Kirchhefer

Dan Kirchhefer, professor of art, has been a teacher for 40 years.

“I have the greatest job in the world,” Kirchhefer said.

Kirchhefer is from a small town called Hastings, Neb. He graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in printmaking and the University of Kansas with a master’s degree in printmaking. Kirchhefer began teaching at Emporia State in 1980.

“ESU selected me,” he said.

Being a good teacher and looking at art, are always the goals of Kirchhefer.

“Professor Kirchhefer is a gifted teacher, with a tremendous knowledge about and passion for instruction of printmaking and drawing,” said Monica Kjellman-Chapin, professor of art.

Watercolor and gouache are Kirchhefer’s favorite types of paintings. Kirchhefer said teaching drawing and printmaking were hard at first. However, now he has his own way to do it perfectly.

“As a teacher, he is a model to which we might all aspire – his willingness to work with students so they might improve, his diligence and comprehensiveness in terms of preparation and critique of individual projects, and his somewhat irreverent sense of humor, coupled with a determination to help his students learn and grow as artists, render him an outstanding professor,” Kjellman-Chapin said.

Michelle Parkman is a non-degree seeking student who has taken all levels of life drawing and printmaking classes with Kirchhefer.

“(Kirchhefer) always pushes you further than you think you can go with a piece. His favorite line is ‘that’s a good start’ and he knows so much I don’t know how he fits it all into his head,” Parkman said. “You never get bored. He teaches more than just art to his students. he teaches life with his quirky spin on it.”

According to Kjellman-Chapin, Kirchhefer consistently gets tremendous work out of every student, regardless of previous experience and skill. They walk out of his class with improved technical ability, a keener observational eye, and a deeper commitment to composition, craftspersonship, concept and content.

During many of his classes, Kirchhefer comes up with a survey question which he asks every student for his/her opinion.

“(Kirchhefer) gives good advice.” said Marco Hernandez, junior painting and printmaking major. “He provides new techniques and a great knowledge about art to his students.”

As an art teacher and also an artist, Kirchhefer said sometimes it is hard to find time to work in his studio. Kirchhefer has more than 130 juried shows and more than 40 awards. His artworks includes drawings, paintings, prints and artist books. Most of them are showed in several public collections or galleries, such as the Charles M. Young in Portland, Ore., and the C.T. and Strecker-Nelson Gallary in Manhattan.

“Professor Kirchhefer’s images are often provocative, challenging and are historically rich, with an exquisite handling of line and color,” Kjellman-Chapin said.

“(Kirchhefer’s) art is so realistic without being too photo-like,” Parkman said. “He draws the human figure in a way that catches the viewer in the process and his use of graphite and color is like no other I have seen.”

Next October, five of Kirchhefer’s prints are going to be in a show in Chamalier, France. Kirchhefer will be one of only four American artists invited to exhibit artworks at the International Triennale

Kirchhefer made his first artist book in 2004 and now has made 10. The artist books are made on Japanese papers connected with string. Kirchhefer thinks Japanese paper is some of the most beautiful paper in the world and it has flower peddles in it.

“They are like books of hours or prayer books,” Kirchhefer said.

The books are about people, dogs, lust, Kirchhefer himself and the secrets he keeps.

Kirchhefer is a dog lover, and he had 2 dogs who just died. When talking about them, Kirchhefer said, “(They are) good dogs, good subjects and they both appear in same print I made titled ‘Jackdog and Bart Watch Jesus Build a Boat, While He Worked on His Tan Boat Say He was an Above Overage Carpenter.’”

Kirchhefer has different kinds of hobbies, such as baseball, gardening, travelling and reading.

“He often recites poetry, and can recall at will sections of dialogue from movies such as The Big Lebowski,” said Kjellman-Chapin.

Looking forward to the creation of future artwork, Kirchhefer wants to go travelling and do cows and water. He has been to France, Mexico and Italy, and his next stops may be Brazil, Alaska or the Grand Canyon.

Parkman thinks Kirchhefer can always keep you laughing.

“(Kirchhefer) can not only name all of the U.S. presidents in order, but can also tell you which ones had mutton chops or other configurations of facial hair,” Kjellman-Chapin said. “He is always ready with an anecdote, a bit of trivia, or a joke, and has an unparalleled affection for River Dance.”

