Courtesy Photo of Finch

Phillip Finch, a prolific Kansas author whose work ranged from fast-paced thrillers to a riveting nonfiction account of acave diving triumph and tragedy, died Tuesday at the home of his sister in Grand Junction, Colo., following an illness of a few months. He was 63.

He was born July 27, 1948, in Washington, D.C.

Finch began his career as a sports writer for The Washington Daily News. One of his memorable interviews, which he recounted in 2008 for a reporting class at Emporia State University, was with Muhammad Ali.  Finch’s editor had told him to get an exclusive. The world heavyweight boxing champion took a liking to the young reporter and gave Finch an impromptu boxing lesson, which Finch described for readers.

Finch was a sports writer for the San Francisco Examiner from 1970 until 1975, when his first novel, “Haulin’,” was published by Doubleday. He was represented by the William Morris literary agency and would write fourteen other novels in his career, including the thrillers “Sugarland” and “Paradise Junction,” both of which won praise from critics.“Texas Dawn,” published in 1981, was selected as a Readers Digest Condensed Book.

His most recent thriller was “Devil’s Keep,” published by Pocket Books in 2010.

In addition to his journalism and fiction, Finch was also an author of nonfiction books. These include “Fatal Flaw,” in which he questioned the conviction of Tommy Ziegler for a triple homicide in Winter Park, Florida. His latest nonfiction book was 2008’s“Diving Into Darkness,” about a South African cave diving tragedy that took the life of Australian David Shaw. For that book, Finch traveled to South Africa and dove, with Shaw’s scuba equipment, the cave where Shaw had previously set acave diving depth record – and where Shaw died trying to recover the body of another diver.

Finch moved to Emporia from Howard, in Elk County, and lived with his family in the historic Keebler-Stone House at 831 Constitution. For several of the past few years, he was a faculty member of the Tallgrass Writing Workshop, held one weekend each summer at ESU.

He was preceded in death by his father, Francis Finch.

He is survived by his ex-wife, Dahlia; his son, Daniel, and his daughter, Angela, both of the home;  sisters Yvonne Finch, of Grand Junction,  Madeline Finch, Sacramento, Calif., and Denise Finch, of Auburn, Calif.; a brother, Tom Finch, of Wichita; and his mother, Madeline Finch,  of Grand Junction.

A private memorial service is planned. The family suggests memorial contributions to Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado, www.hospicewco.com.

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Cynthia Akers, associate professor and director of instruction, was misidentified as Sally Crawford-Fowler in the Jan. 26 article on the HOW2ESU brainstorming session.

The Bulletin regrets these mistakes.

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Cartoon by Ellen Weiss

Teachers are losing ground in the fight to control their classrooms in the wake of the announcement of Gov. Sam Brownback’s new school finance proposal, which handicaps teachers to an archaic “effective-ineffective” scale. Two years of an “ineffective” score warrants a teacher’s termination, according to the new proposal.

It echoes the nation-wide adoption of No Child Left Behind as a benchmark for juvenile achievement. The Bulletin staff believes this is a grave misunderstanding of what successful education looks like.

The work required to maintain a public education system is enormous. Adequate staffing and curriculum, proper facilities and accessibility are the most visible factors. The quality of our teachers is a function of these factors. No Child Left Behind’s test-centered approach cements teachers into a particular kind of education, even though other successful methods of teaching exist.

Surely if Gov. Brownback knew the implications of his new proposal, he would reverse it. Wouldn’t anybody who themselves benefited from public education?

There is little value in a test, especially if the student only retains information long enough to pass with at least an average score. What creates lifelong learning are teachers who imbed in their students a sense of responsibility and wonder about their own education, which is virtually impossible when the bottom line is a test rather than the student’s future.

Waiting for education to get better is a dangerous game. Statistics about America’s decline in science and mathematics have scared people into a reactionary stance, willing to try anything to meet the standard set by the rest of the world.

What we trade in the process is innovation – what once made this country thrive. It is time for the Brownback administration to put faith in Kansas educators instead of punishing them.

