The Carrier

On Wednesday, residence hall visitation hours were extended by two hours effective next fall after College President Stephen R. Briggs signed the recommendation submitted by the Student Life Council. 

The new visitation hours will be 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. during the week, and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. 

“I have received and signed the paperwork authorizing the change for the 2008-2009 academic year, with the understanding that increased use of the roommate contract will be implemented to facilitate roommate problem-solving and conflict resolution and to protect roommates from abuses of the visitation hours.” 

According to Briggs, students who need rest in order to attend an early morning class or start on-campus jobs early should be given priority over students merely wishing to entertain guests.  

In addition, scheduling arrangements will have to be worked out through Residence Life in how to responsibly accommodate RAs to staff the additional hours.  

Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Debbie Heida said the new hours will be reviewed after a year, and changes may be made after the one-year trial period. 

“We’ll see how we are after the first year and go from there.” Heida said. 

The visitation discussion started in the spring of 2007 at SGA where Senior John Luke Weaver started a subcommittee to SGA’s Student Affairs Committee to address visitation hour concerns. The proposal was presented to the students in the SGA meeting on November 13, 2007.

The proposal presented to Student Life Council requested 24- hour visitation on weekends, but the council proposed that weekday hours stay the same. The original proposal also requested that study rooms be open 24 hours in all the residence halls. Quiet hours were proposed to remain the same even with the 24 hour weekend visitation. Residents were also to escort visitors of the opposite sex out of the building. 

The last change made to visitation hours was in 1994, which originated from an SGA motion to adopt the hours currently instated. 

“Berry has a history of making gradual changes over time rather than drastic ones,” Heida said. 

Heida said the new hours will be reviewed after a year and changes may be made after the one-year trial period. 

A $55 million bond resolution for funding new residence hall construction, Dana renovations, Krannert Center expansion and roof replacements was approved by the Development Authority of Floyd County Monday, April 21. 

Construction for the new residence halls will begin in June after architecture and design plans for the foundation will be finalized by the architecture firm, Cooper Carry, on May 16. Architect Krista Theiler said those plans will then be submitted for a city permit to begin construction. 

“The approval from the Floyd County Development Authority last week moved us one step closer to issuing the bonds in late May,” Assistant Vice President for Finance Scott Shank said. “If we were unable to issue the bonds, none of the projects would progress.”

 Other bond-funded projects to begin this summer include a telecommunications shop near Viking Trail to provide support for the new residence halls, and pole barns to be constructed near Rollins Dairy as storage space for agricultural equipment that will be displaced during construction in the Emery Barns area. 

R.J. Griffin & Company, the construction company that worked on the Cage Center, will be doing the construction on the new residence halls.

“I like it because Briggs wants to see Berry bigger; if they have the money then they should use it… why not? I’m glad Briggs came in and started changing things at a faster pace, things get done now,” junior Tristan Pierce said. “At least we are outsourcing the work and hiring contractors, it’s not like Berry is having to do it.” 

While R.J. Griffin will handle the new residence halls, Director of Physical Plant Mark Hopkins said his personnel will be overseeing and working on most all of the summer projects.

“This summer is by far the busiest summer for physical plant in tackling projects,” Hopkins said. “We usually do one big renovation on one residence hall each summer, but this year we have several big projects planned.”  

Hopkins said West Mary would undergo the same treatment East Mary got last summer with new paint, carpet, heating and air. The roofs on the Cook Building, Barstow and Hamrick Hall on mountain campus will be replaced. Evans will receive new paint and carpet, and New Residence Hall will also receive a paint touch-up. Hopkins said physical plant’s role in the new residence hall construction will be to supply electricity and oversee the laborers working on the project. 

Physical plant will also be working on projects in order to become compliant with modern Environmental Protection Agency regulations. This summer, physical plant will seal off unused underground gas storage tanks around campus formerly used as alternative energy stores in the 1940s. 

Hopkins said the first project of the summer will be renovating the College Chapel steeple to begin on May 12.

The summer construction and renovation plans are part of a ten-year plan to maintain and catch up on needed facilities repairs. 

According to the Facilities Conditions Assessment, which is an inspection process to assess the maintenance needs of campus facilities, $35.1 million will be needed to provide maintenance for campus facilities over the next 10 years.  

