Thursday, December 2, 2010

C-SC students get hands-on lesson in Missouri legal system
If you are interested in a legal career, write, write and then write some more. That was the advice from Chief Judge Roy Richter of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District during a recent visit to Culver-Stockton College. Judges Glenn Norton and Clifford Ahrens joined Chief Judge Richter to hold an appellate court session in the C-SC Mock Trial Courtroom on Tuesday, Nov. 30. The court normally holds session in downtown St. Louis, but, at least four times a year, the judges hold sessions in other areas of the district. The goal is to make the court accessible and open to Missouri residents who might not be able to travel to St. Louis. “We like to visit all parts of the district,” said Judge Norton, “we’re a court for everyone in the district not just the urban areas,” he continued. C-SC students, faculty, staff and community members filled the Mock Trial Courtroom as the judges heard two appeals originating from Pike County, Mo., the first a child custody case, the second a division of property case. The appellate court’s principal function is to review and correct errors made in the primary or trial courts. During the proceedings, attorneys in both cases were given 15 minutes each to present their arguments. However, on average, it takes about 30 days for judges to decide whether to uphold or overturn the original judgment. Scott Kevin Baker, freshman political science and law major from Canton, Mo., is a member of the C-SC Mock Trial Team and attended the appellate court session. “It was really interesting, having gone through Mock Trial, to see how everything culminates, to see the things we do in Mock Trial put to practice in real life,” explains Baker. Following the docket, the judges and attorneys held a question and answer session for students and others in attendance. Read more online.

Casts and crews announced for annual C-SC one-act plays
Stepping across the proscenium to direct a show adds creative dimension to any actor or designer’s dramatic experience.  Students who major or minor in theatre at Culver-Stockton College have that opportunity as they direct one-act plays through the entire process from choosing and casting to practicing and performing. Wanda’s Visit, directed by Erin Carmody, senior speech major from St. Louis, Mo., is a comedy and a somewhat realistic one act about a married couple, Jim and Marsha, who are a bit restless in their relationship, and who have their lives thrown into disarray when Wanda, Jim’s high school girlfriend suddenly shows up for a visit. The one-acts stars Amanda Eisele, senior arts management major from Mexico, Mo., as Wanda; Zach Martin, senior theatre major from Decatur, Ill., as Jim; Kathy Holstein, sophomore theatre major from Branson, Mo., as Marsha; Joey Burbach, senior theatre major from Grant City, Mo., as Waiter; Jeff DeGraw, sophomore arts management major from Canton, Mo., as Thug 1; and William Cooper, freshman music education major from Sikeston, Mo., as Thug 2. In Jerica Exum’s one-act, A Dead Man’s Apartment, Lonnie, a married but lonely truck driver, and Nickie, his mistress, a married but lonely hardware store clerk, meet twice a week in an apartment. They have chosen a day to tell their spouses they are leaving them, but when the day comes, there is a message on Lonnie's answering machine: "You're a dead man." Lonnie wants to put off telling their spouses until he finds out who is after him. This play features Ian Heath, junior theatre and legal studies major from St. Louis, Mo., as Lonnie; Dakota McKee, junior theatre major from Pittsfield, Ill., as Nickie; Kayla Vanderbilt, sophomore psychology major from Lemont, Ill., as Valerie; and Travis Dahlhauser, senior speech major from Rockford, Ill., as Al. Sam Kheim, senior art management major from St. Charles, Mo., will direct Foreplay: Or the Art of the Fugue, a play that takes place in several overlapping dimensions of time, chronicling the changing romantic fortunes of Chuck, a "Don Juan" of miniature golf. The cast includes Dylan Green, freshman biology major from Pittsfield, Ill., as Chuck 1; Josh Kollitz, sophomore music major from Grant City, Mo., as Chuck II; Tim Maples, sophomore musical theatre major from Chicago, Ill., as Chuck III; Lisa Button, freshman accounting and finance major from Adel, Iowa., as Amy; Hollyann Lillie, sophomore musical theatre major from Roscoe, Ill., as Annie; and Alex Westerhausen, senior biology and premed major from Girard, Ill., as Alma. Read more online.

Professor named to statewide literacy team
Culver-Stockton Associate Professor of Education Terry Sherer has been appointed to the State Literacy Team for Missouri’s Comprehensive Literacy Plan. The comprehensive literacy plan will bring together a network of people from across Missouri to share concerns, successes, research and suggestions with each other and educators throughout the state. The goal is to develop a plan that will help improve literacy in Missouri. “Dr. Sherer’s expertise, and that of his colleagues across the state, is needed to inform this work,” said Dr. Shanon Hoge, coordinator, Curriculum and Assessment, Office of College and Career Readiness, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The State Literacy Team is associated with the Missouri Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program. For more information go to www2.ed.gov/programs/strivingreaders-literacy/index.html.

C-SC recognizes two organizations for improving literacy
Culver-Stockton College and Great Debate Books, Quincy, Ill., will recognize two area library organizations for their literacy development efforts. The Quincy Public Library and Carthage Public Library District will be honored Dec. 1 during an event hosted at Great Debate Books. The Quincy Public Library is being awarded for its extensive summer reading enrichment program, Kids Korner, coordination of the “Great Read,” and its significant outreach to teen readers. The Carthage Library District is being honored for establishing a Teen Advisory Board (TAB) and “CMS INKLINGS,” a 7th and 8th grade student book club, among other programs. Culver-Stockton College and Great Debate Book join the International Reading Association (IRA) and Rotary International (RI) in recognizing organizations that promote literacy through awareness efforts and innovative programs. Awards will be given to recipients during a reception held Wednesday, Dec. 1 from 4:30-8 p.m. at Great Debate Books, 535 Maine Street, Quincy, Ill.