California University

VOLUME 13, NUMBER 12 APRIL 11, 2011

‘Most Recognizable
Woman in Politics’
Speaks Tuesday

Brazile Headlines Conference on Civic
Engagement, Environmental Responsibility

A

by Terry Collins, a
uthor, syndicated
founder of the “green
columnist and TV
chemistry” field and
political
director of the Institute
commentator Donna
for Green Science at
Brazile will visit Cal U
Carnegie Mellon
Tuesday to headline a
University.
conference focusing on
Collins will discuss
environmental
“Green Chemistry: On
responsibility and civic
the Responsibility of
engagement.
Chemists to Advance
A veteran Democratic
Science with Human
political strategist and a
Health and the
native of New Orleans,
Donna Brazile
Environment Clearly in
Brazile is passionate about
Mind” at 11 a.m., also in
two issues: encouraging
Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre.
young people to participate in the
Rounding out the conference are two
political process and promoting the
economic and environmental recovery of panel discussions, both in Room 110 of
the Eberly Science and Technology
her storm-ravaged hometown.
Center:
Her keynote address at the
• At 2 p.m., Carla Suszkowski,
conference, Civic Responsibility: People,
regulatory and environmental manager
Policy and Politics, is scheduled for 7 p.m.
at Range Resources, will join Cal U
in Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre.
Brazile will hold a book signing after professors to address “Civic
Responsibility: Where Is the
her talk. Her best-selling memoir is
Leadership?”
Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in
• At 3:30 p.m., David Marks, energy
American Politics.
consultant to Allegheny Couty Council,
“Donna Bazile is one of the most
joins a panel to examine
recognizable women in politics,” said
“Environmental Challenges: Louisiana
Dr. Melanie Blumberg, professor of
and Pennsylvania.”
Political Science and Campus Director,
The conference is organized by Cal
American Democracy Project. “She is
U’s chapter of the American Democracy
known for her political acumen, incisive
Project, a multi-campus initiative focused
wit, and community activism.”
on higher education’s role in preparing
Blumberg emphasized that Brazile
the next generation of informed, engaged
will be challenging students to get
citizens. Sponsors for the midday panel
involved in their local communities.
discussions include the Linda and Harry
“One of her passions is encouraging
Serene Leadership Institute and the
students to become politically active
Leadership Studies program at Cal U.
rather than sit on the sidelines,”
All events are free and open to the public.
Blumberg said. ”She has a clear message,
For a complete schedule, a list of conference
which is sure to resonate with everyone
sponsors and information about other Cal U
regardless of their political persuasion.”
events, visit www.calu.edu .
The conference opens with a lecture

Dr. Mark Aune (left) says the ‘Intersections Undergraduate Research Conference,’ which
will be held Friday in the Performance Center, will give students in the Cal U Honors
Program a chance to make presentations to a local, supportive audience.

Honors Program
Co-hosts Friday’s
‘Intersections’

T

he Cal U Honors Program,
along with Robert Morris
University, will co-host the
second annual Intersections
Undergraduate Research Conference Friday
in the Performance Center.
The event highlights intersections
between various academic disciplines,
research and methodologies.
Dr. Mark Aune, interim assistant
director of Cal U’s Honors Program,
said the conference helps students to be
better prepared for national conferences
in their specific disciplines, or for events
such as the National Conference on
Undergraduate Research.
“One of the cornerstones of the
Honors Program has always been
encouraging students to pursue their
own research projects,” said Aune.
“Presenting at academic conferences is

an important part of this process.
Intersections gives students an
opportunity to make conference
presentations to a local, supportive
audience.”
Aune emphasized that students
play a major role in this event — and
not only by presenting papers. The
planning began almost a year ago, after
Robert Morris hosted the initial
conference last spring. After reserving a
location on campus, the students
advertised the conference regionally,
nationally and among their peers.
“The students have been very
heavily and enthusiastically involved,”
Aune said. “For the past few weeks
they have been evaluating, ranking and
organizing dozens of paper proposals.
They will coordinate a schedule,
— Continued on page 2

Conference Celebrates Music,
Literature of Appalachia

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Cal U student Adam Sutch gives a hammered dulcimer lesson to Valerie
Shumaker. Sutch, a nationally recognized dulcimer player, will perform
and conduct a workshop as part of today’s conference celebrating
Appalachian culture.

