On Campus - Stories February 15, 2002 - Vol. 54, No. 31 DRAKE ALUM COMPETES IN CURLING AT THE OLYMPICS COTTAGE GROVE EXIT TO CLOSE MARCH 1 STUDENT LIFE OFFICE REORGANIZATION ANNOUNCED JAZZ ENSEMBLE PRESENTS 'EVENING OF SWING' DANCE STUDENTS NOMINATED FOR GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIPS FORMER DRAKE ASSISTANT BASKETBALL COACH DIES SPEAKER TO DISCUSS INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT DRAKE TO HOST PHYSICS OLYMPICS WEDNESDAY MORNING POLICY ANALYST FROM EPA TO SPEAK AT DRAKE THURSDAY WILLIE MOORE NAMED DEAN AT SALISBURY UNIVERSITY

Ann Swisshelm, AS'90, is a member of the U.S. Olympic Women's Curling Team. The team, which lost two games Thursday to fall to 2-3, will play Germany on Saturday, Feb. 16. The game is scheduled to be shown on CNBC at 10:15 p.m. Teams from Germany and the United States tied for fifth at the 2001 World Championships.

Swisshelm, who majored in theatre arts at Drake, is one of the sweepers on the U.S. team. A photo of Swisshelm in yesterday's game against Denmark can be seen at http://www.msnbc.com/news/707572.asp.

The gold medal game in women's curling is set for Thursday, Jan. 21.

A resident of Chicago, Swisshelm has received many curling awards. She was named the U.S. Curling Association and U.S. Olympic Committee Female Curler of the Year in 2001. She also has received the 2001 sportsmanship award from the World Curling Federation and was U.S. national champion in 1998 and 2001.

The Cottage Grove exit on Interstate 235 is scheduled to close March 1 as part of the renovation of the freeway. It will not reopen. Any department or office with maps that contain old directions to campus should contact Marketing and Communications at x2169 for new maps.

Several changes are being made in the organization of the Student Life Office in an effort to enhance student leadership development and community service opportunities, and to provide greater assistance to students and their families.

Jan Wise, assistant to the dean of students, will become director of student leadership and service programs, effective June 1. She will work to enhance leadership development and community service opportunities for students in accordance with the University's strategic plan.

"The University's strategic plan specifically calls for enhancing our student leadership development programs and connecting students to more community service opportunities," said Dean of Students Jerry Price. "Jan Wise has been involved in these efforts at Drake for more than 20 years through her work with residence life programs, student organizations, and the Adams Leadership Institute. This change will enable her to devote all of her time to creating even more valuable opportunities for students in these areas."

Tom Tronick, director of residence life, will become associate dean of students, effective June 1. He will work closely with the dean of students, responding to student and family concerns, intervening in emergency situations and continuing to manage the University's non-academic student conduct procedures. He also will play a key role in the SCT Banner Implementation Project.

"During his 25 years at Drake, Tom has served as director of residence life, director of student activities, and director of Greek life," Price said. "His experience will be immensely helpful as we move forward on several major quality of life enhancements for students, at the same time continue to respond to the frequent urgent calls we receive from students and their families requiring our assistance."

Tronick's position as director of residence life will be posted this week.

The Drake Jazz Ensemble will present an "Evening of Swing" Valentine's Day dance from 7:30 to 11 p.m. today (Friday, Feb. 15) in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center.

The ensemble will perform such classics as "In the Mood," "Fly Me to the Moon" and many others at this annual fundraising event. Table seating will be provided and snacks and drinks will be available for purchase.

Tickets, which will be available at the door, are $5 for students, $10 for adults and $15 for couples. All proceeds from the dance will go to support the Drake University Jazz Department.

"This is a great time to listen to some old swing tunes and dance the night away with your sweetheart," said Andrew Classen, director of jazz studies at Drake. "Plus, the proceeds of the dance benefit the talented musicians who perform that night."

Four Drake University students have been nominated by the University for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for Excellence in Science and Mathematics.

