This Issue: January 14, 1999
TSU loses three of its own during breakJoe Zwierzchowski, EditorThree members of the Troy State community died over the holiday break. Tom Bilello, Associate Athletics Director, died of a sudden illness at the age of 34. A native of Fishkill, N.Y., Bilello was hired as assistant athletics director for internal affairs in May of 1997. He was promoted to associate athletics director over the summer. "Tom will be sorely missed by all of us, not only as a friend, but as an integral part of our athletic administration," said Larry Blakeney, Head Football Coach at TSU. "I've never seen anybody spend as much time trying to make sure every detail was covered. He did a tremendous job for us and was a great person." Nick Cherry, a member of the TSU basketball team also died over the break. He was involved in an automobile accident in December. Head basketball coach Don Maestri said the team has dedicated the remainder of the season to Cherry's memory. The Trojans will be wearing a black number four on their jersey the rest of the season in memory of him. "It is very difficult for our guys to deal with," said Maestri. "Our team was pall bearers at his funeral. Nick had such a passion for life. He was never one to sit around the dorms, he was always out washing his car, in the gym or practicing. Always with a great smile on his face. His spirit is with us at every game and every practice." Cherry was the Trojans leading rebounder and third on the team in scoring averaging 5.8 rebounds per game and 11.1 points. The third death was that of Gerald Ron Wilkerson, a senior from Defuniak Springs, Fla. The criminal justice major died over the holidays in an automobile accident. Return to the start of the News Section |
Patron makes midwinter dreams realityWendi Miller, Staff WriterTroy State University's Department of Speech and Theater received two special gifts for Christmas this year. Claudia Crosby, a youthful 92 year old Troy community member and longtime supporter of TSU and the arts, donated $1.3 million to the School of Fine Arts. "I just love Troy and Troy State," she said. "Troy State has done so much for the community." Crosby, who didn't attend TSU, fell in love with the Vienna Boys Choir. She said that even though she was taken to the Vienna Boys Choir concert in a wheel chair she "felt like a queen." Crosby said that she didn't understand all of the attention she is getting for doing something she loves. "I thought it was time to do something while I could appreciate it," she said. "I have made so many friends and everything I have done for Troy State has given me so much joy." Ms. Adena Moree, Assistant Professor of Speech and Theater, said, "It's like dying and going to heaven. "You just explode because you're so excited. Then when you think about it you get very humble." Moree said for her the experience is humbling because of Crosby's love for the arts and the students at TSU. "There's so few of us who will have the opportunity to express that," Moree said. Crosby's donation couldn't have come at a better time. With new blood in the theater department there came bigger and better ideas, said Moree Sometimes those new ideas will cost money. Work is already beginning on renovating Smith Hall auditorium so that it is accessible to the handicapped. The facade on the front of Smith Hall will be changed to match the other buildings on T.S.U. campus. Architects have already been at Smith Hall taking notes for the changes. Even before Crosby's gift came, the company of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" found out that they were invited to compete in the American College Theater Festival's regional competition, a high award for theater excellence. It's been nine years since any TSU theater production has been asked to attend the regional competition. The last show to compete at the regional level was Dr. David Dye's production of "The Memorandum" in 1990. "Midsummer" is breaking that nine year drought. The cast and crew will be at the University of Richmond in Virginia Feb. 1-8. The ensemble will compete with five other colleges and universities from Region 9 for a chance to perform at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. "I was surprised by the response," Moree said, who is the show's director. The surprises began with Moree's choice to do "Midsummer" for her first show. "When Ms. Moree told me that she wanted to direct `A Midsummer Night's Dream' for her first production I thought it was an ambitious, courageous choice," Dye said. "But I didn't think that there would be much of an opportunity for us to be given serious consideration for the regional festival." Dye said that this was because of the difficulty of the production and the lack of Shakespearian productions at past regional festivals. Rebecca Jarrell, who portrayed the character Puck, never had any doubts about their chances to go to the regional competition. "I know that sounds kind of uppity, but I felt so good about the show and stayed positive," she said. "We had always gotten such good reactions from everybody that if we hadn't gotten lucky that would have been the real shocker." Dye, who is the dean of the School of Fine Arts, said that when the two out-of-state adjudicators gave the production the highest recommendation for consideration for the regional competition he realized that the production "charmed all the local audiences" but that Moree had also "worked magic with the theater professionals who are not so easily pleased with productions." Even with the glowing reviews of Bill Black, a professor of design at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and Randy McMullen, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Moree, and her company, are hard at work. The faculty flew to Richmond before Christmas to get a good look at the stage that "Midsummer" will be performing on. "The show will fit beautifully in that theater," she said. "But they have different dimensions. It's a wider space but not as big as the Adams Center." There's more to the regional festival than performing as a cast and crew. Six students were singled out for their performances and will be competing for