Students and Professors to the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference

Professors Alexander and Nsia-Pepra, along with six students traveled to Chicago for the Midwest Political Science Association on the weekend of April 24th. HPJ students Mike Hamper and Matt Wiseman presented a poster on their research, and Dr. Nsia-Pepra presented two papers.

Hamper and Wiseman's poster was titled "Legislative Campaigning and the Use of Social Networking Sites," and Nsia-Pepra's papers were titled Responsibility to Protect" Why were Darfurians Denied Protection?" and "Changing U.S> Foreign Policy Trajectory Towards Africa's Civil Wars: Reconsideration for the New Obama Administration." Other students attending included (front L-R) Matt Allen, Kelly Morman, Patti Stiger, and Shelia Willamowski. Wiseman, Hamper, and Nsia-Pepra are (L-R) in back, with Dr. Alexander taking the photo.

Social Studies Grads Return in Triumph to Talk to Current Students

On Wednesday April 28, Matt Fox, Joy Kessler, and Ashley Reiff who teach in the area, and Rick Ingold, who is currently student teaching and interviewing for jobs, returned to ONU to talk with current students about their first-year experiences and the job search process. They joined current Social Studies students Jennifer Sherman, Beth Miller, Katherine Gualtiere, Lawren Neeley, Caitlin Kegley, Andy Zaebst, and Dr. Crawford for pizza, supplied by the HPJ Deparment in the Conference Room of Hill Building.

Fox, who teaches at Lima Senior High, Joy, who is at Lima Central Catholic, and Ashley who is teaching at Elida High School regaled the students with the adventures they have been encountering during their first year, some good and some not so. Fox mentioned breaking up fights, Joy told about an academic competition that she successfully brought to her school, and Ashley told them about her interview process when she faced questions from administrators and teachers who had taught her in the same school only a few years earlier. Ingold joined in, talking about his student teaching experience and his recent interviews. Crawford mostly sat back and listened with awe to see what professionals these graduates have become.

This was a great experience for the current students and a nice chance for the graduates to give advice to those who will soon join them in the field. Among the pertinent tips for finding a job were:

• Network with former teachers and coaches to get job leads
• You may want to identify where you want to teach, then bookmark their Human Resources page and check it each week. Job postings are sometimes very brief and not publicized on national sites, so one must watch them closely
• Make use of web services such as REAP, which allows teacher candidates to register online and makes resumes and credentials available to schools with openings in your subject area. REAP also has state specific sites, so you may want to narrow your focus to those states in which you would like to teach

Crawford told the gathered professionals and students that he was setting up Finding Social Studies Jobs, a new page for ONU students that brings together web sites that offer potential jobs in a single spot. Hopefully this will be helpful in finding positions for our students.

It was great to see all our grads who could come back and to see the teachers they have become. They provided a super example for our current students to emulate. Well done Matt, Joy, and Ashley!

Dr. Crawford Presents Sport and the Cold War to Russian Students

more to come

Western Civilization Series Adresses Ohio and the Civil War

Dr. Robert Engs, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Pennsylvania, talked to Western Civilization 2 students on Tuesday. Professor Engs, who is currently working on a project at the College of William and Mary, told them about the Evans, an Ohio family, and the Civil War. The Evans family left behind a treasure trove of letters written during the Civil War. Samuel Evans went off to fight in the war, eventually becoming an officer with a troop of African-American troops. Engs mentioned that Samuel's motivation seemed to be that he was tired of walking, and since non-commissioned officers who volunteered to become officers with African-American troops were issued horses, he jumped at the chance to save his feet.

Evans' father, Andrew, was less than thrilled about his son's decision, and even threatened to disown him. He told Samuel that "I would rather clean out shit-houses than accept your position." Engs, who was Dr. Waters' undergraduate adviser at Penn, also related the story that handling the dead from the Battle of Shilo was chaotic, and many of the coffins that were sent back to Ripley had the wrong bodies in them.

Samuel's habit of sending home the letters that he received from his family members ensured that when one of his decedents was cleaning out a house, the complete record of family interactions came to light. Engs knew a relative of the man who found the letters and so was asked to put them into book form. Their Patriotic Duty: The Civil War Letters of the Evans Family of Ripley Ohio was the result.

