INSIGHTS Department of English and Modern Languages SCHOOL of EDUCATION, SOCIAL SCIENCES, AND THE ARTS DIVISION of ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
October 2021 Volume 38 Issue 2
THE WHITE HOUSE IS CALLING! Hawk Media Manager Participates in HBCU Briefing Hawk Media, the English department’s student-managed radio and television club, was invited to take part in a virtual White House news briefing in September. President Joe Biden declared September 5-11 National HBCU Week. His administration marked the celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with activities across a variety of agencies and departments, including the White House press office. Erica Loewe, the White House Director of African American Media, invited student reporters from 20 different institutions to join Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, for a discussion of relevant issues. Ajani Thomas, a junior sociology major, represented Hawk Media and was
prepared to ask what obligation the federal government has to correct the disparity of funding between public HBCUs and their predominantly white counterparts. Mr. Thomas in the English department’s TV studio.
Unfortunately, the press staff only allotted 30 minutes for the event, and questions were asked in alphabetical order by institution name. A student from Alcorn State University in Mississippi was up first, and while many members of the group were able to ask a question, Ms. Jean-Pierre never made it to UMES on her alphabetized list of participants.
Ms. JeanPierre (left) addresses the Zoom boxes from a White House briefing room. Students (right) from Alcorn State to the University of the Virgin Islands Ms. JeanPierre takes a selfie with her guests.
The students were assured this wouldn’t be their only opportunity. “We have quite a few White House officials who are looking forward to speaking with you,” Ms. Loewe told them in an email the following day.
DC photos provided by Erica Loewe
LIVE THEATER LESSONS
Students Attend Outdoor Production in Princess Anne Students enrolled in the English department’s Introduction to Theater course had a unique opportunity to quiz a professional director in their class and then attend his production that evening.
Department Chair Dean Cooledge invited the company’s director Kyler Taustin to visit his class and discuss the intricacies of staging and presenting “Much Ado About Nothing” in multiple outdoor locations.
The Brown Box Theater Project, headquartered in Boston, brought its free, outdoor, Shakespeare series to Promotional poster the Eastern Shore again this courtesy of the Brown year. The company performed Box Theater Project in Princess Anne on September 17.
“Watching live theater is a wonderful way to bring the printed page to life,” Dr. Cooledge said. “It’s a bonus for them to be able to talk to the director.”
The Brown Box players will be back in February. The university will host an on-campus presentation of “Mox Nox (or Soon Comes the Night),” a story of magical realism by Patrick Gabridge.
“Much Ado About Nothing” in the That production is Manokin River Park scheduled for Photo by Alissa Carr
February 18 and 19. 1