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NEWS:

WSU to Celebrate 2011 Homecoming


WSU Diversity Lecture Series continues
with Marc Elliot and his presentation
"What Makes You Tic?"

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NOTEWORTHY:


Dirk Baker (Athletics) was featured in an article in the October issue of the The Auburn Times magazine. Click here to read the article.


Richard Bisk (Mathematics) gave a conference presentation, "Improving Math Performance: Learning From Singapore," at the Singapore Mathematics Global Forum. The forum took place from September 22-24 in Singapore.


Stephanie Chalupka (Nursing) presented "The Impact of Environmental and Occupational Exposures on Reproductive Health" at a webinar that was broadcast internationally by the National Perinatal Information Center.

The webinar addressed environmental and occupational exposures during critical periods of susceptibility in utero which may result in lifelong or intergenerational adverse health effects. The results of the research conducted by Professor Chalupka and Andrew N. Chalupka (Harvard Medical School) were previously published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing.

Funding for this research presented in the webinar was provided by a grant awarded to Professor Chalupka by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Children's Health.


The week of September 26 -30, 2011 Sergeants Portalatin and Marrier attended Supervisory Training. This training was hosted by Massachusetts State Police and MACLEA (Massachusetts Association College Law Enforcement Administrators) and held at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree, Mass. Some of the topics covered in training were Role of a Supervisor, Suicide Prevention, Racial Profiling, Ethics, Dealing with Mental Health Issues, and Fundamental Principle of Leadership.


Amaryllis Siniossoglou (Visual & Performing Arts) has been accepted to exhibit one of her artist's books at the First National Bookbinding Exhibition held at the Archaeological Museum of Messenia, Greece. The exhibition is supported by the Division for Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, the Kalamata Friends for Book Arts and the Kalamata Public Library. The show includes members of ARA-Greece (International Association for Artistic Bookbinding) and will open October 14. For more information, visit http://archmusmes.gr/eng/main.htm.

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AROUND CAMPUS:

Frederick Douglass: Stories Are A Tellin'
By Chelsea Tougas '12

Guy Peartree's portrayal of Frederick Douglass, a relentless anti-slavery orator, twice on Wednesday, October 5 encompassed Douglass? life from birth into slavery, his experiences, relationships, his education, escape from slavery and ascendancy as America's foremost black abolitionist. The History and Political Science Department hosted both performances and a workshop for students as part of a multi-year commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the U.S. Civil War. At the morning performance, the Sullivan Auditorium was swarming with students from local high schools, including Burncoat High, University Park, North High, Claremont Academy, Tantasqua High and Millbury High. WSU students were also in attendance.

The high school students were eager to see the Frederick Douglass performance, which correlated with their studies at school. Peartree made a special effort to involve them in his performance and to make them think about their past history in the United States. Caleb Encarnacion-Rivera, 15, from University Park High School, said, "This performance makes me think more about slavery and have sympathy for them. I can't image how they felt being torn away from their families." Loryn Bley, 16, from Burncoat High School said, "I liked learning about the history of the slaves." At the conclusion, the students asked questions of Frederick Douglass, prompting Peartree to answer in character.

Frank Minasian, chair of the History and Political Science Department, was thrilled about the morning performance because he wants to share the Civil War commemoration events with the community. "There's nothing better than to show Fredrick Douglass, who was the symbol of freedom for slaves," Minasian said. "I wanted everybody to see what I believe is the cause of this great holocaust that happened in America to black people."

"Stories Are A Tellin'" was also performed Wednesday night in the Ghosh Science and Technology Center's auditorium.


'World Cafe' Discussion:
A World Without Borders
By Ene Idoko '11

Last Tuesday, the Student Center Blue Lounge and Exhibit Area was transformed into a buzzing hub for travel abroad opportunities for students and tales of overseas experiences. The successful event was hosted by Global Studies, the International Programs Office and Theme Semester. The Study Abroad Fair in the Exhibit Area was packed with students eager to learn about the various travel abroad programs. Roughly 20 vendors presented at the fair. Students could choose from hundreds of locations, including: Athena, Spain, Argentina, Florence, London, Sydney, South Africa, Ireland, China, Morocco, and so much more.

The "World Cafe" discussion in the Blue Lounge allowed for continuous conversation between attendees and two students and one faculty member who have travelled abroad. The open-floor format made the event intimate, informative, and interesting.

Communication and Global Studies Professor Carlos Fontes correlated his experience overseas with his definition of self. Fontes believes that immersing oneself into another country's ideas and culture is a valuable and irreplaceable experience. The existence of borders has been metaphorically erased with globalization, he said, and urged undergraduate students to embrace the opportunities globalization makes possible. "It's fun, it's exciting, it's an adventure, and it's new," he said.

Olivia Saisa, a Psychology and Spanish major, spent her last academic year in India. Saisa enjoyed her first semester in India so much that she requested an extension. She spoke about the affordability of the study abroad program. WSU provides financial assistance to make the experience feasible and enjoyable. Saisa is already planning her next study abroad trip. "I will never be able to put a price tag or a cap on the value of knowledge I acquired while studying abroad," she said.

