Gift establishes McDowell Institute

A $2 million commitment to the Bloomsburg University Foundation supports an initiative to give teachers the tools and strategies they need to effectively teach all pupils in their classrooms. Philanthropist Susan McDowell’s gift — largest in the history of the BU Foundation — establishes the McDowell Institute for Teacher Excellence in Positive Behavior Support in the College of Education. The institute will help teachers identify pupils’ social, emotional and behavioral issues so all children may learn.

Greek Life takes on leadership challenge

Through the guidance of BU Quest, more than 150 fraternity brothers and sorority sisters recently participated in the annual BU Greek Olympics, where new members of 23 different Greek chapters completed numerous leadership training activities. The challenges were designed to enhance the communication and problem-solving skills of the students. Shawn Rosler ’00 ‘02M, Delta Kappa Epsilon alum, and Greta Rosler ’02, Chi Theta Pi alumna, kicked off the Olympics with a leadership presentation.

Forensics team showcases its talents

BU’s Speech and Debate (Forensics) Team has finished strong in two recent speech and debate tournaments — fifth out of eight schools at the Collegiate Forensic Association’s annual winter tournament at the College of Charleston, S.C., and won nine individual awards at the Harold Cox Invitational Events Speech Tournament at Wilkes University.

In South Carolina, every team member brought home an award. They were: Dan Clark, second in Single Dramatic Interpretation of Literature; Mary Pellant, sixth in Persuasive Speaking; Erika Mohr, earned a sixth place Speaker Award in Parliamentary Debate; Joshua Hooks and Clark, fifth in Parliamentary Debate; as well as Pellant and Mohr, fourth in Parliamentary Debate.

In Wilkes-Barre, Pellant won Single Dramatic Interpretation of Literature and Impromptu Speaking; placed second in Best Overall Tournament Speaker and Prose Speaking; and fourth in Extemporaneous Speaking and Persuasive Speaking. Mohr was third in Extemporaneous Speaking, fourth in Best Overall Tournament Speaker and Single Dramatic Interpretation of Literature and fifth in Impromptu Speaking.

Pictured at Fort Sumter National Monument (L-R) Joshua Hooks, Dan Clark, Erika Mohr, Joe Wright, Mary Pellant and Neil Strine. Contact Strine, forensics director, for details about joining the team, which meets every Wednesday, 5 p.m., Bakeless 208. No experience necessary.

Performance artist visits campus

Al Letson, an accomplished playwright, performance poet, actor and public radio host, will present, “Bayard Rustin: The Untold story of a Civil and Gay Rights Pioneer” at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 27 at the Multicultural Center. Letson’s visit is part of BU’s Black History Month Speaker Series. Letson’s distinctive voice, insightful prose and unique vision have garnered national acclaim and inspired a growing number of fans and followers.

Faculty member shares Poland experience

Faculty member Margaret O’Connor will speak on “Teaching Entrepreneurship in Poland, 2011” Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 4:30 p.m. in the Student Services Center 004. The event is a part of BU’s Institute for Culture and Society. O’Connor is associate professor of business education and information and technology management. During her talk, she will share her perspective as an American professor abroad and the challenges she faced while teaching an entrepreneurship course at the University of Warsaw. Contact Christina Francis, associate professor of English, for more information. This lecture, part of the ICS lecture series, is open free to the public.

Upward Bound student receives scholarship

Dakota Milo, a participant in BU’s TRiO Upward Bound, recently received a Horatio Alger Scholarship. Nationally, she is one of 50 recipients of the $5,000 award. The Horatio Alger Pennsylvania Scholarship provides assistance to students who have “exhibited integrity and perseverance in overcoming personal adversity and who aspire to pursue higher education.” Among the requirements, eligible students must have plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree, demonstrate financial need and participate in school-related and community activities. Milo is a senior at Berwick High School and has been a TRiO Upward Bound at participant for three years. BU’s TRiO Upward Bound program assists area high school students gain the skills and experiences necessary to succeed in a college environment. The program strives to help students improve academically, educates participants about college admission and financial aid procedures and offers year-round college-readiness preparation.

Innovation from inside the classroom

One of the main objectives of the BU’s Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) program is to provide the theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in the state of art electronics engineering. Students are trained to think critically and thoroughly to innovate and provide solutions for real world electronics engineering problems. One of the important EET courses is the Capstone Senior Design Project. Its aim is to culminate the undergraduate experience, where knowledge gained in the classroom is applied to a major design project. The course was developed and supervised by Ghassan Ibrahim, associate professor of physics and engineering technology, to encourage EET students to be thinkers and problem solvers.

Huskies honor breast cancer survivors

BU's athletic department hosted breast cancer survivors on Saturday, Feb. 11, as part of “Hooping for a Cure" before its game with West Chester. Hooping for a Cure is the PSAC's awareness and fundraising effort that is a part of the WBCA's Play 4Kay, which was formerly known as the WBCA Pink Zone.

