October 1999
Surprise Grant Helps CDC
When the executive recruiter for Target Stores called Jean Paterson, SIUE's director of the Career Development Center, to his office, she had no idea it was to hand her a check for five grand.
However, she had no trouble deciding what to do with the donation. As a result, the CDC has expanded and upgraded its Career Resource Center in order to provide better service to both students and alumni.
And Scott Taubenheim, the one wielding the monetary muscle for the Dayton Hudson Corporation store, said the donation signals appreciation for the University and the CDC. "SIUE and its Career Development Center have been great partners with Target," said Taubenheim. "We've had a number of talented executives come to our stores as a result of our relationship with the school, and we wanted to reward the Center for its work in the past and our continued good relations in the future."
SIUE's CDC is a comprehensive center for the development of career objectives and direction for students and alumni. The center assists students and alumni in relating their academic majors to career fields, the exploration and confirmation of career and major choices, and the development of job search strategies.
Noting that SIUE was at the top of the list of the 10 schools Target honored from a six-state region, Taubenheim said of the six, only three schools were recognized with grants.
Says Paterson: "Receiving this unexpected gift from Target has allowed us to move ahead in offering expanded and improved resources for our students and alumni." The Target contribution is the first such gift to the CDC that Paterson could recall. Once she got over her initial surprise, she set about improving the Career Resource Center by adding eight computer stations that allow students and alumni to do job searches, run career guidance software, and search for information on employers throughout the world.
The expanded center, which is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, also should prove a boon to alumni who do not have computer access at home.
For more information on the Career Development Center, call 618/650-3708.
Just What The Doctor Ordered
While everyone is talking about the Y2K bug, let's not forget that it's also time to be considering another well-known bug-the flu variety.
And, the Illinois Department of Central Management Services is once again ready to help in the fight by offering free flu immunizations to full and part-time employees and retirees covered by a state-sponsored HMO, POS, or the Quality Care Health Plan. Dependents are not eligible.
Books, Books, Books
The fifth "Book in Every Home" campaign, headed by Beverly Sanders, wife of SIU President Ted Sanders; Kay Werner, wife of SIUE Chancellor David Werner, and Nancy Jackson, wife of SIUC Chancellor John Jackson; continues through Nov. 19.
Books collected during the campaign are given to preschoolers enrolled in SIU's Head Start programs. In four years, more than 14,000 books have been collected. This year's goal is 3,000 books. SIU operates 17 Head Start programs in Jackson, St. Clair and Williamson counties.
The programs focus on meeting the social, intellectual, emotional and physical needs of preschool children in low-income families. "Head Start recognizes the importance of parents as their child's first and most important teacher," Sanders said. "It supports family literacy efforts and encourages parents to read to their children. The first step in developing a love of reading is to have books available in the home."
Donors can put books in specially marked boxes located in libraries, student centers, lobbies, offices and residence halls on the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses as well as at the East St. Louis Center, the School of Dental Medicine in Alton and the School of Medicine in Springfield. The books will be handed out in December.
In choosing books for children ages 2 to 6, pick books with large, colorful illustrations and large print. The books should tell stories that are easy to follow and understand. Books written in both Spanish and English are acceptable.
Judge Enlists Wilson's Help
Rudy Wilson calls them "kids" and is optimistic when he speaks about his unique role in the sentencing of four men convicted of a hate crime.
Wilson, who is known for his cultural awareness and diversity training programs for employees, said he was surprised to learn that Madison County Circuit Judge J. Lawrence Keshner had put these men in his care as part of their sentencing.
Assistant provost for cultural and social diversity for SIUE, Wilson said he had never before planned a court-related program, but would use his techniques as models to provide positive lessons to the men. "I'm not going to preach to them, I'm not going to use scare tactics," Wilson said. "I will be there to help them help themselves."
He refers to the men as "kids," even though they are in their late teens and early 20s. "They have behaved like children, but we are going to help them discover some things about themselves," Wilson said.
When asked if he holds animosity toward the men, Wilson emphatically shakes his head. "I want to create a series of dialogues with these men to take a look at how they've arrived at this type of behavior. We all have biases but we need to learn how to deal with these feelings in constructive ways. When we act on those biases to hurt others, that's where the problems begin."
SIUE's Pathways to Harmony program, conducted by Wilson, is a series of sessions to help participants become aware of differences and to embrace those differences as part of everyday life. The program recently was selected for inclusion in the Western Justice Center's free online database listing more than 1,000 professional associations, educational institutions and community organizations providing training or resources in intergroup dialogue, cross-cultural collaboration, mediation, or other conflict resolution skills.
