CLARION
U N I V E R S I T Y

M A G A Z I N E

SPRING 2020

TIPPIN

Reimagined

ONLINE PROGRAMS RANKED AMONG
IN THE NATION

best

U.S. News & World Report released the 2020 Best Online Programs rankings, and five Clarion University programs ranked
among the nation’s best, earning the honor of being called U.S. News Best Online Programs:
• Bachelor’s online programs ranked 39th in the United States, the highest ranking among the 14 universities in
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education;
• MSN/DNP ranked 31st in the United States (up from 35th last year);
• Master of Education ranked 78th in the United States (up from 154th last year);
• Master of Business Administration ranked 109th in the United States (up from 119th last year);
• Business (non MBA) ranked 87th in the United States (up from 89th last year);
“These rankings reflect the great work from our faculty and staff to continuously improve our teaching and our services to
students,” said Dr. Pam Gent, provost. “The online classes are taught by Clarion faculty who are experts in their fields, many
of whom are the same faculty who teach our face-to-face classes.”
Clarion University faculty teaching online programs have received explicit training on how to teach online and have
monthly opportunities to update their online teaching skill sets. University staff provide support services – including online
tutoring, library services, a Writing Center, disabilities accommodations, and advising – for online students.
“Our rankings have steadily increased, specifically in the online bachelor’s programs and the Master of Nursing programs
the last three years,” said Lynne Lander Fleisher, director of Clarion Online. “We are a proud public institution and want to
extend our academically sound programs to those wherever they may reside.
To see more rankings of Clarion University programs, visit www.clarion.edu/rankings.

CLARION

S PR I N G 2 0 2 0
VOLUME 7
NUMBER 1

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

12 Leaner, Meaner, Greener

4 Clarion Digest

The $47 million renovation of Tippin is complete.
The redesigned space serves athletes better and is
environmentally friendly.

18 How many Earths?

The new Commission on Sustainability is teaching people
how to be more responsible inhabitants of our planet.

22 Dumpster Diving

Dr. Nripendra Singh introduced himself to Clarion by
digging through garbage to show elementary kids what is
unnecessarily going into landfills.

26 Earth’s Fever

Climatology expert Dr. Tony Vega explains climate change
and how human beings are accelerating it.

Senior Taylor Mahan is named Business Student of the
Year; students learn to visualize goals; Venango adds
Learning Commons to Suhr Library; revamped criteria
puts degrees in former students’ hands; Clarion named
Military Friendly with Gold distinction; Clarion uses It’s
on Us grant for LiveSafe app; dean, faculty member,
alumna announce scholarly publications.

10 Finals Week Late Night Breakfast
32 Sports Roundup
Swimmers have strong season; national diving
championships cut short by virus; wrestling impresses
in first year in new conference; student-athletes set new
standard of academic excellence.

40 Class Notes
48 #WINGSUP
Student trustee Tree Zuzzio is an outspoken advocate
for his fellow students.

CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

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Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

President: Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson
Executive editor: Tina Horner
Co-editors: Sean Fagan (sports); Amy Thompson Wozniak ’02, ’06G
Design: Bryan Postlewait ‘04
Contributors: Hope Lineman ’10, ’16G, Michelle Port, Shawna Bish,
Leandro Aristeguieta
Photographers: Adam Reynolds ’15, Bryan Postlewait,
Ashby Diaz, Scott Walstrom
Address comments and questions to:
Clarion University Magazine
Center for Advancement
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
840 Wood St., Clarion, PA 16214
Email: alumni@clarion.edu
Visit Clarion University on the web at www.clarion.edu.
Clarion University Magazine is published by the Division for University
Advancement for alumni, families of current students and friends of Clarion
University. Alumni information is also located at www.clarion.edu/alumni.
Clarion University of Pennsylvania is committed to equal employment and equal
educational opportunities for all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, sex,
religion, national origin, affection or sexual orientation, age, disability or other
classifications that are protected under Title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990, and other pertinent state and federal laws and regulations.
Direct equal opportunity inquiries to:
Director of Social Equity
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
216 Carrier Administration Building
Clarion, PA 16214-1232
814-393-2109

Board of Governors
Chair: Cynthia D. Shapira
Vice Chair: David M. Maser
Vice Chair: Samuel H. Smith
Rep. Tim Briggs
Audrey F. Bronson
Joar Dahn
Donald E. Houser Jr.
Rodney Kaplan Jr.
Barbara McIlvaine Smith
Marian D. Moskowitz
Thomas S. Muller
Noe Ortega, designee for Sec. Rivera
Pedro A. Rivera, secretary of education
Rep. Brad Roae
Sen. Judith L. Schwank
Meg Snead, designee for Gov. Wolf
Neil R. Weaver '00
Gov. Tom Wolf
Janet L. Yeomans
Council of Trustees
Chair: J.D. Dunbar ’77, ’79G
Vice Chair: Milissa Steiner Bauer ’84
Secretary: James L. Kifer ’83G
Susanne A. Burns
The Honorable R. Lee James ’74, ’83G
The Honorable Donna Oberlander ’91
Larry Pickett ’77
Brendan Shepherd ’16
Howard H. Shreckengost ’83
Neil Weaver ’00
Tree Zuzzio, student trustee
Alumni Association Board of Directors
President: Theresa Zacherl Edder ’91, ’05G
President-Elect: David Reed ’09
Treasurer: Michael Phillips ’03, ’04G
Secretary: Will Price ’09, ’11G
Jonathan Catanzarita ’11
Michael Chapaloney ‘99
Henry Crawford ’02
Jeffrey Douthett ’79
Chelsea Signorino Ewing ’15
Lee Grosch ’62
Sandra Hollenbaugh Jarecki ’69
Bridget Linnan Kennedy ’90, ‘07G
Thomas Launer ’10
John Marshall ’87
Barry McCauliff ’72
Chris Myers ’12
Ryan Peffer ’03
Robert Schmidt ’69
Joseph Sciullo ’02
Samantha Noblit Thauvette ’09
Shannon Fitzpatrick Thomas ’92
Virginia Cole Vasko ’88
Glenn Zary ’97
Kirsten Davis
Eagle Ambassadors President
Ann Thompson ex-officio
Director of Alumni Engagement
Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson ex-officio
President, Clarion University

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

When the World Health Organization declared coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic March 11, Clarion University students
had just returned from spring break. Pennsylvania’s first cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed a week earlier, and,
although the counties where our campuses are located had no cases, the virus was multiplying in the eastern side of the
commonwealth.
On campus, we established a Coronavirus Response Team and began to make plans to keep our campus communities
safe. Our first step was to move classes to remote delivery until further notice; students could choose to stay on campus
or return home until classes resumed. By March 16, it was apparent that we needed to take stronger action. The university
announced that classes would be delivered remotely through the end of the spring 2020 semester, and students were sent
home.
Our university transformed to virtual tools and remote delivery of services within days. Most offices set restricted hours.
We arranged for employees, with few exceptions, to work from home. Students, faculty and staff are learning new ways to
perform familiar tasks. Worldwide, our lives have changed. At Clarion, we proved how creative and resilient we are!
What hasn’t changed? At Clarion University, we remain a tight-knit community. Our students remain our number one
priority, and we continue to teach them. They continue to learn. We support them using remote tools to provide health
care, tutoring, financial aid, registration and so much more.
I’m proud to be a member of the Golden Eagle family. I’m proud of how, without exception, our students, faculty and staff
continue to work together to make the best of a crisis situation.
I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy.
Keep safe, keep connected, and always keep your wings up!

Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrrson
President, Clarion University
CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

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STUDENT NEWS I CLARION DIGEST

Mahan (center) with Clarion career liaison Josh Domitrovich (left) and Tony Vega.

MAHAN IS business STUDENT OF THE YEAR
Taylor Mahan, a senior accounting major, is the 2020
Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Employers
JoAnne Day Student of the Year in the Business category.
The awards recognize students who have completed an
internship or co-op.
Mahan, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, completed a finance internship with PITT OHIO where she led a group of interns and
completed an individual credit card analysis project that led
to future policy changes within PITT OHIO.
“Taylor rose to the challenge and handled this work efficiently and effectively, finishing many items accurately while
only having been shown them once, and asking thoughtful
questions when necessary,” said Don Riddle, assistant
controller at PITT OHIO. In eight years of the department
using interns, Mahan was the first to work independently on
a monthly closing cycle.

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In recommending her for the award, Dr. Tony Vega, Clarion
professor of atmospheric science, described Mahan as
a “consummate self-starter who sets realistic goals and
accomplishes them.”
On campus, Mahan is president of the Accounting Society
and the National Society of Leadership and Success, and is
chair of the Clarion Student’s Association Board of Directors. In 2018, she was part of a team that won second place
and $1,000 in the university’s BizPitch competition.
After graduating in May, Mahan plans to complete another
internship as a tax analyst for Schneider Downs. Afterward,
she will return to Clarion University to complete the MBA
program.