In addition to maintenance needs, interest payments on the bonds will also have to be made monthly over the next 30 years.

Vice President for Finance Brian Erb said interest payments will be paid to bond holders  each month and once per year for principal, regardless of the status of construction. 

“The residence halls related projects will be covered by the room revenue generated, which is the majority of the bond” Erb said. “The remaining bond payments will be covered through the college’s capital project budget, which is part of the overall college budget.”

According to the President’s Report, an increase of $200-$300 thousand must be allocated each year to the capital projects budget to meet maintenance needs.

“Heating, air, roofing and technology needs are all on a similar life-span cycle in regards to when things near the end of their life-spans and become critical for being replaced,” College President Stephen R. Briggs said. “To address those needs we will have to shift some money around here and there in the budget, but you have to consider what $300 thousand is in the grand scheme of a $77.4 million overall budget.”

With bond payments and maintenance costs, some students said they were concerned with whether or not the administration is trying to accomplish too many projects at once. 

“I think it’s a little ridiculous because Berry is biting off more than it can handle,” junior Caitie Jones said. “We need it [renovations], but maybe we should focus on what we have first.”

“We need the renovations but we should work on what [the buildings] we have before we start on new ones,” freshman Katie Underdown said.

Briggs said the long-term project schedules fit together and are dependent upon one another for progress.

“Dana Hall is in great need of renovation, but we can’t work on it until we have a swing place to put those residents, which is why we have to construct the new residence halls first,” Briggs said. “So everything is interrelated.”

“All our projects do sound like a lot of work for us this summer, but I feel confident in my staff and the timetable we have worked out for each project,” Hopkins said. “We’ve pretty much got the HVAC renovations down to a science after doing it in other dorms, and we have charts that show specific dates for when we want to have certain things completed. The key is in the planning, which I think we’ve done really well this year.”

The new residence halls are expected to be completed in the summer of 2008. 

Renovations in Dana will include redoing heating ventilation and air conditioning system, side entrances, elevators, sprinklers, bathrooms, carpet and paint. Dana’s renovations will also be covered by bond funds, and construction will begin in the summer of 2009. 

The next step for the new residence hall construction is for Cooper Carry to work out the pricing package with R.J. Griffin Contractors, which is the construction company responsible for executing the architectural plans. 

Theiler said she estimates that they will be able to start pouring concrete foundation by July 9. 

Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Debbie Heida said she will plan a ceremony for the ground breaking in June. 

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.,  will be the honorary guest speaker at the spring commencement ceremony Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m. on Memorial Library lawn. 

Chambliss is the second high-profile Georgia politician to speak at Berry in the past two years, following Gov. Sonny Perdue, who spoke at last year’s spring commencement.

College President Stephen R. Briggs said he thinks it is important to bring nationally acclaimed individuals to Berry to speak to students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff. 

“I feel that it is important for our students to know who our legislators are and vice versa,” Briggs said. “These people have a unique perspective on our state, our nation and our world.”

Elected to the U.S. Senate in November, 2002, Chambliss is Georgia’s 63rd U.S. Senator. “Georgia Trend Magazine” described Chambliss as a “highly visible and well-respected presence in Washington,” with a reputation as an “affable but straight-talking lawmaker.”

Chambliss is a member of the Armed Services Committee, Senate Select Committee and he is the Ranking Republican Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

During the 109th Congress, Chambliss chaired the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and is the only U.S. Senator since 1947 to chair a full standing Senate committee after just only years serving as a Senator.

In addition to the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, Chambliss’ leadership on terrorism and homeland security earned him an appointment to the prestigious Senate Select Committee.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Chambliss carries on Georgia’s tradition of leadership and advocacy of the state’s military installations. Chambliss fought policies in 2005 that would have closed several of Georgia’s military bases and also continually fights for a higher quality of life for our troops by pushing progressive military legislation.

Chambliss was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994, representing Georgia’s 8th District. He is a past recipient of the Air Force Association’s W. Stuart Symington Award, the top civilian award given annually by the association. In January, he was awarded the Legislative Advocacy Award for legislation he began in order to reduce the minimum age at which members of the military can receive retirement pay.

Chambliss earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia in 1966 and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1968.

