2009sept7journaldraft1.qxp:03-24-08 CAL U JOURNAL.qxd 9/1/09 3:57 PM Page 1

California University

VOLUME 11, NUMBER 20 SEPT. 7, 2009

First-year students participate in a candlelight vigil in the Quad as part of their first weekend on campus. The students spent the first four days learning about the University through the Cal U for
Life orientation program.

Cal U Welcomes New Students

F

irst-year students got to know the University with
a four-day orientation designed to make them a
part of Cal U for life.
After moving in on Aug. 27, the students rode buses
to Roadman Park, where they were greeted by Iceburgh,
the Pittsburgh Penguins mascot, and met Penguins’
forward Pascal Dupuis. Live radio broadcasts and a
variety of performances added to the fun of the
President’s Welcome Picnic. Student learned a few Cal

U cheers and traditions before taking in the Vulcan
football team’s season opener against Saginaw Valley
State.
At orientation sessions on Aug. 28-30, student
leaders addressed important topics such as personal
finance and time management. They also learned about
the Cal U mission and the well-known supporters of
the school.
The weekend culminated with a New Student

Convocation and candlelight vigil on Aug. 30. To
illustrate the power of “paying it forward,” a dollar was
collected from each student attending the gathering,
and, with the help of the Foundation for California
University, six $500 scholarships were awarded.
All Cal U students will have the opportunity to interact
with University President Angelo Armenti, Jr. at the Fall
Student Convocation on Sept. 15, beginning at 11 a.m. in
the Performance Center of the Natali Student Center.

Geology Students Explore the West

F

or the second consecutive
summer, Cal U students earned
three credits and a lifetime of
memories in the Field Course in
Geology.
Led by Dr. Kyle Fredrick, assistant
professor of Earth Science, 18 students
spent 15 days driving from the Cal U
campus through Wisconsin, into South
Dakota, through Wyoming and finally
to Idaho’s Craters of the Moon
National Monument and Preserve.
Dr. Chad Kauffman, also of the
Earth Science Department,
accompanied the group as well. Cal U
supplied three vans and absorbed the
cost of fuel; students paid for their food
and lodging, either at camping sites or
hotels.
All students had completed an
Introduction to Geology course before
the trip.
– Continued on page 2

Educator
Revisits the
Newsroom

W

Drs. Kyle Fredrick and Chad Kauffman, from Cal U’s Earth Science Department, led the
field experience for 18 Cal U students who traveled across the country during a 15-day
journey.

hen Margo Wilson integrates
multimedia journalism into her
editing class in spring 2010, she
can offer her students recent firsthand
experience.
An associate professor in Cal U’s
Department of English, Wilson spent nine
weeks this summer as a multimedia intern
at the Washington Observer-Reporter.
As part of her internship, Wilson
taped and/or edited 15 videos for the
O-R’s website and did other work under
the direction of online editor Harry Funk
and other staff, including the paper’s
Mobile Journalists, called MoJos.
She videotaped a barge going through
Lock and Dam No. 4, in Charleroi, from
a bridge 60 feet above the Monongahela
– Continued on page 2

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Back to
School
Job Fair
Set for
Sept. 10

C

Move-In Day 2009!

First-year students took part in a Cal U tradition when they arrived for Move-In Day on Aug. 27. Volunteers greeted students and helped to move their
belongings into the residence halls. University President Angelo Armenti, Jr. and the Cal U administration thank the many students, faculty, staff and
community members who volunteered to welcome the new students and their families.

al U students will have the
opportunity to meet with local
employers at the third annual
Back to School Job Fair, to be held on
Thursday, Sept. 10, from 11 a.m.-2
p.m. at the Performance Center in the
Natali Student Center.
The job fair gives students the
chance to connect with local employers
to discuss part-time jobs and internship
and co-op opportunities. The job fair is
free to both employers and students,
who will be casually dressed for this
informal event.
Employers seeking to fill part-time,
internship and co-op positions can
register online at: www.calu.edu/
careers/btsjobfair/registration.jsp.
Questions about the event should be
directed to Career Services,
724-938-4413 or careers@calu.edu.