STUDENT NEWS I CLARION DIGEST

THE

POWER

OF
VISUALIZATION
Lindsay Morris, chair of UAB’s Weekend
Events Committee, said the committee
works to provide programming that caters to
a wide variety of student interests. Recently,
she guided her peers in creating vision
boards.
“The purpose of a vision board is to lay out
what you want your future to hold,” Morris
said. “This can include anything from goals
and ambitions to words of importance and
encouragement.”
Morris, an early childhood education major
from Claysville, provided magazines, stickers,
markers, glitter, gems and other materials
for students to use in creating their vision
boards. The boards are meant to be placed
where the creator will see them daily, serving
as reminders of their goals for the future.
“Visualization is a powerful tool to use,”
Morris said about the effects of the boards.
“It brings the mind back to these topics
often and helps to bring them to fruition.
This can lead to turning your greatest
dreams into reality.”

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VENANGO NEWS I CLARION DIGEST
CLARION UNIVERSITY – VENANGO
LEARNING COMMONS IS A BOON TO STUDENTS, REGION
Students at Clarion University – Venango returned from winter
break in January to the opening of the Charles L. Suhr Library
& Learning Commons. The $900,000 conversion adds study
rooms, group study areas and study pods, which provide comfortable space for focused learning and privacy.
Career Services, academic support services and the Writing
Center are now with the library, under one roof. Trends in higher
education show collaborations between libraries and academic
services benefit students.
“The learning commons concept is being realized in university
and public libraries across the nation,” said Hope Lineman ’10,
‘16G, dean for career and workforce education. “These areas
provide ready access to both technological and personnel
resources that are designed to support student success and
learning. The commons enables faculty and students to embrace
active learning, and it is now home to our highly accredited peer
tutor program.”
Clarion University – Venango has a long history of creating
mutually beneficial academic and community partnerships, and
the learning commons is a continuation of this commitment. The
multi-functional space allows access to the traditional library
services and support, plug-in station and computers for both
students and the community. Students can further their education, knowledge development and collaborative problem-solving
skills, while inviting the larger community of faculty, staff,
training partners and public patrons to share the benefits.
The library space continues to house the Barbara Morgan
Harvey Center for the Study of Oil Heritage. The collection
includes books that document the history of the region, newspaper clippings from the early 1900s, minutes from the meetings of
oil companies from the late 1800s, maps and photographs.
The conversion of Suhr Library into a learning commons
directly supports enrollment at Clarion University – Venango and
facilitates the development of additional programs that address
regional workforce needs. The project also supports the community by bringing additional educational partners, students and
potential future workforce members into the city and region.
The project was funded by a variety of revenue sources including Key93, Appalachian Regional Commission Power Grant, local
grants, donors and university funds.
The staff and operations of the Academic Resource Center and
Career Services are now located within the Suhr Library building.

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LINEMAN WILL LEAD VENANGO
AS DEAN
Hope Lineman has been named dean for career
and workforce education at Clarion University –
Venango. In that role, she will develop educational
opportunities to meet the career and workforce
needs of the region through partnerships within the
university and with external agencies, businesses,
schools and organizations.
“Under Hope’s leadership, we believe that Venango
can be an incubator for new programs and new
ideas that will help the region and its people to
grow and thrive,” said Dr. Pam Gent, provost.
“Hope will not only lead the campus, she will
continue to grow our relationships with leaders of
business, industry, human services and
governmental agencies in the region.”
Lineman began her Clarion University career in
2001 as coordinator of continuing education at
Venango campus and has served as assistant director of marketing and communications and interim
campus director. She holds associate, bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from Clarion.

ALUMNI NEWS I CLARION DIGEST
REVAMPED CRITERIA QUALIFIES
STUDENTS FOR DEGREES
When Dr. Suzanne Boyden became director of the liberal studies
program in fall 2018, she wanted to make the degree work better for
all students.
“The liberal arts degree required 24 credits of upper-level courses
in the College of Arts and Sciences, which meant a student coming
from business, education or health sciences could not count a lot of
their coursework,” Boyden said.
Revamped and renamed integrative studies, the program now
allows classes from all of the academic colleges to count toward the
upper level coursework requirement.
“Once we made those changes, I realized that there were likely a
large number of students who thought they needed more classes to
graduate, but, with the new degree, could be done,” Boyden said.
Students who change majors several times or transfer between a
few schools can accumulate many credits without completing the
50 to 60 credits of required majors coursework. Boyden and Missy
Kube, secretary to the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences,
reviewed the records of students who had left Clarion University in
the last 10 years, having earned 114 credits or more. So far, Clarion
University has awarded more than 80 degrees to former students as
a result of this outreach campaign.
“When we find a student that we can clear for graduation, we send
an email or call them. Some of them have been gone eight or nine
years, and they are so surprised when they hear that they have
earned a diploma,” Boyden said. “Many students we’ve spoken to
had hit a ceiling in their current jobs and could not be promoted
further without a college degree,”
Students have varied reasons why they never finished their degree. Often, life just got in the way of school, and they left thinking
that they would return to finish, but never managed to make it
happen.
Dr. Ellen Foster has since taken over as director of integrative
studies. She and Kube continue to identify former students who are
eligible for the degree. Kube said in fall 2020, she reached out to
350 more students. Because emails and phone numbers change,
finding students can be hard.
Those who think they might benefit from a new review of their
Clarion coursework and transfer credits from other institutions are
encouraged reach out to Kube at mkube@clarion.edu, 814-393-2225
or Foster at efoster@clarion.edu, 814-393-2158.

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CAMPUS NEWS I CLARION DIGEST

VETERANS’ SERVICES GOOD AS GOLD
Clarion University has been named a Military Friendly School for the 11th
consecutive year, this year earning Gold distinction.
The Military Friendly Schools list sets the standard for higher education
institutions to provide the best opportunities for veterans and their spouses.
This prestigious list provides a comprehensive guide for veterans and their
families, using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey
information from participating organizations.
The Gold distinction indicates the Military Friendly School scored within 10
percent of the 10th ranked school in their category. The distinction indicates Clarion
University is setting an example with programs and initiatives.

CU USES GRANT TO
LAUNCH LIVESAFE APP
Clarion University is one of 36 Pennsylvania
colleges and universities that will benefit from
nearly $1 million in grants through the Wolf
Administration and the “It’s On Us PA” campaign
to combat campus sexual assault. Governor Tom
Wolf announced the grants in January.
Clarion’s allocation will be used to launch a
new mobile platform, LiveSafe, according to
Meredith Karg, student support assistant. The
app will be available by the start of the fall 2020
semester.
“LiveSafe will allow, among other things, the
ability for anonymous reporting, a peer-topeer virtual walk-along service, and access to
emergency responders anywhere in the world,”
Karg said.

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CAMPUS NEWS I CLARION DIGEST
ARTS AND SCIENCES DEAN
publishes SCHOLARLY TEXT
Dr. Laura Delbrugge, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has published
“A Scholarly Edition of the Gamaliel (Valencia: Juan Jofre, 1525).” It is a
modernized edition of a late medieval devotional that formed part of the narrative
tradition of “La Vengeance de Nostre-Seigneur,” which gained popularity in the
12th century.
The 1525 compendium “Gamaliel” consists of seven loosely related texts, including the "Passion of Christ", the "Destruction of Jerusalem", the biographies of
Lazarus, Mary and Martha, and the Slaughter of the Innocents. The “Gamaliel” was
reproduced in over a dozen Spanish and Catalan printed editions in the first half of
the 16th century, until it was banned by the Spanish Inquisition beginning in 1558,
likely due to its anonymous authorship and apocryphal content.

Dr. Jeanne Slattery,

SLATTERY publishes VIDEO;
PARTNERS WITH ALUMNA PARK ON BOOK
Dr. Jeanne Slattery, professor of psychology at Clarion, and Dr. Crystal Park ’85,
assistant professor of clinical psychology at University of Connecticut, have published “Empathetic Counseling: Building Skills to Empower Change” (2nd ed).

EMPATHY IS FUNDAMENTAL
TO THERAPEUTIC CHANGE.

Dr. Crystal Park

In “Empathic Counseling: Building Skills to Empower Change” (2nd ed.), Slattery
and Park offer student therapists the clinical skills to communicate empathy and
facilitate client change. They focus on the strong observational, listening and
critical thinking skills necessary to intervene well, but also build the skills needed to
understand and work with their clients’ worldviews, meaning making, culture and
change processes.
In addition, Slattery published a demonstration psychotherapy video, “Trauma and
Meaning,” through the American Psychological Association Psychotherapy Series.
In the video, Slattery illustrates how to rebuild a sense of meaning in the course
of a live therapy session with a woman with a history of loss and violence. She
demonstrates how to rebuild the sense of meaning that people experiencing
traumatic events often lose. She considers how to assess and identify damaged
beliefs, values and goals, and also how to access the client strengths and social
supports that rebuild a client’s sense of meaning.