Chambliss and his wife, Julianne were married in 1966 and reside in Moultrie, Ga. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Briggs said he looks forward to the opportunity to glean from Chambliss’ words of wisdom. 

“I think Senator Chambliss has done a lot for Georgia and the United States of America, and it will certainly be an interesting and inspirational afternoon.”

Minimum wage will increase from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour in July and to $7.25 per hour in July of 2009. For most Berry students that means a pay raise.

Michael Burnes, dean of student work, and Debbie Heida, vice president of student affairs, both agree that the minimum wage increase will benefit the student work program by making on-campus jobs more competitive with off-campus jobs.

 “The higher wages make us more competitive, and then add in all the other advantages,” Burnes said, referring to the ease of working close to your dorms, flexibility of hours, having Berry supervisors and the convenience of not having to drive.

“Sometimes students feel they need to supplement with an off campus job,” Heida said.

Heida also said that there is nothing wrong with a job at American Eagle or McDonald’s, but that on-campus jobs are usually better all around, especially now when you add the combination of on-campus benefits with the increase in pay.

Burnes is used to discussing the student work program with 

incoming students at Berry Bound and other such events, but in the past has tried to avoid the question of salary.

“Someone always asks how much students get paid, and I had to say $5.15 an hour,” Burnes said.

Now that students will be getting paid closer to the market value wage rate, both Heida and Burnes think students will be more attracted to the convenience of an on-campus job.

Student Concerns:

Financial aid packages and hours worked

Burnes said the amount granted for student work with each student’s financial aid packet will be adjusted accordingly to the increase in wage, and therefore students will be able to work the same number of hours as in the past.

Burnes also said that last time the wage was increased, everyone’s pay was raised by the same amount.  Therefore, if you already had a raise, you will be getting paid that same amount over minimum wage as before

Tuition

Heida said increasing the student work budget while keeping the current student hours has its cost, but that it’s an important one.

“It’s an investment that we believe is an integral part of Berry,” Heida said.  “It’s an investment in how we run our campus.”

Burnes said that about 75 percent of students work on campus during any given semester, and that number increases to 85 percent during a year.  

“We had two choices: increase the student work budget or cut back the number of hours students are allowed to work,” Burnes said.  “This president thinks student work is so important that we will increase the budget.”

Burnes said that student workers work an estimated 400,000 hours a year.  With close to a dollar increase in minimum wage, the budget will need to be increased by approximately $400,000.  With this amount of increase, some students are wondering where the money is coming from.

“Through rumors I’ve heard that the increase in tuition might be partially due to the increase in minimum wage,” said freshmen biochemistry major Tim Pitchko.  “But I’ve also heard that it is not supposed to affect it.”

  The administration, however, stated that student jobs would, for the most part, remain the same and that minimum wage increase is not the sole reason for tuition increase.

“It’s not a tit for tat thing,” Burnes said, “Does it contribute?  A little.  But you have to look at all the costs of running a college.  Look at the new electricity bill for the Cage Center, look at the increase in fuel costs, look at the price of health care for Berry’s employees, for example.”

New Pay Levels 

The minimum wage increase is not the only way some students will be getting paid more next year.

There has been a proposal made for paying students depending on the level of the position they hold, which is encouraging to some students such as Pitchko, who works for the chemistry department on campus and Berry’s dairy.

When working at the dairy, Pitchko arrives many mornings at 4 a.m. to feed the cows. He said he understands the benefits of the work experience, but he also admitted that money is an important issue.

“The experience is great,” Pitchko said. “It’s one of the reasons I came to Berry.”

Pitchko said that his job requires constant concentration and that he sees the benefits of a pay scale.

“A job should get paid what it’s worth,” Pitchko said.  “I don’t want to say that I should be paid more than someone working at Java City or sitting at a desk, but I want to be paid what the job is worth.”

The question as to whether some jobs on campus are over or underpaid elicited mixed responses from Heida and Burnes.

“I would say that there is not a student job on this campus that is overpaid,” Burnes said. “I wouldn’t say any job is underpaid either, because it’s part of your educational experience.”

Burnes said Berry students have many opportunities to gain experience through jobs that are not offered to students at many other colleges.  Heida also agreed that student work is “part of your overall education,” and that it is not just about the pay.  

