Discover EIU

A JG-TC SPECIAL SECTION | MAY 2013

EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY A sampling of research taking place in your backyard

EIU PROVOST BLAIR LORD

PUBLISHER CARL WALWORTH

Researchers focus on the changing face of agriculture in Illinois & its impacts on wildlife

Energy research one of latest initiatives that benefit EIU and beyond

As is widely known, the primary element of Eastern’s mission is teaching the undergraduate and master's-level students who are our primary clientele. Such teaching is not, however, our only mission.

Faculty member engagement in the scholarship of their disciplines is also an important element of their duties, and interesting and significant scholarly activity is happening all across campus. Evidence of this work is presented in this supplement, which features presentations of but a small sample of the scholarly work in which faculty members at Eastern Illinois University are engaged.

All universities expect their faculty members not only to teach students but also to remain current in their academic disciplines by engaging in research and scholarly activity.

The relative emphasis across the major LORD/Page 2

In October 2011 the formal grand opening celebrated the Renewable Energy Center that powers the Eastern Illinois University campus in a modern and cost-efficient way.

The environmentally-friendly development replaced an outdated coal facility.

There were several key developments in the centerĂ­s development, including a creative financing package that pays for the center over time through annual savings on utility expenses. Campus officials enhanced the exterior appearance to suit neighbors along Illinois Route 130 and the surrounding area. Most important, however, was the long-term solution to campus power needs without having to find a pile of cash to pay for the project up front.

Eastern identified and contracted with an important partner in the $80 million project, WALWORTH/Page 2

JG-TC PAGE 2 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

ABOUT THIS SECTION

This section on research and scholarship at Eastern Illinois University is a collaborative effort between the university and the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier. At a regional university like Eastern that is focused on teaching, research sometimes may be underplayed.

Nonetheless, EIU faculty members are expected to contribute to their disciplines, and in the process engage in many interesting projects with broader implications. Thus, the idea emerged for a section to cover a sampling of academic projects at Eastern. The first section was published in April 2010. This second joint effort offers a new and fresh collection of work that highlights some of the reasons students have good experiences at Eastern. Projects are included from each of the four EIU colleges. Faculty members wrote the articles. The newspaper staff completed the sales, design and production. Distribution is a joint effort, with the supplement being inserted into an edition of the newspaper as well as on and around campus. Our thanks to those at EIU who contributed to this section. We hope you enjoy the articles, and come away with an appreciation for some of the kinds of scholarship generated by local faculty.

INDEX

Pages 3-4: The Center for Clean Energy Research and Education at Eastern takes a lead role in looking to identify and develop resources for clean energy technology. Jill Deppe and Thomas Canam of the Eastern biological sciences department take us through some of the successes and efforts.

Page 5: Archaeologists have a unique perspective on social change and its impact on the world around us.

Donald Holly of Eastern's anthropology department shares some of his experiences and conclusions from working with colleagues in other parts of the world.

Page 6: Melody Wollan of the EIU School of Business writes about workplace bullying, including the potentially damaging impact when not addressed.

She also covers things to watch for and ways to address issues to enhance attitudes and productivity in

LORD

Continued from cover

duties of a faculty member – teaching, scholarship and service – vary by type of institution.

Eastern’s expectation in the area of scholarship is somewhat less extensive than that of our neighbor to the north, the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, but faculty scholarship is still critical to the intellectual vitality

WALWORTH Continued from cover

Honeywell Inc.,and engaged students and others on campus. Students were an integral piece to taking the concept to the Illinois General Assembly for approval of the financing arrangement.

Once complete, the biomass-burning facility could have become a behindthe-scenes part of the campus. An operating utility generally doesnít make real sexy headline material so long as everything works properly and buildings are appropriately heated and cooled.

But Eastern officials didnít stop innovating when they turned the switch on a new energy plant. They

the workplace.

Page 7: When we think of slavery, normally we don't think of colonial shipping. Charles Foy of the EIU history department opens the door to maritime slavery through research he's done that gives us a sense of what it was like for black sailors on ships.

Page 8: Parks are one of the community assets that help attract and retain residents. Michael Mulvaney and the Eastern recreation administration program work with communities to help them identify ways to make parks more appealing.

Page 9: Prisoners with long-term sentences often are released back into society at some point. But are they prepared? And if so, could they be better prepared? Jacquelyn B. Frank of the EIU School of Family and Consumer Sciences has spent time in prisons,

and gives us a look at how long-term prisoners are prepped for society.

Page 10: Children with speech disorders now may open up and communicate better than in the past.

Work at EIU covered by Trina Becker of the communication disorders and sciences department is helping parents in east-central Illinois benefit from technological advances that in the past were more left to professionals.

Page 11: Published writing sometimes is closely associated with New York and other metropolitan markets. But there is a place on the prairie for good writing and development of writers, as Roxane Gay of the Eastern English department explains.

of our faculty and the institution.

I am confident that you will find the activities reported in this supplement interesting and perhaps even surprising. A great deal of our faculty members’ efforts address problems, issues and/or matters of intrinsic interest to our community, region and state.

Several of these stories describe inquiry of obvious direct application to east-central Illinois – the study of various plants as potential biofuel sources, for example. Beyond this direct practical application, however, these

studies provide opportunities for EIU students to become engaged in scholarly activities that greatly enrich their overall educational experiences.

Involvement in a faculty member's laboratory, in field work, in an art studio, or in other creative environments beyond the formal classroom bring deeper meaning to the learning taking place. Faculty members must be engaged in such work in order for them to effectively mentor students in similar inquiries.

Because all faculty members and, ultimately, our students are expected to

explore and inquire, the range of scholarly activities at EIU is enormous.

The examples featured here, as wideranging as they are, represent only a small sampling of what is taking place on and near our campus.

I am very proud of the accomplishments of our faculty and students. I believe that you, too, after reading the stories here, will be equally proud of the timely and important work taking place right here in Coles County.

created a next step, one that would make further innovating in the renewable energy arena a campus priority.

That next step was the Center for Clean Energy Research and Education, which involves faculty and students.

The center has an academic purpose along with outreach with the intent of making the Eastern experience better for students and better for the region through promoting more creative projects like the Renewable Energy Center.

Thus, bioenergy is an ongoing campus priority that engages and challenges both faculty and students. It is one of the topics covered in this section of articles written by EIU faculty about some of the interesting and relevant studies in the EIU community.

This is the second time in four years that the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier newspaper and the university worked collaboratively on such a section.

Each of the four colleges on campus are represented in the section. Faculty and student work is highlighted. And, I think youíll find the articles relevant beyond the campus setting, covering things like workplace attitudes, community development, helping parents, life beyond prison, understanding history and one of my favorites, someone who likes reading and writing.

Often, those of us who work with the campus community see it through cocurricular activities, such as the arts, the active student volunteer programs, athletics and the like. The core academic programs are too often taken for granted and sometimes donít make

sexy headlines.

One purpose of this section is to help us appreciate and understand that the academic work at Eastern and how it involves society at large.

Eastern faculty members are evaluated on teaching, research and service. Often the research done at Eastern has very practical applications to help solve a problem or find better ways of doing a task or function.

Research grants are competitive and many are backed by federal funds that in some cases are being cut along with many other budgets.

Eastern faculty do well in competing for research dollars and in reaching out beyond the campus. We hope you enjoy this snapshot of their work.