Geology Students Explore the West on 15-day Journey
– Continued from page 1
Fredrick uses samples, photos and
student accounts of the journey to
enhance his introductory and mineralogy
courses. “It gives the students an
opportunity to see some of the things
that are different from what you see out
here (in Pennsylvania), and it also gets
them excited about geology and its
diversity,” he said.
The impact of the field course was
evident in two classes he taught last
spring, Historical Geology and
Geomorphology, Frederick added.
“Everything they learned in those two
classes really sinks in once they’ve been
on one of these field trips, because so
much of what we learn in those classes is
visual and regional,” he said. “You can
show the students landscapes and explain
the formations around here, but they
really can’t understand the broad
perspective of the courses until you see a
lot of different areas.”
One highlight was visiting the Big
Horn Mountains in Wyoming. The
eastern side of the mountains contains
sedimentary rocks between 50 million
and 500 million years old; rocks in the

Christina Longo and Theresa Burkett hike out of the canyon at Yellow Mounds in Badlands
National Park, S.D. Cal U students traveled from campus to Idaho’s Craters of the Moon
National Monument and Preserve during a three-credit field course.

center of the range are more than a
billion years old.
“That was neat, because you go back
in time and then forward in time on the
way across the range,” said Fredrick.
“The students get to see that march
through time.”
The students also conducted mapping
exercises with more than 40 students
from the University of Buffalo
Geological Field Camp.
Fredrick said Craters of the Moon

and Grand Teton National Park were two
breathtaking locations.
At Craters of the Moon, students
hiked to the top of a cinder cone and
viewed the whole landscape.
“That was incredible, just beautiful,
stark and different than anything any of
us had ever seen,” he said.
In Grand Teton, the travelers climbed
from about 7,000 feet above sea level at
the park’s entrance to much higher
mountain elevations.

“To go from 7,000 to 13,000 feet so
quickly is absolutely spectacular. Most of
the students were blown away and said it
was their favorite spot,” Frederick said.
Last year’s trip ended at the north rim
of the Grand Canyon, in Arizona. Next
summer’s journey will take geology
students northeast through
Massachusetts, Vermont and New
Hampshire, into Maine and back through
New York’s Adirondack Mountains.
“If students go on this trip for
multiple years they can see different parts
of the country each time,” Fredrick said.
“We had a good group that meshed
really well,” he said. “Safety was the No.
1 priority, and everybody came home safe.
Everybody seemed to learn something out
of it, and everybody seemed to have fun.
Those were my three priorities.”
The participating students were
Samuel Ambrose, Michelle Balukin,
Daniel Bird, Theresa Burkett, David
Danko, Brittany Dawkins, Harley Doane
’09, Jocelyn Farrell, Daniel Florian,
Rachel Frohman, Amber Hill, Christina
Longo ’09, Lindsay Mellars, Carl Opel,
Matthew Owens, Kaitlin Thomas,
Amanda Wallace and Kristen
Wesolowsky.

Educator Revisits the Newsroom as Journalism Intern
– Continued from page 1
River. And she took footage of a young couple that
operates a fireworks factory on the second floor of their
century-old wooden barn in Smock.
Wilson intends to chronicle her experiences in a
journalism/English pedagogy journal.
“Working at the Observer-Reporter helped me
realize once again how much I love journalism,” Wilson
said. “Although I was thoroughly amused and a little bit
alarmed by some of the things I did, I also was helping
tell the stories of what’s happening in our community.
And that’s important work.”
Wilson enhanced her experience by visiting the
annual conference of the Association for Education in
Journalism and Mass Communication. The conference
touched on newspapers’ role in the digital age and how
small-to medium-sized universities are teaching
multimedia journalism.
Her trip was funded by grants from the FPDC and

