California University

Volume 21, Number 18 DEC. 9, 2019
KEEP UP WITH CAL U NEWS ONLINE: calu.edu/news

Prof Goes
From
Stats to
Mysteries

S

Ivy Savidge, a junior anthropology major, researches and compares notes from the 1930s in an effort to identify human remains from the
Greene County Historical Society.

Cal U Helps to Catalog Native
American Remains

T

he Greene County Historical
Society is partnering with
Cal U to help identify and match
hundreds of uncatalogued remains,
believed to be from Native Americans.
The bones — teeth, skulls and
other fragments — need to be reported
under terms of the Native American
Graves Repatriation Act, says Matthew
Cumberledge, executive director of the
historical society.
The goal is to report the remains
and to facilitate the process if any tribal
descendants should wish to claim them
for burial.
Dr. Cassandra Kuba, a professor

of anthropology at Cal U, and nine
students have been working throughout
the fall semester on the project. The
work is expected to continue through
spring.
They are analyzing 700 adult teeth,
150 baby teeth, 30 skulls, not all of them
complete, and other parts, including
42 mandible pieces, to verify they are
Native American and match what they
can.
“They are taking measurements and
taking note of evidence of disease or
infection or other features that might
allow us to reaffiliate the remains,” Kuba
says.

“The measurements of certain teeth
should be consistent, and there are
certain diseases that affect the health
of bones that allow us to say they came
from the same person. It tests (the
students’) ability to determine if separate
fragments really do belong together.
“The remains could represent 10
different sites or more from all sorts of
time periods.”
Cumberledge says the remains were
excavated in the 1930s, in some cases
by founding members of the historical
society.
“Under the Works Progress
— Continued on page 3

tatistically speaking, it’s unlikely
that a math expert would publish
a mystery novel under a pen
name.
But the odds were favorable for
Cal U’s Dr. Melissa Sovak, a professor
in the Department of Math, Computer
Science and Information Systems, who
released her first fiction novel on
Nov. 26.
The Secret of Dunhaven Castle
follows Cate Kensie, an adjunct history
professor at a local university, and her
dog, Riley. Kensie inherits a castle in
Scotland but must live in it first. She
soon experiences strange occurrences
as she tries to figure out the castle’s
secrets.
“Cate quickly finds out this is not
quite the fairytale she thought, and
there’s much more to her inheritance
than she realizes,” Sovak said.
Sovak decided to write the book
as a surprise for her mother’s birthday
in June 2019. To expand her views on
how to bring characters and a story to
life, she completed a five-class online
creative writing certificate.
Beta readers — those who read an
provide feedback on manuscripts before
they are published — liked the book.
So did her mom.
“Of course, she’s biased because
she’s my mother, but she read it, liked
it and so did the other readers,” said
Sovak, who coordinates Cal U’s B.S. in
Statistics and Data Science program.
“Hopefully many other readers will
enjoy it too.”
She is working on the second
— Continued on page 3

Winter Commencement Set for Dec. 13-14

C

Col. Lance D. Oskey ´93 will address
students at Winter Commencement.

ol. Lance D. Oskey ’93,
will address graduate and
undergraduate students at the
University’s 189th Commencement.
Master’s and doctoral degree
candidates will receive their diplomas
and be vested in their academic hoods
at 7 p.m. Dec. 13. Undergraduate
Commencement begins at 10 a.m. Dec.
14. Both ceremonies will be held in the
Convocation Center arena.
In all, more than 1,000 students are
expected to graduate, including those who
choose not to attend Commencement.
University President
Geraldine M. Jones will confer degrees
and greet each graduate who walks
across the stage. Graduates’ families and
friends are welcome to attend.
Cal U’s Winter Commencement
recognizes students who completed their

studies in August and December 2019.
Both ceremonies can be viewed
live online at calu.edu/news. For more
information, visit calu.edu/events/
commencement.
Oskey is stationed at Fort Knox,
Kentucky, where he is Chief of Staff,
U.S. Army Cadet Command.
Oskey began his military career at
Cal U, where he was an ROTC cadet and
a Distinguished Military Graduate. He
received his first military commission, as
an Army second lieutenant, at Old Main
in 1993, and he celebrated his promotion
to colonel in a ceremony at the Kara
Alumni House in 2014.
Oskey’s service includes deployments
to Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan, in
addition to many stateside assignments.
Before his appointment as chief of staff,
he was commander of the 7th Brigade,

