Recently I was asked to participate in the Fort Valley State blog as a contributor. Being the sort who dreams of that “pseudo-career” as a writer who doesn’t necessarily have to eat on a daily basis, I jumped at the chance. So…here I am, Oreta Samples, currently the Lead Veterinary Technician here at FVSU, soon-to-be a doctoral graduate from Nova Southeastern University and now a “blogger.” So here goes good folks, enjoy!
I was invited to sit at the Friends of George Hooks table last Friday at the Governors Awards Luncheon for the Humanities. Hooks was one of the award recipients. The event was held at the Old Railroad Depot in Atlanta on as fine a Southern afternoon as I have ever seen here in the great state of Georgia; the type of day country musicians sing about and the southern belles of the past wrote about in their diaries. After attending a lecture on the merits of barbecue by John Edge, we were all treated to a fine buffet lunch of, (what else) barbecue. There was a fine rendition of our national anthem, sung by Sharon Lane and the expected speeches extolling quite appropriately the accomplishments of the award recipients; but there was something else that brought a tear to every eye in the place.
As we walked in after the guest speaker of the morning to find our tables and check out the exhibits, there was a line of eight or ten youngsters quietly standing against the wall, pressed and starched with a policeman watching over them. Glancing through the program, I discovered that the group was the Chestnut Charter Elementary School of DeKalb County Honor Guard. So why, you might ask, is this, such a big deal that I am writing about it in my first blog appearance? These children are the only elementary school honor guard in DeKalb County; they are hand picked and trained by Sgt. Rick Morgan of the DeKalb County Police Department, and a fine job he has done.
In this day and age, I think regardless of your political affiliation or views it does all of our hearts good to see a group of young people so proudly carrying out the duties of honoring our flag and our country, leading by example as they led a room full of state representatives, senators, seasoned politicians and friends in those precious words “I pledge allegiance… .” In a land where the military is a volunteer force, I couldn’t help but think of the parallel between our soldiers and these littlest volunteer guards. And I have to say it brought more than one tear to this ol' girl's eyes, and I hope to yours. So as you go about your daily lives, take a few moments and really think about the freedom and the privilege which is ours as Americans and then go find a soldier to thank or a child to hug, because within these individuals lies the future of our nation. Until next time, stay safe and May God Bless the USA.
--Oreta Samples is the Lead Veterinary Technician in Fort Valley State University's Veterinary Science department.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Making the most of a summer off
I remember taking summers off from academia when I was in college. I needed that time to work an insane number of hours at a crazy job to pay for my fall and spring semesters. But let it not be said that I let my brain rot during those weeks away from the classroom; I usually had a list of books I wanted to read. If I had known then about U.C. Berkely's Summer Reading List, I would have saved myself a lot of time and really boring reading. Check the list our here:
http://reading.berkeley.edu/
and happy reading!
--Misty Cline works in the office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University
http://reading.berkeley.edu/
and happy reading!
--Misty Cline works in the office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Soaking up a little history
Both the city of Oxford and the University simultaneously feel as comfortable as the company of an old friend and yet as overwhelming as being tasked with memorizing the Atlanta phone book (both yellow and white pages). The sense of comfort derives from the fact that so many books, films, and other bits of pop culture have used Oxford as their setting. Just in the last 15 years, Oxford was used as the setting for such films as The Madness of King George, The Saint, at least three Harry Potter films: Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Goblet of Fire before a digitized version of the Oxford setting became cheaper, The Red Violin, Oxford Blues, and The Golden Compass among others.
Readers have also come to know this place thanks to such works as Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, P.D. James’ The Children of Men, the series of novels begun with His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman, and Endymion Spring among many others. So, it is hard not to feel very familiar with Oxford. The narrow streets, the awkward sidewalk cobbles, the unfriendly stone faces looking down at you from every angle, the friendly faces of the locals who always seemed to be able to tell who is and is not from Oxford.