ennifer Haigh, author of the New York
Times best-seller Baker Towers, will deliver
the keynote address at Celebrating Appalachia
in Word and Song, a daylong conference today on
campus.
The conference highlights the people of
Northern Appalachia, as well as the literature,
poetry and music of an area that encompasses
portions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New
York, Maryland and Ohio.
Haigh will discuss her western Pennsylvania
roots in “From a Deep Well: Writing My
Appalachia.” Her talk opens the conference at 9

a.m. in the Performance Center inside the Natali
Student Union.
Other highlights:
• Readings by West Virginia midwife Patricia
Harman, author of The Blue Cotton Gown and
Arms Wide Open, published this spring; and by
IUP professor Damian Dressick, author of 40
Patchtown.
• Poetry by Dr. Norma Thomas, director of
Cal U’s Master of Social Work program, whose
writing reflects the African-American experience
in Appalachia.
— Continued on page 3

Wecht Touts Potential
of Forensic Science

F

Dr. Cyril Wecht discusses the burgeoning field of forensic science with Cal U students and
faculty during a presentation in the Eberly Science and Technology Center.

or decades, forensic pathologist
Dr. Cyril Wecht has been called
to comment on the nation’s most
notorious and sensational crimes. He
provided expert testimony about the
death of Robert Kennedy in 1968. He
examined the medical records after
Elvis Presley’s death in 1977, wrote a
book about the 1996 murder of
JonBenet Ramsey and examined the
body of murder victim Laci Peterson
and her unborn son in 2003.
Wecht shared his thoughts on these
cases — and on the burgeoning field of
forensic science — with about 60 Cal
U students and faculty on March 29 in
the Eberly Science and Technology
Center.
“Not only is this an exciting and
intellectually stimulating field, it’s one
where there are an increasing number
of job opportunities,” he told the
students.
In addition to pathologists, forensic
scientists may have expertise in
psychiatry, computer analysis, digital
information or even nursing.
“In this field, the promise and
potential are great,” said Wecht, the
former Allegheny County coroner.
He described a number of famous
cases in which he has been involved,
including the investigation into the
death of President John F. Kennedy.

Wecht testified about the assassination
before a House select committee in
1978, disputing the “single bullet
theory” proposed by the Warren
Commission and later chiding the
commission for not challenging a
poorly performed autopsy on the
president.
“It was a mess,” he said.
Ultimately, the value of forensic
investigations hinges on the skills and
the character of the investigators,
Wecht noted.
“It’s the honestly, decency and
integrity, as well as the knowledge and
ability of those who do this work, that
makes the difference. … Ethically and
legally, you must never express
opinions as absolute certainties in a
court of law. These things are not as
absolute as you might think.”
The program concluded with a brief
talk by Wecht’s son, Ben, who
described the certificate program
offered to Cal U students in
cooperation with the Cyril H. Wecht
Institute of Forensic Science and Law
at Duquesne University.
The 12-to 18-credit program,
delivered online, is supplemented with
live sessions at Duquesne that focus on
crime scene investigations, behavioral
analysis interviews and a mock
criminal trial.

Academic Excellence in the Spotlight

S

howcasing the talents of faculty
and students, California
University’s Faculty Professional
Development Committee will present the
fifth annual Academic Excellence Days
on April 20-21. This year’s Academic
Excellence theme is “The Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning.”
A variety of activities designed to
stimulate academic excellence will take
place each day from 8 a.m. -3:30 p.m. in
the Natali Student Center.
Dozens of faculty and student
presentations are scheduled for the twoday event, including the Service and
Service-Learning Poster Session, from 10
a.m.-1 p.m April 20, and the FPDC’s
Research Subcommittee Event (“The
Student Scholarship, Research &
Creativity Day Poster Session”) from 10
a.m-1 p.m. April 21.
In addition, the recipients of the
Building Academic Excellence Through
Learning Communities Award will be
recognized at this event.
The Academic Excellence program,
initiated by and supported through the

Showcasing the talents of faculty and students, the Faculty Professional Development
Committee will present the fifth annual Academic Excellence Days on April 20-21.

