December 2000
Happy Holidays
The annual Holiday Reception will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, in Meridian Ballroom. The event will be hosted by Chancellor David Werner and the four vice chancellors.
Professor Also Finds Election Woes In Tanzania
Since Nov. 7, pundits have become fond of noting that problems and ambiguities with the 2000 U.S. presidential election are nothing compared with other countries where bloodshed in the streets is common during a transfer of power.
The analogy has become a cliche, but the fact remains that it's true and Dallas Browne has witnessed it first hand. Browne, an associate professor of Anthropology, recently returned from Africa, where he was a monitor for the presidential election of Tanzania and Zanzibar on Oct. 29.
"Growth is affected in the countries of Africa where there is chronic violence," Browne said. "It affects everyday life, for example, agriculture; planting and harvesting are disrupted which can contribute to widespread starvation.
"If a transfer of power occurred without fighting in the streets, this would stabilize a new regime, so that the people could enjoy peace and prosperity."
Browne was a member of a 16-person delegation sent by the International Foundation for Election Systems in Washington, D.C., to monitor the election. That group was joined by a delegation from the European Community, the British Commonwealth, the Organization of African Unity, and the Southern Africa Development Coordination Conference.
Although the observers were to monitor the election, the overall goal was to stave off civil war in Tanzania. "Two factions-the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), currently in power, and the Civic United Front (CUF)-are at odds about the union government," Browne explained.
CUF wants to secede from the union over the issue of a tax free port, importing goods from the island of Zanzibar without taxation so they can sell to the mainland (Tanzania) at a better price. The mainland government says it will lose money and the advantage over the island merchants.
To complicate this already volatile mix, oil recently was discovered on the island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean, and the island government has cut a deal with the British for exclusive drilling rights.
As for the danger factor for the monitors, Browne acknowledges there was personal risk but the delegation was in the forefront of media coverage and both sides were not interested in creating an international incident. "We believe sincerely that if democracy takes root in these countries, the world would be better off," he said.
The citizens of Zanzibar are hungry for a stabilized election process, Browne said. Voters stood in line for hours to vote and many of them were elderly. "The old people had to walked as much as 30 miles to vote, standing in line in a tropical sun.
"Ninety-two percent of the registered voters showed up at the polls," Browne said. "Can you imagine what would happen if 92 percent of U.S. voters turned out on election day? It would be an amazing phenomenon. And, I was equally amazed at the young volunteers who helped older illiterate citizens in the voting. This all was very moving to me."
Unfortunately, the election could not be certified by the observers because of fraud and improprieties at polling places in 16 constituencies (precincts), Browne said. The upshod was that the CCM retained power. However, civil war did not erupt and the observers believed their presence helped the situation.
"Both sides operated during the election with great restraint," Browne pointed out. "The situation is still tense there and it will continue to be until the next election four years from now. But, I think the mission was successful."
Slow Down On U. Drive At Bluff Road Intersection
Keep an eye out for your speed when driving on South University Drive at the new intersection with Bluff Road. Things have changed and construction continues.
The speed limit will be reduced to 45 on Northbound University Drive south of the campus before the bike trail crosses the road. This is about 200 feet south of where the speed limit is presently reduced. Phase I of the Bluff Road project will be completed within the next week or so, weather permitting.
Once Phase I is completed, Bluff Road will be open from South University Drive to Korte Stadium. And, watch for different traffic patterns at the new Bluff Road and South University Drive intersection. Bluff Road traffic may now be crossing the southbound lanes to enter the northbound lanes. Traffic going north may be slowing to turn left onto Bluff Road.
These are new traffic patterns so extra care should be taken. Bluff Road will remain closed to through traffic until next fall. Depending on weather, the contractor may begin phase II and III soon This will close access to Whiteside Road. Bluff Road will be closed from the stadium to Poag Road.
Dilliard Letter Collection Given To Lovejoy Library
It might be difficult to imagine Irving Dilliard asking advice of anyone. The retired 96-year-old St. Louis Post-Dispatch editor seems a sage on so many subjects.
