The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page 109

The Sun in Carroll Sunday, March 8, 1998 Page 11b Recreation Notes Abuse victim's killing exposes gap in services I toward agency sees woman's slaying with a feeling of defeat ture centers are offering two nature program series for preschoolers. The 45-minute programs meet once a month for three months. Activities include Indoor and outdoor games, crafts, discussions, songs and stories. Registration is required. Bear Branch Nature Center Is at 300 John Owlngs Road, Westminster, information, 410-848-2517.

a Blues Brothers t-shlrt signed by Dan Aykroyd and original television scripts signed by the casts of "Homicide" and "Law and Order." Attendees can also place bids on a number of services donated by local merchants and professionals like Dr. David Tayman, owner of Columbia Animal Hospital, where Case worked -as a lab technician the last eight years of her life. Her estranged husband killed her, drove off and shot himself to; death at an entrance to Patapsco Valley State Park in Baltimore County, police said. It's important to stand behind agencies that work to fight domes-; tic abuse, says Tayman, whose, staff recently spent an hour with center counselors to deal with the death of Case and discuss ways to spot and help battered victims. "There're still a lot of people out there who are trapped in these horrible situations and they all our need help," he says.

Tickets for the Sixth Annual Dance and Silent Auction are available by calling 410-997-0304. ment skills. Though most of the men who attend the program are ordered to do so by the courts, more are attending the series of 1 6-week sessions on their own. Although awareness about domestic violence has grown within the past 10 years, Brown says many Howard residents who are abused face a particularly insidious stigma. "Some people still believe that if you have the economic resources like so many people do In Howard County that you don't face the same sorts of problems as everyone else," she says.

"It's absolutely false." And although Howard has more than Its fair share of wealthy residents, funding for the center's services is sometimes sparse. The center's $413,000 budget is underwritten by local, state and federal grants, corporate and private donations and fund-raising events like its annual Dance and Silent Auction, scheduled for Saturday at Turf Valley Country Club inEllicottCity. Auction items include a baseball autographed by Cal Ripken si Vera Case was killed in January by her husband, who then took his own life. The center also sponsors what its workers call a "new behavior program," designed to help men who are abusive learn anger-manage Mary Ellen Duncan, Howard college's pick as its 3rd president, welcomes challenges Standings announced for recent Special Olympics Ten youths from Carroll County recently participated In the Special Olympics Maryland Winter Games In Garrett County. Youths and their places In events Included: Mark Mojzlsek: cross country, first in 500 meter, second In 1,000 meter and second In relay.

Megan Roland: cross country, second In 500 meter, participation ribbon In relay. Amy Dietrich, sit ski, first in giant slalom and first in slalom. Aimee Buswell: sit ski, second in giant slalom. Charlie Arbaugh: downhill, third In slalom. Allen Robertson: downhill, fourth in giant slalom and second In slalom.

Ralph Gemmill: downhill, second in giant slalom and second in slalom. Chris Shaffer: cross country, third in 500 meter, third in 1,000 meter and participation ribbon in relay. Adam Dunn: cross country, second in 500 meter, second in 1,000 meter and second in relay. Josh Smith: cross country, first in 500 meter, second In 1,000 meter and second in relay. Children may renter for Living History Camp The Carroll County Farm Museum is accepting registration for its summer Living History Camp for children in second through fourth grades.

The camp offers hands-on experiences in 19th-century rural life. Children will learn tinsmith-ing, candle-dipping, gardening, cooking over an open hearth and blacksmlthing. Old-fashioned games will be played during camp sessions. Dates are July 6-10 for children currently in second grade; July 13-17 for children in third grade; and July 20-24 for children in fourth grade. Camp hours are from 9 a.m.

to 2 p.m. Sessions are limited to 40 children. The cost is $85. To register, mail a 3-inch-by-5-inch index card with the child's name, current grade, address, day phone and session requested, to Marian Witiak, Living History Camp, Carroll County Farm Museum, 500 S. Center Westminster 21 157.

