Edi�boro U�iversity Ho�ors College

Around The Honors
College
October 2021

Inside This Issue
Page 1-2
Staff Introduction
Page 3-4
Student Spotlights
Page 5
Pen Pals
Honors Mentor Program
Page 6
Honors Contracts
Page 7
Enrichment Meetings
Page 8
Honors Courses for
Winter 2021 and
Spring 2022

Honors College
Staff Introduction
Abby Morrow
Major: Speech and Hearing Science
Minor: Psychology and Deaf Studies
Year: Senior
Abby is the newest member to the Honors College staff. She is in charge of the newsletter and working with the
Alumni Association. Outside of the Honors College, Abby is the President of ASL club and the Mental Health
Coordinator for NSSLHA. In her free time, Abby likes to work out, hike, hang out with friends, and learn ASL.

“I’m really excited to be a part of the Honors
College staff. It’s been so much fun putting
together the Newsletter and learning about
all the amazing things that you are doing! I also
have been working with Alumni Association to
connect our Edinboro Alumni to the Honors

Contact Us

College, as well as provide some resources.

Ho�ors Office
315 Butterfield Hall
Edinboro, PA 16412
Director
Dr. Roger Solberg
rsolberg@edinboro.edu
Office Ma�ager
Karen Culbertson
kculbertson@edinboro.edu
Stude�t Assista�ts
Abigail Morrow
am173097@scots.edinboro.edu
Jessalynn Ellis
je190954@sctos.edinboro.edu
Nicole Egan
ng190456@scots.edinboro.edu

Being a part of the Honors College has really
enhanced my college experience, so I’m grateful
to be working as a staff member as I finish out
my last year of college.”

Nicole Egan
Major: Speech and Hearing Science
Minor: Psychology
Year: Senior
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
“This is my second year working in the Honors office and my third year being
a member of the Honors College. From taking on research projects with
professors to presenting at NCHC virtually, I feel as though the Honors
College has expanded educational opportunities for me that I otherwise
would not have experienced had I not been a member in the program.
I have had the honor and privilege of managing the Newsletter last school year and leading the peer mentor program
this year. I never had an Honors mentor when I joined my sophomore year, so I had many questions as I offered to
take charge of the program this year. I served as a mentor last fall, but the first in-person mentor meeting I attended
happened to be the one I was in charge of. Needless to say, I have enjoyed getting to meet many of the new students
in the program and am excited to hear where their Honors’ journeys take them!”

2

Honors College
Staff Introduction
co�ti�ued

Jessalyn Ellis
Major: Psychology
Minor: Sociology
Year: Junior
Jessalyn has been a member of the Honors College staff for going
on two years now. She oversees pen pals, enrichment meetings,
t-shirts, and so much more. She lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh.
She loves to bake and when she is hone she works at two bakeries.
She is a member of the Psychology club, and she is interested in
doing research.
“I’m very excited to be here!
I love what we do!”

Karen Culbertson
Honors College Office Manager
An EU employee of 11.5 years as a Clerk Typist 2, her Culbertson family heritage pride runs
deep. Her husband’s 5th great-grandfather, William Culbertson, came from Edinburgh,
Scotland to help settle the town of Edinboro. Her son is a 4th generation Culbertson
Edinboro Alumni who graduated with a Music Performance Degree. Her father-in-law (Bill
Culbertson) and both of his parents (Milton and Irene Culbertson) were also Edinboro
University Alumni with Bill having graduated in 1951, Milton in 1915, and Irene in 1918, All
three were local musicians, as well as educators in local schools
(including one-room school houses).

Student
Spotlights
Cassidy Carthew poem
“Dont Destroy a Perfectly Good Sweater. Donate it.”
Even if my talent was only meant
to create your happiness,
that happiness was passed around the dinner table
through closed mouth smiles and
cheerful chanting of recollected lyrics
engraved both in your mind and all your acquaintances
You gave your joy like donations
without expecting any profit
So even if my talent only existed
for your happiness
hopefully it will be handed down
like a cozy sweater
like your presence
to the next person that needs warmth
After all, it’s still in good condition,
and everyone needs an extra sweater

Gabrielle Garmong, Senior
Major: Art Education
Minor: Deaf Studies
Gabrielle’s artwork, titled Quarantine, was in the Oil Heritage Art Show in Oil City, PA.
Gabrielle was awarded 1st place in the Amateur Adult Painting division. She made this painting in March of 2020
while we were social distancing/isolation and online classes.

3

4

Student
Spotlights
co�ti�ued

Some amazing Honors Students
volunteered at the Highland Games on
September 11th. They assisted with taking
donations for the games as well as helping
with t-shirt sales. Even though it was 7 a.m.,
their enthusiasm and school pride was
incredible. Thank you to all of those who
helped out with the games!

