Hall. As part of a fund-raising effort for various charities by Sigma Chi fraternity members
during their annual Derby Days, this year's money was divided between the Renewal House, a
home for abused women in Canton, and the Children's Miracle Network. Members hoped to
raise $2,000 this year by soliciting pledges and by asking passersby for donations.
Members started the wheel at 10 a.m., Monday, and kept it revolving for 50 consecutive
hours, until noon Wednesday. To make the time pass more quickly, associates also brought out
a stereo and a foosball table for "hamsters" patiently awaiting their turns in the wheel. The $400
of lumber to build the wheel was donated by Triple "A" Lumber Company in town.
This wheel joined previous unique efforts by the Clarkson chapter. Once, two huge
teeter-totters allowed various students and townspeople to soar 12 feet into the air and then
zoom back to earth, teeter-tottering. Other devices built by them include a merry-go-round of
bicycles rigged to run in circles, a huge swing, and a huge rocking chair.
CD-ROM Class Work.
Using a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, a team
of Clarkson professors and staff began work to create an instructional course on thin-film
technology. Stored on a special compact disc called CD-ROM, this program unites video,
audio, and animation which can be played back using a personal computer.
Thin-film technology is used in many products, including computer chips. It involves
layering material with thin sheets of metal, glass, or other materials to protect the surface from
foreign particles and to make the product more durable. For a computer chip, this process is
especially delicate, for it cannot interfere with the electronic impulses traveling across the face
of the chip. Professor Donald Rasmussen was in charge of the project.
Minority Grant.
Exxon Corporation awarded Clarkson Minority Student Development
Program an unrestricted grant of $2,000 to support academic excellence initiatives among
Clarkson's minority students. This grant was used to help finance "Tools for Success," a
leadership conference for students to be held on campus March 4-6. Seminars for this
conference emphasized skills such as communication, team building, and networking.
Organizations participating in this program included the Society of Hispanic
Professional Engineers (SHPE), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the
American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES).
The Minority Student Development Program was developed in 1989 to assist all
minority students in fulfilling their educational goals at the University.
Ramsdell Died.
Clarkson's first registrar, Frederick A. "Ted" Ramsdell '33, died on October 12
at age 84. His Clarkson career spanned the administrations of nine Clarkson presidents, and he
provided service to thousands of Clarkson students.
Graduating from Clarkson in 1933 with a BS in electrical engineering, Ted went on to
earn his MA in education at St. Lawrence the following year. He returned to Clarkson as
registrar in July 1934, and also served as director of admissions, treasurer, director of financial
aid, and director of placement, the position from which he retired in 1975. At times, he held two
or more of these positions simultaneously.
At the 1975 Clarkson Commencement, Ted was named
registrar emeritus
"in
recognition of his service and loyalty to Clarkson." The certificate presented to him at that time
noted that he had touched the lives of more than 90 percent of Clarkson degree holders. Then in
July 1975, he was presented the Golden Knight Award, Clarkson's highest alumni honor:
