also touches on substance abuse being the leading stress reliever for these students. Alcohol and drugs used as the main source for stress relief can add to the problem, as well as violence among student athletes, greek organizations, as well as almost any unsuspecting student.

Sudden life tragedies that are thrown at students such as room mate and relationship conflicts, the loss of a loved one, and sudden injuries and illness are the main issues that cause college students to have higher levels of severe anxiety and depression…The programs goal is to introduce to students new ways to learn how to control their stress and anxiety in a healthy, beneficial way that not only affects the students well being but others around them as well. The program will also provide easy and confidential ways to seek guidance from the schools counselors, and stress how beneficial workshops and groups are to relax and eliminate stress.

Formore information on workshops, counseling sessions and other confidential ways to manage stress, contact Jill Smeltzer at 276 944 6144.

At last Tuesday’s lyceum, English Professor Dr. Robin Reid made his final goodbye to the student body.  After teaching English for 39 years, 29 of which have been at Emory & Henry College, Reid plans to retire at the end of this semester.

A Renaissance specialist and two-time recipient of the Exemplary Teaching Award, Reid has offered many classes in Shakespeare and Fantasy literature.  He gives much of the credit to his father for encouraging his love of reading and writing.

“When I have a little money, I buy books,” Reid says of his passion, “When I have a little more money, I buy food and clothes.”

This deep love of literature that Reid expresses to his students and fellow faculty colleagues is what is most admired about him.  As Dr. Felicia Mitchell said in her introduction to the lyceum, “His retirement didn’t come as a surprise, but it brought tears to my eyes.”

“I will miss all the treasured students,” Reid expresses,” that have made these past years so rewarding and challenging.”

Reid’s future plans are not ending with his retirement.  His love of the poet William Shakespeare and the medieval writer Edmund Spencer has led him to write extensively on the two.  He has recently published a book on Shakespeare in 2000 titled Shakespeare’s Tragic Form: Spirit in the Wheel and is already in the process of writing another.  He hopes to finish his next book, Renaissance Psychologies: Shakespeare and Spencer, within the next year.

An Emory & Henry College music professor will be leaving campus after this semester to be closer to his extended family.

Dr. Stephen Sieck, choral director and music professor, has accepted a teaching position at Wisconsin’s Lawerence University, which has one of the five best choirs in the country. There, he will teach two groups: a concert choir and the Viking chorale.

Lawerence is a small liberal arts college, but has a conservatory with over 350 music majors. Most of his extended family lives in Wisconsin, so he is thrilled to be closer to them.

Sieck has been at Emory & Henry for five years now, and reflects about the value of this institution. When asked what he will miss the most, he replied without hesitation: the relationships. “Relationships are so important here,” Sieck says as he describes that leaving here means leaving 400 friendships.

He also describes the unique quality of teaching at Emory & Henry. Sieck recalls a moment when he sat down to lunch and realized he was sitting at a table full of Virginia Professors of the Year. “The teaching here is the best- ridiculously good teaching,” he said when describing how blessed he felt to be around so many of them.

Sieck’s own career so far illustrates how much he cares for music and his students. After graduating from the University of Chicago with a degree in liberal arts, Sieck moved to Los Angeles, California. In California, he taught middle school students at a prestigious school for children of celebrities. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s children even attended that school. However, Los Angeles was not the place to raise children, so Sieck and his fiancée moved back to Illinois, where he attended graduate school at the University of Illinois.

As well as loving music, Sieck has a passion for philosophy. Finding Emory & Henry was a perfect opportunity for him because he got to teach philosophy. He described himself as a “bookish philosopher and musician.”  It has been quite a delight for him to teach Foundations, and indulge his philosophic knowledge.

As he recalls the students he has seen grow into their voices, he remembers one student especially. Sarah Trotter, a recent graduate of the music program and Sieck’s pupil, was a student he says really grew in confidence and strength of her voice. When she was a freshman, Sieck remembers her being timid, but last year she sang a soprano solo in front of the whole school and on tour. “I want every student to find their voice,” Sieck says with enthusiasm.

Sophomore Jessica Metz had this to say about her professor, “Dr. Sieck has been my favorite teacher since coming to Emory. He is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. He constantly challenges his students to give their best. Concert choir and E&H won’t be the same without him.”

What’s next for Dr. Sieck and our music program? He will leave for Wisconsin in late May after his children finish school. During the rest of the semester, candidates for his position will work with his classes and the choir to audition for the next music professor at Emory & Henry College.

For now, he plans to finish this semester by teaching the best he can, and preparing an easy way for the next professor.