California University

Volume 22, Number 2 FEB. 3, 2020
KEEP UP WITH CAL U NEWS ONLINE: calu.edu/news

Athletic
Training
Honor
for Meyer

D

r. Linda Platt Meyer,
a professor in Cal U’s
Department of Exercise
Science and Sport Studies, began the
new year with a distinguished honor
as a new member of the Eastern
Athletic Trainers’ Association ’49
Club.
She received the honor at the
72nd annual EATA Conference,
which was held Jan. 10-13 in
Mashantucket,
Conn.
Formed
in 1949, the
EATA consists
of more than
8,000 athletic
trainers and
athletic training
students
Linda Platt Meyer
from Maine
to Delaware. EATA provides
educational sessions, scholarships
and research grants to athletic
trainers in Districts 1 and 2 of
the National Athletic Trainers’
Association.
The ’49 Club recognizes
EATA members who demonstrate
sustained leadership and reflect
positively on the EATA and their
home districts. Their work advances
the profession of athletic training
as a result of their exceptional
accomplishments and dedication to
sustained service and leadership.
Meyer teaches in the online
master’s degree program in exercise
science and health promotion. She
was a member of the state Board
of Osteopathic Medicine and is
involved with the Pennsylvania
Athletic Trainers’ Society.
For the past 30 years, Meyer has
volunteered as an athletic trainer
for Special Olympics Pennsylvania
(SOPA).
Her vision was to create an
interdisciplinary sports medicine
team, where physicians, athletic
trainers, nurses, and emergency
medical services personnel work
together to provide coverage for
Special Olympics events. Today,
all SOPA state level events have
interdisciplinary healthcare teams
providing coverage at competitions.
Meyer traveled as one of two
athletic trainers with Team USA
for the 1993 World Winter Games
in Salzburg, Austria, and was the
only athletic trainer with Team
Pennsylvania for four other World
Games — Minneapolis, Minn., in
1991; New Haven, Conn., in 1995;
— Continued on page 4

Social Work Professor
Provides Hospital Training

D

r. Azadeh Block, associate
professor of social work at
Cal U, recently provided cultural
humility training to employees at
Jefferson Hospital, part of the Allegheny
Health Network.
The training is part of the hospital’s
Front Door Initiative for Social
Emergency Medicine, which received
a four-year grant from the Jefferson
Regional Foundation.
Block presented face-to-face training
to employees in the hospital’s Emergency
Department, and work is underway to
develop online training modules that will
be available to all employees at Jefferson
and, potentially, at other Allegheny
Health Network locations.
Cultural humility training is meant
to foster an understanding about how
personal life experiences shape the way
people view others.
“We know that social risk factors may
not be the primary reason someone visits
our Emergency Department, but social
risk factors — where you work, live,
and play — are underlying reasons why
someone might be a recurring visitor,”
said Gretchen North, program manager
of the Front Door Initiative.
“Once we get a holistic health
picture, we can connect and refer patients
to community-based resources and
supports.”
Understanding the unique
circumstances and needs of the
significant population of refugees and
immigrants from Bhutan and Nepal who
live in the South Hills of Pittsburgh,
an area served by Jefferson Hospital, is
critical.
“We focused on the life of people who
are refugees and their experiences,” Block
said of the training. “It builds empathy
to understand what it’s like to be forced

Dr. Azadeh Block, associate professor of social work, is providing cultural humility training to
staff at Jefferson Hospital.

to leave your country, only to eventually
make it to the United States and not be
welcomed.
“And then, being a refugee can impact
things like access to nutritious foods for a
period of time. Knowing that can inform
some of the issues that people might see
in the Emergency Department.”
North said 60 members of Jefferson
Hospital’s Emergency Department took
the training.
“Azi definitely tailored the training
not only to the population she was
teaching but also to the populations we
see most frequently,” she said. “We want
to target our most vulnerable patients,
and among them are refugees and

immigrants who have access and literacy
issues. They’re not the only population,
but they are a major one.
A pre- and post-training assessment
indicated the presentation was a success.
"I was born in New Castle, Pa., and
grew up in Pittsburgh; Southwestern PA
is my home, but because I have a parent
who is an immigrant, I can personally
relate to both experiences: born here
and immigrant," Block said. "This
coupled with my professional training
as a social work educator is the recipe
for success in making it a training that
is relatable.
“I’m happy to be helping people
with this. I think it’s really necessary.”

