Service-Learning helps students solve community problems
Service-Learning, the program that integrates service and classroom learning, is making a difference in the lives of students at Montclair State and in the local community, according to Tamara Lucas of Educational Foundations, who discussed research results from the first year of a study of the program's impact on students.
"The findings are very promising," Lucas said. "Evidence shows students enrolled in Service-Learning courses are gaining a clearer understanding of social issues and are seeing they can help solve some of the problems facing communities."
The program was implemented in 1996 under the initiative of Career Development Director Freyda Lazarus. "It's been an exciting and productive year," Lazarus said. "The students, faculty and professional staff have provided the insights needed for us to go forward as we build a quality Service-Learning program."
The federal grant was used for three purposes: to create the infrastructure for a university-wide Service-Learning program; to extend the use of Service Learning as an integral part of the Teacher Education Program; and to set the groundwork for the America Reads initiative.
Lucas's research indicates that the program has had an impact on students' perceptions of social issues and themselves. "Students are recognizing the numerous rewards of the program," Lucas said. "In addition to what they're learning in their courses, they feel they're broadening their outlook and doing important work in the community."
This semester, there are 10 Service-Learning courses dealing with issues of literacy, aging, or alcohol and drug prevention. The community partners include the Montclair public schools, the Teen Institute of the Garden State, the Montclair YWCA, Senior Care and Activities Center, Van Dyk Manor, Integra, National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, the Gatekeeper Project, the Montclair Public Library Mobile Meals on Wheels, United Way of North Essex, the School/Community Tutorial Program, and the MSU Health and Wellness Center.
Mary Beth Henry of Human Ecology has taught a Service-Learning course since the program's inception. "Students enjoy this type of learning because it enables them to experience and test out the theories and concepts they're reading about in class," Henry said. "Service-Learning provides them with the opportunity to challenge ideas and gain new knowledge."
Reesa Greenwald, coordinator of the Service-Learning program, said the program benefits everyone involved. "The partners we have in the community are committed to and excited about working with Montclair State and our students," Greenwald said. "We've formed solid partnerships and both sides are looking forward to ongoing collaborations."
In an essay on solutions to campus violence, graduate student Tara Morlando takes the African proverb "It takes an entire village to raise a child" one step further. She believes "it takes an entire university to raise a student."
Residence director of Stone Hall since July 1997, Morlando tackled the subject of campus violence for the College Student Personnel Awards Scholarship Essay Competition sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Association of College and University Housing Officers. Her ideas caught the attention of the awards committee and Morlando was one of three winners of $250 scholarships. The competition was open to students in New Jersey, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
The topic for the regional contest, which was selected by MACUHO, was a familiar one for Morlando. "I've had five years of experience in the area of residence life as a resident assistant, resident manager and now as a graduate residence hall director," she said. "The solutions offered in the essay are a fusion between observing others in the field and my own creative juices."
In her essay, "Owning the Responsibility and Holistic Solution to Campus Violence," Morlando outlines steps to a holistic approach to campus violence, including teaching students to familiarize themselves with their own physiological responses to threatening situations, a campus orientation, self-defense seminars and escort service, to name a few. "The essence of campus violence remains an issue that is much too powerful to be conquered by a single administrator or department," Morlando wrote. "Instead, campus violence requires and deserves holistic attention from every college and university in this country."
Morlando said she drew a lot from her experience as a residence hall director. "I walked into this position as a student, but I feel that I'm leaving on the threshold of being a professional," she said. "I've learned to tenaciously go after what I think is best for the residents of my building."
Morlando plans to graduate in May with a master's degree in counseling with a concentration in higher education.
The Gay and Lesbian Faculty and Staff Association (GLFSA) at Montclair State and the student organization PRIDE have planned a series of activities for National Coming Out Day, Thursday, Oct. 8.
The day's program starts at noon with the raising of the Rainbow Flag outside the Student Center. MSU President Susan A. Cole will read the proclamation announcing National Coming Out Day.
The remainder of the day's activities will take place in Dickson Hall, Room 178, and include a Coming Out Panel of students, faculty and community members from 1 to 2 p.m.; PRIDE space, a discussion about stereotypes about gay youth and relationships, from 2 to 3 p.m.; information about the Safe Place Program, from 3 to 3:20 p.m; and the showing of the video, "Gay Youth," which chronicles the struggles and successes of gay individuals, from 3:20 to 4 p.m.
Also, on Oct. 12, in honor of National Coming Out Day, Barry Brandes, a singer with the Metropolitan Opera, will give a recital of music by gay composers, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in McEachern Music Hall.
