Vol State Students Get the Inside Scoop on High-Profile Murder Case

 It's a case that shocked the community. Many people, including Vol State students, watched as the trial of Lindsey Lowe, a Hendersonville woman charged with the murder of her newborn twins, played out on national television.

After winning the case, Sumner County District Attorney General, Ray Whitley, spoke to Vol State students about the case. Paralegal Studies director Loretta Calvert asked Whitley to speak to her students.

“Loretta said that the criminal justice and paralegal students were dying to hear first-hand and I wanted to speak about it while it was fresh on my mind,” said Whitley.

Students who attended the Q and A were not disappointed, because Whitley was open about the case and his feeling about Lindsey Lowe and her babies.

“It’s good to let people know how it is on the front line and let people know what we have to go through to present a case. It's an enormous amount of work,” Whitley said.

Lowe was charged with two counts each of first-degree murder, first-degree premeditated murder and aggravated child abuse of her twin sons after they were born in September of 2011. A jury found her guilty of two counts each of felony first degree murder, felony premeditated murder and aggravated child abuse. The judge has sentenced her to life in prison for the counts of murder. The case was carried live on the TruTV cable network.

Whitley has been on the advisory board of the Vol State Paralegal Studies since the 1990’s, and works closely with Loretta Calvert. He wants to make sure students are aware of the laws and the consequences for breaking them.

“I always say learn as much as you can about the law, because you can always apply everyday situations to the law and make the right decisions, and know what your focus is and what your goals should be,” said Whitley.

 

Vol State Singers Present A Night in Italy - Tickets on Sale Now

“A Night in Italy” is available close to home thanks to an annual Volunteer State Community College event that combines music and dinner. The Vol State Singers can transport you without ever leaving the USA. Vol State students will be performing “A Night in Italy” on April 19 and 20 at the Ramer Great Hall on the Vol State campus in Gallatin at 6:30 p.m. The menu is an Italian buffet. The $20 tickets must be purchased in advance at the Humanities Division office in the Ramer Building room 101 on the Vol State campus, 1480 Nashville Pike in Gallatin. The proceeds will benefit the Visual and Performing Arts scholarship fund. For more information call 615-230-3201.

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Updated info about the student email change

Your student Vol State Email account is changing to Gmail. What does that mean for you? More storage space, the ability to sync with your smartphone and a familiar Gmail interface. Only student email accounts are changing.

The change will happen automatically. But if you want to save any of your old messages you will need to do so before March 28. If you’re interested in saving messages, just go to this web page for directions: www.volstate.edu/EmailChange 

There is one step that every student will need to take in order for the system to work. You will need to change your My Vol State password. You will not receive a prompt to do so…you will have to go in and change the password yourself. This will sync your My Vol State account to the new Gmail system. If you don’t want to save any emails you don’t have to do anything after you change your my Vol State password. 

Go to the Portal. Do not log in yet. Look for the “Need Help” heading under the log-in request. Click “Change Your Password”. You must choose a new password with at least eight characters with one capital letter and one number.

Your email address will not change in this process, simply the email system itself. You will still have your old volstate.edu email address.

The entire email system will then be down from March 28 through March 31 for the changeover. You won’t be able to access email or change your password that weekend. Everything should be running again on Monday, April 1. You will be able to change your password after that to sync to the new Google system, if you have not done so yet. If you have problems you should visit the above web page. However, the IT Help Desk will also be able to assist at 615-230-3302.

Vol State in the News

Nancy Morris is a star! And while we always knew that, now she's also a star for Goodwill of Middle Tennessee. You may have seen the Math and Science dean in a new commercial for Goodwill. She explains why the organization is important to her.  If you haven't seen it yet you can check it out here.

City leaders are moving forward with plans to create a new Park and Ride lot at Greenlea and Nashville Pike, just down the street from campus. Here is an update from the Gallatin News Examiner, with comments from Dr. Faulkner on what it could mean for our students.

