As the Supreme Court of the United States has announced decisions on several high-profile cases this week, many people have been reading their judicial rulings and scouring the Internet for articles about the cases and the issues they addressed.
That is what this entire summer has been like for Penny Trieu ’15 and Connor Dye ’15, who are helping Vincent Vecera, a Randolph political science professor, continue research on the way judicial decisions affect public discourse by declaring civil rights.
People on either side of an issue might start their discussions based on the prudence of the policies they support. But if a court issues a decision that declares a civil right, the argument changes, he said. “Once you’ve taken the argument to the rights level, you have to respond with a rights argument,” he said. “With rights arguments, you can’t negotiate.”
But proving that idea requires studying the way public discourse shifts after a court renders a decision that defines a civil right.
Trieu and Dye each approached Vecera to ask about opportunities with Randolph’s Summer Research program. He asked them to take a part in his ongoing research by looking at court decisions on two topics. Trieu studied several state court decisions that concluded that individuals have a right to same-sex marriage. Dye explored Supreme Court decisions related to rights of gun ownership.
The students found news and opinion articles on the topics of same-sex marriage or gun control before and after the court cases. They classified each argument as being based on civil rights or based on other ideas.
They only recently amassed enough data to begin detailed analysis, but Trieu said there did seem to be a shift towards rights-based arguments about same-sex marriage after court rulings affirm such rights. (Although the Supreme Court issued two rulings related to same-sex marriage laws this week, they will not be incorporated into Trieu’s research because they did not declare a constitutional right to marriage.)
Dye said he saw similar patterns in arguments about gun control and second amendment rights. Other events tend to also impact the discourse, but only for a limited time. “Whenever there is a big tragedy, there will be a lot more arguments about regulating gun ownership for mentally ill people,” Dye said. “Then they turn off to another argument, like the rights argument.”
This summer has helped Trieu and Dye learn a lot about judicial rulings and public policy, but it also has taught them patience with the sometimes tedious art of research, as they each had to read hundreds of articles. Vecera assures them that the effort is worth the reward of approaching and answering important questions.
“The things that make research worthwhile aren’t necessarily found in the day-to-day action of it,” he said. “You feel them at the beginning and the end.”
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Student Center is strengthening community on campus, Summer Research study shows
Randolph’s new Student Center buzzed with activity late into the night after an opening ceremony earlier this year. Students enjoyed food from the Skeller; socialized in the new commons area; played ping pong, pool, and video games; tried out a new dance floor; and exercised on state-of-the art fitness equipment overlooking the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains.
Amidst all of this excitement, Tsubasa Watanabe ’14 looked around and saw a research opportunity.
Watanbe, a sociology major, frequently ponders questions about how society functions and how people integrate with each other, particularly in the Randolph College community. As the $6 million Student Center renovation drew to a close, she proposed an independent study and Summer Research project that would examine the way the center impacts campus life.
“I thought maybe this is a chance to learn the answers to daily life questions through a scientific approach. That’s research,” Watanabe said.
Watanabe spent part of the spring semester observing how people interacted in the Student Center. She took note of the demographics of those using the student center, the activities they participated in, and with whom they interacted. She followed this with a survey that asked students questions about how they use the Student Center.
While analyzing the data this summer, Watanabe has determined that the new facility has served to strengthen community interaction on campus.
“The Student Center is really encouraging a sense of community,” Watanabe said. “I think it’s doing this very well because many people, according to the survey data, come to the Student Center alone, but they find someone here. It’s a nice place to just drop by and chat with people.”
Some survey responses indicated that sharing such a nice facility inspires students to treat the center—and each other—with respect, Watanabe said. “Since this is new and everybody likes it, everyone wants to keep it clean and nice. That also is creating a sense of community by making something symbolic for everyone to share on this campus.”
Watanabe is still analyzing some of the data she collected to learn more about the interaction between different demographic groups. She hopes her research can result in suggestions that will help more people use the Student Center and create a stronger community among the diverse student body.