2

Irene O’Brien with additional support from Cal U’s
College of Liberal Arts
“It’s important for aspiring journalists to understand
they have to be able to do much more than just write,”
Wilson said. “They must understand computers and
websites; know how to run a video camera; edit; do
layout; know about podcasts, slideshows and digital
photography; and be familiar with public relations and
marketing. All of these are part of a journalist’s
repertoire.”
Wilson hopes for continued collaborative projects
between Cal U’s journalism program and the ObserverReporter. Liz Rogers, the O-R’s managing editor for
news, is a graduate of Cal U’s professional writing
program.
The Cal U journalism program and the Valley
Independent newspaper in Monessen also collaborate on
projects. Some journalism students at Cal U have
written for an online magazine published by the
Uniontown Herald-Standard, as well.

Margo
Wilson will
offer her
students
firsthand
experience
this
academic
year after
serving nine
weeks this
past summer
as a
multimedia
intern at the
Washington
ObserverReporter.

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THE CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY FORUM
APRIL 21, 2009 / 4:00 p.m., LRC Auditorium
The California University
Forum met in regular session
Tuesday, April 21, 2009, in the
LRC Auditorium. Presiding
Officer Hoover called the
meeting to order at 4:05 p.m.
The following senators were in
attendance:
Dr. Lenora Angelone
Ms. Cinthia Arcuri
Dr. Angelo Armenti, Jr.
Dr. Mohamed Benbourenane
Dr. Bill Biddington
Ms. Ashley Briggs
Dr. Leonard Colelli
Ms. Sharon Elkettani
Ms. Rebecca Giles
Dr. Allan Golden
Dr. Joyce Hanley
Mr. Tom Hasbrouck
Ms. Mercedes Himmons
Mr. Ryan Jerico
Ms. Geraldine Jones
Dr. Kevin Koury
Dr. John Nass
Ms. Rebecca Nichols
Dr. Nancy Pinardi
Dr. Susan Ryan
Mr. Paul Sible
Mr. Matthew Weiss
Dr. Brian Wood
The following were also in
attendance:
Mr. Douglas Hoover, Presiding
Officer
Mr. Loring Prest,
Parliamentarian
Mrs. Dana Turcic, Recording
Secretary
Prof. John Cencich,
Chairperson, Safety and
Social Equity
The following senators were
absent:
Mr. Rick Bertagnolli
Dr. Jane Bonari
Ms. Angela Burrows
Ms. Danielle Dever
Ms. Kay Dorrance
Ms. Fran Fayish
Dr. Arcides Gonzalez
Mr. Keith Kappel
Dr. Chad Kauffman
Ms. Adraine Lewis
Mr. Donald Marszalek
Mr. Josh Mrosko
Ms. Christine Schlieper
Mrs. Jenifer Sigado
Ms. Marguerite Smith
Dr. Linda Toth
Dr. Jacqueline Walsh
Dr. Tom Wickham
The agenda was presented,
approved and the meeting
proceeded
Presiding Officer Hoover
stated that the approved
Forum minutes of March 17,
2009, are available on the
Forum website
(www.calu.edu/forum) or
Public Folders in the Microsoft
Outlook. A hard copy of the
executive committee minutes
of April 7, 2009, is included in
the senators’ packets for
informational purposes.

Presiding Officer’s Report
Presiding Officer Hoover
presented the suggested
dates as passed by the
executive committee:

Forum Meetings dates
2009/10:
September 1, 2009
January 19, 2010
October 6, 2009
February 16, 2010
November 3, 2009
March 16, 2010
December 1, 2009
April 20, 2010
Presiding Officer Hoover noted
that due to the late start of the
Fall 2009 semester, if there is
no objection, it is
recommended that the first
meeting date of the University
Forum be changed from
September 1 to September 8,
and that the first Executive
Committee meeting take place
on September 1. Presiding
Officer Hoover stated that with
those changes, it is moved to
approve the University Forum
meeting dates as amended.
Forum Meetings dates
2009/10:
September 8, 2009
January 19, 2010
October 6, 2009
February 16, 2010
November 3, 2009
March 16, 2010
December 1, 2009
April 20, 2010
Approved by unanimous
consent.
Presiding Officer Hoover
asked President Armenti to
respond and give an update to
the previous motions passed.
President Armenti referred to
the following:
January 28, 2009
Mr. Douglas Hoover, Presiding
Officer
California University Forum
Dear Mr. Hoover:
This is in response to the
motions passed at the October
7, 2008, meeting of the
California University Forum:
Motion 2008-81: Article VIII,
Section 3, page 13, of the
Forum Constitution
Be amended to read
(changing five ex-officio
members to four, deleting the
Chair of the Athletic Council):
THE ATHLETIC ADVISORY
COMMITTEE – The Athletic
Advisory Committee shall ……
The membership shall consist
of three faculty members,
three coaches, three students,
two staff members (other than
coaches), two alumni, and four
ex-officio members: the Vice
President for Student
Development and Services,
the Dean for Student Services,
the Athletic Director, and the
Senior Women’s Administrator.
As noted in your
correspondence to me, the
rationale for this amendment
is due to the fact that the
Athletic Council has been
dissolved. Given the
circumstances, the need to
change the make-up of this

committee is warranted;
consequently, I hereby
formally accept this
recommendation.
Motion 2008-82:
Recommendation from the
Safety and Social Equity
Committee:
Mindful of its authority under
Section 8 of Article VIII of the
Constitution of the California
University Forum, the Safety
and Social Equity Committee
(hereinafter the “Committee”)
recommends that California
University of Pennsylvania
adopt a policy that provides
for the proper training,
equipment, and procedures
relative to California University
police response to active
shooters on campus. Further
mindful of its charge pursuant
to Section 5 of Article IX of the
Constitution, the Committee is
prepared, by invitation, to
assist the administration in the
formulation or implementation
of any such policy or policies.
Your correspondence to me
noted that the rationale for this
motion is due to the fact that
the Safety and Social Equity
Committee, chaired by Dr.
John Cencich, recommended
that this motion be brought
forward as a result of the
shooting incident that occurred
on the Virginia Tech campus;
and furthermore, that the
Committee requested that a
policy be developed, whereby
university police would receive
training, along with local law
enforcement, in response to
active shooters on campus.
Given the fact that our
University police are now
armed, and even though they
received training prior to being
armed, additional training as
specifically mentioned above
would ensure additional safety
precautions for all concerned,
particularly our police officers;
therefore, I hereby accept the
motion as approved by Forum.
Please contact me if you have
any questions.
Sincerely,
Angelo Armenti, Jr.
April 20, 2009
Mr. Douglas Hoover, Presiding
Officer
California University Forum
Dear Mr. Hoover:
This is in response to Motion
#2009-83 passed at the
January 20, 2009, meeting of
the California University
Forum regarding Proposed
Academic Standards for
Internships, which deals with
standards based on the
recommendations of the
Internship Program Review
conducted on April 26-27,
2007.
While I agree with the
proposed academic standards
as presented to me on this
matter, I have concluded that
Motion #2009-83 deals with
procedure, as opposed to

policy and, as such, falls
outside the realm of authority
of the California University
Forum. As a result, however, I
will forward these proposed
academic standards for
internships to Provost
Geraldine M. Jones for
appropriate and possible
consideration, discussion and
implementation.
Therefore, I hereby deny
Motion #2009-83 as approved
by Forum for the
aforementioned reason.
Please contact me if you have
any questions.
Sincerely,
Angelo Armenti, Jr.
University President
Presiding Officer Hoover noted
that the next Forum Executive
Meeting will be held on
Tuesday, September 1, 2009,
in Room 408 of the Manderino
Library – the University
Community is welcome to
attend.
Public Comments
There were no public
comments offered at this time.
Interpellation
There were no questions
offered at this time.
Strategic Plan – Final Draft
President Armenti presented
the Strategic Plan and noted
that after input from members
of the University community,
which resulted in several
drafts, he made the final
revisions to the document;
hence, the notation on page
32 as AA: 20-Apr-2009.
President Armenti noted that
additional minor changes will
be made to the document,
such as the correction of typos
and certain wording, and as a
result of those changes, there
will be a very slight difference
between the document
presented and the document
that will be presented to the
Council of Trustees for
approval. President Armenti
noted that the current Mission
Statement guides the
Strategic Plan. The Strategic
Plan will be presented to the
Council of Trustees on June 3,
2009, for their review and
approval. President Armenti
stated that once the Council of
Trustees approves the
Strategic Plan; the approved
document will be shared with
the Forum so that they will
have the final copy for their
records.
Senator Golden moved to
approve the Strategic Plan;
second by Senator Jones.
There being no further
discussion, a vote was taken.
VOTE: Motion carries
unanimously
Safety and Social Equity
Committee’s Response –
RE: Call Boxes/Lighting –
Safety Concern