JG-TC PAGE 3 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

Students plant poplar trees in the field north of EIU's Renewable Energy Center in April 2012. (Tom Canam)

DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE GILBERT, METZGER BIOENERGY FEEDSTOCKS & MADIGAN, LLP Researchers focus on the changing face of agriculture in Illinois and its impacts on wildlife

By JILL DEPPE EIU Biological Sciences

As worldwide fossil fuel supplies dwindle, our nation strives to identify solutions for securing our energy future.

Sustainable bioenergy is one way to expand our nation’s energy portfolio, reduce carbon emmissions and, if done properly, maintain or promote biodiversity.

Eastern Illinois University is at the forefront of energy sustainability with its new, state-of-the-art Renewable Energy Center, which burns biomass -currently virgin woodchips -- to supply the campus with steam and some electricity.

To complement the Renewable Energy Center, EIU has established the Center for Clean Energy Research and Education, an interdisciplinary campuswide research and educational consortium.

A top priority of CENCERE researchers is to identify local, sustainable biomass feedstocks for the REC and similar regional bioenergy facilities.

Bioenergy refers to renewable energy sources derived from biological materials or biomass feedstocks (including wood, perennial grasses, corn, soybeans, sugarcane, algae, manure and waste cooking oil) that can be burned to produce heat and electricity, or converted to liquid fuels like ethanol and biodiesel.

The Midwest’s climate, geography, geology and established agricultural infrastructure make it well-suited for growing many bioenergy feedstocks.

The region already produces large amounts of corn and soybeans that are converted to ethanol and biodiesel, respectively.

Our research team, which is part of

CENCERE, has initiated several studies focusing on wildlife-bioenergy relationships.

Our group consists of faculty (myself, Karen Gaines, Thomas Canam and James Novak) and graduate and undergraduate students (Jennifer Alberts, Matthew Craffey and Melissa Hutmacher) in the Department of Biological Sciences who have teamed up to understand how wildlife interacts with bioenergy crops. Our research also aims to identify crop management strategies that can protect wildlife.

Considering the impact of feedstocks on wildlife Natural resource managers, ecologists, hunters and nature observers are wary of potentially adverse impacts on wildlife and native plant communities.

Furthermore, environmental impacts in areas such as soil and hydrology are not yet thoroughly understood.

Development of bioenergy resources is critical for reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and achieving energy security, but the selected feedstocks and production processes must be environmentally sustainable.

Sustainable bioenergy sources are those that maximize crop growth, energy yield and economic profits for producers, while at the same time minimizing air and water pollution, helping balance the carbon budget, protecting the soil, and supporting native plant and wildlife diversity.

In short, identifying a sustainable feedstock will involve thoroughly studied, carefully considered and balanced tradeoffs.

Continued on next page

COMMENDS EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY for its commitment to research and innovation!

CERTIFIED PUBLIC

Accountants 6029 Park Drive, Charleston

217-345-2128 www.gmmcpa.com

JG-TC PAGE 4 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

Cont. from previous page

About miscanthus

As new bioenergy markets develop, the Midwest landscape may soon be dotted with new crops dedicated to other forms of bioenergy production.

One such bioenergy crop is Miscanthus giganteus, commonly known as Mxg or simply miscanthus.

Miscanthus -- a fast-growing, perennial grass hybrid native to Southeast Asia -- has been used for many years as ornamental grasses in the United States.

Miscanthus giganteus has several characteristics that make it a good candidate as a bioenergy feedstock. After a three-year establishment period, the crop can grow up to 3.5 meters tall in a single growing season, producing between 6 and 10 tons per acre of dry biomass. It does well on poor-quality soil, and after establishment, the crop requires little, if any, fertilizer or herbicide.

Miscanthus biomass can be used to produce heat, electricity, liquid biofuel and gas products. Such versatility provides greater stability to farmers in environments prone to fluctuating markets.

Miscanthus harvest can be accomplished using commonly available farming machinery, and it normally takes place in the winter when farmers have more time.

Possible advantages and disadvantages of miscanthus

Because miscanthus is relatively new to the United States, essentially nothing is known about the crop’s impact

on regional wildlife. Everything we know so far comes from studies conducted in Europe, where the crop has been grown for bioenergy since the 1980s. Those studies, while informative, have very little, if any, applicability to the Midwest.

Although the miscanthus hybrid produces a sterile seed, there is concern that it could become established in non-target areas and possibly invasive. Spread could occur through underground growth of rhizomes, unintentional movement of rhizomes during harvest if soil is disturbed, or by rhizomes sloughing off into the water when planted near streams.

Understanding relationships between miscanthus and wildlife early on during the process of bioenergy development in the United States can give us time to shape its direction and keep wildlife on our landscape.

One possible benefit of miscanthus is that, as a winter crop, it might offer cover to wildlife after other crops have been harvested. However, the crop is very different structurally than native perennial grasses and conventional crops and may not provide suitable breeding habitat.

Furthermore, the crop does not appear to provide food resources, so by itself, it will be unable to support wildlife in the landscape. Maintaining suitable wildlife habitat, such as CRP grasslands and overgrown field borders, in landscapes where bioenergy crops are planted will help wildlife.

How and when bioenergy crops are planted and harvested, the total acreage of bioenergy crops planted, and the size

and shape of individual bioenergy fields also will play a role in maintaining wildlife diversity.

(height, density and weediAs the bioenergy footprint ness), field size and shape, and grows in the Midwest, we will the amount and type of other need to understand and acland cover types in the landcount for relationships bescape affect these particular tween these new crop types and the diversity, distribution Studying the growth animals.

Farmers in Pesotum, Villa and fitness of wildlife. of miscanthus on area Grove, Hugo and Tuscola, as Ongoing studies conducted farms well as the city of Tuscola, are in the state starting at the turn of the last century by the Melissa Hutmacher, an EIU cautiously exploring miscanthus in hopes that local markets Illinois Natural History Surundergraduate student, has vey show that bird populainitiated a study examining the for the crop will develop.

This might happen if, after tions have been impacted in year-round use of miscanthus thorough testing, CENCERE various ways by the growth by ring-necked pheasants and researchers find that the crop and changing nature of agriculwhite-tailed deer at a Pesotum performs well in the facility ture in the state. Many mamfarm owned by Eric Rund. and generates sufficient enermals in the state have experiThe goal of the study is to gy. enced similar changes. document whether these These land owners and proAt first, wildlife in the state species use miscanthus and ducers share our interests in had to contend with the largewhether they use it more or maintaining or enhancing scale conversion of prairies to less often than nearby corn and wildlife on farmlands and min- human settlement and agriculCRP buffer strips. imizing environmental imture. Later on, they responded A valuable aspect of this pacts.

They have granted us acto shifts from small-scale diverproject and others conducted cess to their farms and an early sified farms to large, commerby our team is that we are opportunity to understand the cial-scale monocultures and exlooking at wildlife in real-life relationships between bioener- panding urban centers. farm situations in Illinois, so gy development and wildlife.

Some species have adapted we will have a good idea of well and flourished, even exwhat we might expect if, or panding their ranges, while Looking ahead when, bioenergy development others have become rare and in the area becomes more wideappear to have disappeared Future projects will address spread. from the state. the effects of other bioenergy EIU graduate student JenMiscanthus and other bioenWe are partnering sources. nifer Alberts is examining the with colleagues at Purdue Uni- ergy crops may be the newest abundance and distribution of chapter in the story of wildlife versity as we embark on a small mammals -- mice, voles responses to our ever-changing phase of research examining and shrews -- in miscanthus, landscape. hybrid poplar. We also will excorn, soy, hay and CRP at four The biggest question now is, farms in Champaign and Dou- amine how wildlife use native how will wildlife respond to prairie grasses grown and harglas counties, where farmers these new changes? vested for bioenergy. have already planted miscanthus.