Black History Month Events Planned

S

lavery in America dates to 1619. Reflections on those
400 years of history — and a look to the future — will
highlight “The Next 400 Years: Recognition, Restoration,
and Resilience,” as Cal U celebrates Black History Month in
February.
A special four-part “What’s the T? Thoughtful Discussions
About National Narratives” series, developed by the
Student Affairs Diversity Committee, will highlight the
month. The conversations will be at 11 a.m. in Vulcan Theatre,
on the first floor of the Natali Student Center, on the following
dates:
Feb. 3: Dr. Paul Spradley, founder of the Care Based
Leadership Collaborative, will conduct a one-man performance,
“The Day Civil Rights Got Old,” followed by a discussion. The
presentation explores how one moment from the 1960s has
impacted a man in the present day.
Feb. 10: Jessica Spradley, a Frederick Douglass Institute
scholar in sociology at Cal U, and vice president of research and
assessment for the Care Based Leadership Collaborative, will
lead a presentation and discussion titled “Educational Places as
Racial Places.”
Feb. 11: Dr. Rodney Taylor, FDI scholar in English,

will discuss “Post-Bellum, Pre-Harlem: African American
Authors & the Remembered Plantation.”
Feb. 17: The full “I Have a Dream” speech that
was delivered by American civil rights activist
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington
— Continued on page 2

Page 2

FEB. 3, 2020

Black
History
Month
Events
Planned

— Continued from page 1

for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963,
will be viewed. Afterward, Jeffrey Jones,
Cal U’s first gentleman, will moderate
a panel discussion of civil rights and
social justice. Panelists will include
Cal U students, faculty, staff, and
alumni.
“We’ve tapped into our on-campus
resources because this is an ideal time
to use their scholarship to go back and
talk about some historical perspective,
but also to acknowledge what can
happen in the next 400 years,” said
Sheleta Camarda-Webb, director of
Multicultural Affairs and Diversity
Education. “I believe these sessions will
be poignant, informational and also very
captivating.”
Faculty members Dr. Darla Timbo (left) and Dr. Ayanna Lyles work on a project at a writers retreat organized by the Frederick Douglass Institute
at Cal U.

M

A Retreat for Writers

ore than a dozen faculty
members gathered at SAI
Farm on Jan. 16 in search
of a precious commodity: Time.
Uninterrupted time to focus on writing
and scholarship before the start of the
spring semester.
They found it, along with the support
of their colleagues, at a writers retreat
organized by the Frederick Douglass
Institute at Cal U.
“The intention of the retreat was to
foster a culture of collegiality amongst
academic departments of Cal U,” said
Rodney Taylor, a Frederick Douglass
scholar in the Department of English,
who was the lead organizer. “And to
understand that while each discipline is
unique, we all have to write.”
Faculty members’ goals for the day
included working on syllabi, dissertations

Faculty
Member
Gives Back
Dr. Sean Madden is pictured
with a load of baby food he
helped to deliver on behalf
of 412 Food Recue. The
organization partners with
food retailers, nonprofit
organizations and volunteers
to bring healthy food to those
experiencing food insecurity
in the Pittsburgh area.
“Volunteers get notifications
for deliveries every day via a
phone app,” says Madden, a
professor in the Department
of History, Politics, Society and
Law. “Sometimes I get calls for
‘special deliveries’ like baby
food because they need to
make sure it happens. I check
the app any day that I have a
few free hours in the morning
or afternoon. I generally try to
make one or more deliveries
per week, depending if we are
in session at Cal.”