“Many people have already found that they can do so many different things in the Student Center: they can eat, talk, play games, and study,” she said. “Having that kind of place is really nice. As many people do that, there are more opportunities for different people to get to know each other and find something in common.”
Amidst all of this excitement, Tsubasa Watanabe ’14 looked around and saw a research opportunity.
 |
| Tsuabasa Watanabe ’14 focused her independent study and a Summer Research project on Randolph's Student Center. |
Watanbe, a sociology major, frequently ponders questions about how society functions and how people integrate with each other, particularly in the Randolph College community. As the $6 million Student Center renovation drew to a close, she proposed an independent study and Summer Research project that would examine the way the center impacts campus life.
“I thought maybe this is a chance to learn the answers to daily life questions through a scientific approach. That’s research,” Watanabe said.
Watanabe spent part of the spring semester observing how people interacted in the Student Center. She took note of the demographics of those using the student center, the activities they participated in, and with whom they interacted. She followed this with a survey that asked students questions about how they use the Student Center.
While analyzing the data this summer, Watanabe has determined that the new facility has served to strengthen community interaction on campus.
“The Student Center is really encouraging a sense of community,” Watanabe said. “I think it’s doing this very well because many people, according to the survey data, come to the Student Center alone, but they find someone here. It’s a nice place to just drop by and chat with people.”
Some survey responses indicated that sharing such a nice facility inspires students to treat the center—and each other—with respect, Watanabe said. “Since this is new and everybody likes it, everyone wants to keep it clean and nice. That also is creating a sense of community by making something symbolic for everyone to share on this campus.”
Watanabe is still analyzing some of the data she collected to learn more about the interaction between different demographic groups. She hopes her research can result in suggestions that will help more people use the Student Center and create a stronger community among the diverse student body.
“Many people have already found that they can do so many different things in the Student Center: they can eat, talk, play games, and study,” she said. “Having that kind of place is really nice. As many people do that, there are more opportunities for different people to get to know each other and find something in common.”
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Students make film for Summer Research
On a warm summer day, as the late afternoon sun beat down on a mountain in Amherst County, Virginia, Sonja Cirilo ’15 applied a thin layer of makeup to make Bill Bodine’s face look paler and older. A few feet away, theatre professor Mace Archer looked out over a valley and ran through a script in his head.
When the camera began rolling a few minutes later, Archer portrayed Bobby, a man carrying his aged father on a miles-long hike into the mountain wilderness. “Ain’t got a name, far as I know,” he said. “Besides, you don’t need to know where it is.”
Archer and students have worked together this summer to produce a film adaptation of Beholder, a one-act play written by retiring Randolph English professor Jim Peterson. Students took on roles ranging from storyboarding to post-production, giving them insight and hands on experience in the art of filmmaking.
“It was much more tedious than I anticipated. It took a long time, but it was a good experience,” said Ashley Peisher ’15.
In Beholder, Bobby realizes that his father, “Pop,” likely will die soon. He carries Pop into a mountain where he hopes to reconcile their flawed relationship and help his father open his eyes. After discussing the phrase, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Bobby implores, “You got to learn to be a beholder, Pop!”
“They do have a lot of conflict between each other. They have a big secret that has torn them apart,” Peisher said. “It is really about trying to give his father this enlightenment before he dies.”
Archer directed and acted in Beholder more than 10 years ago when he and Peterson each taught at Montana State University – Billings. After Peterson came to teach at Randolph, Archer produced several more of Peterson’s plays in Montana.
Cirilo and Peisher each helped Archer in a Summer Research project last year when they produced a play in a local motel as an experiment in environmental theatre. He invited both of them to participate in this new project this year. “I thought that the opportunity to shoot a film and give students the opportunity to see that process would be really exciting,” Archer said.
Because of Peisher’s design talent, Archer asked her to produce the storyboards—sketches that demonstrate the basic look of each scene and camera shot. He assigned Cirilo to oversee continuity—making sure that costumes, lighting, and props remain consistent from one scene to the next. He also wanted Cirilo, who hopes to act on television someday, to see how acting in front of a camera is different from acting on stage.
