Southern Life, June 2014

SouthernLife

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 501 NEW HAVEN, CONN.

a newspaper for the campus community

Southern Connecticut State University

JUne 2014 • Vol.17 No. 6

inside:

4 Barnard Scholars Shine Brightly 5 Grads Overcome Life’s Obstacles

One of the Nation’s Greenest Institutions Southern named to Princeton Review’s Colleges Guide Southern is one of the 332 most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company profiles Southern in the fifth annual edition of its free downloadable book, “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 332 Green Colleges.”

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on a survey it conducted in 2013 of administrators at hundreds of four-year colleges to measure the schools’ commitment to the environment and to sustainability.

The institutional survey included questions on the schools’ course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. The 216-page guide is the only free comprehensive resource of its kind: it can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/ green-guide and www.centerforgreenschools. org/greenguide.

The guide was created in partnership with the Center for Green Schools (www.

usgbc.org) at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The school profiles in the guide feature essential information for applicants – facts and stats on school demographics, admission, financial aid – plus write-ups on the schools’ sustainability initiatives. A “Green Facts” sidebar reports on a wide range of topics from the school’s use of renewable energy sources, recycling and conservation programs to the availability of environmental studies and career guidance for green jobs.

In the guide’s profile on Southern, The Princeton Review highlights that at Southern “Sustainability is integrated into everyday life on campus. SCSU’s Dining Services has become more environmentally friendly through trayless dining, cage-free eggs, and a commitment to buying locally-grown produce. What’s more, the campus bookstore has championed recent initiatives such as selling a large line of recyclable products Green continued on page 6.

Faculty Honors

Efforts to save energy in the residence halls have contributed to Southern’s status as a ‘green’ university.

Phoenix Rising

Creativity and Caring

project for the master’s degree.

She serves as a student teaching supervisor and an English Department honors thesis adviser, and is coordinator of the Secondary English Education Program.

Talhelm has impressed her colleagues with her creative pedagogy, and she has developed a reputation for pushing her students out of their comfort zones.

Talhelm received strong support for the award from students, who wrote letters describing her Melissa Talhelm Allison Bass as “a consummate, accomplished professional motivated by her students.” They They are colleagues who share a love also spoke of her “encouragement of collaboof literature and writing, but what really ration” and her “excellent,” “challenging” and makes them shine in the classroom are their “amazing” classes. innovative approaches to their material and She received a CSU Research Grant for their dedication to the success of each of their spring 2014 and was also nominated for the students.

Board of Regents Teaching Award and the Melissa Talhelm, associate professor of Outstanding Academic Advisor Award.

English, and Allison Bass, adjunct professor of Bass, chosen as the adjunct faculty award English, were recently selected as this year’s winner, began teaching at Southern in 2011. recipients of the J. Philip Smith Award for Bass teaches Fundamentals of College WritOutstanding Teaching. They were recognized ing, Writing Arguments, and Creative and at Southern’s undergraduate commencement Intellectual Inquiry courses.

She also serves as ceremony on May 16 at Webster Bank Arena co-director of Bridges, a program that targets in Bridgeport. juniors from New Haven’s Wilbur Cross High “This award is one of the university’s highSchool with the goal of developing college est honors,” said President Mary A. Papazian, readiness skills. “because we as an institution value teachHer colleagues were particularly impressed ing, and believe in recognizing those faculty with Bass’s dedication to and advocacy for members who excel at helping their students first-year students. Students’ written course succeed. evaluations overwhelmingly point to a high “Melissa and Allison are skilled at chalquality learning experience characterized by lenging their students, while also letting them professionalism, caring, and support. Students know they care about them. This is what great and colleagues described her as “a delightful teaching is all about.” person who bonds with her students and Talhelm, selected as the full-time faculty motivates them to excel” and spoke of her member recipient, began teaching at Southern “dedication to students not only inside, but in 2006. She designs and teaches courses to outside the classroom.” undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates She previously received an award for “Profesin the Secondary English Education program; sor With a Profound Impact” on National Student first-year students in the First-Year Experience Athlete Day. She engages in several community program; and English majors. In addition, she service activities in Greater New Haven. advises graduate students through the special

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Stephen Amerman’s work on the history of American I ndians and the U.S.

In Amerman’s case, the writing of his book, “Urban Indians in Phoenix Schools, 1940exploration of the western 2000,” earned him the award. half of the continent has been It focuses on how schools in on the frontier of research in Phoenix tried to educate and his field. assimilate Native American Amerman, associate profeschildren during that time period. sor of history, recently received It looks at how the children, as Southern’s Faculty Scholar well as their parents and the Award – presented annually to American Indian community a faculty member with a single in general, responded to the exceptional scholarly work that effort. His book indicates that has appeared in a public forum while there were struggles, Stephen Amerman during the previous five years. many children were able to get Criteria for selection also include the peer an “urban education” while maintaining their recognition of a nominee’s work, its social Indian identity. merit and the extent of its advancement of His work has generated widespread praise knowledge and/or its creative contribution, all by critics and historians. The book was named Phoenix continued on page 6. of which are established by outside evaluators.

Nobel Occasion

Fellows from Southern’s Institute for Science Instruction & Study – a sixth-year program in the Department of Science Education and Environmental Studies -- enjoy a moment with James Rothman, who won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The students attended a presentation by Rothman in the Yale University Medical Library and spoke with him at the reception following the event. Pictured (from left to right) are: Megan Weingart, Debbie O’Brien, Rothman, Steven Anderson, Tracey O’Neill and Gerry Frumento, an adjunct faculty member in science education.

A Message from the President

President Mary A. Papazian

Dear Colleagues, Commencement season is behind us, and we look forward to a long summer of planning for the new academic year, welcoming our entering class to campus and hopefully finding the time for some well-earned rest and relaxation.

Our three graduation ceremonies were a joyous reminder of our commitment to student success. And the success stories of our students — who are drawn from a range of backgrounds and circumstances, and in many cases have overcome obstacles to earn their diplomas — are the best testimony we can provide for a continued investment in public higher education.

I thank all of you who contributed to our students’ achievements – our faculty for your mentorship and dedicated pedagogy, our staff for your support and guidance. Each of us has a crucial role to play in ensuring that a college

New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and President Mary A. Papazian chat for a moment with Ed Asner before commencement exercises at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport.

