My Internship and Summer Job.

[Mr. Pathetic]

Because my degree requires it and I also need some sort of income to continue to live out here, I've taken my Internship and summer job here at the communication services department at Eastern New Mexico University. Basically I work for the Monday Memo (The PR newsletter for the college) and whoever else needs a hand around here. It's no chase (university paper) and I don't get to write my humor columns (though I probably will write a few for RPP), but it's not horrible either. It may not be all that interesting.... but here's my first article of my internship as well as a link to the Monday Memo.

ENMU Professor Helps Portales School District Acquire 'Teaching
History' Grant
By, Ezra Paul Mann
Communication Services

To ensure that the future proves successful, one must never forget the lessons of the past. These lessons of the past come in the form of history.
Dr. Donald Elder III, professor of history at Eastern New Mexico University, worked closely with the Portales Municipal School District in helping them receive a $1 million dollar federal grant to support a “Portales Pioneers – Teaching American History in Eastern New Mexico” project.
The three-year grant to Portales was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education through its competitive Teaching American History Grants program. It is one of three awarded to New Mexico school districts, with similar grants going to the Albuquerque and Alamogordo public schools.
New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici said the Portales grant proposal, developed with ENMU, is intended to give history teachers throughout eastern and southeast New Mexico more resources to improve the teaching of American history.
Starting in the summer of 2007, ENMU’s Department of History, Humanities and Social Sciences will partner with the Portales Municipal School District to help improve the teaching of American history. Dr. Elder noted that the main focus will be the history of New Mexico, with a special emphasis on how large a role the state has played in the space age. With the help of Dr. Gerald Gies, chair of Eastern’s Department of History, and Wendy Brooks, special education and history teacher at Portales High School, Dr. Elder believes this program will be a huge boost to ENMU’s reputation.
Dr. Elder first learned of the grant when Wendy Brooks, a former student of his, approached him about ENMU being a part of the program. The professor was more than willing to help elementary and secondary teachers improve their skills. “We’re both really happy to increase the quality of education in New Mexico,” he said.
The program will include trips to museums such as the Robert H. Goddard Planetarium in Roswell, where teachers will experience new ways to improve their class curriculum. Dr. Elder believes that exposure such as this will encourage students to think of history as more than just a few important events on a timeline. “They’ll actually get taught history and how it impacts the present,” he said.
Dr. Elder gives Ms. Brooks much of the credit for the grant. “It gives me great pride that Wendy was one of my students,” he said. He admires how she envisioned the series of workshops that will provide incoming teachers a new experience. The million-dollar grant to area schools will help realize this goal.
Dr. Elder hopes these experiences will be only the first in a series of partnerships with Eastern and that the University can further build on its mission as a teaching college. He also added that he believes that this pure-win situation may one day encourage the children who benefited from this grant to be future Greyhounds or Zias.
In any case, this program might just add a new form of tradition to the traditional way history enters the classroom.

Monday Memo

[Cozmic]

Teaching Americans history? Madness, i say! It's like trying to get them to learn geography!

And grats on your internship.

[moparmessiah]

Teaching college? Is there another type?

And don't say beauty college.

[Mr. Pathetic]

moparmessiah said:

Teaching college? Is there another type?

And don't say beauty college.

Ok... I won't tell them about the time your looks closed down a beauty college.

[Mr. Pathetic]

Just in case you want a little reading... here's my latest two PR articles.....

ENMU Offering Course on Homicide
by Ezra Paul Mann
Communication Services

Typically, if a person wanted to talk about the dead, they might find their best company with a mortician. Yet, if that person is murdered, then their situation switches to the area of homicide. Welcome to Dr. Paul Lockman’s world.

Dr. Lockman, professor of sociology at Eastern New Mexico University, will offer a homicide class from July 3-28 in order to present a different view from what might be portrayed in Hollywood. Those who want to discover trends and patterns of killing and psychology of the field should sign up for this class.

The focus of the class will center on mass and serial killing with the aid of current events and leaders in the area. Dr. Lockman believes that this class will help inform using the basic facts instead of fear-motivated tactics. “It’s relevant for all of us that live in the community,” he said.

Along with basic knowledge, students will learn how officials in law enforcement handle cases through visual interaction. Dr. Lockman hopes this will clear up any misconceptions on how cases will be handled from the local to federal levels.