This spring, Matthew CrafJILL DEPPE fey, also a graduate student, POSITION: Assistant will initiate a study examining professor, Department of how breeding songbirds use these same vegetation types Biological Sciences and farms.

JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2011 By conducting their studies EDUCATION: B.S., Indiana at local farms embedded across a range of different landscapes, University of Pennsylvania; Alberts and Craffey's research Ph.D., University of will shed light on how factors California Riverside such as crop characterstics

Poplar and miscanthus grow in the field next to EIU's Renewable Energy Center in November 2012. (Tom Canam)

USING PLANTS & FUNGI FOR BIOENERGY

By THOMAS CANAM EIU Biological Sciences

The challenge with Eastern Illinois University's Renewable Energy Center and similar facilities that use biomass a source of fuel is maintaining a reliable supply of biomass that can be produced in a sustainable manner.

An obvious source of biomass for facilities like the REC is corn stover -- the leftover plant material after the cobs are harvested.

However, there are several practical challenges with this idea.

For starters, the corn stover currently has a number of uses, including preventing erosion and maintaining soil quality on farms. Also, corn stover is a notoriously poor material for the type of technology used at the REC. An alternative solution would be to grow crops specifically for the REC -- in other words, dedicated crops.

One of my research goals at EIU is to identify bioenergy crops that can be easily planted, maintained and harvested in central Illinois.

The crops also need to have high yields, be perennial to reduce planting expenses and work well with the existing technology at the REC.

Grasses and trees Among the more noteworthy potential crops for this purpose that do well in this region are grasses, like switchgrass, which is native to Illinois, and miscanthus.

Trees can also be grown specifically for bioenergy production -- in fact, the REC is currently using hardwood chips as its fuel supply. These plants not only have desirable characteristics for facilities like the REC, but they are also very low maintenance crops -- that is, they require no fertilizers and do not need to be watered, which keeps the cost of production low.

A common criticism of growing these crops for this purpose is the potential competition for land between food crops, like corn and soybeans, and bioenergy crops, like switchgrass and trees. In reality, the bioenergy crops are unlikely to ever be as valuable as food crops, which will mean few farmers, if any, will readily plant bioenergy crops as a replacement for more profitable food crops.

Rather, bioenergy crops can be, and should be, grown on land that is not suitable for traditional agricultural crops like corn and soybeans. Areas that are problematic and otherwise unprofitable are

more often than not perfectly suitable for bioenergy crops.

Test plots on campus In the spring of 2012, my research group, along with numerous campus and community volunteers, planted 1 acre of switchgrass and Miscanthus, and 1 acre each of two types of hybrid poplar (a fast-growing tree species) on land adjacent to the Renewable Energy Center.

My group is monitoring the growth and performance of these crops, and will test how well these plant materials work with the technology used at the REC. Last summer’s severe drought was a great test for our bioenergy crops on campus.

Although the overall growth and yield was affected, all of the test crops survived the drought with no watering and no fertilization. In fact, some of the trees grew from 1-inch saplings to over 5 feet tall last year, with nothing more than residual ground water.

My team will be closely monitoring how these crops respond in their second year of growth and taking samples of the crops to test in EIU’s laboratory-scale version of the REC.

Turkey tail fungus My laboratory is also examining a naturally occurring fungus, turkey tail, as a way to increase the amount of bioenergy released from biomass.

In nature, this type of fungus is a major player in wood decay, with easily recognizable bracket mushrooms.

We have discovered that plant material that is allowed to partially decompose using this fungus produces more energy than the same material that is not treated with the fungus.

My laboratory is not only working on the practical uses of this technique for producing bioenergy, but is also studying the reasons how and why plant material that is partially decayed with this fungus produces more bioenergy.

The fossil fuels that we

THOMAS CANAM POSITION: Assistant professor, Department of Biological Sciences JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2011 EDUCATION: B.S., Mount Allison Unviersity; Ph.D., The University of British Columbia

currently use for energy, like coal and petroleum, are actually ancient fossilized plants from a relatively short window of time (300 million to 360 million years ago).

A recent study discovered that the plants were able to fossilize during this time because wood-decay fungi, like the turkey tail fungus, had not yet evolved, which meant the dead plant matter remained relatively untouched for millions of years.

Once these types of fungi began to colonize the planet, the amount of fossilized plant material -- and therefore fossil fuels -- dramatically decreased. This means that it is likely that wood-decay fungi not only helped keep our current environment healthy by limiting our fossil fuel supply, but they are also helping to generate clean, sustainable bioenergy for generations to come.

JG-TC PAGE 5 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

Digging for Clues EIU's only Fulbright Scholar studies the past to help us prepare for the future chiseled along its edge to create a groove. We suspect that it was probably EIU Anthropology anchored to a fishing net.

Accordingly, for a people so dependent on the sea for their livelihood, sharp On Feb. 15, a meteor blast rattled changes in sea temperatures may have the Siberian city of Chelyabinsk and the nerves of millions of people around proved disastrous.

Environmental changes may have the world. also contributed to the demise of a later As with other threats both real and group of people that lived at Stock imagined -- tsunamis, earthquakes, Cove. Archaeologists call them the epidemics, zombie apocalypses and Dorset; they represent an ancient popualien invasions -- the event spurred lation of Eskimo (or Inuit) peoples who many to wonder how it will all end.

As an archaeologist, I already have a descended out of the Arctic and made Newfoundland their home about 2,000 pretty good idea. years ago. Archaeologists infer from the One of the great advantages of aranimal bones they left behind that they chaeology is its ability to examine social change over incredibly long periods ate seals, especially harp seals.

Harp seals are often found where of time. Sometimes these changes include significant social transformations there is sea ice. They are rarely spotted near Stock Cove today. In part for this -- what we might call a “collapse.” reason, archaeologists long suspected For the last several years, I have that the Dorset who lived at Stock Cove been working with a colleague at SUNY Plattsburgh, Christopher Wolff, did not hunt them, and instead focused and a team of Canadian archaeologists on locally available open-water species like harbor seals. at a place called Stock Cove, in Trinity A few years ago, however, we found Bay, on the beautiful island of Newsome harp seal bones. They could sugfoundland.

One of our major questions concerns gest that harp seals were once more readily available in the area than they why people periodically abandoned are today.

Stock Cove (and sometimes the entire Like the Maritime Archaic, the island of Newfoundland) in the past.

Dorset eventually left Stock Cove and This first happened just over 3,000 abandoned the island. Perhaps not coinyears ago to an Amerindian group of cidently, this occurred at a time during hunters and gatherers known to arin which temperatures were rising all chaeologists as the Maritime Archaic.

No one knows for sure why the Mar- across the North Atlantic.

Environmental change, however, is itime Archaic abandoned the island of not the only cause of social change. It is Newfoundland, but some suspect that worth noting that different peoples it had something to do with environlived differently on the island, and that mental change.

