CampusConnection

Stephanye Lawrence, left, a second- year CJT student and Brooke Baldwin, a first-year student, investigate a crime scene at the Crime Lab in Hemlock.

Program: Criminal Justice Technology

Chair: David Warren

Established: 1978

Location: Hemlock

Mission: The program offers an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice Technology. A growing interest in forensics may lead to a major in that subject.

Highlights:

• Over 70% of its students transfer to a four-year institution.
• Graduates have become chiefs of police, sheriffs, a superintendent of a correctional institution, SBI agents, lawyers and U.S. marshals.
• The program sends more graduates to the N.C. Highway Patrol than any other college or university in the state.
• Last year, the department served 800 high school students in seven area schools through the Huskins Bill, which enables students to get tuition-free college credit while they are still in high school.

Sidebar: The Criminal Justice Technology program works very closely with local schools, police departments, fire stations and hospitals.

Scholarship Recipient Overcomes Odds For A Better Future

Volvo Construction Technology Scholarship recipient Ernie MacDaniel is congratulated by Volvo Construction Equipment Human Resource Director Charles Wood.

Ernie MacDaniel is a gregarious 44-year-old husband and father of a three-year-old son, Jesse. In February 2001, his job at Henredon Furniture Industries was moved to China. That's when he decided to make a career change.

Without a high-school diploma, he knew the first step was getting his GED. He enrolled in Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine just a month after he was laid off, and proceeded to earn all As and Bs, even making the Dean's List. "I used to think, if I can just make at least a 'C', I would be happy to just pass," Ernie writes, "but that's all changed because I want to graduate with honors when I get my degree in August of 2003."

Earning his GED wasn't enough for Ernie; he then decided it was time to earn a degree. He travels almost 100 miles a day to attend classes at A-B Tech to earn a degree in Welding Technologies. All that hard work and effort was worth it to him once he got a look at the lab and all of the equipment available to him. He was awarded the 2002-2003 $1,000 Annual Volvo Construction Technology Scholarship from the A-B Tech Foundation.

Ernie has big plans for the future. "I can become a first-class welder or instructor, and metallurgist....and will have all the credentials to be a leader in my field. I want my son to think of, and look up to his father and be proud of his accomplishments when he grows up."

A-B Tech Marks National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The argument started over something small, something about the car, she said. But it didn't take long to get out of hand, for her husband to start punctuating his point with his fists. The counselor listened to the woman recount her husband's rage and noticed the bruises he left on her body. She said she'd called the police, but lost her resolve by the time the officer arrived. Now she was afraid to go home, she told the counselor, afraid not just for herself but for her child.

Stories like the one above are heard all too often by A-B Tech Director of Counseling Debby Harmon, who spoke during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October about her experience counseling students who are victims of domestic violence. "Sometimes people just think it happens somewhere else, but our students are a microcosm of what happens in the community, and this, unfortunately, is one of those things," Harmon said. "Every semester, we see students we refer out for help due to domestic violence issues."

Harmon sent the woman described above to Helpmate, a domestic violence agency that works with the community to eliminate abuse and fear. But her job as director of counseling doesn't end there; she also works to raise awareness on campus about how pervasive the problem of domestic violence is. "I would like faculty to know that in their classrooms, they're likely to have students who are impacted by this serious societal problem," she said.

Harmon is glad to see presentations on campus like the one in October by Sarah Delcourt, Helpmate's court advocate and outreach coordinator. Delcourt's visit coincided with Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The presentation also served as an opportunity to take advantage of what Quality Enhancement Team Leader Deborah Lonon calls a "teachable moment" that occurred after September's Quality Enhancement Retreat. The retreat's closing song, a Michael Reno Harrell tune called "I Don't Care," talked of the pain the singer was willing to endure to hold on to his love, and some listeners felt the lyrics made light of the issue of domestic violence.

Presenter Janis Allen said that was never her intent. "I'm sorry that the song lyrics I used on Sept. 19 caused painful feelings," Allen said. "It had not occurred to me that this is reality, not humor, for some." For more information on the issue of domestic violence, call Helpmate at 254-2968 or visit its web site at www.helpmateonline.org.

Some Facts About Domestic Violence

• A woman is physically abused every 9 seconds in this country.
• Women are most likely to be murdered when attempting to report abuse or to leave an abusive relationship.
• 73 percent of the battered women seeking emergency medical services sustained their injuries after leaving the batterer.
• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15-44.
• Women are 10 times more likely than men to be victims of violent crime in intimate relationships.
• It is estimated that 52 percent of all female homicides are killed by their partners.

Source: The Asheville Citizen-Times

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It's Time To Submit Nominations For Teacher And Adjunct Of The Year

Once again the time has come to select from among our own full-time and adjunct faculty an individual that stands out above the rest. Each of us has the opportunity to support and recognize an individual who carries the passion for knowledge and is able to pass that passion on to both students and colleagues. Please nominate the educators who inspire you for the 2002/2003 "Teacher of the Year" awards.

The individuals selected for this honor will be recognized at graduation and receive a $500 honorarium, and the full-time Teacher of the Year will automatically be the college's candidate for the North Carolina Community College Excellence in Teaching competition.

All that is required of the nominee is to complete a brief biographical sketch that includes information on educational philosophy; teaching experience; completed degrees, certificates, etc.; publications and research; and courses, workshops and seminars completed in the past five years. Full-time nominees will also be asked to provide information on other duties performed outside the classroom, awards received, and community involvement. Nominees will also be required to give their permission to the committee to view copies of student and supervisor's evaluations. Applications will be available through your division secretary or through Student Services. All applications must be received by Jan.10, 2003. Submit applications to Penny Stollery, Rhododendron Building

Any A-B Tech faculty, staff, student, or alumnus may submit nominations.

A Wolff Sighting

Continuing Education Community Service Instructor Malcolm Wolff, who teaches Sculpting With Imagination, was interviewed for the Sunday, Oct. 6 edition of The Citizen- Times. The article featured Malcolm's sculptural work, which can be viewed at numerous Asheville galleries.

Getting AHEAD

Disability Services Coordinator/Counselor Annie Clingenpeel presided over the 6th Annual North Carolina Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Conference held on the campus of A-B Tech. The focus of this year's conference was "Understanding Our Roles: Agency Communication Working Toward a Common Goal." As of the end of the conference. Annie is the Past President of AHEAD.

The Show Must Go On!

Because of the accolades the Reader's Theater troupe received during its presentation during French Broad Week, it has decided to continue its performances. The original troupe is made up of Deborah Lonon, Randee Goodstadt, Sharon Morrisey, Kenet Adamson, and David Holcombe, After putting out an open call, Deborah received over 32 responses with almost every division represented. For more details, contact Deborah Lonon at 254-1921 Ext. 339.

Tech Talk is published for employees of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College by the College Relations Division.

Executive Editor:
Mona Cornwell
Managing Editor:
Jodi Ford

Send submissions to Mona Cornwell, director of communications, at mcornwell@abtech.edu. Publication of the next issue is scheduled Dec. 2. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 18. This edition of Tech Talk was produced October 2002. Equal Opportunity Educational Institution.

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