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Sophomore theater major, Elise Blann, rehearses her dance Wednesday afternoon in Roosevelt Hall. Blann will perform with others May 7 at 7:30 p.m. for the Spring Theater Dance Show. Erica Cassella/The Bulletin.

“That ‘70s Dance Show” is the theme of the spring theatre dance show this year, which will be held at 7:30p.m. on May 7, in the Bruder Theatre in King Hall.

“To dance is to soar. So, who shouldn’t try flying?” said Lindy Bartruff, dance teacher and choreographer at Emporia State.“This semester I wanted to pursue the ‘70s in light of the fall homecoming musical, ‘The Rocky Horror Show’. So, I listened to many great ‘70s hits and imagined various scenarios for dance pieces. Then I began to create and see the dancers in my head. They came up with 20 pieces, which includes an encore with any ‘disco divas’ in the audience.”

This spring, Bartruff conceived, directed and choreographed “That ‘70s Dance Show” for the spring season dance show.

“It is set in the ‘70s and we get to be groovy,” said Joshua Taylor, sophomore theater major. “I really just get to dance my socks off.”

There are 15 dancers in total, which is composed of Dance I and III students, students from private classes and two students who were cast in an open audition in March.

“There are 70 different colors of lights, and it will be awesome to have the lights with the songs and dances.” said Frankie Rizo, senior theater major. “It is a pretty decent dance show.”

This is the first time that the production will be held in Bruder Theatre.

“It is exciting that the dancers will be in a real space on a real dance floor,”Bartruff said.

Six of the 15 dancers are international, from Korea and Japan. Bartruff said that they add depth and sensibility.

“I wanted to make dancing accessible to any ‘body,’ which is why I always incorporate the audience. And it is also to invite professional experiences for the cast,” he said.

From love to war to rock and roll, the show will have dancers, lovers, fighters, rockers boogying with high bars, rolling scaffolds, mini trampolines and smashing guitars. Rizo is looking forward to seeing the final product of the dance show, while Taylor is looking forwards to the reaction of audience.

“We have wild bell bottoms and tie-dye tees the cast made themselves. We have a very special tap solo to ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone’ that will bring down the house,” Bartruff said. “I’m looking forward to the dancers surprising themselves with saying ‘I didn’t know I could do that’ moments.”

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Blaufuss

The 5th Annual John Blaufuss Memorial Run/Walk will be held at 9 a.m. May 1, on campus. The event is held in honor of John Blaufuss, former Emporia State controller, and will also raise money for ESU General Scholarship Fund.

John Blaufuss served ESU for more than 30 years as the controller.

“(Blaufuss) dedicated a lot of resources to students of ESU, because he wanted to see them succeed,” said Shanna Bassett, development officer of the Sauder Alumni Center.

Blaufuss was killed by a drunk driver while jogging in December of 2005.

“Members of the ESU community wanted to do something in his honor, so they decided to start the John Blaufuss Run,” Bassett said.

Local businesses and community members donate money to help sponsor the event in Blaufuss’ memory.

“We raise support from ESU and the local community for the General Scholarship Fund, which is kind of financial aid to students, and benefits ESU students a lot,” said Angela Fullen, donor relations and special events Coordinator of the Sauder Alumni Center.

The ESU General Scholarship Fund provides support for students who meet certain requirements.

The event raised around $10,000 last year, and money is still coming in this year. The champion donor of the event this year is the Barnhart Builders of Olpe, which is owned by John Blaufuss’ son-in-law, Les Barnhart. The silver medal was won by the Blaufuss Family. The Bronze Medal was won by Edward Jone-Greg Seibel, Emporia Fitness, Emporia’s Radio Stations, Inc., Emporia Memorial Union, Genesis Health Club, Get Back to Health Chiropractic, Sodexo, The Emporia Gazette and the Olpe State Bank.

The race will start at the Sauder Alumni Center, 1500 Highland St. The 5K running course and the 2-mile walking course will be laid out throughout campus.

“There will be a reception for participants, family and friends at the Sauder Alumni Center,” Bassett said.

At the reception, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in both male and female categories in the 5K race will be awarded medals.

“Last year, I won the prize surprisingly, and the prizes were a bonus to my post-race refreshments,” said Jacob Kucza, senior elementary education major.

As the 5K champion of last year, this year will be his second year to participate the event.

