Characters Newsletter 2011-12 by Geoffrey Babbitt

c a t r e a r s h c

r o p m h a o t sis e m 2011-12 Issue: 38

CHANGE AND METAMORPHOSIS Table of Contents Se

2 3

Pres. DiBiasio, Semester Changes

Internships & Secondary Ed.

ONU works with Bluffton

Studying abroad

Dr. Pitts in Turkey

8-9

International students at ONU

9-10

Students study abroad

11 12-13

English history timeline Faculty, student conferences

14-15 16-17

Practicums Senior presentations

18-19

Spring speaker Why English? Meet the faculty Alumni focus

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20 21 22 23

NEWS FROM THE CHAIR A year of many transitions

By: Kate DeAngelis Newsletter Editor

the new semesters; faculty Photo/Simon Laurence at Dreamstime and administrative personnel Every year brings new have to adjust too. According challenges to the Ohio Northern to Robeson, the University English department, University adopted When asked if but this year takes the cake, a new system in the she liked the new the icing, and any extra sugary Registrar’s Office, semesters, Robeson pieces. The academic year of for the budget, and 2011-12 is the year the University replied: implemented a transitioned to semesters. It’s also program review for “Like them? I love the year Dr. Lisa Robeson became every department. them!” the English department’s chair. This review “It’s been a really challenging consisted of data of upper level courses. year,” Robeson said. “There’s lots on classes that the Robeson has a lot on her plate. of change happening in every English department uses to asses Besides adjusting to semesters, part of the University.” Students their strengths, weaknesses, and she is adjusting to the role of aren’t the only ones adapting to potential market Department Chair. She doesn’t for English majors. seem worried: “I’ve always loved “We had to be “I’ve always loved teaching, and teaching, and this is serving in a really honest with this is serving in a different way,” she ourselves,” Robeson different way,” she said. “Being said. “Being Department Chair is about said. “It was a good department chair is about helping the department do what it wants helping the department do what it process for us as a to do.” department, to see wants to do.” When asked if she liked the where we stood in new semesters, Robeson replied: the greater scheme “Like them? I love them!” She of things.” explained that when teaching on The English quarters, she sometimes felt like department also made a hamster caught on a wheel, several big decisions going too fast. Now, on semesters, regarding future Robeson feels that she can take classes. “We know her teaching to the next level. “I’ve that the Journalism been able to watch students really courses we offer and the develop their writing styles over Electronic Media and the semester,” she said. “Now, Broadcasting courses in instead of one edit on one big the Communications and paper, I have the time to work Theatre Arts Department with students on smaller papers have some similarities,” first and then multiple edits on a Robeson explained. bigger paper.” While the transition “We need to coordinate to semesters has been challenging these areas so students on multiple levels, it’s been worth will have an even wider it: “This year is defined by change, range of options.” The but we’ve started to see the English department is Photo/Submitted benefits already,” stated Robeson. also interested in more Dr. Lisa Robeson is excited to help the English department “I’m excited to see what next year through the semester transition as the new chair technical writing courses; brings.” they reduced the number

THE TRANSITION

Students adjust to semesters and “artifacts” By: Jay Garneau Newsletter Staff

Probably the biggest change with the shift to semesters, though, is the updated general education system. Now, general education courses are “tagged,” meaning they are marked to show they fulfill one of seven of the University general education learning outcomes. These include effective communication, critical and creative thinking, scientific and quantitative literacy, an understanding of diverse cultures and their effects on human interaction, integration of concepts

The 2011-12 school year has been one of many changes at Ohio Northern University. Not only does ONU have a new president, but it is in the first year of a switch from quarters to semesters, complete with a revamped general education system. The shift to semesters has also adjusted the academic calendar. No longer do students wait until September to return to campus; classes start in late August. Similarly, students are done with school in Weeks of class early May instead of late May, and Weeks of finals receive three weeks Number of classes per student for winter break Number of credits per class instead of two as in previous years.

across disciplines, informed and ethical responses to personal, civic, and global needs, and informed responses to aesthetics in art or nature. In those tagged courses, students must create an “artifact,” some sort of project that represents a meaningful element of the class. These artifacts go into a student’s general education portfolio, which is complete upon achievement of 20 total artifacts that meet the specified requirements of each learning outcome.

Quarters 30 (10 x 3 quarters) 3

Semesters 32 (16 x 2 semesters) 2

~4 4

~5-6 3

MEET PRESIDENT DIBIASIO

Photo/Submitted

After the retirement of President Kendall Baker, Ohio Northern University inaugurated Dr. Daniel DiBiasio as the 11th president of ONU. Following a 16-year tenure in the same position at Wilmington College, DiBiasio was attracted to ONU for its wide-range of comprehensive professional and liberal arts programs. Holding a bachelor’s degree in English from Ohio Wesleyan University, DiBiasio understands the value of an English degree and the skills that come with it. “I apply those skills every day; whether I’m reading a memo or making a decision, that honing of your critical and analytical thinking skills is very important,” he said. DiBiasio also likes the fact that

there are so many ways to get involved in ONU’s English department. “It’s an opportunity to have hands-on experience in a field that you don’t typically think about hands-on experience,” he added. “The opportunity to put something creative down or to use your reporting skills and writing skills— those are very beneficial, and the fact that the department provides them is right on point.” While he may not be doing the same amount of reading, writing and editing as he did during his undergraduate career, President DiBiasio is still happy with his decision to major in English. “It’s a decision I have never regretted— one of the best decisions of my life was to be an English major.”

STUDENTS MORPH INTO PROFESSIONALS

Challenging internships create new opportunities By: Joey Ferraro Newsletter Staff

tailor it to kind of what they want to do after they graduate.” But internship opportunities aren’t limited to journalism majors. Dr. Jonathon Pitts, Creative Writing professor, explained that opportunities for all of the English majors exist. “Our students have done a whole range of internships. One young woman did her internship at the Photo/Mats Tooming at Dreamstime.com