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An open design with glass dividers allows passersby to catch the action in the main gymnasium.

TIPPIN
LEANER, MEANER, GREENER.
A bust of Waldo S. Tippin greets athletes and visitors as they enter the building.
Original brick was retained where possible.

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In spring 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of General
Services began a $42.7 million renovation of Tippin Gymnasium,
which reached substantial completion in the fall of 2019.
After a year-and-a-half of practicing and competing in
alternate locations, teams returned to Tippin; Golden Eagles
volleyball hosted the first competition Nov. 15, 2019, with
a victory over Mercyhurst.

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Original spectator seating now
overlooks a new pool and diving
well with a view of Greenville
Avenue.

The renovation was more than a facelift for the historic
home of Golden Eagle athletics – it was a complete
modernization and reimagining of the space, providing new
amenities and features for Clarion student-athletes. The
renovations include new basketball courts and seating, two
new concession areas, new natatorium with a combination
swimming/diving pool, expanded wrestling space, locker
rooms, and office space for the coaches. Additions attached
to either side of the Tippin building include a new auxiliary
gym, new weight room/fitness area, and additional locker
rooms and coaches’ offices.
The result is a state-of-the-art intercollegiate athletics
facility and a recruitment tool to attract future students and
student-athletes to the university.
RENOVATE VS. REPLACE
Determining whether to tear down the old Tippin Gym
and start from scratch or to retain and renovate the existing
building was a complex decision. Dedicated in fall 1968, the
building was outdated but not dilapidated.
The decision to renovate vs. build new was based on two
factors, according to Tim Fogarty, associate vice president
for administration.
“At the time, the university did not have a footprint that
would allow for the addition of a new athletic facility – the
building footprint is relatively large and space was not
available to accommodate that,” he said. “Secondly, the

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cost of new construction plus demolition would have been
prohibitive in terms of funding available.”
SUSTAINABILITY
In 1960s-era buildings, environmental sustainability was of
little or no concern in construction plans.
According to the US Green Building Council, sustainability
and “green,” often used interchangeably, are about more
than just reducing environmental impacts. Sustainability
means creating places that are environmentally responsible,
healthful, just, equitable and profitable. Greening the built
environment means looking holistically at natural, human
and economic systems, and finding solutions that support
quality of life for all.
Since the early 2000s, the facilities master plans for both
Clarion and Venango campuses have included a commitment to creating environmentally sustainable buildings that
are designed to meet baseline criteria for certification under
the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design program. LEED certification is also a
priority for projects under the commonwealth/DGS.
Clarion’s recent projects – Eagle Commons dining facility,
Grunenwald Center for Science and Technology, Hilltop
Suites and Suites on Main student housing complexes,
Becht Hall and Tippin – have been built to meet LEED Silver
certification levels.

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The newly constructed
main entrance attaches to
an original exterior.

tippin
Christopher Chiusano, construction administration manager for DLA+, the project’s design firm, said building to LEED
standards involves nearly every component of construction.
“Good engineering these days requires you to design in a
way that will be energy efficient,” he said.
Tippin features light fixtures that use long-lasting LED
bulbs, which reduces energy consumption and more efficiently lights a space. Throughout the building, the lighting
control system has occupancy sensors so that energy isn’t
wasted in an unoccupied space. Low-flow urinals and toilets
reduce the amount of water the building uses.
Landscaping is a crucial component of sustainability.
Chiusano said outside walkways are made of pervious
pavers, which helps to mitigate stormwater issues. The
south side of the building has a rainwater island. Wildflowers, instead of grass, were planted on the north side of the
building, which reduces the need to water the lawn. Bike
racks, another LEED component, have also been installed.
The project is on track to achieve the LEED Silver level of
sustainability under the US Green Building Council’s LEED
2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations.

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LEGACY OF

SUCCESS
211

athletes with a 3.2 GPA or better in
2018-2019 – a new school record!
More than

6,000 hours

of community service since 2013

51

NCAA champs
since 1990

44

COSIDA Academic All-Americans,
including seven Academic All-American
of the Year awards

tippin

The Golden Eagles Athletics
main office features comfortable
seating and tables crafted from
the original gymnasium floor.

A lounge area allows students
to keep an eye on activities while
resting or studying.

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HOW
MANY
EARTHS?
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The newly formed Presidential Commission
on Sustainability wants to implement change.
To do that, it’s starting with education about what
sustainability is, which sustainability practices
Clarion University currently employs, and what the
university can do to be more sustainable in the future.

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“Sustainability requires meeting the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their needs,” said Dr. Suzie Boyden, biology professor
and commission chair. “Something is sustainable if it can
continue to exist in perpetuity: If the natural resources,
human resources and cultural resources required to support
an activity or a community are not depleted faster than they
are naturally renewed.”
The ultimate goal, she said, is to maintain and enhance the
quality of human enterprise and existence in balance with
the natural resource capital of the planet.

HOW MANY EARTHS?
To help the university community understand sustainability,
the PCOS introduced itself last fall with a quiz that calculates one’s carbon footprint – or how many Earths would be
required to sustain the human race if everyone lived like the
person taking the quiz. The results were eye opening.
Through the Ecological Footprint Calculator, Dr. Joseph
Croskey, assistant professor in Advising Services, learned
that 5.5 Earths were needed to sustain his lifestyle. That
news propelled him to pledge to eat vegetarian more often,
use a bicycle to get to work in the summer, convert to solar
power for his home, and purchase a more efficient vehicle.

“I thought I was doing well by walking to work,” Domitrovich said. “But I need to do more to reduce my carbon
footprint, especially with buying local produce.”
Dr. Nripendra Singh, professor of management and
marketing and PCOS member, vowed “to reduce my carbon
footprint by doing composting, reusing and recycling my
waste.” The quiz showed that his lifestyle requires only 1.6
Earths, but he wants to do better.
Teaching people to care is one of the goals of Clarion
University employee Erin Lewis, assistant director of career
services, who only needed 1.2 Earths.
“As someone who is super environmentally conscious,
already using reusable food bags, cloth diapering and
so much more, my best personal goal is to help educate
more people on this lifestyle and to shop the local farmer’s
market,” she said.
Close to 200 people took the quiz and signed pledges to
reduce their carbon footprint.

GOALS
“The goal is to really impact the local community,” Boyden
said.

The convenience of plastic packaging is a well-known
environmental culprit. Cathi Wenner, a staff member in
Academic Affairs, decided to break up with bottled water
after she learned that it contributed to her quiz result of 4.1
Earths. She said once her family finishes the bottled water
they have, they will begin carrying reusable water bottles.

The university, through the commission, is leaning into
that goal by taking a hard look at what it currently does
sustainably and what it can do in the future. Everything can
be more sustainable, from fleet vehicles and office supplies
to investments the university makes, Boyden said. We can
even explore green athletics and natural pest management
techniques.

Juanice and Dr. Tony Vega each took the pledge. Juanice,
interim assistant dean of the MBA program, who needed
3.4 Earths, pledged to eat meatless once per week and
purchase more local produce. Her husband, professor of
biology and geosciences, pledged to reduce his 3.6 Earths
to one.

“Sustainability is good for businesses, and, of course,
our university is in the education business,” said President
Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, who is excited to see the recommendations the commission makes. “It is good for us in so
many ways.”

“We recycle and conserve water, gas, electricity, etc., where
possible,” Tony Vega said. He hopes within a few years to replace his family’s gas furnace with a geothermal heat pump.
“Heating/cooling, hot water, and refrigeration are the largest
energy hogs in a household, and the heat pump reduces
all but refrigeration to a fraction of normal usage,” Vega
explained. He equated the heat pump’s energy consumption
to that required to light a 100-watt bulb.
Josh Domitrovich, coordinator for career mentoring and
internships, learned that 3.4 Earths would be needed if
everyone lived like him.

“Becoming a leader in sustainable development and
education is arguably the greatest action we can take to
impact our students, communities and society as a whole,”
Boyden said.
Over the next year, the commission plans to evaluate the
university’s environmental sustainability in four key areas:
academics, engagement, operations, and planning and
administration.
“There are a lot of people on the campus who want to be
doing things — from the president to the student body,”
Boyden said.
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This generation of students has inherited environmental
problems. They are entering a world in which climate
change very directly will affect them and their livelihoods,
noted Boyden and commission co-chair Dr. Jessica Thomas,
assistant professor of biology and geosciences. They believe
that, as educators, their job is to empower students and
bring scientific literacy to the conversation.
“We need to prepare them for that,” Boyden said.
“It’s a humanitarian issue,” Thomas added.
Students have a keen interest in sustainability, which they

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expressed during a forum co-hosted by the commission
and Student Senate. Particularly of concern to students
is the reduction of paper and plastic waste on campus.
Ways to address their concerns include initiatives in dining
services, the installation of water bottle filling stations, and
movement toward online textbooks and other paperless
approaches to teaching.