Names will be drawn by lottery on April 1. Information: 410-848-7775. Nature centers offering 'A A A Ml Programs cost $12 fornonmem-bers and $10 for members. The programs are: Mother Nature, Mom Me for 4- and 5-year-olds, at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m. or 1 p.m.

Tuesday start ing March 24. Babes In the Woods for Vk and 3-year-olds, at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m. or 1 p.m. Wednesdays start ing March 25. Tennis, basketball programs offered to Carroll adults The Carroll County Department of Recreation and Parks has announced two spring programs.

An adult tennis program is being formed for players of all skill levels. Participants will be grouped by ability. Groups are planned for men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Applications will be accepted through April 10. For information, call Matt Osterhaudt at 410-386-4181.

Adult basketball will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays at East Middle School on Longwell Avenue.

Play will start April 2 and continue to June 4. A maximum of 18 players per session will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Entry fee is $20 per person. For information, call Scott Singleton at 410-857-4832. Annual golf tournament to benefit CHANGE CHANGE Inc.

will sponsor its annual golf tournament June 17 at the Links at Challedon Golf Club in Mount Airy. Sign-in will be at 11 a.m., with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $100 per person and Includes carts, greens fees, golf balls, open bar, buffet dinner and awards ceremony. Contests for closest to the pin, longest drive and a hole in one will be offered. Proceeds benefit CHANGE, an organization that serves the developmental disabled of Carroll County.

Registrations, with checks payable to CHANGE can be sent co Carroll County Insurance Agency 125 Airport Drive, Suite 20, Westminster, 21157, Attn. Wendy Baker. Km By Jill Hudson BUN STAFF When Vera Case was found slain in her Mount Airy home in January, workers at the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County felt a pangof defeat. They wondered how Case, 31, could become the victim of her husband's brutal and Jealous rage after center workers spent two decades educating Howard residents about domestic abuse. "When we heard about Vera's murder, we kept asking ourselves, 'Why wasn't she familiar with our says Shelley Brown, director of community education for the center, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

"There was obviously a gap in our outreach services that allowed this woman to slip through the cracks. "It really brought home the fact that we still have so much to do out there," Brown says. "We have to find out what we're not doing to miss a case like hers. As an agency, we certainly have limits, but something like that the murder) should not happen." Now entering its 21st year, the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County faces big challenges. What began as- an outreach center for women who were being abused by men now also tends to the needs of men who are abused by women, victims of violence at the hands of same-sex partners, warring siblings and dating couples, and children who beat their parents, "We now view family violence as something that affects the entire community," Brown explains.

The center "explores any kind of abuse that's happening in the home." In 1976, the Howard chapter of the National Organization for Women sponsored a small fore runner of what would eventually become the Domestic Violence Center after realizing that no county agencies were set up to handle spousal abuse. Soon, a small network of ener getic volunteers was organizing a grass-roots task force to help end domestic violence. They held sup port group sessions in their homes and offered emergency shelter to battered women and their chil dren. In 1978, CASA Citizens Against Spousal Abuse was off! cially begun. CASA became the Domestic Violence Center three years later.

The private, nonprofit organ! zation provides food, clothes and temporary shelter to battered women. It operates an emergency hot line for abuse victims as well as counseling and legal services. Eldersburg. 410-751-3020. Information: Alternative Programs will have an information session about its external diploma program at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday and at 9 a.m. Thursday at 1135 Business Parkway South, Suite 30, Westminster. Registration is requested. Information: 410-751-3680. PRO, Parents Reaching Out, a support and advocacy group for families of children with disabilities, will meet at 7 p.m.

March .17 at Carroll Springs School, 495 S. Center St. Reservations are required by Friday. Information: 410-549-1088. The Transportation Department of the Carroll County Public Schools will hold its annual safety awards banquet for bus drivers and assistants at 7 p.m.

March 14 at Wilhelm Ltd. Caterers. Information: 410-751-3229. ft over in 1981 and left in September, did much to make the school what it is today. During his tenure, the college opened a branch in Hicko- ry Ridge village and initiated! building projects, including a cul- tural arts center and more class- rooms.

