The Pellissippi Press

by Erin Williams

Pellissippi is trying to rebuild one of the most important assets at any institution, the student government.

“Students need to have an organization that represents their interest, but also their vision and concerns about the college and its future directions. It’s better to have some students involved and try to represent the student body than to have very few students involved,” said Jacob Hamric, Pellissippi History Professor and the new supporter of school student government.

A meeting was held last week to discuss the opportunity of building up a government that would not only interest students, but also finally get one that will stick. Hamric said, “It is very hard for many students to be involved in student government and therefore one really needs to be active as a student in getting other students involved in the organization.  And, the administration itself has to fully support such an endeavor and I am not sure that has been the case in the past.”

Hamric is hoping to look into what other schools have done to accomplish and build a successful student government.  While he is very excited, he stresses that students need to be just as excited for this opportunity.  There will be a research committee to look into what makes a good student government.

Pellissippi student government can be both an asset and a legacy for students.  Their voices can be heard about critical issues today and for the future ahead.

Look for more information in the summer as well as the beginning of the fall semester for more information.

By: Darren Gideon

Two-way tie for first place in basketball league.

A pair of teams has positioned themselves for the top two seeds.

Currently, Del Boca Vista and Garners are the only undefeated teams in the PSCC basketball league. Each share a 5-0 record with one game left in the regular season. It appears these teams are the likely candidates to receive the one and two seeds as the league playoffs draw near.

If both teams finish undefeated, a tie breaker will determine who receives the one seed. “The tie breaker is as follows: head-to-head winner, strength of schedule, best win according to record, worst loss according to record, coin flip,” said Philip Ems, SRC director.

Regardless of whether Vista or Garners ends up with the one seed both have shown they have the ability, according to their records, to reach the tournament championship. However the 4-1 Singleton team, and others, looks to make the road to the title as bumpy as possible for the top two seeds.

“The top 8 teams will make the playoffs, the top four right now are pretty solid teams that could win it,” said Ems. “There are also some teams in fourth-eighth that have had tough schedules so far and could make some noise in the playoffs if they get in.”

By Sydney Renshaw

This April will mark the 5^th Annual Festival of Cultures for Pellissippi state.  The Festival will showcase booths and exhibits of international art, clothes, and artifacts.

First brought on by students and faculty of both the international club and the multi-cultural awareness club, the Festival of Cultures has grown to be an annual event.

“The Festival of Cultures is an international celebration of the diversity of the college,” says Gayle Wood, Director of Access and Diversity.

“When it comes to entertainment, the Hardin Valley Thunder performs for us annually,” says Wood, “but each year new entertainers perform as well.”  This year’s entertainment will include performances by Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Thunder, a blue grass band; Café Brasil, a local Brazilian band led by Pellissippi music instructor Larry Vincent; a traditional Japanese dance, performed by Atlanta’s Miyagi Ryu Okinawa dance group and a Hawaiian and Polynesian dance, performed by Tennessee’s Blue Hawaii entertainment.

“Also new this year will be hip-hop and line dancing concluding the festival.” says Wood

Along with exhibits and entertainment, food will be provided as well.  Choices include food from Australia, Brazil, West Africa, Ireland, Korea and more.

The Festival will be held in the Goins building from 4 pm to 9 pm on April 13.  “Volunteers are needed to set up, to serve, and as greeters, and we can never have enough.” says Wood.

To volunteer email Gayle Wood.

by Erin Williams

Pellissippi has many full time teachers as well as adjuncts. Well first off, what is an adjunct? “Adjunct faculty are temporary appointments based on demand each semester, may be full or part-time and are not eligible for employment benefits,” according to the Tennessee Board of Regents.  Pellissippi is lucky to have some of these adjuncts; however the pay for an adjunct simply isn’t cutting it.

When asked about the why adjunct pay is so low Dave Vinson, Pellissippi mathematics professor said, “My opinion is that it is necessary to pay full-time faculty a reasonably competitive salary, with benefits…” which is understandable because adjuncts don’t advise, serve on committees, don’t keep office hours and usually don’t care about long-term interest in the school.

Pellissippi keeps a good standard of hiring teachers.  For example, instructors are required to have at least a Master’s degree and at least 18 graduate hours completed in the subject they teach. With this type of standard, why wouldn’t you want to ask for more money? Vinson said, “…on the basis of fairness, I would say yes {they should ask for more money}. From a practical standpoint, I understand how difficult it would be for the schools. So I have to look at my job in some sense of public service, and public service is not the job to take if you want to get wealthy.”

When taking a closer look and doing the math, it looks as if school tutors actually make more money than an adjunct. High-credential tutors earn about $15 an hour and going across the grid, a college professor could only make about seven dollars per hour.  At Pellissippi the number could be at least $12 an hour.

How about teachers you really like? Did you know they probably have a side job because they can’t even pay their rent? Some of them have to quit the job they love because they are not making enough, isn’t that the students business as well? “State budgets are strapped due to political pressures,” Vinson added. Students look for that teacher that is not only going to help them, but want to help them. Hopefully we can keep the adjuncts we have as well as pay them a good salary.

By Alison Swaggerty

According to Dr. Anthony Wise, Governor Bill Haslam has proposed a new five year plan to allow construction on the Hardin Valley and Magnolia campuses.