GOING GREEN
Recycling is high on the list of short-term campus
sustainability goals. G. Chad Thomas, assistant director of

facilities management, is leading the charge to tackle this
issue. Other short-term goals include reducing the use of
single-use plastic water bottles by providing students with
reusable water bottles, and pursuing, in cooperation with
several student organizations, the installation of a rain
garden to trap and filter campus runoff.
The PCOS is in the planning stages of a self-study through
the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System.
STARS will help the university set and meet sustainability
goals, while fostering collaboration and information-sharing,
and it will enable Clarion to benchmark with peers.
Boyden believes the university can integrate sustainability
into its curricular and co-curricular activities, and the
university’s scenic location makes that possible.

“We think Clarion University should be THE school that
people in northwestern Pennsylvania think of when they
think of the outdoors and the environment,” Boyden said.
The bottom line may be teaching people to care.
“Our students have roots in this landscape,” Boyden said.
“They have grown up hunting, fishing, camping and hiking
these hills and valleys. I believe they represent a population
who, regardless of their academic or career interests, care
about the natural world and our relationship with it.”
She said PCOS members are optimistic, but realistic, too.
“We can’t change the world with this commission, but
it can give the university community the tools to make a
difference.”

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Singh (left) with community
volunteers Tanuj Singh and
Sophia Barboza, and education
professor Amy Love.

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DUMPSTER

DIVING

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Singh (left) with green-minded friends Sophia Barboza, CU marketing major Ashley Poling, Tanuj Singh,
and CU education majors Paige Spang and Kaylee Deeter.

When Dr. Nripendra Singh arrived as a new Clarion faculty
member in February 2019, he was ready to dive right in.
That means different things to different people, but part of
what it meant to him was dumpster diving.
The Urban Dictionary defines dumpster diving as searching
through dumpsters, usually outside of businesses, looking
for good things that others have thrown away.
That’s not really what Singh had in mind; yet in a way, it
was. He wasn’t looking for typical dumpster diving treasure
such as a slightly irregular clothing or household goods; his
treasure was items that could be composted to nourish the
earth or recycled to keep it from harming it.
When Singh was a professor in India, he was awarded
a Fulbright Scholarship for an environmental leadership
program. His Fulbright work was done through Penn State
and, in part, involved working with a recycling program.
“Sustainability is my passion,” Singh said. “As new faculty
at Clarion and with my Fulbright experience, I was happy to
see recycling bins on campus.”
He was disheartened, however, to learn that the bins are
underutilized and that the local K-12 school did not have
a recycling program. He applied for a Clarion University
Community Fellows Grant to create “Green Pals: Recycling
& Waste Management Awareness Program for Clarion Area
Youth.” The grant provided $900 for him to initiate the
program.

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Singh began working with Clarion Area High School
teacher Brian Love ’95 and principal John Kimmel ’02, and
Clarion Area Elementary principal Roger Walter ’02, along
with like-minded people from the school, community and
Clarion University. Together, they planned Dumpster Dive at
the Elementary School.
Singh worked with Clarion Borough zoning officer Scott
Sharrar to get hazmat suits, gloves and bins, and the school
provided tables, sanitizer and scales.
With the assistance of Clarion University special education
majors and community members, Singh spent the afternoon
of Feb. 21, 2019, segregating the classroom and cafeteria
trash, removing and weighing compostable and recyclable
materials to gather baseline data.
“During this time, students learned how the segregation
of waste takes place and were involved in brief talks to help
them learn the importance of segregation of waste,” Singh
said.
While the kids made faces, covered their noses and joked
about the smell, Singh said the activity clearly impacted
them.
“Kids were surprised to see that they actually waste so
much food, especially whole fruits and unused milk cartons,”
Singh said. “They promised that they will not waste food. If
they do not like a particular food item, they will put it in a
separate basket for other students to use.”

Many of the students shared that their parents recycle and
compost at home, and they also acknowledged awareness
that not practicing these activities is harmful to the environment.
They wanted to know what Singh would do with the “true
trash,” and asked if there was a way that it, too, could be
used.
“True Trash,” Singh said, is the trash that cannot be segregated and needs to be dumped in landfills: polystyrene
(foam) cups, straws, wrapping paper laminated with
foil-coatings, plastic spoons and forks, polythene bags.
Soiled cardboards such as juice boxes, milk cartons and
frozen food boxes are not acceptable by many recycling
companies. Items that are recyclable – glass bottles and
plastic containers, for example – cannot be recycled if they
have labels or food material stuck on them. They must be
properly cleaned first.

Step two in Singh’s project is an awareness campaign,
which will involve a presentation, hands-on activities, and a
contest for the students to recycle waste from the cafeteria.
“We will visit the school, segregate the trash and weigh the
recyclables and compostable material from time to time for
monitoring and assessment,” Singh said.
“My ultimate goal is to make (the Dumpster Dive project)
a sustainable program and start a composting facility in the
future,” Singh said.
Again this school year, Singh partnered with Walter at
Clarion Area Elementary and received the community fellow
grant of $750 for promoting recycling among Clarion area
youth.

“The goal of the project was to determine the quantity
of recyclables going to landfills to assess the negative
impact on the environment, which we can do by estimating
greenhouse gas emission,” Singh said. “We will be able to
estimate savings to the school district by doing a cost-benefit analysis.”

Waste Category

Waste in a 180 day

Percentage

School Year in lbs.
Metal

2880

1.85

Plastics

11,520

7.41

Paper

8,640

5.56

Food

106,560

68.52

Trash

17,280

11.11

Milk Cartons

8,640

5.56

155,520

100.00

(corrugated containers)
TOTAL

THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO...
Removing Annual Emissions from 16 Passenger Vehicles
Conserving 8,386 Gallons of Gasoline
Conserving 3,105 Cylinders of Propane Used for Home Bbqs
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EARTH'S
FEVER
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From Greta Thunberg to pictures of displaced polar bears,
it’s hard to miss the message of climate change and its
growing concerns.
According to the National Geographic Society, climate
change is a long-term shift in global or regional climate
patterns. Often climate change refers specifically to the
rise in global temperatures from the mid-20th century to
present.
“As a climatologist, I know that climate change continually
occurs,” said Dr. Tony Vega, Clarion University professor of
geoscience (atmospheric science). “This results from a huge
array of interrelated positive and negative feedbacks that
occur within the earth-atmosphere system. This causes very
slow, adaptable change.”
Vega isn’t so much concerned with climate change in and
of itself. He’s more concerned with the rapidity of recent
climate change, its cause, and the ongoing impact on the
natural environment. Rapid climate change causes ecosystem collapse, according to Vega, which is the cause of every
major extinction event in the Earth’s history.
“Rapid changes to the system stem from only a few
factors, which we call forcings,” he said.
The forcings are:
• Bolide (large comet or asteroid strike);
• Large-scale volcanism (mega volcano or flood basalt
episode);
Major solar output changes;
• In-phase orbital variations (Milankovitch cycles);
• Atmospheric composition change.
Over recent times (the past 1,000 years or so), the first
four forcings have not been an issue, leaving atmospheric
composition as the main cause of recent changes in the
Earth’s temperature.
“Earth temperatures have increased approximately 10C
over the past 100 years, with the bulk coming since 1980.
People may think this to be insignificant; however, the
difference between a full-scale ice age and an interglacial
warm period is only 3° to 5°C. Said another way, a 10° C
increase in temperatures over 100 years is about 10 times
faster than ‘natural’ change. We’d expect that amount of
change across 1,000 years, not 100. This, the rapidity of
change, is the concern,” Vega said.

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The main culprit of this atmospheric composition change is
humans burning fossil fuels: “When fossil fuels are burned,
they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases,
which in turn trap heat in our atmosphere, making them
the primary contributors to global warming and climate
change,” according to National Geographic.
“This began in the late 1700s with the Industrial Revolution;
however, only in the last half century has fossil fuel use
exploded,” Vega said.
The figures are staggering.
“Humans currently release about 34 billion metric tons of
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year,” Vega said.
The figures show no signs of slowing down.
“Two years ago the amount was 32 billion metric
tons,” Vega said.

“To put all of this in proper context, every
2.5 hours, humanity releases about the
same amount of CO2 into the atmosphere
as was released during the entire Mount
St. Helens volcanic eruption. It would take
3,504 Mount St. Helens-sized eruptions
to equal what humans place into the
atmosphere annually. The resulting energy
equivalent of this is about equal to
exploding a Hiroshima sized nuclear device
into our atmosphere every 2 seconds.”
The question is, can climate change be reversed?
“Many climatologists have determined that we have
already crossed a critical threshold relative to reversal of
recent human impacts,” Vega said. “I can say with certainty
that if all fossil fuel consumption immediately ceased –
which won’t happen any time soon – it would still take many
centuries to recover a natural state of the atmosphere and
Earth’s energy balance. Reversal, even with drastic changes
to the human environment relative to energy use, will not
occur within our lifetimes.”

