any people with Meredith College connections have recently been featured in the news. Meredith faculty members Ann Burlein and Jim Piazza, staff member Gordon Folger, student Christelle Geisler and alumna Phyllis Trible have all been in the news in recent weeks.

Ann Burlein, assistant professor of religion, was interviewed by WUNC radio for "The State of Things." Burlein discussed her new book Lift High the Cross.

Jim Piazza, assistant professor of political science, served as a source for an article about the Middle East crisis and what it means to the "average American," for a reporter from the Gannett News Service. Gannett News Service is the wire service for 120 newspapers in the United States, and numerous international news agencies. Gannett also owns USA Today. Piazza was also interviewed on the topic for an article in La Opinion, the largest Spanish-speaking daily in Los Angeles.

Gordon Folger, director of Meredith’s Career Center, was quoted in an article titled "Does Grad School Make Sense for You?" in U.S. News & World Report. The article discussed the pros and cons of going to graduate school, particularly for new graduates who may want to use graduate school to postpone job hunting in order to "wait out" the current economy.

Meredith freshman Christelle Geisler was the subject of a feature article in The News & Observer’s Life, etc. section. Geisler discussed the teen-to-teen brochure on dealing with the death of a parent that she wrote in order to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. The Girl Scouts of America named Geisler, of Hickory, N.C., a Young Woman of Distinction. This award is given to only 10 young women annually.

The News & Observer’s Faith section also promoted alumna Phyllis Trible’s recent lecture at Meredith. Trible, a 1954 graduate of Meredith College, is considered a leader in the text-based exploration of women and gender in scripture. She is the author of the books, God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality, Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narrative, and, most recently, Rhetorical Criticism: Context, Method, and the Book of Jonah.

The media learned of Piazza, Folger, Geisler and Trible through Meredith’s Office of Marketing and Communications. For information about the stories mentioned above, please call ext. 8455.

CHILDCARE TASK FORCE NEEDS INPUT FROM MEREDITH COMMUNITY

he Childcare Task Force appointed last fall by President Maureen Hartford to assess the need and feasibility of on-site childcare is currently conducting a survey on the topic. Responses will be collected through April 19.

Deborah Tippett, head of the Human Environmental Sciences Department, is chair of the Childcare Task Force.

According to Tippett, "The purpose of the survey is to gather information about the needs for an on-site childcare center as well as the attitudes of the Meredith community about the importance of such a center."

"The Task Force will use the data from the survey to write a proposal to Dr. Hartford outlining the childcare needs of the faculty, staff, and students," Tippett said. "We will also report on the attitudes and preferences of the Meredith community about providing an on-site childcare center."

Other members of the Task Force include faculty members Kathryn Clark; Patsy Pierce; Paul Winterhoff; Liz Wolfinger; Cynthia Edwards and Anne York. Staff members on the Task Force are Alysia Braswell and Sandra Close. Students Amanda Austin, Rebekah Joy Heath and Mary Allison Nunnery also serve on the Task Force.

"It is important for all members of the community to complete the survey so that the information will be accurate and that future plans will reflect the needs and wishes of the entire Meredith community," Tippett said. "We hope that all staff, faculty and students will complete the survey even if they do not have current childcare needs. The views of those who respond will give us direction for any future plans that are developed."

All employees received an email of the survey, which can be accessed here until April 19.

Hard copies in both English and Spanish are available from Deborah Tippett.

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