the coveted Irene Ryan awards. Jarrell, a junior from Enterprise, AL, was nominated for her portrayal of Annie Sullivan as well as her cast mate, Melissa Powell, a sophomore from West Palm Beach, FL., who was nominated for her role as Helen Keller, in "The Miracle Worker." Jason Ramsey, a sophomore from Chancellor, AL, will join them because of his performance as Lance Corporal Dawson from "A Few Good Men." Whitley Porter, Shannon Bass, and Bill Herring will round out the six competing for their roles in "Midsummer." "Along with the individual productions, the students who were involved as cast members in the participating and associate productions have an opportunity to be nominated by the adjudicators for the Irene Ryan competition," Dye said. He also said that TSU has had a number of students who have become finalists who ranked among the top 16 students in the region. While these students, who are all cast members of "Midsummer" except Ramsey who is the show's assistant stage manager, are rehearsing for the production competition they are also training for their own individual performances. The students will have to perform one scene with a partner and then a monologue. Moree said that the students are looking at a range of pieces as well as a range of partners to compete with. "We have great students involved in this," she said. Anyone interested in auditioning for "Robber Bride Groom," the spring quarter musical, should attend auditions at the Adams Center Theater for the Performing Arts on Friday, Jan. 15, at 6 p.m. Students should dress for activity and may have 16 bars of music ready to audition with. Return to the start of the News Section |
Anorexia avoided by HMOsNoelle Gizinski, Special to the TropEditor's note: This is the second part of a two part project on eating disorders. More than eight million Americans do not know that their insurance company has predetermined that their illness is not serious enough to be properly treated. You may know one of these eight million people. You may be one of these eight million people. About eight million people in the United States suffer from anorexia and/or bulimia, eating disorders that can lead to death if untreated. Anorexia, sometimes referred to as anorexia nervosa, is the continual starvation of the body over long periods of time. Bulimia is the cycle of binge eating followed by purging. How can insurance companies decide that eight million people suffering from very prevalent diseases are unable to receive HMO health care coverage for proper treatment? "Most people have Health Maintenance Organization or HMO insurance because it is inexpensive," said Andrea James, director of Admissions at the Rader Institute, a facility that treats persons with eating disorders. "HMO is a basic health coverage program and it is by far not fantastic." She said HMO recipients have to go to a primary physician for treatment. If they need to see a specialist and their primary doctor won't give them a referral, then their insurance will not cover their expenses. Treatment is expensive, and there are no adequate eating disorder facilities that are under the HMO program. Both of these eating disorders are complex and serious. Treatment for these diseases is extensive and requires vast care and structured programs. At the Radar Institute, the treatment program for these two eating disorders consists of group therapy, psychiatric treatment and daily meetings with a medical doctor and a dietician, said James. The usual treatment lasts from 3-4 weeks and costs $700 to $1,500 a day. The average treatment can cost anywhere from $2,100 to $4,500 a month and usually the patient needs to be treated more than once. The Radar Institute has three locations: Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Chicago. Unfortunately, most primary doctors are not prepared to treat severe eating disorders. They can not provide the therapy and counseling that a standard eating disorder facility will offer. "Insurance companies are out to make money," said Becky Norsworthy, the director of student health services at Troy State University. "They want to make money to insure people, but at the same time they are looking at the bottom line." Norsworthy has dealt with several college students who have eating disorders. She said these diseases are appearing in younger and younger students. It is no longer a problem just in college but in high school, middle school and even elementary school. "Any student that has any type of eating disorder is serious and has the potential to get worse," said Norsworthy. The problem needs to be addressed and treatment is necessary for severe patients to survive. The President of Nation Wide Insurance Enterprise for All State Insurance in Alabama, John Witherington, could not explain his insurance policies because "they vary from carrier to carrier, and not all the people would have the same coverage." He could not say whether All State had a specialized facility under their policy which treated eating disorders. "With our health insurance if you are bulimic or anorexic and then become sick, the hospital bills will be covered as an emergency," said Witherington. "But they would only be covered as long as a physician said you needed to be hospitalized." Treatment before hospitalization would not be covered. Does this mean you have to be near death before HMO will consider your case serious? "Insurance companies are getting better about covering counseling for families and marriages," said a 20 year old TSU student from Mobile. "This is the next step. Insurance companies don't want to give money for anything but I think they will come around." She suffered from anorexia and bulimia during her high school years. Her lowest weight was 94 pounds. When her hair fell out in big clumps, her nails split and cracked and her skin was very unhealthy, she still refused to believe that she had an eating disorder. It has taken her more than four years to admit to herself and others that she was anorexic and bulimic. "If I had known what I was doing to my body, I would have found something else to control," she said. "I had several major life changes and for me anorexia and bulimia