Engs talk was valuable for students who were given an inside look at how history is written, and what sources are sometimes available. Engs was doubly lucky. First to gain access to the letters, and secondly that the Ripley family had remarkably readable handwriting, which is not always the case in these situations.

Nationally Known Environmental Activist Speaks on Campus

Ohio Northern University commemorated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with a presentation from activist and environmentalist Julia “Butterfly” Hill in the ONU English Chapel on Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. The talk was sponsored by a variety of campus organizations that included Phi Beta Delta, the Department of Religion and Philosophy, and CASE.

Hill, a best-selling author and co-founder of the Circle of Life Foundation, discussed her role as an environmental activist and the challenges she has faced for more than a decade. She is best known for living in a 1,500-year-old redwood tree for 738 days (Dec. 1997 - Dec. 1999) to prevent it from being harvested by a local lumber company. She detailed her account in her book “The Legacy of Luna” and has co-authored “One Makes the Difference: Inspiring Actions That Change Our World.”

Hill is one of the most internationally recognizable figures in environmental activism. In 1999, she founded the non-profit organization Circle of Life to promote the sustainability, restoration and preservation of all life. She helped launch and continues to support The Engage Network, What’s Your Tree and the Women’s Earth Alliance. Her life story is currently being developed as a dramatic feature film.

Hill delivered her talk as a conversation with a former student to large crowd of student and faculty that gathered despite the hour and a half delay due to travel problems on the coast. She also remained on campus and talked to students until the early morning. Despite her assertion that living in a tree for over two years was less frightening than talking to audiences, her talk was received favorably by both students and faculty, and it was a tremendous opportunity for our students to meet the person behind the headlines.

Distinguished Historian Addresses Slaves Owned by Universities

More to Come

Dr. Crawford Speaks with Local Group

On Monday April 19, Dr. Crawford spoke with the University Club II in Kenton to discuss authoring a book. Dr. Michele Govekar of the Dicke Business College had contacted Crawford to bring him in for the meeting.

Crawford told them about writing his dissertation, which was later published, and how that process occurred. He related that he was fortunate to have received a fellowship that allowed him to write for 8-10 hours per day for nearly an entire semester. The dissertation became a book when Crawford met an editor for the Edwin Mellen Press at a conference, and she encouraged him to submit the manuscript.

The group of around 30 members then asked Crawford questions about his book and a wide ranging discussion of books, history, and students ensued.

Model United Nations to New York City

The Ohio Northern Model United Nations team attended the National Model United Nations Conference, New York held at the Marriot Marquis Hotel and the United Nations General Assembly from March 30^th to April 3. Over 390 universities worldwide participated in the simulation.

The team, representing Ecuador, participated in eight committees that include General Assembly Plenary, three General Assembly committees , Commission on the Status of Women, Economic Commission for Latin America, International Atomic Energy Agency and Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The team were actively involved in committee sessions, debating, negotiating, coordinating with fellow delegates with the view to making recommendations to resolve global various problems . The team made concrete suggestions, drafted and passed resolutions with other delegates to deal with sensitive global issues such as the elimination of international terrorism, illicit arms sales, combating maritime piracy, global warming, implementation of global standard education women’s equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and post-conflict peacebuilding , women’s role in capacity building, strengthening social protection for the most vulnerable and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

The members of the team in attendance were Dan Jones- head delegate, Kerrie Bell, Brandon Bryant, Zachary Esterline, , Megan Piersol, Rochelle Reamy, Steven Saunier, Hannah Shreffler, Kelly Morman and Leeann Sullivan, with Professor Kofi Nsia-Pepra as the student advisor.

The team also called on the Ecuadorian Ambassador to the United Nations and his staff officers and had a fruitful interaction and discussion with them on mentioned global issues. The Model UN simulation equips global future leaders with the skills of diplomacy, negotiation, coordination, accommodation in the spirit of multilateralism to deal with the global challenges we face as a community of nations today. Dr. Nsia-Pepra was impressed with the eagerness and enthusiasm of the team, especially the new members, in learning to solve problems in an amenable but very tasking atmosphere. He encourages students from all departments to join the Model UN.

