f urman

engage

volume 5 | issue 2
 ask the ambassador
Have a burning
question about Furman?
Visit <www.engagefurman.
com> or write to
<q-and-a@engagefurman.
com>. One of our
ambassadors will send you
a personal response, and we
might print it in the next
issue of EngageFurman!
Admissions Ambassadors (left to right)
Brenaí Bell ’10, Psychology, Atlanta, Georgia;
J.T. Wilde ’10, Communication Studies,
Ocean City, Maryland; Lydia Rowe ’10,
Spanish/Communication Studies, Marietta, South Carolina;
John Schmidt ’11, ICP (Individualized Curriculum Program)
in Business, Communication Studies and Art,
Marietta, Georgia
Will I have time to get involved in
other things besides studying?
Brenai Bell: I’ve found it very easy to get
involved, and Furman definitely has a huge
variety of activities to pursue. I would suggest
finding out what you’re really interested in,
and choosing one or two activities that you
can commit to, rather than joining several
activities that you may not have time for.
Lydia: Yes! It all comes down to time man-
agement. I’m a procrastinator, am involved
in several organizations, and still have time
to have fun on the weekends. If you’re not
typically a stressed out person, you won’t be
here either.
John: Time is relative. You have it if you
make it. Being active on campus is encour-
aged (and almost all students are), but not
necessary. It’s all about how you manage your
time.
How are roommates chosen?
Lydia: You can request to live with some-
one, but if not you fill out a several page
survey that includes everything from your
height to music preferences. Furman then
matches you with someone who they think is
compatible with you. It’s a great system that
avoids bad housing situations.
John: There is a long comprehensive room-
mate form that you fill out prior to your ar-
rival to help housing place you with a suitable
roommate. You also have a choice to request
to live with someone you know instead of
a random roommate, but what’s the fun in
that?
J.T.: Freshman and transfer students fill
out a questionnaire before they come onto
campus with questions that range from
“Do you wake up early?” to “Are you
over six feet tall?” With this wide range
of questions, usually roommate pairs are
matched up fairly well due to their similar
answers.
What if I don’t know what
I want to major in?       which will effect your entire life—
     
Brenai: At Furman, you typically don’t
information. A university has to “feel”
have to declare a major until the end of your
sophomore year. Being undecided can actu-
ally be beneficial because you can fullfil your
core requirements through math, science,
history, social studies, English, fine arts and
more. This provides an opportunity to identify
your interests.
Lydia: I went through several majors in my
first two years, but that is what is so great
about the liberal arts program. You’re able
to take classes from all sorts of fields as core
requirements that help you decide exactly
what you like to do.
J.T.: When I came to Furman, I had no idea
what I wanted to major in. I had the
opportunity to take classes in all different
fields and really see what interested me and
what did not. That really helped me figure
out what path I wanted to pursue and what
major would work best.  
1
visit
campus
and
engage
Isn’t it time we met
at my place?
You’re about to make a committment
a decision which should not be
based only on electronic or print
right—something that virtual contact
cannot reveal. That’s why you need
to visit Furman and find out what
”engaged learning” is really about.
Let’s set a date.
To schedule a visit, go to
<www.engagefurman.com/Visit>
or call 864.294.2034.
Find out if Furman is
the right choice for you.
from the editor
T his magazine probably arrived at your house along with brochures, letters and
viewbooks from colleges across the country.
Several years ago, we produced a yearly viewbook for prospective
students—a 36 to 48-page booklet with facts and figures and beautiful pictures
of students on our stunning campus. But in an attempt to give you a more
realistic view of life at Furman, we began publishing EngageFurman three times
a year. You’ll find in it some of the same information you get in those traditional
viewbooks—application deadlines, lists of majors, facts about Furman, and
answers to frequently asked questions.
But you’ll also find real stories about students, faculty and alumni—like the
one about how Charlie Nagle’s translation of the memoir of a Salvadoran
revolutionary is getting published by the University of Texas Press. And
you’ll learn what Furman students love about living in Greenville. And
how a philosophy class (that meets at 7:30 a.m. in a Japanese temple)
has helped students deal with stress and “mental clutter.” And you’ll
find out what engaged learning is really about in a story about
Furman Engaged!, an all-day celebration where students
presented, performed and demonstrated for the Furman
community.
Take some time to read through EngageFurman.
Almost every story has a link to more information on
the web.
As realistic as we try to be, nothing takes the
place of actually visiting campus. So schedule a visit
to Furman and to Greenville. We’d love to show
you around.
Brad Pochard
Director of Admission
news and notes engage furman in this issue . . .
Volume 5, Issue 2

Broken records Furman students win Truman, Published by Furman University Furman by the Numbers
5
Whether he was Goldwater Scholarships to provide prospective students with
Why a Furman education is a wise investment.
running cross Ben Able ’10 from Saluda, S.C., has been information about and insight into

country in the named a 2009 Truman Scholar. Able is the engaged learning experience.

fall, indoor track one of 60 college students from across the

Furman University President
in the winter or nation to receive the highly competitive
outdoor track in Truman Scholarship, given annually to
David E. Shi Furman Engaged!
the spring, Patrick students who have excelled academically The university’s campus-wide, day-long
Vice President for Enrollment 7
Morgan proved to and are committed to careers in public celebration of engaged learning takes the
Bill Berg
campus by storm.
be a man for all service. The Truman award provides up to
seasons. During $30,000 for graduate study. Director of Admission
his senior year at Christopher Turlington ’10, a chem- Brad Pochard
Furman, the 2009 istry major from Mills River, N.C., has been Furman’s Cycling Team wins
graduate broke awarded a prestigious Goldwater Scholar- Division II team time trial at Associate Directors of Admission Greenville: A Small City that Thinks Big
the university’s ship. Turlington was one of 278 sopho- national championships Jeny Bishop Kerscher 10
What it’s like living in a ”microcity of the future.”
31-year-old record mores and juniors from around the nation For the second consecutive year, the Frank McClary
Laura Simmons
in the mile run with a time of 4:05.90 selected. Named for five-term U.S. Sen. Furman Cycling Team returned from the
at the Kentucky Invitational. One month Barry Goldwater, the scholarship program USA Cycling Collegiate Road National
Admission Counselors
later at a Notre Dame meet, he lowered was established by Congress in 1986 to Championships with a national title. The
Michael Dostie Andy Waters
the record by another 1.5 seconds with a address the need for outstanding students Furman squad—Chris Butler of Hilton Head
Tia Sullivan Libby Weith Realizing Body Mind
time of 4:04.45. He also posted personal- to pursue careers in mathematics, natural Island, Spencer Beamer of Knoxville, Tenn., 12 English major Riley Kross takes us to a tranquil
Lindsey Walker
best times in the 800- and 3,000-meter sciences and engineering. Kit Hunter of Brentwood, Tenn., and Craig side of campus where students leave stress
runs and was named Southern Conference McKinney of Rock Hill—won the Division Furman University Admission and shoes at the door.
Athlete of the Week during each of the Grant to fund student research II team time trial in May with a time of 3300 Poinsett Highway
cross country and track seasons. Morgan, in chemistry 37:03:13. Greenville, South Carolina 29613–5245
a native of Danville, Ky., graduated with a Furman is one of nine schools in the nation admission@furman.edu Acts of Forgiveness
B.S. degree in Health and Exercise Science. awarded a Beckman Scholars Program Six Furman teams 864.294.2034 Fax: 864.294.2018
A recent grad’s award-winning documentary
16
This fall, he will attend graduate school at Institutional Award, a highly competitive recognized for of forgiving, rebuilding and triumph (reprinted
Furman University is committed to
Appalachian State University, where he’ll grant supporting scientific research by academics providing equal access to its educational from the Washington Post).
pursue a master’s degree in exercise science undergraduates. The $77,200 grant was The NCAA has programs, activities, and facilities to all
with a concentration in cardiac pulmonary awarded to the Chemistry Department. honored six Furman otherwise qualified students without
rehab. This is the twelfth year of the Beckman athletic teams with discrimination on the basis of race,
1 Green Furman + 1 Green Cover Story
program, and Furman is one of five public recognition national origin, color, creed, religion,
Video = 5 Green Macs
Liberian President speaks on campus baccalaureate institutions to have received awards for their sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual 20 Five students team up on a film highlighting
Liberian President at least four of the awards over latest Academic orientation, gender identity, or any other
Furman’s environmental commitment.
Ellen Johnson the history of the program. Progress Rate (APR) category protected by applicable state
or federal law. For information about
Sirleaf, known as scores. The Furman
Furman’s compliance with Section 504
Africa’s “Iron Lady,” Men’s, women’s golf teams teams cited are men’s
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and
visited the campus capture the conference cross country, men’s golf, men’s outdoor Hot Shot
the Americans with Disabilities Act
this spring, where The men’s and women’s golf track & field, women’s basketball, women’s
Amendments Act, contact the Disability Melissa Liebschwager stars in ESPN’s 21st Annual
she received an teams captured the SoCon indoor track & field, and women’s outdoor 22
Services Coordinator, 864.294.2320, 3-Point Championship.
honorary degree championship this spring. The track & field. These teams posted APR 3300 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville,SC 29613.
and participated in men won their second straight scores in the top 10 percent of all squads
a conversation with championship, earning an in their respective sports for the past four Printed on recycled paper.