“Although I’d like to win again, I am not counting on it,” Kucza said. “However, in this case, I am just entering to have a good time, with no expectations of winning. I try to run on a regular basis, and it’s more regular since the weather has turned warmer.”

Kucza encourages people to enter this race, and he thinks having people around you will make running any race an awesome way to get hooked.

“Anyone can register at the Sauder Alumni Center, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with $25 registration fee,” Bassett said.

Participants may get the complimentary T-shirt with registration and excess T-shirts will be available at the event for $10. With over 75 people registered to-date, they are expecting around 150 the day of the event.

“The event has been prepared since January and plenty of staff help out to design the logos and T-shirts,” said Matt Rhea, development officer of the Sauder Alumni Center.

At the event, runners will be wearing yellow shirts and 40 volunteers will be wearing green ones. All the shirts contain the “a big pair of running shoes with a ID tag” logos at the front, and the donors list at the back.

“We decided to choose yellow and green to show the spring time,” Fullen said.

Rhea said that he thinks the John Blaufuss Memorial Run/Walk is a type of event that students want to get involved in, because it benefits them by giving out the student General Scholarships and they can get a free shirt.

“It is always a good time. It is always fun to wake up on the Saturday morning, and boys put on running shorts, girls putting their hair in ponytails, then enjoy the nice weather outside,” Fullen said.

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Slocomb

“Trust me, I am more interesting than I look,” said Tom Slocomb, associate professor of business administration and education. “I have become increasingly open-minded. I try to have a sense of humor and a lighthearted attitude.”

Slocomb said that he thinks the world seems more magical all the time, and there is so much to be thankful for.

“I have known Tom for nine years, I consider him to be a friend, to have a very good and refined sense of humor, to be a very friendly and caring person,” said Kevin Johnson, associate professor of business administration and education.

Having lived in Ohio, Louisiana and several places in between, Slocomb generally thinks of himself as a midwesterner. He graduated from Tulane University in Louisiana with a degree in Psychology, earned an MBA at Southern Illinois University and a PhD in business administration at the University of Missouri – Columbia.

The Business school at Emporia State is accredited by the AASCB – an accreditation held by less than one-third of business schools in the U.S.With confidence in the quality of faculty and facilities of the Business School at ESU, Slocomb came to Emporia.

Slocomb spent most of his life living in big cities, never imagining he would come to such a rural setting.

“My dad grew up in a farming family in Peabody, Kansas,” Slocomb said.

Slocomb said that he feels Kansas is the friendliest state he has lived in.

“And it’s a nice change from the tense and sometimes hostile atmosphere in big cities. I am starting to feel like a Kansan. It is a good feeling,” Slocomb said.

Slocomb took a job with the University of Missouri presenting training seminars for business people and consulting assistance for business owners before he started his college-teaching life.

“I enjoyed this, but I thought I would enjoy teaching in college classrooms even more,” Slocomb said.

Slocomb taught at University of Central Oklahoma before and now he has 19 years of professional teaching experience. This year is his ninth year at ESU.

“I love (ESU),” Slocomb said. “I have learned that the most important thing is my relationships with other people, and that’s what I love about working at ESU – all the different people.”

Working with international students has been a wonderful experience for Slocomb, and there are students from seven different countries in one of his classes. He structures students diversely and emphasizes the importance of learning from other students.

“Here, they can make friends from Africa, Europe, Asia, South America and so on,” Slocomb said.

Slocomb encourages everyone to act as a communication facilitator, carefully listening and helping each other understand.

“(Slocomb) is the kind of person who you could talk about anything and he would listen and he would care about whatever you are talking about,” Johnson said.

As international students come here with varying degrees of English proficiency, Slocomb stresses that there is no reason for anyone to be embarrassed or critical in these situations. Instead, he says they should be treated with patience and respect.

“If anyone has this attitude, then ‘communication difference’ will become an interesting and even enjoyable process,” Slocomb said.

“Dr. Slocomb is very diligent and thoughtful,” said Alexis Downs, associate professor and interim chair of the accounting and information systems. “He is sensitive to detail, and he would have made a great accountant.”

With the enjoyment of international culture and communication, Slocomb loves international food.

“I particularly like Indian food,” Slocomb said.“There is an Indian bread called ‘Naan,’ it’s wonderful when it’s right out of oven.”

Slocomb wants to travel Asia and enjoys seeing some of the scenery in the U.S.