Dr. Waters Presents at the OAH

more to come

Drs. Schul and Crawford accompany Students to OCSS Annual Meeting

Ten students, along with Drs. Schul (Education Department) and Crawford, traveled to Worthington, OH on Friday April 16 for the Ohio Council for the Social Studies Annual Meeting. Schul and Crawford, along with students, presented sessions to the gathered teachers.

Schul's session dealt with using desktop documentaries to engage student interest in history. He was joined in his presentation by Beth Miller and Lawren Neely, both Social Studies students, who told the audience of the process they went through to make their documentaries and then screened them. Miller's documentary was created as an assignment to place oneself in the shoes of another and consisted of a rap song intermixed with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words and images of children. Neely's video was a mix of Depression Era songs by Woody Guthrie and images of the Dust Bowl years.

Crawford presented on the National Football League and Integration, and was joined by Rick Ingold and Andy Zaebst, who presented their lesson plans for making this a part of discussion of the Civil Rights Movement. Zaebst presented a lesson plan for discussing the reasons why integration happened relatively quickly in the NFL, but took longer for high schools. This led to a lively discussion by the audience and presenters. Rick Ingold then presented his lesson plan for discussing the Rooney Rule, which mandates that African-American candidates must be interviewed as part of the process of hiring a new head coach in the league.

All of the student presenters did a bang-up job in their presentations, and they were joined by several other students who also attended. Those students included Katherine DeMars, Jennifer Sherman, Trey Jones, Ryan Fleming, Jennifer Bazell, and Emily Spangler (Middle Childhood).

In addition to presenting and attending sessions given by practicing educators, the students also brought home a lot of free materials that they might use one day in their classrooms. This was a valuable experience for students, both in the ideas that they gained, and also in the chance to interact with professionals in their field, some of who may one day be in a position to hire them.

Breaking Barriers Symposium

On Wednesday and Thursday night of last week, HPJ and the Office of Multicultural Developments put on the Breaking Barriers Symposium: the Role of Baseball on Integration. The symposium was scheduled for those days because April 15th was the 63rd anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

The Symposium began on Wednesday night when Dr. Crawford introduced the purpose of the events, which sought to remind students of the role that baseball players such as Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson played in the story of the integration of American society. Dr. Bob Carrothers then provided introductory remarks on the struggles faced by minorities who became barrier breakers in Major League Baseball, and introduced the documentary Pride Against Prejudice: the Larry Doby Story.

After viewing clips from the documentary, students heard from Bill Robinson, Assistant to the President at ONU, who worked as Traveling Secretary for the Cleveland Indians in 1947, when Doby became the first black player in the American League. Robinson told the audience that it was difficult for young people to imagine what segregated America was like in those days, telling them of white crowds trying to overturn a cab that he and Doby were in, and hurling insults at the player who dared to break the color line. Doby is often forgotten by history because he followed Robinson into professional baseball. He also was thrust into a difficult position with little preparation from Indians owner Bill Veeck.

To watch the first night's talks, click here. If that does not work, or if you are using Windows Media Player, click here.

On Thursday, the symposium moved on to a panel discussion on Jackie Robinson's barrier breaking entry into MLB. Dr. Crawford began by speaking of press reaction to Robinson, which was uniformly positive, and Crawford argued that this was designed to teach the larger society that African-Americans could and should be a part of the mainstream. Dr. Ray I. Schuck, from the Communications Department at Bowling Green State University, spoke next about the missed opportunities that Robinson's entry concealed, such as the possibility of the merger of MLB with the Negro Leagues, which would have brought in more players immediately and also brought in black ownership, something that is still missing. Dr. Mike Butterworth, also of BGSU, then discussed the path from Jackie Robinson to President Barrack Obama. Obama himself told Willie Mays that absent the efforts of athletes such as Robinson and Mays, his election as president of the nation would not likely have been possible. Ending the panel discussion, Clyde Pickett of the Office of Multicultural Development spoke about the evolving image of black athletes from Robinson's day to the present. While Robinson's image was carefully managed to be non-threatening to white America, later athletes were free to be themselves, and athletes such as Michael Jordan became global symbols.

