47& 803% (6&44 8)5 47& #&3*$,4 %5& 5) &.& %5&

Thanks to everyone who participated in the last photo quiz, and congratulations to

José Reichart, assistant director of institutional research, who was the first to guess that

the object in question was the air pump in front of the basement window of the John M.

Rivers Communications Museum on George Street. Recognizing the need for a public air

pump on campus, the Visual Arts Club elected to install the device, creatively disguising it

within the bicycle sculpture they crafted from old bicycle parts. The hose threads through

the window and attaches to the air compressor in

the office of Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture

Jarod Charzewski, the club’s adviser. With about

50 hits a day, the station is proving to be quite a

popular and handy addition to campus.

Take a look at the picture above. The object can

be found on campus. Do you know what it is? The

first person to submit the correct answer will win

a tasty lunch for two at Liberty Street Fresh Food

Company, compliments of ARAMARK. Good luck!

Send your submission to [email protected] by Friday, October

10, 2008. The contest is open to all College faculty and

staff. One submission per person, please.

Vernica Parker, Public Safety Corporal

“Marvin Sapp’s ‘Never Would Have Made It.’ This song is an inspiration to me because it allows me to reflect on how much I have grown through the years.”

FAMILY WEEKEND 5K RUNRun (or walk) a 3.125-mile loop

through downtown Charleston with

students, their families and members

of the Cougars cross country team.

WHEN: Saturday, October 4, 8 a.m.

WHERE: George Street, in front of

Porters Lodge

FEE: $5.00 (includes T-shirt)

CONTACT: Norma Luden, 953.5959

or [email protected]

SOUTHERN CIRCUIT FILM SERIESWatch and discuss with its filmmaker

Beyond the Call, which documents

three men taking desperately needed

food and medicine into the world’s

most forbidding yet naturally

beautiful places.

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 8 p.m.

WHERE: Albert Simons Center for the

Arts, room 309

FEE: None

CONTACT: Mark Sloan, 953.7891 or

[email protected]

TIDAL WAVE: IS BIG DEVELOPMENT DAMAGING THE COAST?Learn about the impacts of urban and

suburban development on Charleston-

area coastal ecosystems.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 28,

6–7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Robert Scott Small Building,

Admissions Auditorium

FEE: None

CONTACT: Jenny Fowler, 953.6526 or

[email protected]

There may be some real pigsties on campus, but you’d be hard pressed to

find one as neat and clean as Linda Braecklein’s – or one with quite as many

pigs. The drove of pigs eating pies, drinking beer and taking naps on her office

bookshelves aren’t making a mess of things at all. “Mostly they just help

students feel relaxed,” says Braecklein, office manager in both the German

and Slavic studies department and the Classics department. “They make the

office fun – and they’re fitting to my German office because pigs are good luck

in Germany.” And in Germany, Braecklein would be one lucky lady. Counting the

string of pig lights, the stuffed animals, the robotic pig, the talking pig, the pig

planter, the candied pigs and all the pig figurines – not to mention the stragglers

in her Classics office and in her home – Braecklein estimates that her collection

is in the hundreds. Still, she says she’ll “never turn away a cute pig – except

maybe a live one.” To be sure, that could get a little messy.

E OF C

The Portico Vol. 2, Issue 7

November Deadline: Oct. 12, 2008www.cofc.edu/theportico

Bethany LaPlante, Assistant Director of Student Life

“My theme song is ‘Linus and Lucy’ by Vince Guaraldi, better known as the Peanuts theme song. I have always loved the Peanuts cartoons, the song has been in my iPod forever and I have been able to apply so many Peanuts lessons to my work as a student affairs professional.”

Italian Professor Massimo Maggiari was honored with the Premio

LericiPea–Poeti Liguri nel Mondo, an award for his work as a literary

critic, poet and cultural promoter.

The comprehensive College Calendar is now available on the College’s homepage:

www.cofc.edu. Access the calendar to search for events, view event details, be

notified if events change, add events to your calendar and even submit events. For

more information, contact Stan Gray at 953.5496 or [email protected].

The open enrollment period for changes to healthcare benefits is October 1–31.

Employees currently with MUSC Options will need to choose another plan, as this

plan will no longer be offered in 2009. For more information, contact Sandy Butler

at 953.5709 or [email protected].

Between now and March 1, 2009, employees participating in the State Optional

Retirement Program (ORP) may change their investment provider. For more

information, contact Sandy Butler at 953.5709 or [email protected].

East Shore Athletic Club is offering discounted membership rates at any of its

regional locations to all employees with a College ID. For more information, visit

www.eastshoreac.com or contact Mandy Harrison at [email protected]

or 284.4243.

Rénard Harris, Assistant Professor

of Teacher Education

“‘John Henry’ because the tall-tale version written by

Julius Lester depicts John Henry as a

character of color who is empowered.” that time is now.