One idea is that rising sea levels al- their choices (such as whether to hunt harp seals, harbor seals or caribou) also lowed the cold Labrador Current, played a part in the course of human which today churns icebergs south history. from Greenland, to extend south toWe know, for example, that the ward the island. The cooling temperatures that came with the current could Dorset were not the only ones living on the island when the weather took a have had a negative impact on these peoples’ abilities to hunt marine mam- warmer turn. At that time, the island was also inhabited by the ancestors of mals.

We know that they relied heavily on the Beothuk [bay AH thuk], an the sea -- hence the term Maritime Ar- Amerindian people who would soon greet the first Europeans to visit Newchaic -- from the harpoons and other foundland (the Vikings), and then huntools we often find at the coastal dreds of years later, European fisherplaces where they used to live. men.

Indeed, at Stock Cove, we unUnlike the Dorset, the Beothuk reearthed one large stone that had been

By DONALD H. HOLLY JR.

William A. “Tony” Sunderman Henry E. “Woody” Kramer William J. Warmoth Kristin L. Wilson Madison C. Mullady Rachael S. Cunningham

Don Holly excavates at Stock Cove, Newfoundland. (submitted photo) lied on a mixed diet of marine and terrestrial animals. This might have made them less vulnerable to the kind of environmental change that seemingly doomed the Dorset.

The Beothuk faced a different Donald H. Holly Jr., an associate kind of threat. With the arrival of professor of anthropology at EIU, was the European fishermen in the the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair 16th century, the Beothuk were inin Native Studies at the University of creasingly forced to compete with Alberta in Fall 2012.

Europeans for access to the coast -Fulbright Canada, one of academia's the same places that had always most prestigious organizations, seeks provided for the people of the isto "identify the best and brightest land. Outgunned and outnumminds" in the United States and bered, they were forced to retreat Canada "and engage them in from the area. residential academic exchange," At Stock Cove, their plight can according to the Fulbright website. be read in the appearance of Euro"Fulbright Canada aims to grow pean fishing gear, pots and gunshot intellectual capacity, increase in the 17th century at about the productivity, and assist in the shaping same time that the Beothuk left of future leaders." the area. They never returned.

Holly is currently completing a book Indeed, in time, the Beothuk on the archaeology of the Eastern were pushed into the food-poor inSubarctic for AltaMira Press. terior of the island, and like the others before them, “disappeared,” too.

Our ongoing work at Stock Cove has the potential to address how humans adapt (or fail to adapt) to environmental change and other social stresses. This is an issue of some relevance today. In this context, what archaeology can contribute to this discussion is a very deep historical and cross-cultural perspective.

In short, archaeology gives scientists the opportunity to exDONALD H. HOLLY JR. amine change over very long POSITION: Associate periods of time professor, Department of and among very different groups Sociology and Anthropology of people. With JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2005 this wisdom, we EDUCATION: B.S., Pennsylvania might be better prepared to face State University; M.A. and the future.

Holly honored as Fulbright Scholar

Ph.D., Brown University

JG-TC PAGE 6 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

A MANAGER'S GUIDE TO ADDRESSING WORKPLACE BULLYING

By MELODY WOLLAN EIU School of Business While many have experienced bullying at the hands or mouths of schoolyard classmates, it is clear that bullying does not always end when the transition to work takes place.

In fact, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that bullying continues to occur in many workplaces, creating negative effects in our organizations: increased absenteeism and use of sick days for "mental health days"; low employee morale; stressful communication encounters with others; lower productivity; sabotage of company projects; and even theft as a retaliation device to "even the score" between a bullied employee, the bully and, often, management that has not adequately resolved the bullying.

Companies, aided by technological advances, have increased expectations for higher performance, more communication in groups and teams, and a growing interdependence of workers to accomplish their own work. As we become more reliant on one another in the workplace, there is increased opportunity for frustration, pressure for speed and quickness, and, unfortunately, bullying types of behaviors.

By design, managers serve a key role in addressing employee behaviors. While management research and popular books readily tackle planning, organizing and leading functions of management, there are fewer sources of information related to the controlling aspects of management.

As a consequence, many very good managers enter the profession of management with good intentions, but get sidetracked by being afraid of engaging in the necessary role of addressing undesirable employee behavior, or more likely, aren't sure how to address the problem or confront the employee that is bullying.

Many managers accept bullyingrelated behavior as part of an employee's personality, taking the good (but she's such a great performer!) with the bad. Other managers don't like the confrontation aspect of the encounter that is sure to take place.

I emphasize that the managerial problem that needs to be addressed and altered is the behavior and not the employee. Very few managers are equipped or appropriate for addressing the psychological aspects of the employee that is bullying; employee

assistance programs, therapists and other medically related professional help can be provided via company health insurance or other services.

Managers can best invest their efforts by providing boundaries of what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior in their workplaces. Once bullying, the behavior, is seen as adverse behavior similar to tardiness, nonperformance or making illegal racial or gender comments, it becomes a manageable act that can be addressed as openly as other undesirable behaviors.

As I recently wrote the in "Strategies for Managers in Handling Workplace Bullying," a chapter for the upcoming book "Bullying in the Workplace: Symptoms, Causes, and Remedies," I recommend that managers focus on the following four areas to address bullying in their workplaces.

1. PREVENTIVE MEASURES Managers need to confront the possibility that potential for bullying exists in their workplaces and be proactive in identifying where and when bullying might occur (now and in the future). Managers should develop organizational policies or clarify existing policy related to harassing behavior.

Bullying often does not meet the threshold of being a discriminatory workplace action, and thus, legal remedies reserved for sexual or racial harassment may not apply.

A workplace bullying policy should include four aspects: •Explicit statements that bullying will not be tolerated. Policies should include if the behavior must be repetitive to be classified as "bullying," whether intent is considered, the severity, and the role of power between the employees involved.

•Specific examples that employees might encounter in your work site.

•The process and documentation of addressing the bullying behavior (e.g., human resources department, immediate supervisor, by panel or by individual).

•Consequences of bullying: warning, counseling, suspension and/or termination of employment.

Additionally, managers can attempt to identify behaviors during the selection process that are red flags of potential bullying later in employment.

As an example, an applicant that

exhibits condescending behaviors toward a receptionist or other employees during the interviewing process may continue those type of poor interpersonal skills with others once employed.

Asking applicants questions during the interview process about current or former coworkers, customers and supervisors might provide insight into behaviors by those that have low empathy toward others, a trait that has been linked to workplace bullying behavior.

From a legal perspective, employers need to be cautious about eliminating applicants without valid jobrelated criteria and by identifying standards of unacceptable and acceptable workplace standards that are applied to all candidates.

Background investigations and reference-checking are other hurdles that can be utilized, as bullying individuals often have more difficulty in obtaining positive references from others.

In terms of prevention, most recommendations to pre-emptively address any type of undesirable employee behavior also include a training component for both employees and managers. Training, when used in combination with workplace bullying policies, has been identified as being quite or very effective at deterring bullying by as many as 83 percent of research respondents.

2. MANAGING THE ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT This encompasses organizational culture, communication styles and structural elements.

Workplaces that have low morale and encourage employee empowerment, cross-functional teams and participative management have been identified as being incubators of bullying employees.

When bullying does occur, having pre-existing statements on the process and expectation of communications between employees and supervisors can be very helpful in diffusing misunderstandings before they turn into legal actions.

There is evidence that apologies made by the bullying employee have resulted in the withdrawal of formal discrimination and hostile work environment charges that an employee might have undertaken in seeking resolution.

