Amy White in concert Oct. 21 at RCC

THE ROCK

Shumate Chosen for Leadership Program

           It has long been recognized that the future of North Carolina’s community colleges depends upon the quality and diversity of its future leaders.  Therefore, the North Carolina Community College Leadership Program (NCCCLP), a statewide program, was developed in 1989 to provide leadership training to faculty and staff from the 58 North Carolina Community College System institutions and the system office.
            Donna Shumate, assistant professor of English at Rockingham Community College was selected from a large pool of applicants statewide to participate in NCCCLP’s class of 2008-2009.  She is a graduate of Virginia Tech with graduate and undergraduate degrees in English.  She also has a post-masters certificate from UNCG in college teaching and adult learning.
            “I wanted to participate in the NCCCLP to improve my effectiveness in the classroom,” said Shumate, “as well as in my roles as faculty advisor, committee member, and colleague.”
           Shumate said many students view their faculty advisors and instructors as mentors and she wanted to better prepare herself for that important role as well.
          “I applied to the leadership program hoping for the opportunity to assess my leadership style, adjust my style as needed, and develop additional skills. I talk with students frequently about the necessity of lifelong learning, and I hope that by participating in programs like the NCCCLP, I am living up to that commitment in my own personal and professional growth.”
          For the next six months, Shumate and 37 other participants representing 31 state community colleges will attend workshops and seminars on diversity, conflict resolution, leading through change and more.  

Club Plans a "Conflagration" of Art on Campus

by Desmond ‘The Fury’ Florence

The RCC Art Club was established in September, 2007 by Ian Gamble.  Any RCC student, faculty, or staff member is welcome to join/participate in club activities.     The club advisor is Mr. Todd Drake. Josh Tucker plays the role of President, and Desmond ‘The Fury’ Florence reigns as Vice President. Amber Huffman and Dixon Rivers serve as Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
The Art Club focuses its efforts in planning and taking part in various Art-related activities, including, but not limited to, museums, seminars, galleries, and films. In the past we have organized t-shirt crafting workshops, taken students to exhibitions at museums at both Chapel Hill and Duke University. Earlier this semester, a few members had a photo scavenger hunt at a tattoo convention. The Art Club also contributed support and attended the primitive pottery firing last semester. Like the successful t-shirt crafting workshop, we will repeat this event.
New events this semester include a Photoshop workshop and a Christmas fundraiser. The Art Club will also be visiting Washington D.C. in October to experience and learn about the Art culture in our nation’s capital. As an ongoing activity, the Art Club has begun a Campus Beautification Project that will bring more color to the grounds. Events such as the t-shirt crafting workshop and the primitive pottery firing are just embers to what will become a conflagration of Art on RCC’s campus.
The Art Club has big dreams of improving awareness in the arts. Over the coming years at RCC, we hope to inform, inspire, and reach out to the students and surrounding community. Become part of something that will leave an impression for many years to come and join the Art Club at RCC.

Student Rewarded for Right Answer

           Mindy Hoppe of Reidsville, is the winner of the Constitution Day contest held Sept. 17.  Contest participants were required to answer a 10 question quiz.  Hoppe, who said she remembered the answers from information given during her twelfth grade history class, was the only person who got all 10 questions right.
          According to federal law, any agency receiving federal funds must acknowledge Constitution Day, September 17. The acknowledgment can take place anytime during that week but RCC chose to have its contest on Constitution Day.
          For her efforts, Hoppe will receive a $50 gift certificate which can be used on purchases in the RCC Bookstore.  Hoppe, a student in the pharmacy technician course who hopes to pursue an associate in science degree, says she will use the gift certificate to purchase books.