What’s next in the process?

Burnes said that he does not know when he will receive official approval for the new pay level system. When approved, Student Work will start classifying job positions and working with IT to modify Berry’s database system to implement the levels.

Burnes said that if the proposal for new job levels is approved, then the new levels will be implemented in the fall.  However, jobs will not “change.”  Current jobs will be classified into one of five pay levels. 

“Most students will already have their fall jobs lined up,” Burnes said.  “So there will be no need to apply for a bunch of new jobs.  Any unfilled jobs will be posted on the Student Work Web site as they are now.”

Burnes said that certain jobs will be paid more than others, but it will all depend on their pay level classification. 

“A team of students and staff will examine all current jobs this summer and classify them into the most appropriate level,” Burnes said.  “As new jobs are created, my office, in consultation with the supervisor creating the job, will determine the appropriate level.  This is a standard process used by most employers.”

The inaugural year of the Student Activities Fund has come and gone, but the effects of its inception will continue into the next school year.  

Clubs will benefit from this year’s fee next semester, as the remaining money from this year’s SAF will go back into a pot to be reallocated next year.

Junior John Cason, the executive treasurer of the Student Government Association and the budget and finance committee’s chair, said, “We can allocate more efficiently than you can save [the remaining allotted funds of each organization]. Organizations can now theoretically request as much as they need within reason.”

No student organizations will keep any leftover allotted funds, however, any money an organization collected through fundraising will remain in the organization’s individual account.  

“The Budget and Finance Committee took a year to assess what clubs were actually requesting and established policies that represented the type of requests that would be made, and this past year 82 recognized organizations were allowed to request funding,” said Student Activities Director Cecily Crow. 

She also said that the SAF has a lot of potential. 

“I think expectations were high for this year.  When you go from having a little money to a lot, it’s going to take longer than a year to learn to utilize the funds efficiently.” 

In addition to supporting various student organizations that requested funding, the $250,000 Student Activities Fund supported KCAB programming, SGA and Marthapalooza. 

SOLE president Kari Doubleday said she knows first hand just how far those Student Activities Fund requests have gone.  

“Last year people had to pay out of pocket to buy their own gear for trips with SOLE,” Doubleday said.  “Due to the Student Activities Fund, we’ve been able to purchase helmets, headlamps, backpacks, tents, a first aid kit and a water filter.”

From backpacking to caving, SOLE has been able to experience some outdoor life and exploration over the past year.  

Membership has significantly increased, and there are about 15 people who regularly attend SOLE trips.

In past years, clubs and organizations on campus were funded solely by profits made from snack machines around campus each year.  

Crow said she estimates that about 50 to 60 student groups shared from approximately a $20,000 sum last year.  

Crow said vending machine profits were divided as follows: 60 percent was distributed among approved student organizations, SGA received 22.5 percent and KCAB received the remaining 17.5 percent of the profits for student programming.  

SGA’s allotment went to the Student Organization Assistance Program (SOAP). SOAP allowed for student organizations to request additional funding if approved by the SGA body. 

As more clubs were added, individual clubs and organizations were allotted decreased funding due to stagnant snack machine profits, while the number of clubs continued to rise. 

 From 2002-2006, the average vending machine profits for each organization dropped from $225 to $190 for the entire academic year. 

Instead of trying to beat competition by encouraging students to buy more snacks via vending machine, the SGA Budget and Finance Committee proposed and developed a $75 per semester Student Activities Fee. 

Campus clubs and organizations are presently budgeting for the upcoming academic year. 

The Budget and Finance Committee, along with Vice President for Student Affairs Debbie Heida and Crow, use enrollment estimates to predict the total Student Activities Fund for next year by multiplying the estimated number of students for the following semester by $75. A cushion is also built in to the budget for the possibility of an unforeseen decline in enrollment.

As a former Berry student, Crow (94 C) said the increase in funding has allowed KCAB to do more programming than when she was a student and brought more to do on the weekends.

“The Student Activities Fund allows other student groups to provide activities on weekends too, and it has also brought more collaboration between student groups,” Crow added. “We want to see it have an impact on the greatest number of students possible.”

During the summer, faculty from the fine arts and communication departments will discuss what features each department would like to see in a possible new arts center. 

