Sheryl Bourgeois Executive Vice President for University Advancement
Mary A. Platt Director of Communications
Dennis Arp Editor arp@chapman.edu
Noelle Marketing Group Art Direction
Editorial Office: One University Drive Orange, CA 92866-9911 Main: 714-997-6607 Delivery issues/change of address: 714-744-2135 Chapman Magazine (USPS #007643) is published quarterly by Chapman University. © 2012 Chapman University. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Orange, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Chapman Magazine One University Drive Orange, Calif. 92866-9911 The university is grateful to Noelle Marketing Group for its extended support on this issue of Chapman Magazine. The mission of Chapman University is to provide personalized education of distinction that leads to inquiring, ethical and productive lives as global citizens. www.chapman.edu
Chapman Magazine is printed on recycledcontent paper.
Darkness falls fast and hard at the wonderfully quirky Midcentury Modern home that sits atop a cinder cone volcano deep in the Mojave Desert. A gift of Huell Howser to Chapman University, the Volcano House is being readied for visits by Chapman students of environmental science, astronomy and other disciplines, but here at Chapman Magazine we just couldn’t wait for the renovation to be complete. So we invited some student photographers to spend a night capturing images of the house under skies that can turn stars into streaks if the shutter is left open long enough. Photos by Scott Stedman ’14 appear here and on the cover, where the light-painting techniques of Severiano Garza ’12 are also on display, evoking prehistoric days when the still-active volcano might have thrown off its own sparks of inspiration. More student images light up pages 34-37 as well as the online version of Chapman Magazine – www.chapman.edu/magazine. That’s where you can also see a time-lapse video by Garza that in 11 seconds takes the house from light to darkness and then to light again. As Huell might say, “Isn’t that amazing?”
IN THIS ISSUE 16 Travel Course Provides a Look at the Dynamic Caucasus Region
ALUMNI NEWS
18 Conference Puts Chapman at the Center of the Physics Universe
42 Class Notes
CHAPMAN NOW
FEATURES
48 Friends We Will Miss
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Musco Center for the Arts is a ‘Dream Come True’
20 American Celebration is a King-and-I-sized Success
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A New Partnership Lands Campus Arts Events on KCET
24 Two Graduate Law Students Target Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
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Irvine Buildings Are Acquired for Health Sciences Program
28 Going Viral: Alumni Offer Tips on Becoming a Web Celeb
Student Researchers Find Their Own Kind of Summer Fun
30 Court of the Killing Fields: Students Monitor the Cambodian Tribunal
12 Acclaimed Author Richard Bausch Launches a Writing Workshop at Chapman
34 Star Attraction: The Volcano House is Quite a Sight, Especially at Night
UP FRONT 2
President’s Message
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First Person: A Marine Reorients His Life at Chapman
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40 Kurt Soderling’s Aerial Cinematography is a Cut Above 48 Panthers on the Prowl
DEPARTMENTS 10 Chatter 11 Seen and Heard: Big Orange Book Festival 14 Ask the Experts: Mass Shootings 19 Sports: Conference Competition Spices Up the Fall 38 Philanthropy News: A True Legacy for California’s Gold 39 In Memoriam: Allen Koenig, Gloria Peterson ’41
CHAPMAN
p r e s i d e n t ’s m e s s a g e
Standing Up for Simple Liberties
“As Afghan advocates for peace and human rights, they provide a new window to a culture that many of us only know through the lens of war and the atrocities of extremists.”
Can you imagine not being permitted to vote, hold a job, go to school or even leave your house without a chaperone? It’s hard for many of us who live in the United States and other parts of the world to relate, but this was the reality for most women living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the 1990s. And while the situation has improved significantly in the past decade, women’s rights in that country continue to be hard-won and difficult to sustain. It was deeply inspiring to meet Munira Akhundzada and Shamsi Maqsoudi, two 24-year-old Afghan attorneys featured in this issue of Chapman Magazine (page 24). They are graduate students in the Chapman University School of Law, preparing to make a difference in the male-dominated justice system of Afghanistan. Many students come to Chapman in search of creative opportunities for making a difference in the world around them. When Munira and Shamsi return home, they will risk their lives to take on issues related to changing a culture with a complex history of limiting women’s rights and hostility toward those who seek reforms. We are very fortunate to have Munira and Shamsi as members of our academic community. While the stories of these two young leaders may seem extreme, it’s a simple fact that none of us can take for granted the freedoms we enjoy. As Afghan advocates for peace and human rights, they provide a new window to a culture that many of us only know through the lens of war and the atrocities of extremists. As agents for change, they inspire us to persevere in surmounting the risks and obstacles to achieve our visions and goals. As inquiring, ethical and productive global citizens, they remind us that simple liberties — like the freedom to pursue an education and a career or the free exchange and debate of ideas — are ours only if we stand up for them, and only if we invest ourselves in advocating them for all members of our community. Regards,
James L. Doti
Board of Trustees OFFICERS Donald E. Sodaro Chairman Doy B. Henley Executive Vice Chairman David A. Janes, Sr. Vice Chairman David E.I. Pyott Vice Chairman Scott Chapman Secretary Zelma M. Allred Assistant Secretary TRUSTEES Wylie A. Aitken The Honorable George L. Argyros ’59 Donna Ford Attallah ’61 Raj S. Bhathal James P. Burra Phillip H. Case Irving M. Chase Arlene R. Craig Jerome W. Cwiertnia Kristina Dodge James W. Emmi
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H. Ross Escalette Paul Folino Dale E. Fowler ’58 Barry Goldfarb David C. Henley Roger C. Hobbs William K. Hood Mark Chapin Johnson ’05 Jennifer L. Keller Parker S. Kennedy Joe E. Kiani Joann Leatherby Charles D. Martin James V. Mazzo Sebastian Paul Musco Frank O’Bryan Harry S. Rinker James B. Roszak The Honorable Loretta L. Sanchez ’82 Mohindar S. Sandhu James Ronald Sechrist Ronald M. Simon Ronald E. Soderling Glenn B. Stearns R. David Threshie Emily Crean Vogler Karen R. Wilkinson ’69 David W. Wilson
EX-OFFICIO TRUSTEES Marcia Cooley Reverend Don Dewey James L. Doti Kelsey C. Flewellen ’05 Judi Garfi-Partridge Reverend Stanley D. Smith ’67 Reverend Felix Villanueva Reverend Denny Williams TRUSTEES EMERITI Richard Bertea Lynn Hirsch Booth J. Ben Crowell Leslie N. Duryea Robert A. Elliott Marion Knott Jack B. Lindquist Randall R. McCardle ’58 Cecilia Presley Barry Rodgers Richard R. Schmid
Board of Governors OFFICERS Judi Garfi-Partridge Chair Melinda M. Masson Executive Vice Chair
Thomas E. Malloy Vice Chair
Betty Mower Potalivo Jerrel T. Richards
Douglas E. Willits ’72 Secretary
GOVERNORS EMERITI Gary E. Liebl
GOVERNORS George Adams, Jr. Marilyn Alexander Lisa Argyros ’07 Margaret Baldwin Marta S. Bhathal Kathleen A. Bronstein Kim B. Burdick Michael J. Carver Doug Cavanaugh Eva Chen Ronn C. Cornelius Rico Garcia Kathleen M. Gardarian Lula F. Halfacre Stan Harrelson Sinan Kanatsiz ’97 (M.A. ’00) Sue Kint Scott A. Kisting John L. Kokulis Dennis Kuhl Stephen M. Lavin ’88 Jean H. Macino Richard D. Marconi
EX-OFFICIO GOVERNORS Sheryl A. Bourgeois James L. Doti
President’s Cabinet Nicolaos G. Alexopoulos Julianne Argyros Joyce Brandman Heidi Cortese Sherman Lawrence K. Dodge Onnolee B. Elliott (M.A. ’64) Douglas K. Freeman Frank P. Greinke Gavin S. Herbert Steeve Kay General William Lyon The Honorable Milan Panic Lord Swarj Paul James H. Randall The Honorable Ed Royce Susan Samueli Ralph Stern David Stone
CHAPMAN
SECOND SERVICE
first person
By Philip A. Quigley ’13
A former Marine reorients his life, with support from an academic community.
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HEN I FIRST CAME TO CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY IN FALL 2010, I WAS BURNED-OUT AND UNEMPLOYED. I WAS AN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM DISABLED U.S. MARINE VETERAN WHO, AFTER FIVE YEARS WORKING AS A SECURITY CONTRACTOR AND CONSULTANT, WAS DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR A NEW DIRECTION IN LIFE.
“That is a difficult life lesson to At the time, my father, Philip E. have already learned so young.” He Quigley, was an adjunct professor at believed that because I had already Chapman, teaching in the Argyros acquired such knowledge, I could School of Business and Economics. do great work helping to prevent He told me the students at Chapman conflicts versus participating in were hard-working and goal-oriented, them, and that if I focused myself so he thought that I would blend I would be a great asset for any in well. government agency. Conversations My first semester at Chapman such as this one helped provide was difficult. I did well academically, me the direction I needed. but I had a hard time adjusting due Another critical step was to to my age and work history, and seek guidance from my academic because I was a veteran. It was adviser, Professor Don Will, difficult relating to other students, associate dean of Wilkinson who saw me as stubborn and Philip A. Quigley ’13 is preparing for a career in College, and from Ilyana Marks, opinionated. My professors in the government, helping to shape American policies on internship program specialist Wilkinson College of Humanities and threat management and emergency preparedness. at the Career Development Center. Social Sciences quickly recognized They helped me to turn my that I was different from other students experiences into a resumé I would because of my life experiences. They later use to obtain merit-based scholarships and grants to further taught me to use those experiences to better absorb my academic my education. In 2011 and 2012, thanks to professors such as ones. I slowly learned to focus on what I shared with my fellow Kokarev, Bojan Petrovic, and David Shafie, I thrived in summer Chapman students and not our differences. internships with the Department of Defense and the Department It wasn’t until I took Russian Politics with Professor Igor of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. Kokarev, a former Soviet-era legal dissident and liberal turned Now I know what I want — to help shape American policies history, film and political science professor, that I really learned on threat management and emergency preparedness — and it to value my life experiences. One day I was having coffee with was the relationships I formed at Chapman that helped me find him at Jazzman’s Café, discussing what had brought me to my path along the way. I am grateful for my experiences and will Chapman, when Professor Kokarev asked me what I had learned never forget the lessons I learned at Chapman. as a combat veteran and political science student. I told him, My new path will have more than its share of hurdles, but I “It is easier to kill people than to live with them.” He sat back have learned that it’ s the hard roads that lead to the best outcomes. in his chair, gave a learned look and, in his Russian accent, said,
Philip A. Quigley ’13, a political science major and sociology minor, is a former Marine and Wounded Warrior Project alumnus. He is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, Alpha Kappa Delta and is one of the 150 Faces of Chapman. In 2012, he was a guest panelist at the Notre Dame Student Peace Conference, and he co-founded the Student Veterans of Chapman.
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‘The Best Ever’ The fall 2012 Chapman Magazine cover and issue was the best ever. Bravo! Thank you for your beautiful, incredibly creative university. THE ROSENBAUMS, LAKE BLUFF, ILL.
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To Train in Spain (Following is a note from athletic training student Sandra Koen ’14 to College of Educational Studies Associate Dean Ky Kugler, who helped Koen earn a U.S. Department of Education grant to study for a semester at the University of Granada in Spain. Koen, a native of Venezuela, got hands-on experience aiding athletes of all abilities.)
‘Mutual Admiration’ (The following is excerpted from an email sent by Maj. Ryan Cunningham, Class of 2010, to his mother-in-law, Georgianna Thurman, executive assistant to Chapman Trustee Harry Rinker, during Cunningham’s recent Marine Corps Special Forces deployment in Africa. The email is reprinted with permission.) Georgianna: You are never going to believe this. Here I am working near the Somali border when I find out that my Army linguist and medic, Sgt. Beatus Mushi (’08), is a graduate
Hi, Ky: Granada for I have now been back from think about is how three months, and all I can because of my much I am a better person athetic about people experience. I am more emp get to know them around me, and I want to e thankful for all better. I have become mor that we sometimes the things around – things we get to live at take for granted because ate all the effort such a high level. I appreci into making sure we from teachers that goes erience at Chapman get the best learning exp future. Again, thank so we can succeed in the ortunity, because you so much for this opp got the most out of it. I can honestly say that I Sandra Koen
of Chapman University, and President Doti is his mentor. When he told me about himself — that he is from Tanzania and has degrees in information systems and economics — I remembered him from a Chapman Magazine
Sgt. Beatus Mushi ’08, left, and Maj. Ryan Cunningham, Class of ’10, share a Chapman moment 7,000 miles from campus during their recent deployment in Africa.
article about how he and President Doti ran marathons together. We had a great conversation. Please tell Dr. Doti and Mr. Rinker that I, too, have found Beatus to be a first-rate individual. I am amazed by his selfless devotion to this country. He is not lacking in opportunities, but he freely chose to enlist in the Army to protect this country for a fraction of the salary he is capable of making. We have developed a mutual admiration that transcends our officer-enlisted relationship. I shared with Beatus how Mr. Rinker and Dr. Doti helped me pursue my pre-med courses. Beatus shared with me how he still considers Dr. Doti a father. He told me, “I miss my ‘Baba’ every day, and there is nothing in the world that I would not do for him.” We are going to try to take a picture together before we get out of here. Kind Regards, Ryan
We want to hear from you! Send us your feedback about Chapman Magazine or anything else related to Chapman University. We also welcome reflections on any aspect of the Chapman experience. Send submissions to magazine@chapman.edu. Please include your full name, graduation year (if alumna or alumnus) and the city in which you live. We reserve the right to edit submissions for style and length.
Chapman Magazine is online at www.chapman.edu/magazine, where you’ll find Web exclusives, links to videos, slide shows and other content. 4
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LAUNCH OF MUSCO CENTER Is a ‘Dream Come True’
Trustee S. Paul Musco shares a light moment with Placido Domingo during the groundbreaking.
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ith the blare of trumpets and the turning of soil, Chapman University officially launched a new artistic era on campus during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts. Shaded by an open-air tent and colorful paper parasols, nearly 300 people joined in the September celebration as opera great Placido Domingo helped turn the first ceremonial shovel of dirt. Domingo praised the university and its arts supporters for having the passion and generosity to embark on the $64 million facility. “Unfortunately, the arts are seen as expendable, the first thing to be eliminated when money is scarce,” said Domingo, general director of LA Opera, for which a number of Chapman alumni have gone on to perform and continue their training. “But some people, like
Celebrating the new Musco Center for the Arts are, from left, President Jim Doti, Marybelle Musco, Placido Domingo, Trustee S. Paul Musco and William Hall, dean and artistic director of the center.
Paul and Marybelle Musco, understand that our culture is what makes us human.” The Muscos co-chaired the successful fundraising drive to build the Musco Center, the naming of which was announced at the groundbreaking. Two months later, during the annual American Celebration stage show in Memorial Hall (see page 20), there was another announcement. An $8 million gift from the Argyros Family Foundation has named Musco Center’s 1,050-seat main performance space the Julianne Argyros Orchestra Hall. In announcing the naming of Musco Center at the groundbreaking, President Jim Doti recalled a story Trustee S. Paul Musco told of his father buying a $15 RCA Victrola the immigrant Italian family could scarcely afford. But Musco’s father promised that the Victrola would provide “food for the soul.” The Muscos’ support for the Center for the Arts “is a bit like that old Victrola, for it will help nurture the arts in Orange County and beyond for generations to come,” President Doti said. In her remarks, Marybelle Musco also underscored the importance of supporting the arts in the community at large and at Chapman, where the couple’s grandson, Alex David, Class of ’09, studied theatre performance. She also applauded those who gave time and resources to the center’s successful campaign. “This is a dream come true,” she said. “The arts are the basis of the civility of
An artist's rendering shows the Musco Center for the Arts, which will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, thanks to a $4 million gift from the Kay Family Foundation.
Designed by Pfeiffer Partners Architects, the Musco Center will be "tuned" by renowned acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, celebrated for his work on Disney Hall in Los Angeles.
our society. Without it we lose joy and love for humanity.” When completed, the Musco Center will be one of the largest and finest at any university in Southern California, and comparable to professional venues in Los Angeles and Orange County. It is expected to be completed in early 2015, with a “soft opening” to allow the hall to be fine-tuned. A grand opening will follow later in the year.