After two years of low passing rates, all 20 of the 2008 associate degree nursing graduates at Rockingham Community College passed the state registered nursing board examination on the first try.
     “The scores are unofficial until the board of nursing releases the official scores at the end of the year,” said RCC Nursing Program Director, Tiffany Morris.  “However, all of the students have received their license and been offered employment.”
     The two years of low passing rates obviously concerned college administrators.
     “The nursing program at RCC has always been one of excellence,” said Morris.  “Our commitment to that never changed.”
      Morris and RCC’s Dean of Health Sciences Division, Tom Harding, refocused and renewed their energy into continuing the program’s exceptional record.
     “Our primary objective as health care educators is to provide the most competent graduates in every discipline associated with our college to serve the needs of our community,” said Harding.
      RCC’s Health Sciences Division focused on three areas: students, instruction and the clinical setting.
     “Research shows that all people learn in a variety of ways,” said Morris.  “They receive information through sight, sound, touch, movement and more.  We utilized all of that by focusing change in the classroom and clinical settings.”
     So…meet Mr. Sims, a simulator that “breathes” and “talks”; his heart beats, his lungs inflate, he can be programmed to say “Ouch!”  Students learn from him.  They learn how to administer medicine, dress wounds, check vital signs, run IV’s and more.  Major missteps and Mr. Sims “flat lines” (registers no heartbeat).
     Morris said, “It’s as close as a student can get to practicing on a live person.”
      Live practice happens in clinical setting, another component of the renewed focus.
     “Universities like N.C. A&T offer clinical fellows – a one-on-one program pairing one staff member with one student in the clinical setting,” said Morris.  “We plan to start offering that opportunity to our students on a limited basis later this semester and increase participation as we develop the program.”
     Students not accepted into the clinical fellows program will be trained in the traditional manner – one clinical instructor per a maximum 10 students.  All students receive further clinical experience through health-centered partnerships with community agencies and organizations.
    Change in instruction has taken several routes.  In addition to hiring instructors Kelly McNeill and Roxanne Pecinich and promoting Morris from a faculty position to program director, several instructors and Morris have completed a 45-hour curriculum development course.  One result has been revamped tests which now mirror the state board exam in appearance.
     In the classroom, the traditional lecture-notes-test scenario has changed to role playing, computer assisted technology, discussion, electronic blackboard use, and group projects.
     New equipment has been purchased – standard electric beds, electric ICU beds, electronic IV pumps, electronic charting capability, and more.
     “I’m confident that when our students go into the clinical setting, they are familiar with the equipment and processes,” said Morris.
     To ensure that remains the case, adjunct clinical instructors are Tora Simpson, Tammy Johnson, Alice Floyd, Joyce Huff, Mary Seibert and Judy Davis, who teaches leadership.  These individuals range in the nursing field from former vice presidents to nurses.
     And finally, admission criteria have been raised.
     “Students who come into our program must have a strong background in reading and math,” said Morris.  “Many people think our waiting list is long, but it’s only about a year.  What takes students so long is getting their math and reading levels where they need to be.”
      Before any of this can happen, however, all prospective students must attend a health information session.  For information call 342-4261, Ext. 2207.  These sessions are open to the public and explain the details of nursing – what to expect as a student and what to expect in the field of nursing.

Science Club Plans Activities

The RCC science club would like to welcome everyone back to RCC this fall and hopes that everyone had a good summer. The science club is welcoming anyone who wishes to join the club to come join us any time, just see Mrs. Comes in the science building, office104A-2. The club meets the first and third Fridays of the month at 12pm and 1pm in the science building in SCI 140B. At our most recent meeting the members of the club elected new officers for the semester: President: Kayla Cary, Vice President: J Davis, Treasurer: Stephen Castle, and Secretary: Hannah Margensey. We also discussed some activities and trips that the club may participate in such as going to the zoo, Discovery Place, and helping with Big Sweep. We sincerely hope that everyone will join with us as we have our various meetings and fun activities this semester.

Workshop and Concert Oct. 21

Appalachian Acoustic Duo Will Capture Your Heart

Often heard on National Public Radio, Al Petteway and Amy White draw their inspiration from musical traditions across the globe. Using a variety of stringed instruments, percussion, and pristine vocals, they capture the hearts of audiences with colorful stories of Appalachian Mountain people, places, and wildlife that have influenced their music. On Oct. 21, Al and Amy will present a free workshop in the Bishopric Lifelong Learning Center rooms 101 and 103 from noon until 1 PM. They will return to campus that evening for a concert at 7 PM in the Advanced Technologies auditorium. General admission tickets are $5. RCC students, faculty, and staff are admitted free.