At the same time, the volumes of history which seem to flow from every door can seem overwhelming. The city itself was founded in the days of the Saxons as “Oxforda” which, to no great surprise, means "the place where the ox can get across the river." This made the village an important place to be before humans figured out how to build bridges that would consistently carry oxen. So important that, in 912, Oxforda was first written up in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. However news traveled slowly in those days as the founding of the town probably coincided with the construction of St. Frideswide’s nunnery at some point in the 8th century. St. Frideswide, now the patron saint of both Oxford the town and the University, was a 7th century Anglo-Saxon princess who was to be given in marriage to a Mercian King. Frideswide had established a priory (school) where her betrothed came to court her. When Frideswide refused his advances, the king, Algar, tried to rape her. She ran into the forest and hid. Later, after she returned to the priory, Algar continued his advances until he eventually went blind. Frideswide, for some reason, felt pity for her would-be rapist and prayed for him at a church in Oxford. There Saint Catherine of Alexandria told her to take her staff and strike the ground. Never doubting her sanity for a moment, Frideswide struck the ground with her staff and there on the grounds of what is now the Church of St. Margaret in Oxford a miraculous spring of water sprang from the ground. History holds that she used the water to heal Algar’s blindness. I’m not certain as to the moral of this tale. However, it is merely one example of the history which literally oozes from the ground here.
One of my very first stops was the Eagle and Child, the pub where J.R.R. Tolkein, of Lord of the Rings fame and C.S. Lewis, of Narnia fame, would gather weekly to discuss theology and literature. Of course, I had to hoist a pint of bitters at what was supposed to be the very table where the two would have their infamous disputations. One can also visit Einstein’s chalkboard and the taxidermist’s nightmares at the Oxford Museum of Natural History which served as the models for the talking animals in Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland tales. In case you are wondering, Carrol thought of himself as the dodo. On the subject of Oxonian literary ties, Kenneth Grahame wrote the children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows, which also features talking animals – must be in the water – while studying at Oxford. He decided to donate the copyright income from the book to the University’s Bodleian Library.
Other famous alumni and former students include 12 saints, an antipope, 47 Nobel prize-winners, a pair of British kings and 12 other assorted monarchs, 24 princes/princesses, 291 members of the British Parliament, 20 American congressmen (including a Speaker of the House), 4 associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, and 1 U.S. President.
Some names you might recognize include Aldous Huxley, Oscar Wilde, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Donne, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Tim Berners-Lee (who invented a little thing we call the World Wide Web), Hugh Grant, Kate Beckinsale, Dudley Moore, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, T.E. Lawrence, Adam Smith, John Locke, John Wesley, William Penn, Albert Einstein, Richard Burton, William Tyndale, Jonathan Swift, Thomas Hobbes, Imran Khan, Benazir Bhutto, John Le Carre, Mandfred von Richtofen, Dr. Seuss, T.S. Eliot, Kris Kristofferson, Edmund Halley, Rowan Atkinson, A.A. Milne, Terry Jones, Jethro Tull, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Ghandi, Chelsea Clinton, and Richard Adams of Watership Down fame, to name but a few. I’m certain the Oxford Univeristy Alumni Affairs Office is a bustling place.
Next time, more from Oxford.
Readers have also come to know this place thanks to such works as Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, P.D. James’ The Children of Men, the series of novels begun with His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman, and Endymion Spring among many others. So, it is hard not to feel very familiar with Oxford. The narrow streets, the awkward sidewalk cobbles, the unfriendly stone faces looking down at you from every angle, the friendly faces of the locals who always seemed to be able to tell who is and is not from Oxford.