Furman president automatic bid to the NCAA years.

David Shi. Her visit tournament; the women
Interpreting the Voice of a Revolution
Spanish major Charlie Nagle’s language skills lead him
was sponsored by captured their 13th SoCon 24
FIND OUT MORE about Furman to translating a Salvadoran revolutionary’s memoir.
Furman’s Riley Institute and Water of Life’s Championship and made their 17th
at <www.engagefurman.com>
Global Pebble Project. straight NCAA tournament appearance.

2 3
furman facts engaged classroom

What Furman students

do after graduating:
Furman by the numbers 41% head directly
What the statistics mean to you . . . to graduate school

Out of that group...

T 42%
he headline of a recent story in USA Today rankings look at graduation rates to judge the
enter a
read, “4-year colleges graduate 53 percent effectiveness of institutions. They also look at
graduate program
of students in 6 years.” the retention rate (how many students come
related to their
The story, which featured a report by back after freshman year) and alumni involve-
major
the non-profit think tank American Enterprise ment to determine if students have a positive
Institute (AEI), went on to say that nationally, experience. 18% head to law
just 53 percent of students entering four-year At Furman, 92 percent of freshmen return school
colleges graduated within six years. The story for their sophomore year (the national average
was based on data reported to the Education for private colleges is 75 percent). And more
12% go to
medical
Department by nearly 1,400 schools about than 45 percent of our alumni give back to

Furman
or dental school
full-time first-time students who entered in fall Furman every year (as opposed to a national
2001. average of 28 percent). 7% go into other

Furman’s four-year graduation rate of 81
percent puts us at the top of public and private
institutions deemed highly competitive in the
South. Before picking a college, prospective
students and their parents should thoroughly
examine the school’s graduation rate, the AEI
advises.
We’d agree with that. Most of the college
So what does all that mean for you?
Since 81 percent of our students graduate in
four years, students (and their parents) don’t
end up paying for five or six years of tuition.
And it means that our students are having a
good experience here—evidenced by the fact
that they come back and they stay involved as
Furman alumni.
Engaged!
health-related
programs
55–57% hit the
A celebration
job market (aided
by the experiences
they’ve had at of Engaged
Furman— internships,
study away, research
“Engaged learning” has become a hot concept in
the world of higher education, but do you really
Learning
with professors — as know what the term means? What exactly is the
well as assistance “hands-on approach to learning” that colleges
from Career Services) are trying to sell you?
Just ask a Furman student. By conducting undergraduate
research, holding internships and participating in study away
programs, Furman students are putting the concept of engaged
learning into practice, and this past April, they got a unique
opportunity to showcase their discoveries.
Furman Engaged! sponsored by Furman Undergraduate
Research and Internships is the university’s first campus-wide
celebration of engaged learning. The event began on April 2 with a
keynote address, “Public Science Literacy in the 21st Century,” by
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman. The following day,
classes were cancelled and beginning at 9 a.m., students from all
disciplines presented, presided and performed in venues across the
campus.
Divided into eight overlapping blocks of time, there were 48
sessions that included panels, demonstrations, performances and
around 200 oral presentations. Approximately
110 posters and exhibits involving the work of about 170 stu-
dents were set up in the Herman W. Lay Physical Activity Cen-
ter and in Kohrt Commons in the Townes Science Center, and
about a quarter of the students were present during each session to
explain their research. An International Food Festival, planetarium
shows and a Paladin Nites performance were also a part of the day’s
events.
Well attended by both the public and the university
community (students included!), Furman Engaged! gave students
the opportunity to present their work in an academic conference
setting—a privilege usually reserved for scholars at the graduate
level.
Marianne Pierce, whose office of Undergaduate Research
and Internships coordinated the activities, said that Furman
Engaged! was “a great opportunity for younger students to see
what possibilities are available to them. Students can develop an
appreciation for what students in other majors learn.”
Grayson Price ’12 shared his experience in his on-line journal.
We’ve included his recap here.