“It amazes me to get on an airplane and get off thousands of miles away from where I started,”Slocomb said.

Slocomb also enjoys playing music, singing, reading and photography. His main instrument is guitar, and now he is learning piano.

“(Slocomb) knows something about everything, and he is a very creative person, a fine musician and a song writer,” Johnson said.

Putting so much time and energy into work and diverse interests, Slocomb said he feels there is not enough left over to be a good parent or pet owner.

“Some of my goals are to continue to become more effective working with students, to have a more complete understanding of reality and what really matters, to have a healthy lifestyle, to develop as a musician, and to enjoy every moment,” he said.

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The annual PRIDE Week events will begin April 16th and continue to the 23rd with events including an alternative beauty contest, a speaker and a prom.

PRIDE, People Respecting Individuality and Diversity in Education, has been in existence for over ten years. It was founded as a way for members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Transsexual, and Questioning community along with their Allies to come together, support one another, and grew to include educational outreach to the Emporia State campus as well as the surrounding community.

“Each officer within PRIDE has taken charge of one event, to organize and get everyone involved,” said Luck Wolford, president of PRIDE and junior sociology major.

Events this year are being more publicized.

“More individuals and groups from campus are involved to make sure that everyone knows what is going on this year,” said Joshua Smith, secretary of PRIDE and graduate student in mental health counseling.

The “Day of Silence” is the national event, which is a day where a vow of silence is taken to call attention to the members of the GLBTQA (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning and Allies) community who have been silenced within education, without a choice. It is also in honor of every voice that has been silenced through hate and discrimination and as a call to break this cycle.

“Acting Out” is supposed to be in contrast with the “Day of Silence” and will be considered “Breaking the Silence.”

“It is to show that with our voices, by acting out if you would, that things are better than when we’re silent.” Wolford said.

There will be a 3-rounded “Drag Show,” which any student is welcome to compete in starting at 7 p.m. on April 19 in Heath Recital Hall in Beach Hall. Winners will be crowned “Mr. ESU Drag-King” and “Miss ESU Drag-Queen.” Competitors will be challenged in areas of attire, talent and interview.

“It will be the first time we do a drag show at ESU,” said Austin Schopper, senior secondary education major.

In addition, there will be performances by individuals and skits from the ZOIKS! cast.

Robyn Ochs is a long-time activist, and the editor of the Bisexual Resource Guide and the new anthology “Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals around the World, ” will be presenting the two lectures, “Beyond Binares” at 4 p.m. and “Building a Diverse Campus Community” at 7 p.m. on April 20 in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

The goals of PRIDE Week are “so (that) everyone, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, veteran status, disability, etc. can be welcome and accepted at ESU.” said Wolford.

During movie/craft night, which will be held at 7 p.m. in Visser Hall 330, people will be invited to watch a movie and make Mardi-Gras style masks for PRIDE Prom.

“It’s just designed to be a fun night, where everyone wants to get together.” said Wolford. “And the movie will be a surprise!”

At 7 p.m. on April 22 in Science Hall 72 an educational panel will be held for ESU and the community to come together and raise awareness about the GLBTQA community.

“If anyone has ever had a question about what it is like to be gay, lesbian, or an ally, they should come by and ask, because it’s always better to get answers than just to be left wondering,” Schopper said.

PRIDE’s Prom “Behind the Mask” will be held at 7:30 p.m. on April 23 at the Granada Theatre and welcomes everybody to come. Donations will be taken for the Emporia S.O.S. Shelter.

“It is not only a masquerade ball, but also an event to raise awareness for the issue of Domestic Violence, which affects every community, regardless of sexual orientation,” Wolford said.

The PRIDE Prom this year will be a new experience from previous years.

“The venue is perfectly fitting into our theme this year, and I am really excited about it,” Smith said.

The attendance of people from Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, Kansas University and Wichita State University will make the prom state-wide event.

“In the past, we have had individuals come to our events from other schools, however, it is shaping up this and should just be a ton of fun.” said Wolford.

PRIDE Week Events are sponsored by PRIDE, ZOIKS!, Union Activities Council, Alpha Kappa Delta, the Sociology Honor Society, ESU Division of Student Life, ESU Multicultural Affairs, ESU Ethnic & Gender Studies, ESU Gamers’ Guild and ESU Swing Society.