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International Tribute to Professor Smith
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obel laureate Vernon Smith, holder of the George L. Argyros Endowed Chair in Finance and Economics at Chapman University, was named an Honorary Fellow at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile. He shares the recognition with other internationally renowned economists and statesmen, including Milton Friedman, Ludwig Erhard and Friedrich Hayek. In a statement announcing the award, the Chilean university said the award honors Smith “for his seminal contributions on experimental economics and liberal thinking.” At the award ceremony in September, Smith gave a lecture titled “Balance Sheet Crises: Causes, Consequences and Cure Scenarios.” The event attracted nearly 150 Chilean economists and more than 200 students. Smith was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in economics for his groundbreaking work in experimental economics. He has joint appointments at Chapman’s Argyros School of Business and Economics and the School of Law, and he helps lead the Economic Science Institute.
Professor Vernon Smith’s lecture in Chile attracted nearly 150 economists and more than 200 students.
Campus Arts Events Airing on KCET
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hapman is partnering with KCET, the nation’s largest independent public television station, to bring the university’s dynamic people, programs and special events to viewers in Southern and Central California. The partnership will provide a wide range of arts and culture programming produced by Chapman’s Panther Productions that KCET will acquire and broadcast to its more than 2.2 million monthly viewers. First up on the KCET schedule: a special broadcast of Chapman’s 49th annual Wassail Holiday Concert on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. Conducted by Stephen Coker, Angel Vazquez-Ramos and Daniel Alfred Wachs, the concert features the university’s combined choirs and chamber orchestra for a performance of traditional and world music for the season, featuring more than 125 singers and musicians. “We are eager to become a media voice for the vibrant student and faculty work coming from Chapman University’s campus,” said Al Jerome, president and CEO of KCET. “We look forward to celebrating the diversity of their talent and being a conduit to Orange County arts and culture.” “There is so much potential for programming from our campus — so many stories to tell, so much culture and creativity from our talented students and faculty,” said Chapman President Jim Doti. “We feel that KCET is the perfect partner to share these inspiring and entertaining programs.”
CHAPMAN NO. 6 IN RANKINGS Chapman University is pegged at No. 6 out of 121 Western Region colleges and universities in the recently released rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report. It represents Chapman’s fifth consecutive top-10 ranking, highlighting a meteoric climb since 1991, when the university ranked No. 61. Chapman is also the only university in the Western U.S. to be included in the U.S. News ranking of “Up and Coming Universities” — schools most often cited by peers as having made the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, student life, campus and facilities.
Chapman arts events such as the annual holiday Wassail concert will air on KCET thanks to a new partnership between the university and the independent public television station.
Naming of Classroom Building Honors Jim and Lynne Doti
Photo by Sheri Geoffreys
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hapman University’s new classroom building, rising on the south side of the Bert C. Williams Mall, will be named the James L. and Lynne P. Doti Hall, Chancellor Daniele Struppa announced in October at his first State of the Academy address. The news was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the Memorial Hall audience. President Jim Doti and Lynne Pierson Doti, the David and Sandra Stone Professor of Economics, stood to acknowledge the warm reception. “It is named after two people who have made this university an amazing place,” Struppa said of Doti Hall, which will be dedicated Feb. 22 after the president’s State of the University Address in Memorial Hall. Doti Hall completes the historic core campus. The structures surrounding the lawn were all once part of the former Orange High School campus. Like its counterparts, built from 1913 to 1921, Doti Hall is designed in the neoclassical style of architecture. The new classroom building will be two stories with a basement and will have about 15,000 square feet of space.
The new classroom building that completes Chapman’s core campus will be named for Lynne Pierson Doti, the David and Sandra Stone Professor of Economics, and President Jim Doti, who holds the university’s Donald Bren Distinguished Chair in Business and Economics. The two have provided a combined 79 years of service to Chapman.
New Irvine Campus Acquired for Health Sciences
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hapman University has acquired two large research-and-development buildings in Irvine, about 13 miles from Chapman’s main campus in Orange, in a $20 million transaction. The purchase will provide the university with 166,000 square feet of space to significantly enhance and expand its health sciences programs. The buildings, located in the Irvine Spectrum, already include the laboratory space that will be required by the university’s
programs. In addition, the buildings will be redesigned and renovated to accommodate health sciences classes. University officials expect the $24 million in renovations to be finished before the buildings open for classes in 2014. The complex will be known as the Chapman University Health Sciences Campus, initially serving graduate students in Chapman’s Schmid College of Science and Technology.
“We are delighted that our health sciences graduate students, faculty and new campus will be part of the city of Irvine,” said Chapman Chancellor Daniele Struppa. “Chapman’s physical therapy doctoral program is one of the oldest and best-respected in the nation. We will add more programs as time goes on, probably beginning with a degree for physician assistants, and always with an eye to which health fields are in most demand in California and throughout the nation.” “This purchase represents a vital step forward for the future of Chapman University,” said President Jim Doti. “The health sciences are essential to the future of Orange County, the state of California, the nation and the world. By expanding in this area of study, we believe that our students will contribute greatly to the future health needs of California and the U.S.” In 2011, Chapman sought to acquire the Crystal Cathedral complex in Garden Grove, which the university would have developed as a health sciences campus. That property was ultimately purchased by Orange County’s Catholic archdiocese.
The new acquisitions in the Jeronimo Technology Park are already equipped with laboratories. Classroom upgrades and adaptations are also planned.
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A Big Orange Addition to the Literary Landscape
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Political commentator and best-selling author Mark Levin, right, is presented with Chapman’s Presidential Medal for Distinguished Contributions to the Cause of Freedom and Liberty by President Jim Doti during the Big Orange Book Festival on campus.
rom fantasy writers who dressed in costume to provocative political commentators and literary titans, the lineup for the Big Orange Book Festival at Chapman University offered something for everyone. Book lovers from throughout Southern California attended the festival’s two days of events in September, featuring acclaimed authors, poets and other storytellers. It was all capped by the festival’s closing speaker, Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones. There was also a celebration of the beloved novel To Kill a Mockingbird and the 50th anniversary of its adaptation to film. Mary Badham, the actress who played Scout, gave a talk before a free screening of the movie in Memorial Hall. In addition, the festival showcased many local and budding writers who took advantage of open-reading stages. What’s more, published faculty members
and alumni from throughout the Chapman community led discussions about the craft of writing fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and adapting books to the screen. “One of our goals was to create a forum for diverse points of view, something the university has long celebrated and valued,” said Mark Woodland, vice president of Chapman’s Department of Strategic Marketing and Communications, which planned the festival. Among the keynote authors were conservative radio personality and author Mark Levin and The Daily Show creator and author Lizz Winstead. Plans are already in the works for a second festival in 2013, with the event moving to October. To view video highlights from this year’s event and link to the festival’s website and Facebook page, visit www.chapman.edu/magazine.
Librería Martínez Rededicated as a Hub of Culture and Education
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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE
Photo by Jeanine Hill
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beloved bookstore that sprouted from the barbershop of Orange County cultural leader Ruebén Martínez and grew to become a literary landmark is now a part of Chapman University. The renovated bookstore at 216 N. Broadway in Santa Ana reopened as Librería Martínez de Chapman University with a festive ribbon-cutting and open house in October. With Martínez’s guidance and collaborative leadership, Chapman University assumes responsibility for the bookstore’s operations and retail operation, as well as opportunities for donor support. All proceeds from the store will be channeled into literacy and cultural programs at the store. The new partnership is rich with opportunities for both Chapman students and the community at large, said Don Cardinal, dean of the College of Educational Studies, under whose wing Librería Martínez will operate. Cardinal said he envisioned the store becoming an educational engine that will boost an interest in higher education among the city’s youth. “Here we can be part of the community,” Cardinal said. “Then when it’s time to plan a new program, it’s a program designed of the community, not just for the community.” Martínez founded the bookstore in 1993, after an informal lending library he operated from his barbershop blossomed into a community hub. The barbershop eventually gave way to the bookstore, which has hosted literary luminaries from Isabel Allende to Rudolfo Anaya. In 2004, Martínez received a MacArthur Fellowship “genius grant” in recognition of his community activism and work on behalf of literacy. He currently serves as a Distinguished Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He was granted an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by Chapman in 2011.
“Librería Martinez de Chapman University — it has a very good ring to it now,” Chapman Distinguished Presidential Fellow Rueben Martinez says of the bookstore he founded in 1993.
IMMERSION
INQUIRING
Undergrad Research
MINDS
AT CHAPMAN
A dozen students find their own kind of summer fun as they help launch a program of focused exploration.
By Dennis Arp hat’s in a name? In this case a bit of irony, at least for the 12 undergrad researchers who earned the inaugural SURF Fellowships. After all, while they toiled in the library, lab or studio, many of their friends spent the summer in the actual surf. No matter. Talk with the 12 students, and it’s clear that to a person they feel privileged to have been chosen to launch the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at Chapman University. “I spent hours and hours 1 researching and planning my project, but ultimately what I got was 10 weeks to make art, and I got paid to 2 do it,” said Julie Russo ’14, whose research mixed the science of lasers with the art of photography. “It was awesome.” The summer program is the brainchild of Professor Christopher Kim, director of undergraduate research at Chapman, who saw a chance to immerse students 6 in focused projects of their own choosing, specific to their 7 areas of academic interest. More than 50 students applied, with the expectation that as many as 10 research projects would receive funding. 10 “There were so many good proposals that we ended up selecting 12,” said Kim, whose own research into the effects of mine waste is known nationally and internationally. “The students’ presentations were very impressive.” Those chosen received a $3,000 stipend and a chance to work one-on-one with a faculty mentor. The 10-week program culminated with a campus symposium, at which each student outlined his or her project and presented findings. The breadth of the research touched just about every academic discipline, from music theory to computational science, anthropology to criminal justice, biochemistry to educational studies. In addition to their individual inquiries, the students met weekly as a group with Professor Kim to learn about research processes, hear guest speakers and hone their communication skills.
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“There’s nothing like summer to perform research,” said William Wright, an associate professor of biological sciences who mentored Courtney James ’13 during her project examining the effects of global warming. “I do research during the summer because there’s extra time and because I love it. Likewise, students tend to be much more engaged during a time when they don’t have a lot of other classes and commitments making demands on their time.” James developed her own assay to explore how hermit crabs react to the rising temperature of intertidal waters. Her lab experiments mimicked the midday spikes that are expected to occur more often and more intensely as the Earth continues to warm. Meanwhile, Adam Borecki ’12, a music composition and guitar 5 performance major, 4 worked to develop a practical resource for 8 students seeking insights on advanced music theory. The result is a website — www.advanced musictheory.com — that 9 features interactive drills and other tools to either learn from scratch or link with traditional lessons. Then there’s Christina 12 Dietz ’14, a philosophy major who researched 11 the role of emotions in forming beliefs, seeking understanding about specific types of reasoning. At the same time, Casey Coleman ’15, a physics/computational science major, sought a connection between discrete and continuous dynamic systems using coalgebra, a new concept in mathematics. The 10-week summer research period is long finished, of course, but for many participants the exploration continues — which is just as Professor Kim envisioned it. The initial SURF session was designed to inspire the researchers into a future full of possibility. Some of the 12 came to the program without any previous research experience, while others looked to take their skill set to a new level. “They’re all researchers now,” Kim said. “And we’re all excited to see what comes next.”
1. Courtney James ‘13, 2. Casey Coleman ‘15, 3. Adam Borecki ‘12, 4. Julie Russo ‘14, 5. Daniel Howard ‘13, 6. Jennifer Schumacher ‘13, 7. Malia Horch ‘15, 8. Azriel Dror ‘13, 9. Eileen Regullano ‘13, 10. Cate Browning ‘13, 11. Krish Rangarajan ‘14, 12. Christina Dietz ‘14 Photos by Max Kosydar ’13
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THE LEGACY OF LONESOME GEORGE For more than two decades, Professor Fred Caporaso has taken Chapman students to the Galapagos Islands for study, and every time he has checked in on an old friend: Lonesome George. The giant tortoise was the last of his breed and had become a worldwide symbol for the fight against extinction. But when Caporaso returns in January, George won’t be there to greet him; the 320-pound, century-old reptile died this summer. “I’m sad, of course,” Caporaso said, “but the good news is that the giant tortoise dynasty may come back.” Lonesome George wasn’t able to reproduce because of poor genetic matchmaking, but there is hope for the future. Diego, the not-so-lonesome new guy on the breeding block, has already produced 2,000 offspring that are essentially the ancestral form of Lonesome George. When they are relocated to Pinta, George’s home island, “it will be like turning back the evolutionary clock 300,000 years,” Caporaso said. “It’s not likely that evolution will result in the exact same tortoise, but it is a bit of a happy ending for George’s legacy.”
LOOK, UP IN THE SKY …
JUMPING AT THE CHANCE Camille Hyde ’15 came to Chapman from Washington, D.C., to study biology and environmental science, but she also brought a passion for horses and competitive jumping. In fact, she submitted a proposal to form a Chapman Equestrian Club even before she was officially admitted. A year later, she has cleared all the hurdles, and the new club is 22 members strong — a mix of experienced riders ready to compete and newcomers happy to be saddled with hours of practice. Coach Joan Romo of Peacock Hill Equestrian Center in Orange donates most of her time, but the sport still carries considerable expenses, so Hyde is recruiting sponsors and planning team fundraisers. The next step is an effort to achieve club-sport status so the team can compete against other schools in Chapman’s division. It’s clear that in this and all of her pursuits, Hyde is more than along for the ride.
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©2012 S.F. Giants
To the list of touchstone dates that bring us together as a community add Friday, Sept. 21 — the day the space shuttle Endeavour soared with chase planes over campus. Panthers all along the flight path (and ground route — see page 47) shared the special experience. Chapman staffer Sheri Lehman ’11 snapped the shuttle over Leatherby Libraries, and when she posted the photo on Facebook, dozens of Panthers responded. Shawn Thomas Norris ’03 saw Endeavour over Austin, Texas. “Just flew over my school in Buena Park — kids went nuts!” added Sara Nieves Pelly ’94. Others posted that they saw it over the Hollywood sign and the Golden Gate Bridge. “So awesome!” Ashley Gamba ’11 enthused. Our feelings exactly.
GIANT MOMENTS OF JOY For fans of the San Francisco Giants, the sight of Tim Flannery ’79 pinwheeling his arm along the third-base line is always a joyful one, because it means the Giants are probably about to score another run. On Oct. 28, the moment was even more ecstatic, as the third-base coach waved in Ryan Theriot with the 10th-inning tally that won the Giants the World Series. With their 4–3 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the Giants — and Flannery — earned their second Major League Baseball championship in three years. “I’m still just trying to process it,” Flannery said. “In 21 days, we changed baseball history.” The Panther Hall of Famer has spent nearly a quarter-century as a big-league player and coach, all the while cultivating a parallel career as a singer-songwriter. Those parallel lines crossed before Game 2 of the National League Championship Series when he performed the national anthem with Phil Lesh, left, and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. For Flannery, what a long, strange, rewarding trip it’s been.
Seen Heard &
The inaugural Big Orange Book Festival at Chapman University yielded some memorable talks by a host of literary heavyweights
and other notable storytellers. Some highlights:
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“When the sound is down, everything that happens should look like CNN. And when we present ourselves in public, we look like those people, and we act like those people, and when we ask questions we even sound like those people. But the questions we ask — hopefully, if we’re good at it — make them have to re-evaluate how stupid they are.”
YOU JUST HAVE TO PUT YOUR HEART AND SOUL INTO IT, AND EVEN THAT DOESN’T GUARANTEE IT WILL SUCCEED. BUT IT DOES MEAN YOU WILL GET SOMETHING THAT IS HONEST.
Lizz Winstead, co-creator and former
head writer of The Daily Show and author of Lizz Free or Die
David Anspaugh, director of films such as Hoosiers and Rudy
“I don’t see literature as medicine. I see it as companionship — comfort that you’re not alone. To write is to grow in mental health.” Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones
“There is simply a license to kill women in Juarez (Mexico). The men involved are very powerful, and I contend that for them, abusing and killing women is a form of entertainment.”
