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The
Many Hats of Holly
Post Photo / Jenn Madjarev
TEACHING TOOLS: Journalism teacher Holly Shreve Gilbert,
standing, hands back assignments to her class.
By Megan Alef
Special Writer
Juggling is not a class offered at OU.
If it were, Holly Shreve Gilbert, visiting assistant professor
of journalism, would be in the running to teach the course — if she
could find the time.
Gilbert teaches journalism classes at OU, freelances articles
and graphics design from her home, finds time to play with her five-year-old
son, Jackson, manages to be a devoted wife to her husband, Garry, participates
in two committees at her church and still snags a few moments to do the
laundry.
“I have to keep busy so I won’t fall asleep,” Gilbert
joked. “I guess I like it this way, because I keep making things to do.”
Even her husband Garry is amazed at all the activities
she is involved with.
“Holly just does that very well,” he said.
Gilbert has been teaching at OU for five years now. She worked at The
Oakland Press in Pontiac from 1981-1994. She gave up her full time newspaper
career to raise her son.
She freelanced for about six months in 1994, before coming
to OU.
When asked how she handles stress, she answered, laughing,
“I don’t. I wait until the last minute to do everything. Just like every
good journalist.”
Amidst all of her organized chaos, Gilbert found a few
years to write a book.
“What you Need to Know About Ritalin” was released by
Bantam Books on March 9.
Gilbert co-wrote the book with James Windell and James
Shaya, M.D. Windell asked Gilbert to help him write the first comprehensive,
objective book on the subject.
She knew nothing about the subject when he approached
her, “Which was good because I had to be objective. I had to be the skeptic,”
she said.
Gilbert had worked with Windell at The Oakland Press,
where she was Features editor and he wrote a column. The day she
left The Press, she told him to call her if he ever wanted help with a
project.
“He called me the next day, and said ‘There’s a book that
needs to be written,’” she said. She said yes right away, and called Shaya,
her son’s pediatrician, to see if he wanted to get involved as well.
That was back in 1995.
“I always wanted to write a book and I respect Jim Windell’s
work. And I had worked enough with him to believe that we could work well
together,” she said.
For five years the three authors worked up to 70 hours
a week on the book. Each had to individually read and edit each chapter.
Then they would sit down in front of the computer and read each chapter
aloud.
Her husband admires the time and effort she put into the
book.
“The thing I really give her credit for on this book was
that it was a five-year project,” he said. “I really give her credit for
the amount of time they put into it.
In August of 1997, the editors decided that they were
unhappy with the first draft. So Gilbert and her co-authors had to totally
rewrite the book.
“And the worst, the very worst was last winter (the publishers)
decided they wanted us to add endnotes,” Gilbert said.
This forced the authors to go back over the last three
years of research to do the 500 endnotes the editors requested.
Gilbert’s positive outlook prevailed.
“Actually, it was good, because we updated as we worked
on those with new information. So the book is as up-to-date as it can be,”
he said.
Gilbert and her family are extremely proud of her new
book.
“And I think that it’s fair and objective about a really
controversial drug, and I’m proud of that,” Gilbert said.
She’s not the only one who’s excited about the book.
Judith Rapoport, chief of child psychiatry at the National
Institute for Mental Health, has said about the book, “I found ‘What You
Need to Know About Ritalin’ to be a highly readable, popular account of
the ins and outs of stimulant drug and other treatment for (Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder). This book sheds light at a time when there is
too much heat and not enough straightforward information.”
Another favorable review came from Arthur Robin, an expert
on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, who said the book is “a down-to-earth,
‘nuts and bolts’ guide through the maze of myths and half-truths which
have been promulgated about ADHD.
When asked if she would write anymore books, Gilbert said
that she would like to write a novel or another medical book with a story
involved. She wants to write something that could eventually become a screenplay.
“I want to write a novel. But who doesn’t?” she said.
“Everyone should try it.”
Life editor Andrea Nobile contributed to this story.
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The Eighties: a classic time for the Nineties
KRYSTAL
KATZ
Remember that really warm day we had last week? I
do. That day brought something scary into perspective for me.
You see, I was driving along with my window down, clicking
through the FM band on my car radio.
I settled on a station playing a good cruising song.
It was something by ZZ Top, and it evoked good memories.
Then the scary thing happened. The song ended and
the DJ came on the air, promising more classic rock to come.
Classic rock?
I swear, I almost got into an accident when I heard that
one. Am I really old enough that the music I listened to as a kid
is considered classic?
Yes, it’s sad, but very true. Even though the 80s
seem like only yesterday, it’s been a decade.
Music that was considered classic when I was younger has
been squashed down into the “moldy oldy” category.
