Avoid Citations by Following Simple Rules in Congested Campus Intersections
Posted on November 07, 2024
Students and staff members have probably noticed the new flashing lights at certain busy intersections on campus. You’ll find them on Spring Garden Street near College Avenue and on Josephine Boyd Street near Walker Avenue. Both are key areas that become swamped with pedestrians and cyclists sharing the roads with drivers during busy class changes.
These caution lights have been installed as part of a pedestrian safety campaign developed by the UNCG Police Department as an initiative to improve the safety of our campus.
As the campaign moves from an awareness phase into a consequence phase, now is the time to familiarize ourselves with driver and pedestrian responsibilities that keep our campus intersections safe.
Watch Out for the Flashing Lights Marking Busy Campus Crosswalks
Citation: Failure to yield to a pedestrian shall be an infraction, and the court may assess a penalty of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) and not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00).
Tips for Drivers
To cut down on the incidence of “close calls” for pedestrians crossing our busy campus streets, UNCG Police will soon be issuing citations to drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians. To avoid a hefty fine, remind yourself of the following rules that drivers tend to get complacent about:
Stay Alert Drivers are increasingly distracted by phones, music, and navigation directions, and a busy crosswalk is full of even more distractions. Stay aware of your surroundings. This is especially important near crosswalks and campus areas with many pedestrians and cyclists.
Always Yield to Pedestrians To be safe, always stop for pedestrians at crosswalks, even if they aren’t clearly marked.
Watch Your Speed Speed limits are reduced in areas with heavy foot traffic, so make sure to adhere to posted speed limits.
Tips for Pedestrians
Unfortunately, consequences for pedestrians who do not follow safety guidelines are much more impactful than a hefty fine. Pedestrians cannot expect that drivers will see and yield to them in every instance. To avoid injury when you’re walking to class, remember the following tips:
Always Use Crosswalks Humans are inclined to take short cuts when running late but crossing the street without a crosswalk increases your chances of encountering a driver who isn’t expecting you.
Look Both Ways It might seem like advice for a child, but pedestrians must remember to look left, right, and left again before stepping off a curb. On busy roads like Josephine Boyd, a speeding car could appear from your left at a moment’s notice. Don’t forget to give that third look before proceeding.
Avoid Distractions Distracted walking can be just as dangerous as distracted driving. Remove headphones and put the phone away when you’re walking through our busy campus. You need use of all your senses – not only to stay safe, but to take in our beautiful campus surroundings.
Do Your Part
On a busy campus like UNCG, it’s easy to get lax about speed limits or crosswalks when you’re late for class. And in times when the campus is quiet, we all get complacent about looking both ways.
Establishing good habits can avoid citations, or worse, an accident. Watch for the new flashing caution lights and do your part to keep our campus safe for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications. Photos by Sean Norona, University Communications.
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
UNCG Professors Help Moms Guide Girls’ Body Image Development
Posted on November 06, 2024
Growing up, girls’ lives are full of friends, memes, social media trends, and influencers all telling her the “right” way to think of her looks, her body, and her health. It may leave Mom feeling like she can’t get a word in edgewise.
Two UNC Greensboro faculty say mothers should not feel that way. “Moms are the biggest influencers on their daughters’ body image development,” says Dr. Janet Boseovski, UNCG Department Head of Psychology.
It is available now on Kindle with the hard cover going on sale on December 3. (But anyone interested in a free print copy can enter to win one on Goodreads through November 14.)
Making Sense of Science
There are already lots of books, articles, and blogs claiming to know how to give girls a healthy body image, but Boseovski and Gallagher noted how most of them are only written for the daughter or for the mother, not for both. Furthermore, these books often glossed over the importance of the mother-daughter relationship.
Boseovski (left) and Gallagher (right), co-authors of the new book “Beyond Body Positive.”
It hits on a lot of points that might sound familiar to moms: a balanced diet, skepticism of media depictions, body positivity, and navigating peer groups, but they emphasize a science-backed approach. “Some of the advice out there is wrong,” says Gallagher. “We’re adding a lot just by telling moms what the science says, which may not otherwise be easily or readily accessible to them.”
To make sure they understood the genuine concerns of mothers, Boseovski and Gallagher held focus groups, inviting women to come to the UNCG campus and talk about the concerns they have for their girls. “We worked really hard to make this a book for moms, not academics,” says Boseovski. “It is readable and friendly with concrete tips they can use.”
Boseovski’s research has centered on social and cognitive development from early to late childhood, while Gallagher is a social psychologist with expertise in group processes in social comparison and in culture. Their backgrounds made them the perfect co-authors on a book that appeals to all ages.