“And of course, the difficulty in any event planning is financing. As we do have to plan everything on a budget, so we have to be careful not to spend more money than the organization has, and to make sure we leave some for next year’s activities,” said Wolford. “I think we’re going to have one of the best PRIDE weeks that we have had in many years.”

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The comedic playing of the Dixon Ball Stampede won them first place in last week’s ESU’s Got Talent hosted by Union Activities Council.

“Everything went well this year, and I love to play with (Joel Dixon and Luke Ball),” said Riley Day, junior music education major and one third of the Dixon and Ball Stampede.

The Dixon Ball Stampede, consisting of Day, Dixon, senior sociology major, and Ball, senior art education major, performed last year and got 2nd place.

“We had our eyes set on trying to do better this year,” Day said.

Other winners included Caitlin Smith, who performed “Wishin&Hopin’”, won the 2nd place and Joshua Widener, who performed “Simple Man,” won 3rd place.

“We had threewonderful and hilarious ZOIKS! members emcee for us throughout the performance, and then of course the ten truly talented participants and groups,” said Liana Farnen, junior elementary education major and chair of featured events for Union Activities Council.

In total, over 100 people came to watch the performance.

“I felt like we drew in a new crowd,” Farnen said.

Jamie Deekat, junior Business major, Alex Pedersen, senior communication major and Joel Austin, sophomore communication major,emceed.

“It was definitely a collaborative effort, but through all of their work and cooperation, the event went off quite successfully,” Farnen said.

According to Farnen, ESU has had talent show in years past butUAC likes to keep things new and exciting for the students.

“We tried to mix upthe events a little bit and give the students something new to look forwards to,” she said.

Many people were involved in the planning and execution of this event since last semester.

“I really enjoy with working with all of the contestants,” said Christina Holt,sophomore elementary education major and vice chair of featured events for UAC. “It was a huge success and big thanks to all the people involved.”

Holt was in charge of the planning ESU’s Got Talent.

“Holt was very integral and made sure to keep in contact with all the right people,” Farnen said.

There was a panel of six judges made of people from selected student organizations.

“The ESU’s Got Talent brought out a lot of talented students and allowed them to showcase themselves in a whole new environment,” Farnen said. “I thought this event was a major success.”

In all there were 10 performances including singers, comedians and Capoeira.

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Emporia local artists and Main Street merchants are teaming up to showcase a medley of art forms. The 7th annual “Artist Walk” will be located in downtown Emporia, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

There will be live entertainment, art demonstrations and art activities.

“The event is called the ‘Artist Walk’ simply because patrons are encouraged to walk to different artist locations associated with a variety of businesses within the downtown area,” said Casey Woods, executive director of Emporia Main Street.

The main idea of the Artist Walk is to make people aware of area artists and provide artists a venue to sell their work or make customer contacts. It also provides experience for newer members of the art community.

“This is my 4th or 5th year to participate in the Artist Walk, and I come here every year,” said Conrad Wempe, local woodworking artist. “The event supports the community, supports the downtown and shows the community what to do.”

Wempewill have fouritems with designs in the Artist Walk.

With the Granada Theatre and the rebuilding of the Emporia Arts Council, Emporia has two major pieces of the art puzzle completed.

“We want to showcase Emporia in a family friendly, fun environment that encourages pedestrian traffic,” Woods said.

In order to boost sales of goods and services, the Artist Walk provides extra consumer traffic for area businesses.

“We started the planning process of our events one year in advance of their actual implementation,” Woods said.

Emporia Main Street and the Emporia Arts Council will add an “Artist Passport” which encourages individuals to view and meet each participating artist. Once each artist has stamped or marked their spot on the passport, consumers can drop the completed passport off at the Emporia Main Street booth for the opportunity to win an Emporia Main Street gift certificate.

There will be about 25 artists showing their artworks including groups and individuals.

“That is the wonderful thing about art: it brings a wide variety of people together,” Woods said.

The Artist Walk is designed to promote area artists, whether they are established professionals or students just starting out.

“It is lots of fun to get and put your face to the public,” said Jassica Carr, a local jewelry designer and maker in Emporia. “It is good to talk to people about my art work.”

This year is Carr’s 2nd year for participating.

Extra exposure through local businesses can lead to additional sales for local artists and the eventual creation of more professional artists that derive the majority of their income from the sales of their artwork.

“These additional sales and artist businesses help develop our economy and make Emporia an improved destination, which benefits all local businesses,” Woods said.

