The Pellissippi Press

Pellissippi State’s security guards are working on certifications to carry firearms.  Along with arming the guards, the school’s security will be audited to ensure the most effective communication and notifications.

by Nicole Hedger

Pellissippi State will be arming its security guards.

“We want to make sure that the campus environment is as safe and secure as possible,” said Pellissippi president, Dr. Anthony Wise.  The guards are going through “a series of psychological tests that they have to take, and certifications they have to get” in order to carry the firearms.

Pellissippi has been considering this decision in the past, but Wise said, “We just feel like this is the appropriate time to do it.  We had one of our guards retire, and we’re starting a new search, so it seemed like this was a good time to make that transition.”

The college will also be conducting a security audit over the course of the summer.  An outside group is being brought in to evaluate all of the school’s practices and procedure “to make sure we have the right kind of notifications in place, and the right kind of communication tools,” said Wise.  “(This is) so that we have all the tools we need in place in order to make the campus as safe and secure as possible.”

by Justin Baranski

Pellissippi State students with carry permits will be able to bring guns onto campus in locked vehicles starting this summer.

Pellissippi will follow all state laws in accordance with the state Board of Regents, said Fred Breiner, director of safety and security at Pellissippi. “If the weapons are to be locked in a vehicle, then they shouldn’t been seen on campus.”

Senate Bill 142, also known as the “guns-in-trunks” measure, was signed into law on March 15.  Gov. Bill Haslam signed the bill just weeks after the Tennessee Senate approved the measure by a vote of 28-5.  The bill will take effect on July 1.

The bill will allow gun-permit holders to possess a firearm in their motor vehicle, whether at places of work or college campuses.  The bill removes criminal penalties for bringing a firearm on private property without the owner’s knowledge.

There are more than 370,000 registered gun-permit holders in Tennessee.

Breiner said, “People that don’t have permits would be a bigger risk.”

He said that Pellissippi held its first “Safe Campus Conversations” in February, and future meetings will be held.  These are available at all campuses

Keep Guns Off Campus is an organization that was established in 2008 to fight gun laws that involve school grounds from elementary to college levels. But neither the University of Tennessee or Pellissippi  has joined the campaign.

Andy Pelosi, speaking for www.keepgunsoffcampus.org, said,”360 schools have signed up, and includes 129 community and junior colleges.

Fewer than 10 schools have declined, he said, and mostly because they felt their state law was tough enough.

Pellissippi State Security is present 24 hours a day ot  assist Pellissippi students.  “If you see something that isn’t right, let someone know,” Breiner said.

He also said that Pellissippi is currently studying the benefits of arming campus security guards.  However, Pellissippi State hasn’t had any major incidents in the past.

The bill was sponsored by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, and was handled by Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin.

Photo Credit: Mitch Barrie cc

by Daniel Westerling

The Pellissippi State faculty senate passed a resolution to support a current Tennessee state law banning guns on college campuses.

 The resolution was passed in response to bills being worked on in the state legislature, House Bill 2016 and Senate Bill 339, which would allow properly licensed faculty to carry handguns on college campuses.

According to Mark Fuentes, faculty senate president, there is another bill being worked on in the state legislature that would allow students who have been honorably discharged from the military or have police training to carry firearms on campus.

 Fuentes said “I think personally this is the worst idea in the history of history.”

Trent Eades, a member of the senate and an English professor, felt that the issue was a constitutional one. He felt that there should not be guns on campus, however he felt the 2^nd Amendment gave citizens the right to do so, and that the current laws on the books were unconstitutional. Eades said, “If you want gun control, and I do, you need to change the Constitution. It’s the only way with intellectual integrity.”

 The senate voted 21-3 in favor of a resolution to support the current law. The resolution will be presented to the Tennessee Board of Regents.

 The faculty senate meets once a month during the school year and all meetings are open to the public.

by Daniel Westerling

A Pellissippi State student has accused the college of infringing on his First Amendment right of free speech. The student, Mark Dew, worked with the Law Offices of Gilbert and Fox to send a letter to Dr. Rebecca Ashford alleging that his rights were being infringed by the Pellissippi State policy on solicitation.

Mark Dew, right, talks with fellow student Joseph Davis about religion at the Hardin Valley PSCC campus on Wednesday April 13, 2011. ©Bekki Dunlap 2011

The letter, which is available here, states “that the school’s solicitation policy prohibited him [Dew] from distributing literature or sharing his religious beliefs publicly with other students on campus.”