Asner delivered this year’s commencement address.

degree is an attainable goal for all of our current and future students.

Indeed, despite the very real concerns about spiraling student debt, current studies show that a four-year degree has never been more valuable for personal and professional achievement.

A recent analysis of federal Labor Department statistics by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., found that the pay disparity between those with college degrees and those without continues to grow.

Americans with four-year college degrees made an average of 98 percent more an hour in 2013 than people without a degree, the study found. This represents a continuing trend – up from 85 percent a decade earlier and 64 percent in the early 1980s.

And tellingly, the wage premium for individuals who have attended college without earning a bachelor’s degree, including community college graduates, has not been rising.

This underscores the importance of our efforts to improve our retention rate and build closer relationships with our community college partners in CSCU. As the economy becomes more technologybased, the amount of education that people will need will inevitably rise as a result. And despite the fact that the recent recession saw a rise in the number of college attendees…“We have too few college graduates,” David Autor, an MIT economist, told The New York Times.

“We also have too few people who are prepared for college.”

Clearly, our emphasis on access, affordability and student success is not misplaced.

At Southern, at the system level and through Governor Malloy’s office, initiatives are underway to ease the debt burden for graduates and continuing students, smooth the path to registration and graduation and encourage

individuals who have earned college credit in the past to return and complete their degrees.

The statewide Go Back to Get Ahead initiative has been launched, offering a second chance for many people who, for one reason or another, started to get a college education but haven’t completed it.

The Go Back program lets returning students take one three-credit course per semester for free at Southern and any of our 16 partner institutions in the CSCU system. The program is open not only to Connecticut residents who started earning associate or bachelor’s degrees and did not finish, but also to those who completed associate degrees and now want to earn their bachelor’s.

As long as the student enrolls in any college in the ConnSCU system and has not taken college courses in the past 18 months, he or she is eligible.

All of you are aware of the Transform CSCU 2020 program, which will move through the planning stages this summer. This multi-year initiative will provide an initial investment of more than $134 million across our 17 institutions, with an emphasis on access, affordability and retention – all themes with which we are intimately familiar here at Southern.

The planning process presents Southern with the opportunity to strengthen our university’s mission and identity. And we will contribute to, and benefit from, a stronger system as we work toward our collective goals of access, affordability and excellence.

Sincerely,

Mary Papazian, Ph.D. President

News from the Vice Presidents’ Offices ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

SouthernLife

Published by the Southern Connecticut State University Office of Public Affairs Patrick Dilger, Director Editor

Patrick Dilger writers

Betsy Beacom Bailey Brumbach Joe Musante Villia Struyk Designer

Janelle Finch Photographer

Isabel Chenoweth SouthernLife is published monthly when classes are in session, from September through June, by the Southern Connecticut State University Office of Public Affairs, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1355. News and calendar inquiries should be addressed to Wintergreen 162, campus mail, or call 392-6586.

Story ideas, news items and comments can also be e-mailed to the editor at DILGERP1.

The editor reserves the right to consider all submissions for timeliness, space availability, and content.

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SouthernLife • june 2014

Tim Parrish – an author, professor of English at Southern and an architect of the university’s Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program – will be the featured speaker at the upcoming Forum sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development.

Parrish will deliver a talk, “Living Writing,” on Aug. 27 in Engleman Hall, Room A120. The program will begin with an 8:30 a.m. continental breakfast and end with a noon luncheon.

He has taught at Southern since 1994.

Among his works is a memoir, “Fear and What Follows: The Violent Education of a Christian Racist,” which has been selected for the university’s 2014 Common Read. He also is the author of the novel, “The Jumper,” as well as a short-story collection set in his hometown of Baton Rouge, La. called “Red Stick Men.” Those interested in attending Forum are asked to RSVP by Aug. 19 using the online registration form. For additional information, please contact the Office of Faculty Development at (203) 392-5358.

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Renovations to the Wintergreen Building may begin in earnest later this year, Executive Vice President James E. Blake has announced.

Various offices in Wintergreen – including those in the business and human resources departments — will temporarily be relocated to Buley Library. Enrollment offices — such as Financial Aid, Bursar and Academic Advisement — will remain in the Wintergreen Building during the work. But they will move to different parts of the facility.

Blake says that the relocation could begin

as early as November, though it is contingent upon the progress of the Buley Library renovation project. He estimates that the relocation will last six to eight months. Those offices relocated would then return to Wintergreen, though many would be in different locations than now.

“This renovation and realignment will result in a significant improvement to the building,” Blake says. “It will make things easier for students, as well as look more appealing.”

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

In support of Southern and its students, 302 members of the university community have already contributed to the annual Faculty and Staff Campaign for Student Success — an all-time record. A “thank you” celebration was held on campus in May, complete with musical entertainment and refreshments provided by the Big Green Pizza Truck.

Adding to the festivities, Southern’s faculty emeriti were invited to the event and learned about some of the latest developments on campus from interim Provost Marianne Kennedy and other members of the administration.

If you have not yet joined this year’s campaign, you may do so by making a gift by June 30, the close of the university’s fiscal year.

Contributions may be made online at Southernct.edu/giving/. You may also make a gift by contacting Jaime Toth at (203) 392-6514 or tothj4@SouthernCt.edu.

In other news, an alumni gathering was held at the Giant Valley Polo Club in Hamden on June 8. Alumni and friends brought their own refreshments, meeting under a Southernblue tent before the match for an Owl-style tailgate. Highlights of the day included a hat contest for the “best” and “most outrageous”

creations, with a prize awarded to alumnus and SCSU Alumni Association Board of Directors member Marybeth Heyward Fede, an assistant professor of exercise science at Southern. Information on future alumni events is available at SouthernCt.edu/alumni/upcoming-events.html.

STUDENT AFFAIRS

New Student Orientation (NSO) continues to evolve, and this year the program includes new components for transfer students and nontraditional students (students over age 25).

Tracy Tyree, vice president for student affairs, says that monthly orientation sessions for nontraditional students are now a feature of the overall orientation program, and transfer students are now required to attend either a regular NSO session in June or one of the special one-day sessions set up for them in July and August.

“Orientation is an important community event,” says Tyree, “and we have really changed the nature of what it means to orient students to the university and welcome our new students.”

Tyree says that because transfer students have already had a previous college experience, they may not recognize how important it is to be oriented to Southern, but they may have had a different kind of experience at other schools.