What to do after finishing an undergraduate education is one of the biggest questions any student asks himself. There are countless options, alternatives, and choices. Do I go after a graduate degree? Do I look for a job? Should I find preliminary internships? The faculty in Ohio Northern University’s English department recognizes that one of the key elements of post-undergraduate life is having a solid resume, and one way that resume “Some students combine gets bolstered is through internships. Dr. studying abroad with an Druann Bauer discussed where many internship.” journalism majors find their internships. “Newspapers are one location. We do tend to place quite a few in the Findlay British Museum Courier or in the Lima News. A lot of students will in London. One go home and do their internships over the summer in of my students their hometown.” did an internship Bauer explained that when the department looks at the Heritage for internships, for journalism majors or otherwise, Foundation in DC, they try to find the most challenging opportunities which is like a think tank. They go all over the place. available. “Other students have gone on to a campaign “We try and get them the most challenging post-production company that worked during the internships they can find,” Bauer explained, “and a 2004 election,” Pitts went on to say. “Some students lot of them do more than one.” combine studying abroad with an internship.” But the opportunities are not limited to one The English department as a whole is deeply medium. Bauer explained that students have found invested in finding its students the best opportunities. internships with online newspapers, working for the A solid internship can lead to greater job potential University, and other varied opportunities. down the line. What’s more, there seems to be a “Some have done some combination of PR and a wide array of opportunities. “There are more unpaid newspaper job. We’ve had some work for the Music internships then paid, but I can’t remember a student Department [at ONU] on their webpage. We try to having trouble finding one,” Pitts explained. In terms of job prospects, internships only bolster the post-graduation prospects. “In journalism, we have a 92% placement rate. To my recollection, we haven’t had a journalism major not find a job.” Regardless of major, however, internships are incredible opportunities. “If you can write well and speak well, the work is there,” said Pitts. And both Pitts and Bauer agreed that internships are an indispensable tool in gaining job experience. According to Bauer, “We don’t look at internships as an opportunity to make money, we look at it as an ONU English Department students have many opportunities opportunity for experience.” Photo/Submitted

ONU, BLUFFTON TEAM UP

Northern’s English department also offering more classes By: Joey Ferraro Newsletter Staff Recently, the Education department at Ohio Northern University began negotiations with Bluffton University to create a dual-course system, where ONU students can take classes at Bluffton, and vice versa. Dr. Lisa Robeson, chair of the English department, described the benefits of this dual program. “What the ONU students get from that is that they have a Special Education License. We don’t have the classes…They have the faculty and the courses. “What their student get from us, is that their adult, adolescent, and young adult students can get their license over here. We have an assessment plan that will pass the state standard. So their students come over and take their method courses. We can give the license for adolescent and young adult, and they can give us Intervention Specialist.” The Bluffton students will have their student teaching overseen by ONU instructors, and various content courses will be offered, so that their eventual degree will be from ONU. This was one of only a couple

changes that occurred in the raw curriculum of the school. What the English department did specifically was take closer look at the actual curriculum, much like the Education department. “There are two movements going on. One came through the semester conversion. One thing we did was look at the 200 level courses. “We had offered Great Works which was a general education requirement that English majors couldn’t take to fulfill their major requirement.” The department decided to alter the structure surrounding major courses and gen eds, in order to give students more control and more flexibility in their course offerings. “One thing we decided to do was to make our curriculum a little bit more flexible. So rather than just have Great Works, we have a lot of 200 level courses: Topics in Poetry, Topics in Drama, Topics in Fiction,” Robeson explains. These classes allow the professors and students to enter into previously untapped areas of those particular genres. Whereas before, due to the restricting nature of certain general education courses or even

major courses, certain topics and sub-genres couldn’t be evaluated, now professors have the freedom to teach their own particular interests. Robeson explains: “In Topics in Drama, you have to learn about the conventions of drama. But, outside of that, the professor has a lot flexibility to teach themes that might be of interest to them or the students.” Robeson cites specific examples of classes where more academic freedom has opened up new doors for professors and students. “Dr. Kanwit is offering the wild course in Latin American literature. And next year, a lot of students are interested in fantasy and sci-fi; I want to teach that.” The new course offerings, coupled with the expansion of the Education department, are opening new doors for students in the English department. Now, students can take a class in which they discuss previously untapped literary or dramatic conventions and styles. In addition, the expansion of the Education department into a joint program with Bluffton only points towards more cooperative programs for other departments at ONU.

Logo/onu.edu

Logo/bluffton.edu

Ohio Northern University and Bluffton University are creating a dualcourse system, allowing each University’s students to enroll in courses at the other school. The pairing would allow ONU students to receive a Special Education License from Bluffton, while students from Bluffton would have their student teaching overseen by ONU.

WE RECOMMEND IT

Abbie Sterling, Senior, Creative Writing in Seoul, South Korea After receiving the Hanyang Fellowship from ONU, I spent the summer of 2011 [blog] in Seoul, South Korea, studying international marketing and contemporary Korean society in the Hanyang International Summer School (HISS). In Korea, I participated in HISS field trips, such as the Boryeong Mud Festival, and explored the city of Seoul with new international friends from places like the Netherlands, Malaysia, China, and Canada. I also visited historically significant locations such as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Photo/Abbie Sterling

between North and South Korea, tried fascinating food, including beondegi (silkworm larvae!), and practiced Korean phrases I had picked up in shops, at the bars, and from my new friends. Throughout my trip, I kept a detailed blog that I have recently turned into Abbie Sterling celebrating in Seoul, South Korea a physical book. If I had a larger my global perspective, but it has savings account balance, I would also changed the way I approach have stayed in Korea for the entire new situations, difficult problems, year; there are so many places and my future. As I look back, I to visit and foods to try! I am cannot believe I nearly passed up tremendously grateful for this such an amazing and affordable opportunity to study abroad in international opportunity. I such a beautiful and impressive place. My trip has not only shaped recommend this trip to everyone!

Photo/Caitlin McCann

Caitlin McCann, Senior, Creative Writing Major in Cambridge, England

Caitlin McCann poses at Kings Cross in London

Last summer, I spent six weeks in Cambridge, England through a University of New Hampshire study abroad program. I stayed in the heart of Cambridge at Gonville and Caius College. While there, I took two classes, Travel Writing and 20th Century British Poetry, both of which I was able to apply to my degree here at Ohio Northern. The program included several extended excursions, including weekend trips to London and Edinburgh, Scotland. Being able to travel within the program gave me the wonderful opportunity to be both student and tourist. I was even able to attend several Shakespeare plays, and seeing both modern and traditional adaptations was a fun experience as an English major. Studying abroad Photo/Kate DeAngelis gave me the chance to grow as a writer and a scholar. I would recommend all students take a trip abroad!