Al Petteway has played nearly every type of popular, folk and classical music - as a soloist, as part of an ensemble, or as an onstage accompanist. He established a reputation as a world-class sideman by playing and recording with artists like Jethro Burns, Peter Rowan, Jonathan Edwards, Cheryl Wheeler, Debi Smith, David Wilcox, Maggie Sansone and Bonnie Rideout. Though his primary instrument has always been the guitar, he also studied lute, string bass, percussion and music composition. His compositions for acoustic fingerstyle guitar are strongly influenced by his love of Celtic music and his own roots in folk, rock and blues.  His music was featured on NPR's "All Things Considered" and as part of the soundtrack for Ken Burns' films "Mark Twain" and "The National Parks."

Al's recordings, music books, and instructional videos have helped win him international acclaim and appearances on National Radio and Television Programs. Al was awarded 45 "Wammies" by the Washington Area Music Association including the top honors of "Artist of the Year" and "Musician of the Year." He was also the recipient of two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards for Music Composition.  Al performed at the Vice President's House and The White House during the Clinton administration. He and his wife, Amy White were Artists in Residence at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage and most recently at Warren Wilson College. Al's playing is featured on more than sixty recordings by some of the World's best known Folk and Celtic musicians.  In 2005, he was voted #27 in the top fifty acoustic guitarists of all time by the readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine.  He and his wife Amy White won an "Indie" award for their duo guitar album "Gratitude" and Al won a Grammy for his participation in "Pink Guitar- the Music of Henry Mancini."  In addition to performing in concerts and teaching workshops, Al records and teaches private lessons in their home studio in Fairview, NC and is the Guitar Week coordinator for the world-famous "Swannanoa Gathering" music camp at Warren Wilson College near Asheville, NC. He also works with Dream Guitars in Weaverville, NC as a consultant, photographer and recording artist.

Amy White was born to professional classical musicians and is the youngest of three children. As a result, she was nurtured and surrounded by several genres and generations of music. Despite this semi-classical upbringing, Amy never mastered sight reading and composes and plays music solely by ear. She has a unique approach to composition and her work reflects this serendipitous combination of classical, jazz, folk, world and environmental influences. Amy won her first award for music composition at the age of eleven. Her debut release, “Piano Diaries,” garnered the 1996 Washington Area Music Award for Best New Age Recording and two separate Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) grants for solo instrumental performance on piano (1996) and mandolin (1998.) Amy's last solo piano recording, “Bittersweet: An American Romance,” was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered with Noah Adams.  Amy received a third MSAC grant in Music Composition (2001) for her work on this second piano CD, as well as for her compositions on guitar. Over the years, Amy’s instrumentation has broadened to include not only piano, mandolin and guitar, but now features vocals, percussion and Celtic Harp. Together, Al & Amy have recorded over 14 CDs.  When she's not playing music, Amy is passionately devoted to other creative endeavors: stone carving, stained glass, silver casting, block printing, mosaics and 3-D multi-media collage.  The rest of the time, which is most of the time, Amy concentrates on graphic arts, digital photography and the art of digital photomontage.  As she says, “Life is too short to specialize!” 

Alpha Kappa Pi Will Induct 30 New Members on Oct. 24

                  Over thirty students will be inducted into the RCC Alpha Kappa Pi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at 7pm in ADT100 Friday October 24.

                   These students have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement at RCC by attaining at least a 3.5 GPA and having completed at least 12 credit hours.

                   Phi Theta Kappa, an international student honor society for two year colleges, offers the four hallmarks of: service, fellowship, leadership and scholarship to all who are invited to join. Members participate in this organization in many ways to further their intellectual growth and character development.

                   Faculty, family and friends are both welcome and encouraged to recognize these hard working, dedicated people. Music performed by Podman & the Priestess.

Memorable refreshments will fill us all as the final course of this memorable evening.

                   RCC’s new inductees will appreciate your presence and show of support. 

