Victory! . . . well, sort of . . . .

28 February 2005 ~13:00hrs

I thought of Prometheus as I cruised down I-4 on my way to see the Program Director, Dr. John Scolaro, with a large printer across my lap—the balancing act of riding a motorcycle with something that bulky was precarious to say the least: it was like a half-hour-long abdominal crunch while I blasted down the highway with a white-knuckle grip.

I set-up my work station in the middle of the hallway and commenced to installing a CD-ROM drive in one of the computers (so that I could load the printer’s device drivers). After tearing the computer apart and reassembling it with the new CD-ROM drive, I soon discovered that the drive did not want to cooperate; for lack of a hammer, I skipped it down the hall to ease my frustrations. I then tried to download the device drivers for the printer from the internet onto my flashdrive: foiled again! The only drivers offered from the HP website were for Windows ‘98 and above, which were of no use to a computer with a Windows ’95 operating system. Thus, I admitted defeat for the day in getting the printer to communicate with the archaic PC, but the game wasn’t over yet. I figured I could at least get the floppy drive to work (which was discovered to be inop last week) the students could save their work to a disk and either print from another PC, or save it until I could get the printer to work. Finally, success! By switching parts around from two different PC’s I was able to get one computer up and running. Dr. Scolaro and I wheeled the PC, monitor, and printer out to his truck for installation at the Coalition for the Homeless.

At the end of the day, I determined that I still needed to acquire an operational CD-ROM drive, and I could use my old Windows ’98 disc to update the computer at least to the point it would recognize the printer. Thus, the students at the Coalition will now be able to type-out their reports rather than handwriting them all, but being able to print them out from the computer we put together would have to wait until next week.

21 Feb 05--Computer Installation and Committee Recommendation

21 February 2005 ~14:00hrs

Today I languish apart from my responsibilities due to the introspective hell brought about by the death of my favorite author and journalist, Hunter S. Thompson; he took his own life with a handgun blast to the head. Most would think that my reaction was extreme, but I’m finding it harder to find solace in the death of those I admire.

I was running behind for everything, and in a half-hurried rush I fell upon a note on Dr. Scolaro’s door referring me to the Learning Resources Center on Valencia’s West Campus. I found where I was supposed to be and examined the equipment intended for use at the Coalition: a Gateway computer with 133Mhz Pentium processor, 32 megs of RAM, with Windows 95 installed as its operating system. Due to the fact that Win95 operated on an NTCS disk format, and now we are on FAT32, I came to the conclusion that we would not be able to use the computer to its potential. Students would be unable to save files to a floppy-disk that they could keep with them. But it was decided to get the PC to the Coalition to see how well it fairs with the residence. If nothing else, the students will be able to word process their reports for class—which will serve to teach them an additional skill. Dr. Scolaro and I made a quick inventory to figure out what exactly we needed to make this work: 2 power cords, a keyboard and mouse, and a printer. We ‘acquired’ the cords and keyboard, and I remembered that I had an old printer that they could use.

Dr. Scolaro was very appreciative of my efforts to get a computer to the Coalition. To me it only made sense, if one of the principles hanging in the backdrop of the project was to get the Coalition residence acclimated to academia, we should try to give them as many tools as we can. Putting a computer within their reach will have a two-prong effect: first, it will help them to chisel-out college level writing assignments; secondly it will secretly teach them new skills—word processing and computer operation.

Dr. Scolaro them approached me with a question that has troubled me for awhile, “. . . so you are graduating at the end of this term? Then what?” I rattled off my options without committing to any of them and he asked me flat-out, “are you going to be here for the next year?” I told him that I would be here at least another year. Dr. Scolaro has something about him where he can make individuals actually *feel* the question he is asking them, “This may be a bit premature, but what do you think about being a member of the Advisory Committee for the Prometheus Project?” I was dumbfounded that I could be seen in that light, especially after viewing the biographies of the current members http://valenciacc.edu/clemente/AdvisoryCommittee.htm. Dr. Scolaro continued to explain to me that a shifting of members would take place in the near future, which could allot a position for me. He said he would present it to the board at the next meeting to measure their reaction.