Conditions such as work overload, monotonous and unchallenging work, lack of possibilities to monitor and control one’s own work, lack of clear and non-conflicting goals, lack of constructive leadership or lack of regular supervision, and physical spaces where employees can be isolated have been identified as leading to bullying by employees.

3. MANAGING THE MANAGER Managers must examine their interactions between themselves and employees. Employees observe managerial behavior and model what is done, rather than what should or could be done as stated in policy or by individual values.

This role modeling is a powerful tool when used positively for mentoring, training, motivating and developing employee self-efficacy. However, managers must also realize and examine negative influences that originate from them that could be contributing to the bullying behavior.

Building trust within an organizational climate leads to demonstrations of respect and understanding for one another, and managers that can build trusting relationships with and between employees should find that less bullying will occur.

Building trust can be accomplished by meeting deadlines, fulfilling promises, and sharing personal values and goals. Openly following justice-oriented principles in which employees are treated fairly will also help build a culture that does not tolerate bullying.

4. THE INTERVENTION When bullying does occur, managers need to develop an action plan that intervenes and remedies the bullying crisis. While researchers have suggested various approaches that can be taken in this process, managers ultimately rely on their judgment.

Understanding and preparing to make those judgments provides managers with the confidence to act decisively depending on the organizational need and severity of the bullying behavior.

Bullying necessitates a candid conversation between the manager and the offending employee. As Gary and Ruth F. Namie, noted authors in the bullying field, have noted, "Not acting -- doing nothing -- is not a neutral act."

Managers should be coached, practice and possibly engage in roleplaying to be effective when addressing bullying behavior. Thus, being able to recognize bullying when it occurs, holding the employee accountable for their bullying behaviors, and taking disciplinary or termination steps are key intervention strategies for managers.

The accountability perspective makes two assumptions about the workplace environment: one, that the organizational culture has established a no-bullying context as being fair and just for all employees; and two, that the organization embeds formal evaluation of behavior related to the appropriate treatment of others.

Accountability becomes a midrange goal that is monitored by the manager and the bullying employee, rather than remaining a mere incident report in a personnel file.

This approach should be recognizable to managers; it is a customary approach of most due process-related employee improvements such as tardiness, inadequate performance and probationary periods for new employees.

Managers are setting the expectation that change in behavior is required from the bullying employee, including specific examples related to the work setting that are problematic for that employee, and perhaps engaging in interpersonal-skills-related coaching for the bullying employee.

When providing feedback to the bullying employee, deliver your message fully, candidly and in a timely manner while making it readily usable to the employee.

Be specific in identifying the unacceptable behavior, and remind the employee of anti-retaliation policies to assist shifting the responsibility to the offending employee rather than the reporting employee.

Don’t shame the employee by giving feedback in front of others -demonstrate dignity and respect for the employee in the process.

MELODY L.WOLLAN POSITION: Associate professor of management & Coordinator of Graduate Business Studes (MBA program) in EIU’s School of Business in the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2005 EDUCATION: B.S., Central Washington University; MBA, Gonzaga University; Ph.D., University of Nebraska

Congratulations EIU Class of 2013 Now is the Time to Drive Your Dream!

2013 Hyundai Elantra 2013 GMC Sierra

2013 Scion xB

2013 Nissan Rogue

GMC - Buick - Hyundai Toyota - Scion 117 S. 19th Street Mattoon (217) 234-8863

2013 Toyota Prius c

2013 Mazda2

Visit Today To Talk With Your Friendly Sales Professional About College Graduate Programs!

2013 Buick Encore

Nissan - Mazda 2404 Lakland Boulevard Mattoon (217) 235-4136

We Service All Vehicles! Visit For An Oil Change, Alignment, or Other Service Today!

JG-TC PAGE 7 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

This image is an entry from the Laborers book, 1790, regarding Mintus Martin, an enslaved man who served on a number of voyages for Welcome Arnold. Courtesy of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University.

MARITIME SLAVERY IN COLONIAL AMERICA Author teaches writing students to harness the powerful storytelling potential in their Midwestern roots

By CHARLES R. FOY EIU History

world in which black mariners were regularly employed on Atlantic ships and hundreds of enslaved men obtained permanent freedom by fleeing via the sea.

For many Americans, whose mental image of slavery is a gang of enslaved blacks working in cotton fields, this description of American colonial slavery is a bit jarring.

And yet that is exactly my research has demonstrated.

Having had a successful legal career -- litigator for the city of New York, general counsel of the city’s Department of Buildings and a partner at a major New York City law firm -- becoming a historian was not something my former clients anticipated.

But 13 years ago, I decided to return to a question that troubled me as an undergraduate: If northern colonies were typically thought of as bastions of freedom in contrast to the southern colonies’ reliance upon enslaved labor, how was it that some had such large slave populations -- one in five New York City residents were slaves -- and what was the nature of slavery in northern colonies?

In approaching this question, I sought to utilize my legal skills and research court cases in which slaves were tried. But as many historians can attest, intelligently constructed research work plans do not always bear fruit.

The musty drawers of the New York City Municipal Archives did contain colonial court records. Unfortunately, the records were quite limited, and the numbers of slave cases were few.

Frustrated, I then reexamined other records I had already read to see if perhaps northern slavery could be analyzed from a different angle.

In this moment of

A

frustration was borne what would become the core of my research for the past decade – the idea that the sea and America’s maritime economy created a more fluid and diverse world for northern slaves than had previously been understood.

A simple phrase at the bottom of dozens of northern fugitive slave advertisements led me to this conclusion. After describing a runaway, these ads contained warnings such as “Captains and masters of are forewarned not to employ or harbor said fellow at their peril.”

Why the need for these warnings? What would cause ships' captains to conceal or employ fugitive slaves?

To answer these questions, I considered who placed the ads and how slaves in northern ports were employed.

A review of the fugitive ads quickly demonstrated that a wide variety of whites placed such ads. Merchants, artisans, government officials and farmers all sought the return of their slaves who were believed to have fled via the sea.

My review of these ads found that many northern slaves were not performing agricultural tasks, but were instead employed in the maritime sector. And it also indicated a willingness of one group of whites – ship captains and ship owners – to undermine slave owners’ rights to further their own economic interests.

These conclusions were reinforced by a review of merchant account books and slave sale ads. The account books and sale ads characterized hundreds of northern slaves as "used to the sea" or "bred a sailor."

At the same time, British naval records listed hundreds of enslaved men employed caulking warships at New York and other Atlantic ports. And when sufficient numbers of white artificers could not be found in the West Indies, northern ship owners sent

northern enslaved caulkers, ship riggers and sail makers to the Caribbean.

In looking at this research, what stood out was significant increases in the numbers of black seamen and runaways who fled via the sea during the frequent wars of the 18th century.

With the start of wars, navies of all nations needed to quickly expand their fleets and find trained seamen. Captains of all types of ships – naval, merchant and privateering – became willing to have landlubbers without experience join their crews.

Many ship captains did not closely question black men whether they were free or enslaved when they showed up on a dock seeking a berth.

Instead, the pressing need to move ships out to sea quickly resulted in large numbers of blacks joining ship crews during wartime.

Captain McDougall, who during the Seven Years War manned his New York privateer "Tyger" with 23 blacks among a crew of 62 men, was hardly unusual in his employment of blacks during wartime.

But was this maritime world that I uncovered a one-way street to freedom and satisfying maritime employment? Hardly.

