Archive for April, 2011
Accounting Major Counts On OU to Join His Fight With Cancer
Posted by: | April 28, 2011 | Comments
His senior photo says it all: Cliff Foster ’11 really is ‘winning.’ The triumphant 22-year-old is set to graduate from Oglethorpe next week. And, through hard work in his classes and giving it his all at his internship at Ernst & Young, one of the top four auditors in the country, the accounting major has landed a coveted permanent position at the company. But that’s not the whole story.
As quiet and focused as he is, Cliff will tell you that finishing up his undergraduate career while working was no cake walk. Last year, as a junior, Cliff was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a cancer of the white blood cells that—surprising to Cliff—is very rare in young people.
“I didn’t know what it was at first, but I could tell that something was wrong,” relays Cliff. “I had flu-like symptoms all the time, I had lost my appetite, energy, and passion for things I liked to do—like working out and playing tennis.”
Throughout his treatments, Cliff battled the cancer with the same tenacity he gave his schoolwork, and is proud to announce that his cancer is now in the first stage of remission. Inspired by his experience, Cliff became driven to do all that he can to help find a cure for cancer—especially in young people.
“During my treatments [at Emory] I hated to see little kids going through so much pain…children shouldn’t suffer at such a young age. I’m much older so I can handle it, but to see a six-year-old little girl and her parents try to get through these treatments, it’s heartbreaking.”
Jann Jones, development manager for CURE Childhood Cancer, thought she was coming to OU to pick up a $50 donation---Cliff Foster had other ideas.
Each year, Oglethorpe’s resident assistants hold an Open Mic Night to raise money for a charity, and this year Cliff suggested CURE Childhood Cancer, a nonprofit organization with the mission to fight childhood cancer through education, research and support of cancer patients and their families. After selling about 200 raffle tickets, petitioning the administrative offices at Oglethorpe, and receiving a sizable match from an anonymous donor, Cliff and his fellow R.A.s raised over $2300. His initial fundraising goal was $500.
“I know from personal experience how difficult it is to fund these treatments, and I wanted us to make a sizable donation that would really make a difference,” said Cliff. “The thing I like most about CURE is that it strives to help the families and fund research for a cure. I was certainly surprised by the generosity by the OU community—financially and emotionally. Many of the administrators visited me in the hospital last year. They really came together for me and for the children that this money can help.”
Petrels Clinch Ninth SCAC Golf Championship, Return to Nationals
Posted by: | April 27, 2011 | Comments
The Men's Golf team is on their way to another NCAA National Championship. Photo from gopetrels.com
The Oglethorpe University Men’s Golf team commanded the 2011 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Golf Championship over the weekend and emerged victorious, winning their ninth conference tournament at the Horseshoe Bay Resorts in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. The Stormy Petrels posted the low round of the day (309) to finish 29 strokes clear of second place Centre.
Throughout the competition, the Petrels’ starting line-up dominated the conference scoreboard. Craig Stevenson ’11 led the team, finishing second place inidividually and posting a three-day total of 234 (+21), earning him All-SCAC First Team honors. He was one of four Petrels to record top-10 finishes as freshman Patrick Cansfield (+30) came home 6th, Eric Quinn (+32) took 7th and Jordan Hall (+33) tied for 8th. Anthony Amodeo finished rounds two and three with successive 76′s, the best final two-day score for the Petrels. Amodeo was later named SCAC Freshman-of-the-Year for his performance, and Cansfield, Quinn, and Hall each earned All-SCAC Second Team honors.
This win comes two years after the Men’s team clinched the 2009 NCAA National Championship in Port St. Lucie, Fla. and set OU records as the first team in Oglethorpe’s history to win a national title—-in any sport.
In their thirteenth trip to the nationals, the men will head to Greensboro, N.C. May 10-13 for their shot at this year’s title!
Oglethorpe Students Land National Fellowships, Internships
Posted by: | April 25, 2011 | CommentsAs most Petrels know, excellence is something to be expected at OU—but the OU Blog still likes to spotlight those who make us proud. Here are three extraordinary OU students who are entering summer positions they won through rigorous and competitive application processes.
Samantha Flynn '14
This summer, Samantha Flynn ’14 will participate in the six-week, full-scholarship Hertog Political Studies Program in Washington, D.C. There, she will study politics with some of the best instructors in the country. A double major in Politics and Communications, Samantha aspires to be a political journalist, joining the likes of political correspondent powerhouses such as Juan Williams and George Stephanopolous, both of whom will lecture in the program.
“My dream job is running my own political talk show,” said Samantha. “This program will give me a fantastic opportunity to meet people like Henry Kissinger and George Stephanopolous who have influenced my fields of interest and have extraordinary experience. I definitely think Hertog will further my career goal of being a political journalist.”
Samantha plans to turn the summer in D.C. into a practical application, by blogging about her experience living and learning in D.C.