At the same time, the volumes of history which seem to flow from every door can seem overwhelming. The city itself was founded in the days of the Saxons as “Oxforda” which, to no great surprise, means "the place where the ox can get across the river." This made the village an important place to be before humans figured out how to build bridges that would consistently carry oxen. So important that, in 912, Oxforda was first written up in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. However news traveled slowly in those days as the founding of the town probably coincided with the construction of St. Frideswide’s nunnery at some point in the 8th century. St. Frideswide, now the patron saint of both Oxford the town and the University, was a 7th century Anglo-Saxon princess who was to be given in marriage to a Mercian King. Frideswide had established a priory (school) where her betrothed came to court her. When Frideswide refused his advances, the king, Algar, tried to rape her. She ran into the forest and hid. Later, after she returned to the priory, Algar continued his advances until he eventually went blind. Frideswide, for some reason, felt pity for her would-be rapist and prayed for him at a church in Oxford. There Saint Catherine of Alexandria told her to take her staff and strike the ground. Never doubting her sanity for a moment, Frideswide struck the ground with her staff and there on the grounds of what is now the Church of St. Margaret in Oxford a miraculous spring of water sprang from the ground. History holds that she used the water to heal Algar’s blindness. I’m not certain as to the moral of this tale. However, it is merely one example of the history which literally oozes from the ground here.
One of my very first stops was the Eagle and Child, the pub where J.R.R. Tolkein, of Lord of the Rings fame and C.S. Lewis, of Narnia fame, would gather weekly to discuss theology and literature. Of course, I had to hoist a pint of bitters at what was supposed to be the very table where the two would have their infamous disputations. One can also visit Einstein’s chalkboard and the taxidermist’s nightmares at the Oxford Museum of Natural History which served as the models for the talking animals in Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland tales. In case you are wondering, Carrol thought of himself as the dodo. On the subject of Oxonian literary ties, Kenneth Grahame wrote the children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows, which also features talking animals – must be in the water – while studying at Oxford. He decided to donate the copyright income from the book to the University’s Bodleian Library.
Other famous alumni and former students include 12 saints, an antipope, 47 Nobel prize-winners, a pair of British kings and 12 other assorted monarchs, 24 princes/princesses, 291 members of the British Parliament, 20 American congressmen (including a Speaker of the House), 4 associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, and 1 U.S. President.
Some names you might recognize include Aldous Huxley, Oscar Wilde, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Donne, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Tim Berners-Lee (who invented a little thing we call the World Wide Web), Hugh Grant, Kate Beckinsale, Dudley Moore, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, T.E. Lawrence, Adam Smith, John Locke, John Wesley, William Penn, Albert Einstein, Richard Burton, William Tyndale, Jonathan Swift, Thomas Hobbes, Imran Khan, Benazir Bhutto, John Le Carre, Mandfred von Richtofen, Dr. Seuss, T.S. Eliot, Kris Kristofferson, Edmund Halley, Rowan Atkinson, A.A. Milne, Terry Jones, Jethro Tull, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Ghandi, Chelsea Clinton, and Richard Adams of Watership Down fame, to name but a few. I’m certain the Oxford Univeristy Alumni Affairs Office is a bustling place.
Next time, more from Oxford.
--Keith Murphy is the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fort Valley State University
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
From a graduate's perspective
Saturday, May 3, 2008 was one of the proudest days of my life. It marked the end of a long journey. I finally walked across the stage and shook the hand of Dr. Larry E. Rivers, 8th president of The Fort Valley State University as a graduate, no longer a student.My family, friends, and classmates made the day all the more worthwhile for me. Being that I am a little older than the average graduate, I wasn’t very excited at first. I contemplated not walking, but I wanted pictures of the special day for my children. But oh, when I arrived!
First, I was stunned by the number of people who were there. They came in droves. Traffic was backed up on State University and on Carver Dive at 8 a.m. Some came to share the moment with a loved one and others came just because it was graduation at FVSU and that’s what they do. Many of us were late for lineup because we couldn’t get through the traffic. I had no idea people would turn out so early for graduation! I had only seen crowds like this at FVSU for homecoming.
