Campus Partners with Poynters Writers Camp

For three weeks this summer, USF St. Petersburg education majors are earning course credit while improving their teaching skills and helping young journalists hone their writing and reporting skills at the Poynter Institute's Writers Camp.

During the camp, which is held on campus, five education majors and 12 Pinellas County teachers help fourth through eighth graders with their assignments and lessons given by Pinellas County school instructors.

Each day, the children participate in a morning session. In the afternoon, the teachers and education majors convene to discuss the day's lesson.

Sixty-two children are participating in this year's camp – the largest in the program's 22-year history.

Program highlights include field trips to the Poynter Institute and American Stage.

The writing camp was founded by Roy Peter Clark, PhD, vice president and senior scholar at Poynter Institute, a nationally-renowned school and resource for journalists.

Poynter, located across Third Street South from the campus, has been a longtime partner with USF St. Petersburg through the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. Graduate journalism students are eligible to attend Poynter seminars and conferences on a limited, invitation-only basis. Poynter faculty have also taught as adjuncts in the journalism department.

SAPL Announces New Officers

The Society for the Advancement of Poynter Library, a longtime supporter of the library's mission to serve the campus and community, recently announced its officers for the 2005-2006 year.

The new officers are

President: Dr. David Hubbell
Vice President: Robin Caldwell
Secretary: Kristina Thyrre
Treasurer: Marion Ballard

Established in 1984, the main function of SAPL is to increase communication between the library and its students, faculty and citizens. Its many activities include the annual SAPL Book Fair, a short story contest, and other USF-related lectures and events.

Through their efforts, SAPL members have helped the library obtain furniture and equipment, and have subsidized specialized training and workshops for library staff. SAPL also donates funds for the yearly purchase of notable new fiction for the Poynter Library collection and contributes to the library's special collections.

For more information, visit www.nelson.usf.edu/sapl/.

Human Rights Advocate to Give Talk

One of the leading national experts on genocide and human rights, Jerry Fowler, will give a lecture titled “Genocide Emergency of Darfur: Who Will Survive Today” on Tuesday, June 21 at 7 pm in the CAC.

The event is hosted by the College of Education at USF St. Petersburg and is sponsored by the 2005 Debbie and Brent Sembler – Florida Holocaust Museum Lecture Series, which started last year.

This lecture series is funded by a five-year gift to the College of Education from Debbie and Brent Sembler, who said, “This lecture series represents a wonderful collaboration between two institutions dedicated to learning.”

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Torture Survivors Speak Through Film
Local survivors of torture will have their stories told at a free campus event, "Courage for Tomorrow: United Nations Day in Support of Victims of Torture," on Thursday, June 23 from 2 to 5:30 pm in CAC. The event is presented by the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, a program of Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services.

The event will feature USF President Judy Genshaft, PhD, as well as a welcome by Mayor Rick Baker and artwork from acclaimed local Cuban artist Carlos Soto, a torture survivor. The program will also include cultural performances and community booths.

The feature presentation is a premiere screening of the documentary film "Eyes that Don’t See, Hearts that Don’t Heal," which recounts the stories of torture survivors from Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa who now live in Tampa Bay. A panel of experts led by Terry Coonan, ex-director for Florida State University’s Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, will hold a discussion following the film.

For more information about the event, contact Janet Blair or Pat Frederick at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 727-450-7283, or jblair@gcjfs.org.

Help USF St. Pete Support Migrant Farm Workers

To support Florida migrant farm workers, the Volunteer Service office will collect and deliver clothing and food to the missions in Wimauma throughout the summer. This is tomato picking season, so there are a number of farm workers with families who need our help.

For more information or to make a donation, please contact Barry McDowell at 553-4990 or mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu. His office is located in TER200.

Call to Volunteers for Arts Center

USF St. Pete students are currently volunteering and interning at the downtown Arts Center, but more help is needed. Volunteer and Student Disability Services is looking for faculty, staff and family (including teenagers) to assist with the Center's weekly art camps, which engage children 5 and 15 years old with creative activities.

Located at 719 Central Ave., the Arts Center features exhibitions and offers year-round classes in a variety of media to children and adults.

Contact Barry McDowell for more information on this and other youth volunteer opportunities at 553-4990 or mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu.

For the latest information from HR, visit: USFSP HR Web site

Chamber Highlights Campus Construction
Community & Commerce
June 2005

USF St. Petersburg is front page news this month. The June issue of Community & Commerce, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce's magazine, features large color renderings of the Residence Hall One and Parking Center One.

The cover leads to a story on page three, complete with information about both groundbreakings with details about the impact both facilities will have on the campus and the downtown St. Petersburg community.

Residence Hall One, the campus' first student living facility, will be a 126,000-square-foot residence offering 354 students apartment-style, on-campus living.

Parking Center One will provide more than 1,100 spaces and will house a two-story Barnes & Noble College Booksellers as well as the USF St. Petersburg Police Department and Parking Services.

Both facilities are scheduled for completion by summer 2006.

For more information about the Chamber of Commerce, visit www.stpete.com.

Calling All Teachers
Pinellas News
June 3, 2005

Courtney Bailey knew that she wanted to be a teacher while she was still in high school. She worked at the after school program in her high school and fell in love with teaching. "After working, even if it was a bad day, I would be happy when I got home," she said.

University of South Florida St. Petersburg student Bailey, 20, is pursuing bachelor's degree in elementary education. She said that she wants a job that makes her happy.

Bailey hopes to be one of 10,000 teachers that graduate from the state's four-year college and universities a year.

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