“I thought it was a really cool idea, and I wanted to get on board with it,” Cirilo said.
Skip Wallace, Randolph’s video producer, filmed the show and taught the students how to edit it using modern editing software.
The production crew recorded Beholder on a mountain over a period of several evenings in the past two weeks. This week, they are going through a painstaking editing process. The students hope to have the video ready to show by July 5, when Summer Research students will present the results of their projects. Then they will submit the video to several film festivals.
Peisher hopes that people will see the film and “I hope you will look around you and acknowledge the beauty of things around you, and really take in your surroundings, and be a beholder of beauty,” she said.
When the camera began rolling a few minutes later, Archer portrayed Bobby, a man carrying his aged father on a miles-long hike into the mountain wilderness. “Ain’t got a name, far as I know,” he said. “Besides, you don’t need to know where it is.”
 |
| Sonja Cirilo ’15 makes notes during the filming of a scene in Beholder. |
“It was much more tedious than I anticipated. It took a long time, but it was a good experience,” said Ashley Peisher ’15.
In Beholder, Bobby realizes that his father, “Pop,” likely will die soon. He carries Pop into a mountain where he hopes to reconcile their flawed relationship and help his father open his eyes. After discussing the phrase, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Bobby implores, “You got to learn to be a beholder, Pop!”
“They do have a lot of conflict between each other. They have a big secret that has torn them apart,” Peisher said. “It is really about trying to give his father this enlightenment before he dies.”
Archer directed and acted in Beholder more than 10 years ago when he and Peterson each taught at Montana State University – Billings. After Peterson came to teach at Randolph, Archer produced several more of Peterson’s plays in Montana.
 | |
|
Because of Peisher’s design talent, Archer asked her to produce the storyboards—sketches that demonstrate the basic look of each scene and camera shot. He assigned Cirilo to oversee continuity—making sure that costumes, lighting, and props remain consistent from one scene to the next. He also wanted Cirilo, who hopes to act on television someday, to see how acting in front of a camera is different from acting on stage.
“I thought it was a really cool idea, and I wanted to get on board with it,” Cirilo said.
Skip Wallace, Randolph’s video producer, filmed the show and taught the students how to edit it using modern editing software.
The production crew recorded Beholder on a mountain over a period of several evenings in the past two weeks. This week, they are going through a painstaking editing process. The students hope to have the video ready to show by July 5, when Summer Research students will present the results of their projects. Then they will submit the video to several film festivals.
Peisher hopes that people will see the film and “I hope you will look around you and acknowledge the beauty of things around you, and really take in your surroundings, and be a beholder of beauty,” she said.
Friday, June 21, 2013
New donated horses join the Riding Center
Randolph students can enjoy riding two new horses that have been donated to the College.
Laura Narten and Tess Fortune, friends of Lauren Dees ’13, donated Christo (also known as Maximo), a 16. 1 hand warmblood.
Diana Cummings donated Kona, a 15.3-and-7/8 hand Dutch Cross, to join another horse that she gave the College last year.
Both horses have moved in to the Randolph College Riding Center barn, and Chris Mitchell, director of riding, said they will make great additions to Randolph's growing riding team.
Chris Mitchell, director of riding, is very pleased with the horses and the experience they will provide to students. Most students rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to ride such quality horses, he said. “To have nice horses to practice on, show, and compete with makes a big difference in riding instruction,” he said.
Meet More Horses
This summer, you can meet many of the horses in the Riding Center through “Warmblood Wednesdays,” a weekly feature story series. Find links to the past features by browsing the Riding program’s Facebook page, and be sure to like the page so you can see the new features each week.
Minor in Equine Studies
Randolph College recently added an equine studies minor that gives students an academic experience that prepares them for working with horses in a variety of capacities. Learn more here.
Laura Narten and Tess Fortune, friends of Lauren Dees ’13, donated Christo (also known as Maximo), a 16. 1 hand warmblood.