Supplemental Instruction goes virtual for online help

You may have seen the posters, read the blog about it, or even sat in on a session or two of Supplemental Instruction (SI), but did you know that you can have these sessions from the comfort of your home? Vol State is getting ahead in technology by offering virtual Supplemental Instruction.

“The advantage of doing a virtual session is that a student that has a really tight schedule during the day can go on the net and speak with an S.I. leader online,” said Toni Murad, S.I. Coordinator.  

It’s hard enough for some students to find time to make it to campus for classes, so finding time for help can be even more difficult. With virtual S.I, students can share information over the web using their smart phones, computers, and/or land-line phones.

“There are students that benefit from going to campus (for Supplemental Instruction), but I believe that when students get busy, virtual sessions have an equal spot,” said Katie Maiella, Supplemental Instruction Leader.

Sarina Milonis is a student who works three jobs and she said with her hectic schedule, virtual S.I has helped her maintain an A in her speech class.

In virtual sessions students get live interaction with their S.I. leaders. They can talk back and forth by logging into the discussion using video chat or by telephone. There are flash cards, quizzes and practice worksheets that can be taken online during a session.

"The book (speech textbook) is very abstract and it doesn't help you understand the material," said Milonis. "The games and flashcards help you understand the material so much better."

If a student cannot make it to a discussion, the leader can record the session and send the student a link to view at a later time.

“We try to accommodate students’ schedules, not every, but most,” Maiella said. 

Currently the virtual session is only available for one speech class, but with the success that it is having, there may be more classes to come. 

“I think it has a lot of potential in the future,” said Murad.

What you need to know about student email changing

Students: Your student Vol State Email account is changing to Gmail. What does that mean for you? More storage space, the ability to sync with your smartphone and a familiar Gmail interface.

There is one step that every student will need to take in order for the system to work:

The first step in the student email changeover is for you to change your My Vol State password starting on Monday morning, March 25. You will not receive a prompt to do so…you will have to go in and change the password yourself. This will sync your My Vol State account to the new Gmail system. However, during that week you will still be receiving emails to your usual email box. You will also have the week, until March 28, to move any emails you want to save over to the new system. For directions on that visit: www.volstate.edu/EmailChange

If you don’t want to save any emails you don’t have to do anything after you change your my Vol State password.

Your email address will not change in this process, simply the email system itself.

The entire email system will then be down from March 28 through March 31 for the changeover. You won’t be able to access email or change your password that weekend. Everything should be running again on Monday, April 1. You will be able to change your password after that to sync to the new Google system if you have not done so yet. If you have problems you should visit the above web page. However, the IT Help Desk will also be able to assist at 615-230-3302.

Vol State April Calendar of Events

Through April 14	Sumner County Elementary Art Exhibit, Monday through Saturday 6am to 9pm, Ramer Great Hall
3	Stan Pearson- motivational speaker, Cafeteria, 12:30pm
4	Science and Math Expo, hands-on activities for kids, Wallace Building, 2:30pm to 6pm
4	Sumner County Elementary Art Exhibit reception Ramer Great Hall, 3:30pm-5:30pm
5	Sumner Emergency Management Command Post on campus to commemorate Vol State 2006 tornado, 9am to 4pm
8	Honors Lecture: "Who were the first environmentalists?", Merritt McKinney, Caudill 102, 12:30pm
8	Clearly You event for students, your photo placed onto a cube or necklace as a gift, free, Wood Campus Center, 12:30pm-6:30pm
8	Evening student event, free food, 5:30pm -until it’s gone, Wood Campus Center hallway
13	Vol State Home Plate Family Day, Library Lawn 11am-4pm
13	Sumner Bluegrass Jamboree, Caudill Hall, 10am-6pm, Free and open to the public
15	Comm Week: Hal Ramer Oratorical Contest and Sigma Chi Eta induction, Caudill Hall, 12:15pm
16	Vol State Spring Fling, student clubs and organizations, Duffer Plaza, 10am-2pm
16	TMTA Math Contest, Pickel Field House, 9am-2pm
17	The Federal Reserve and the Coming Economic Crash in the United States, discussion by Dr. Michael Lenz, Carpeted Dining Room, 12:20 p.m.
18	Retirement Celebration, Carpeted Dining Room, 1:30-3:30pm
19, 20	A Night in Italy: concert and dinner, Vol State Singers perform, advance tickets required-$20 available in the Humanities Office, Ramer room 100, event in the Ramer Great Hall, 6:30pm
22	Honors Lecture: "Mother Water", Keith Bell, Caudill 102, 12:30pm
23 - May 4	Vol State Student Art Exhibition, Monday through Saturday 6am to 9pm Ramer Great Hall
24	Job Career Fair, Pickel Field House, 10am-1pm
26, 27	Music Department Spring Concert and CD Release Party, Wemyss Auditorium in Caudill Hall 7:30pm $5 admission $10 with CD
27	Highland Crest Spring Carnival in Springfield many events on campus, 10am-2pm
27	Commercial Music Ensemble live at the Gallatin Springfest, Gallatin Square, Noon