Local radio stations that are geared mainly toward young
adults grace us with “flashback lunches” consisting of our favorite songs
from the time of feathered hair, pastel clothing and zippered leather jackets.
Popular nightclubs in the area offer “retro” nights so
we can dance to these very same songs.
Retro. I always thought retro was the 50s and 60s.
Hippies and poodle skirts were the cool thing to wear for retro day in
school.
So what do the kids wear now? Parachute pants?
Lacy skirts and gloves with the fingers cut out?
The same is going for the television stars that were so
popular “back then.”
Remember Ricky Schroeder? I sure do. I would
have given up my pink canvas high tops to meet him when I was in elementary
school.
Have you seen him lately? Now insisting on being
called Rick, he looks different. Old. Balding. Rough looking
skin. He’s doing fine in his career with “NYPD Blue,” but he just
isn’t the heartthrob he used to be. He used to be so cute.
What happened?
So what I’m wondering is, when are the 80s going to come
back into style?
We have already gone through the rebirth of the sixties,
with the hippies becoming a little more modern in the grunge phase.
There was even another Woodstock.
We are currently at the tail end of the resurge of the
seventies. Bellbottoms are common again and there are butterflies
adorning everything in the trendy little mall stores.
So I am predicting another rising of the eighties sometime
soon.
We’ve already got the movie “200 Cigarettes” to remind
us of some of the things we may have forgotten. I don’t know how
many people saw that movie, but I remembered a lot of the things portrayed.
When there was the threat of bellbottoms coming back into
style I swore up and down that I would never wear them. They were
so funny looking.
Well, guess what. The ankles of my favorite jeans
are wider than the thighs. Only I don’t call them “bells,” I call
them “wide legs.” That makes it OK.
So I’ll try again. I swear, I will never go back
to pastels and feathered hair.
I will never again have to deal with a hairspray-coated
countertop in my bathroom or worry about my hair being too big to fit in
the car.
But those high tops were pretty comfortable, weren’t they?
Senior Krystal Kaltz is a journalism major
and Spanish major and Assistant Life Editor for The Oakland Post.
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Admissions director leads life of diversity
By Lisa remsing
Staff Writer
There’s a new face in the Admissions Office in North Foundation
Hall.
In October of 1998, Diane Ariza was hired as director
of admissions at OU.
She didn’t come alone. She brought a head full of ambitious
plans for OU with her. Coming from a life of diversity, Ariza hopes to
create that same life of diversity on campus.
“She has more charisma for someone of such a prestigious
position than half the people in a working environment could hope to obtain,”
said Michael Priest, a student employee for Ariza.
Diane’s eyes glowed as she shared her past. Her demeanor
is good humored and casual. Her office is dotted with Hispanic-inspired
decorations and posters promoting upcoming Admissions events. One poster
in particular consisted of a large circle with the words “bang head here”
printed inside.
Ariza straightened her black suit and pulled her dark
hair into a loose ponytail as she began her story.
Ariza’s life of diversity started with her birth in Miami,
Fla. She was the second of four children, and spent her first 17 years
living in Puerto Rico, her father’s home country.
Smiling, Ariza said about her heritage, “When people ask
if I think or dream in Spanish or English, I say I do both.”
Her family moved back to Miami during her high school
years because her father wanted to raise the children in a safer environment.
Before her move to OU, Ariza was associate director of
admissions at Western State University.
“I saw OU as a school ready for a change,” she said, answering
why she made her move.
She was attracted to OU’s smaller size and the majority
of undergraduate students on campus.
One of her many goals is to implement increasing visibility
of our school, especially with international students.
“I like working with all different types of students.
Being Hispanic doesn’t make me feel as if I have to work with only Hispanics,”
Ariza said.
Unlike OU, WSU has more residents living on campus and
a more diverse student body, from places such as New York City, Chicago
and Texas.
Ariza has been very involved with minority students since
she arrived at OU.
She just recently helped plan the Asian, Hispanic, African
and Native American (AHANA) visit. Minority students from aross the state
were invited to attend a day of dramas, campus tours and informative sessions.
Ariza’s love of diversity leads to a couple of her many
passions. She loves to travel, and would one day like to go to Brazil and
possibly travel all of Latin America.
She also loves Sociology, and is currently working on her doctorate
in the field from WSU.
“I love to learn who we are controlled by and why people
think the way they do,” she said.
Even Ariza’s personal life is diverse. Her husband, Jose,
was born and raised in Spain. He is working as a contractor in Kalamazoo
presently, and she is currently living with her aunt in Grosse Pointe.