Kate DeAngelis, Senior, Professional Writing in Glasgow, Scotland I traveled to Glasgow, Scotland in the fall of 2011. While at Glasgow Caledonian University, I studied media, psychology and leadership. Each class was taught by two lecturers and was divided into lecture hours and hands-on seminar hours. Each class had its challenges, particularly the media class because I did not recognize the majority of the UK media references. I traveled the highlands, enjoyed whisky tasting tours and lost myself in Glaswegian culture. I introduced a few friends to

Thanksgiving, and they introduced me to Hogmanay (New Year). I was also lucky enough to stay with English Department graduate, Kathleen Saylor, BA â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10. I also started a cross country running team; we competed well against several other universities. My favorite team activity was Kate DeAngelis poses in Edinburgh Castle organizing a long run on Monday nights. I mapped out places to there. Traveling alone to a foreign run and supplied runners with country helped me prove to myself reflective strips. that I can do anything if I put my I traveled to London and mind to it. Studying abroad is not Dublin. Dublin was especially an opportunity anyone should beautiful, and I would love to go miss out on! back some day or maybe even live

“YET ANOTHER LIFEALTERING EXPERIENCE”: Dr. Jonathan Pitts receives Fulbright Grant, teaches and learns in Turkey

By: Abbie Sterling Newsletter Staff “There’s a wider world here, and people have passions that I don’t know anything about,” Dr. Jonathan Pitts, Associate Professor of English at Ohio Northern University, said regarding his motivation to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship in the fall of 2009. Pitts applied to be a Fulbright American Studies Senior Lecturer in Turkey during the 2010-2011 academic year. Although this was Pitts’ first application for Fulbright, he recalled traveling with his father, a Shakespeare professor, who had received the scholarship to Amman, Jordan. “For me, it was Citizens walking through streets of Turkey. Photo/Dr. Jonathan Pitts

really kind of life altering, even though I was a little kid,” he noted. “I was hoping to subject my kids to that, too.” The selection process for the Fulbright is anything but hasty. Applications are always due on August 1, and selected scholars are notified sometime in February. “It’s quite a long wait,” Pitts noted. The application process involves several rounds with a variety of panels—domestic and international. Applicants are notified if their applications have been forwarded to the next round for consideration. In discussing his interest in other cultures, Pitts explained why he chose Turkey. “I was interested in not only Turkish history, but also Islam. We wanted to learn more about life in an Islamic country, and Turkey is a secular

Islamic country. Much of it is very westernized, but much of it is very traditional, too,” he acknowledged. In addition to general cultural differences between the U.S. and Turkey, Pitts noticed behavioral and systematic differences in the Turkish classrooms at Hacettepe University, where he taught both undergraduate and graduate courses. “In general, [the Turkish students] probably know more about American history than Americans do, but that’s not necessary a knock on American students,” he said. The difference is not in intelligence level, but instead, in education style. Pitts compared the Turkish education system to that of Japan, which emphasizes heavy memorization. “When [these students] get to university, they have an incredible, stupendous amount of knowledge from which to draw,” he noted. “On the other hand, they have very low creative resources.” As an American Studies Lecturer in Turkey, Pitts found that he had to alter his teaching style from the conversational, responseseeking approach he takes to English seminar classes at ONU: “It took some getting used to,” he said. “I remember in the first class I taught, I had students arrange themselves in a circle. I thought it’d be good to challenge them. It fell kind of flat; they didn’t respond the way I thought they would,” he recalled. “They’re like, ‘Just get up there and give us the lecture, and

we’ll take notes.’” For the threehour lectures, Pitts taught from a podium on a raised platform in front of the class. Outside of the classroom, Pitts coordinated various service projects and traveled the country. He reached out to the ONU chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the English honorary society, to organize the “Books for Turkey” book drive. In spring 2011, Ohio Northern students and faculty donated textbooks, anthologies, and other useful classroom texts to this service project. In Turkey, Pitts helped his students film and edit a video about their university, which is available on YouTube. While much of his time in Turkey was dedicated to lecturing, he also found time to travel and immerse himself in Turkish culture. “Turkey is invariably welcoming,” Pitts noted. “[The Turks] loved our kids.” His oldest son, Jack, studied at an international school in Ankara

while Mrs. Marjorie Pitts, director of the ESL Bridging Program at ONU, homeschooled their two youngest children, Hayden and Maddie. The country is full of both modernity and antiquity, offering lively cities in addition to wellpreserved ruins of Roman cities. “I think my favorite places are on the Aegean and Mediterranean— the excavation sites, the ruins. Especially the ruins that are isolated, where nobody goes. On one end of the harbor [in Phaelis], there was an acropolis, or a graveyard. The graveyard went on for acres and acres. It was like a little city of sarcophagi,” he said. “Over the eons, the sea had washed away the hillside and exposed the sarcophagi. In some cases, it had worn away the end walls of [them]. If you looked back from the water at the hillside, it looked something like a pigeonhole mailbox. I stopped at one of these sarcophagi, and human bones just spilled out,” he

Dr. Pitts standing in front of the ancient cave community of Cappadocia, in Central Anatolia Photo/Dr. Jonathan Pitts

acknowledged. After asking a Turkish archaeologist if the bones could be ancient remains, the archeologist replied, “Of course! But who cares about that?” Turkish culture seems to “digests” its history instead of preserving it inside high security glass cases. “It drives archeologists crazy,” Pitts noted. While he is glad to be back in the ONU community, Pitts is thankful for the opportunity to teach and learn in Turkey—so much so that he is organizing a potential study tour in Turkey for Ohio Northern students in the future. He visited various ruins, historic places, and cosmopolitan cities not only to fulfill his own interests, but also to coordinate a unique travel opportunity for ONU students. “I wanted to scout out some great places to go,” he said.

KONDO PURSUES DREAMS A 66-year old Japanese student works to achieve life ambitions