At issue is PSCC’s lack of a clear policy on “solicitation” on campus.  As of now, any person, student or not, who wishes to hand out literature on campus must either pay a fee and await administration approval, or be part of a student organization.  The letter alleges that these requirements are “an unconstitutional prior restraint on all student or student group speech.”

Furthermore, the letter also takes issue with the school’s definition of solicitation in the first place.  It argues that by Tennessee State law solicitation is defined as “any oral or written request, however communicated, whether directly or indirectly for a contribution.”

Dr. Rebecca Ashford, vice president for student success at Pellissippi, explained that PSCC does not have an official policy for the distribution of literature.  The rules used up to this point were the facilities use policies, which Ashford said is the process that any student at Pellissippi can use.  She also conceded Dew’s right to hand out his literature, provided he follows the PSCC policies.

The policy is currently under review by Kae Carpenter, associate general counsel for the Tennessee Board of Regents, who handles legal issues for Pellissippi State.

Gilbert and Fox are associated with the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal group which claims to be “a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth.”

By Michael Charnley

The Pellissippi Presidential Search Committee held its first meeting on Feb 23 in the Clayton Performing Arts Center at the Hardin Valley campus to discuss the task ahead of them.

Bob Thomas, a member of the Board of Regents and chairman of the search committee, opened the floor to the public for the first 15 minutes of the meeting. During this time, Trent Eades of the English department voiced his concern that the new president should be committed to preserving academic freedom. Eades said the faculty should be left free to innovate because it is one of the best ways students learn.

After a brief introduction of the committee members, Thomas said the role of the committee will be to screen applicants and advise Chancellor Morgan. Morgan will ultimately recommend one candidate for the position after the committee has narrowed the number of applicants down to three or five. As of today, Thomas stated that the number of applications is at 41. After there were no objections, the committee decided to stop accepting new applications after Feb 23.

The next meeting of the Presidential Search Committee will be held on March 16 at the same time and location. They will review the applications of the candidates during the meeting.

By W.E. Butcher

The presidential search advisory committee will hold their first meeting on Wednesday, February 23 at 1:15 p.m. in the Clayton Performing Arts Center at the Hardin Valley Campus. 

Pellissippi State Community College announced their selections for a presidential search advisory committee earlier this month. Dr. Allen Edwards, current president of Pellissippi State, will retire on June 30, 2011.

Dr. Allen Edwards said 17 people were named to identify three to five finalists for the position of president.  Once the finalists are selected, John Morgan, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, will make a final selection for submission to the TBR for approval.

All meetings of the presidential search advisory committee are open to the press and the public.

The committee members are as follows:

Mr. Robert P. (Bob) Thomas, Chair
TBR Board Member
Nashville, TN

Dr. John (Steve) Copeland, DVM
TBR Board Member
Cookeville, TN

Dr. Barry Gidcomb
TBR Board Member / TBR Faculty Regent
Columbia State Community College
Columbia, TN

Mr. Howard W. Roddy
TBR Board Member
Hixson, TN

Ms. Danni Varlan
TBR Board Member
Knoxville, TN

Mr. Mark Fuentes
FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE
President of the Faculty Senate
Pellissippi State Community College

Dr. Tom Gaddis
FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE
Faculty, Hospitality Technology, Division Street Campus
Pellissippi State Community College

Ms. Ashley Boone
FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE
Faculty, Math, Blount County Campus
Pellissippi State Community College

Ms. Kenyatta Rogers
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
COSA Liaison
Pellissippi State Community College

Ms. Renee Esty
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Pellissippi State Community College

Ms. Heather Overton
ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE
Johnson Architecture, Inc.
Knoxville, TN

Ms. Melbia Jackson
SUPPORT STAFF REPRESENTATIVE
Information Services
Pellissippi State Community College

Ms. Rosalyn Tillman
ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE
Dean, Magnolia Avenue Campus
Pellissippi State Community College

Mr. Randy Boyd
BUSINESS COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE
CEO and Owner – PetSafe Industries
Knoxville, TN

Mr. Jerome F. Moon
COMMUNITY-AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE
Blount County Commissioner
Maryville, TN

Ms. Judy Gooch
COMMUNITY-AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE
Judy Gooch Interiors
Oak Ridge, TN

Ms. Becky Paylor
COMMUNITY-AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE
Chair, Pellissippi State Foundation
Knoxville, TN

By Brandi Cawood

Will your classes make the cut?