Emmalee Faiello
a senior Animation major, has been working on some truly amazing things lately. She is currently enrolled in five
different studios. She came to Edinboro in Fall 2019, and has been working hard to graduate ahead by talking extra
credits and summer courses.
For her summer internship, she worked with MoreFrames studio in Erie under Gus Trauth, her supervisor. “He taught
me all kinds of tips and tricks they use at their studio, and it really enriched my perspective on animation in a
professional environment. I was able to see the entire process of producing an animated short under Gus and we
made a pretty awesome short for Adultswim about Robot Chicken. It was like one of those animated commercial
bumpers with the Adultswim logo in it. Gus also helped me kick start production on my senior film for Animation 4
and I plan to finish it by December. So far, I finished all the preproduction stuff for it like planning the shots and getting
my story beats down.”
In addition to her senior film, she is also involved with commission for a band called Autoheart. She was asked to make
a music video for them which is a huge passion project for her to work with them. “I’ve been in contact with the artists
of Autoheart for years now and have done miscellaneous work for them throughout the years and finally we were
able to collaborate on a full video. It’s set to release soon so I’ve been hard at work on it.”
The images below are from her collaboration with MoreFrames.

Pen
Pals
One of our office members, Jessalynn, has been working on the Pen Pal Program with various honors students.
Here’s what she has to say about it; “The pen pal program was, thankfully, able to resume this semester after
taking a year hiatus due to COVID. We were able to pair 74 Honors Students with High School students from
Saegertown High School, which is a record for our program! It’s a great way for our students to connect with,
support, and inspire students getting ready to think about college, and it has been going smoothly this year!”

Honors
Mentor Program
The following 23 students have volunteered to be a mentor for the Fall 2021 semester:
1. Nicole Egan
2. Amanda LeSuer
3. Kaitlyn Staub
4. Ellen LaFuria
5. Alicia Eldredge
6. Tessa Cingle
7. Tehya Thorpe
8. Jessalyn Ellis
9. Erik Morrow
10. Lexi Gilchrist
11. Kaley Berger
12. Ashlee Hohman

13. James Hartley
14. Carley Semancik
15. Taylor Freeburg
16. Tonimarie Della
17. Kaitlyn Lachner
18. Kate Crissman
19. Tess Barlett
20. Gracelyn Gawlinski
21. Chance Dow
22. Anthony Tranquilli
23. Wesley Partch

Every summer before the fall semester, a group of upperclassmen in the Honors College volunteer their time
to serve as peer mentors to new students entering the program. These students send out a series of emails to their
assigned mentees as they transition from high school to college. At the beginning of the semester, the mentors
hold an annual Meet-and-Greet event where new freshmen have the opportunity to meet with upperclassmen
in-person and find out the requirements to maintain their membership within the Honors College. Peer mentors
can earn around 7-8 service hours for the fall semester for keeping up with the requirements of the program. If you
enjoyed having a peer mentor your freshman year and are interested in volunteering next fall, please email Nicole
Egan at ne190456@scots.edinboro.edu.

5

Honors
Contracts
Fall 2021

What is an Honors Contract?
When Honors College students create contracts for non-Honors courses, they undertake a project that goes beyond what
is required by the course’s syllabus. Honors contracts allow students to take a more in-depth look at a certain aspect of the
course and challenge themselces in interesting and creative ways. Contracts require commitment, careful planning, and
intellectual rigor. Students who satisfacortily complete a contract earn two Honors Options Points toward the 14 points
required for the Honors College diploma. Starting this fall, students can earn an additional point by doing a public
presentation about their project at the end of the semester.

Rachel Bauer and Sarah Feely. “The Creation of a Little Free Library Club on Campus.” CSD 210 Survey of Communication
Disorders in Children. Dr. Mary Weidner.
Hannah Blackburn. “Creating a Children’s Book Informed by Research on Early Language and Literacy.” ECED 241
Language and Literacy. Dr. Michelle Kimmy.
Hannah Blackburn. “Eight Lesson Plans Based on Two Children’s Books.” ECED 243 Creative and Expressive Arts.
Dr. Gary Grant.
Morgan Brooks-Sherwood. “The Dehumanizing Effects of Technology” FYE 102 The Evolution of Technology, Media,
and Culture. Dr. J. Camille Dempsey.
Paige Carnes. “Portfolio of Personalized Short Stories.” ENGL 117 Introduction to Fiction. Dr. John Cussen.
Kate Crissman. “Lesson Plans for Visual Arts, Movement, Music, and Drama.” ECED 243 Creative Expressive Arts.
Dr. Gary Grant.
Max Caro. “Creating a Graphical Interface Plug-In for a Tabletop Game.” CSCI 330 Object-Oriented Programming.
Dr. Daniel Bennett.
Emmalee Faiello. “Additional Ceramics Projects with Reflective Writing about the Creative Process.” ART 216 Ceramics 1.
Prof. Chuck Johnson.
Ashlee Hohman. “Literature Review of Scholarship Pertaining to Criminal Law.” Crim 265 Criminal Investigation.
Dr. George Richards.
Morgan Kingen. “A Study of Learning Assessment in Third-Graders, Utilizing the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
Literacy skills and the Early Reading Diagnostic Assessment.” ECED 480 Data Driven Assessment for Learning.
Dr. Mary Nientimp.
Macey McKinney. “Graphic Design Projects to Educate the Public about the Mistreatment of Animals.”
ART 431 Movements in Graphic Design. Prof. Shelle Barron.