By: Abbie Sterling Newsletter Staff

in language,” he said. “My last hope is to make a story of my life. I want to know the skills of creBefore deciding to study creative writing at Ohio Northern Uni- ative writing to make something in versity, Jiro Kondo, a 66-year old in- language.” Jiro acknowledges that ternational student from Japan, had he had no time to work on a novel seen his busy career in the Japanese when he worked from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. and slept for four hours government’s Education, Culture, each night. At ONU, he has the Sports, and Technology Bureau time, space, and resources to work leaving no room for his hobbies, relaxation, or happiness. “I lived in toward this goal. While writing creatively in the office,” Jiro noted. “Sometimes, English has helped Jiro pursue I slept at my desk.” this interest, it has also provided With retirement approaching some unforeseen complications at age 62, Jiro reflected on when he had been happiest in life in the hope that have raised psychological and that he could achieve the same hap- humanistic questions in his mind. “What is language?” Jiro asked. He piness again. “The happiest time acknowledged that human beings for me was the university entrance mentally process life in language; examination time, so I thought, “without it, we cannot think,” he ‘I want to study.’” Of course, Jiro could have attended a university in said. After eight months in the U.S., Jiro was surprised to find that he Japan in order to study again, but still “thinks creatively” in his nastudying was only one portion of tive language. “Every week, I make his new plan for the rest of his life: a poem first in Japanese. I cannot “I want to travel all over the world think without [it]. Then, I translate until my death,” he revealed. The U.S. is Jiro’s first stop, as he intends it to English. So, my major in English is Creative Writing, but I am to practice English in preparation creative in Japanese. Translation is for the rest of his trip. “English is not creative.” the international language, so it is Jiro describes his English a little bit convenient for travel,” he translations as “something unacknowledged. known”: “In my imagination, [the When asked where else he intends to travel, Jiro listed a variety two poems] are very different things,” he said. “When I translate of places across the globe, includmy poem, the English translation, ing Patagonia, Prague, Warsaw, I cannot understand. It’s alien. My and Dublin. He wants to see “the English poems are invisible to me.” face of the sky” in Patagonia and Jiro continues to seek an answer to to drink as Franz Kafka drank in this complicated issue. “The power Prague; everywhere, however, he and meaning of language is overwants to “watch and feel the local peoples’ lifestyles and landscapes.” whelming,” he said. “Language makes human beings.” Jiro wishes to spend one to three Because Jiro’s plan is to study months in each location. in a broad sense, he is not particuNot only does English abillarly concerned with completing ity help Jiro achieve his traveling a degree at ONU. He had already dreams, but it also assists him in earned a law degree in Japan. completing another life goal: “I want to express my true experience Essentially, his time in Ada is a

Jiro Kondo first writes his poems in Japanese and then translates them to English. Photo /Abbie Sterling.

stepping-stone toward accomplishing his great life goals: to travel the world and render his true life experience in a novel. “Of course, I drink at Little Mexico [in Ada], but I want to in Prague,” he said jokingly. More specifically in his novel, Jiro intends to reflect: “I want to express clearly my behavior, my feeling in my life. In my imagination, my reader is not contemporary reader. My reader is one thousand years in the future,” Jiro explained. “If my reader is contemporary reader, in my imagination, I write only false. If not contemporary, I write only truth.” He acknowledged a tendency for writers to write “beautifully” for contemporary readers, which does not render the truth. “Truth is not clean,” Jiro said. “I want to ask [the future readers], ‘Please compare my behavior, my conduct, my thought, my feeling to [yours]. As a result, if your behavior, your conduct, your thought, your feeling, is better than mine, it’s okay.’ I am satisfied. If it’s same, the existence of human beings is nonsense.”

BRIDGING THE WORLD More opportunities for international students

By: Abbie Sterling Newsletter Staff Changes in the English department this year have affected not only domestic students, but also international students studying English, too. As the number of international students at Ohio Northern University continues to increase, the English Learning Program (ELP) has sought to match their diverse learning needs with expanded, tiered programs. This year, the ELP includes the Intensive English Program (IEP), the Bridging Program, College Composition, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), and the Prison Management Certification Program (PMCP). Before establishing the IEP this year, a unit directed by Mr. Jeffrey Smith, ONU had to refer international students with low Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores to other institutions, such as ELS in Cleveland, Ohio. “We never had a full-scale intensive English program for students not yet at the Bridging level,” Mrs. Marjorie Pitts, Director of Bridging and College Composition, acknowledged. “Primarily, our first students in the IEP are Saudi students in a cooperative program with a technical university in Saudi Arabia.” Students in the IEP have TOEFL scores lower than the required score for acceptance into the Bridging program. They enroll in 20 hours of English classes per week. “This is a natural third tier to add to the program,” she said. Above the IEP is the Bridging program, which involves up the ten credit hours of English Language courses, such as Listening & Speaking and Reading & Vocabulary. “We are hoping that eventually we can work toward those credits counting as a foreign language requirement,” Pitts noted. Bridging students also take College Composition in the English Department, which counts as academic credit toward graduation. With these courses, students take regular general education and major classes, too. For the first time in the program’s history, the Bridging program offered two levels within the program at the start of the spring semester. Students were divided based on their skill level. This benefits the students because each level is designed to assist their unique abilities. While the international presence has certainly expanded at ONU, Pitts said she would like to see it grow even more. “The interaction for our domestic students is very important, too,” she said. As our world continues to adopt a global culture, international interaction becomes an increasingly essential part of education.

(Photo left) International students Bochen Zhang and Salah Yaeish enjoy potluck food at the Chinese New Year Celebration. Photo courtesy of ONU Internationals. (Photo top) Mrs. Pitts enjoys teaching, learning, and laughing with Jiro Kondo. Photo /Abbie Sterling.

Shakespeare Feast

HISTORIC MEMORIES AND

Greek Floats June 1956

Evdokia Gayer, Alexander Vaschenko and Claude Smith 2004

English Department 2012

ENGLISH METAMORPHOSIS Speakers: Naomi Nye 2005, Dick Hague 2007, Tom Hunley 2008, and Chris Abani 2011 (R-L)

May Day

STD 1994-2012

STUDENTS TRAVEL TO CONFERENCES AROUND COUNTRY

Trips to New Orleans, Orlando, Chicago, and more help students network, learn By: Kate DeAngelis Newsletter Staff

Locals only: Winter Wheat

Abbie Sterling, Caitlin McCann and Kayla Kennedy attended Winter Wheat at Bowling Green State University in November 2011. Winter Wheat is a small, Midwestern conference for creative writers. The Ohio Northern University students set up a book table to display Polaris. While at the table, the students were able to view other students’ undergraduate magazines, and compare notes. McCann said, “We met briefly with Prarie Margins, Bowling Green’s Literature Magazine, and discussed what it’s like to be an undergraduate magazine with them.” Each student attended two different panels at the conference. The presenters were a mixed bag of undergraduate and graduate students, and professors. “It’s

really a mini version of AWP; I thought the panels were great,” said McCann. Winter Wheat is comprised of craft-oriented sessions, featured readers and a book fair.

NCTE:

The National Center for Teachers of English was held in downtown Chicago. 2011 was a big year for NCTE because it was a centennial convention. The NCTE convention theme was “Reading the Past and Writing the Future.” It was the perfect theme for celebrating 100 years of education. An estimated 20,000 teachers and language arts education students attended to test free book samples and listen to speakers. Dr. John Paul Kanwit brought ONU students Renee Sammet, Jessica Amstutz, Nikki Kauffman, Megan Beckemeier, Virginia Lipp, Liz Pierce, and Erica Trimbach. Sammet described the trip: “Though I have

many fond memories of the trip, my favorite part was hearing author Sharon Draper talk about her newest novel. I immediately procured a copy for myself and was not disappointed.” Sammet added, “I am very appreciative of ONU’s English department for making this trip possible for myself and all the others who attended.”