Wilson said he will conduct the sessions for the four men at an off-campus location within the communities where the men reside. "I want this to be a community experience and not related to the university."
As part of their punishment, Keshner also ordered the men to watch films, such as Schindler's List, with themes of racial prejudice and injustice, to pay $500 each toward an educational trust fund for the daughter of the Glen Carbon family at whose home the incident occurred, and to perform 100 hours each of community service.
Standout Bozue Is Modest About Her Track Accomplishments
It's hard to imagine sophomore Amanda Bozue as not a very good runner in high school. But that's the way she classified herself.
She is being modest. At Joliet Township High School she holds the 800-meter record with a time of 2 minutes, 18 seconds, and was a four-state qualifier named All-Conference, All-Regional and All-Sectional all four years.
And, at SIUE, Bozue leads the women's cross country team as the top finisher in all three meets this season; as a freshman, she was the top finisher in five of the seven meets for the Cougars including the NCAA Regionals.
Bozue broke an eight year old SIUE record for top freshman in the 5,000 meter at the All-Missouri/Border State Championships with a time of 18 minutes, 32 seconds last year. Her performance there also earned the No. 8 spot on the women's cross country top overall 5,000-meter performers at SIUE. In the first year of the women's 6,000 meter, she finished No. 1 and 2 on the list of SIUE top freshman in the 6K. Bozue also earned the No. 2 spot on the top overall 6K list with a time of 23:24, which she set at the 1998 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships.
"My parents bribed me to get a scholarship to run by saying they would buy me an Eclipse," said Bozue with a bit of embarrassment. "And I still don't have an Eclipse." Bozue said her parents wouldn't even give her a car for school. "I am a very family-oriented person, so I miss home a lot. They're afraid if I have a car, I will come home all the time," said Bozue laughing.
But, it wasn't the promise of a new car that got Bozue running to begin with. It was her family, more specifically her siblings. "I have seven brothers and sisters. The first one started running and then we all just followed. And, I thought since I was the last of seven, I would keep up the tradition."
Sitting on the steps outside the Vadalabene Center, she is quick to admit she is "goofy" on meet days. "I am pretty much the peppy one on the team, everyone else is usually telling me to be quiet," said Bozue. "I just get goofy. Most people get really serious, but I just look at the (meet) as an opportunity and I am lucky to be out here."
Her laid back approach on meet days, doesn't mean she forgets to prepare. "I focus the night before and think about what I am going to do during the race. If I sit and focus before the race, I am going to get nervous and it is not going to help," said the Joliet native. "If I am having fun and loving what I do, then I am going to perform well."
You will get no argument from her coaches when it comes to her leadership on and off the course. "The most important thing she has done is gathered the freshman on the team and taken them under her wing both on and off the course," said assistant coach Kenny Hammel. "She is an unspoken leader in both practice and meets, always consistent and the most dedicated person on the team."
Bozue had her pick of a number of Division I schools, but decided against it after some visits to the schools. "It seemed like a lot of the girls were there for the money and recognition and were not having fun with it (running)," explained Bozue. "But here they are having fun with it."
Majoring in human resource management with a minor in sports management, Bozue is juggling practice, meets and 18 credit hours this semester. "I am outgoing and like to have fun, but right now I am more concerned about school." But for now, she is happy just to be running. "I am just out here because I love it, I don't need the recognition."
Smithson Recognized By NASFAA
Marian Smithson, director of Student Financial Aid at SIUE, continues to receive national recognition. This time the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has slated her for its annual Leadership Award.
Smithson has been at the helm of SIUE's financial aid office since 1993. She will receive the award in October at the midwest NASFAA conference in Cleveland.
The award is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the financial aid profession at the national, regional, and state levels over a sustained period of time. Criteria for the award includes exhibiting high integrity and character; showing creative leadership; and inspiring and encouraging others to participate actively in professional development activities.
Smithson has served nine years of her 25 years of service in the financial aid profession as an officer or executive committee member in the Ohio, Illinois, and Midwest region financial aid administrators associations. During the past year, she has made presentations about student loan issues at two national meetings. She also has served on several committees at the state, regional, and national levels.
For the past two years, Smithson has chaired the National Direct Student Loan Coalition, an alliance of 1,200 Direct Loan schools in the country. In this role she has represented the group's interests to Congress, other higher education associations, and to the U.S. Department of Education. Last spring, she chaired a customer service task force for the department and served as a negotiator for the Higher Education Action Act Negotiated Rulemaking.
