THE TALON

A grip on news in the Huntingdon College Community

September 15, 2020

What’s New

Weather Update

Hurricane Sally is expected to come ashore on the Mississippi/Mobile Bay coast tonight or tomorrow as a Category 2 storm and is expected to linger in this area, with Montgomery in the cone of progression, through Thursday. We expect heavy rain and wind in the River Region, with possible flooding. Please be cautious.

• For the safety of your vehicle, do not park under trees either on- or off-campus.
• Charge your electronic devices.
• Do not drive into standing water when you do not know the depth.
• Familiarize yourself with the EmergencyProcedures posted on the website in case any warnings warrant following these plans.

It’s Week Six!

Mid-terms are coming up, Hawks! It’s time to buckle down with the books and concentrate on grades, grades, grades. If you need help in a class, see your professor and/or the Staton Center for Learning Enrichment, for which there are academic mentors assigned to coach you in dozens of different classes. Go to the Staton Center Canvas page (make sure you login) to sign up for coaching. DO NOT fall behind. Hope and help are just a few clicks away. You’ve got this, Hawks!

Stellar SACS Review

Huntingdon received the best possible report from our Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation visit last week: extension of accreditation for 10 years, no recommendations for improvement, and approval to offer graduate-level programs. Accreditation is always an all-College effort, but we acknowledge, especially, the great work of senior vice president Jay Dorman, vice president Dr. Sid Stubbs, interim vice president Dr. Tom Perrin, and former provost Dr. Anna McEwan for guiding the College through the process.

First Graduate Program Introduced

The SACS-COC review outcome allowed the College to announce last week that Huntingdon’s first ever graduate program, the Master of AthleticTraining, will begin in summer (May) 2021, with an entering cohort of up to 12 students. Applications are being accepted now through ATCAS, with a deadline to apply in January 2021. Huntingdon’s MAT program will be a six-semester commitment. The first cohort will graduate following the spring semester 2023. Program director Dr. Jennifer Ballard is working with a team of Certified Athletic Trainers, licensed physical therapists, and sports medicine physicians to develop the program.

HAWK the Vote

There is one thing you can do to influence this country’s leadership where your voice has as much weight as a celebrity’s or senator’s—and that is to vote! To that end, please visit vote.gov to register to vote if you haven’t done so already. You can register in your home district or you can register to vote at Huntingdon. If you are registered (or will register) to vote at home but can’t get there November 3, request an absentee ballot at usa.gov/absentee-voting. Note that every state has its own rules and deadlines for absentee voting so do this NOW. (Besides, you can’t be sure that quarantine won’t keep you from going to vote in-person, so it’s safest to plan for the absentee route.) If you can vote in your home district and not miss more than one or two classes, your absences will be excused on November 3 so that you can vote in person. (Remember that the lines are likely to be long and to move slowly because of COVID-19 protocols). Don’t forget to take your photo ID (driver’s license). Show up, Hawks. Your voice counts!

Race and Justice Initiative Update

Much good work has been done by the various wings of the Huntingdon College Race and Justice Initiative, which began earlier this semester. Among many initiatives, space has been designated for a permanent home for the Black Student Union (BSU) and additional funding has been appropriated for BSU activities; a new course on Racial Disparity in the American Application of Law is being offered this fall; faculty will participate in a workshop on racially sensitive pedagogy; a push for diversity among staff and faculty in the hiring process has been mandated; the College is working to create a minor in African American Studies to begin in Fall 2021; alumni have been invited to identify themselves as BIPOC alumni (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) and to participate in a Speaker’s Bureau, to facilitate hiring BIPOC students for internships and professional opportunities, to assist the BSU, and to assist with recruiting more students of color.

• Alumni who are interested in helping with the HC-RJI may register online.

Huntingdon Named to Several Top Lists

The 2021 annual College Guide issue of U.S. News and World Report, released yesterday names Huntingdon College among the top five regional colleges focused on excellence in undergraduate teaching; among the top 10 Best Values in Regional Colleges—South, and among the top 15 colleges in the region. The PrincetonReview has once again named Huntingdon in their list of Best Colleges: Region by Region. Southern Living Magazine listed Huntingdon in their September edition as one of the South’s Most Beautiful Colleges. Of course, we already knew all of these things—Hawks always choose to fly high.

Tree Campus USA

Huntingdon has been notified by the Arbor Day Foundation of selection as a 2019 Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 honoring colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. To earn this distinction, Huntingdon met five core standards, including the establishment of a tree advisory committee, dedicated annual expenditures for the campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and the sponsorship of service learning projects. From 2020 forward, the name of this designation, which Huntingdon has earned for six consecutive years, will be Tree Campus Higher Education.