FPDC, awards competitive grants to
faculty and staff who want to plan a
learning community to foster academic
excellence, intellectual rigor and civil

discourse. Proposed learning
communities must be multidisciplinary
and include students, staff and faculty.
Recipients of the 2010 awards will

report on their work on last year’s
project. The 2011 recipients will launch
their learning communities during this
year’s Academic Excellence Days and
wrap them up at the 2012 event.
Attendees will have the opportunity
to win a USB flash drive at every
presentation. In addition, attendees will
have the opportunity to win an iPad that
will be given away each day.
A continental breakfast and lunch
buffet will be served both days at the
Performance Center, from 7:30-9 a.m.
and from 11 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Cal U vocal groups will perform from
noon-1 p.m. April 20, and student
artwork will be on display both days.
Dr. Kurt Kearcher, associate
professor of English, director of the
Writing Center and coordinator of the
Faculty Center, and Patricia McClain,
the AED event coordinator, encourage
the University community to
participate.
For more information and each day’s
schedule, contact the FPDC office at 724-9384505 or e-mail fpdc@calu.edu .

Honors Program Co-Hosts Friday’s ‘Intersections’
— Continued from page 1

making sure every participant gets a chance to share
his or her research.”
Cal U students scheduled to present papers are
Chad Morrow, Kristin Orrett, Anna Gerald, Jonathan
Thomas, Angelina Lorenzo, Emma Geiger, Sean
Carnathan, Tannis Stants, Dennis Zellers, Jessica
Marcinizyn, Veronica Kerekes, Rebecca Geiger, Joe
Harclerode, Amanda Skena and BethAnn Wilson.
Organizers include Rachael Merlo, Sean
Carnathan, Ashlyn Koval, Chad McCauley, Brittaney
Stephanik, Ali Dodson, Amy Lanese, and Harrison
Foster.

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“We are particularly excited about the large number
of freshmen who are getting their first experience with
an academic conference,” Aune added. “We plan to
use the knowledge we gained from last year’s
conference to organize similar sessions for this year.”
Cal U faculty organizers include Drs. Sarah
Downey, Ayanna Lyles, Rebecca and Gregg Gould.
Dr. Andrae Marak is the interim director of the
Honors Program.
Aune is planning to have a group of Cal U students
base a presentation on material from a Shakespearean
literature course he currently is teaching.
The student project looks at how Shakespeare’s
play “As You Like It” changes as it is experienced in

different media. The students have read the play,
viewed it on film and attended a live performance.
Marak will be organizing a session on a course he
teaches about poverty.
Aune, Marak and the student organizers from Cal U
— along with Robert Morris honors program directors
Drs. Monica Van Dieren and Philip Harold — will
make a presentation the National Collegiate Honors
Council conference this October in Phoenix, Ariz.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to
showcase our program and the hard work of many
people,” Aune said.
To see the undergraduate research projects, visit the
Performance Center from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday.

Battle of the Bots
Students from dozens of local high schools led custom-built robots into battle when
BotsIQ hosted its sixth annual preliminary regional competition March 25-26 in the
Performance Center. The winners move on to the regional competition this
weekend at Westmoreland County Community College. At left, Fayette County
Vo-Tech students Brandon Herring (left) and Nick Payton work together to repair
their robot after a crash. Above (from left), Frazier High School’s Tyler Domonkos,
Eddie Miller, James Palmer and Gabby Campbell react to their robot’s crash.

Campus BRIEFS
Hip-hop Conference
Set for April 20-22
Cal U’s sixth annual Hip-hop Conference will
take place April 20-22, with
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson and Doug E. Fresh
headlining the event.
A radio host and professor of
sociology at Georgetown
University, Dyson has written
more than a dozen books,
including the best-selling
discourse on hip-hop Know What
I Mean?
Michael Eric Dyson
Fresh is a rapper, record
producer and a pioneer of beatboxing — using vocal
effects to imitate drum machines and produce other
special effects.
Hip-hop duo Dead Prez will appear at the annual
“Tribute to the 5 Elements of Hip-hop.”
Admission is free. All conference events are open
to the public.
For a complete conference schedule, visit
www.calu.edu .

Institute, Law School
Co-sponsor Seminar
The Institute for Law and Public Policy at Cal U
teamed up with Ave Maria School of Law (AMSL)
in Naples, Fla., for a continuing legal education
seminar, “Law, Ethics, and Religion in America.”