Fidelity Bank Announces $100,000 Gift

Fidelity Bank has announced a gift of $100,000 to the Fulfilling the Promise campaign for construction of the McMichael Civic Center in Wentworth.
       Fidelity Bank CEO, Mike Whitley, says, "We are happy to partner with the Fulfilling the Promise Campaign. Our tag line of 'Right By You' extends not just to our customers, but also to the communities we serve."
     “This gift,” said Dr. Robert Keys, president of RCC, “represents a significant investment in the future of our county and reflects yet another strong commitment from the business community in this vital project that will benefit all Rockingham County citizens.”
      This latest pledge of support brings the campaign total to just over $4.7 million.
      The state-of-the-art facility will be built on the RCC campus at the intersection of NC Highway 65 and County Home Road. The center will provide gallery and exhibition space for the arts and industry; flexible space for workshops, seminars, and meetings; affordable, quality office space for nonprofit organizations; and a performing arts center for cultural events to enrich community life.  It will appeal to expanding and relocating businesses and industries by demonstrating the county’s commitment to its future, citizens and the business/industrial community.  It is also designed to expand the educational and cultural enrichment of citizens in Rockingham County. 
      "We are excited to be a part of this project. The McMichael Civic Center will bring exciting opportunities for expanding cultural, educational and economic growth in Rockingham County” says Brenda Summerlin, Branch Manager with Fidelity Bank in Wentworth and Stoneville.
       Founded in 1909, Fidelity Bank is a full-service financial institution headquartered in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina with approximate assets of $1.5 billion.  The Bank owns and operates 70 branches in 26 counties throughout North Carolina and Virginia.
       For more information on the Fulfilling the Promise campaign for the McMichael Civic Center, contact the campaign office at 342-4261, Ext. 2008.

College Students Admitted Free!

by Peggy Hamilton
Greenboro Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors

         College Night at the Symphony will be October 25th, at the War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro. This free concert, with free food, parking and prizes is through the generosity of the Bryan Foundation and other educational programs who believe that college students are our future audiences.
          College students may also be interested to know that, with proper identification, they can come to the Greensboro Symphony for $5.00 per concert.

 Different Strokes for Different Folks

     Geri Garrison, 74, picked up the phone, got John Key on the line and asked point blank, “What do you think about having old ladies in your class?”
     Rockingham Community College had advertised a new Swimming for Fitness class, now in its second semester, and Key was the instructor.
     “I told her, ‘I would love to have you,’” Key said.  Secretly, he was thrilled.  “What better way to present our goal of teaching lifelong fitness than to have senior citizens in the class who are performing up to class standards?”
      Key began the class due to a renewed interest in swimming caused by the (then) upcoming Summer Olympics 2008.
     After getting the green light from Key, Garrison roped two friends into taking the class with her; Mary Bailey, 72, and Jane McIntyre, 83.  She had already pulled them – though they use words like “nagged” – into competing in the local and state Senior Olympic Games.
     “I’m a big recruiter for Senior Olympics,” said Garrison, a retired educator.  “And swimming is good for you…keeps you limber and in shape without being hard on the joints.”
       So, via an RCC partnership with Rockingham County High School, the three showed up at the high school pool prepared to swim.  And did they ever swim.
       “John works you,” all three happily exclaimed.  “But he’s good.  You learn a lot.”
        Jane opted out of the current class.  “I have too many commitments this fall,” she said, one of which is to compete in the Michigan Senior Olympics with her 62-year-old daughter and then, hopefully, in the national games in San Diego.
       The women swim daily, either in class or at the Eden or Reidsville YMCAs.  At the Eden YMCA, I photographed them in their element.  Geri, in typical fashion, made her companions show off their impressive skills:  Jane dove from a starting block and Mary flip turned (swam to the side of the pool, flipped underwater, and shot off in the opposite direction).  Geri beamed at their accomplishments.
     While proper strokes, proper breathing techniques, and components of health related fitness are what Key concentrates on, he will teach the more challenging skills like diving and flipping.  And as he works to instill a lifelong interest in fitness, the trio works on something else:  shaving time off their records.  Geri is particularly interested in improving her butterfly stroke.  The others like other strokes.  So they pay attention to Key and work hard on improving techniques.
     Encouragement, they say in unified praise, comes from their young classmates.
     “They are so nice to us,” said Geri.
     Mary agreed.  “They make us want to do better.”
     Mary began swimming competitively in 2004, six years after receiving a liver transplant.  In addition to the Olympics, she competes in the National Kidney Foundation Transplant games.  Jane, a cancer survivor, began swimming competitively last year.  Geri started in 2004.  They love the competition, but more, they love the benefits of swimming – weight control, flexibility, the social aspect, and stronger muscles which lead to better balance and stamina.
     And while they are good in competition, there’s always somebody better.  For instance, in 2004 Geri competed against Grace Evans of Greensboro.  Evans, said Geri, was about 90 at the time.  “She blew past me!  I thought, ‘Wait, she’s twenty years older than me!’”
      Mary tends to be a fast swimmer, but Jane understands Geri’s lament.  “My goal for the national Olympics is simply not to come in last.”
       With Swimming for Fitness and Keys’ help, that won’t happen for any of them.