Diana Cummings donated Kona, a 15.3-and-7/8 hand Dutch Cross, to join another horse that she gave the College last year.
Both horses have moved in to the Randolph College Riding Center barn, and Chris Mitchell, director of riding, said they will make great additions to Randolph's growing riding team.
Chris Mitchell, director of riding, is very pleased with the horses and the experience they will provide to students. Most students rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to ride such quality horses, he said. “To have nice horses to practice on, show, and compete with makes a big difference in riding instruction,” he said.
This summer, you can meet many of the horses in the Riding Center through “Warmblood Wednesdays,” a weekly feature story series. Find links to the past features by browsing the Riding program’s Facebook page, and be sure to like the page so you can see the new features each week.
Minor in Equine Studies
Randolph College recently added an equine studies minor that gives students an academic experience that prepares them for working with horses in a variety of capacities. Learn more here.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Transfer student finds more fun and academic opportunity at Randolph
A year ago, Elizabeth van Noppen ’14 had to make a difficult choice. She knew she should leave the campus that she had called home for her first two years of college.
At her first college, she did not experience the academic challenge that would help her grow. She also wanted greater diversity among her classmates and more social activities. “I wanted a place where everyone wanted to stay and have fun on the weekends,” van Noppen said. “I wanted a place that had a dynamic atmosphere and character.”
Randolph College is celebrating Transfer Week June 24 – 28. Learn more and schedule a tour of campus at www.randolphcollege.edu/transfer.
That spring, she watched her older sister Marian van Noppen ’12 graduate from Randolph College. Inspired by her sister’s pride and positive experiences here, she decided to tour Randolph for herself. “During the tours and the interviews I had, there was a clear difference,” she said. “I felt like I was connecting with this school. There was diversity, there was challenge, and there was more opportunity in my field.”
A psychology major, van Noppen spent part of that first campus tour talking to Beth Schwartz, the Catherine E. & William E. Thoresen Chair in Social Sciences and assistant dean of the College. Schwartz told her about a Summer Research Program project she was working on to study how honor codes affect academic honesty and cheating. Hearing that Randolph students have opportunities to work on summer projects alongside experienced professors helped van Noppen decide to transfer to Randolph.
Today, van Noppen is continuing that same research project on academic honesty in the 2013 Summer Research Program. Over the past few years, Schwartz and Megan Hageman ’13 conducted surveys to test how people viewed various dishonest academic behaviors. They found that students at colleges with traditional honor codes—featuring self-scheduled exams, a student-run judicial system for honor violations, and the expectation that students report violations—are more aware of standards of academic integrity than students at schools without honor codes or with a non-traditional honor code.
Van Noppen became interested as she saw the way Randolph’s honor system, including self-scheduled exams and many take-home tests, fostered integrity. “I noticed that the culture is really different. With less supervision, with more trust in your students, it makes students act more honestly, because there is that responsibility on them,” she said. “It’s helpful to see what mechanisms help reduce dishonesty in the classroom. I had always thought, to reduce cheating, you should add more consequences or try to manipulate the environment. Coming here and looking at the research, I've realized that's not the case.”
Van Noppen has continued analyzing data, focusing on the way gender affects academic honesty. She also helped finish a paper on the research which they submitted to the Journal of Ethics and Behavior.
In addition to Summer Research, van Noppen has enjoyed singing with Songshine, Randolph’s female a cappella group, and participating in events like Ring Week, when juniors and first-year students exchange gifts and juniors receive their class rings.
She encourages other college students who are looking for a change to tour Randolph and see whether it offers what they are looking for. “If you come here, you will have really special relationships with faculty and your peers,” she said. “You’ll be challenged academically, and you will have fun sporting events to attend. You’ll do quirky traditions. You’ll graduate knowing people you never thought you'd meet, and having friends you never thought you'd be friends with.”
At her first college, she did not experience the academic challenge that would help her grow. She also wanted greater diversity among her classmates and more social activities. “I wanted a place where everyone wanted to stay and have fun on the weekends,” van Noppen said. “I wanted a place that had a dynamic atmosphere and character.”
