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Citation |
- Permanent Link:
- https://ufdc.ufl.edu/CA00299009/00002
Material Information
- Title:
- The Snapper
- Series Title:
- The Snapper
- Creator:
- The College of The Bahamas
- Publisher:
- The College of The Bahamas
- Publication Date:
- August 2006
- Language:
- English
Subjects
- Subjects / Keywords:
- Universities and colleges -- Public relations -- Bahamas
- Genre:
- serial ( sobekcm )
- Spatial Coverage:
- Bahamas -- Caribbean
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Inside this edition
Introducing the Fourth President of
The College of The Bahamas ......... 2
Two New Industrial Agreements Signed 5
From the School of English Studies
Free Speech Project ............ 17
From the School of Social Sciences
Scholars Weigh in on Censorship ..... 20
Security Services
Keeping COB Campuses Safe........ 23
Jazz Under the Stars ........... 25
Staff Spotlight ................ 29
COB/Texaco Partnership:
Texaco Youth Spokesperson ......... 33
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Introducing the Fourth President
of The College of The Bahamas
Ty .-!, C .:.ll- .:.ti T .- B :!i. :.: !i :
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Chairman of the College Council,
Franklyn Wilson, termed, "a momentous
week for The College."
In a packed Executive Boardroom in
the COB's Michael H. Eldon Complex,
Minister Sears told the assembled
media and college personnel that he was
pleased to announce that the Council of
The College had selected Janyne Hodder
to head the institution and that the
Cabinet had accepted the Council's
selection. Minister Sears also spoke of
Mrs Hodder's rich nexus to The Bahamas
and The College, having lived here for 12
years in the 1970s and 80s, and lectured at
COB for most of those years.
Over the years Mrs Hodder has
maintained close links with The Bahamas
and in an email sent after she heard of the
appointment, she thanked the Council
and pledged her commitment to the
faculty, staff and students of the institution
"which shaped my career and nurtured me
in the cause which has inspired my entire
professional life." Mrs Hodder ended
her email by inviting "all Bahamians to
be our partners as we build on what The
College has already done to make possible
TKhe new President took up her .:,:.,,
appointment on July P I..t.i !6 on
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the position of Executive
Vice-President and Chief
Operating Officer for the coming year.
The new President took up her
appointment on July 1st, 2006 on a
three-year contract and spent her first
weeks in making the acquaintance of and
receiving briefs from internal and external
stakeholders.
Our new president is a bilingual
Canadian with strong ties to The Bahamas
and a rich background in higher education.
In the early 1970s she voyaged to
The Bahamas to teach at Queen's College
and later accepted a post as a lecturer at
San Salvador Teacher's College. From
there it was a natural step to become one
of the original faculty at the newly formed
College of The Bahamas when it opened
its doors in 1975. She later became the
Head of the Reading Department in the
Teacher Education Division.
She served on many committees
while lecturing at the College, including
the committee preparing the core
curriculum for the new institution, and
was coordinator of COB's Literacy Clinic
for adolescents at risk of dropping out.
Beyond the boundaries of COB she acted
as Reading Consultant in Workshops
in Literacy Pedagogy and coordinated a
volunteer literacy programme for women
prisoners at Fox Hill.
In her native Canada she was Principal
(President) of Bishops 'University in
Quebec for nine years, 1995 2004. At the
time of her appointment Bishops was a
liberal arts undergraduate institution that
had not experienced growth in enrollment
for many years and was struggling to raise
funds. Mrs Hodder worked creatively with
staff,union,policymakers, the private sector
and the local community to improve the
organizational structure of the University
and to heighten its profile locally and
internationally. She was so successful that
enrollment blossomed and the university
raised $18 million in scholarship funds.
More recently she has been Vice-Principal
(Inter-Institutional Relations) and interim
Vice-Principal (Development and Alumni
Relations).
Prior to taking up her position
at Bishop's University, she worked at
Quebec's Ministry of Education, rising
The C( of The Bahamas :: 2 :: The Snaooer Aua 6
to the position of Assistant Deputy
Minister in Services to the English
Speaking Community. She has also
served as an educational consultant to
Canadian universities and to the Canadian
International Development Agency on
the development of education systems
in countries such as Kosovo and South
Africa.
Mrs Hodder is ideally suited to develop
and strengthen the three fundamental
pillars -Teaching, Research and Service -
that underpin the future of the University
of The Bahamas. She has demonstrated
a clear ability to work in harmony with
all stakeholders of an institution in
creating and sustaining an environment
of scholarship; she has shown a sharp
understanding of how to work effectively
with governments to promote favourable
educational policy; and she has exhibited
an understanding of the important role
universities play in shaping the local and
national community. In addition, she has a
proven track record of being able to raise
money.
Let us respond positively to her
invitation, sent in an email after she learnt
of her appointment, to be partners as
we build on what her predecessors and
The College at large have already done to
make possible the birth of the University
ofThe Bahamas.
Mrs Hodder's husband, Garfield
Mullins, a writer and the retired head of
a large technical and vocational institution
in Canada, has accompanied his wife to
The Bahamas. Mrs Hodder is mother to
three highly accomplished adult children,
two of whom were born in Ihe Bahamas.
President Hodder's
Key Messages
On her third day in office, Wednesday,
July 5, President Hodder confidently faced
representatives of the media who had for
so many months been speculating as to
whether she would be chosen to lead The
College ofThe Bahamas. She left no one in
doubt as to her knowledge of the challenges
and opportunities of the institution, the
role it must play in national life and some
of her initial goals in this connection.
She made it clear that she considered
necessary and was inviting partnerships
in every sector and constructive criticism.
She emphasized that The College must
play a role in creating national prosperity
and improve the quality of life for all who
call The Bahamas home. Following is an
extract from Mrs Hodder's remarks:
The College of The Bahamas is greater
than any ofus. Quality education is one ofthe
essentials of nation building. Standing as it
does at the apex of the education system of The
Bahamas, The College is one of the bulwarks
of the national enterprise. The institution
must be respected and supported as such.
We must all learn to say "Our College" and
"Our University", and preserve, protect and
promote COB as one of the nation's dearest
possessions. Its continuing development must
be the subject of collective focus and effort.
One of the first goals I have set for
my tenure is to demonstrate clearly that
every single person, every family, every life
throughout the country shouldfeel the positive
impact of The College of The Bahamas.
Everything that we do, every programme
we develop should reflect the fact that this
is an island nation with its people residing
in widely scattered communities. Every
Bahamian-man, woman and child-is a
shareholder in this enterprise and our efforts
are on their behalf
It is my intention to make sure that
there is not a single family across The
Bahamas whose life is not touched by the
work of he College-soon to be University.
Whether because someone in the family is a
full or part-time student in a certificate or
degree programme, or whether someone is
participating in an outreach programme
of which we must develop more, or because
the research we do is improving the quality
of lfe-in marine science, in the hotel and
tourism sector, in the financial services sector,
in health, in public policy, in culture or any
other sector where we want to build strong
research programmes or because our work is
creating national prosperity by providing
increasingly highly qualified graduates to
the human resource pool. Whatever the route,
every family in this country should be able to
see that The College/University is having a
beneficial impact on its life. All in this country
should, directly or indirectly, derive from
The College something by which they can
enhance the quality of their lives. My goal
is to seek support from all Bahamians in the
service of this ideal and to make dreams come
true.
The College will need support to meet this
goal. It will need champions and critics alike-
to make sure we set the right course and to help
us through any treacherous shoals we find on
ourjourney. We willalso needstrongfinancial
support and look forward to counting on the
generosity ofBahamians and others who care
about this country. We will need strong ideas,
varied expertise and a good dose of creativity,
risk-taking and innovation. Most of all, we
will need faith, hope and charity coming to
us from all quarters. I have no doubt we will
find these in our work and partnership with
the Bahamian people.
Right now, the College community is
engaged in refining the Strategic Plan for
the University. We will be soliciting input
from as many sources as possible to ensure
that the institution, in its newest form, is
fully capable of responding fully to the needs
of the community. It is my intention to build
strong communication within The College
community and between The College and
the wider community. I will strive to keep
the lines of communication open, so that the
exchange of ideas and information between
the University and the people it serves will
be continuous. I hope that you will be our
partners in this respect and assure you of my
availability to keep you well-informed about
developments at The College.
The Bahamas and The College of
The Bahamas are often spoken of small, but
"small" is a relative term. Both country and
college have aspired beyond the limitations
of their physical size and have accomplished
great things. There are also numerous highly
regardeduniversities locatedin relativelysmall
contexts-universities that have successfully
defined their niche and their mission. I am
confident we will do so here-when so much is
at stake for the entire nation.
The President Visits
Grand Bahama
The President wasted no time in
spreading the word that The College was
not The College of New Providence but
The College of The Bahamas with a
The C( of The Bahamas :: 3 :: The Snaooer Aua 6
mandate to serve every community in the
archipelago.Accompanied by then Council
Secretary Patricia Glinton-Meicholas,
Mrs Hodder traveled to Freeport on her
fourth day in office to share that message
with the team at COB's Northern Bahamas
Campus (NBC) and external stakeholders
in the Grand Bahamian community.
President Hodder held a breakfast
meeting with Assistant VP Dr Coralee
Kelly, who heads NBC and Anita Osman,
a retired COB vice president,who has been
representing Institutional Advancement in
Freeport most recently. Later, the President
took advantage of other opportunities to
be briefed by Dr Kelly.
At ten o'clock Mrs Hodder met
with Sir Albert Miller, Chief Executive
Officer of Grand Bahama Port Authority,
who reaffirmed his support for COB. Sir
Albert, along with Edward St George,
COB's staunch friend, lobbied GBPA for
a donation of land to build a new campus
on Grand Bahama. Mrs Hodder assured
Sir Albert that site works would begin
shortly on the site east of Freeport.
At lunchtime, President Hodder
addressed a meeting of Rotary, receiving
a warm welcome from the Grand Bahama
President.The meeting had been facilitated
by attorney and Rotarian Chris Gouthro.
To this group, Mrs Hodder spoke of The
College's obligation to assist in creating
prosperity in Grand Bahama by helping to
create a pool of skilled human resources
for their business and other endeavours.
Consistent with her message of ensuring
that The College's touches each life in
The Bahamas beneficially, President
Hodder particularly emphasized her
commitment to establishing more outreach
programmes, particularly to at-risk groups
in the community.
Following the Rotary meeting,
Mrs Hodder met, one-on-one with
Academic Affairs Officer Maggie Turner
and later with NBC faculty and staff in
a general meeting. The group welcomed
her and asked many questions. They told
her that they liked what she was saying
to them and hoped she would follow
through. The group expressed the wish
that the President would return soon to
permit more extensive dialogue.
Dr Kelly and Mrs Osman completed
the visitors' Freeport itinerary by taking
them to see the new campus site off Grand
Bahama Highway. The President and
Mrs Meicholas' return journey was
challenged by the severe weather
threatening Grand Bahama for most of
the day, but thanks to Bahamasair's plucky
determination to get passengers safely to
their destination, the pair landed in Nassau
around midnight. m
COB and BPSU
The signing of an industrial agreement
between The College of The Bahamas and
The Bahamas Public Services Union on
May 16 was a highly significant landmark
in the evolution of COB towards
becoming the University of The Bahamas,
according to Chairman of The College
Council, Franklyn Wilson. Recognizing
the essential support provided by members
of BPSU in underpinning the work of
the faculty, Mr Wilson expressed his
satisfaction at the successful completion of
negotiations between representatives from
both sides that culminated in the signing
in the President's Boardroom.
Mr Wilson referred to the event as yet
another major achievement in the life of
The College and he encouraged members
of the general public to make themselves
aware of the outstanding things that are
happening at COB these days; things,
he said, that are laying the foundations
of what will be the University of The
Bahamas. Beaming with pleasure, the
Chairman warmly shook the hand of
President of BPSU, Mr John Pinder, who
also expressed his satisfaction at was the
outcome of the negotiations, which would
be beneficial to all members at COB. He
was pleased that the agreement includes a
performance clause because, he said, "The
BPSU supports good performance."
Acting President of The College,
Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, praised
the long, hard work of the negotiating
teams, which would impact the lives of
more than 350 non faculty workers at
COB. She was pleased to recognize that
the agreement would run until the end of
December 2009 and pointed out that some
of the more significant clauses included
the implementation of flexi hours, a
productivity review that was linked to
merit pay and the introduction of 6 weeks'
leave for parents who adopt a child.
In attendance at the signing were: MrJohn
Pinder, President of the Bahamas Public
Services Union; Mr Franklyn Wilson,
Chairman of the Council of The College
of The Bahamas; Dr Rhonda Chipman-
Johnson, Acting President of The College
of The Bahamas; Mr SJ Miller, Secretary-
General BPSU; Mr Eric Darville, BPSU
Industrial Consultant; Tyrone Coakley,
Chief Shop Steward, BPSU, COB;
Mrs Gwen Charlow, Shop Steward,
BPSU, COB; Ms Ellen Kennedy, Shop
Steward, BPSU, COB; Mr Keith Archer,
COB's Industrial Consultant; Mrs Mavis
Pratt, Director, Human Resources, COB;
Ms Wendy Poitier-Albury, Director,
Industrial & Employee Relations, COB;
and Mrs Patricia Glinton-Meicholas,
College Council Secretary. 0
COB and UTEB
Heralded as both an historic and a modern
document, the industrial agreement
between The College of The Bahamas
(COB) and the Union ofTertiary Educators
of The Bahamas (UTEB) was signed in
a ceremony of pleasant informality and
cordiality in the Executive Board Room of
the Michael Eldon Complex on May 18.
In the presence of the Prime Minister, the
Right Hon. Perry Christie, MP; Minister
of Education, Science and Technology,
the Hon. Alfred Sears, MP; and Minister
of Labour, the Hon. Shane Gibson,
MP; Chairman of The College Council,
Mr Franklyn Wilson; Acting President of
The College of The Bahamas, Dr Rhonda
Chipman-Johnson; President of Union
of Tertiary Educators of The Bahamas,
Mrs Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson and the
Council Secretary put pen to paper, sealing
an agreement process that has been close
to three years in the making and one that
has at times been acrimonious and difficult.
But all contention was put aside, as parties
enjoyed the moment that was recognized
as "the birth of a new era in faculty -
The C( of The Bahamas :: 5 :: The Snaooer Aua 6
administration relations at COB."
Acknowledging that faculty members
are key players in the academy's team in the
pursuit of excellence, Mr Wilson referred
to the improved terms and conditions of
service faculty will enjoy under this new
agreement. He continued, "There are
three pillars of activity for faculty in a
university: teaching, service and research.
This agreement will allow our lecturers to
meaningfully do all three."
Acting President, Dr Rhonda
Chipman-Johnson, heaved a noticeable
sigh of relief when she commented that
this day had been a long time coming
and she went on to recognize a number
of the people who had played significant
roles in the negotiation process. She then
outlined the major changes that the new
agreement would usher in including, new
nomenclature for faculty, non-teaching
summers, salary increases of an average
of 17.5%, a lump sum payment, increased
overload pay, improved professional leave
grants, adoption leave and an increase
in pay for sabbatical leave. She said that
The College is aware of the vital role
the faculty must play in the building of
the University of The Bahamas and she
trusted that this agreement would be the
birth of improved relations and greater
productivity.
Mrs Isaacs-Dotson, President,
UTEB congratulated the teams, which
had contributed to the agreement and,
somewhat tongue in cheek, reminded the
assembly that it would soon be time to
start the process again as the new accord
was valid only until 2008. She called it
an agreement the Union could live with,
even if it was not one she felt the faculty
deserved. She recognized the essential
input from Mr Pat Bain and Mr Robert
Farquharson of The National Congress
of Trade Unions, who were called to the
negotiating table at the eleventh hour to
reopen communication lines when the
parties appeared to be deadlocked.
Minister Sears saw the signing as
part of the fulfillment of his mandate to
move COB towards university status and
to becoming a centre for excellence in the
region. He also applauded the stakeholders
who, mindful of the national interest, had
moved in the spirit of compromise to
achieve agreement. He was confident of a
positive future for the institution.
Prime Minister Christie was moved
to comment: "The Bahamas is at a
challenging stage in its development. We
are ushering in a new level of examination
of the nation and I expect direct input from
The University of The Bahamas, input that
will inform public policy for the future."
Clearly Mr Christie expects members of
UTEB, the faculty of the institution, to be
the sources of that information.
Before the assembled persons
dispersed, chefs and students from the
Culinary and Hospitality Management
Institute served a fine lunch. E
The C( of The Bahamas :: 6 :: The Snaooer Aua 6
.-- I
LIMS Week:
Opening Ceremony
Director of Libraries, Ms. Willamae
Johnson, gave the opening remarks for
the 6th annual Libraries and Instructional
Media (LIMS) Week held at the Main
Campus Library on January 23. She
indicated that the aims of the five campus
libraries (four in New Providence and
one in Grand Bahama) are threefold: to
showcase the resources of these libraries
and how to access these resources; to
sensitise users to the value of libraries
and librarians; and to showcase persons
who have contributed to the Library
Endowment Fund.
Among the achievements the LIMS Week
celebrated was the fact that, in Fall 2005,the
first cohort of students began the Master's
programme in Library and Information
Science produced jointly by'he College of
The Bahamas and the University of South
Florida. Also touted was the ongoing
engagement in professional development,
achieving degrees and certification at all
levels, from doctoral to master, bachelor
and associate levels.
Guest speaker Anne Lawlor, Senior
Lecturer in the School of English Studies,
and one of the first recipients of the
Stanley Wilson Award for Excellence
in Research, discussed the "odyssey" she
had recently completed in writing, jointly
with her husband Jim, "Harbour Island
Story" which is now with its publishers.
The project was started in 1997 and took
7 years to complete. Mrs Lawlor discussed
highlights of the project, from the year
she spent working with professionals in
the Research Unit, to her contacts with
historians and archivists in London and
Massachusetts, and some serendipitous
moments as she uncovered new and
exciting information about the history of
Harbour Island. The University of Miami
and the University of Florida at Gainesville
were also helpful sources of information.
Mrs Lawlor noted that, although Harbour
Island is often referred to as a former
capital of the Bahamas, she found no
documentation to support this. However,
it can be considered the oldest sustained
Puritan settlement in the Bahamas, having
been settled in 1660. As such, it was settled
before New Providence.
Mrs Lawlor noted that the transition
between research and writing is difficult.
The archival work was completed in a year
and most of the research in the first two
years but the major task of writing took
the rest of the time. The challenge was
condensing masses of information into a
book-length story
Three visiting librarians from Canada
were in attendance from the National
Library of Canada as were primary school
students from a local school.
Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, Acting
President, also addressed the gathering,
referring to the central role of a library
in the life of a university and its role in
preserving cultural identity. Miss Andrea
Miller, Coordinator, Library Donor Fund,
made presentations to library donors,
who included Dr Leon Higgs, past
President of The College. Dr Pandora
Johnson, VP Research, Planning and
Development, gave the vote of thanks.
Glenelle Scantlebury was the Mistress of
Ceremonies. Tanya Northeast gave the
Invocation and Catherine Archer sang the
National Anthem. m
The C( of The Bahamas :: 7 :: The Snaooer Aua 6
The third biennial Association of
Tertiary Institutions in The Bahamas
(ATIB) was held from February 1-3 at
Breezes Super Clubs under the theme
"Academic Research and the College
Community Informing National
Development, Shaping National Identity".
The highlight of the official opening
ceremony was a public lecture given by the
Hon. Rex Nettleford, Vice-Chancellor
Emeritus of the University of the West
Indies, who addressed the Conference's
theme.
He began by giving an overview of
the development of a unified approach
to tertiary education in the region and
described the support of The College's
first President, Dr Keva Bethel, for the
formation of ATIB. He also mentioned
the important role played by Sir Lynden
Pindling in the founding of COB and the
former prime minister's belief that tertiary
level education had to be established and
strengthened if decolonization of the
Caribbean region were to be achieved.
Professor Nettleford dwelt on the
importance of the mind and using it
to develop critical thinking. The mind
is an "impregnable bastion against all
oppressors," he said and exercising the
mind is the "surest guarantee for securing
one's humanity, one's dignity, one's
individuality."
He also spoke of the conflict between
ignorance "the most dangerous weapon
of mass destruction"- and education -"the
critical means for change." By exercising
our minds, institutes of further education
provide the means of achieving the goals
of eradicating poverty, ensuring security,
improving health, enhancing economic
prosperity, promoting justice and peace,
and ensuring environmental sustainability.
Nettleford's address was fluent and
at times humorous, leaving the audience
in no doubt of the important role tertiary
level institutions play in the development
and intellectual liberation of a nation.
Presenters at the conference included
two of COB's administrators, Mrs Patricia
Glinton-Meicholas, Council Secretary
and Acting Vice-President of Institutional
Advancement, and Dr Earla Carey-Baines,
Dean of the Faculty of Liberal and Fine
Arts. Mrs Meicholas'topic was "Informing
National Development, Shaping National
Identity: What Remains to Be Done,
What You Can Do", while Dr Carey-
Baines spoke on "Monitoring Academic
Integrity."
MrsMeicholasbeganbycharacterizing
The Bahamas as "a nation under active
construction" in terms of it national and
cultural identity and she urged conference
participants to tell a truer Bahamian story
through "an unswerving dedication to the
pursuit of knowledge and truth."
She warned of the negative impact
of certain national institutions on the
way of life here in The Bahamas. Among
these institutions are religion with its
oversimplification of what is needed to
improve the country, politics with its
uninformed strategies that so often ignore
the realities of Bahamian geography,
history and culture, the "hegemony of
United States' culture and geopolitics"
and the tourism industry that has "created
a perpetual vacation mindset" and has
"excised junkanoo from its historical
boundaries." She expressed the need for a
more reasonable approach to assessing the
claims ofjunkanoo especially regarding its
place in our schools.
Mrs Meicholas concluded her
provocative presentationbyrecommending
that the academic community produce
"learned and balanced pronouncements
on national development" and that it
demystify research and make its findings
more readily available to the general
public.
Dr Carey-Baines spoke on the need
for academic honesty and the vexing and
growing issue of plagiarism. In defining
academic integrity, she noted, "it involves
adherence to ethical codes and principles
of right and wrong." It is a "system of
values, rules and standards governing
behaviour". Academic integrity has to be
monitored because students are unfamiliar
with "protocols, practices and processes of
the academy' and, in addition, Bahamian
society needs not only excellent institutions
but also moral ones.
Dr Carey-Baines stated that tertiary
institutions must show they value
academic honesty through "clearly crafted
and defined policies and procedures that
govern allegations of misconduct" and
faculty and students must understand
their responsibilities and the institution's
expectations. In turn, the institution must
publicize its policies on academic integrity
in its mission and goal statements and on
course syllabi and exam papers.
Finally, Dr Carey-Baines asserted
that success could be measured by the
"implementation of consistent, fair,
transparent standards and procedures
for handling academic misconduct
and by faculty and students accepting
responsibility for creating and maintaining
an institution that values academic
honesty." 0
The C( of The Bahamas :: 8 :: The Snaooer Aua 6
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The College of The Bahamas and
the Bahamas Association for Cultural
Studies (BACUS) combined in February
to sponsor the visit by Dr Honor Ford-
Smith, Jamaican scholar, poet, women's
rights activist and university lecturer, to
present two lectures and an evening of
her poetry. Dr Ford-Smith was a pioneer
of the women's movement in Jamaica in
the 1970s during the Manley era. The
organizer of the event was Mrs Patricia
Glinton-Meicholas, President of BACUS
and Acting VP Institutional Advancement
(IA), who commented that the event
was a part of IAs community outreach
programme.
It was an opportune time for Dr Ford-
Smith's visit, coming as it did in the week
that The Tribune published an Amnesty
Bahamas article that opened by asking
the question, "Do women in The Bahamas
experience equal rights and opportunities?"
The article went on to stress the urgency
for legislation to protect women in areas
of health, employment and social justice.
Mrs Audrey Ingram-Roberts,
member of the College of The Bahamas
Council and friend of the visiting lecturer,
introduced Honor Ford-Smith as the
founder of "Sistren", a women's theatre
group that has performed in the Caribbean
and internationally. Her first lecture used
material from her book Lionheart Gal:
Life Stories of Jamaican Women, which
she "collaboratively authored" with the
women of Sistren. Written in Jamaican
dialect, the stories deal with working-class
women's encounters and life experiences
with men at a time when equal rights and
opportunities were a hypothetical dream.
The book, a raucous, racy,
rambunctious ride through the bumpy
terrain of relationships and class, calls on
the legacy of tale-telling that preserves the
history of Caribbean women and makes a
strong case for prose writing in patois as a
sign of refusing to imitate the language of
the colonizer.
Her second lecture, "unwritten:
race, violence, sexuality and Jamaican
performance"focused on the importance of
performance in resistance to colonization.
Ford-Smith used two striking images:
the first was the performances of gender
in Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro
Improvement Association and the
examine the bonds and stresses in the lives
of a great-grandmother, a grandmother, a
mother and a daughter over the span of
100 years. To hear Ford-Smith read was
to have been taken on a journey through
the history and social conventions of our
island neighbour to the south and her easy
switching from standard pronunciation to
broad Jamaican were a source of delight
and humor.
The book is dedicated to Ford-
Smith's mother, Dr Joyce Kathleen Tate,
a pioneering Jamaican doctor who worked
in prisons and with the poor and who was
a fundamental influence on her daughter.
There is a beautiful sense of appreciation for
her mother yet the poems also reflect times
of frustration, anger and disappointment.
While they are intensely personal and the
writer was visibly moved as she read of her
mother's passing, they also reach us in an
objective way, bringing to mind our own
experiences of and thoughts on family,
gender, race, place, and culture, making the
book a tangible experience for people of
various backgrounds.
The C( of The Bahamas :: 9 :: The Snaooer Aua 6
Unvria 2006IS
Havana-Cub
Dr Linda Davis, Vice-President
Academic Affairs; Dr Earla Carey-Baines,
Dean of Faculty of Liberal and Fine Arts;
Dr Thaddeus McDonald, Dean of Faculty
of Social and Educational Studies and
Dr Pandora Johnson, Vice-President
Research, Planning and Development,
formed a delegation of administrators
from The College of The Bahamas who
attended Universidad 2006, the Fifth
International Congress on Higher
Education in Havana, Cuba in February.
Also in attendance were Minister of
Education, Science and Technology,
Hon. Alfred Sears, MP; Director of
Higher Education and Lifelong Learning
at the Ministry, Dr Leon Higgs, and
Mrs Paula Sweeting-Davis, Assistant
Director, Tertiary and Quality
Assurance Division. Under the theme,
"Universalisation of the University for a
Better World", Universidad 2006 aimed
at exploring solutions to the challenges of
lifelong education for all.
The first congress held in 1998 hosted
just 15 countries; this year's congress
welcomed over 3,000 delegates from over
70 countries, some from as far away as
New Zealand.
The official opening of Universidad
2006 was held on Monday, 13th February
at which delegates were honoured with
the presence of Fidel Castro. On the four
days following the opening, delegates
were able to select from a large number
of presentations from nine in the morning
until five in the afternoon. Presenters
from around the world focused on a
variety of topics that sought to analyse
and synthesise experiences regarding the
universalisation of education; that is, the
ability of academic institutions to create
environments in which all citizens can
receive a university education at any stage
in their lives.
Among the manytopics discussedwere
the relevance and impact of post graduate
education on the development of society,
quality evaluation in higher education,
information and communication
technologies in the transformation of
university processes and the role of student
and trade union organizations in building
a better world.
