Mark it on your calendar

The Staff Advisory Committee will host a staff development and open forum session for all administrative and support staff on Tuesday, October 8, in the Watkins Room in the University Center.

Refreshments will be served from 8:15 to 8:30 a.m. Kay Wallace, who serves as president and founder of Effective Solutions, an Atlanta-based firm that offers executive coaching and strategy development, will speak from 8:30 to 9:15.

The open forum will be held from 9:15 to 10 a.m. Questions may be submitted at the forum or in advance. If the appropriate person is not present to answer the question, or if for some other reason it cannot be answered at the forum, the Staff Advisory Committee will obtain the answer and provide it as soon as possible after the forum.

Those who wish to ask a question anonymously may submit their question through e-mail or campus mail to session moderator Wayne King, Personnel Director Susan Zeiger or any StaffAC member.

Questions may also be submitted through the StaffAC Web Page: http://www.furman.edu/staffac/staff_open_forum.html.

 

StaffAC sponsors brown bag lunch

Furman staff are invited to attend a brown bag lunch September 25 from noon to 2 p.m. in the Garden Room of the Charles Ezra Daniel Memorial Chapel.

Sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council, the informal gathering is designed to promote communication and improve interaction among staff. Personnel Director Susan Zeiger will be on hand to answer questions about the performance review process and to address other personnel-related concerns.

Additional lunches on a variety of topics may be held if there is demand. Attendees may drop in any time during the two hours and should bring their own lunch. StaffAC will provide drinks.

 

Furman to host gubernatorial debate

September 22 Gubernatorial candidates Mark Sanford and Jim Hodges will square off in a debate September 22 in McAlister Auditorium - the only debate scheduled for the Upstate.

The debate, which will begin at 8 p.m., will be televised live by WSPA-TV 7. Furman faculty, staff and students are invited to attend. At this writing, the candidates had not agreed upon a format for the evening.

Sanford, a Republican and 1983 graduate of Furman, and Hodges, the Democratic incumbent, will face each other in the November 5 general election.

 

Furman United Way campaign under way
By Kyle Snipes MPR intern

The Meyer's Center for Special Children and The Greenville Free Medical Clinic are only two of the 40-plus agencies affiliated with the United Way of Greenville. During the past three years, Furman has generated nearly $125,000 in donations, a record $46,500 stemming from last year's "Gimme Five" Campaign.

The campaign focused on first-time student and faculty donors and asked them to give just $5 a month to the United Way. In addition to "Gimme Five," a new student-led campaign was launched last year and helped generate more than $1,500 of the $45,000 goal.

This year's United Way campaign began September 10. Based on last year's success, the campus community seems poised to reach this year's goal.

"Furman is very positive about the United Way. They will step up this year," says Ken Pettus, Director of the Paladin Club and co-chair of this year's campaign.

To monitor the progress of university giving, employees may access the Furman United Way page or take a peek at the United Way thermometer, which will be located near the front gate. Donors may designate gifts for specific organizations like the Meyer's Center or the Free Medical Clinic, or they may make a general donation to the United Way.

Community volunteers will distribute money among the organizations following the conclusion of the drive October 10. For more information about United Way and its services, including how employees can take advantage of programs such as after-school child care and student tutoring, visit the Furman United Way Web site at www.furman.edu/unitedway, or call 467-3000.

 

Furman lifters win gold

Four members of the Furman powerlifting club garnered top awards at the World Natural Powerlifting Federation (WNPF) World Championships August 2-4.

The meet, held in Lancaster, Pa., attracted more than 200 lifters, including athletes from Canada, Russia, India, Puerto Rico, Ireland and England. Beau Greer, a graduate student, captured a gold medal in the 148-pound open division by pressing 350 pounds. He also won a gold medal and set a world record in the power curl.

Tony Caterisano, the health and exercise science professor who serves as the team's coach, won two gold and two silver medals in the 220-pound masters division. He won the dead lift competition with a personal best 450-pound effort and captured the power curl competition with a 135-pound curl that also set a world record. He won silver in both the bench press (370 pounds) and the iron man, which is a combined total of the bench press and the dead lift.

Sophomore Kevin Blackmon, competing in the 198-pound teen division, captured gold medals in the bench (305 pounds), dead lift (455 pounds) and iron man (760 pounds).

Another sophomore, Justin Jones, competing in the 220-pound teen division, was awarded gold in the bench press (295 pounds), dead lift (585 pounds) and iron man (880 pounds). Jones was also named "Best Lifter" for the teen division, an honor given to the athlete who lifts the most weight for his body weight.