and journal articles; applying for grants;
drafting lines of poetry; preparing
manuscripts; and writing lyrics and
music. They were instructed to dress
comfortably, to have realistic goals,
and by all means to bring “creature
comforts,” like coffee, of course.
“It’s an opportunity to have a time
slot to get this type of work done,” said
geology professor Dr. Tom Mueller.
“Getting a research article out there
in a journal takes a lot of time and
dedication. There is always something
else that seems to take priority when
you’re trying to write your research.”
The institute designs programs that
honor the legacy of Frederick Douglass
and his belief in education and equality,
said director Dr. Ayanna Lyles.
“The FDI seeks to amplify the
intellectual vitality and potential of

all faculty, staff, and students at the
University,” she said. “One way to foster
intellectual growth is to allow space
for faculty to take the time to work on
individual professional goals.”
Jessica Spradley, an FDI scholar in
the Department of History, Politics,
Society and Law, offered a yoga class
at the retreat. The basic poses and
breathing exercises are intended to focus
the mind, she said, and can be done
throughout a busy day when a mental
break is needed.
“Rod and I talked about how hard
it can be to get in the mental space to
write. If we can teach ourselves how
to be mindful, how to calm down and
relax, we can create 5 or 10 minutes of
rest to get our minds to be rejuvenated.”
The writers retreat was funded by the
College of Liberal Arts.

Other Events
Multicultural Affairs Night at
Cal U Basketball, 1 and 3 p.m. Feb. 1,
Hamer Hall. Enjoy Vulcan basketball
against Slippery Rock and join the
Multicultural Affairs and Diversity
Education staff for a chance to win rally
towels, T-shirts and other giveaways.
An information booth in the lobby will
provide information on Cal U’s Black
History Month activities. Tickets are $5
for adults, $3 for visiting students. Cal
U students with CalCards and children
under age 12 are admitted free.
Soul Food Luncheon and
Dinner, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and
4-7 p.m. Feb. 5, Gold Rush Culinary
Center. Diners enjoy a menu created
from recipes and stories contributed
by members of the Cal U community.
Cost is $8.25 for lunch and $10.60 for
dinner for those not on a meal plan.
Soul food is a term used for an ethnic
cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten
by African Americans of the southern
United States. AVI Foodsystems is the
event sponsor.
Black History Month Trivia,
7 p.m. Feb. 24, Natali Student Center
Performance Center. Student teams
of 4-6 people will learn and share their
knowledge about African history in
the United States. Each member of the
winning team will receive $25 shop
dollars each added to their meal plans.
A Taste of Africa, 10:30 a.m.2 p.m. Feb. 27, Gold Rush Culinary
Center. Diners will be treated to an
African-inspired menu with the Cal U
community helping with some of the
Nigerian recipes. Cost is $8.25.
Black History Month is sponsored by
the Office of the President, the Office of
Student Affairs, the Center for Volunteer
Programs and Service Learning,
Multicultural Affairs and Diversity
Education, the Frederick Douglass
Institute, the Department of Criminal
Justice, and AVI Foodsystems.
For more information about
Black History Month events at Cal U,
contact the office of Multicultural Affairs
and Diversity Education at 724-938-5758 or
made@calu.edu.

FEB. 3, 2020

Page 3

Chancellor: State System at Turning Point

P

ennsylvania’s State System of
Higher Education Chancellor
Dan Greenstein delivered the
annual State of the System address l
ast month by outlining a bold vision
for 2020 and called on strategic
partners, especially members of
the General Assembly, to choose to
invest in affordable and accessible
public education.
The State System is requesting
$487 million in state appropriations
for 2020-21, a 2 percent increase over
the current fiscal year. And it also is
asking state leaders to support a new,
separate $20 million investment in a
5-year, $100 million project that will
redesign some operations, leading
to substantial cost savings and new
potential revenues. ​​
“So, what is the state of our
System?” Greenstein said. “It is fluid,
and we are at a turning point. This
year, with our partners, the General
Assembly, we will decide the course
of public higher education in this
Commonwealth.”
Greenstein’s 2020 vision includes
showing how students at one
university can access courses and
programs elsewhere in the system; the
execution of budget plans to ensure all