“They will have a better understanding of homicide, such as knowing there is an actual behavior science unit in the FBI,” he said. Other areas will deal with the alarmist rumor that that there are several hundred serial killers when only 30 may be present at a given time.

To bring the lessons full circle, students will discover the links to friends and family through homicide. Dr. Lockman’s class will show how connected people are to each other when a murder occurs. “Most people are killed by people they know,” he said.

Dr. Lockman has been teaching the class for close to 10 years. Showing his humorous side, Dr. Lockman noted the root of the problem starts in childhood. “I think we all need to take a Parenting 101 class,” he said.

As well as his homicide class, Dr. Lockman will also teach Deviant Behavior. Those wishing to sign up for either can call the Registrar’s Office at 1-800-FOR-ENMU (562-2178 locally). Students can also take the classes through instructional TV at various sites.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bible as Literature Class Offers Fresh Look at All-Time Best-Seller
by Ezra Paul Mann
Communication Services

The advice never to judge a book by its cover applies to students taking a Bible as Literature course offered July 3–28 at Eastern New Mexico University.

Dr. Antony Oldknow, an English professor, says open-minded students can see the scriptures with a new perspective and gain an appreciation for the Bible’s literary merits and cultural influence.

“I expect most students to leave the class having looked at the Bible with a refreshingly new light, and to have discovered that, looked at objectively, the work can tell them a great deal about themselves and their society.”

The class, ENG 430P/530P, counts as an upper-division elective for English majors and minors but is open to all students. “This class will—without ideological strings attached—be looking at the Bible as a book,” he said.

Dr. Oldknow taught a Bible as Literature course on occasion before coming to Eastern and has offered it almost every other year here. He enjoys informing students about the forgotten parts of holidays such as Good Friday and discussing how the Bible has been used as a political force.

“I like particularly well the fact that students find themselves able to actually enjoy the literature involved in the work, instead of being vaguely afraid of it,” he said.

Oldknow will also be tackling what he calls sequel works, such as The Book of Mormon and The Koran. Oldknow added that he will show how these other works tie in with the Bible, both religiously and in literature.

The class will be held in the Jack Williamson Liberal Arts Building, Room 201, and offered to other campuses through instructional TV.

[Clangador]

The end *IS* near....

[hellhound153]

admin said:

moparmessiah said:

Teaching college? Is there another type?

And don't say beauty college.

Ok... I won't tell them about the time your looks closed down a beauty college.

That still is a scary subject. ;D

[Mr. Pathetic]

Ok guys and gals...my latest bit o writing...one with which I'm rather pleased.

ENMU Professor Publishes Book of Ghost Stories
by Ezra Paul Mann
Communication Services

Some of the best stories come about when they are left to write themselves. This advice has been offered by Stephen King, one of the most successful horror writers of all time.

This is also what Dr. Antony Oldknow, professor of English at Eastern New Mexico University, believes. Of course, this is a belief that Oldknow acquired in more recent years. He hopes that this will make his first ghost story collection a success among fans of the bizarre. Welcome to “The Passion Play and Other Ghost Stories.”

About seven years ago, Dr. Oldknow began writing these stories, then submitting them successfully to literary magazines such as “All Hallows” (Canada) and “Supernatural Tales” (England). Each story acts as a different and unconnected tale which includes a mixture of conscious and unconscious thought caught in a tangled web of fear. Oldknow is extremely excited that the book has finally come out. “This is really big for me,” he said.

Oldknow wrote these 10 stories in a similar style to that of M.R. James, whose work has influenced a great many major authors including H.P. Lovecraft, Ruth Rendell and Stephen King. Oldknow syays he tries to stay clear of some traits exhibited by currently popular movies. “My work is in no way dominated by raw blood-and-guts horror,” he said. Oldknow prefers other ways of keeping readers on the edge of their seats while being pleasantly entertained.

Oldknow has enjoyed a great deal of success reading his stories to classes in the United States and, recently, repeated that success in a trip to his native town, Peterborough, England. He’s always pleased at the reaction of the audience and remembers how shocked some readers and listeners have been. “Some actually screamed,” he said.