"I am honored to join others in my profession who have been recognized by NASFAA," Smithson said. "My colleagues and I are committed to making college possible for all students by working toward more financial aid program legislation and appropriations. Educating the public about college financing options has also been very important to me."
Polite Named SOE Dean
Mary M. Gallagher-Polite, who has been associate dean for Academic Programs in the School of Education since 1997, recently was named dean of the school.
She succeeds Gary Hull, who retired after 11 years in the position.
Before her duties brought her to the SOE dean's suite, Polite had been associate professor of Educational Leadership for eight years. Before coming to SIUE in 1989, she had been a magnet and elementary school principal for Decatur Public Schools.
Polite earned a bachelor's in elementary education in 1975 from Augustana College, a master's in educational administration in 1980 from Illinois State University and a doctorate in the same discipline from ISU in 1989.
SUSPICION: With the Salem, Mass., witchcraft trials of 1692 as a backdrop, Arthur Miller created a fascinating tale in his award-winning play, The Crucible, which will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15-16, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, all in Katherine Dunham Hall theater. When The Crucible opened on Broadway in 1953, audiences immediately saw a connection between action in the play and the ongoing McCarthy hearings in the U.S. Senate. Events in the play spiral out of control with strict Salem law fueling the hysteria. Shown here are Randall Middleton of Overland, Mo., as John Proctor, who must confess to witchcraft if he wants to live, and Sarah Maxfield of Highland as Abigail Williams, with whom Proctor had an affair which now threatens to destroy his marriage to Elizabeth, played here by Regina Hankins of Granite City. Tickets are $7; students, SIUE faculty and staff, and senior citizens, $5. For ticket information, call the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 2774. (SIUE Photo)
JAZZIN': Veteran St. Louis musicians Russ David and Dottye Bennett were on hand recently at the Jazz Supper Dance, the annual Friends of Music event to benefit music scholarships at SIUE. Also there to sing the night away was the "diva of jazz," Mae Wheeler (below), a mainstream entertainer who has been a staple on the St. Louis jazz scene for many years. Pianist David held forth for decades on St. Louis radio with his weekly Pevely Playhouse, while singer Bennett was a regional star in her own right, also entertaining for many years on St. Louis radio and at local night spots.
October 19, 1999
Annual: SIUE Chancellor David Werner spoke to a packed Meridian Hall for his annual State of the University Address. He pointed out the current fall enrollment is the largest its been since 1977 and also that the face of SIUE is changing from a commuter campus to a university where some 2,300 students reside.
Book Co-authored By Allan Ho Causes Stir In Music Circles
Allan Ho thought, perhaps, his latest book would cause discussion among fellow musicologists but he was not at all prepared for the hostile barbs that have been thrown at him and his collaborator, Dmitry Feofanov, in the months following publication of their book, Shostakovich Reconsidered(Toccata Press).
"We're dealing with issues that involve academic freedom and integrity," said Ho, a professor in the SIUE Department of Music. "We've attacked some sacred cows and we've caused some Shostakovich scholars to rethink what they have written in the past about the Soviet composer."
However, some of the more well known among those scholars are up in arms about Ho and Feofanov's book. "Some of these musicologists have focused their careers on Shostakovich studies," says Ho, "putting forth the idea that the composer was a Communist toady, sacrificing his artistic capabilities to conform to the Soviet ideal."
In publishing the 800-page book, which was six years in the making, Ho and Feofanov took advantage of the opening of Soviet archives and accumulated testimony of those who knew the composer. What they've found is that Shostakovich was a survivor of Stalin and subsequent Soviet leaders, and, like so many in Soviet Russia, a survivor who learned to cope with Soviet oppression and still remain true to his musical creativity.
To a civilian this may all sound like a tempest in a teapot, but the music world has been abuzz with Shostakovich Reconsidered. The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune have written about the book, calling it highly controversial. Discussions of the book also have aired on NPR, CBC, and BBC radio, as well as Euro News television.
Just before its publication, Ho gave a paper about his findings at the Midwest meeting of the American Musicological Society. He was met by calls for his banishment from future presentations at AMS meetings. "Many of these scholars have made a career out of denouncing Testimony but our book finds that, in fact, Testimony is authentic."