This is the fourth year the GLFSA has sponsored programming for National Coming Out Day. Sally McWilliams of English, one of the founders of the GLFSA in 1995, said the programming is just one part of the Association's mission. With about 20 active members, the GLFSA strives to foster a safe and comfortable environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students, faculty and staff; educate the university community about the lives of these individuals; act as a support system; and advocate for issues.
Carla Petievich of History said although there are gay student groups on many university and college campuses, few have groups comprising faculty and staff. "We're fortunate not only to have an active student group, but a faculty and staff association that has not been replicated at other institutions," she said. "It's important for faculty and staff to be role models for students and reinforce to gay youth that they can lead positive, successful lives."
The GLFSA, McWilliams said, also acts as a support system through the Safe Place Program, in which individuals can put a special decal on their offices that identify them as someone students can talk to about sexuality and social identity. There currently are more then 70 faculty and staff who participate in the program.
McWilliams said the GLFSA also wants to broaden the idea of diversity in the curriculum and facilitate the inclusion of lesbian and gay lives and concerns in research, curriculum development and cultural programming. This year the GLFSA hopes to increase its visibility beyond the campus by establishing a presence on the World Wide Web.
In a celebration of diversity, Montclair State University joins the Human Rights Campaign Fund Foundation in recognizing Oct. 8 as National Coming Out Day. This day has been set aside to recognize the rich variety of human experience and to erase misperceptions and bigotry by heightening awareness and understanding of alternative lifestyles.
The goal of National Coming Out Day is to increase the visibility of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community in order to educate and inform all Americans about the true diversity of this community. By celebrating this diversity and establishing a positive dialogue, we can foster an atmosphere of respect, understanding and goodwill.
In order to promote good human relations, we must work toward the acceptance of differences in people, ideas, and opinions within a framework of mutual respect. Respect for differences is a critical defining characteristic of a free university community.
Now, therefore, I, Susan A. Cole, president of Montclair State University, hereby proclaim Oct. 8 as National Coming Out Day at Montclair State University, and I encourage our entire campus community to join me in celebrating this occasion.
Jaime Wawra
"I want to be a high school English teacher and I would love to write and illustrate my own novels. Even if I end up having no money I'd still be happy because I'm doing what I love."
Freshman Jaime Wawra admits that she's never really been interested in anything written about the real world. She spends most of her time reading, "writing a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with reality," drawing and watching "Sailor Moon," her favorite Japanese animation series. This English major takes her role as an anime fan very seriously. A student in the Honors Program, she is taking a class in Japanese so she can read all the books she's collected. Her latest venture, Wildflowers, an online interactive book about her favorite characters from "Sailor Moon," has gotten a lot of attention [www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/6931/]. She's also become the subject of an English teacher's master's thesis.
INSIGHT: What is Wildflowers?
Wawra: It's a novel-in-progress about the characters of "Sailor Moon's" first season. It's a collaborative effort that has been in the works for more than a year with 500 pages so far. After we posted Wildflowers online we got a really good response and continue to receive an average of 50 visitors a day.
INSIGHT: How did Wildflowers blossom?
Wawra: My co-author, Theresa Brown, an English teacher at Jersey City High School, stumbled onto one of my websites and we began chatting online about one of the characters from "Sailor Moon." I showed her a story I intended to start online that people could add on to, and she said, "You're not giving this to anybody else. We're going to write this together."
INSIGHT: How did you become the subject of her thesis?
Wawra: Theresa was working on her master's thesis-teaching writing to a student through online collaboration-and suggested that we use my story as a writing exercise. It's a lot better than sitting in a classroom. It's more personal and the response time is quicker. That's how we became so close. Our relationship went from teacher-student to friends to co-authors.
INSIGHT: How do readers interact with the story?
Wawra: Wildflowers goes beyond text. There are a lot of other bits of information to look at that may not come out in the writing. Readers who want to see what the characters look like can link to the drawings I've done, or they can go to the floor plan of the house in the wildflower fields-an important place in the story. There are other links to birthdays and family trees, and there's a mailing list for people who want to know when the story has been updated.
Readers have been so inspired by the story that they draw pictures and write poetry to go along with it, so my co-author and I created a link to showcase the work they've submitted. We didn't even come up with the title. We were calling it the untitled story of many pages, so we ran a contest to name the story. We chose Wildflowers because all the pivotal events occur in a huge field of wildflowers.
INSIGHT: What's next for you and Wildflowers?