Transfer Student Orientation (TSO) is “now a full-fledged orientation,” Tyree says.

The goal behind revamping TSO is to help transfer students be successful throughout their time at Southern. Tyree says that along with Welcome Weekend and Welcome Week, both NSO and TSO represent efforts to create a more engaging experience for students when they return to campus in the fall.

New Master’s Degree Taps Sports and Entertainment Hotbed Event

planners who would like to

into the management realm can give themselves a significant boost with a new Master of Science degree program in sport and entertainment management offered at Southern.

And since many in the field are already working long hours – sometimes at night and on weekends – the 36-credit program will be entirely online.

Jim MacGregor, chairman of the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department, says there appears to be an increased demand for such programs – especially in the Northeast.

“Our location in between Boston and New York – a hotbed for sports and entertainment – is ideal,” he said. “We will be one of only a handful of universities across the country to offer a graduate degree in this discipline.”

The new program will allow students to complete a degree in sport or entertainment management from any global location over a two-year period, MacGregor said: “The sport and entertainment industries continue to experience increased growth, as these two elements comprise a significant segadvance their careers

ment of leisure business activity throughout the world.”

Students will complete an 18-credit core and then choose 6 credits from either the sport or entertainment option. They will also take 6 credits in the Master of Business Administration program, as well as a 6-credit capstone, which could be either a thesis or internship with a special project.

The program will feature many new “core courses,” among them: • Sport and Entertainment Finance • Sport & Entertainment Law • Marketing and Sales in Sport and Entertainment • Global Issues in Sport and Entertainment • Facility and Event Management Careers in sport management include such jobs as venue managers, marketing and sales staff, recreational sport directors, higher education recreation/student affairs managers, public relations specialists, human resource managers and finance managers.

MacGregor said careers in entertainment management include jobs with artist or event management companies, talent booking

SouthernLights

Celebrating the Accomplishments of Members of the Southern Community.

Elizabeth Keenan

James Barber

Anna Rivera-Alfaro

Joseph Dooley

Lee deLisle (left) and Jim MacGregor are excited about a new M.S. in sport and entertainment management that will be offered starting this fall.

agencies, marketing and merchandising firms, promotional companies, public relations firms, performing arts centers and cultural heritage sites and museums.

The program will include full-time faculty, as well as high-profile professionals with decades of experience in sport and entertainment management. They include Donna Lopiano, a Southern alumna named one of the 10 most powerful women in sport

by Fox Sports and a pioneer in promoting Title IX opportunities in the U.S. Lopiano is founder and president of Sports Management

Resources, former chief executive officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation and former director of women’s athletics at the University of Texas. She will be joined on the faculty by Constance Zotos, an associate professor at New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, and former director of athletics at several colleges and universities.

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For additional information, contact Lee deLisle, program coordinator, at (203) 392-7159.

Finally finish college! Do you have college credits but no degree? Now is the time to finish the degree you started! A limited time program from the State of Connecticut called Go Back to Get Ahead is offering Connecticut residents up to three FREE 3-credit courses when you enroll at one of the 17 institutions in the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system. Go Back to Get Ahead is offering you: • Up to three FREE 3-credit courses • A choice of 17 public colleges and universities in the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system (4 state universities, 12 community colleges and Charter Oak State College, the state’s only public, fully online college) • Classroom or online instruction • Hundreds of undergraduate programs of study • Experienced admissions counselors to help you find the best fit Are you eligible? You must be a Connecticut resident who:

Academic: • Robert Gregory, assistant professor of exercise science, and J. Gregory McVerry, assistant professor of elementary education, were recipients of the Joan Finn Junior Faculty Research Fellowship.

• Robert McEachern, professor of English, was named Technological Teacher of the Year.

• Elizabeth Keenan, professor of social work, received the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.

• C. Patrick Heidkamp, associate professor of geography, received the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.

• Laura Bower-Phipps, assistant professor of elementary education, and Walter Stutzman, adjunct faculty member in music, received the Board of Regents Teaching Award for SCSU. • Julia Irwin, assistant professor of psychology, received the Board of Regents Research Award for SCSU. • Lori DeSanti, an MFA student in poetry, won the 2014 William Kloefkorn Award for Excellence in Poetry, a national poetry competition sponsored by the print journal “Paddlefish.”

Community:

• Physics Department Chairwoman Christine Broadbridge was honored as the 11th Connecticut Materials and Manufacturing Professional of the Year for 2014.

• Cathy Christy, director of the Women’s Center, was a recipient of the Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services (CONNSACS) Outstanding Allies Award.

• James Barber, director of community engagement, received the Rev. Dr. Edwin R. Edmonds Humanitarian Award for his longtime service to the Greater New Haven community, and the President’s Choice Award from the Connecticut Campus Compact for his efforts to create pathways for disadvantaged youth to earn a college degree.

• Anna Rivera-Alfaro, accounts payable coordinator, received the National Society of Hispanic MBAs Connecticut Chapter Destino Award for Outstanding Service.

• Chief of Police Joseph Dooley was installed by state Attorney General George Jepson as the president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs’ Association on June 12. He is the first college head of campus security in the state to lead the 104-member association.

• Deputy Police Chief Philip Pessina received the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce’s Michael L. Green Award for outstanding community service.

• Steven Breese, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, was honored with an Outstanding Educator Award from his alma mater, Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, Ohio), on April 27.

• On June 27, Gary Morin, professor of exercise science, will receive the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Athletic Trainer Service Award at the association’s national conference in Indianapolis.

• Bill Faraclas, president of the Faculty Senate and professor of public health, received the C-EA Winslow Award from the Connecticut Public Health Association — the organization’s highest recognition.

• Previously enrolled in an associate or bachelor’s degree program or completed an associate’s degree • Last attended college before Dec.1, 2012 Check specific program eligibility requirements for this first-come, first-served offer at www.GoBackToGetAhead.com

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The Green Boxq

‘Compost Happens’

at

Sustainable Southern

Southern was recently named to The Princeton Review’s 2014 Guide to 332 Green Colleges and continues to pursue new ways to become a greener university. Among the institution’s many eco-friendly initiatives enacted throughout the year was a composting pilot project, spearheaded by the Sustainability Office. “We created a demonstration project to see if the campus community was interested in composting,” says Sustainability Coordinator Suzanne Huminski.