First Advisory Committee Meeting (Raw Notes)

Raw Notes: Advisory Committee Meeting 17 February 2005 ~14:00hrs

THE GRANT—about an inch and a half of bureaucracy stacked in front of Dr. Scolaro.
This is the third and last time that the FHC is granting this grant!

One of the project’s professors, Dr. Elizabeth Eschbach’s son passed away and the members discussed the memorial service last Saturday.

I spoke with Dr. Ronald I. Habin, Ph.D., Applied Anthropologist. He regarded himself as a cultural anthropologist. He was very insightful in regards to the project, “ . . . cultural anthropologists would have a problem with Prometheus because it focuses on low-income society.” He also mentioned that there would be an issue with anthropologists regarding the Prometheus Project as an opportunity to do anthropological study; they would regard it as sociology. This began a discussion on the differences between the two. Dr. Habin said that in his view the difference between anthropology and sociology is that sociologists sit in the classroom trying to gather as much information as they can, and then go out to the field and apply what they have learned; whereas, in anthropology, we dive into the field and get our hands dirty, then bring the information back to the classroom for review. This statement brought about goose bumps on my skin, and it looked as though the Professor and I were about to engage in an active lecture, but there was a table of Advisory Committee members that wished to get the meeting started.

Dr. Flick 1973-79 member of the predecessor program Florida Endowment for the Humanities, will serve this year as our independent evaluator, attended the FHC workshop down in Tampa, FL. There were representatives from various projects throughout Florida. Susan Lockwood presided over the meeting in Tampa, and explained the grants requirements, “stressing the importance of making the presentations open to the public . . . telling what the program is about . . . it has to someway engaged the public.”

Dr. Scolaro-- Sunday March 6^th Sunday 10:30am at the Unitarian Congregation (UUUS?) on Raush and Alafa, 11648 Muchulla Road. Dr. Flick is presenting. Dr. Scolaro asked if we can think if any organizations that we could do this presentation at. I asked if it could be presented at Rollins, Dr. Scolaro said to send him the details. (note: I thought later that Dr. Scolaro could present at the next induction ceremony of Phi Theta Kappa as our Guest Speaker. Unfortunately, he had to decline because the ceremony is the same day as his wedding anniversary.)

We need humanities scholars- Udit Greenberg, professor of religion and women’s studies (and first evaluator) at Rollins has been approached, along with Ben Bromarko (former evaluator), and Wendi Schweam.

(Note to self: ASK Dr. Levis if he would be willing to present) Dr. Habin asked if anthropologists could present—Terri said that it was probably possible, John said that he would check it out.

Valencia Television to play project special 18 times throughout the year.

Date of the next meeting: March 31^st, 2pm here at the Wells’ Built.

I posed the question about the students’ access to word processing computers, John stated that he had a few that could be put together in his office that were very old. I stated that I would get with him about putting the computers together, and seeing if I could get some old parts donated to build a few to donate to the Coalition.

Dr. Romano is asking the Program Director, Dr. Scolaro, to provide a memo stating that they have verified/certified that the students are indeed residence of Coalition—thus verifying their Florida residency and providing evidence to waive their tuition fees.

Project Patent Request—It is going to cost about $2000 to get a patent on The Prometheus Project. The focus of this is to make this project Valencia’s own. We need to find a Pro Bono attorney.

Meeting adjourned at ~15:00hrs.

. . . it hit the fan when I . . .

(This is an article I submitted to The Sandspur for the Opinions section.)

. . . it hit the fan when I . . .

Asked the homeless guy, “How you doin’?”

By: Issac P. Stolzenbach, Assist. Opinions Editor

Last Monday, for my Anthropology and Global Problem-Solving class, I had my first visit in a humanities course taught through Valencia Community College entitled, HUM 2390 Special Topics in the Humanities: The Prometheus Project; aiming at restoring the self-esteem of the homeless, underserved, and working poor; empowering them to take the helm of their own destiny.