Two of the stories that appear in the collection, “Quintinshill” and "Harrow," deal respectively with the two deadliest train crashes to have occurred in Oldknow's native Britain. Other Oldknow stories incorporate events he has himself experienced, some during his childhood.

“I had a Latin master, Mr. Vigor, who said that if we sucessfully finished a term's compulsory Latin assignments ahead of time, he would read us M. R.James ghost stories,” Oldknow said. The result was that many of the students, including Oldknow, became hooked on the stories; the teacher himself appears in one of Oldknow’s stories, though with a slight name change – a tribute from the author for having been his initial inspiration.

Oldknow recommends his stories to readers who enjoy getting a thrill from reading subtle horror.

His book, published in Canada at the end of May by British Columbia's Ash Tree Press (which is associated with The Ghost Story Society), can be purchased through online retailers such as The Ash Tree Press at www.ash-tree.bc.ca/atp120the%20passion%20play.htm or Shocklines at shocklines.stores.yahoo.net/paplandotghs.html. The book cost around $46 for first-print copies.

[Cozmic]

SOunds like you're enjoying yourself quite a bit.

[Mr. Pathetic]

And now for my latest Article from the PR office ala ENMU......
___________________________________________________

ENMU Selling Houses to Make Room
for New Student Housing
by Ezra Paul Mann
Communiction Services

With Eastern New Mexico University enrollment growing at an impressive rate, the need for more facilities is increasing. Not only is the campus constructing new academic buildings, they are also planning new accommodations for students.

To make room for a new student housing complex, eight Portales properties currently owned by the University will be auctioned, according to David Moon, supervisor of Inventory Control.

The older student housing on campus will be gradually weaned out. "This is necessary because some dorms are at least 40 years old,” Mr. Moon said. "Eastern also wants to get out of the rental business."

The auction will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12, in the parking lot north of the Physical Plant and west of the Child Development Center. The eight properties include six houses and two garages. The houses are located at 1508 S. Ave I, 1516 S. Ave I, 1105 W. 15th, 1016 W. 16th, 1512 Ave I, and 1024 W. 17th, and the garages can be found next to 1508 S. Ave I and east of Chavez Hall.

Perhaps the best part of the deal is that there is no set price on the houses, so bidding won’t be simply limited to the deep-pocketed. It will be up to the individuals who buy the structures to move them in 30-60 days.

The new student housing is being made possible by a $14-million bond. The bond will be paid back over 30 years from with money received from rent.

According to Stephanie McClary, director of Housing, there will be 90 one-, two- and four-bedroom apartments, and will accommodate up to 270 students. Residents will be able to enjoy many amenities, including a swimming pool, study room, computer lab and access to a club fitness center.

The new housing is expected to be open to students as early as August of 2007. Rental Rates have not been finalized.

[Mr. Pathetic]

And now for the latest Article......

Extended Learning Gets Name Change
by Ezra Paul Mann
Communication Services

Sometimes in the rush, we forget the players that work behind the scenes. A university setting is no different. One such department at Eastern is Distance Education and Outreach, formerly known as Extended Learning. They recently made the name change to update and better inform about their overall purpose.

Located in the rarely visited Quay Hall, Distance Education and Outreach serves a large number of purposes – many of them unrealized by most at the University. Their services cover areas such as distance learning, non-credit courses, (ballet, tap, swimming, guitar, yoga, etc.), Poly Com (also known as video conferencing) and online courses. This is only the tip of their iceberg.

Trish Maguire, director of Distance Education and Outreach, believes her program plays a key part in the growth of Eastern. This includes adding to the current selection of classes. “We are working with the deans and faculty to create and market new online programs,” she said. Trish hopes that making more courses online will appeal to those who take courses around traditional class schedules.

Trish teaches an online course herself. She noted that Eastern will never give up being a residential campus, but that it will continue to be innovative in using additional ways of gaining new students. “It’s an umbrella of different services,” she said.

About the name change, Trish says, “We want to bring it up to the 21st century. It encompasses more of what we do.”

Part of this updating includes better video conferencing at instructional television sites – which include Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis Community College, ENMU-Roswell, ENMU-Ruidoso, and in Hobbs at New Mexico Junior College.

Trish hopes that the name change will provide a better understanding of the mission of Distance Education and Outreach.