My heart burst with joy and pride as I crammed my way into the already packed room designated for graduates. As I gazed upon the students dressed in their regalia I thought, “Wow! Look at all these educated, young black people.” I then realized that I was one of those people! I quickly suited up. Everybody was so happy for each other, we bonded even if commencement was our first time meeting on campus. The two graduates I met appeared to be non-traditional as myself. I was struggling with my white collar and they lent helping hands.
When the door flew open and I heard Pomp and Circumstance echoing throughout the HPE, my heart raced with excitement. It was at that moment that I knew, regardless of what I had been through to get there, I deserved that moment. It’s amazing that I heard the song over the shouting fans. My heart-felt pride was interrupted by a loud “STACIE!” over my head. As I looked up, I saw my husband Robert and his best friend Demarcus acting like pure nuts. They were more excited than me. It was kind of cute. They were really happy for me. Right next to them were my children. I could even hear their little voices calling, “Mommy, mommy!”
I once made the comment that for an HBCU, the campus is dead, but the cheering, waving, dancing spectators brought it back to life Saturday. This is only the second HBCU graduation I attended. It was a rowdy time, but rowdy in the best way. The Valley overflowed with admiration and pride Saturday. As Dr. Rivers cited a well-known Bible verse: “This is the day that the Lord has made,” I rejoiced and was glad in it!
--Stacie Barrett works in the Office of Marketing and Communications
Monday, May 5, 2008
Commencement photos
The Class of 2008 rises by college to the applause of family and friends Saturday, May 3.
During the course of events, President Larry E. Rivers honored those he called "Trailblazers," individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to Fort Valley State University.
Jeremy N. Lewis, Jonathan W. Williams, Marcie T. Kindle, Quintrina F. Edwards and Sophia C. Mudd were commissioned into the U.S. Army during commencement.
Newly-minted graduates are sworn into the National Alumni Association.
Photos courtesy of Robert Ross.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Tales from Oxford, Part I
Skyline panoramic view from St. Mary's
Oxford Street
In the late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the following lines about an Oxford philosophy student in the “Clerk’s Prologue and Tale” of the Canterbury Tales:
For him was levere have at his beddes heed
Twenty bookes, clad in blak or reed,
of Aristotle and his philosophie
Than robes riche, or fithele, or gay sautrie.
More than 600 years have passed and now I’ve had the opportunity to retrace the steps of Chaucer’s philosophy student. Thanks, in great measure, to a Presidents’ Research mini-grant from Title III, in March I was granted the life-altering experience of lecturing, researching, and residing for eight days at the oldest university in the English-speaking world: Oxford University. Being invited to Oxford to speak was incredible in-and-of-itself; but that personal highlight was as forgotten as the spring lilies as I stepped off the Oxford Express back into history and directly into the worst Easter snowstorm in the recorded history of the kingdom.
Being too stubborn to wait for a cab, I decided that I could pull my rolling suitcases the “few blocks” from the bus terminal to Exeter College. I quickly learned that the English walk much more than we do and a “few blocks” to them, is a long cab ride to us. I also learned that they are as bad at giving directions as are the people I grew up with. I also learned that wheeled-luggage is not engineered to roll over medieval-style cobblestone side-walks; especially in a heavy downpour of snow. The flakes were now the size of one pound coins (or an American quarter) and falling hard and fast. I stopped at a pub, which was surprisingly open at seven a.m. on a Sunday, and ordered a pint of the local bitters and rested. I also whipped out a map and tried to get my bearings.
According to the map, I had been sent to the wrong college. I was next door to Harris Manchester College and needed to head to Exeter to meet the porter so I could check into my lodgings. Just as FVSU is composed of the undergraduate colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, and Education, Oxford is composed of 39 colleges and 7 religious “Permanent Private Halls” which function as colleges. Each of the 46 academic units function as complete academic corporations with Oxford University serving as the administrative body which brings them together into a cohesive academic whole. It isn’t as confusing as it sounds as the system works as a cohesive whole while providing a great variety of academic freedom for both students and faculty.