Prof. John Cencich,
Chairperson of the Safety and
Social Equity Committee,
presented the following
response from the committee:
From: John R. Cencich, J.S.D.
Chair, Safety & Social Equity
Committee
To: University Forum
Re: Emergency Phones and
Lights
Date: April 21, 2009
Attached you will find a map
that indicates the preliminary
recommendations on the
placement of emergency
phones (with black lights) on
our campus. These
recommendations are made
based upon 1) the
recommendation from the
Safety and Security
Committee that our campus
be so equipped; and 2) the
request from the Forum that
we make recommendations on
where these phones and lights
should be strategically located
on the campus.
On the evening of February
19, 2008, Drs. Carol Bocetti
and Dawn Moeller, along with
Jim Hansen and Michael Miles
from the campus police,
undertook a walk-through of
the campus in order to provide
these recommendations. Dr.
Bocetti and Dr. Moeller are
both representatives of the
Faculty Senate who, on behalf
of the Senate, joined this
motion and request for
emergency phone placement.
Jim Hansen and Mike Miles
are both members of the
Safety Committee.
During the walk-through it was
noted that the parking lots are
scheduled to be replaced, and
plans have already been
made to install phones in the
new parking lots. Therefore,
we did not make
recommendations on
placement in the parking lots.
The following should be
further noted:
• The phones should be
directly linked to the campus
police station with dedicated
lines indicating the exact
location of the phone in the
event the caller is unable to
speak. The method of the
connection will have to be
determined, but professionals
recommend fiber connections
for optimum results.
• Kara Alumni House has a
phone outside of the entrance.
A blue light could be placed on
it, as it is inconspicuous. An
“Emergency Phone” sign
could be considered.
• There should be a phone
outside of Herron (see star on
map beside a question mark),
but if a phone is already in the
specs, we don’t need to
recommend this.
• Chief Hansen would prefer
that phones are not placed at
the entrance to campus

– Continued on page 4

3

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THE CALIFORNIA
UNIVERSITYFORUM
September 8, 2009
4:00 P.M. Morgan Hall Auditorium
TENTATIVE AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. ROLL CALL
III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
IV. MINUTES OF APRIL 21, 2009
(Approved by e-mail ballot – refer to
Forum website or Public Folders Outlook)
V. MINUTES OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
(Informational Only – Minutes of
September 1, 2009)
VI. PRESIDING OFFICER’S REPORT
A. Miscellaneous Information
B. President’s Response to Motion
Passed
C. Notice of Executive Committee
Meeting: September 22, 2009 –
University Community Welcome
VII. PUBLIC COMMENTS
VIII. INTERPELLATION
IX. NEW BUSINESS
X. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Next FORUM Meeting OCTOBER
6, 2009
XI. ADJOURNMENT