The most striking characteristic of black seamen was their continued vulnerability to reenslavement. While white ship captains might be willing to employ free and enslaved blacks, most whites in the 18th century equated dark skin with enslavement.

Thus, black seamen regularly faced the prospect of being enslaved if captured by an enemy ship. Admiralty Courts throughout the Atlantic readily condemned captured black sailors as captured chattel that could be sold into slavery.

Black mariners’ vulnerability was not limited to their sale into slavery by enemy ships. Black mariners

from Newport and other Atlantic ports also found themselves kidnapped while on land and sold in foreign ports.

Throughout the 18th century, British ship captains enriched themselves through the sale of captured enemy mariners. French and Spanish ship captains, while many times employing larger numbers of black mariners than their British and American counterparts, also sold captured enemy black mariners into slavery.

This selling of black mariners into slavery has led me to conclude that the 18th century Atlantic can be best characterized for black seamen as comprising a series of transition zones. These zones were places in which blacks moved regularly between enslavement and freedom, or from freedom to enslavement.

One such transition zone was the New Jersey coast during the American Revolution. Hundreds of blacks on British ships sailing from New York were captured and sold into slavery in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Many of these blacks had fled enslavement and found freedom behind British lines.

American patriots were quite eager, particularly with the slave trade being cut off due to British blockades, to re-enslave these black mariners. Similar transition zones could be found in a variety of locations and time periods, particularly during wartime.

In addition to enabling me to write 10 articles on maritime history, this research has also resulted in the

creation of a Black Mariner Database, a compilation of information on more than 23,500 18th century black mariners.

The range of individuals in the database is diverse in terms of their maritime experiences, their nationalities and their races.

They include North American maritime fugitives, Canadian Negro fishermen, South Carolina slave pilots, Bermudian blue-water sailors, Royal Navy able-bodied seamen, cooks on merchant vessels, members of privateer boarding parties, slave-ship sailors, free Spanish Negro mariners captured and sold into slavery in North America, and African canoe men.

The movement of men such as Anthony Mingus, a free black seaman from Spanish America, will be seen as never before, thanks to the Black Mariner Database.

Mingus’ movement north to fight the British Navy, his capture by the British off the Virginia coast, his incarceration on British naval ships and then his subsequent seven-year career in the British Navy across the Atlantic will become readily available through the database's search engine and geographic information system imaging.

The Black Mariner Database will offer scholars and the general public a tool to open up a heretofore hidden world in which the movement of black mariners will sharply contrast with the stereotypical image of a black picking cotton.

CHARLES R. FOY POSITION: Assistant professor, Department of History JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2008 (deferred a year due to having received American Coucil of Learned Societies Fellowship) EDUCATION: B.A., Rutgers College; J.D., Pace University School of Law; M.A. & Ph.D., Rutgers University

JG-TC PAGE 8 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

THE 'IT' FACTOR: STUDIES HELP COMMUNITIES IDENTIFY RECREATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WILL HELP THEM THRIVE

By MICHAEL MULVANEY EIU Recreation Administration

Why does one community thrive while a neighboring community of comparable size located only miles away struggles to retain residents and fails to attract visitors, new families and businesses to their community?

What does one community have that the other does not? What is this “it” factor?

Although the “it” factor may not simply be one issue, it typically represents a variety of interconnected quality-of-life elements in a community.

From the personal, physical and social benefits to serving as economic engines and contributing to the environmental health of communities, local parks and recreation services play a key role in improving a community’s “it” factor.

To illustrate their value, consider the following: Studies have found that properties within 500 feet of parks and recreation land are typically worth an average of 5 percent more than land without this proximity; communities have witnessed 30 percent reductions in juvenile arrests following the development of community (youth) recreation centers; communities with greater recreational opportunities have higher rates of physical activity, lower health-care expenditures and lower obesity rates among their residents; and quality parks, programs and facilities have been found to spur economic development and attract visitors and new residents.

Clearly, the availability and value of a community’s park and recreation services positively contribute to the quality of life in communities, as people want opportunities for participation in quality recreation programs, attractive parks, and effective and safe recreation facilities.

Public park and recreation agencies are responsible for accurately identifying the park and recreation interests within the community in a fiscally responsible way. In response to this issue, an area of my research involves partnering with communities to identify the specific purpose, techniques and procedures of the recreation needs assessment to obtain a clear planning direction for the future recreational services within each community.

The recreation needs assessment serves as the foundation for community planning efforts. In visiting with dozens of communities of varying sizes, settings and locations, the most common questions I hear are “What do we do, and how do we get started?”

Many of these communities recognize the value of parks and recreation in their communities. Many have some ideas of programs, services or facilities they would like to develop or have seen in other communities, but they aren’t sure if these same endeavors will be successful in their own communities.

This is where the needs assessment is critical -- it takes the guessing out of “what to do” by obtaining an accurate representation of the community’s attitudes, opinions and perceptions toward possible park and recreation programming, facilities and services.

The data collected from the

community-wide study can be used by the park and recreation agency to plan for the provision of programs, resources and facilities to best meet the interests of their residents.

The needs assessment and subsequent plan assume an even greater importance as virtually all major grants and external funding applications in park and recreation development require the presence of a comprehensive planning document that is a valid representation of the community’s needs and interests (a needs assessment).

Despite its importance in an agency’s short and long-range planning efforts, many agencies lack some of the resources to conduct such a study on their own or through hiring a A Paris, Ill., welcome sign in Kiwanis Park in Paris on Wednesday, private consultant firm. Aug. 27, 2008. (JG-TC, Kevin Kilhoffer) My work attempts to Clark said. "Now, we are using those It's a win-win situation for all address this void by assisting ideas to improve the quality of life in involved. communities in developing and “Through the partnership with EIU, the community.” implementing a needs assessment In summary, improving quality of we were able to obtain valuable process that accurately captures the life in the community is what “it” is all information regarding the thoughts, “recreation pulse(s)” of their about. feelings and ideas of our residents," constituents.

The results of the studies have provided communities, including Dieterich, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Findlay, Carlinville, Forsyth and Paris, with accurate information for shortterm and long-range recreation planning.

“As our agency continued to grow, we felt it was important to understand the pulse of the community and where to invest our limited resources," said Hollice Clark, executive director for the From start to finish, the recreation needs assessBourbonnais Township Park District. usually takes five or six months to complete. ment "Our Strategic Plan called for a community needs assessment, and we believed a partnership with EIU could 1. A series of meetings are held with community adbenefit both organizations.” ministrators to discuss the project, partnership and The second purpose of the timeline. partnerships has been to create a research-based, experiential learning opportunity for Eastern Illinois 2. Interviews are conducted with key staff from the University undergraduate students park and recreation agency and community stakeholdmajoring in recreation.

With my guidance and experience ers. with needs assessment projects, the projects have provided students with 3. We create a survey and administer it to the comhands-on experience in designing and implementing surveys; executing, munity's residents to collect information on what is understanding and using data needed to meet the needs of the agency and its comcollection procedures; interpreting and munity. summarizing results; and writing reports and making presentations.

“This was the most 'real-life' project I 4. Students and I analyze the data, and the students have done in college," said student develop a report and presentation of the preliminary Lindsay Woods. "It made my effort and findings. Staff and community stakeholders are invitwork so much more worth the time, knowing that the final product was a ed to attend the students’ presentation. key component to the agency’s planning process. I really enjoyed working on 5. I finalize the data analyses and work with comthis project. It has made me really appreciate the role of research and munity administrators in the development of a final evaluation in the field of recreation.” report that is presented during community or board

Steps involved in a typical assessment

meetings.