The program was presented April 9 by Kevin
Govern, an instructor in Cal U’s Masters in Legal
Studies program and an associate professor of law at
Ave Maria.
AMSL is a highly regarded, Catholic, national
law school that welcomes students of all faiths.
Founded in 1999 by Thomas S. Monaghan, creator
and former owner of Domino’s Pizza, the school
moved from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Naples in 2009.
The alliance between a regional state university
and an American Bar Association-approved law
school is likely a first in the history of Cal U, says
institute director Dr. Charles Nemeth. The seminar is
approved for continuing legal education by both the
Florida and Pennsylvania Continuing Legal
Education boards.
Information about the Institute for Law and
Public Policy and its offerings is available online;
visit www.calu.edu , click on “Information for …
Business and Community” and look for the
institute’s name. To reach the institute by phone, call
724-597-7401.

GACO Hosts Seminar April 20
Cal U’s Government Agency Coordination Office
(GACO) will host a seminar on “Basics of Federal
Government Contracting” 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. April
20 at the Comfort Inn Conference Center, Penn Hills.
This free seminar will provide attendees with a
basic understanding of federal government
contracting.
The federal government spends about $425 billion

annually on a variety of goods and services to
support its operations. The government is ready to do
business on a competitive basis with qualified
companies that can supply needed products and
services.
For program information, contact Kate Glodek,
Cal U’s GACO director of its Pittsburgh office, at
412-237-6098 or glodek@calu.edu .

Cal U Welcomes Biologists
for Annual Meeting
Cal U will host the annual meeting of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University
Biologists this Friday and Saturday.
Founded in 1973, CPUB emphasizes
undergraduate student research and provides funds
for that research through a competitive grant process.
Its activities have included scientific meetings,
symposia and institutes for the professional
development of its members and associates. The
organization also provides a forum for graduate and
undergraduate students to present their research.
For more information, contact Dr. Bryan Paulson at
724-938-5978 or paulson@calu.edu, or visit the CPUB
website at http://academics.sru.edu/cpub .

Read the Journal Online
The online Journal is easier to read! Just click on
“News” at the top of the Cal U homepage,
www.calu.edu , then choose “Cal U Journal” to see
the current edition in its new format.

Appalachian Culture Focus of Conference

— Continued from page 1

Author Jennifer Haigh will be the keynote
speaker at today’s conference.

• Music by western Pennsylvania heritage band The
NewLanders and nationally recognized dulcimer player Adam
Sutch, a student at Cal U. He also will lead a workshop on
playing the dulcimer.
• Instruction on using primary sources to explore Northern
Appalachia, led by Dr. Michael Brna, director of Cal U’s
Teaching with Primary Sources program.
Panel presentations are planned on such topics as
Appalachian identity, child exploitation and the impacts of
drilling in the Marcellus shale.
The conference is sponsored by the Northern
Appalachian Network, which promotes and disseminates
teaching, scholarship and service focused on this region and
its people.
“As we struggle to understand ourselves and others, we

sometimes forget to look to our own region, our shared
history, and the many ways in which ‘place’ shapes and
informs our lives,” said Dr. Pamela Twiss, chair of the Social
Work Department and a co-coordinator of the Northern
Appalachian Network.
“We hope this conference is a step toward creating a space
in which teachers, students and community members can
gather to celebrate our region and to discuss the opportunities
and challenges that we face.”
Conference check-in begins at 8 a.m. in the Natali Student
Center.
Conference fee is $65; cost for students with a valid ID is
$20. Same-day registration for the keynote address only is $10.
Act 48 hours and CEUs for social workers, professional
counselors and marriage and family therapists are available.
Registration information and a full schedule of events is
available online at www.calu.edu .

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Spring Game Honors
Alumni, Introduces Players

C

Spring Time at Cal U
Cal U psychology major Encore Mehta enjoys a nice spring day by
playing his guitar on the campus Quad.