Bob Frank, chair of the communication department, said Berry is in the “dream stage” of building a new arts center. 

Frank said that a new arts center would introduce state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, much like what the Cage did for Berry’s athletics, so that our arts and communication departments could thrive. 

“Of course, this process would take seven to eight years,” Frank said. 

Although the arts center would not cost as much to build as the Cage, Frank said it would still require massive fundraising and perhaps grandiose generosity from a donor.

Unlike the new dorms, an arts center would not be able to pay itself off with room and board.

The new arts center would be necessary to accompany an expected increase in the student population. College President Stephen R. Briggs’ goal is to raise student population to approximately 2,400. 

“We just don’t have the space [to accommodate the growth],” said Frank.

The additions would also help to attract prospective students interested in arts and communication. 

Frank said that communication, in particular, has been the most popular major at Berry, for the most part, during the past five years. 

Inadequate auditorium acoustics, limited performance space for dancers and aging communications equipment are problems Berry faces today. 

“It would help us [Berry’s dance troupe] by having a place to dance and practice,” said freshman Jessica Nguyen, a member of Berry’s Dance Troupe. “We used to practice in Richards, which closed down, and the Cage really isn’t suited for us. I know all the other dancers who are minoring in dance are really excited about it [the new fine arts center].”

Freshman band member Sophia Brim added, “We don’t have a lot of fair instruments. By fair, I mean we have instruments available for others to use, but they’re not in good condition. When my clarinet broke, we only had one good spare clarinet. The other wooden clarinets were infested by bugs.”

In addition, Frank said the arts complex would be conducive to bringing together all the art mediums across the campus. 

Currently, these divisions are spaced out across campus between the Ford buildings, the E.H. Young Theatre, the Moon building and the Laughlin building. 

“[The arts center would bring] great musicians. Our arts department is in need of good talent. We have good talent now, but we could get more, especially music,” added Brim. “We don’t have much here for music program, but it would be a great opportunity for us to expand and it would give us more.”

 The project is still in the discussion stages, but the proposed building site is in the field adjacent to Hermann Hall. 

After discussing what features they would like the center to have, faculty would then discuss their ideas with Tom Kennedy, dean of the school of humanities, social sciences and fine arts. 

Next, if the Cage is paid off, money would be raised and  bids from architects would be solicited, after which construction could begin.

College President Stephen R. Briggs will use results from a faculty salaries study to discern what needs to be done to keep faculty salaries from being below peer schools’ salary averages. 

The study, directed by the office of institutional research, will compare Berry’s salaries to both professor rank and salaries within each discipline, and the report will be complete in May.

Briggs said the study results will be a systematic way to define where Berry actually stands in comparison to our peer groups. 

“The idea is, now that we’ve been able to compare our tuition rates to our peer and aspirant institutions and keep our tuition costs in the lower end of that group, we can now look at how we compare in paying our faculty and staff,” Briggs said. 

Briggs and Provost Katherine Whatley said they will view the results of the study, and then determine the next step to make if any equity adjustments are required.

Once the budget is more solid after definite enrollment numbers are finalized in September, possible adjustments may be made. 

Students Concerns:

Students said they would be worried about the quality of their education if faculty were underpaid.

“If faculty aren’t compensated accurately for the work they do, then I think they would be less motivated to teach,” freshman Brittany Tetrick said. “That would then affect the quality of education we’re getting.” 

Another student said he is concerned about the right faculty getting raises.

“I think it’s important to make sure that a professor who does a good job gets the raise over another professor who isn’t as good of a professor,” sophomore Orrin Thayer said. Faculty salaries are also dependent upon student tuition.

Briggs’ tuition letter this year included a 3 percent increase to the faculty merit pool, which is the funds from which faculty salaries are distributed.  

“There is an appropriate ongoing tension between faculty and students regarding salaries,” Briggs said. “We want to compensate faculty and staff fairly while offering students a quality education, but faculty understands the student need to keep the tuition costs down.” 

Part if increased costs included in Briggs’ tuition letter this year was a 3 percent increase to the faculty merit pool, which is the funds from which faculty salaries are distributed. 

Mary Clement, associate professor of teacher education and chair of the faculty assembly, spoke on behalf of the faculty at the board of trustees meeting in March to request consideration of faculty salaries after adjustments were made last October. 