Play 4Kay is an opportunity for coaches and teams to raise breast cancer awareness and funds for research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Prior tip-of the game the Huskies introduced and honored breast cancer survivors and those who have lost loved ones to the disease. The Huskies also raffled off themed baskets raising nearly $300 for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition, which represents, supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families through educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants.

A discussion on educator accountability

Thomas Starmack, associate professor of Education Studies and Secondary Education, will be hosting a series of three educational seminars throughout the semester. Titled “Educator Accountability in a Standards Aligned System,” Starmack plans to discuss specific topics that impact Pennsylvania educators. The three seminars, beginning on Monday, Feb. 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in McCormick 2303, will be held in the same room and time.

The first seminar presentation is the “Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System: Navigating the SAS including Tools for Teachers.” On March 19, Starmack’s second seminar is “PDE’s New Educator Evaluation Rating System and Rubric.” Monday, Apr. 23, his last presentation is “Teacher Accountability a Principals Perspective,” featuring a panel of regional principals.

The seminars are open to all education majors, faculty members, and anyone else interested. Starmack’s main purpose is to provide extended opportunities for a more depth of knowledge on the Pennsylvania education system. Seating is first come, first serve.

PCM invites all to Winterfest Banquet

BU’s Protestant Campus Ministry is holding its first Winterfest Banquet on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. in the KUB Ballroom, featuring music by the Martin Davis Band. Added entertainment provided by PCM students, as they welcome Pastor Mike Jarrett as the keynote speaker. Jarrell will present, “Risk-Taking and Spiritual Growth.” A workshop led by Jarrell will be offered at 4 p.m. Tickets to the banquet are $18 for nonstudents and $12 for students from any school. A whole table for eight can be reserved for $120. Contact Maggie Gillespie at (570) 389-4950 for details.

Grandson of Mohandas Gandhi to visit BU

Activist, diversity speaker and spiritual leader Arun Gandhi will be among several distinguished speakers and lecturers to visit campus this spring. Grandson of the legendary peace fighter and spiritual leader Mohandas Gandhi, Arun Gandhi will discuss his grandfather’s legacy and their kinship on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. in Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium, as well as will speak on “Lessons Learned from my Grandfather: Non-Violence in a Violent World.” Arun Gandhi, founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, renders a message of integrity, social harmony and peace.

He follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, sharing these lessons around the world. His first book, “A Patch of White,” published in 1949, explains the prejudice filling South Africa. He wrote two more books on poverty and politics in India. For details on this event, open free to the public, contact Madelyn Rodriguez, director of BU's Multicultural Center.

Sculpting the perfect Valentine’s Day

Lanny Lee returns to campus on Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering free balloon sculptures in the main KUB lobby as part of the Valentine’s Day celebration. One sculpture per student; free with a valid BU student ID. Lee’s visit is presented by the Program Board and sponsored by the CGA.

Happy Valentine’s Movie Show — Love and Basketball, 9 p.m., KUB Hideaway. Free chocolate candy or free flower for the first 50 students.

Zimmerman helping electric power industry

Greg Zimmerman, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, has been studying aqueous salt solutions at high temperatures and pressures for many years, because of its extreme importance to the electric power generating industry. Specifically, he measures a property called the electrical conductivity which can be used to determine the species in solution as well as how fast these species travel in the high temperature water. While this technique is well over a hundred years old, the instruments required for these measurements at the extreme temperatures and pressures of interest are difficult to construct for several reasons.

Materials must be used that minimize corrosion of the instrument from the solutions; otherwise contamination will render the measurements useless. The instruments have therefore been constructed from platinum, gold, sapphire and diamond. Using a flow-design also minimizes corrosion, so that the solutions enter the hot-zone and are measured as quickly as possible. Leaks around the electrodes, which must be electrically insulated from each other, are the other huge obstacle in making these instruments. The cell with the electrodes is therefore made small. Zimmerman has either built or helped design most of the existing flow electrical conductance instruments in the world today.

Giving the perfect Valentine's Day gift

BU will be hosting its first campus blood drive of the spring semester on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 1 to 7 p.m., in the KUB Ballroom. All donors will be able to enter for a chance to win a vacation giveaway — a trip to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, S.C. — through the American Red Cross. Students interested in volunteering for the blood drive can contact student activities at (570) 389-5151. Donors can make an appointment at redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-733-2767.

A simple equation: Family=Love

To help celebrate Valentine’s Day a reception will be held for the Family=Love project, an exhibit of photos and statements about local families to include a number of BU faculty and staff. The reception, open free to the public, will be held Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main St. The project will be on view at the Moose through February, then at the KUB Multicultural Center through April.