According to NASA, even if people
stopped emitting greenhouse gases today,
global warming would continue to
happen for at least several more
decades, if not centuries.
There is a time lag between what we do and when we feel
it, according to NASA.
Part of the solution is to move to renewable energy sources
such as solar, wind, hydro, tidal and nuclear. We need to
pressure energy companies to do the same.
“I don’t know why people get caught up in where our
energy comes from. Why does it make a difference to them
how their electricity is generated? It shouldn’t,” Vega said.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is hopeful that
with the right state and federal incentives, the United States
could slash fossil fuel use by 80 percent by 2050. However,
groups like the NRDC have a hard battle.
“The major oil, gas and coal companies continually release
climate change denial propaganda,” Vega said.
Vega said major energy companies hired the same marketing firms that attacked anti-smoking science.
“Basically, these companies are trying to exploit the
environment for monetary gain, and they try to convince
people that the science is somehow biased,” Vega said.
“They don’t need to prove their assertions; they simply need
to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of the public.”
That doubt has changed how people view science and its
role in implementing change.

Vega believes that hydrogen technology should be the
ultimate goal for transportation energy, because the only
pollution from splitting water molecules is water vapor.
“While there is a strong push to using electric vehicles, the
batteries and the raw materials used in their creation cause
other environmental issues. Hydrogen fuel is ultimately
clean and environmentally friendly,” Vega said.

Vega

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ONLINE TEXTBOOKS BENEFI
Last spring, Clarion University Faculty Senate passed a
resolution to focus attention on the high cost of course
materials and encouraged faculty to adopt open educational
resources, which are no-cost or low-cost materials. A task
force has been working this fall to further the use of OERs.
“The impetus was a realization by a number of faculty
that, while (textbook) costs are continuing to rise, there
are a number of low- or no-cost alternatives of increasing
quality,” said Jim Lyle, assistant professor of communication
and co-chair of the Open Educational Resources Taskforce.
“National data shows that students pay an average of $700
per semester for textbooks, and that number often exceeds
$1,000.”

32

“One area of emphasis in TNI is student affordability, and
this initiative is aligned with reducing costs,” said Dr. Pam
Gent, provost. “Another area of TNI is student success. Some
students are not able to afford textbooks, so they struggle
in class and are not as successful as they could be. Adopting
OERs will even the playing field for those students.”
Earlier this semester, six courses adopted OERs, benefiting
291 students and saving them a combined $23,096. Lyle
said other faculty members also have adopted free or
low-cost resources.

A sample of Clarion University student textbook costs from
a year ago showed an average of $450 per semester. Lyle
said business and the sciences, particularly health sciences,
have notoriously high textbook costs.

“As an example, in communication courses, we eliminated
the use of a public speaking textbook ... that was at least
$130 for a (loose leaf version) new copy,” Lyle said. “There
are roughly 170 students in public speaking this semester.
That’s $22,000 in costs right there. Even if you reduce the
costs through textbook rental or buying used versions, it’s
still a minimum cost of $50 a student.”

Clarion University is guided by its True North Initiative,
which outlines goals and provides direction in reaching
them.

Dr. Nancy Ann Falvo, assistant professor of nursing, said
the RN-BSN nursing program has adopted a textbook-free
program, using the university’s free, content management

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IT STUDENTS AND PLANET
system, LibGuides for all classes. It’s an estimated cost
savings of $700 per student for the program’s nine core
courses.

“The faculty of the Clarion University Libraries assist teaching faculty with the identification of information resources
that support their instructional goals,” Latour said.

Falvo said she worked extensively with OER Taskforce
co-chair Tonya Otto, virtual learning and outreach librarian
for the university, and Dr. Terry Latour, dean of libraries, to
identify resources. In addition to free access to the materials, Falvo said there’s even greater value.

Creating OERs does require additional work on the part of
faculty and administration, but it’s work that is needed. Lyle
said students everywhere are impacted by the high cost of
textbooks, but public universities like Clarion have students
with a wider range of economic backgrounds.

“When I was using textbooks, I might use one for up to
six years, depending on when they put out a new edition,”
she said. “Now, students are getting the most up-to-date
resources. In nursing, that’s so important.”

“The reality is that we have students who are forced to
decide between things like books and food,” Lyle said.

Falvo invested time in determining the collection of
resources that would best serve students. She might use
two chapters from one resource, five chapters from another,
plus articles, podcasts and videos, all located in one spot.

Gent said Clarion University is committed to helping
students succeed, and this is just one of the many things
they do to help students transform their lives.

In addition to the university’s LibGuides, faculty members
can generate their own materials and find ways to make
them accessible.
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SPORTS ROUNDUP

Josh Thruston

TASTE OF VICTORY

The Clarion men’s and women’s swimming teams re-staked
their claims as some of the top programs in the conference
in February, with both teams finishing in the top five at the
2020 PSAC Swimming Championships in York.
The men’s team improved on their finish from a year ago,
taking fifth place overall, thanks to a mix of newcomers and
veterans. Senior Josh Thruston wrapped his stellar four-year
career with a third-place finish in the 100 Breaststroke,
racing through the crowded field and touching the wall with
a time of 57.09 for 16 team points. He followed up with a
fourth place finish in the 100 Free.
One the other end of the spectrum was freshman Connor
Cary, who didn’t let the big stage of the conference championships affect his performance. Cary got the weekend
Connor Cary

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started with a second place finish in the 200 IM, giving the
Golden Eagles the kick start they needed, and the next day
he made Golden Eagle history by breaking a 25-year-old
school record. He set the school record in the 100 Fly
during Thursday’s prelims, and that evening took home a
sixth place finish with a final time of 49.51.
Sophomore Ty Rabenstein improved on his performance
from his previous trip to the PSAC Championships, recording top-10 finishes in almost every distance swimming event.
He started with a fourth place finish in the 1000 Free and
followed up with a seventh place finish in the 500 Free. On
the final day of competition, Rabenstein scored a fifth place
finish in the 1650 Free.

Sophomore Ty Rabenstein

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Women's Swimmers
On the women’s side, 12 swimmers recorded top-15
finishes as the Blue and Gold finished the weekend in fourth
place. Mary Clare Smith got the ball rolling for Clarion,
taking home an eighth-place finish in the 1000 Free for
the first of two top-eight finishes, and just a few events
later Amanda Dial took eighth in the 200 IM. Seniors Abbey
Newman and Morgan Manglaviti dominated in the 50 Free
with fifth- and seventh-place finishes, respectively. The
pair also helped the Golden Eagles navigate their way to
a fourth-place finish in the 200 Free Relay. Manglaviti also
took fourth in the 200 Free and eighth in the 100 Free to
close out her career.

Autumn Fortney recorded one of the best finishes of the
week, taking third in the 100 Fly, while Newman and Stephanie Setar finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the same
race to rack up the points. Setar placed fifth in the 100
Backstroke with a time of 57.87, while Ava Arnold finished
eighth with a final mark. Fortney also made her presence
felt in the 200 Fly, placing fifth.

Mary Clare Smith

Amanda Dial

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SPORTS ROUNDUP

Emma Kehn

WELL
DONE
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Anna Vogt

SPORTS ROUNDUP
Golden Eagle student-athletes standing on the podium at
the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving championships has
long been a rite of spring.
This year was no different, as senior Emma Kehn and
freshman Anna Vogt headed to the national meet at the
SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, in March. Kehn added one
more medal to her already crowded mantle, earning her
seventh career All-American honor with a fourth-place finish
in the 3m Dive, while Vogt earned valuable experience that
will guide her well for the rest of her career.
The time that experience pays off the most is the Tuesday
before the start of the national meet, during the pre-qualification dive session. The field of 50-plus divers is pared
down to 22 over the course of two stressful sessions. Divers
who place high enough in the first session – this year, the
3m Dive – qualify for the 1m Dive as well. If they slip up,
though…
“Oh, it’s tough on you mentally,” said Coach Dave Hrovat.
“You don’t get a lot of opportunities, and if you mess up
that first dive, it’s right there in the back of your head. That
makes the second one even tougher. This year, we had a ton
of returning All-Americans and a returning national champion that didn’t get through. It can be a battle.”

ship and guidance to her freshman teammate, while Vogt
brought something equally important: levity.
“They worked hand in hand, and it was one of the coolest
things I’ve seen in my years of coaching,” Hrovat said.
“Emma had leadership and guidance for Anna, but Anna
was really good at getting Emma to just chill out.”
“Emma would keep me informed on how the meet was
running and what to be ready for,” Vogt said. “At the same
time, as a freshman, I was just focused on enjoying the
experience and keeping it simple.”
***
Kehn displayed that same sense of preparedness the next
day, when she authored a standout performance in the 3m
Dive to reach the All-American podium for the seventh time
in her career. She was set to make an attempt for her eighth
All-American honor on Friday night when the news that
affected events around the globe made its way home.
“We were eating dinner with Wendy (Snodgrass) between
the prelims and the finals of the men’s event on Thursday
when I got a message from another diving coach,” Hrovat
said. “I told Wendy, ‘This doesn’t look good,’ and right after
that, she got a call from the site coordinator.”