U.S. Army Cadet Command, also at
Fort Knox.
His awards and decorations
include the Bronze Star Service Medal
with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the
Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert
Infantryman’s Badge and Ranger Tab.
In 2019 he received the Rear Admiral
William R. Furlong Award for Military
Service from the Cal U Alumni
Association.
In addition to his bachelor’s degree
in business finance from Cal U, Oskey
holds a master’s degree in international
relations from Troy State University,
Alabama, and a master’s degree in
strategic studies from the Army War
College.
Oskey and his wife, Amy Boehm
Oskey ’94, have a son who is a college
sophomore.

Page 2

W

DEC. 9, 2019

Garden a Delight to the Senses

hen you’re 4 years old,
words like “vegetation” and
“nutrition” are B-I-G.
“Those are some big words,”
acknowledges Dr. Denise Joseph, an
associate professor and director of
Cal U’s Learning and Language Center
in the Communication Disorders
Department. “But it’s all part of their
vocabulary development as they get ready
for kindergarten.”
As part of a “Pennsylvania
habitats” lesson, 13 children in the
center’s preschool program and their
teachers — Cal U students majoring in
communication disorders — spent a fine
fall October day learning about squirrels.
At the same time, they focused on
important speech and language objectives
like sequencing, following one and twostep verbal directions and increasing
vocabulary.
And then the fun part: Jackets on,
out they flowed from their classroom to a
garden located just outside their Morgan
Hall classroom, where they got to fill
feeders with squirrel-friendly food and
make squirrel food cookies.
“They loved working with the
peanut butter,” says graduate student
Camryn Dugan, who led the lesson.
The outside spot is known as a
sensory garden, a collection of plants and
materials that stimulate seeing, hearing,
smelling, touching and tasting.
A sensory garden can be enjoyed
by anyone who simply wants to relax,
but it is especially wonder-inspiring for
children, whether they’re developing
normally or delayed.
Cal U’s garden was developed in
a cross-discipline collaboration led by
Joseph, associate professor and director
of the Learning and Language Center,
and Dr. Sarah Meiss, associate professor
of biology. The two received a $5,000
grant from the Faculty Professional
Development Committee at Cal U to get
the garden growing, with an emphasis
on plants and structures that encourage
learning and play.
Joseph and Meiss met at Cal U,
but came up with the idea of a sensory
garden while both were attending
classes at Phipps Conservatory and
Botanical Gardens for Master Gardener
Certification. The sensory garden

Graduate student Maura Glennon looks on as Makayla Reynard and her friends hang a squirrel feeder in the sensory garden outside of Morgan Hall.

seemed like a perfect project to meet two
objectives, improving interdisciplinary
collaboration and providing the children
with a unique environment for hands-on
learning experiences.  
“Dr. Joseph and I met often to figure
out what we wanted in the garden,”
Meiss says. “She wanted plants with
color and texture. We also wanted
perennials and ways to grow vegetables
in the winter so the children could use
the garden year round. She tells me what
she’d like to have to achieve goals and
objectives outlined in the curriculum,
and then I make designs and suggestions
about what will work.”
The University’s sensory garden
includes an educational space; a
pollinator garden loved by bees and
butterflies; an art station that highlights
the rainbow of plant colors; plants of
different tastes, textures and smells; a
sensory walkway with stones that all feel
differently under little feet; and a music
space with wind chimes and plastic pipes
that make beautiful noises.
Students in Cal U’s Sustainability
Club pitched in, spreading soil, planting
beds, painting objects. Selecting and
planting flowers, spreading soil, painting
planters, placing decorative rocks, and
making the best use of the space are