In Dr. Rachel Newcomb’s anthropology class we were tasked with engaging in a service-learning project. I chose Valencia Community College’s The Prometheus Project, a non-profit organization that teaches the humanities (art, literature, philosophy, etc.) to transient, underserved, and the working-poor citizens of the Orlando area. According to Dr. Newcomb’s course curriculum, we are to utilize applied anthropology by engaging our service-learning project as participant-observers. As we are working, we are to develop an ethnography, and prepare recommendations on how anthropological principles might benefit the organization. The project I’m working with received the coveted Florida Humanities Council (FHC) grant last week, which runs from February 1 to January 31, 2006; the grant will be instrumental to the organization while it undergoes institutionalization. The real story lies in the question some have posed regarding the organization’s utility (myself and the students included): Why would we teach the humanities to the homeless; couldn’t those energies be better spent? Last Tuesday night I found out why the organization exists, and discovered that the energy generated exceeds the energy spent.

My first night on the bedraggled-side of downtown Orlando was the experience of a lifetime because I discovered that you learn a lot about yourself when you help others, which is a priceless education. What I've learned thus far from the Buddha holds true—you have to step-up to the challenge of surrendering your ego, stepping out from behind yourself, and truly engage the people you are trying to reach. During the course of working with others, you relive things from your own life that caused you to choose a particular project. I learned that I wanted to work with the project for a couple of reasons. One was because I had a feeling other people thought the same way I did, and the way I thought was wrong. When I actually looked at what my eyes were seeing, it made me sick to my stomach—there are people that fought for this country—veterans living in the streets! Yet another example of knowledge I sometimes wish I did not have access to. The other reason was much more personal.

What lies at the foundation of my desire to be involved with a project that teaches the humanities to the underserved is the fact that college was never considered an option for me when I was in high school, much like the majority of the people attending class in the Prometheus Project. I was considered immature and plainly stupid because I was not good at standardized tests; my guidance counselor, one Brad Martin, told my parents that I would be voted most likely to become part of a federal institution. So I went through life thinking I wasn't worthy of an education, until someone believed in me. The only difference between you, me, and the person living on the streets is that someone believes in us; somewhere along the way the man on the street lost that luxury--the Prometheus Project, with the assistance of the FHC grant, aims to bring that luxury back into these peoples' lives. Sometimes you can experience a cathartic moment from an external source. All it takes is someone believing in you, sometimes that is all it takes for us to break-free of our bonds, and take that courageous walk out of Plato's Cave.

But if one were bright, one would take the time to think about what setting he is about to immerse himself into when preparing for his fieldwork. A layman would show-up among the dark of night in one of the seedier parts of downtown Orlando, park their motorcycle, while jamming out to some tunes on their headphones, whip-out some chopsticks, conduct a drum solo, then eat their sushi-dinner right there on their bike. Little did the layman know that corner had probably seen more homicide reports than traffic tickets. After shaking off a wasabi-induced endorphin rush, I (yeah, it was me) jotted my observations down in my notepad and walked around trying to find the entrance to the Coalition for the Homeless where the class was being held. I tried to smile when passing people on the street; they however, did not feel so inclined to return the gesture. And when I was dumb enough to actually greet a passerby with, “How’s it goin’?” the fellow was so distraught with my comment, he swore on his mother’s grave that he, “. . .would kill me if I said that to his face.” Along with other obscenities I won't pollute your eyes or minds with here, but take note, he continued to yell at me, asking if I would say it to his face, which somehow elevated my ambulation. Makes you think twice about asking someone how it’s going, doesn’t it? That is, unless you have some sort of fetish for vehement vituperation. This experience really tweaked my perspective on how people interact with each other. Alles verrückt!

Perhaps the thing that struck me as most notable was the stark contrast between Church Street, and—two streets over—Central Boulevard (more specifically, the corner of Central Boulevard and Terry Avenue) where the scene went from brightly-lit faux gas lamps and ‘Beemers of Church Street, to what reminded me of East Berlin, Germany: everywhere it was gray, even the graffiti looked gray; posters parading events that the local residents and transients could not afford to see. The only purpose the posters serve is to mask the broken windows and doors. The breeze stung my septum, reeking of Black-n-Mild cigars, stale beer, and diabetic urine. Church Street looked as though the city groomed it weekly with pride, whereas Central looked as though the city was trying to forget it ever existed. The only music to be heard was the cacophony of sirens in the background, which were unnerving to some, omnipresent to others. Not a cigarette butt to be found on one; missing water meter covers (that could swallow your foot and break your leg) on the latter. Here you get down to the pith of life, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in action.

