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| The OrangeLine Online, Vol. 2 Issue 3 March 3, 2005 An electronic newsletter for alumni and friends of West Virginia Wesleyan College www.wvwc.edu |
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 Campus
Life Volunteer Service a Perfect Fit Wesleyan junior Joey Book, a native of Clarksburg,WV and a 2002 graduate of Liberty High School, has made it his life’s work to give something back to the local community and to helping others. “My father is the director of the Harrison County Parks and Recreations, and has been involved in multiple after-school programs for years,” remarked Book. “I would usually be right there with him, so I have been involved with community service my whole life.” West Virginia Wesleyan College has long held the belief that students who engage in community service have unique gifts and talents that bring energy, creativity, and hope to individuals in the local community. College students' lives are hectic, but even with classes, studying, and a social life to maintain, many Wesleyan students still find ways to dedicate their time to service. |
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In high school, Book was active in several organizations and groups, where
he volunteered his time as a peer mediator, worked with others in Teens
against Tobacco, and was a member of the Governor’s Youth Council
on civil rights. It was also during this time that Book, along with friends,
created a program call “the Civil Rights Team,” in which they
would visit local elementary schools with the basic idea of teaching
students tolerance. “It is my belief that if we can get to children
while they are young and their minds are not set in their way, we can
eliminate as much prejudice as we can.”When it became time to decide on a college, Book had his heart set on coming to West Virginia Wesleyan. “Wesleyan is really the only place I wanted to be,” stated Book. “I had spent time on the campus with programs and camps while I was in high school, developing a strong connection with the college. When I made my first visit, the admission office staff and director of admission, Robert Skinner, were wonderful to my family and me. They made me feel like a part of the Wesleyan community right from the very beginning. To this very day, Mr. Skinner still knows who I am and asks how my parents are doing, and that typifies what the College is all about.” Book was also drawn to Wesleyan because of its Bonner Scholar Program. The program is designed to heighten the overall education a Scholar receives by asking students to engage in ongoing service work and helping them develop the tools and the knowledge necessary to make that work meaningful and lasting. “There are many different student activities at Wesleyan and I really became engrossed in many my first year. But I especially enjoy the Bonner Program and the community service aspect. The Bonner Program and Lee Ann Brown, the director of the program, has had a huge impact on my stay at Wesleyan. I believe it has made my experience more enjoyable.” It was through the Bonner Program that Book was able to launch his new project, Diversity-Respect-Equality-Awareness-Multiculturalism (D.R.E.A.M.) “It is similar to the Civil Rights team that I helped form in high school, but I adjusted its foundation so it could fit into the Bonner Program,” explained Book. D.R.E.A.M.’s mission is to help local children become aware of concepts idealized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy. It also looks at histories, customs, and origins of other countries. “I started the project at Buckhannon’s Central Elementary School, and it has since expanded to the Intermediate School and the Stockert Youth Center.”  “He
has earned the respect of his peers and the teachers at the schools he
volunteers,” said Lee Ann Brown, director of the Bonner Program.
“He has been an outstanding Bonner scholar. When you look at his
community service efforts and his educational success in the classroom,
he is truly reflecting what the Wesleyan experience is all about.”Book, who started D.R.E.A.M. during the 2004 fall semester, continues to watch it grow and be introduced into new elementary schools. “Right now, the program is still in its infancy. I probably spend anywhere from 14-16 hours a week on it.” Book’s volunteer efforts with D.R.E.A.M are in addition to carrying a 17-hour course load, serving as a member of Wesleyan’s Community Council, working as an admission ambassador, and participating as a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. But for Book, staying busy is a way of life. “I love every second of it,” he remarked. “Wesleyan has been a perfect fit for me. I still have one more year remaining and I can’t imagine not coming back to Wesleyan and being a part of so many worthwhile organizations. The professors at Wesleyan are simply outstanding, and go far beyond the call of duty to help students here.” Book, an education major, hopes to continue his work in the classroom after graduating. “I want to continue to help children and assist them with real questions that relate to their lives and to challenge them to bring about basic changes within themselves and their community.” Soldiers Honored at President’s Convocation During the President’s Convocation, President William R. Haden recognized two Wesleyan students, senior Jake Bergeron and sophomore Danny Marple, who returned from military duty in Iraq. Specialist Marple and Sergeant Bergeron were deployed in January of 2004 with the National Guard, 201st Artillery Unit, A Battery. Marple, a secondary education major, is a native of Buckhannon, WV. During a 15-day leave in the fall, he married Ashley Wilt, also a native of Buckhannon. Bergeron, a political science major, is from Andover, MN. In addition, Army Chaplain (Maj.) Bruce Reed, a 1976 Wesleyan graduate and brother of theatre arts faculty member Larry Reed ’70, presented the College with a Wesleyan flag flown in Kuwait.
