University Advancement Vol. XXVIII No. 1 July 9, 1998 Phillip Brown, editor
Marine Corps Uses Trask Coliseum for Exercise Southern Response
Trask Coliseum served as the primary site for Exercise Southern Response conducted June 29-30 by the Marine Corps' Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) from Camp Lejeune. The military unit is trained to respond to weapons of mass destruction involving chemical or biological agents and is the only unit of its kind in the world, said Sgt. Edward Harcher, public affairs chief for the two-year-old unit.
Approximately 280 Marines and sailors along with the U.S. Public Health Service, Wilmington Fire Department and university police and staff participated in the exercise. Sixty-five high school students on campus for the Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics Institute were "victims" during the simulated explosion and release of nerve gas. Other victims included Jack Hall, earth sciences, his two children, Matt and Kristen, and Jennifer Hallman, an intern in university relations.
The exercise was conducted as if Trask Coliseum had been the scene of an actual chemical attack. "Victims" were positioned throughout Trask Coliseum under the premise of attending the Seahawk World Games, an international basketball contest. During the exercise rehearsal June 29, military personnel instructed participants how to simulate the effects of sarin, a nerve gas. For the actual exercise, military personnel applied makeup on participants to resemble injuries that would occur from the resulting pandemonium following a real gas attack.
When the exercise began around 6:15 p.m., university police and Wilmington Fire Department cordoned off the area around Trask Coliseum. The Wilmington Fire Department washed survivors who escaped from Trask Coliseum with decontamination solution and inspected the arena before briefing the military unit, which responded from positions at Roland-Grise Middle School and the National Guard Armory. The Marines set up two decontamination tents for survivors near the University Center. CBIRF members donned suits to protect them from all known chemical and biological units and began rescuing incapacitated "victims."
As part of the exercise, CBIRF members faced many unannounced obstacles including victims who spoke no English, were deaf or extremely uncooperative either screaming to be left alone or not be touched.
According to military officials, the purpose of the exercise was to enhance the response capability of participating agencies if faced with an incident involving a weapon of mass destruction. CBIRF has the capability to respond to a situation on the East Coast within a few hours, and Sgt. Harcher said, is a prototype for 128 similar forces to be created in as many U.S. cities.
A film crew from the History Channel recorded the rehearsal and exercise for a documentary tentatively titled "Clouds of Death" scheduled to air in December.
Executive Mansion Open to State Employees
All state employees are invited to visit the Executive Mansion located at 200 N. Blount Street in Raleigh. The mansion is open to state employees from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays in July. Built in 1891, the Executive Mansion is one of the oldest structures in America specifically built and continuously used as the home of governors and their families.
Division Hosts Groups and Conferences
As part of UNCW's mission, the Division for Public Service and Extended Education coordinates hosting of groups whose missions coincide with the UNC system. The division emphasizes recruiting non-profit groups for training or educational purposes. The following groups will be hosted this month: Coast Trek, July 12-17, July 19-24 and July 26-31; Ocean Lab, July 12-17 and July 19-24; Girls Teen Leadership Camp, July 12-18; Teacher Academy, July 12-17 and July 19-24; 4-H Electric Congress, July 13-15; AFL-CIO, July 19-24; Universal Cheerleaders, July 21-24 and July 31-Aug. 3, National Association of Social Workers, July 26-31 and Association of Junior League Area III, July 31-Aug. 2.
Political Science Has New Fax Number
The Department of Political Science has a new fax number, ext. 3286.
First Aid Training
The Safety Department is offering standard first training from 8 a.m. to noon July 14 and 15, 1 to 5 p.m. July 21 and 23, 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 15 and 16 and 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 22 and 24. The cost is $25. To register, call ext. 3057.
College of Arts and Science Name New Department Chairs
The College of Arts and Sciences announces the formation of the Departments of Computer Science and Social Work. Barbara Greim is the interim chair of the Computer Science Department, and Nelson Reid will chair the Department of Social Work. The Computer Science Department's office is Bear Hall, Room 105, and Greim's telephone extension is 7192. The Computer Science Departmental secretary, Emma Kay Thorton, can be reached at ext. 7182. The office for the Department of Social Work is Friday Hall, Room 239. To contact Reid, call ext. 7341 or e-mail reidn. Joe Wilson has been named the new chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. The Department of Mathematical Sciences will now be the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
CAS Office Change
The offices of Associate Deans Rudi Keifer and Stephen Pullum are located in Bear Hall, Room 109.
