Moore

The events of 9/11 forever changed the way Americans travel.

“I remember driving to the airport (in New York) about a week before 9/11 and my wife pointing out how nice the Twin Towers looked,” said Mel Storm, professor of English.

Storm said he has been traveling by air for years and has been to about 25 different countries.

But even 10 years after 9/11, some things will never be the same when it comes to flying. Storm said he remembers that about a month after the attacks, a guest speaker to the English department asked to borrow nail clippers because he was not allowed to bring his own on the plane.

Mariah Newton, sophomore social studies education major, went to Europe last summer and said she was not allowed to bring home some fruit preserves she had purchased there.  

With so many more restrictions placed on airlines, it would seem as if people would prefer not to fly.

But this is not the case, according to Dwight Moore, associate professor of biology. Moore has been taking students abroad since 1992. In those 18 years, he has had close to 200 students travel outside the United States with him.

“We mainly travel to two places – the Bahamas and Mexico, but we drive to Mexico,” Moore said. “More parents aren’t letting their kids go to Mexico because of the drug cartel than flying on an airplane to the Bahamas.”

Knives and bombs often come to mind when considering items that would be banned on airlines, but things sporting gear may be less obvious. Tennis rackets, dumbbells and golf clubs are all banned, as is chlorine for pools and spas, spray paint, certain batteries, gel candles, gel shoe insoles and snow globes, according to the Transportation Security Administration’s website.

Although TSA has tightened security since 9/11, their website offers ideas on how to make check-in and boarding go more smoothly. They recommend packing neatly so scanners and officials can quickly see the entire contents of your carry-on. They also recommend passengers place their larger electronic items in their checked luggage. Also flyers should dress appropriately by avoiding metal jewelry, coats or jackets and by wearing easy-to-remove shoes.

Megan Nolan

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As Spring Break approaches, many students have thoughts toward traveling abroad. Mel Storm, professor of English, recommends that students plan well.

“Just assume that some things will go wrong or they won’t work out the way you plan. You have to be flexible, always be ready for the unexpected,” Storm said.

Storm said he had once taken a group of students to a supposedly haunted graveyard to tell ghost stories while abroad. The yelling had awoken some neighbors and he ended up talking with a Scottish policeman. Fortunately, the group managed to stay out of Scottish jail.

Storm also said to “take more money than you need and fewer clothes.” He has taken 10 groups of students on international trips over the years.

Ellen Hansen, associate professor of social sciences, can attest to things not going according to plan while traveling.

“We were nine hours into the flight, and I fainted, fell and broke three bones in my ankle and dislocated my foot, too,” Hansen said.

She said that the people on the plane took care of her, but she still had three and a half hours before landing. They managed to get her to a hospital quickly and got her foot reset.

She recommends being open to trying new things, but “don’t be stupid.” She also recommends getting trip insurance with all of the upheaval happening all over the world, as well as getting an international student identification card.

Hansen said traveling with a group is the safest way to travel abroad because it is important to be with familiar faces.

Dwight Moore, associate professor of biological sciences, advises keeping your wits about you as you travel.

“The thing that people get in trouble with mostly involves alcohol and people being off by themselves – you certainly want to keep your wits about you and be careful where you go, especially late at night,” Moore said.

He recommends keeping a copy of your passport on you as well as leaving one with someone here at home. This will help to replace a passport if it is lost while abroad.

“One of the best things to do is to carry a map of where you’re from because people often ask where you’re from and it gives them a better understanding of where you’re from – it’s a good conversation starter,” Moore said.

For international travelers, the State Department puts out travel warnings and alerts on countries that are experiencing turmoil and are considered by the government to be dangerous to travelers.

There are 32 countries on the travel warning list, which are countries with “long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable,” according to the State Department Travel website.

There are also travel alerts issued by the State Department which are countries or events that may pose risks to U.S. citizens abroad. There are six countries on this list currently including New Zealand, Bahrain, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Uganda.

Charlie Heptas

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The Emporia Arts Council, currently located at 618 Mechanic St., will move to the 800 block of Commercial Street just north of the Granada Theatre. Over the past two years, they have raised $2.8 million for construction of a new center in downtown Emporia. Giri Nam/The Bulletin.

The Emporia Arts Council has raised $2.8 million in gifts and pledges over the last two years for a new building that will be located between 811 and 815 Merchant St., just north of the Granada Theatre.

“We’ve met our fundraising goals to start construction,” said Melissa Windsor, executive director of the EAC. “We’ll plan on starting construction in the next 30 days and it will be about a year long project.”

The fundraising campaign has drawn support from the entire community and surrounding areas with over 340 donors, Windsor said.

“It was beyond our hopes,” said Mel Storm, professor of English and former president of the EAC board. “People contributed. People came back and increased their pledges. People contributed multiple times. We’ve had donors come forward that had not contributed before.”

Two major donors helped meet the final budget requirements for the project.

“The Jones Trust issued a challenge matching grant back in last October,” Windsor said.

The Jones Trust matched what the EAC could raise up to $245,000. An anonymous donor helped with an additional $75,000.

“In the end of the August we were issued a second challenge gift from an anonymous donor that to help us finish out the campaign,” Windsor said. “They would give us $75,000 if we could raise the last $62,000 in 30 days. As of last Friday, we were successful and announced that we were able to meet that challenge in three weeks.”

However, the anonymous donor would like to stay anonymous.

“At the donor’s request we are not announcing who the donor was,” Windsor said. “They’ve chosen to remain anonymous and believe in the community.”

One of the main objectives of the new EAC building is to be more present in the community.

“We’re hoping to increase our presence in downtown Emporia and to enhance the arts and entertainment district in downtown Emporia,” Windsor said. “We know a number of businesses are starting to come to Emporia. It’s starting to grow.”

New features of the building will include a larger gallery, a larger art store with unique gifts and three art studios.

“It will provide a very good companion facility to the Granada Theatre,” Storm said. “It will provide opportunities for students

A clay studio, a small theater, a full kitchen, an art library and upgraded offices and equipment.

“We can host small performances,” Windsor said. “We can also host small groups, group meeting, as well as recitals.”

The EAC hosts a performing arts series that brings a variety of entertainers to several venues in Emporia including the Granada Theatre and Albert Taylor Hall, located in Plumb Hall.

“Every thing that the Arts Council brings to the community, will also have an educational component to it,” Windsor said. “We do free activities to area schools, free performances for area school children.”

Storm was impressed with the efforts of all of those involved in the project.

“We’re a relatively small city, which I think characterizes Emporia,” Storm said. “We’ve been able to fund a multi-million dollar arts complex. It says a great deal about the community.”

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