Perhaps Burrill's best-known; accomplishment is the campus-! wide emphasis on technology as he pushed to integrate cyberspace into the daily curriculum. Three years ago, the school! opened a distance-learning televi- sion classroom that permits stu- dents in Columbia to enroll in classes taught elsewhere in the' state. Computers are now used in many classrooms, in subjects as diverse as English and math. In 1996, the college offered eight courses on the Internet. "There was a lot of discussion about technology during the presidential search and how far ahead in the curve Howard Community College was," said Ed Ely, a member of the presidential search committee and a vice president oi the Rouse Co.

"I think everyone understands that it's going to be the challenge of every school to find new ways to bring computers into the classes." While technology remains a pri-. ority, observers are drawing attention to other issues. Christina Patrick, president of the student-run Black Leadership Organization (BLO), says the school needs to attract more African-American men to the campus. According to college figures, about 18 percent of the student population is African-American. But less than half of those 913 pupils are men.

"You see more Caucasian than African-American males because most people think of Howard as being a white school," Patrick says. "You only get a certain type of perspective, and soon people are going to ask themselves, 'Why go to a school where there are not many African-American All seem to agree that the right person has been found to pilot the college. Caplan notes that Duncan engineered a successful battle against a proposal before New York legislators to consolidate some campuses in the State University of New York system and close others. "She has been through a lot ol challenges," Caplan says. "She's literally had to sing for her bacon.

And each time she does, she comes up with some innovative programming to help the institution." Duncan's former colleagues say her biggest advantage is a style that does not draw attention. "Mary Ellen has a quiet, determined way about her," says Fran Turcotte, who worked with Duncan in the marketing department at Catonsville Community College. "But it's her ability to communicate a vision and get people on board with her in one direction that is so exciting." Adds Elayne Hettleman, who, as executive director of Leadership Baltimore County, interviewed Duncan when she was at Catonsville in 1990: "She has a soft voice, and there's not a soul who has worked for her who doesn't adore her or wouldn't put their bodies across the street for her." Duncan says she is ready for the challenge. "I'm energized," she says. The board of trustees wants more and better, and they have the energy to see that through.

The faculty is strong, and the students want the education. There's a lot in place to take the college forward." Enrollment, tuition are among issues she faces By Edward Lee When she was interim president at Catonsville Community College for the 1990-1991 school year, Mary Ellen Duncan's first challenge wasn't layoffs or student protests; she had to face up to a prankster. An anonymous caller was making a series of bomb threats. Authorities closed buildings until an exhaustive search was completed. But Duncan was getting tired of the game.

"She walked right through police barricades and started checking buildings herself," recalled Ar-dell Terry, who at the time was Duncan's assistant. "Police were telling her, 'You can't do She would say, 'Oh, yes, I She wasn't afraid." Duncan will become the third president of Howard Community College on July 1. Relentless zeal and determination are some of the qualities Duncan's friends and former colleagues say she will bring to her new job. Most think she will need them as she sorts through conflicting demands and priorities for a blueprint that will carry the Columbia institution into the next century. School Menus Elementary schools Tomorrow: Manager's choice soup, hot ham and cheese on roll, tiny twist pretzels, orange wedges, cookie.

Tuesday: Chicken nuggets with choice of sauces, french fries, orange chocolate chip muffin, fruit cup. Wednesday: Manager-planned menu. Thursday: Soft burrito or cold-cut sub, orange rice, carrot and celery sticks, fruit, pudding. Friday: Pizza, tossed salad, apple wedges, orange brownie. Note: Peanut butler sandwich available daily; half-pint of milk served with each menu (30 cents separately); children, reduced price, 40 cents; adults, $2.45.