But, when he was a high school student in the 1920s he was considering a career as a writer and he asked several people for advice, not the least of which were more than 100 famous authors.
The young Dilliard received 120 letters of reply with advice as varied as the authors themselves-Robert Frost, Rudyard Kipling, Bernard Shaw, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. They answered the young man's questions, ranging from "Should I attend a university?" to "Should I study liberal arts or journalism?" and "How did you start your career?"
The collection of these letters, written on stationary or postcards, recently was given to Lovejoy Library by Dilliard's daughters, Doris Sprong and Mary Sue Schusky. Dilliard has been a long-time member of the Friends of Lovejoy Library and a supporter of SIUE.
Jay Starratt, dean of Library and Information Services, said the historic letters are a welcome addition to Lovejoy Library's collections. "This is a truly charming and fascinating collection," Starratt said. "The letters represent a 'who's who' of the Anglo-American literary world in the 1920s. We are very grateful to the Dilliard family for their generous gift."
The dean is correct. This is a charming and fascinating collection, if only in the fact that some of the greatest literary lights of all time deigned to reply to a high school student's query from Collinsville, Illinois.
Perhaps they knew the youngster was destined for greatness himself. As a high school student, Dilliard began work at what was then known as the Collinsville Herald. After he graduated from the University of Illinois in 1927 and attended Harvard for one year, he took a job as a Post-Dispatch correspondent. He worked briefly as a reporter before transferring to the newspaper's editorial staff, serving as editor of the editorial page from 1949-1957.
During his 30 years at the Post, Dilliard wrote or edited more than 10,000 editorials. He also wrote articles for The American Scholar, Harper's, and The New Republic. He contributed more than 100 biographical essays to the Dictionary of American Biography and edited collections of addresses and papers of Judge Learned Hand and legal opinions of Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black.
After Dilliard retired from the Post in 1960, he taught expository writing at Princeton from 1963-1973, while holding a Ferris Professorship. He also served as the first director of Aging for the state of Illinois. In recent years, Dilliard has devoted time to a variety of projects and organizations, including historical organizations, local preservation societies, and libraries.
Given the curiosity Dilliard has exhibited throughout his distinguished career, it's really not difficult to imagine him as a young man confronting writers he admired.
Frost wrote: "I suppose I just kept writing what I wanted to write and occasionally trying to publish it; but was at it over twenty years before I published much of it." The poet went on to write that he "got little out of college and less out of literary courses in college."
Wrote Kipling: "Some men thrive on newspaper work, and others are poisoned by it, and the fact is one has to make the experiment for oneself."
Fitzgerald, who wrote one of the longest letters in the collection, recommended Booth Tarkington for the "best prose."
Shaw sent a postcard with a terse and characteristically curmudgeonly recommendation: "Write 5,000 words a week for five years; then you will be professionalized enough to take any literary shit that may come your way."
IDNR Project Teaches Students, Helps Residents
When coal was king, hundreds of mines were dug beneath what is now the Metro East area. Long forgotten, these abandoned mines pose a serious threat to homeowners as hundreds of Southern Illinois residents find out each year-and in an expensive manner.
"Mine subsidence is a very real danger in this area," says Robert Gibson, emergency section supervisor of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' (IDNR) office on campus. "Approximately one million acres of land in Illinois, most of them here in the southern part of the state, are undermined, and the subsidence of these abandoned mines have resulted in some costly consequences for homeowners."
The Abandoned Mined Lands Reclamation Division of IDNR's Office of Mines and Minerals has undertaken two projects with SIUE. One involves monitoring coal mine subsidence. For the past eight years, students from the School of Engineering have been hired in a series of on-going contracts with the IDNR to measure the ground movements associated with coal mine subsidence and to monitor the resulting damages to homes, schools and buildings.
"These students have had valuable hands-on experience in learning to design effective monitoring programs and in implementing level surveying techniques," said Gibson.
But students are also involved in a new project launched by IDNR. Estimating that in Belleville alone 70 percent of the city's residents live over mined areas-and the danger exists in other communities, including Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, and Collinsville-Gibson is using the Metro East for a pilot program working with Randall Pearson of the SIUE Department of Geography.