Public Service Offers Chemistry Camp
The Division for Public Service and Extended Education is offering a hands-on chemistry camp that will feature concepts using everyday materials. The instructor is Kim Jones. The camp, which costs $120, is scheduled from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. July 27-31 on the campus. For more information, call ext. 3195.
Psychology Experiment Subjects Still Needed
Participants between the ages of 50 and 65 are still needed for an experiment in the Psychology Department. For more information, contact Becky at 254-4686.
Academic Advising Program Receives National Award
UNCW's academic advising program has been recognized as the 1998 Outstanding Institutional Advising Program by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). The university will be honored at the awards presentation Oct. 5 at the annual NACADA conference in San Diego.
"We are excited about the award," said Denis Carter, associate provost for enrollment affairs. "It gives national recognition to a program to which we are not only committed to, but take personal pride in being able to provide to our students."
The award recognizes innovative or exemplary practices that have resulted in the improvement of academic services. Freshman to sophomore retention rates for freshmen entering fall 1996 was 3 percent higher than four years ago. This was the second highest among similarly classified UNC institutions. In addition, the average GPA of freshmen increased to 2.6 from 2.3 from four years ago.
Academic advising is provided to freshmen and undeclared majors through the Student Academic Support Program. It includes 45 faculty advisors, four full-time and part-time advisors and support staff. The Learning Center, Writing and Reading Place and the Math Lab are also part of the academic support system.
Discount Coupons
Discount coupons for admission to Paramount's Kings Dominion and Carowinds theme parks are available in human resources. Valid dates are July 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26.
Alumni Golf Tournament Scheduled for October
The 1998 Cape Fear Alumni Golf Classic is set for Oct. 23 at River Landing Golf Course. Participation will be open to all faculty, staff and students. For more information, contact Mike Arnold at ext. 2684.
Summer Kayak Tours
The Discover Outdoor Center is holding summer kayak tours. The trips cost $10 and includes equipment, transportation and guides. Register at the Discover Outdoor Center, University Center, Room 138. Family, friends and first-time kayak users are welcome. For more information, call ext. 4052. Kayak tours will be conducted the following dates and locations: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 11 Black River and noon to 5 p.m. July 24 Cape Fear River.
Fire Extinguisher Training
The Safety Department is offering portable fire extinguisher training at 3 p.m. July 15 and 10 a.m. July 22. The cost is $5. To register, call ext. 3057.
Hurricane Season Returns, Time to Review Preparedness
It is more than a month into the 1998 hurricane season which means it is time to review the university's hurricane preparedness procedures. When the area is under a hurricane watch, usually two to five days in advance of adverse weather, the university sets up its emergency operations center and begins daily briefings. When the hurricane watch changes to a hurricane warning, usually 24 hours before hurricane landfall, the emergency operations center is manned. If New Hanover County issues a mandatory evacuation of Wrightsville and Carolina beaches, Chancellor James R. Leutze will close the campus. Classes will be dismissed until the campus is reopened. Faculty and staff will also be dismissed until the campus reopens. Students will be encouraged to return home or depart campus to stay with friends. If the campus closes, Rose Avenue, Wood Dale Drive, MacMillan Avenue and Riegel Drive entrances will be blocked. If the campus loses power, all entrances will be closed; however, Randall Drive will be open for through traffic. Faculty and staff will be encouraged to watch local media for updates or call ext. 3991 for the latest information.
Submissions for this section are published in order received. Due to the volume of submissions, there can be a two- to three-week delay in publication. Your patience is appreciated.
David Webster, biological sciences, published the mammalian species account on Miller's long-tongued bat with Charles Handley, Jr., curator of mammals at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution), and Pascual J. Soriano, Department de Biología, Universidad de Los Andes in Mérida, Venezuala. This nectar- and fruit-eating bat, which is found throughout much of northern South America, is the major pollinator and seed disperser of many commercially important neotropical plants. Also, Webster gave the oral presentation "Systematics on the Northern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda" at the 78th annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists at Virginia Tech University. It was co-authored by Nancy Moncrief, Virginia Museum of Natural History; Hugh Genoways, Nebraska State Museum at the University of Nebraska; and Jerry Choate, Sternberg Museum of Fort Hays State University. At this same meeting biological sciences graduate student David Rabon co-authored the poster presentation "Ontogeny of Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Two Species of Mictrotus" with Kim Sawrey, psychology, and Webster.