Hrovat knows all about mentoring athletes through the
hurdles at the national championships. As Clarion’s diving
coach for 30 years, he has 294 All-Americans and 48
national champions to his credit. According to Vogt, he’s
able to do that with a fairly simple message: “Control the
things you can control, and don’t worry about the things
you can’t.”

Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the NCAA announced
that they had canceled all remaining winter and spring
championships. That meant little more than halfway through
the national swimming and diving competition, the meet
was just … over.

While preparation for the national meet takes place all year
long, things really pick up in the last week before the event.
The Golden Eagles based their workouts on the format of
the prequalification meet, with the divers working on the
3m Dive first and the 1m Dive second. Hrovat imparted that
rather than try to overextend themselves, his athletes should
focus on repetition and consistency.

“Coach came over to us, tearing up, and just said, ‘We’re
going home,’” Vogt said. “We just kind of sat there. No one
really knew what to say.”

“Coach did a great job of preparing us through the week,”
Vogt said. “He told us that the most important thing was a
consistent vertical dive. If we did clean, consistent lists and
didn’t crash and burn, we had a good chance at getting
through Tuesday.”

“Hrovat prepares us for life in general, not just diving,”
Vogt said. “I was with Emma after we got the word, and I
just felt terrible for her. But that night we were talking to our
other teammates, telling them what happened, and she was
saying, ‘Not every day is promised to you. You can’t have
regrets.’ Like coach says, we can only control the things we
control, including our reaction.”

When the big day arrived, Kehn and Vogt both performed,
taking sixth and ninth place, respectively, in the 3m Dive
prequalification. As expected, senior Kehn provided leader-

“It was wild, just wild,” Hrovat said.

After plenty of tears and more than a few hugs, the divers
made their way back to Clarion. While the outcome was
disappointing, Vogt said Hrovat and Kehn’s lessons played a
role in how she reacted.

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SPORTS ROUNDUP
BIG MAC

attack

The Mid-American Conference altered the landscape of college wrestling in March 2019 when it announced the former
members of the Eastern Wrestling League – including Clarion – would join as affiliate members in the 2019-20 season. One
year later, the move paid dividends for the Golden Eagles as well as the conference as Clarion qualified three wrestlers for
the NCAA Championships. Overall the MAC qualified 50 wrestlers for the 2020 championships, up from 31 qualifiers a year
ago.
The Golden Eagles enjoyed a strong showing at their first ever MAC Championships meet, held March 7-8 on the campus
of Northern Illinois University. Greg Bulsak earned the distinction of becoming Clarion’s first-ever MAC champion after
blitzing the field at 197 pounds, winning three straight matches during Saturday’s opening rounds before accepting a
medical forfeit from Rider’s Ethan Laird. He started his weekend with a 9-1 major decision over Bloomsburg’s Kyle Murphy
and then cruised past Buffalo’s Sam Schuyler to reach the semifinals against Northern Illinois' Gage Braun. Braun was one
of the few wrestlers to defeat Bulsak during the regular season, but Bulsak got his revenge in the rematch, shutting down
Braun to the tune of an 8-2 decision.
He was not the only Golden Eagle to stand out on the conference stage. Brock Zacherl took second place at 149 pounds
after a pair of impressive wins put him in the conference finals. He started the tournament with a bye and quickly parlayed
it into a decision over Old Dominion’s Kenan Carter, taking him down late
to advance to a semifinal bout against George Mason’s Colston DiBlasi.
The fans were treated to a tight bout as the two went into overtime tied
at 4-4, but Zacherl tripped up DiBlasi shortly into the final frame for a
sudden victory decision. That sent him to a finals matchup against the
nation’s fourth-ranked contender, Missouri’s Brock Mauller, just narrowly
falling to him in the championship match.

Brock Zacherl
Greg Bulsak

The performance at the conference championships was part of an
exceptional first season in the MAC for Clarion, which posted a 10-6
overall record and a 7-4 mark in conference competition. Along the way,
the Golden Eagles authored a number of milestones, both on the individual and team levels. Clarion recorded its third straight winning season,
the longest streak the team has enjoyed since nine straight
years in the 1970s and 1980s. Brock Zacherl became the 21st
member of the 100-win club at Clarion and steadily climbed
the ranks, moving into 14th place on the all-time list.
Bulsak and Zacherl were not the only Golden Eagles to
qualify for the national tournament. Sophomore Ty Bagoly
became the third Clarion wrestler in as many years to earn an
at-large bid to the championships, doing so in his first season
at 285 pounds. Bagoly went 16-6 over the course of the
regular season and cracked the national rankings for the first
time in his career.

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Ty Bagoly
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SPORTS ROUNDUP
record number

OF ATHLETES EARN RECOGNITION FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Clarion student-athletes set a new standard for academic
excellence in 2019, as the Department of Intercollegiate
Athletics announced Jan. 31 that 211 student-athletes –
comprising 57 percent of all Golden Eagles – earned Clarion
scholar-athlete status. The record-breaking numbers were
announced at the annual Bob Carlson Scholar-Athlete
Luncheon.
To become a Clarion scholar-athlete, student-athletes must
have achieved one of the following: earn a cumulative
GPA of 3.2 or higher; attain a 3.2 GPA or higher in two
consecutive semesters, in the previous year’s spring
semester and this year’s fall semester; or, as a freshman
or first-year transfer student, achieve a 3.2 GPA in the fall

semester. The previous record for total student-athletes was
183, set in 2017, while the previous record for percentage
of student-athletes was 51 percent, matched in each of the
last two years. The 2020 numbers blow by both of those
benchmarks, with Golden Eagles nearer to 60 percent in the
last year.
Winners of the 2020 Carlson Cup were the Golden Eagle
softball team, who posted the best team GPA improvement
in the department. The softball team recorded a team GPA
of 3.54 in the fall, with 23 athletes earning scholar-athlete
status.

The Carlson Cup-winning women’s softball team

The Annual Bob Carlson
Scholar-Athlete Luncheon)
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A look back…

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ALUMNI NOTES spring 2020

1978

1985

Becky Harkema Abromitis
retired as a medical librarian and
received the honor of Librarian
Emeritus from the University of
Pittsburgh, where she worked for
35 years. She and her husband
Vince reside in North Huntingdon, Pa.

David Sneath is the owner
of ACS Sound and Lighting in
Columbia, S.C. ACS provides
audiovisual equipment for
concerts and events throughout the southeast. He resides
in Little Mountain, S.C.

1979

1993
Marisa Diaz y Diaz is a Spanish teacher for Valley Stream
(NY) Central High School. She
is also an advisor to the Seal
of Biliteracy. Marisa resides in
Whitestone, N.Y.

2000

Kurt Zimmerman received a
Quarterly Champions of Culture
Award from Realty Operations
Group, New York, where he is
a database administrator. Kurt
was praised for going above
and beyond and for thinking like
an owner, regularly taking on
critical tasks himself rather than
outsourcing them. His company
said “his focus and effort directly
impact monies spent on external
consultants.”

2002

Ray Ewing ’16G is a
principal/corporate ecological
services practice lead for Civil
and Environmental Consultants, Pittsburgh. He resides in
Pittsburgh with his wife Katie
and children: Lynzie, Lillie,
Eden and Jade.
Leslie Suhr Gervasio is
a director of public affairs
and managing editor for
Pennsylvania State Association
of Boroughs, Harrisburg. She
resides in New Oxford with her
husband Joseph.

1980

2001

Captain Michael Schierberl is
an Airbus 321 pilot for American
Airlines, Charlotte, N.C. He
resides in Gastonia, N.C.

Dennis Slagle is an assistant
professor of clinical pediatrics/
neonatologist for Monroe
Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at
Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tenn. He
resides in Jackson, Tenn., with
his wife Stacey and children:
Noah, Joshua and Eliana.

Thomas Tobin’s latest
book, “Going Alt-Ac: A Guide
to Alternative Academic
Careers,” was released Jan. 30
with Stylus Press. Thomas is
director for distance teaching
and learning on the Learning
Design, Development and
Innovation team at University
of Wisconsin-Madison. In
addition to his Clarion degree
in library science, he is a graduate of Canisius College (BA
English 1994), Indiana State
University (MA English 1996)
and Duquesne University (PhD
English 2000).

2004
Jennifer Klunk is a program
coordinator for the University
of Texas at Dallas. She resides
in Dallas.

CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

41

WE WANT TO

know about YOU!

Beginning in August, Clarion University Magazine's fall issue will be delivered electronically.
Make sure you don't miss it by updating your email address at www.clarion.edu/alumni-update.
If you prefer to receive all future issues electronically, please indicate that in the comments section.