SECU Scholarships Help Students at RCC

          Thanks to $1 donations by State Employees Credit Union members, Rhiana Bankston of Eden and Joseph Somers of Ruffin each received a $2,500 State Employees Credit Union scholarship to attend Rockingham Community College.
          Bankston, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society, is enrolled in the advanced nursing degree program.  Somers is enrolled in the associate in arts program.  He is a member of two honor societies:  Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta.
          Two SECU scholarships are given each year at each of the state’s 58 community colleges.  In addition, one scholarship is awarded each year at each of the state’s high schools.  SECU members fund these scholarships by having their $1 per month service fees put instead into the SECU Foundation which funds the scholarships.
         The Foundation’s goal is “to promote local community development in the areas of education, health, and human services.
          The scholarships were first available for fall semester 2005.  In Rockingham County, SECU scholarships are funded by all three credit unions in the county.

County Farm Bureau Establishes Scholarship

Members of the Rockingham County Farm Bureau, standing with RCC President Robert Keys (left), have established a scholarship to honor J. M. Wright, Jr.

The J. M. Wright, Jr. Scholarship has been established at Rockingham Community College by the Board of Directors of the Rockingham County Farm Bureau in Reidsville.
     Wright’s peers described him as an “effective and efficient leader.” To pay tribute to and show appreciation for his loyalty, dedication, and commitment to quality service during his 42 years as president of Rockingham County Farm Bureau, his coworkers and friends decided to establish a scholarship in his honor upon his retirement.
       In addition to his service at Rockingham County Farm Bureau, Wright was a member of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, serving for a time as its vice president.  He was also a member of the board of directors of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company and Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company.
       The J. M. Wright, Jr. Scholarship will be awarded annually and may be renewed for additional years if the recipient continues to meet the scholarship requirements.  Recipients must be residents of Rockingham County, have a minimum grade point average of 2.75, demonstrate financial need, and enrolled either full- or part-time in any program leading to a degree or diploma.  Part-time students may qualify for full funding rather than a pro-rated award if substantial need is present.  Preference will be given to members of the Rockingham County Farm Bureau and to those planning to major in an agricultural field.
       To apply for the scholarship, contact the RCC Student Financial Aid Office.  Gifts made to the scholarship are accepted through the RCC Foundation Office.
        Those interested in making gifts to the scholarship may do so at any time.  All gifts are permanent and irrevocable.  For more information or to make a gift, contact the RCC Foundation at 342-4261, Ext. 2201.

Scholarship Honors Griffin's Students

Margaret Griffin of Greensboro spent thirty years teaching speech communication and English to Rockingham Community College students.  To  honor all of her students, Griffin has established the Margaret E. Griffin scholarship.

“Each student is special,” said Griffin, who retired in 2000 and continues to teach part-time on an occasional basis.  “I could not think of a better way to pay tribute to them and their commitment to education.”

The scholarship will be awarded annually either full- or part-time and traditional or non-traditional age students.  Recipients must demonstrate financial need and have a minimum 2.75 grade point average.  Preference will be given to those planning to major in speech communication or English. 

Griffin scholarships will be renewable if the recipient maintains the required GPA and makes satisfactory academic progress.  Recipients will be chosen by the RCC Student Financial Aid Office, in conjunction with the Competitive Scholarship Committee.  Those interested in applying for the scholarship should contact the RCC Financial Aid Office.

