The films that are primarily chosen for the series are films that this area would not normally be able to show. Due to small interest and small theaters, some of the films that have limited releases in national theaters don’t make it anywhere near Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.

“The series brings people in the area the chance to see quality films that they might never have heard of and or have the opportunity to see,” says Jennings.

Many of the films have received praise from those in the film industry in addition to awards and award nominations. For example, the film shown three weeks ago, A Serious Man, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. Two weeks after, Precious was shown and recently earned six Oscar nominations.

Overall, there is a very eclectic mix of films chosen for the series.

“I try to choose a mix of foreign, documentaries, and independent American films. I read reviews; other people send me tips, et cetera. I always have a “contact” on the Emory faculty who helps in the selection of films,” Jennings said. “Films are the popular art form in America, and, sadly, college students don’t know the range of wonderful films in all genres and all around the world that are available.”

The film series attempts to battle this. With a wide variety of films that both students and community members alike may not have the chance otherwise to see, the opportunity for an eye-opener is brought to the table. With such accessibility, and no charge for students or faculty of the sponsoring organizations, the film series continues to be a hit in the community.

“The brightest narrative artists are working on the great American screenplay these days, not the great American novel,” said Jennings.

Arts Array films are shown every Monday and Tuesday at 4:30 and 7:00 at the Abingdon Cinemall. Admission is free for students as long as you present your school ID and general admission is $7.50. For more information or a complete list of films being shown, contact Ben Jennings at bjennings@vhcc.edu or head to the Virginia Highlands Community College website and look for the events box.

The Washington County Board of Supervisors holds a public meeting every second and fourth Tuesday of each month beginning at 7:00 p.m. These meetings are intended to conduct business while including the citizens of Washington County. The supervisors discuss current issues of importance and give the public an opportunity to respond.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, the meeting had two main items on the agenda.

First, a new ordinance controlling dog barking was brought to the floor. This issue had been getting plenty of coverage since the session to discuss the ordinance had been postponed last month. As a result, an entire room full of people turned up to discuss the issue compared to the normal handful of attendees.

The new ordinance would pass into law a regulation on the nuisance of barking dogs. It would present the pet owner with a fine under two conditions: two neighbors from different households had to file a formal complaint and proof of the dogs barking continuously for 15 minutes had to be shown. In order to obtain that proof, neighbors could call either animal control officers or a police officer to the scene.

After initial public commentary, a separate speaking session was held in response to this ordinance. Citizens from all over the county took to the podium to address the seven board members. Paul Price, former member of the Board of Supervisors, spoke first in favor of the ordinance. It was because of his proposals that the ordinance had come about.

Few people spoke in favor of passing the ordinance into law because of their experiences within their own neighborhood, but the greater majority of the room had turned out to oppose the passing of the ordinance. Some mentioned that they had livestock protection or hunting dogs and they could not without harmful force stop their dogs from barking.

At the close of public commentary, Sheriff Fred Newman took to the podium to express his views. Taking from police reports and complaints within the last year, Newman said he could not support the ordinance. According to record, only 17 complaints had come into the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in regards to dog barking issues, but over 100 had been made about dogs roaming free in neighborhoods. Newman said the real problem lay within leash laws.

The board voted not to pass the ordinance into law.

The second issue of hot discussion at this meeting was the buying of a $7.5 million dollar building for county official use. The building currently houses Alpha Natural Resources. This comes shortly after an announcement of a cut in budget of the county schools by $5.8 million.

In order to pay for the new building, property taxes within the county will be increased starting possibly as early as 2012. Many members spoke in protest of the purchase of the new building, citing the current economic situation as a reason to postpone the purchase. Tax payers have already faced increases, and the increase to purchase this building would be laid on top of the existing taxes within the county. No official decision has been made in regards to the purchase of this building.

To find out when the meetings take place, where, and more about the supervisor for your district of the county, visit the Washington County Board of Supervisors website at www.washcova.com.

“It has been hard but definitely worth it.” says Emory & Henry Sophomore Kalin Honaker, “Our whole department is pretty much a family.  There’s not much backstabbing going on among the actors.  We try to support each other and be professional.”

“Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” is written by Allan Ball and is an intelligent comedy.  Although some might see it as being full of laughs and humor, it has its own amount of seriousness.  It deals with issues such as AIDs and child molestation.  Honaker says that this blend of humor and solemnity makes the play “great for the average theatre goer.”

The play is based on the lives of five very different bridesmaids who are all trying to avoid a wedding reception.  They each have issues to deal with and experience their own personal breakthroughs.  Honaker plays Trisha, a jaded socialite who has problems opening up to others.  Her trust issues have become a problem and are keeping her from taking a chance on who could possibly be the love of her life.

“Trisha never tries to have any depth in her relationships because she’s afraid to open up.” Honaker says, “But now she has to decide whether or not to take that step of faith.”