Middle and high schools Tomorrow: Manager's choice soup, hot ham and cheese on roll or pepperoni calzone, tiny twist pretzels, orange wedges, cookie. Tuesday: Chicken nuggets with choice of sauces and orange chocolate chip muffin or chefs salad with roll, french fries, cole slaw, fruit cup. Wednesday: Manager-planned menu. Thursday: Soft burrito or cold-cut sub, orange rice, carrot and celery sticks, fruit, pudding. Friday: Pizza or sliced turkey on croissant, tossed salad, apple wedges, orange brownie.

Note: Peanut butter sandwich available daily; a half-pint of milk served with. each menu (30 cents separately); children, reduced price, 40 cents; adidts, $2.45. Mary Ellen Duncan says her aim is to improve service and education. Visions for the future of the two-year college vary. Richard Story, executive director of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, wants the school to strengthen its ties with the business community.

State Del. Elizabeth Bobo hopes that the administration will pay more attention to the liberal and fine arts portion of the curriculum. Gerald Brock, a former member of the college's board of trustees, thinks the school should focus on evaluating learning in the classroom. Roger Caplan, a current board member, says the college must work with county high schools to help teen-agers attend college. Duncan says she welcomes the pressure that comes with the challenge.

"That's what I love to do," says Duncan, who has been the president of the State University of New York at Delhi since 1991. "I love to think about the future and improve the service and education we can offer to the community. That's the whole reason I'm in this business." Figures from the Maryland Higher Education Commission indicate that Duncan has inherited a school that faces choices. Howard is the eighth-largest community college of 20 in the state with a fall 1997 enrollment of 5,081, and is sixth in state aid with a total contribution of more than $5.5 million to its $30 million budget. But the school's students also pay the highest community college tuition in the state.

Tuition for a Howard resident with 15 credits each semester is expected to rise from $2,370 to $2,430 for the 1998-1999 school year. Residents outside the county will pay $4,560 and $6,600, respectively up from $4,020 and $6,540. Those statistics concern County Councilman Charles C. Feaga, whose grandson will attend the community college this fall. "My fear is that if we grow too fast, we could charge students too much," says the West Friendship Republican, who is running for county executive this year.

"I hope we have steady growth, not by leaps and bounds." Duncan's two predecessors left distinct impressions on the school. Alfred J. Smith the college's first president, presided over the college's growth from a consultant's report and a construction contract for a single building in 1970 to an impressive 119-acre campus in Columbia serving 2,000 students when he retired in 1981. Dwight A. Burrill, who took Understanding Anthony Johnson (from left), Fred Paige, Irvin Black Amelia Kidd and Heather McKean, students at West Middle School, participate in an after-school activity designed to help students learn about cultural diversity.

The school has scheduled a series of similar activities throughout the year. 2 programs for preschoolers Piney Run and Bear Branch na Education Notes Nominations sought for outstanding ttachcr The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for its annual Outstanding Teacher Awards, to be held May 4. The awards recognize teachers who represent the best in their field. Anyone in the community may nominate a teacher for the award. Nomination forms are available from schools, the chamber office and all public library branches.

Nominations should detail the qualities that make the teacher a model educator and how the teacher inspires students and helps them to learn from real-life experiences. Signed nominations must be returned to the chamber office at 247 E. Main Box 871, Westminster 21 158, by March 16. Information: 410-848-9050. CCC history instructor chronicles Mason's life Robert W.

Young, a history instructor at Carroll Community College, has published his first boqk, "Senator James Murray Mason: Defender of the Old South." The book, published by the University of Tennessee Press in http:www.carwsrpoth.com ADDRESS FOR SUCCESS Knoxville, chronicles the life of a slave-holding and powerful politician. Early 19th-century Southern life is described, as are the conservative causes that the Virginia senator and Confederate diplomat championed. Young recently earned a doctorate in history from the University of Maryland. He has been on the faculty at CCC since 1996. His book can be ordered from local bookstores.

Calendar CHADD, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders, will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Carroll Springs School, 495 S. Center Westminster. The topic will be "The Effects of Attention Deficit Disorders on Your Marriage." Information: 410-751-3820. The Board of Education will meet at 5 p.m.

Wednesday at Piney Ridge Elementary School, 6315 Freedom.