Dr. Sanford R. Silverburg, Professor of Political Science at Catawba College

SGA Sponsors Discussion of Politics, Presidency

Dr. Sanford R. Silverburg, Professor of Political Science at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC, will be speaking on Thursday, October 16, 2008.  His presentations will be offered at 12:10 PM and 7 PM.   His expertise includes both domestic and international politics, particularly Middle East issues, but also those of the U.S. Presidency.

            Silverburg will speak at 12:10 PM in the RCC auditorium on “The 2008 Presidential Election:  Minorities Seeking Majority Approval.”  He will address the topic of “The Modern Presidency: Which is More Important, Foreign Policy or Domestic Politics?” at 7 PM in the Whitcomb Student Center Activity Room. Both presentations are free and open to the public.

Dr. Silverburg received his Ph.D, International Relations, The American University, School of International Service, Washington, DC. During his professional career, Dr. Silverburg has had many works published including Palestine and International Law:  Essays on Politics and Economics; U.S. Relations with the Middle East and North Africa;  and U.S. Foreign Policy and the Middle East/North Africa.

Dr. Silverburg’s visit to campus is sponsored by the Student Government Association as part of its attempt to bring in notable speakers from various fields to inform, inspire, and engage persons in thinking about important issues.

RCC Travel Video Series

See the world during your lunch hour...
October 21 - Denmark
November 4 - Antarctica
January 20 - Great Cities of Europe
February 3 - Ukraine
February 17 - Finland
March 17 - Ireland (St. Patrick’s Day)
March 31 - Mexico City

Videos begin at 1:00 p.m. Attendees are welcome to bring a bag lunch. There is no admission charged for the travel video series. All videos are one hour and are presented in the Advanced Technologies Building; room 111.

N4CSGA: Helping Student Voices to Be Heard for 40 Years

by Jeanna ElSadder
N4CSGA President

NC Writers' Fall Conference Offers Workshops on "Speculative Fiction"

       The North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall Conference, one of the largest writers’ conferences in the country, will feature for the first time a workshop on writing Speculative Fiction, taught by author and North Carolina State University professor John Kessel. The workshop will be held Nov. 14-16. Registration for this year’s conference, to be held at the Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport in Research Triangle Park, is now open at the Network’s website, www.ncwriters.org.
          Speculative Fiction, a phrase attributed to influential sci-fi author Robert Heinlein, includes science fiction, fantasy fiction, horror fiction, supernatural fiction, alternate history, and magic realism.  Kessel’s works of speculative fiction have won the Nebula, Sturgeon, Locus, and Tiptree Awards, and his book Meeting in Infinity was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.  His most recent work, The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and Other Stories (April 2008), features stories that “speculate” on such classics as Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, The Wizard of Oz, and Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”  The New York Times Book Review said Kessel’s stories “liberate the mind,” and Publishers Weekly said they “deliver a powerful emotional punch.”
          In addition to his work as an author, Kessel was the first director of the M.F.A. Creative Writing Program at N.C.S.U., and currently shares the directorship of creative writing with Wilton Barnhardt. Kessel teaches science fiction literature and fantasy literature courses that offer a historical perspective of each genre. During his career, he has made it his duty for both of these  genres to be taken seriously.  For Kessel, fantasy can be seen in many seminal works of literature by authors such as Lewis Carroll and Franz Kafka.
          The N.C.W.N. Fall Conference’s Speculative Fiction workshop will be one of the few Kessel classes open to the general public.  “We’re very excited to have such a distinguished author teaching our first workshop on this subject,” Network executive director Ed Southern said.
              The N.C.W.N. Fall Conference is also offering many other fiction classes in which writers of any genre can hone their craft. UNC-Greensboro’s Travis Mulhauser will be teaching a class about creating a setting in fiction. Novelist Patricia Hickman will teach authors how to construct the emotional architecture of a story. Dawn Shamp, author of the new novel On Account of Conspicuous Women, will teach techniques for researching historical fiction and “immersing your reader in former realities.”
          More than 25 other writers will lead workshops, master classes, and panel discussions in topics ranging from understanding how writers can use the Internet to understanding publishing contracts; from writing poems with presence to turning family stories into drama for the stage. The conference will also offer the popular Manuscript Mart, Critiquing Service, and Speed Pitching sessions, in which registrants can discuss their unpublished works with agents, editors, and other book professionals.
            Registration for the Fall Conference is not limited to members of the neither Network, nor writers from North Carolina.  Anyone with an interest in writing can sign up online at www.ncwriters.org  or by calling the Network at (704) 246-6314 or (919) 251-9140.
           About the NC Writers’ Network  
          Founded in 1985, the nonprofit North Carolina Writers’ Network is one of the largest statewide literary arts organization in the country. The mission of the North Carolina Writers’ Network is to connect, promote, and lead emerging writers and established writers through workshops, conferences, and other programs and services. The Network builds audiences for literature, advocates for the literary arts and for literacy, and provides information and support services for writers of all kinds and at all levels.