Heather Stearns, recycling coordinator, says she and graduate intern Jim Hoffecker worked together to write a proposal for the initiative. After the proposal was accepted, the New England Campus Sustainability Forum awarded Southern a $1,000 grant for funding the project.

“Composting is all the buzz,” Stearns says. “I thought if we could pilot it on a small scale (by) utilizing our community garden, it might prepare us for large scale composting in the future.”

The project, “Compost Happens,” was implemented in the fall with assistance from the Geography Club, and led by club member and sustainability intern Michelle Ritchie. Compost bins were placed in 10 campus offices that volunteered to take part in the initiative, and the Geography Club students collected the compost material from the bins three times per week.

Then, they placed the material in the compost collection spinners at the campus community garden, where the composted soil would eventually be used.

The cold winter weather slowed the biological process of the composting, but Stearns says she was pleased with the positive comments she received from the campus community about the idea of a composting project. Stearns says she and her colleagues plan to continue the initiative, and for now, they’re researching worm composting and aiming to start composting with the Connecticut Hall dining facility.

Another project the Sustainability Office is currently working on is an endeavor with The United Illuminating Co. and Seldera, a local building analytics firm. The ultimate goal of this project is to enhance energy efficiency in the Adanti Student Center.

The modifications being made to the building and its sensors are estimated to save the university $45,000 a year.

To track its environment-conscious progress, Huminski says the Sustainability Office team regularly observes how much energy the university uses and monitors how many resources are wasted.

SouthernLife • june 2014

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The Gifted Who Keep on Giving

Elizabeth Field

Sarah Greco

Jacqueline Turcios

The Southern recipients of this year’s Henry B arnard F oundation D istinguished S tudent Award – each of whom has contributed to community

seventh-grade students in New Haven as part of the GEAR UP program. She was a member of the Honors College and has co-written papers for academic journals, including “College Mathematics Journal.”

Therese Bennett, chairwoman of the Math Department, says that Field is the best student to come out of the math program during her 18-year tenure at Southern in terms of combining research potential, interest in math and performance in academic and community-related work.

“While Elizabeth’s grades are impressive, her work outside the classroom indicates her genuine interest in mathematics and her ability to accomplish excellent independent work,” Bennett says.

Sarah Greco, an English major, has a 3.95 GPA. She plans to pursue a graduate degree at Southern starting in the fall.

Greco has been a student representative on the state Board of Regents for Higher Education and vice president of the Student Government Association. She formerly served as an assistant coach for the West Haven Youth Soccer League. She was a member of the Honors College, as well as Sigma Tau Delta, an English Honors Society, and Alpha Sigma Pi, the national society of leadership and success.

Christopher Piscitelli, director of judicial affairs, says he is impressed with critical thinking skills, daily interactions with

students and approach to building a community on campus.

“Sarah (has been) a tremendously bright, responsible and engaging member of the SCSU community,” he says.

Jacqueline Turcios, a psychology major, has a 3.9 GPA. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in cognitive or developmental psychology.

Turcios is a member of Psi Chi, the psychology national honor society and the Golden Key Honors Society. She has served as editor of the SCSU Psychology Journal and has been a research assistant/intern at Haskins Laboratories, where she has assisted in two research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health. Before coming to Southern, she has been a machinist mate for the U.S. Navy, where she was responsible for repairing and maintaining auxiliary equipment. She has participated in various community activities, such as the Autism Speaks Walk in Waterbury and Relay for Life.

Claire Novosad, chairwoman of the Psychology Department, is impressed with the work ethic of Turcios. “This young woman served our country and has been able to balance academics, work and community service.”

Jamie Lawler, a political science major, has a 3.88 GPA. She plans to pursue a law degree starting in the fall. (See story below.)

service – are planning for careers that will enable them to continue giving back.

Three are on a path into the field of education, while one intends to advocate on behalf of youngsters through a career in law.

“That says so much about the hearts of these fine young women,” says President Mary A. Papazian. “And their academic success speaks for itself.”

A total of 12 students receive the award each year from the four Connecticut State University campuses. It is considered among the university’s most prestigious student awards. Criteria include a 3.7 GPA or better and having demonstrated significant participation in university and/or community life.

Elizabeth Field, a mathematics and special education major, has a perfect 4.0 GPA. She plans to pursue a doctoral program to study mathematics starting in the fall.

Field is the founding chapter president of Pi Mu Epsilon, a math honors society, and previously served as president of the Mathematics Club and a member of Southern’s Future Teachers Association. She was an academic tutor for

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From Homeless Teen to Law School Acceptance S ome 17 years after finding the strength to overcome the challenge of being a homeless teenager – a girl who was on her own and pregnant -- Jamie Lawler has graduated magna cum laude from Southern. And this fall, she will attend the University of Connecticut School of Law with a full scholarship.

The 33-year-old Guilford resident received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science during the recent undergraduate commencement ceremony. She also has a double minor – history and psychology.

She recently was named as one of four Southern recipients of the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, one of the university’s most prestigious student awards.

In addition, Lawler has been awarded the John W. Critzer Valedictorian Award for holding the highest GPA among political science majors.

“I can still smell the dirt beneath my cheek and feel the damp morning dew on my skin from the mornings that I awoke as a homeless youth growing up in Connecticut,” Lawler said. But she doesn’t spend much time feeling sorry for herself or dwelling on her life’s earlier difficulties.

“Even though it only lasted about a month, this experience built personal strength that will remain with me for a lifetime,” she said. “In fact, the trials and triumphs of my past have strengthened my ability to overcome adversity.”

Although not finishing high school during her teen years, she would quickly find a job and was able to afford a rent for herself and her baby. She actually earned her GED with

honors in 1999, slightly ahead of the time that her former classmates received their high school diplomas during their graduation exercises. And she gained a certificate in medical billing/insurance claims analysis with Branford Hall Career

Institute in 2001.

She would later travel abroad in 2008, which included a tour of Romania. That experience motivated her to want to become a lawyer and to advocate on behalf of those who have a difficult time advocating for themselves.

“I observed the devastation of a former Communist reign in Romania,” she said. “I saw many homeless children in that country and how they were treated.” She recalled seeing one 5-year-old boy who was told that to solve his problems, he needed to go to an office in some other building and fill out the paperwork.

“That was just absurd. Those types of incidents really motivated me to want to become a lawyer, especially in the area of childhood or education advocacy.”