“While improvements have been made, the faculty feel that the issue of salary must be kept in the forefront of budget discussions,” Clement told the board. “This practice needs to continue, or an equally responsive one, with careful study given to the issues of pay equity and merit. We must have competitive salaries to attract new faculty and to keep experienced faculty.” 

To alleviate pressure on tuition revenues, Vice President for Finance Brian Erb said one possibility is to create more endowed faculty teaching positions.  

Frank Stephenson, member of the budget advisory committee, said he has recommended that Berry “increase focus on recruitment and retention in order to take the pressure off tuition dollars.”  

Faculty Concerns:

On the faculty side, Todd Timberlake said it is difficult to systematically make generalizations about the current state of equity in faculty pay because salary information is private. However, he said that for his particular position, he was below the national average.

“I am paid substantially less than the average for professors with the same rank and same years of experience in the same field,” Timberlake said. 

Timberlake said that Berry faculty take teaching positions knowing they will not be paid as much as working at a bigger institution with research positions, but the non-monetary compensation of being able to work at a place like Berry is a benefit. 

A point of concern for faculty would be in inequities among faculty in the same fields, however Timberlake said he did not know for sure whether or not inequities did exist at Berry. 

“I think it is generally agreed upon by most faculty that if there are inequalities within a certain field that are not based on merit or special service like being department chair, then that is a problem which must be addressed,” Timberlake said. 

Timberlake said he was concerned about being able to offer competitive pay for quality professors after one applicant for a teaching position in the physics department could not take the job because of the salary. 

“We need to continue to attract new faculty and continue the trend of quality education, by hiring quality faculty,” Timberlake said.  

Stephenson also said the Campbell School of Business has had a few job applicants who said salary was an issue. 

“Berry has had some difficult searches recently, but until we sit down and compare why jobs weren’t taken and get some data, then we can’t really say it’s all because of salary,” Whatley said.  “It could be a number of issues.”

However, despite the enrollment manager position being filled by an internal candidate and extended search time for the library director search, Briggs said salary has not been a major issue in either of these searches. 

How pay is determined:

Kathy McKee, dean of academic affairs, said pay increases to faculty are based on a merit- system, which means that faculty increases are based upon the teacher’s effectiveness in teaching, scholarship and service. 

These areas are evaluated through both student course evaluations and a self-report, which is completed by the professor each year. 

The self-report is then reviewed by the department chair and the dean, who make recommendations to the provost for pay increase based on their merit.

 “What has been true the past several years is that the overall pool from which merit-based comes has been fairly small,” McKee said.  What happens in the college budget process is we decide how much flexibility we have in raising salaries, and then we use dean recommendations to determine increases for faculty members.”  

In addition to the study’s results in defining Berry’s salary comparison to peer institutions, Whatley said she plans to talk to faculty to discern her steps to getting more faculty tenured. 

“I still need to take time to assess the data and get a feel for the campus culture,” Whatley said.  “I need to get a feel for the commitment to the faculty here so that I’m not coming in midstream and changing rules.” 

Bryce Durbin, director of Institutional Research, said his team has been successful in gathering data for professor rank averages among peer schools, but they are still working on gathering discipline-by-discipline averages.    

David Brooks, conservative New York Times columnist, said in an on-campus lecture Thursday night that, although he is a John McCain fan, Barack Obama is sure to win the election this year.

Brooks spoke on politics as part of the Gloria Shatto Lecture Series in the fairly full Mount Berry Chapel from 7:30 to 8:15 Thursday evening. 

Following the speech, he spent 25 minutes answering questions from the audience, which consisted of students, faculty, alumni and community members.Besides his columnist position, Brooks has been a senior editor at the Weekly Standard, a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly and an Op-Ed editor for the Wall Street Journal. 

He is currently a commentator on “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer” and a recurrent analyst on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

Brooks gave his audience an insider’s perspective on politicians, including some challenges they face, and the strengths and weaknesses of all three major presidential candidates. 

Brooks said that his closest friend out of the candidates, McCain, is a very truthful, fun man, contrary to the reputation of most politicians.

“He is perfectly honest with me, unfailingly and sometimes self-destructively honest,” said Brooks.  “He is the most enjoyable person to be around.” 