The couple just signed on a new house near OU, but would
eventually like to move to Puerto Rico or the south.
Sophmore Brad Meyers, an admissions ambassador, said “I’ve
seen a lot of great changes concerning diversity here at (OU), and I look
forward to many more.”
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An artistic ‘explosion’
‘Dance Explosion!’ welcomes spring with new pieces by faculty, students
Photo Courtesy / Oakland University
BODIES IN MOTION: Performers with the Oakland Dance
Theatre and the OU Repertory Company reach high in this weekend’s “Dance
Explosion!”
By Kristal Byrd
Staff Writer
OU’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance welcomes spring
with a burst of creative energy as the Oakland Dance Theatre and OU Repertory
Theatre perform “Dance Explosion!”
The performance, consisting of 8 dance pieces, takes place
Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. in Varner Recital Hall.
The production of “Dance Explosion!” is a team effort,
displaying the creativity of OU dance professor and director Greg Patterson,
dance professor Laurie Eisenhower, guest choreographer Colin Conner and
student choreographers, Dana McJames, Melanie King and Kandee Hogan.
Patterson’s choreography “R.E.M.,” which explores the
wild visions of a nightmare from which the lead dancer, Dana McJames, cannot
awake. In this segment, neon colors and black lighting are
used as a special effect to make certain parts of the dancers’ bodies glow
in the dark.
“The characters are wearing over-sized masks and they
become like monsters,” said Patterson. “The black light gives the visions
the lead character is having a surreal effect.”
Another piece, “Rush,” is choreographed by Eisenhower.
“Every year we have to decide on one piece that will use
all the dancers, and this was the one. The idea of this piece was to keep
the stage alive with movement, using the body like waves of momentum,”
she said.
Guest choreographer Colin Conner, producer of four critically-acclaimed
seasons of dances for his own New York City company, The Salvage
Company, is responsible for “Sole,” which emphasizes getting back to the
natural state of human life.
Conner describes it as a “very down to earth” piece. “We
might be humans with free will, but we are also human animals with instinct,”
he said. “That’s what I’d like to get across in this piece.”
Senior Dana McJames, english literature, choreographed
the work “Beckoned.”
“There is a diagonal light in the piece, and the light
has a special meaning for each person,” she said. “For some it means apprehension.
To others, it’s a personal journey that will help them find their highest
potential in life.”
“Me,” choreographed by junior dance major Melanie King,
is a colorful and light-hearted work in which King is reading from a Dr.
Suess’ “My Many Color Days.” Each day is a different color and each color
represents a mood. “I made up movements according to what the book said.
My dancers helped me think of ideas. I just wanted to do something fun
and not too serious.”
Patterson has positive expectations for the show and wants
his audience to be enlightened by what they see. “I hope they get
a sense of the different styles and the creative process of modern dance.
Maybe this will spark their interest in continuing to be audience members
and become supporters of the art,” he said.
A diverse group of talented dance students makes this
show worth seeing, including Mary Beth Frechette, Yvette Heide, Megan Martin,
Kerry McCann, Jennifer Miller, Leah Smith and others.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for seniors and
$5 for students. For information, call the Varner Box Office at (248)370-3013.
Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at (248)645-6666.
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‘Gypsy’ entertains with vaudeville tale
By Andrea Burmann
Staff Writer
The show was a flop, but it had to go on.
This was the plight of the vaudeville acts staged by the
entertaining actors and actresses in “Gypsy,” the latest production by
OU’s Department of Music, Theater and Dance.
Donning the identities of unsuccessful performers, OU
students pleased the audience last week in the Varner Recital Hall.
For those who love musicals, Gypsy was sure to have been
a treat, when this Broadway tribute to vaudeville and burlesque entertained
March 17-21. A standing ovation at the Saturday afternoon performance I
attended confirmed its popularity.
Gypsy is the story of a mother who tries to live her life
through her children and is obsessed with making them into stars. She travels
across America in the 1920’s with her showbiz kids, performing on the vaudeville
circuit.
The act eventually lands in a steamy burlesque house with
the hot success of her daughter Louise (Rebecca Sokoll), who turns herself
into a famous stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee.
The musical, directed by Karen Sheridan, is based on the
memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee.
The first act of the three-hour play was a bit lengthy
for the story that needed to be told. However, the action really picked
up in the second act and nicely tied the plot together with a heart-warming
conclusion.
Emily Wilson was fantastic as the mother, Rose. She has
a great voice and her facial expressions were very animated and entertaining.
Joining her was a very large cast of 40 characters, including
a handful of child actors. A real dog and a lamb even appeared on stage.
