1992-02-26, The Samford Crimson

THE «ь SAMFORD mm crimson Sports A&E Opinions David Joyner fares Profs sound off on Campus Minis¬ well at tourney in Step Sing ... or is tries looking for a Mississippi that Strep Sing? place to call home. - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 Volmne 76 Number 17 Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama Wednesday, February 26, 1992 Freshmen take Step Sing Sweepstakes trophy By Debbie Sheffield and Neal Hutchens Staff Reporters The freshman class won the Sweepstakes trophy in the 4 1st annual performance of Step Sing this weekend. In the men’s division, Lambda Chi Alpha took first place. Sigma Chi finished second and Pi Kappa Phi was third. Alpha Delta Pi placed first in the women’s division. Phi Mu was second and ZetaTau Alpha came in third. Other organizations that placed were the Baptist Stu¬ dent Union, which finished second to the freshmen in the mixed division; and the Bap¬ tist Student Union Choir, which took place in that cat¬ egory ‘Being in the freshman show was a lot of work but we had a lot of fun doing it,” said freshman Michelle Jackson, a pre-med major. “Perhaps the thing that was most ex¬ citing was that the audience seemed to love the show. It’s unbelievable, yet exciting, that we won." The freshman show chore¬ ographer, Jodi Shelburne, a freshman physical therapy major, said, "The show went over as well as it did because the girls were so dedicated. They gave 1 10 percent at ev¬ ery practice.” Shelburne said freshman Mendy Lee, a pre-law major, came up with the idea to make the show a tribute to the late See "Step Sing" on page 3. Full-time jobs for graduates hard to find By Tara Springfield Staff Reporter Graduating seniors face a job search even more challenging this spring than last, said two Samford career specialists. Career Development Director Alice Martin and Career Placement Coor¬ dinator Liz Sawyer said there has been a slight decrease in listings for fiill-time jobs since the Persian Gulf War ended last year. Also, a special issue of The Wall Street Journal (Spring 1992 — Man¬ aging Your Career] predicts recruit¬ ing will fall 20% to 25% this spring. Martin and Sawyer said the re¬ cessed economy is a major factor in the decline. More companies are hiring part-time employees, who re¬ ceive fewer benefits. Sawyer said. Other companies facing lay-offs and cost-cutting are hiring fewer employ¬ ees. Martin said In general, competition is more intense. There is less turnover in entry-level positions and gradu¬ ates are competing with older em¬ ployees that have work experience. Sawyer said, however, the job market is “not impossible. It just takes more time and more work. " She said students prepared to deal with the job search will have the best chances of finding a Job. The typical Job search takes about four to eight months. “Employers are analyzing the whole person," Martin said. They consider not only the college degree, but also the GPA, specific skills (such as for¬ eign language, computer and lead- ership sKills), work experience and extracurricular activities. Both career specialists urged stu¬ dents to be flexible in considering job opportunities. They said students must be willing to relocate, to work for «mailer companies or to consider different types of positions. Martaging Your Career listed top growth career areas — including en¬ gineering, computer science, nursing and business. Martin said her office is seeing a high percentage of em¬ ployer requests for computer science, accounting/finance, health profes¬ sions and pharmacy. Demand for educators has increased in the Southeast. Martin and Sawyer encouraged students to take advantage of op¬ portunities offered through Career Development Center. Seniors should have an active file so the center can match resumes with employer re¬ quests. The center also has a calendar of events including resume writing, in¬ terview techniques, and Job search skills workshops. The center keeps files of employment listings. (Above) Freshmen celebrate Saturday after winning the Step Sing Sweepstakes. They performed a tribute to Muppets creator Jim Henson. (Below) The brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha spice up the show as they celebrate the joys of the fast life in Las Vegas. _ Cornerstone gets second federal grant By Lisa McNeal Staff Reporter The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded Samford a grant of $208,000 to develop the university’s experimental Corner¬ stone curriculum, said Dean of Arts and Sciences Roderick Davis. Some of the money will be used to train faculty during special summer workshops, Davis said. At these meetings, experts from around the country will speak and give seminars in their fields. The national recognition that goes with the humanities grant is more beneficial than the money, he said. Through this grant, experts from around the nation have put their stamp of approval on Cornerstone — an array of broad-based courses that could become the basis for a new core curriculum. This award exceeded the one given last year by the Federal Department of Education’s Fund for the Improve¬ ment of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE). Last year 900 colleges and univer¬ sities competed for FIPSE funds; only 50 of those schools received funding, Davis said. “It is very unusual for a program to receive funding from both of these governmental sources." Davis said Samford’s Cornerstone program is unique. Other colleges ana universities are piloting cur¬ riculum changes, but not on the same scale as Samford. While other schools are adding anywhere from three to six new courses, Samford has added See "Cornerstone" on page 3. 'Give voice to the cosmic splendor' Christfest opens: art plus music minus key guest By Amy Walker Editor Christfest, Samford’s Sesquicen- tennial celebration of religion and the arts, opened Monday night with po¬ etry, music and an absentee keynote speaker. James Forbes, pastor of Riverside Church in New York City, was scheduled to open the festival at the Worship Celebration in the Wright Center Concert Hall. Christfest Chairman John Killinger said he re¬ ceived word last week that Forbes would not be able to attend. Killinger said Riverside Church is experiencing a "crisis" which required Forbes to remain in New York, but he declined to explain further. He called for a moment of silence at the be¬ ginning of the service to remember Forbes and his church. Provost William Hull applauded the opening event, saying it had “a tone of unbound beauty." The service centered around the theme of God’s majesty and love as revealed through the arts and cre¬ ation. After music by the A Capella Choir, minister Martin Bell of St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church read his original composition “A New Psalm." The “new psalm" read much like the original Biblical psalms with an emphasis on using the arts to display Goa’s glory. Tell the story with music again; tell the story with music again, the psalm began. Bell admonished the audience to consider the “outrageous reverse journey from death to life" and to “give voice to the cosmic splen¬ dor. ” Bell read another original psalm later in the program. The service also featured soloist Dorothy Parker of the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church and the Sardis Bap¬ tist Church Choir. Killinger, Samford’s Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, gave the sermon titled “God’s Love Feast" with Luke 14 as the text. Killinger used Jesus’ parable of a feast open to all to illustrate God’s and artists’ “inclusiveness." “Jesus opened the dinner table. He wanted everyone, even his enemies," he said. “Artists are very inclusive. Everything can be holy if you look at it right. “Every meal becomes a feast, every room a sanctuary, every heart a throne. He [Christ! is Lord of all."