Racism and oppression topics of weekend retreat
More than two dozen staff and faculty recently gave up a weekend with family and friends for a cause they believe in-engaging students in open dialogue about racism and oppression, and helping them learn to accept and appreciate other people's differences.
The diverse group, which included 35 students from various organizations, set out for the Outdoor Center in Blairstown on Feb. 6 where they spent a day and a half participating in workshops, group exercises and discussion.
Associate Dean of Students James Harris said the purpose of the retreat was to "bring together students and have them take a closer look at themselves and others with an accepting attitude."
Anton Wheeler, president of the Student Government Association, described the retreat as a positive experience. "It was an excellent opportunity for dialogue," he said. "It gave us a chance to discuss sensitive issues such race and the role it plays on campus." The retreat was the third session of its kind initiated by Student Development and Campus Life and is structured after the All Together Different model brought to Montclair State by Dean of Students Helen Matusow-Ayres. "The students made a lot of new friends from groups they normally don't interact with, learned a lot about oppression and the impact it has on different people, and also learned a lot about themselves," she said.
The students weren't the only ones who learned from the retreat. Alicia Hermo-Weaver of Second Careers has participated in the program since its inception on campus and says she learns something about herself on every trip. "It's a wonderful opportunity to explore issues of diversity and racism without blame, shame or guilt," she said. "Students talk about their feelings and fears and it opens your mind and brings you to another level of understanding yourself and others." The student feedback Hermo-Weaver received about the retreat has been all positive. "Some students told me it was the first opportunity in their lives to have honest discussions about racism and issues of oppression. Others commended the University for giving the time and commitment to such an important issue."
Mary Kate Frank has become an instant celebrity and somewhat of a campus hero. Her undercover reporting about "Dr. Research," a man who sells term papers out of his car in Wayne, garnered her more than a front page article in The Montclarion. In addition to the praise Frank says she's receiving from faculty and fellow students, her phone has been ringing off the hook with newspaper and television reporters who want to hear her story.
And although she's stunned at the attention, Frank is handling the media queries like a seasoned pro. When the call waiting beep interrupted the conversation for this interview, Frank excused herself for a moment then came back on the line. "It's NBC Nightly News," she said matter of factly. "Can I call you back?"
She's smart; she knew whom to call back. She also kept her promise. She returned the call immediately after her conversation with NBC Nightly News. "It's all pretty exciting," she said with almost a laugh of disbelief. "I never thought the paper would turn into this."
The paper Frank is referring to is the one she wrote last semester for Ron Hollander's feature writing class. The assignment to the entire class was a major research piece about a social issue affecting Montclair State. The topics ranged from binge drinking, the cost of textbooks, drug use, parking, racial relations and university status. Frank, however, chose plagiarism. "I knew someone who had bought a term paper from this guy last semester," she said, "so I decided to go undercover and buy a paper myself."
Frank wasn't afraid to do the investigative piece... at first. "I had to order the paper and that was no problem," she said, adding that the ordering process took about 20 minutes because of the number of students lined up to see "the Doctor."
"But then I had to go back and pick it up five days later. Then I was scared that maybe it would get back to him that I was doing this."
The purchase went off without a hitch and Frank went back to her car where she kept a notebook and pen and recorded a detailed account of what transpired. "I had to actually get into his car, in the passenger's seat, and there were three other kids in the back seat filling out forms on clipboards."
The story, "Doctor Research: Plagiarism for Hire," appeared in the Jan. 21 issue of The Montclarion. That sparked a Feb. 5 story in The Record, which cited the student newspaper and Frank's undercover work. Since then Frank has been contacted by The Star-Ledger, Channel 11 news, 20/20 and NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.
Both 20/20 and NBC Nightly News wanted Frank to go undercover again, but this time on camera. "I don't know if that will be possible because I've been back there a few times and he ["Dr. Research"] hasn't been around," she said. "I think he's been laying low because the attorney general is looking into him."
Kevin Hancock, The Montclarion editor-in-chief, is elated at the attention the student newspaper and Frank are receiving. "I'm very proud of the story and of Mary Kate," he said. "I think it's good for the newspaper's reputation and the University. The newspaper has taken its knocks over the years, but I hope this helps restore people's confidence in the paper."
Hancock, who has been at the helm of the newspaper since September, said he has made a concerted effort to recruit more volunteers and strengthen ties with participants in the journalism program, which is coordinated by Hollander who also is faculty adviser to The Montclarion. "Ron has done a great job advising us this year, and I think it shows," Hancock said.