The advantage of an internship

Spring is in the air, making graduation a hop, skip and a jump away. Student Services has mailed about 1,160 postcards to eligible graduates.With graduation approaching that means about 1,160 graduates are looking for jobs in their industry.

One thing that employers are interested in, besides education, is experience. College students can gain this experience by working as an intern. Currently Vol State does not offer a formal internship program; however, there are plenty of employers sending available paid and unpaid internships to Vol State instructors. 

Cody Partlow, a Vol State alumni who graduated last spring with an associate of science degree with a concentration in engineering, heard about an internship opportunity from his Physics professor.

“I learned just as much in my summer internship as I learned in my two years in college," said Partlow. “It definitely made me want to stay in school because of the pay grade and you get to do a lot of interesting work. It's where the rubber hits the road.” 

“People who go into engineering school learn problem solving factors. The problem solving skills that you develop in engineering school are very valuable in the career,” said Partlow.

Partlow was able to use those problem solving skills during his internship, which helped him decide if he was in the correct career field. He said his employers knew he had not yet finished college, so they understood that he could not do everything, but he was willing to do what it took to learn.

Currently, Partlow is attending Tennessee Tech and plans to graduate soon. He is interviewing with Denso Corporation, a global supplier of automotive technology systems and components, next week and he believes that his internship has prepared him for his future career.

Partlow said that students who are self-motivated and like to pursue knowledge are perfect candidates for internships. If that describes you be sure you talk to your instructor. 

Go "Into the Woods" this Weekend

You may have read the book by James Lapine or saw the Tony award-winning musical on Broadway, but you haven't seen anything until you see it at Vol State.

 

The Vol State Visual and Performing Arts Department presents "Into the Woods". If you are a fan of childhood fairly tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and many more, you will definitely enjoy this production.

“The whole musical is a fairy tale gone awry,” said Aime Lara, who plays the role of the witch who places a curse on a man and his wife. Don’t be frightened by the appearance of the witch, because her voice is bound to win you over. Each cast member sings his/her heart out for this performance.

Music is one reason to come watch, but laughter is guaranteed while watching the performance the audience will truly enjoy themselves. 

"Be prepared for a lot of laughter and a lot of surprises," said Amanda Schneider, who plays the role of Florinda. "This is not your run of the mill fairy tale." 

It’s a story for all ages with a lesson to be learned. Samantha Curington, who plays the role of Little Red Riding Hood, said the audience can expect good hearty belly laughs and a lot of twists.

 

Come check out the Broadway musical performed Vol State style this weekend in the Wemyss Auditorium in Caudill Hall Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Admission is only $5 at the door and free for Vol State students, faculty and staff with I.D. 

Vol State help at work in Haiti

When the catastrophic earthquake destroyed Haiti in January 2010, many people wanted to help the victims. A Vol State student who experienced the quake wants to make sure the survivors are helping themselves, especially women. 
“I’m really close to my moms, especially my mom in Haiti," said pre-nursing student, Jean Bildad. "She explained many things to me about women in Haiti, and I wanted to know how I can change that, because I don’t want my little sister and cousin to grow up like that,” said Bildad.