some of the projects always underway.
Each semester 32 graduate students
and about 30 undergraduate students
studying to become speech language
pathologists complete a practicum in
the Learning and Language Center. The
preschool program enrolls 14 children
each academic year. They may be
developing normally or have speech or
language issues.
The preschool program is a
laboratory school for Cal U students
who are training to be speech language
pathologists. One of the objectives is to
learn strategies to integrate Pennsylvania
Common Core State Standards, including
Scientific Thinking and Technology, into
their classroom interventions.
“Integrating skill areas outside of
their traditional scope of practice presents
challenges, creating the critical need for
speech language pathology students to
develop skills to work collaboratively
with professionals in other disciplines
in unrelated specialty areas,” Meiss and
Joseph wrote in their grant proposal.
The garden is the perfect place to
enhance children’s education development
and social interaction and also address
the core curriculum standards.
“We want Cal U students to know
that they can take an integrated approach

with a discipline other than theirs, like
a science class, and still be an effective
speech therapist,” Joseph says.
“The activity with the squirrel
feeders involves following directions
and sequencing. Those are speech and
language goals that also mesh with the
biology lesson. This garden helps to
prepare our students for situations when
speech therapy happens in an integrated
classroom setting.”
Dugan agrees.
“It’s very important for speech
language pathologists to be educated in
all the fields,” she says. “We introduced
the word ‘vegetarian’ — that’s a big
word. When we went outside for the
activity, they didn’t say the word exactly
right, but they definitely had the concept
of what it means. That was awesome!
That’s exactly how speech and language
concepts can be integrated.”
“It’s a great reinforcement to the
lesson,” says Megan Teres, a graduate
assistant in communication disorders.
“Children love hands-on activities, and as
speech language therapists we always try
to incorporate all aspects of learning.”
To learn more about majors in
Communication Disorders and Biological
and Environmental Sciences, visit
calu.edu/academics.

Cal U Hosts Parks and Recreation Conference

C

al U students majoring
in parks and recreation
management learned from the
pros during the Pennsylvania Recreation
and Park Society’s District 1 Fall
Workshop.
Various professionals from parks,
recreation and leisure programming
organizations in western Pennsylvania
engaged in interactive sessions that
covered outdoor fitness courses, inclusive
playgrounds and playground surfacing.
“Hosting this workshop allows
students the opportunity to network
with professionals from the parks and
recreation field and learn firsthand the
trends and issues surrounding the parks
and recreation profession,” said
Dr. Candice Riley, assistant professor in
the Department of Earth Sciences.
One of the students taking advantage
of the conference was Logan Tew, a
junior and president of Cal U’s Parks
and Recreation Society, which hosted the
conference.
“These events help us improve our

Steve Baker, a sales representative for Snider Recreation, speaks at the fall workshop.

networking skills and earn internship
opportunities that can potentially lead to
jobs,” he said. “PRPS District 1 is very
local, so this conference really opens up a
lot of doors for us.”
Dr. Tom Wickham, professor in the

Department of Earth Sciences, said the
conference also provides a venue for
students to showcase some of the offcampus projects or events they’ve helped
to organize.
This semester students from his

master planning course are designing
and creating a comprehensive plan for
the West Brownsville American Legion’s
outdoor recreation facility.
Riley’s students worked with
Washington County Parks and
Recreation to design a disc golf course at
Mingo Creek County Park.
Tew and other Cal U students also
helped the Peters Township Parks and
Recreation and Public Library manage
and lead tours during their annual
“Haunted Trail XX: Walk into the
Darkness” kickoff to the Halloween
season.
“We bring students to these meetings
so they can meet the professionals and
also to find out about more projects we
can have our classes become involved
with,” Wickham said.
“Everyone graduates with the same
parks and rec degree, but it’s what have
you done that matters. Our students are
volunteering with community projects,
working with young kids and doing the
extra work, which sets them apart.”