This pilot project includes digitally archiving maps of abandoned mines throughout the state and attaching useful coordinate information. Utilizing students from Geography to assist in research and implementation, Pearson and Gibson are using Geographical Information System (GIS) to assign coordinates for these abandoned mines that will eventually be overlayed on city maps in order to identify potential hazards.
GIS is a software program that combines satellite and demographic technology to help planners make myriad decisions about varied regional issues.
"Involving the SIUE engineering and geography students in mine subsidence research and the GIS mine mapping project is a continuation of a working relationship the Department of Natural Resources has had with the university," Gibson points out. "We've utilized students in research and surveying projects in the past and are counting on their participation as an important element of developing a comprehensive plan to minimize the effects of past coal mining."
Gibson introduced the project to interested students in a presentation in November, discussing the issues related to mine subsidence-the history of mining in the area, the impact of subsidence on existing structures, and the role of the Department of Natural Resource's emergency response team.
The first objective of the GIS undertaking is to archive the many existing maps of mines. With the earliest mines in Illinois dating from the middle of the 19th century, researching and indexing the maps will result in an invaluable foundation for a computerized system for cataloging mines and identifying possible dangers. "Analyzing and recording this information will result in a system that is more accurate and, by default, useable by everyone," Gibson said.
Ultimately, he hopes GIS will be available on the Internet for area residents to access in determining if mine subsidence is a concern for their property. In the meantime, Gibson advises residents to consider adding mine subsidence coverage to their house insurance policies. "It's an inexpensive premium, particularly if you compare it to the thousands of dollars of damage that can result from a subsidence under your home," he said.
"Too many residents are unaware of this danger. That's why the Geographical Information System is so important, not only to alert people but, whenever possible, to prevent costly problems before they happen."
Women's Basketball Looks To Get Back On Track
Despite the fact that last weekend didn't turn out the way the women's basketball team expected, Coach Wendy Hedberg said there is no need to panic. "We didn't play our game against IUPU-Fort Wayne," said Hedberg.
"They got in our face and we didn't adapt to the pressure. We just need to go back and work harder on some things in practice."
The Cougars, 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, return to action tomorrow evening (12/5) at McKendree College. The game gets under way at 7 p.m.
McKendree will also be an opportunity for bragging rights. Misi Clark (Paris) will be playing against her younger sister, Jacque, who is a freshman guard for the Bearcats. Jessica Robert (Carlyle) also has the opportunity to play a former teammate from Carlyle High School in junior Kristin Hustedde. "It is a big game for Misi and Jess. McKendree got off to a real good start but played some tough teams lately."
The Cougars then travel to Evansville, Ind., on Saturday (12/9) to take on Southern Indiana at 5:15 p.m. "Southern Indiana is playing really well right now. They are a much better and improved team than last year and have a balanced attack."
Clark scored 19 points against both Saint Joseph's and IUPU-Fort Wayne last weekend, extending her streak to 71 consecutive games of scoring in double figures. She also recorded three steals on Saturday to move her into the No. 2 spot on the all-time steal list with 263. Clark leads the team with 17.2 points per game.
Kristen Boss (Carrollton) and Megan Grizzle (Salem) also had career games in the 84-37 win over Saint Joseph's. Boss finished with a career-high 10 points and nine rebounds while Grizzle added a career best 12 points. Robert finished with career highs in the 76-72 loss to IUPU-Fort Wayne. Robert finished with 18 points and five assists. She is second on the team in points per game with 11.8.
Men's Basketball Hopes Win Gives Team A Spark
One win at the right time. "The win against IUPU-Fort Wayne was a tremendous one for us at the right time of the season," said Coach Jack Margenthaler. The 77-72 win over IUPU-Fort Wayne on Saturday (12/2) evened the Cougars' Great Lakes Valley Conference record to 1-1 for the year and to 2-3 overall.
"We didn't play extremely well, but we got the win. It will help us to prepare for our next opponent."