Even though Artist Walk has much benefit for the local business and the individual artists, the most difficult part of this event is recruiting artists to participate.

“Although the entry fee for the event is only $15, artists are generally very busy and it is difficult to encourage a commitment of time and resources for an event of this nature,” Woods said.

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“In the Middle East, there are many cultures, I consider myself Muslim, Egyptian, Arabic, Middle Eastern and African,” said Mohamed Abdalla, graduate student in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and the only Egyptian student at Emporia State.

Abdalla is from Giza, Egypt, and there his full name is Mohamed Aly Abdellatif Abdalla Ghoneim. Arabic is Abdalla’s first language.

“Carrying these rich cultures and history with my two cases and my dream, it was hard for me in the beginning to get inside the melting pot, so I remained observing and looking up at the new culture and keeping my roots,” Abdalla said.

When talking about the culture difference, Abdalla believes people all over the world share the same desire for peace, the same quest for justice.

“I believe the core of life is the same everywhere, but the styles are different,” Abdalla said. “I think the life style in U.S. is more depth, but it’s more breadth in my culture.”

Other students could see Abdalla’s culture resonating from him.

“I can see how proud he is for his home culture,” said Linxiang Guo, graduate student of TESOL and psychology. “Abdalla is enthusiastic in spreading his culture, whether it is through the lecture series about Arabic culture as a speaker or in a casual chat in which he explained the complicated things about religions to me.”

This is Abdalla’s second year studying TESOL.

“Last year, I was a Fulbright Scholar at ESU, where I taught Arabic Language and other culture courses in English under the Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant program,” Abdalla said.

The Fulbright scholarship goal is to build mutual understanding between people all over the world.

Abdalla said the best thing about teaching at ESU is that it also involves learning from the diversity of students here.

“My goal of teaching is to give students the box which would help them to think out of and this box frames the essential information they need,” Abdalla said.

With broad interests in reading, especially about cultures, history and politics, Abdalla also likes to write poetry, coach wresting and volunteering.

Besides Abdalla’s educational and teaching commitments at ESU, he remains involved in various on-campus activities. He mobilized the Arabic Club, and served as adviser of grappling club and volunteering as a wrestling coach for the same club.

“Abdalla is a helpful person who dedicates himself to what he believes in,” said Abdelmonem Shebani, Arabic language instructor.

According to Shebani, Abdalla is doing a great effort to help out at the Arabic Language and Studies Club.

“He is a knowledgeable person with a fighting spirit,” Shebani said.

The motto of Abdalla is “regard every defeat as an opportunity.”

“I believe if each person has discipline, synthesizing, creating, respectful and ethical way of thinking and behaving covered with his or her religious beliefs, then this would result in the kind of people able to change, heal and repair the world through education, sacrifice and patience,” Abdalla said.

Abdalla will graduate in May and plans to start studying for his PhD.

“I think the person who will leave in May 2010 is different than the one who came in September 2008,” Abdalla said.

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Ben Williams, senior theatre major, has been one of two students to win national recognition at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in the last three years. The other winner is former student Susan (Samuelson) Williams, May 2009 Emporia State graduate. Ben and Susan were married last summer.

The first place winning design was for the two one-act plays, “Lone Star/Laundry and Bourbon.”

He will compete in national festival in April with an all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. Williams’ set design was set up as an ally stage, where the audience was positioned on both sides of the set.

“The space in which I designed in is a black box theatre, so I could set up the seats however I want,” said Ben Williams said. “Because of this, I chose to do something less common.”

The ideas were a collaboration of other designers of Theatre Department and Williams.

“Ben’s design was one that was developed over several months and was very well thought out and executed,” said Jim Bartruff, director of Theater. “What that says about Ben is that he works very hard and he has great problem solving skills.”

Before the idea was decided, Williams came up with several different design ideas for the show. Working with two directors made the choosing a design that they both liked a little more difficult.”

“(Ben) did a lot of research about the set design,” said Amada Devine, senior theater major. “He is very good at set design, and always kind to help other students for learning.”

Devine said that Williams’ miniature model of the set design was very realistic and very detailed.

In addition to his first place performance, Williams was also the runner-up set design competition for “Into the Woods.”

Last year, Williams also entered the festival with his design.

“When I went to the festival last year, all the designers seemed better than mine and I had no chance of winning,” Williams said. “So winning one first place and one second place is quite an improvement.”