Lawler said she believes in a “lift as you rise” philosophy, meaning that you should try to help others as you succeed in life.

She credited Art Paulson, chairman of the Political Science Department, with having a major effect on her success in being accepted to law school. “Not only are we prepared academically, but he put us in touch with people at various law schools,” she said.

Paulson said Lawler was an outstanding student who was accepted at five law schools. “Her personal and academic development make her a perfect example of what Southern does,” he said. “She has taken the long route toward becoming a student of whom we can be very proud.”

She is married with three children.

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Jamie Lawler

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SouthernLife • june 2014

Triumphing Over Personal Trauma Julio Mansilla was bartending a

few years ago in the wee hours of the night at a downtown New Haven restaurant.

It was a job he held not long after having dropped out of college.

While closing the restaurant, he decided to pick up a few things at a neighboring business establishment before heading home. Suddenly, a car approached and an individual asked him where one of the local establishments was located. As he started to answer, an occupant in the car stabbed him in the stomach.

Though he was bleeding and required medical attention, the wound was relatively minor. He returned to work a week later, but in the meantime had begun thinking seriously about going back to school.

“The money I was making was nice, but the ambiance

SouthernProfiles

of working in a bar and dealing with people who were drunk was just not for me,” Mansilla said.

If the stabbing incident was not enough to spur a change in his career path, a similar incident just a few months later ensured that outcome.

He was leaving his bartending job around 4 a.m. walking down an alleyway. Suddenly, he was approached by two men, including one who was asking for change.

“I moved his hand out of my way.

I knew I was about to be mugged,” Mansilla said.

Sure enough, he was attacked and a fight ensued. He ended up getting stabbed in the leg. “I stood up and he and his friend ran away.”

The uncle of Mansilla’s roommate at the time cleaned and sewed the wound with a needle and some thread. He said he preferred not going to the hospital and racking up another

medical bill, especially since the stab wound wasn’t too serious.

“I went back to work two days later and quit my job,” he said. “I made a decision right then and there to return to school.”

He moved back home with his parents and re-enrolled in classes at Southern for the fall semester of 2010. And less than four years later, Mansilla earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science.

“He’s a very talented and hard-working person who really is motivated to turn his life around,” said Lisa Lancor, chairwoman of the SCSU Computer Science Department.

“It is such a heartwarming and inspiring story.”

Mansilla, who was born in Guatemala, came to the United States with his family at the age of 13. The youngest of three children, he graduated from Hamden High School and currently lives with his sister in the East Rock section of New Haven.

Lancor said Mansilla loves helping other people and noted how he recently wrote an app for a farmer in Guatemala while he returned to his native country for a visit.

Mansilla said his long-term goal is to start his own company.

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West African Student Overcomes Illness, Hearing Disability When West African native Fatu Sheriff lost the ability to hear all but a few sounds after becoming very ill as a young girl, her whole world was turned upside down.

Not only did she have to adjust to a life without hearing, but outside of her family, almost everyone treated her differently because of her new disability. Sheriff said people acted as if she couldn’t think the same as before she became deaf, and she began to fall victim to bullying because of the difference in her speech.

“Becoming deaf was the biggest crisis I had to ever experience in my life,” Sheriff said. “I was so miserable.”

Following the start of the First Liberian Civil War in 1989, Sheriff and her family escaped and sought refuge in a neighboring country. Her childhood was spent in Guinea, where at the age of 7, she contracted yellow fever, a common virus found in tropical regions of South America and Africa, which resulted in permanent and nearly complete hearing loss.

Along with the differences in her peers’ attitudes towards her, Sheriff also had to deal with educational changes.

She said, due to the lack of knowledge about disabilities and resources available in Guinea, the country can’t provide equal

opportunities for hearing-impaired members of the community, so proper schooling wasn’t an option for her.

In 2001, just before her 13th birthday, Sheriff moved to the United States, which she said was the best thing that has ever happened to her. When she reached grade 7, she transferred to East Rock Global Magnet School in New Haven, and was able to progress in her studies with the help of a sign language interpreter and hard-of-hearing teacher who tutored and introduced her to

the deaf community.

She later enrolled at Gateway Community College, but was referred to Southern because of its reputable Disability Resource Center, which has provided her with interpreters and note takers. Sheriff also said she is appreciative of the encouragement and support that Elizabeth Keenan, a professor of social work and her adviser, has given her.

Sheriff said she always wanted to follow in her parents’ footsteps of serving others. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a nurse. As a former victim of domestic violence, Sheriff wants to help others by becoming a social worker, specializing in domestic abuse. She said she wants to bring families together and promote the repair of their broken relationships.

Sheriff said she’s also dedicated to assisting the deaf and hearing-impaired community. She recently created a U.S.and Africa-based non-profit organization called, “IDEAF: International Deaf Education Alliance Foundation, Inc.,” a group devoted to empowering the deaf community through global education.

She plans to pursue her master’s degree in social work in the University of Connecticut’s Advanced Standing Program.

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From Ghana to the Bronx to SCSU M a r ga r e t A pp i adu A n t w i remembers playing in piles of trash and drinking dirty water while growing up in the poor African nation of Ghana. The sanitary conditions would be a public health official’s nightmare.

But her life changed dramatically at the age of 12, when she and her family moved to America – first to the Bronx and then to New Haven.

“In Africa, when you’re told you’re going to see America it’s like going to see heaven,” Antwi said. “Coming to America from a Third World country and not having anything was a bit overwhelming for me and my sister, but it was also new and exciting.”

Simple things that most Americans take for granted – such as indoor plumbing – shocked Antwi. Indeed, the quality of life for her, as well as for her mother and sister, had improved significantly. But like most immigrants, the change also spurred new challenges.

Although she and her sister learned English from their mother while still in Ghana, their foundation in the language was lacking compared with American-born children. And the education system in Ghana was not as advanced as in the United States. “Class was difficult, and kids were cruel.

We were picked on for our accents,” she said.

But Antwi overcame her language barriers and education challenges to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in public health.

Although school was tough in her younger days, Antwi kept herself busy and helped her mother pay bills beginning at the age of 14, when she started working as a home health aide.

Antwi’s mother worked multiple jobs to provide for and ensure the safety of her children. “She always made sure we didn’t live in a bad area of the Bronx,” Antwi said. “We went to school in Riverdale, and there was no violence.”