Transfer Week
A psychology major, van Noppen spent part of that first campus tour talking to Beth Schwartz, the Catherine E. & William E. Thoresen Chair in Social Sciences and assistant dean of the College. Schwartz told her about a Summer Research Program project she was working on to study how honor codes affect academic honesty and cheating. Hearing that Randolph students have opportunities to work on summer projects alongside experienced professors helped van Noppen decide to transfer to Randolph.
 |
| Transfer student Elizabeth van Noppen ’14, left, has enjoyed singing in Randolph’s female a cappella group Songshine, fun traditions, and academic opportunities like the Summer Research Program. |
Van Noppen became interested as she saw the way Randolph’s honor system, including self-scheduled exams and many take-home tests, fostered integrity. “I noticed that the culture is really different. With less supervision, with more trust in your students, it makes students act more honestly, because there is that responsibility on them,” she said. “It’s helpful to see what mechanisms help reduce dishonesty in the classroom. I had always thought, to reduce cheating, you should add more consequences or try to manipulate the environment. Coming here and looking at the research, I've realized that's not the case.”
Van Noppen has continued analyzing data, focusing on the way gender affects academic honesty. She also helped finish a paper on the research which they submitted to the Journal of Ethics and Behavior.
In addition to Summer Research, van Noppen has enjoyed singing with Songshine, Randolph’s female a cappella group, and participating in events like Ring Week, when juniors and first-year students exchange gifts and juniors receive their class rings.
She encourages other college students who are looking for a change to tour Randolph and see whether it offers what they are looking for. “If you come here, you will have really special relationships with faculty and your peers,” she said. “You’ll be challenged academically, and you will have fun sporting events to attend. You’ll do quirky traditions. You’ll graduate knowing people you never thought you'd meet, and having friends you never thought you'd be friends with.”
New York internship gives Randolph student advertising experience
More than 10 years ago, Bobby Crosby ’14 went to work with his uncle at a cable TV network in New York City. The fast-paced work environment and the bustling city fascinated him. “I came back and told my mom, I love the big city, and I want to work there someday,” he said.
Crosby is already fulfilling that dream with an advertising sales internship for A+E Networks, the parent company for cable stations such as A&E, Lifetime, and History. For the next several weeks, he will work closely with account executives and support their advertising efforts.
“I really want the hands-on experience that the internship will give me with sales and a better grasp on the entertainment industry,” said Crosby, a business major minoring in sociology and communication studies. “I also want to apply all the information that I’ve learned at Randolph.”
Crosby, one of the captain’s on Randolph’s men’s lacrosse team, has completed internships every summer of his college career. Two years ago, he worked for a commercial real estate agent. Last summer, he interned with a consulting firm in Paris, France. He believes those experiences helped him when he applied for the internship with A+E Networks.
In the first couple of weeks of the internship, Crosby spent most of his time conducting research on new products, programs, and other developments with prospective advertisers. He then shares that research with account executives, which helps them make the case when they meet with the prospective advertisers. “It gives the account executive some more fire power,” Crosby said.
He also has been assigned to create commercial ideas for a new television show that has not been released. When he has time away from the advertising research, he watches the show and studies the demographics of its target audience. This will help him develop ideas for advertisers.
During the 10-week internship, Crosby travels daily from his hometown of Bethel, Connecticut, to New York City—a two-hour train ride. Then the day is full of assignments, but it is worth having the busy summer, he said. “The internship is definitely keeping me busy, but I've already gained an immense amount of knowledge in just this short period of time.”
“I really want the hands-on experience that the internship will give me with sales and a better grasp on the entertainment industry,” said Crosby, a business major minoring in sociology and communication studies. “I also want to apply all the information that I’ve learned at Randolph.”
Crosby, one of the captain’s on Randolph’s men’s lacrosse team, has completed internships every summer of his college career. Two years ago, he worked for a commercial real estate agent. Last summer, he interned with a consulting firm in Paris, France. He believes those experiences helped him when he applied for the internship with A+E Networks.