The synergistic environment, developed from the dialectic of question-answer, chance-validation, student-teacher, pulses with life in that classroom; you can feel the energy in the room, and all it takes to start the flow is a little bit of belief in your fellow man. This is what the Prometheus Project gives its students: validation, the thirst for knowledge, self-esteem. Once they achieve the fourth-tier on Maslow’s pyramid, self-actualization is a breath away. The most valuable lesson extracted from service-learning thus far is that we are all capable—that double-edged sword—of being human: to err and to achieve. The most important lesson we can all extract from this is to believe in each other, and then our potentials will be limitless.

For tutoring and/or volunteer opportunities, please contact the Prometheus Project Program Director, Dr. John Scolaro at www.valenciacc.edu/clemente. If you would like to learn more about my endeavors with the project, feel free to access and make comments on my blog at www.prometheusproject.blogspot.com.

First Class: Coalition for the Homeless (Raw Notes)

First Class- 07 Feb 05 ~19:00hrs

There is a dissection at Division Street: the glamour and glitz of downtown was completely eclipsed when I took a right on Central Boulevard. The scene switched from cute girls clicking the pavement with their two-hundred dollar heels, to a transient citizen feeding a couple of junkyard dogs that were guarding a used car lot. I wondered to myself, why would a homeless person give away what little food he had to a dog? The answer came to me in a burst of revelations, though probably untrue, they still helped to put my mind back at ease.

Among Abraham H. Maslow’s (1908-1970) Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid, we see that physiological needs are at the base of the pyramid; needs such as subsistence procurement, sleeping, procreating, defecating, etc.. It seems that a vacuum develops from the lacking of the second-tier in the hierarchy—Safety Needs—like shelter, protection, and personal security. To compensate for the lacking of protection and shelter it seems, at least in the case I observed (as anecdotal as it is), that humans will fill that void however they can. In this case the individual was recompensing by supplementing the third-tier in the second-tier’s stead: social needs such as love and development of a sense of belonging. Perhaps the innate desires of caring and being cared for are just as powerful as the need to eat. Perhaps the pepper-bearded man with a tattered battle dress uniform (BDU) had been screwed-over by society so many times that he felt more comfortable befriending a dog, rather than a human; perhaps he trusted animals more than he trusted people. Here I can relate with the man, you come to know what to expect from an animal; with humans you never know what to expect. If you are around a bear, don’t mess with her cubs; if you are around an alligator, don’t wrestle with him; if you are around a lion, don’t stick your head in the beast’s mouth if you have any sense about you. With humans you just never know, an excellent case in point of this happened as I was jotting this down in my field notebook. I was walking down the street alone, at night, rounding the corner from Central Boulevard and Terry Avenue, I nodded and greeted a gentleman as I passed him around the corner with, “How you doin’?” The man didn’t seem to like what I said because he stopped in his tracks. And what he said and did next defied logic; the expected response was a nod, or gesture in kind, but here’s what he said to my well-wishing, “If you say that sh*t to my face I’ll kill you n*gga! I swear on my mother’s grave, I will kill yo ass n*gga! Come back here and say that sh*t to my face n*gga!” I picked up my pace back to my bike so that I could park a little closer to the center’s classroom, I had been walking around looking for the entrance for the past twenty-minutes—thus I arrived late, but physically intact.

The room was hot and stuffy, and I was mistakenly identified as a professor for my obvious absent-mindedness and stumbling about the room as I tried to find a place to sit. I finally found my seat just in time for introductions. One student said that he had a bachelor’s degree in architecture, and he then stated that he was now working on a second bachelor’s degree in computer science. The introductions that spun around the room were peppered from all walks of life. The most provocative introduction came from a student asking the following question, “Why would you all come down here and teach us?” Several students nodded in agreement, but this seemed to strike a nerve in the professor, Prof. David Sutton. He said that unlike Dr. Scolaro, who was a scholar, he surfed too much in high school, and the only school he could get in to was a community college. But after receiving his graduate degree, he found that the only place he wanted to teach at was a community college because it was at community college where he had his first positive experience with education. He became enthusiastic as he explained, “ . . . that it was the mission of the community college to serve the community; NOT to sit up on some pedestal up on high, living in the dream world of their books and their high ideas, but working hands-on in the community.” Solidarity returned to Prof. Sutton’s voice as he continued, “That is why we are here, to assist the community.” He would later prove this in his method of classroom engagement: clarification, reiteration, validation.