After high school, Antwi attended Staten Island College to study nursing. The college didn’t have dorms, so Antwi had to live at home and commute six hours a day to class, which quickly began to wear on her.

She transferred to Southern and has worked at the Institute of Professional Practice in North Haven. After taking a class with Dr. Marian Evans, Antwi switched her major from nursing to public health. “Dr. Evans just completely inspired and motivated me to pursue public health,” she said.

In addition to Evans, she credited John Nwangwu and Sandra Bulmer with having gone out of their way to be extra

supportive. “Those three have changed my life and have been my inspiration,” Antwi said.

Antwi said she plans to start working in the field and she also would like to obtain her master’s degree. “I want to travel and go to Third World countries to educate people on basic health needs – that’s my dream,” Antwi said.

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I Do!

Shortly after accepting her sixth-year certificate in educational leadership at the evening graduate commencement ceremony, Amber Ecker receives a surprise marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Dan Argos, in the Lyman Center lobby. Her answer was affirmative! Ecker formerly worked in the Hoot Loot Card Office in the Wintergreen Building, while her mom, Kathy Fullard, is a staff member in the Registrar’s Office.

SouthernLife • june 2014

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Students Bring ‘Sound for Haiti’ The volunteer work of two Southern will be music to the ears of many Haitian children this summer.

Jessica Coppola and Allyson Kaechele will make a return trip to Haiti from June 21 to July 5 as part of “Sound for Haiti,” a group dedicated to helping orphans and street children of that Caribbean nation.

Members of the organization teach music to the youngsters, as well as help feed, play with and otherwise care for them. Among the activities in which they engage with the children are interactive Creole songs and games.

Sound for Haiti made its first journey to Haiti last June, and the group returned in February. “The (February) trip was special because you could see progress from when we went there the previous summer,” Coppola says.

Sound for Haiti members volunteer primarily at the Haitian Interdenominational Shelter Home for Children (HIS Home), an organization intending to rescue children from spiritual and physical poverty.

Coppola says her experience in Haiti was an emotional one, particularly when she learned that Julian, a 5-year-old girl from HIS Home, was being adopted. students

with the slogan, “I loved “A f f e c t t h e Julian from World with the the moment Arts.” Among that I met her its activities are last (June), and singing at homeI was just so less shelters and taken by her,” assisted living Coppola says. communities, “She seemed and contributsad, though, like ing to feeding something was missing. When I Jessica Coppola (second from left) and Allyson Kaechele projects at local (second from right) interact with Haitian youth during a food pantries in saw her this time recent trip to that Caribbean nation. the New Haven she was so happy area. Taubl created Sound for Haiti shortly about being adopted. It was amazing.” after she became close friends with June WilKaechele says her most memorable liams and her family, which lived in Haiti for moment was feeding rice and beans to a several years. lively group of babies in the “infant room” at Coppola and Kaechele became friends HIS Home. while attending Educational Center for the “There were about 15 of them sitting on Arts (ECA), a performing arts school in New the floor,” Kaechele says. “Some were crying, Haven. Students at ECA also attend their others were stealing food from the babies next respective high schools. to them – it was chaotic and you could tell With an inclination for music and an altruthe caretaker was really grateful for our help.” istic drive, the two joined Sound Affect and Sound for Haiti is a division of Sound Sound for Haiti after graduating. Kaechele, Affect, an a capella group that also performs who began playing the cello and participating charitable works. It was founded by Carol Taubl

in various mission projects when she was in middle school, says she feels that philanthropic work is her “calling.” Coppola, who started taking voice lessons at age 8, says her spark for humanitarian work began after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “I was so moved by the whole ordeal – my first instinct was to help,” she says.

Both students are undecided about a major, but feel drawn to charitable fieldwork.

World Vision, one of the biggest relief and development organizations in the world, supports and provides transportation and lodging for Sound for Haiti.

The volunteers are responsible for other necessities -- including a $1,000 cover fee, plane tickets, food, medicine and sheet music to hand out to the children. The members have done personal fundraising for their trips, and the group has acquired donations by singing at churches and hosting concerts, barn dances and silent auctions.

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(To donate to Sound for Haiti’s upcoming trip to Haiti, visit www.sound-affect.com. Individuals can click on PayPal. They can also specify how they would like their donation spent.)

In the Spirit of Volunteerism Building

barns and gardens, orga-

nizing service projects and helping

Southern students become more con-

nected with the community.

These are just a few examples of the activities of Jonathan Ruiz and Alix Lawson, two full-time AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) and SCSU alumni who were stationed this year at Southern.

Founded in 1965, VISTA is a national service program designed to fight poverty in America, and was integrated into the AmeriCorps network in 1993. The network consists of AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. The program seeks to address the human, educational, environmental and public safety needs of the United States.

Ruiz studied psychology, while Lawson was a political science major – both at Southern.

They didn’t want to continue their education immediately after receiving undergraduate degrees last May, but didn’t know what to pursue in lieu of graduate school.

With the encouragement of friends involved with VISTA, Ruiz began his volunteer

journey last August. Lawson began in March after her former academic adviser suggested joining the program. She started her VISTA work at the University of New Haven, before transferring to Southern.

“I wanted a gap year, and I was interested in stuff that would give me actual work experience,” Lawson says. “Through this program I would be working, doing a good deed, and developing as a professional.”

In addition, Lawson says she arranged a campus tour for a local school, Common Ground High School, as part of the “SCSU Take-Over” program. It is designed to give high school students a flavor of the college experience. “I wanted them to see the fun side, as well as the academic,” Lawson says.

Ruiz says he likes the VISTA environment, as well. “We’re all passionate about helping others and improving communities in Connecticut,” he says. “It’s nice to be around like-minded people.”

Recently, he created an “Alternative Spring Break,” where students committed to a week of serving the community alongside the VISTA volunteers. The week of service included a

Geographers Convene to Share Reasearch

Patrick Heidkamp, chairman of the Geography Department, explains a poster at a recent conference of the Association of American Geographers. The university’s Geography Club attended the five-day conference. Papers were presented by Ezgi Akpinar Ferrand, assistant professor of geography; Carolyn Thompson, adjunct faculty member in geography; and students Alyssa Krinsky, Lance Lambert and Michelle Ritchie. Poster presentations were made by Heidkamp, as well as students MaryJeanne Buonocore, Fatima Cecunjanin, Kaitlin Colandrea, Alexandra DeStefano and Christina Roush.