CJC Elects Officers

While all Criminal Justice Students are considered club members, the following students have been elected to serve as officers of this club.
President: Justin Gwynn
Vice-President(s): Rachel Singleton & Macey Wilson
Secretaries: Matt Frizzell & Gigi Corum
Treasurer: James "Brennan" Harmon
Public Relations Officers: Kahlah Whiticker & Stephanie "Danny" Vanderpool
SGA Representatives for CJC: Lisa Perkins & Perry McKinney

Plenty of fun for both children and adults…!

Party begins at 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM on OCTOBER 31^ST at

Rockingham Community College’s Whitcomb Student Center (downstairs)
Many activities will be available for children of all ages—face painting, fingerprinting, fun games, puppy petting, and much more… Refreshments will be available to guests, including pizza, drinks, and plenty of CANDY

~ Come and enjoy a safe Halloween with local law enforcement ~

SBC Offers Seminars in October

October is a time to get out of debt, learn a new business and discover marketing techniques.  It is all covered during the October seminars offered through the Rockingham Community College Small Business Center,
     On Oct. 7, “Get Out of Debt,” presented by Ron Shaffer, will help individuals get physically fit by covering the following topics:  setting up a budget, adjusting financial plans, communicating with your partner.  Strategies on how to pay off credit cards, installment loans and medical bills will also be covered.
     The Amazing World of eBay will be covered for two weeks by present Dale Metz.  On Oct. 14, participants will explore the world of buying and selling.  Metz will explain how everyday items – those lying around houses and in businesses – can be sold almost instantly.  This is a powerful seminar which explains how to buy and sell around the world with confidence and trust.
     The second eBay seminar, held Oct. 21, will focus on advanced selling.  This seminar takes participants, pros and amateurs, through an actual eBay sale from start to finish.  Prepare to be entertained as well.
     Rounding out the month is “Inexpensive Ways to Market Your Business,” held Oct. 28.  Presenter Emily Balance teaches inexpensive, fun and creative marketing approaches and the five common obstacles to effective marketing.  Participants will leave with ideas to help grow their business.
     All RCC Small Business Center seminars are free, open to the public, and held from 6-8:30 p.m. in room 105 of the Advanced Technologies building.
       Preregistration is recommended.  To preregister, call Cathy Wheeler at 342-4261, Ext. 2316.

SGA Officers for 2008-2009 are (left to right) Brandon Binge, Parliamentarian; Crystal Boswell, Public Information Officer; Joshua Tucker, Secretary; Jeana ElSadder, Vice President; Stephen Castle, Treasurer; and (kneeling) Adam Cardwell, President.

NCCCS Small Business Center Network Offers Help to Entrepreneurs

Good news for entrepreneurs and those who are considering starting a small business.  The North Carolina Community College System Small Business Center Network has launched a website, www.sbcn.nc.gov.  The website contains a section on tax information provided by the revenue department including tax obligations for small businesses, current announcements from the department, a tax checklist for starting a business, a guide for getting tax assistance and a list of helpful links.  This can be accessed at www.sbcn.nc.gov/taxInfo/default.aspx.

            In addition, the site provides information on entrepreneurship training, guides and tools for starting a business, information on government contracts, business publications, and how to sign up for one-on-one business counseling.

            This information can be accessed through Rockingham Community College’s Small Business Center computer which is located on the second floor of the Bishopric Lifelong Learning Center.  For hours and more information, call 342-4261, Ext. 2316.