Never Too Old, Never Too Young to Learn
The book does not talk down to the daughter. In fact, the first chapters ask the mother to re-evaluate her own body image. “We laid out some of the things a mom can be on the lookout for, like perfectionism and neuroticism,” Gallagher explains. “The social psychology angle brings in the driving forces of a negative body image, such as social comparison processes and objectification theory. Moms can understand how those processes work, and how they may vary from woman to woman.”
The second half of the book draws on Boseovski’s expertise to explain how girls develop their body image. They say mothers can start talking to girls as young as three years old, a much younger age than most body image books suggest.
“Most books focus on teenagers or a pre-teen. That is too late,” says Boseovski. “This book is based on rigorous science. We know we need to start early in terms of thinking about yourself as a whole person and not fall into diet culture and appearance.”
They included lists of activities, including games and recipes categorized by age, so that mothers can instill a healthy perspective for their daughters as they grow up. “This can be built into your everyday life,” says Boseovski. “Moms can find those small opportunities.”
Student Contributions
Boseovski and Gallagher credit the conversations they had with UNCG students with shaping the book, as many of the points they make were inspired by a reading group organized by Kestyn Harris ’20, who earned her bachelor of arts in psychology at UNCG.
The contributions of one graduate student, Julianne Peebles ’23, earned her a credit in the book. Peebles’ master’s thesis is about the body image development of pre-professional dancers, whom Boseovski says is a particularly vulnerable group. She contributed to the book’s codices.
“It was great for us to have that voice of a student from a different generation to assist us and give us feedback. And it’s a training opportunity for her,” says Boseovski.
Both researchers hope their research will cut through the noise and set moms and daughters on the right track when it comes to talking about body image. “An important point from the book is to start building early, so that you don’t have to do the reparative work later,” says Gallagher.
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications Photography by AdobeStock Additional photography courtesy of the College of Arts & Sciences
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
Provost Boyette Launches Internal Search for Senior Vice Provost
Posted on November 05, 2024
Dr. Alan Boyette’s acceptance of the role of Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor creates a vacancy in the important position of Senior Vice Provost. Given the abundant talent and expertise residing at UNCG, the Provost has elected to launch an internal search for the ideal candidate.
All members of the campus community who meet the position requirements are encouraged to consider applying for this leadership role. Interested parties should go here for information about this position, including a general description of the role, minimum and preferred qualifications, and application instructions. Note that the application deadline is December 1, 2024. It is anticipated that a Spring or Summer 2025 start-date will be negotiated between the Provost and the selected candidate.
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
UNCG Alumna Takes Home Smithsonian Magazine Top Prize
Posted on November 05, 2024
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo “Woman Sitting Under the American Flag,” taken at one of Old Salem’s historic homes.
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
Men’s Soccer Clinches Top Seed Thanks to Victory of ETSU
Posted on November 04, 2024
UNCG clinched the top seed after its 3-2 victory on Saturday night in Greensboro. earned a first-round bye and the right to host at least part of the 2024 Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament.
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
UNCG Announces New University Registrar
Posted on November 04, 2024
The Division of Enrollment Management has announced Kara Bisceglie will be joining UNC Greensboro as the new University Registrar. Kara joins UNCG from the University of New Orleans and brings over 15 years of service in the Registrar and Deputy Registrar roles.
Kara’s career has included several critical positions in admissions, financial aid, academic advising, and international student services. The breadth of Kara’s experience across these key areas has given her a uniquely comprehensive perspective on university functions. Driven by a student-centric approach to enrollment and retention, her unique insights into policy and academics alike, with a particular focus on student persistence, make her a perfect fit for this dynamic central role.
Kara’s selection comes after a lengthy search for the right innovative, forward-looking strategic leader to take the University Registrar’s Office into the future and even better serve the needs of our students. Kara Bisceglie is an exceptional addition to our outstanding Enrollment Management team as we look toward a future of growth and opportunity.
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
Fulbright Fellow Gains Inspiration from UNCG Educators
Posted on November 01, 2024
Irina Mutruc, a 47-year-old Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (FTEA) fellow from Moldova, recently signed up for her first Instagram account. Her six-week experience at UNC Greensboro yielded too many experiences, too many connections, too many epiphanies, to keep it all to herself. “I have so many things to share!”
One of Mutruc’s first posts is a photo depicting a makeshift sculpture she constructed during an icebreaker with the other fellows. She placed colorful trinkets inside a jar and glued cotton balls to the outside. Pipe cleaners rise from the jar like flowers in a vase.