AWP:

The Associated Writing and Writers Programs’ Annual Conference in Chicago makes Winter Wheat look like a first draft. This year, eleven students attended AWP: Abbie Sterling, Alexandria Hartsel, Caitlin McCann, Chelsey Moore, Christopher Matejka, James Scofield, Jennifer Hartsel, Kayla Kennedy, Michelle Fronk, Patricia Bosak and Patrick Fisher. This conference pools from universities around the country and combines sleek

Left: Renne Sammet, Erica Trimbach, and Liz Pierce participate in the STD National Conference in New Orleans while wearing Shakespeare costumes.

Photos/Renee Sammet and Chelsey Moore

Above: Patrick Fisher and Chelsey Moore work the Polaris booth at the AWP Book Fair in Chicago.

STD National Convention:

Dr. Robert Scott, Sigma Tau Delta’s advisor, took students Justin Stewart and Renee Sammet to New Orleans for the honorary’s National Convention. The convention took place in a Marriott in the middle of the French Quarter. Stewart presented original poetry titled: “A Bullet in Love: A Poetry Collection” under the session: “Original Poetry: War and Craft.” Stewart views his presentation as a success: “The audience greatly enjoyed my work and asked many compelling questions,” he said. “On top of that, the city of New Orleans is absolutely beautiful. Everyone seems friendly, and the architecture and mood of the place could make anyone feel at home.” Sammet presented “The Estates” in the “Reflective Nonfiction” session. She said she definitely felt at home in New Orleans. “Walking into convention was like going to an annual family reunion; there were some strange characters, but catching up on

Photo/Kaitlin Durbin

professional networking with a fun educational atmosphere. The conference typically features over 450 readings, lectures, panel discussions, and forums, in addition to hundreds of book signings, receptions, dances, and informal gatherings. McCann couldn’t be happier with her experience at AWP. “It was encouraging to be able to attend a conference with so many writers. As co-editor of Polaris, I spent a significant portion of my time working the Polaris table at the book fair. It was exciting to see how much attention our magazine is getting, and the book fair was a wonderful networking opportunity for us. Overall, the AWP trip was an amazing experience that I would recommend to any writer.”

Clockwise from back left: The Northern Review editors Shana Tachikawa, Kayla Kennedy, Diego Sandino, Michelle Fronk, Kaitlin Durbin, Brady Selhorst, and Jay Garneau enjoy a little relaxation time at the National College Media Convention in Orlando in the fall.

current events in the academic and language arts world was well worth it.” She added, “The convention was probably the coolest thing I have done yet this year and I would like to thank the Ohio Northern University English department for its contribution to the trip.” Both Sammet and Stewart would love to return to New Orleans, and Dr. Scott agreed: “As for New Orleans itself, the food was excellent and the atmosphere was vibrant.” Scott emphasizes the importance of professional conventions: “Overall, going to the STD conference was an exciting experience and it reinforced my belief that, thanks to the senior essay sequence, our majors are confident when presenting their work in a professional setting.”

STD at ONU:

The English Honorary students have been busy this school year. Along with the National Convention, students have participated as judges in two separate Power of the Pen competitions. Abbie Sterling, Micah Hein and Caitlin McCann participated in the Tiffin Power of the Pen on January 21. Erica Trimbach and Renee Sammet participated at Ottawa

Hills on January 14. STD continues to raise funds and collect books for Better World Books, specifically to benefit the Invisible Children Campaign. In April, STD will host a “Character Dessert” where students and faculty can dress up as their favorite characters and enjoy a tasty treat and a raffle. All proceeds will benefit the Ada Library.

NCMC:

In late October, The Northern Review editors headed to Orlando for the annual National College Media Convention, sponsored by the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers. Dr. Druann Bauer brought editors Kaitlin Durbin, Shana Tachikawa, Diego Sandino, Brady Selhorst, Jay Garneau, John Curiel, Michelle Fronk, and Kayla Kennedy to the gathering of more than 2,300 college students and industry professionals. The convention features nearly 400 practical and professional workshops, with students and professors attending keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, discussion groups, and more. Both students and advisors alike are able to learn new skills and ideas related to their field of interest, with the intent of putting those skills into action with The Northern Review.

PRACTICUMS GIVE REAL WORLD EXPERIENCES Students become involved first-hand in several ONU publications

By: Jay Garneau Newsletter Staff While an undergraduate degree is undoubtedly beneficial, receiving real-world experience in college is often what prepares a student for success and sets his or her resume apart. The option to receive academic credit while gaining that essential experience is an added motivator for students, especially in the Ohio Northern University English department. This opportunity is provided to ONU students through practicums, defined as a course in a specialized field of study that is designed to give students supervised practical application of previously studied theory. Ohio Northern’s English department offers four of these courses: newspaper, magazine publishing, journal publishing and web publishing. An average of around 2530 students total enroll in these practicums each semester, earning one to three credits per semester. Students can earn up to six credits per practicum over their undergraduate careers. Each student is graded either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, instead of the typical A to F scale.

Writers receive credit by writing at least five stories that are published over the ten issues of the semester, allowing students to build a professional portfolio during their time at school. Similarly, editors are able to earn credit by performing their duties managing content, copy editing and designing their respective pages’ layouts. Involvement in the newspaper practicum allows students the

opportunity to get the feel of a newsroom, while gaining experience with a weekly publication.

Magazine Publishing

Ohio Northern’s literary magazine, Polaris, is also published through a practicum. Advised by Dr. Geoffrey Babbitt, Polaris publishes student-created fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays and

Newspaper

The newspaper practicum, advised alternately by Dr. Druann Bauer and Dr. William O’Connell, allows students to become involved with The Northern Review, ONU’s student paper.

The current design and layout of the front cover of The Northern Review. Editors gain practicum credit through the design and layout of their pages, while writers earn credit by writing several articles per semester. Photo/Jay Garneau

visual art. Students involved in the practicum are responsible for editing, designing and organizing the magazine, including deciding which student submissions will make the cut and be included in Polaris, which has been published annually since its first issue in 1958. Additionally, the magazine hosts contests in art, as well as in fiction, nonfiction and poetry writing.