4 5 engage furman
engaged classroom
Furman
Engaged!
r a y s o n’s
G :
Recap Literally the entire day was filled with
presentations and performances. Here are the
ones that I went to (and trust me, there were a LOT more):
9 a.m. Classics: Translating the Venetus A
My seminar professor, Dr. Blackwell, and his Greek
students are busily translating the commentary on the
Venetus A manuscript. In case you don’t know, the
Venetus A is the oldest existing copy of The Iliad, and the
commentary along its margins has never been translated.
Cool.
10:30 Modern Languages and Literatures:
Theater and Poetry Live! Recitations in
Modern Foreign Languages
The Spanish department presented several readings
of Spanish sonnets from the Medieval, Renaissance and
Baroque periods of Spanish literature. Next up,
the French department presented a dramatic reading
of scenes from La Cantatrice Chauve (The Bald Soprano),
a French absurdist comedy. ‘Twas hilarious.
Finally, the German Department presented Aschenputtel
(Cinderella). Except, this was the Grimm’s Fairy Tale
version, which is not quite the same as the Disney
version. (Read: more gore.) I’ve got to say: I like it better
this way.
6 7
See the whole day’s schedule at <www.furman.edu/engaged/furmanengaged09.htm>
More
Lunch Furman University International Students
Association’s International Food Fest engaging Can man live without meat? Yes, and quite
The Plant Banquet
Our international students prepared food from their events: deliciously, I might add.
homes. I got a plate piled high with Indian, Ghanaian, Professor Laura Thompson’s Biology 401
Caribbean, Italian and several others that I can’t Applied Plant Science students demonstrated how at the
remember. Needless to say, it was delicious. And free. Plant Banquet which featured vegetarian dishes originating
from three of the cradles of agriculture: the Near East, the
12:45 Chemistry: Student Research Presentations Far East and North/South America. From ancient to modern
Being the science nerd that I am, I found the times, different cultures of the world have combined a grain
presentations of student research really interesting. If with a legume to create a complete amino acid set, aka, a
you don’t know, Furman has one of the best chemistry source of protein, from indigenous staples such as corn and
departments in the nation, and the research that these beans or tofu and rice.
students are doing is on par with research that is done by As part of the their final exam, the
graduate students at other universities. students were to required to host The
Plant Banquet, which involved planning
2:10 Music and Physics—Song to the Moon the menus, purchasing and preparing the
With the renovation of the science complex, Furman now foods, creating the table decorations and
has its own planetarium. So the Percussion Ensemble greeting guests.
teamed up with the Physics Department to present The day’s fare consisted of healthy and tasty
Dvorak’s “Song to the Moon (Mesicku na nebi dishes like falafel, edamame, vegetable stir-fry,
hiubokem)” underneath the moon. This place is so cool. star fruit tart, tofu and rice, peanut brittle, black-
eyed pea cakes, fried okra, squash casserole and
As I said, this list doesn’t even come close to enumerating all of sweet potato casserole.
the things that were going on. Turns out “engaged learning” isn’t And believe it or not, the food ran out
just rhetoric, it’s reality. before the event was scheduled to conclude!
“I’ve learned more about the foods we all eat
and have a greater appreciation for the cultures
that cultivated them into common foods in the
global food economy.”
—Jason Williams’09, Biology 401 student
Study Away: A Global Perspective
Perhaps your college dreams include studying abroad and
learning about different cultures firsthand. You would
have enjoyed the Turkey Video Conference in Furman Hall.
Nineteen students, still in the middle of a nine-week trip
into the heart of the Mediterranean, shared their findings on
“Important Religious Sites in Turkey.”
Students from Religion and Communication Studies
travelled to Italy, Turkey and Greece to explore the
connection between ancient and contemporary religion
through archaeological research. Via satellite, the students
described their encounter with Istanbul’s magnificent
mosques—the Hagia Sophia and The Blue Mosque—which
directly face each other and compete for architectural
dominance, and they discussed the irony of Cappadocia
and the Gerome Valley’s underground churches hidden for
defense purposes yet still ornamented with columns and
pillars.
As the students provided personal anecdotes and
comments about the trip, it became apparent that they were
learning more than architectural facts. With each day spent
on study away, these students became more attuned to the
effects of globalization on societies other than their own.
“Here we were, witnessing globalization
firsthand...two Americans in a Turkish taxi in
Asia listening to the Call to Prayer through the
window and ’Hotel California’ playing on the
radio.”
—Leslie Follman ’10, Turkey Video Conference
engage furman
 greenville life
Greenville: a small city that thinks big
W Outdoor adventures all year round
hen you are choosing a college, location
matters. If you are looking for the energy
of a big city or for the ease of a small town,
Greenville, South Carolina provides the best of both worlds.
With a population of 440,000, the city sits at the foot
of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is about one hundred miles
from both Charlotte and Atlanta. Greenville’s lush cityscape
is embellished by forests, lakes and parks, and the downtown
area, product of a twenty-year rejuvenation program, is
a pedestrian paradise peppered with unique boutiques,
restaurants with world-renowned chefs and numerous
galleries and exhibits by local artists.
The Peace Center
brings Broadway shows,
world-renowned dance
troupes, musical artists
and other wonderful
performances to town.
All can enjoy strolling
across Liberty Bridge,
which spans the Reedy
River, connecting two
sides of Falls Park. The
park hosts Shakespeare
in the Park, concerts,
dining on the riverbank
and seasonal events.
Sights and shows in a lively downtown
In Greenville you will find the best in entertainment,
shopping, dining, art, and of course—Southern hospitality.
From the panoramic view of the 355-foot suspension bridge
that overlooks the Reedy River Falls to the Peace Center for
Performing Arts that attracts Broadway performances like
Wicked, South Pacific and Chicago, people are constantly
about, enjoying all that this city has to offer.
When you visit Furman, be sure to explore Greenville—the small city with the big personality.
8 9
Here’s what others say about Greenville:
Greenville’s climate is fantastic. Sure, it gets pretty hot in the In his new book, The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries,
summer (note: not “dry heat”), but we do enjoy four distinct Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining (2005/2009), John Villani singled
seasons that make it possible to ski Cataloochee in the winter Greenville out as a hot spot for art, food and culture.
and wakeboard Lake Keowee in the summer. You can also
America’s Promise Alliance named Greenville one of the 100 Best
take advantage of numerous outdoor events. Greenville
Communities for Young People (2007)
native and celebrity chef Tyler Florence hosts Euphoria, an
annual culinary extravaganza that will give you a taste of the Forbes Magazine ranked Greenville as the second best small city in the
South, and more than twenty outdoor festivals and events United States for business and careers.
will be held downtown this year including Artisphere, the
The Miami Herald described Greenville as “an eclectic mix of today and yester-
Upstate Shakespeare Festival, Main Street Jazz and the USPRO
day,” and a city whose “people are friendly and genuinely happy to have out-
Cycling Championship. Thursdays March through September,
of-town visitors. They smile as you pass them on the sidewalk and will eagerly
Downtown Alive! lures the town to Main Street for live
engage you in conversation if you have a question.” (2009) Greenvillians love a party, and outdoors provides the
music. Travel a little further down Main, and you can catch a
perfect venue for events like Downtown Alive!, Artisphere, Taste of Greenville,
Greenville Drive baseball game at Fluor Field. No matter what Studio Tours, Thursday-night Jazz, Concerts by the River and others.
blend of entertainment you crave, Greenville has something
“O
to suit your palate. utside of Europe, I’ve never seen such
a cosmopolitan small city. It’s a gem.”
An economy that’s on the upswing— —Competitive Cyclist (2009)
in the midst of a global downturn
But there’s more to this town than good times and nice Explore more of Greenville at <www.greenvillecvb.com>
weather. Greenville’s economy exploded with the textile
boom in 1920s, an industry that fueled the city’s growth
for nearly seven decades. Companies like Michelin, Hitachi,
Bowater and BMW were attracted to the area and have set
up sizeable operations in the Upcountry. With this foreign
investment and more than 200 internationally owned
companies, Greenville has a cultural and economic climate
that welcomes diversity and craves progress.
It’s a great place to live and work. The cost of living
is low and the quality of life is high. Greenville was named
Microcity of the Future by Regions Magazine, a designation
that is based on a city’s economic potential, human resources,
cost-effectiveness, quality of life, infrastructure, business
friendliness and promotion strategy. Regions described
Greenville as having “…the top economic potential of any
North American city of its size…” In fact, many Furman
students forge paths toward great careers through internships
with Greenville businesses or by making connections with
Greenville’s business leaders through professional associations
or community events.
engage furman
 engaged classrooms
Realizing Bodymind
Imagine waking up before sunrise, walking
past piles of snow, watching your breath
rise before your wind-reddened face. Upon
arriving to class, you bow to your professor,
enter an unheated Japanese temple, and
silently take your place on the floor next to
your fellow classmates. The smell of incense
fills the wooden room. No words are spoken.
Y our professor rings a small gong. Class has begun and still no
words are said. For the next 50 minutes it is fourteen degrees
outside, but you have been taught to not feel the cold. You don’t
talk; you breathe deeply and deliberately. You clear your mind. You
meditate.
Through the class period, you feel the sun rise and hear the
day awaken. A distant waterfall echoes through the silence, and
birds chirp outside the temple window. Over the course of the
semester, you meet the changing of the seasons. The snow melts,
spring brings warmer mornings, and the whole time you are there,
just breathing.
What may sound like an other-world experience or a scene
out of a kung-fu movie has become a recent reality for Furman
students. Few college courses require the purchase of a plain
white martial arts dogi as a class uniform. Even fewer classes
spend one-fourth of their class time in complete silence.
However, few college courses are like Furman’s new
Philosophy course “Realizing Bodymind: Development of
Whole Persons.”
The word Bodymind is a literal translation of the
Japanese word Shinshin, which represents a concept
we do not have in English. Shinshin, or Bodymind, is
the unification of mental and physical experience into a
singular philosophy. By uniting the physical and mental
aspects of a health and exercise science class with the study
of a philosophy class, Furman is opening new doors for
students’ self discovery and understanding.
This newly offered philosophy class is
teaching Furman students to unify mental
and physical experiences through the
10 11
by Riley R. Kross ’10
Professor Shaner’s class meets in an authentic Japanese temple reconstructed on campus.
study of Asian philosophies, Ki-Aikido and meditation. Through
the class the students will gain a more holistic view of fitness and
overall wellness that includes the mental, physical, social and
spiritual. Attempting to engage and go beyond the demands of
academic study, “Realizing Bodymind” requires not only an atypical
classroom, but professors who are accomplished in some unique
fields and students who are ready to experience what they can’t be
taught.
The Furman professor behind “Realizing Bodymind” is
Professor David Shaner, whose
reputation around campus whispers
what many may consider mere stories
and myths. Tales of Olympic ski
teams, training security professionals
in Las Vegas, serving as a deputy
sheriff in Aspen, and sharing the
art of Ki-Aikido with a Japanese
emperor do not seem realistic. And
yet, Shaner, the 7th degree blackbelt,
author, professor of 27 years, head
of Furman’s philosophy department,
senior member of Furman’s Asian
studies department, chief instructor
of the Eastern Ki Federation, and
5th degree blackbelt Professor Stone and
principal of a corporate consulting
Aikido master Shaner teach marshal arts.
organization is very much real,
walking around campus in his dogi
and flip-flops.
In combination with Shaner’s expertise in Asian philosophy
and martial arts is Professor Mark Stone, a 5th degree blackbelt who
(continued on next page)
engage furman
 engaged classrooms
(continued from previous page)
assists Shaner and has practiced Shinshin Toitsu Aikido for over process than expected. In our culture, life is busy and there is
18 years. However, much of what is to be learned by the students always something going on or something to think about. Shaner
in “Realizing Bodymind” can not be read or spoken; it has to be tells his students that “we are used to washing our body, but
understood. As said by Shaner, he and Stone can only “give the we forget to wash our mind.” Learning to meditate in class has
students the tools that will lead them to being the best that they become a means by which the students deal with stress and the
can be, operating with their full Bodymind potential.” mental clutter life can bring. Many, having realized the practice’s
positive effects in their life, are choosing to meditate outside of the
T his full Bodymind potential is an example of Furman’s liberal
arts education and a blending of academic dis-
ciplines. Many tools of the class include a variety of
required class time.
A senior math major and cross country runner,
Joseph Tenini has started using the meditative
“Aikido allows you
philosophical and religious texts like Hinduism’s The breathing techniques he learned in “Realizing
Bhagavad-Gita, the Chinese classic DaoDeJing, and to realize your Bodymind” to prepare himself for races. Tenini
Buddhism’s Shobogenzo, which are studied in junc- connection—not says that the meditation places him “in a right
tion with Furman’s standard Health and Exercise Sci- and positive state of mind,” one in which he
your separation
ence text Fit & Well. Each of the texts is approached understands “not in terms of conflict, but in terms
with a rigorous academic agenda. However, the —to others.” of opportunity.”
academic material, which explores Asian philosophi- In addition, the meditative practices have
cal traditions where health, wellness and personal also taught the students to not feel cold. Two
development begin with the mind, is married to the highly experi- weeks into the semester, students in “Realizing Bodymind” were
ential emphasis of the class. “Mindfulness Meditation” is thus not meditating in their thin white dogis in fourteen degrees Fahrenheit.
only the object of academic study, it is also “the seed for a new After that experience, according to Shaner, the students have
way of organizing one’s life and experience,” says Shaner. learned “to embrace their connection to the environment in such
For Asian studies major Philip Martin ’09, “It’s hard not a way that their bodies need never feel cold for the rest of their
to experience what you are studying” when three out of four lives.”
class days each week are spent either mediating or practicing
Aikido. Many of the students in “Realizing Bodymind” are finding
the experiential aspects of the class to be empowering and life
changing. According to Martin, “you realize how busy your mind is
T he Aikido portion of “Realizing Bodymind” furthers the unity
between physical actions and mental conditions. After practic-
ing Aikido for 18 years, Stone claims the art has created a level of
when you are quiet in a room where nothing is going on.” calmness in his life by enabling him to realize “a presence in things
Clearing your mind to meditate can be a more difficult as they are.”
12
Aikido is not used as a form of
combat. Instead, the art form is a pure
study in self-defense that uses one’s energy
to positively influence another person.
In “Realizing Bodymind,” this discipline
is part of a larger goal of unifying the
students. “Realizing Bodymind’s” class
experience enables the students to not just
intellectually interact but also physically
interact through Aikido. “In class the
students require each other,” says Shaner.
And according to senior psychology and
Spanish double major, Lily House, Aikido
allows you to “realize your connection, not
your separation, to others.”
While the students are being
empowered through “Realizing
Bodymind,” Shaner is “having a ball
teaching the class” and “hopes that
many people who would like this kind
of experience will fully embrace it
because the class can be a life-changing
experience.” As a whole, Furman’s new
philosophy class is pretty different in many
ways. It is not every day that you get to
learn Shinshin in a Japanese temple from
a world renowned Ki instructor, but that’s
just “Realizing Bodymind.”
Learn more about the Place of Peace
at <www.furman.edu/placeofpeace>
13
O
ne of the classrooms for “Realizing Bodymind: Development
of Whole Persons” is the Japanese temple that has been
recently added to Furman’s campus. The former Buddhist temple and
Asia Garden that sits adjacent to it are known as The Place of Peace.
Furman was given this rare and special gift by the Tsuzuki family of
Nagoya, Japan through the Tsuzuki’s connection to Furman professor
David Shaner, who taught Aikido to a family member many years ago.
Transporting the temple from Japan was no easy process.
Brought over in more than 2,400 pieces, special wood-braced
containers were created to keep the original temple pieces safe
during the voyage. Arriving in Greenville after a trip through the
Panama Canal and an entry into the Port of Charleston, the temple
was reconstructed by 13 specialized artisans from Japan.
The precision and skill by which the temple was carefully
transported and reconstructed emphasizes the sacredness of such a
building, a sacredness and uniqueness that marks this temple as the
only structure of its kind in the United States.
After the dedication ceremony on September 5, 2008, The
Place of Peace now serves as a symbol of Furman’s commitment to
its quickly growing Asian Studies Program and to environmental
sustainability.
The temple uses no electricity or heating and is made of incred-
ibly hard, durable and long-lasting Keyaki wood. Also, the temple
is built in such a way that it can be taken apart and reconstructed
without having to throw away a single part.
Along with its sustainability, The Place of Peace is in harmony
with its Furman environment. The entrance to the temple is in line
with the waterfall of Furman’s Asia Garden, which is back-dropped by
the rising and rolling Blue Ridge Mountains. On Furman’s campus, the
temple is literally a beautiful piece of Japan transported right into
the foothills of South Carolina.
 alumni