The Rev. Rafael Luevano, Chapman associate professor of religious studies and author of Woman-Killing in Juarez: Theodicy at the Border
“I wanted to use my gifts for writing that went beyond romance novels or making people feel good. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I knew I wanted to be a part of the truth-telling.” Sapphire, author of Push, the novel that became the Academy Award-winning film Precious
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ichard Bausch, the nationally acclaimed novelist and short-story writer, lives with his wife, Lisa, in a pretty Craftsman house on a sunny street in Old Towne Orange. From it, he can easily stroll to the cafes and restaurants on the Orange Plaza, or walk to his office on the Chapman University campus. It’s a long way from his old stomping grounds in Memphis, Tenn., where he not only held the Moss Chair of Excellence in the writing program at the University of Memphis until Chapman lured him away last spring, but also launched one of the nation’s most respected writing workshops, for which he hand-picked participants from the local community. It’s a major success that he hopes to re-create at Chapman. “No writer has a finer insight into the delicate matters of the human heart than Richard Bausch,” Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler has said. Bausch is the author of 11 novels, including Hello to the Cannibals, Thanksgiving Night and The Last Good Time, which was made into a film by actor/director Bob Balaban. He’s a celebrated master of the short-story form, and his work has been widely anthologized. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Esquire and other magazines. His honors include two National Magazine Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. Bausch joins a distinguished writing faculty in Chapman’s Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences that includes novelist/screenwriter Mark Axelrod, pioneering steampunk-fiction author Jim Blaylock (see profile in the spring 2012 issue), nonfiction writer Tom Zoellner, poet Anna Leahy, novelist Ryan Gattis and others. “Richard’s arrival here certainly raises the profile of Chapman’s creative writing program,” says Axelrod, professor of English and director of Chapman’s John Fowles Center for Creative Writing. “He comes to us not only with great credentials, but he also comes with a number of great
R
Someone Like Us Master storyteller Richard Bausch launches an innovative writing workshop at Chapman. By Mary Platt
Though he came to a career in writing with “no ambitions,” Richard Bausch has authored 11 novels and several collections of short stories. His honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story.
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ideas that I hope we can implement, and which will also increase, by extension, the profile of the university.” One of Bausch’s ideas is the Chapman University Creative Writing Workshop, which is now accepting applications and officially launches this coming spring. Bausch began his teaching career at age 20 in the U.S. Air Force, where he, along with his twin brother, Robert, taught survival techniques at a base in Illinois. They would go on to become possibly the only identical twin brothers in literary history to both publish acclaimed novels and stories (Robert has written six novels, including A Hole in the Earth, currently teaches at Northern Virginia Community College, and recently co-starred on a panel with Richard during Chapman’s first Big Orange Book Festival). So how did writing become a career? “I just wanted to avoid a full-time, 9 to
{
“That’s an interesting word, and it’s very misused, especially, I regret to say, by academics ourselves. E.M. Forster once said he believed in an ‘aristocracy of the sensitive, the considerate and the plucky.’ I love that. That has to do with somebody who reads books and who loves them, a bookish someone. Someone like us. And if there’s a ‘them’ that goes along with that, well, I’m sorry — I’m not going to apologize for it.” The last community writing workshop he taught boasted a particularly wide age range. “The youngest in the class was 16 and the oldest was 79,” says Bausch. “Men and women from everywhere. And all of them fantastic. It’s tough to pick sometimes.” He laughs. “Alice Adams told me this story: A little old blue-haired lady sat in Alice’s writing workshop with a big thick manuscript. And Alice was thinking, ‘Oh no, it’s
“I try to give everything to (writing), every time I sit down to work.”
5 job; I had no ambitions,” says Richard, whose first publication was “The Wife’s Tale” in Ploughshares in 1978. He says that nowadays he will spend from 2 to 18 hours a day at writing. “I try to give everything to it, every time I sit down to work.” He told The Atlantic that he has found himself able to write in just about any circumstance: “I have written with babies sleeping on my chest. I write at all hours, in all places — I’ve often been most comfortable sitting at the kitchen table scribbling late at night, when everyone is asleep. I have little patience with writers who claim they need special circumstances in which to work. Shostakovich wrote the great Leningrad Symphony during the siege of that city.” In speaking about his community workshop, he bristles a bit at the idea of writers, professors or universities being tagged as “elitist.”
}
probably going to be 700 pages about the death of her cat or something.’ The lady says, ‘I probably shouldn’t be here; I’ll just leave this with you — I may not be back next week.’ Alice read the title and the first line, and thought, ‘Well, that’s not bad,’ and she kept reading, and by the end of it she was praying, ‘Please let that lady come back to the workshop next week.’ That manuscript became Stones for Ibarra, and that lady was Harriet Doerr. She was 74 when it was published. “I get to choose every single one of the participants in my workshop,” Bausch says. “It’s not work for me; it never has been. It’s recreation. I enjoy it, and that will never change. I look forward to seeing who the next writers in Orange County will be, and to teaching and guiding them here at Chapman.”
A Workshop for the Community Aspiring fiction writers may be one step closer to their dreams as Chapman University launches a new writing workshop taught by renowned novelist and short-story writer Richard Bausch. Open to anyone in the community who is not connected to Chapman as faculty, staff, students or alumni — people of all ages and all educational backgrounds — the Chapman University Creative Writing Workshop is taking applications now. Applicants should submit a manuscript of no more than 20 pages by Jan. 25, 2013, and Bausch will personally read all submissions and select the participants. The free workshop will commence meeting with Bausch on Feb. 25, and will take place each Tuesday evening thereafter for 14 weeks. The workshop is open by selection to members of the local community but not to students at Chapman, who already have many opportunities to take writing classes, or to Chapman alumni, faculty or administrators, said Bausch. “We don’t put any other limitations on applicants, either by age or by background. Frankly, the more diversity in the class, the better.” Manuscripts should be sent by mail to Richard Bausch, Chapman University Creative Writing Workshop, Department of English, One University Drive, Orange, Calif. 92866 or by email to bausch@chapman.edu. All submissions must be fiction and need not be complete stories. Emailed manuscripts should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents or as editable PDFs. Submissions must include the writer’s name, mailing address, phone number and email address. Applicants should reside within driving distance of Chapman, as the weekly classes will be conducted on campus. The selected applicants will be contacted shortly after Jan. 25. Contact Professor Bausch for more details, or visit the Chapman Creative Writing Workshop website at www.chapman.edu/writingworkshop.
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Shootings
Mass in the Crosshairs Is gun violence like cancer? Is it time to educate Americans about its prevention and warning signs? Or are the firearms themselves the problem? By Dawn Bonker
i
n the wake of multiple mass shootings in 2012, public health experts have stepped up their calls to revisit gun violence as a community health problem. The conversation is important, but it’s insufficient as a solution, say those who suggest that most firearm deaths are triggered by social and political factors. To explore this topic, we enlisted two Chapman University researchers with scholarly expertise: Lisa Sparks and Lawrence Rosenthal. Sparks is the Foster and Mary McGaw Endowed Professor in Behavioral Sciences, Crean School of Health and Life Sciences. Her research on the topic of health communications is widely published. She serves as a scientific adviser for the Entertainment and Media Communication Institute. Rosenthal clerked for Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, is a professor at the Chapman School of Law and a former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, specializing in organized crime and public-corruption prosecutions. He is frequently sought out by journalists to comment on gun laws.
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Gun violence has usually been approached as a problem for law enforcement and the courts. But recent mass shootings in the United States have caused some to suggest that the problem be approached as a public health concern. What do you think about that turn of thinking? Sparks: It is time to view gun violence as a public health issue. As experts at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health point out, shootings are not only occurring in schools and public places, but are the most common method by which women are killed by an intimate partner. Gun violence and related mental health problems are often family issues. The role of communication about mental health within families, communities, organizations and in the public sphere is increasingly important in terms of detection, treatment and adherence issues. In 2008, I was invited to brief Congress on issues of mental health
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and family decision-making that often go undetected until a tragedy occurs. I strongly support the idea that gun violence is often connected to undetected or under-the-radar mental health issues that are misunderstood and underdiagnosed. Congress is beginning to pay more attention as soldiers are increasingly coming back from combat with symptoms of mental health issues. Family members are often the first to detect and experience initial mental health symptoms but do not know where to turn for help and education. Rosenthal: As a statistical matter, firearms violence is far more robustly associated with poverty than with mental illness. Communities with high poverty rates and additional indications of instability are those with the highest rates of firearms crime. This is one of the primary reasons that efforts to address firearms-related violence encounter so much political opposition. The ratio of costs and benefits of firearms rights is not geographically uniform. In low-crime, stable communities, such as most middle-class
Ask THE EXPERTS would still be intact if policies could require a commercially available gun training course operated and supervised by mental health specialists. We could pilot a few programs in states that would be willing to take on this task and refine the program over time, before rolling out to the nation.
Lisa Sparks
Lawrence Rosenthal
or wealthy suburbs and many rural areas, firearms are predominantly used for lawful purposes, such as sport and self-defense. Unsurprisingly, these areas support firearms rights. In high-crime, unstable, usually urban areas, however, firearms are far more likely to be used for unlawful purposes. Yet, because these neighborhoods are geographically discrete and usually have limited political power, they are at an enormous disadvantage. It is no accident, for example, that big-city mayors are the most vocal advocates of gun control laws. Nevertheless, because the benefits of firearms are diffuse and widespread, and their costs are concentrated in unstable urban areas, it is also no surprise that most legislators oppose gun control laws.
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Rosenthal: The Supreme Court has yet to tell us very much about the permissible scope of firearms regulation. There is, however, a long history of fairly stringent gun control laws in this country. In the Revolutionary War period, for example, those who were thought to harbor sympathies for the British crown were often deprived of guns because they were regarded as security threats. I suspect that gun regulations targeted at high-risk individuals, such as mentally ill individuals with a history of or propensity for violence, would be readily upheld.
Given the varying availability of mental health services, wouldn’t a more consistent prevention be laws that tighten the ease of obtaining firearms and high-capacity magazines? Sparks: Mental health services are woefully inadequate in our country, with inefficient access to health care and communicative failures involved when individuals are at risk of committing a violent act. Gun violence is not always connected to mental health, of course, but it is certainly a question worthy of systematic examination to improve the safety and health of our families, communities and country. I am not going to touch the Second Amendment with a 10-foot pole, but it is worth noting that I am in favor of the Second Amendment (right to bear arms), and I am also in favor of families and communities being able to make healthy choices. I believe the Second Amendment
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What could be done to prevent violent incidents related to mental health conditions? Sparks: Health communication training in schools could equip students with several positive mental health skills, including: • Communication techniques that would build assertive rather than aggressive language, habits and behavior. • Ability to recognize escalating anger (one’s own or a fellow student’s). • Training in and practice of conflict resolution methods and tools, coupled with an understanding of how negative thoughts can lead to and perpetuate aggressive behavior. • Familiarity with communicative cues that are signs to remove themselves from the situation and talk with a teacher or counselor. In addition, a low-cost, structured riskassessment intervention program could be developed for students and families. Such campaigns have proved effective for prevention of drug and alcohol abuse, cancer awareness and other health concerns.
Rosenthal: I hesitate to opine on what are essentially clinical questions best left to mental health professionals. It is striking, however, that some firearms seem designed to all-too-readily facilitate unlawful conduct, such as assault weapons with high-capacity magazines.
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Is there research in this area, and what does it suggest? Sparks: Research on violence and public health has increased dramatically over the last decade. The National Institute of Mental Health is creating numerous funding mechanisms for researchers to better understand these important connections and issues. Initial findings suggest strong associations between gun violence and mental health. Rosenthal: There has also been a great deal of research into the effects of firearms in high-crime communities. Some studies purport to show that increasing the rate at which firearms can be carried in public reduces crime rates. These received great attention, but they have also been subject to enormous criticism. Moreover, many of the communities with the highest rates of people carrying concealed firearms also have the highest rates of firearms crime, such as the type of unstable urban neighborhoods that I referenced above. Indeed, there is impressive sociological research suggesting that as rates of firearms violence increase in a community, a type of “contagion effect” creeps in, as people carry firearms at ever higher rates to protect themselves, and this ready availability of firearms causes confrontations to escalate to lethal violence more frequently. The bulk of the research, in other words, refutes the “more-guns-less-crime” claim. In fact, one of the most striking crime reductions in American history has occurred since 1990 in New York City, which also has among the most stringent gun-control laws in the country. It is striking that the opponents of gun-control laws so rarely want to talk about the experience of New York, which so decisively rebuts so many of their claims.
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Posing atop the Maiden’s Tower in Baku, Azerbaijan, are, clockwise from left, American University students Paul Stefanou, Kathryn Rady, Colleen Kendrick and Amy Wozniak, as well as Chapman University student Ryan Wimpee ‘14, Professor James J. Coyle and Chapman students Brenton Burke ‘14, Megan Demshki ‘12 (J.D. ‘15), Zoheb Patel ‘12, Timothy Han ‘13 and Bryce Anderson ‘13.
A travel course in Azerbaijan and Georgia provides cultural and geopolitical insights to one of the world’s most dynamic regions. By Dawn Bonker
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The Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi, Georgia, uses contemporary design to link Old Tbilisi with the new section of the city.
T
here were dozens of memorable experiences for 11 Chapman University students enrolled in a travel course that took them to Azerbaijan and Georgia this summer, including meeting with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. But one of the most telling takeaways for Bryce Anderson ’13 was the sight of nonstop construction under way across from the students’ hotel in the Georgian city of Tbilisi. “We would walk back at 2 a.m. from the Oil reserves in Azerbaijan and the Old Town in the city, and you would see the pipeline that carries them through Georgia help make the region of vital welders’ lights flashing in the scaffolding of interest to the U.S. and the world. the building. I would run every morning at 7, and see the crews going into the building,” he says. “They were literally welding on this huge structure 24 hours a “We really had some incredible conversations. You see the day. It was like seeing a country really try to propel itself forward.” shared humanity when you interact on that level,” said Megan Such insights were just part of the 18-day study trip to the Demshki ’12 (J.D. ’15). “It was interesting to see the passion fast-changing Caucasus region. The course was made possible by that Georgians have for democracy.” the generosity of Frank Greinke, honorary consul of the Republic While there was time for sightseeing and long “Georgian of Georgia, a Chapman University President’s Cabinet member table” dinners, involving a huge meal and philosophical toasts and CEO of SC Fuels. The Azerbaijan portion of the trip was orchestrated by a Tamada, or toastmaster, the biggest highlight sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan came during a visit to the nation’s seaside town of Batumi. in Los Angeles. Former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld was there to participate The global lessons of the course are priceless, says Professor in a reunion of Rumsfeld Fellows, a group James Coyle, director of Chapman’s of international-studies scholars and future Center for Global Education and the leaders from throughout Central Asia and faculty director for the summer program. the Caucasus. The students met Rumsfeld While Azerbaijan is rich in natural gas, and were allowed to sit in during the Georgia is the transit route for that fuel. fellows’ panel discussions. And looming over the region is the The sum of all those moments equals Russian Federation. an incomparable learning experience “Very few people in the United States for Chapman’s future global citizens, know much about them (Georgia and Coyle says. Azerbaijan), so it’s important for them to “It brings focus,” he notes. “By the get the word out. It’s also important for end they had a solid understanding of the people in the United States to understand issues, whereas when they arrived it was this part of the world,” Coyle says. all quite vague. And they developed an Pre-trip reading for the course, titled affinity for the people in the region.” “Political and Economic Security of the Back home now, the students are busy Black Sea-Caspian Region: Exploring with classes, which for Demshki means International Political Economics in a Megan Demshki and other Chapman her first year at the Chapman School of Complex Geopolitical Environment,” students met with former U.S. Secretary Law, while Anderson is finishing up his immersed students in the region’s history, of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during their dual-major program in political science current developments and potential future. study trip to the Caucasus region. and public relations/advertising. But they Once abroad, the class dived into real-world keep an eye tuned to events in both countries, particularly experiences. Among them were briefings with executives from Georgia, where parliamentary elections were held recently and British Petroleum, the former Azerbaijani ambassador to the presidential elections are scheduled for next year. United States and a representative from the European Union. “The results of those will have a huge impact on where Because the course was offered in collaboration with the things go in the next five years,” Anderson said. “I would love Georgian Institute of Public Administration, the students also to go back.” met with their student counterparts from the country. WINTER 2012
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CHAPMAN
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Renowned physicists, from left, Sir Anthony Leggett, Francois Englert, Paul Davies, Sir Michael Berry and Yakir Aharonov join in a public panel discussion on the nature of time during Chapman University’s physics conference in August. All five are members of the Institute for Quantum Studies at Chapman.