Presenters also sought to identify
trends and perspectives of higher
education and to exchange experiences
linked to the improved training of
university professionals. They explored
avenues for international cooperation in
the quest for sustainable development and
acknowledged the use of information and
communication technologies in different
university processes.
The delegation from The College of
The Bahamas was particularly pleased that
many of the ideas discussed at the congress
resonated with the goals and objectives
identified for The College, particularly
as it transitions to university status.
COB delegates noted that The College's
commitment to producing citizens with
a deep-rooted belief in their civic and
social responsibility and to providing
educational opportunities to all no matter
their age, status or geographic location
were clearly articulated components of the
universalisation of the education process.
The delegation also noted that many
of the challenges confronting The College
bedevil other academic institutions
represented at the congress. Delegates
from a variety of institutions owned to
such challenges as providing access, better
equity, increased efficiency and increased
quality, discussed possibilities, exchanged
experiences and shared ideas and practical
solutions.
After sessions at the congress, the
Bahamian delegation was given numerous
opportunities to visit institutions in and
around Havana. One of the places visited
was the International School for Physical
Education and Sports that offers places to
students from around the world, including
The Bahamas. The school aims to educate
young people in a variety of disciplines
connected to sports and physical health.
Upon completion of their studies, students
are expected to act as the driving force of
sports development in their countries
through either teaching or coaching.
Another fascinating visit was to the
Polytechnic Clinic in an economically
challenged community. This clinic is
equipped to deal with any medical
emergency and, like hospitals and clinics
throughout Cuba, provides health care
free of charge to all. In such clinics
the professional and the educational
merge. Doctors and nurses pass on their
knowledge and expertise to students as
part of the students' medical training.
With this visit, delegates were able to see
first hand how one of the objectives of
the universalization of education could
be realized. Instead of being restricted to
the halls of the academy, teaching and
learning were taking place in situ resulting
in students having a real presence in the
community and schools and universities
developing people who are committed
citizens. 0
The C 3e of The Bahamas :: 10 :: The Snaer Auust2006
Cetr for
Coninin
Edcto &S
Exeso
Service
Student Spotlight
Drexel Deal -
A Man of Special Vision
Ten years ago, Drexel Deal was shot in the
eye in a foiled robbery attempt. Today he
is a reformed member of society working
with at-risk young men. He teaches them
about the dangers of crime and the options
they can use to turn their lives into positive
channels.
Deal has done four courses with
the Continuing Education Department
of The College of The Bahamas. These
included courses in Public Speaking,
Effective Writing, and Human Resource
Management. A former President of the
Disabled Persons Organisation, Deal says
training in Human Resource Management
has assisted him in organizing his
workshops and fundraising initiatives.
Using the expertise gained in these courses,
Deal spearheaded a project that provided
computer training for 21 persons.
According to Deal, many disabled
persons have low expectations before they
become aware of the power of positive
thinking and appropriate training. The
females believe they are limited to jobs as
receptionists and the males as workers at
the mop factory. He helps them see that
with the proper training, they can gain
employment based on their competencies
rather than having to depend on favors or
handouts.
Deal's philosophy is that he would
rather attempt a task and fail than not try
at all. He avoids negative people and works
with those who are willing. Describing
himself as "up front" and "persistent"
Deal does not take "No" for an answer. He
characterizes himself as "a student in the
journey called life,"who has accomplished
more as a blind person than as a sighted
one. He works with a youth programme
called "Brothers against Crime and
Killing." The aim is to train youngsters
who will then go into the Grants Town
community to train residents in computer
skills.
How does he spend his spare time?
He reads. His audiotapes fill many hours.
His other love is speaking. D. Paul Reilly,
whom he describes as "a father figure,"
encouraged him to join Toastmaster's
International because he had a speech
impediment. That experience made him
a fluent and confident speaker whose
"passion" is to become a motivational
speaker working with young students. He
plans to set up his own business to train
young people. Plans are well advanced; he
has located a sponsor and is looking for
more funding for the project.
Disabled persons in the Bahamas
still face many challenges, says Deal. They
need more access and opportunity-access
to training and jobs; opportunities to
obtain work in their chosen careers. Most
importantly, they need acceptance and
respect from the community. 0
The C 3e of The Bahamas :: 11 :: The Snaer Auust2006
g g S
e
FrothScolo
Colour of Harmony
The Governor General of the
Commonwealth of The Bahamas, His
Excellency Hon. Arthur D. Hanna;
Minister Allyson Maynard-Gibson,
Attorney General and Minister of
Financial Services, Canon Kirkley Sands,
Council member Mrs Audrey Ingram-
Roberts and honoree Cleophas Adderley
were among the luminaries at the official
opening of the 17th annual Colour of
Harmony held Wednesday, April 5,2006 at
the Portia Smith Student Services Centre.
The celebration is among the highlights of
the year for the School of Communication
& Creative Arts, under the auspices of the
Faculty of Liberal & Fine Arts, headed by
Dr Earla Carey-Baines.
Acting President Dr Rhonda
Chipman-Johnson said the event showed
The College's "commitment to driving
cultural growth." She asserted that Mr
Adderley, the latest recipient of the Colour
of Harmony's E. Clement Bethel Award,
had made a "sterling contribution to the
development of the arts" particularly in
the field of music.
Mrs Pauline Glasby, Head of the
Music Department, spoke ofMrAdderley's
teachers, who included E. Clement Bethel
himself
and Marion
St George. She said
Mr Adderley, who was writing
music while still in the Sixth Form at
The Government High School, became
a "musical lawyer." He studied for his
law degree at the University of the West
Indies where he was President of the
Bahamian Student Association and an
organist at the UWI Chapel. He wrote
the first Bahamian classical opera, "Our
Boys." He also wrote the first Caribbean
mass, "Missa Caribe" using folk material.
Mr Adderley is the founder and Director
of the internationally known National
Youth Choir, a former President of the
Nassau Music Society, and has published
hundreds of songs.
During his remarks, Mr Hanna
expressed his pride in the achievements of
The College over the years. He reflected
on the institution's beginnings, noting that
the idea of a post "O" level college was a
brainchild of Rodney Bain.
Mr Cleophas Adderley expressed
his thanks for the award, signaling his
gratitude for those who helped him
achieve his goals, including his mother,
Helen Bailey Adderley, who gave him a
"desire to give back" to his community and
his aunt, Rosalie Bailey, who was his first
piano teacher. He referred to E. Clement
Bethel, his piano teacher and mentor, as
the person who instilled in him a love of
the arts.
Dr Linda Davis, VP Academic Affairs,
presented a certificate of appreciation to
Mr Kendrick Coleby who, according to Dr
Carey-Baines, had been instrumental in
assisting the Music Department through
his fundraising efforts with Artists Guild
International.
Among the highlights of Colour of
Harmony were performances by COB
Music majors. The audience seemed
particularly to enjoy a solo, "The Sound
of Music," by Mericha Walker and "More
than Words," a rendition by Voice major,
Lazano Rolle and Jackson Jeffer on bass
guitar.
Following the music segment of the
programme, audience members were
invited to view the Art Exhibition by
COB Art students set up in the foyer of
the Portia Smith Building. As has been
the case through the years of Colour of
Harmony, guests expressed delight at the
level of attainment reflected in the work of
the student artists.
Band Festival
As a contribution to community
development, The College launched its
Band Festival in February under the
auspices of the Faculty of Liberal and Fine
Arts, led by Dr Earla Carey-Baines, Dean,
and organized by three faculty members
of the Music Department of the School
of Communication and Creative Arts:
HOD Pauline Glasby and music lecturers
Kathleen Bondurant and Chris Justilien.
Facilitators included were three visiting
clinicians from Texas: Keith Fiala, Andre
Peschka and Adam Cartwright.
Guest musician Keith Fiala, a trumpet
player, has performed with the famous
Maynard-Ferguson band worldwide.
Adam Cartwright, a brass specialist, has
performed in Oklahoma symphonies and
in the Busch Gardens Theme Park Band.
Andrew Peschka, who plays woodwind
instruments, is a performer and studio
musician. Resident clinician and COB
Music lecturer, Kathleen Bondurant, has a
PhD in Flute Performance and has been
a university professor for 10 years. Chris
Justilien, well-known COB music lecturer
and Junkanoo enthusiast, is also the leader
of the local band, Ambassah.
The Festival offered master classes for
musicians at beginning, intermediate and
advanced levels of performance skills and
created opportunities for young musicians
from several school bands, including that
of The College. The initiative culminated
1. ,
^ 11a ^
in a Grand Performance of students and
clinicians, which took place at the recently
erected Band Shell on Saturday, March 18.
Although this diverse group of musicians
had never played in concert together
Acting President, presented certificates of
appreciation to all five clinicians and Dean
Carey-Baines gave the vote of thanks.
previously, the quality of music thrilled an
audience of College personnel, relatives
of local performers and members of the
general public.
The festival band, directed by Peschka,
Cartwright and Bondurant, performed a
selection of music with an international
theme-from the German "Guten Morgen"
to the English "A Holiday in London" in
three movements.
After the enthusiastically received
Festival Band performance, the clinicians
gave individual performances. Peschka
played a piece from "48 Famous Studies"
followed by Cartwright on bass trombone
playing "Sonata for Trombone." Chris
Justilien then played "Carnival of Venice"
on the euphonium, followed by Fiala who
played a piece on the horn. All received
appreciative applause. The COB Band,
conducted by Justilien, performed three
finalpieces.DrRhondaChipman-Johnson,
Foreign Languages Day
The Department ofForeignLanguages
in the School of Communication and
Creative Arts, chaired by Christine
Diment, put on a very successful foreign
Languages Day on March 9, 2006.
Designed to promote the work of the
Foreign Languages Department and the
benefits of learning foreign languages,
the day showcased the talents and
achievements of students of foreign
languages. Independence Park became
an international mecca as faculty and
students combined to present songs
and dances from the Hispanic and
French speaking worlds.
Two ofthe mostmemorable among
the seventeen presentations were a
choral presentation in Spanish of the
song, "La Mulatta", with traditionally
attired dancers, and an innovative Haitian
Creole song performed by students from
the Creole for Beginners 103, Sections 1
and 2.
Traditional Hispanic, French and
Haitian foods were also in evidence for
the audience to sample free of charge and
there was a skit and a fashion show of
Hispanic and French dress.
Head of the Foreign Languages
Department, Ms Pamela Collins was
enthusiastic about the day's events: "This
was much bigger than last year's Foreign
Languages Day and we believe we have
succeeded in giving foreign languages a
higher profile here at The College."m
Island Spotlight
Cat Island
Over the course of the more than five
centuries since Christopher Columbus set
foot on a Bahamian island on October
12, 1492, the land mass we know as "Cat
Island" has been called by at least four
different names: the Lucayan "Guanima',
"San Salvador" from the Spanish era
"Columba", as referred to by Woodes
Rogers, the first Royal Governor of
The Bahamas; and now "Cat Island",
believed to be so called after a pirate of the
same name.
There are many Bahamians and
historians who believe that San Salvador
is the name by which the Genoese
explorer called the island. Among the
many compelling arguments for this claim
is the fact the island bore that title until
1926, until Rev. Chrysostom Schreiner
the first Catholic missioner to this country,
lobbied influential Bahamians of his
acquaintance to have the name changed
by Act of Parliament. Cat Island was thus
dethroned from its status as landfall island
and the title passed to what was hitherto
"Watlings Island".
Cat Island boasts a fascinating
archeology. As were all of the major islands
in the Central and southern Bahamas,
it was targeted for major plantation
development by Loyalist settlers who were
forced to leave the new United States in
the late 1700s following that country's
War of Independence. They bore such
names as "Doud", "McQueen", "Gaitor",
"Hunter", "Deveaux" and "Eve", many
who left an enduring mark by giving
their names to settlements. The remains
of their failed plantations are flagged by
ruined great houses, ornate chimneys
that are no longer connected to hearth or
house, miles of slave-built freestone walls,
outlining sheep pens. The planters grew
cotton, pineapples among a variety of
crops and raised livestock. Later, hopeful
governors, seeking to find a stable and
profitable agricultural product, would urge
the planting of mulberry trees, sisal and
coconut palms. On Cat Island, one can still
see the remains of the railway tracks that
accommodated cars that carried produce
to waiting ships.
Famed is Hunter's Golden Grove
Plantation where a slave known as "Black
Dick"was hanged for leading a small revolt
against his master. Even better known is
the property of Andrew Deveaux, Sr, from
whom several Bahamian families can
trace their lineage. Deveaux is best known
through the fame of his adventurous
namesake son, Andrew Deveaux, Jr, who
captured Nassau from occupying Spanish
troops by means of an ingenious ruse.
He may have saved himself the trouble:
unknown to him, the British and the
Spanish had just signed the Treaty of
Versailles, which would have compelled
the occupiers to depart. Nevertheless, the
daring exploit brought Deveaux and his
family thousands of acres of land on Cat
and other islands, the gift of a grateful
administration.
Cat Island is also famed as the place
where the Catholic priest Monsignor John
C Hawes, noted architect and hermit lived
for almost fifteen years and built some of
his most renowned works, including the
churches of St Francis of Assisi and Holy
Redeemer and his much visited hermitage,
Mount Alvernia, which sits atop the
highest peak in The Bahamas-Comer
Hill-at 206 feet above sea level.
Arthur's Town, once the seat of the
Commissioner of North Cat Island, was
home to an extraordinary experiment
in education. In the mid-1950s Rodney
Bain and his English-born wife Gillian
founded a high school where young Cat
Islanders were taught Latin, French,
English Literature, Mathematics and
many of the other subjects found in an
English grammar school. They submitted
their students to the rigour of the external
certificate examinations and their faith in
their students proved well founded.
Although they have become familiar
with the small resorts that dot their
home island, attracting visitors from
faraway lands, many Cat Islanders are
still rural people, faithfully planting the
fields husbanded by generations of their
families. They are a clever people, adept in
music, storytelling and dance. Traditional
rake and scrape music produced by
homemade instruments and concertinas is
being restored to prominence by growing
interest in things cultural.
Visitors are drawn by the annual Rake
and Scrape Festival and the Cat Island
Regatta. Many local writers also travel
there annually for a conclave sponsored
by Bahamas Writers Society, founded and
still directed by Cat Island native Sylvia
Larrimore Crawford.
Cat Island is the birthplace or
ancestral home of a host of Bahamian
notables and native sons and daughters
have for decades swelled the ranks of the
public service. Cat Island has produced
mathematician and amateur historian Eris
Moncur, His Excellency Basil O'Brien, the
scholarly Turner and Campbell families
and the enterprising Thurston clan. COB
employees born on the island include
Janice Campbell Munnings, Sheila
Seymour (both lecturers in the School
of Education) and Patricia Glinton-
Meicholas, among others. u
The i 3e of The Bahamas :: 14 :: The Snaer Auust2006
InternaItiona Initiatives/Conferences
Office of
Academic Affairs
ACE
Basics of Leadership
Leaders in Action
On March 2, 2006 the American
Council on Education held its first
Department Leadership Conference
outside of the continental USA here
in The Bahamas, drawing department
chairs, deans, directors and heads from
The College and branches of the public
service. The theme of the conference was
"The Challenge of Leadership", a subject
highly relevant given this moment in the
College's history. As The College of The
Bahamas evolves into the University of
The Bahamas, there will be new leaders
in new positions; establishing the best
working relationships with their teams
and departments will be of the utmost
importance. Dr Linda Davis, VP Academic
Affairs initiated and led the negotiation to
secure this premier development initiative
for The College of The Bahamas.
Dr Irene Hecht, the Director of the
Department of Leadership Programmes
at ACE and Dr Walter Gmelch, Dean of
the School of Education at University of
San Francisco provided expert facilitation.
Dr Hecht kicked off the two-day event
by asking participants not to think of it
as a conference but as a workshop. The
activities offered were consistent with her
request.
Dr Hecht said that we had a 'nice
sense of community' at The College and
this, she claimed, would help the COB
participants, who numbered 45, to interact
with each other on a higher level. The
workshop was managed seamlessly and
was well organised by the facilitators. One
activity had delegates examine exactly
why they felt a certain way about their
leadership roles. Following lunch they
worked in groups exploring the keys to
leading a productive department and how
a new leader should approach his team for
the first time. From this topic the groups
moved on to the way groups or teams
make decisions and the maxim, "It's not
the leader's plan it's our plan" became an
important working principle.
Day Two of the Conference began
with Dr Hecht presenting "Working
with Systems" which focused on how
to forge a shared vision through proper
communication, looking at long-term
goals and setting precedents for the future,
rather than just dealingwith the immediate
problem. The final session focused on the
always topical subject of conflict resolution
within departments. Dr Gmelch led the
session in a dynamic and lively manner
that created keen interest and participation
from the assembly. He insisted that the
best way to deal with conflicts was to keep
focused on the principles involved rather
than the specific details of a particular
claim. Collaboration, he asserted, is
probably the most productive method
of conflict resolution because it gains
commitment from all parties, it provides a
permanent solution and all sides feel they
have won.
Reactions from
participants:
Dr Thaddeus McDonald, Dean of
Faculty of Social and Educational Studies
said, "This conference exceeded all my
expectations. It was so practical and it
addressed many issues relevant to COB
today."
Pauline Glasby, Head of Visual
and Performing Arts Department, School
of Communication & Creative Arts said,
"It was extremely well organised and I
particularly liked the mixture of methods
- lectures, workshops, conversations and
role play. The leaders skillfully brought out
ideas that we had at the back of our minds
but may not have thought about for a long
time."
Lionel Johnson, Head of
Department, School of Sciences &
Technology, found it "very timely and it
gave plenty of insights into the running
of a large organisation. It also pointed out
many of the pitfalls that await those in
leadership positions. I think more faculty
would have benefited from it, especially
those who aspire to being coordinators or
heads of department. It provided materials
to help persons make adjustments to
their leadership style in order to improve
relations with their departments."
25Th Conference on
Caribbean Literature
University of
the West Indies,
St Augustine Campus,
Trinidad
Three members of the faculty of the
School of English Studies, the Chair, Dr
Ian Strachan, and lecturers, Dr Marjorie
Brooks-Jones and Dr Michelene Adams,
presented papers at the 25th Conference
on Caribbean Literature at the University
of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus,
Trinidad from March 2-4 this year. Under
the theme of"Where is Here: Remapping
the Caribbean", the conference attracted
over eighty presenters whose attendance
was swelled by a number of prominent
West Indian writers and scholars including
Erna Brodber, Mervyn Morris, Lorna
Goodison, Earl Lovelace and Merle
Hodge.
In her presentation Dr Adams focused
on Erna Brodber's book Myal. Myalism
has been portrayed in history as devilry
but Brodber's depiction of it shows it to
be a healing and uniting force. Dr Brooks-
Jones presented on Bahamian women
writers, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas
and Marion Bethel, and their impact on
the cultural shaping of nationalism and
identity while Dr Strachan's presentation
was the history of his Track Road Theatre
Company, a non-profit company with an
anti-establishment bent. He told of the
trials and tribulations of taking avant
garde art to the community under the
company's theme of "Building a People".
In addition to these three presenters,
there were also contributions from Dr
Tony Bethell-Bennett and Christian
The C( ie of The Bahamas :: 15 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
Campbell, two other Bahamian scholars
with strong connections to The College of
The Bahamas.
Presenters addressed such aspects of
the theme as Caribbean gateways to future
worlds; diasporan escapes; the visual and
virtual Caribbean; spirit journeys and
psychic territories; translating the "Folk";
and sexual citizenship. Within these topics
the marginal literatures of the region and
the idea that the Caribbean is a place that
exists beyond geography were considered.
Further explorations concerned what
defines a Caribbean or national text and
who is a Caribbean writer, what constitutes
the canon or marks the parameters of
literary criticism and theory, who is the
Caribbean subject and indeed, where is
the Caribbean?
Dr Strachan reported one very
exciting piece of news for The College
of The Bahamas and that is the distinct
possibility of the conference coming to
The Bahamas next year. Its 2007 theme is
to be Horizons and Dr Strachan sees it as
a wonderful opportunity for The Bahamas
to reestablish itself within the Caribbean
literary community and to showcase our
poets especially, who he sees as producing
works that match anything by other writers
of poetry within the region.
UWI
Country Conference
Series
The University of the West Indies
(UWI) Country Conference Series that
has visited ten Caribbean islands in the
last six years, finally touched down in The
Bahamas for its penultimate conference
in June this year. Professor Lawrence
Carrington, Pro Vice Chancellor,
Non-Campus Countries and Distance
Education Director in the School of
Continuing Studies, UWI, explained that
the Country Conference Series was part
of the general outreach programme of the
School of Continuing Studies and that
it was started as a means of creating a
research environment in the non-campus
countries affiliated to the University of the
West Indies. In his introduction of keynote
speaker, Dr Doswell Coakley, he expressed
how pleased he was that the conference
was going to receive a real "take-off boost"
from a figure with such public stature.
Dr Coakley, a former police officer
and one time Director of Immigration in
Grand Bahama, spoke on a very topical
subject: "Illegal Immigration to The
Bahamas". While painstakingly outlining
and describing the history, the reasons for
and the extent of the problem, which he
described as an epidemic, Dr Coakley gave
no possible solutions, preferring to remain
within the parameters of what needs to be
done without explaining how it could be
achieved.
Former president of The College of
The Bahamas, Dr Leon Higgs, bringing
welcome from the Minister of Education,
Science and Technology, Hon. Alfred
Sears, spoke about the part played by
the University in the development of The
Bahamas. He reminded all delegates that,
as The Bahamas supports UWI financially,
we should all regard the institution as our
university.
A number of COB personnel or
people with strong COB connections
made presentations at the conference,
once again emphasizing the accomplished
levels of research and scholarship to be
found among COB faculty and associated
members of the community. Among them
were Neil Sealey, ex-lecturer in Geography,
who spoke on Coastal Erosion and Sea
Wall Construction in The Bahamas and
Dr Thaddeus McDonald, Dean of Faculty
of Educational and Social Sciences, whose
presentation was on the results of a study
he co-conducted on The Movement of
Haitian Nationals Between Haiti and The
Bahamas.
Mr Sealeyimpresseduponhis audience
the shortcomings of hard structure coastal
defences concrete sea walls compared to
the soft approach dune restoration.With
the inestimable assistance of a number of
slides, he showed a broad range of sea
wall damage and clearly described the
deficiencies of this type of coastal defence.
Coastlines will repair themselves from
extreme damage caused by hurricanes and
excessively rough tides if there is enough
room between the dunes and the roads
behind them. Unfortunately, there is no
such luxury in so many islands of The
Bahamas; hence the apparent need for sea
walls.
Dr McDonald's presentation was
exclusively statistical and was based on
interviews with over 500 Haitians living
in The Bahamas. Four other members of
The College community,William Fielding,
Virginia Ballance, Carol Scriven and
Dr Pandora Johnson, were also involved
in the research that was funded by the
International Organization for Migration.
As it was a statistical survey, the social
implications and the methods of dealing
with the problem were not raised.
One time COB lecturer, Gina Morley,
now an attorney at law, presented on "The
Legal Disabilities of Bahamian Women
and the Concomitant Effect on Illegitimate
Children". She described the unwillingness
of many women to go through the court
system to involve the fathers of their
children in supporting those offspring and
made some recommendations for legally
imposing responsibility on the fathers of
children born out of wedlock.
The final session of the conference
began with a presentation from School of
English Studies lecturer, Dr Helean Rolle,
which asked the question, Is Bahamian
Dialect a Creole? After explaining that a
Creole is a language learnt by a transplanted
population, Dr Rolle showed evidence of
syntactical constructions to support the
assertion that Bahamian dialect is indeed
a Creole. She believes that this should
impact the way we introduce children to
Standard English.
The final presentation was given by
Dr Ian Strachan, Chair of the School of
English Studies, who diverted from his
announced thesis and spoke on the role of
The College of The Bahamas in national
cultural development. Dr Strachan
believes that COB has a pivotal role to
play beyond the classroom in correcting
the under examination of Bahamian life
and he sees the library and research centre,
auditorium, COB radio and tv channels
and a publishing division as vital in this
area.
Professor Carrington brought the
conference to a close with an erudite
and highly informed summary of each
presentation, pointing out their merits
and commenting on the interest they had
generated. He thanked all for the smooth
organisation of the two days and looked
forward to the concluding conference in
the not too distant future. u
The C( ie of The Bahamas :: 16 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
From the
Scoo of Egis Stuie
Free Speech Project:
Majority Rule and
Race Relations in The Bahamas
The Free Speech Project of the School
of English Studies in February involved
eight speakers on the theme of Majority
Rule and Race Relations in The Bahamas.
The speakers, poet andjournalist, Christian
Campbell; COB history lecturer, Chris
Curry; journalist and veteran politician, Sir
Arthur Foulkes; ex-union representative,
Godfrey Kelly; actor and self-proclaimed
Conchy Joe, Matthew Kelly; lawyer,
Alex Morley; writer and historian, Gail
Saunders and Chair of the School of
English Studies, Ian Strachan, presented
in pairs and all held their audiences rapt
with their reminiscences of and insights
into the history of race relations and The
Bahamas at the time of and after majority
rule.
Their focuses ranged from union
activity in the lead up to majority rule to
bleaching creams, from lost and rootless
white Bahamians to brainwashed blacks
believing in their own inferiority, from
segregated graveyards in Harbour Island
to the way the church and the government
have kept black Bahamians ignorant and
from speech as a racial determinant to
the significant increase in mixed race
marriages in The Bahamas of the twenty-
first century.
Engaging and informative, the
presentations gave a wealth of insights
into the development of The Bahamas
politically and socially. One thing they all
shared was the assertion that there is far
more racism in The Bahamas than most
people either acknowledge or are aware of.
Some of it is overt but much more is covert
and insidious, involving the hegemony of
European culture, the subliminal power
of the media and the inability of people
who desire change to replace what is
already there with something better. All
four sessions were very well attended and
each was followed by a lively and informed
discussion period.
Free Speech Project:
African Film Series
Byway of a departure from its normal
presentations in its Free Speech Project
Series, The School of English Studies
presented a series of African films in an
attempt to expose COB students to films
that serve functions different from those
presented at the commercial cinemas.
The films, a mixture of documentaries
and narrative dramas, allowed viewers to
understand a little about the rich tradition
of filmmaking in different countries on
the great continent.
Dr Ian Strachan, Chairperson of the
School of English Studies, states, "Our
Free Speech Projects have all tried to
raise the students' consciousness regarding
national issues but this time I wanted to
broaden horizons and raise awareness to
a world beyond Nassau and Miami. It
was my intention to expose the students
to issues that they would not otherwise
have had access to. These films also have
thematic connections to issues in The
Bahamas."
The films included Women With
Open Eyes, a documentary from Togo,
which shows how African women are
beginning to open their eyes, to speak out
and to organize themselves around five
key issues: marital rights, reproductive
health, female genital mutilation, women's
role in the economy and political rights
that have always kept them classified as
minors in the hierarchy of African social
life; and Fathers, a collection of three films
from Ethiopia, Zanzibar and Nigeria that
offer a critical look at the role of the father
in contemporary African family life. Very
different in style one a comedy, one an
intense psychological drama and the third
a detached expose of Muslim patriarchy
- they nevertheless brought sharply into
focus a harsh world of major decisions for
these African fathers.
Innovative and unusual, this Free
Speech Project showed once again that
COB has the drive and the creative sources
to move fluently to university status. 0
The D ie of The Bahamas :: 17 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
SESLaunches BA in English
The School of English Studies
(SES) recently hosted its English majors
and prospective majors to a social at
which they had the opportunity to meet
members of the Department of English
faculty in an informal setting. The School
was celebrating the coming to fruition of
a goal long cherished-the establishment
of its Bachelor of Arts degree in English
which began in Fall 2005.