DEC. 9, 2019

Page 3

Speaker
Spotlights
Food
Insecurity

A
Donations Fill Manderino Library Spot
Students Andrew Yankovich (left) and Roger Hansbarger, both members of Phi Gamma Delta, along with Chris Johnston, Cal U’s director of parking
and transportation, volunteer at a food drive at Cal U. The University’s Office of Parking and Transportation and Center for Volunteer Programs and
Service Learning organized the drive to fill a parking spot in front of Manderino Library with nonperishable food items. The drive, which benefited the
Cal U Cupboard campus food pantry, was part of Cal U’s observation of the national Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

Prof Goes From Stats to Mysteries
— Continued from page 1
novel in a separate series. Shadows
of the Past, featuring heroine
Celine Devereaux, is scheduled to
be published in early 2020. Sovak is
consulting with Cal U’s Graphic Design
Club for the cover design.
Sovak said she always wanted to
write a novel because, while there’s
considerable creativity in statistics, it’s
not the same as telling a story.
“It’s a way for me to tap into my
creative fire that I want to use and do
things beyond the science field,” she
said.
“For me it’s a relaxing outlet. I often
write at night before bed and then I can’t
sleep because I get so excited I want to
keep going.”
Extensively published on topics such
as statistical reasoning and color models
for image decomposition, Sovak uses
the pen name Nellie H. Steele for her
fiction work. Her grandmother’s maiden
name is Steele and her sister and Sovak’s
great aunt, Helene, share the nickname
Nell.
“There’s no secrecy involved with
the pen name,” Sovak said. “I have
publications professionally under my
name and did not want people to
Google me and see stats books and the
Dunhaven book and be confused on one
end or the other.”
Cate Kensie is not using statistics to

Dr. Melissa Sovak, a professor in the Department of Math, Computer Science and
Information Systems, has released a mystery novel.

solve secrets in the first novel, but there
are elements of academia.
“As she goes through some rather
strange experiences Cate’s very researchoriented, keeps note sheets, researches
questions and is very science-y as she
approaches things,” Sovak said.
“But she’s more into the liberal arts
and history side of things.”
Sovak is pleased to have added
fiction writing among her many skills.
“I’m used to writing and fixing other

people’s code, and this is a complete
contrast for me,” she said. “When I
think where I was when I started this
process last January, it’s really exciting.
“It’s almost like a second career for
me but it’s not, it’s just fun.”
The Secret of Dunhaven Castle
can be ordered through e-book or
paperback through Amazon, Barnes
and Noble, Kobo and Apple Books.
For more information visit
www.anovelideapublishing.com.

Cal U Helps to Catalog Remains

— Continued from page 1

Administration, archaeologists and amateur archaeologists
were paid to excavate sites,” he says.
“Unfortunately, over the last 70-plus years, the remains
have been moved and repacked, and they lack context. They
were all in one box, somewhat loose. One or two sets may be
connected to a specific site, but the rest are not.
“Today, if you came across human remains at a site,
all work would immediately cease. That was not the case
then.”
Cumberledge says the historical society appreciates the
collaboration.
“I’m not an anthropologist, and you don’t just look in the
Yellow Pages to find someone who does this type of scientific
study,” he says. “Dr. Kuba and her students have been a
tremendous asset, and the enthusiasm the students have had

for this project and the care with which they have treated the
remains has been exceptional.”
Cearra Mihal, a senior anthropology major, has spent
much of the semester in the Frich Hall lab.
“Working with co-mingled remains means having to go
through and test what I’ve learned for four years,” she says.
“We’ve had to decide if the differences we see in the bones are
the result of pathologies or normal deviations.
“The fact that we can help (the historical society) out
with this project makes me feel good. It’s a great learning
opportunity for us, and it helps them solve some mysteries.”
Adds Cumberledge: “To a small degree, I feel like I’ve
gotten to meet these people,” he says. “Dr. Kuba has shared
what she has learned from studying the remains, and I’ve
gotten a sense of who they were as people, as opposed to the
bland, impersonal facts. On a human level, it’s been quite a
wonderful experience.”