Alexandra Salcedo, a Nonprofit Management graduate student, is an international student from Ecuador enjoying her second study abroad program at WSU. "A degree can be hung on a wall; an abroad experience will always be hanging in your heart and thoughts," she said. Salcedo presented seven benefits of participating in the study abroad program: to broaden your horizons, to value what you have, to practice another language, to increase your contacts and friends, to immerse yourself in another culture, to enhance your resume, and for personal reflection. She said that she never realized how large the world was beyond Ecuador, and she hopes to keep exploring it.

For more information about the Study Abroad program, please contact Katey Palumbo in the International Programs Office in Room 159 of the Shaughnessy Administration Building or email study.abroad@worcester.edu.


Panel Discusses Their Personal
Struggles with Homelessness

From left, Stephen Bonner, Samantha Wolf, Rita Ward, Professor of
Urban Studies Lisa Krissoff Boehm and Anthony Gilyard.

Bonner, Ward and Gilyard spoke to a standing-room-only audience of Commonwealth Honors students in the North/South Auditorium about their struggles with homelessness, search for permanent housing, uncertain housing situations, personal hardships and redemption. Wolf, with AmeriCorps and City Year, brought them to WSU as part of the National Coalition for the Homeless' Speakers' Bureau, a program comprised of people who are, or have been, homeless and that works to educate the public about homelessness and ways to end it. The Honors Program, which Boehm directs, sponsored the event.


A Different Approach:
Making History Come to Life
By Ene Idoko '11

Guy Peartree took a break from portraying Frederick Douglass to hold a workshop titled "Dramatic Story Telling as a Window into History" for WSU students and faculty in the Eager Auditorium. Peartree started by saying he takes a different approach to teaching and learning history. "History is a wonderful thing; living through it makes history come alive," he said. He uses dramatic storytelling techniques, placing emphasis on dialogue, voice, and pantomime, to become the historical characters he portrays.

Dramatic storytelling breaks down the barrier between the performer and the audience, he noted. The audience should feel connected to the story and be a part of the story rather than an observer. The workshop focused on bringing the "child" out of the participants. Children use storytelling as a form of play, Peartree explained. They have less inhibitions and their reality is about perception. "We forget how to play, be creative, imagine as we grow," he said.

Peartree reminded the participants that imagination has no boundaries. Any idea or object can be given a voice. Without notice, he lowered his voice and became Frederick Douglass. Peartree used his voice, facial expressions and body movements to carry his audience from the Eager Auditorium and onto a Southern slavery plantation. The performance was beautiful and captivating; it heightened every participant's curiosity and attentiveness. Peartree explained that portraying a historical character such as Frederick Douglass is a deeply personal endeavor. "To open the heart is a lifetime activity," he said. "To portray history or interpret history required constant self appraisal. To open my heart is the story of unfolding; it is the story of my becoming the truest self a self can be."

For more information on Guy Peartree, please visit www.GuyPeartree.com.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Vision Project Feedback
The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has launched an initiative called The Vision Project. The vision is to "produce the best-educated citizenry and workforce in the nation." Working groups were established in three areas: college participation, graduation and student success rates, and student learning outcomes and assessment. More information on this initiative can be found on the DHE website, http://www.mass.edu/currentinit/vpwgstudent.asp . The Commissioner has asked for feedback on the Phase Two Report of the Working Group on Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment from all public campuses in the state. Visit this site for the report. Please send any comments to Carol Lerch, clerch@worcester.edu by Friday, October 14.

SAVE THE DATE: Documentary and Photo Exhibit
A free showing of HAND HELD, a documentary film produced and directed by two-time Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Don Hahn will be shown on Monday, October 24 at 7 p.m. in the Ghosh Science Center Auditorium, Room 102. This extraordinary motion picture is about one guy with a camera, a band of New Englanders, four hundred thousand orphans, and the unforgettable story of how they changed each other's lives forever.

Mike Carroll was one of the first photographers to travel to Romania after the fall of the communist regime in 1989. He captured the heart wrenching stories of the pediatric AIDS epidemic in Romania. His incredible photographs ran in the Boston Globe and New York Times and opened the eyes of the western world to the plight of the Romanian children.

Photographer Mike Carroll will be present to speak about the film and the organization, Romanian Children's Relief (http://www.rcr.org/), which he founded. Carroll's photography will also be on exhibit in the Ghosh Lobby prior to the showing.

Sponsored by the Intergenerational Urban Institute, Urban Studies Department, WSU Theme Semester, the Center for Global Studies and the Center for the Study of Human Rights.

This event is free and open to the public. Donations welcome - all proceeds are donated to the Romanian Children's Relief.

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WSU IN THE NEWS:

Movers & Shakers
Worcester Business Journal 10/10/11
Worcester State University has hired SUZANNE POWERS as director of the Center for Business and Industry She previously worked at New England College of ...


College Town
Telegram & Gazette 10/9/11
Worcester State University will host "The World in a Cup: Coffee and Globalization," Also that day, as part of the Diversity Lecture Series, Marc Elliot will present...


Worcester State rallies past Owls in women's soccer
Telegram & Gazette 10/9/11
Worcester State 3, Westfield State 1: Senior Danielle Clifford, sophomore Gaby Gonet and Therese Morss scored in the second half as the host Lancers (8-3-1, 3-1 MASCAC) came back from...


Company Exemplifies Obama's "National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship"
EPA.gov
We make it a priority to be a good corporate neighbor, providing electronics recycling services to the City of Worcester and Worcester State University, among others, and operate programs...

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