During his State of the System address, Chancellor Dan Greenstein expressed optimism about
the future of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

universities are financially sustainable
in five years; leveraging the system’s
massive scale of 14 universities and
more than 95,000 students to achieve
cost savings; and to report its progress

meeting clearly identified student and
university goals.
The chancellor pointed out how
Pennsylvania ranks 48th in the nation in
funding public higher education, calling

it a public policy “choice” made by
elected leaders for years. A lack of public
investment leads to higher tuition, levels
of student debt, and struggles to attract
public and private investment.
“This has been kicked down the
road for many years,” he said. “Let me
confirm. There is no more road. The
State System bears responsibility for
this, yes. But our elected state leaders
share that responsibility, and so we ask
our partners to collaborate with us, to
support our efforts, and set this State
System up for Pennsylvania’s success.”
​Complementary to the State System’s
annual general education appropriation
is a new line item request for $20 million
to begin a 5-year, $100 million effort
to transform the System’s information
technology, potential online education,
and other office functions by leveraging
the System’s massive scale. The State
System projects $80 million to $120
million in cost savings alone during the
next five to 10 years.
“Transformative change is not a onetime action item,” Board of Governors
Chair Cindy Shapira said. “It requires
commitment that stretches years into
the future. It requires honesty, vision,
and leaders to inspire the work of others
toward that vision.”

3 Open
House
Programs
Scheduled

C
Club, Organizational Fair set for Feb. 4
Cal U students can get a firsthand look at the many available extracurricular opportunities on campus during the Spring 2020 Club and Organizational
Fair from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb 4 in the Performance Center, inside the Natali Student Center. More than 100 clubs and organizations are expected to
be represented. “The fair is an ideal way for new students to find out what’s available to them as well as helping clubs and organizations increase
membership,” said Jamison Roth, director of recreational services. “Extracurricular involvement can look great a student’s resume and they might
also realize there’s an activity that fits perfectly with their interests.” For more information email Melissa Dunn at dunn@calu.edu.

­­­Campus BRIEFS
Website Hub for Weather Alerts
Students and employees should register for Emergency
Text Alerts and watch the Cal U website.
Weather announcements will be made only if the
University’s regular operation is disrupted. A red banner
on top of the homepage and every page at calu.edu will
direct users to the Emergency Information section, where
information will be updated periodically, if needed, as
conditions change.
Text alerts may be issued for the most significant
announcements, such as cancellations or delays. Users must
register for text alerts using a campus email address and
password; registration must be renewed annually.
For details and answers to frequently asked questions,
visit calu.edu/inside/campus-safety. For quick links to
register, look for “Text Alerts” on the resources pages
for current students (calu.edu/students) or faculty

and staff (calu.edu/faculty or calu.edu/staff).
Notice of cancellations or delays also may be
available on local TV stations and on the Cal U hotline
at 724-938-4507 or 800-422-5639.

Faculty-Staff Convocation Feb. 18
Following a new format, the Spring Faculty-Staff
Convocation will focus on the “Campus Master Plan: A
Blueprint for the Future.” After University President
Geraldine M. Jones delivers the opening presentation,
Robert Thorn, vice president for Administration and
Finance, will provide an update on the plan for campus
buildings. A question-and-answer session will follow.
All University employees are welcome to attend the
program, set for Feb. 18 in the Cal U Convocation Center’s
South Conference Wing. The convocation will be held
during the common hour, beginning at 11 a.m.

al U has scheduled three
Open House programs this
spring.
Open House programs begin with
Academic Experience Day, which
is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 17, beginning at the
Convocation Center.
Other Open House events will
take place from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 21, and Saturday,
April 18. Registration for both events
will be on the third floor of the Natali
Student Center.
At an Open House, prospective
students can meet faculty and current
students, take a campus tour, learn
about our clubs and organizations and
more.
On Feb. 17, visiting students
will have an opportunity to sit in on
classes taught by Cal U faculty
members.
Campus tours will include the
residence halls, classrooms and
academic departments, and facilities
such as the Herron Recreation and
Fitness Center, and the Convocation
Center. Students and families can
talk with Cal U students, meet faculty
members, and learn about financial
aid options. All students receive a
free Cal U T-shirt at the end of
the day.
To register for an Open House
date and see a schedule of events,
go to calu.edu/visit or call
724-938-4404.
For information about the
admissions process at Cal U, visit
calu.edu/admissions; and to explore
academic majors, visit calu.edu/academics.