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SouthernLife • june 2014

Southern students reconstruct a barn in Woodbridge for Animal Assisted Therapy Services during an ‘Alternative Spring Break’.

barn renovation for Animal Assisted Therapy Services, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides special needs individuals with the opportunity to bond with horses and dogs as a therapeutic technique. Ruiz and the students re-painted and replaced windows during the reconstruction of the barn.

Ruiz says Dawn Cathey, an assistant to the dean of student affairs and his supervisor, has provided guidance throughout his experience with VISTA. “She’s definitely a person who

Green continued from page 1 . vinyl albums, and T-shirts made from recycled bottles — promoting the use of e-textbooks to save paper, and even providing graduation gowns made of 100 percent recycled plastic bottles!”

Robert Sheeley, associate vice president for capital budgeting and facilities operations, said that Southern’s inclusion in the guide is “great news for our university” and represents a “great team effort.”

Said Rob Franek, senior vice president/publisher of The Princeton Review: “We are pleased to recommend Southern Connecticut State University to the many students seeking colleges that practice and promote environmentally-responsible choices and practices.”

“Among 10,116 college applicants who participated in our 2014 ‘College Hopes & Worries Survey,’ 61 percent said having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school,” he said.

Using survey data that covered more than 25 fields, The Princeton Review tallied its “Green Ratings” (scores from 60 to 99) for 832 schools and reported them in the school profiles on the company’s website and in its college guides in summer 2013. The 332 schools in this guide received scores of 83 or above in that assessment.

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Information about the company’s Green Rating is at www.princetonreview.com/green.aspx

has a positive outlook on so many different things,” Ruiz says. “She has such a big heart, which creates a great atmosphere to work in.”

Both volunteers will finish their commitment to VISTA in August and plan to attend graduate school. Ruiz says he would like to study clinical mental health counseling and obtain a licensed professional clinician certificate. Lawson says she plans to pursue European studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

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Phoenix continued from page 1 . one of the 2010 Southwest Books of the Year by the Pima County Public Library.

Lisa Neuman, writing for the New Mexico Historical Review, said the book was well written. “’Urban Indians’ makes an important historical contribution to our understandings of the urban Indian experience and should appeal to readers with an interest in the history of Phoenix, the American Southwest, American Indian and minority education, urban Indians, and Native American community activism,” Neuman said.

David H. Dejong, writing for the Western Historical Quarterly, said the book “broadens our understanding of Indian urbanization and analyzes ‘an understudied’ aspect of Indian history.”

And Adrea Lawrence wrote in H-Net Reviews: “Amerman’s book is a significant contribution to the scholarly work on American Indian education and on urban – or off-reservation – Indians.”

In addition to the urbanization and education of the American Indian, Amerman’s areas of expertise include the history of Native Americans in Connecticut in the 20th century. “It means a lot to be recognized like that by one’s peers, so I’m very grateful to the committee for choosing my work,” he said. “As nice as the award is, I know that there’s probably at least a little serendipity involved in getting it because, in fact, all of us here at Southern are current or aspiring faculty scholars. And I’m not just saying that to seem nice, or as some sort of slogan. It’s true.”

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Finding Hope Through Stories A

graduate of

Southern’s MFA

in creative writing,

program

Lee Keylock

Jeopardy

longest winning streak in the show’s history — and made Hardenberg’s performance that So much so that when she was 9 years old, much more impressive. (Incidentally, Collins she saved most of her $3 weekly allowance subsequently lost on the next show, ending for a couple of months so that she could buy the streak.)

“The Jeopardy! Book,” which would enable her Hardenberg calls herself an “accidental to play the game with her family and friends. trivia buff.”

The problem was that nobody “There is very little rhyme wanted to play Jeopardy with her or reason for what I retain,” – not her parents, nor her younger she says. “It’s not a conscious sister, nor her friends. Nevertheless, decision to remember certain she maintained her interest in the things. I’m sort of an accidental game show – on and off – throughtrivia buff.” out her youth and adulthood.

Hardenberg says her stronA few decades later, Hardengest areas of knowledge are berg finally got her wish to play probably literature, current the game with others. Only this events and pop culture. time it wasn’t a home version of Wendy Hardenberg The process to be selected the game, but rather the real thing in front of began with her taking an online test in January the show’s iconic host, Alex Trebek.

2013. “It was a 50-question test and I actuThe library instruction coordinator at ally had forgotten about it until I received an Southern got her big chance in February, email that spring inviting me to an in-person although the show just aired on May 30 interview in New York,” she says. In addition to on WTNH. She trailed in third place early, the interview, she was given another test, had finishing single Jeopardy with just $1,000. to do a video segment, and was then asked She moved into second place during Double to play a mock Jeopardy game with other Jeopardy, accumulating $9,000 — $2,600 potential contestants. behind the leader.

In January 2014, she received an invitation In Final Jeopardy, Hardenberg successfully to compete on the show, which is taped in the wrote “What is Tennessee?” to a question that Los Angeles area. “They called me with only asked which southern state’s U.S. Senate seat about two weeks’ notice. My sister went with sat vacant for four years, and when filled, its exme and it was a lot of fun,” she says. occupant would became president (Andrew Hardenberg says the show was a wonderful Johnson). experience and that the staff was very accomShe wagered $7,201, which vaulted her modating. She watched the airing of the show to a total of $16,201, temporarily moving her with her family in Lebanon, N.H., where she into the lead. But the defending champ — Julia grew up.

Collins — also had successfully answered the Hardenberg holds a Master of Library Final Jeopardy question with a $6,500 wager Science degree and a Master of Arts degree in and moved to $18,100. It marked the 20th comparative literature from Indiana University consecutive victory for Collins — the second in Bloomington, Ind. was a

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Narrative 4 and the Power of Storytelling: Authors to Discuss ‘Radical Empathy’ Story Exchange at Lyman Center

through

Storytelling has always been with us, and the exchange of personal stories can open doors of communication. To harness this power, global organization Narrative 4 (N4) aims to promote “radical empathy” through story exchanges, a process that can break down barriers and shatter stereotypes.

On Sunday, June 29, three of the world’s most influential author/activists will take the Lyman Center stage to discuss N4, which they helped found just over a year ago. “The Narrative 4 Story” – a discussion among writers Ishmael Beah, Colum McCann and Terry Tempest Williams, moderated by Narrative 4 Executive Director Lisa Consiglio and Newtown High Ishmael Beah School and SCSU teacher and alumnus Lee Keylock -- will take place at 2 p.m. in Lyman Center.