Library Launches Virtual Reference Center

Houghton Library has launched a virtual reference service to assist students, faculty, and staff in their research and overall use of the library after hours. Monday thru Friday, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., requests for reference/research assistance can be sent to frankthelibraryghost@hawks.huntingdon.edu. When Frank is unavailable to help, one of your friendly librarians will step in to answer your questions. If you need help during the weekend, send an email, but know that it may not be answered until Monday morning as Frank may be taking the weekend off. You can also find information about the Virtual Reference Service on the library’s website at library.huntingdon.edu.

Important Dates (including some new ones)

Upcoming Fall 2020 In-Service Days (Offices Open/No Classes)

• Friday, October 2
• Friday, October 16
• Friday, October 30
• Friday, November 6

Academic Dates of Note

• Friday, September 25, Last day of Mid-Term Grading Period
• Friday, October 2, Last day to change to “P/N” grading, audit, and non-credit status
• (NEW) Advising for Spring Pre-registration, October 19–23
• (NEW) Spring 2021 Preregistration:
  • Note: Current freshmen will have their spring schedules pre-arranged for them; changes may be made during the “Open” period
  • October 26–27: Current Sophomores
  • October 29–30: Current Seniors
  • November 2: Current Juniors
  • November 3 and forward: Open
• Sunday, November 1, Daylight Saving Time begins; turn clocks back one hour
• Friday, November 13, Last Day of Classes, Fall Term
• Monday–Friday, November 16–20, Finals
• Friday, November 20, Thanksgiving and Winter Break begin for students and faculty
• Saturday, November 21, Residence Halls close at noon
• Staff Thanksgiving Break, November 25–27
• NEW: Offices closed for Winter Break: December 14, 2020–January 1, 2021 (offices reopen January 4; some offices may stagger dates to ensure necessary coverage).

Spring Calendar

(NEW) Summer 2021 Dates: Session I: May 31–June 29; Session 2: July 1–30

Class of 2020 Commencement Moved to November

The Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony (for those who completed their degree requirements in summer or fall 2019 or spring or summer 2020), originally postponed from May until October 2020, has been moved to November 21, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. on the Green. The date change will allow time for current students to leave for the end-of-semester break before inviting visitors to campus. Each graduate is allowed four tickets for family members because of the space limitations caused by social distancing measures. In case of inclement weather the ceremony will be held in either Ligon Chapel or Roland Arena and be limited to graduates only. As an alternative, Class of 2020 members may choose to participate in the May 29, 2021, Commencement Exercises. If you are a member of the Class of 2020 and have not communicated your preference to Dr. Anthony Leigh, please do so by September 16 to aleigh@hawks.huntingdon.edu.

CCV Events Coming Up

Email the CCV at ccv@hawks.huntingdon.edu for details or to sign up.

• 10/2/2020: Mock Interview Day (Speed-Dating Style), 12:00–1:00 and 4:00–5:00 p.m. on The Green.
• 10/6/2020: Alabama Connection Virtual Graduate School Expo, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• 10/7/2020: Social Media Professionalism Info Session, 12:00–1:00 p.m. on Jackson Home Lawn and 4:00–5:00 p.m. via Zoom.
• 10/20/2020: Resume Roundup, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
• 10/26/2020: Internship Information Session, via Zoom, 4:00–5:00 p.m.
• 10/27/2020: Internship Information Session, via Zoom, 12:00–1:00 p.m.
• 11/2/2020: Meet the Firms Accounting Week
• 11/5/2020: Employer Spotlight: Montgomery Biscuits, via Zoom, 12:00–1:00 p.m.
• 11/9–11/11/2020: Health Fair Week