The creation of the BA in English
began under the careful stewardship of
the former SES Chair and present Dean
of Liberal and Fine Arts, Dr Earla Carey-
Baines, who, along with the SES BA
Committee, worked diligently to ensure
that the BA in English satisfies COB's
mission for undergraduate education as
identified in the Strategic Plan 2002-2007.
Dr Ian Strachan, School Chair, proudly
states that the BA in English degree
programme will in fact be "instrumental"
in fulfilling that mission, offering courses
that require students to demonstrate
critical, reflective and creative thought.
He observes further that such courses will
expose students "to the diverse cultural
and intellectual traditions of the peoples
of the world, thus broadening students'
exposure to 'diverse populations"'.
He goes on to say, "The wide range
of courses the School of English Studies
has created has a value even beyond the
awarding of Bachelor degrees; they have
the potential to attract a wide range of
Bahamians who are seeking intellectual
stimulation, new learning experiences,
cultural enrichment and the type of
attention to the whole person that is
expected of a liberal arts education". 0
F the*
Culiary nd Hspitlit
Students and chef instructors of the
Culinary & Hospitality Management
Institute have a history of outstanding
performance in annual international
competition. Academic year 2005/6 has
been no different. Three chef lecturers,
Mario Adderley, Addiemae Farrington
and Eldred Saunders, were invited to
compete in Ft. Lauderdale at a convention
and trade show that featured teams from
the United States and Canada and focused
on products from South America. The
COB team gained a silver medal, narrowly
missing out on the gold won by a team
from Canada.
Chef Adderley said that he found
the experience valuable for a number of
reasons: one, the products from South
America, such as dried fruits and ready
prepared sauces were unusual and different;
two, he was surprised by the variety and
high quality of equipment that is produced
in South America; and three, the awards
gained at these competitions have a point
value that can be put towards increased
certification and personal upgrading.
Five students from the Apprentice
Programme went to Savannah, Georgia,
to compete in the American Culinary
Federation South-East Regional
Conference. They were selected as a result
of their performances in local competitions
and competed against affiliated colleges
from the United States. The students,
who were assisted in their expenses by
the hotels to which they are apprenticed,
won a bronze medal in the competition.
Two lecturers, Chefs Mario Adderley
and Addiemae Farrington, trained and
accompanied the students on this venture.
The Apprentice Programme is an
arrangement between the Institute and
the local hotels by which students are
apprenticed to the hotels, which sponsor
them through COB. In return the students
must work 6,000 hours in the hotels -
approximately three days per week over a
three-year period.
This semester the students in the
Classical Cuisine classes have been
producing delicious meals for the Friday
evening fare at Choices Restaurant as part
of their training in hospitality and cooking.
The general public has been able to enjoy
five-course meals served with impeccable
attention to detail by the students. This
is a not-for-profit enterprise that gives
the students in the classes exposure to
producing high-level meals in a fairly
realistic setting.
The chefs plan the menus and order
the food but the students prepare and
cook the food and create the ambiance in
the restaurant space. Some of the students
may be apprenticed to the hotels and all
are in their second or third years of study.
COB's move towards university status
has already influenced the change of name
from "School of Hospitality & Tourism
Studies" to "Culinary and Hospitality
Management Institute". In further
preparation for that move, the Institute is
revising its culinary programme with the
partnership of Bahamas Hotel Association
which has had close ties with the Institute
for a number of years, since the time it was
administered by Bahamas Hotel Training
College. BHTC amalgamated with COB
in 2000.
The Institute itself is still in the
conceptual stage but it is envisaged that
its conversion to an institute will allow
greater flexibility of course offerings
and a types of awards. It is hoped that a
number of short, less academic, non-credit
course offerings geared towards hotel and
restaurant employees will come on stream.
A consultant has been hired to study the
programme in the light of current trends
and developments in the industry and the
needs therein. 0
The C e of The Bahamas :: 18 :: The Snaer Auust 2006
COB Caters Eugene
Dupuch Law School
Students Dinner
It is now widely accepted that The
College's Culinary Programme unites
talented young culinary students under
the guidance of award-winning chef
instructors. On Friday 24th February
students of the Eugene Dupuch Law
School and their guests discovered the
delights such a team can produce. COB's
Choices Training Restaurant was the
venue for a magnificent black-tie dinner
sponsored by the Eugene Dupuch
Law School Student's Association, as
the culmination of the School's Legal
Education Week. Many members of
The Bahamas' legal confraternity were in
attendance, as well as lecturers and students
from the law school. The sumptuous meal
served was the handwork of a culinary team
of The College's Culinary & Hospitality
Management Institute (CHMI) with
Chef Mario Adderley, as kitchen and
restaurant manager for the evening.
The students from the CHMI were
responsible for cooking the food and
also acted as wait and bar staff, helping
to make the evening run smoothly and
displaying their highly developed talents
in the hospitality field.
To Chef Adderley is owed the credit
of organizing the students well and
making sure that everything was in good
order for the night ahead. Choosing the
menu proved simple, as the student chefs
cooked international cuisine from the
programme they are currently studying.
The fare ranged from classic devilled
eggs to stuffed mushrooms and pan-fried
salmon, all obviously to the delight of
diners.
Student chef, Sonia Carey said that
it was a joy to be involved with such an
important event as the law dinner and she
hoped that the guests enjoyed the food as
much as the kitchen staff enjoyed making
it. Judging by the very satisfied expressions
on the guests' faces the complimentary
comments that accompanied them, there
could be little doubt, that the meal was
eaten with great enjoyment.
Prior to the dinner, Legal Education
Week had featured a fun walk and run,
a visit to Freeport, a symposium on
'The Future of Legal Education in The
Bahamas', a legal fair featuring three top
law firms and two academic institutions
and a panel discussion featuring Dr Dexter
Johnson of COB's Law Department,
College Council member Dr Earl Cash
Sr. and Mrs Rhionda Godet. 0
The C 3e of The Bahamas :: 19 :: The Snaer Auust2006
Senior Lecturer, Mike Stevenson, is
heading a Task Force on Human Rights
with the mission to determine i) what role
The College of The Bahamas can play in
the protection of Human Rights in The
Bahamas and ii) if a centre for Human
Rights can be created here at The College.
Mr Stevenson reports that the specific
focuses of the group at the moment are
threefold: the rights of women, the rights
of persons held at the detention centre
and the rights of both legal and illegal
immigrants.
From the meetings held so far, a
committee has been formed, comprising,
among others, Marion Bethel, Patricia
Glinton-Meicholas, Audrey Ingram-
Roberts and Calvin Eversley.
In broad terms, Mr Stevenson expects
the group to investigate social and cultural
rights and the need to protect the rights
of certain social groups from being eroded.
In this way, he feels, social conflicts can
be diffused. "We would like The College
to become a permanent venue for the
protection of Human Rights which will
host regular forums on related issues," he
adds.
E'Thegra Symonette, lecturer on Law
and Criminology, invited a prison officer
of 25 years standing, Mr Charles Murphy,
to address her Criminal Justice Class on
the topic of Correction. Mr Murphy gave a
brief history of correction in The Bahamas
from 1650, when the first correctional
facility or prison was commissioned, to
the present day. He spoke of the projected
name change from Her Majesty's Prison
to Department of Correction and of the
objective of a prison, which is the safe
custody of those remanded to prison by
the courts.
Mr Murphy described the various
programmes in operation at the prison for
the correction of inmates. These include a
pre-release programme designed to assist
prisoners to find suitable employment
and reintegration into society when they
are released; educational courses targeting
BJC, BGCSE and anger management;
and vocational courses such as plumbing,
carpentry, auto mechanics and computer
literacy.
The class of very attentive and
fascinated students also learnt of the
challenges faced by the staff at the prison
working in a facility originally built
for 200 that now houses 1450 and the
employment opportunities for qualified
graduates because the prison is now
looking for brain rather than brawn in its
recruitment drives. u
Scholars Weigh in on
Censorship
Known for its willingness to meet
the social issues of Bahamian society head
on, the School of Social Sciences held a
special study session on censorship in The
Bahamas in the month ofJune. Organised
by Senior Lecturer Michael Stevenson
in conjunction with School Chair Jessica
Minnis, the session was one of COB
scholars' responses recent inexplicable
episodes of restriction of public access to
materials in the public domain elsewhere,
most notably the banning of the U.S. film
Brokeback Mountain.
Each reflecting upon a different
aspect of censorship, participants included
Mr Stevenson, who examined the
constitutional implications of censorship.
He explained to a sizeable audience that
plans for the session had included the
showing of excerpts from the film, to be
followed the next day by a full showing.
Committee members had applied to
the Film and Plays Control Board for
permission to do so, but had been refused.
Setting the stage for the evening's
discussion, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas,
4111~r,
The C( ie of The Bahamas :: 20 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
N,
Council Secretary and Acting VP
Institutional Advancement expounded
on forms of censorship, typical motives
behind restriction of access and salient
Bahamian examples of the foregoing,
touching on the overweening effects of the
confluence of homophobia and religious
fundamentalism.
Weighing in from the perspective of
the Church was Canon Dr Kirkley Sands,
who, like Stevenson, lectures in the School
of Social Sciences. Dr Nicolette Bethel,
Director of Culture in the Ministry of
Culture, spoke extensively of the obstacles
randomly imposed censorship puts on
theatrical production and its power to
retard the development of theatre in the
country generally.
Last up to the podium was Dr Ian
Strachan, Chair of the School of English
Studies, who reprised and extended the
discussion on the relationship between
rampant homophobia and religion in
The Bahamas. He showed a remarkable
knowledge of biblical texts and the harm
that results when such writings are taken
out of context.
A lively discussion between audience
and presenters ensued during the question
and answer period, with members of the
audience decrying the brevity ofthe evening
and calling for a repeat engagement on the
subject. In attendance was Erin Greene,
President of the Rainbow Alliance of The
Bahamas.
Psyc 230 Students
Confront the World of
Tutankhamun
There has been a revolution in the
teaching of psychology over the last few
years. Slowly, a move away from the
scientific approach of the behaviourists
has taken place and now much greater
emphasis is placed upon the ethnographic
and qualitative in research and description.
Spirituality, although not measurable
in purely scientific terms, is very much
a part of this revolution and man's
beliefs and relationship to his gods are
important indicators of his motivations
and emotions. Diversity is at the core of
modern methodology and at the centre of
COB's Psychology Programme.
From March 31 to April 2 psychology
lecturer in the School of Social Studies, Dr
Ava Thompson, took eight students from
her Psyc 230 Motivation and Emotion
class to see the Tutankhamun and the
Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition
at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.
Dr Thompson wanted the students to
consider the life of an ancient civilization
as manifested in the exhibition in the light
of current theories of psychology.
"The study of psychology in the
United States is a very narrow exercise
which doesn't even take into consideration
much of European thought," says Dr
Thompson, "but we want our students to
gain insights into motivation and emotion
by not only going back beyond even the
ancient Greeks but also investigating the
less developed world of modern times.
We feel that the parallels between what
From the School
of Sciences and
Technology
Mrs Bridget S. Hogg, Chairperson of
the School of Sciences and Technology,
reports that the School of Sciences
and Technology had a busy and
productive spring semester. Activities
and achievements since our last update
include:
Course Development and
Review:
All departments have been involved in the
review and writing of courses.New courses
in Physics, Technology and Chemistry
have been drafted and approved by the
Academic Board. Mrs Hogg noted, "We
also have Biology and Mathematics
course proposals that have been reviewed
by the Faculty Board, but are awaiting
presentation at the Academic Board."
Course Delivery
During the past two semesters, faculty
ventured into use of Blackboard technology
as a means of supporting traditional course
people believed back then and how our
beliefs determine the way we live now
are fascinating and informative for our
students."
The students were asked to compare
the motivations of the people in the world
of Tutankhamun to the motivations of
people in their world today. They were
thrilled and overwhelmed by many of
the exhibits and couldn't believe the
similarities between what motivated the
ancient people and what motivates 21st
century Bahamians. They were particular
aware of similar attitudes towards power
and the quest for it and death and how to
prepare for it.
Giovanna Bain, a psychologist in the
Ministry of Education's Special Services,
accompanied the COB group and acted as
second driver in transporting the students
from place to place. 0
delivery and providing additional resources
to students. To date, geography, chemistry
and mathematics courses at various
levels have had Blackboard support. It
is anticipated that all departments will
eventually offer assistance via Blackboard.
Faculty and Staff
Development:
In March, Ms. Theorelle Nottage, Clerk,
and Ms Garno Thurston, Secretary,
participated in a professional upgrading
workshop, Customer Service".
Five heads of department, Dr Danny
Davis, Chemistry; Dr Janet Patterson,
Mathematics; Alec Farley, Physics; Lionel
Johnson, Biology; Mr Freeman Kelly,
Technology and Mrs Bridget Hogg,
Chairperson, participated in the American
Council on Education / College of The
Bahamas Workshop from March 2nd
to 3rd at the British Colonial Hilton,
Nassau.
Several faculty members participated in
training for the new registration process
using the Power Campus management
system during the months of November
2005 and March 2006.A number of faculty
members also committed to participating
in Blackboard training exercises later this
year. U
Research Projects
and Presentations/
Conferences
Sci-Tech Lecturers
Present Internationally
Dr Janet Patterson and Mrs
Greta Kemp jointly presented a paper
entitled "Common Errors in Basic
College Mathematics at the Eleventh
Consultation of The International
Consortium for Research In Science And
Mathematics Education" ICRSME XI
March 9-11, 2006 at the British Colonial
Hilton, Nassau.
Dr Llewelyn Curling also presented a
paper entitled "A System of Education in
Science and Technology" at the event.
Mrs Bridget Hogg presented at the
Research Edge Forum on April 7th. Her
presentation was entitled "Seed-testing
and Genetically Modified Organisms in
The Bahamas...The Way Forward".
Dr Kenneth Cartwright, in
collaboration with Dr Edit Kaminsky,
submitted three peer-reviewed papers
-" An Optimum Hardware Detector
for Constant Envelope Quadrature-
Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying
(CEQ2PSK), "Asymptotic Performance
of the Pth Power-Law Phase Estimator"
and "Blind Phase Recovery in Cross
QAM Communication Systems with the
Reduced-Constellation Eighth-Order
Estimator (RCEOE)". These have been
accepted for publication in the IEEE
GLOBECOM 2005 Proceedings.
Dr Marlene Jackson attended The
Annual Meeting of The Association of
American Geographers in North America.
Discussions included "Indigenous
Geographic Information Science and
Systems" and "Alternative Caribbean
Tourism ".
The C e of The Bahamas :: 21 :: The Snaer Auust 2006
Awards and
Recognition
Dr Janet Patterson has been
recognized for service in education by
The Primary Principals' Association. She
was honored at the annual banquet on
May 27,2006.
As you can see, SST faculty and staff have
been busy. 0
COB Lecturer Addresses
Taylor University
Colloquium
Dr Victoria Alien, Writing
Coordinator and lecturer in the School
of English Studies at the College of
The Bahamas, was invited to present
a plenary paper at Taylor University
in Indiana. Dr Allen spoke on "C.S.
Lewis and Frederick Buechner: Literary
Expressions of Faith" on Friday, 2nd June,
the first full day of the Taylor colloquium,
"C.S. Lewis and Friends."
The Disney movie version ofThe Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe generated
unprecedented interest in the writings of
C.S. Lewis, now recognized as one of the
foremost literary Christian figures of the
twentieth century. Taylor University in
Indiana, where over forty-five Bahamians
have attained their undergraduate
education, holds a number of first editions
of Lewis' books such as Surprised by Joy,
Mere Christianity and The Screwtape
Letters. Every two years scholars gather
at Taylor from around the world for the
Frances White Ewbank Colloquium on
C.S. Lewis and Friends.
Though not as well known as C.S. Lewis,
Frederick Buechner has published over
30 books and is very well respected as a
writer and a man of faith. Dr Allen, who
became interested in Buechner's work in
the early 1980s, has written a book of her
own entitled Listening to Life: Psychology
and Spirituality in the Writings of Frederick
Buechner and gives seminars on his
writings each summer at the Chautauqua
Institution in New York.
She says, "When I was invited to speak at
this colloquium, I jumped at the chance.
Not only was it an honour to be asked to
be a plenary speaker for this gathering of
scholars with similar interests, but it was
an opportunity to share my research in
Buechner, whose writings many of those
attending will have read."
. Dr Allen received a Master's degree in
English from Georgetown University and
a Ph.D. from the Catholic University of
America in Washington, D.C. where she
focused on Religion and Literature.
Dr Allen is one of a growing number of
COB lecturers who have presented papers
at conferences in the Caribbean region and
in the United States during this academic
year, demonstrating clearly that the area
of research, one of the three fundamental
pillars of importance to the establishment
of the University of The Bahamas, is
Revenue Enhancement
Initiatives: COB and
Sbarro Sign Historic
Agreement
On Monday, 1st May The College
of The Bahamas and Tin Plate Ltd, the
company that operates the local Sbarro
restaurants, signed a historic agreement
giving Tin Plate Ltd the rights to operate
a Sbarro outlet on The College campus
on the site of the canteen in the SUB, the
Student Union Building. The agreement
is for the next five years with the option
of renewing for five more. It was Janice
Cartwright, Special Assistant to the
President for revenue growth, who was
the principal representative of COB in
brokering the deal.
Acting President, Dr Rhonda
Chipman-Johnson, spoke of this
agreement being a partnership of equals
representing good faith on both sides. It
was noted that COB had faith in Sbarro's
ability to provide a quality food product
and service and Sbarro had faith that its
investment in renovating the old cafeteria
would pay off in profits for its company.
Charlton Knowles, Managing
Director Tin Plate Ltd, called the
partnership a landmark in the histories
of both The College and Sbarro, which
first opened its doors in Nassau ten years
ago. He opined that the collaboration
symbolized COB's move towards the
twenty-second century and was happy
that COB recognized Sbarro as viable
food source. He continued by expressing
his belief that a Sbarro restaurant at COB
would be successful for The College and
for the Oakes Field community. It would
be open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m.
to 10 p.m. and serving a similar menu to
the other Sbarro restaurants in Nassau.
Richard Rydin,Director ofOperations
for Sbarro here in Nassau, added that the
COB outlet would expand its range of
salad dishes to cater to what he expects
to be a more health-conscious clientele,
especially among the students. There will,
of course, be the usual selection of Sbarro
pizza and pasta combos.
Sbarro will be open for business from
the beginning of the fall semester 2006
in what Mr Knowles called a "showcase
operation" in the renovated college
cafeteria.
Signing for The College were Rhonda
Chipman-Johnson, Acting President
of The College;and Patricia Glinton-
Meicholas, Secretary to the Council. Also
in attendance: Janice Cartwright, Special
Assistant to the President; Rubie Nottage,
VP & General Counsel, who prepared the
legal documents; Denton Brown, Vice-
President Financial Affairs; Charlton
Knowles, Managing Director Tin Plate
Ltd; and Richard Rydin, Director of
Operations, Tin Plate Ltd (Sbarro). m
The C 3e of The Bahamas :: 22 :: The naer Auust2006
Keeping COB's campuses safe is the
responsibility of Mr Wellington Francis, a
former CID officer of 25 years standing
and a man who has a clear vision of the
way to ensure that College property and
those who use it--administration, faculty,
staff and students-- feel secure on a day-
to-day basis. Mr Francis heads the squad
of 49 security officers who patrol the
different campuses and facilities in their
familiar light and dark brown uniforms. In
addition to the 49 officers in Nassau, there
are 2 who work at the Northern Campus
in Grand Bahama.
Mr Francis is quick to point out that
the main campus is a quiet place where
problems rarely occur but there is the not
inconsiderable challenge of members of
the general public using the grounds as
a short cut to the supermarket or the fast
food restaurants near COB on Thompson
Boulevard. "It was much worse," he adds,
"until they erected the wall at the Eastern
end of the campus. Before that persons
would wander across the field at any time
of the day. Now, we just have to contend
with those who come off Poinciana Drive
in front ofA block and exit ontoThompson
Boulevard or those coming from Wendy's
and the other fast food places. They seem
to regard using our driveway as their God
given right and it's very difficult to prevent
them.'
Another challenge he and his staff face
is conflict resolution among students. This
is not a regular occurrence but Mr Francis
is determined that his officers will be ready
to intervene in violent conflicts if and
when they occur. "We do not suffer from
break ins and thefts," adds Mr Francis,
"and I think this is largely due to the very
visible patrolling the officers engage in at
all times of the day and night. The locks
on the doors are all high security also, so
mercifully college property remains on
college premises."
"We also have a very productive
partnership with the police," states Mr
Francis, "and this is particularly profitable
in the patrolling of the area surrounding
the dormitories. We are aware of the
increased vulnerability of dorm users
and we are pleased that the police, both
uniformed and CID, patrol the area every
night."
What does Mr Francis envisage
happening to improve security in the
next few years? He sees the imminent
installation of security cameras at gates to
the various buildings as a very positive step.
"I will be able to sit in the surveillance room
and have a video image from all the sites
on display so any suspicious or unwanted
visitor can be immediately challenged and
problems defused."
Another implementation could be the
introduction of electronic cards for access
to buildings and offices, rather like those
used for hotel rooms now. While he would
like to see them come in, especially those
with a fingerprint ID feature, he knows
that the expense may be prohibitive.
"That's the way the world is going," he
predicts, "but in the meantime we'll just
make sure that the old metal keys don't get
into the wrong hands."
One thing is sure; the Security
Department is very aware of the
responsibility it carries and its officers are
determined to keep COB a safe and secure
place to study and to work for as long as
they can. E
The C( ie of The Bahamas :: 23 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
COB and Families
The College of The Bahamas plays
many roles in the life of this country and
of many Bahamian families. The Lockhart
sisters present a unique illustration-two
sisters, one a lecturer, the other a student,
both forging ahead and both taking
advantage of all that is offered at The
College of The Bahamas.
Enjoying her second stint as Head
of Accounting in the School of Business
at COB, Karen Lockhart has been a
full-time lecturer at The College of The
Bahamas since 1984. Her sister, Diane, has
worked as Administrator for the Ordinary
Division and handled Public Relations
and Advertising at British American
Insurance Company for even longer.These
days, however, their paths cross regularly
on the Oakes Field Campus because Diane
is in the second year of a BA in Marketing
and is taking four courses towards that
qualification.
Research Edge Forum-
Chris Justilien
Introduced by Monique Toppin,
lecturer in the School of Communication
and Creative Arts, as one who has been
involved in music since childhood, lecturer,
musician and entertainer, Chris Justilien
presented the results of his research at the
monthly Research Edge Forum held in
the Lecture Theatre of the Culinary and
Hospitality Management Institute on
Friday, March 17,2006.
As part of the requirements for his
M.Ed degree from VanderCook College
of Music in Chicago, Illinois, Justilien
created a website on Bahamian musicians.
His aims were to do research that was
"useful" and to provide an "educational
tool" for Bahamian high school students.
He decided to tap into young people's love
of the online environment by putting the
information on the web.
"Of course, working full-time and
taking so many courses at COB is quite
stressful and it's a bit of a juggling act
trying to fit it all in sometimes,"says Diane,
"but it was always my plan to continue my
education once my children were grown
and that's what I'm doing. My aim is to
eventually use the degree to further my
work at British American."
Karen would have been a part of the
School of Business programme teams that
would have developed the degree that
Diane is pursuing to assist her career. "The
School of Business was the first to have
Bachelor's programmes," Karen reminds
us proudly. "We started back in 1991 when
we developed the Bachelor's in Banking
and then by 1995 we had upgraded all our
programmes to that level."
Karen began her association with
The College as a part-time lecturer in
accounting in 1982 and, although she
has occasionally thought she would like a
change of scenery, for the most part, she
Justilien explained that there are many
unanswered questions about the musical
heritage of the country and the musician's
story is "rarely told." He hopes the website
will add to the limited resources currently
available in this field.
The website, www.
bahamasentertainers.com is still a work in
progress and Justilien hopes that members
of the public who have additional
information about Bahamian entertainers
will send this information to him so it
can be added to the site. Justilien is aware
that much more work needs to be done,
including interviewing more musicians
Justilien did a live demonstration
of the website that features 25 artistes
including Blind Blake, George Symonette,
Dry Bread, Maureen Duvalier, Ronnie
Butler, Frank Penn and Peanuts Taylor.
There are also photographs, biographies,
samples of their music and live interviews
along with sound clips of various types of
cannot think of anywhere else she would
rather be. Preparing students for the CPA
exams keeps her very busy as there are now
fifteen accounting courses, ten more than
when she started her career here, and the
great majority of them are required for the
CPA programme.
During her twenty-six years at British
American, Diane has achieved the status
of Fellow of Life Management Institute
(FLMI), having studied the rigorous,
ten-course, professional development
programme that provides a comprehensive
business education in the context of the
insurance and financial services industry.
"Those courses were great preparation for
what I'm doing at COB now," she says, "as
they kept me in a studying frame of mind
for about eight years. I am now preparing
to start the first of my three required
accounting courses. I put them off for as
long as I could but now I have no choice.
My sister will not teach me, though, nor
will I be tempted to ask her help". E
Bahamian music.
Chris played a portion of a recording
of Junkanoo music produced by him and
his colleagues in the1990's. He described
the process they used to create an authentic
"feel" to it, central to which is the fact
that it was recorded in the bush. He said
Goombay, and not Junkanoo, should be
the music of the Bahamas as Junkanoo is
too limiting. One can't write a love song
using Junkanoo music, for example.
According to Mr Justilien, hotels
should be encouraged to support local
entertainers because live entertainment
options are limited due to lack of support
for local musicians. There is a need to
expose all aspects of Bahamian culture:
cooking, sewing, drawing, writing and so
on should get equal time with Junkanoo.
Cleophas Adderley, Director of the
National Youth Choir, was one of many
enthralled members of the audience. u
The C( ie of The Bahamas :: 24 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
Jazz Under The Stars
Organised by its Office of Institutional
Advancement, The College of The
Bahamas sponsored jazz concert, Jazz
Under The Stars, transported the audience
back to the days when clubs such as the
Cat and Fiddle, the Zanzibar and the
Banana Boat regularly pulsated to the cool
sounds of classy jazz music. The show was
co-produced by Acting VP Institutional
Advancement Patricia Glinton-Meicholas
and consultant Roscoe Dames, a radio
personality popularly known as "Mr Jazz",
who also acted as host. It was promised
that Jazz under the Stars would be the
first of many cultural evenings sponsored
by COB, as it moves towards not only
university status but also towards being a
centre for the arts in the country.
The COB Band Shell, transformed by
lighting and the addition ofahuge marquee,
proved an ideal location to highlight some
of the very best of Nassau's musicians.The
concert was headlined by the Henry Moss
Orchestra which featured some of Nassau's
finest musicians, including pianist Paul
Hanna, saxophonist, Deno Turnquest, Lou
Adams Jr. and his son, Jawara, and COB's
own music lecturer, Chris Justilien. Two
Bahamian vocalists, Anastasia Charlow
and Duke Smith sang soulfully with the
orchestra on selected numbers.
The show that also included a guest
appearance from American entertainer,
Marcus Johnson, tap dancing of the
highest caliber from Feet of Flame and
other members of The Bahamas Dance
Theatre and spoken word entertainment
from Bodine Johnson. A Cuban group,
Sol Caribe, made a surprise appearance
during the intermission.
The orchestra filled the night air
with their smooth, rich sound on jazz
classics such as Mack the Knife, A Taste
of Honey, All of Me and On A Clear Day.