“We were asked to make something simple that shows our experience here,” she explains. “Everything inside the jar represents the knowledge I’m gaining from my time in Greensboro, and the small balls represent my students I’ll share that with when I get home. The pipe cleaners are the friends I’ve made on the program from all the different countries. They’re twisted together in places because we’ll all learning from each other before we go our separate ways.”
Unique professional development for global teachers
Mutruc is one of 20 FTEA teachers who hail from 18 countries and five continents. During their time at UNCG, they studied under instructors in the School of Education, compared best practices with other fellows, and spent time in Guilford County high schools.
The program offers high school teachers unique opportunities to enhance their teaching and leadership skills through first-hand experiences, networking, and cultural activities.
Even icebreaker activities like the sculpture Mutruc and her fellow participants made on their first day have a secondary impact on their students.
“As teachers, we were so engaged and involved, and we immediately imagined our kids doing the same thing,” she says. “It’s a way for them to think critically and express themselves. They are the future citizens of our country. The way they behave shapes our future, so we should try to make them aware of how important they are as people — as citizens who should be encouraged to participate and make decisions for their country.”
New perspectives lead to inclusive approaches in the classroom
Throughout the six-week period, UNCG professors shared their research and innovative teaching approaches. Mutruc points to inclusive education as an example.
“In my country, until about 10 years ago, students with disabilities were taught in separate schools,” she says. “Today, we have many challenges because the teachers are not prepared, and we must manage by ourselves. Here, we’ve been shown different approaches.”
A UNCG professor opened Mutruc’s eyes to the rewards of classrooms that include a spectrum of learning types. “It’s a win-win,” she now believes. “Students with physical disabilities learn from their peers who help prepare them for adult life. At the same time, their classmates learn to be tolerant and helpful adults who are responsive to other people’s needs. It’s amazing how children can do that even easier than adults can.”
As fellows shared challenges and triumphs from their home schools, they uncovered differences and commonalities. “It seems students everywhere are very similar,” she says.
While some challenges, like smartphone and social media addiction, are universal, others, like access to technology, vary from place to place. When Mutruc visited Greensboro’s Western Guilford High School, she was impressed to see classes with smartboards and students with their own school-supplied computers. “In Moldova, we still use blackboards and chalk. Teachers pay for internet connection out of their own pockets,” she says.
Still, Mutruc realizes things could be harder. “Even though we have poor internet connection, our school has electricity and running water. One of our fellow teachers from Haiti showed us his school, and nothing exists. Just some trees, and the students sit on the grass.”
Her takeaway: “As long as we are motivated and passionate, we can teach where we are. We can do big things with what we have.”
Fulbright TEA is funded by the U.S. government, supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State, and administered by IREX. The Global Engagement Office and the School of Education are collaborating to implement the program at the UNCG campus.
Story by Robin Sutton Anders
Photography courtesy of Irina Mutruc
A growing partnership
UNCG proudly enjoys a long-standing collaboration with the North Carolina-Moldova Nursing Collaborative and the North Carolina/Moldova Partnership for Peace program through the Office of the North Carolina Secretary of State. The Guilford Rotary Club has been instrumental in the funding of the North Carolina Moldova Collaborative for many years.
The Collaborative has helped educate Moldovan nurses as they worked with refugees following the invasion of Ukraine, which wraps around the northern, eastern, and southern borders of the much smaller Moldova. UNCG has also hosted a delegation of Moldovan healthcare providers who came to UNCG to learn about the use of simulation in nursing education.
“With Irina’s participation in the Fulbright TEA program, we are hoping she is the first of many educators to exchange ideas with UNCG,” says Maria Anatasiou, Associate Provost and Senior International Officer for UNCG’s Global Engagement Office.
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
UNCG Puts College and Career Within Reach for Civic-Minded Historian
Posted on November 04, 2024
It’s the eve of Election Day 2024, and this swing state has had its fill of campaign promises and hateful accusations, but UNC Greensboro student Kendall Garraway encourages voters to exercise their rights and remember their role in history.
“When it feels like oppressive forces are beating down on you and you have no choice but to give in, I look at history and I realized in every single aspect, the people have always won. I draw hope from history,” Garraway says.
Her journey, punctuated with tragedy and good fortune, makes you believe in the American dream and the power of education, despite a system that may seem flawed.
Education as a Way Out
Garraway’s formative years were spent in New York where her parents struggled to hold steady jobs and care for the family. “My parents didn’t graduate high school but instilled a love of education in me that took me farther,” she says.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy displaced the family. Garraway lived with her mother in hotels and shelters funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Garraway found solace from her circumstances in libraries and books.
“In New York, you see homeless people on the streets and in subways, and you realize that no matter how desperate your life seems, it can always be worse,” she explains.