“Reconciliation,” she adds, her wide green eyes
peering across the hall as she curls a finger into her
drooping gold flip-flop, picking at the hard skin of her heel.
“I think it’s one of the most challenging subjects anyone
can face. You choose to give up your right to hold that
against him.”
Him? You wonder to whom it refers. But then it
reminds you: She might not have tackled reconciliation
without the rings. She might not have made the film
without the breakup.
In 2001, she graduated from Furman University, where
she double-majored in political science and communication
studies. She then moved to Winston-Salem, N.C., for her
boyfriend, a psychological counselor at the time. She took a
lousy marketing job for a hospital corporation. He gave her
the ring. Then he dumped her.
Hinson was devastated and embarrassed. She had to
reimburse her bridesmaids and sell her gown on eBay. She
lost a ton of money and gave the ring back. And then she
decided to follow the “creative impulse running through my
veins” and come to Washington for film school, in 2003.
This article first appeared
She’s at Silverdocs, talking to PBS execs, trying to get
in the Washington Post on
her film seen. It wasn’t screened at the festival, but she’s
July 5, 2008 and is reprinted
here with permission.
attending the conferences, with 650 other aspirants in
the documentary biz. The rings glint. She bounces in her
seat like the glowing child of serendipity, all tanned and
blondified in a white, military-style linen tunic and black
shorts. Her hair is short, her sleeves are rolled. Her lips pink,
her earrings purplish. She still seems like a little girl eager to
sit at the adult table.
“She wanted to do things we thought she wasn’t old
enough for,” her mom, Nina Waters, recalls by phone from
Destin, Fla. “She was interested in everything.” Growing up
in the Panhandle, Hinson pranced around filming tableaux
with her friend Ashley. They had one campy horror scene
featuring a body falling from a window and a shot of the
lifeless corpse on the ground.
Hinson also had the director’s impulse for
choreographing others. She collected costumes from thrift
shops and played little old men herself; one Halloween
she dressed football players in gowns. She hosted dinner
parties, requesting that invitees don formalwear.
“We were the cooks,” her mother recalls. “We’d wait
on them—they’d be smoking their fake cigarettes.” Hinson
was elected president of Fort Walton Beach High School for
three years.