Center of the Physics Universe t first glance, the physics conference held at Chapman University in August seemed a bit like a meeting of science fiction writers bending their imaginations to create the next great futuristic novel. After all, panelists’ topics ranged from “A Big Universe” to “The Ghost in the Quantum Turing Machine.” And that impression might be half right — the science half. To mark the 80th birthday of Yakir Aharonov, professor of theoretical physics and James J. Farley Professor in Natural Philosophy, Chapman hosted a gathering of the world’s most noted physicists, including two Nobel laureates. No one can predict what future
A
{
“For the past 36 hours, this room has been the most intelligent place in the universe. At least this universe.” CHAPMAN CHANCELLOR DANIELE STRUPPA
discoveries might have been sparked during those summer days, as some 40 scientists immersed themselves in deep conversations, shared their work, and even enjoyed a cruise of Newport Harbor together. But the potential is great. “For the past 36 hours, this room has been the most intelligent place in the
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universe. At least this universe,” Chapman Chancellor Daniele Struppa said during the conference’s closing reception. “And I especially want to thank Yakir. Without your intelligence, but even more than that — and I mean this in the most positive way — your childlike passion, this conference wouldn’t have been the success that it was.” The groundbreaking concepts of Professor Aharonov continue to inspire other quantum physicists and capture the science community’s attention. Among those joining him at the conference were Francois Englert, co-discoverer of the Higgs boson, one of the biggest discoveries in
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}
particle physics in decades; Sir Anthony Leggett, whose work on superfluidity was honored with the 2003 Nobel Prize; and Sir Michael Berry, known for the discovery of the Berry-phase, the sister-phenomenon to the Aharonov-Bohm effect. During the conference, the university also announced its new Institute for
Italian physicist Federico Faggin emphasizes a point during a session at the conference.
Quantum Studies (quantum.chapman.edu), headed by Aharonov and fellow Chapman physicist and collaborator Jeff Tollaksen. In addition, a dedication ceremony for the Yakir Aharonov Alcove in Leatherby Libraries, which will permanently house Aharonov’s National Medal of Science, capped off the conference. The international science community can look forward to more such gatherings at Chapman’s Schmid College of Science and Technology, the Chancellor said. “Chapman is fortunate to launch an Institute for Quantum Studies that will consolidate global research interests around the foundational theoretical work of Yakir,” Struppa said. “This will be a distinctive institute known internationally as a model for science education and research.”
CHAPMAN
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By Doug Aiken ’99 (M.A. ’09)
NEW THRILLS FOR FALL TEAMS The 2012 fall sports season was an exciting one for Chapman University, which for the first time competed as a full-fledged member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).
G
ames had more meaning as the Panthers vied for seeds and home-field advantage into SCIAC championships and coveted NCAA playoff berths. All of it culminated with a November full of playoff contests and championship implications. The winter season promises more excitement for Chapman’s basketball and swim teams.
SOME HIGHLIGHTS:
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Chapman’s women’s soccer team, which had been fifth in the SCIAC standings at the end of September, stormed back to win nine of its final 10 matches and clinch home-field advantage in the SCIAC playoffs, defeating Claremont in penalty kicks and then Pomona-Pitzer, 4–1, in the finals. That gave the Panthers their first SCIAC Tournament championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs, where the underdog Panthers fell, 1– 0, against No. 2 Hardin-Simmons, ending a magical run.
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Boasting three All-Americans and a top-25 national ranking, the women’s volleyball team came within one match of the SCIAC championship. Thanks to a 24–7 record, the Panthers were selected to the NCAA playoffs and reached the second round of the tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever. Chapman lost just one home game all year and tied a school record with 24 wins.
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The Chapman football team came just one quarter short of winning the SCIAC championship. It came down to the fourth quarter of the final regular season game before the Panthers fell, 38 –28, to the heavily favored No. 7–ranked Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran, who have not lost a SCIAC game in four years. The Panthers’ offense was ranked in the top 25 all year, and Chapman didn’t lose a game at Ernie Chapman Stadium for the first time in 17 years. Eleven players were named to the All-SCIAC team.
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Climbing to as high as No. 2 in the Division III rankings, men’s water polo put together one of its best seasons ever, winning 10 of its final 12 regular-season games. The Panthers finished with 14 wins but had their title hopes dashed with a couple of tough losses in the SCIAC championships.
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Men’s cross country freshman Chris Reid set a school record in the 8-kilometer race with a time of 25:57.9 at the NCAA Division III West Regionals to place 43rd overall in the event.
On the heels of all the excitement this fall season, Chapman’s winter sports will begin their own pursuits of SCIAC titles and NCAA playoff berths. The men’s and women’s basketball teams are hoping to rebound from a season in which neither made the NCAA playoffs — the first time that’s happened since 2000. Also, participating for the first time as a varsity team, the men’s swimming and diving teams join the women for a full season of competition that includes five home swimming meets. Check out the latest about Panther sports at www.chapmanathletics.com, where you can find live video and stats of home sporting events. You can also become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @ChapmanSports.
Sophomore Jeremiah McKibbins ran for 194 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers challenged for the SCIAC title before falling to Cal Lutheran.
WINTER 2012
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Shall We Dance?
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Chapman University’s 31st annual American Celebration was a king-sized success, raising $2.1 million for scholarships and showcasing the Broadway-caliber talents of student performers at Chapman.
As ever, a highlight of Gala Night was the dance number featuring President Jim Doti and longtime university friend Julianne Argyros, who twirled to the signature song from The King and I. As it turned out, the performance was a prelude to the evening’s crowning moment. Amid the rousing performances of song and dance came the surprise announcement that the Argyros Family Foundation had presented an $8 million gift to Chapman University’s new Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts. The gift will name the center’s 1,050-seat main concert space the Julianne Argyros Orchestra Hall.
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2012 Award Recipients the Arts time Achievement in Richard Dreyfuss, Life
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Catherine and James Em mi, Citizens of the Yea r
rustee George L. Argyros ’59 — who has been a university trustee since 1976 and served as chairman of Chapman’s board for 26 years — said, “When Jim Doti approached us about honoring Julianne in this way, we immediately said yes. It’s our 50th wedding anniversary this year, so I think by now I know her pretty well. Her enthusiasm and personal involvement with the arts at Chapman and throughout Orange County have always been driving forces in Julianne’s life, and she is thrilled to have her name on this beautiful orchestra hall that will be so important in the education of so many talented students.”
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Julianne and George Argyros ‘59
Marybelle and S. Paul Musco
Greg Bates and Joann Leatherby
Adrienne ‘84 and RJ Brandes
J
ulianne Argyros said the honor was an ideal anniversary gift. “I am moved beyond measure at this honor,” she said. “This new orchestra hall will be home to so much amazing student talent, from musicians to dancers to actors and singers — it will become Chapman’s beacon to the entire arts world, and I am so proud to be a part of it.” And on the subject of guiding lights, Catherine and James Emmi were presented with Chapman’s Citizens of the Year Award. The couple were honored for their longtime commitment to philanthropy. The two have provided leadership on Chapman boards and committees in addition to their generous support for numerous scholarships, schools and initiatives, including the Science Center Campaign, College of Performing Arts and Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “We are very honored to receive this award,” said James Emmi, a Chapman trustee. “When I went to college, I had to do it the hard way. So now I feel like I can afford to make things a little easier for some deserving students.” Also honored was Academy Award-winning actor and activist Richard Dreyfuss, who received this year’s Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award. On stage with President Doti, Dreyfuss said that if he could “twist this gentleman’s arm enough, I intend to teach here next semester.” The 100-plus-strong student cast and crew proved to be stars in their own right as they performed the evening’s spectacular Broadway revue with the theme “We Make Stars.” Then gala guests proceeded to the Bert C. Williams Mall, where the grand transparent tent was once again transformed into a glittering ballroom and dinner club. There, more than a few celebrants proved that they really could dance all night.
A link to video highlights of American Celebration is at www.chapman.edu/magazine.
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Veiled Voices of Justice
After their year of graduate law study at Chapman, lawyers Munira Akhundzada, left, and Shamsi Maqsoudi plan to resume their work at the front lines of the struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan.
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Photo by Lori Shepler
By Dennis Arp
For two Afghan champions of women’s rights, the transition to life at Chapman is nothing compared with the challenge of transforming a culture.
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hamsi Maqsoudi and Munira Akhundzada had met just once, but they were about to become nearly constant companions as they boarded a plane in Kabul for a journey to a place that was largely a mystery. Thirty hours and five stops later, they landed in Orange County to become graduate law students at Chapman University. It didn’t take long for the cultural sea change to become tangible. When Munira got in the car outside baggage claim, she yanked the door closed with a slam so loud that it startled everyone. She quickly apologized, explaining that she was used to much heavier doors. In her job, she typically travels in an armored vehicle. Such is the life of a litigator who faces the daily threat of violence for helping to clear a path to reform in Afghanistan. Days later, she and Shamsi were Skyping with their families back home when suddenly they heard explosions that seemed very close to their Chapman housing. Though familiar, the sounds were distressing — until they learned from a Chapman professor that what they heard was fireworks. “This is the first impression that Disneyland made on us,” Shamsi said with a smile.
Both came of age during a time of terror, tribal violence, international warfare and state-sponsored oppression. Now they are agents of change in a society forged by centuries of resistance.
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Tall and introspective, Shamsi is a Shia Muslim of the Hazara tribe who spent much of her childhood in Iran because of the fighting in her homeland. Munira, diminutive and more outgoing, is a Sunni Muslim of the Tajik clan who fled to Pakistan rather than live under Taliban rule before returning after the U.S.-led invasion. Both came of age during a time of terror, tribal violence, international warfare and state-sponsored oppression. Now they are agents of change in a society forged by centuries of resistance. Several months after their arrival in Southern California, Shamsi and Munira smile often, reflecting their steady acclimation to life in the U.S. and the number of new friends they have made at Chapman. “They’re very friendly, and very, very, very smart,” said Priscilla Shirkhanloo (J.D. ’12), who helps transition international Master’s of Law (LL.M.) students at Chapman and has become close with Shamsi and Munira. “I couldn’t imagine going to a new country, trying to learn a new culture at the same time that I was going to law school. I had enough trouble with the law school part, and English is my first language.”
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ne of the courses Shamsi and Munira took in the fall was on conflict resolution and human rights, filtered through the lens of peace studies. The main focus of their studies is international and comparative law, but they also have a chance to take electives to broaden their understanding. They hope to apply a multitude of new lessons when they return to the front lines of the fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan. “We like learning about the lives of people here and the history of the U.S.,” Shamsi said. “It’s important to us to see the institutions and how the people were able to get rid of their miseries. Afghanistan is now in these miseries. To see how other societies try to get peace is very useful.” Shamsi is building on experience gained working for USAID Afghanistan, and Munira for U.N. organizations addressing women’s-rights issues. They were picked for the program that brought them to Chapman by the U.S. State Department’s Public Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan, which promotes the development of the next generation of Afghan legal scholars and judges.
“You have to imagine, here’s a bunch of judges in Afghanistan, some with long white beards and in many cases with very little formal education in the principles of law — not in international law, not in Afghan law, and in some cases not even in Sharia law,” Steiner explained. “Essentially they are tribal elders with a reputation for resolving conflict, and that makes them judges. So these two women are sent out to try to help them understand what the law requires. That’s not an easy conversation to have. It’s not easy for a young woman to even be present for such a conversation. It takes a pretty special person to put yourself in that situation.” The two say they draw resolve in part from seeing the commitment made by international aid and education workers stationed in Afghanistan. “When I see them I say, ‘They are foreigners and they have motivation for helping, so what about me?’ I have more reasons to work loyally here, to overcome obstacles,” Shamsi said. Then she paused. And the answer to the courage question suddenly became distilled and simple and pure. “Afghanistan is in my soul,” she said.
“It’s really telling that Munira is the kind of person who helps make sure that the abused girl gets some measure of justice, but then she goes to another level and tries to understand how this happens, because that’s where there’s hope for change. That’s why these students are special. They think bigger and broader thoughts than the average lawyer.” PROFESSOR STEINER
It’s very selective, said Professor Ron Steiner, director of graduate programs for the School of Law. There are just 10 lawyers being sponsored this year, and only four of them are women. “Applicants are thoroughly vetted,” he said. “Shamsi and Munira are the cream of the crop. But more than that, they feel an obligation to take advantage of this opportunity.” They certainly appreciate the help they’re getting. “Professor Steiner is a unique teacher,” Munira said. “He has helped us more than we could have imagined — not just in our studies but in our lives, too.” For the law school, the partnership supports a goal to teach at the cutting edge of business and legal understanding, providing a global view that is critical, Steiner said. “The world is flat, and the principles of law are increasingly international,” he noted. “The more students can become familiar with practices from other cultures, the more of an advantage they’ll have.” While Shamsi and Munira are gaining from their interactions with U.S. students, what really sets them apart is the courage they brought with them, Steiner said. “They’ve been willing to put themselves in many challenging situations,” including in providing judicial education to their male elders. 26
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unira and Shamsi were 8 when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 1996 and started issuing edicts restricting just about every aspect of women’s lives. One of the first decrees blocked women and girls from attending school. Women were also forbidden to leave their homes without being accompanied by a male family member, and in public they had to be covered head to toe, with only a mesh opening through which to see and breathe. They couldn’t work outside the home, and any building in which they were present had to have the windows blacked out. Violators were often dealt with brutally by the “religious police,” which enforced the rules via public beatings, arrests and intimidation. Munira remembers hearing the explosions and then seeing tanks roll through the streets as darkness fell the evening of the Taliban takeover. Her family left for Pakistan early the next morning and ended up selling property at half its value to start a new life. Shamsi’s family had already moved to Iran during previous unrest. Both returned to Afghanistan only after U.S. forces drove the Taliban from major cities in 2001 and a new government was installed in 2002. The Afghan Constitution ratified in 2004 guarantees women the right to vote and gives them greater access to education as well as roles in government and professional life.
After what Munira called “serious follow-up work,” the three were arrested, tried and convicted, so the case qualifies as progress in Afghanistan, where previously such acts often went unpunished. The rigorous case concluded, she went to visit the mother in her prison cell. “I sat with her, very close,” Munira related. “She was a simple woman, from a small village. I asked her, ‘Sister, why did you do this to your daughter-in-law?’ She was quiet, then she said, ‘I did this because it says in Islam that if a wife is not accepting of a husband, you should shave her head and cut off her nose.’ “I told her, ‘This is not Islam.’ She was just going by what others had told her.” The first time Professor Steiner heard the story, he was struck not just by the successful prosecution but by the extra step Munira took. “I could imagine many people, maybe even me, ending the story with the conviction and the sense of triumph,” Steiner said. “But Munira sat down with the mother-in-law, and an entirely different aspect of the story opens up. She finds out that the woman isn’t this horrible monster. She’s not literate, not sophisticated — she just picked up these tribal customs and cues. “It’s really telling that Munira is the kind of person who helps make sure that the abused girl gets some measure of justice, but then she goes to another level and tries to understand how this happens, because that’s where there’s hope for change. “That’s why these students are special. They think bigger and broader thoughts than the average lawyer.”
Munira’s father is a lawyer and her grandfather a judge, but it was deficiencies in the rule of law and women’s lack of access to justice that inspired her to pursue her own legal career. Likewise, Shamsi saw “very oppressed human beings — especially women. That really motivated me.” As both Shamsi and Munira started working with U.N. and government agencies to try to protect the rights of women, they saw every day that constitutional protections can be paper thin in the face of misguided beliefs and violent realities. One case they recall involved three girls whose parents had died. Tribal elders ruled that the three would essentially pass as an inheritance to their uncle, and one of them was being forced to marry a cousin. Thanks to a little education, the ruling was reversed. Another case Munira recounted was even more shocking. A 15-year-old had sought a divorce from her husband, and the case revealed some unpleasant family truths. Feeling that the family had been shamed, the husband tracked down his wife and shaved her head while his brother injured her leg. Then their mother took her revenge by cutting off the girl’s nose.