As a university with one of the most prestigious teacher’s colleges in the country, our graduates face not only a dwindling market, but now laws and regulations to make teaching increasingly more difficult. It is shameful to think that we are sending our graduates to the professional slaughter house.

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“Kelsey is an obvious leader on our team,” said Jory Collins, head coach. “She is one of our more talented players, even as a sophomore. We are really excited to have her leadership on our team.”

Growing up in Olathe, Kelsey competed in track, volleyball and basketball. She was involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Student Volunteers, where she worked in a sixth grade classroom her senior year.

In high school she focused on basketball with support from her family. According to ESU’s website, she played in three straight Kansas state championship games while leading her team to victory as a senior.

“I am really close to all of my family,” Balcom said. “My parents never forced me to play but have always been very supportive by coming to watch me.”

Kelsey’s sister, Megan, will be joining the team next season.

“My sister and I are very close,” Balcom said. “She is my biggest fan, and I am her biggest fan.”

According to ESU’s website, Balcom was the MIAA Freshmen of the Year and earned Honorable Mention All MIAA last season. She averaged 11.6 points and 7 rebounds per game to go along with four double-doubles.

“Ali V. (Volkens) was a senior last year as a post player,” Balcom said. “She was great. She helped me with a lot of things, helped the whole team with a lot of things. It was a good learning experience all around. I want to continue to improve from there.”

Kelsey has high hopes for the team and their future and plans to work as hard as necessary to reach those goals.

“We don’t want to settle with just being good,” Balcom said. “Every day we want to get better and better. We want to be great. Personally, I want to improve and be as good as I can every day. I need to move away from not thinking as much and just play the game.”

Her presence and leadership on and off the floor is vital to the success of this team. The team chemistry is noticeable to many.

“Our team chemistry is one of the strengths of this team,” Balcom said. “We all get along. We have players at every position that can play.”

Marcus Hix

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The Emporia State baseball team is ranked 13th in the preseason poll from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The Hornets were picked in a tie for second in the South Central Regional preseason poll.

ESU also had several players named to the preseason All-Region team, including pitchers Brandon Faulkner and Derek Brooks, along with outfielders John Kornbrust and Dorain Williams and infielder Joe Vaskas.

The Hornets will open the regular season on Feb. 17 when they welcome Nebraska-Kearney to town. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Glennen Field in the Trusler Sports Complex.

Football adds 29 to roster

Emporia State head football coach Garin Higgins announced the signing of 26 high school players to attend ESU and play football for the Hornets. Four transfers have also joined the class.

ESU will host the Hornet Football Forecast Bash at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Coaches Sports Bar and Grill.

The class consists of signees from all over the Midwest region including Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. A focus of this class seems to be skill positions, wide receivers and running backs, along with some quality offensive linemen.

Track and field continue early success

ESU had five provisional qualifiers and two marks that rank at the top of the nation in NCAA Division II this season at the Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence on Friday.

Briar Ploude jumped 7-2.5 feet in the high jump, placing him first in the nation. Katie Mona ran a 2:11.9 second 800 meter to move to the top in the nation.

Andrew Etheridge moved to fourth in the nation running the 60 meter dash in an improved 8.02 seconds.

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The team is off to a quick start. Can you comment on the early season success?

As a coaching staff, we get together from time to time and try to figure out what we are doing right. Then we discuss some things we can do better. I think the athletes right now have high morale and everything helps, including the weather. Obviously with it being indoor season, we are just trying to stress that they work as a team, help each other out and we have really gelled that way. The athletes are really responding to the training, which from a coaching perspective is huge. I think the athletes pushing each other, is directly related to our early season success.

Can you comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the team?

Strength wise, we are just on fire right now. There is so much momentum…everyone is just doing such a good job of keeping the team’s morale up right now. From a weakness stand point, we can always be better, but I feel so good about these guys. There are some areas that we need to be stronger in, but there is nothing we can do about that right now. We are just going to put the emphasis on coaching the athletes we have now.

Can you comment of the leadership of the team captains?