Announcements

• Earlier this month, Huntingdon student Madison Perryman ’21, lost her belongings and her two dogs in a terrible apartment fire in Montgomery. A Go Fund Me page has been established to assist her in her recovery. Help us surround Madison with love and prayers.
• Your question, answered: Q: What happened to the food truck? A: It’s still coming! Look for it to open next week (we hope)!
• Participation limits kept some potential viewers from logging into the Chapman Benson Lecture, “Lies My Preacher Told Me,” by Dr. Brent Strawn, based on his upcoming book of the same title. You may view the last hour of the lecture here.
• The centuries-old struggles for voting rights and against voter suppression in the United States are the subjects of the Huntingdon College Constitution Day Lecture, “Situating Voting Rights and Voter Suppression in Historical Context,” featuring Equal Justice Initiative Law Fellow Kayla Vinson, Thursday, September 17, at 4:00 p.m. CST via Zoom. The event, sponsored by Houghton Memorial Library and the Huntingdon College Race and Justice Initiative, is offered in commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, which legislatively granted citizens the right to vote regardless of sex. Ms. Vinson will speak both on the history of voting rights in the United States and on the contemporary challenges voters face. Meeting information: Join Zoom Meeting
  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81263465214?pwd=bCtjWXF6T0xCN2tYMlEvUzJhNGczdz09
  Meeting ID: 812 6346 5214
  Passcode: 1500
• The Marching Scarlet and Grey will offer their 2020 half-time show and other selections Sunday, September 27, at 3:00 p.m. on The Green. Bring a chair or blanket, wear your mask, distance appropriately, and enjoy the afternoon.
• Thank you to those who were part of achieving our $40,000 goal for Faculty and Staff Campaign contributions to the Huntingdon Fund. We surpassed the goal by raising $40,130 from 141 college employees—a 74 percent participation rate.
• The presidents of the USA South Athletic Conference have voted unanimously to postpone intercollegiate men’s and women’s basketball competition until spring semester 2021. Read more.
• Spring term 2021 opening and closing dates were announced August 25. Classes will begin February 8 and conclude May 14, with finals conducted May 17–21 and commencement May 29. There will be no spring break in the spring 2021 term.
• A concerned Huntingdon neighbor has requested that students please walk on the left side of the street (against traffic) rather than the right side (with traffic) so that you can protect yourself better from oncoming traffic.
• The Fall 2020 Attendance Policy went into effect Monday, August 24.
• Alumni: update your information as part of the 2020 Huntingdon College Census!

Huntingdon Hawk-Stars

• Huntingdon’s Nu Beta chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity earned Rock Chapter status for the 2018–2020 biennium.
• Robert Alden ’93 is in his tenth year as a teacher at Ames Middle School in Ames, Iowa.
• Josh Bennefield ’11 just spent his second first day in the fifth grade, but this time as a teacher. Josh came to Huntingdon from Pleasant Grove, Ala., to play baseball and to be an elementary education major. During his freshman year, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Rather than withdrawing from school, Josh stayed at Huntingdon. His teammates drove him to and from treatments and after about a year, he was given a clean bill of health. He was a Huntingdon Ambassador and he completed the teacher preparation program at Huntingdon.  Upon graduating from Huntingdon, he stayed to be an assistant coach for the baseball team, a role he enjoyed for about five years.  He then left Huntingdon to be a headhunter for Aerotek in the Birmingham area, but he’s never lost his calling to be an elementary school teacher. This year, he began a new role as a fifth grade teacher for some very lucky students at Montevallo Elementary School.
• Conner Bradford ’24 was recognized with the Joe Sewell Memorial Award and the John Sewell Scholarship by the Elmore County Commission in August. The awards honor the highest ideals of Christian leadership. He was given the award after graduating from Stanhope Elmore High School, where he was a football, track and field, and basketball athlete.
• Jasmine Cardwell ’19 married Luke Jones, August 22, 2020.
• Garrett Hixon Chase ’96 completed an MA in clinical mental health counseling through the University of the Cumberlands this summer.
• Dr. Kyle Christensen’s article “Drinking and Disappearing: Vampiric Orality and Age as Challenging the Youthful Male Gaze in Let Me In,” appeared in the journal Women’s Studies in Communication. Dr. Christensen is an assistant professor of communication studies.
• The Rev. Jenny (Wren) Miller Clanton ’06 and her husband welcomed their second child, son Boulden James, August 18, 2020.
• An article by Dr. Dexter Dean ’13 and Jennifer C. Lee, Defining an amyloid ink between Parkinson’s disease and melanoma, appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, August 31, 2020. Dexter is a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health.
• Dr. Hunter Dreaden ’16 married Katlynne Miller, August 29, 2020.
• John Dunn ’17 married Tessa Butler, August 22, 2020.
• Heather Wilson Ertel ’15 completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Northwest Florida State College in August 2020.
• Brandy Freeman ’13, a graphic designer with Credence Management Solutions in Arlington, Va., won the 2019 Communicator Excellence Award for her design of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence 2019 Annual Report.
• Ann Steiner Hamilton Gregory ’01 has been appointed by Governor Kay Ivey to serve as probate judge for Butler County for the remainder of the term vacated by the retiring probate judge.
• Stacy Elwell Henshaw ’09 and her husband, Brady, welcomed baby girl Amelia Jayne, August 31, 2020.
• Peyton Hill ’19 married Clay Haws, August 8, 2020.
• Nathan Jamal Howell ’16 is working in his first year as a classroom lead teacher for Jacksonville School for Autism in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Dr. Elizabeth Hutcheon’s article, “Medea and The Merchant of Venice,” appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Studies in English Literature. In the same journal, a book to which she contributed an article—“Literature and Cultural Capital in Early Modern and Contemporary Pedagogy” in Shakespeare and the 99%—was warmly praised by reviewer Lucy Munro as “the most important book of the year.” Dr. Hutcheon is an associate professor of English.
• Jacob Kintner ’18 completed a master’s degree in civil engineering from UAB in August 2020.
• The Rev. Rose H. McCall ’76 serves as Ms. Alabama Senior America 2020. A fine arts major at Huntingdon, she was ordained in May 2012 and serves at the Maggie Street Missionary Baptist Church as an associate minister. She is studying for her Doctorate in Ministry and spends much of her time working with the Maggie Women’s Ministry and ACTS Food and Clothing Pantry. She has been a pageant judge for more than 30 years at the local, state, and national levels. In her former careers, she worked in graphics and audiovisual communications for various government agencies. Her platform as Ms. Alabama Senior America is “Nowhere to Live: The Homeless Crisis in America,” with the goal of developing a program for homeless women, children and veterans in Alabama. Rose’s philosophy is “Never give up on your DREAMS!”
• Ben Mercer ’17 and Leah Leach ’19 were married September 5, 2020.
• Dr. Michele Scharff Olson ’86 is quoted as a fitness expert in an article, The race is on to be the Peloton of weightlifting, in the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, August 15, 2020.
• Dr. Kali Sands ’14 is a veterinarian with Royston Animal Hospital in Royston, Georgia.
• Julia Shappert ’17 married Michael Revilla on August 8, 2020.
• Charles Smith ’14 and his wife, Debie, just celebrated their first anniversary. Charles works as the project director for South Alabama RSVP.
• Dr. Sarah Conrad Sours’ article, “Disabling Hope: Healing Imagery in the Wesleyan Hymn Tradition,” appeared in the June 2020 issue of Wesley and Methodist Studies. Dr. Sours serves as associate dean of faculty and associate professor of religion.
• Christine Spivey ’11 married Ryan Truett, August 15, 2020.
• Demetrius Tuck ’09 is an in-flight crew member for JetBlue Airways.
• Hugh (’71) and Elizabeth Northcutt Williams ’71 will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of their Huntingdon graduation in May 2021 and their 49^th wedding anniversary in June 2021. In the fall of 2021, they will come to campus for their 50^th class reunion, joining granddaughter Amanda Crowell ’21, who will be celebrating her first class reunion. Hugh says, “Homecoming reunions now are so much different from those in our years at the College … we had May Day, May Queens, May poles, Huntingdon Honeys, and fewer than 475 students enrolled. Today we have Homecoming Queens, football teams, marching bands, fraternities/sororities (the SGA in 1970-71 voted, very narrowly, to permit the formation of the first fraternities & sororities at the College), and just under one thousand students. What progress Huntingdon has made in the past fifty years, and how much it continues to influence the lives, families, careers, and civic contributions of its many graduates.”
• Brittney McCurry Wingate ’11 is working as the HR manager for Whitfield Foods in Montgomery.
• An op-ed by Dr. Marcus Witcher, assistant professor of history (Republicans must choose: Are they the party of Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump), appeared in the August 24 edition of the Washington Post.
• Victor Wyatt ’09 has returned to Montgomery to serve as the general manager of the Tower Taproom, Montgomery’s first self-serve bar.