Loul Samater and Jarod Charzewski, both visiting instructors in the studio art department, are the featured artists at the William Halsey Gallery this fall in the aptly titled exhibit, Faculty Spotlight. “We always like to provide opportunities for artists teaching in our studio art curriculum to show in the Halsey. This way, students and the general community can see the extraordinary works provided by our faculty,” says Mark Sloan, director of the Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art. “This particular show highlights the work of two visiting professors and demonstrates that not all art is easily categorized.” And neither are the materials used to make it. Both of the artists use discarded objects that call into question their original, current and future purposes and that demand consideration to the space they’re consuming. Charzewski’s piece (shown above), for example, uses more than 3,000 articles of clothing that were donated to Goodwill. “This is a tiny fraction of what Goodwill sends to landfills on a daily basis,” says the visiting assistant professor of sculpture, adding that some clothes are sent to Third-World countries, which only “messes up the global economy. Goodwill is between a rock and hard place, because – while they want to encourage people to donate – they have this epidemic of donations that they can’t control.” The message behind Charzewski’s piece, however, doesn’t have to do with donating to Goodwill. Rather, the piece asks us to consider what we need, what we use and what we waste – and how that ends up shaping and misshaping the world. “Sometimes I think the point of the piece is taken for granted – which actually fits perfectly, since all these clothes have been taken for granted,” says Charzewski, whose piece takes up a good part of

the second floor of the gallery. “People come up here and they see clothes – they get caught up in the quantity and the mass. I think it’s easier for us to see clothes than to see how our obsession with things – getting them and getting more of them – has serious implications.” The T-shirts, jeans, fatigues, sweaters, polo shirts, corduroys, blouses, dresses, purses, trousers and shorts that make up Charzewski’s piece – which is titled Scarp to evoke the idea of a changing landscape – are carefully folded and arranged to appear as a geological formation, revealing deposits of similar fabrics and colors. “It was a really a chaotic process, but I took my time,” says Charzewski, who spent about a month sorting through the clothes, first separating them by color and then by fabric. “I took out the greens first, because I knew I wanted the top layer to be green to give it that fake-grass, golf-course look. Of course, then I realized there are a thousand different shades of green – so, more sorting. It was definitely a slow transition from mayhem to organized.” But it was worth the time and energy: The result is an astounding piece of art that is just as beautiful as it is thought provoking. “Sometimes you have to use beauty and some kind of ‘wow factor’ to draw people in. Once you get their attention, that’s when the meaning behind the art starts to sink in,” says Charzewski. “The way the clothes engulf this space shows how much room they’re consuming. It’s a facetious look at our new landscape. These clothes are here to stay. They might not be in your closet anymore, but they will always take up space.” Manipulating and taking up space was also an inspiration for Samater, whose installation includes four different pieces that evolved according to the contours of the first floor of the gallery. “This was basically my studio, and I took the whole space as my background,” says the visiting professor of painting and drawing (shown inside). “I wanted to incorporate all CONTINUED INSIDE

Porters Lodge

beautiful places.

Arts, room 309

FEE: None

[email protected]

6–7:30 p.m.

FEE: None

[email protected]

E OF C

or 284.4243.

the walls, the corners, the floors, everything.” From the pink party tablecloths draped floor to ceiling on one side of the room, to the shadows cast by the webbing across the corner on the other, it’s clear that Samater used the space not just as the backdrop for her art, but as art itself. One of the pieces – an inset box with a screen displaying a slideshow of her paintings – is on the outside of the gallery, another choice made based on space. “I really like the box because it kind of screams you in a little bit. When the gallery space is dark and you can’t see any of this, it’s kind of calling out to people out there,” says

Samater. “I also like how it’s set back a little bit so there’s this negative space. It makes you want to push your head into it.” Samater became interested in using empty space when she began exploring the role of space in diving bells. “I liked the idea of making a diving bell – you can see what’s on the inside, and then you can look inside of it and see it’s insides being exposed,” she says, explaining that the installation’s title, Diving Dunce, derives from the combination of the space created inside of a diving bell and the conical shape of a dunce cap. “You can see the idea playing out that the pressure inside has pushed the insides out of it, and it’s just imploding on itself.”

Made up of popped balloons, glitter, streamers, shiny wrapping paper and other party supplies, Samater’s installation creates an unsettling tension between the merriment of a party scene and the chaos of a crime scene. And that’s exactly what she was going for. “You wouldn’t think it, but creating chaos is really, really hard,” she says. “It’s very deliberate – there’s a reason why something is cut, why the colors are where they are.” And there’s a reason why Samater and Charzewski are where they are – in the Faculty Spotlight. It’s talent.

The Faculty Spotlight exhibit is at the Halsey Gallery

through October 10.

it’s not always that easy – for Stephen Grant, it’s always worth a try. “Some jobs are harder than others, but a bad attitude doesn’t get it done any faster,” says the Physical Plant maintenance craftsman. “I say, be glad you have a job to go to every morning. That’s something to be happy about these days.” But it’s not just gratitude that’s had Grant flashing that unforgettable smile since he first came to the College 26 years ago. It’s the people he’s met. “I go all over campus, so I get to meet and talk with a lot of folks,” he says. “I enjoy communicating with faculty and staff. There are some really nice, down-to-earth people here – especially compared to some other places I’ve worked. It makes you want to work harder.” And you’d better believe that Grant is working hard. In any given day, he’s replacing light fixtures, assembling office furniture and repairing doors. Considering how many people depend on Grant and the other members of the maintenance team to keep the campus running smoothly, this job is arguably the most diverse position at the College. “I do a little bit of everything: small repairs, preventive maintenance, painting, setting up for events and our big event – commencent,” says Grant. “Every night, we map things out campuswide so we can prioritize what we have to do the next day. Then, in the morning, we add the new work orders to the list.” From there, Grant and the other six craftsmen on his crew plow ahead full force.