Evelyn Reisenwitz will participate in the Koch Internship Program with the Institute for Justice in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Evelyn will be researching for the Institute for Justice and she’ll work with a group of Koch fellows on a policy proposal that they’ll present at a conference at the end of the summer. The program selects interns through a rigorous and competitive application process.
“I applied to the program hoping for the best but expecting the worst. When I got the e-mail that I was accepted, I could barely believe my eyes,” said Evelyn, a politics major who wants to go into law. “I am really excited to be working not only in a law firm, but one that pursues the sort of cases that I find compelling. I hope to get a better idea of whether I really want to go into law while also building research and writing experience.”
Morgan Coffey ’13 will be a Gaby Fellow with the Georgia Family Council, where she will serve as an intern with the Center for Policy Studies. Morgan will research current policy issues consistent with the ideals and mission of the Georgia Family Council and write policy reports, commentaries and speeches. She learned of the fellowship just four days before the application deadline, and interviewed a week later. Morgan is also founder of Stronghold Atlanta, a nonprofit organization that reaches out to local victims of domestic abuse. Morgan is focusing on making sure all of her pursuits receive an equal amount of attention.
“It’ll be a little bit of a balancing act making sure I can get everything done while also working at the Georgia Family Council, but I see it as a challenge that’s well worth it!”
OU Celebrates Earth Day 2011
Posted by: | April 22, 2011 | Comments
Cinsley Gentillon '11 laughs it up with Petey.
If you’ve Googled anything today, you probably already know that today is Earth Day all over the world. For more than 40 years, Earth Day has served to promote environmental awareness, education, and moved people worldwide into action.
At Oglethorpe, dozens of Petrels celebrated Earth Day with a poster session at Goslin Hall, where they checked out what future geologists, scientists, and doctors have been up to this semester. Petey the green petrel stopped by as well to learn about everything from cellular movement to measuring the heat of chemical reactions. Petey donned his OU Sustainability Initiative t-shirt to promote ecological responsibility. Find out more about the initiative here.
Seth Aufderheide (center) explains to OU Provost Dr. William Shropshire about using a caliometer to measure the heat of fusion of water.
Zach Vealey '12 (right) explains the details of his experiment, completed with Aufderheide.
OU Students, Alums Present at Psychological Conference
Posted by: | April 20, 2011 | Comments
Brittany Weiner '12 (left) celebrates her award-winning research with fellow presenter Ashleigh Grizzle '10.
Nine Oglethorpe University psychology students and recent graduates presented their research at the 2011 annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) in Jacksonville, Fla. SEPA is one of the largest psychology associations in the U.S. and is the Southeastern regional branch of the American Psychological Association.
All submissions to this conference represent high caliber original research and were peer reviewed by experts in the field. As most applicants are professors and graduate students, this is an impressive accomplishment for our undergraduates and speaks to their high level of ability as well as the quality of research training in OU’s
Department of Psychology.
Notably, Brittany Weiner ’12 won the award for top undergraduate research paper on Minority Issues, titled “Attitudes towards transsexual parenting.” She presented her paper orally as part of a special session for award winners, and received a $250 cash prize on her research. Brittany’s paper also explored transphobia, a form of sexual prejudice directed specifically toward transsexuals. She found that those high in transphobia (more prejudice) believed that a homosexual and a transsexual couple were more emotionally unstable than their counterparts.
“I’m especially interested in social psychology,” said Weiner, a psychology major. “After completing the transsexual parenting study, I immediately [looked] for ways to decrease prejudice toward these minority groups. I am currently in the process of conducting my honors thesis, in which I am trying to reduce prejudice toward gay men.”
Other students who presented their work include:
− Livia Balaban ’12, “The relationship between public self-awareness and trait compliance”
− Alexandra Buonanotte ’10, “The effect of guided and self-guided meditation on mood”
− Ashleigh Grizzle ’10, “Potential limitations of contact: Examining contact’s effect on disability prejudice”
− Rebecca McAlister ’11 and Nicholas Etherington ’10, “Effects of reinforcement on intrinsic motivation”
− Brittany Weiner ’12, Morghan Brandon ’13, Jolinda Powell ’12 and Tiffany Zimniak ’13, “Coping and its relationship to perfectionism and test anxiety.” (This study was selected as one of the best submissions and was showcased on the first night of the conference in a special “SEPA Sampler” session along with other highly rated research projects.)
Rebecca McAlister ’11 and Nicholas Etherington '10 with their research presentation about the “Effects of reinforcement on intrinsic motivation.”
Presenting at a professional conference is a valuable learning experience and excellent preparation for graduate school.
“The psychology major in general prepares me quite well for grad school,” said Weiner. “The psychology professors are amazingly encouraging and supportive of my research (and everyone else’s as well). Whenever I have an idea, they’re always willing to make time for me to discuss it and help me put it into action.”