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.