2005

2007

2011

Marybeth Crawshaw is a closing
coordinator for Inspire Closing
Services, Moon Township. She resides
in Pittsburgh with her husband, Robert
Trayers.

Amanda Cassels Wagner is a principal for Manassas City Public Schools,
Manassas, Va. Amanda recently graduated with a Ph.D. in Education with a
concentration in education leadership
from George Mason University. She
resides in Manassas, with her husband
Daniel and child Everett.

Brittany Holt Bailey is a home
health aide for Community Resources
for Independence, Brockway. She
resides in Brockway with her husband
Andrew and daughter Emma.

Cody Cope is a manager of talent
acquisition and training/development
for ASI, Pittsburgh. He resides in
Pittsburgh with his wife Stefanie and
daughter Kinsley.

2006
Xiaorong Shao is an information
literacy librarian at Appalachian State
University, Boone, N.C. She recently
published her memoir, “The Broken
Cart.” Xiaorong resides in Boone.
Kate Ferri and Fred ‘05 Dawson
reside in Murrysville, where Kate
operates Ferri Dawson Insurance
Group.

2010
Mary Sibley is a reference and user
services librarian for Swedenborg
Library of Bryn Athyn (Pa.) College.
She resides in Willow Grove with her
children: Jacob, Anthony and Marquis.

Alexandra Eberle Schneider ‘12G
is library director for Brooke County
Public Library, Wellsburg, W.vVa. She
resides in Coraopolis with her husband
Josh.

2014
Ann Deibert is a teacher/coach for
Regional School District 17, Higganum,
Conn. She resides in Middletown,
Conn.

MARRIAGES
Marybeth Crawshaw ’05 and Robert Trayer,
Oct. 19, 2019
Leslie Suhr ’00 and Joseph Gervasio
May 4, 2019
Autumn Kunkle ’11 and Brian Gallaher ’11
July 20, 2019

Michael ’16 and Ashley Cassano ’16, ’17G Cesare
met during the first semester of their freshman
year at Clarion and have been together ever
since. They married Oct. 19, 2019, in Pittsburgh,
surrounded by their family and closest friends,
including their Phi Sigma Sigma sisters and Sigma
Phi Epsilon brothers.

42

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IN MEMORIAM
1950s
Howard G. Lehman ’51
Jan. 23, 2020
Barbara Ann Faust Schierberl ’51
Jan. 30, 2020
Marjory Seese Eichelberger ’55
Nov. 23, 2019
Benjamin A. Kundick ’58
Jan. 13, 2020
Richard D. Thompson ’59
Nov. 6, 2019
Raymond E. Whitmer ’59
Oct. 31, 2019

1960s
John Emil Bertani ’61
Nov. 10, 2019
James O. Ashbaugh ’62
Jan. 23, 2020
Beverly Rae Kelly ’62
Dec. 12, 2019
Ronald D. McMaster ’62
Oct. 29, 2019
Carl L. Josephs ’63
Jan. 22, 2020
Larry Charles Staley ’63
Jan. 29, 2020
John P. Zorich ’63
Feb. 13, 2020
Ronald Eugene Copenhaver ’64
Oct. 30, 2019
Edward Terry Ashbaugh ’65
Nov. 13, 2019
Linda J. Tuite Rosenthal ’66
Jan. 28, 2020
John J. Buzzinotti’67
Nov. 21, 2019
Donald L. Rhoades ’68
Jan. 17, 2020
M. Joan Walter Kent ’69
Feb. 27, 2020

1970s
Marvis S. Hoover ’70
Feb. 27, 2020
Richard T. Eddy ’71
Dec. 26, 2019
Guy Edward Anderson ’72
Dec. 9, 2019
Winnifred L. Williams Barrett ’72
Jan. 25, 2020
Richard W. Moss ’72
Jan. 25, 2020

Mary W. Lacombe ’74
Nov. 30, 2019
Samuel Krautz ’75
Feb. 8, 2020
Joyce L. Jordan ’76
Feb. 25, 2020
Gerald G. Gigliotti ’78
Jan. 3, 2020
Aleta Rice Hansen ’78
Jan. 8, 2020
Paul E. Brungo ’79
Feb. 2, 2020

1980s
Dennis E. Miller ’80
Feb. 17, 2020
Taryn L. Carter Wyche ’81
Jan. 6, 2020
Wendy A. Bennett Ulrich ’81
Jan. 18, 2020
Mary Belle Craig Buck ’83
Nov. 22, 2019
Randall C. Stom ’85
Nov. 12, 2019
Christine Patrice Meyer Kohlhepp ’88
Feb. 6, 2020

2010s
Shaun Logan Crowley ’11
Jan. 9, 2020
Rachel Bentley ’16
Oct. 29, 2019

Friends
Jane Buechle Paine (retired staff)
Oct. 30, 2019
Robert A. Keenan (retired faculty)
Nov. 26, 2019
James Puckett
Dec. 3, 2019
Patricia Ann Misner Kelley
Dec. 12, 2019
Raymond W. Gilman (retired staff)
Dec. 19, 2019
Sarah R. Seigworth (retired staff)
Jan. 10, 2020
Elizabeth Anastasia Rupert ’59 (retired administrator)
Jan. 31, 2020
Edward Donald Kaufman
Feb. 6, 2020
Margaret Sullivan Eck
Feb. 27, 2020

1990s
Jan Altrogge Knorr ’94
Nov. 26, 2019
Jason Wayne Best ’99
Dec. 26, 2019

Ernest Aharrah ’49
Ernest C. Aharrah, 92, died November 29, 2019. He matriculated at Clarion Teachers
College in September 1944, but his education was interrupted by a two-year stint in
the U.S. Marine Corps. Ernie graduated from Clarion in 1949 with a B.S. in
education. He holds an M.Ed. in biology from the Penn State University and an M.S.
and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
He taught in Kossuth and Yeagertown before returning to Clarion. While a
demonstration teacher at Clarion State Teachers College, he taught in Clarion
Area School District.
Aharrah retired as professor of biology and science education at Clarion University.
He was the university’s first director of Alumni Affairs and wrote the initial draft of
by-laws for Clarion University Foundation, Inc. He was named a Distinguished Faculty
member, and in 1985, the Alumni Association recognized him as a Distinguished
Alumnus. He served on the governing boards of the foundation and the alumni
association.
Memorial donations may be made to the Clarion University Foundation, Inc.,
Peggy and Sherri Aharrah’s scholarship.

CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

43

UNIVERSITY
NOIRBABY
ACLARION
LC
EAGLES

Y TISOUR
REGIFT
VINTOU BABY EAGLES OF CLARION ALUMNI
IS A DASHING NEW BIB!

To receive a bib, visit www.clarion.edu/babybib and complete the online form.
Once you receive your bib, take a picture of your Eaglet putting the bib to
use, and email a high-resolution photo to us for inclusion in Clarion University
Magazine.
For more information, call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 814-393-2572.

VALENTINO

Valentino Nicholas Perla, son of

CORA

LIAM

Morgan and Nick ’10 Perla,

Rebecca Danielle Lovett, daughter of
Daniel ’99 and Susan Ramolt ’01 Lovett,

Cora Renee Freeman, daughter of
Geoffrey and Allison Stoltz ’09 Freeman,

born April 12, 2018

born Oct. 30, 2018

born Dec. 11, 2018

ZOEY

Zoey Rose Sable, daughter of Dr. Michael
’02 and Amanda Speth ’04 Sable,
born Feb. 4, 2019

ETHAN

Ethan William Forgione, son of Joseph ’07
and Rebecca Goodpastor ’05 Forgione,
born April 1, 2019

44

REBECCA

SPRING 2020
WWW.CLARION.EDU

LILLIAN

Lillian Caroline Windsor, daughter of
Aaron and Stacey Humienny ’08 Windsor,
born March 3, 2019

OLIVIA

Olivia Mae Baumcratz, daughter of Ed ’04,
’07G and Chrissy Wolbert ’01 Baumcratz,
born April 2, 2019

GRANT

Grant Atticus Wolbert, son of Nate ’13 and
Allison Winger ‘14 Wolbert,
born March 23, 2019

HARPER

Harper Brielle Young, daughter of Brady
’12 and Samantha Tenfelde ’12 Young,
born May 30, 2019

Liam Donald Watson, son of Doug and
Megan Tuite ’08 Watson,
born Jan. 18, 2019

LEO

Leo Nathan Vamossy, son of Nathan and
Christiana Indrihovic ‘13 Vamossy,
born March 26, 2019

WYATT

Wyatt Joseph Hagan, son of Jeffrey and
Shayleene Hagan, born June 2, 2019

ELLIE

Ellie Ann Darr, daughter of Andrew and
Brittany Ann ’13 Darr, born June 11, 2019

AUSTIN

Austin Richard Fiscus, son of Ben ’13 and
Lindsay Thill ’13 Fiscus, born July 15, 2019