Screenwriting Workshop

Held for two hours once a week, the screenwriting workshop allows students to develop skills in critiquing and even writing screenplays. Workshop members watch films and analyze them by comparing them to the original screenplay. Taught by Dr. Margaret Cullen, writing techniques, dramatic structure, dialog, and marketing are all discussed in the workshop. Students have also been Journal Publishing able to travel to California Shakespeare and the The cover of the 2011 issue of Polaris, ONU’s literary magazine. to attend the Los Angeles Classroom is an international journal directed to theater Photo/polarismag.org Screenwriting Expo in the past. professionals, instructors who skills. teach Shakespeare at all academic Students in this practicum levels, and any other Shakespeare Creative Writing Workshop can become involved in a variety enthusiasts. Another available workshop of topics, ranging from essays Previously co-sponsored by offered by Ohio Northern is in to photography, and poems to Shakespeare’s Globe Center (USA), creative writing. This weekly short films. Contributions are the journal includes news of encouraged from many disciplines, workshop offers an introduction Shakespeare’s International Globe to multiple creative writing genres including English, technology, art, Theatre, reviews on books, films and techniques. theater, music and history. and theatres, ideas for teachers and The workshop creates an much more. emphasis on gaining experience Newsletter Sponsored by Dr. Eva in writing, particularly through In addition to practicum McManus, Shakespeare and the prompts and other activities. Led opportunities, the English Classroom originated in 1993, with by Dr. Geoffrey Babbitt, students department also provides several ONU assuming sole sponsorship are encouraged to be open-minded other channels for students to in 2002. Enrolled students are and willing to experiment. immerse themselves in. responsible for editing, designing, Previously listed as a practicum and occasionally writing articles for Professional Writing Workshop under the quarter system, the the journal. In previous years, the English English department newsletter is department has held a workshop now produced through a threetaught by a professional writer Web Publishing credit class with Ohio Northern’s or editor brought in by the With a rapidly expanding shift to semesters. department. The guest instructor technology industry, online media Students in this class utilize teaches an intensive one-week has been growing at the same rate. writing skills and photography course, giving students real-world Ohio Northern’s emedia allows along with Adobe InDesign and experience. students to gain that experience in Photoshop to create this very Experience working with a an online media world. publication. This allows enrollees professional publisher has led to Advised by Dr. Jonathan Pitts, to learn about all aspects of publishing contracts in the past. emedia not only allows students publications, from budgeting The availability of this workshop is to gain writing experience and be to designing and everything in based on student interest; students published, but also provides them between. who are interested should contact the opportunity to gain website Dr. Jonathan Pitts. development and management

SENIOR PRESENTATIONS 2011-12 Justin Stewart

“Turning Dread Into Gold: Writing a Fantasy/Horror Novel”

Justin presents his novel in progress Let Sleeping Gods Lie, a story of alchemy and anarchy, in a pair of parallel worlds. He discusses the difficulties of novel writing (and his methods of overcoming them) and the genre of “Comic Horror.”

Renee Sammet

“Teaching Genocide for the Sake of Tomorrow”

Renee presents her academic capstone, an essay about the reasons for teaching the topic of genocide to high school-aged students.

Carolyn Lishawa

“A Line a Day: The New Perspective of a World War I Soldier”

Carolyn examines, edits, and catalogues a World War I diary in order to bring to light information and tales of the war from the normally unheard voice of a noncombative railway solider.

Erica Trimbach

“‘I feel like the word shatter’”

Erica delves into the notion of human roles by looking at the novel A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. The theme she focuses on is dismemberment; first, she observes it in the book, and then she translates what that means for readers.

Nicholas Vondereau Abbie Sterling

“She Wondered Who Else She Could Be: Lived Experience and the Fragmented Being in The Beauty She Made”

In Abbie’s first extended work of fiction, a modern mosaic novel manuscript, she explores the tension between identity, label, and expectation through the fictional lives of people in the small community of Raleigh Hills, Michigan.

Caitlin McCann

“Revenge, Love, and What It Means to Kill in Screenplay Form”

Caitlin discusses an overview of her original screenplay with an explanation of the critical influences that have shaped the project to better create a dynamic story.

Patricia Bosak “Not By Blood”

Patricia Bosak’s project is a novella length prose piece that explores tha main character’s thoughts and beliefs about his identity and worth and how the people in his life challenge those beliefs.

“Lucid”

Nick’s project is an ongoing journalistic work about Alzheimer’s patients and the effects of the disease on their families. He explores, with the audience, the piece’s potential and current publication.

Robert Cotrell

“I’ll Match Your Realist Fiction and Raise You a Fantasy”

Bobby explores a few reasons why the Fantasy genre can be considered more than just escapist literature, how it relates to other genres and the real world, as well as how he used those ideas to help begin his own Fantasy.

Nikki Kauffman

“Incorporating Gender Roles in the Classroom: Using Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird”

Nikki speaks about the integration of gender instruction in the classroom through the perspective of the character Scout Finch. This presentation is a mix of gender theory and its dynamics in the classic novel To Kill a Mocking Bird.

Kate DeAngelis

“What’s in a Book?”

Inspired by Anne Carson’s Nox, DeAngelis explores questions regarding the evolution of the book format and how we view the role of the book in today’s society with respect to the internet.

Micah Hein

“Taking the Ham out of Teaching Hamlet”

Micah examines more interactive methods to teaching Shakespeare’s works. In particular, he studies the play Hamlet and creates a unit that incorporates a variety of elements that adhere to Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Through the collaboration of research on teaching Shakespeare in the classroom, Micah describes the various instructional methods intended for this unit and the projected benefits for students.

Virginia Lipp

“A Dream within a Dream, a Play within a Play”

Virginia analyzes Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream through the perspective of Jungian dream theory with particular focus on the structure of the play. Then, she applies this analysis to the classroom and how this research will affect future literature instruction at the high school level.

Michelle Fronk

“‘All traces lost except in the vivid eyes of one’s memory’: How Fundamental Divisions and Fusions Shape Identity in Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory”

The project shows how the fissure and fusion of fundamental elements within the language, religion, and society of Haitian people, women in particular, work to shape the identity of individuals and the people as a collective whole. Michelle calls upon specific examples from Danticat’s novel to demonstrate how the main character, Sophie, attempts to establish a unique identity by bringing together disparate parts of herself in the same manner as her brave and determined ancestors.

Gordon Selhorst

“Mental Illness in Professional Athletics”

In this series of articles, Gordon examines the effects of the life of a professional athlete on a person’s mental health. Each individual sport has its own issues in dealing with mental illness and his articles highlight the key problems.

