California University

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 6 FEB. 27, 2012
READ THE JOURNAL ONLINE: www.calu.edu/news/the-journal

Two Chosen
for Fulbright
Specialist
Program
al U’s number of Fulbright Specialists is
growing.
Dr. J. Kevin Lordon, associate professor in
the Department of Secondary Education and
Administrative Leadership, and Professor Joseph
Schwerha, associate professor in
the Department of Business and
Economics, are the most recent
faculty members to be selected to
participate in the program.
They join Dr. Aref AlKhattar, who recently returned
from the University of Sharjah in
the United Arab Emirates, where
he lectured, conducted seminars
Lordon
and worked with faculty in the
Department of Sociology and its
criminal justice track.
The specialist program is a
short-term complement to the
core Fulbright Scholar Program,
which is designed to increase
understanding between the
United States and people of
other countries. Specialists spend
two to six weeks as expert
Schwerha
consultants on curriculum, faculty
development and institutional planning at overseas
academic institutions.
Lordon will spend March 2-28 at Hebei
University in China, where he will continue work he
began in 2005 on the topics of Professional Learning
Communities and teacher leadership. Lordon will
meet with groups of professors to focus on leadership
standards and to share teaching strategies, and an
interactive website will extend the program beyond
his visit.
“Through the Fulbright Specialist grant, I am
excited and blessed to have the opportunity to
continue working with the colleagues at Hebei
University,” Lordon said.
“Our learning goal is to develop Professional
Learning Communities composed of teacher-leaders
who are truly committed to student learning. We
believe that the best teachers are teacher-leaders.”
Schwerha, who specializes in cybercrime, plans to
travel to the University of Malta next spring. Through
a series of lectures, he will consult on curriculum
development and provide a U.S. perspective on digital
evidence, electronic discovery, privacy, law and
technology, and litigation. In addition, an online
lecture series featuring international experts may be
developed.
“It goes without saying that it is a great honor to
be chosen as a Fulbright Senior Specialist,” Schwerha
said. “The process of nomination and selection took
over two years and verifies my efforts to become an
internationally recognized expert in my fields of
privacy, cybercrime and digital investigations.
“It also speaks very well of Cal U and its
continuing work to provide a very high-quality
faculty for its student body. I look forward to
completing my awarded period and returning to Cal
U to share the benefits of this tremendous
experience.”

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Dr. Lee Ann De Reus, a professor at Penn State­Altoona, will describe her work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her talk, at 12:30
p.m. March 6 in the Performance Center, is part of the Audrey­Beth Fitch Women’s Studies Conference.

Women’s History Topics
Both Political and Personal
al U takes a global perspective on women’s
rights issues — and gets personal, too — as it
marks Women’s History Month in March.
Presentations throughout the month will focus on
women’s rights and the role of activists in our own
communities and around the world.
Human rights activist Ahmad Ghashmari, for
example, has started a campaign to mobilize grassroots
action against “honor killings” in the Middle East,
including his native Jordan. His presentations explore
the issue and examine the future of Middle Eastern
women in light of the Arab Spring uprisings.
Ghashmari will speak at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

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Thursday in Room 120, Eberly Hall.
On March 6, the seventh annual Audrey-Beth Fitch
Women’s Studies Conference examines international
violence against women with presentations by a special
agent from the FBI, a scholar-activist who works with
rape survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
and a panel of activists from Cal U.
“Our students help to select the topic for this
annual conference,” said Dr. Marta McClintockComeaux, director of the Women’s Studies program.
“Some of them are very passionate about these global
issues, and they are eager both to learn more and to
— Continued on page 4