For Frank, who was never published in The Montclarion before this assignment, writing the article and everything that has resulted since has been "a big learning experience"-from getting a taste of investigative reporting to seeing the game news organizations play in not getting scooped. "NBC Nightly News and 20/20 are both racing to get the story on air first, and the writer from The Record told me flat out that he took half his article from mine," she said. "But I'm not mad about it. Professor Hollander told me you can't copyright the news. I'm just glad the story got out there. That was the purpose."
Frank admitted she was nervous about the reaction the piece might cause among faculty, but she was happily surprised. "I was waiting to hear negative feedback, but I didn't get any," she said. "The faculty who spoke to me about the article said they appreciated knowing this was going on. One professor actually thanked me."
As for the $36 paper on the accomplishments of Archimedes that Frank purchased from "Dr. Research," she never handed it in. Her own version earned her an "A."
It may be February, but Lisa DeLorenzo of Music is getting ready for the new year. Unlike those who are already preparing for the new millennium, DeLorenzo is gearing up for a different new year-the Chinese New Year, which begins Feb. 16. The Chinese New Year has become an integral part of DeLorenzo's life since she adopted Molly from China two years ago.
"The New Year is one of the biggest and most important festivals in China," DeLorenzo said. "I want to make it a major part of our life together."
The customary celebrations of the Chinese or lunar Near Year include paying off debts, purchasing new clothes, thoroughly cleaning the house, enjoying family feasts and exchanging red envelopes containing "lucky money."
"It's a time for starting over, a time for resolve," said DeLorenzo who will celebrate at home and by taking Molly, who will be 3 years old in August, to New York City's Chinatown. "It's important for both of us to celebrate the Chinese New Year. I think Molly needs to be in touch with the culture from the country where she was born and traditions are an important part of that."
Ron Hollander of English and his wife, Virginia, will be taking their 4-year-old daughter, Mei Ming, who was adopted from China when she was four months old, to a local Chinese New Year party. "Mei Ming is American and will always be American, but it's important for her to know about the country where she was born," Hollander said.
Although both families will be celebrating the Chinese holiday, Hollander and DeLorenzo believe it more important their daughters know how to speak, read and write Chinese. Each week, Mei Ming takes three hours of Chinese language instruction and Molly also spends one day a week at Chinese School. "The next century will be a Chinese century," Hollander said. "And children who learn to speak Chinese now will be at an advantage." DeLorenzo agreed. "It's critical that Molly knows the Chinese language," she said, adding she took one year of Chinese before heading to China to bring Molly home.
The Chinese New Year may come only once a year, but Hollander and DeLorenzo keep the Chinese culture alive in their homes throughout the year by reading stories about Chinese mythologies and customs, and listening to Chinese music.
Like the Western calendar, the Chinese lunar calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the lunar year based on the cycles of the moon. A complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each. The Chinese lunar calendar names each of the 12 years after an animal. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only 12
came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived.
Feb. 16 marks the start of the Chinese New Year 4697-the Year of the Rabbit. Famous people born during the Year of the Rabbit include Albert Einstein, Queen Victoria, Orson Welles, Marie Curie, Napoleon Bonaparte, Neil Sedaka and Francis Ford Coppola.
The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality, saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart." Look at the chart below for the year you were born and find out which Chinese sign you are.
Rat: 1924, 1936 , 1948 , 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996
Ox: 1925, 1937 , 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997
Tiger: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974 , 1986,1998
Rabbit: 1927, 1939, 1951,1963, 1975, 1987, 1999
Dragon: 1928, 1940,1952,1964, 1976,1988, 2000
Snake: 1929,1941, 1953, 1965,1977,1989, 2001
Horse: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002
Sheep: 1931,1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
Monkey: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
Rooster: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
Dog: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
Boar: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
Marti Kennedy
fprofessor, Human Ecology
If girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, and boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails, what happens when you add a dash of puppy dog tails to a cup of sugar and spice? That's what Marti Kennedy of Human Ecology is trying to find out in her research on girls' transition into young adolescence and why they trade their own self-confidence for boys' attention. She said that although great strides have been made, women still need to come a long way, baby.
INSIGHT: When you're studying development, what elements do you look at?
