Yellow Jacket
October 17, 2013
Page A3
Annual event for Conference selects Randolph's paper education majors Instructor writes about how story telling is used in communicating takes a new form E d u c a t o r s Re c o g n i z e d
By Rebecca Burcham For the Yellow Jacket
Students, not professionals, exchange ideas By Kara Bemer
For the Yellow Jacket
The Department of Education has held an annual event where alumni share their career stories. This year, the event “Voices from the Field” was slightly different. On Oct. 3, students gathered in Alumni Hall to listen to three current Waynesburg University students share their internship opportunities from this past summer. This allowed students to hear from close peers they had already developed relationships with, rather than a distant professional. “Students had the opportunity to experience a learning process while serving and it’s important for them to share,” said Debra Clarke, chair of the Department of Education. “Service opportunities are stressed here at Waynesburg University and when they’re experienced, it’s great to hear them.” Rebecca Lane, a junior in the Department of Education, won the Vira I. Heinz scholarship and chose to travel to Kingston, Jamaica. “I chose Jamaica as I wanted to step out of my comfort zone to culturize myself and fulfill my passion,” said Lane. “The culture was alive in Jamaica and there was an education system for me to teach and learn in.” Lane’s internship began May 27 and ended July 22. She worked with deaf educators as a co-teacher and had no experience with sign language. There was no formal training, so she dedicated a significant amount of time in Jamaica to learning sign language through YouTube video tutorials. “There were not many resources and a high crime rate,” Lane said. “There is no such thing as a disability in Jamaica.” Jamaica proved to be an unforgettable experience for Lane, and she advises everyone to follow their passions and to use the world as a classroom. The two other students proved that their internship expanded their experiences
as well, but more locally than Lane. Morgan Brumbaugh and Angele Hagy are both seniors who interned with AmeriCorps in different regions within the city of Pittsburgh. Brumbaugh specifically worked with Methodist United Social Agency as an assistant counselor and floater, where she taught lessons and worked with difficult children. MUSA provides an at risk summer camp for children in kindergarten to sixth-grade and is located in the midst of an unsafe neighborhood filled with crime and poverty. Within the community, basic needs such as hunger were seen as acceptable in children’s lives. “It was a hot summer; long days and exhausting,” said Brumbaugh. “My tears, struggles and sweat were worth it in the end if I could provide a lifelong impact in a child’s life.” Angele Hagy worked with Rankin Christian Center in Monview where they provided a free summer school. This community also had visible signs of poverty and underprivileged children. “All of the children I worked with were special and deserved a chance,” said Hagy. “They just started out with disadvantages.” Hagy knows that teaching children while investing in their lives is her passion and what her future career is meant to be. “Every child has their own story and different motivation. No teacher should give up on them, said Hagy. “This I why I want to work in inner-city schools. I had the opportunity to make a difference in the next generation and no matter where you are, you can choose to do that.” Just as Waynesburg University’s mission statement says, these students truly made “connections between faith, learning and serving so they might faithfully transform their communities and the world.” All three students had the chance to make an impact within a child’s life, either in a setting close to home or far away. “This was a time to prepare students to be servants, leaders and step out of their comfort zones,” said Clarke.
A Waynesburg University instructor’s literary paper was recently accepted into an international conference entitled “Is Thought Action?” The paper details the influence of stories and narratives on bringing people together, preserving history and healing brokenness. Dr. Robert Randolph, a lecturer and writer-in-residence in the Department of English, examines in his paper how people use stories to communicate. He focuses on individuals who are in distress or feel separated from their pasts. “People who are in a hospital facing some kind of serious procedure or lifethreatening diagnosis, they tell stories,” said Randolph. “People who are dispossessed from their country and living in a refugee camp, [if you] ask them what’s going on, they’ll tell a story.” Randolph examines the idea of using liberal arts thinking about stories to help people think about their own lives. He addresses how the principle of workshop theory, a technique in creative writing where people come together and share their stories, could assist those in refugee camps.
“[Refugees] can’t apart from this go back to their [his diagnosis].” country, so it feels Randolph said, like they’ve been by recounting his cut off from their story in medical past,” said Ranterms, this patient dolph. “If a group was letting another could get together author, his doctor, and tell stories step in and confrom their past, it trol that aspect of would rebuild and his life story. He Randolph re-establish that added that in dopast. It wouldn’t be lost.” ing so, the patient lost conRandolph also demon- trol of the narrating role in strates how using creative his life story. writing practices can help Ultimately, the main point individuals retain their own Randolph tries to make life story. comes down to one simple He describes life stories as question: “Who is the narwho we are, what we believe rator in your life story?” The in and what our values are. If answer should always be we let another person step in “me.” to tell us who we are or what Randolph began writing we believe, we lose control of a smaller version of his acour stories. cepted paper approximately Before joining the Waynes- ten years ago. He then took burg University faculty, Ran- a hiatus from writing, but dolph was a hospital chap- the thoughts surrounding lain. He recounts a story that the topic were always on his stood out in his mind during mind. his time at one hospital, in Two years ago, he re-apwhich a patient relinquished proached his work. control of his life story. According to Randolph, “The first patient I talked the process of actually craftto, I asked him how he was ing the paper took about doing. He gave me a reply as three months, but many if I was talking to the doc- years were spent researchtor,” said Randolph. “I really ing theories in the humaniwanted to know about how ties and thinking about their his soul was doing, and he implications. was telling me how his maRandolph feels his paper chines are reading. But I’m has useful information and is really interested in how he’s pleased about its acceptance doing, if he has an identity to the conference.