Acts of Reconciliation
A student filmmaker turns her lens on Rwanda and finds a personal truth reflected back at her
by Washington Post staff writer Gabe Oppenheim

I n a way, it’s a story of those two diamond engagement rings.

Laura Waters Hinson ’01 sits cross-legged on a plush beige sofa
in the Discovery Channel building at the Silverdocs film festival,
In the film we meet Rosaria,
who pulls up the hem of her
dress to reveal mounds of raised
flashing a brilliant stone on each hand, explaining how she got scar tissue running down her
here. legs. Hacked and beaten during
The 29-year-old won the top documentary prize at the the genocide, she now lives in a
Student Academy Awards in Los Angeles for As We Forgive, her house built for her by Saveri, the
film about reconciliation in Rwanda between survivors of the 1994 man who killed her sister. Another
genocide and its perpetrators. Previous Student Oscar winners survivor, Chantale, who lost 30
include Trey Parker, Bob Saget and Spike Lee. family members, meets John, the
Hinson’s film, begun as an MFA thesis at American University, stooped gangly man who killed
captures victims’ meetings with their freed attackers. A decade her father. He can’t face her; her
after the extermination of one in eight Rwandans, after the Hutus eyes are embers. “Remember all your old neighbors,” she says. Yet
turned on the Tutsis and even some of their own, the two tribes the next day, Chantale begins working to build a house for another
had to learn to live together. (The government has released more ex-con who confessed his crimes. For Hinson, it was proof that the
than 60,000 convicts connected to the genocide to ease prison “transcendent filters through every aspect of life” and also that
overcrowding, according to the BBC.) the world is really messed up.