After being fortified by the bitters and steadied by the map, I continued to drag my burden through the streets of the city. Oxford is still very much a medieval town. When a new business such as McDonald’s opens, the franchise doesn’t tear down the historic building; they design their storefront to fit into the historic building. This makes for some interesting architectural choices. It is sad, however, to see American fast-food culture obliterating traditional British restaurants. The numbers of locally owned pubs is declining in Oxford while every major thoroughfare has a McD’s, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Gap. I suppose that this is just the American way of contemporary colonization.
The snow had turned the town into a quiet and beautiful setting that could have easily been the backdrop for a remake of Mr. Scrooge’s timeless tale. Snow capped the comical and grotesque gargoyles which peered down from nearly every building. Pigeons, the size of small chickens, cavorted in the whitened walkways. In time, I worked my burden past newsstands, used book-sellers, and other quaint little shops until I came to the imposing castle-like gates of Exeter College.
The porter quickly relieved me of my cargo and directed me to a spacious dormitory suite that was to be my home for the next eight days. As I unpacked, I looked out the bedroom window and was startled to see a face staring back at me. My new friend was a gargoyle carved to look like a startled priest. Within a few days, his face became a comforting sight each morning as I arose since I know I can appear rather startling to behold before I’ve had my morning cigarette and caffeine.
After a few minutes, the porter came to take me to breakfast. The dining room in which we were to eat was the same one used in the filming of a number of the Harry Potter films. When I was offered the “hot breakfast,” I expected bacon and eggs. Instead, a steaming pile of flesh was brought to my table. Sausages, ham, chops, cutlets, and other meats were stacked on the oversized plate. Next to that was a pair of eggs, over easy, a serving of toast and a cup of tea. When I began on the eggs, someone asked if I would like cereal or pancakes. When I said, “No, thank you. . . .” The waitress seemed genuinely offended. Even though I was famished from the overnight flight and my inability to eat the matter that Delta attempted to foist off on us as food; I could only make a barely visible dent in the mountain of meat. I was afraid I would offend my hosts. Until I saw one of the Oxford faculty return a large portion of their plate uneaten as well. Then I felt less conspicuous.
Breakfast, however, was not indicative of the remainder of the meals I would be served in the United Kingdom. The rest were filling, but bland. Even the Oxford students, the ones who had traveled to the U.S., admitted that Americans make better fish and chips than the British. One student said, “Once you’ve been to Captain D’s, its hard to come back here.”
Next time: More from Oxford.
For him was levere have at his beddes heed
Twenty bookes, clad in blak or reed,
of Aristotle and his philosophie
Than robes riche, or fithele, or gay sautrie.
More than 600 years have passed and now I’ve had the opportunity to retrace the steps of Chaucer’s philosophy student. Thanks, in great measure, to a Presidents’ Research mini-grant from Title III, in March I was granted the life-altering experience of lecturing, researching, and residing for eight days at the oldest university in the English-speaking world: Oxford University. Being invited to Oxford to speak was incredible in-and-of-itself; but that personal highlight was as forgotten as the spring lilies as I stepped off the Oxford Express back into history and directly into the worst Easter snowstorm in the recorded history of the kingdom.
Being too stubborn to wait for a cab, I decided that I could pull my rolling suitcases the “few blocks” from the bus terminal to Exeter College. I quickly learned that the English walk much more than we do and a “few blocks” to them, is a long cab ride to us. I also learned that they are as bad at giving directions as are the people I grew up with. I also learned that wheeled-luggage is not engineered to roll over medieval-style cobblestone side-walks; especially in a heavy downpour of snow. The flakes were now the size of one pound coins (or an American quarter) and falling hard and fast. I stopped at a pub, which was surprisingly open at seven a.m. on a Sunday, and ordered a pint of the local bitters and rested. I also whipped out a map and tried to get my bearings.