Research Explores
Learning With
Digital Devices
or students from the Westmoreland County Gifted
Coalition it was a Crazy Contraption Challenge — a
chance to build a Rube Goldberg-style device in
competition with other students.
For Cal U graduate student Chris Allen, it was a research
project powered by mobile technology and a step toward his
Master of Arts Teaching degree.
On Feb. 15 at Bellmar Middle School, in the Belle
Vernon Area School District, 10 teams of students from nine
school districts faced off with their crazy contraptions. Their
assignment: To inflate and then pop a balloon using simple
machines in a chain reaction of at least 10 steps.
Team members built their devices with low-tech stuff:
pulleys, gears, dowels, wire, marbles and a toy car.
But they used digital technology to develop a basic
understanding of simple machines, complete the engineering
design process and put together a presentation.
Allen’s research project examines whether digital devices
— Continued on page 3

F

From left to right: Cal U Applied Engineering and
Technology assistant professor Joseph G. Schickel,
student teacher Brian Nicholas and graduate
student Chris Allen watch Kira Nicholson adjust her
team’s device during the Crazy Contraption
Challenge at Bellmar Middle School on Feb. 15.

Celebration
Honors
Former
Social Work
Chair
ormer Cal U faculty member Dr.
Virginia “Ginny” Majewski will
be honored when the Department
of Social Work hosts its second annual
Social Work Month
Celebration from 68:30 p.m. March 9 in
the Performance
Center.
The event also
supports the Vulcan
Social Work Student
Scholarship fund. To
date, nearly $8,000
Majewski
has been raised for
this scholarship.
Nathaniel Morley, chair of the
southwest division of the National
Association of Social Workers’
Pennsylvania Chapter (NASA-PA), will
present a talk about “Why Social Work
Matters.”
Provost Geraldine Jones will
introduce Majewski, and student leaders
will comment on how her contributions
have affected Cal U.
Majewski currently is a professor and
associate dean of the School of Social
Work at Indiana University. Chair of
Cal U’s Department of Social Work and
Gerontology when she left the
University in 2002, she is a past chair of
the Division of Social Work at West
Virginia University, and she taught at the
University of Wyoming.
Majewski holds a master’s degree in
Hispanic languages, a Master of Social
Work, and a doctorate in public and
international affairs from the University
of Pittsburgh.
She specializes in community
organizing, social policy, research,
program evaluation, group work and
cross-cultural practice.
Majewski has co-designed and taught
four service-learning courses on
American Indian reservations in South
Dakota. Her research and scholarship
include service and experiential learning
to enhance the social work curriculum,
hunger and food insecurity, American
Indian issues, rural social work practice,
and applied ethnographic research.
She has received grants for
implementing service learning in the
curriculum and building co-curricular
volunteer opportunities for social work
students. In 2007 she co-edited the book
Social Work and Service Learning:
Partnerships for Social Justice.
“Dr. Majewski is a very
accomplished social worker and much
beloved faculty member,” said Dr.
Pamela Twiss, chair of Cal U’s Social
Work Department and director of the
BSW program. “This is a celebration.”
Last year about 60 people attended
the inaugural social work event. It
honored emerita professor Dr. Beverly
Willison, whose work on domestic
issues and violence against women
helped to pioneer Cal U’s Student
Sexual Assault Response Team. An early
supporter of the PEACE Project, now
the END V Center, Willison retired in
2005.
Admission to the celebration is free;
refreshments will be served. Reservations are
requested. RSVPs are due Wednesday; call
724-938-5910.

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Cal U students will again show their gratitude to the commonwealth’s taxpayers when they celebrate Appreciation Week and Tuition
Freedom Day from March 5­9.

Students to Express Thanks
al U students will keep the
commonwealth’s taxpayers in
mind as they celebrate
Appreciation Week and Tuition
Freedom Day.
As part of the Cal U for Life
initiative, students will meet at 11 a.m.
March 6 near the Kara Alumni House
and then parade to the Natali Student
Center for a Tuition Freedom Day rally
at 11:30.
Various student leaders and alumni
representatives will speak at the start of
the rally.
Tuition Freedom Day is the
mathematical date when the tuition
funds that students or their families
paid for the 2011-2012 academic year
are exhausted.