Brooks went on to discuss the good and bad qualities of McCain and the other two candidates. 

Here is a summary:· McCain- He has an incredibly high energy level, like a fighter pilot.  He knows a lot about foreign policy but very little about domestic policy.  McCain is a social butterfly who can’t sit still and whose office is in the middle of the suite so everyone must walk through it.  He has a great moral sense, but he resists organization.  He is a Republican that a lot of Democrats can get behind.·

Hillary- She is very intelligent and disciplined.  Hillary was a very good senator, and she works incredibly hard.  She does not trust, however, and she thinks of running for office as war.  She hasn’t run a particularly good campaign and has an awfully low chance of winning the election.·

Obama- He is very perceptive and eloquent.  He places a tremendous emphasis on unity, and he has an extraordinarily supple mind.  His weaknesses are his lack of confidence and his lack of involvement in House actions.  Although he wants to bring people together, this could prove hard for him because  he is not in the center on issues.  Also, he is so good at seeing both sides of an issue that this could lead to trouble in making decisions. 

Brooks said that it would be foolish to vote against the Democrats this year because 80 percent of Americans are currently unsatisfied with where this country is going, and Republicans are presently in control.  Brooks said it is probable that Obama will win the election.

After Brooks’ speech, about eight people asked questions, and many audience members said that they enjoyed the lecture.“I thought he was really impressive,” said Dan Lipscomb (69C).  “He was really funny, especially when he said being a conservative at the New York Times is like being a chief rabbi in Mecca.”

“I think it was very informative and comical,” said sophomore history major Scott Hill.  “I really liked the insight into the private life of politicians—how they communicate or don’t communicate with each other was interesting.”

“I thought he was exactly the kind of speaker we needed,” said College President Stephen R. Briggs.  “He was funny, smart, thoughtful, balanced.  He helped us think.  It really restores your faith in journalism.”Brooks kept his audience attentive and laughing with frequent jokes.  He commented that senators have big heads. “What senators have are not heads; they are containers for heads,” Brooks said.

Jokes aside, Brooks did say that politicians, although they are people’s people, have very few true friends.

“They are so used to climbing that they don’t develop relationships side by side,” he said. “They feel this incredible loneliness, and sometimes they lurch out in the cruelest ways for human contact.”

Brooks said that it is not uncommon for a young woman to be sitting at a dinner party with politicians present and suddenly to find a tongue in her ear. 

Brooks commented that politicians, besides being lonelier than expected, are also usually a lot different in person than on television, especially President Bush.

“Well, the biggest difference is that he’s about 80 IQ points smarter in person. It’s funny, when you’ll talk about Russian history with him in person, he’ll talk about books he’s read or about Peter the Great.  Stuff he would never talk about in public.  His manner is also very different.  He’s much more Texas in person. He slouches; he sort of snorts; he sits crooked; he has an imaginary chaw on the side of his mouth; he’s actually quite profane.”

Brooks offered advice to students hoping to break into the journalism business.

“The first thing I would say is learn a lot about the world, not just about journalism.  So I was a history major, philosophy, English, economics. The second thing is you’ve got to bring something to the table, some body of knowledge.  For somebody who wanted to go into print journalism, be aware that you have to think of how it’s going to change.  Television journalism seems like it’s going to survive.  I’d say it’s doing quite well.”

Brooks, a former traveling professor of public policy, said that he enjoys speaking to college students and that Berry treated him well. 

The new student campsite project was approved by the administration, but funding for the project will have to be decided, Director of Intramurals and Outdoor Recreation Ricky Williams said Tuesday.

Williams said the project would cost $31,154 for construction and equipment, but the project has not been allotted a budget.

Junior Laura Sutton, SGA president, proposed contributing funds from SGA’s special projects budget to begin construction on the project. 

SGA will continue to consider donating between $6,000 and $7,000 to the project.

“If we can get this project rolling, then hopefully the campsite can be ready for use next year,” Sutton said.

Williams researched the possibility of constructing campsites in response to College President Stephen R. Briggs’ iniative for more outdoor recreation opportunities on campus.

Williams drafted a 30-page proposal based on his research of camping facilities.

“In my research, I came across very few colleges that have camping capabilities on campus,” Williams said. “Not many schools have this kind of thing, so we don’t have much to go by.”