Particularly impressive was the balance
achieved among the various sections of the
orchestra. Leader, Henry Moss, deserves
accolades for putting together two varied
and integrated sets that highlighted the
strengths of the musicians and allowed
the audience to reminisce on the days
when jazz and swing music elegantly and
stylishly led the way and caused their
listeners' hearts to race and feet to tap.
Patrons could sample gourmet hours
d'oeuvres prepared by the chefs from the
Culinary and Hospitality Management
Institute and fine wines courtesy of
Premium Discount Liquors. Professional
sound and lighting were supplied by Frank
Burrows and his crew from Soundco
and the d6cor was created and designed
by Michael and Christine Elliott of
Enchanted Designs.
The producers of Jazz under the
Stars have committed to building the
programme into a highly sought after and
profitable annual event. *
1j1 : IT]i a'1 ;1t
Head Coach Dr Linda Davis
Earlier this year Vice President of Academic
Affairs, Dr Linda Davis, was appointed head coach
of the national women's basketball team by The
Bahamas Basketball Federation the first woman
to hold the head coach post. She immediately
immersed herself and the team in preparing the
senior women's squad for the Caribbean Basketball
Tournament, which took place in Kingston,Jamaica
from 12th 18th June.
An outstanding basketball, volleyball and
netball player in her own right, Dr Davis withdrew
from the Bahamian sporting scene when she began
climbing the ladder of administration and began
studying for her Ph.D.These studies consumed more and more of her time and, as a result,
there began her long, self-imposed exile from the sporting world ofThe Bahamas, an exile
that did not end until 2004 when Kimberly Rolle asked her to come out of retirement and
coach The College of The Bahamas Lady Caribs Basketball Team.
Dr Davis reports that she has been reenergized by the experience of coaching the
COB Lady Caribs and, after attending some refresher clinics to refamiliarise herself
with current trends in basketball coaching, she is enjoying the experience immensely.
"I find the coaching experience a great stress reliever," she says. "I have always believed
that athletics gives people the opportunity to develop other aspects of their personalities
that may never be discovered without sports. Participating in sports provides you with
life lessons; lessons that you take with you throughout your journey in this world, both
in the personal and professional realms. These are the lessons that helped me through
my academic preparation and professional challenges; and these are lessons that I want
to pass on to student-athletes and professional women alike-the lessons of discipline,
teamwork, commitment, physical, spiritual and mental wellness."
In addition to the Head Coach appointment, the Bahamas Basketball Federation
has identified Dr Davis to head a developmental programme which they hope will assist
in identifying young girls with potential from as early as primary school. Through these
and the more recent efforts mounted by the New Providence Women's Basketball League
in particular, Dr Davis believes that opportunities in the sport of basketball for girls and
women have never been as positive as they are now.
"The creation of a separate association for women has had a truly beneficial effect on
women's basketball in the country and tremendous strides have been made in the three
years that the association has been in existence," she says. "The league is very competitive
and there are now 6 teams which means the women play more competitive games more
I am happy to be a part
of a programme that is
having such a positive
impact on the lives of
girls and women."
COB
PIRATES
After five years of unsuccessfully
attempting to start a ladies soccer team
here at The College, Paul McCann
finally got his wish this season with the
formation of the COB Pirates and their
entry into the New Providence Women's
Football League. "Entry into the league
and a regular schedule of fixtures against
the other three teams have definitely
stimulated interest" says McCann who
has been impressed with the level of
commitment shown by the ladies.
"We train twice a week on
The College field and have built up a
squad of seventeen players and the really
good thing is that they are all either
present students or alumnae of COB,"
he continues. "We have shown a steady
improvement as the season has gone on
and our last few games have been close
and competitive. Although we have only
won one game, we have competed well
and always tried to play football."
Top goal scorer for the Pirates is
Shagera Edgecombe who scored all three
goals in the Pirates' one win of the season.
She is also a member of The Bahamas
national women's squad.
McCann is grateful to The College for
paying the registration fee to the league
and for purchasing the team's kit in the
new college colours of blue and maroon. E
r r!c : C.",* '.
Faut *Sptih
Krista Walkes
Joining the School of English Studies
in Fall 2005 was Ms. Krista Walkes, a
young woman well known for her part
in co-authoring and performing the
acclaimed Bahamian play, "Women Talk"
in association with Michael Pintard. This
play was extremely well received by the
Bahamian audience at its debut in the
National Centre for the Performing Arts
in June 2004.
Ms Walkes' interest in art, literature
and culture has led her to collect African-
American Blaxploitation films of the
1960s and 1970s. She also has an interest
in collecting and analyzing Bahamian
music from the 1930s to 1970s and has a
significant archive of authentic Bahamian
records. Ms Walkes finds the life-stories
of the musicians fascinating and believes
these stories need to be compiled and
preserved for future generations.
Poetry is another of Ms Walkes'
Friends
of
The
Co
ege
passions. She writes poetry and dramatic
monologues and has had her poems, "The
Red Death" and "Looking at the Moon"
published in Womanspeak: a Journal of
Caribbean Women Writers.
A COB alumna, Ms. Walkes
completed her Associate degree in English
at The College of The Bahamas prior to
attending Taylor University in Indiana to
study for a Bachelor's degree in English.
Thereafter she completed her Master's
degree at Rutgers University in New
Jersey and is currently completing her
PhD dissertation on the topic, "Adoption
in the Anglophone Caribbean Novel."
Ms Walkes also holds a Teacher's
Certificate from the University of the
West Indies and has taught courses in
Expository Writing, Literary Criticism
and Black Women Writers at Rutgers
University.
Her expertise makes Ms Walkes a
valuable addition to the COB community.
At a small, informal ceremony in
its Executive Board Room on Thursday,
18th May, the third floor of the Micheael
H Eldon Complex was named the F
George Morley Suite after the late F
George Morley. It was another step in The
College's drive to record for posterity the
names of Bahamians who have helped to
shape not only The College but also the
entire country in terms of its development
educationally.
During the naming ceremony,
Council Chairman, Franklyn Wilson
spoke of F. George Morley's son, the late
John Morley, as a friend of The College
of The Bahamas. He said that The College
had enjoyed the interest and generosity
of John, before he died. John Morley was
a personal and much admired friend of
Chairman Wilson, who spoke in glowing
terms of the man's lifelong philanthropy
and his knowledge of the social history of
Nassau in particular and The Bahamas in
general.
While John Morley was a business
man and realtor, his father, George, was
an educator who spent his life teaching in
the Family Islands. He established himself
as an exceptional teacher and a man who
touched the lives of countless young people
in what were called the Out-Islands in the
first half of the twentieth century.
The Minister of Education, Science
and Technology, The Hon. Alfred Sears,
also attended and spoke of his friendship
with George Morley's grandson, David,
who was present to represent his family.
Although he never knew his
grandfather personally, David was well
aware of the man's legacy in the annals
of Family Island education because his
father, John, told stories about F. George
constantly. David spoke of the fact that his
father inherited George Morley's belief
that education was the key to the future
for the people ofThe Bahamas and that he
has been a benefactor to many educational
institutions in the country.
The ceremony culminated in a very
proud David Morley unveiling the plaque
on the wall outside the Executive Board
Room commemorating the event. E
The C 3e of The Bahamas :: 27 :: The Snaer Auust2006
BASIL JOHNSON
SCHOLARSHIP
The family of the late Basil L I Johnson
became friends of The College of The
Bahamas earlier this year, establishing a
four-year scholarship to be awarded to
a student who is studying for the new
Bachelor of Arts degree in the School of
English Studies.
Basil Johnson's daughter, Felicity,
formerly a lecturer in English at the
College and Assistant Chairperson
of Humanities when she left in 1984,
explained that the Johnson family wanted
to do something positive to preserve the
name and memory of their father. When
he was just a teenager and working as an
apprentice to The Bahamas Government
Electrical Industry, he was deeply disturbed
by the number of employees who could
not write their names when signing for
their pay cheques and he vowed to bring
about improvements when he was in a
position to do so. He became President
of the Employees Association, the first
union in BEC, and was instrumental in
introducing training courses for the staff.
His belief in the ability of education to
empower people never wavered.
Basil Johnson will be remembered
in another capacity. He was a hero of the
Second World War, serving as an airman.
The Johnson family expressed
pleasure in knowing that a young student
of literature at COB will benefit from
their father's belief in education and the
English language in particular.
Pictured are Dr Marjorie Brooks-
Jones, Coordinator for the Bachelor's
Programme in English at The College of
The Bahamas; Basil Johnson's daughters,
JillJohnson-Albury,JanetJohnson, Felicity
Johnson; and Dr Ian Strachan, Chair of
School of English Studies. (Not pictured
Ivan Johnson, son of Basil Johnson.) u
CONSTRUCTION SEMINAR GROUP
SEMINAR 2006
With hurricane activity in our
region continuing to rise and the 2006
season already upon us, the Construction
Seminar Group (CSG), in conjunction
with the Office of Research, Planning
& Development, launched its Seminar
2006, Lessons Learnt from the Disastrous
Hurricane Season: 2004 2005 at a
very opportune time. It was particularly
noteworthy that the organizers had
attracted no less a person than Herbert
Saffir, the man who developed the Saffir
Scale for measuring hurricane strength, as
their keynote speaker.
The opening ceremony was coordinated
by COB lecturer, Henry Hepburn, who
noted that many government ministries
and departments were represented at the
opening.
In herwelcome,Dr Rhonda Chipman-
Johnson, Acting President, commended
the CSG for bringing a man of Herbert
Saffir's caliber and stature to The Bahamas
and remarked that she felt sure the
seminar would be of great value toThe
Bahamas. She extolled the partnership
between COB and CSG, stating that
it was essential for COB now, and even
more important for the future University
of The Bahamas to engage in dialogue on
issues critical to the development of the
country. She concluded by saying that
she hoped the sessions would lead not
only to a national approach for dealing
with hurricanes but also stimulate other
CARICOM countries to work together
and produce a regional strategy.
Michael Diggiss, a member of the
organizing committee and an architect
with Jackson Burnside Ltd, then spoke
briefly about the need for engineers and
architects to share knowledge about the
built environment and expressed his
appreciation of the work done by Vice
President of Research and Planning,
Dr Pandora Johnson, in organising the
event.
Following Mr Diggiss, Cyprian
Gibson, a member of the engineering
body of CSG and President of The
Bahamas Society of Engineers, spoke
about the importance of both working
towards minimizing the effects of severe
storms and to upgrading the already very
stringent building code that operates here
in the Bahamas.
Melanie Roach, Director of Works at
the Ministry of Works and Utilities, then
took the podium to speak on behalf of the
Hon. Bradley Roberts, Minister of Works
and Utilities, who was unable to attend.
She confessed to being astounded by the
array of speakers lined up to present, an
array that she said, "Read like a who's who
of hurricane assessment and preparedness."
She also commended the group for
the way it integrated architecture and
structural engineering and applauded Mr
Saffir for his work in developing his scale.
In conclusion, she declared the seminar
officially open.
Delegates were then introduced to
the Keynote Speaker by Mrs Lelawattee
Rahming who had personally invited
Mr Saffir to speak at the seminar. She
emphasized the importance of his scale,
his collaboration with Simpson, which had
extended it to include surge power and the
immeasurable assistance it gave to nations
in preparing building codes in advance of
future hurricanes.
A surprisingly sprightly and chipper
89 year old, Herbert Saffir gave a brief
history of serious hurricanes in the Florida
area and spoke of factors apart from the
storms themselves, such as complacency
on the part of builders and homeowners
and inadequate building codes, that have
contributed to the devastating effects
of the hurricanes. He showed a number
of slides that illustrated graphically just
how destructive category 5 hurricanes
can be and he was emphatic when he said
engineers must take the final responsibility
for a completed building. "Too often,"
he said, "buildings are handed over as
finished but no one has conducted a final
inspection to satisfy themselves that it has
been built to the state codes. An engineer
must do this."
The assembly gave Mr Saffin a warm
reception, no doubt feeling honoured
simply to be in the great man's presence
and left to prepare for the next day's
presentations... and the 2006 hurricane
season. U
The D ie of The Bahamas :: 28 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
Three Long-Serving
Messengers
The College ofThe Bahamas is rightly
proud of the way it manages to inspire
loyalty among the people who work
here. A glance down the list of faculty
members will reveal a large number who
are longstanding employees at COB and
no less can be said about a list of the staff.
Three very familiar College personnel,
Albert Bootle, Audley Armstrong and
Michael Hepburn, all work as messengers,
carrying important communications both
internally and externally, keeping offices
and departments in touch with each other
and The College in touch with wider
community. All three have been at COB
for over twenty years: Bootle 28 years,
Armstrong 26 years and Hepburn 22
years, and all relish coming to work, loving
the jobs they do.
I)
Albert Bootle, incredibly, has not
had one sick day in almost three decades.
He began as a general handyman in the
Physical Plant Department painting
and doing carpentry jobs. Part of his
responsibilities was to double as a security
guard at the Soldier Road Campus but,
after about 3 years, he switched to the
Human Resources Department where he
has remained as messenger ever since.
Audley Armstrong came to The
College in 1978 as a messenger but left
after 2 years only to return in 1982 as
a security officer. Four years later he
transferred to the Purchasing Department
of the Business Office and he is still there.
r
Michael Hepburn arrived at COB
in 1984 and was also a security officer.
However, in 1999 he became a messenger
for the Grosvenor Close Campus and,
although he reports for work every day
at Human Resources at Oakes Field,
Grosvenor Close is his home base.
Although it is hard to believe now, so
avuncular and outgoing is he, Mr Bootle
admits to having been shy when he first
started as a messenger. He says that his
confidence grew as a result of the constant
meetings with people all over the College
and in banks and offices in town.
Mrs Julie Harts in Human Resources
says of Albert Bootle, "He is punctual and
serious about his job which he always does
to the best of his ability. He will always go
the extra mile and provide feedback, so we
know if we need to implement additional
services. He is friendly with a good word
for everyone. At the end of the day he will
always come looking for me to wish me
well. He is an excellent worker."
Mr Armstrong spends most of his
time off campus collecting and delivering
goods that have been requisitioned. One
part of the work that he enjoys particularly
is assisting with customs clearance at the
docks where he works closely with the
receiving officers.
Leola Butler in the Business Office is
full of praise for Mr Armstrong's approach
to his job. "He is very quiet but extremely
dependable. He will do anything we ask of
him, even after hours or at the weekends.
Nothing is too much trouble for him."
SrTAF SStg ht
The C( ie of The Bahamas :: 29 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
Mr Hepburn delivers packages
both on and off campus and enjoys the
independence his messenger's role affords
him. He believes that a messenger needs
to have a positive attitude and work ethic.
"We must be organized and punctual and
offer good customer service," he adds.
Ernestine Douglas at the Grosvenor
Close Campus calls Mr Hepburn "a
very reliable worker who possesses good
interpersonal skills." She goes on to say,
"He is adaptable and hard working in
every way."
All three have witnessed the steady
growth of The College over the years and
are positive about the direction in which
the institution is going at present. They
have witnessed the construction of G, S,
F, C, D and T blocks and the Portia M
Smith Building; the transformation of a
pond into the Tourism Training Centre;
and countless changes of location for
various departments. They have also seen
the increase in student enrolment from a
mere two hundred to over four thousand.
Given their love of theirjobs and their
positive approaches to their work, The
College of The Bahamas can rest assured
that these three will continue to serve it
honourably and proudly into the future,
no matter the changes. 0
Student Services
Colleges and universities are often
perceived as places of learning where
students are left to their own devices to
sink or swim depending on their self-
motivation and ability to focus. Many
people have the idea that students can miss
lectures and professors will not follow up
or do anything about it. The stereotypical
perception of a college student's life does
not normally include people on the faculty
and staff who systematically and regularly
take an interest in the student's well-being
and who are concerned enough to monitor
the student's progress or ask why he or she
missed a class.
However, the Office of Student Affairs
has for some years now been trying to
alter that perception. This division, headed
by vice president, Colyn Major, aims to
project a more coordinated, supportive and
cohesive programme designed to assist the
students by addressing the needs of the
whole person. Its mission places students
first and its aim is to provide quality
services to facilitate student learning.
To fulfill this mission Major has pledged
to encourage and facilitate directors and
staff members within his area to attend
workshops and conferences designed to
expose them to the very best practices
in their particular fields. "I believe
conferences are extremely beneficial,"
he says. "This year I have seen people
return from conferences and workshops
energized and more aware of what they
can do to upgrade student services. That
has to be a good thing.'
Bradley Cooper from the Student
Activities department attended a 3-
day student leadership conference in
Nashville, Tennessee; Claire Charlow-
Patton, Director of Records, Cheryl
Carey, Director of Financial Aid and
Housing, and Veronica Collie, Director
of Admissions, attended two days of Noel
Levitz workshops on the theme of New
Essentials of Student Recruitment and
Retention in Tampa; and Major himself,
ever mindful of the need to also keep
abreast of the latest developments, went
to Washington DC in March to attend
the annual conference of the National
Association of Student Personnel
Administrators.
Cooper's day-to-day work has been
affected by the conference in Tennessee in
a number of ways. He says, "The greatest
impact was made by one presentation that
convinced me we could all be creative in
our work. It proved to me that there are
many ways to approach a situation and
we can all bring new ideas and creativity
to supplement existing and traditional
methods."
All three directors who went to Tampa
found the workshops instructive and
useful and all found the strongest message
to be the need to focus on good, clear
communication, not only during the
recruitment process but all through a
student's career at college.
Ms Charlow-Patton realizes that good
communication is essential and wants
to publicize essential information for
students earlier, more regularly and
in more locations. She also wants to
have all Records information available
more quickly and is looking for ways to
streamline the processes.
Veronica Collie says, "We should be
improving communication by using the
COB website to publicise and advertise
and we should be more inclined to use
email and text messages to students to
keep them informed of the status of
their applications. Using these methods
will also appeal to young students more
as texting is such a common means of
communication among students. We need
to be more active in our Family Island
recruitment too. At the moment, it largely
depends on the energy and efficiency of
the Guidance Counsellors at the island
secondary schools but we shouldn't be
satisfied with this."
Ms Carey feels equipped with plenty of
resources now as she looks to increase
her database of donors and she has been
compiling data of statistics to support her
in her quest. She also now recognizes the
need for COB to be more proactive and
The C( ie of The Bahamas :: 30 :: The Snaooer Auw 06
to contact students more regularly in its
efforts to retain them.
One of the thrusts of the conference
Colyn Major attended was to impress
on delegates the need to use all resources
available to inform decisions. Since going
to Washington he has realized that data
and research are essential components
in informing what he plans to do in the
departments he oversees and he is keen to
step up his access to these resources.
One encouraging aspect that all found
at the various conferences was the
reinforcement that COB is actually doing
a lot right in its dealings with its students.
Our practices are in line with the best of
the US colleges and universities and, as
more systems are implemented and more
of the ideas above are practiced, student
services here at The College can only
improve. U
DOREEN BUTLER, NURSE OF THE YEAR 2006
lae,,g
Infrasruct a
Contract Signing for new
Performing Arts Centre
On Monday 29th May contracts were
signed for the conversion of The College
of The Bahamas' auditorium into the
state of the art Performing Arts Centre
of the University of The Bahamas. Those
participating in the signingwere Chairman
of The College Council, Mr Franklyn
Wilson; Acting President of COB, Dr
Rhonda Chipman-Johnson; Special
Assistant to the President for revenue
Growth Projects and Project Coordinator,
Janice Cartwright; Principal of Architects
Associates, Mr Victor Cartwright; and
principal of Top Heights Construction,
Mr Thomas Lewis.
Mr Wilson called the venture "an
important building block in the move to
university status" and one that is "critical
to the idea of providing students with
what they require to becoming all they can
be."
Adding that the centre will provide
a resource for the entire community, Mr
Wilson also stated that he believed it
would build on the rich tradition that
lived in the old Government High School
auditorium and take the performing arts
to new heights in The Bahamas.
Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson called
it a "signature part" of the development of
the institution, creating a facility thatwill be
like no other in The Bahamas. An alumna
of the old Government High School, she
reminisced about some of the productions
mounted in the old auditorium and some
of the prominent people who performed
there. Dr Chipman-Johnson also spoke
of the excellent acoustics in the existing
auditorium and her hope that those would
be enhanced by the conversion.
Apart from reassuring the acting
president about the acoustics that will be
excellent, Ms Janice Cartwright explained,
"It will be a multi-purpose, state of the
art theatre. It will have approximately 400
tiered seats giving unobstructed views ofthe
stage, spacious dressing rooms behind the
stage area and a well appointed concession
stand. A technologically enhanced control
room at the back of the auditorium will
give a panoramic view of the performing
area and will house a computer controlled
lighting system. Flanked by two galleries
for paintings and other works of art, the
auditorium will be fully air-conditioned
and handicap accessible. It is projected
that the facility will be used for lectures,
seminars, concerts, film shows and
dramatic productions and it will be very
comfortable."
Thomas Lewis of Top Heights
Construction expressed his determination
to do a professional job and Victor
Departure of
Estates Administrator
Mr Anthony Burrows, Estates
Administrator, left The College to pursue
a wonderful new opportunity. On his last
day with COB, July 14, colleagues gave
him a send off party to wish him well
For the past two years Anthony
Burrows has overseen the large Physical
Plant and Security Services Departments.
It is clear that he brought to the job a
great deal of intelligence and knowledge
of his area of responsibility that covers two
New Providence campuses, the Northern
Campus and centres on Abaco, Andros,
Exuma and San Salvador.
VP Brown speaks highly of Mr
Burrows signalling his willingness to be
of service, his collegiality and general
responsiveness. He openly admits that he
believes that he will find it difficult to find
Mr Burrows' equal. Mr Burrows is leaving
in response to an excellent job offer in the
Turks & Caicos Islands that he feels will
assist him in advancing his professional
development.
We wish Mr Burrows and his family
the very best in the new post.
Quarterly
Quality Service Awards
For the second time this academic
year, the staff of The College of The
Bahamas'Physical Plant has something to
be excited about; they are celebrating their
Cartwright, the architect, explained the
challenge of designing the conversion
and, because of the historical nature of
the building itself, his desire to retain the
exterior look of the existing structure so
that it would continue to blend in with
The College buildings that surround it.
rA.
THE PHYSICAL PLANT
& FACILITIES DEPARTMENT
second Quarterly Awards. The awards aim
to motivate, encourage and inspire the staff
of Physical Plant and, more importantly,
they show the staff members that they are
truly appreciated here at The College.
The awards ceremony was the idea
of Debra Thomas, the Administrative
Assistant at Physical Plant, who felt that
her staff needed to be recognized for what
they do at The College. Mrs Thomas feels
that'they are the heart ofThe College. They
are the ones who help to keep everything
running smoothly.' She is also happy that
the awards have served as encouragement
for the staff. 'There were quite a few people
who did not win awards during the first
quarter and they put a lot more effort in
and are now be rewarded.'
The staff is awarded in several areas
relating to their jobs. These include team
leadership, superior performance and
being a team player. Awards are also
awarded for perfect attendance, something
Mrs Thomas feels should be awarded, as it
The C 3e of The Bahamas :: 31 :: The naer Auust2006
shows staff members just how important
it is to have them here and that dedication
deserves recognition too. They also used
this awards ceremony to pay a special
farewell to Mr Anthony Burrows the
Estates Manager at COB, as he will be
leaving The College this year.
The awards ceremony is something
that Mrs Thomas feels every department
in The College should have, so that all staff
members can have a concrete and public
way of being appreciated for all that they
do.
Physical Plant
Renovates Office Space
When Debra Thomas arrived at
The College of The Bahamas in August
2005 to be Administrative Assistant in
the Physical Plant Department, she was
not very impressed with the office she
was expected to work in. It was dingy,
lacked a unifying decorative theme
and was uncomfortable. Added to the
unattractiveness of the office was the poor
state of repair of the bathroom, which
further contributed to the unprepossessing
appearance of her workspace.
Ms Thomas decided that she wanted
to cheer the office up by renovating it and
giving it a more professional appearance.
She met with the painters and carpenters
and they spent time looking at the
unattractive area and envisioning what
it could look like. "It was a collaborative
effort," she says. "Mr Anton Archer,
Mr Philiip Gibson and Mr Ricardo
Lightbourn who are all carpenters, Mr
Peter Knowles, Samantha Morley and
Tyrone Coakley who are painters and Mr
Vincent Curry, the Assistant Director of
Physical Plant, all contributed ideas and
work began in November."
"There are some excellent tradesmen
working in Physical Plant here at COB,"
adds Ms Thomas, "and it is very gratifying
to see how they have worked to bring this
project to fruition. They have added some
attractive touches like the aquarium which
they built themselves, and everything has
been done with complete professionalism."
*
Enhancing aEa
the tuient Experienc
President's Scholars
Programme
Highflying high school students who
have gained a GPA of 3.50 and have also
exhibited outstanding leadership qualities
now have the opportunity to attend
The College of The Bahamas, enjoying the
benefits of the new President's Scholars
Programme, one of the institution's
newest initiatives designed to enhance
the student experience. Launched in May
this year after exhaustive preparation,
the programme will invite the country's
top students to compete for scholarship
assistance of $6000.00 per academic year
for study at COB.
News of the programme has excited high
school guidance counselors in Nassau
and Freeport and they have reported
considerable interest among their
students.
Director of the President's Scholars
Programme, Lottis Shearer, is particularly
pleased to see her brainchild coming
to fruition. "This is not a new idea," she
explains, "and I was first made aware
of a similar programme some years ago
when I was away in Oklahoma studying
for my master's. I was very impressed
by the caliber of persons who had gone
through the programme there pillars of
the community, doctors, senators, church
leaders and one day I outlined my idea
I 6m
Delia Ferguson
to Franklyn Wilson, the Chairman of the
College Council, who was immediately
taken with it.
"In fact, the acting president, Dr
Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, and the
Director of Financial Aid and Housing,
Cheryl Carey, were thinking of a similar
scheme but one that focused only on
the academics. This programme, while
demanding high academic standards,
also requires that the students receive
leadership training and demonstrate their
qualities of leadership to the tune of 50
hours per semester."
Membership in the PSP allows
students to develop close associations
with university administrators and meet
scholars and dignitaries who frequently
visit the campus. Students chosen for the
PSP also have the opportunity to take
advantage of some of the most talented
faculty members at The College of The
Bahamas who teach special sections of
selected required courses.
The College/University awaits its
first intake of President's Scholars who
will be interviewed during the first weeks
of August. The College expects these
President's Scholars to raise both the
academic standards and COB's profile out
in the community and in the nation as a
whole.
Contact: LOTTIS SHEARER
Director ofPresidents Scholars Programme
Neucasha Greene
1nrsIba Lowe
Amina Sarr Dominic Stubbs Aqueela Thompson
TheC( eofThe Bahamas :: 32 :: The Snaer Auut2006
TEXACO/COB
Partnership:
Texaco Youth
Spokesperson
For the fifth consecutive year The
College of The Bahamas has partnered
with Texaco to sponsor the Texaco
National Road Safety Campaign. Finalists
from the Junior Achievement, Gentlemen's
Club, Rotary Club of Abaco speech
competitions, as well as the top debaters
from around the archipelago were invited
to participate and this year, twenty-three
young people took up the challenge. Nine
finalists emerged from the first round and,
after a keenly competitive final, Shireen
Hanna from Doris Johnson Senior High
School emerged as the winner.
A regular member of the Doris
Johnson debating team and a lover of
drama, Shireen, plans to attend COB in
the fall. She won a laptop computer, the
Sharon Wilson Award and, as a result
of the partnership between Texaco and
COB, a total of $10,000 in scholarships.