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For the remainder of the school
year, the education provided to Cal U
students is funded by a combination of
state monies, appropriated through the
Pennsylvania State System of Higher
Education, and privately funded
scholarships.
The precise date for this year’s
Tuition Freedom Day was still being
calculated at press time, but it likely
will have passed by the start of
Appreciation Week, March 5-9.
Throughout that week students will
have an opportunity to sign thank-you
postcards or an open letter thanking
Pennsylvania’s taxpayers and legislators
for their support of public higher
education.
At tables in the Natali Student

Center, students also can sign up for the
Senior Gift Drive Committee, Quizzo
Tournament or Civic Engagement
Center Activity.
“Although state appropriations for
public higher education keep declining,
Pennsylvania taxpayers ultimately
provide support for every student who
attends a state-owned university,” said
Ryan Jerico, coordinator of student and
young alumni activities.
The weeklong celebration has three
goals, he said: To educate Cal U
students about financing for public
higher education; to instill a sense of
appreciation and gratitude for the
support taxpayers provide; and to show
the public that Cal U students are
grateful for their support.

Networkers
Students Danielle Gigliotti (left)
and Catherine Mathison chat at
the Mock Networking
Reception and Etiquette Dinner
Feb. 15 in the Natali
Performance Center. More
than 80 students and 30 Cal U
employees and alumni
attended the seventh annual
event, where students
sharpened their networking
skills and learned how to
navigate employment
interviews that take place
during meals.

Black History Month Celebration Continues
ilm and television actor Morris Chestnut will discuss
the images of African-Americans portrayed in the
media, and the impact they have on American society,
during an appearance at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Steele Hall
Mainstage Theatre.
Cal U Provost Geraldine Jones will guide the discussion,
a free event presented as part of Cal U’s Black History
Month celebration.
Chestnut is known for his role as a high school football
player and teen father in the 1991 movie Boyz n the Hood. On
television, he recently has appeared in the series V and in
American Horror Story.
The presentation at Cal U is free and open to the public.
Visitor parking is available in the Vulcan Garage, off Third

F

2

Street near the campus entrance.
Cal U will conclude its Black History Month celebration
with a closing ceremony at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the
Performance Center. Dr. John Sutton will lead the closing
ceremony and deliver a talk on “Surviving the Jim Crow
Era.” This event is co-sponsored by Cal U Men United; the
Office of Social Equity; the Justice, Law and Society
Honors Fraternity; and the Criminal Justice Honors
Fraternity.
On Wednesday, Sutton will discuss “Pathway to a Career
in the Criminal Justice Field” at 11 a.m. in Room 303, Duda
Hall. This event also is co-sponsored by the Office of Social
Equity; the Justice, Law and Society Honors Fraternity; and
the Criminal Justice Honors Fraternity.

Students Compete at History Day Contest
ducation and history met at Cal U
when more than 100 eighth-grade
students from Sewickley Academy
and the Belle Vernon Area, Charleroi and
Trinity school districts competed in the
fifth annual Primary Sources History
Day contest, held in the north conference
wing of the Convocation Center.
The History Day competition is
sponsored by the Library of Congress
Teaching with Primary Sources program.
First-, second- and third-place medals
were awarded in junior and senior
divisions for outstanding exhibits,
documentaries, performances, websites
and research papers. All participants
received framed certificates.
“Everyone here is a winner,” said Dr.
Michael Brna, director of Cal U’s
Teaching with Primary Sources program.
“When I look at the exhibits and talk
with you (students), I can see the passion
you have for history and your subjects.
Each of you has put in countless hours
and you all are to be commended for
going above and beyond the call of duty
for scholastic achievement.”
Judges and event volunteers included
Cal U history and political science and
education students, University faculty,
current and retired educators, and
community members who belong to local
historical societies.

E

Cal U’s Dr. Michael Brna and Bellmar Middle School student Bradyn Massey discuss Massey’s
genealogy project on William Bradford at the fifth annual Primary Sources History Day. The
event was held in the north wing of the Convocation Center on Feb. 13.