Williams now is preparing for the trip to Washington D.C. for the National Festival in April where he will explain his display and go to workshops.

“I have never been to D.C. so it will be an experience in itself,” Williams said.

Williams thinks it is true that “great minds think alike.” Susan Williams was the winner of the costume design of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in ESU’s region last year. She presented her costume design of ESU’s production of “Rabbit Hole.”

“I spent nine months devoted to that one production,” Susan Williams said. “I thought about winning (the regional competition) before it happened. At the awards assembly, I squeezed Ben’s hand the entire time. That was the longest two hours in my life.”

Before last year, she had no experience with Costume Design Competitions and she had been to the same festival for acting, but never for design.

“I was really happy to win because this is the first ‘real’ design I had ever done,” Susan Williams said.

With the experience of last year, Susan Williams helped her husband prepare for the festival by giving him another look at the design.

“She also had pictures of the national festival that helped me prepare for it,” Ben Williams said.

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Worrell

For Vicki Worrell, associate professor of health and physical education, a love of helping people makes teaching an obvious choice.

“I like teaching because I love people,” Worrell said. “I love to help people and help them to get better at what they are doing.”

Worrell said she knew she wanted to be a teacher since she was in elementary school and that she loves “to help people learn.”

Worrell grew up in a small farming community in Nebraska and then moved to Kansas to go to college.

“I went to Wichita State University for undergraduate degree, University of Kansas for my master’s degree and Oklahoma State University for my doctorate degree,” Worrell said.

After graduating from school, Worrell taught in elementary school for 19 years, and then taught at Wichita State University for six years. She is now in her sixth year teaching at Emporia State.

Teaching elementary school was fun for Worrell because of the energetic kids, but she also loves to instruct teachers how to teach better.

“(New teachers) show more respect and are more willing to learn how to be a teacher,” Worrell said.

Another reason that Worrell likes teaching at ESU is because she can teach online. ESU is the very first graduate program to teach physical education online. The entire master’s program is online and is very hard to get into.

Worrell believes it is a great way to learn about assessment and how to use it in student’s own classroom. In the class, Worrell gives students ways to assess and grade, but students have to partake in the activities, so they know how to use them.

“It was a great tool so we know how to use the assignments in the future,” said April Huddleston, graduate student assistant in health, physical education and recreation.

Huddleston got her bachelor’s degree at ESU in December 2008, and she thinks what she learns from Worrell’s classes are in a “real-life” setting.

“Dr. Worrell is always doing whatever it takes for her students to become great teachers one day,” said Alison Norlen, junior physical education major.

Norlen said that the classes she took with Worrell were really interesting and full of tips that she could be able to use in her future career.

Worrell strives to help her students understand the importance of her profession, so that they may share the same passion. She said she does not only care about students in the class, but also always involved in what the students are doing.

“She is a problem solver and always tries to find the best way to go about the solution to a problem,” Huddleston said. “She has been a leader in numerous state and professional organizations and is very passionate about what she does.”

Worrell took over as President for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. It is a nationally recognized organization in all 50 states. The goal of this organization is to teach people to be healthy and physically active, and tell all the people in the profession how to be better at what they are doing and supporting First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Initiative.”

“The organization encourages the nation to eat healthier and be more physically active so they don’t have to go to the doctor as much and use health insurance,” Worrell said. “It also deals with women and sports, recreation and leisure, people with disabilities and health educators.”

This summer, Worrell will direct a leadership development conference, in charge of having all the presidents and executive directors from all over the states, to lobby on Capitol Hill about healthcare issues and talk to representatives and senators.

Out of classes and work, Worrell loves to travel, pets, cooking, exercise and watching sports. She has been to 47 states in the U.S., Australia and Europe.

Worrell said that she would love to go to the summer or winter Olympics and she tries to keep a healthy life style by drinking a lot of water instead of soda, eating balanced meals with protein and vegetables and getting enough sleep.

“She is what I think of when I imagine where I want to be in 10 years,” Huddleston said. “Dr. Worrell is someone that when you meet her, you will never forget. Once you come in contact with her, you are a better person because of it.”

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Alpha Sigma Tau

Showing sincerity, honesty, love and understanding in all the relationships as well as to help each other enjoy the cultural advantages in life are the stated goals of Alpha Sigma Tau. Alpha Sigma Tau was founded Nov. 4, 1899, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, by eight women who developed the character of members through the study of ethics.