Wawra: I would love to get it published, but first I need to get permission from the owner of the characters. I want to be a high school English teacher and I would love to write and illustrate my own novels. Even if I end up having no money I'd still be happy because I'm doing what I love.
Tom Benediktsson of English, director of the Honors Program, asks: How would you compare an interactive book to traditional literary text? Wawra: More people have access to a book online. It's easier to get to because you don't have to go out and buy the book, and the author literally is at your fingertips. If you have a question about the story, here I am. Here's my website and a link to my e-mail address. I've found that people who write online get so much more response than those who use traditional mail.
Traditional authors often don't know what people think of their work. As an online author I find it easy to interact with the readers. The web is a great place to make friends. I've met people I never would have because there's such a wide range of people. We have readers as far away as Singapore and China.
Barbara Krusko
director, Annual Giving
Vaughn Vandegrift
College of Science and Mathematics
This academic year promises to be an exciting one for the College of Science and Mathematics. As everyone on campus has probably noticed by now, a state-of-the-art, 60,000 gross-square-foot science facility is under construction behind Richardson Hall. When completed, this facility will house programs in biology, molecular biology, biochemistry and the Health Careers Program. The $17.1 million structure, which will include teaching and research laboratories, faculty offices, a greenhouse and the Sokol Science Seminar Room, is scheduled to open at the start of the fall 1999 semester, weather permitting.
The College of Science and Mathematics was restructured this year as a response to continued expansion and increased student enrollment. The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science has been separated into two departments-Computer Science and Mathematical Sciences. The latter houses undergraduate degree programs in mathematics and physics, and graduate programs in mathematics and statistics. The Department of Biology has been redesignated the Department of Biology and Molecular Biology to better identify its programs.
A major event this semester is the much-anticipated approval of the University's first doctoral program in education with a concentration in pedagogy. Mathematics education will be one of two specializations designed to meet the increasing need for pedagogical training among high school and middle school teachers. The new doctoral program also will help teachers develop mathematical content knowledge while keeping abreast of the latest technological advances for the classroom. Final approval of the program by the state is pending and we are optimistic it will occur this semester.
Speaking of teachers, the College welcomed four new, tenure-track faculty members this year: Eileen Fernandez of Mathematical Sciences, Reginald Halaby of Biology and Molecular Biology, John Jingfu Jenq of Computer Science and Michael Jones of Mathematical Sciences. Two new administrators joined us as well-Donna Lorenzo, director of the Health Careers Program, and Joseph Marina, assistant dean. In addition, Rosemary Cebula-Lipala begins this semester as laboratory specialist for Biology and Molecular Biology, and Maria Pignatello has come on board as secretary for the Health Careers Program.
Preparations are underway for the 50th anniversary celebration of the New Jersey School of Conservation (SOC). The SOC, which became a division of the University in 1972 and part of CSAM in 1994, is the oldest and largest university-sponsored center for environmental studies in the world. The anniversary celebration, which will culminate with a series of events June 4-6, 1999, is expected to attract local and international dignitaries, including representatives from the United Nations and New Jersey State government. Finally, the College, along with the MSU Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, will cosponsor this year's Philip Keegan Memorial Lecture, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms. David Goldenberg, president of the Garden State Cancer Center, will speak on "Advances and Hopes in the Fight Against Cancer." The lecture is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there.
Next week, Carla Narrett, dean of the Graduate School, talks about Saul and Adelaide Goldfarb Graduate Scholarships and what's on the horizon for graduate education.
Keegan lecture presents cancer center president
David Goldenberg, founder and president of the Garden State Cancer Center, will speak on "Advances and Hopes in the Fight Against Cancer" as this year's Philip Keegan Memorial Lecturer on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms.
The Philip Keegan Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Office of the President, the College of Science and Mathematics, and Sigma Xi, honors the memory of the late Philip Keegan, former Board of Directors member of the Garden State Cancer Center and former Democratic state chairman.
Goldenberg is president of the Garden State Cancer Center at the Center for Molecular Medicine and Immunology, a specialized cancer research center located in Belleville. He also is adjunct professor of microbiology and immunology at New York Medical College, and is one of the recognized pioneers in the field of cancer imaging and therapy with monoclonal antibodies, known as radioimmuno-detection and radioimmunotherapy. During his career, Goldenberg has written or co-authored approximately 950 journal articles, abstracts and book chapters on cancer immunology and other topics of cancer research.
In recognition of his research contributions, Goldenberg received a silver medallion and certificate from the German Fund for Cancer Research in 1979, the Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute in 1985 and 1992, and the New Jersey Pride Award in Science and Technology in 1986.