Page 4

FEB. 3, 2020

Cal U
Supports
Stock
Market
Challenge

C

alifornia University of
Pennsylvania is partnering
with the Pennsylvania Council
on Financial Literacy (PennCFL) to
sponsor stock market competitions for
elementary, middle and high school
students in a five-county region.
Cal U is supporting PennCFL’s
Stock Market Challenge in Allegheny,
Fayette, Greene, Washington and
Westmoreland counties. The challenge
is open to public and private school
students in grades 3-12.
The competition is designed to
teach students and teachers how to
invest and trade in stocks, analyze
markets and build a portfolio. More
than $2,800 in prizes will be awarded
in the five-county region. The Spring
Game starts Feb. 10.
“It’s never too soon to begin
building financial literacy,” says
Dr. Paul Hettler, chair of the
Department of Business and
Economics at Cal U. “Our university
is proud to support PennCFL and the
Stock Market Challenge.”
PennCFL’s mission is to provide
K-12 students with economic, personal
finance and entrepreneurship skills that
elevate their standard of living, quality
of life and professional success. It
sponsors financial games and programs,
with the participation of over 10,000
students in 45 counties. In partnership
with colleges and universities,
PennCFL offers entrepreneurship
conferences and competitions.
For more information about the Stock
Market Challenge, visit PennCFL.org or call
570-975-5149.

— Continued from page 1

Johnson Snares Hall Induction

Editor’s Note: The 2020 members of
Cal U’s Athletic Hall of Fame will be
honored at the second annual Bow Ties
and Pearls Ball on Saturday, May 2, at the
Convocation Center. The event benefits
Cal U scholarships for Cal U students and
legacy projects on campus. To purchase
tickets and for more information about the
event, visit calu.edu/bowtiesball.

B

efore he played in the
National Football League,
Terrence Johnson was a
cornerback for the Vulcans. Soon he’ll
also be a member of the Cal U Athletic
Hall of Fame.
For the 2006-2009 football seasons,
Johnson was a starter in one of the
game’s most challenging positions. A
three-time all-conference selection, he
earned multiple All-America honors
during his final two years at Cal U.
Johnson finished his career with
178 tackles, including 133 solo
takedowns. With 16 interceptions and
32 pass break-ups — including three
interceptions in the 2009 postseason —
he led the Vulcans in interceptions in
each of his four years with the program.
When he caught the ball, he ran.
Fast. A championship runner in the
off-season, Johnson chalked up a total
of 693 return yards, highlighted by an
82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown
in the 2008 NCAA Division II Playoffs.
During his time at Cal U, the
shutdown corner helped the Vulcans
compile a 44-10 cumulative record
and 25-1 PSAC-West mark, with four
consecutive PSAC-West titles and three
straight appearances in the NCAA
Division II national semifinals.
“We had a bunch of great WPIAL
players, along with record-setting guys
from Ohio,” Johnson said. “We took
nothing for granted, worked hard, the
coaches managed us right and it all just
came together.”
With his induction May 2 at
the 2020 Bow Ties & Pearls Ball,
Johnson will become the sixth Hall
of Fame member to have played for
head coach John Luckhardt, who

Former cornerback Terrence Johnson will
be the fifth player from Cal U’s 2007-2009
national semifinalist football teams to
be inducted into the University’s Athletic
Hall of Fame.

also will be inducted that evening.
“This honor brings back memories
of the first time ‘Coach Lucky’ came
to my door with his vision for Cal,”
Johnson said. “Then we went on that
great run. To be honored with him is
just something very special.”
Johnson recalls his year as a redshirt
in 2005, when he would slip on a red
shirt and find his way onto the field
during practice.
“I would blend right in with the
running backs and receivers, and it
probably took about three days for the
coaches to realize what I was doing,”
Johnson recalled, laughing.
“I was a small kid, not heavily
recruited, and to be at Cal U with all
of these great players … I felt that I
had to prove that I was able to fit in. I
was really just trying to compete, and I
think the coaches took notice of me and
appreciated it.”