Working closely with students, educators, artists and community leaders, N4 pairs high school students from different parts of the world and encourages them to walk in each other’s shoes by sharing their personal stories with each other. In less than a year, the organization has planned and conducted such story exchanges around the world, engaging nearly 1,000 participants.

N4 teaches that stories are a key to better understanding one’s neighbors, society and each other. The program’s effectiveness has drawn the attention of the national press, including The New York Times, which has written about it twice in the past year: http:// nyti.ms/TnFevm and http://nyti.ms/1nXwVUy Beah, McCann and Williams are committed to helping N4 Terry Tempest Williams expand its reach. Beah is a Sierra Leonean author and human rights activist who rose to fame with his acclaimed memoir, “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.” An Irish writer of literary fiction, McCann’s works include the novel “Let the Great World Spin.” Williams, an American author, conservationist and activist whose writing is rooted in the American West, is the author of “Finding Beauty in a Broken World,” among other works.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

For further information, call (203) 392-6154 or visit Tickets.SouthernCT.edu.

photo: Marion Ettlinger

Wendy Hardenberg junkie as a kid.

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photo: John Madere

Who is Wendy Hardenberg?

in touch with each other after going through it and become “ambassadors” for the program.

N4 describes itself as teaching “radical empathy,” and certainly, as Keylock describes it, taking part in an N4 exchange can do just that.

Because it can be so cathartic, Keylock says, teachers do follow-up activities with their students. “We are working on ‘sustainability’ as we speak, finding authentic ways for students to stay involved and feel relevant after the exchanges are complete,” he explains. He gives his own students questions to respond to in writing following an N4 exchange, encouraging them to talk about how the experience made them feel and what it taught them.

Keylock recently made the difficult decision to leave his teaching position at Newtown to work for N4 in curriculum development. He says while he will miss teaching and his students, he believes in the N4 objectives and adds, “I can help a lot more people this way.”

photo: Brendan Bourke

an instructor in the English Department and a high school English teacher in Newtown, Lee Keylock’s professional life is all about stories, language and narrative, and teaching students to harness and use their power.

After the Sandy Hook shootings in December 2012, on a day when he was teaching his classes at Newtown High School, Keylock, like so many who were close to the event, felt powerless to help his students. He began to search for ways to help them cope with the immense grief they were dealing with, and naturally, he turned to literature. A novel crossed his path — “Let the Great World Spin” by the Irish writer Colum McCann — and Keylock thought this might just be a book that could offer his students some hope. The New York Times has called the novel “the greatest novel to come out of the World Trade Center attacks.” Yet Keylock says Colum McCann, right the book ultimately offers a vision of redemption.

Keylock wrote to McCann, asking for his help. In return, McCann sent Keylock copies of the book for his students and offered to come to Newtown to meet with them. In his meetings with students, McCann listened to their stories, but also told them some of his own, and he talked to them about an organization he had just helped found, called Narrative4 (N4).

He explained to them that N4 is based on story exchanges: it connects groups of students from different parts of the country and the world, and then pairs students within the groups to exchange personal stories one on one. Each person must then retell their partner’s story back to the group. The stories can range from accounts of losing a parent to cancer or a friend to gang violence, to tales of first love. Some of the meetings take place in person, while many take place on Google hangouts because of distance.

After McCann’s visit, Keylock was inspired to become involved with N4 and eventually became one of the organization’s lead educational advisers. He wanted to try an N4 story exchange with his own students. The organization was very new; the first exchange took place in Chicago in March 2013.

The idea behind N4 is “to promote empathy through the exchange of stories” and “break down barriers and shatter stereotypes” by encouraging participants to see the world through each other’s eyes. Keylock says, “It’s easy to become cynical in today’s world. Narrative 4 is fostering a sense of hope. It is an authentic experience that makes kids feel heard and relevant.”

In January, Keylock implemented exchanges with 180 students in four classrooms at Newtown High School, and he and his colleagues introduced the first official curriculum model in the classroom. In March, he and a teacher from Chicago’s Crane High School connected 12 students from the west side of Chicago with 12 students from Newtown.

Keylock says that “kids find out they have the same hopes and fears,” no matter where they come from in the world. The process is very powerful, he says, and students often keep

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Getting ‘Psyched’ About Reading Southern

psychology profes -

have been assisting two Connecticut elementary schools in identifying children who have reading difficulties and working with them to improve their skills.

Deborah Carroll, professor of psychology, and Cheryl Durwin, assistant Deborah Carroll Cheryl Durwin chairwoman of the Psychology Departhelps schools to identify more accurately the ment, have coordinated a pilot project during students who need remedial reading help. the last year that involves K-2 students at Helen That also helps to avoid the pitfalls of having Street School in Hamden and St. James School students jump to more advanced reading in Stratford. They recently received a CSU assignments without mastering the skills that grant to continue the program next year, when provide the building blocks. they will track those same students.

Carroll stresses that the Southern interns “Studies show that early identification and supplement the instruction provided by the remediation are key in enabling children who schools and enable students to get one-on-one struggle with reading to become successful attention that otherwise might not be available readers,” Durwin says. regularly.

Although schools already use tests to deterShe adds that the interns use various mine students’ reading ability and whether a instructional methods when working with child has special education needs, some of those individual students, such as word family flash tests have questionable reliability and validity, cards and shared book reading to promote according to Carroll. Others don’t have norms vocabulary development and comprehension to use as benchmarks of comparison. in early readers.

“As a result, schools frequently over identify Carroll and Durwin thanked Michael or under identify the number of students who Lorenzo, principal of Helen Street School, and need remedial help at that age level,” Carroll James Gieryng, principal at St. James, for their says. Carroll adds that Southern is able to participation in the program. offer tests that actually do have norms, which sors and students

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SouthernLife • june 2014

7

a photo essay by isabel chenoweth

Commencement 2014

Undergraduate

GRADUATE

‘You are creating your own good fortune by being outgoing, optimistic, and opening yourself up to new ideas. . . .

Experiment a little if you haven’t already. . . .

Even if you fail, you win for trying.’

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SouthernLife • june 2014

~ Edward Asner, to the Class of 2014