MICHAEL MULVANEY POSITION: Assistant professor, Department of Recreation Administration JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2006 EDUCATION: B.S., Millikin University; M.S., EIU; Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

6. The results of the recreation needs assessment are then used by the community in the planning and decision-making processes to fully utilize facilities and park areas, identify programming areas that were lacking, and determine areas of future development for the community.

Why use research to improve your community?

Our country is witnessing significant demographic changes. The number of Americans over 65 is expected to reach 88.5 million by 2050, more than double the number in 2010 (40.2 million). A study in 2009 found that only 46 percent of American communities have begun to address the needs of the rapidly increasing aging population.

Community park and recreation use has increased 30 percent by families with children during the current period of economic difficulty. Clearly, there is an increased demand for community parks and recreation during a time of shrinking local government budget allocations.

Providing quality parks, programs and facilities plays an important role in the public’s image of a community’s livability, family-friendly environment and overall attractiveness.

People’s recreation interests are changing almost daily.

An activity popular two years ago has been replaced by new desires and interests.

The importance of developing a comprehensive recreation plan that is representative of the residents’ needs and interests cannot be overstated. Park and recreation agencies need to set both short and long term goals and prepare a comprehensive plan to achieve them.

A recreation needs assessment analysis can assist your community in identifying the specific recreation needs and interests of your residents. In turn, this information can be used in the planning of parks, programs and facilities.

A well-conceived plan with a solid rationale can provide your community with increased access to external funding, as most grants and other funding programs require proof of planning to gain access to state and/or federal dollars.

JG-TC PAGE 9 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

AGING IN PRISON Study examines long-term prisoners' thoughts on release, re-entry into society

By JACQUELYN B. FRANK EIU Family and Consumer Sciences

“I’m going to prison.” This is not a statement people expect to hear from a university professor.

However, for the past several years, I have served as a volunteer and an academic researcher at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle, Ind. This maximum-security prison houses approximately 2,000 men, most of whom have committed violent crimes.

My first visit to the prison was during the spring of 2009. A friend and colleague from Indiana State University invited me to go with her to meet with a group of prisoners participating in her Shakespeare group.

Meeting with this group of eight prisoners for the first time, I was in awe as I watched the group discuss Shakespeare plays, dissect their roles and connect them to their own lives.

I went back to prison with my Indiana State colleague several more times during that spring and summer. I could not stop thinking about the men that I had met. In those early days, part of the draw was certainly the novelty.

I would sit at the table with them and think, “My gosh, I’m sitting next to a murderer!” Those thoughts seeped into my head for the first four or five times I met with these men, but over time, it was their humanity and ordinariness that compelled me to become a registered prison volunteer, start my own theater group, create a servicelearning program, and conduct research on long-term incarceration.

The topic I became interested in was preparation for release and re-entry after long-term incarceration (“long-term” being defined as having served at least 10 years and having at least 10 more years left on the sentence).

It certainly appeared to me that people who were spending protracted periods of time in prison were dealing with issues that others did not face.

For many Americans, the subject of releasing offenders from prison, espe-

cially those who have committed violent A total of 12 long-term inmates partici- more importantly, dying in prison.

Many said this is what they feared pated in my study, five of whom were crimes, elicits an emotional response, most about their long sentences -- dying incarcerated before the age of 19. Four and the subsequent issue of preparing alone in prison. focus groups were also conducted with these men and women for re-entry ofSimultaneously, an equally big conthis group of prisoners. At the time my ten meets with anger and opposition cern for the inmates was the reality of study began, the participants had from those outside of the prison walls. family members (particularly their parserved between 12 and 35 years in Regardless of an individual’s stance ents) becoming ill and frail and dying prison. toward offenders and their sentences, while they are still incarcerated.

Emerging from the research were the reality is that more than 95 percent Because of their long sentences, of all inmates in state correctional facil- several themes that played a major role in the prisoners’ concerns about the fu- many of the research participants have ities will be released from prison at seen their parents grow older, develop ture. some point, according to the Bureau of chronic conditions, and face life-threatFirst, all of the inmates agreed that Justice in 2009. preparation for re-en- ening illnesses.

This statistic They explained to me that they feel try should begin earserves to refocus "Regardless of an ly in a prisoner’s sen- like long-distance caregivers who are the issue away from individual’s stance tence, especially if he frustrated at not being able to be there hostile feelings about the prisoner toward offenders and has a long sentence for their mothers and fathers as they undergo major health crises like cancer, to serve. and toward the their sentences, the Equally important surgeries and deaths of other close fampractical realities of life after prison. reality is that more is the prisoners’ care- ily members.

These findings only scratch the surful articulation of the With these facts than 95 percent of all difference between face of intertwined issues involving as a backdrop, the release and re-entry. long-term incarceration. research questions inmates in state Research in the prison setting has Release is simply I sought to investicorrectional facilities leaving prison, while made me challenge myself, my beliefs, gate included the my humanity. Over the past four years, is becoming following: will be released from re-entry I have learned that one choice, in one part of a community 1) For long-term prison at some point." and a contributing situation, at one moment in time at age prisoners, what is17, 18, 19 or 20 can result in life-altermember of society. sues surrounding ing consequences.

At the end of an inmate’s sentence, re-entry are most significant to them?

Does doing something “bad” make he will be released but may never fully 2) How does one’s age at incarcerayou a bad person? Are people forever re-enter society. tion affect long-term inmates’ percepThe inmates in my study also repeat- linked to their pasts, or can they overtions of aging in the prison system and come them? What is the nature of our edly noted each prisoner’s role and reimpact their views of what life “on the justice system: Is it vengeance or rehaoutside” will be like for them upon their sponsibility in planning for his own reentry. When programs are offered, take bilitation? release?

These are critical questions that advantage of them. If there is an opporI have used a qualitative research everyone in our society will need to contunity for learning a skill or advancing design called "phenomenology" to imone’s education, do it. Never turn down sider as more men and women are replement this research project. leased prisons across the U.S. an opportunity to learn and grow.

Phenomenology attempts to objecPerhaps the tively study concepts that are usually most striking regarded as subjective in nature, such JACQUELYN B. FRANK theme among as judgments, emotions and percepPOSITION: Assistant the study partions. Phenomenology uses systematic ticipants was reflection to describe and explain the professor, Family and health: their lived experience and conscious awareConsumer Sciences; ness of those being studied (focusing on family memMaster of Arts in coordinator, bers’ as well as the participant’s own interpretation of Gerontology program their own. The their reality). inmates worIn order to understand the inmates’ JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2009 experience, a series of three one-on-one ried about beEDUCATION: Ph.D., coming sick in interviews were conducted with each University Northwestern prison and, prisoner over the course of 14 months.

JG-TC appreciates the contributions of Eastern faculty and students to the betterment of life in the Coles County Region and beyond....

We are pleased to partner with the campus to bring you this snapshot on some of the outstanding work generated on campus each day!

&

JG-TC PAGE 10 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

Bridging the Gap Study seeks to help parents use technology to communicate with nonverbal children

By TRINA BECKER EIU Communication Disorders and Sciences

Technology has made it possible for children with severe speech disorders to communicate, opening up new worlds with others who know how to use the devices.