Both evenings drew good crowds and the audiences supplied great questions for discussion. The event was a success and gave students a view of the long struggle for Civil Rights that is often overlooked.

Alums Triumphant Return: Jared Hardesty Addresses Western Civ Series

Jared Hardesty, who graduated from ONU with a major in History in 2008, returned to give the Western Civilization talk on Tuesday April 13. Jared, who is currently working on his Ph.D. at Boston College, delivered a talk titled "The Horrors of St. Domingue: Haiti, Racial Revolution, and the West.

Despite some early technical problems outside of his control, Jared delivered a virtuoso performance. He told gathered students and faculty of the repercussions of the successful slave revolt in Haiti (1791-1804), which included the flight of white residents to Cuba and later the United States. Many of these refugees had artistic and literary skills and so the impact of the revolution's brutality grew in the telling and showing, causing slave owners in the U.S. to have increased paranoia of a slave revolt there. Among the lurid tales they told to newspapers were accounts of rape, brutality, and cannibalism, that increased fears of such atrocities at the hands of American slaves.

Jared began with a summary of the events leading up to the refugee's flight, including the role of Toussaint L'Ouverture, who won early victories over the Europeans, the LeClerc Expedition, which stopped in Haiti on their way to garrison the Louisiana Territory, and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who completed the revolution and threatened to execute all white residents. Along the way, he told the audience how the slave revolution fit into the larger story of Western Civilization. The white refugees fled to Cuba and safety, but their troubles were not over, and the Spanish administration of Cuba expelled them after Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Spain. Many of the refugees finally settled in the U.S., where they began spreading their stories of slave atrocities.

The Haiti Revolution had important consequences for the France and the U.S. Napoleon's plans for occupying the Louisiana Territory had to be canceled and the U.S. ended up buying the territory for only $15 Million dollars. Also, news of the only successful slave revolution in world history encouraged further slave rebellions, such as Gabriel Prosser's unsuccessful attempt in 1800.

Student comments were uniformly favorable, and faculty members were pleased to see what a professional Jared has become. We expect great things of him, and his skill in delivering this lecture only reinforced those expectations. Well done Jared and best of luck in your continued studies!

Saudi Prison Officers Visit Ohio Prison

Several Saudi Prison Officers taking part in the Prison Management Program directed by the HPJ Department visited the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, OH. While there, the officers learned how incarcerated women are secured and managed. They visited the Reformatory on two occasions to view the living conditions and security provisions there.

Amnesty International Sponsors Speaker

On April 13, Phi Beta Delta and the ONU chapter of Amnesty International sponsored Mike Ferner, the President of Veterans for Peace, who gave a talk titled "Free Speech in America." A long time peace activist, Ferner told students and faculty of his experiences protesting for peace from the Vietnam War to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

Pi Sigma Alpha Earns Grant from the National Organization

Dr. Rob Alexander, Associate Professor of Political Science, and student Kelly Morman, a political science major, received a $1,000 grant from Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, to help students attend the Midwest Political Science Convention in Chicago, Illinois this month. This is a major conference and three ONU political students will be presenting research there. This is the 8^th consecutive year ONU has received funding from the National Office. Altogether, ONU has received $10,000 in grant money from Pi Sigma Alpha.

Way to go PSA!

Crawford in the Media

Professor Crawford was interviewed by two news sources in the past week. On April 1st, he was interviewed by WLIO in Lima to talk about April Fool's Day. Crawford mentioned that nobody knows for sure how the day started, but some maintain that it commemorated Jesus traveling back and forth between Harrod and Pontius Pilate. Others argue that it was the evolution of Roman renewal festivals. Sill others, including the Simpsons, hold to the theory that it was a day when early Christians mocked Druids.

He also spoke of some of the famous hoaxes played on the day, including Burger King announcing the sale of left-handed Whoppers, and a Boston University professor telling the Associated Press that the holiday was created by the Emperor Constantine, who made his court jester emperor for the day.