Sympathy and Prayers

• Martha Nell Dean ’51 died September 7, 2020, in Dothan, Ala., at age 91. Ms. Dean established a Huntingdon scholarship in memory of her brother, Joseph L. Dean Jr., who preceded her in death. Ms. Dean was a part owner of Leon Motel in Dothan and served as a treasurer of the Atlanta Women’s Traffic Club, St. Matthew Methodist Church, the National Association of Freight Payment Banks, AAUW, and the Zonta Club.
• Mary Douglass Fundaburk Foreman ’46 died August 8, 2020, in Fairhope, Alabama. An artist, Mary Doug collaborated with her sister on the book Sun Circles and Human Hands, which won the literary award from the Alabama Library Association and was recognized as a “distinguished work of permanent value.” In 1977, the pair began cataloguing thousands of items that had been created for America’s bicentennial, which they then used to establish The American Bicentennial Museum in the early 1990s. In her later years, Mary Doug served as an art teacher and became a forester, earning the Treasured Forest Certificate.

Our thoughts and prayers are also with two students who have each lost a parent in the last month. The Huntingdon family surrounds you with love and prayers for comfort and peace    

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The Talon is produced by the Office of Communications and is e-mailed to students, faculty, and staff, and to those parents, friends, neighbors, alumni, and others who have requested to receive it.  If you would like to change your e-mail address or be added to or removed from the list, simply send your request to Su Ofe at news@hawks.huntingdon.edu (be sure to include your relationship to the College so that you can be added to or removed from the correct list).