Photo by Lori Shepler
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“This is the time for Afghans to try to solve problems, not to run away from them,” says Shamsi Maqsoudi, right, with Munira Akhundzada.
hamsi and Munira see the statistics and read the news. A report issued in March by the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women calls Afghanistan “one of the most extreme cases of gender inequality in the world,” ranking it 139th out of 145 nations on an equality index. They know that the violence is real, and that the misinformation behind it may take generations to reverse. They also worry about what might happen to tenuous levels of societal and governmental stability once U.S. troops depart sometime in 2014. But none of that overshadows the optimism they exude. They’re buoyed by a 2009 law banning violence against women and setting new penalties for forced marriage and rape. They’ve visited newly opened shelters that give refuge to women escaping abuse. They’ve seen their own work change lives for the better. “We should expect to face problems,” Shamsi said. “If you are not willing to accept these challenges, you cannot make a difference. This is the time for Afghans to try to solve problems, not to run away from them. This is the time to sacrifice to have a better life — a better life for the next generation.” Recently, Professor Steiner had an experience that triggered his own sense of reflection. He accompanied Shamsi and Munira for a lunchtime visit with Judge David O. Carter in his chambers at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana. It was the day of the space shuttle fly-by, so the four of them ambled onto the balcony for a look. “I was thinking, here I am talking with people who just a few weeks ago were working in Nangarhar Women’s Prison,” he said. “That’s where they were, and now they’re here, and a space ship just flew by. “Maybe anything is possible.”
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By Roy Rivenberg
Alumni whose ideas caught fire offer tips on becoming a Web celeb.
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n 1968, when Andy Warhol predicted everyone would become famous for 15 minutes, the Internet was just a gleam in Al Gore’s eye, and “going viral” was something diseases did. Four decades later, Warhol’s forecast seems tailor-made for the digital age.
Shauna Fleming: 5.5 million messages of support to service members.
“With technology, there are new platforms on which we can have our 15 minutes,” says Cory O’Connor, a Chapman professor who teaches social media and advertising in Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. In recent months, Chapman alumni have used all sorts of methods to achieve notoriety: goofy YouTube videos, captivating Facebook posts, traditional press releases, even Legos. Is there a secret to their viral success? Yes and no. The biggest factor in having a clever video, blog or other endeavor take off is luck. “If 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, you can see that the chances of your video going viral are statistically very small,” says Veronica Hefner, a professor of communication studies at Chapman. O’Connor likens the process to standing in the middle of a golf course, holding a key in the air and hoping lightning will strike. If there were a magic formula for going viral, he concludes, everyone would be doing it. Nevertheless, certain steps can improve the odds of something catching on. We asked a panel of viral achievers how they
netted Internet stardom. In no particular order, here are their tips.
>>> Be 15 Years Old
When Shauna Fleming ’11 launched A Million Thanks, which asks people to send notes of appreciation to military men and women, the idea exploded (5.5 million messages and counting) partly because of its patriotic appeal — and partly because Fleming was in high school at the time. Nine out of 10 newspaper and TV interviews focused on her age, she says. Moral of story: Be a teenager. Or, if that’s not possible, figure out some other offbeat or newsworthy hook, says Fleming, a Chapman public relations and advertising graduate who now runs Muse Creative Marketing.
>>> Include a Talking Dog, Batman or Legos
If you’re making a parody video, it’s probably best to avoid arcane subjects like the Monroe Doctrine or the chemical properties of sodium benzoate. A better tack is the one followed by Wesley Freitas ’04,
Failing that, you can try to drum up publicity the old-fashioned way — with a press release, sent by fax. Fleming, for example, initially contacted TV and print journalists via email, with little success. Then her dad suggested faxing her press release. An hour later, her phone started ringing.
>>> Mesmerize the Crowd
Alex Eylar: 5 million views of his Lego creations depicting classic film scenes.
who combined two of the summer’s biggest cultural sensations — Batman and Call Me Maybe — for his spoof, which has logged 1.4 million views. In similar fashion, Alex Eylar ’12 hit Internet paydirt (5 million views) by using Legos to re-create classic movie scenes. “Use pop culture or things people adore in some new way,” Eylar advises. Animals and cute kids also seem to be recurring characters in many viral offerings. Citing last year’s popular talking canine video, O’Connor says dog lovers are “kind of obsessive.” The canine connection may also explain the smash success of underwater dog photos taken by Seth Casteel ’03 and featured in the fall 2012 issue of Chapman Magazine.
The best way to attract eyeballs to your project is to create quality content that touches people, Hefner says: “It’s emotional, funny, piercing, relevant, timely, unexpected or unpredictable, valuable, unique and so forth.” The more of those adjectives you hit, the better your odds of going viral, she says. It also helps to keep things short (a 10-minute video is out of the question, Freitas says) and sweet (for maximum reach, avoid nudity, swearing and other family-unfriendly content, he suggests).
>>> Time the Market
On the Internet, as in life, timing is everything. Your brilliant presidential debate spoof will go nowhere if you publish it weeks after the candidates squared off. And even if you’re quick on the draw, timing can still mess you up. “If you post something on Twitter at 2 in the morning, it’s less likely to go viral than if you post it when most of your followers are logged in,” Hefner says.
>>> Act Naturally
“When people say they want to go viral, sometimes that’s a good way not to go viral,” says Michelle Breyer of NaturallyCurly.com, a website devoted to unruly hair. “If you try too hard, it doesn’t work.” In 1998, Breyer and a wavy-haired colleague launched NaturallyCurly mostly as a lark, a place to vent about their unwieldy tresses. As the digital word of mouth spread, Procter & Gamble and other hair-product companies took notice. Today, NaturallyCurly is a $3.5-million enterprise with 18 full-time employees, Breyer says. Her advice: Choose ideas that spring from personal struggles or passions that resonate with others.
>>> Keep Your Day Job
Perhaps the only thing more elusive than going viral is cashing in if it happens. “In general, the lifespan of [such items] is very short,” Hefner says. “Once someone has seen it and passed it on, it is usually forgotten.” But not every viral veteran is a one-hit wonder. Connor Martin ’10 has transformed his video alter ego, Con Bro Chill, into something of a cottage industry, with T-shirts, CDs and other products. And Casteel’s underwater dogs scored a major book deal. “You have to give people a reason to come back to your site,” Fleming says. For NaturallyCurly’s Breyer, that means keeping an eye peeled for pop culture trends. When Disney released The Princess Diaries, Breyer urged a boycott of the movie because the main character’s royal makeover involved straightening her curly locks. The protest received widespread media coverage.
>>> Watch Out for Train Wrecks
>>> Have a Best Friend
Sure, luck plays a key role in going viral, but don’t forget fortune’s flip side — misfortune. Embarrassing moments and crises are far more likely to explode on the Internet than cute cats and song parodies, O’Connor says. And “bad viral” is typically more intense and less ephemeral than its angelic counterpart, he says. In other words, when it comes to online fame, be careful what you wish for.
Named Oprah
When seeking Internet immortality, it doesn’t hurt to have prominent pals. Freitas’ Batman video got a big boost when a friend who does PR for one of Oprah Winfrey’s subsidiaries showed it to her staff. Another buddy had ties to The Mary Sue blog, which also plugged the spoof. “You have to be a good networker,” Freitas says. Wesley Freitas: 1.4 million views of his Batman/Call Me Maybe film spoof.
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Atrocities by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia three decades ago gain immediacy for Chapman students who witness a tribunal system with many flaws and many lessons. By Dawn Bonker
COURT OF THE KILLING FIELDS
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“It’s not just some ivory tower legal process. It’s important because the victims and survivors of atrocities like the ones we’re talking about deserve better. They deserve better.” LAW PROFESSOR JOHN HALL
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But the tribunal has wallowed in mismanagement. Even its funding has been threatened, as donor nations tire of backing the tribunal. So a mixture of anger, sadness and resignation shadows many of the genocide’s survivors as they watch from afar, says Rama, executive director of The Cambodian Family, a 30-year-old community service agency in Santa Ana. He says he wavers between wanting more from the tribunal and wanting it to just end. “I feel like I’m back there all over again. And it brings up some real emotion of sadness and anger and disbelief that it actually happened,” says Rama, whose Indian parentage made him particularly hated by the Khmer Rouge. “I’m skeptical in terms of whether there’s ever going to be justice. And how far do you go to find justice? At the same time you’re looking for peace and moving forward.”
Photo by Max Kosydar '13
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ome 35 years since the killings began, Sundaram Rama doesn’t know how a small ditch in the Cambodian countryside was big enough to hide three boys. Granted, it was thick with taro root, but still, they were three trembling brothers, fighting back tears. Rama, just 10 years old, clamped his hand over the youngest one’s mouth to silence his crying. The Khmer Rouge cadet who had pursued them paced, cursed and circled the ditch for what seemed an eternity, threatening to kill them on the spot. Finally, he left. Now, in his sunny office in a Santa Ana business building, Rama uses his hands to outline an imaginary ditch across the room. It was only about that big, he says. He shakes his head. “To this day, I do not know how he did not see us,” Rama says. Unanswered questions coupled with delayed justice have long haunted the survivors of the Cambodian genocide carried out by the Pol Pot regime. While tens of thousands of Cambodians immigrated to the U.S. and went on to rebuild their lives, often in Orange County and neighboring Long Beach, civil war in their homeland and Cold War posturing throughout the region delayed the formation of an international court to hear charges of crimes against humanity. Then in 2007, the Khmer Rouge tribunal, officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, was established.
Sundaram Rama displays a treasured family photo taken during his Cambodian childhood. Most such portraits were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge era. Six of the family members pictured perished in the genocide.
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aroline Le knew there would be surprises ahead when she flew to Cambodia to observe the war crimes tribunal of the Khmer Rouge, perpetrators of one of the 20th century’s most brutal genocides that killed people by torture, starvation, disease and execution. One Cambodian judge assigned to the tribunal made bizarre, nonsensical statements. Le found that many young Cambodians preferred to turn away from that murderous period of their country’s history and the horrors of the infamous killing fields. Even the humidity was astounding. But what surprised the Chapman University School of Law student was the odd feeling of sitting in a court with the now-frail and elderly people charged with orchestrating the genocide of 1.7 million people from 1975 to 1979. As the curtain parted from the glass wall that separated trial observers from the judges and defendants, she was struck by the ordinary appearance of the accused. One could have passed for her grandfather. “It was surreal. It really was,” said Le, who studied abroad at The Hague as an undergraduate and holds a master’s degree in international relations. “I sat there thinking about this genocide I had read about in the history books and how it had occurred not that long ago. And now there were these four people who were accused of being in charge of it just sitting 20 feet away from me. It was very strange and unsettling.” But Le and other Chapman law classmates who’ve landed summer internships with the Open Justice Society Initiative (OJSI) say working in Cambodia is a highlight of their legal education. The organization founded by billionaire George Soros aims to strengthen the rule of law worldwide by putting international advisers and watchdogs in places where legal systems may be compromised by political or governmental influence. Thanks to the connections of John Hall, a professor
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he Khmer Rouge tribunal will never bring even a fraction of the genocide’s leaders to justice, Hall says. Under pressure from numerous countries, including the U.S., the United Nations agreed to create a “hybrid” tribunal jointly operated by the U.N. and Cambodia, instead of one run by an international assembly of judges, attorneys and court employees. Half of the court staff is Cambodian. And while evidence exists that would justify trying many more defendants, Cambodia locked the number of cases to be heard at five. Of those, one defendant has been convicted and another ruled unfit because of dementia. The whole thing is a boondoggle, says Hall, who has written op-ed pieces on the subject for numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and the ver the decades, much of the evidence related to the International Herald Tribune. slaughter in the infamous killing fields of Cambodia has “The actions of the Cambodian judges and the employees faded away. But not the memories. La Sok, 58, of Santa Ana, of the tribunal have at key points reflected the political will was separated from his family, forced onto a work crew that of the Cambodian government, rather than upheld what we labored from 4 a.m. to midnight on a hand-dug reservoir and would consider appropriate levels of judicial independence. It’s subsisted on scant rations of watery rice soup. In a field adjacent fantastically frustrating,” Hall said. “There is real concern that we to a duck pond he was charged with tending, he witnessed the have little more than a political show trial.” bludgeoning death of a mother, father and None of which has been lost on his their children. He convinced the Khmer students. The interns were charged with Rouge, who had begun to grow fearful of attending the tribunal sessions, taking retaliations as Vietnamese troops approached notes and writing memos on the court’s the border, that he had seen nothing. proceedings, among other tasks. “I tried to be a robot,” he says. Some of those proceedings took a bizarre Still, he counts himself among the turn during Lincoln’s stint last summer. fortunate. He, his parents and siblings Attorneys for the defense often complained in survived and eventually reunited. Now court that the trial was a circus. Sometimes he displays a new family photograph — the lead judge would turn off speakers’ six children, attending college or working, microphones so observers on the other side and one son in the U.S. Navy. of the glass couldn’t hear what was being Rama’s father, grandparents and said. One attorney wore a large lapel button numerous aunts, uncles and cousins all into court emblazoned with “I (Heart) perished in the killings. He and his brothers DADA.” After much dickering with other were repeatedly beaten during a series of attorneys and the lead judge, he removed it. escapes they attempted largely out of As a young man, La Sok performed Later he made a statement explaining that overwhelming hunger. At one point they grueling forced labor under Khmer it referenced Dadaism, an avant-garde art plunged into a monsoon-swollen river, even Rouge rule. Today he is a U.S. citizen movement of the early 20th century that though they didn’t know how to swim, just and volunteers at Cambodian Family, rejected convention and embraced the to reach the other side, where there was food. a social service agency. absurd. The tribunal was just that, he said. Then came the day they hid in the ditch, “It made you appreciate our criminal law system,” Lincoln desperate to slip into another camp, again in search of food. said with a smile. Luckily, they were found by a woman who was the mother of Mixed in were chilling visits to torture sites and the a disenchanted Khmer Rouge officer. The boys were absorbed killing fields. into the camp, under the quiet protection of the woman’s son. “When you go to the killing fields, you see pits everywhere. Over the years, Rama often wondered what became of that You have to walk around the perimeter. At the high school woman. Then one day he was in Irvine, among several Cambodian that was converted for torture, the tile is still stained from all refugees invited to talk to a student organization. He walked the blood,” Lincoln says. into the room and there she was. No one laments the tribunal more than the genocide’s “I didn’t give my speech. I just sat and told the story of how survivors. With Rama as his interpreter, La says that most she rescued us,” he says. Cambodians are resigned to the tribunal’s meager delivery For Rama, that was a day that ended with an answer to one of justice. of many questions. at the Chapman School of Law who has worked in the region on behalf of factory workers, victims of human trafficking and farmers facing forced relocation, several students have interned with OJSI. It is a profound experience, they say. “It really tested my independence and courage and proved to me that you can do things that you’re a little bit scared of,” said Stephanie Lincoln, a second-year Chapman law student who interned this past summer with OJSI. “It confirmed for me that I should be here, be in law school, be dedicated to others through the practice of law.”
Photo by Max Kosydar '13
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“The system of justice is not open. They’re just trying to pick a few. It’s hard to get true justice,” he says. But La believes the process is not without at least a sliver of merit. “For the next generation, if the communication and publicity of the trial is public, especially for people in the United States, they are able to observe and learn more about it so they understand the history.”
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Scholars of international law aren’t the only ones at Chapman focusing on the lingering scars of the Khmer Rouge genocide. Angeliki Kanavou, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, is studying how the era is shaping the lives of a generation born decades after the violence. “We are particularly interested in patterns of trust, types of empathy and empathic responses,” says Kanavou, whose research interests also include conflict resolution and peace studies.
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espite the tribunal’s limitations, someone still needs to keep watch, Lincoln says. So for that, at least, she feels good about the work of contributing to the reports and articles OJSI posts on its website to keep the international community alert to human rights issues across the globe. “I definitely think having these kinds of groups monitoring trials like this is really important,” Lincoln says. Le, the Chapman law student, admits that she is not quite the idealist she was at the start of her Cambodian trip. But neither is she a defeatist. “Just because something is going wrong and people aren’t doing what they should, doesn’t mean you should give up,” she says. There will be little justice for the 1.7 million who died in the genocide, Hall says. Still, he pulls a thread of hope from the episode. The international legal community now has a strong distaste for hybrid tribunals and isn’t likely to tolerate another. From history’s lessons, Hall hopes for a better future. “You can read about these things and you can study them, but it’s very different to go out into the field. You see clients who have survived the Khmer Rouge and they’re talking about their experiences and it’s very different. Every time I go to Cambodia it reminds me of why I do what I do and why it’s important,” Hall says. “It’s not just some ivory tower legal process. It’s important because the victims and survivors of atrocities like the ones we’re talking about deserve better. They deserve better.”