Crawford was also interviewed by a reporter from the San Antonio Express-News, who wanted his take on the upcoming implosion of Texas Stadium, the former home of the Dallas Cowboys. The reporter also wondered why such buildings have become such cultural icons in America. Crawford mentioned that Texas Stadium was unique, since it had a hole in the roof, with the story being that not only were the Cowboys America's Team in the 1980s, but they also said that even God wanted to watch them. He also placed the importance of such sites into the model of what many historians, including Crawford, describe as "American cathedrals." A Cowboy fan since his teen years, Crawford mentioned also that this might be seen as the last vestige of the old Cowboys of Roger Staubach and Tom Landry being finally erased by current owner Jerry Jones, and that the old stadium was important as being the site of many National Football League innovations, such as wide white sidelines and multicolored 20 yard lines that made viewing on television easier, not to mention the introduction of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

Crawford was also interviewed by WLIO Lima on the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. He gave a historical background on the event, and the narrative of the "angry while male" that this fit into during the 1990s. He mentioned that this same narrative has been revived by the Obama administration recently, citing Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano's memo warning about right wing extremists, the recent arrest of militia members, and former President Bill Clinton's warning that the rhetoric of the Tea Party Movement might lead to violence.

Justin Dickerson Takes Charge

Justin Dickerson, who graduated with a BA in History in 2009, has been elected president of Loyola University's History Graduate Student Association. Justin is completing his Master of Arts Degree and is considering the topic of the role that ethnicity played in the Burnham Plan, an early 20th Century city planning effort in Chicago.

As part of his presidential duties, he will be organizing next year's Loyola University Chicago History Graduate Student Conference. The conference brings together Masters and Doctoral students from around the nation to present their research in any field of historical study to their peers. Conferences such as these are great opportunities for graduate students to gain experience in presenting papers in an environment that is somewhat less stressful than an academic conference. Such experiences also provide valuable opportunities to network with peers who are doing similar, or dissimilar research, for future collaboration. He will also be helping plan social and academic events for the History Department's graduate students at Loyola.

Justin is weighing his next step, considering continuing his education to earn a Ph.D. or perhaps joining the Peace Corps in an effort to help people. Justin had some experience observing people in need when he took part in the Cuba Program, the exchange that ONU has with the University of Havana. Justin notes that his experiences at ONU gave him the tools and confidence to accept leadership positions, such as the one he will occupy next year.

Wherever the road leads, this accomplishment is a good step for Justin! Way to go Mr. President!

Another Alum's Triumphant Return from the Seat of Power

On Thursday April 6, Dr. Alexander's Political Parties and Interest Groups heard from Mark Schloemer, who graduated from ONU with a BA in Political Science in 2008. Mark is currently Personal Assistant to United States Senator George Voinovich (R OH).

Mark described his career path, that included an internship with the Washington Center, working for a interest group seeking to end torture, a stint as a recruiter for the Washington Center, and finally his work with Senator Voinovich. He related that he learned of the opening for the Senator's Personal Assistant at a Washington party. While everyone else was in the main room, Mark was in a side room watching Buckeye football. Another party-goer kept poking his head in to check the score and finally they introduced themselves and the other Ohioan turned out to be the out-going personal assistant to Voinovich who told Mark the job would be open and how to apply for it.

This was a point that Mark made to the class; that a great deal of work and networking happens during parties and happy hour, and that students need to make sure they keep their wits about them to be able to take advantage of any opportunities that might present themselves. He emphasized that they can find a position such as his if they are willing to work very hard and be willing to make contacts.

Mark went on to tell students about his duties, which basically are doing whatever the Senator requires. This has ranged from writing speeches for the Senator, to driving him home to Ohio. Mark told the students that for his current post, the most valuable activity he took part in at ONU was writing for the Northern Review, which taught him to work on deadline and sharpened his writing skills. He mentioned that proofreading and writing was a large part of his job, and that accuracy was a must, and related his experience writing a 30+ page speech for the Senator in just one day. He told students that when he sat in their seats, he thought a 10 page paper was a stretch, but that he had learned to put in the long hours necessary to be successful at the next level.

He also spoke about the role of interest groups, mentioning that what Dr. Alexander told him in a Freshman class held true; that the most powerful tool that such groups have to use is information. No member of Congress can be an expert on everything, so they lean on interest groups. A moderate Republican like Voinovich will gather information from interest groups on both sides of the political divide to help him decide how to act.