“I hate to wait around. I just want to get things out of the way,” he says. “I set my priorities and just go down the list. I like to get things done.” Grant’s down-to-business approach suits the job requirements well, but there are times when he’s forced to sit back and wait. One of those times was in September 1989, when he and his fellow crewmembers had to wait out Hurricane Hugo in the Stern Student Center. “We stayed in hiding. We had the big generator going, and we ate cheese and crackers,” he recalls. “Besides the National Guard, we were the only people left downtown. It was pretty spooky.” Grant remembers the sound of the wind ripping through campus and the crashing of falling trees and debris – but it was the flooding that struck him the most.

“I’ve seen a lot of flooding around here, but nothing like that,” says the Charleston native, fingering the gold 30 (representing his daughter’s Burke High School basketball number) that hangs with a cross and a medallion from his neck. His gold necklaces and rings make up Grant’s unmistakable look that has become so familiar across campus. Still, it’s his infectious smile that makes him so appreciated. “People are usually pretty happy to see me coming,” admits Grant, although he says that’s only because “they know I’m going to take care of whatever issue they’re having.” Whatever the reason, Grant is happy to assist. “I love helping people,” he says. “It takes me out of self to know that I’m helping people and that they appreciate it.” And that is something to smile about.

development and traffic of Mt. Pleasant is a place that’s changing lives. Surrounded by the pines of the Francis Marion National Forest, it’s a quiet place where white-belted cattle ruminate in the shade, wild turkey scamper across the road and horses of all breeds and sizes graze peacefully in the fields. It’s a comforting refuge – the perfect place to get away from it all. But it’s not about the place. It’s about the people – the people who come here to get help and the people who come here to give it. Lisa Weaver is one of those people. “I come out here to help out in whatever way I can,” says Weaver, strolling through the huge red barn at Rein and Shine, an organization that provides therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults with a range of physical, mental, social and emotional limitations. “There are a lot of caring people here, and they’re doing some great work. It’s really amazing to see the difference they’re making in these kids’ lives.” To be fair, the horses are the ones truly making the difference. It is the horses’ movement that challenges their riders’ bodies to move with them – effectively

increasing the riders’ motor skills, strength, balance, coordination and range of motion. And, as the riders become more and more skilled, they overcome their fears and anxieties – increasing their motivation and building confidence and sense of self worth. “Horses just seem to bring something out in a lot of these children that nothing else has done before,” says Weaver. “We work with a lot of autistic, nonverbal children, and some of them have said their first words out here. The horses just make them feel more comfortable. They form a bond with the horse. It brings them out.” For people suffering from emotional or social impairment, that breakthrough connection with a living creature can be an important step toward forming social relationships with human beings. And, if connecting with the horse is the first step, then connecting with the volunteers is often the second. “I had one really young girl who was autistic and nonverbal, and she was just fascinated with me. She couldn’t get enough of me,” recalls Weaver, a program analyst in IT whose love for horses drew her to Rein and Shine originally. Having volunteered there for just over a year now – largely in

the capacity of a “sidewalker,” working alongside the riders to physically, emotionally and verbally support them – Weaver acknowledges that interacting with the children has been the most rewarding aspect of the experience: “It is just so heartwarming to know you are helping someone to improve their quality of life.” Because classes are scheduled mostly during the workday, however, she doesn’t get to work with the children as often as she would like. Still, she regularly feeds the nine horses at Rein and Shine every Wednesday night. “I have now found that Wednesday is the highlight of my week,” says Weaver. “It’s a real treat for me to come out here every week.” And who wouldn’t welcome a weekly escape from it all – a little peace and quiet at the end of the day? Of course, for Weaver, it’s about so much more than that. For her, it’s all about doing her part. After all, she says, “I’m just here to help.”

Rein and Shine is hosting its seventh annual Barn

Raiser on Saturday, October 25. For more information,

visit www.reinandshine.org or call 843.849.0964.

AKA:Taxodium distichum,

ON CAMPUS:

DESCRIPTION:

WHERE TO PLANT:

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

through October 10.

ON CAMPUS:

DESCRIPTION:

WHERE TO PLANT:

through October 10.

ON CAMPUS:

DESCRIPTION:

WHERE TO PLANT:

Porters Lodge

beautiful places.

Arts, room 309

FEE: None

[email protected]

6–7:30 p.m.

FEE: None

[email protected]

E OF C

or 284.4243.

Porters Lodge

beautiful places.

Arts, room 309

FEE: None

[email protected]

6–7:30 p.m.

FEE: None

[email protected]

E OF C

or 284.4243.

47& 803% (6&44 8)5 47& #&3*$,4 %5& 5) &.& %5&

Documents