Luckhardt got his message.
“This is a guy who was not going
to play in any games that year, but that
kind of dedication not only tells you
what kind of person he is, but why he
went on to be an All-American and play
several years in the NFL,” the former
head coach said.
“We’d line him up against the other
team’s best receiver each week, including
some that were supposed to be the best
in the country, and he’d just shut them
down. … Terrence is one of the reasons
why we were as good as we were.”
As a student-athlete, Johnson was
tapped for the American Football
Coaches Association, AP, D2Football.
com and Daktronics All-America teams.
He also played in the 2010 Valero
Cactus Bowl, an all-star game for senior
football players.
After earning his degree in criminal
justice in 2009, Johnson spent three
years in the NFL, playing for New
England, Atlanta and Indianapolis,
where in 2011 he made 37 tackles for
the Colts. He also played one season of
Arena Football with the now defunct
LA Kiss.
“I took everything as a challenge,”
Johnson said. “If there was an opposing
receiver who was supposed to be the
best, that’s the matchup I wanted every
single time.
“Cornerback is one of the most
difficult positions to play because it’s a
guessing game. You have to stop a guy
from doing what he does best. … You
have to get in his mix and take pride in
it to accomplish that.”
Johnson and his fiancé,
Wanisha Green ’19, now live in
Pittsburgh with their 2-year-old son.
Johnson owns a construction, home
remodeling and landscape business with
teammate and former All-American
defensive lineman Willie Walker.
“When I was at Cal U, it was a great
time,” he said. “You had a guys from
different areas that lived in the same
circles, who were all kicking, scratching
and focused on accomplishing the same
things. We made the best time of it.”

Meyer Earns Athletic Training Honor

Raleigh and Durham, N.C., in 1999; and
Anchorage, Alaska, in 2001.
Since 1990, Meyer has served as
the medical coordinator for Special
Olympics Pennsylvania’s State Winter
Games. Over the decades, she recruited
hundreds of athletic trainers and
athletic training students to volunteer
for the Special Olympics Winter Games
at Seven Springs Mountain Resort,
Champion, Pa.
She has presented at international,
national, district and state levels on
topics related to athletic training, Special
Olympics, and leadership. Some of her

work on leadership, athletic training and
Special Olympics topics have appeared
in the Journal of Athletic Training and
Athletic Therapy Today.
“The ’49 Club is considered the
highest honor an EATA member
can achieve and is equivalent to
Hall of Fame recognition,” said
Dr. Thomas West, EATA member and
Cal U professor in the Department of
Exercise Science and Sport Studies. “It
is a very impressive honor, and Linda is
very deserving.
“She is truly the person that best
embodies the personification of
professionalism. She has been deeply
involved in the profession of athletic

training at the state, district and national
level, but her greatest contribution
and possibly her greatest passion has
been in providing service as an athletic
trainer to the Special Olympics here in
Pennsylvania, in particular at the Winter
Games.”
In 2013, Meyer was inducted into
the Pennsylvania Athletic Training
Hall of Fame along with Cal U
colleagues Dr. Barry McGlumphy and
Julie Ramsey-Emrhein.
She is proud that she was able to
provide a life-changing opportunity for
hundreds of athletic training students
and athletic trainers as they volunteered
for the SOPA State Winter Games

and interacted with Special Olympics
athletes.
“It is my hope that many of these
athletic training students, now certified,
have continued to volunteer for
Special Olympics events across the
nation and beyond, engaging other
athletic training students to experience
this incredible population and continuing
the tradition of paying it forward,”
Meyer said.
“While this ‘49 Club recognition may
have my name tagged, I want to share
it with all athletic trainers who have
volunteered for Special Olympics events,
because they make a difference in the
lives of these incredible athletes.”

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. Bruce Barnhart
Provost and Senior Vice President
for Academic Affairs

Dr. Nancy Pinardi
Vice President for Student Affairs
Christine Kindl
Vice President for Communications
and Marketing

Office of Communications and Public Relations

Robert Thorn
Vice President for Administration and Finance
Anthony Mauro
Vice President for University
Development and Alumni 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