The Tennessee State Legislature passed the Universal Path to Graduation Legislation, which may leave several courses offered at Pellssippi behind.

Ed Francisco, English teacher at Pellissippi State, said that the plan is designed to get students out of college and graduated faster. The curriculum throughout state colleges and universities will be synchronized due to an apparent problem of students being in school too long. Francisco believes students stay in school too long without graduating due to economic factors and the stress they are facing while trying to make financial ends meet.

According to Francisco, at face value the legislation looks good, but the “cookie cutter” curriculum won’t be. Colleges may graduate more students faster, but what kind of students will be graduating?

“Teachers want students to have what they need to graduate, but also what will enrich their lives,” stated Francisco.

If the plan is implemented at PSCC, many classes will be cut including Intro to Poetry, Intro to Fiction, Intro to Screenwriting, Intro to Shakespeare, African-American Literature, Intro to Business and Technical Writing and Creative Writing etc.

PSCC has a marvelous faculty, said Francisco, but their jobs are being threatened due to the “business as usual” mentality.

The English department will not be the only area to see cuts due to the legislation. Economics and Business classes would most likely also be affected.

By W. E. Butcher

On Monday, Sept. 27, Dr. Allen G. Edwards, President of Pellissippi State Community College, announced his impending retirement. Edwards has served as Pellissippi State’s President since 1993. The announcement came via e-mail to the faculty and staff of the college and a formal press release. In his e-mail, President Edwards wrote that it was “. . . time to move on.”

Dr. Allen Edwards, Pellissippi President

Elaborating on this statement, Edwards commented on his future plans by saying that he “may not want to do anything! That would be great. . . [I] want to wind down and remove some of that responsibility from my shoulders.” After 40 years of service, he said, “[There is] always a new project. The hard part is deciding at what point you stop.”

In the same interview, Dr. Edwards explained that the email was sent only to faculty and staff because he had worked with many of those recipients for the past 18 years. A press release was issued to inform the students and the community at-large.

When told that 48 students were asked if they were aware of his retirement one week after the press release was issued and only four did, Dr. Edwards replied, “I’d be surprised that four [students] know who I am.”

While the timing of President Edwards’ announcement to retire coincides with both the installation of a controversial new Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the governing body for most of Tennessee’s state-funded colleges, as well as implementation of a new funding formula for higher education, Edwards denies any direct correlation between his decision to retire and the current political climate in Nashville.

“There is still much work to be done over the next 9 months and I am committed to fulfilling my responsibilities for reaffirmation of accreditation and to preparing the college for the changes that will be necessary to successfully compete for funds under the new formula for funding for higher education in Tennessee. It will be a very busy time,” Edwards wrote in his email.

Edwards was hesitant to speculate as to what his legacy to Pellissippi might be, saying that was for someone else to determine. He did say, however, that he saw one of his primary roles as that of leading Pellissippi State from a strictly technical school to becoming a full-fledged community college.

According to Edwards, Chancellor Morgan, along with the Board of Regents, will develop a plan to select the next President of Pellissippi State Community College. Dr. Edwards’ retirement will take effect on June 30,2011.

By Jacob Haskew

The Pellissippi State golf tournament will swing into action at the Centennial Golf Course on April 23.

The tournament will be a four person best ball scramble tournament said Dan Jones, director of Recreational and Intramural Sports.

Arrive no later than 12:30 p.m. to register the day of the tournament. Preregistration is available by signing up at the Student Recreation Center. There is no green fee for Pellissippi students.

Everyone is welcome to come out and play said Jones.

Russell Hill, who has played in the tournament two times, is looking forward to the upcoming event.

“It’s a ton of fun! Nothing beats free golf and not being in class,” said Hill.

Centennial Golf Course is located about 10 minutes away from the Pellissippi State main campus.

For more information, call Jones at (865)694-6576.

by Matt Pih

Pellissippi State Community College is hosting a Tennessee Consortium for International Studies event in the Goins rotunda and auditorium this week.

Theresa Castillo, Program Director for TnCIS, said that Thursday, Oct. 15, a study abroad fair will be held in the Goins rotunda and auditorium from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Additional events during the fair include:

• Info Session 10:45 a.m.
• Student Panel 12:25 p.m.
• Info Session 2 p.m.

The Student panel is for interested students to get detailed information from previous study abroad participants, Castillo said. All 15 study abroad programs occur during the summer.

Pellissippi State Community College and all Tennessee Board of Regents colleges are members of TnCIS.