A Legacy of Service

            Shawnee State University’s (SSU) campus was collectively stunned late last month when the news of security captain Steve Burton’s death circulated from one building to the next.

            Burton died on Jan. 18 as the result of an automobile accident.

            Chris Hartstein, an SSU employee who works in the mail and receiving building—the same building that security is housed in—said that coming to work feels different now.

            “Steve was a quite man, very polite and always willing to help in any way he could and never complained,” she said. “Working the same hours and in the same building with Steve, when you pull in here at 7:00 there is something missing.”

            Harstein’s sentiment has been more than just words. She and another SSU employee, Ann Williams, decided that they wanted to do something to help. They began taking donations for Burton’s family to help with burial costs. Altogether, the SSU community donated $1,030.66.

            “We got a cashiers check for $699.95 to help defray funeral expenses and the remainder was given to his son, Steve, and daughter, Monica, for their needs,” said Hartstein. “Many individuals contributed but a special thanks goes to the library for their generous donation and to Sodexho for a contribution of $100.00 plus donations from their employees.”

            Harstein was not alone in her remorse for Burton’s passing. Steve Donohue, SSU’s vice president and general counsel, said that it was Burton’s guidance that pushed campus security to become what it is today.

            “Under his leadership the Security office recruited and expanded the force, and modernized its equipment,” he said, adding that the security captain’s dedication to serve those around him began with a stint in the United States Air Force and continued until his death.

            “He will be sorely missed by all,” Donohue said.

            It was that dedication that Elaine Bradley, assistant to general counsel, said she thinks of when Burton’s name comes up.

            “Steve was held in the highest esteem by his colleagues as well as SSU employees and students,” she said. “He had an overwhelming sense of pride and dedication towards Shawnee State.”

            Even those not well acquainted with Burton are saddened by his passing. Robert Eldred, an SSU student, said that Burton was always doing something for someone.

            “He seemed like he really enjoyed his job.  Every time I saw him, he was helping someone,” he said. “He was the one security guard I would turn to if I had a problem.”

            Becky Herpy, a former secretary at the Children’s Learning Center (CLC), said that Burton was especially helpful to the CLC. She said that he would always come over for monthly fire drills, or to even help the children cross the street when they went on field trips.

            “He always represented a steady, ‘all-knowing’ police officer to the children, she said. Herpy went on to say that Burton was always there when something seemed “out of place,” and that “He was always friendly and polite, and even though there was almost never anything wrong, he’d always tell me to not hesitate to call again should I ever see an open fence, or a strange neighbor dog, or anything at all.”

            Not even SSU’s Board of Trustees will forget Burton. They officially recognized him, along with several other SSU staff members for saving the school thousands of dollars in fire damage during a mechanical room fire in 2002. The commendation came in the form of Resolution F29-02 and was voted into record on October 11 of that same year.

            “Whereas, on August 14, 2002, Carl Wooten, a Massie Hall custodian, reported

Custodian could be charged in death

            Ronald Evans, 61, of Portsmouth, was beyond the legal limit of blood alcohol content when the truck he was driving struck a tree on Careys Run Pond Creek Road,  according to the Portsmouth post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The crash occurred at 1:50pm on Jan. 18.

            "A blood sample was taken at St. Mary's Hospital," where Evans was taken for treatment after the crash, said Sergeant Shannon Moorhead of the Portsmouth post. It was then taken to the Patrol's crime lab in Columbus and analyzed by criminalist Heather Collins, she said.

            The results of the blood test indicated Evans' blood alcohol level at 0.102. The legal limit in Ohio is .08.

            Shawnee State University (SSU) security captain Steve Burton, a passenger in the truck driven by Evans, died in the crash.

            According to Judith McGraw, Shawnee's assistant director of human resources, Evans is currently employed as a custodian in SSU’s Vern Riffe Center for the Arts (VRCFA). He has been working at the university since 1997.

            Trooper Todd Crabtree of the local Patrol post said that road conditions were normal when the crash occurred.

            “There weren’t any other cars involved, and there weren’t any others on the road at the time of the crash,” he said.

            According to Lieutenant Mark Thompson, the crash was the third in Scioto County that involved a fatality in 2006. Burton was the fifth person killed on local roadways this year.

            There were nine fatalities in eight crashes in 2005, he said.

            Thompson said that Evans could be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, which qualifies as a first-degree felony. He said that all pertinent information would be forwarded to the Scioto County Prosecutor’s office later this week.

            First degree felonies carry a minimum sentence of three to ten years in Ohio, according to Larry Gray of the prosecutor’s office. However, Gray added that probation was also an option depending on the facts of the case.