In the first couple of weeks of the internship, Crosby spent most of his time conducting research on new products, programs, and other developments with prospective advertisers. He then shares that research with account executives, which helps them make the case when they meet with the prospective advertisers. “It gives the account executive some more fire power,” Crosby said.
He also has been assigned to create commercial ideas for a new television show that has not been released. When he has time away from the advertising research, he watches the show and studies the demographics of its target audience. This will help him develop ideas for advertisers.
During the 10-week internship, Crosby travels daily from his hometown of Bethel, Connecticut, to New York City—a two-hour train ride. Then the day is full of assignments, but it is worth having the busy summer, he said. “The internship is definitely keeping me busy, but I've already gained an immense amount of knowledge in just this short period of time.”
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Summer Research student examines Blackwater Creek health
For 10 years, Randolph College students have been testing the health of Blackwater Creek, a tributary of the James River flowing through Lynchburg. This summer, Kavya Pradhan ’14 will analyze all of the test results and decipher what that data says about the waterway.
“We have 10 years’ worth of data, but we didn’t have anyone analyzing it,” Pradhan said. “I want to know whether we have recorded any trends.”
Karin Warren, the Herzog Family Chair of Environmental Studies, began teaching her students how to test water quality in 2003, shortly after she began her position at the College. She still assigns students in her beginning environmental studies classes to take water samples each fall, with more advanced students serving as project leaders. They examine the stream’s physical and chemical characteristics, as well as the volume of insects, worms, and other small organisms that can be found in samples. “We’ve had well over 300 students who have worked on this project over the last decade,” Warren said.
A few years after Warren’s students began testing the waters, Lynchburg began efforts aimed at improving Blackwater Creek. Those efforts have included sewer system upgrades designed to stop sewer lines from overflowing into the creek during storms, as well as erosion control programs. By analyzing test results from before the work began to more recent data, Pradhan hopes to measure the impact that the improvement efforts have had.
“It’s really essential to see whether or not a type of remedial action is having an effect,” Pradhan said. “You might be spending millions of dollars on it without improving it.”
In addition to analyzing test results from previous years, Pradhan is collecting new information. On Monday, she led a group on a testing expedition on a section of the creek not far from the College. They spent a few hours collecting water samples, counting creatures found in the mud, and running other tests. It was a welcome break from more mundane data analysis.
“That’s what’s great about this project. I can stay inside and work on the computer going over the data sheets. But I can also go out and get into the stream,” Pradhan said. “It might be frustrating to get down the steep bank to the creek, but when you get down there you can look around and it’s really pretty.”
The project was featured in a story by a local television station on Monday. Read the WDBJ-7 story here.
“We have 10 years’ worth of data, but we didn’t have anyone analyzing it,” Pradhan said. “I want to know whether we have recorded any trends.”
 |
| Kavya Pradhan ’14, right, and Galen Shen, a high school student assisting with the project, take water samples from Blackwater Creek in Lynchburg. |
A few years after Warren’s students began testing the waters, Lynchburg began efforts aimed at improving Blackwater Creek. Those efforts have included sewer system upgrades designed to stop sewer lines from overflowing into the creek during storms, as well as erosion control programs. By analyzing test results from before the work began to more recent data, Pradhan hopes to measure the impact that the improvement efforts have had.
“It’s really essential to see whether or not a type of remedial action is having an effect,” Pradhan said. “You might be spending millions of dollars on it without improving it.”
 |
| Ludovic Lemaitre ’11, sustainability coordinator, Sarah Lawson, an environmental science and physics professor, Karin Warren, the Herzog Family Chair of Environmental Studies, and Mimansha Joshi ’14 look for tiny organisms in leaves pulled from Blackwater Creek. |
“That’s what’s great about this project. I can stay inside and work on the computer going over the data sheets. But I can also go out and get into the stream,” Pradhan said. “It might be frustrating to get down the steep bank to the creek, but when you get down there you can look around and it’s really pretty.”
The project was featured in a story by a local television station on Monday. Read the WDBJ-7 story here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