If funding can be provided, the site will be located at Victory Lake, and equipment would be available for students to check out at no cost.

Some students at the SGA meeting expressed concern about the project not having a budget. 

Senior Brian Kase asked if a more primitive camp option might be more feasible and questioned the need for an electronic security light.

“Right now we’re shooting for the moon, but we’ll see what we could scale back some things if need be,” Williams said.

Other than SGA’s potential support, Williams said no other funding has been designated for the project. 

Gary Waters, former chief of staff, began his new position as vice president for enrollment management last Thursday after no favorite candidate emerged from the six-month search process.

Waters served on the search committee for the position but was not originally a candidate until College President Stephen R. Briggs and the committee decided that none of the final three external candidates were ideal fits for Berry.

Briggs said several cabinet leaders, members of the board, search committee members and the search consultant suggested Waters as a possible choice for the position. 

“Initially I was really surprised with the decision,” SGA President Joe James said.

James said he and junior Laura Sutton, vice president for campus services, expressed concern to search committee chair Debbie Heida about students not having an opportunity to meet with Waters in order to give student input and hear his ideas.

“After speaking with President Briggs, I realized that Gary Waters is a good choice because he already knows the system, and there would be less transition time so he could jump right into the job,” Sutton said.

Waters has served on Berry staff for over 20 years. 

He began his career at Berry as assistant director of admissions, and then served as associate director of financial aid. 

As chief of staff, Waters served as a cabinet member and has participated in conversations regarding the Strategic Plan and board of trustees decisions.

Of the three candidates who visited campus in February, one decided to remain in her job and another accepted an offer at an institution in Florida, Briggs said.

James said all the candidates had impressive strengths, but all had significant weaknesses.

“I was concerned about one transitioning from a community college, the second candidate did not fit well with Rome and the third did not seem like a good fit for Berry,” James said. 

As former member of the provost search committee, Sutton was able to relate her  own search committee experience to the enrollment search. 

“Search committee processes allow for you to get a good pool of qualified candidates to choose from,” Sutton said. “These searches can be hit-or-miss sometimes, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the search is ineffective. Sometimes even when you find good candidates it just doesn’t work out.”

The committee hired search consultant Terry Lahti to recruit a pool of nationally qualified candidates from which the search committee selected individuals to interview. 

Despite hiring an internal candidate, Briggs and Heida both said they were pleased with Lahti’s work.

“We have to make sure we’re looking at the best candidates for the job,” Briggs said. “Hiring a consultant was necessary for this type of national search. Obviously we won’t be hiring consultants for every search we do, but for this one it was important to have a specialist in the field to do the job right.”

Briggs said Lahti offered to start, at no extra cost, a search for the director of admissions, and the search is currently underway.

Waters has served as interim director of admissions since October, in addition to his duties as chief of staff.

As vice president for enrollment management, he will oversee the admissions and financial aid departments and implement the new integrated marketing plan for increasing enrollment and retention.

Enrollment Strategies

•Emphasize customer service.  Specifically, Waters said he hopes to “create a highly valuable customer-service approach for prospective and currently enrolled students” in admissions and financial aid.

•Utilize financial aid resources. “Berry is very generous in our financial aid policies, but we can utilize the same resources we have more efficiently,” Waters said.

•Implement the integrated marketing plan. Briggs said Waters has been working closely with the integrated marketing plan as chief of staff, and his experience with Berry’s public relations staff will be beneficial in launching the plan.

“My background in admissions and my interim role the past several months allows me to hit the ground running in implementing the integrated marketing plan quicker than an external candidate,” Waters said.

•Collaborate with all divisions of the college. In addition to collaborating with external partners and public relations, Waters said he hopes to listen to students regarding campus concerns, and values feedback in admissions and financial aid services. 

“It’s really important for current students to give feedback to Gary Waters for how students found out about Berry, why they are happy or unhappy here and to give him ideas about how to get students coming to Berry,” James said.

SGA will sponsor an open forum with Waters in the upcoming weeks in order to provide students with an opportunity to meet with him and discuss enrollment ideas. 

Briggs said the open chief of staff position will be filled in the next few weeks, and an internal or local candidate will likely be hired for the position.