SIUE next travels to Evansville, Ind., to face No. 3 Southern Indiana in a 7:30 p.m. match up on Saturday (12/9). "Southern Indiana is playing really well. It is one of our conference games and we have to face a team that is ranked," said Margenthaler.
Wes Pickering (Springfield, Mo.) and Luke Humphrey (Rantoul) had career games last week. Pickering led the team in the Saint Joseph's loss with a career-high 21 points and five steals. He now is second on the team with 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Humphrey set a career best 12 points against Saint Joseph's only to break that in the win over IUPU-Fort Wayne. He recorded 19 points on Saturday and is currently averaging 8.6 points per game.
"On Saturday, Luke had the best game of his college career," said Margenthaler. "I am pleased for him because he was struggling offensively, but he has come out of it."
Wrestling Faces Three Difficult Dual Meets
Coach Booker Benford and his wrestling squad return to dual action this weekend against three tough teams.
First up for the Cougars is a dual against Central Missouri State on Wednesday (12/6) in Warrensburg, Mo. The meet begins at 7 p.m. SIUE then travel to Purdue and Illinois for dual meets this weekend. The Cougars face Purdue on Saturday (12/9) at noon and Illinois at 1 p.m. on Sunday (12/10).
"These are two tough teams," Benford said. "It will be a learning experience for the guys." The team fell to Missouri 46-0 last week in its first dual meet of the year and enter the week with a 0-1 record. "The team lacked intensity last week and even at the Northern Iowa Open. They are facing very tough opponents."
December 19, 2000
Snowstorm Caused Vehicle Problems On Campus
The snowstorm last week caused a few vehicles to spin out of control and traffic personnel on campus to maintain a hectic pace, and it all caused some headaches for administrators.
It was exam week and the university was forced to close at noon on Wednesday because of dangerous weather conditions. Any exams scheduled that afternoon were rescheduled for Friday. The inclement weather schedule was posted on the university's main Web site.
University Police were busy helping stalled motorists with dead batteries or vehicles immobilized by deep snow. "We de-iced about 30 cars, in which motorists couldn't get into the cars because they were iced shut," said University Police Lt. Tony Bennett. "Our officers also were helping jump vehicle batteries.
"In all, we had 65 such incidents reported," Bennett said. "Thankfully, these were one-vehicle mishaps and no one was hurt."
But, despite the problems, the snow-covered trees and shrubs on campus framed an idyllic scene as some families, oblivious to the somewhat chaotic conditions around them, sledded the hills on campus in a winter wonderland.
Meanwhile......KMOV-TV and KMOX Radio in St. Louis were contributing to the confusion for some students and employees of the university, with incorrect snow-closing announcements. The problems were caused by a combination of computer breakdown and human error, according to station personnel. Spokesmen at both stations said they had identified the glitches and were addressing the problems for the future.
A secondary fallout to the electronic announcement problems appeared in at least one local newspaper which also incorrectly reported SIUE would be closed Thursday. The reason for that glitch? Reporters relied on St. Louis electronic media reports.
NAACP Leader To Speak As Part Of Arts & Issues Series
Five Points to Freedom is the focus of the Jan. 18 visit of Kweisi Mfume, leader of the NAACP and a former Congressman, as part of the 16th Arts & Issues season.
Following a proven format, the Arts & Issues tradition continues to emphasize quality in programming that Southwestern Illinois audiences have come to expect from the SIUE series. Mfume's presentation takes place at 7:30 p.m. in Meridian Ballroom of the Delyte W. Morris University Center.
Mfume's five-point "action agenda" encompasses civil rights, political empowerment, excellence in education, economic development, and youth outreach. Chief executive officer of the NAACP since February 1996, Mfume gave up his seat in the House of Representatives to take the position. For 10 years, he served Maryland's 7th Congressional District.
"We are proud to have Kweisi Mfume as part of the Arts & Issues family," says Richard Walker, coordinator of the series. "His work in Congress and with the NAACP has been exemplary, and his presentation here will outline the issues about which he has become so passionate. Mfume has given the NAACP a clear and compelling blueprint for the 21st century."