Kanavou plans to travel to Cambodia next spring to conduct extensive interviews with Cambodians ages 18 to 27. Previously she has surveyed attitudes and behaviors among Khmer Rouge perpetrators. Her research may yield insights that help survivors and their children cope with the fallout from extreme trauma. Learn more about Kanavou’s research via Web-exclusive content at www.chapman.edu/magazine.
“Just because something is going wrong and people aren't doing what they should, doesn't mean you should give up," says Caroline Le, right, shown with fellow Chapman law student and tribunal observer Stephanie Lincoln.
Photo by Dawn Bonker
There will be little justice for the 1.7 million who died in the genocide, Hall says. Still, he pulls a thread of hope from the episode. The international legal community now has a strong distaste for hybrid tribunals and isn’t likely to tolerate another.
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF GENOCIDE
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Web exclusive page
GENOCIDE’S LINGERING TOLL A Chapman professor’s research examines how the atrocities of war affect the next generation.
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By Dawn Bonker
rom historians to poets, much has been written about the USC School of International Studies, has targeted Cambodia the scars of war. But what about the less-tangible wounds for her research. But there are many countries where it would that can gnaw at the next generation? How does parents’ resonate, from Guatemala to South Africa, she says. experience with violence shape the lives of their children and “We cannot forget about societies that have undergone such extend even into community life? violent upheavals and assume that things are on the way up,” Angeliki Kanavou, an assistant professor in the Department she says. of Political Science and the Peace Studies Program at Chapman The project is an outgrowth of her other work in Cambodia University, is trying to answer such questions. She’s studying examining former Khmer Rouge perpetrators’ relationship young adults in Cambodia whose parents were first-hand with the larger community. She is still writing the results from witnesses to the Khmer Rouge genocide from 1975 to 1979. that study, but she traveled to South Africa in December to Social scientists know that domestic violence and crime recurs present preliminary findings at a conference called Engaging in families, but less is the Other: Breaking known about the broader Intergenerational Cycles societal aftershocks of of Repetition. widespread violence after Kanavou plans to an in-country conflict, conduct the next round Kanavou says. of interviews this spring, “Human reality is very focusing on adults complex and it needs to ages 18 to 27 because be studied. We know they are generally very little about such the children born to complex things,” she says. survivors, perpetrators Adopting a “let bygones and bystanders of the be bygones” policy may Khmer Rouge genocide. seem easier and cheaper Specifically, the than promoting and researchers want to supporting reconciliation learn if the parents work, rebuilding programs who came of age in The residual effects of genocide on young people in Cambodia are being and legal proceedings to the midst of strife have studied by Chapman Professor Angeliki Kanavou. “We cannot forget bring perpetrators to children who grow up about societies that have undergone such violent upheavals and justice. But in the long run with problems of trust assume that things are on the way up,” she says. it could contribute to the and empathy. Results will cycle of repeated violence, be coded and analyzed she says. by Chapman students in the Henley Social Sciences Research “Post-conflict societies suffer from tremendous violence Laboratory at Wilkinson College. and breakdown of the social tissue,” she explains. “Things Given the meshing of politics and psychology, the project go bad eventually again and we wonder, where did this naturally lent itself to an interdisciplinary approach. Kanavou come from?” even audited one of Kuchenbecker’s courses in developmental Kanavou, working with her Chapman colleague Shari psychology. Kuchenbecker, an assistant professor in the Crean School “The political here is psychology and vice versa,” of Health and Life Sciences, and a fellow researcher from Kanavou says.
CHAPMAN MAGAZINE
By Dennis Arp
A gift from Huell Howser, the Volcano House soon will draw astronomy students, environmental scientists, artists and others beckoned by its unique charms.
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eep in the Mojave Desert east of Barstow, miles past the railroad tracks that parallel Highway 40, the biggest sign around warns “Pavement Ends.” This is where the fun begins. Beyond the next dusty bend on Silver Valley Road is a sight unlike any other. Huell Howser got goose bumps when he first saw it eight years ago, and his eyes have beheld just about every wonder the Golden State has to offer. Perched atop a 150-foot cinder cone, the saucer-shaped Volcano House looks like it flew in from another dimension and landed where it could offer a view that stretches into forever. “I can imagine the look of astonishment when the first film student or the first astronomy or geology student sees the house and thinks about the possibilities,” Howser said, his enthusiasm rising like the dirt road that winds to the abode he bought minutes after first seeing it.
“The Volcano House is a perfect location for a variety of academic activities involving environmental studies and biosciences in general.” CHANCELLOR DANIELE STRUPPA.
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To him, the house is a “magical place,” and now he has made it his gift to the Chapman learning community. The university is restoring the structure to accentuate its charms and will make it available to students and faculty. Not just student filmmakers, geologists and astronomers will visit, but other scientists, visual artists, philosophers, composers — who knows how many will make the two-hour trek from campus, seeking insights or inspiration? “The Volcano House is a perfect location for a variety of academic activities involving environmental studies and biosciences in general,” said Chapman Chancellor Daniele Struppa. “Other possible uses would involve astronomy short courses, which could take advantage of the darkness of the desert. “I also wondered whether I could use it as a retreat after a particularly difficult Faculty Senate meeting.”
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he potential uses for the 60-acre property are almost as expansive as the surrounding volcanic terrain. “I can’t tell you how much it excites me that those blanks will be filled in and those possibilities explored by Chapman students and others from the university,” said Howser, who for more than two decades has produced and hosted the TV show California’s Gold, one of the longest-running and most beloved series about California ever developed. The success of California’s Gold, which airs on PBS stations throughout the state, launched six additional series about California and made Howser a beloved and iconic figure. Last year, he donated his treasure trove of a video archive to Chapman, which has digitized it and made it available for free at www.huellhowserarchive.com. He has also endowed a California’s Gold Scholarship, donated more than 250 boxes
of papers and ephemera related to his travels, as well as 1,800 books about California, while sharing his insights with Chapman film, broadcasting and history students. With his gift of the Volcano House, the connection between Howser and Chapman grows even stronger. The house itself is a mid-century-modern marvel, said Kris Eric Olsen, vice president of Campus Planning and Operations at Chapman. “It’s like a time capsule of that era,” said Olsen, who expects the restoration to be finished by the end of 2012. “To be able to preserve and restore a home like this is a dream come true for Campus Planning. When Huell says it’s one of a kind, he’s absolutely right.” The idea to construct a house atop a cinder-cone volcano began with engineer Vard Wallace, who made his fortune
To view a slide show of Volcano House images — many shot by Chapman students — as well as a time-lapse video, go to www.chapman.edu/magazine.
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providing drafting machines and specialty parts to aircraft manufacturers during World War II. Builders overcame the site’s many obvious challenges, and Wallace realized his dream in 1968. Howser bought the 1,800-square-foot, two-bedroom home from its second owner, British developer Richard Baily, who had never met the legendary host of California’s Gold but thought of him immediately when he put the house up for sale in 2004. Intrigued, Howser drove out to see it. “I literally shook hands and bought the house that morning,” he said. “As much of California as I’ve seen, I had never seen a house like that in a setting like that.” Howser already had two desert homes — one in Twentynine Palms and another in Palm Springs — so his visits to the Volcano House were infrequent. However, he has fond memories of
watching from its broad patio as storms swept across the landscape, and of gazing into a night sky so full of stars that it almost seemed unreal. “With the wind and rain, it’s a very physical place,” he said. “But it also can be a very spiritual place.” So while Howser kids that his experience with the house is a cautionary tale about buying property on a whim, he quickly adds that he wouldn’t for a minute want to undo his decision. “It ended up being one of my best decisions, because look at how the whole thing is turning out,” he said. “Now the Volcano House will be used in a much richer and fuller way. “The house is one of a kind, and the same applies to Chapman. It’s like it was meant to be.”
“With the wind and rain, it’s a very physical place. But it also can be a very spiritual place.”HUELL HOWSER
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hroughout his prolific 30-year television career, Huell Howser has shed light on the unique culture of California, recognizing extraordinary qualities in everyday people and situations in his signature program, California’s Gold. And now he is also shaping the stories of Chapman University students through the California’s Gold Scholarship, a gift he has generously funded and will ultimately bolster through a bequest in his living trust. California’s Gold Scholarships will be awarded to students who view the world with an optimistic outlook and tackle life’s challenges with a positive attitude. Because it is an endowment, the California’s Gold Scholarship will continue creating educational opportunities for Chapman students for generations to come. Howser wanted to create a legacy that will stand the test of time and continue to make an impact on the lives of students far into the future. “[The students] appreciate those scholarships; every cent they can get helps them meet their goals and their dreams,” he said. It was also important to Howser that the endowment not include his name but rather reflect the spirit and essence of California’s Gold. “A hundred years from now, there won’t be a person walking on this planet who knows or cares who Huell Howser was. The words ‘California’s Gold’ will no longer mean anything about me or about a television series,” he said. “They will mean what California’s Gold has always truly meant: not the literal gold nuggets that they pulled out of the earth, not the riches people got when they came here, but the dreams that brought people here and are still bringing people here.” In addition to his estate gift, Howser named Chapman as the permanent home for the majority of his life’s work, including all episodes of California’s Gold, California’s Missions and Road Trip. In accord with his wishes, the collection has been digitized and is available for free at www.huellhowserarchive.com. Howser’s legacy is secure at Chapman because of his vision and generosity. If you would like to learn about establishing your own philanthropic legacy through estate planning, contact David B. Moore, director of planned giving, at 714-516-4590 or dmoore@chapman.edu. You may also use our online wills planner at www.chapman.edu/myplan.
Rick Muth (MBA ’81), third from left, shares a moment in front of the newly named Doti Hall with, from left, Reggie Gilyard, dean of the Argyros School of Business and Economics, President Jim Doti and Professor Esmael Adibi, director of the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research. Muth's company, Orco Block, donated the construction blocks used to build Doti Hall, which will provide 15,000 square feet of classroom and office space for Chapman University.
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ALLEN KOENIG Allen Koenig, the former Chapman president who led the effort to have the school renamed as a university, died on Aug. 28 in Dublin, Ohio. He was 73. Koenig served as Chapman’s 11th president from 1989 to 1991. President Jim Doti, his successor, remembered Koenig as instrumental in spearheading the university’s growth. “Although Dr. Koenig’s tenure was brief, it was pivotal in that his vision and leadership transformed Chapman College into Chapman University. He initiated new strategies to build enrollment, improve student quality and increase retention rates,” Doti said. “In many ways, I believe we are honoring Allen’s Chapman legacy as we strive to make our learning community ever more involving, exciting and fulfilling.” Raymond Sfeir, now vice chancellor for academic administration, was an economics professor when Koenig was president and also remembered his colleague for initiating Chapman’s growth and advancement. “President Koenig joined Chapman at a time when it was facing an identity crisis as well as major challenges. He engineered the name change from Chapman College to Chapman University, which led us to a period of growth and put us on a path of excellence,” Sfeir said. Before coming to Chapman, Koenig served from 1979 to 1989 as president of Emerson College in Boston, where he helped expand extension and studyabroad offerings. He also led the college to purchase property and develop programs in Boston’s theatre district. In 1992, he co-founded the Registry for College and University Presidents and served for many years as its vice chair. The registry is the nation’s premier organization for placement of interim presidents and senior officers and has a membership of more than 300 past presidents and senior academic administrators. In 2012, Koenig became co-founding director and vice chairman emeritus of the registry. During his 19 years with the firm, he conducted more than 200 presidential searches and interim placements. He led an equal number of higher-education vice presidential and dean searches. Koenig is survived by his wife, Judy Gill Koenig; and three children, Wendy L. Koenig, Jody Koenig Kellas and Mark Allen Koenig.
Julian ‘40 and Gloria Peterson ‘41
GLORIA PETERSON ’41 Trustee Emeritus Gloria Peterson ’41, a devoted alumna who decided to attend Chapman while listening to the 1930s radio broadcasts of Charles C. Chapman, has died. She was 95. “When she got (to Chapman), she fell in love with it,” said her brother, Elbert Hudson of Los Angeles. “Chapman was her life.” Peterson worked as a Los Angeles County social worker until receiving her teaching credential in 1952. Then she taught kindergarten through second grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District until her retirement in 1980. She and her late husband, Julian ’40, retired to Mission Viejo that year and soon became tireless volunteers for the university. Gloria served on Chapman’s Board of Trustees from 1994 until 2008. The Petersons were generous donors of scholarship funds. The Peterson Award, the highest student leadership prize at Chapman, was established by the couple. “When I first started at Chapman University as the alumni director in 2004, Gloria was among the first people to welcome me,” said David Moore, Chapman’s director of planned giving. “As we sat talking about the history, traditions and legacy of Chapman, I could see her deep love for her alma mater. She was proper and well-composed, and I will always think of Gloria as a pragmatic decider. Julian would make decisions of the heart, but Gloria was much more analytical and thoughtful in her process. Together they were great role models for alumni engagement, leadership and giving.” The couple served in myriad volunteer positions, including for alumni programs, athletics and Town and Gown. The work of Gloria and Julian was honored in 1990 when they were presented with the C.C. Chapman Distinguished Service Medal, a rare honor presented only eight times in the university’s history. It is awarded by special approval of the Board of Trustees. In addition to her brother, Gloria Peterson is survived by a sister, Melba Sparks of Marina del Rey. WINTER 2012
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A CUT ABOVE For 20 years, Kurt Soderling’s aerial cinematography has helped action films reach stratospheric success.
Righter Photo by Dennis
By Julie Artman
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In these scenes and many more, Soderling is the off-screen character bringing onscreen moments to life. Assisting action directors from Cameron to Michael Bay to Marc Webb, with whom he worked on the recent release The Amazing Spider-Man, Soderling has become Hollywood’s go-to guy for spectacular aerial cinematography. At its heart, Soderling’s job is to “imagine things that don’t exist” and then make them happen, he says. “I’ve worked with the best directors and cinematographers, whose mix of visual aesthetics and technical chops inspire me,” he adds. “It’s always about the storytelling and the best shot to tell that story.” Soderling’s own Hollywood story started at Chapman, where he earned a degree in communications, with an emphasis in mass media, film/television production. His behind-the-camera skills first took flight as he worked with Dean Bob Bassett and Professor Jay Boylan. Kurt Soderling ‘88 shoots near the Wrigley Building in Chicago, Over his 20 years as an filming a scene for the action movie Dhoom 3, planned for industry professional, Soderling release in 2013. has honed his craft and artistry, rising from camera operator to aerial Cut to the first day on the set of James director of photography. His body of Cameron’s Titanic, the director already work includes more than 120 feature films, having fired six people. Soderling readies including Independence Day, Armageddon a wide aerial shot of Leonardo DiCaprio and Pearl Harbor, as well as recent TV series and Kate Winslet as flares ignite all around such as The Mentalist and Hawaii Five-O. the doomed ship. Cameron turns to ask, One of Soderling’s first aerial photography “Think you can do this?” gigs was 1995’s Crimson Tide, on which Cut to deep night and a complicated he worked alongside director Tony Scott. two-helicopter shoot of a lizard attack on “Tony would sit behind me, and I will a suspension bridge, cars stacked and always remember his voice telling me as he passengers in peril, Spider-Man poised twisted my shoulders, ‘Pan left and zoom in, to save the day.
he helicopter hovers so low over the river that water splashes against the feet of Kurt Soderling ’88, who stands on the outside skid, camera at the ready. Suddenly, the copter rises as a raft careens into range with Meryl Streep aboard, gripping two oversized oars. How better to capture the perfect action shot in the Curtis Hanson thriller The River Wild?
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Kurt’...‘Hold that, Kurt’...‘That’s great, Kurt.’” Soderling learned early in his career that a good working relationship with the pilot is critical, ensuring that the camera is positioned perfectly for the shot. As for the inherent dangers of aerial cinematography, Soderling has never been concerned. “Sometimes the rides in the production vans are scarier than when I’m flying,” he says.