She will now become the Texaco National
Road Safety Spokesperson 2006-2007 and
play a key role in the National Road Safety
Campaign
One thing she definitely wants to
do when she comes to The College in
August is to take part in more plays but
her primary focus will be on her studies:
she plans to major in French and Spanish
and is looking forward to extending her
knowledge of those languages.
The first Texaco Youth Spokesperson,
Shantarra Davis, also studied at The
College of The Bahamas and both she
and Shireen are grateful recipients of the
collaboration between COB and Texaco
that continues to support this worthy
youth initiative. 0
Do You
Know?
The College of The Bahamas operates facilities on several islands of The Bahamas:
New Providence
Oakes Field Campus (Main)
Grosvenor Close Campus .... Contact Campus Administrator Ernestine
Douglas
Grand Bahama
Northern Bahamas Campus... Contact Asst. Vice President Dr Coralee
Kelly
Andros
Bahamas Environmental
Research Centre.............
Exuma
Contact Director Margo Blackwell.
Exuma Centre .............. Contact Coordinator Jennifer Kettel.
Bahamas Environmental Research
Centre
Staniard Creek, Andros
Among some of the less recognized
gems in the COB crown shines the
Bahamas Environmental Research Centre
in Andros. Located under soaring palms
on the banks of Staniard Creek in the
heart of that settlement, the "BERC",
as it is popularly known, began life in
1995 as a collaborative venture among
The College of The Bahamas, George
Mason University of Virginia, USA and
the people of Andros. In 2003 COB
assumed full responsibility and ownership
of the Centre, which exists, to promote an
understanding of current ecological issues,
especially those that impact small island
states such as The Bahamas. Its location on
the island ofAndros gives it an unqualified
advantage in fulfilling its mission.
Andros is an island of extensive
natural wonders that include some features
found nowhere else in the world and
its people enjoy a rich cultural heritage.
This combination provides an ideal
setting for discovering interrelationships
between and among fields as disparate
and as integrated as the sciences, women's
studies, community libraries, education,
art, religion and recreation.
The BERC is an ideal facilitator for
research initiatives, outreach programmes
and community based projects that lead
to sustainable development that can
impact the lives of native Androsians.
BERC personnel hope that the results of
these initiatives will provide data that will
eventually influence decision making at a
local and national level.
BERC director, Ms Margo
Blackwell, reports, "There are so many
opportunities of all sorts here in Andros.
In the past we have worked on coastal
and creek restoration at Man-O-War
Sound and Conch Sound and hope to
continue this summer at Davis Creek, but
there are five parks here in Andros and
it would be appropriate if COB could
get involved with mapping, monitoring
and documenting inventory of all five of
them."
Ms Blackwell sees these parks as
providing the basis for designing courses
and implementing programmes that
address Environmental Management
Systems, Park Management Systems
and Eco Tourism, as well as their being
the sites for research into crabs, crawfish,
orchids and bonefish.
The BERC also hosts some academic
courses through CEES and Ms Blackwell
states, "This year we ran the first college-
level courses and in fall 2006 we expect to
have a Bachelor's in Primary Education
and the foundations of a Bachelor's in
Business Administration on stream.
Our library is ready to open and we have
computers online and technology supports
ready to allow for interactive classrooms
for course delivery. We also hope to offer
a Bachelor's in Environmental Studies
in 2007 when, according to the Strategic
Plan, we will have a residential campus
here."
With long-term partnerships still
running with YEAST and ANCAT, it is
clear that these are exciting times for the
Research Centre in Andros. 0
^ Ii/1/4A
...... ......il.;...
.
ste.fi
*'
ERCI IIS~IIL1 I11II ~11
Bahamas Environmenta
The Snapper is a production of
the Office of Communication
(Formerly Institutional Advancement)
The College ofThe Bahamas
Production Team
Patricia Glinton-Meicholas
Vice President and Editor in Chief
Gordon Mills
Managing Editor
Writers
Maelynn Seymour Major
Marjorie Downie
Patricia Glinton-Meicholas
Support Staff
Lia Head, Director, Public Relations
Natasha Gibson, Administrative Assistant
Paulette McPhee, Secretary
Contact us
Telephones: 302-4353/4354
E-mail: communication@cob.edu.bs
Design andPrepress :: Guanima Press
Printing :: NAPCO Printing Service
|
Full Text |
PAGE 1
The College of The Bahamas :: 1 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Inside this edition Introducing the Fourth President of The College of The Bahamas ........ . 2 Two New Industrial Agreements Signed . 5 From the School of English Studies Free Speech Project .............. . 17 From the School of Social Sciences Scholars Weigh in on Censorship .... . 20 Security Services Keeping COB Campuses Safe ....... . 23 Jazz Under the Stars ............. . 25 Staff Spotlight .................. . 29 COB/Texaco Partnership: Texaco Youth Spokesperson ........ . 33 Introducing the Fourth President of The College of The Bahamas President’s Scholars 2006 Amina Sarr Aqueela Thompson Christa Lowe Delia Ferguson Dominic Stubbs Neucasha Greene Photograph copyright 2006 P. Neko Meicholas
PAGE 2
The College of The Bahamas :: 2 :: The Snapper . August 2006 e College of e Bahamas has begun a new and exciting page in its 32year history. After weeks of speculation and rumour, the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Honourable Alfred Sears, on Sunday, 21st May, announced the name of the institution’s fourth President to culminate what Chairman of the College Council, Franklyn Wilson, termed, “a momentous week for e College.†In a packed Executive Boardroom in the COB’s Michael H. Eldon Complex, Minister Sears told the assembled media and college personnel that he was pleased to announce that the Council of e College had selected Janyne Hodder to head the institution and that the Cabinet had accepted the Council’s selection. Minister Sears also spoke of Mrs Hodder’s rich nexus to e Bahamas and e College, having lived here for 12 years in the 1970s and 80s, and lectured at COB for most of those years. Over the years Mrs Hodder has maintained close links with e Bahamas and in an email sent after she heard of the appointment, she thanked the Council and pledged her commitment to the faculty, sta and students of the institution “which shaped my career and nurtured me in the cause which has inspired my entire professional life.†Mrs Hodder ended her email by inviting “all Bahamians to be our partners as we build on what e College has already done to make possible the birth of the University of e Bahamas.†e Minister thanked Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, Acting President, for her “steady leadership†during the past academic year and Mr Wilson added that she had accepted the position of Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Ocer for the coming year. e new President took up her appointment on July 1st, 2006 on a three-year contract and spent her rst weeks in making the acquaintance of and receiving briefs from internal and external stakeholders. Our new president is a bilingual Canadian with strong ties to e Bahamas and a rich background in higher education. In the early 1970s she voyaged to e Bahamas to teach at Queen’s College and later accepted a post as a lecturer at San Salvador Teacher’s College. From there it was a natural step to become one of the original faculty at the newly formed College of e Bahamas when it opened its doors in 1975. She later became the Head of the Reading Department in the Teacher Education Division. She served on many committees while lecturing at the College, including the committee preparing the core curriculum for the new institution, and was coordinator of COB’s Literacy Clinic for adolescents at risk of dropping out. Beyond the boundaries of COB she acted as Reading Consultant in Workshops in Literacy Pedagogy and coordinated a volunteer literacy programme for women prisoners at Fox Hill. In her native Canada she was Principal (President) of Bishops ‘University in Quebec for nine years, 1995 2004. At the time of her appointment Bishops was a liberal arts undergraduate institution that had not experienced growth in enrollment for many years and was struggling to raise funds. Mrs Hodder worked creatively with sta, union, policymakers, the private sector and the local community to improve the organizational structure of the University and to heighten its prole locally and internationally. She was so successful that enrollment blossomed and the university raised $18 million in scholarship funds. More recently she has been Vice-Principal (Inter-Institutional Relations) and interim Vice-Principal (Development and Alumni Relations). Prior to taking up her position at Bishop’s University, she worked at Quebec’s Ministry of Education, rising Highlights Jan.-Aug. 2006 Introducing the Fourth President of The College of The Bahamas Photograph copyright 2006 P. Neko Meicholas
PAGE 3
The College of The Bahamas :: 3 :: The Snapper . August 2006 to the position of Assistant Deputy Minister in Services to the English Speaking Community. She has also served as an educational consultant to Canadian universities and to the Canadian International Development Agency on the development of education systems in countries such as Kosovo and South Africa. Mrs Hodder is ideally suited to develop and strengthen the three fundamental pillars -Teaching, Research and Service that underpin the future of the University of e Bahamas. She has demonstrated a clear ability to work in harmony with all stakeholders of an institution in creating and sustaining an environment of scholarship; she has shown a sharp understanding of how to work eectively with governments to promote favourable educational policy; and she has exhibited an understanding of the important role universities play in shaping the local and national community. In addition, she has a proven track record of being able to raise money. Let us respond positively to her invitation, sent in an email after she learnt of her appointment, to be partners as we build on what her predecessors and e College at large have already done to make possible the birth of the University of e Bahamas. Mrs Hodder’s husband, Gareld Mullins, a writer and the retired head of a large technical and vocational institution in Canada, has accompanied his wife to e Bahamas. Mrs Hodder is mother to three highly accomplished adult children, two of whom were born in e Bahamas. President Hodder’s Key Messages On her third day in oce, Wednesday, July 5, President Hodder condently faced representatives of the media who had for so many months been speculating as to whether she would be chosen to lead e College of e Bahamas. She left no one in doubt as to her knowledge of the challenges and opportunities of the institution, the role it must play in national life and some of her initial goals in this connection. She made it clear that she considered necessary and was inviting partnerships in every sector and constructive criticism. She emphasized that e College must play a role in creating national prosperity and improve the quality of life for all who call e Bahamas home. Following is an extract from Mrs Hodder’s remarks: e College of e Bahamas is greater than any of us. Quality education is one of the essentials of nation building. Standing as it does at the apex of the education system of e Bahamas, e College is one of the bulwarks of the national enterprise. e institution must be respected and supported as such. We must all learn to say “Our College†and “Our Universityâ€, and preserve, protect and promote COB as one of the nation’s dearest possessions. Its continuing development must be the subject of collective focus and eort. One of the rst goals I have set for my tenure is to demonstrate clearly that every single person, every family, every life throughout the country should feel the positive impact of e College of e Bahamas. Everything that we do, every programme we develop should reect the fact that this is an island nation with its people residing in widely scattered communities. Every Bahamian–man, woman and child–is a shareholder in this enterprise and our eorts are on their behalf. It is my intention to make sure that there is not a single family across e Bahamas whose life is not touched by the work of e College-soon to be University. Whether because someone in the family is a full or part-time student in a certicate or degree programme, or whether someone is participating in an outreach programme of which we must develop more, or because the research we do is improving the quality of life–in marine science, in the hotel and tourism sector, in the nancial services sector, in health, in public policy, in culture or any other sector where we want to build strong research programmes or because our work is creating national prosperity by providing increasingly highly qualied graduates to the human resource pool. Whatever the route, every family in this country should be able to see that e College/University is having a benecial impact on its life. All in this country should, directly or indirectly, derive from e College something by which they can enhance the quality of their lives. My goal is to seek support from all Bahamians in the service of this ideal and to make dreams come true. e College will need support to meet this goal. It will need champions and critics aliketo make sure we set the right course and to help us through any treacherous shoals we nd on our journey. We will also need strong nancial support and look forward to counting on the generosity of Bahamians and others who care about this country. We will need strong ideas, varied expertise and a good dose of creativity, risk-taking and innovation. Most of all, we will need faith, hope and charity coming to us from all quarters. I have no doubt we will nd these in our work and partnership with the Bahamian people. Right now, the College community is engaged in rening the Strategic Plan for the University. We will be soliciting input from as many sources as possible to ensure that the institution, in its newest form, is fully capable of responding fully to the needs of the community. It is my intention to build strong communication within e College community and between e College and the wider community. I will strive to keep the lines of communication open, so that the exchange of ideas and information between the University and the people it serves will be continuous. I hope that you will be our partners in this respect and assure you of my availability to keep you well-informed about developments at e College. e Bahamas and e College of e Bahamas are often spoken of small, but “small†is a relative term. Both country and college have aspired beyond the limitations of their physical size and have accomplished great things. ere are also numerous highly regarded universities located in relatively small contexts-universities that have successfully dened their niche and their mission. I am condent we will do so here-when so much is at stake for the entire nation. The President Visits Grand Bahama e President wasted no time in spreading the word that e College was not e College of New Providence but e College of e Bahamas with a
PAGE 4
The College of The Bahamas :: 4 :: The Snapper . August 2006 mandate to serve every community in the archipelago. Accompanied by then Council Secretary Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, Mrs Hodder traveled to Freeport on her fourth day in oce to share that message with the team at COB’s Northern Bahamas Campus (NBC) and external stakeholders in the Grand Bahamian community. President Hodder held a breakfast meeting with Assistant VP Dr Coralee Kelly, who heads NBC and Anita Osman, a retired COB vice president, who has been representing Institutional Advancement in Freeport most recently. Later, the President took advantage of other opportunities to be briefed by Dr Kelly. At ten o’clock Mrs Hodder met with Sir Albert Miller, Chief Executive Ocer of Grand Bahama Port Authority, who rearmed his support for COB. Sir Albert, along with Edward St George, COB’s staunch friend, lobbied GBPA for a donation of land to build a new campus on Grand Bahama. Mrs Hodder assured Sir Albert that site works would begin shortly on the site east of Freeport. At lunchtime, President Hodder addressed a meeting of Rotary, receiving a warm welcome from the Grand Bahama President. e meeting had been facilitated by attorney and Rotarian Chris Gouthro. To this group, Mrs Hodder spoke of e College’s obligation to assist in creating prosperity in Grand Bahama by helpng to create a pool of skilled human resources for their business and other endeavours. Consistent with her message of ensuring that e College’s touches each life in e Bahamas benecially, President Hodder particularly emphasized her commitment to establishing more outreach programmes, particularly to at-risk groups in the community. Following the Rotary meeting, Mrs Hodder met, one-on-one with Academic Aairs Ocer Maggie Turner and later with NBC faculty and sta in a general meeting. e group welcomed her and asked many questions. ey told her that they liked what she was saying to them and hoped she would follow through. e group expressed the wish that the President would return soon to permit more extensive dialogue. Dr Kelly and Mrs Osman completed the visitors’ Freeport itinerary by taking them to see the new campus site o Grand Bahama Highway. e President and Mrs Meicholas’ return journey was challenged by the severe weather threatening Grand Bahama for most of the day, but thanks to Bahamasair’s plucky determination to get passengers safely to their destination, the pair landed in Nassau around midnight.
PAGE 5
The College of The Bahamas :: 5 :: The Snapper . August 2006 COB and BPSU e signing of an industrial agreement between e College of e Bahamas and e Bahamas Public Services Union on May 16 was a highly signicant landmark in the evolution of COB towards becoming the University of e Bahamas, according to Chairman of e College Council, Franklyn Wilson. Recognizing the essential support provided by members of BPSU in underpinning the work of Two New Industrial Agreements Signed the faculty, Mr Wilson expressed his satisfaction at the successful completion of negotiations between representatives from both sides that culminated in the signing in the President’s Boardroom. Mr Wilson referred to the event as yet another major achievement in the life of e College and he encouraged members of the general public to make themselves aware of the outstanding things that are happening at COB these days; things, he said, that are laying the foundations of what will be the University of e Bahamas. Beaming with pleasure, the Chairman warmly shook the hand of President of BPSU, Mr John Pinder, who also expressed his satisfaction at was the outcome of the negotiations, which would be benecial to all members at COB. He was pleased that the agreement includes a performance clause because, he said, “e BPSU supports good performance.†Acting President of e College, Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, praised the long, hard work of the negotiating teams, which would impact the lives of more than 350 non faculty workers at COB. She was pleased to recognise that the agreement would run until the end of December 2009 and pointed out that some of the more signicant clauses included the implementation of exi hours, a productivity review that was linked to merit pay and the introduction of 6 weeks’ leave for parents who adopt a child. In attendance at the signing were: Mr John Pinder, President of the Bahamas Public Services Union; Mr Franklyn Wilson, Chairman of the Council of e College of e Bahamas; Dr Rhonda ChipmanJohnson, Acting President of e College of e Bahamas; Mr S J Miller, SecretaryGeneral BPSU; Mr Eric Darville, BPSU Industrial Consultant; Tyrone Coakley, Chief Shop Steward, BPSU, COB; Mrs Gwen Charlow, Shop Steward, BPSU, COB; Ms Ellen Kennedy, Shop Steward, BPSU, COB; Mr Keith Archer, COB’s Industrial Consultant; Mrs Mavis Pratt, Director, Human Resources, COB; Ms Wendy Poitier-Albury, Director, Industrial & Employee Relations, COB; and Mrs Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, College Council Secretary. COB and UTEB Heralded as both an historic and a modern document, the industrial agreement between e College of e Bahamas (COB) and the Union of Tertiary Educators of e Bahamas (UTEB) was signed in a ceremony of pleasant informality and cordiality in the Executive Board Room of the Michael Eldon Complex on May 18. In the presence of the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Perry Christie, MP; Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Hon. Alfred Sears, MP; and Minister of Labour, the Hon. Shane Gibson, MP; Chairman of e College Council, Mr Franklyn Wilson; Acting President of e College of e Bahamas, Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson; President of Union of Tertiary Educators of e Bahamas, Mrs Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson and the Council Secretary put pen to paper, sealing an agreement process that has been close to three years in the making and one that has at times been acrimonious and dicult. But all contention was put aside, as parties enjoyed the moment that was recognized as “the birth of a new era in faculty
PAGE 6
The College of The Bahamas :: 6 :: The Snapper . August 2006 administration relations at COB.†Acknowledging that faculty members are key players in the academy’s team in the pursuit of excellence, Mr Wilson referred to the improved terms and conditions of service faculty will enjoy under this new agreement. He continued, “ere are three pillars of activity for faculty in a university: teaching, service and research. is agreement will allow our lecturers to meaningfully do all three.†Acting President, Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, heaved a noticeable sigh of relief when she commented that this day had been a long time coming and she went on to recognise a number of the people who had played signicant roles in the negotiation process. She then outlined the major changes that the new agreement would usher in including, new nomenclature for faculty, non-teaching summers, salary increases of an average of 17.5%, a lump sum payment, increased overload pay, improved professional leave grants, adoption leave and an increase in pay for sabbatical leave. She said that e College is aware of the vital role the faculty must play in the building of the University of e Bahamas and she trusted that this agreement would be the birth of improved relations and greater productivity. Mrs Isaacs-Dotson, President, UTEB congratulated the teams, which had contributed to the agreement and, somewhat tongue in cheek, reminded the assembly that it would soon be time to start the process again as the new accord was valid only until 2008. She called it an agreement the Union could live with, even if it was not one she felt the faculty deserved. She recognised the essential input from Mr Pat Bain and Mr Robert Farquharson of e National Congress of Trade Unions, who were called to the negotiating table at the eleventh hour to reopen communication lines when the parties appeared to be deadlocked. Minister Sears saw the signing as part of the fulllment of his mandate to move COB towards university status and to becoming a centre for excellence in the region. He also applauded the stakeholders who, mindful of the national interest, had moved in the spirit of compromise to achieve agreement. He was condent of a positive future for the institution. Prime Minister Christie was moved to comment: “e Bahamas is at a challenging stage in its development. We are ushering in a new level of examination of the nation and I expect direct input from e University of e Bahamas, input that will inform public policy for the future.†Clearly Mr Christie expects members of UTEB, the faculty of the institution, to be the sources of that information. Before the assembled persons dispersed, chefs and students from the Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute served a ne lunch.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 7 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Libraries and Instructional Media LIMS Week: Opening Ceremony Director of Libraries, Ms. Willamae Johnson, gave the opening remarks for the 6th annual Libraries and Instructional Media (LIMS) Week held at the Main Campus Library on January 23. She indicated that the aims of the ve campus libraries (four in New Providence and one in Grand Bahama) are threefold: to showcase the resources of these libraries and how to access these resources; to sensitise users to the value of libraries and librarians; and to showcase persons who have contributed to the Library Endowment Fund. Among the achievements the LIMS Week celebrated was the fact that, in Fall 2005, the rst cohort of students began the Master’s programme in Library and Information Science produced jointly by e College of e Bahamas and the University of South Florida. Also touted was the ongoing engagement in professional development, achieving degrees and certication at all levels, from doctoral to master, bachelor and associate levels. Guest speaker Anne Lawlor, Senior Lecturer in the School of English Studies, and one of the rst recipients of the Stanley Wilson Award for Excellence in Research, discussed the “odyssey†she had recently completed in writing, jointly with her husband Jim, “Harbour Island Story†which is now with its publishers. e project was started in 1997 and took 7 years to complete. Mrs Lawlor discussed highlights of the project, from the year she spent working with professionals in the Research Unit, to her contacts with historians and archivists in London and Massachusetts, and some serendipitous moments as she uncovered new and exciting information about the history of Harbour Island. e University of Miami and the University of Florida at Gainesville were also helpful sources of information. Mrs Lawlor noted that, although Harbour Island is often referred to as a former capital of the Bahamas, she found no documentation to support this. However, it can be considered the oldest sustained Puritan settlement in the Bahamas, having been settled in 1660. As such, it was settled before New Providence. Mrs Lawlor noted that the transition between research and writing is dicult. e archival work was completed in a year and most of the research in the rst two years but the major task of writing took the rest of the time. e challenge was condensing masses of information into a book-length story ree visiting librarians from Canada were in attendance from the National Library of Canada as were primary school students from a local school. Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, Acting President, also addressed the gathering, referring to the central role of a library in the life of a university and its role in preserving cultural identity. Miss Andrea Miller, Coordinator, Library Donor Fund, made presentations to library donors, who included Dr Leon Higgs, past President of e College. Dr Pandora Johnson, VP Research, Planning and Development, gave the vote of thanks. Glenelle Scantlebury was the Mistress of Ceremonies. Tanya Northeast gave the Invocation and Catherine Archer sang the National Anthem.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 8 :: The Snapper . August 2006 e third biennial Association of Tertiary Institutions in e Bahamas (ATIB) was held from February 1-3 at Breezes Super Clubs under the theme “Academic Research and the College Community Informing National Development, Shaping National Identityâ€. e highlight of the ocial opening ceremony was a public lecture given by the Hon. Rex Nettleford, Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies, who addressed the Conference’s theme. He began by giving an overview of the development of a unied approach to tertiary education in the region and described the support of e College’s rst President, Dr Keva Bethel, for the formation of ATIB. He also mentioned the important role played by Sir Lynden Pindling in the founding of COB and the former prime minister’s belief that tertiary level education had to be established and strengthened if decolonization of the Caribbean region were to be achieved. Professor Nettleford dwelt on the importance of the mind and using it to develop critical thinking. e mind is an “impregnable bastion against all oppressors,†he said and exercising the mind is the “surest guarantee for securing one’s humanity, one’s dignity, one’s individuality.†He also spoke of the conict between ignorance “the most dangerous weapon of mass destruction†and education “the critical means for change.†By exercising our minds, institutes of further education provide the means of achieving the goals of eradicating poverty, ensuring security, improving health, enhancing economic prosperity, promoting justice and peace, Association of Tertiary Institutions of The Bahamas (ATIB) Conference and ensuring environmental sustainability. Nettleford’s address was uent and at times humorous, leaving the audience in no doubt of the important role tertiary level institutions play in the development and intellectual liberation of a nation. Presenters at the conference included two of COB’s administrators, Mrs Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, Council Secretary and Acting Vice-President of Institutional Advancement, and Dr Earla Carey-Baines, Dean of the Faculty of Liberal and Fine Arts. Mrs Meicholas’ topic was “Informing National Development, Shaping National Identity: What Remains to Be Done, What You Can Doâ€, while Dr CareyBaines spoke on “Monitoring Academic Integrity.†Mrs Meicholas began by characterizing e Bahamas as “a nation under active construction†in terms of it national and cultural identity and she urged conference participants to tell a truer Bahamian story through “an unswerving dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and truth.†She warned of the negative impact of certain national institutions on the way of life here in e Bahamas. Among these institutions are religion with its oversimplication of what is needed to improve the country, politics with its uninformed strategies that so often ignore the realities of Bahamian geography, history and culture, the “hegemony of United States’ culture and geopolitics†and the tourism industry that has “created a perpetual vacation mindset†and has “excised junkanoo from its historical boundaries.†She expressed the need for a more reasonable approach to assessing the claims of junkanoo especially regarding its place in our schools. Mrs Meicholas concluded her provocative presentation by recommending that the academic community produce “learned and balanced pronouncements on national development†and that it demystify research and make its ndings more readily available to the general public. Dr Carey-Baines spoke on the need for academic honesty and the vexing and growing issue of plagiarism. In dening academic integrity, she noted, “it involves adherence to ethical codes and principles of right and wrong.†It is a “system of values, rules and standards governing behaviourâ€. Academic integrity has to be monitored because students are unfamiliar with “protocols, practices and processes of the academy’ and, in addition, Bahamian society needs not only excellent institutions but also moral ones. Dr Carey-Baines stated that tertiary institutions must show they value academic honesty through “clearly crafted and dened policies and procedures that govern allegations of misconduct†and faculty and students must understand their responsibilities and the institution’s expectations. In turn, the institution must publicize its policies on academic integrity in its mission and goal statements and on course syllabi and exam papers. Finally, Dr Carey-Baines asserted that success could be measured by the “implementation of consistent, fair, transparent standards and procedures for handling academic misconduct and by faculty and students accepting responsibility for creating and maintaining an institution that values academic honesty.â€
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The College of The Bahamas :: 9 :: The Snapper . August 2006 e College of e Bahamas and the Bahamas Association for Cultural Studies (BACUS) combined in February to sponsor the visit by Dr Honor FordSmith, Jamaican scholar, poet, women’s rights activist and university lecturer, to present two lectures and an evening of her poetry. Dr Ford-Smith was a pioneer of the women’s movement in Jamaica in the 1970s during the Manley era. e organizer of the event was Mrs Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, President of BACUS and Acting VP Institutional Advancement (IA), who commented that the event was a part of IA’s community outreach programme. It was an opportune time for Dr FordSmith’s visit, coming as it did in the week that e Tribune published an Amnesty Bahamas article that opened by asking the question, “Do women in e Bahamas experience equal rights and opportunities?†e article went on to stress the urgency for legislation to protect women in areas of health, employment and social justice. Mrs Audrey Ingram-Roberts, member of the College of e Bahamas Council and friend of the visiting lecturer, introduced Honor Ford-Smith as the founder of “Sistrenâ€, a women’s theatre group that has performed in the Caribbean and internationally. Her rst lecture used material from her book Lionheart Gal: Life Stories of Jamaican Women, which she “collaboratively authored†with the women of Sistren. Written in Jamaican dialect, the stories deal with working-class women’s encounters and life experiences with men at a time when equal rights and opportunities were a hypothetical dream. e book, a raucous, racy, rambunctious ride through the bumpy terrain of relationships and class, calls on the legacy of tale-telling that preserves the history of Caribbean women and makes a strong case for prose writing in patois as a sign of refusing to imitate the language of the colonizer. Her second lecture, “unwritten: race, violence, sexuality and Jamaican performance†focused on the importance of performance in resistance to colonization. Ford-Smith used two striking images: the rst was the performances of gender in Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association and the examine the bonds and stresses in the lives of a great-grandmother, a grandmother, a mother and a daughter over the span of 100 years. To hear Ford-Smith read was to have been taken on a journey through the history and social conventions of our island neighbour to the south and her easy switching from standard pronunciation to broad Jamaican were a source of delight and humor. e book is dedicated to FordSmith’s mother, Dr Joyce Kathleen Tate, a pioneering Jamaican doctor who worked in prisons and with the poor and who was a fundamental inuence on her daughter. ere is a beautiful sense of appreciation for her mother yet the poems also reect times of frustration, anger and disappointment. While they are intensely personal and the writer was visibly moved as she read of her mother’s passing, they also reach us in an objective way, bringing to mind our own experiences of and thoughts on family, gender, race, place, and culture, making the book a tangible experience for people of various backgrounds. Visit of Honor Ford-Smith second the challenges to middle class respectability and sexual rigidity through variety concerts in Edelweiss Park. Sexuality was a major theme of the lecture and she was at pains to elaborate on the homophobia of Jamaican society. She also wanted to examine through a sexual theory lens the way the ‘discovery’ of the region has been depicted in European art and literature. Dr Ford-Smith’s third presentation was an evening of her poetry mainly taken from her book, My Mother’s Last Dance . Set in Jamaica and Canada the poems