6

7
Honors Enrichment Meetings
Fall 2021 Schedule
Date

Time Event

Location

Wednesday, September 22nd

4:00 pm

“Courageous
Conversations:
Social Justice”
with Dr. Baron

Zoom

Wednesday, September 29th

8:00 pm

“Medical
Department in
WWII” with
Jonathan Rowell

Cooper Room 170

Monday, October 4th

4:00 pm

“Self Care: What
is it and How to
Keep it Simple”
with Dr. Rinfrette

Zoom

Tuesday, October 5th

7:00 pm

“Covid and
Healthcare” with
Dr. Farbotnik

Cooper Room 172

Wednesday, October 13th

5:00 pm

“Living and
teaching in
Bhutan” with
Dr. Wyman

Butterfield Room 134

Monday, October 18th

6:00 pm

“Is Physics
Boring?” with
Dr. Hossian

Cooper Room 172

Tuesday, October 19th

5:00 pm

“Detection of
Deception” with
Dr. Craig

Compton Room 107A

Thursday, October 28th

6:00 pm

“MERGE” with
Dr. Lisa Austin

Bruce Gallery
in Doucette

Monday, November 1st

5:00 pm

“Leadership”
with Dr. Gibson

Butterfield Room 101

8
Honors Courses for Winter 2021
and Spring 2022
Scheduling for winter and spring courses begins on October 27. As Honors College students, you are first in line when it
comes to nailing down your schedule.

Winter Session December 13-January 12
COMM 360 Freedom of Speech. 100% online.
Dr. Andrew Smith
Dr. Smith taught an online winter Honors course last year and it worked very well. This is a good way to earn 2 HOPs
in four weeks and have the chance to work with an outstanding professor.

Spring 2022
Spring 2022 offers an exceptionally strong and diverse slate of Honors courses. Try to fit one of them into your schedule,
either as a requirement for your major, a Gen Ed course, or a free elective.
They all earn you 2 HOPs.
CHEM 241 Principles of Chemistry II.
Lab Tuesday 11-2
Dr. Olin. Distribution 3. Required for most Bio and Chem majors.

Lecture Monday and Wednesday 3-4:15

COMM 107 Public Speaking
T-Th. 9:30-10:45
Dr. Esposito. Distribution 1. Everyone should learn how to feel comfortable talking in front of an audience.
GEOS 102 Observing our Cosmos
T-Th. 2:00-3:15
Dr. Hurd. Core 7. Explore the wonders of the universe! Gaze up at the sky and say, “Wow!”
HONS 222 Crimes against Humanity
T-Th. 9:30-10:45
Two sections, team taught by Dr. Gendlin and Dr. Barbian. The professors will switch classrooms mid-semester. This is
going to be an amazing course! It’s about 9/11/2001, with a special focus on United Airlines Flight 93, on which the
passengers struggled to seize control of the cockpit from the terrorists. The plane crashed near Shanksville, PA. The
course includes a trip to the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville. Students now in HONS 201 should follow it with HONS 222
if it fits your schedule and if you need a Gen Ed Core 2 class. (There will be seats for people who are not currently taking
HONS 201.) Core 2.
HONS 271 Multiculturalism in American Schools. T-Th. 8:00-9:15
Dr. Baron. Core 5. This course is also open to non-Education majors. Prerequisites waived for Honors students.
LEAD 202 Leadership Studies
MWF 11:00-11:50
Dr. Gibson. Core 4. Never before offered as an Honors course, this class connects perfectly with the objectives of
the Honors College.
PHIL 317 The Meaning of Life
T-Th. 2:00-3:15
Dr. Sullivan. Not a Gen Ed course, but well worth taking. Expand your mind! Dr. Sullivan will challenge you in cool
and interesting ways.

Designed by Graphic Design Student Macey McKinney