THE TALON

A grip on news in the Huntingdon College Community

February 8, 2022

WHAT’S NEW?

SGA 2.0

Thanks to the good work and leadership of Chris Mayer ’22, Andrew Hines ’22, and Kale Smith ’22 in collaboration with Dr. Anthony Leigh, dean of students, a new Student Government Association constitution was written and subsequently adopted by a student body vote in January/February. The 2022 constitution, which takes effect on the last day of classes as new SGA officers assume their offices, outlines a new structure for electing students to student government leadership. The Student Senate now provides 10 senators from each class and 10 at-large senators, rather than selecting senators by major, with all but the freshman representatives elected in the spring (freshman senators will be elected in the fall). The document also specifies the election process for executive board leaders and for five students to serve on the Judicial Board.

Dr. Leigh has appointed five seniors to serve on the Judicial Board for the remainder of this academic year. MaCayla Clements ’22, Sam Granderson ’22, Lydia Lewis ’22, Damien Madison ’22, and Anna Nutting ’22 are charged with setting dates for elections, certifying candidates for elections, and certifying election results. Congratulations and much gratitude are extended to Chris, Andrew, Kale, MaCayla, Sam, Lydia, Damien, and Anna, as well as to current SGA president Cam Nicely ’22 for exemplary leadership this year.

Speaking of Leadership

Next week students may begin to file to qualify as candidates for SGA executive office (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer) or for judicial office. According to the 2022 constitution, to qualify a student must be enrolled full-time and have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above as computed by the Registrar’s Office. The constitution also outlines the level of SGA experience candidates are expected to have gained to be permitted to seek office. To view the new constitution and election timeline, see an email from Dr. Leigh, sent Feb. 4. The timeline is also included in the Coming Events section below and the constitution will soon be linked to the SGA page (pending updates) on the website.

Every Picture Tells a Story

There’s a story behind every piece of art in Seay Twins Gallery as part of this year’s Black History Month Art Exhibit. The Black Student Union sponsors this annual exhibit, which this year features the work of Frank Hardy. Mr. Hardy will be on campus in the gallery from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in February. Stop by and talk with him, learn about his art, or watch him paint. Students, faculty, staff, or community members are welcome.

History Repeated

The new History Club (see Announcements) isn’t the only hot history topic happening for Hawks this semester. Dr. Marcus Witcher, assistant professor of history, is leading another Reacting to the Past learning game in his Contemporary World History class this afternoon in which students will reenact the Cuban Missile Crisis. Meanwhile, the Cultural, Civic, and Political Engagement Presidential Fellows Team is reading the book “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,” on which they will have a student discussion group and dinner tonight. The team hopes to show an interview with On Tyranny author Timothy Snyder and host a panel discussion open to the campus community later this semester. The CCP team, led by Dr. Witcher and in cooperation with Dr. Siobhan Stiles, assistant professor of communication studies, also plans to host a campus-wide debate later this semester. More on the latter two events when details are known.

Sports Talk

• Composite Schedule
• Updated spectator policy (1/3/2022)
• Baseball: Spring Schedule
• Basketball: Schedules: Men; Women
• Golf: Spring schedules: Men; Women
• Lacrosse: Spring schedules: Men; Women
• Softball: Spring schedule
• Tennis: Spring schedules: Men; Women
• Track and Field Spring Schedules: Men; Women
• Volleyball (Beach): Spring Schedule
• Wrestling: Schedule.
• See more Hawk news at www.huntingdonhawks.com.