Kennedy: I integrate gender development with cognitive development to look at how we not only come to be female or male, but how that comes about through interaction. The unique aspect of my research is that I observe how boys and girls co-construct each other and themselves through interaction and transaction. Gender development is more than what happens in the family. It's lateral with their peers-boys and girls together. They're teaching each other how to be "genderedized." I began noticing this in the classroom.
INSIGHT: What causes the conflict in gender development?
Kennedy: Girls are relational; boys are autonomous and independent. That's part of the collusion-the more the boys attempt to move out, the more girls try to move in.
Girls have more intimate friendships and are more likely to have a "best friend," while boys are more likely to play in packs. It shows up every place. Two girls at a table sit close to talk, and when two girls walk across campus you can measure how physically close they are. Boys will sit across the table from each other. There's a nonverbal separation. I don't want to minimize what I'm doing by talking only about the physical. There are complex emotional and relationship aspects, too.
INSIGHT: Do girls go through a "boy crazy" stage?
Kennedy: When girls enter early adolescence, they're trying to win a relationship for the first time. They're not just chasing boys, they're seeking connections and, in doing that, give up so many personal things. For instance, a girl is more likely to let a boy win a spelling bee or a game, or give a boy credit for something they've done as a group in trying to make that connection. Boys are more competitive and want to move up in a hierarchy and a relationship of competition, so we have a "his and her" relationship.
INSIGHT: What is the result of a "his and her" adult relationship?
Kennedy: That comes from my cognitive research where I look at how we put our ideas together in more relativity and collaborative logic, and think more linear in what I call the bottom line. A wife may say to her spouse, "You don't tell me you love me anymore. Do you love me?" And he may respond, "I just changed the oil in your car and mowed the lawn-what do you mean I don't love you?" She is looking for an emotional expression while he is expressing love in a behavioral way, which brings us back to this big picture of different ways of thinking, different ways of cognating.
INSIGHT: How can we change that?
Kennedy: We've found that it's easier to change girls than it is to change boys. We can teach girls how to become independent thinkers, how to make decisions, how to be assertive and how to take on more masculine roles. We have not been successful in changing boys. You're not going to see many boys walking around with a dress on, playing with girls' toys or going crazy for pink stuff.
INSIGHT: Based on your research, how are we developing?
Kennedy: The truth is, the changes we see are more external. People think we're making great strides, but when we look at men and women today, we're doing the same things our parents and grandparents did.
Here's an example: Fathers today appear to spend a lot more time with their children and interact a lot more with their babies, but research shows that compared to 20 years ago, fathers are spending, per week, only nine more minutes with their babies.
INSIGHT: What is the solution?
Kennedy: [She laughs.] Getting men to be pregnant.
Tamara Lucas of Educational Foundations was invited to present her work to members of the Georgia state affiliate of the professional organization Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in Atlanta on Feb. 6. Her presentation, "Responsive Education for English Language Learners: Paving the Way Into, Through and Beyond School," was based on her 1997 book, Into, Through, and Beyond Secondary School: Critical Transitions for Immigrant Youths.
Thomas Millard of Counseling, Human Development and Educational Leadership recently presented a paper, "Reflections on the Shifting Paradigm in Mental Health Care and No-Fault Therapy," in Sydney, Australia at the Seventh International Counseling Conference Relating in a Global Community.
Ken Wolpin
counselor, first-year students
Keep wallets and pocketbooks locked and out of view
Seven pocketbooks and wallets have been stolen from offices on campus since January. According to Campus Safety and Security, the best way to protect your belongings is to play it smart and not to make it easy for a thief.
The National Crime Prevention Council has published a pamphlet, Campus Watch Challenges You, with information on how to begin a "Campus Watch," where students, faculty and staff look out for each other's welfare. It encourages the entire community to be alert to anything that threatens the quality of campus life. The pamphlets are available in the Office of Public Information, College Hall, Room 313.
Who needs New Orleans? Come to Mardi Gras on campus
If you've always wanted to experience the fun and excitement of Mardi Gras but could never make it to New Orleans, you're in luck. Mardi Gras is coming to campus Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Center, Ballroom B.
There will be food and beads, and entertainment will be provided by a live Dixieland jazz band. The event is sponsored by the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry.
Walking tours offered in New York and Washington, D.C.
Student Activities and the Student Government Association are sponsoring six walking tours this semester. All tours (except March 21) are $10 and include transportation. The bus leaves campus at noon, and tours are 1-2 p.m. Tickets are available at the Box Office. For more information, call Chuck Feiner at 7565.