Michael Durako, biological sciences and CMSR, presented the invited paper "Patterns of Change in the Florida Bay Hydroscape: Or How the West Was Lost" during a special session "Linkages Between Ecosystems: The South Florida Hydroscape" of the 1998 joint American Society of Oceanography and Limnology/Ecological Society of America meeting in St. Louis.
William Cooper, chemistry, received $200,085 for his project "The Electron Beam Process in Drinking Water Treatment: Biological, Cryptosporidium and Giardia, Control and Contaminant Treatment."
Grace Burton, curricular studies, attended the seventh annual Family Reunion Conference at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. This by-invitation-only event is moderated each year by Vice President and Mrs. Al Gore. Special panelists addressing the topic "Families and Health" included President and Mrs. Bill Clinton.
Ron Johnson and Sue Cody, library services, had their article "Git It for Me on Interlibrary Loan: Patron-Initiated Electronic Requesting and Document Delivery on the INNOPAC Interlibrary Loan Module" published in the Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery and Information Supply vol. 8 no. 4, 1998.
Laela Sayigh, Ann Pabst, Alex Bocconcelli, Bill McLellan and Chris Powell, biological sciences and CMSR, participated in the annual live capture and release of bottlenose dolphins at Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, Fla. In addition, graduate students Guen Jones, Jessica Plant, Kim Urian, Mark Allen and Ari Friedlander and undergraduate Debi Koster participated. The project is the longest running marine mammal population study in the world with data collected for more than 25 years. UNCW gathered data on signature whistles, thermoregulation and health assessment to compare with ongoing studies in North Carolina.
James Walters, admissions, was elected chair of the Editorial Board of the Journal of College Admission, the journal of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling. In addition, he presented the papers "Enrollment Management: Becoming a Key Player" and "Becoming a Director of Admissions" at the Asheville Admissions Institute. He was also appointed a member of the advisory council in the guidebook "College Choice and Admissions: The Best Resources to Help You Get In" published by Resource Pathways Press.
John Taggart and Susan Lovelace, CMSR, received $4,947 for their project "FY 97 Education Program for the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve."
Title Changes in Business Affairs
Starting July 1, the following title changes in business affairs took effect: Tammy Blizzard is comptroller from director of accounting, Jan Lion Riemersma is associate comptroller from associate director of accounting and Dan Geddie is director of finance services from director of financial reporting. The changes more accurately reflect the scope and level of their positions and are more compatible with titles used by other UNC system institutions.
Shared Leave
Shared leave donations are needed for Jeanmarie "Teri" Meadowcroft, purchasing, to help avoid leave without pay during illness. Send vacation leave request forms to human resources. For more information, call Willina at ext. 3006.
Staff Training
Windows '95 Basics, 10 a.m. to noon July 14.
Refer to the Staff Training and Development Booklet for registration information or call ext. 3274. To register for computer training, call ext. 4357.
Staff Vacancies
| Deadline | ||
| 98-150 | Financial Aid Counselor | July 15 |
| 98-151 | Admissions Counselor | July 15 |
| 99-002 | Marketing/Develop. Ass't | July 15 |
| 99-003 | Office Manager | July 17 |
| 99-004 | Office Assistant III | July 17 |
| 99-005 | Master's Prog. Secretary | July 17 |
| 99-006 | Office Assistant III | July 17 |
| 99-007 | Mgr. Annual Giving Program | July 17 |
Call the Jobline at ext. 3791 or visit HR's website for additional information or to download the state application.
Welcome
Please welcome the following new employees:
John Austin, LaRonda Brewer and Stephanie Helmers, housing and residence life; Brandi Hephner, student affairs; Shawn Murphy, information technology; and Diane Sledden, career services.
The Campus Communique is UNCW's weekly faculty/staff newsletter. It is published every Thursday. The deadline for Communique submissions is noon, Tuesdays, unless otherwise notified. E-mail submissions to Communique, send faxes to 962-3847 or mail to 108 Alderman Hall. Phillip Brown can be contacted at ext. 7223.
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