The other characters are Mindy, the lesbian sister of the groom; Meredith, the bride’s rebellious sister; Georgeanne, the drama queen; Frances, a fundamentalist Christian; and Tripp, the groom’s cousin.  These are played by Emory & Henry Theatre actors Libby Hurley, Anna Marie Davis, Becca Litton, Suzie Eskelund, and Jamal Crowelle.

The play is opening on Thursday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre.  It will continue to show through the weekend on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are required and can be obtained at the cafeteria during lunch hours or at the Train Depot from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A graduate of nearby East Tennessee State University, Barker also served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam for a time. After graduating from ETSU, where he fell in love with tennis, he decided to move to Florida.

“I decided that I wanted to go somewhere that I could play tennis on a regular basis,” Barker said.

After a stint working in the Florida Department of Education, Barker moved to an occupation in his true passion, tennis. He became an assistant professional at a YMCA before continuing to own and operate a tennis facility near Fort Myers, Florida where he met John Biffar, who would become a long-time friend and business partner. Biffar, who owns Dreamtime Entertainment, was working with the CBS affiliate station in Fort Myers at the time and coerced Barker into his involvement in the entertainment world.

“I have extreme OCD,” Barker said, possibly joking, possibly not. “It’s nice to switch up things from time to time because I get bored.”

When Biffar started Dreamtime, previously known as Long John Productions, Barker was hired full time as a videographer. During his time with Long John Productions, Barker and Biffar produced documentaries on Mel Fisher, one of the world’s most successful treasure hunters, Pope John Paul II, and many philanthropic issues, most notably his film Children of the Fourth World about underprivileged children in Guatemala. Barker and his colleagues have also done multiple pieces for the History Channel and the Travel Channel over the years. He is planning to make a trip to Haiti to document the devastation from the recent earthquake there, as well as to do some humanitarian work.

Barker combined his love for tennis with his love for entertainment, specializing in frying pan tennis (yes, that is tennis using a frying pan rather than a racket). He and Biffar traveled around Florida to challenge the best in frying pan tennis, and Barker even earned the nickname ‘Frying Pan’ Barker. His most noteworthy opponent was five-time U.S. Open and two time Wimbledon champion Jimmy Connors, who owned a resort in Fort Myers. Barker challenged the former world No. 1, saying that the town was “only big enough for one Jimmy.” Connors beat him in straight sets.

“That was my only frying pan tennis loss,” said Barker.

After Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida in 1992, Barker and his wife moved to Virginia, where he began work as the tennis coach at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol. When the tennis coaching position came open at E&H, Barker jumped all over it, and he’s been here ever since.

“The thing that satisfies my OCD at Emory & Henry is that I get to wear a lot of hats here,” Barker said.

He has served primarily as the tennis coach, but he also hosts his own radio show on WEHC-FM, The Eclectic Hour, and has even done some teaching. Barker took the tiller on one of the Transitions I courses in the College’s new Engaging the Liberal Arts curriculum this past fall.

The Eclectic Hour is designed to be half interview and half music. Barker encourages his guests to bring in their own tunes.

“I try to focus more on their music, and how they use music,” he said. “Music is like the eyes; it’s a window into the soul.”

Barker has also been a contributing member of the community since moving to Glade Spring. He served on the town council for four years and even ran for mayor once.

“I developed a sense of community,” Barker said.

Barker decided not to run for reelection after his term ended in 2008 because he wanted to get more involved here at Emory & Henry.

“Every couple of years, you find something that keeps you going,” Barker said. “I imagine I’ll always be doing tennis…I love playing tennis and I love being a teacher.”

Female rushees donned white t-shirts and turned their bids in to Greek Council at 4:30 p.m. in MaWa. They marched out the doors in groups of three and huddled up before running to their chosen sororities. Male rushes turned in their bids prior to the festivities.

Kappa Phi Alpha pledge Lauren Payne runs to current member Mandy Richardson

In total, there were twenty female rushees joining the six sororities and fifteen male rushes joining the fraternities. Alpha Beta Chi took the most female pledges at five with Shauna Smith, Kristen Blevins, Alison Azbell, Selena Trichel and Sarah Karabelas.

“Pledging has been an experience that I never could have imagined,” Azbell said. “It’s something that I am always going to hold dear. It has introduced me to girls who I know will be the people I can always count on for the rest of my life.”

Delta Omicron Pi got two pledges, Lindley Houston and Katie Richardson. Delta Rho Delta got three pledges: Chelsea Hall, Alison Scaplen and Caitlin Stroupe. Kappa Phi Alpha got the second largest pledge class at four with Ashley Masterson, Lauren Payne, Meghan Kitten and Becca Hanley.

Pi Sigma Kappa proudly boasted three new pledges: Brittany Davis, Shelley Hindmon and Melinda Adams. Sigma Upsilon Nu also got three with Becca Litton, Jesika Boyd and Kelsey Burke.