“From that, they know how to select those things which are most worthwhile and finally to develop social graces,” said Cari Frazey, president of Alpha Sigma Tau and junior psychology major. “The well known fact is that it also gives long lasting friendships and great networking capabilities.”

The motto of Alpha Sigma Tau is “active, self-reliant and trustworthy.”

“We are fun group and we are looking for women with vibrant personalities like ours,” Frazey said.

The goal of Alpha Sigma Tau is to promote ethical, cultural and social development of their members.

There are 21 women in Alpha Sigma Tau, but Alpha Sigma Tau is still a colony (members have not been formally initiated), members are considered new members by national standards.

“Before I joined Alpha Sigma Tau, I didn’t really have any expectations or opinions about Greek Life,” said Samantha Lintner, senior English major. “After I joined in, I think it opened my eyes to how much people in Greek Life are involved.”

Lintner joined Alpha Sigma Tau in spring 2009, when Alpha Sigma Tau first came to campus.

“I figured being involved with Greek Life, I would meet more people and have a college experience rather than sitting in my dorm room,” said Jayme Gillespie, sophomore mathematics major.

Gillespie joined Alpha Sigma Tau because she didn’t know many people when she first got here. However, after membership of three semesters, Gillespie said she realized Greek Life is definitely bigger and more involved than she thought.

Sisters of Alpha Sigma Tau believe sisterhood can’t be there if there isn’t bonding time.

“We like to have a sisterhood every month where we can just break out of our shells and hang out. There is always food involved and lots of laughter.” Frazey said.

Recently, Alpha Sigma Tau had Mom’s Day on March 6 and the Yellow Rose masquerade will be on March 27. Both Mom’s day and Yellow Rose masquerade are traditions of Alpha Sigma Tau.

The women of Alpha Sigma Tau participate in Campus Clean-ups, hold fundraisers for National Philanthropy and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity each semester.

“After being a member of Alpha Sigma Tau, my goals are to continue volunteering and maintaining the closed friendships I have made with the other members,” Lintner said.

Since Alpha Sigma Tau doesn’t have its own house, Gillespie said her main goal for her chapter is to be installed as a national chapter and not only a colony.

“I would also love to see my chapter grow in numbers to soon be the same size as the other chapters on campus,” Gillespie said.

Sigma Tau Gamma:

Sigma Tau Gamma is a social fraternity with six principles: value, learning, leadership, benefit, excellence and integrity.

“We strive to work toward exemplifying these principles along with serving the community in times of need,” said Adam Wright, president of Sigma Tau Gamma and junior Business Administration major.

Sigma Tau Gamma was founded Jan. 20, 1922 and has been on campus for 88 years, continuing with 33 members and four new members this semester. They are always looking for men to join, and they based their program of the path and principles which give them values to exemplify.

Wright believes Greek Life is a great opportunity to network and make new friends.

“It has given me so many opportunities on campus and off, and it is great to be so involved in making the community a better place,” Wright said.

Manny Requenes, sophomore music education major, joined Sigma Tau Gamma last year. Before this, joining a fraternity was the last thing on his mind.

“I really did like how the fraternity was based and that is what really hooked me in,” Requenes said.

Requenes thinks that Sigma Tau Gamma and Greek Life is a smart choice.

“I made many friends right away, and it definitely make the ‘transferring schools’ transition go very smoothly,” Requenes said.

Recently, Sigma Tau Gamma had multiple events going on, such as Mom’s Day, Dad’s day and the annual softball tournament, which is known as snoball softball.

“We always have something going on, we enjoy being able to offer events and activities for our brothers,” Wright said.

Sigma Tau Gamma has their own food program where they are able to sit down and have a home cooked meal with all the brothers.

“I feel like we are a group of individuals who contribute greatly to the university,” said Matt Kochenower, junior marketing major.

Kochenower believes that Sigma Tau Gamma has given him networking capabilities and opportunities which never would have been possible if he had not joined.

The goal of being a member of Sigma Tau Gamma and Greek Life for Requenes is to make a positive impact to the chapter and the Greek community.

“I believe that I have already begun to achieve that goal by being nominated and elected as the Secretary for Sigma Tau Gamma and being elected as the 2010 Interfraternity Council Chairman,” Requenes said.

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