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nom • conunucDFRomi “terrible.” During her seven-day stay, Painter worked from about 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. every day, gutting houses in the Ninth Ward area and helping workers renovate the Grand Plaza. Painter said she was in contact with the owner of the house she worked in the most. He was living in a trailer in his front yard. Drew Cutright, a third year English student, also traveled to New Orleans to participate in the rebuilding process. Cutright joined ' Common Ground Relief, a non-profit organization' she learned about through the pre-med listserv. Cutright stayed at a school in the Ninth Ward, where more than 200 people were airlifted off the roof just days after the storm hit. Like Painter, Cutright gutted houses in the neighborhood and helped evacuees remove furniture and personal items from their homes. She said her living arrangements were better than she expected, although the school’s electricity ran from a generator, and she also went without hot water during her four-day stay. Painter said the destruction in the Ninth Ward and the French Quarter was more extensive than she ever could have imagined. “There were shrimp trawlers in the middle of the neighborhood where I was working, which was miles from the ocean; some were on top of houses and ... in peoples’ front lawns,” Painter said. Having been to New Orleans during the summer of 2003, Painter was in awe at how few tourists had returned to the city despite massive cleanup attempts in the downtown area. Painter and Cutright said their experiences were fulfilling. “I wouldn’t have chosen to do anything else ... . This was quite an eye-opening experience for me,” Painter said. While working all day was tiring, Painter said she took time to tour the city, take pictures and mingle with people who had returned to New Orleans. Cutright said she “felt it was important” to help out those people whose lives had been destroyed by the natural disaster and felt her time in New Orleans was “a meaningful experience.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu E°mniL • conunuED FRom i just asked the question in passing, but I consider it inappropriate if someone had to take time to write an e-mail and not take the time to look at the proper place. I interpret it as laziness.” Women’s studies professor Gretchen Woertendyke said the student-professor relationship should not become too informal. “Because of how immediate the mode (of communication) is, both students and faculty tend to forget that the relationship works best when a level of formality is. maintained.” The ability for students to have creative e-mail address names also leads to problems with figuring out whom the e-mail is from. “I have students with e-mail accounts with user names like, ‘dancingqueen’, ‘gamecock’ or whatever, asking a question like ‘when is. the next exam?’ without a greeting at the beginning and without identifying themselves at the end,” Voulgaris said. “Usually I reply to that with. ‘And who are you?”’ Woertendyke said students are often not thinking about the tone they take in their e-mails. “A former student of mine demanded to know why she received the grade she did on a paper over e mail — and in a tone she most likely wouldn’t have taken had she come to my office hours and asked,” Woertendyke said. E-mail also allows students to take advantage of their professor’s time, according to the New York Times article. “The times I am most irritated by the medium come just before a paper is due; inevitably, I receive several ‘drafts’ from students the day before, sometimes just hours "before, it is due, asking me to “proofread,” “edit” or tell them “how to fix it,” Woertendyke said. English teaching assistant Catherine England expects to “experience an angry ranting e-mail from a student who is unafraid to be electronically courageous” at some point. But England has already received a very positive message from a student she frequently communicated with through e-mail. “This student sent me the warmest e-mail I have yet to receive while working as a teacher. It declared my virtues of sympathy and understanding with enthusiasm while also affirming that I was a truly fine teacher," she said. But the student had never met her. Other professors say the informality and immediacy of e-mail helps their relationships with students. “I am generally informal with my students, with or without e-mail, and many of them feel that I am accessible in return,” said English professor Thomas Rice. Rice said that in his advanced classes, he often requires students to e mail him before every class or after completing new readings. i suppose maintaining some communication has, on occasion, helped some students avoid a problem in one of my courses,” Rice said. “Usually (e mail is) a quick and easy way for me to keep track of my students’ progress ajid learn of any particular problems they might have that are interfering with their work.” While Woertendyke sees many problems with the medium, she praises its use as an extended teaching tool with programs such as Blackboard. “When the medium works best, like on class listservs such as Blackboard, it creates an incredibly lively space for students to put forth arguments,' defend them with evidence they find, and respond to questions from their peers. When everyone actually takes it seriously, it is a brilliant and relevant contribution to higher education.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu \_. DISCOVERY MY ...is a chance for you to share your discoveries from your undergraduate research or creative projects. You must submit an abstract \ to participate sh prizes are awarded for EST PRESENTATIONS and BEST MENTOR Friday, April 21,2006 j):00-5:00 Russell House Abstracts due Friday, March 24,2006 by 5pm. Visit www.sc.edu/our to learn more IGetr* LaUda^on Strongman Challenge *S iccompanhd by an adult) 11 H)0 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. FREE Wachovia Children's Carnival !. .>.< • v,Uw ♦ t “< ' ■ FREE Parking! at Capital City Stadium on Assembly Street, I with FREE Trolley Service to and from the festival! 1 Aik. WACHOVIA CAHCMJNA J|j' nrsc Aston -_^ GF3EENS Ddane/s London $227 Paris $249 Madrid $314 Rome $318 Bangkok $761 Sydney $869 fares are subject to change $ do not Include taxes. Eligibility restrictions apply. Roundtrip Student Airfare Sale! IIIRAVELCUIS 1-800-592-CITTS (2887)1 See the world your way Web site: law.elon.edu for complete information and online application Toll free: (888) ELON-LAW ■ E-mail: law@elon.edu > * CREATING A NATIONAL MODEL OF ENGAGED LEARNING IN LEGAL EDUCATION ■ Emphases on total student development, exceptional legal knowledge and skills, leadership and civic involvement and international study ■ Learning experiences in the area's leading law firms, federal and state courts, businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations ■ Home of the North Carolina Business Court, which handles business litigation in the school's courtroom and facilities ■ Partner with the American Judicature Society's Institute of Forensic Science and Public Policy, a new national organization located near the law school 9