14 15 engage furman
 alumni
She’s religious now but wasn’t always. Raised Episcopalian,
Hinson says she didn’t get “serious” about it until after Furman,
when she joined the Anglican Mission in the Americas. That
group broke away from the Episcopal Church—rejecting its liberal
reforms—under the auspices of Rwanda’s church.
The link led her local congregation to plan a trip to Rwanda
in 2005. She didn’t sign up to go. She was frenzied, searching
for a suitable thesis topic. But one congregant dropped out and
a pastor urged Hinson to take the spot. When she got there,
she knew she had found her film. She came back and started
researching, planning to shoot in the summer of 2006.
She was so interested in the topic that she hosted a dinner
at Armand’s Pizza on Capitol Hill for a Rwandan bishop who
was working to facilitate reconciliation. There she met a fellow
American University student who was also planning on filming in
Rwanda in June. He and his friend agreed to shoot her movie, if
she’d provide room and board.
They also brought a Canon camera to add to the Panasonic
MiniDV the university had lent her. She found the translator,
Laura interviews
the president of
Rwanda for her
video.
16
Emmanuel Kwizera, through the Internet mailing list of a Instead of being a tale of African ruin
Ugandan missionary who had just visited Rwanda. Kwizera
proved crucial to earning the trust of victims and killers, especially and our reluctance to help, it was
since he was a survivor himself who knew four languages. “He a tremendously hopeful picture
would go in first,” Hinson says, “elicit stories and then ask
whether they’d be involved.” of people learning to forgive in
In 30 days, without permits, which Rwanda may or may
circumstances in which we never could.
not require—“it’s not clear”— Hinson filmed 55 hours of
footage. She cut it down to 53 minutes on her Mac. Her Emmy-
winning composers charged her $8,000 for a score that would
usually cost twice as much. Two families from her church gave
her $18,000. Mia Farrow lent her voice to the narration, after
T he story ultimately appealed to Hinson for its reversal
of the genre’s cliches. Instead of being a tale of African
ruin and our reluctance to help, it was a “tremendously
Hinson was introduced to her through the staff of a Virginia
hopeful” picture of people learning to forgive in circumstanc-
congressman. The Rwandan president agreed to an interview on
es, she says, in which we never could. Hinson liked to believe
the last day of shooting. Her total cost came to $25,000.
she herself had learned something.
“This film typically would’ve cost at least a couple hundred
Two weeks after leaving Rwanda, in August 2006, the
thousand dollars to make,” Hinson says. “It’ll never be like this
belief was tested. Her ex-fiance called, 4 1/2 years after their
ever again. I know that, but people want to help when you’re a
breakup. “I feel kinda crazy,” she recalls him saying. “And I
student.”
still love you.”
Tom is the guy’s name. Today he says of the breakup:
“I was just terrified of that level of commitment. I had come
from a family that had kind of a bad marriage.”
He reconsiders.
“Ninety percent of it was me just being a very lame guy.
A child in a man’s body. Just a guy with a lot to learn.”
He visited her a month later. He had gone to a
nondenominational seminary in those silent intervening years,
studied to become a priest and all the while “worked with
a lot of trauma victims, a lot of people who were recovering
from some pretty hard stuff, rape victims.”
“I dealt a lot in the language of forgiveness,” he adds.
Tom had kept the first ring all that time. “I couldn’t get
rid of it. It was that weird kind of remote possibility sense
that maybe if I ever get my act together . . . .”
Chantale, who lost 30 members of her family to the violence now helps build a house
He gave it to her, and a second one. He bent down on
for John—the person who killed her father.
one knee in the old-fashioned way and asked the question. Not of nuptials, not at
first. There was a more pressing matter.
“I said, ‘Laura, do you forgive me?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ And getting married was
almost the denouement, the anticlimax.”
Today Tom Hinson and Laura Waters Hinson live in the District, where several
documentary companies are based and where he pastors at two Anglican churches.
Laura graduated from American last year, and the Student Oscar got her thinking
about moving to Los Angeles. “It depends on what Laura wants to do in her career,”
says the man who gave and took away and gave again.
“Our marriage,” she says, “is built on forgiveness.”
Learn more about Laura and her film
at <www.asweforgivemovie.com>
17 engage furman
 sustainabiity
1 Green Furman + 1 Green Video
P
utting together a movie is kind of a big deal—especially when
the movie you are putting together is for Apple and a national
organization promoting the American College & University
Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUCCP).
That’s what five Furman students were challenged with this
spring. In the midst of classes, studying and all the other things
we’re involved in, we had four weeks to create a short movie
illustrating why Furman signed the Presidents Climate Commitment.
The Presidents Climate Commitment
The Presidents Climate Commitment is a document signed by
colleges and universities around the globe who pledge to eliminate
their campuses’ greenhouse gas emissions over time. This is not
a simple thing. It involves completing an emissions inventory,
setting a target date, choosing interim milestones for becoming
climate neutral, and taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. It also involves making sustainability a part of the
educational experience.
Furman President David Shi was one of the first signatories of
the commitment. At Furman, sustainability is a part of the strategic
plan; what that means to students is that through courses, speakers,
events, and even simple things like the presence of recycling
containers, we’re encouraged to think about what it means to live
sustainably.
Our mission
The ACUPCC Steering Committee, in collaboration with Apple,
asked for student teams from only four schools in the country to
interview their college’s or university’s president and create a video
explaining why that president signed the PCC. The video would then
18
be posted on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s website and on
iTunes for the world to see. The goal was to inspire other institutions
to become involved with the PCC.
Associate Professor Angela Halfacre, director of Furman’s
Center for Sustainability, approached the five of us: Jenni Asman ’11
(Mauldin, S.C.—neuroscience major), David Bruggink ’09 (Ozark,
Ala.—communication studies major), Lauren Farrar ’09 (Atlanta,
Ga.—communication studies major), Andrea Triplitt ’11 (Greenville,
S.C.—earth and environmental science major), and me (Grant Allard
’12, Maryville, Tenn.—individualized curriculum—sustainability) For
working on this production, Apple gave us new MacBook Pros and
Final Cut Pro editing software.
The process
We began our project with the due date looming only a few weeks
away, but nonetheless we all felt confident that we could do it. On
the first weekend in a late-night meeting we laid out a strategic plan
for the project and hammered out a production schedule. Everyone
gave something to the plan—David and Lauren helped those of
us less technically knowledgeable to understand what needed to
happen for video production, and Andrea, Jenni and I brainstormed
concepts that we thought should be included. Together we hatched
a plan.
We started our production the day after our planning meeting
by filming the Environmental Action Group’s launching of the water-
bottle swan onto Furman Lake, an activity celebrating World Water
Awareness Week. After this, Jenni began organizing interviews while
Andrea and I helped form interview questions.
When we were done with filming most of our footage and
interviews, we transcribed the interviews and began to construct
= 5 Green Macs
a script. We took shifts of watching video and writing down rough
transcripts of what was said. From those transcripts, we put together
a script to emphasize where Furman had come from, what the state of
sustainability is in the present, and where sustainability will lead Furman in
the future. David and Lauren then spent an overwhelming amount of time
making our rough visions come to fruition in order to produce a “rough”
version to show Apple and our own Sustainability Planning Council, the
university body that is responsible with planning for sustainability, in order
What’s that?
to get advice and comments.
David and Lauren had done a great job of producing the rough
version in a couple of days, but still we had work to do, including
filming more background footage and finalizing a soundtrack, as well as
T
his spring, students noticed something rather
doing some additional planning about points that we felt needed to be
strange floating on the tranquil waters of
expanded.
After these final interviews, David and Lauren crafted a final version Furman lake.
of the video and we turned it in. We all received personal emails from From a distance it resembled an ice
President Shi and felt a great sense of achievement at what we had done. sculpture, but for the record, it’s a swan made
We had spent four weeks working on little else but this video—a month of plastic water bottles. About 20 members of
of our lives staying up late and getting up early to meet, share, discuss, the Environmental Action Group (EAG) worked
edit and film, and now we were done. We felt almost a sense of jubilation together to construct the replica to boost
come over us: our hard work and determination had paid off. awareness about the environmental impact of
bottled water.
And now? “We want to show people that drinking
Our team of students is excited to have our story out on iTunes. But bottled water is unnecessary,” said EAG co-
making this movie affected each of us in different ways. We met people president Andrea Triplitt. “Drinking tap water is
all over campus and learned a tremendous amount about sustainability
a viable option. It’s not necessary to buy bottled
and the Presidents Climate Commitment. Lauren’s video experience led
water.”
her to a job with the university’s Marketing & Public Relations office
As part of this awareness program, the
doing videography. Andrea, Jenni and I are now working with the Center
EAG and the Cicero Society co-sponsored the
for Sustainability on campus as Mellon Sustainability Fellows (a funded viewing of the film, “FLOW: The Bottled Water
program for students involved with sustainability efforts on campus). Controversy.” Brendan O’Rourke, a representative
And despite all the late nights, the frantic emails and struggles to from Nestle Water Company,
keep all the balls in the air, we’ve all gotten more presented the other side of the
interested in sustainability and are finding ways to apply issue in a talk after the film.
what we are learning at home, at school Triplitt said the plastic swan was
and in our community. And isn’t
about twelve feet tall, eight feet
that really what education
wide and made up of more than
is all about?
2,000 water bottles.
Left to right: Lauren Farrar, David Bruggink,
Jenni Asman, Grant Allard and (on floor)
Andrea Triplitt are all pretty excited about the
To view our finished product, go to
video and their new MacBook Pros.
<www.engagefurman.com/PCC>.
19