Shana Tachikawa

“You Are What You Eat: An Analysis of Eating Disorders in College Students and Influences on Their Behavior”

Collegiate women endure constant pressures of academics and adjusting to adulthood. While their lives seem to spin out of control, three women maintained order by obsessing over the one aspect that they had control over: their weight. Could these women’s years of eating disorder turmoil have been avoided by better parenting? Whatever the family structure, these young women felt trapped in their warped body image as their parents failed to provide the emotional relief and attention necessary to break the disorder behaviors.

Megan Beckemeier

“Taking Students by Storm: Prospering with The Tempest in the Classroom”

Megan’s project is about the lack of enthusiasm in the classroom when it comes to teaching and learning Shakespeare. There is consistently a lack of understanding and almost a fear, but her project addresses these issues using The Tempest as a basis to explore how supplementing it with other texts and activities can increase learning and enthusiasm.

Kaitlin Durbin

“How to Start a High School Journalism Class”

In one last-ditch effort to revive print journalism, Kaitlin organized and initiated the first journalism course, with attached student newspaper, at Ada Exempted Village High School. Kaitlin compiled everything she used in the start-up process into this ‘How To’ guide to distribute to surrounding schools so that they may start journalism programs of their own.

Spring Celebration of the Arts Poet Rebecca Lindenberg will share “deeply personal, touching work” This spring, ONU’s English department will welcome poet Rebecca Lindenberg to be the annual guest poet for the Spring Celebration of the Arts. Lindenberg is a recent Ph.D. recipient from the University of Utah, and her poetry has appeared in Colorado Review, Poetry, The Believer, and many other publications. She is a 2009-2010 recipient of a Princeton Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship and the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize. Her book of poetry, Love: An Index, was released in February and was published by McSweeny’s Publishing. Dr. Geoffrey Babbitt, Visiting Assistant Professor of English, was instrumental in getting Ms. Lindenberg to ONU. Babbitt took some of his students to Chicago for The Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ National Convention (AWP), where McSweeny’s held a poetry series launch for their publishing branch. “They primarily publish fiction, but they’re just now starting to venture out into publishing books of poetry. And they’re using her book to launch their poetry series.” “I think they wanted to pick a truly important collection to inaugurate their poetry line,” Babbitt said. “The book is going to make a lot of noise, get a lot of attention.” Love: An Index deals with the loss of

Photo/ Dr. Geoffrey Babbitt

By: Joey Ferraro Newsletter Staff

“[Love: An Index] is going to make a lot of noise.” --Dr. Babbitt

Transgendered Poet Ely Shipley Visits and Reads at ONU

Ely Shipley, the author of Boy with Flowers, visited the Advanced Poetry class on April 2 and read his poems that evening in the Elzay Gallery for Open Doors, the English Department, and the Cultural and Special Events Committee. Boy with Flowers, the first collection of poetry published by a transgendered poet, won both the Barrow Street Book Prize and The Thom Gunn Award. He holds a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Utah and currently teaches literature and writing at Baruch College-CUNY.

Lindenberg’s life partner, Craig Arnold, who died in 2009 in Japan while researching volcanoes for a book of poetry. “He was a very well-established poet,” Babbitt explained. “He was starting research on a third or fourth collection that was about volcanoes. He was on an island in Japan exploring when he tragically fell to his death.” Love: An Index, the book Lindenberg will be reading from during her visit in the spring, is a work that sprung from despair and sadness and is a deeply personal, touching work. “In part, it explores the inside language that is common to couples, the phrases and allusions that take on secret significances. But it’s also a book that is very much ground in the love lyric and the elegy.” When Lindenberg visits, she will not only do a reading and give a talk, but she will also visit some of the classes in the English department, including the Advanced Poetry course. The class will have read Love: An Index as part of the curriculum, and students will be able to have a Q&A session with Lindenberg. In addition, as part of the Spring Celebration of the Arts, students will read their own pieces before Lindenberg reads. The celebration is taking place Thursday, April 19 in the Elzay Gallery.

Why Pursue an English BA? Renee Sammet

Senior, Language Arts Education “I decided to pursue a degree in English education because of the benefits that a mastery of the English language provides. I am constantly telling my students than an understanding of how to use English properly can grant them power: the power to communicate, the power to share ideas and dreams, the power to be heard. I believe that the better one is at communicating with others about what one wants or needs, the more results will be had. For me it isn’t enough to know what to say or write, I had to know that what I said was integrated into society, history, and the lives of others around me; getting my degree from ONU’s English department has done as much and more for me.”

Photo/ G. Brady Selhorst

Renee Sammet presenting at STD Conference in New Orleans Photo/ Renee Sammet

G. Brady Selhorst Senior, Journalism “Why I chose to be an English major? Good question.... Journalism caught my attention as a high school senior because I knew I could combine my love for sports with my passion for telling an emotional story. Also, I was a bit unsure about my ideal future occupation at the time of my college and major decision, so I figured pursuing an English degree like Journalism would leave me with enough flexibility to seek many areas of work upon graduation. Every business needs employees who are competant in writing. A science, engineering, or business degree would have been much too uptight for my personality. I live my life based on emotions, not rules. The English Department was the perfect place for me.”

MEET YOUR PROFESSORS

What book is on your “must read someday” list? Dr. Douglas Dowland’s “someday” book is Carrie by Stephen King Dr. Geoffrey Babbit’s “someday” book is Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin Dr. Eva McManus’s “someday” book is Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

Dr. Lisa Robeson’s “someday” book is The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

Dr. William O’Connell’s “someday” book is The Compleat Angler by Izaac Walton

Dr. Robert Scott’s “someday” book is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Dr. Jonathan Pitts’s “someday” book is The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel

Dr. Druann Bauer’s “someday” book is Sophie’s Choice by William Styron

Meet The New Guy!

Dr. Scott Rogers attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he obtained his undergraduate degree in Literature. “I really liked the idea of being paid to read books,” Rogers admits. “Academia is the place to do that.” He next completed his masters at the University of New Mexico where he studied Native American literature and fell in love with Dr. Scott Roger’s rhetorical theory. Rogers earned his doctorate “someday” book is at the University of Louisville in Rhetoric and Finnegan’s Wake Composition. For his dissertation, he looked at by James Joyce how post-traumatic stress is reflected in writing programs after a disaster. When asked why he chose to start his career at Ohio Northern University, Rogers said, “I was drawn to the small size of ONU, and the wide range of opportunities for students and faculty.” Rogers is working with Dr. Robert Scott to create a new university-wide writing program for students. “My goal is to get everyone on campus to have a vision of what writing is,” he explained. Dr. Rogers is a big soccer fan and enjoys contemporary music almost as much as he loves his cat, Jasper.