Shawnee to hold events in honor of Black history month

            The multicultural student affairs office in the student success center at Shawnee State University is having several programs and activities in the month of February in recognition of Black History month.

Matt Matthews, coordinator of multicultural student affairs at SSU has been putting together some programs and club meetings for Black History month. The programs, activities, and club meetings office are designed to increase student’s interest towards the major events that will take place, according to Matthews.

One of the big programs is scheduled on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. is the Jackie Robinson Program and is being held in the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts. This is a co-sponsor program between Matthews office, and the Portsmouth Area Arts Council, with a special sponsor by Dr. Trinidad, a sports doctor. The Jackie Robinson Program is one of the main programs for Black History Month that’s going to have plenty of activities, refreshments, and a speech about Jackie Robinson and how he broke the race barrier to play professional baseball. The program is big, because this is a part of history that happened in Portsmouth, according to Matthews.

             Robinson played in the Negro League for the Kansas City Monarchs and at that time it was hard for a black athlete to go pro at any sport. Branch Ricky was traveling the country looking at the Negro League baseball players. He told the Major League Baseball (MLB) he was going to start another Negro League; instead he was looking for a baseball player in Negro League who could play the game well. Robinson was the one selected by Ricky, who has a stadium named after him here in Portsmouth, Ohio. When Robinson came to the MLB he made a great impression because he played in world stage stadiums where he was booed, cheered, and ridiculed.

Morris to give State of the University Address

Katherine Johnson

           It is safe to say that most people know that the President of the United States gives a State of the Union address each January. This year’s address was done a very short time ago. The purpose of such a speech by the President of this country is to tell what shape the country is in now and what he expects for the next year.

            Colleges and universities have their own form of these types of addresses. These speeches are given by the President of the university and called a State of the University address.

President Rita Rice-Morris, Ph.D., is going to give Shawnee State University’s State of the University address on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. in the Main Theater of the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts.

            Jeff Perez, executive director of communications and legislative affairs for Shawnee State University (SSU), said that this address will be a progress report on the university. Perez said that the speech would cover where SSU has been and where it is going.

“The State of the University address is an opportunity for President Morris to discuss the progress of the university and the visions for the future,” said Perez.

            The speech is not yet finished. Perez described it as a “work in progress.” However, the invitations for the event are at the printers now.

New auditorium part of SSU renovations

Ryan Ottney

           Months of renovation are complete in the basement of Shawnee State University’s Massie Hall, expanding the facility to offer a new auditorium classroom and faculty office space.

The new space, formerly the old Massie Auditorium in room 020, once held up to 250 students.  Renovation began in late-2005, and the recently completed classroom holds 78 students, sharing some of the available 4,000 square feet with two new offices and a conference room.

“Massie Hall has been renovated in three separate phases since 1990 but there never was enough money to renovate that space,” said Director of Facilities, Butch Kotcamp. “It was in desperate need of some renovation.”

It is still unknown what this new available office space will be used for, though there is speculation that it might temporarily house faculty of the Health and Science Department.

The classroom, however, could be used by many departments, having been designed with a wide range of possibilities.

“It started as a lecture hall for the sciences,” said Kotcamp.  “We also had enough people on our design committee to make sure it was flexible enough to do about anything you’d want to do in a teaching scenario.”

The new classroom offers cutting edge design and technology for optimum education experiences, such as a complex audio-visual package, enhanced acoustics and lighting, and fixed-furniture with Internet wired at every seat for students with laptop computers.

“We knew with the Health Sciences Building being [temporarily shut down for renovations], that we were going to need every available classroom space we could get.”

With such goals in mind, renovations were facing a January 3, 2006 deadline – for the start of the winter.

“It was a pretty aggressive schedule. It is complete for occupancy, and we’ll have it signed off from the State, but there are still things to do in there,” added Kotcamp. 

Already five courses have been scheduled in the new classroom, ranging from psychology to biology, and more.  Assistant Professor Wei-Ying Hsiao has also moved her class, EDEC 284: Basic Movement for Children, into the new facilities.

Hsiao is thrilled with the new classroom and its open space, which is ideal for her movement classes.  “The classroom is perfect for that class, because half of the time we will be discussing theories and half of the time we’ll actually get up and do the movements in the class,” said Hsiao.

Before moving, Hsiao hosted her class on the second floor of Massie Hall, but found it difficult not to disturb surrounding classes with their movement music.

“There’s no one around us now,” added Hsiao with a pleased smile. “We can just listen, and laugh and dance.”