THE CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY FORUM
Minutes

– Continued from page 3
because of the high likelihood of
prank calls. Representatives of the
Safety Committee and Faculty
Senate take a different view on
this, as this is very similar to the
situation of silent 911 calls that
municipal police deal with on an
everyday basis.
• When the recommendations
were submitted to the Executive
Committee, the support appeared
to be unanimous, and indeed,
further recommendations were
made for the placement of
additional phones and lights.
These included placement near
Morgan Hall and at or near the
various parking lots.
Accordingly, this recommendation,
as previously noted, is a
preliminary one, and it is
requested that representatives of
the Safety Committee, Faculty
Senate, and interested student
groups be involved as the final
stages as these recommendations
are implemented.
• In light of the fact that the theory
of Crime Prevention by
Environmental Design (CPTED)

draws strongly on previous data
that relate to the importance
of the “perception” of safety and
fear, Dr. Dawn Moeller and I plan
to undertake a joint study based
upon empirical data that can assist
policymakers at Cal U as well as
serve as a model for other
colleges and universities.
Prof. Cencich also noted that the
recommendations are preliminary
because of the on-going
construction projects on campus
and asked that the Safety and
Social Equity Committee continue
to be included in the
implementation process. Senator
Armenti noted that emergency
phones will be installed around the
river parking lot as part of the
parking lot’s renovation, which is
scheduled to begin in May.
Senator Armenti stated that he will
request that the design team
contact the Safety and Social
Equity Committee for input.
MOTION:
That the Forum extends its
gratitude to the students who
served on the Forum – Ashley
Briggs, Danielle Dever, Kay

Dorrance, Rebecca Giles,
Mercedes Himmons, Ryan
Jerico, Donald Marszalek,
Christine Schlieper, Marguerite
Smith, Matthew Weiss - whose
service to the Forum will end
with this meeting.
Senator Angelone moved to
approve the motion as presented.
Second by Senator Sible.
VOTE:Motion carries unanimously.
New Business
There was no new business
offered at this time.
Announcements/Adjournment
Presiding Officer Hoover noted the
next Forum meeting will be held
on September 8, 2009. There
being no further business,
Presiding Officer Hoover
adjourned the meeting at 4:50
p.m.

Minutes submitted by Mrs. Dana
Turcic, recording Secretary.
MINUTES APPROVED BY
MAJORITY VIA E-MAIL BALLOT.

Highmark awards
to benefit
PASSHE students

M

Who Needs Snow?

Sean Kennedy, a 2012 Summer Olympic hopeful and trampoline artist for Flippenout Productions, shows off some aerial stunts for
students at the Cal U for Life sessions prior to the opening football game at Adamson Stadium on Aug. 27.

ore than 150 students majoring in
health care-related fields at
Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned
universities will be receiving an assist from
Highmark Inc. in paying for their education.
Highmark earlier this year donated
$250,000 to the PASSHE Foundation, most of
which will be used to fund both undergraduate
and graduate student scholarships.
A total of 140 incoming freshmen – 10
from each of the PASSHE universities – will
receive a scholarships worth $1,000 for the
2009-2010 academic year. An additional
$10,000 in awards for graduate study also will
be shared among students attending the 14
PASSHE universities.
“In this difficult economic time, this is a
wonderful opportunity for each of the PASSHE
universities to help encourage and recruit
students of both merit and need to pursue their
educational dreams in the health care field,”
said PASSHE Foundation President and CEO
Anthony M. Ianiero.
Highmark’s donation to the PASSHE
Foundation also includes $50,000 for academic
initiatives in the health care field to be offered
to the 14 universities on a competitive basis and
$50,000 for general support.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher
Education is the largest provider of higher
education in the commonwealth, with more
than 112,500 students.

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. Allan J. Golden
Vice President for Administration and Finance

Geraldine M. Jones
Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Lenora Angelone
Vice President for Student Development and Services

Dr. Joyce Hanley
Executive Vice President

Dr. Charles Mance
Vice President of Information Technology

Angela J. Burrows
Vice President for University Relations
Christine Kindl
Editor

Wendy Mackall, Bruce Wald
Writers

OfficeofCommunicationsandPublicRelations,
250UniversityAvenue,California,PA15419
724-938-4195wald@calu.edu

The Journal is printed on paper made from trees harvested under the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (www.SFIprogram.org).

4