mber Deemer, a trained
dietitian and development
officer for the Greater
Pittsburgh Community Food Bank,
spoke at Cal U’s Vulcan Theatre about
food insecurity on Nov. 14.
Her presentation was part of the
What’s the T? Thoughtful Discussions
About National Narratives, a monthly
series sponsored and developed by the
Student Affairs Diversity Committee.   
It was also the first of several
initiatives during Cal U’s Hunger
and Homelessness Awareness Week
planned by the Center for Volunteer
Programs and Service Learning.
The food bank services 400 agencies
in 11 counties. Food insecurity — lack
of access to safe and nutritious food —
affects one in seven American adults
and one in five children, Deemer said.
“Food insecurity does not look
like one particular person — they’re
not white, not black not tall or short,”
she said. “Food insecurity looks
really different for a lot of different
people, and there’s a lot of negativity
surrounding it.
“It’s also something that can
happen to any of us at any time.”
Last year, with the help of some
6,000 volunteers and funding from
Feeding America, the food bank
distributed 10 million pounds of
produce and 35.5 million meals.
“Those are numbers we are really
proud of,” she said. “But we still have
a long way to go, and want to get to 60
million meals by 2025.”
Deemer met with Diane Hasbrouck,
the director of the Center for Volunteer
Programs and Service Learning, and
students who are involved in the
Homeless and Hunger Awareness
Week and assist with the Cal U
Cupboard food pantry.
The cupboard, in the Natali Student
Center, Room 119, stocks canned food,
microwavable meals, pasta, breakfast
items and snacks, as well as school
supplies, apples and hygiene items.  
Office hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
weekdays; the cupboard is open
10 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays. For
information, call 724-938-4793 or
email calucupboard@calu.edu.
“Coming here today was really
encouraging, and speaking with Diane
and her students, I realize how much
they love this community,” Deemer said.
“You are doing awesome things here
that may not seem huge, but they are.”
Jahneek Fant, a sophomore
secondary education and mathematics
major, who is a community assistant
in Smith Hall, found the presentation
worthwhile.
“I wanted to learn different ways
to advocate about food insecurity and
apply that to my residents, to let them
know that someone is there for them if
they have any food problems,” he said.
“We have the support here on campus
and perhaps there’s a way to have at
least canned food or some mini pantry
available for people in our hall.
“We came to learn and this was
good.”

Page 4

DEC. 9, 2019

State
System
Advances
Redesign

Pennsylvania’s State System
of Higher Education advanced its
redesign efforts recently as its Board of
Governors approved historic budgetary
and policy measures aimed at
increasing collaboration, transparency,
and cost-efficiencies among its 14
universities.
At its most recent quarterly meeting,
the board authorized the chancellor to
seek each year for the next five years a
line item appropriation from the state
Legislature up to a five-year total of
$100 million. The non-recurring funds
would be used to create enhanced
online learning opportunities; transform
information technology including
student information services; and a
new consortium of shared services to
support the System Redesign effort.
The consortium is being developed
with the goal of sharing services and
leveraging the State System’s massive
scale to realize long-term cost savings.
“We’ve made substantial progress
in many areas such as transparency
and affordability that are central to the
success of public higher education in
Pennsylvania,” State System Chancellor
Dan Greenstein said. “Current and
future students are counting on us to
make quality public higher education
affordable and accessible.”
To increase transparency and
accountability, the Board also approved
a new financial sustainability policy
for all 14 universities. The new policy
standardizes terminology and metrics
used to determine a university’s
financial wellbeing with the goal of
improving financial stability through
collaboration across the system.
Eight employees at Cal U are either
leading or serving on redesign teams
that meet in Harrisburg on a regular
basis.

Important Dates

Dec. 13: Residence halls close at 8 p.m.
Dec. 16: Winter College classes begin;
the online classes end Jan. 17.
Dec. 23-26: Holiday break (University
closed).
Jan. 19: Residence halls reopen at
9 a.m. for new students, noon for
returning students.
Jan. 20: University offices closed
(Martin Luther King, Jr. Day).
Jan. 21: First day of classes for the
2020 spring semester.
March 9-13: Spring break for faculty
and students.
May 4-8: Exam Week.
May 8-9: Commencement ceremonies.

Cal U’s men’s rugby team looks for continued success following a memorable fall season.