Shift the semester into gear with a blessing

BU’s Office of Minority Affairs is hosting Martin Harris, Sr., pastor of F.O.C.U.S. Young Adult Ministry at Bethel Deliverance International in Philadelphia for an on-campus church visit on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 10:45 a.m. in the KUB Multicultural Center. Free breakfast at 10:30 a.m. Get prayed up for a great spring semester! Contact Marcei Woods at (570) 389-4091 for more information.

Huskies on the move: Program Board Bus Trips

BU's Program Board will host a bus trip to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Feb. 25. The bus will depart from Bloomsburg at 6 a.m. and begin its trip back at 6 p.m from D.C. Tickets are $30 per person with a BU student ID and a paid spring 2012 community activities fee and $35 for those with just a BU student ID and guests. The trip is not open to the general public. Students can sign up now in the Students Activities Office, 350 KUB, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Explore Boston on an overnight bus trip on Saturday, March 31, to Sunday, April 1, sponsored by the Program Board. Costs as low as $99 includes two-way bus transportation and one night’s lodging at Days Hotel in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. Sign-ups begin on Thursday, Feb. 16, in the student activities office, KUB 350.

National spokeswoman visits campus

A nationally known leader in the fight against domestic violence will deliver the keynote address at BU’s Colloquium on Domestic Violence on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. in Centennial Hall 218. Wanda Lucibello has more than 30 years of experience working with domestic violence victims. As chief of New York City’s Special Victims Division, Lucibello is in charge of the prosecutorial coordination of the Brooklyn Felony Domestic Violence Court. She has conducted woman’s groups in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Ireland, Mexico and South Africa, all reflecting on family violence. The event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by BU’s Institute of Human Rights and Social Justice.

Alumna credits BU for her career path

Accounting teacher Jennifer Vest didn't start out as an education major in college. But the Warrior Run High School teacher credits Bloomsburg University for providing her with the opportunity to excel in the most rewarding job she's ever had. "I was three classes from graduating and realized that I did not enjoy the corporate aspect of accounting ... I was thankful that Bloomsburg had business education, it transferred all of my credits and all I needed was my education credits, so it took me five years instead of four," Vest said of her transition to teaching. "It is the best decision I made, I never feel like I'm going to work."

Noted British scholar discusses playwork

Fraser Brown, professor of playwork at Leeds Metropolitan University, is the next distinguished speaker to visit campus this spring. Brown will speak on “Children Without Play” on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 6:30 p.m. in McCormick Center 1303. His presentation will include the impact of a playwork project on a group of children in a Romanian pediatric hospital and touch on recent work by the charity Aid for Romanian Children to alleviate poverty and disadvantage of gypsy children in Transylvania.

BUSTED presents “Winterfest”

The cast and crew of BUSTED, an ongoing musical comedy series sponsored by residence life about college life, will present Episode 49, entitled “Winterfest,” on Monday, Feb. 20, at 9 p.m. in the KUB Ballroom. The show follows the adventures of 19 college students live on stage as they work through various life issues. Celebrate Mardi Gras and enjoy an evening of laughter and entertainment! Doors open at 8:45 p.m. Admission is free.

Author to discuss impact of slave trade

Thomas DeWolf, author of Inheriting the Trade: a Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave Trading Dynasty in U.S. History, will be the latest distinguished speaker to visit campus this spring. DeWolf will read portions of his book and discuss the impact of slavery at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 20, in Kehr Union Multipurpose B. The University Bookstore will have DeWolf's book available for purchase at the event, and DeWolf will sign copies should it be desired.

Taking the blinders off

Spring semester has arrived, and flowers are about to bloom. Why is now an ideal time to start thinking about a minor? Robert Marande, dean of the College of Science and Technology, explains why it's important for students to expand their academic interests to effectively transition into other areas after graduation.

Go back stage with the concert committee

BU's Student Concert Committee is now accepting applications — Kehr Union Information Desk by Monday, Feb. 20, at 4 p.m. — for students with a knowledge and passion for different genres of music. The concert committee requires students to be in a good academic standing and available to attend weekly meetings. The job description includes organizing and planning concerts on campus, maintaining social networking sites, surveying the student body to gather information for future concerts, and working the concert days.

Campus Alert: Wednesday, Feb. 29

Bloomsburg University Police Department is investigating a burglary that occurred between 6 and 7 p.m., Wednesday (Feb. 29). The actor entered a first floor Mt. Olympus residence. Entry was made through an unlocked window. No one was home at the time of the incident. A number of items were reported missing from the residence.

Remember to lock all doors and windows. Do not allow strangers into your residence. Report any suspicious people or activities to BU Police Department at (570) 389-4168. This campus alert is issued in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Police and Crime Statistics Act of 1990.