GABRIELA

Gabriela Hannigan, daughter of
Adelina Malito ’06 and Christopher Hannigan,
born July 15, 2019

WESLEY

Wesley Mark Capela, son of David and
Michelle Hellyer ’13 Capela,
born Aug. 9, 2019

JONAH

Jonah Emmett Krisher, son of Zachary ’13
and Lindsay Agnello ’13 Krisher,
born Nov. 8, 2019

ELI

Eli Zak Paul Jones, son of Brandon and
Elizabeth Indrihovic ’09 Jones,
born Nov. 30, 2019

PAYTON

Payton Joy Trumbo, daughter of Mark and
Kristy Clarke ’07 Trumbo,
born Aug. 14, 2019

JOHN

John Raymond Hackel, son of John ’12
and Brittany Mesing ’11 Hackel,
born Nov. 10, 2019

ANDREW

Andrew Glancy, son of Daniel and
Melissa Beam ’11 Glancy,
born Dec. 10, 2019

MEADOW

Meadow Campbell Byers, daughter of Jon
and Breanna Campbell ’09 Byers,
born July 30, 2019

GRIFFIN

QUINN

Griffin Thomas Turnbull, son of Tommy
and Melissa Gearing ’10 Turnbull,

Quinn Ann Fremer, daughter of Andy ‘10
and Kaitlin Miller ’12 Fremer,

born Sept. 17, 2019

ARIAH

KENNEDY

Ariah Rose Griffin, daughter of Ashley and
Nathan ’10 Griffin,
born Nov. 24, 2019

QUINN

born Sept. 27, 2019

Kennedy Marie Berezansky, daughter
of Nathan and Britney Olsavsky ’09
Berezansky, born Nov. 26, 2019

JACK

Jack Gerard and Quinn Carter Kirby, twin son and daughter of
Charlie and Ashley Carter ’06 Kirby, born July 31, 2019

CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

45

DISTANCE LEARNING

STUDENTS SHOW resiliency IN TRANSITION
TO DISTANCE LEARNING
When social distancing became a necessity, Clarion
University students quickly became distance learners.
To make the transition as seamless as possible for students,
Clarion University faculty – 60 percent of whom were
already trained in online instruction – staff, and the information technology department worked together.
“Faculty and staff have spent the last week helping
students to adjust. They’ve done so many things, I can’t list
them all,” said Dr. Pam Gent, provost. “They’ve had online
and Zoom discussions with students to address concerns or
fears about this new learning environment. They shared tips
with students on how to learn in a new environment.”
Faculty also became students as they learned techniques
of online instruction, often utilizing the university’s D2L
online platform, as well as other tools for teaching such as
Zoom for live lectures, videos and email.
“Faculty are using a variety of platforms, because the

46

SPRING 2020
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digital divide exists in rural parts of Pennsylvania,” Gent
explained. “Some of our students do not have reliable
internet or cell service.”
Lending support to faculty and students is commonplace
for Clarion University Libraries.
“The Clarion University Libraries have a long history and a
depth of experience supporting online classes. Our librarians
provide research consultation services via Skype, Zoom,
chat, text, email, and toll-free phone services throughout
the day, evenings and weekends,” said Dr. Terry Latour,
dean of libraries
. “Our library faculty provide
information literacy and discipline-specific instruction via
Zoom software, and tutorials developed for specific classes
and needs. LibGuides, online research resource guides, have
been developed for many classes, disciplines and subjects.”
The library staff also have scanned many information
resources not originally in electronic form and provided it to
faculty to give to their students through D2L. Additionally,

the libraries loaned laptops and iPads to students for the
remainder of the semester.
Students and faculty can still depend on the library for
research no matter where they are.
“Our information resources include more than 370,000
e-book titles, 55,000 scholarly journals, and 68,000 streaming video titles,” Latour said. “What we don’t have in our
collections, we collaborate with other academic libraries to
provide access to most any information resource.”
Latour said students and faculty have adjusted to distance
education, as expected.
“Clarion students are resilient and adaptable, as are
Clarion University faculty and staff. We work individually
with students to identify and satisfy their needs,” Latour
said. “The faculty and staff of the libraries stepped forward
without hesitation to do all they could to support students
during these stressful times.”
The Center for Access and Student Achievement has
stepped in to make certain students don’t fall through the
cracks during the transition to remote learning. In fact,
students have access to the same services they have come
to rely upon, but retooled for remote learning.
For example, CASA has created tips for students, including
how to learn online, time management in unstructured
settings, study tips for online learning, etc., Gent said.
“In order to assist students with the transition to the virtual
world of learning, we have created a D2L Site: CASA Online
Support,” said Ron Radaker, director of CASA. “This site was
implemented to help students stay connected and have a
point of contact for them in this transition. We wanted to
mimic what the physical brick and mortar Center for Access,
Success, and Achievement provides for the students.”

Radaker said CASA staff members are using Zoom and
video chat for tutoring, and we’re leading the State System
in another key area.
“At this point, I think we are the only school that created
a D2L site to mimic our center,” Radaker said. “Things will
evolve each day, and we will keep adding new supports as
we see the need. The key is to engage with our students to
support them where they are at right now.”
Another resource, the Center for First-Year Experience, is
making certain freshmen are getting the assistance they
need during this transition.
“The success coaches have reached out to all the first-year
students and offered them the same services via zoom,
email and phone,” said Dr. Richard Lane, director for Center
for First-Year Experience. “They have talked to many
students about transitioning and tried to calm fears, as well
as worked with students to prepare for registration.”
Lane said the Center for First-Year Experience also is here
to answer parents’ questions. Parents can check the center’s
web page and look forward to its regular newsletter.
Gent said it’s not surprising the way everyone has pulled
together.
“I’ve never been prouder of our faculty and staff,” Gent
said. “Faculty and staff modeled for our students how
unexpected events require teamwork, flexibility, resilience,
tolerance of ambiguity, creative thinking, and problem
solving — and that’s a lesson our students can take with
them no matter where life takes them.”

So far, a few students have requested tutoring in mathematics, but Radaker said the main reason students have
reached out is to voice their concerns over the transition.
“The biggest concern is lack of good internet service
providers in some areas where our students reside,” Radaker
said. “The other concern that I am sensing from the conversations is the fact that our students are home with their
families, which may contain younger siblings or children,
and trying to manage all of that on top of studying.”

CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

47

#WINGSUP
TREE ZUZZIO
TREE ZUZZIO, STUDENT LEADER
As a student leader, Tree Zuzzio believes that he is
responsible for representing his classmates in all situations,
including the most trying of times. One of those trying
times happened this spring when the coronavirus pandemic
shifted classes to remote delivery, and students were sent
home.
Zuzzio, however, the student member of the university’s
Council of Trustees, remained on campus as part of the
Coronavirus Response Team.
“During this pandemic, we all have the responsibility to
come together as a community and assist one another in
any way that we can, while sticking to social distancing
protocol, of course,” Zuzzio said. “It is my firm belief that in
the educational setting, the best way to ensure that student
concerns are met head-on is to have direct student representation in decision making committees across campus.”
Through his position as a trustee, he has been an outspoken advocate for his fellow students, concentrating specifically on the cost of housing. Fellow trustee J.D. Dunbar ’77,
’79G has been his leadership mentor.
“She has continuously encouraged me to use my voice as a
student trustee and has provided me with opportunities to
make an impact beyond Clarion, at the state level,” Zuzzio
said. “Her inspirational leadership style has transformed how
I lead today and how I will continue lead in the future.”
In addition to his position as a trustee, Zuzzio represents
the student body in other ways.
“I serve on the Clarion Student’s Association as the
administrative chair and as an advisor to Student Senate,”
he said. “I was tapped to serve as both the student and
trustee member of the True North Task Force, serving on the
Recruitment and Retention working group along with the
Campus Climate and Diversity working group.”

48

SPRING 2020
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He has also enjoyed participating in a various university
theatre productions.
Zuzzio, originally from Harrisburg, will graduate in May
with dual degrees in business management and political
science. This fall, he will begin classes at University of
Pennsylvania, where he will pursue a master’s degree in
social policy, with the goal of working in policy development
on the state level.
“My long-term goal is to one day run for elected office,”
Zuzzio said.

Are you ready to make a

Difference?
SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR MARK ON THE FUTURE:

• Make a gift through your retirement plan

• Give life insurance you no longer need

• Donate appreciated stock and save on taxes

• Consider a gift of real estate

• Make a gift that gives you fixed payments for life

• Make a gift that protects your assets

Larry W. Jamison ’87
Director of Planned Giving
Clarion University Foundation, Inc.
Seifert-Mooney Center for Advancement
840 Wood Street, Clarion, PA 16214-1232
814-393-1926 Fax: 814-393-1834
ljamison@cuf-inc.org
CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

49

NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 2
CLARION, PA

840 WOOD STREET
CLARION, PA 16214-1232
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CLARION UNIVERSITY

HOMECOMING

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OCT. 2-4, 2020