Testimony is the posthumous memoir of Dmitri Shostakovich, published in 1979 by Solomon Volkov, a young Russian journalist who interviewed the famous composer before his death four years earlier. Upon publication, Testimony was attacked as fraudulent. Its image of the composer as a closet dissident, whose works often included hidden, deeper messages for his contemporaries, was dismissed by many scholars as pure fabrication and they continued to malign the composer's memory.
"For nearly 20 years, prominent scholars in Russian/Soviet music, especially in the United States, have failed to report any of the evidence that corroborates Testimony and vindicates Volkov," Ho said. "Feofanov and I have raised the question of whether this has been because of a cover-up to protect personal egos and professional reputations; or complacency, believing the issue of Testimony's authenticity had long been settled; or, incompetence."
According to Michael Mishra, an associate professor of music at SIUE and one of Ho's colleagues, Shostakovich Reconsidered finally confronts head on the questions that have arisen since Testimony was published. "The question of (the book's) authenticity was first raised by Laurel Fay, after she had discovered passages in the book which appeared to have been plagiarized from earlier (articles by Shostakovich)," Mishra pointed out. Fay is a musicologist now with G.Schirmer music publishers.
"Fay certainly had every right to ask questions, given what she thought she had found," Mishra said. "Raising a legitimate question is one thing; passing judgment without further investigation is something else. Yet, this is exactly what has happened over the last twenty years. Despite the obvious lack of serious probing into the matter, many chose simply to interpret Volkov's refusal to answer the charges as proof of guilt."
Mishra, who also is bringing out his own book, A Shostakovich Companion (Greenwood Press), said Fay's speculation unfortunately became the reality within the music world. "What started out as a piece of speculation ... was soon elevated to the status of 'conclusive finding.' Reading Shostakovich Reconsidered, one becomes convinced that Testimony is exactly what Volkov has always claimed it to be-not a scholarly document in which every 'i' is dotted and every 't' is crossed-but a sincere memoir dictated in difficult conditions, such as we can only begin to imagine, in which the true voice of Shostakovich can be clearly heard."
After Shostakovich Reconsidered was published, Ho gave another paper on his findings at the annual AMS meeting, which was featured in the N.Y. Times. The Times article states: "For the record, despite occasional shouts and derisive laughter and much speaking out of turn, no blows were struck."
Ho points out that, so far, none of the scholars who have decried Testimony have come forward to confront the facts as presented in Shostakovich Reconsidered.
In the October issue of Commentary magazine, music critic Terry Teachout echoes Mishra's thoughts: "... the evidence presented ... in Shostakovich Reconsidered, if not absolutely dispositive, still appears sufficiently convincing to ensure that Testimony will henceforth be generally acknowledged as what Volkov has always said it was: the autobiography of Dmitri Shostakovich."
SIUE Invests In The Future
On the heels of President Clinton's recent visit to East St. Louis in which he encouraged private re-investment in the city, SIUE's East St. Louis Center has announced an "educational investment" it is making in the community.
The University opened the doors in late August to the East St. Louis Center's charter school for area youth who have not finished high school, offering them the opportunity to continue their education and to earn diplomas.
As part of their orientation, new faculty members visited the charter school located in classrooms of the former Metropolitan Community College building.
"The SIU East St. Louis Charter School offers students and their parents a choice to re-enter a new environment in which the students can succeed," said Willie Epps, director of the center and a driving force for the establishment of the school. "More than 700 students leave school each year before finishing, but we have seen a demand through our GED program that tells us East St. Louis youth want to complete their education."
The school is open for 14- to 19-year-old students who have left school without receiving a diploma. Students must agree to attend classes, maintain a C average and abide by a strict discipline policy which forbids drugs, alcohol, weapons, harassment, and verbal or physical abuse.
A comprehensive high school curriculum will be offered, complete with science courses in the fully equipped science labs and computer education in two state-of-the-art computer labs. "In limiting the school to 75 to 125 students, we are offering small class sizes for individualized attention," said Epps.
Leatrice Tyler-Riddle is the school's principal. She comes to the new school after seven years with the Ferguson-Florissant (Mo.) School District. Most recently, she was that district's re-entry program coordinator.
Though initial plans for the East St. Louis Center to open a charter elementary school were turned down by East St. Louis School District 189, efforts to establish the charter high school succeeded with the school board.
While operated by the SIUE center, the charter school receives its funding-roughly $500,000 for the coming year-from the Illinois State Department of Education by way of School District 189 as a reimbursement for each student.