Feb. 20: Chinese New Year in Chinatown.
March 14: St. Patrick's Weekend in Irish New York.
March 21: Holocaust Museum,
Washington, D.C. Cost: $20. Bus leaves campus 7:30 a.m. and returns at 10 p.m.
March 28: Pre-Passover Jewish Lower East Side.
April 11: Historic Harlem.
May 1: Radical East Village (Remembering May Day).
CN8 produces promotional spots in DuMont TV Center
Broadcasting students had the opportunity to learn more about the television industry when CN8, the Comcast Network, was on campus last week to produce a series of promotional announcements in the DuMont Television Center.
About 20 students, including seniors Anthony Natale and Mary Moscarello, assisted the producer and director while other students observed the production process. The promotional spots will begin airing on CN8 in the next two weeks.
"This was great for the students," said Patricia Piroh of Broadcasting. "They networked, made contacts and some even have been offered work."
Members of Comcast don't have to be reminded about the talent that comes out of MSU's Broadcasting Department. Comcast Chief Engineer Scott Clark is a 1980 graduate and technician Donny Stegall is a 1993 graduate.
Larry Londino, chair of the Broadcasting Department, said there is a possibility Montclair State will produce a weekly show on CN8 about the Internet.
In the event of any University-related emergency, call the Campus Emergency Hotline at 7810 for up-to-date information.
Webster Road will be closed to traffic on Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow delivery of the air handling unit for the Science Building Project. If you have questions, call Architectural and Engineering Services at 4323.
Tickets are still available to see "Chicago" on Feb. 19 (cost: $41) and "Sideman," starring Christian Slater, on Feb. 26 (cost: $39). Ticket prices include transportation and are available at the Box Office.
"Weavings After the Rain: An Exhibition of Woven Art" by Junko Hirose, a visiting artist/scholar from the Fine Arts Department at Kyushu Sangyo University in Japan, will be on display Feb. 18 through March 5 at the Global Education Center Gallery, 22 Normal Ave. An opening reception will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Feb. 18.
A retirement celebration for Joe Mundy of Information Technology, a 25-year veteran of Montclair State, will be held Thursday, Feb. 18, from noon to 2 p.m. at Alexus Steakhouse and Tavern in Clifton. For more information, call Mary LaRusso at 4181.
Sprague Library is conducting two workshops this week. Each 45-minute session will be held in the library, Room 110. "Introduction to Online Full-Text Databases" taught by Anita Daniel will be held Feb. 15 at 5 p.m.; Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.; and Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. "Advanced Search Techniques: Eric and Psyclit" taught by Mark vanLummel will be held Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. and Feb. 18 at 6 p.m.
For more information about position announcements, see the bulletin board outside the Personnel Office in College Hall or visit MSU's web site at www.montclair.edu.
Dean, School of Business. Starting date: July 1. Send letter and resume by March 1 to John McGinnis, chair, Search Committee. V-012.
INTERNAL SEARCH: Director of Financial Aid. Salary: $56,013-$84,018. Starting date: July 1. Send letter and resume by March 1 to Ruth Shaw, Chair, Search Committee. V-013.
PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Applications may be obtained from and must be returned by Feb. 22 to the Personnel Office. Welder. Salary: $27,292.50-$37,162.58.
For tickets to or information about theater events, call the Box Office at 5112.
Noon Recitals. McEachern Recital Hall.
Afternoon/Evening Recitals. McEachern Recital Hall.
For tickets to or information about dance events, call the Box Office at 5112.
Home games only are listed. Schedule is subject to change. For more information, call the Athletic Office at 5234. (Mens and Women's Track Meets are all away)
ON 'CARPE DIEM'
The weekly television show produced by MSU broadcasting majors features Asian cultures. Ken Olenik of History describes the different aspects of Chinese, Japanese and Korean culture. Yahui Olenik demonstrates the similarities and differences between the Chinese and Japanese languages. Produced by Jeong-Seok Park and Yong Sik Lee; directed by Lee; and hosted by Amanda Kellum. Airs Feb. 16 at noon on Cablevision channel 6 and
9 p.m. on Comcast channel 57; and Feb. 18 at 8:30 a.m. on CTN.
Saturday Matinee Movies for Kids. 3 p.m. Cost: Price of museum admission.
Film Series. 7 p.m., Sprague Library, non-print department. Sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Faculty Staff Association.