The event is modeled after the
National History Day competition. For
many students, the Cal U contest was a
warm-up for next month’s regional
competition, to be held at the Senator
John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.
One of those students was Bradyn
Massey, of Bellmar Middle School in
Belle Vernon. For his genealogy project,
“William Bradford: From the Mayflower

to Me,” Massey traced his family tree
back 14 generations and learned that
Gov. William Bradford, leader of the
Plymouth Colony, was among his
ancestors.
Bradford’s is the second name listed
on the Mayflower Compact.
“Because of this project I learned so
much about him. I probably would not
ever have done this otherwise, just

Research Explores Learning

because of being busy with school and
other activities,” Massey said. “It was
gratifying.”
Trinity Middle School student Peter
Rinehart’s exhibit focused on Joseph
Lister, the “Pioneer of Antiseptics.”
While working at the Glasgow Royal
Infirmary in the late 1800s, the British
surgeon introduced the use of carbolic
acid (phenol) to sterilize surgical
instruments and to clean wounds, which
led to safer surgeries by reducing postoperative infections.
“I was interested in medical advances
as I was looking into historical figures,
and I first came across information on
him (Lister) on a website,” said Rinehart.
“So I was intrigued and looked further
into it.”
Among the 22 judges was Steve
Bullick, a social studies supervisor in the
Mt. Lebanon School District and a
National History Day regional
coordinator. He said the Cal U
competition gives students a tremendous
amount of feedback and constructive
criticism, so they can make adjustments
to their work.
“By participating today, you are
practicing many skills that will benefit
you regardless of whether you decide to
go onto the regional, state or national
events,” Bullick said.

Campus BRIEFS

— Continued from page 1
such as the iPod Touch or tablet
computer can have a positive effect on
student learning.
He collaborated on the contest with
Cal U alumnus Ian Finn ’03, who
teaches gifted students in Belle Vernon
Area. Judging the crazy contraptions
were Dr. Stephen Whitehead and
Joseph Schickel, of Cal U’s
Department of Applied Engineering
and Technology, and student Brian
Nicholas, a student teacher at Bellmar.
With the help of associate provost
Dr. Stanley Komacek, Cal U loaned
each team of students an iPod Touch
they could use to research the contest
assignment. Allen created a website
with access to appropriate computer
apps and a blog where the students
posted journal entries documenting
their progress.
Dr. Len Colelli, dean of the Eberly
College of Science and Technology,
donated funds to purchase machine
kits the students used to construct their
contraptions. The donation was made
in memory of his father.
“I hope to use this as a
steppingstone to secure grants for
continued research projects similar to
this one,” said Allen, a student teacher
in the art department at Park
Elementary School, in the Laurel
Highlands School District.
“But what’s most important is for
teachers and students to see and
understand what mobile technology
can do in the classroom. By using
iPods, students not only are having
fun, they’re actually learning many
different skills without realizing it.”
Whitehead and Allen began
discussing the project in 2010, when
Allen was a student in Cal U’s
Graphics and Multimedia program.
“Chris had the passion to take it all
the way through,” Whitehead said.
“With educational technology,
everyone gets so caught up in the
technology they forget the educational

Auction Closes March 7

Penn­Trafford students Andre Guest (left) and Mitchell Plute prepare their device at the Crazy
Contraption Challenge in Bellmar Middle School’s gymnasium.

phase. But Chris totally gets it. It’s not
about the technology; it’s about the
engagement.
“He found a way to get kids doing
physics, science, chemistry and math
in a hands-on activity that opens them
up to being taught.”
Finn noted that several teams used
the iPod to post their daily journals, in
addition to doing research.
“At the middle school level we
participate in a lot of competitions that
try to home in on specific talents,” he
said. “This event gives them extra
enrichment. We are very pleased with
this project and how it worked out.”
The students began working on
their projects in January. At Bellmar,
their efforts came down to a series of
three, two-minute demonstrations.
Their faces grew serious as they set
their contraptions in motion for
the judges.
“It was definitely fun, but getting
the ball-bearing to go down was a
challenge,” said Mitchell Plute, of
Penn-Trafford Middle School.
“Our balloon didn’t pop right
away when the judges were there, but
it did when they walked away, and