was my way to control something in my life." Dr. Faith Weathington, Director of Counseling and Wellness at Troy State University, said there are many factors that will surface through counseling that are not visible at first. She said often times the problem is not wanting to be thin but some other factor, including abuse as a child, stress or the need for control. It is important to have more than just a doctor to care for an eating disorder patient. A program designed to suit the needs of the patient is vital for recovery. If you have any questions on eating disorders and would like to contact someone in your community, there is a program called Eating Disorders Task Force Pike County. You can call Terry Watkins, the Health Awareness Coordinator for Edge Regional Medical Center, at (334) 670-5000. If you would like further information on the Rader Institute you can call 1-800-255-1515. Return to the start of the News Section |
Grant recognized for her serviceMisty Russell, Features EditorAfter more than 20 years of service to Troy State, Debbie Grant has been recognized as an outstanding employee. She was awarded the Vergil Parks McKinley award for the month of December. Grant joined TSU in 1975 as a data entry operator and worked in Management Information Services for three years before temporarily leaving the university. Grant returned to the university and the MIS department in 1982, advancing to her current position of computer operator supervisor in 1995. Grant was nominated by Dr. William Flinn, TSU system director of information and technology, for the award. "Each year, Grant has learned new skills and taken on new technical tasks to ensure that the computer room she supervises is current and is providing the service needed," Flinn said. "Her highly technical work occurs behind locked doors and is not seen or understood as fully as a more visible job might be." Grant is responsible for a number of activities that are crucial to the university's daily operation: overseeing the university's different computer systems, which serve TSU and other system campuses; she is a trouble-shooter when computer and Datatel service problems arise at TSU; she is in the final step in the payroll process for employees who use the direct-deposit payment system; and she regularly works nights and weekends to keep the university's computers operating. She also supervises and trains the student workers in MIS. "My favorite things about my job are talking to people at all of the other TSU branches and the constant changes in the computer world," Grant said. "I was speechless when I received this award. I was so overcome with emotion I could not say anything; I just mouthed a "thank you." Return to the start of the News Section |
CAMPUS POLICE INCIDENT REPORTJan. 6: Harassing communications. A resident of Clements Hall was harassed by her ex-boyfriend over the phone at 10:40 a.m. He had been issued a no-trespass warning by University Police the previous day. There was a two-vehicle accident at University Avenue and Luther Street at 6:30 p.m. Both vehicles were damaged, but no one was injured. Theft of property, first degree: A man parked his car in the rear parking lot of Dill Hall. When he returned at 9:05 p.m. It was gone. Jan. 7: A fire alarm was set off in Alumni Hall at 9:25 p.m. Jan. 8: A fire alarm was set off in Alumni Hall at 12:25 a.m. Theft of Property: Two microphone speakers were stolen from McCall Hall at 9:19 a.m. Harassment: A student harassed a staff member in the Financial Aid department in the Adams Administration building at 4:39 p.m. No charges have been filed. Fireworks were shot from the Lambda Chi house at 11:10 p.m. No charges have been filed. Return to the start of the News Section |
Award winning professor inspired by studentsRenee Zimmerman,Staff WriterSergei Shillabeer, art professor at TSU since 1976, was awarded top honors in November at the 15th annual Maine/Maritime Flatworks Exhibition for his accomplishment of receiving top award at this competition of artists from around the country. Each year, painters, sculptors, photographers and other artists are selected to participate in the Maine/Maritime Flatworks Exhibition. This year, 40 artists participated. Shilabeer accrued the Best in Show Purchase Award for his painting "Andrea," an oil-on-wood portrait of a young woman. The painting becomes a part of the permanent art collection at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, which hosted the competition. "Andrea" was completed in about a month after an extensive photographic session with his subject. "The people I am drawn to (for subjects) are the ones who seem to display an inner self which seems to display that life is a spiritual journey," said Shillabeer. Shillabeer attended California State University and MFA Instituto Allende for graduate school. He considers Jan Vermeer, a painter from the 17th century, an inspiration on his work. "Vermeer tired to paint the soul which is invisible," Shillabeer said. "Which is a lot like me." Shillabeer also draws inspiration from painters Paul Cezanne and Andrew Wyeth and his students. "My students are an inspiration because I can help them over the rough spots where I once was," Shillabeer said. Shillabeer's other accomplishments include an award at the Nightingale Biennial Exhibition in Montgomery in 1998. He received second place in the 17th annual Arts and Design Competition of the Florida Arts and Design Society in Okaloosa, Fla. At the the Montgomery Art Guild Show in December, Shillabeer received top prize. Shillabeer's art pieces are part of permanent collections in five museums around the country. The New South Gallery and the School of Nursing at Auburn University in Montgomery currently host some of Shillabeer's work. He also held a one-artist exhibition at AUM last September and October In Dothan, Shillabeer's paintings have been on display at the Wiregrass Museum of Art. Currently, in Dothan his work can be seen at the Chapman Green Salon and at the Fifth Zone Salon on Westgate Parkway. Shillabeer has scheduled another one-artist exhibition at Leann's Interiors in Montgomery in the spring. Return to the start of the News Section |