Unfortunately for Garraway, it did get worse. As she was finishing middle school, Garraway’s mother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. She sent her to live with her older brother in Fayetteville, North Carolina, while she underwent treatment.
“We were all just surviving as a family unit, so I threw myself into my schoolwork,” she explains. “It was the only solution I saw to my problems. I saw education as my way out.”
Advanced placement courses and classroom debates about the 2016 election contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton sparked Garraway’s love of history and politics. “As a black girl in a majority white school with a strong military influence, I couldn’t just tell them they were wrong. I had to have facts to back up my opinions.”
World history classes opened her mind to oppressive forces in different eras and cultures and their similarities to present-day societal struggles.
“I had never made the connection that things existing before me were directly influencing what was around me right now,” she says. “I still believe that answers to issues of the present are found in the past.”
Advice as you head to the polls:
A vote in a country as historically influential as ours is a powerful thing. Vote with empathy, and vote with integrity.
– Kendall Garraway
The World’s a Classroom
Since finances were tight and family support was limited, college felt like a fantasy for Garraway: “I dreamed of living in a dorm and spending hours studying in a library where I didn’t have to worry about anything but school and educating myself.”
Deciding that UNCG’s values aligned with her dreams, she saved earnings from a part-time job to pay the application fees. Although she remembers her sheer happiness in being accepted, she couldn’t cover tuition and had to defer.
But in a strike of luck, Garraway’s aunt and uncle, who were living in Singapore, invited her to spend the first “semester” of her gap year in Asia with them. They were professionals without children who wanted to broaden her mind with new experiences. Garraway studied Mandarin, developed independence through travel and sightseeing, and celebrated her eighteenth birthday in Bali!
“When I think back on it, I realize it was a luxury that I never would have fathomed for myself,” she says. “I had never been on a plane before I went to Asia. They wanted to get me out of that ‘survival’ mindset and think about what I wanted to do with my life.”
Garraway returned home in early 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic looming and her mother suffering through her last days. “I basically felt like I came back from a dream and was hit with a harsh reality.” She moved in with her uncle, who was an educator in Winston-Salem. He encouraged her to refocus on UNCG, apply for scholarships, and investigate the distance learning program.
A Spartan at Last
A year later, Garraway was back in New York, reconnecting with her father and attending UNCG as a full-time online student. Advisors like Joyce Clapp reassured her that distance learning would work for her. She found classes that engaged her like Comparative Politics, Understanding Race, and Queer Theory.
“I Face Timed with professors and dove into email threads giving me nuanced critiques of my writing,” she remembers. “These professors were pouring into me. Their praise and feedback built my character and built my way of thinking.”
“UNCG’s online program was a life saver during the pandemic. It allowed me to afford UNCG and finally made college possible for me.” – Kendall Garraway
Garraway even took advantage of campus resources like Career & Professional Development. As she approached her third year, she used Handshake to search for internships and interviewed for a summer job at Democracy NC, a non-partisan organization focused on registering voters.
“I was hired as a communications intern and was finally able to focus on my passion for informing marginalized groups. I saved up earnings from a part-time job at McDonald’s to cover airfare and living expenses for a summer in North Carolina.”
Garraway (top) with Democracy NC interns at the North Carolina State Capitol. (Photo submitted by Garraway.)
As Garraway continued her online studies in 2023, she also accepted an internship at a think tank in Manhattan, The Brennan Center for Justice, before coming back to North Carolina for a second year at Democracy NC.
So, in the year leading up to the 2024 election, Garraway is completing her online degree at UNCG and working for non-profits that encourage voter registration. She’s had hands-on experience in communications and policy research, written an op-ed that was published in the Raleigh News and Observer, and brainstormed with staffers at all levels about creative ways to get more people to the polls.
Garraway loves working with non-profits, where she can focus her efforts on what people need “so we can have a more representative government with equitable policies.” However, she is still intrigued by how the past informs the present. With only seventeen credits left before she graduates with honors, she’s contemplating law school, teaching at the collegiate level, and taking on more non-profit positions.
“I will always look for answers in the past,” she says. “I would not be where I am or who I am or the way I am without a history that has made it so. I just hope I can change history for someone like me that will exist in 100 years and make it easier for them to carry the baton.”
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications. Photos by David Lee Row, University Communications (unless otherwise noted).
Solve today’s problems with knowledge of our history.
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
Unexpected Opportunities Carve a Colorful Path for UNCG Art Student
Posted on October 30, 2024
When she was in high school, Destiny Turner had already set goals for her career as an artist, but she was unsure that college was the right track for her. Now, three years later, the Spartan studio art major realizes that saying yes to UNC Greensboro was just the first of a series of opportunities that led to her first public art installation.