they saw it.”
Pre- and post-contest surveys will
inform Allen’s research results, but he
was pleased that the event ran
smoothly.
As a teacher, he said, he looks to
incorporate technology into as many
lessons as he can.
“Having them use the iPods and do
everything on their own made this
truly a student-centered activity,” he
said. “The teachers were simply
‘guides on the side’ offering guidance
and suggestions.”
Whitehead said the event was an
excellent introduction to research for
Allen, and an opportunity to introduce
bright young students to Cal U.
Allen’s passion for technology is
contagious, he added — and a
reminder that new tools may change
the way teaching and learning take
place.
“We teach the way were taught,
because that’s the way we are
comfortable with,” said Whitehead.
“But Chris’ opinion is that with all this
new technology, maybe we don’t have
to. Perhaps need to take a step back
and think about how to start fresh.”

Pittsburgh Penguins fans have until
March 7 to bid on autographed All-Star
jerseys, dinner in the exclusive Lexus
Club at CONSOL Energy Center, or one
of the other prizes offered during the
fourth Pittsburgh Penguins online auction
to benefit Cal U students.
Online bidding opened Feb. 26 at
www.pittsburghpenguins.com. Bidding
closes at 5 p.m. March 7, 2012.
Eleven prize packages are available in
all, including collectibles autographed by
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James
Neal and Kris Letang. Descriptions are
online; visit www.calu.edu for a link to
the Pittsburgh Penguins’ website.
Cal U is the official education partner
of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Proceeds
from the online auction support the
Pittsburgh Penguins Scholarship, awarded
annually to a Cal U student.

Convocations This
Week
Cal U President Angelo Armenti, Jr.
will host the 2012 spring staff and student
convocations this week in the Performance
Center inside the Natali Student Center.
The Staff Convocation will be held
at 1:30 p.m. today, and the Student
Convocation will be held Tuesday during
the University’s common hour, beginning
at 11 a.m.

Prom Donations Sought
The Cal U Entrepreneurs’ Club is
collecting used formal dresses and
accessories for the Princess Project,
which will help girls in the Washington
County area whose families are
experiencing financial hardships attend
their proms.
Items may be dropped off in Cover
Hall, Room 122, through Friday. All sizes
and styles are needed.
For more information, contact Kelly
Hunt at hunt@calu.edu.

3

Cross Country
Teams Honored
for Academics
oth Cal U cross country teams have earned U.S.
Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches
Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team
status, and four runners from each team received
individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic status, a
team must have a cumulative team grade-point average
of 3.00 or better and have compiled a score (finished at
least five runners) at their NCAA regional
championship.
To qualify for All-Academic individual honors, a
student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or
greater through the most recent semester, completed at
least 12 credit hours in the semester of cross country
competition, and placed in the top 50 percent at the
most recent NCAA National Championships or in the
top 30 percent at the NCAA Regional Championships.
With a cumulative GPA of 3.44, the Vulcan
women’s squad earned All-Academic team honors for
the third consecutive year.
Individual All-Academic honors were achieved by
redshirt senior Laurie Hall, redshirt sophomore Erin
Kling, and freshmen Allison Hall and Alex Zanella. Cal
U was one of 124 women’s teams recognized by the
organization.
The Vulcan men’s team earned All-Academic team
honors for a fifth straight year, with a 3.36 GPA. The
quartet of All-Academic winners comprised senior
Chris Wolfe, sophomores Savantuay Boyette and Aaron
Dinzeo, and freshman Nick Pezza. The team was one
of 80 men’s squads to be recognized.
Sixth-year veteran Daniel Caulfield coaches
both teams.

Topics Both
Political,
Personal
— Continued from page 1

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Among the eight Vulcan cross country runners to earn individual All­
Academic honors are Alex Zanella (No. 43) and Allison Hall (No. 26).

The President’s Gala on June 2 will again take place in the Omni William Penn Hotel’s Grand Ballroom.