Unfortunately, that usually doesn't include their own parents.

The speech-generating computer devices – known as augmentative and alternative communication systems – can be an instrumental part of therapy.

But outside of the clinical setting, including in the home, a lack of training leaves loved ones unable to interact with the children.

Stephanie Fanale, a graduate student in Eastern Illinois University's Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, decided to tackle this problem.

As part of her graduate thesis, Fanale designed an AAC Boot Camp to research the effectiveness of a training program in increasing parents' ability to communicate with their children with AAC devices.

Beth Bergstrom and I served as faculty mentors, helping Fanale design and implement the training over three weeks in July.

The camp became a reality last summer, when five parents and their children – from Greenup, Effingham, Mattoon, Arcola and Effingham – participated in the training/study at the EIU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.

The Boot Camp taught parents strategies to help their children learn to use their AAC systems and provided suggestions on how to integrate the device into interactions with their children at home.

Parents were also given time in the camp to watch Bergstrom and I, speech-language therapists, model the strategies. After parents observed our work with their children, they were given time to practice with their children and were offered feedback and suggestions.

Parents were also given the opportunity to meet one-on-one with device

Beth Bergstrom, left, and Trina Becker demonstrate how to use modern technology parents can use to communicate with nonverbal children, on April 11. (Pat Early) representatives from Urbana and Peoria to ask questions about how to operate the devices and troubleshoot problems.

At the conclusion of camp every day, parents were provided homework and required to practice at home with their children.

Parents were encouraged to share their experiences in completing the homework with the group the next day.

During this discussion, the researchers offered suggestions and provided insight on how to improve interactions at home.

To gather data for this study, parents were observed interacting with their children at three points: before the study was conducted, during the AAC Boot Camp and six weeks following the Boot Camp. Data was taken on how often parents used the communication facilitating strategies.

At www.jg-tc.com, we deliver the best local news to you whenever you want it and wherever you may be in the world. Get your fill of local news, sports and breaking news each day while connecting with other readers.

Check us out on Facebook, find local events on our online calendar or find

Results revealed that all parents in- varied opportunities to utilize their creased their use of strategies and con- systems in multiple environments to be tinued to use those strategies with successful, so if you encounter an inditheir children six weeks following the vidual in the community with an AAC study. system, do not be afraid to say “hello.”

Overall, parents felt that their abiliI am sure they would both welcome ty to interact with their children great- an opportunity to show you the system, ly improved. They also felt more confishare how it has helped their child and dent teaching their children how to use practice communication skills. their AAC systems to communicate.

“This camp was so beneficial TRINA BECKER to me and my POSITION: Associate child," one parent said. "It has professor, Department of made a big difCommunication Disorders ference in how and Sciences we communicate now.”

JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2002 It is imporEDUCATION: B.S. and M.S., tant that AAC users and their Eastern Illinois University parents have

garage sales on our interactive map. Look for deals on our website or use the directory to locate services near you. Read local opinions, and leave your own if you wish. Chill out to slideshows of recent events in the area, or buy a copy of one of our beautiful photos.

You can do it all and more on www.jg-tc.com

JG-TC PAGE 11 | DISCOVER EIU | MAY

Roxane Gay poses in EIU's Coleman Hall with her book "Ayiti" on Jan. 13, 2012. (Jay Grabiec)

FINDING LIGHTNING Author teaches writing students to harness the powerful storytelling potential in their Midwestern roots

By ROXANE GAY EIU English

Though I’ve lived all over the country, I have spent most of my life in the Midwest. What I know is flat stretches of prairie, the kindness of strangers, the beauty of freshly tilled fields, night skies so clear it is nearly impossible to believe the human eye can see so much of the stars.

I’m a writer, always have been. As a kid, I wrote stories on napkins and drew pleasant pictures of the people I was writing about. My parents noticed this oddness and got me a typewriter, and then there was no limit to what I would write about.

They also gave me the gift of a library card and free reign of our local public library in Omaha, Neb. My biggest problem in those days was the limit on the number of books a kid could check out at once. Without a doubt, reading and writing have always been my first and most abiding love.

When we talk about the writing world, such conversations are often focused on New York City, which is understandable. The six biggest publishers have their main offices in the city. Most literary agents do business in the city.

Every night there are countless literary events taking place from Brooklyn to the bowels of Manhattan to the outer reaches of Staten Island.

You can’t go a block without tripping over a writer or editor with a dream of making it big.

Any number of novels concern themselves with life, for better or worse, in the big city -- the bright lights, the fast-talking people, the hot summer nights, the crush of so many different people in so relatively small a place.

And yet. There are even more writers living and writing beyond New York City. I love to write about the Midwest, and the people who live their lives here. I love to show readers where I, and so many people are from. I like to write big stories about people who live the whole of their lives in small towns and stories about people who want nothing more than to escape their small towns and stories about people who leave the Midwest only to realize there’s no place they would rather be.

As a writing teacher at Eastern Illinois University, I have the privilege of introducing incredibly bright young

writers to the idea that it is possible to thrive as a writer from rural Illinois or the suburbs of Chicago or a small town in Western Indiana.

I get to show students how the stories they want to tell matter just as much as anyone else’s and that there is such narrative richness to be mined here in the Midwest.

There is a lot of debate about whether or not writing can even be taught.

I can teach my students about the fundamentals of the craft -- how to read, and do so diversely, and how to read like a writer – considering stories for how they are written above what they are written about.

I can teach my students some of the most effective ways to tell and structure a story; how to create a sense of place; how to hold a reader’s interest; how to create multi-dimensional, compelling characters; how to follow the rules and then break them through experimentation.

I can teach students how to be good literary citizens by attending readings, supporting literary magazines, approaching their writing with sincerity.

As the co-editor of a national literary magazine, PANK, I can teach them how to send their work into the world like professionals and how to increase their likelihood of getting their work published.

As a published writer, I can teach students about the realities of the current publishing marketplace and how the industry is evolving in the face of technological advances and shifts in our reading habits.

I talk to my students about empathy so they might understand that one of the best ways to write other people well, to create fiction that will grab the reader’s imagination, is to truly consider what it is like to live someone else’s life and move through the world from different points of view.

I hope, in some small way, I show students how to love reading and writing and to see how important these things are, no matter what they will go on to do with their futures.

What I can’t teach is how to make lightning strike for a writer, how to write the book that will rise to the top of the bestseller lists. Often, this is what students hope they will be able to learn from a writing class.

They hope there is a formula, one that can be easily replicated, for writing the next "The

Pages from "Ayiti" by Roxane Gay. (Jay Grabiec) Hunger Games" or James Patterson thriller or wildly successful romance novel. They hope there is a formula for channeling the genius of Toni Morrison or Michael Chabon.

It is a sad day when I tell students this isn’t how education works, but all is not lost.

Instead, I offer my students the idea that if they read and write well, if they write stories that are deeply felt and intelligent, if they find a way to show people who live vastly different lives about the beauty of where they are from and how they see

the world, lightning will have a far easier time of finding them.

Roxane Gay has two books forthcoming – a novel, "An Un-

tamed State" (Grove Atlantic) and an essay collection, "Bad Feminist" (Harper Perennial) – both due out in 2014.

ROXANE GAY POSITION: Assistant professor, English JOINED EIU FACULTY: 2010 EDUCATION: M.A., University of NebraskaLincoln; Ph.D., Michigan Technological University