“In the academic community, I think that’s what we should do,” said Randolph. “We should try to share things that are going to help other people.” Dr. Dana Baer, interim chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages, expressed positive feedback for Randolph’s accomplishment. “We are excited and proud that Dr. Randolph’s talents as a writer have been acknowledged internationally,” said Baer. “He is an inspiration to, and a model for faculty and students who write. We trust that [he] will introduce a new audience to the exceptional quality of faculty members and students at Waynesburg University.” The conference will take place in Amsterdam, Nov. 28-29. It is hosted by the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Analysis, with the theme of Exploring Tensions Between Academic Theory and Praxis. The topics at the conference will explore how subjects in the humanities, such as history, language and philosophy, can affect a practical world. Randolph, along with his wife and daughter, will travel to Amsterdam a few days before the conference begins to spend time in the surrounding area.
Kefferstan elected at non-profit company Education professor to begin three-year term on advisory board By John Lydic
Editorial Assistant
A Waynesburg University professor was recently elected to the advisory board of one of the country’s top nonprofit companies. Dr. Robert Kefferstan, professor of education, was elected to a three-year term on the advisory board of the Learning Disabilities Association of America. Doris Johnson of Northwestern University, who was one of Kefferstan’s professors, nominated Kefferstan for the board. LDA is the largest non-profit volunteer organization advocating for individuals with learning disabilities. “The advisory board is a national entity that is made up of individuals from all of the various areas that support the Learning Disabilities Association,” said Kefferstan. “We are a group that advises the administration of the Learning Disabilities Association about what directions they should take, how to spend and what programs to work on, and also we do presentations to legislators to try to secure funding on
projects we we’d ing on in research like to see. “ areas, specifically Kefferstan is in neurological and the learning phase neuroscience.” right now, but he Kef ferst an is hopes to contriblooking forward ute more as he to his work with gains experience the advisory board and continues to because he believes climb the ladder. it will help him in “The first couhis career as an Kefferstan ple meetings are educator. for me to learn what they’ve “Hopefully I’ll be able to done in the past and to learn bring back things to this state what their direction is, so I’m and to talk with the Pennsylsort of going to be an observ- vania Department of Educaer,” said Kefferstan. “The fo- tion and even with superincus will be to provide the best tendents to let them know services for individuals with what is going on nationally,” learning disabilities from said Kefferstan. “Hopefully birth through adulthood.” I can learn what’s going on The LDA advisory board more in the schools in the has been involved with many state.” families working to assist inKefferstan also believes his dividuals with learning dis- work with the LDA could pay abilities. dividends for his students. The LDA has over 100 “I think anything we can states and local affiliates take from these deliberations throughout the world. Kef- and our focus for our agenferstan hopes to learn a lot da of action can be brought from this experience. forward by todays students,” “I want to learn what other said Kefferstan. “I think if we areas are pushing as their say to them this is important, agendas,” said Kefferstan. then they will be the next “I’m representing the edu- flag bearers of what should cational sector for students be done.” with learning disabilities. I Kefferstan’s continued want to find out what is go- work and contributions have
been noticed by his fellow colleagues. “Dr. Kefferstan’s colleagues in the Education Department applaud the work that he has done over the years with LDA,” said Debra Clarke, department chair and assistant professor of education. “We share his excitement as he has moves into his new leadership role with the organization.” Clarke thinks that professor’s involvement in programs like these provides a true example to their students. “We encourage our students to dedicate themselves to service and leadership in the education profession,” said Clarke. “Dr. Kefferstan’s work with LDA provides students with a real life example of that professional service and leadership.” Kefferstan believes sharing what they have learned provides the change necessary for a nation. “I think as our nation and our world continue to change, we have to be able to provide the education that students can be successful in a world we can’t even define right now,” said Kefferstan.
Virus: Campuses ravaged, but WU unscathed Continued from A1
tacks or infections on their personal computers and our shared networks.” Anti-viruses such as SophoLabs have detected CryptoLocker by the name Troj/ Ransom-ACP because the
virus holds files for ransom; it encrypts data and tries to sell it back to the person affected by the virus. According to SophoLabs, the virus installs itself into the documents and settings folder on a person’s PC using a randomly generated name and adds itself to the list of
programs in the registry that are opened automatically. CryptoLocker then produces a long list of server names in different domains, makes web connections to each responding server name and then uploads a small file with an ID. The server creates a public-
private key pair that only uses your ID and sends the public card back to the computer. The malware on the computer uses that key to encrypt the files it can find that match multiple extensions. The files can include images, documents and spreadsheets. The malware pops up a “pay page” that gives you a limited time to buy back the private key for your data for about $300. Because the virus is presented as a ZIP file, Dumire said that students can prevent the virus from spreading to their computers while ITS continues to evaluate the problem. “They [students] are the final link in defending against these threats,” said Dumire. “Never open a ZIP file in an unsolicited e-mail regardless of the apparent source. Always contact our ITS Help Desk with any questions or concerns.” Students can contact the Help Desk by emailing helpdesk@waynesburg.edu.