Goldenberg was honored as the ninth Otto Herz lecturer of Tel Aviv University Faculty of Life Sciences. In addition, he received the 1991 3M Mayncord Memorial Award and Lectureship of the British Institute of Radiology for his contributions to the development of radiolabeled antibodies used in the imaging and treatment of cancer.
African conference on campus Oct. 22-24
"Images of Africa: Stereotypes and Realities," an international conference on Africa, will be held on campus Oct. 22-24.
Keynote speaker Martin Bernal, internationally acclaimed author of Black Athena who teaches government at Cornell University, will speak on "European Images of Africa: Tale of Two names, Ethiopia and N---," at a 6:15 p.m. banquet Oct. 23. The conference is co-sponsored by the Society of Research on African Cultures (SORAC), the Institute for the Humanities, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The $75 conference fee includes all conference events plus the keynote address banquet. For more information about each day's sessions, call 7516 or visit the SORAC website at http://chss2.montclair.edu/sorac.
Public Telescope Nights are back! View the constellations, the moon, planets, double stars and nebulae every clear Thursday through Dec. 10 (excluding Nov. 26) from 8 to 9 p.m. in front of Richardson Hall. Children are invited, too. Public Telescope Night is sponsored by the North Jersey Astronomical Group. For more information, call Mary Lou West at 7266.
The Professional Development Peer Review Committee is accepting applications for the fall cycle of the 1998-99 academic year Staff Training and Development Program. Applications for professional development programs and travel that occur(ed) between July 1 and Dec. 31, 1998 will be considered for funding. For more information, call Delores Reavis at 4385 or Ann Baldinger at 4139.
For complete job descriptions and qualifications, see the Personnel Office, College Hall, Room 316.
Professional Specialist III (Career Counselor), Career Development. Salary: $33,093-$49,653. Starting date: On or before Dec. 1. V-03.
The following are internal promotional opportunities. Applications may be obtained from and should be returned by Oct. 9 to Debbie Jaffe, assistant director, Personnel Services, College Hall, Room 313B.
Secretarial Assistant, (confidential/non-Civil Service) President's Office. Salary: $25,000-$35,000.
Secretary (confidential/non-Civil Service), President's Office. Salary: $23,000-$32,000.
Senior Repairer, Physical Plant. Salary: $24,475.90-$33,421.10.
Repairer, Physical Plant. Salary: $21,433-$29,152.20..
MSU's International Trade Counseling Center provides "one-stop shopping," including counseling and resources, for companies looking to do business internationally. Working in collaboration with federal and state commerce agencies, School of Business faculty maintain this significant computer data base.
If you have an item you would like advertised in the "Bulletin Board," send it to Diana St. Lifer, Office of Public Information, College Hall, Room 313, or via e-mail to STLIFER.
Noon Recitals, McEachern Recital Hall (unless otherwise noted).
Afternoon and Evening Recitals, McEachern Recital Hall.
For tickets to dance events, call the Box Office at 5112 unless otherwise noted.
Art Forum Lecture Series. 3-4:50 p.m., Calcia Hall, Room 135. Sponsored by Fine Arts.
Home games only are listed. Schedule is subject to change. For more information, call the Athletic Office at 5234.
ONGOING
Public Telescope Nights. 8-9 p.m. clear Thursdays through Dec. 10 (excluding Nov. 26) in front of Richardson Hall. The moon will be featured Oct. 29. For more information, call Mary Lou West at 7266.
ON 'CARPE DIEM'
The weekly television show produced by broadcasting majors features an interview with Thomas Korner, retired marine and veteran of World War II and the Korean War, recipient of the Purple Heart and father of 13. Produced by Brian Korner, directed by Mike Vitale and hosted by Ophelia Johnson. Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. on Comcast.
AND MORE
Oct. 5: Flea Market. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Student Center Ballrooms. Crafts, jewelry, CDs and much more.
Oct. 6: Sexual Assault Awareness Day. Information and button distribution. The Clothesline Project Display will be in the Student Center Quad (the Student Center Ballrooms in the event of rain) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sponsored by the Women's Center.
Oct. 8: National Depression Screening Day, a free screening and educational program that takes place during Mental Illness Awareness Week. Begins 10 a.m., Psychological Services.
Oct. 10: MSU Black Alumni Reunion. The Dean James Harris Book Award will be presented 8 p.m., Snuffy's Pantogis Renaissance. Cost: $60 per person (pre-registration required). For information, call Brenda Caldwell at 908-687-8302.