English Professor Wins National Award for His Poetry  Mark
DeFoe, Professor of English at Wesleyan, was the recent recipient of the
2005 Chautauqua Poetry Prize, given each year by the Chautauqua Literary
Journal, a magazine affiliated with the widely-known Chautauqua Institute
of New York.Over 300 poets from across the United States entered the competition. DeFoe was recognized for six poems —“From A Porch in Pittsburgh,” “Consider Words,” “Emily Dickinson Examines Herself,” “The Lack of an Antecedent,” “Grief Workshop Upstairs” and “Walt Descends on Myrtle Beach.” The editor of Chautauqua Literary Journal, Richard Foerster, noted that DeFoe’s poems were “smart, well-made and get to the heart of things.” The poems will appear in the June issue of the publication, and DeFoe will be awarded a $1,500 prize. DeFoe chairs the English department at West Virginia Wesleyan, where he has taught writing and literature since 1975. His most recent book is Mark DeFoe’s Greatest Hits, published by Pudding House Press of Columbus, OH. John Warner Honored With Governor’s 2005 Civil Rights Day Award  A
West Virginia Wesleyan College sociology and anthropology professor known
for his civil rights efforts has been awarded the Governor’s 2005
Civil Rights Day Award. The West Virginia Human Rights Commission presented
Dr. John Warner, department chair of sociology, the award on Thursday,
February 24 at the Charleston Job Corps Center.Dr. Warner has made it his lifetime commitment and passion for the struggle for racial equality and justice in America. He has been a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), America’s oldest peace group, since 1959. He worked as a Field Worker for FOR in Boston from 1962-64, and during that time; he participated in civil rights protests and activities, and attended the March on Washington in 1963 during Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. He also spent time in Mississippi during 1964, serving as a chaplain during the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project. He currently sits on the National Council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Dr. Warner began teaching at Wesleyan in 1970. In the classroom, he helps students explore their attitudes about race and examines the complexity of racism. He recently created a new course entitled “Global Minorities,” a study of selected racial and ethnic minorities in Africa, the Middle East, the former U.S.S.R., Latin American, and Europe. During his time at Wesleyan, he has also presented several lectures and composed essays about civil rights. As a contributing columnist for the Charleston Gazette, Dr. Warner has written numerous articles about civil liberties. In a press release to Dr. Warner from Joe Manchin III, the governor stated, “You have helped make our country a better place to live; and, because of your efforts, we are able to enjoy the level of diversity and integration we have today.” Arts Alive! Series  West
Virginia Wesleyan College will present two events during the March schedule
of the Wesleyan Arts Alive! Series.
The Student Juried Art Exhibition will begin on Wednesday, March 30 and continue until Friday, April 8. The exhibition will showcase the work of Wesleyan art students. The exhibition is in Sleeth Gallery on the ground floor of McCuskey Hall. Admission is free. The Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble will present a concert on Thursday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Wesley Chapel. The ensemble will perform with jazz vocalist, Kathy Kosins. Admission is free. For a complete schedule of events for the Spring 2005 Arts Alive! Series, please go to the online calendar and select Performing Arts. |
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