He said there is much prostitution in Haiti because a lot of women lack a profession.

Bildad wanted to help those women gain a more fulfilling profession and be able to provide for their families, so he joined forces with the  Vol State Collegiate Ministry Organization and the VISA International club to collect sewing machines to send back to Haiti.

“Most women lost their husbands during the quake and their kids are fatherless now. This is a way for them (the women) to learn something really fast and they can look for a job in a factory to support their family,” Bildad said.

With sewing machines and cash being donated by the Vol State community, more than 16 sewing machines were sent to Haiti giving the women of Haiti an opportunity to learn a profession. Recently Bildad returned with pictures of the sewing machines in action.

"These sewing machines helped Haitian women earn money to help support their families," said French professor Kay Grossberg. "We are happy that everyone, students and faculty and staff, pitched in and helped in this project."

Bildad is overjoyed that the women who are learning to sew no longer have to prostitute themselves or beg for money. They can make clothes and other items to sell.

"It is more respectful for people to buy things from you, then to just give you money,” said Bildad. “Sometimes people are not going to help you if you do not help yourself.”

Meanwhile, Bildad is still raising funds and collecting sewing machines. The funds will be used to expand the school he wants to expand. If you would like to make a contribution or donate a sewing machine, please contact Prosperity of God Ministry-WFBC, P.O. Box 974, White House, TN 37188.

Vol State Students in Ireland!

It’s been a fun but busy week here in central Ireland performing with Vol State’s own Bluegrass Ablaze and representing the school’s fledgling Bluegrass degree program (and promoting our new CD release!). Despite a late departure we managed to tour much of Dublin by way of a ‘hop on-hop off’ bus tour and even track down some performers in the cold wind of the Temple Bar district, before making our way to the beautiful Irish countryside.

Since Monday, we’ve performed at the Limerick Institute of Technology to a good crowd of appreciative students and faculty, completed two shows to screaming gaggles of girls at a Catholic preparatory school in Thurles, Ireland (Daniel Parnell, Bluegrass Ablaze’s bass player, is sure by now to have a fan club established among the high school girls of Thurles…), and additionally played at a beautiful historic cathedral in Cashel. We’ve even managed to squeeze in a bit of local pub “craic” (or ‘fun’ in Gaelic) at a regional venue where traditional Irish musicians taught us some Irish repertoire!

Tomorrow brings another performance in Limerick, and then home on Saturday. A busy week to be sure, but immensely rewarding and a great learning experience for students and faculty alike. The luck of the Irish has certainly been with us thus far on this memorable journey!


-Benjamin Graves, Vol State music instructor

The Road to Becoming a Nurse

Mary Hageman’s daughter lay in a hospital bed sick and surrounded by a team of good nurses but one nurse stood out from the rest. The nurse just didn’t seem compassionate enough for Hageman’s liking.

Because of those feelings, Hageman decided to give up a 15 year career in the clerical profession and return to school for pre-nursing classes at Vol State. She wanted to be a nurse who cares about her patients.  

While at Vol State, she became close with a group of friends who were also nursing majors preparing to transfer to Cumberland University, just like herself. They were the first students to participate in a transfer partnership between Vol State and Cumberland.

“We all worked together as a study group, and it helped to clarify things,” said Hageman. 

After graduating from Vol State  the transition to Cumberland University went smoothly. She even had her friends from Vol State and new friends at Cumberland by her side.

While at Cumberland, the group visited several hospitals to help them prepare for working in the medical field. 

“I don’t think that anything could get me prepared for the real world but it (Vol State and Cumberland) helped.”

Now, just a couple of months after graduating from Cumberland, Hageman is working as a nurse at Select Specialty Hospital in Nashville.

When she works with things that she learned in anatomy and physiology she said it's like a light bulb going off in her head .

“Oh, so that’s what that is...”

She still finds it hard to believe that just a few years ago she was working in an office, and now she is actually working in a hospital with patients.

“I feel like I am in the right spot because everything fell into place. My goal is to make sure that I show compassion to all my patients.”