Memorable Season for Rugby

C

al U’s Men’s Rugby Team will head into the spring
season after a memorable showing this fall.
For the first time in program history, Cal U
competed in the National Small College Rugby Organization’s
(NSCRO-15) Central Region Challenge Cup Championships,
which were contested in Columbia, Mo.
Coached by alumnus Bill Marnell ´09, the Vulcans clinched
a spot in the Region semifinals and represented the NSCRO
Three Rivers Conference following their 23-7 victory over
Grove City College.
Before playing Grove City, Cal U earned regular season
victories over Slippery Rock, Allegheny and Fairmont State.
In the semifinals Cal U lost to defending region champion
and eventual region repeat titlist Wisconsin Stevens Point.
With just several minutes remaining in the first half Cal
trailed last year’s third place national finisher by just a 19-15
score after starting the game with a 10-0 deficit by allowing
two quick tries.
“We got shell-shocked early but then we controlled the

game for about 30 minutes, played our brand and were
pressuring them the whole time,” Marnell said. “Then it came
down to depth and they pulled away from us in the second
half.”
Marnell praised the efforts of senior Isaiah Harris (scrum
half), senior and club president Brandon Fritzius (fly half),
and junior Nate Godfrey (forward). He said his team gained
invaluable experience from its first NSCRO regional tourney
appearance.
“I say to my guys every day that you learn just as much in
a loss as you do in a win, and every game you get a chance
to get a little better,” he said. “This trip was an eye-opener, an
opportunity for us to grow and bond as a club and see what it’s
like to compete in playoff rugby.”
Cal U will compete in NSCRO-7 tournaments this spring.
“This regional was a necessary first step, and if we can
make it back next year, we will know what to expect,” Marnell
said. “We have the talent and infrastructure, and now we just
need to focus on continuing to grow the club.”

First Generation Students Celebrate

C

al U students stopped by a table
in the Natali Student Center last
month. There, members of
Cal U’s TRIO Club greeted them and
invited them to post their thoughts as a
member of the first generation in their
families to attend a four-year college.
“It makes my family proud,” one
wrote.
“Anyone can be successful with a
little hard work.”
“Better future.”
“Being 1st generation gives me a
huge sense of pride. I am proud to
represent my family and be a role model
for future generations.”
Sophomore psychology major
Kaleigh Moser and sophomore social
work major Courtney Mackulin are
members of the TRIO Club and greeted
students in Natali.
“It’s like having a second family at
college,” Moser said. “And it’s cool to
learn about other people like me.”
“I made a lot of friends from TRIO
Club,” Mackulin said. “Kaleigh and
I became friends once we realized we
were both members.”
The 2019 #IAmFirst campaign
marks the 54th anniversary of the

Kaylee Isler (left), Alex Dalton, Yamilette Garcia, Kaleigh Moser and Courtney Mackulin show
their pride as first-generation students during the national #IAmFirst campaign.

signing of the 1965 higher Education
Act, which formed programs like TRIO.
The campaign was launched in
2017 by the Council for Opportunity
in Education and the Center for Firstgeneration Student Success. The day
is meant to help campus communities
better understand the needs of this
population of students.
The TRIO Student Support Services
program at Cal U provides support

services to low-income students,
first generation college students, and
disabled students. Eligible students may
receive personal and academic career
counseling, career guidance, instruction,
mentoring, and tutoring. The goal of the
SSS program is to increase the college
retention and graduation rates of its
participants and help students make
the transition from one level of higher
education to the next.

The California Journal is published by California University of Pennsylvania, a member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
Geraldine M. Jones
University President

Dr. Nancy Pinardi
Vice President for Student Affairs

Robert Thorn
Vice President for Administration and Finance

Dr. Bruce Barnhart
Provost and Senior Vice President
for Academic Affairs

Christine Kindl
Vice President for Communications
and Marketing

Anthony Mauro
Vice President for University
Development and Alumni Relations

Office of Communications and Public Relations

250 University Avenue

California, PA 15419

T. David Garcia
Vice President for Enrollment
Management

724-938-4195

Wendy Mackall
Editor
Bruce Wald
Writer

wald@calu.edu­­­­­­­­­