A Walk in the Park
On a beautiful fall day, Turner stands with representatives from Greensboro Parks and Recreation and other city officials at the ribbon cutting for Mayer Park. The newly renovated public park, in the Brice Street neighborhood adjacent to UNCG’s campus, now features a sidewalk mural painted by Turner.
Turner, fifth from left, cuts the ribbon to open Mayer Park with other Greensboro officials.
The Mayer Park mural project began in the spring of 2024 when Turner’s design was chosen among six student artists who presented their work to city officials at the Greensboro Project Space (GPS). Caitlyn Schrader, of GPS, facilitates connections like these between UNCG School of Art and the City of Greensboro enabling students to share their art with the public.
“The Mayer Park mural was a wonderful opportunity for our students to gain real-world experience in deepening their understating of making art reflective of their local communities,” says Schrader. “Destiny’s design is an example of how the arts continue to be a thread that connects our institution and our surrounding communities.”
UNCG artists who presented designs for the Mayer Park mural. Turner with her winning quilt design.
A Blanket of Art for a Shared Space
When Turner first saw the park, it was an empty lot; but after researching the demographics of the area, she immediately understood the assignment. Her winning design features a quilt pattern, highlighting motifs and patterns that are consistent across quilts from various cultures in the country.
“Especially in America, quilting is something that is a part of the background of everybody’s culture,” she explains. “It represents shared fate and space.”
After a complete overhaul by the city of Greensboro, Mayer Park now features a dog run, a basketball half-court, playground equipment, and picnic areas. It is the perfect tucked-away space to serve UNCG students and young families living in the apartments and homes around this shared recreation space. The sidewalk that runs through the lawn is brightly painted with Turner’s vibrant quilt design.
Experience ‘Made in Italy’
Although Turner’s design was inspired by American quilts and she credits local organizations like Creative Greensboro for the chance to paint her first public mural, her interest in mural painting was sparked by a study abroad experience in Italy.
Turner wanted to study abroad from the minute she arrived on campus. After finding out she was too late to go on a group trip to Costa Rica with her Spanish class, she discovered an opportunity in Florence, Italy for art students. She worked with UNCG’s financial aid office to make sure her Pell grants and other scholarships would assist with the expenses she needed to spend a semester of her sophomore year overseas.
“My trip to Florence was not just my first time flying, but my first time out of the country,” she explains. “I was scared, but I was so determined to go.”
While in Florence, taking classes at Lorenzo de Medici Institute, Turner was invited to work with an Italian street artist on a mural for the school’s 50th anniversary.
“I never considered public art until I went to Florence,” she says. “It broadened my horizons of what I thought would be possible for me as an artist. I never would’ve been able to create this sidewalk mural without my study abroad experience, and the fact that it is so affordable to study abroad at UNCG definitely helped.”
The Art of Destiny
The opportunities Destiny Turner found at UNCG have advanced her art far beyond what she expected when she was a high schooler questioning whether college was for her.
Now, as a third-year student who has just completed her first solo art installation, Turner looks ahead to graduating with distinction from Lloyd International Honors College in 2026. She appreciates the guidance she has absorbed from teachers like Mariam Aziza Stephan, the drawing instructor who encouraged her to study abroad and nominated her for the Mayer Park mural project.
“I have seen Destiny’s willingness to try new things, engage with new ideas and artistic processes,” says Stephan. “Upon her return from Florence, I had the feeling that her approach to drawing became more rigorous. A rigor that comes from seeing more of the world and not being afraid of failing by taking risks because you have a larger perspective of risks that can be taken. Destiny has been one of the hardest working students that I have had the pleasure to teach, and I expect she will continue to surprise me.”
When asked about how she feels about her design being a part of the Greensboro parks system forever, Turner pauses at the gravity of the question. “The idea of having something permanent in the world – of my art and my ideas – has always been my goal as an artist. I hope to be able to impact the world through my art.”
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications. Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications. Videography by Grant Gilliard, University Communicaitons.
Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo "Woman Sitting Under the American Flag," taken at one of Old S...
UNCG Honors Veterans and Armed service Members
Posted on November 04, 2024
This Veteran’s Day, we’re opening our doors for a special drop-by event to show our appreciation for the brave men and women who have served our country. This event will honor all that have served and are serving.
Veterans can stop by the Faculty Center on November 11 from 9 to 11 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. to grab coffee and donuts in the morning and cupcakes and beverages in the afternoon. There will also be cards that veterans can take that have been signed from fellow UNCG employees expressing our appreciation for their sacrifice.