Wise says if the plan goes through the two projects would consist of a $4.5 million expansion at the Magnolia campus and a $26.5 million addition at the Hardin Valley campus.

The Magnolia expansion will increase space in the ERC building in order to provide additional classrooms. However, the Hardin Valley addition is intended for a completely brand new building for general academic and student services. Wise says both projects have students’ best interests in mind.

Every five years Pellissippi State reevaluates the master plan of the college in order to see how to improve the school. If this proposal goes through it could be a part of the new five year improvement plan.

By:Candice Campbell

Regional playwright, Lisa Soland is directing a new series of one-act presentations called, “The Ladder Plays.”

These series explores the ups and downs of being human. Charles R. Miller, head of theatre at Pellissippi State and the producer of “The Ladder Plays,” said that students need this sort of experience, and that they might not get a chance again during their careers.

One of Soland’s plays has been performed at Pellissippi before. “Meet Cute” premiered October 2010. Her romantic comedy, “Thread Count” has been chosen for inclusion in “The Best American Short Plays 2010/2011.” It will be published by Applause Books.

“The Ladder Plays” opened at Pellissippi State’s Clayton Performing Arts Center on March 23. It will play through March 31, with a Sunday performance on April 1 at 2 p.m. The Clayton Performing Arts Center is located on Pellissippi State’s main campus.

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the door. All the proceeds will go to the Pellissippi State Foundation for the theatre program.

For more information, go to www.pstcc.edu/theatre.

by: Zoe Fisher

Is it easy to study abroad as a Pellissippi student?

Yes!

Pellissippi’s Hardin Valley campus is home base for TNCIS, Tennessee Consotorium for International Studies. TNCIS offers academic adventures to countries all over the world such as Wales, France, Greece, and Ecuador.

Eligible students should have a 2.0 GPA or higher and must have previously completed 12 college credit hours. Scholarships are also available for students who submit their applications early.

To apply, obtain an application from the TNCIS office located in the Lamar Alexander building at Hardin Valley. Instructions for completion are printed on the application. Two short  essays should be presented with the application upon its submission.

Trips occur during the summer but, it is never too early to start saving and researching the countries offered. Students who are already receiving financial aid for their classes here in Tennessee may be eligible to receive aid for a trip overseas.

Early acceptance begins in November. More information about TNCIS and its programs can be found on the Internet at www.tncis.org.

By Darren Gideon

The recreational and intramural sports program at Pellissppi State Hardin Valley is continuing to grow.

As the number of students that attend Pellissippi State continues to expand, foot traffic in and out of the Student Recreation Center does as well.

The SRC offers various amenities that attract students. With a full size gym, and multiple sporting options, any student has the choice to take advantage of the facility. “The ‘rec’ center on average will see roughly 185 students come and go throughout the day.” said SRC director Philip Ems.

The SRC welcomes all members of the Pellissippi State family. “Students, faculty and alumni are encouraged to participate in any of the events, and use the facility.” said Ems.

“People can find information regarding the SRC and sign up sheets for tournaments at the front desk inside the ‘Rec’ center,” said Ems.

By Sydney Renshaw

This spring on April 2, Pellissippi State’s literary magazine Imaginary Gardens will be available at no cost to students and faculty.

Originally called footnotes and started by faculty with no student involvement, Imaginary Gardens has transformed into a literary magazine that is produced each spring semester by the English department and many of its students.  It features short stories, poetry, artwork and photography submitted by any Pellissippi student who wishes for their work to be reviewed for the magazine.

Jacqueline Davis, a student and the Editor of Imaginary Gardens, said, “We accept all kinds of writings for the publication.  Our only prerequisite is that it is good whether it is poetry, flash fiction or a short story.”

There are not a set number of pieces selected for the magazine, but Davis says, “The magazine is 64 pages long.  We send out a call for submissions and try to get as many submissions as possible in order to have a large pool to pull from.”

This year Imaginary Gardens is not accepting plays but Davis says, “Upon further deliberation I would change that if I were editor next year, provided they were an appropriate length.”

This spring’s issue of Imaginary Gardens will be ready in April in time for the spring fling and copies will be available at all campuses.

by Erin Williams

Students today go to class, get their diploma and find a job.

This goal is what all students want and hope for; however, it does not always have this storybook ending. There are a lot of questions along the way and often thereafter.  It’s a major life decision about selecting your career.

One of the many questions plaguing students today is why even go to college? Am I going to be able to find a job after I graduate? Will I be able to make a decent living with the career I decide?

According to what Judy Gosch, Curriculum and New Program Development Director at Pellissippi, there is good news due to our growing economy. She says, “They are projected to add substantial numbers of new jobs to the economy or affect the growth of other industries.” She explains that these businesses are emerging with technology and innovation requiring new skills sets for workers.

“The highest estimated annual opening in Tennessee for the 2008-2018 time period was a Registered Nurse with a projected employment rate of 72,000 in 2018.  One of the lowest rated was elementary school teachers,” she said.

Statistics reveal that the economy has picked up.  The recession appears over.  Individuals who did not have jobs before are either gaining them back or being hired.  Therefore, the projected employment rate on almost every occupation has gone up.  Therefore, students attending school, looking toward graduation and engaging a happy career, may have a better chance of success.