al U’s football team will end its spring drills
Saturday by hosting the Black & Red Spring
Game at Adamson Stadium’s Hepner-Bailey
Field. Presented by Atria’s Restaurant, Lee Supply
Co. and Washington Financial, the game will begin
at 1 p.m.
Before the game, the Vulcans will honor past
standout players Wes Cates ’02 and Mickey Sahady
’62 with an on-the-field ceremony. At halftime, Cal U
will introduce its new players for the 2011season and
announce the recipient of the DeMichela Award for
leadership, spirit and hustle in spring practice.
This award is named after alumnus Michael
DeMichela ’76, an all-conference tight end who was
the driving force behind the alumni game event that
was contested for 30 years from 1979-2008.
After the game, spectators will be allowed onto the
field for photographs and autographs with the players.
The traditional Spring Game “smoker” will be held
afterward, at 4 p.m. at Lagerheads in Coal Center.
Cal U’s career leading rusher, Cates gained 5,647
yards with 63 rushing touchdowns from 1998-2001.
For the past five years he has been a star running
back in the Canadian Football League. In 2010 he
rushed for 1,045 yards with 15 touchdowns in his
fourth season with Saskatchewan. He is a 2006 Cal U
Athletic Hall of Fame inductee.
Sahady is chairman of the board and CEO of
AVID Medical. He founded MedSurg Industries
(now Isolyser) in 1976. There he developed a
pioneering system for computerized quoting and

Ten years after becoming Cal U’s career leading
rusher, Wes Cates ’02 will be honored during
Saturday’s Black & Red Spring Football Game.

inventory management.
The Vulcans, six-time defending PSAC-West
champions, open the 2011 season by hosting St.
Cloud State (Minn). on Sept. 1. Over the past four
years, Cal U has compiled a 46-9 cumulative record
with a 26-1 divisional mark.
For more information on the April 16 football festivities,
call Leslie Fleenor in Alumni Relations at 724-938-4418.

Smith Earns All-American Honors

S

enior Kayla Smith ended her
extraordinary collegiate career
by being named to the
Women’s Basketball Coaches
Association (WBCA) and Daktronics
All-America teams.
The WBCA lists just 10 studentathletes on the roster for its AllAmerican Team.
Members of Daktronics’ first
team are chosen through a vote by
sports information directors at each
of the NCAA Division II schools
sponsoring women’s basketball.
The lone PSAC player on the
three Daktronics All-American
teams, forward Smith becomes the
fourth Cal U player to earn WBCA
National All-America honors,
joining Brooque Williams, Sara
McKinney and Becky Siembak.
Smith, the 2011 PSAC-West
Women’s Basketball Athlete of the
Year, led the 16-team league in
scoring this season with a career-high
18.5 points per game average. She
ranked second statewide, with 12.4
rebounds and a .549 field-goal
percentage (200-of-364).
A four-time All-PSAC-West First
Team selection, Smith finished her
career as the all-time leading
rebounder in Cal U history and

second in the PSAC with 1,307.
The West Virginia native scored
2,096 points in her career, making
her one of only three players in
school history — along with
Williams (2007-2010) and McKinney
(2002-2005) — to produce 2,000
points and 1,000 rebounds.
Smith set another school record
with 477 free throws. She ranks third
in team history in points, made field
goals (808) and blocks (162), and
ranks fifth in steals with 245.
She achieved 66 career doubledoubles, with 47 of those coming
over her final 62 games.
“We’re very proud of Kayla, and
her accolades are all attributed to her
determination and hard work,” said
head coach Mark Swasey, “She’s
one of the hardest working players I
have ever coached, on and off the
court.”
Aided by Smith’s dominant play,
Cal rolled to a 23-8 overall record in
2010-2011. The team advanced to the
PSAC championship game for an
11th straight season and made its
10th consecutive appearance in the
NCAA Division II Tournament.
The Vulcans’ cumulative record
during the Smith era was 103-28
(.786).

‘Gasland’
Film,
Marcellus
Shale Panel
Wednesday

G

Kayla Smith is Cal U’s career leading rebounder
and the program’s fourth national All-American.

asland, a 2010
documentary film written
and directed by Josh Fox,
will be shown at 3 p.m.
Wednesday in Room 110 of the
Eberly Science and Technology
Center.
The film focuses on
communities in the United States
that have been affected by natural
gas drilling and, specifically, a
stimulation method known as
hydraulic fracturing.
After the film is shown,
speakers including Ericka Staaf
from PennEnvironment and
Washington County
Commissioner Bracken Burns will
participate in a panel discussion,
“Marcellus Shale Play in PA:
Environmental, Social and
Economic Impacts.”
A question-and-answer session
follows.

The California Journal is published weekly by California University of Pennsylvania, a member of The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
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University President

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Vice President for University Technology Services

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Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

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Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

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Editor

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Vice President for Student Affairs

Robert Thorn
Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance

Bruce Wald, Wendy Mackall, Jeff Bender
Writers

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