athletics
M
elissa Liebschwager ’09 is used to
hearing the swish of the net when she
arches the ball from behind the three-
point line. Hitting 47 percent of her 3-point shots
this year, she was ranked number one for her shot
among Division I athletes.
Despite her stellar stats, Melissa never
expected the call she received this spring inviting
her to ESPN’s 21st Annual College Slam Dunk and
3-Point Championship.
“I had no idea that was a possibility,”
she said. “I got the call one week before the
competition, and then I was on a plane to
Detroit.”
“
I don’t really think you can be prepared for the experience of
playing on the college Division I level, especially at a school
with tough academics like Furman, but it was a great exper-
”
ience and I’d do it over again the same if I had the choice.
The competition took place at the Palace at
Auburn Hills in Detroit, Michigan, where Melissa
competed against seven other top-ranked college
athletes from around the nation.
“There were some big-time players there,”
she said. “I was a little nervous at first, but when
I got to the gym and started shooting around, the
nerves went away.”
The rules seemed simple: The timer is set for
one minute. There are five marked spots on the
Watch the ESPN shoot out at <www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q705iw2z5dg>.
20
three-point line, and you get five shots at each
spot. The first four shots count one-point, and
the fifth shot, called the “money-ball,” counts
double. Add the pressure of live TV, an ESPN
announcer, and a roaring stadium, and you have
yourself a competition.
“That was the most people I’ve ever
performed in front of,” Melissa said. “I just had to
stay focused.”
Despite the distractions, Melissa sailed
through the first two rounds, knocking her
competitors out one by one. She sealed her
victory in the final round when she went head-to-
head with an athlete from Arizona State.
Though Melissa seems to have the magic
touch from behind the 3-point line, she says her
success results from a lot of hard work.
“I’ve practiced my 3-point shot a billion
times. It’s just all about repetition and muscle
memory,” said Melissa.
Melissa started perfecting her shot as a
child, when she and her dad would spend hours
at the gym shooting around.
“My dad taught me how to shoot,” she
said. “He would always rebound for me while I
practiced my shot.”
With her dad’s encouragement, Melissa
worked hard for the chance to play college
basketball and says Furman proved the perfect
place for her to continue her basketball career.
“
I’ve practiced my 3-point shot
a billion times. It’s just all about
repetition and muscle memory.
”
“I was attracted to Furman because they
played Division I basketball, and I knew I’d get to
play against some pretty good teams,” she said.
“I don’t really think you can be prepared for the
experience of playing on the college Division I level,
especially at a school with tough academics like
Furman, but it was a great experience and I’d do it
over again the same if I had the choice.”
For Melissa, the ESPN competition proved the
perfect culmination to her basketball career.
“I’m pretty much done with basketball now,
and this is a great way to go out,” she said.
One of the advantages of coming to Furman,
says Melissa, is that basketball was only one part of
her college experience. She managed to graduate
with a 3.40 GPA and a double major in Biology and
Health and Exercise Science. She also pursued her
interest in the health field, interning last summer
with a free health clinic in Greenville. This experience
led her to apply to pharmacy school, which she will
pursue next year at the University of Tennessee.
She also has some wedding planning to do, as
she was recently engaged to fellow Furman athlete
Elliot Pascal ’08.
“This year has been my busiest yet, which
is why I was surprised when I won the shooting
competition,” said Melissa, “It’s funny how my most
hectic time was also my most successful.”
—Josie Sawyer ’08
21 engage furman
 e t i n g
research and internships

Inter p r Ching says. ``When I saw the work he was doing with his museum,
I realized it had the potential to be a win-win situation. He would
get input and help from our students, and they in turn would have
the opportunity to learn an enormous amount about the history
efforts,’’ Prince says. ``Although I made corrections and offered
some suggestions, he did most of the work.’’
Charlie knew the importance of the project and seized the
opportunity. ``There were outside accounts of what was going on

v o i c e
and politics of El Salvador.’’ during the war, but no direct accounts,’’ he says.

th e
Charlie, who has participated in foreign study programs in
Spain and Chile during his time at Furman, wanted to be an intern
at the museum. But he says the position went to Derek Gleason,
who graduated from Furman in 2007 and just completed his work
Not surprisingly, to see his project about to be published
fills Charlie with immense pride. ``It’s exciting. It has been a long
process. The translation took a relatively short amount of time,
a few months. Then Bill Prince and I spent months and months

l u t i o n
on a master’s degree in Latin American studies at Indiana University. editing and looking it over,’’ he says.

of a rev o
Nagle let his Furman professors know that he’d be interested
Comandante Santiago with his wife in future opportunities in El Salvador. So when Santiago wanted
and son (hiding under sweater). someone to translate his book, Ching recommended that Nagle
spend the summer doing it.
Furman professor Bill Prince was Nagle’s adviser on the
project, and Nagle and Santiago communicated by email
throughout the translation process.
At first-glance, Charlie Nagle doesn’t fit the description of a revolutionary. The Spanish major ``Charlie accepted the challenge, and I agreed to oversee his
``Dr. Ching sent the manuscript to different places. So it has
been a two-year period at this point. Having not been involved in
any publication process before, I didn’t know exactly how long it
would take. I guess I was starting to lose hope that it would be
accepted or published at all or even while I was at Furman,’’ Charlie
adds. He describes translation as mentally exhausting work.
``You can agonize over a sentence, a word, for an hour or
complete 10 pages in an hour. It just depends on the context

at Furman is clean cut and polite. Soft-spoken Charlie chooses his words carefully whether
(continued on the next page)
he’s talking or writing. During his four years at Furman, he’s been a volunteer translator at a
Charlie working with Professor Bill Prince on Santiago’s memiors.
local free medical clinic and taught immigrants in an English as a Second Language program.

R
ecently, however, he used his language skills for another
purpose. He has given readers the opportunity to journey
into the heart of a revolution, an inside look at the struggle
to overthrow a military dictatorship in El Salvador.
His English translation of the memoir of Salvadoran war hero
Carlos Henriquez Consalvi soon will be published by the University
of Texas Press.
Professors who’ve worked with the Furman senior say it’s
rare for an undergraduate to have the patience and knowledge to
translate a book of such importance, let
alone have it accepted for publication by a
major university press.
Consalvi has quite a story to tell, one
that would make a blockbuster movie.
It would feature rebels hiding in the
hills of El Salvador, dodging bullets and
bombardments as they try to keep a radio
Rebels broadcast from World War II equipment
station up and running.
Known throughout El Salvador as Comandante Santiago,
Consalvi used words as a weapon during the 1981–92 civil war.
The Venezuela-born journalist was drawn to insurgencies in Central
America and became the voice of the revolution in El Salvador,
broadcasting from Radio Venceremos, the clandestine radio station
operated by the guerillas. The rebels used an old transmitter,
vintage World War II equipment. The equipment was always
breaking down, and they scrambled to find parts.“They would
broadcast twice a day at set times,’’ Charlie says. ``It was important
for them to broadcast at those times to inspire the people and to
let the government, as well as the people, know that they were
alive and well and hadn’t been defeated.”
Charlie, who comes from a small town north of Atlanta,
uses words to paint a picture of the guerillas carrying the radio
station’s equipment on their backs under enemy fire as they moved
to safer locations. They could broadcast to the entire country and
throughout Central America, and the station became not just an ``It’s hard to capture not just the words
alternative source of information but a symbol of
but the sense of the words, the flow
their struggle.``The people rallied behind this one
symbol and knew that if the symbol still stood, the of the book and the emotion behind
people behind it still stood,’’ Charlie says. everything especially if it’s a memoir.’’
The Furman student says the book has
``a little bit of romance mixed in with the war.’’
There’s also an intricate plot to assassinate the
man responsible for an infamous massacre
reported by the radio station.
Today Santiago operates a museum in San Salvador, the
capital of El Salvador. He uses the Museum of Word and Image
to preserve the history of the revolution and other aspects of his
adopted country’s culture and history. Visitors can see a replica of
the radio station in one exhibit in the museum.
Through Furman professor Erik Ching, students at Furman
have gotten to work with Santiago. ``I came to know Santiago some
six or so years ago as part of my ongoing research on El Salvador,’’