HAWKStars

• Huntingdon music students attended the Alabama Music Educators Conference in Birmingham, January 20–22: CALLIE BROWN; RILEY DAVIS; LEE HERRING; ANNA GRACE LAWSON; TREVOR SIKORSKI; XZAVIER STOUDMIRE; RACHAEL WILLIAMS; BAILEY WILLS; and GABRIELLA WOOD learned from experienced music educators.
• Congratulations to the graduates who completed their degree requirements in December 2021.
• ELIZABETH POLK ADCOCK ’98 serves as chief technology officer for MAC Federal Credit Union and lives in Wasilla, Alaska. She completed an executive MBA through Washington State University in 2018.
• The Rev. TAYLOR CLAIRE BEAN ALLEN ’14 has joined the spiritual care team at Ochsner Medical Center.
• NICOLE WELDON AUVIL ’08 began a new position as accounting manager at Relay Payments.
• SIDNEY CAROL HALL BARNHARDT ’19 has joined the Huntingdon staff in the admission and Presidential Fellows programs as a social media recruitment and marketing specialist. Welcome home, Sidney Carol!
• MICHAEL CHANDLER ’05 has been promoted to senior mortgage loan processor for CrossCountry Mortgage.
• BRITTANY GAYDOSH COTANT ’08 and Dr. ADAM COTANT ’09 welcomed baby Bethany Ruth (Ruthie), Jan. 1, 2022.
• CHAD COTANT ’09 and his wife, Lauren, welcomed son Chadwick “Aulden” Cotant Jr., Jan. 26, 2022.
• ANDREW DAVITZ ’13 and his wife, Sarah Beth, welcomed a son, Phillip Reid, Feb. 4, 2022.
• MARY BETH FORD ’12, an assistant vice president/commercial banker with Truist, celebrated the honor of winning a Birmingham’s Best in Minority Business Award.
• KYLE FUTRAL ’07, who serves as principal of Holtville High School, was named Alabama Secondary School Principal of the Year in January. Hawk ’em!
• JOLEEN GEORGE ’16 has joined Stamp Idea Group as an agency marketing director.
• CLIFF GROCE ’08 has moved to the position of specialty account executive with Druid City Vital Care.
• J. HARPER ’19 has stepped into the position of director of operations for the Harvard University women’s basketball program. A.J. was on tap for a CCV Hawk Talk Feb. 2, 2022, via Zoom.
• MARQUELL JOHNSON ’01 was selected to receive the 2022 Parker Distinguished Multicultural Alumni Award from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, his graduate alma mater. He is a professor and department chair at UW-Eau Claire.
• MATT JOHNSON ’05 has begun a new position as senior marketing consultant for ERC Benefits.
• TYLER JONES ’08, owner of The RailYard in Decatur, Ala., earned a certificate for High Performance Collaboration: Leadership, Teamwork, and Negotiation through Northwestern University.
• KELLY KAHUMOKU ’14 has moved to the position of director of operations for the ASF Foundation in Montgomery.
• LONNITRIA KEENAN ’16 has earned licensure as a registered nurse.
• KRISTIN PERDUE KELLY ’12, who teaches English for Goshen High School, was named Secondary Teacher of the Year for Pike County Schools.
• BRITTNEY GILLILAND LIEBBE ’11 and her husband, Greg, welcomed a son, Charles William, Jan. 31, 2022.
• KYLE LOVELOCK ’22 has begun a new position as a producer at WCOV Fox-20.
• CHANDLER MCDOUGAL ’22 is interning as a sports reporter for Gumptown Magazine.
• DANA NIX MOORE ’88 has moved to the position of vice president, commercial loan officer, at Valley Bank.
• KATHLEEN PENNEY ’15, director of external relations at Huntingdon, has earned advanced certification as a civil rights investigator two through ATIXA.
• MAT POPE ’88 has begun a new job as risk management specialist at Insurance Office of America. Applying wisdom in service, he has also assumed the chairmanship of Make-a-Wish Alabama for the next two years.
• Congratulations to this semester’s Campus Recreation interns, AUSTIN PREMIER ’22 and CHARLES MICKLES ’22.
• MARY CAM RAYBON ’14 is now an associate with the Beasley Allen Law Firm in Montgomery.
• LORI BONDS RIDER ’10, a P.E. teacher at Perdido School in Perdido, Ala., was honored with the Golden Apple Award in January. Lori also coaches volleyball and basketball and is a member of the Huntingdon Athletic Hall of Fame.
• VICTORIA LUCHNER ROMMEL ’15 and her husband, Tom, welcome baby John Robert (Bobby), Jan. 5, 2022.
• HANK SFORZINI ’04 has moved to the position of managing account supervisor at Fire Bee.
• SHIRIN TORABINEJAD LONG ’15 has moved to the position of talent acquisition manager for PwC, an accounting firm.
• ELIZABETH BROGDEN MACKEY ’09, assistant district attorney in the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, has been appointed senior assistant district attorney, working primarily in the Pickens County D.A.’s office. She earned her juris doctorate at Valparaiso University.
• STEVEN MANNING ’09 has begun a new job as a program analyst for the U.S. Navy.
• JORDAN MCELROY ’20 has been admitted to Ross University School of Medicine.
• ROBBIE MCKENNA ’20 and his wife, Kayla, welcomed a son, Easton James, on Jan. 20, 2022.
• BRODERICK SMITH ’08 serves as vice president, provider business development, at InstaMed, a J.P. Morgan company.
• STAFFORD SMITH ’22 will begin the master’s program in social work at Samford University this fall.
• HARDEN SPENCER ’15 has accepted a position as legislative director for U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver’s office.
• BLAKE TOOLE ’07 and his wife, Britton, welcomed a son, Harris Blake.
• KOBY TOWNSEND ’21 has begun a new position as city clerk/records administrator for the City of DeFuniak Springs (Fla.).
• CAITLIN WALKER ’16 serves as an accountant with the Alabama Department of Insurance.
• MARCUS WASHINGTON ’08 and his wife, Danje, welcomed a son, Jaden, Dec. 23, 2021.
• JONATHAN WILLIAMS ’15 and his wife, Morgan, welcomed a son, Thomas, Jan. 17, 2022.
• JACOB ’16 and ALEX CARROLL WRIGHT ’17 welcomed a son, Alexander Joseph, Jan. 5, 2022.
• ROBERT ZIDLICKY ’69 has abandoned retirement and returned to the ranks of the employed as a senior account manager at We Search for You.