“It’s always about the storytelling and the best shot to tell that story.” Over time, Soderling has also earned the trust of directors, who often invite him to collaborate with surprising latitude. “On The Hunger Games, I was just handed photographs from the visual effects team — a wish list of terrain shots to build the scene of the march from the district to the Capitol for the annual fight,” Soderling says. On Seabiscuit, director Gary Ross offered the simplest of instructions. “Do what you do,” is all he said. These days, Soderling does what he can to brighten the future of his craft. He’s passionate about developing new technologies, such as a remote/GPS-operated camera to allow for greater flexibility and adaptability. In addition, he has taken on the roles of producer and director; he and his wife, Melinda, now have their own production company (www.soderlingproductions.com) and are completing work on the documentary MOVE, which looks at the commercial dance industry from an insider’s perspective. Plus, like his father, Chapman University
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Putting NASA’s
Mission in Focus
By Dawn Bonker
If you watched coverage of the Mars rover Curiosity this summer and relished the sight of all those blue-shirted NASA engineers hugging and crying upon its landing, you saw the work of a Chapman University alumna.
Trustee Ronald Soderling, Kurt maintains a focus on giving back, which includes serving on the Chapman University Alumni Board of Advisors. For his career achievements and his commitment to philanthropy, Kurt received Chapman’s Ron Thronson Alumni of the Year Award in 2000 and the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award in 2003 from Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. It all adds up to an impressive portrait of success that just keeps gaining depth, as evidenced by Soderling’s work on the forthcoming films Phantom, with Ed Harris and David Duchovny, and The Hive, starring Abigail Breslin and Halle Berry. The wild ride continues, and Mr. Cameron has his answer. Yes, James, the man who helped your unsinkable film reach new heights can do this job just fine.
Soderling, left, is show on location in New York for The Amazing Spider-Man, with pilots Al Cerullo, center, and Paul Barth.
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inematographer Jillian Arnold (MFA ’07) was behind that camera, capturing the memorable sights that were shown live around the world, including on the electronic screen of Times Square. Arnold is hired by NASA to document its work. “When I found out it was playing in Times Square, I had to put that out of my head,” she says. NASA has long excelled at telling the human story behind space exploration. Decades of iconic images were caught because someone with a camera was on the job. In capturing the night of Curiosity’s success, Arnold says she knew she was upholding a great tradition. “That mission was just so important to me, as well as to the people at (Jet Propulsion Laboratory),” says Arnold, whose MFA is in film production from Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.
Jillian Arnold (MFA ‘07)
“I visualized that mission, both the good scenarios and the bad scenarios. And I tried to experience all that emotionally, so I would be spent of it later.” Then she laughs. “But it didn’t work.” For the first time in her career, she cried through an entire shoot. But Arnold’s camera kept rolling, through all the tense moments of the landing, the infamous “seven minutes of terror” as engineers endured the time it takes to transmit the rover’s wellbeing, the jubilant “all clear” moment. “I knew that everyone in that room was doing everything they could to make it a success and I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could, too,” says Arnold, who also teaches electronic cinematography at Dodge College. Arnold has also covered the landing of the Phoenix rover and two comet flyby missions, as well as many spacecraft tests. Her film and TV credits include CBS’ Big Brother. But she likes to tell her students to think beyond Hollywood. “There are jobs in places that you don’t think about at first,” she says. So what assignment could possibly bring a bigger audience than a dramatic landing on the red planet? Maybe an Olympics, she says. “I shoot things that happen once, they cost millions of dollars and I don’t get a trial (run),” she says. “Nothing really scares me anymore.”
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C L A S S
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E-mail your news and photos to alumni@chapman.edu or mail to: Alumni Engagement, One University Drive, Orange, Calif. 92866. Any pictures received by mail will be scanned and returned. Class Notes are subject to editing due to space. To post Class Notes and photos online, visit www.alumni.chapman.edu
1930s A Ella Lou Henshaw, B.A. sociology ’37, celebrated her 100th birthday Oct. 6 at First Baptist Church of La Crescenta with 200 to 300 family and friends, including Salli Stockton, B.A. sociology/economics ’73 (MBA ’92).
1940s B Julia Davis, B.A. physical education ’47, was among those celebrating the 50th anniversary of Beta Chi on the Orange campus of Chapman University during Homecoming and Family Weekend in October. Also attending the reunion were Barbara Post, B.A. mathematics ’65; Christine Baker, B.A. religion ’64; Salli Stockton, B.A. sociology/ economics ’73 (MBA ’92); Carleen Moore Carter, B.A. sociology ’70; and Willy Hall, B.A. home economics ’64 (M.A. education ’75).
1950s C James A. Todd ’58, recently came across a Chapman Dance Band photo from the 1954–55 school year, the first year Chapman was on the Orange campus. James can be seen playing the piano in the photo. He remembers going to the Chapman open house in Hollywood during his senior year in high school. His parents and grandparents were very impressed with the school. His grandfather, John Alexander Todd, made a sizable donation to help the school move to Orange, and his grandmother was a prayer warrior for Chapman. His aunt and uncle, Ned and Mandane Lewis of Anaheim, also were loyal supporters. James and his wife will be in Orange next year and are excited to see the progress Chapman has made.
1960s Sue L. Elkins, B.A. art ’68, recently retired as library media specialist for the Dekalb County schools in Georgia after working in education
for more than 30 years. She now volunteers as a tutor in the Clarkson Community Center for refugees.
A Steve Hopkins, B.A. sociology ’63, and Ruth (Gortsema) Hopkins, B.A. sociology ’64, celebrated their 48th anniversary in September. The Chapman sweethearts met in Spanish class Ruth’s freshman year and have been together ever since.
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John Yoder, B.A. economics /business administration ’72, ran for Supreme Court justice in West Virginia and won this year. After attending Chapman University, he earned a J.D. at the University of Kansas and MBA at the University of Chicago, and went on to become a state senator and judge in West Virginia.
1980s Loretta Sanchez, B.S. business administration ’82, recently spoke at the Emerging Scholars Conference at Chapman, as a featured presenter on the topic of bullying and the search for solutions to this widespread problem. Loretta is an eight–term U.S. congresswoman, representing the 47th District in Orange County, Calif.
Carleen Moore Carter
1990s C D Alex Hayden, B.S. business administration
’95, is executive director at Cushman & Wakefield. He brokered the recent $20 million transaction in which Chapman University acquired two buildings in Irvine, Calif., that in 2014 will house Chapman graduate programs in the health sciences. After the deal was done, Alex was inspired to make a $100,000 gift to the Chapman Fund. He is shown presenting the check to President Jim Doti and Harold Hewitt, executive vice president and chief operating officer. Alex Hayden (center)
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E Ruth Herrera, B.A. sociology ’99, married Eric Guelcher on June 25, 2011, in Long Beach, where they reside. Alpha Phi sorority sister Kathy Camacho, BFA film and television ’98, who works as a producer for a major television news network, was a bridesmaid. Ruth also has her MSW and has worked as a social worker in Los Angeles County for 11 years. They welcomed a daughter, Lucia Michelle HerreraGuelcher, to the world Sept. 18, 2012, naming her in memory of Ruth’s mother. F Sinan Kanatsiz, B.A. communication studies ’97 (M.A. organizational leadership ’00), is chairman and CEO of KCOMM. He and his wife recently welcomed a daughter, Arden Kanatsiz, on Sept. 7 at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.
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Rebecca Martinez, B.A. liberal studies ’94 (M.A. ’00) was recently appointed principal of El Modena High School in Orange. G Erich Matola, M.A. education ’93, has been named chief information officer of Colorado State University, Pueblo. Erich has more than 10 years of CIO and director-level leadership experience at higher-education institutions. Since 2009, Erich has provided leadership and vision on technology issues for the University of Wisconsin, Platteville.
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2000s Tobi Becerra, BFA dance and theatre ’01, will leave her position in University Advancement at Chapman for a position in the Office of Development at Santa Clara University so she can be closer to her family in the Bay Area.
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H Heather Binns, B.A. communication studies/PR and advertising ’00, CPT, has been recognized by the National Academy of Best-Selling Authors for her new book Results Fitness! She is also the owner/founder of Full of Life Fitness and is certified as a personal trainer, fitness instructor and coach. I Sarah (Smith) Brands, B.A. liberal studies ’07 and a teaching credential, married Taylor Smith on June 30 at Lake Oak Meadows in Temecula, Calif. Bari Smith, BFA digital arts ’09, was their maid of honor. Sarah and Taylor reside in San Diego, where Sarah teaches fifth grade. Sarah played on the Chapman women’s basketball team 2003–06.
Heather Breen Schlossnagle, MFA film production ’07, recently joined the Chapman University Panther Productions team as an associate producer. Mike Brown, B.A. business ’06, founded ModBargains in January 2005 when he was 19. Nearly eight years later, the company is thriving and continuing to grow. ModBargains sells and installs products to make vehicles look better and go faster. On Oct. 13, Mike and ModBargains hosted a car meet at their shop in La Habra, Calif., featuring more than 200 vehicles. More information is at modbargains.com. Adriana Chavez, BFA theatre and dance ’01, is nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Ensemble for her work in Homunculus: Reloaded, produced by Homunculus Mask Theater. The IT Awards honor artistic excellence in Off-Off-Broadway theatre. Elisha Christian, BFA film and television ’01; Jeremy Gantz, BFA film and television ’04; Olicer Munoz, BFA film and television ’03;
Efrain Solis ’11 and Professor Peter Atherton celebrate Solis’ regional victory in Los Angeles.
The Voice of Success
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frain Solis ’11 loves to test himself. And these days, he’s taking on a number of challenges with the full depth of his rich baritone voice. Recently he was named Western Region champion in a prestigious Metropolitan Opera competition, earning a berth in the national semifinals in March at the Met in New York. He now has won two phases of the competition, and if he’s one of five Grand Winners, he’ll earn $15,000. Solis’ life as a competitive performer began in earnest as a vocal performance major at the Chapman University Conservatory of Music. He learned the lessons of audition en route to roles in College of Performing Arts productions that helped him gain confidence, he said. Professor Peter Atherton guided Solís during his undergraduate days and continues to mentor him as he transitions to the life of a professional. “Professor Atherton always supports me, challenges me and provides the tools I need to succeed through all of the different opportunities,” said Solís, who’s pursuing a Master’s of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. After Solis graduated from Chapman, Atherton encouraged him to reach beyond his comfort zone and audition for the title role in Eugene Onegin with Russian Opera Workshop in Philadelphia. Solís landed the role, jump-starting his career. He also has played Guglielmo in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and Figaro in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with Operafestival di Roma in Italy. “I love a good challenge,” he said.
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Emma Salahuddin ’71 with John Sanders ’70, the founding president of the Black Student Union.
Legacy of Support
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child of the Jim Crow South who witnessed the birth of the civil rights movement, Emma Salahuddin ’71 first arrived in Southern California in 1967 after a 3½-day bus ride from Thomasville, Ga. Chapman administrator Merton Brown ’44 met her at the station. “What other college would send the director of admissions to pick up a new student?” she said. Salahuddin quickly found a home at Chapman, where she helped launch the Black Student Union (BSU). During the recent Homecoming and Family Weekend, the art graduate and retired educator linked with fellow keepers of the flame to honor champions of opportunity, including the late Professor Richard Doetkott — the BSU’s founding adviser. In addition, Salahuddin helped dedicate the BSU Paul Mayfield Endowment, named for her classmate who died in South Africa while both studied on World Campus Afloat. Supporting the scholarship fund — which is at $25,000 and counting — is a remastered CD called Worship in Black America, featuring historic spirituals recorded by the BSU Choir in 1968. And the march of Freedom, Oh Freedom continues. “A generation carried the ball for us, and then we took it and moved things forward,” Salahuddin said. “It’s exciting to see that the BSU mission endures.”
Kyle Klutz, BFA film and television ’03; Brian Swanson, BFA film and television ’03; and Steve Suh, BFA film and television ’03, recently produced a video for the Valtari Mystery Film Experiment. If they win the competition they plan to donate all proceeds to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Cinema Editors Award for best editing of a reality television show in 2011.
Ethan Cushing, MFA film production ’08; Christin Mizelle, MFA film and television ’08; Dianne Ward, MFA film and television producing ’08; Chris Wiltz, MFA screenwriting ’07; Bryan Nest, MFA film production ’09; David Gibb, BFA film production ’08; Yash Bhatt, MFA film production ’08; Kali (Waters) Cushing, B.A. public relations/ advertising ’08, Frederick Bourbon Bhopal, and one undergraduate created a 15-minute film exploring a new rendition of Batman called Batman: Puppet Master. Their film has more than 181,000 views on YouTube and introduces viewers to new versions of familiar characters from the Batman comics, including Mr. Zsasz, Scarface and Edward Nigma. The film can be seen free at batmanpuppetmaster.com.
David Grau ’06 B.A. public relations/advertising, recently competed in an AT&T Mobile application contest as a co-founder/ designer with the theme “It Can Wait – Don’t Text While Driving.” David, a creative director and designer at an interactive agency, and 11-year-old Victoria Walker were awarded $20,000 to bring their smartphone application to the public. The prize-winning software, called Rode Dog, allows friends and family to organize themselves into “packs” and monitor their text messaging habits.
Alex David, Class of ’09, delivered an inspirational speech in support of the arts at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman. David is the grandson of the Muscos, co-chairs of the center’s successful fundraising campaign.
Lindsay Hagen-Wayne, B.A. public relations/advertising ’06, is organizational development manager at Oakley.
Desiree Echevarria, TV production/ broadcast journalism ’09, recently co-produced a feature-length football documentary called The Hopeful, released in October. The film, produced by SportsArc Entertainment, is being distributed through SnagFilms and has picked up numerous awards at film festivals throughout the country. Jeremy Gantz, B.A. fine arts ’04, has a career as a television editor and won the American
Alexa Giuffre ’11 and Rob Steinhauser, BFA Screen Acting ’11, are in a movie called The Newest Pledge, which was released by Lions Gate Films in August.
Chris Greene, B.A. economics ’09, is a Navy seaman who recently completed basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., with honors and was awarded the Military Officers Association Award (MOAA) for his exceptional professionalism.
J Patrick Hardy, B.A. political science and legal studies ’06, in August became the 64th Accredited Speaker in the history of Toastmasters International during the organization’s International Convention in Orlando. Accredited Speaker is the highest award in international professional public speaking. Patrick, a former U.S. National Intercollegiate Public Speaking gold medalist, is the youngest person to attain this elite designation.
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K Krissy (Bracken) Hoggatt, B.A. athletic training ’08 (M.A. athletic training and teaching credential ’12), was recently married.
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Matt Jaeckel, B.S. of business administration ’06, district sales manager at Premier World Discovery, offers group travel programs for alumni and community groups all across the country. The company’s travel programs are also fundraisers for Chapman University. Destinations include Cuba, Italy and Ireland. He lives in Orange.
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Andy Knauer, B.A. screenwriting ’06, wrote Arnold Schwarzenegger’s newest film, The Last Stand, coming to theaters in 2013. Leia Lineberger, B.A. political science ’09, has accepted a job as communications adviser in the Budget, Policy and Planning Division of the office of Texas Gov. Rick Perry. She will move to Austin soon. L Matthew Lohr, MFA
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screenwriting ’02, co-authored the upcoming book Dan O’Bannon’s Guide to Screenplay Structure. After completing his studies at Chapman, Matt worked with former Chapman filmmaker-in-residence Dan O’Bannon (Alien, Total Recall, Return of the Living Dead) on the book, which outlines a proprietary screenplay structural method known as “dynamic structure.” Dan passed away in 2009 with the manuscript unpublished. At the request of Dan’s wife, Diane, of Michael Wiese Productions, Matt completed the manuscript, which will be published Jan. 1. Luis Lopez, B.S. business administration ’09, was recently engaged to Lauren Johnson. Monica Mordaunt, BFA dance performance ’12, recently performed in the San Diego Dance Theatre’s annual Trolley Dances, in which the audience travels on a trolley to the different performance sites. She was pictured on the front page of the Union Tribune newspaper.
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Olicer Munoz, BFA film and television ’03, was second unit director for a feature film titled Anatomy of the Tide, starring Jamie Lynn Sigler. He is also pitching a television show he directed and produced and is raising money for a feature film he wrote titled Nathan’s Kingdom. With support from fellow alumni, he has already put together a production team and filmed a movie trailer that will be posted this year. M Kendra Pearce, B.S. business
administration ’04, owns a new women’s clothing boutique called Taim in Laguna Beach. The airy seaside space features popular and respected brands. N Whitney (Duncan) Prag, B.A.