He concluded by offering his opinion that the partisan divide in the Senate has worsened in recent years. He attributed this to a number of factors, including gerrymandering (redrawing Congressional districts to favor one party or another), the effectiveness of House and Senate leaders in "whipping" their members into line, and the nature of the people who become
Senators. He opined that he would like to see more mayors and governors become Senators, because they arrived with experience in working with both parties.

As always, it is great to hear from our graduates who go out to be successes in the "real world." Mark's tenure with Senator Voinovich is due to end when the Senator retires in December. Where he goes from there is uncertain, but his ability and experience will no doubt land him somewhere where he can continue to work for the public good. Way to go Mark

Juvenile Justice Class Takes to the Field

On March 30, the Juvenile Justice class visited the Allen County Juvenile Court Treatment & Detention Center. The Detention Center has the capacity to hold 33 juveniles, 21 males and 12 females.

Students were given an in-depth tour of the facility, including holding cells, the detention wing, the treatment wing, the recreational facilities, and the educational facilities. After the tour, which was conducted by Detention Center Director Berlin Carroll, students engaged in an informative and enjoyable discussion with the entire staff.

Members of the juvenile justice class are Andrew Bauer, Marie Bigelow, Wade Boggs, Rachel Butvin, Garrett Gottlieb, Edward Harris, Stormy Humphrey, Jamal Jones, Trey Jones, Michael Krummrey, Elizabeth Okrutny, and Jason Scott. James Geistman teaches the class.

Carol Wilson Accepted by Prestigious History Program

Carol Wilson, a senior with a double major in History and Professional Writing, has been accepted into the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History's History Scholars Program.

This program awards scholarships to undergraduate students with a passion for American history, and academic excellence in the field, to attend a five-week research program in New York City during June and July. In order to be eligible, students must have taken at least one American History course and plan to major or concentrate in American History or American Studies.

According to the Gilder Lehrman website, as a recipient, Carol will receive a fellowship worth $10,000 that includes tuition, books, field trips, a travel allowance, room and board, and a $2,200 stipend. As part of the five-week experience, Carol will conduct primary-source research on rare, unpublished historical manuscripts in the Institute's collection; meet and study in small seminars with historians such as David Blight, Eric Foner, Carol Berkin, and others; receive behind-the-scenes tours of rare archives at the NY Historical Society, the NY Public Library, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and produce original research projects under the supervision of the program director.

This is a very competitive national program, and of perhaps 1,000 applications received annually, the Institute chooses only 10 of the best and brightest students from across the nation. This summer, Carol will be taking her place as one of the best and brightest undergraduate students in the United States.

This is a great honor for Carol and she should be very proud of the career she has shaped here that led her to what will be, we hope, a fabulous experience! Way to go Carol!

Alums Triumphant Return from the Seat of Power

Liz Drummond, who graduated from ONU in 2007 with a degree in History, came back to campus today to talk with Professor Alexander's Political Parties and Interest Groups class. Liz works for the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, and more particularly with the subcommittee on equipment procurement for the Navy and Marine Corps. She told students about the process of putting together the annual budget that provides the tools that our armed forces use. She also gave a strong defense of the Earmark process, which has come under intense scrutiny in recent years. She argued that many needful things get done because of earmarks that would not otherwise be funded.

As part of the subcommittee staff, she has had to familiarize herself with the equipment that the Navy and Marines use. That has translated into trips on a small plane to land on an aircraft carrier and trips below the surface on a nuclear submarine. She told students that three years ago, when she was sitting in the same desks they occupied, she never dreamed that such experiences awaited her. She described her career path, which included an internship with the Washington Center, a job as Political Director for a union in Columbus, a tour as Resident Assistant with the Washington Center, and finally her position on the Armed Services Committee. She told the students that if they wanted the same sort of career, that they should find an internship, and cultivate the contacts that they make there.

Liz also mentioned that her most valuable class here was HIST 204 Historical Methods. She told the class that Professor Lomax helped her become a good writer and editor, which has proved invaluable in her job.

It was great to see Liz again, and to see the professional that she has become. Well done Liz!