According to the map, I had been sent to the wrong college. I was next door to Harris Manchester College and needed to head to Exeter to meet the porter so I could check into my lodgings. Just as FVSU is composed of the undergraduate colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, and Education, Oxford is composed of 39 colleges and 7 religious “Permanent Private Halls” which function as colleges. Each of the 46 academic units function as complete academic corporations with Oxford University serving as the administrative body which brings them together into a cohesive academic whole. It isn’t as confusing as it sounds as the system works as a cohesive whole while providing a great variety of academic freedom for both students and faculty.
After being fortified by the bitters and steadied by the map, I continued to drag my burden through the streets of the city. Oxford is still very much a medieval town. When a new business such as McDonald’s opens, the franchise doesn’t tear down the historic building; they design their storefront to fit into the historic building. This makes for some interesting architectural choices. It is sad, however, to see American fast-food culture obliterating traditional British restaurants. The numbers of locally owned pubs is declining in Oxford while every major thoroughfare has a McD’s, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Gap. I suppose that this is just the American way of contemporary colonization.
The snow had turned the town into a quiet and beautiful setting that could have easily been the backdrop for a remake of Mr. Scrooge’s timeless tale. Snow capped the comical and grotesque gargoyles which peered down from nearly every building. Pigeons, the size of small chickens, cavorted in the whitened walkways. In time, I worked my burden past newsstands, used book-sellers, and other quaint little shops until I came to the imposing castle-like gates of Exeter College.
The porter quickly relieved me of my cargo and directed me to a spacious dormitory suite that was to be my home for the next eight days. As I unpacked, I looked out the bedroom window and was startled to see a face staring back at me. My new friend was a gargoyle carved to look like a startled priest. Within a few days, his face became a comforting sight each morning as I arose since I know I can appear rather startling to behold before I’ve had my morning cigarette and caffeine.
After a few minutes, the porter came to take me to breakfast. The dining room in which we were to eat was the same one used in the filming of a number of the Harry Potter films. When I was offered the “hot breakfast,” I expected bacon and eggs. Instead, a steaming pile of flesh was brought to my table. Sausages, ham, chops, cutlets, and other meats were stacked on the oversized plate. Next to that was a pair of eggs, over easy, a serving of toast and a cup of tea. When I began on the eggs, someone asked if I would like cereal or pancakes. When I said, “No, thank you. . . .” The waitress seemed genuinely offended. Even though I was famished from the overnight flight and my inability to eat the matter that Delta attempted to foist off on us as food; I could only make a barely visible dent in the mountain of meat. I was afraid I would offend my hosts. Until I saw one of the Oxford faculty return a large portion of their plate uneaten as well. Then I felt less conspicuous.
Breakfast, however, was not indicative of the remainder of the meals I would be served in the United Kingdom. The rest were filling, but bland. Even the Oxford students, the ones who had traveled to the U.S., admitted that Americans make better fish and chips than the British. One student said, “Once you’ve been to Captain D’s, its hard to come back here.”
Next time: More from Oxford.
Dr. B. Keith Murphy is the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fort Valley State University.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The sounds of summer
Classes officially ended yesterday, and construction is in full swing on the campus of Fort Valley State University.
Work on Phase III of the Wildcat Commons - adding 300+ beds to the housing complex -is under way, as is construction of the new science lab and classroom building.
May 29 the University will break ground on a new biotechnology center - keeping up with research into alternative fuels is a big priority, as is helping our agricultural community get the most out of their land.
Even as we turn our new graduates loose on the world, we're looking to the next generation - and offering them the best higher education has to offer.
Work on Phase III of the Wildcat Commons - adding 300+ beds to the housing complex -is under way, as is construction of the new science lab and classroom building.
May 29 the University will break ground on a new biotechnology center - keeping up with research into alternative fuels is a big priority, as is helping our agricultural community get the most out of their land.
Even as we turn our new graduates loose on the world, we're looking to the next generation - and offering them the best higher education has to offer.
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