Prof. Sutton introduced the first textbook for the course, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by: Richard Bach. He explained to the class that there are multiple layers to any given piece of literature. The example Prof. Sutton provided was Richard Bach’s book, the literal meaning is about a bird that doesn’t go with the flow, conflicting with his parents and society so much that he is eventually ostracized; forced to live our his life on his own. The challenge the professor put forth was for the class to find the deeper, symbolic meanings of the literature.
A salient point struck me suddenly while listening to the lecture, an observation about education on the whole: it doesn’t really matter who the teacher or the students are, what matters is the passing of knowledge. There are brief seconds during the passing of knowledge where you can almost see new connections being made in the students’ and the professors’ heads. This axiom has held true throughout the ages: the best way to learn is to teach. At this moment in time, no one in this classroom cares about what is outside that front door—right now—it is all about the learning in here.

What he wants the class to see inside of the text is that sometimes you have to be different from the rest, sometimes you have to be different to make things change for the better. Prof. Sutton mentioned Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter that is largely quoted and proclaimed today, without acknowledging the origin of the letter. That letter was written as a point of debate with his fellow clergy. They wanted him to stop rocking the boat with all of his demonstrations and non-violent protests—they professed that he was making life harder on everyone else by doing so. Now sit and think for a moment what the world would be like right now if Dr. King decided to sit down and join the drones . . . .

I had minimal contact with this population in the past, hit-and-miss volunteer work through the different organizations I have been a part of through the years, but I had never really engaged this crowd. I was introduced as one of the class’s options for tutoring in writing, I believe that it will be here that I will have the opportunity to befriend the class, and try to teach them basic writing and editing. Editing, you ask? Yes, editing because if you hand someone a fish, they will eat for that day, but if we make the effort to teach them how to fish . . . .

Note to self, contact Dr. Bill Millard and seek authorization to present his Unique program to the class one night; his presentation would build on Bach’s book in affirming the importance of being a unique individual.

A Little Worm On a Big Hook

02 February 2005 ~14:00hrs

I thanked the stars that I have such good friends and co-workers that would be concerned about my well being enough that they would let me borrow their car, so that I could attend the third institutionalization meeting of the Prometheus Project dry. I was ahead of schedule until I ran into the aftermath of a horrible accident on the Econlockhatchee Trail Bridge that had the road blocked off completely. The detour directed traffic all the way down to Dean Road. I had grabbed my lunch, a spicy salmon roll from Whole Foods, on the way, but I was coming to the realization that I wasn’t going to get there in time to eat it before the meeting. Upon my arrival to Valencia Community College’s East Campus, I was almost immediately lost—the building was not where I thought it was. I finally found the location of the meeting, I could tell that I was in the right place because the oaken-oval table was surrounded by suits, ties, and impeccably pressed blouses—I was feeling really glad that I had decided to dress-up; the wannabe consulting-anthropologist must look the part. The meeting had already started, but a gentleman with kind features pointed me to a chair and I had a seat. Wishing to be a fly-on-the-wall, I sat at a chair along the wall away from the table, but the attendees insisted that I sit among them. The introductions were swift enough to make my head spin and my pen scribble, but I knew I was among Valencia’s executive-cadre.

Attendees included: Dr. Joyce Romano, Interim Vice-President of Student Affairs; Dr. John Scolaro, Prometheus Project Program Director and Humanities Professor; Dr. Daniel Dutkofski, Dean of the Humanities Department and Professor of Humanities; Ann Puyana, Assistant Vice-President of Curriculum Development, Teaching, and Learning, and Advisory Committee Member; Jeff Davis, Resources Development Specialist and Advisory Committee Member; Elizabeth Eschbach, Professor of Humanities and Advisory Committee Member; and Ida Diaz. With all of these honchos sitting at the table, I knew it would be wise to listen to the voice of my mom in this case—ears open; mouth shut. But I did manage to get two words out during the meeting, though it wasn’t on purpose, more like a knee-jerk reaction. Dr. Scolaro was trying to figure out the name of the document he had received for press purposes, and without thinking I blurted-out: Press Release. I stared at the agenda trying to figure out how I could contribute to a project that had some of Valencia’s best and brightest at the helm—ears open, son.

