Inside Furman July, 2001

Around Campus

RECREATIONAL/CLUB SPORTS
Tony Caterisano and John Roberts, Furman employees who volunteer their time to coach in the club sports program, received coach of the year honors at Furman's sports club banquet this spring.

Caterisano, a health and exercise science professor, led the Furman Power Lifting Club to an excellent year. Three of the club's lifters, Beau Greer, Jason Pagan and Caterisano, set records or captured championships this year. They were scheduled to compete in the USA Powerlifting Championships in Atlanta July 15. The top three finishers in each weight and age classification qualify for The World Natural Powerlifting Federation (WNPF) World Championship competition, which will be hosted by Furman in October.

Roberts, director of internal and electronic communications, helped the men's rugby club capture the North Carolina Division II championship this spring. The Furman men's team became just one of four Division II teams in 10 southeastern states to advance to the Rugby South College Championship Tournament. The women's team, meanwhile, posted a winning record this spring, posting victories over Western Carolina, Guilford and UNC-Charlotte.

The rugby club was extremely active this past year. In addition to capturing a North Carolina championship, the club hosted two major rugby tournaments and played a combined 32 games.

Recent graduate Adam Drury was named Club Sports Athlete of the Year. Drury was selected to the Rugby South all-collegiate team and traveled to Colorado to compete for a spot on the USA collegiate national team. On June 26, Drury was named USA All-American honorable mention by USA Rugby and will be an alternate on a squad that will tour Ireland this September.

- Owen McFadden

PUBLIC SAFETY
During spring term, a new alcohol education program was introduced. Called Alcohol 101, the program features an interactive CD that allows an individual to go to a virtual party and learn when he or she has had too much to drink, how to deal with peer pressure, and how to make informed choices about using alcohol.

The program is informative and fun. The CD can be checked out from the Chaplains Office, Counseling Center, Housing Office, Library, Public Safety Office, Sports Medicine Center, Student Health Services, Student Services, and the departments of Health and Exercise Science and Psychology. During the spring and summer, officers Amanda Murrow, Greg Poole, Chris Gilbert, Don Gelzleichter and Allan Johnson completed advanced training courses.

On March 14-21, 37 participants completed the Rape Aggression Defense Course (RAD), a 10-hour women's self-defense course. This is the largest class we have had since we started the program in 1999. Summer is just as busy for us as the rest of the year. Besides making preparations for the fall term, we support the summer programs and camps. Preparations are under way for the Atlanta Falcons training camp. All summer staff positions were filled with Furman students. This group includes two international students and others from Texas, Oklahoma, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina.

- Bob Miller

TIMMONS ARENA
Timmons Arena has just completed another busy year. In fact, we hosted a record 103 events! Some of our highlights were the 29th annual Hill Skills Arts and Crafts Show, Education Plus Expo ("everything you ever wanted to know about home schooling"), and the "Battle of the Best," the region's first high school Step Show featuring teams from across the state.

Our concert lineup included such acts as Jaci Velasquez, Caedmon's Call, Peter Yarrow and Beatlemania. We continue our strong partnership with the Greenville County School system. In 2000-2001, the arena was the site for three proms, 12 graduations, and Upstate high school basketball's "Game of the Week."

The Berlioz Requiem was a milestone event for the arena. It was wonderfully attended and financially successful, and the musicians and singers gave a powerful performance. This event presented an interesting challenge for the technical staff at Timmons Arena. While our job didn't quite match Bing Vick's, who had to mold almost 600 musicians into a cohesive unit, we did have to ensure that everyone could hear this gargantuan piece - without turning it into a full scale rock-and-roll show. While we have solved Timmons' acoustical issues, we were a bit concerned about turning a 5,000-seat basketball/pop concert venue into a world class concert hall. The answer: teamwork.

With hours of input from the Music Department, an expert and artistic sound design and mixing job by Paragon Productions, and a little careful shepherding on our part, we took our best shot. We felt it was vital to restore the public's confidence in Timmons Arena as a performance space. We knew we were all right when at intermission a patron asked: "Was this concert being amplified?" The concerned reply: "Oh, can't you hear clearly?" The answer: "No, we can hear everything, we just can't decide whether the sound is coming from the stage or the speakers." Mission accomplished.

In addition, the arena staff worked diligently with our friends in Development and the Music Department to coordinate the return of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra to the Furman campus last year. Thus Symphony Sundays at Furman made a strong debut as the GSO reprised their Masterworks Series at McAlister Auditorium over six wonderful Sunday afternoons. Tickets for next year's series, titled "The Grand Tour" and featuring the music of Debussy, Wagner and Rachmaninoff, to name but a few, go on sale the first week of July.

We hope you will join us as the celebration continues next year.

- Mike Arnold

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
The university will soon purchase the 8.9-acre tract near the Duncan Chapel Road gate. Sigma Nu Fraternity, which has leased the property for many years, fondly named it "The Farm."

The Furman University Foundation made an offer for this property when it was learned that a developer was about to buy it, and there was a strong possibility that a residential development would go there. Because of insurance and liability issues, it was decided that the university should not continue leasing the dwelling as a fraternity house.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers has completed a study of our travel process and made many recommendations. One of them was to use Lotus Notes to automate travel approvals. The system could also be used to prepare and process travel vouchers.

On the topics of travel and insurance, remember that if you drive a vehicle on university business you must have a satisfactory driving record to be covered by the university's insurance. Driving records are available to the public through the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. The Public Safety Department will be checking these records for all employees who drive on business.

A study of the bookstore study has been completed and the store received a good review. Suggestions included re-evaluating job descriptions and possibly redistributing tasks, expanding the hours the store is open, improving communications, establishing an advisory committee, and improving security.

- Jim Hudson