When we as a coaching staff sat down and decided to have team captains there were some pluses and minuses. From a coaching standpoint, we as a coaching staff had a mock captain selection. The athletes the individuals chose to be captains were actually the same that the coaches would have selected. We have so many kids from top to bottom that would fit a captain’s role. We are really proud of these people. You could go right on down the list of captains and there are great things to say about every single one of them. I think it is good for them to realize their peers voted them into the captain’s role. It puts a little responsibility on them to be leaders.

Can you talk about some of the team goals?

We want to keep getting better every day going into MIAA track meets. We tell our athletes that we have to do more with less than some of our competitors and that is just the way it is. We continue to stay optimistic, think we can go in and get better. We are going to go into MIAA and go after a title, no matter what the odds are against us.

Marcus Hix

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Growing up in Illinois, Mona competed in gymnastics. She moved to Kansas and started attending Olathe Northwest. It was not until her sophomore year that she joined the track and field team.

“I am very timid and shy, so gymnastics didn’t work for me growing up,” Mona said. “Then I just kind of changed with my friends and decided to go run. I started running track and field as a sophomore. I then started running cross-country when I was a junior. Then I just kept working at both.”

Mona runs the 800 meter, mile and the 3k. Occasionally, she will compete in the 4X4 relay. According to ESU’s website, Mona dominated at the University of Central Missouri Invitational Meet on Jan. 20. Mona shattered a 21-year-old building record and 4-year-old ESU record in winning the women’s 3000 meter run.

Her time of 9:47.15 bettered Pittsburg State’s Christie Allen’s Multipurpose Building record of 10:05.26 set in 1991, and Jonel Rossbach’s ESU record of 9:50.39 set at Iowa State in 2008.

“She is really fun to watch,” said Steve Blocker, head coach. “She is running a little care-free right now, and I think she feels the confidence from that. She has put in the work without a doubt. The cumulative effect of the three years of training is paying off for us now. Her dedication speaks for itself.”

Katie has consistently improved each season. Her times have increased with hard work and determination while working through injuries.

“I have been improving my times from previous years,” Mona said. “I had an injury, stress fracture twice. I think that coming back from that, I feel a lot stronger, and it is kind of showing in my times this season.”

Although Mona is reserved, her teammates have noticed her hard work and determination. She was voted a team captain for the 2012 season.

“It’s an honor to be named captain,” Mona said. “We have several captains overall, and I’m glad to be noticed by my teammates. It’s nice to know that they look up to me and would nominate me to be a captain.”

Marcus Hix

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Officer stopped KS 497DBY at 12th and Exchange St. Verbal warning issued for a stop sign violation at same location.

Resident of ESU Apt. Complex reported a suspicious young female walking through the parking lot and looking into vehicles. Officers contacted a juvenile female and escorted her on foot to 1309 East Lot 19.

Jan. 26

Male student requested to speak with an officer at ESU PD HQ.

Jan. 27

Officer assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a stolen vehicle call at 105 W 12th St.

Officer responded to a report of a suspicious person walking along Merchant St. in between 15th and 18th blocks. Suspect had left the area prior to officer’s arrival.

Female student employee reported a dispute at the Student Recreation Center. Handled by officer.

Jan. 28

Officer stopped KS 035CHT at 12th and Market St. Verbal warning issued for defective brake lights at 12th and Merchant St.

Officer stopped KS QRZ597 in 1500 Market block. Verbal warning given for a stop sign violation at 15th and Wooster Dr.

Jan. 29

Officer checked a loud popping sound in the vicinity of the Power House. No problem was found.

Jan. 30

Emporia Police Dept. requested lock out assistance for a child locked in a vehicle at 729 W 6th St. – H&R Block.

Officer assisted the Emporia Police Dept. with a car stop in 1200 W 13th St.

Male subject reported a vicious Beagle north of King Hall. Animal had left the area prior to officer’s arrival.

Officer stopped KS 129DAG at 12th and Exchange St. for speeding in 100 E 12th. Willie J. Francis Jr. was taken into custody for Driving While Suspended and transported to Lyon Co. jail.

Officers assisted Emporia Police Dept. with a call in 900 Congress St.

Jan. 31

Officer assisted KS 070AFJ with a flat tire in 1800 Highland block.

Officer inflated the front left tire of vehicle 2517.