French ’09, married Russ Prag, B.A. economics ’08, on Aug. 11 at Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y. They were honored that many Chapman alumni made the trip to celebrate with them as guests and members of the wedding party. Brian Reinsch, B.S. chemistry ’06, has received his Ph.D. from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, where he also received an M.S. in ’09. He has accepted a postdoctoral research position at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne, Switzerland. His next research project will remediate groundwater from uranium mining in Kazakhstan. Lisa Roach, M.A. education ’08, is a first-grade teacher at Girls Preparatory Charter School of New York. “As a proud alumna of Chapman University, I am eager to share my college experience with my students. I look forward to telling them all about my time on the Orange Campus, especially during the acquisition of the piece of the Berlin Wall for the reflection
From left, Rebecca Pantaleon ’06, Noel (Villasenor) Tyner ’04 (MBA ’09) and Patricia (Waddy) Alexander ’88.
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oel (Villasenor) Tyner ’04 (MBA ’09) calls it seed money, but the $500 that spawned an endowment might be better described as a preface. Because the fund is now helping students in need pay for textbooks, which speaks volumes about the generosity of Chapman alumni at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. With the help of SchoolsFirst CEO Rudy Hanley, the fund has grown to $25,000 and is providing books for students in Chapman’s College of Educational Studies. “It’s amazing to me that so many have contributed,” said Tyner. “We knew we wanted the fund to grow to the level of an endowment, but we figured it would take five or six years. For it to happen in three years is remarkable.” Tyner and Rebecca Pantaleon ’06 chair a Chapman alumni group at SchoolsFirst. The 17 members also volunteer at Homecoming and other campus events. Their efforts build connections to Chapman, but then that has never been a concern for Tyner. She and her husband, Neal Tyner ’04, met as students at Chapman, as did his parents, Tom ’80 and Luisa Tyner ’81. Noel and Neal were married in the Wallace All Faiths Chapel; Tom and Luisa said their vows in what is now the Chapman Chapel. “When people say Chapman is like a family,” Noel Tyner said, “we’ve lived that.”
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pool, and learning how to be the learner and educator I am today.” Kelly Rogers, MBA ’09, is completing her Ph.D. in education on financial literacy while teaching at Chapman’s Argyros School of Business and Economics. Previously she was chief development officer and director of education for the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County. Reuniting this summer in Sun Valley, Idaho, were, from left, Ralph ’64 and Juanita Cripe, Doug ’61 and Jill Earl, Gaylord “Duke” ’61 and Nancy Albright ’62, and Jim ’62 and Sallie (McClave) Dougherty ’64. Absent from this year’s gathering were Bill ’61 and Lori Trumbo and Steve ’63 and Ruth Hopkins ’64.
Ties Endure for Alumni Gang
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anther pride doesn’t stop at graduation. Perhaps no group lives that idea more deeply than does the self-described Chapman Alumni Gang. Nine friends who first met at Chapman in the late ’50s and early ’60s grew close “eating meals together in the on-campus dining room, playing sports, singing in a trio, being in the Lambdas and standing up for each other through thick and thin,” said Nancy Albright ’62, who along with her husband, Gaylord “Duke” Albright ’61, help organize the group. For a decade now, the gang of 12 (including spouses) has reunited each year in one of their hometowns. The most recent gathering was this summer at the home of Sallie ’64 and Jim Dougherty ’62 in Sun Valley, Idaho. “The bonds of togetherness and friendship have only grown stronger over the years,” said Nancy Albright, who with Duke, as well as Bill Trumbo ’61 and his wife, Lori, previously co-hosted the gang in Hawaii. “We celebrate one another’s triumphs and challenges. It’s such a treat to reunite annually to rehash the stories until there are tears of laughter.”
Tyler Russell, B.A. multi-media journalism ’11, has started an FM radio station serving Laguna Beach. While at Chapman, Tyler interned for KIIS-FM and K-Earth and is excited to introduce KX 93.5 as “something for the community, by the community.” Anna Scanlon, B.A. French ’06, completed an M.A. at the University of Amsterdam in Holocaust and Genocide studies in June 2012. Her thesis focused on French media and the Holocaust. In October 2012, she undertook a Ph.D. at the University of Leicester with a dissertation focusing on the Holocaust and its representation in English language theatre. O Monica Shukla, B.S. mathematics ’06, B.A. communication studies ’07, is completing her Ph.D. in education at Chapman. She is also a founding member of the new Brandman University Alumni Association. P Sarah Nicole Smetana, BFA creative writing ’09, and Justin Ostiz, BFA studio art ’07, were married at Franciscan Gardens in San Juan Capistrano on June 3. Many alumni were in attendance, and the wedding party included Gennifer Lewis, BFA graphic design ’08; Melissa Loschy, BFA graphic design ’07, and Travis Mantych, BFA studio art ’07. Professor Wendy Salmond, head of the Art History Program, read a selection during the ceremony. Sarah and Justin live in New York
City, where he works as a display artist for Urban Outfitters while she pursues her MFA in creative writing at The New School. Angela Smith, B.A. English ’01, a wife, mom of four and business owner, just developed, created and designed a Bluetooth extension phone for kids called Pipsqueak. A kickstarter campaign is under way to fund the first production run. More information is at www.yipyap.com. Q Constance Trinh, B.S.
business administration ’01, (J.D. ’07), married Marc Ehrlich at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif., on June 30. Many Chapman alumni attended, including: Alexandria Davidson Tarvin, J.D. ’06; Nate Tarvin, B.A. legal studies ’04 (J.D. ’07); Nicole Cohrs, J.D. ’08; Lisa Cohrs, J.D. ’07; Jennifer Bender, J.D. ’07; Kaveh Soltani, J.D. ’07; Brandon Love, J.D. ’07; Alex Kugelman, J.D. ’07; Erin (Meister) Keshishyan, J.D. ’07; Andrew Bugman, J.D. ’07; Sarah Mitchell, J.D. ’08; Jamie (Trieloff) Simon, J.D. ’08; David Ruegg, J.D. ’07; Nakesha (Dodson) Ruegg, J.D. ’08; Lauren Montana, J.D. ’08; Rastin Ashtiani, J.D. ’07; Neda Sargordan, J.D. ’07; Tenaya Hills, B.A. history ’06. Pete Villani, B.A. film and television ’02, was awarded the Emerging Cinematographers Award by the International Cinematographers’ Guild (Local 600) on Sept. 30.
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Sha Wang, B.M. music performance ’02, came to Chapman University as an international student from China. Sha said that Nadine ’44 and Harmon Wilkinson ’35 became second parents to her while she attended Chapman and throughout her doctoral studies. As a way to pay tribute to the Wilkinsons, Sha, an awardwinning pianist, performed at the Wilkinson Legacy Concert in their honor.
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R Michael Wenkart, B.S. business administration ’07, recently earned a J.D. from the University of San Diego. He is also the girls varsity tennis coach for Orange High School, which finished the regular season undefeated and won its third consecutive Golden West League championship.
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Jason Wise, BFA film production ’05, has finished his documentary SOMM, which was set to premiere Nov. 7 at the Napa Valley Film Festival. The documentary focuses on the master sommelier test, “the hardest test you’ve never heard of.” Jason was inspired to make the film by his friend Brian McClintic, who was spending countless hours studying for the wine-expert test.
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S Casey Adler, B.A. theatre performance ’11, has a recurring role on the new ABC Family show Bunheads.
Katie Barnum, B.A. dance ’11, is a member of the 2012 Charger Girls cheerleading dance team for the San Diego Chargers.
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Emily Bejach, B.A. business administration ’11, has returned from an international adventure of the world, traveling to 53 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Through her experience she was able to discover all kinds of exciting, tragic and beautiful things the world has to offer. Brent Chow, B.S. business administration ’12, and Sean Kitamura, B.S. accounting ’12, have a company called Yapay that won a $10,000 technology makeover, besting 123 other businesses to capture the category “Powering Innovation” in The Big Reboot contest.
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Liz Fiacco ’12 helped lead a team of alumni to first place in an international showcase of computer games. Joining her in creating the game called “Axle” are Lauren Gragg ’12 – producer, Jessica Kernan ’12 – art director, Bryson Thill ’12 – programmer, Alex Solano ’12 – programmer, David Housky ’12 – programmer, Billy Peaker ’12 – sound designer, and Adam Borecki ’12 – composer. After graduation, the team was accepted into Chapman’s eVillage business incubator entrepreneurship program, which has helped it craft a business plan and structure for its new Fallstreak Studio. Learn more about the studio at www.axle.fallstreakstudio.com. T Alexis Garcia, B.S. psychology ’12, is the intensive behavioral instruction assistant at Garden Grove Unified School District.
Katie Kroko, B.M. music performance ’10, recently won the concerto competition at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where she is a master’s candidate. She will be performing the Rozsa Concerto in December. Katie is also developing a teaching studio, working with American String Teachers Association President Steven Benham to assist inner-city string players. Victoria Leach, B.A. music ’12, has been hired by Santa Barbara’s Camerata Pacifica as operations manager. Victoria, who was a cello student of Professor Roger Lebow at Chapman, joins a growing number of recent Chapman graduates finding success in arts administration. Rena Nishijima, B.A. public relations/ advertising, BFA dance ’12, recently started as public relations coordinator for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
An Endeavour of Her Own
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ebecca Hall ’96 is the kind of public relations professional who moves heaven and earth to serve her clients. So who better to promote the story of how engineering and construction firms helped transport an 85-ton space shuttle through the streets of Los Angeles? As the shuttle Endeavour made its October trip from LAX to its final home at the California Science Center, Hall and her colleagues matched its journey step for step. In their hard hats and fluorescent vests, they helped the media understand the role played by Plump Engineering and Encon Construction. “Beyond ‘the shuttle is coming,’ this was a story about how you meet such a challenge with the least amount of impact on streets and residents,” said Hall, a past president of the Chapman Alumni Association Board whose firm, Idea Hall, is among the largest and most respected in Orange County. Stories on the logistical effort appeared on nine TV outlets, including national newscasts on CBS, CNN and Fox, as well as the cover of the L.A. Times. The project is among the most rewarding of Hall’s career. “It’s very special just to see the shuttle, but it’s even better to share it with a community of people who have this American pride of ownership,” she said. “Families of all sizes, shapes and colors came out, and there was this mass conversation that included people’s memories of the shuttle. “It was just a beautiful moment of shared pride in this national treasure.”
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Panthers on the Prowl Eva Gergely ’05 traveled to the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London to cheer on her boyfriend, Chris, and took a moment to show her Panther pride outside one of the venues.
U Emma-Rose Roldan, B.A. psychology ’11, is working on her MBA at Claremont University and being paid to go to the National Society of Hispanic MBAs meeting in Orlando by Claremont Career Services to represent the Drucker School MBA program.
Lexi Sakowitz, BFA film production and theatre ’11, made her debut on the television show Sons of Anarchy in September. She has a regular role as Fawn Trager.
Monika Bik ’13 has scuba dived in a number of exotic locales, including the Caribbean, the Red Sea and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. But her trip last summer to the Pacific island of Palau was the pinnacle, she said, in part because she got to swim with dozens of sharks. As for displaying the Chapman colors, the communication studies major said she was inspired by the many people who have taken photos at mountain peaks. “I thought it was time to start something new.”
V Amy Shukla, B.S. mathematics / computer science ’10 (M.A. education ’11, co-founded a web design company in Orange County called Website Design Solutions. She has created the website for Watson’s Drug Store, AK Psi and many trustees of Chapman University. Her company was also featured in an entrepreneurship textbook used at more than 250 universities worldwide.
Elizabeth Vysin, B.M. cello performance ’11, was admitted as a master’s theory candidate at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. Her undergraduate theory preparation at Chapman helped her gain admission to the program.
Friends We Will Miss Elliot Berd, executive MBA ’04, passed away of lung cancer July 13. He outlasted his prognosis by 2 ½ months and was able to spend much of that time with his daughter. Major Ronald E. Luley, M.A. ’74, a career Marine, passed away Sept. 20. He is a legacy family member, as his sons, John Luley ’84 and Michael Luley ’79, daughter, Helene Luley ’75, and their children all attended Chapman University. Ronald’s ashes will be buried in spring in Arlington National Cemetery. Emily Lanier, B.A. psychology ’11, passed away in August from injuries sustained in an auto accident. Emily was director of informatics technology at Southwest Heart PC in Las Cruces, N.M. She was brilliant with computers and technology, yet her heart was in caring for others. She loved health care and was preparing to apply to physicians assistant programs.
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W Natalie (Burrows) Wilkes, B.A. liberal studies ’10, married Tyler Wilkes, B.A. liberal studies ’08, on June 10. They celebrated with other Chapman alumni, including Zac Henson, B.S. business administration ’10, Monica Martinez, B.A. English ’10, and Robert Huddlestone, class of ’10. Last year, Natalie received her M.A. in education from UC Santa Barbara, and Tyler received his M.A. in education from Azusa Pacific University. They both just began their second year of teaching fourth grade at different schools in the Santa Barbara area.
ALUMNI NEWS AND CAMPUS EVENTS SAVE THE DATES
CLASSES 2001 – 2011
Chapman Family Weekend, Oct. 4–6, 2013
Young Alumni Meet the Challenge George L. Argyros ’59 challenged all young alumni (classes 2001– 2011) to give back to the university through the Chapman Fund, pledging to match every gift, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000. More than 500 Chapman young alumni came together to double their impact and meet the challenge. Together, they raised more than $100,000 for scholarships and other opportunities benefiting current and future students. To all who contributed, thank you for supporting the Chapman Fund!
ARTS AWARD FOR 2012 On Opening Night of American Celebration in November, Matthew McCray ’98 (BFA theatre performance) received the 2012 Chapman University Alumni Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award. McCray is a producer, director, performer, musical director, composer and teacher of theatre. He is the founding artistic director of Son of Semele Ensemble in Los Angeles and was featured on the cover of American Theatre Magazine. His 2006 production of Iphigenia (A Rave Fable) received six LA Weekly Award nominations.
• Chapman/Toyota of Orange 5K Run/Walk • Chili Cook-off • Faculty master classes • Homecoming football game • Chancellor’s coffee
STAYING CONNECTED • Parents’ curriculum • Reunions
There’s a host of ways to connect with your Panther family. On Twitter, find out all the latest events and happenings around the #ChapmanU campus and beyond by following our @ChapmanAlum tweets. In addition, “like” the Chapman University Alumni Association page on Facebook, share your alumni highlights on Pinterest, and check out the 1,000 jobs we have in our LinkedIn group. We have our new blog, too, at blogs.chapman.edu/panther-pause, with live updates, events, career info and Panther pride.
• Big Band Champagne Brunch • And so much more!
UPCOMING EVENTS Feb. 12 Silent Witnesses: Jewish Community Buildings After the Holocaust, Lecture, Rogers Center for Holocaust Education 7 p.m., Bush Conference Center, Beckman Hall Feb. 14 – 16, 21–23 Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Waltmar Theatre Tickets: $15–$20
ALUMNI DIRECTORY The Alumni Association is updating a printed alumni directory, and your involvement will help build the Chapman Family Network. Over the next couple of months, Publishing Concepts Inc. will be contacting Chapman alumni. We understand that you might not want to provide your information to just anyone, so please know that their request for your information is legitimate. Please contact the Office of Alumni Relations with any questions, or for inquiries about your purchase, please call 800-395-4724.
Feb. 22 State of the University Address 10:30 a.m. in Memorial Hall
March 8 14th Annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest Awards Ceremony 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall March 15 –16 Founders Day Office of Church Relations 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in Wallace All Faiths Chapel and Wilkinson Chapel March 23 – 24 O.C. Homeownership Fair Hoag Center for Real Estate and Finance 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Beckman Hall
Events Calendar and Contact Info For more information and a list of all university events, please visit www.chapman.edu/calendar. General alumni information: visit www.alumni.chapman.edu or call 714-997-6681.
One University Drive Orange, California 92866 www.chapman.edu
PARTING SHOT Chris Joondeph ’13 is ascendant amid the contemporary architecture of the Harry and Diane Rinker Atrium in Argyros Forum. A philosophy major with minors in political science and leadership and organizational studies, Joondeph presides over the Chapman University Student Government Association, providing a voice for student needs. The Denver native is also a member of Chapman Radio, Phi Gamma Delta, Mortar Board and the Arabic Club. (Photo by Scott Stedman ’14)