The students are Gregory VerSteeg, a junior physics, math and computer science major from Rock Rapids, Iowa; Carrie Mittelstedter, a junior biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major from West Burlington, Iowa; Sarah Nehm, a junior pharmaceutical science major from Bowling Green, Ken.; and Christopher Field, a sophomore chemistry and computer science major from Sycamore, Ill.

The scholarship was established by Congress to foster and encourage excellence in science and mathematics. Three hundred scholarships of up to $7,500 per year are awarded, and approximately 1,200 students from across the nation apply each year.

"The award is one of the most competitive and prestigious science scholarships available," says Mark Vitha, assistant professor of chemistry at Drake. "It is an honor simply to be nominated for the award."

In order to be considered for nomination, students were required to write an original essay on a pressing scientific issue. They also were required to have a 3.75 grade-point average or higher. All four nominees have done research in their fields. The results of the national competition will be announced in April.

Darius Floyd, a former member of the Drake University men's basketball staff for two years, died of stomach cancer Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Services are pending for Floyd who was 38 years old. Floyd was an assistant coach with the Bulldogs during the 1999-2000 campaign and then served as director of basketball operations during the 2000-01 season.

A native of East Orange, N.J., Floyd served as an assistant high school basketball coach in Southern California from 1987-95, including stops at Burbank (1992-95) and El Camino Real (1987-90).

Floyd was a basketball clinic director in The Philippine Islands in 1995 and was selected by the Filipino American Association as basketball director for the Filipino National All-Star team in 1995.

He also served as an assistant coach at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Junior College in 1996-97, and St. Catharine (Ky.) in 1998-99. He was head coach at St. Genevieve High School in the Los Angeles area in 1995-96.

Heather Hamilton, a leading activist working to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC), will speak at Drake University on Monday, Feb. 18. Her speech, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Honors Lounge of Medbury Hall. Attendees are invited to bring a brown bag lunch.

Hamilton will discuss the U.S. position on the ICC, how the court would work and the role the court would play in efforts to bring war criminals and terrorists to justice in the future.

She is director of programs at the World Federalist Association and coordinator of the Washington Working Group for the ICC. Before joining the World Federalist Association in April 2000, she worked at OMB Watch as a lobbyist and policy analyst on budget and nonprofit advocacy issues.

For more information, call Rachel Paine Caufield, assistant professor of political science at Drake, at x1924.

Building a better mousetrap wouldn't be enough of a challenge for central Iowa's top high school physics students. So, the students are designing and building toy race cars powered with only the force of a mousetrap spring.

Approximately 120 students will race their cars in the 24th annual Physics Olympics on Wednesday, Feb. 20, in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center. The winning mousetrap-powered car will be selected on the basis of a formula that rewards the greatest distance traveled and the greatest speed in the first 5 meters of the course.

The Physics Olympics, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The event is sponsored by Drake's School of Education and the Heartland Area Education Agency.

Wednesday's competition consists of a series of six events testing the students' ingenuity, their understanding of physics-related principles and their construction skills.

Team and individual winners from central Iowa high schools will receive prize ribbons and advance to the state competition, which is set for April 10 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.

Lynn A. Richards, a policy analyst for the Environmental Protection Agency, will discuss "Smart Growth: Providing Communities More Choices" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in the Honors Lounge of Medbury Hall.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will address the economic, environmental and social impact of community development. Richards will focus on the concept of "smart growth" - development that stimulates the economy, builds strong neighborhoods and provides citizens with a clean, healthy environment.

Richards recently published an article titled "Alternatives to Subsidizing Edge Development: Strategies for Preserving Rural Landscapes" in the Terrain Journal. Prior to working with the EPA, she concentrated on sustainable development, environmental justice and long-term stewardship at ICF Consulting. She also worked in government in the Bahamas to establish a Ministry of Environmental Protection.

For more information, contact Daniel Spencer, associate professor of religion and ethics, at x2885 or send an e-mail message to daniel.spencer@drake.edu.

Willie Moore, who was a member of the Drake faculty from 1987 to 1998, has been named dean of the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Md. At Drake, Moore served as professor of management, chair of the department of management and international business and interim dean of the College of Business and Public Administration.

He left Drake to become dean of the College of Business Administration at Valparaiso University in Indiana. He will start new position at Salisbury University on July 1.