Epps says the new school will maintain and strengthen its relationship with the school district over the course of the school's initial five-year charter. "I am confident our students will learn and achieve."
The MPAGs Are Here!
MPAG. Sounds ominous, doesn't it? It stands for Multidisciplinary Project Action Group Program, which has been bringing down traditional barriers around campus since its inception earlier this year.
Seven projects have been funded and 10 more applications are expected for MPAG's second year by the Dec. 1 deadline, according to Kevin McClearey. "In the past, when faculty or staff from two departments or units wanted to work together, it was difficult to obtain cross funding for projects," he said.
"MPAG helps cut through that red tape and makes seed money available for research projects that cross lines of discipline. We are trying to break down those unintentional barriers that are inherent in an academic setting."
Steve Hansen, dean of the SIUE Graduate School, and McClearey are the ones who initiated MPAG on this campus. McClearey is a professor of Speech Communication currently on assignment in the Graduate School. They're following a model published in a journal of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA).
MPAG brings together research teams whose members are from various disciplines. McClearey explained this year's MPAG funding of $30,000 was available because of indirect cost funds received when SIUE faculty and staff get external funding for their research, public service, training, and demonstration projects.
"In addition, we plan to recycle 25 percent of any indirect costs we obtain when an MPAG project gets external funding," McClearey said. "So, this entire system feeds itself."
Some of the projects under the MPAG program include research in: endodontic lesions, with various disciplines from the School of Dental Medicine; mental health and aging, with team members from public administration and policy analysis, management, marketing, and gerontology; women's health issues, with members from kinesiology, nursing, and public administration and policy analysis; and disability studies, with members from Disability Support Services, special education, nursing, social work, and psychology.
"The other benefit of this program is that MPAG has brought together faculty and staff who otherwise might not have met," McClearey said. "And, while some projects don't work out, there are members of the campus community who have gotten together for the first time and who now are keeping in touch because they have found similar interests."
Cycling Made Easy At SIUE
Strung together from railroad right-of-ways and the old Inter-Urban trolley route is one of SIUE's best-known secrets, the Delyte W. Morris trail.
The trail is a bicyclist's delight, a 2.8-mile route that winds through some of the campus' most scenic areas. A trail for bicyclists and hikers was part of the original plan for the SIUE campus and students have used the Morris trail from the very beginning.
Bob Washburn, director of SIUE's Office of Facilities Management, says that the trail was included in the initial master plan for the campus back in the early 1960s. "Much of the trail follows old railroad right-of- ways and remained undeveloped because of the utility tunnels that ran beneath the property," he noted.
The trail has always been popular, Washburn said. SIUE students and employees commute regularly on the Morris trail. "I know for a fact that we have several university employees, including a few professors, who use the trails to get to work each day. It certainly helps the environment to have the trails here for bicyclists and it helps to ease the traffic congestion somewhat when people bike to the university."
According to Campus Recreation Associate Director Ann M. Schonlau, once people began to use the Morris trail they wanted more. "Fitness has driven the usage of the trails more than anything else," she said. "People get a more exciting workout than they do in a gym and they wanted connectivity." Connectivity is what SIUE cyclists got when work on the Madison County Transit Nature Trial (formerly the Vadalabene Bicycle Trail) was completed in 1997.
Madison County Transit undertook the massive project in late 1992. The project transformed railroad right-of-ways and rutted farm paths into a network of smooth surfaced trails perfect for bicycling, roller-blading, or pushing a stroller. The increase in the trail connectivity is a boon to SIUE as well as the surrounding area. "A lot of the trail users are St. Louis residents who come in just to ride the trail. Edwardsville is a very bike-friendly place and SIUE in particular has a very good attitude toward bicyclists," Schonlau observed.
University Police has officers who regularly patrol the Morris trail and the University maintains the area, checking for downed trees and other safety hazards. "Many times a cyclist will call us to tell us about a problem on the trail," Washburn said. "The trail users really help maintain it."
The safety of the Morris trail has often been a concern for its users. Washburn concedes that parts of the Morris trail need work. "After heavy storms, the trail is sometimes impassable. Many times a significant rain will wash out parts of the trail, especially in the spring." But, good news may be on the horizon for trail users.
Improvement of the trail network is one of SIUE's priorities, according to Vice Chancellor for Administration Kenn Neher. "We think the network of bike and hiking trails is an outstanding feature of SIUE. We're actively seeking grants and cooperative agreements to improve them."
Neher said that the university is waiting for word on funding for a project to pave, widen and straighten the Morris trail network throughout the campus. An additional spur is planned for accessing the campus from University Park..