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Bohannon

While we might have some unseasonable warmth around here, “The Grey” brings unrelenting cold to the bigscreen, and I don’t just mean the temperatures.

A group of workers, including Ottoway (Liam Neeson), from a hellish oil pumping station are flying out for leave when their plans are derailed by the untimely and brutal crashing of their plane in the middle of the frozen wastelands of the far north. The survivors of the crash band together, with Ottoway taking charge early due to his experience as a wolf sniper, and try to get back to civilization, only to face cunningly ferocious wolves, harsh temperatures and unforgiving terrain.

Ottoway describes the men who occupy the station as being “unfit for mankind.” But even though these men are apparently the scum of the earth, the ones who manage to survive the horrific crash become likeable characters, if only because we want them to survive against the insurmountable odds they’re facing.

Against the survivors are all the forces of nature, chief among them, the wolves. Whereas Ottoway and his weary band struggle to survive in the frozen no man’s land, the wolves that follow them do just fine. No matter where the group goes, the wolves always seem to be there, howling and snarling from the darkness.

A particularly haunting scene comes during the first night when the wolves appear at the plane’s crash site, their eyes reflecting back the fires of the group’s torches in the night.

Joe Carnahan, director of “A-Team” and “Smokin’ Aces,” manages to give each of these characters their due time and personality in the film. So often in films like this we see a group of victims, names to be scratched off a list with some new grisly death scene dreamt up solely for the shock value. “The Grey” does an excellent job of making us care for each of these men.

While each of the characters does get a measure of depth, Ottoway gets the lion’s share of the attention. Throughout the film we are shown flashes of him and his wife, who he apparently sees every time he goes to sleep. On the brink of suicide before deciding to leave the station for civilization, he realizes he wants to live and see his wife again. We even get a glimpse into his childhood during a poignant campfire scene in which he tells the men about his father who, despite having a rough streak, wrote poetry.

“The Grey” is a cold film, never showing any real mercy to the characters and not cheapening itself with a storybook ending.

4 out of 5

Luke Bohannon

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Infograph by Ellen Weiss

While Emporia State’s overall enrollment has declined nearly 8 percent since 2006, the number of students enrolled in the international education program has increased by 54 percent during the same period.

But despite the growing numbers, the director of a local outreach ministry for international students is concerned that the university Office of International Education is understaffed and not meeting the needs of its students.

“I always feel bad for the office of (international education),” said Garen Forsythe, founder and director of the Friends of Overseas College and University Students (FOCUS). “I always feel like they are stretched very thin.”

But many international students say they are attracted to the quality, affordable education offered at Emporia State, claimed Gonzalo Bruce, assistant vice president of international education. In addition, Bruce said in an email, the smaller community offers a safe campus environment and more opportunities to become part of the wider community.

As of fall 2011, there were 5,976 students enrolled at ESU, according to the Gwen Larson, assistant director of media relations. Of those, 520 were international students, or nearly 1 in every 12 students.

OIE now has four full-time employees and several student assistants along with Intensive English Program instructors, Bruce said. The department is in charge of four main areas – international recruitment and admissions, international students and scholar services, study abroad and IEP.

Only one staff member works on current international student concerns and two graduate assistants work on new student orientation and programming activities.

OIE has just hired Stene Verhulst, assistant director for international communication and recruitment, following the university’s new strategic marketing plan.

Yosuke Yoneshima, graduate business student, told The Bulletin he had a problem with an online business transaction, but friends were the first ones he went to for help. He only went to OIE once last semester to submit his I-20 form.

“I think OIE is… always busy,” Yoneshima said. “I don’t go to OIE except for my I-20 problems. I don’t know if they will solve my (online transaction) problem.”

Yoneshima also said the university should consider making improvements to the airport shuttle service.

“If we go to OIE and sign up, they will give us a ride, but you have to pay $35,” Yoneshima said.

Emporia is more than two hours away from the nearest airport, and most international students don’t own cars. Forsythe said he helped nine students get to the airport last Christmas, and his community group helped more than 20.

“There are only four staff members in OIE,” Forsythe said. “There is no way you could expect these guys to know all the internationals or to help them – they are administrators.”

Tianhai Jiang

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