For the boys, Theta Chi Epsilon claimed the most with five: Victor Trussell, Nick Snyder, Kyle Leonard, Austin Wise and Jason Jones. The Dom-I-Nechers got only one pledge, Alex Proffit.

Sigma Iota was proud to take three pledges: Tyler Hayden, Aaron Anderson and Thomas Craig.

From left to right, E&H sorority members Logan Tyler, Katie McLaren, and Whitney Manning

“Pledge week is an exciting time for everyone from the pledges to the alumni,” Sigma Iota member Chase White said. “Relationships and bonds built during pledge week are different than any other.”

Phi Pi Alpha got two new pledges, Chris Wojtera and Jon Kirschmeier. Pi Delta Chi took only one pledge with Chris Caruana. Phi Gamma Phi boasted three: Zac Mitchell, Keith Fenner and Cody Foglesong.

Bid turn-in kicked off pledge week, which continues through Friday, Feb. 19. For more information about Greek life at Emory & Henry, contact Megan Evans, Greek Council President, at mevans05@ehc.edu.

Baylie Snyder scored 20 points for E&H.

Jasmine Greene led Hollins (2-21, 1-17 ODAC) with 29 points.

The game marked the end of a 69 game conference losing streak for the Green & Gold.

Myra Sims

Sims, a native of Hiltons, Virginia and a graduate of nearby Gate City High School, is a former women’s basketball coach at Emory, where she took the Lady Eagles to two NCAA Sweet 16s. She organized both women’s baseketball and volleyball at Emory University, coaching both sports at times.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Sims played both basketball and volleyball for the Bulldogs. Sims earned a B.A. in Psychology from UNC Asheville as well as an M.A. in Recreation Administration from Georgia State University.

Grigg, a junior, finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for E&H. J.D. Dyson netted a game-high 21 points for the Wasps (3-19, 1-11 ODAC). Bobby Stafford dished out seven assists.

In a game that sported 15 lead changes and 10 ties, Emory & Henry found themselves down by as much as nine points early in the second half, but fought back to take the lead on clutch consecutive 3-pointers by Malcolm Green and Josh Cunningham. Green and Cunningham finished with eight and nine points, respectively.

The Tigers (11-11, 6-7 ODAC), however, also demonstrated their resilience. E&H took a 65-55 lead with less than three minutes to go, but Hampden-Sydney mustered a 14-4 run on three quick baskets and two free throws to tie the game at 69 with just seconds left in the game.

Emory & Henry shot an astounding 45.8 percent from 3-point range, knocking down six of 12 second half treys. Along with Cunningham and Green, Michael Owens and Jordan Short both added big threes off the bench.

E&H point guard J.D. Dyson

The graduate fair, hosted by the Office of Institutional Advancement, the Alumni Office, and Career Services in the Powell Resource Center, will provide an array of opportunities for students. Local employers are attending to review resumes and to speak with students. Seniors will be able to order graduation announcements and class rings from Balfour, and they will learn how to contribute to the senior gift.  Also, this is the last opportunity for Juniors to order their caps and gowns for Fall Convocation.

Amanda Gardner, the Director of Career Services, says, “I would like to encourage Juniors and Seniors to take advantage of this opportunity to come out and enjoy a fun, themed event while learning about what they can do to make the transition to ‘life after E&H’ more successful.”

Students who visit this event will be placed in a drawing for a variety of door prizes, including a set of tickets to Dollywood, a two-night stay in the Blakemore House and various gift certificates.  A game of Cornhole will be set up for students to play in order to win other prizes also.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Board of Visitors Lounge. Students are welcome to visit any time between those hours to discuss plans for the future.  Amanda Gardner and Monica Hoel will be in Van Dyke in order to promote the event on Monday, Feb. 8.

Lynchburg finished with five scorers in double-digits and was led by senior Steven Echols, who tallied 36 points and made seven of nine 3-point attempts. Danny Reed finished with 16 points for the Hornets and Jeff Langrock, Nate Campbell and Brandan Connor each tacked on 10 points.

The Wasps were paced by forward Terrance Grigg, who netted 28 points. Jordan Short and J.D. Dyson added 22 and 18 points, respectively.

“We didn’t have any problems scoring,” said Short, a freshman. “We just couldn’t stop them… especially [Echols].”

Despite a disappointing first half result, the Wasps mustered an exciting comeback, cutting the deficit to three points (from 19 points at the half and 24 late in the first half) on two occasions. However, E&H was never able to gain the lead and the Hornets didn’t miss any free throws down the stretch.

“It didn’t matter if we fouled them,” Short said. “They were just going to go to the line and get two points there. That really killed us.”

Another stat that hurt the Wasps was rebounding. Lynchburg out-rebounded E&H 42-29, and outscored the Wasps 30-18 in the paint.

“We were almost there,” said Short. “We just couldn’t get over that hump.”