The production staff was larger than the cast. They put
together a nice set and some remarkable costumes for the strippers in the
second act. The actresses appeared comfortable in their scanty ensembles,
and the audience had to laugh at some gaudy designs.
However, the flashing lights accompanying some of the
scenes just didn’t produce the effect intended. For a second, I even mistook
them for a technical difficulty.
The element that really set this production apart from
other plays found on OU’s campus was the 22-piece orchestra. Seated in
front of the stage, the musicians, directed by Angelina Pashmakova, performed
18 musical numbers.
Included were “Everything’s Coming up Roses,” “Together
Wherever We Go,” and “Let me Entertain You.”
Gypsy opened on Broadway in 1959 staring the legendary
Ethel Merman in the title role. Since then, two Broadway revivals and two
feature films have been made.
Perhaps one of the reasons Gypsy is so successful is because
it tells a story that people on both sides of the curtain can relate to.
As stated by Karen Sheridan in the program’s Director’s
Note, “There are families we are born into and families we choose. Theatre
belongs to the second type and like all families it comes with its blessings
and challenges.”
“May we all survive our choices and ‘play the circuit’
a very long time.”
Photo Courtesy / Dennis Collins
VAUDEVILLE VALIANCE: Cast members from the Department
of Music, Theatre and Dance perform acts of vaudeville and burlesque in
“Gypsy.”
“Gypsy”
Showbiz shenanigans
* * *
out of 4
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CURRENT EVENTS
On Campus
• “Dance Explosion!” 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; Varner Recital
Hall. Call (248) 370-3013.
• Student Chamber Concert, 3 p.m. Sunday; Varner Recital Hall.
Call (248) 370-3013.
• Piano Ensemble, 8 p.m. Monday; Varner Recital Hall. Call (248)
370-3013.
• African Drum & Dance, 8 p.m. Tuesday; Varner Recital Hall.
Call (248) 370-3013.
Theatre
• “Tango,” 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday; 4 and 7
p.m. Sunday; Detroit Film Theatre. Call (313) 833-2323.
• “First Love, Last Rites,” 7:30 p.m. Monday; Detroit Film Theatre.
Call (313) 833-2323.
• “The Comedy of Errors,” 8 p.m. Saturday; Macomb Center for the Performing
Arts. Call (810) 286-2222.
Music
• “Teen Idols” featuring Peter Noone, Davy Jones & Bobby Sherman,
3 and 7 p.m. Sunday; Macomb Center for the Performing Arts. Call
(810) 286-2222.
• Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band, 7:30 p.m. tonight; Michigan
Theater. Call (248) 645-6666.
• Fuel wsg Zebrahead and Mayfield Four, 7:30 p.m. tonight, St. Andrews
Hall. Call (248) 645-6666.
• Jose Carreras, 8 p.m. Saturday; Fox Theatre. Call (248) 645-6666.
• ‘N Sync, 7 p.m. Thursday; Palace of Auburn Hills. Call (248)
377-0100.
• Freedy Johnston, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; The Ark. Call (248) 645-6666.
• The Disco Biscuits, 9:30 p.m. Friday; Blind Pig. Call (248)
645-6666.
• Sleater-Kinney wsg Bratmobile, 9 p.m. Friday; Magic Stick. Call
(248) 645-6666.
• Econoline Crush, 9:30 p.m. Thursday; Blind Pig. Call (248) 645-6666.
• “An Evening of Solo Music” with Al Kooper, 8 p.m. Friday; Alvin’s
Bar. Call (313) 832-1857.
• Rhythm & Brass, 8 p.m. Friday; Macomb Center for the Performing
Arts. Call (810) 286-2222.
• Banyan featuring Steven Perkins (Jane’s Addiction) & Rob Wasserman
(Rat Dog etc.), 8 p.m. Saturday; Majestic. Call (248) 645-6666.
• Olivia Tremor Control wsg Elf Power, 9 p.m. Tuesday; Magic Stick.
Call (248) 645-6666.
• Jeff Beck: Who Else! 8 p.m. Friday; Fox Theatre. Call (734)
953-3300.
Exhibits
• “Flameworking,” 8 a.m. - 11:45 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; Alfred Berkowitz
Gallery. Call (313) 593-5058.
Miscellaneous
• Detroit Poetry and Fiction Writers Peter Markus, Clark Iverson &
Christine Lahey, 12:30 p.m. tonight; Wayne State University Department
of English Building. Call (313) 577-2540.
• Al Kooper reads from “Back Stage Passes and Back Stabbing Bastards:
40 Years of Rock ‘N’ Roll,” 1 p.m. Saturday; YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit
Arts & Humanities Building. Call (313) 267-5300 Ext. 338.
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