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The College of The Bahamas :: 1 0 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Dr Linda Davis, Vice-President Academic Aairs; Dr Earla Carey-Baines, Dean of Faculty of Liberal and Fine Arts; Dr addeus McDonald, Dean of Faculty of Social and Educational Studies and Dr Pandora Johnson, Vice-President Research, Planning and Development, formed a delegation of administrators from e College of e Bahamas who attended Universidad 2006, the Fifth International Congress on Higher Education in Havana, Cuba in February. Also in attendance were Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Alfred Sears, MP; Director of Higher Education and Lifelong Learning at the Ministry, Dr Leon Higgs, and Mrs Paula Sweeting-Davis, Assistant Director, Tertiary and Quality Assurance Division. Under the theme, “Universalisation of the University for a Better Worldâ€, Universidad 2006 aimed at exploring solutions to the challenges of lifelong education for all. e rst congress held in 1998 hosted just 15 countries; this year’s congress welcomed over 3,000 delegates from over 70 countries, some from as far away as New Zealand. e ocial opening of Universidad 2006 was held on Monday, 13th February at which delegates were honoured with the presence of Fidel Castro. On the four days following the opening, delegates were able to select from a large number of presentations from nine in the morning until ve in the afternoon. Presenters from around the world focused on a variety of topics that sought to analyse and synthesise experiences regarding the universalisation of education; that is, the ability of academic institutions to create environments in which all citizens can receive a university education at any stage in their lives. Among the many topics discussed were the relevance and impact of post graduate education on the development of society, quality evaluation in higher education, information and communication technologies in the transformation of university processes and the role of student and trade union organisations in building a better world. Presenters also sought to identify trends and perspectives of higher education and to exchange experiences linked to the improved training of university professionals. ey explored avenues for international cooperation in the quest for sustainable development and acknowledged the use of information and communication technologies in dierent university processes. e delegation from e College of e Bahamas was particularly pleased that many of the ideas discussed at the congress resonated with the goals and objectives identied for e College, particularly as it transitions to university status. COB delegates noted that e College’s commitment to producing citizens with a deep-rooted belief in their civic and social responsibility and to providing educational opportunities to all no matter their age, status or geographic location were clearly articulated components of the universalisation of the education process. e delegation also noted that many of the challenges confronting e College bedevil other academic institutions represented at the congress. Delegates from a variety of institutions owned to such challenges as providing access, better equity, increased eciency and increased quality, discussed possibilities, exchanged experiences and shared ideas and practical solutions. After sessions at the congress, the Bahamian delegation was given numerous opportunities to visit institutions in and around Havana. One of the places visited was the International School for Physical Education and Sports that oers places to students from around the world, including e Bahamas. e school aims to educate young people in a variety of disciplines connected to sports and physical health. Upon completion of their studies, students are expected to act as the driving force of sports development in their countries through either teaching or coaching. Another fascinating visit was to the Polytechnic Clinic in an economically challenged community. is clinic is equipped to deal with any medical emergency and, like hospitals and clinics throughout Cuba, provides health care free of charge to all. In such clinics the professional and the educational merge. Doctors and nurses pass on their knowledge and expertise to students as part of the students’ medical training. With this visit, delegates were able to see rst hand how one of the objectives of the universalization of education could be realized. Instead of being restricted to the halls of the academy, teaching and learning were taking place in situ resulting in students having a real presence in the community and schools and universities developing people who are committed citizens. Universidad 2006 Havana.Cuba
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The College of The Bahamas :: 11 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Centre for Continuing Education & Extension Services Student Spotlight Drexel Deal A Man of Special Vision Ten years ago, Drexel Deal was shot in the eye in a foiled robbery attempt. Today he is a reformed member of society working with at-risk young men. He teaches them about the dangers of crime and the options they can use to turn their lives into positive channels. Deal has done four courses with the Continuing Education Department of e College of e Bahamas. ese included courses in Public Speaking, Eective Writing, and Human Resource Management. A former President of the Disabled Persons Organisation, Deal says training in Human Resource Management has assisted him in organizing his workshops and fundraising initiatives. Using the expertise gained in these courses, Deal spearheaded a project that provided computer training for 21 persons. According to Deal, many disabled persons have low expectations before they become aware of the power of positive thinking and appropriate training. e females believe they are limited to jobs as receptionists and the males as workers at the mop factory. He helps them see that with the proper training, they can gain employment based on their competencies rather than having to depend on favors or handouts. Deal’s philosophy is that he would rather attempt a task and fail than not try at all. He avoids negative people and works with those who are willing. Describing himself as “up front†and “persistent†Deal does not take “No†for an answer. He characterizes himself as “a student in the journey called life,†who has accomplished more as a blind person than as a sighted one. He works with a youth programme called “Brothers against Crime and Killing.†e aim is to train youngsters who will then go into the Grants Town community to train residents in computer skills. How does he spend his spare time? He reads. His audiotapes ll many hours. His other love is speaking. D. Paul Reilly, whom he describes as “a father gure,†encouraged him to join Toastmaster’s International because he had a speech impediment. at experience made him a uent and condent speaker whose “passion†is to become a motivational speaker working with young students. He plans to set up his own business to train young people. Plans are well advanced; he has located a sponsor and is looking for more funding for the project. Disabled persons in the Bahamas still face many challenges, says Deal. ey need more access and opportunity-access to training and jobs; opportunities to obtain work in their chosen careers. Most importantly, they need acceptance and respect from the community.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 12 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Colour of Harmony e Governor General of the Commonwealth of e Bahamas, His Excellency Hon. Arthur D. Hanna; Minister Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Attorney General and Minister of Financial Services, Canon Kirkley Sands, Council member Mrs Audrey IngramRoberts and honoree Cleophas Adderley were among the luminaries at the ocial opening of the 17th annual Colour of Harmony held Wednesday, April 5, 2006 at the Portia Smith Student Services Centre. e celebration is among the highlights of the year for the School of Communication & Creative Arts, under the auspices of the Faculty of Liberal & Fine Arts, headed by Dr Earla Carey-Baines. Acting President Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson said the event showed e College’s “commitment to driving cultural growth.†She asserted that Mr Adderley, the latest recipient of the Colour of Harmony’s E. Clement Bethel Award, had made a “sterling contribution to the development of the arts†particularly in the eld of music. Mrs Pauline Glasby, Head of the Music Department, spoke of Mr Adderley’s teachers, who included E. Clement Bethel himself and Marion St George. She said Mr Adderley, who was writing music while still in the Sixth Form at e Government High School, became a “musical lawyer.†He studied for his law degree at the University of the West Indies where he was President of the Bahamian Student Association and an organist at the UWI Chapel. He wrote the rst Bahamian classical opera, “Our Boys.†He also wrote the rst Caribbean mass, “Missa Caribe†using folk material. Mr Adderley is the founder and Director of the internationally known National Youth Choir, a former President of the Nassau Music Society, and has published hundreds of songs. During his remarks, Mr Hanna expressed his pride in the achievements of e College over the years. He reected on the institution’s beginnings, noting that the idea of a post “O†level college was a brainchild of Rodney Bain. Mr Cleophas Adderley expressed his thanks for the award, signaling his gratitude for those who helped him achieve his goals, including his mother, Helen Bailey Adderley, who gave him a “desire to give back†to his community and his aunt, Rosalie Bailey, who was his rst piano teacher. He referred to E. Clement Bethel, his piano teacher and mentor, as the person who instilled in him a love of the arts. Dr Linda Davis, VP Academic Aairs, presented a certicate of appreciation to Mr Kendrick Coleby who, according to Dr Carey-Baines, had been instrumental in assisting the Music Department through his fundraising eorts with Artists Guild International. Among the highlights of Colour of Harmony were performances by COB Music majors. e audience seemed particularly to enjoy a solo, “e Sound of Music,†by Mericha Walker and “More than Words,†a rendition by Voice major, Lazano Rolle and Jackson Jeer on bass guitar. Following the music segment of the programme, audience members were invited to view the Art Exhibition by COB Art students set up in the foyer of the Portia Smith Building. As has been the case through the years of Colour of Harmony, guests expressed delight at the level of attainment reected in the work of the student artists. Band Festival As a contribution to community development, e College launched its Band Festival in February under the auspices of the Faculty of Liberal and Fine Arts, led by Dr Earla Carey-Baines, Dean, and organized by three faculty members of the Music Department of the School of Communication and Creative Arts: HOD Pauline Glasby and music lecturers Kathleen Bondurant and Chris Justilien. Facilitators included were three visiting clinicians from Texas: Keith Fiala, Andre Peschka and Adam Cartwright. Guest musician Keith Fiala, a trumpet player, has performed with the famous Maynard-Ferguson band worldwide. Adam Cartwright, a brass specialist, has performed in Oklahoma symphonies and in the Busch Gardens eme Park Band. Andrew Peschka, who plays woodwind instruments, is a performer and studio musician. Resident clinician and COB Music lecturer, Kathleen Bondurant, has a PhD in Flute Performance and has been a university professor for 10 years. Chris Justilien, well-known COB music lecturer and Junkanoo enthusiast, is also the leader of the local band, Ambassah. e Festival oered master classes for musicians at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of performance skills and created opportunities for young musicians from several school bands, including that of e College. e initiative culminated From the School of Communication & Creative Arts
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The College of The Bahamas :: 13 :: The Snapper . August 2006 in a Grand Performance of students and clinicians, which took place at the recently erected Band Shell on Saturday, March 18. Although this diverse group of musicians had never played in concert together previously, the quality of music thrilled an audience of College personnel, relatives of local performers and members of the general public. e festival band, directed by Peschka, Cartwright and Bondurant, performed a selection of music with an international theme-from the German “Guten Morgen†to the English “A Holiday in London†in three movements. After the enthusiastically received Festival Band performance, the clinicians gave individual performances. Peschka played a piece from Famous Studies†followed by Cartwright on bass trombone playing “Sonata for Trombone.†Chris Justilien then played “Carnival of Venice†on the euphonium, followed by Fiala who played a piece on the horn. All received appreciative applause. e COB Band, conducted by Justilien, performed three nal pieces. Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, Acting President, presented certicates of appreciation to all ve clinicians and Dean Carey-Baines gave the vote of thanks. Foreign Languages Day e Department of Foreign Languages in the School of Communication and Creative Arts, chaired by Christine Diment, put on a very successful foreign Languages Day on March 9, 2006. Designed to promote the work of the Foreign Languages Department and the benets of learning foreign languages, the day showcased the talents and achievements of students of foreign languages. Independence Park became an international mecca as faculty and students combined to present songs and dances from the Hispanic and French speaking worlds. Two of the most memorable among the seventeen presentations were a choral presentation in Spanish of the song, “La Mulattaâ€, with traditionally attired dancers, and an innovative Haitian Creole song performed by students from the Creole for Beginners 103, Sections 1 and 2. Traditional Hispanic, French and Haitian foods were also in evidence for the audience to sample free of charge and there was a skit and a fashion show of Hispanic and French dress. Head of the Foreign Languages Department, Ms Pamela Collins was enthusiastic about the day’s events: “is was much bigger than last year’s Foreign Languages Day and we believe we have succeeded in giving foreign languages a higher prole here at e College.â€
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The College of The Bahamas :: 14 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Island Spotlight Cat Island Over the course of the more than ve centuries since Christopher Columbus set foot on a Bahamian island on October 12, 1492, the land mass we know as “Cat Island†has been called by at least four dierent names: the Lucayan “Guanimaâ€, “San Salvador†from the Spanish era “Columbaâ€, as referred to by Woodes Rogers, the rst Royal Governor of e Bahamas; and now “Cat Islandâ€, believed to be so called after a pirate of the same name. ere are many Bahamians and historians who believe that San Salvador is the name by which the Genoese explorer called the island. Among the many compelling arguments for this claim is the fact the island bore that title until 1926, until Rev. Chrysostom Schreiner the rst Catholic missioner to this country, lobbied inuential Bahamians of his acquaintance to have the name changed by Act of Parliament. Cat Island was thus dethroned from its status as landfall island and the title passed to what was hitherto “Watlings Islandâ€. Cat Island boasts a fascinating archeology. As were all of the major islands in the Central and southern Bahamas, it was targeted for major plantation development by Loyalist settlers who were forced to leave the new United States in the late 1700s following that country’s War of Independence. ey bore such names as “Doudâ€, “McQueenâ€, “Gaitorâ€, “Hunterâ€, “Deveaux†and “Eveâ€, many who left an enduring mark by giving their names to settlements. e remains of their failed plantations are agged by ruined great houses, ornate chimneys that are no longer connected to hearth or house, miles of slave-built freestone walls, outlining sheep pens. e planters grew cotton, pineapples among a variety of crops and raised livestock. Later, hopeful governors, seeking to nd a stable and protable agricultural product, would urge the planting of mulberry trees, sisal and coconut palms. On Cat Island, one can still see the remains of the railway tracks that accommodated cars that carried produce to waiting ships. Famed is Hunter’s Golden Grove Plantation where a slave known as “Black Dick†was hanged for leading a small revolt against his master. Even better known is the property of Andrew Deveaux, Sr, from whom several Bahamian families can trace their lineage. Deveaux is best known through the fame of his adventurous namesake son, Andrew Deveaux, Jr, who captured Nassau from occupying Spanish troops by means of an ingenious ruse. He may have saved himself the trouble: unknown to him, the British and the Spanish had just signed the Treaty of Versailles, which would have compelled the occupiers to depart. Nevertheless, the daring exploit brought Deveaux and his family thousands of acres of land on Cat and other islands, the gift of a grateful administration. Cat Island is also famed as the place where the Catholic priest Monsignor John C Hawes, noted architect and hermit lived for almost fteen years and built some of his most renowned works, including the churches of St Francis of Assisi and Holy Redeemer and his much visited hermitage, Mount Alvernia, which sits atop the highest peak in e Bahamas-Comer Hill-at 206 feet above sea level. Arthur’s Town, once the seat of the Commissioner of North Cat Island, was home to an extraordinary experiment in education. In the mid-1950s Rodney Bain and his English-born wife Gillian founded a high school where young Cat Islanders were taught Latin, French, English Literature, Mathematics and many of the other subjects found in an English grammar school. ey submitted their students to the rigour of the external certicate examinations and their faith in their students proved well founded. Although they have become familiar with the small resorts that dot their home island, attracting visitors from faraway lands, many Cat Islanders are still rural people, faithfully planting the elds husbanded by generations of their families. ey are a clever people, adept in music, storytelling and dance. Traditional rake and scrape music produced by homemade instruments and concertinas is being restored to prominence by growing interest in things cultural. Visitors are drawn by the annual Rake and Scrape Festival and the Cat Island Regatta. Many local writers also travel there annually for a conclave sponsored by Bahamas Writers Society, founded and still directed by Cat Island native Sylvia Larrimore Crawford. Cat Island is the birthplace or ancestral home of a host of Bahamian notables and native sons and daughters have for decades swelled the ranks of the public service. Cat Island has produced mathematician and amateur historian Eris Moncur, His Excellency Basil O’Brien, the scholarly Turner and Campbell families and the enterprising urston clan. COB employees born on the island include Janice Campbell Munnings, Sheila Seymour (both lecturers in the School of Education) and Patricia GlintonMeicholas, among others.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 15 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Ofce of Academic Affairs ACE Basics of Leadership Leaders in Action On March 2, 2006 the American Council on Education held its rst Department Leadership Conference outside of the continental USA here in e Bahamas, drawing department chairs, deans, directors and heads from e College and branches of the public service. e theme of the conference was “e Challenge of Leadershipâ€, a subject highly relevant given this moment in the College’s history. As e College of e Bahamas evolves into the University of e Bahamas, there will be new leaders in new positions; establishing the best working relationships with their teams and departments will be of the utmost importance. Dr Linda Davis, VP Academic Aairs initiated and led the negotiation to secure this premier development initiative for e College of e Bahamas. Dr Irene Hecht, the Director of the Department of Leadership Programmes at ACE and Dr Walter Gmelch, Dean of the School of Education at University of San Francisco provided expert facilitation. Dr Hecht kicked o the two-day event by asking participants not to think of it as a conference but as a workshop. e activities oered were consistent with her request. Dr Hecht said that we had a ‘nice sense of community’ at e College and this, she claimed, would help the COB participants, who numbered 45, to interact with each other on a higher level. e workshop was managed seamlessly and was well organised by the facilitators. One activity had delegates examine exactly why they felt a certain way about their leadership roles. Following lunch they worked in groups exploring the keys to leading a productive department and how a new leader should approach his team for the rst time. From this topic the groups moved on to the way groups or teams make decisions and the maxim, “It’s not the leader’s plan it’s our plan†became an important working principle. Day Two of the Conference began with Dr Hecht presenting “Working with Systems†which focused on how to forge a shared vision through proper communication, looking at long-term goals and setting precedents for the future, rather than just dealing with the immediate problem. e nal session focused on the always topical subject of conict resolution within departments. Dr Gmelch led the session in a dynamic and lively manner that created keen interest and participation from the assembly. He insisted that the best way to deal with conicts was to keep focused on the principles involved rather than the specic details of a particular claim. Collaboration, he asserted, is probably the most productive method of conict resolution because it gains commitment from all parties, it provides a permanent solution and all sides feel they have won. Reactions from participants: Dr Thaddeus McDonald , Dean of Faculty of Social and Educational Studies said, “is conference exceeded all my expectations. It was so practical and it addressed many issues relevant to COB today.†Pauline Glasby , Head of Visual and Performing Arts Department, School of Communication & Creative Arts said, “It was extremely well organised and I particularly liked the mixture of methods lectures, workshops, conversations and role play. e leaders skillfully brought out ideas that we had at the back of our minds but may not have thought about for a long time.†Lionel Johnson , Head of Department, School of Sciences & Technology, found it “very timely and it gave plenty of insights into the running of a large organisation. It also pointed out many of the pitfalls that await those in leadership positions. I think more faculty would have beneted from it, especially those who aspire to being coordinators or heads of department. It provided materials to help persons make adjustments to their leadership style in order to improve relations with their departments.†25Th Conference on Caribbean Literature University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad ree members of the faculty of the School of English Studies, the Chair, Dr Ian Strachan, and lecturers, Dr Marjorie Brooks-Jones and Dr Michelene Adams, presented papers at the 25th Conference on Caribbean Literature at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad from March 2-4 this year. Under the theme of “Where is Here: Remapping the Caribbeanâ€, the conference attracted over eighty presenters whose attendance was swelled by a number of prominent West Indian writers and scholars including Erna Brodber, Mervyn Morris, Lorna Goodison, Earl Lovelace and Merle Hodge. In her presentation Dr Adams focused on Erna Brodber’s book Myal. Myalism has been portrayed in history as devilry but Brodber’s depiction of it shows it to be a healing and uniting force. Dr BrooksJones presented on Bahamian women writers, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas and Marion Bethel, and their impact on the cultural shaping of nationalism and identity while Dr Strachan’s presentation was the history of his Track Road eatre Company, a non-prot company with an anti-establishment bent. He told of the trials and tribulations of taking avant garde art to the community under the company’s theme of “Building a Peopleâ€. In addition to these three presenters, there were also contributions from Dr Tony Bethell-Bennett and Christian International Initiatives/Conferences
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The College of The Bahamas :: 16 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Campbell, two other Bahamian scholars with strong connections to e College of e Bahamas. Presenters addressed such aspects of the theme as Caribbean gateways to future worlds; diasporan escapes; the visual and virtual Caribbean; spirit journeys and psychic territories; translating the “Folkâ€; and sexual citizenship. Within these topics the marginal literatures of the region and the idea that the Caribbean is a place that exists beyond geography were considered. Further explorations concerned what denes a Caribbean or national text and who is a Caribbean writer, what constitutes the canon or marks the parameters of literary criticism and theory, who is the Caribbean subject and indeed, where is the Caribbean? Dr Strachan reported one very exciting piece of news for e College of e Bahamas and that is the distinct possibility of the conference coming to e Bahamas next year. Its 2007 theme is to be Horizons and Dr Strachan sees it as a wonderful opportunity for e Bahamas to reestablish itself within the Caribbean literary community and to showcase our poets especially, who he sees as producing works that match anything by other writers of poetry within the region. UWI Country Conference Series e University of the West Indies (UWI) Country Conference Series that has visited ten Caribbean islands in the last six years, nally touched down in e Bahamas for its penultimate conference in June this year. Professor Lawrence Carrington, Pro Vice Chancellor, Non-Campus Countries and Distance Education Director in the School of Continuing Studies, UWI, explained that the Country Conference Series was part of the general outreach programme of the School of Continuing Studies and that it was started as a means of creating a research environment in the non-campus countries aliated to the University of the West Indies. In his introduction of keynote speaker, Dr Doswell Coakley, he expressed how pleased he was that the conference was going to receive a real “take-o boost†from a gure with such public stature. Dr Coakley, a former police ocer and one time Director of Immigration in Grand Bahama, spoke on a very topical subject: “Illegal Immigration to e Bahamasâ€. While painstakingly outlining and describing the history, the reasons for and the extent of the problem, which he described as an epidemic, Dr Coakley gave no possible solutions, preferring to remain within the parameters of what needs to be done without explaining how it could be achieved. Former president of e College of e Bahamas, Dr Leon Higgs, bringing welcome from the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Alfred Sears, spoke about the part played by the University in the development of e Bahamas. He reminded all delegates that, as e Bahamas supports UWI nancially, we should all regard the institution as our university. A number of COB personnel or people with strong COB connections made presentations at the conference, once again emphasizing the accomplished levels of research and scholarship to be found among COB faculty and associated members of the community. Among them were Neil Sealey, ex-lecturer in Geography, who spoke on Coastal Erosion and Sea Wall Construction in e Bahamas and Dr addeus McDonald, Dean of Faculty of Educational and Social Sciences, whose presentation was on the results of a study he co-conducted on e Movement of Haitian Nationals Between Haiti and e Bahamas. Mr Sealey impressed upon his audience the shortcomings of hard structure coastal defences concrete sea walls compared to the soft approach dune restoration. With the inestimable assistance of a number of slides, he showed a broad range of sea wall damage and clearly described the deciencies of this type of coastal defence. Coastlines will repair themselves from extreme damage caused by hurricanes and excessively rough tides if there is enough room between the dunes and the roads behind them. Unfortunately, there is no such luxury in so many islands of e Bahamas; hence the apparent need for sea walls. Dr McDonald’s presentation was exclusively statistical and was based on interviews with over 500 Haitians living in e Bahamas. Four other members of e College community, William Fielding, Virginia Ballance, Carol Scriven and Dr Pandora Johnson, were also involved in the research that was funded by the International Organization for Migration. As it was a statistical survey, the social implications and the methods of dealing with the problem were not raised. One time COB lecturer, Gina Morley, now an attorney at law, presented on “e Legal Disabilities of Bahamian Women and the Concomitant Eect on Illegitimate Childrenâ€. She described the unwillingness of many women to go through the court system to involve the fathers of their children in supporting those ospring and made some recommendations for legally imposing responsibility on the fathers of children born out of wedlock. e nal session of the conference began with a presentation from School of English Studies lecturer, Dr Helean Rolle, which asked the question, Is Bahamian Dialect a Creole? After explaining that a Creole is a language learnt by a transplanted population, Dr Rolle showed evidence of syntactical constructions to support the assertion that Bahamian dialect is indeed a Creole. She believes that this should impact the way we introduce children to Standard English. e nal presentation was given by Dr Ian Strachan, Chair of the School of English Studies, who diverted from his announced thesis and spoke on the role of e College of e Bahamas in national cultural development. Dr Strachan believes that COB has a pivotal role to play beyond the classroom in correcting the under examination of Bahamian life and he sees the library and research centre, auditorium, COB radio and tv channels and a publishing division as vital in this area. Professor Carrington brought the conference to a close with an erudite and highly informed summary of each presentation, pointing out their merits and commenting on the interest they had generated. He thanked all for the smooth organisation of the two days and looked forward to the concluding conference in the not too distant future.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 17 :: The Snapper . August 2006 From the School of English Studies Free Speech Project: Majority Rule and Race Relations in e Bahamas e Free Speech Project of the School of English Studies in February involved eight speakers on the theme of Majority Rule and Race Relations in e Bahamas. e speakers, poet and journalist, Christian Campbell; COB history lecturer, Chris Curry; journalist and veteran politician, Sir Arthur Foulkes; ex-union representative, Godfrey Kelly; actor and self-proclaimed Conchy Joe, Matthew Kelly; lawyer, Alex Morley; writer and historian, Gail Saunders and Chair of the School of English Studies, Ian Strachan, presented in pairs and all held their audiences rapt with their reminiscences of and insights into the history of race relations and e Bahamas at the time of and after majority rule. eir focuses ranged from union activity in the lead up to majority rule to bleaching creams, from lost and rootless white Bahamians to brainwashed blacks believing in their own inferiority, from segregated graveyards in Harbour Island to the way the church and the government have kept black Bahamians ignorant and from speech as a racial determinant to the signicant increase in mixed race marriages in e Bahamas of the twentyrst century. Engaging and informative, the presentations gave a wealth of insights into the development of e Bahamas politically and socially. One thing they all shared was the assertion that there is far more racism in e Bahamas than most people either acknowledge or are aware of. Some of it is overt but much more is covert and insidious, involving the hegemony of European culture, the subliminal power of the media and the inability of people who desire change to replace what is already there with something better. All four sessions were very well attended and each was followed by a lively and informed discussion period. Free Speech Project: African Film Series By way of a departure from its normal presentations in its Free Speech Project Series, e School of English Studies presented a series of African lms in an attempt to expose COB students to lms that serve functions dierent from those presented at the commercial cinemas. e lms, a mixture of documentaries and narrative dramas, allowed viewers to understand a little about the rich tradition of lmmaking in dierent countries on the great continent. Dr Ian Strachan, Chairperson of the School of English Studies, states, “Our Free Speech Projects have all tried to raise the students’ consciousness regarding national issues but this time I wanted to broaden horizons and raise awareness to a world beyond Nassau and Miami. It was my intention to expose the students to issues that they would not otherwise have had access to. ese lms also have thematic connections to issues in e Bahamas.†e lms included Women With Open Eyes, a documentary from Togo, which shows how African women are beginning to open their eyes, to speak out and to organize themselves around ve key issues: marital rights, reproductive health, female genital mutilation, women’s role in the economy and political rights that have always kept them classied as minors in the hierarchy of African social life; and Fathers, a collection of three lms from Ethiopia, Zanzibar and Nigeria that oer a critical look at the role of the father in contemporary African family life. Very dierent in style one a comedy, one an intense psychological drama and the third a detached expose of Muslim patriarchy they nevertheless brought sharply into focus a harsh world of major decisions for these African fathers. Innovative and unusual, this Free Speech Project showed once again that COB has the drive and the creative sources to move uently to university status.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 18 :: The Snapper . August 2006 SES Launches BA in English e School of English Studies (SES) recently hosted its English majors and prospective majors to a social at which they had the opportunity to meet members of the Department of English faculty in an informal setting. e School was celebrating the coming to fruition of a goal long cherished-the establishment of its Bachelor of Arts degree in English which began in Fall 2005. e creation of the BA in English began under the careful stewardship of the former SES Chair and present Dean of Liberal and Fine Arts, Dr Earla CareyBaines, who, along with the SES BA Committee, worked diligently to ensure that the BA in English satises COB’s mission for undergraduate education as identied in the Strategic Plan 2002-2007. Dr Ian Strachan, School Chair, proudly states that the BA in English degree programme will in fact be “instrumental†in fullling that mission, oering courses that require students to demonstrate critical, reective and creative thought. He observes further that such courses will expose students “to the diverse cultural and intellectual traditions of the peoples of the world, thus broadening students’ exposure to ‘diverse populations’â€. He goes on to say, “e wide range of courses the School of English Studies has created has a value even beyond the awarding of Bachelor degrees; they have the potential to attract a wide range of Bahamians who are seeking intellectual stimulation, new learning experiences, cultural enrichment and the type of attention to the whole person that is expected of a liberal arts educationâ€. Students and chef instructors of the Culinary & Hospitality Management Institute have a history of outstanding performance in annual international competition. Academic year 2005/6 has been no dierent. ree chef lecturers, Mario Adderley, Addiemae Farrington and Eldred Saunders, were invited to compete in Ft. Lauderdale at a convention and trade show that featured teams from the United States and Canada and focused on products from South America. e COB team gained a silver medal, narrowly missing out on the gold won by a team from Canada. Chef Adderley said that he found the experience valuable for a number of reasons: one, the products from South America, such as dried fruits and ready prepared sauces were unusual and dierent; two, he was surprised by the variety and high quality of equipment that is produced in South America; and three, the awards gained at these competitions have a point value that can be put towards increased certication and personal upgrading. Five students from the Apprentice Programme went to Savannah, Georgia, to compete in the American Culinary Federation South-East Regional Conference. ey were selected as a result of their performances in local competitions and competed against aliated colleges from the United States. e students, who were assisted in their expenses by the hotels to which they are apprenticed, won a bronze medal in the competition. Two lecturers, Chefs Mario Adderley and Addiemae Farrington, trained and accompanied the students on this venture. e Apprentice Programme is an arrangement between the Institute and the local hotels by which students are apprenticed to the hotels, which sponsor them through COB. In return the students must work 6,000 hours in the hotels approximately three days per week over a three-year period. is semester the students in the Classical Cuisine classes have been producing delicious meals for the Friday evening fare at Choices Restaurant as part of their training in hospitality and cooking. e general public has been able to enjoy ve-course meals served with impeccable attention to detail by the students. is is a not-for-prot enterprise that gives the students in the classes exposure to producing high-level meals in a fairly realistic setting. e chefs plan the menus and order the food but the students prepare and cook the food and create the ambiance in the restaurant space. Some of the students may be apprenticed to the hotels and all are in their second or third years of study. COB’s move towards university status has already inuenced the change of name from “School of Hospitality & Tourism Studies†to “Culinary and Hospitality Management Instituteâ€. In further preparation for that move, the Institute is revising its culinary programme with the partnership of Bahamas Hotel Association which has had close ties with the Institute for a number of years, since the time it was administered by Bahamas Hotel Training College. BHTC amalgamated with COB in 2000. e Institute itself is still in the conceptual stage but it is envisaged that its conversion to an institute will allow greater exibility of course oerings and a types of awards. It is hoped that a number of short, less academic, non-credit course oerings geared towards hotel and restaurant employees will come on stream. A consultant has been hired to study the programme in the light of current trends and developments in the industry and the needs therein. From the Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute
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The College of The Bahamas :: 19 :: The Snapper . August 2006 COB Caters Eugene Dupuch Law School Students Dinner It is now widely accepted that e College’s Culinary Programme unites talented young culinary students under the guidance of award-winning chef instructors. On Friday 24th February students of the Eugene Dupuch Law School and their guests discovered the delights such a team can produce. COB’s Choices Training Restaurant was the venue for a magnicent black-tie dinner sponsored by the Eugene Dupuch Law School Student’s Association, as the culmination of the School’s Legal Education Week. Many members of e Bahamas’ legal confraternity were in attendance, as well as lecturers and students from the law school. e sumptuous meal served was the handwork of a culinary team of e College’s Culinary & Hospitality Management Institute (CHMI) with Chef Mario Adderley, as kitchen and restaurant manager for the evening. e students from the CHMI were responsible for cooking the food and also acted as wait and bar sta, helping to make the evening run smoothly and displaying their highly developed talents in the hospitality eld. To Chef Adderley is owed the credit of organizing the students well and making sure that everything was in good order for the night ahead. Choosing the menu proved simple, as the student chefs cooked international cuisine from the programme they are currently studying. e fare ranged from classic devilled eggs to stued mushrooms and pan-fried salmon, all obviously to the delight of diners. Student chef, Sonia Carey said that it was a joy to be involved with such an important event as the law dinner and she hoped that the guests enjoyed the food as much as the kitchen sta enjoyed making it. Judging by the very satised expressions on the guests’ faces the complimentary comments that accompanied them, there could be little doubt, that the meal was eaten with great enjoyment. Prior to the dinner, Legal Education Week had featured a fun walk and run, a visit to Freeport, a symposium on ‘e Future of Legal Education in e Bahamas’, a legal fair featuring three top law rms and two academic institutions and a panel discussion featuring Dr Dexter Johnson of COB’s Law Department, College Council member Dr Earl Cash Sr. and Mrs Rhionda Godet.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 2 0 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Senior Lecturer, Mike Stevenson, is heading a Task Force on Human Rights with the mission to determine i) what role e College of e Bahamas can play in the protection of Human Rights in e Bahamas and ii) if a centre for Human Rights can be created here at e College. Mr Stevenson reports that the specic focuses of the group at the moment are threefold: the rights of women, the rights of persons held at the detention centre and the rights of both legal and illegal immigrants. From the meetings held so far, a committee has been formed, comprising, among others, Marion Bethel, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, Audrey IngramRoberts and Calvin Eversley. In broad terms, Mr Stevenson expects the group to investigate social and cultural rights and the need to protect the rights of certain social groups from being eroded. In this way, he feels, social conicts can be diused. “We would like e College to become a permanent venue for the protection of Human Rights which will host regular forums on related issues,†he adds. E’egra Symonette, lecturer on Law and Criminology, invited a prison ocer of 25 years standing, Mr Charles Murphy, to address her Criminal Justice Class on the topic of Correction. Mr Murphy gave a brief history of correction in e Bahamas from 1650, when the rst correctional facility or prison was commissioned, to the present day. He spoke of the projected name change from Her Majesty’s Prison to Department of Correction and of the objective of a prison, which is the safe custody of those remanded to prison by the courts. Mr Murphy described the various programmes in operation at the prison for the correction of inmates. ese include a pre-release programme designed to assist prisoners to nd suitable employment and reintegration into society when they Scholars Weigh in on Censorship Known for its willingness to meet the social issues of Bahamian society head on, the School of Social Sciences held a special study session on censorship in e Bahamas in the month of June. Organised by Senior Lecturer Michael Stevenson in conjunction with School Chair Jessica Minnis, the session was one of COB scholars’ responses recent inexplicable episodes of restriction of public access to materials in the public domain elsewhere, most notably the banning of the U.S. lm Brokeback Mountain. Each reecting upon a dierent aspect of censorship, participants included Mr Stevenson, who examined the constitutional implications of censorship. He explained to a sizeable audience that plans for the session had included the showing of excerpts from the lm, to be followed the next day by a full showing. Committee members had applied to the Film and Plays Control Board for permission to do so, but had been refused. Setting the stage for the evening’s discussion, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, Council Secretary and Acting VP Institutional Advancement expounded on forms of censorship, typical motives behind restriction of access and salient Bahamian examples of the foregoing, touching on the overweening eects of the conuence of homophobia and religious fundamentalism. Weighing in from the perspective of the Church was Canon Dr Kirkley Sands, who, like Stevenson, lectures in the School of Social Sciences. Dr Nicolette Bethel, Director of Culture in the Ministry of Culture, spoke extensively of the obstacles randomly imposed censorship puts on theatrical production and its power to retard the development of theatre in the country generally. Last up to the podium was Dr Ian Strachan, Chair of the School of English Studies, who reprised and extended the discussion on the relationship between rampant homophobia and religion in e Bahamas. He showed a remarkable knowledge of biblical texts and the harm that results when such writings are taken out of context. A lively discussion between audience and presenters ensued during the question and answer period, with members of the audience decrying the brevity of the evening and calling for a repeat engagement on the subject. In attendance was Erin Greene, President of the Rainbow Alliance of e Bahamas. Psyc 230 Students Confront the World of Tutankhamun ere has been a revolution in the teaching of psychology over the last few years. Slowly, a move away from the scientic approach of the behaviourists has taken place and now much greater emphasis is placed upon the ethnographic and qualitative in research and description. Spirituality, although not measurable in purely scientic terms, is very much a part of this revolution and man’s beliefs and relationship to his gods are important indicators of his motivations and emotions. Diversity is at the core of modern methodology and at the centre of are released; educational courses targeting BJC, BGCSE and anger management; and vocational courses such as plumbing, carpentry, auto mechanics and computer literacy. e class of very attentive and fascinated students also learnt of the challenges faced by the sta at the prison working in a facility originally built for 200 that now houses 1450 and the employment opportunities for qualied graduates because the prison is now looking for brain rather than brawn in its recruitment drives. From the School of Social Sciences
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The College of The Bahamas :: 21 :: The Snapper . August 2006 COB’s Psychology Programme. From March 31 to April 2 psychology lecturer in the School of Social Studies, Dr Ava ompson, took eight students from her Psyc 230 Motivation and Emotion class to see the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. Dr ompson wanted the students to consider the life of an ancient civilization as manifested in the exhibition in the light of current theories of psychology. “e study of psychology in the United States is a very narrow exercise which doesn’t even take into consideration much of European thought,†says Dr ompson, “but we want our students to gain insights into motivation and emotion by not only going back beyond even the ancient Greeks but also investigating the less developed world of modern times. We feel that the parallels between what From the School of Sciences and Technology Mrs Bridget S. Hogg, Chairperson of the School of Sciences and Technology, reports that the School of Sciences and Technology had a busy and productive spring semester. Activities and achievements since our last update include: Course Development and Review: All departments have been involved in the review and writing of courses. New courses in Physics, Technology and Chemistry have been drafted and approved by the Academic Board. Mrs Hogg noted, “We also have Biology and Mathematics course proposals that have been reviewed by the Faculty Board, but are awaiting presentation at the Academic Board.†Course Delivery During the past two semesters, faculty ventured into use of Blackboard technology as a means of supporting traditional course Faculty and Staff Development : In March, Ms. eorelle Nottage, Clerk, and Ms Garno urston, Secretary, participated in a professional upgrading workshop, “ Customer Serviceâ€. Five heads of department, Dr Danny Davis, Chemistry; Dr Janet Patterson, Mathematics; Alec Farley, Physics; Lionel Johnson, Biology; Mr Freeman Kelly, Technology and Mrs Bridget Hogg, Chairperson, participated in the American Council on Education / College of e Bahamas Workshop from March 2nd to 3rd at the British Colonial Hilton, Nassau. Several faculty members participated in training for the new registration process using the Power Campus management Research Projects and Presentations/ Conferences Sci-Tech Lecturers Present Internationally Dr Janet Patterson and Mrs Greta Kemp jointly presented a paper entitled “Common Errors in Basic College Mathematics “ at the Eleventh Consultation of e International Consortium for Research In Science And Mathematics Education†ICRSME XI March 9-11, 2006 at the British Colonial Hilton, Nassau. Dr Llewelyn Curling also presented a paper entitled “A System of Education in Science and Technology†at the event. Mrs Bridget Hogg presented at the Research Edge Forum on April 7th. Her presentation was entitled “Seed-testing and Genetically Modied Organisms in e Bahamas...e Way Forwardâ€. Dr Kenneth Cartwright, in collaboration with Dr Edit Kaminsky, submitted three peer-reviewed papers “ An Optimum Hardware Detector for Constant Envelope QuadratureQuadrature Phase-Shift Keying (CEQ2PSK), “Asymptotic Performance of the Pth Power-Law Phase Estimator†and “Blind Phase Recovery in Cross QAM Communication Systems with the Reduced-Constellation Eighth-Order Estimator (RCEOE)â€. ese have been accepted for publication in the IEEE GLOBECOM 2005 Proceedings. Dr Marlene Jackson attended e Annual Meeting of e Association of American Geographers in North America. Discussions included “Indigenous Geographic Information Science and Systems†and “Alternative Caribbean Tourism “. system during the months of November 2005 and March 2006. A number of faculty members also committed to participating in Blackboard training exercises later this year. people believed back then and how our beliefs determine the way we live now are fascinating and informative for our students.†e students were asked to compare the motivations of the people in the world of Tutankhamun to the motivations of people in their world today. ey were thrilled and overwhelmed by many of the exhibits and couldn’t believe the similarities between what motivated the ancient people and what motivates 21st century Bahamians. ey were particular aware of similar attitudes towards power and the quest for it and death and how to prepare for it. Giovanna Bain, a psychologist in the Ministry of Education’s Special Services, accompanied the COB group and acted as second driver in transporting the students from place to place. delivery and providing additional resources to students. To date, geography, chemistry and mathematics courses at various levels have had Blackboard support. It is anticipated that all departments will eventually oer assistance via Blackboard.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 22 :: The Snapper . August 2006 COB Lecturer Addresses Taylor University Colloquium Dr Victoria Allen, Writing Coordinator and lecturer in the School of English Studies at the College of e Bahamas, was invited to present a plenary paper at Taylor University in Indiana. Dr Allen spoke on “C.S. Lewis and Frederick Buechner: Literary Expressions of Faith†on Friday, 2nd June, the rst full day of the Taylor colloquium, “C.S. Lewis and Friends.†e Disney movie version of e Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe generated unprecedented interest in the writings of C.S. Lewis, now recognized as one of the foremost literary Christian gures of the twentieth century. Taylor University in Indiana, where over forty-ve Bahamians have attained their undergraduate education, holds a number of rst editions of Lewis’ books such as Surprised by Joy , Mere Christianity and e Screwtape Letters . Every two years scholars gather at Taylor from around the world for the Frances White Ewbank Colloquium on C.S. Lewis and Friends. ough not as well known as C.S. Lewis, Frederick Buechner has published over 30 books and is very well respected as a writer and a man of faith. Dr Allen, who became interested in Buechner’s work in the early 1980s, has written a book of her own entitled Listening to Life: Psychology and Spirituality in the Writings of Frederick Buechner and gives seminars on his Awards and Recognition Dr Janet Patterson has been recognized for service in education by e Primary Principals’ Association. She was honored at the annual banquet on May 27, 2006. As you can see, SST faculty and sta have been busy. Revenue Enhancement Initiatives: COB and Sbarro Sign Historic Agreement On Monday, 1st May e College of e Bahamas and Tin Plate Ltd, the company that operates the local Sbarro restaurants, signed a historic agreement giving Tin Plate Ltd the rights to operate a Sbarro outlet on e College campus on the site of the canteen in the SUB, the Student Union Building. e agreement is for the next ve years with the option of renewing for ve more. It was Janice Cartwright, Special Assistant to the President for revenue growth, who was the principal representative of COB in brokering the deal. Acting President, Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, spoke of this agreement being a partnership of equals representing good faith on both sides. It was noted that COB had faith in Sbarro’s ability to provide a quality food product and service and Sbarro had faith that its investment in renovating the old cafeteria would pay o in prots for its company. Charlton Knowles, Managing Director Tin Plate Ltd, called the partnership a landmark in the histories of both e College and Sbarro, which rst opened its doors in Nassau ten years ago. He opined that the collaboration symbolized COB’s move towards the twenty-second century and was happy that COB recognized Sbarro as viable food source. He continued by expressing his belief that a Sbarro restaurant at COB would be successful for e College and for the Oakes Field community. It would be open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and serving a similar menu to the other Sbarro restaurants in Nassau. Richard Rydin, Director of Operations for Sbarro here in Nassau, added that the COB outlet would expand its range of salad dishes to cater to what he expects to be a more health-conscious clientele, especially among the students. ere will, of course, be the usual selection of Sbarro pizza and pasta combos. Sbarro will be open for business from the beginning of the fall semester 2006 in what Mr Knowles called a “showcase operation†in the renovated college cafeteria. Signing for e College were Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, Acting President of e College;and Patricia GlintonMeicholas, Secretary to the Council. Also in attendance: Janice Cartwright, Special Assistant to the President; Rubie Nottage, VP & General Counsel, who prepared the legal documents; Denton Brown, VicePresident Financial Aairs; Charlton Knowles, Managing Director Tin Plate Ltd; and Richard Rydin, Director of Operations, Tin Plate Ltd (Sbarro). writings each summer at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. She says, “When I was invited to speak at this colloquium, I jumped at the chance. Not only was it an honour to be asked to be a plenary speaker for this gathering of scholars with similar interests, but it was an opportunity to share my research in Buechner, whose writings many of those attending will have read.†. Dr Allen received a Master’s degree in English from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where she focused on Religion and Literature. Dr Allen is one of a growing number of COB lecturers who have presented papers at conferences in the Caribbean region and in the United States during this academic year, demonstrating clearly that the area of research, one of the three fundamental pillars of importance to the establishment of the University of e Bahamas, is developing and growing at e College.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 23 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Keeping COB’s campuses safe is the responsibility of Mr Wellington Francis, a former CID ocer of 25 years standing and a man who has a clear vision of the way to ensure that College property and those who use it--administration, faculty, sta and students-feel secure on a dayto-day basis. Mr Francis heads the squad of 49 security ocers who patrol the dierent campuses and facilities in their familiar light and dark brown uniforms. In addition to the 49 ocers in Nassau, there are 2 who work at the Northern Campus in Grand Bahama. Mr Francis is quick to point out that the main campus is a quiet place where problems rarely occur but there is the not inconsiderable challenge of members of the general public using the grounds as a short cut to the supermarket or the fast food restaurants near COB on ompson Boulevard. “It was much worse,†he adds, “until they erected the wall at the Eastern end of the campus. Before that persons would wander across the eld at any time of the day. Now, we just have to contend with those who come o Poinciana Drive in front of A block and exit onto ompson Security Services: Keeping COB Campuses Safe Boulevard or those coming from Wendy’s and the other fast food places. ey seem to regard using our driveway as their God given right and it’s very dicult to prevent them.’ Another challenge he and his sta face is conict resolution among students. is is not a regular occurrence but Mr Francis is determined that his ocers will be ready to intervene in violent conicts if and when they occur. “We do not suer from break ins and thefts,†adds Mr Francis, “and I think this is largely due to the very visible patrolling the ocers engage in at all times of the day and night. e locks on the doors are all high security also, so mercifully college property remains on college premises.†“We also have a very productive partnership with the police,†states Mr Francis, “and this is particularly protable in the patrolling of the area surrounding the dormitories. We are aware of the increased vulnerability of dorm users and we are pleased that the police, both uniformed and CID, patrol the area every night.†What does Mr Francis envisage happening to improve security in the next few years? He sees the imminent installation of security cameras at gates to the various buildings as a very positive step. “I will be able to sit in the surveillance room and have a video image from all the sites on display so any suspicious or unwanted visitor can be immediately challenged and problems defused.†Another implementation could be the introduction of electronic cards for access to buildings and oces, rather like those used for hotel rooms now. While he would like to see them come in, especially those with a ngerprint ID feature, he knows that the expense may be prohibitive. “at’s the way the world is going,†he predicts, “but in the meantime we’ll just make sure that the old metal keys don’t get into the wrong hands.†One thing is sure; the Security Department is very aware of the responsibility it carries and its ocers are determined to keep COB a safe and secure place to study and to work for as long as they can.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 24 :: The Snapper . August 2006 COB and Families e College of e Bahamas plays many roles in the life of this country and of many Bahamian families. e Lockhart sisters present a unique illustration--two sisters, one a lecturer, the other a student, both forging ahead and both taking advantage of all that is oered at e College of e Bahamas. Enjoying her second stint as Head of Accounting in the School of Business at COB, Karen Lockhart has been a full-time lecturer at e College of e Bahamas since 1984. Her sister, Diane, has worked as Administrator for the Ordinary Division and handled Public Relations and Advertising at British American Insurance Company for even longer. ese days, however, their paths cross regularly on the Oakes Field Campus because Diane is in the second year of a BA in Marketing and is taking four courses towards that qualication. “Of course, working full-time and taking so many courses at COB is quite stressful and it’s a bit of a juggling act trying to t it all in sometimes,†says Diane, “but it was always my plan to continue my education once my children were grown and that’s what I’m doing. My aim is to eventually use the degree to further my work at British American.†Karen would have been a part of the School of Business programme teams that would have developed the degree that Diane is pursuing to assist her career. “e School of Business was the rst to have Bachelor’s programmes,†Karen reminds us proudly. “We started back in 1991 when we developed the Bachelor’s in Banking and then by 1995 we had upgraded all our programmes to that level.†Karen began her association with e College as a part-time lecturer in accounting in 1982 and, although she has occasionally thought she would like a change of scenery, for the most part, she cannot think of anywhere else she would rather be. Preparing students for the CPA exams keeps her very busy as there are now fteen accounting courses, ten more than when she started her career here, and the great majority of them are required for the CPA programme. During her twenty-six years at British American, Diane has achieved the status of Fellow of Life Management Institute (FLMI), having studied the rigorous, ten-course, professional development programme that provides a comprehensive business education in the context of the insurance and nancial services industry. “ose courses were great preparation for what I’m doing at COB now,†she says, “as they kept me in a studying frame of mind for about eight years. I am now preparing to start the rst of my three required accounting courses. I put them o for as long as I could but now I have no choice. My sister will not teach me, though, nor will I be tempted to ask her helpâ€. Research Edge ForumChris Justilien Introduced by Monique Toppin, lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Arts, as one who has been involved in music since childhood, lecturer, musician and entertainer, Chris Justilien presented the results of his research at the monthly Research Edge Forum held in the Lecture eatre of the Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute on Friday, March 17, 2006. As part of the requirements for his M.Ed degree from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois, Justilien created a website on Bahamian musicians. His aims were to do research that was “useful†and to provide an “educational tool†for Bahamian high school students. He decided to tap into young people’s love of the online environment by putting the information on the web. Justilien explained that there are many unanswered questions about the musical heritage of the country and the musician’s story is “rarely told.†He hopes the website will add to the limited resources currently available in this eld. e website, www. bahamasentertainers.com is still a work in progress and Justilien hopes that members of the public who have additional information about Bahamian entertainers will send this information to him so it can be added to the site. Justilien is aware that much more work needs to be done, including interviewing more musicians Justilien did a live demonstration of the website that features 25 artistes including Blind Blake, George Symonette, Dry Bread, Maureen Duvalier, Ronnie Butler, Frank Penn and Peanuts Taylor. ere are also photographs, biographies, samples of their music and live interviews along with sound clips of various types of Bahamian music. Chris played a portion of a recording of Junkanoo music produced by him and his colleagues in the1990’s. He described the process they used to create an authentic “feel†to it, central to which is the fact that it was recorded in the bush. He said Goombay, and not Junkanoo, should be the music of the Bahamas as Junkanoo is too limiting. One can’t write a love song using Junkanoo music, for example. According to Mr Justilien, hotels should be encouraged to support local entertainers because live entertainment options are limited due to lack of support for local musicians. ere is a need to expose all aspects of Bahamian culture: cooking, sewing, drawing, writing and so on should get equal time with Junkanoo. Cleophas Adderley, Director of the National Youth Choir, was one of many enthralled members of the audience. From the Research Unit
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The College of The Bahamas :: 25 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Jazz Under The Stars Organised by its Oce of Institutional Advancement, e College of e Bahamas sponsored jazz concert, Jazz Under e Stars, transported the audience back to the days when clubs such as the Cat and Fiddle, the Zanzibar and the Banana Boat regularly pulsated to the cool sounds of classy jazz music. e show was co-produced by Acting VP Institutional Advancement Patricia Glinton-Meicholas and consultant Roscoe Dames, a radio personality popularly known as “Mr Jazzâ€, who also acted as host. It was promised that Jazz under the Stars would be the rst of many cultural evenings sponsored by COB, as it moves towards not only university status but also towards being a centre for the arts in the country. e COB Band Shell, transformed by lighting and the addition of a huge marquee, proved an ideal location to highlight some of the very best of Nassau’s musicians. e concert was headlined by the Henry Moss Orchestra which featured some of Nassau’s nest musicians, including pianist Paul Hanna, saxophonist, Deno Turnquest, Lou Adams Jr. and his son, Jawara, and COB’s own music lecturer, Chris Justilien. Two Bahamian vocalists, Anastasia Charlow and Duke Smith sang soulfully with the orchestra on selected numbers. e show that also included a guest appearance from American entertainer, Marcus Johnson, tap dancing of the highest caliber from Feet of Flame and other members of e Bahamas Dance eatre and spoken word entertainment from Bodine Johnson. A Cuban group, Sol Caribe, made a surprise appearance during the intermission. e orchestra lled the night air with their smooth, rich sound on jazz classics such as Mack the Knife, A Taste of Honey, All of Me and On A Clear Day. Particularly impressive was the balance achieved among the various sections of the orchestra. Leader, Henry Moss, deserves accolades for putting together two varied and integrated sets that highlighted the strengths of the musicians and allowed the audience to reminisce on the days when jazz and swing music elegantly and stylishly led the way and caused their listeners’ hearts to race and feet to tap. Patrons could sample gourmet hors d’oeuvres prepared by the chefs from the Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute and ne wines courtesy of Premium Discount Liquors. Professional sound and lighting were supplied by Frank Burrows and his crew from Soundco and the dcor was created and designed by Michael and Christine Elliott of Enchanted Designs. e producers of Jazz under the Stars have committed to building the programme into a highly sought after and protable annual event. Institutional Advancement