Prayers and Sympathy

• Loyal Huntingdon alumna JUDITH JOHNSON BAILEY ’65 passed away Jan. 31, 2022, in Montgomery.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Dan Bailey ’64. We extend condolences to her sister, Patty Johnson Wolf ’71, her brother-in-law, Skip Wolf ’71, and her sister-in-law, Jeanne Bailey Gamble ’65.
• STEPHEN F. DILL passed away Jan. 14, 2022. Dr. Dill was a long-standing friend of Huntingdon College having served on the Huntingdon board of trustees and in pastoral roles throughout the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.  We celebrate his great life and extend our condolences to his family and friends.
• We celebrate the extraordinary life of MR. GEORGE GIBBS, a long-time friend and benefactor of the College, who passed away Jan. 23, 2022, in Louisville, Ky.  Over a 40-year period, Mr. Gibbs was an integral part of the advancement of Huntingdon College. His gift in 2010 led to the establishment of the George S. Gibbs Tennis Center, and he established four endowed scholarships at Huntingdon in honor of his family to assist students studying art, psychology, and education. He made several other gifts which contributed to facility renovations and campus beautification projects.  He was a member of the Huntingdon Society, the Huntingdon Hall of Honor, and a member of the Order of the Countess of Huntingdon.  We extend condolences to his wife, Betty, and to his network of admirers who knew him in Montgomery and in Louisville.
• We celebrate the life of WILLANNE MEADOWS INGRAM ’55, who died Feb. 4, 2022, in Oxford, Ala. Her obituary celebrated her involvement in the tumbling team when she was a student at Huntingdon.
• VEDA ANN FIFFIS JOHNSON ’56 DIED January 21, 2022, in Montgomery. She was a mathematician, researcher, and statistician for the State of Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.
• Our heartfelt sympathy is extended to CHRIS WEIDMAN ’01 and his family upon the death of his son, Braxton Gage, from a pediatric brain tumor in February.

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