Dr. Margot Cullen’s “someday” book is Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dr. John Paul Kanwit’s “someday” book is Daniel Deronda by George Elliot

ENGLISH ALUMNI EXCEL IN RESPECTIVE FIELDS

Lauren Roberts, BA ‘11, with a major in Journalism, was able to do what most journalism majors hope for – receive an editor position at a newspaper right after college. Serving as the Weekend Editor at The Findlay Courier, Roberts is responsible for an eight-page weekend issue focusing on arts and entertainment events, mostly in the Findlay area. Roberts was able to gain hands-on experience as an Editor-In-Chief for The Northern Review during her senior year. “It was beneficial because it taught me how to work with a variety of personalities and how to make all of those personalities work together as one cohesive group,” she explained. Despite the shrinking journalism market, she also emphasizes the importance of following your passions. “I would encourage students who enjoy journalism or English, to pursue a career in it,” she added. “You may not be a millionaire, but it’s really rewarding to love what you’re doing.” Following his passion for sports, Zach Stipe, BA ‘08, with a major in Journalism, has spent his early career working in collegiate sports information departments. After serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee and receiving his masters in sport management, Stipe has gone on to be the assistant director of athletics media relations at Florida State, where he is the primary media contact for the women’s basketball and sand volleyball teams. Stipe combined his interests in writing and sports over his four

Kathleen Saylor, BA ‘10, with a major in Literature, Kathleen Saylor was certainly involved in all facets of the English department at Ohio Northern. In addition to being a member of Sigma Tau Delta, Saylor spent time working with Polaris, Characters, The Northern Review, and Shakespeare and the Classroom. While at ONU, Saylor was able to combine her interests of English and traveling, as she visited Los Angeles with members of the screenwriting practicum and Stratford, Ontario with the Shakespeare class, in addition to studying abroad in Wales. Both of these continue to be driving forces in Saylor’s life. “I’ve gone on to study at one of the best universities in Europe - the University of Glasgow and the research and writing skills I gained from ONU are what got me there,” she said. “I may have switched my attentions over to history, but the communication skills I have now are key to where I am now and where I’m going.”

All photos/submitted

By: Jay Garneau Newsletter Staff

years at Ohio Northern, too, serving as Sports Editor of The Northern Review during his sophomore year before serving as Editor-In-Chief his last two years. He also worked with ONU athletics as a student assistant in the sports information department all four years. “Ohio Northern provided me the opportunity to get involved,” Stipe said. “There really aren’t that many jobs in sports, so experience is essential for students to be successful, and going to ONU allowed me to gain the varying skills and experience I needed.”

Alumni, what are you up to now? We’d love to hear where you’re working and what you’re doing! Let us know on the English department website.

KANWIT’S BIG YEAR

Dr. John Paul Kanwit, Associate Professor of English, was recently granted tenure by Ohio Northern University. In addition to earning tenure, he is set to release his new work, Authority and Access: Victorian Art Commentary and the Popularization of Art. Published by the Ohio State University Press, the book is an analysis of Victorian visual culture. It examines the development of specialized art commentary in a period when art education became a national concern in Britain. The explosion of Victorian visual culture–evident

in the rapid expansion of galleries and museums, the technological innovations of which photography is only the most famous, the public debates over household design, and the high profile granted to such developments as the Aesthetic Movement–provided art critics unprecedented social power. By including influential but now less well-known women critics as well as more famous ones such as John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde, Authority and Access allows a more penetrating and accurate understanding of this pervasive aspect of Victorian society.

On May 4, Ohio Northern University will host the 2012 College English Association of Ohio Conference, entitled “Changing Landscapes: New Directions in Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric.” The conference focuses on the developing trends in education and in the application of an English degree. The topics of the conference range from discussions on “changing pedagogical practices in literature, composition, creative writing, and linguistic courses” to “new professional development opportunities.” ONU is a change of venue for the conference. Dr. John Paul Kanwit, Associate Professor of English at ONU, as VicePresident of CEAO and one of the key organizers of this year’s conference, describes the change: “We decided we wanted to have it here [at ONU] because it’s kind of a different location than what we’ve had before. Usually it’s in a pretty big city, like Toledo or Columbus, so we wanted to do it here. We thought it would be

neat to have it here because the conference’s theme is ‘Changing Landscapes’, and we thought we would get people to a new environment.” The conference involves a series of presentations, panels, and papers from professors and graduate students all across the Midwest. “We’re going to get people from all over Ohio, Indiana, and even Kentucky,” Dr. Kanwit explains. “We have a whole day set aside, and for this conference we’ll have two sessions in the morning with concurrent panels, and one session happening in the afternoon. We have about 32 presenters, and a lot more people attending. We definitely put together a good program.” By bringing the conference to ONU, Dr. Kanwit believes that not only the students will benefit, but the university as a whole. “It’s great for ONU, and great for the students. The administration has been very supportive, especially Dean Catherine Albrecht. I think once all the attendees come, they’ll see how great the facilities here

ONU HOSTS ENGLISH CONFERENCE

are, and get ONU’s name out.” The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Susan Oldrieve, Professor of English at BaldwinWallace College. Other speakers hail from Marshall University, Miami University, the University of Dayton, and many others. Representing ONU, in addition to Dr. Kanwit’s talk on government pressures to make universities mandate a three-year program, Dr. Robert Scott, Dr. Eva McManus, Dr. Margot Cullen, and Dr. Scott Rogers will be presenting, with assistance from English students Chelsey Moore and Patricia Bosak. Others presenting include former ONU faculty members Steven Criniti and Robert McManus. With the combination of a large amount of organization, an active participatory body, and a strong line-up of presentations, speakers, and panels, the 2012 College English Association of Ohio Conference is an extraordinary opportunity for students and faculty at ONU. “We are very excited; we see this year being a great success,” Kanwit states.

HOW HAVE YOU CHANGED? Alumni: Please let us know what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been doing Name _______________________________________________________________________ Home address ____________________________ E-mail _____________________________ ____________________________ Telephone __________________________ Major(s) _________________________________ ONU Class of _______________________ Professional and personal updates since graduation ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Please feel free to attach photos.

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Photo/Eva McManus

The tiny but mighty 2011-2012 Newsletter staff members from left: Professional Writing senior Kate DeAngeles, Sport Management senior Jay Garneau, Creative Writing and Philosophy freshman Joey Ferraro, and Creative Writing senior Abbie Sterling.