Award Winners to be Honored at Gala
al U President Angelo Armenti, Jr., has announced the
honorees for this year’s President’s Gala Awards for
faculty and emeriti faculty.
The awards will be presented at the President’s Gala on
June 2 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.
The President’s Gala is the University’s largest annual
fundraiser; net proceeds support student scholarships.
Dr. Marc Federico, of the Department of Exercise Science
and Sport Studies, will receive the President’s Faculty Award
for Teaching.
Dr. Paul Crawford, of the Department of History and
Political Science, will be honored for research.The award for

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service will be presented to Dr. Kelton Edmonds, also of the
Department of History and Political Science and director of
the Frederick Douglass Institute at Cal U.
Dr. Phyllis McIlwain and Professor Richard Nemec ’65 will
receive the President’s Emeriti Faculty Awards.
Dr. David L. Amati ’70, ‘72, current president of the
Foundation for California University, will be this year’s
recipient of the Lillian M. Bassi Core Values Award.
Honorary co-chairs for the event are Dr. Charles “Chuck”
’73 and Marianne ’72 Pryor.
This year’s theme for the black-tie fundraiser will be “A
Night on Broadway.”

raise awareness about them.”
Registration for the daylong
conference opens at 9 a.m., and all
events are held in the Performance
Center in the Natali Student Center.
FBI agent Denise V. Holtz discusses
human trafficking at 9:30 a.m. At 12:30
p.m., Dr. Lee Ann De Reus, a professor
at Penn State-Altoona, describes her
work with Congolese women, and the
“Activists in Action” panel convenes at
2 p.m.
The conference closes with a showing
of Call + Response, a critically acclaimed
documentary about modern-day slavery.
Activists also spark debate when they
share their passions in TED Talks
videos. On March 20 activist Sheryl
WuDunn, co-author of Half the Sky,
discusses the effects of poverty on
women and girls in developing countries.
On March 29, Sunitha Krishnan talks
about “Fighting Sex Slavery.”
Both video presentations are offered
at 11 a.m. in Room 120, Eberly Hall.
Each will be followed by a facilitated
discussion.
Other events this month include a
talk by Kay Dorrance, director of the
END Violence Center at Cal U, at 11
a.m. March 22 in Room 120, Eberly
Hall; and a meeting of the “i am that
girl” group at 5 p.m. March 27 in the
Carter Hall multipurpose room.
Cal U’s annual performances of The
Vagina Monologues will begin at 7 p.m.
March 7 and 8 in the Blaney Theater,
inside Steele Hall.
The award-winning play celebrates
women’s sexuality. Ticket price is $5 for
students, $10 for others.
Sexuality is also the topic when
Harlan Cohen, the author of Naked
Dating: Five Steps to Finding the Love of
Your Life (While Fully Clothed and Totally
Sober), gives a frank and funny
presentation at 8 p.m. March 21 in the
Performance Center.
Cohen describes his talk as “hilarious,
candid and highly interactive.” It is based
on his new book, which is due out in
April. Cohen also is the author of The
Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You
Might Run Into in College.
Women’s History Month events at Cal
U are sponsored by the Women’s Studies
program, the Women’s Center, the
Activists Club, the Office of the Provost
and the Office of the President. Most are
free, and all are open to the public.
A complete schedule of Women’s History
Month activities is available online, along
with speaker biographies, a preview of the
film “Call + Response,” and directions to Cal
U. Visitor parking is available in the Vulcan
Garage, off Third Street near the campus
entrance. For this information and more,
visit www.calu.edu.

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

Dr. Charles Mance
Vice President for University Technology Services

Sharon Navoney
Interim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Geraldine M. Jones
Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Robert Thorn
Vice President for Administration and Finance

Christine Kindl
Editor

Dr. Lenora Angelone
Vice President for Student Affairs

Craig Butzine
Vice President for Marketing and University Relations

Bruce Wald, Wendy Mackall, Jeff Bender
Writers

Office of Communications and Public Relations

250 University Avenue

California, PA 15419

724-938-4195

wald@calu.edu