"The Morris trail is one of the oldest trails around here," Schonlau said. "People use the trails all the time. I think it definitely improves the quality of SIUE life."
Worth makes the man,
The lack of it, a fellow,
The rest is all, but
Leather and prunella.
-Alexander Pope
DFS Joins Forces With The East St. Louis Center To Help Women
Alexander Pope's reference to the ideal notwithstanding, SIUE's East St. Louis Center has formed a new partnership with Dress for Success of Southern Illinois-an organization dedicated to helping women who would like some "leather and prunella" for job interviews.
Through Dress for Success, a client can receive a complete business outfit-a suit, shoes, handbag, accessories, and hosiery-for an interview. In addition, a client may be coached for the interview, given hair styling and make-up assistance, and also may be provided a mentor.
If an interview is successful, the client may also return for another complete outfit. One measure of the program's effectiveness is that 70 percent of the women come back for that second suit.
And, once a client has been hired, Dress for Success continues to help. Once a month, women from professional ranks volunteer to speak to participants on subjects such as time management, budgeting, and coping with work stress. Mentoring also continues and can be expanded to involve a client's family.
Dress for Success, 614 North Seventh St., East St. Louis, is operated by Barbara and Sandy Parker who believe the program is more than "just come in and look pretty." They point out that the program helps women set long-term professional and personal goals.
The Dress for Success coordinator at the East St. Louis Center is Curtiseena Ellis-Wilson, who is also the Head Start Parent Involvement coordinator. Camille McCaskill, Kay Werner, and Gloria Atkins serve on the advisory board.
The East St. Louis Center, through its partnership with Dress for Success, recently conducted a fall/winter suit drive and also plans a spring drive. Items for women only are needed, such as business suits, blouses, pants suits and dresses appropriate for the office, and accessories such as costume jewelry, belts, scarves, and bags, shoes, and new (packaged) hosiery.
Donations also are gratefully accepted; checks should be made to Dress for Success, Southern Illinois, and may be sent to the organization: 2221 Greenfield Drive, Belleville, IL 62221. Clothing items may be dropped off in Room 2051 or 2071 of the East St. Louis Center, 411 E. Broadway.
Other drop-off locations include St. Joseph's Head Start Center (HSC), 1501 Martin Luther King Drive, East St. Louis, (618) 875-9812; Bluffview HSC, 8100 Bunkum Road, Caseyville, (618) 394-8897; Bel-Mac HSC, 912 Carlyle Road, Belleville, (618) 277-4681; or in Room 2228 of SIUE's Rendleman Hall, (618) 650-2536.
Appointments to help clients are currently scheduled from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, as well as from 9 a.m.-noon on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. All clients must be referred by an agency.
Volunteers are an integral part of the operation and the Parkers will provide training. Those interested in volunteering may call Curtiseena, (618) 482-6948, or the Parkers, (618) 531-8391.
Perhaps, the best endorsement for the program comes in a story Barbara Parker likes to tell. "We were booking some meeting rooms at a local motel when the clerk heard we were from Dress for Success and said: 'I love you; I love you. I am wearing one of your suits.' I can't think of any better endorsement," Parker said.
Memo to A. Pope: Leather and prunella can make a big difference.
Garbage In-Energy Out
Can St Louis County find an economical and sustained electrical energy alternative for its county government complex in downtown Clayton, Mo., one that will reduce electricity costs?
And, if the county does find an alternative, can that electrical source be generated from ... garbage?
That's the $75,000 question. It's a question that a team of engineers from the SIUE School of Engineering will attempt to answer as a result of a $75,000 grant the university received recently.
"The county wants to examine whether electrical generation from local landfills may be an alternative energy source when deregulation is implementation," said Susan Morgan, assistant professor of civil engineering at SIUE. "If it is, then there will be a local alternative energy source available that may be cheaper for the county than conventional electricity sources.
The SIUE research project-The Effect of Deregulation on Efficient Energy Utilization of Building Complexes-will examine what impact the deregulation of electrical utilities will have on the possible use of this alternative by the county.
Morgan is joined on the project by a team of SIUE civil, environmental and electrical engineering researchers. Says Morgan: "A landfill will generate methane gas for 20 to 30 years, perhaps even longer. Depending on the type of electrical generation equipment that is used, this method to generate power can be more 'environmentally friendly' than venting the gas into the atmosphere."
Some area landfills already are producing electrical energy.