22 23 engage furman
 (continued from previous page)

of what you’re translating,’’ he says. ``It’s hard to capture not

Furman facts Background—A private liberal
arts university founded in 1826
Campus—750-acre campus
with lake; 36 major buildings
Honor Societies—Phi Beta
Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa,
Majors and
Concentrations
and nationally acclaimed for its including 490,000-plus volume Phi Eta Sigma, and numerous Accounting
just the words but the sense of the words, the flow of the Art
academic excellence, Engaged library; newly renovated science departmental honoraries
book and the emotion behind everything, especially if it’s Asian Studies
Learning program, Division I complex with more than $6
a memoir.’’ In 2008, the Office of Admis- Biology
athletics and campus beauty million of scientific equipment; Black Cultures in the Americas*
Prince is proud of Charlie’s achievement.``The number sions received 4,600 applications
2,000-seat auditorium; music Business Administration
of undergraduate students in the entire country who could Location—Greenville, South for a freshman class of just over
complex with recital halls and Chemistry
do what Charlie did is extremely small,’’ he says. ``Charlie Carolina (metropolitan popula- 700. Admitted students typically Classical Studies*
technology lab; physical activities
is a remarkably talented language student who, lucky for tion 400,000), five miles north displayed an academic record Communication Studies
center with workout facilities;
us, wants to teach here someday.’’ Charlie says he was paid of downtown that included advanced courses Computer Science
chapel; 16,000-seat football Computer Science–Mathematics
$3,000 for his work, but the experience was priceless. with strong grades and test
Students—2,600 under- stadium; tennis center; soccer Earth and Environmental Sciences
And he’s come a long way since he first sat in scores that fell within the
graduates from 47 states stadium; and 18-hole golf course Economics
a high school Spanish class eight years ago. mid-50 percent range of
and 47 countries Education
``I was frustrated with it. Then I fell in love with Spanish Sports—One of the smallest 1200–1380 on the SAT and Early Childhood Education
and decided it was the only thing I could do in life, my Faculty—230, 96 percent with NCAA Division I schools in the 26–31 on the ACT. Furman uses Elementary Education
one true passion,’’ he says. ``I really enjoy foreign language the highest degree in their field nation, Furman fields 17 men’s the Common Application Secondary Education
and foreign culture, communicating with other people and and women’s teams, as well as exclusively. Special Education
Student-to-Faculty Engineering (dual degree)
finding out their perspectives and how they live,’’ he says. 16 club sports and a host of
Ratio —11:1 English
Adds Charlie, ``As a Spanish major or any language intramural teams. English for Speakers
major, you spend years and years honing your skills, and you Average Class Size—18 of other Languages*
may or may not use them. For me, it’s definitely all about the Environmental Studies*
practicality of it, using it and learning more. Then anyway French
German
I can interact to help people is always a plus.’’
Greek
Charlie has applied for a Fulbright teaching fellowship
Health and Exercise Science
to return to Spain. He hopes eventually to earn his doctorate History
in applied Spanish linguistics, then teach at the college level. Individualized
He has a message for anyone who has ever lost out Curriculum
on something in life, as he did on that museum internship Program
Information
in El Salvador several years ago: Be persistent.
Did you know? Plan Your Visit! Early Decision Regular Decision Technology
``For students looking for opportunities at Furman, Latin
there are these things out there. You have to be willing to Furman University was a pioneer You can visit Furman almost Application Dates Application Dates Latin American Studies*
ask and show that you merit the opportunity. You have in engaged learning as a practice any time. To schedule If Furman is your first If you want to keep your Mathematics
to do the leg work,’’ he says. and a concept. Today many colleges a visit, go to <www. choice, apply for options open and won’t be Mathematics–Economics
Music
and universities use the term engagefurman.com/visit> or Early Decision. If admitted, able to decide until May 1,
Church Music
“engaged learning” to promote call 864.294.2034. you can relax while apply Regular Decision. Music Education
For more information about internships at Furman, go to
their programs. Furman is flattered— your friends are filling January 15—Your Performance
<www.engagefurman.com/intern>.
after all, imitation is the highest Apply Online out application after application is due Music Theory
Neuroscience
form of praise. <www.engagefurman.com/ application. March 13—Decision letters
Philosophy
apply>. November 15—Your are mailed out Physics
application is due May 1—Your deadline Political Science
December 15—Decision to decide if you’ll attend Poverty Studies*
Prelaw Studies
letters are mailed out Furman (deposit due)
Premedical Studies
January 15—You decide Psychology
whether or not to commit Religion
ROTC
to Furman (binding letter of
Sociology
intent/ deposit due) Spanish
Theatre Arts
Visit engagefurman.com It’s designed for prospective students like you. Take our virtual tour. Urban Studies
Find your counselor. Schedule your visit. Ask a question. Even apply online! Women’s Studies*
*concentration
24
engage
Furman University Admission
3300 Poinsett Highway
Greenville, South Carolina 29613-5245
Nightmare in Townes Science Center?
A
rare skeletal display was installed this spring near the
Korht Commons of Plyler Hall. It’s easy to be startled
by the scene: a cougar attacks a desert bighorn sheep
in an act of consummate predation. The display was brought
to Furman by biology professor Travis Perry after almost two
years of collection, permits, cleaning and assembling.
These specimens are extraordinary as they represent
the interaction of two existing populations in South-Central
New Mexico, where the cougars’ predation of the small
resident population of desert bighorns has been an issue for
conservation.
Perry, who devoted a sabbatical working as a field
biologist studying the desert bighorn sheep population,
collected the specimens under a scientific research permit. It
was hot work, as he and Thomas Newman ’08 had to pack out
the bones in 110 degree heat.
Perry also had to navigate through a lot of bureaucratic
red tape when he shipped the specimens. It was necessary not
only to wade through the paperwork for the proper permits,
but to use a tracking “pit tag,” should the specimen be stolen.
It may seem like overkill, but there is a high demand in
the black market for bighorn sheep. Not only that, but the
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish auctions a single
permit for the opportunity to hunt one ram. This permit, only
valid for two or three days, recently sold for $220,000, and the
proceeds go to support restoration of the population.
Local natural history artist Brian Johnson spent more
than 18 months cleaning, constructing and carefully arranging
the skeletons into an authentic and aesthetically pleasing pose.
The hope is that the skeletons will be used as an educational
resource to reveal the complexities of conservation to students
and the public. ­—Will Goldsmith ’10