A native of Baltimore, Mfume became an activist in college and followed a political career that led to a seat on the Baltimore City Council, where he worked to diversify government, improve community safety, enhance minority business development, and divest city funds from the apartheid government of South Africa. In 1986, he was elected to Congress.
As a member of the House, Mfume consistently advocated landmark minority business and civil rights legislation. He successfully co-sponsored and helped pass the Americans With Disabilities Act and also authorized minority contracting and employment amendments to the Financial Institutions Reform and Recovery Act.
He also served two terms as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and later served as the Caucus' chair of the Task Force To Preserve Affirmative Action.
Tickets for the Jan. 18 event are $8; students, $4. For tickets, call (618) 650-5555, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 5555; write: Arts & Issues, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL 62026-1083; or by e-mail, rwalker@siue.edu.
Tickets also may be ordered on-line: www.siue.edu/ARTS_ISSUES. Admission includes free parking in the lots behind the Morris University Center or Dunham Hall theater.
Happy Holidays
The next edition of The O is scheduled for Jan. 16. Watch for the new look!
Applications Available For Kimmel Award, Scholarship
Nomination-applications for the SIUE Carol Kimmel Scholarship and Community Service Award for Faculty and Staff are now available in the Kimmel Leadership Center on campus. Deadline for the nominations is Friday, Feb. 2.
The annual award and scholarship were established to recognize students for their outstanding leadership and community volunteer service contributions, as well as academic excellence, and for faculty and staff who are community volunteers. The awards were named for Carol Kimmel, a former member of the SIU Board of Trustees, who continues to give freely of her time and talent to volunteerism.
For the scholarship, individuals may nominate a student, or students may nominate themselves, according to the following criteria:
• Currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student at SIUE, with sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate standing;
• an accumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale);
• demonstrated volunteer contributions within the last two years in leadership, service, and/or citizenship, including leadership in a student organization or at least one elected office;
• and more than 30 hours of nonpaid service to a community agency or community organization.
In addition, a nominee must provide two letters of documented University service and leadership, as well as two letters documenting community service and leadership.
In order for a student to be considered for a second Kimmel Scholarship, documentation submitted for previous Kimmel Scholarships will not be reconsidered. The scholarship provides one full year of tuition at the SIUE in-state rate.
For the community service award, the following criteria apply:
• Organizations, agencies, businesses, or individuals, including colleagues, may nominate those who they have known through professional association for at least two years;
• who have been a full-time, continuing employee of SIUE for at least two years; and
• who have demonstrated continuous service to a single community agency, organization, or business for at least two years.
• Nominees must have demonstrated a variety of community service contributions for an extended period of time;
• outstanding voluntary community service, as well as a commitment to the citizens of Illinois or Missouri.
Nominees must document leadership roles and responsibilities, and provide two letters of recommendation. Prior recipients are ineligible to apply.
Winners will be recognized Thursday, April 5, at the Kimmel Leadership Awards Banquet. For more information about nomination procedures or for a nomination-application form, call the Kimmel Center, (618) 650-2686, or, from St. Louis toll-free, (888) 328-5168, Ext. 2686.
E. Brinkmann Dies; Was Psychology Professor
Erwin H. Brinkmann, emeritus professor of Psychology, died Thursday, Nov. 16, at Illini Hospital in Pittsfield. He was 71.
During his tenure at SIUE, Brinkmann served as a university senator, chair of the SIUE Graduate Council, and chair of the graduate faculty. In 1981, he received the Illinois State Board of Education "Those Who Excel" Award, which was presented by the Edwardsville School District.
Brinkmann earned a bachelor of science in Mathematics and Physics and a master of science in Guidance and Counseling in 1952 and 1957, respectively, both from SIU Carbondale. He earned a doctorate in Education and Psychology in 1963 from the University of Michigan.
From 1957-58, Brinkmann taught at Ann Arbor (MI) High School and was a research associate and a lecturer at the University of Michigan before coming to SIUE in 1963 as a faculty member in what was then called the Education Division.. He retired in 1991.
Memorials may be made to Lutheran Children and Family Services or to Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville.