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The College of The Bahamas :: 26 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Head Coach Dr Linda Davis Earlier this year Vice President of Academic Aairs, Dr Linda Davis, was appointed head coach of the national women’s basketball team by e Bahamas Basketball Federation the rst woman to hold the head coach post. She immediately immersed herself and the team in preparing the senior women’s squad for the Caribbean Basketball Tournament, which took place in Kingston, Jamaica from 12th 18th June. An outstanding basketball, volleyball and netball player in her own right, Dr Davis withdrew from the Bahamian sporting scene when she began climbing the ladder of administration and began studying for her Ph.D. ese studies consumed more and more of her time and, as a result, there began her long, self-imposed exile from the sporting world of e Bahamas, an exile that did not end until 2004 when Kimberly Rolle asked her to come out of retirement and coach e College of e Bahamas Lady Caribs Basketball Team. Dr Davis reports that she has been reenergized by the experience of coaching the COB Lady Caribs and, after attending some refresher clinics to refamiliarise herself with current trends in basketball coaching, she is enjoying the experience immensely. “I nd the coaching experience a great stress reliever,†she says. “I have always believed that athletics gives people the opportunity to develop other aspects of their personalities that may never be discovered without sports. Participating in sports provides you with life lessons; lessons that you take with you throughout your journey in this world, both in the personal and professional realms. ese are the lessons that helped me through my academic preparation and professional challenges; and these are lessons that I want to pass on to student-athletes and professional women alike-the lessons of discipline, teamwork, commitment, physical, spiritual and mental wellness.†In addition to the Head Coach appointment, the Bahamas Basketball Federation has identied Dr Davis to head a developmental programme which they hope will assist in identifying young girls with potential from as early as primary school. rough these and the more recent eorts mounted by the New Providence Women’s Basketball League in particular, Dr Davis believes that opportunities in the sport of basketball for girls and women have never been as positive as they are now. “e creation of a separate association for women has had a truly benecial eect on women’s basketball in the country and tremendous strides have been made in the three years that the association has been in existence,†she says. “e league is very competitive and there are now 6 teams which means the women play more competitive games more often and this improves their skills and their development as players. I am happy to be a part of a programme that is having such a positive impact on the lives of girls and women.†COB PIRATES After ve years of unsuccessfully attempting to start a ladies soccer team here at e College, Paul McCann nally got his wish this season with the formation of the COB Pirates and their entry into the New Providence Women’s Football League. “Entry into the league and a regular schedule of xtures against the other three teams have denitely stimulated interest†says McCann who has been impressed with the level of commitment shown by the ladies. “We train twice a week on e College eld and have built up a squad of seventeen players and the really good thing is that they are all either present students or alumnae of COB,†he continues. “We have shown a steady improvement as the season has gone on and our last few games have been close and competitive. Although we have only won one game, we have competed well and always tried to play football.†Top goal scorer for the Pirates is Shagera Edgecombe who scored all three goals in the Pirates’ one win of the season. She is also a member of e Bahamas national women’s squad. McCann is grateful to e College for paying the registration fee to the league and for purchasing the team’s kit in the new college colours of blue and maroon. COB in SPORTS
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The College of The Bahamas :: 27 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Krista Walkes Joining the School of English Studies in Fall 2005 was Ms. Krista Walkes, a young woman well known for her part in co-authoring and performing the acclaimed Bahamian play, “Women Talk†in association with Michael Pintard. is play was extremely well received by the Bahamian audience at its debut in the National Centre for the Performing Arts in June 2004. Ms Walkes’ interest in art, literature and culture has led her to collect AfricanAmerican Blaxploitation lms of the 1960s and 1970s. She also has an interest in collecting and analyzing Bahamian music from the 1930s to 1970s and has a signicant archive of authentic Bahamian records. Ms Walkes nds the life-stories of the musicians fascinating and believes these stories need to be compiled and preserved for future generations. Poetry is another of Ms Walkes’ At a small, informal ceremony in its Executive Board Room on ursday, 18th May, the third oor of the Micheael H Eldon Complex was named the F George Morley Suite after the late F George Morley. It was another step in e College’s drive to record for posterity the names of Bahamians who have helped to shape not only e College but also the entire country in terms of its development educationally. During the naming ceremony, Council Chairman, Franklyn Wilson spoke of F. George Morley’s son, the late Faculty Spotlight passions. She writes poetry and dramatic monologues and has had her poems, “e Red Death†and “Looking at the Moon†published in Womanspeak: a Journal of Caribbean Women Writers. A COB alumna, Ms. Walkes completed her Associate degree in English at e College of e Bahamas prior to attending Taylor University in Indiana to study for a Bachelor’s degree in English. ereafter she completed her Master’s degree at Rutgers University in New Jersey and is currently completing her PhD dissertation on the topic, “Adoption in the Anglophone Caribbean Novel.†Ms Walkes also holds a Teacher’s Certicate from the University of the West Indies and has taught courses in Expository Writing, Literary Criticism and Black Women Writers at Rutgers University. Her expertise makes Ms Walkes a valuable addition to the COB community. John Morley, as a friend of e College of e Bahamas. He said that e College had enjoyed the interest and generosity of John, before he died. John Morley was a personal and much admired friend of Chairman Wilson, who spoke in glowing terms of the man’s lifelong philanthropy and his knowledge of the social history of Nassau in particular and e Bahamas in general. While John Morley was a business man and realtor, his father, George, was an educator who spent his life teaching in the Family Islands. He established himself as an exceptional teacher and a man who touched the lives of countless young people in what were called the Out-Islands in the rst half of the twentieth century. e Minister of Education, Science and Technology, e Hon. Alfred Sears, also attended and spoke of his friendship with George Morley’s grandson, David, who was present to represent his family. Although he never knew his grandfather personally, David was well aware of the man’s legacy in the annals Friends of The College of Family Island education because his father, John, told stories about F. George constantly. David spoke of the fact that his father inherited George Morley’s belief that education was the key to the future for the people of e Bahamas and that he has been a benefactor to many educational institutions in the country. e ceremony culminated in a very proud David Morley unveiling the plaque on the wall outside the Executive Board Room commemorating the event.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 28 :: The Snapper . August 2006 BASIL JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP e family of the late Basil L I Johnson became friends of e College of e Bahamas earlier this year, establishing a four-year scholarship to be awarded to a student who is studying for the new Bachelor of Arts degree in the School of English Studies. Basil Johnson’s daughter, Felicity, formerly a lecturer in English at the College and Assistant Chairperson of Humanities when she left in 1984, explained that the Johnson family wanted to do something positive to preserve the name and memory of their father. When he was just a teenager and working as an apprentice to e Bahamas Government Electrical Industry, he was deeply disturbed by the number of employees who could not write their names when signing for their pay cheques and he vowed to bring about improvements when he was in a position to do so. He became President of the Employees Association, the rst union in BEC, and was instrumental in introducing training courses for the sta. His belief in the ability of education to empower people never wavered. Basil Johnson will be remembered in another capacity. He was a hero of the Second World War, serving as an airman. e Johnson family expressed pleasure in knowing that a young student of literature at COB will benet from their father’s belief in education and the English language in particular. Pictured are Dr Marjorie BrooksJones, Coordinator for the Bachelor’s Programme in English at e College of e Bahamas; Basil Johnson’s daughters, Jill Johnson-Albury, Janet Johnson, Felicity Johnson; and Dr Ian Strachan, Chair of School of English Studies. (Not pictured Ivan Johnson, son of Basil Johnson.) CONSTRUCTION SEMINAR GROUP SEMINAR 2006 With hurricane activity in our region continuing to rise and the 2006 season already upon us, the Construction Seminar Group (CSG), in conjunction with the Oce of Research, Planning & Development, launched its Seminar 2006, Lessons Learnt from the Disastrous Hurricane Season: 2004 2005 at a very opportune time. It was particularly noteworthy that the organizers had attracted no less a person than Herbert Sar, the man who developed the Sar Scale for measuring hurricane strength, as their keynote speaker. e opening ceremony was coordinated by COB lecturer, Henry Hepburn, who noted that many government ministries and departments were represented at the opening. In her welcome, Dr Rhonda ChipmanJohnson, Acting President, commended the CSG for bringing a man of Herbert Sar’s caliber and stature to e Bahamas and remarked that she felt sure the seminar would be of great value toe Bahamas. She extolled the partnership between COB and CSG, stating that it was essential for COB now, and even more important for the future University of e Bahamas to engage in dialogue on issues critical to the development of the country. She concluded by saying that she hoped the sessions would lead not only to a national approach for dealing with hurricanes but also stimulate other CARICOM countries to work together and produce a regional strategy. Michael Diggiss, a member of the organizing committee and an architect with Jackson Burnside Ltd, then spoke briey about the need for engineers and architects to share knowledge about the built environment and expressed his appreciation of the work done by Vice President of Research and Planning, Dr Pandora Johnson, in organising the event. Following Mr Diggiss, Cyprian Gibson, a member of the engineering body of CSG and President of e Bahamas Society of Engineers, spoke about the importance of both working towards minimizing the eects of severe storms and to upgrading the already very stringent building code that operates here in the Bahamas. Melanie Roach, Director of Works at the Ministry of Works and Utilities, then took the podium to speak on behalf of the Hon. Bradley Roberts, Minister of Works and Utilities, who was unable to attend. She confessed to being astounded by the array of speakers lined up to present, an array that she said, “Read like a who’s who of hurricane assessment and preparedness.†She also commended the group for the way it integrated architecture and structural engineering and applauded Mr Sar for his work in developing his scale. In conclusion, she declared the seminar ocially open. Delegates were then introduced to the Keynote Speaker by Mrs Lelawattee Rahming who had personally invited Mr Sar to speak at the seminar. She emphasized the importance of his scale, his collaboration with Simpson, which had extended it to include surge power and the immeasurable assistance it gave to nations in preparing building codes in advance of future hurricanes. A surprisingly sprightly and chipper 89 year old, Herbert Sar gave a brief history of serious hurricanes in the Florida area and spoke of factors apart from the storms themselves, such as complacency on the part of builders and homeowners and inadequate building codes, that have contributed to the devastating eects of the hurricanes. He showed a number of slides that illustrated graphically just how destructive category 5 hurricanes can be and he was emphatic when he said engineers must take the nal responsibility for a completed building. “Too often,†he said, “buildings are handed over as nished but no one has conducted a nal inspection to satisfy themselves that it has been built to the state codes. An engineer must do this.†e assembly gave Mr San a warm reception, no doubt feeling honoured simply to be in the great man’s presence and left to prepare for the next day’s presentations... and the 2006 hurricane season. Research, Planning & Development
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The College of The Bahamas :: 29 :: The Snapper . August 2006 STAFF Spotlight Albert Bootle, incredibly, has not had one sick day in almost three decades. He began as a general handyman in the Physical Plant Department painting and doing carpentry jobs. Part of his responsibilities was to double as a security guard at the Soldier Road Campus but, after about 3 years, he switched to the Human Resources Department where he has remained as messenger ever since. Audley Armstrong came to e College in 1978 as a messenger but left after 2 years only to return in 1982 as a security ocer. Four years later he transferred to the Purchasing Department of the Business Oce and he is still there. Student Services Colleges and universities are often perceived as places of learning where students are left to their own devices to sink or swim depending on their selfmotivation and ability to focus. Many people have the idea that students can miss lectures and professors will not follow up or do anything about it. e stereotypical perception of a college student’s life does not normally include people on the faculty and sta who systematically and regularly take an interest in the student’s well-being and who are concerned enough to monitor the student’s progress or ask why he or she missed a class. However, the Oce of Student Aairs has for some years now been trying to alter that perception. is division, headed by vice president, Colyn Major, aims to project a more coordinated, supportive and cohesive programme designed to assist the students by addressing the needs of the whole person. Its mission places students Mr Armstrong spends most of his time o campus collecting and delivering goods that have been requisitioned. One part of the work that he enjoys particularly is assisting with customs clearance at the docks where he works closely with the receiving ocers. Leola Butler in the Business Oce is full of praise for Mr Armstrong’s approach to his job. “He is very quiet but extremely dependable. He will do anything we ask of him, even after hours or at the weekends. Nothing is too much trouble for him.†Mr Hepburn delivers packages both on and o campus and enjoys the independence his messenger’s role aords him. He believes that a messenger needs to have a positive attitude and work ethic. “We must be organized and punctual and oer good customer service,†he adds. Ernestine Douglas at the Grosvenor Close Campus calls Mr Hepburn “a very reliable worker who possesses good interpersonal skills.†She goes on to say, “He is adaptable and hard working in every way.†All three have witnessed the steady growth of e College over the years and are positive about the direction in which the institution is going at present. ey have witnessed the construction of G, S, F, C, D and T blocks and the Portia M Smith Building; the transformation of a pond into the Tourism Training Centre; and countless changes of location for various departments. ey have also seen the increase in student enrolment from a mere two hundred to over four thousand. Given their love of their jobs and their positive approaches to their work, e College of e Bahamas can rest assured that these three will continue to serve it honourably and proudly into the future, no matter the changes. Michael Hepburn arrived at COB in 1984 and was also a security ocer. However, in 1999 he became a messenger for the Grosvenor Close Campus and, although he reports for work every day at Human Resources at Oakes Field, Grosvenor Close is his home base. Although it is hard to believe now, so avuncular and outgoing is he, Mr Bootle admits to having been shy when he rst started as a messenger. He says that his condence grew as a result of the constant meetings with people all over the College and in banks and oces in town. Mrs Julie Harts in Human Resources says of Albert Bootle, “He is punctual and serious about his job which he always does to the best of his ability. He will always go the extra mile and provide feedback, so we know if we need to implement additional services. He is friendly with a good word for everyone. At the end of the day he will always come looking for me to wish me well. He is an excellent worker.†Three Long-Serving Messengers e College of e Bahamas is rightly proud of the way it manages to inspire loyalty among the people who work here. A glance down the list of faculty members will reveal a large number who are longstanding employees at COB and no less can be said about a list of the sta. ree very familiar College personnel, Albert Bootle, Audley Armstrong and Michael Hepburn, all work as messengers, carrying important communications both internally and externally, keeping oces and departments in touch with each other and e College in touch with wider community. All three have been at COB for over twenty years: Bootle 28 years, Armstrong 26 years and Hepburn 22 years, and all relish coming to work, loving the jobs they do.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 3 0 :: The Snapper . August 2006 rst and its aim is to provide quality services to facilitate student learning. To fulll this mission Major has pledged to encourage and facilitate directors and sta members within his area to attend workshops and conferences designed to expose them to the very best practices in their particular elds. “I believe conferences are extremely benecial,†he says. “is year I have seen people return from conferences and workshops energized and more aware of what they can do to upgrade student services. at has to be a good thing.’ Bradley Cooper from the Student Activities department attended a 3day student leadership conference in Nashville, Tennessee; Claire CharlowPatton, Director of Records, Cheryl Carey, Director of Financial Aid and Housing, and Veronica Collie, Director of Admissions, attended two days of Noel Levitz workshops on the theme of New Essentials of Student Recruitment and Retention in Tampa; and Major himself, ever mindful of the need to also keep abreast of the latest developments, went to Washington DC in March to attend the annual conference of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Cooper’s day-to-day work has been aected by the conference in Tennessee in a number of ways. He says, “e greatest impact was made by one presentation that convinced me we could all be creative in our work. It proved to me that there are many ways to approach a situation and we can all bring new ideas and creativity to supplement existing and traditional methods.†All three directors who went to Tampa found the workshops instructive and useful and all found the strongest message to be the need to focus on good, clear communication, not only during the recruitment process but all through a student’s career at college. Ms Charlow-Patton realizes that good communication is essential and wants to publicize essential information for students earlier, more regularly and in more locations. She also wants to have all Records information available more quickly and is looking for ways to streamline the processes. Veronica Collie says, “We should be improving communication by using the COB website to publicise and advertise and we should be more inclined to use email and text messages to students to keep them informed of the status of their applications. Using these methods will also appeal to young students more as texting is such a common means of communication among students. We need to be more active in our Family Island recruitment too. At the moment, it largely depends on the energy and eciency of the Guidance Counsellors at the island secondary schools but we shouldn’t be satised with this.†Ms Carey feels equipped with plenty of resources now as she looks to increase her database of donors and she has been compiling data of statistics to support her in her quest. She also now recognizes the need for COB to be more proactive and DOREEN BUTLER, NURSE OF THE YEAR 2006 to contact students more regularly in its eorts to retain them. One of the thrusts of the conference Colyn Major attended was to impress on delegates the need to use all resources available to inform decisions. Since going to Washington he has realized that data and research are essential components in informing what he plans to do in the departments he oversees and he is keen to step up his access to these resources. One encouraging aspect that all found at the various conferences was the reinforcement that COB is actually doing a lot right in its dealings with its students. Our practices are in line with the best of the US colleges and universities and, as more systems are implemented and more of the ideas above are practiced, student services here at e College can only improve. School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions
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The College of The Bahamas :: 31 :: The Snapper . August 2006 Contract Signing for new Performing Arts Centre On Monday 29th May contracts were signed for the conversion of e College of e Bahamas’ auditorium into the state of the art Performing Arts Centre of the University of e Bahamas. ose participating in the signing were Chairman of e College Council, Mr Franklyn Wilson; Acting President of COB, Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson; Special Assistant to the President for revenue Growth Projects and Project Coordinator, Janice Cartwright; Principal of Architects Associates, Mr Victor Cartwright; and principal of Top Heights Construction, Mr omas Lewis. Mr Wilson called the venture “an important building block in the move to university status†and one that is “critical to the idea of providing students with what they require to becoming all they can be.†Adding that the centre will provide a resource for the entire community, Mr Wilson also stated that he believed it would build on the rich tradition that lived in the old Government High School auditorium and take the performing arts to new heights in e Bahamas. Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson called it a “signature part†of the development of the institution, creating a facility that will be like no other in e Bahamas. An alumna of the old Government High School, she reminisced about some of the productions mounted in the old auditorium and some of the prominent people who performed there. Dr Chipman-Johnson also spoke of the excellent acoustics in the existing auditorium and her hope that those would be enhanced by the conversion. Apart from reassuring the acting president about the acoustics that will be excellent, Ms Janice Cartwright explained, “It will be a multi-purpose, state of the art theatre. It will have approximately 400 tiered seats giving unobstructed views of the stage, spacious dressing rooms behind the stage area and a well appointed concession stand. A technologically enhanced control room at the back of the auditorium will give a panoramic view of the performing area and will house a computer controlled lighting system. Flanked by two galleries for paintings and other works of art, the auditorium will be fully air-conditioned and handicap accessible. It is projected that the facility will be used for lectures, seminars, concerts, lm shows and dramatic productions and it will be very comfortable.†omas Lewis of Top Heights Construction expressed his determination to do a professional job and Victor Departure of Estates Administrator Mr Anthony Burrows, Estates Administrator, left e College to pursue a wonderful new opportunity. On his last day with COB, July 14, colleagues gave him a send o party to wish him well For the past two years Anthony Burrows has overseen the large Physical Plant and Security Services Departments. It is clear that he brought to the job a great deal of intelligence and knowledge of his area of responsibility that covers two New Providence campuses, the Northern Campus and centres on Abaco, Andros, Exuma and San Salvador. VP Brown speaks highly of Mr Burrows signalling his willingness to be of service, his collegiality and general responsiveness. He openly admits that he believes that he will nd it dicult to nd Mr Burrows’ equal. Mr Burrows is leaving in response to an excellent job oer in the Turks & Caicos Islands that he feels will assist him in advancing his professional development. We wish Mr Burrows and his family the very best in the new post. Quarterly Quality Service Awards For the second time this academic year, the sta of e College of e Bahamas’ Physical Plant has something to be excited about; they are celebrating their second Quarterly Awards. e awards aim to motivate, encourage and inspire the sta of Physical Plant and, more importantly, they show the sta members that they are truly appreciated here at e College. e awards ceremony was the idea of Debra omas, the Administrative Assistant at Physical Plant, who felt that her sta needed to be recognized for what they do at e College. Mrs omas feels that ‘they are the heart of e College. ey are the ones who help to keep everything running smoothly.’ She is also happy that the awards have served as encouragement for the sta. ‘ere were quite a few people who did not win awards during the rst quarter and they put a lot more eort in and are now be rewarded.’ e sta is awarded in several areas relating to their jobs. ese include team leadership, superior performance and being a team player. Awards are also awarded for perfect attendance, something Mrs omas feels should be awarded, as it Developing Infrastructure Cartwright, the architect, explained the challenge of designing the conversion and, because of the historical nature of the building itself, his desire to retain the exterior look of the existing structure so that it would continue to blend in with e College buildings that surround it. Physical Plant
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The College of The Bahamas :: 32 :: The Snapper . August 2006 shows sta members just how important it is to have them here and that dedication deserves recognition too. ey also used this awards ceremony to pay a special farewell to Mr Anthony Burrows the Estates Manager at COB, as he will be leaving e College this year. e awards ceremony is something that Mrs omas feels every department in e College should have, so that all sta members can have a concrete and public way of being appreciated for all that they do. Physical Plant Renovates Ofce Space When Debra omas arrived at e College of e Bahamas in August 2005 to be Administrative Assistant in the Physical Plant Department, she was not very impressed with the oce she was expected to work in. It was dingy, lacked a unifying decorative theme and was uncomfortable. Added to the unattractiveness of the oce was the poor state of repair of the bathroom, which further contributed to the unprepossessing appearance of her workspace. Ms omas decided that she wanted to cheer the oce up by renovating it and giving it a more professional appearance. She met with the painters and carpenters and they spent time looking at the unattractive area and envisioning what it could look like. “It was a collaborative eort,†she says. “Mr Anton Archer, Mr Philiip Gibson and Mr Ricardo Lightbourn who are all carpenters, Mr Peter Knowles, Samantha Morley and Tyrone Coakley who are painters and Mr Vincent Curry, the Assistant Director of Physical Plant, all contributed ideas and work began in November.†“ere are some excellent tradesmen working in Physical Plant here at COB,†adds Ms omas, “and it is very gratifying to see how they have worked to bring this project to fruition. ey have added some attractive touches like the aquarium which they built themselves, and everything has been done with complete professionalism.†Enhancing the Student Experience President’s Scholars Programme Highying high school students who have gained a GPA of 3.50 and have also exhibited outstanding leadership qualities now have the opportunity to attend e College of e Bahamas, enjoying the benets of the new President’s Scholars Programme, one of the institution’s newest initiatives designed to enhance the student experience. Launched in May this year after exhaustive preparation, the programme will invite the country’s top students to compete for scholarship assistance of $6000.00 per academic year for study at COB. News of the programme has excited high school guidance counselors in Nassau and Freeport and they have reported considerable interest among their students. Director of the President’s Scholars Programme, Lottis Shearer, is particularly pleased to see her brainchild coming to fruition. “is is not a new idea,†she explains, “and I was rst made aware of a similar programme some years ago when I was away in Oklahoma studying for my master’s. I was very impressed by the caliber of persons who had gone through the programme there pillars of the community, doctors, senators, church leaders and one day I outlined my idea to Franklyn Wilson, the Chairman of the College Council, who was immediately taken with it. “In fact, the acting president, Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, and the Director of Financial Aid and Housing, Cheryl Carey, were thinking of a similar scheme but one that focused only on the academics. is programme, while demanding high academic standards, also requires that the students receive leadership training and demonstrate their qualities of leadership to the tune of 50 hours per semester.†Membership in the PSP allows students to develop close associations with university administrators and meet scholars and dignitaries who frequently visit the campus. Students chosen for the PSP also have the opportunity to take advantage of some of the most talented faculty members at e College of e Bahamas who teach special sections of selected required courses. e College/University awaits its rst intake of President’s Scholars who will be interviewed during the rst weeks of August. e College expects these President’s Scholars to raise both the academic standards and COB’s prole out in the community and in the nation as a whole. Contact: LOTTIS S HEARER Director of Presidents Scholars Programme Amina Sarr Aqueela Thompson Christa Lowe Delia Ferguson Dominic Stubbs Neucasha Greene
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The College of The Bahamas :: 33 :: The Snapper . August 2006 TEXACO/COB Partnership: Texaco Youth Spokesperson For the fth consecutive year e College of e Bahamas has partnered with Texaco to sponsor the Texaco National Road Safety Campaign. Finalists from the Junior Achievement, Gentlemen’s Club, Rotary Club of Abaco speech competitions, as well as the top debaters from around the archipelago were invited to participate and this year, twenty-three young people took up the challenge. Nine nalists emerged from the rst round and, after a keenly competitive nal, Shireen Hanna from Doris Johnson Senior High School emerged as the winner. A regular member of the Doris Johnson debating team and a lover of drama, Shireen, plans to attend COB in the fall. She won a laptop computer, the Sharon Wilson Award and, as a result of the partnership between Texaco and COB, a total of $10,000 in scholarships. She will now become the Texaco National Road Safety Spokesperson 2006-2007 and play a key role in the National Road Safety Campaign One thing she denitely wants to do when she comes to e College in August is to take part in more plays but her primary focus will be on her studies: she plans to major in French and Spanish and is looking forward to extending her knowledge of those languages. e rst Texaco Youth Spokesperson, Shantarra Davis, also studied at e College of e Bahamas and both she and Shireen are grateful recipients of the collaboration between COB and Texaco that continues to support this worthy youth initiative.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 34 :: The Snapper . August 2006 e College of e Bahamas operates facilities on several islands of e Bahamas: New Providence Oakes Field Campus (Main) Grosvenor Close Campus .... Contact Campus Administrator Ernestine Douglas Grand Bahama Northern Bahamas Campus ... Contact Asst. Vice President Dr Coralee Kelly Andros Bahamas Environmental Research Centre ............. Contact Director Margo Blackwell. Exuma Exuma Centre ............... Contact Coordinator Jennifer Kettel. Do You Know? Bahamas Environmental Research Centre Staniard Creek, Andros Among some of the less recognised gems in the COB crown shines the Bahamas Environmental Research Centre in Andros. Located under soaring palms on the banks of Staniard Creek in the heart of that settlement, the “BERCâ€, as it is popularly known, began life in 1995 as a collaborative venture among e College of e Bahamas, George Mason University of Virginia, USA and the people of Andros. In 2003 COB assumed full responsibility and ownership of the Centre, which exists, to promote an understanding of current ecological issues, especially those that impact small island states such as e Bahamas. Its location on the island of Andros gives it an unqualied advantage in fullling its mission. Andros is an island of extensive natural wonders that include some features found nowhere else in the world and its people enjoy a rich cultural heritage. is combination provides an ideal setting for discovering interrelationships between and among elds as disparate and as integrated as the sciences, women’s studies, community libraries, education, art, religion and recreation. e BERC is an ideal facilitator for research initiatives, outreach programmes and community based projects that lead to sustainable development that can impact the lives of native Androsians. BERC personnel hope that the results of these initiatives will provide data that will eventually inuence decision making at a local and national level. BERC director, Ms Margo Blackwell, reports, “ere are so many opportunities of all sorts here in Andros. In the past we have worked on coastal and creek restoration at Man-O-War Sound and Conch Sound and hope to continue this summer at Davis Creek, but there are ve parks here in Andros and it would be appropriate if COB could get involved with mapping, monitoring and documenting inventory of all ve of them.†Ms Blackwell sees these parks as providing the basis for designing courses and implementing programmes that address Environmental Management Systems, Park Management Systems and Eco Tourism, as well as their being the sites for research into crabs, crawsh, orchids and bonesh. e BERC also hosts some academic courses through CEES and Ms Blackwell states, “is year we ran the rst collegelevel courses and in fall 2006 we expect to have a Bachelor’s in Primary Education and the foundations of a Bachelor’s in Business Administration on stream. Our library is ready to open and we have computers online and technology supports ready to allow for interactive classrooms for course delivery. We also hope to oer a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies in 2007 when, according to the Strategic Plan, we will have a residential campus here.†With long-term partnerships still running with YEAST and ANCAT, it is clear that these are exciting times for the Research Centre in Andros.
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The College of The Bahamas :: 35 :: The Snapper . August 2006 BERC Bahamas Environmental Research Centre
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The College of The Bahamas :: 36 :: The Snapper . August 2006 e Snapper is a production of the Oce of Communication (Formerly Institutional Advancement) e College of e Bahamas Production Team Patricia Glinton-Meicholas Vice President and Editor in Chief Gordon Mills Managing Editor Writers Maelynn Seymour Major Marjorie Downie Patricia Glinton-Meicholas Support Sta Lia Head, Director, Public Relations Natasha Gibson, Administrative Assistant Paulette McPhee, Secretary Contact us Telephones: 302-4353/4354 E-mail: communication@cob.edu.bs Design and Prepress :: Guanima Press Printing :: NAPCO Printing Service
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