First matter of business on the agenda was to go over current enrollment status. It was mentioned that the ideal class-size for this course was about twenty students: enrollment for the course taught on Monday nights at the Coalition for the Homeless peaked out at thirty-five students; enrollment for the course taught on Thursday afternoons at the Center for Drug-Free Living topped-out at thirteen. It was discussed that students not enrolled in the course are still authorized to attend a class to get a taste of what it is all about.

Next on the agenda was the confirmation of the class dates and hours. The subject of honorariums for tutors came up, Dr. Dutkofski proposed looking in to work-study because that route may be beneficial to tutors receiving financial aid.

Next up was an overview of the course syllabus. It was discussed that in order to met the required fourty-five hours of classroom time, this course would be taught as a hybrid course, meaning that there are thirty hours of contact-time scheduled, and there will be fifteen hours reserved for off-site events and weekend activities. Some of the off-site possibilities include: attending events in the Shakespeare Festival, attending a movie at the Enzian, and writing labs to assist students in honing their writing skills. The actually course name and roster number were discussed, the course will be considered an upper-level humanities course—Special Topics in the Humanities: The Prometheus Project. Dr. Romano stated that she would assign the class a roster number (CRN). She then stated something to the effect that Valencia’s “Start Right” initiative will be implemented in this course like any other, meaning that if the student misses the first class then they will not be enrolled in the course—this is a student-centered initiative—because we want to make sure the students start the course right; on-task and on-time.

Last-minute needs and concerns were addressed next, such as the issues of books, transportation, etc. There is an issue with transportation. A representative from the Center for Drug-Free Living expressed a concern for the students’ transportation after the course ends. It was brought up that this is a safety and liability concern. Dr. Scolaro said that he would provide transportation “informally”. Dr. Romano advised against this notion because if anything happened it wouldn’t be just John Scolaro mentioned in the news, but rather Doctor John Scolaro, faculty member of Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida . . . . It was decided that the Prometheus Project cannot assume liability; the solution was to acquire money to get the students a cab or a bus pass.

Perhaps the most important part of the meeting was covered next. The Prometheus Project, as of 01 February 2005, is now the proud recipient of the Florida Humanities Council (FHC) Grant, but with this honor comes additional responsibilities for the organization. Mr. Davis distributed the proposed budget for the grant year and explained that in order to keep receiving the grant, the Project needed to meet certain obligations. The following are key-obligations that must be completed throughout the year: After Action Review- a summary report must be conducted on a yearly-basis by an external evaluator; Dr. Robert Flick has elected to fulfill this obligation. All promotional items need to be consulted on by FHC’s media representative and there must be emphasis on the pivotal role the FHC played in the Project. Also, the team had to devise and present at least two or three times on the Project every quarter.

The final topic on the agenda was a brief synopsis on plans for the future. I jotted down that I could help in assembling a presentation and present it if authorized (I figured that this would be especially helpful, and it would give me rationalization-ammo to get Apple’s KeyNote software). Ms. Puyana asked if, logistically, the project looked like a go. The room fell silent for a heartbeat as everyone present felt the intensity of the question. Dr. Romano answered enthusiastically, “YES—it looks like a go! I will handle the registration once the applications are completed.” This brought up a quandary that I knew all too well. Some of the applications were incomplete for lack of proper residency information, which would seem like a no-brainer, but if we want the state of Florida to subsidize two-thirds of our students’ tuition costs, we have to prove to the state that said student is a Florida resident—this proves extremely problematic when working with the homeless—because they don’t have a residence to help them prove to the state that they are resident.

The meeting concluded with smiles and handshakes; this was a big moment for the project, and even if I was just a little worm on a big hook only there taking notes, I still felt proud to be a part of it. I let my mind wander into the abyss of problem-solving and what it would be like compiling a presentation on the project; I poked at my warm sushi in the rain, and thought of how many laws I would have to break if I was to make it to Dr. Tavernier’s class on time. Overall, I was excited and looked forward to the first FHC grant-funded class to kick off next week.