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NEW LAYOUT (NO PROBLEMS):Layout 1 6/3/2008 1:29 PM

Table of ContentsNews from the chair 3

Student spotlight 4-7

What does an English major do? 8-11

Secondary Education Society 12

Poet Tom Hunely visits ONU 13

Sigma Tau Delta year in review 14-15

The adventures of ONU English 16-17

Faculty Facebook 18-23

Senior Capstone presentations 24-25

Majors take studies abroad 26-27

Alumni 28-30

Fun and games: Paper dolls 31

Newsletter Editorial Staff:Nick Dutro

Denise JansenRachelle PavelkoRachel Rufenacht

Hailey UhlerAmanda Williams

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News from the chair

By Hailey UhlerJunior, Journalism

Even with Dukes’ leaks and heatingand cooling issues this fall, the building’sailments did not prevent the Englishdepartment from having another busy andsuccessful year. Department Chair Dr. EvaMcManus, professor of English, referredto the structural debacle as “the problems”that she anticipates will be resolved soon.

“[It] was a negative thing, but wehope to turn it into a positive thing,” shesaid.

Apart from the students who studiedabroad last summer and those who haveplans to jump across the pond (and farther)this coming summer, McManus mentionedthat this year was especially active withinthe department. Faculty members traveledwith students throughout the entire year.

The journalism students, along withadvisor Dr. Druann Bauer, assistant profes-sor of English, traveled to Washington,D.C., this year for the annual NationalCollege Media Convention. Dr. Margot Cullen, associate professor of English,

took her screenwriting students to Los Angeles, and the students in SecondaryEducation Society traveled to New Yorkfor the National Council of Teachers ofEnglish (NCTE) conference, where severalstudents made presentations. Dr. RobertScott, professor of English, also took agroup of Sigma Tau Deltas to the interna-tional convention in Louisville, Ky., dur-ing the winter.

Even Dr. John Paul Kanwit, assistantprofessor of English, the latest addition tothe English department staff, fell into stepalongside other faculty members who tookstudents on trips – he and his VictorianLiterature class traveled to an art museumin Chicago where students got the chanceto see a Darwin exhibit this past fall.

Kanwit will take the lead with lan-guage arts education majors and has beenconnecting a lot with the education depart-ment. In keeping with the vision of theEnglish department, Kanwit believes inhands-on, experiential learning, saidMcManus.

“I’m really excited he’s here. Hebrings a lot of experience and seems to bereally interested in things. He’s jumpingright in,” she said.

Along with Kanwit, another largefreshman class found their home withinthe department. McManus estimated 25freshmen majors and at least three or fourothers who are double-majors.

“[They’re] just a terrific group of peo-ple – a lot of talent, I think,” she said.

With new laptops slated to arrive intime for fall quarter 2008, the mobile labshould be rolling around once again. Also,the department received a handful of flat-screen TVs and new computers in both the151 lab and the publications room.

The 2007-08 school year also markedthe second faculty years for Bauer and vis-iting instructors of English Stephen Crinitiand Dr. Daniel Kline. Last year, Bauer wasthe newsletter advisor, and this year sheoversees production of the NorthernReview. She and Dr. William O’Connell,associate professor of English/journalism,are taking turns advising each publication.In the fall, O’Connell will return as theNorthern Review’s faculty advisor.

Even with all of the traveling, theEnglish department still managed to bringin a couple of masters of the craft. In thefall, poet Albert Goldbarth visited OhioNorthern, and in the spring another poet,Tom C. Hunley, arrived on campus for apoetry reading.

Next year, students and faculty alikewill prepare for the international year ofthe polar bear. Ohio Northern is now affili-ated with the Columbus Zoo, and, alongwith alumni groups, the English depart-ment hopes to bring a mainstream authorwho deals with global issues to theUniversity. McManus mentioned that therecould potentially be polar bear or globalissue themes with publications such as“Polaris” to help emphasize the idea.

Even with a few environmental glitch-es at the beginning of this year, theEnglish department did not fail to produceanother banner year at Ohio Northern.

Dr. McManus takes a break from a harrowing day in the classroom to engross herself ina graphic novel and finds herself taking on characteristics of the comic world.

3

Photo/Hailey Uhler

By Rachelle PavelkoSenior, Journalism

Jenny Rowe has spent the past threeyears trying to soak in as much knowl-edge as possible to prepare herself for hercareer in teaching. As a junior languagearts education major, Rowe is willing todo just about anything to make sure she isbest equipped to someday lead a class-room.

That includes flying to Korea.Earlier this year, Rowe applied to the

summer program fellowship at HanyangUniversity in Seoul, South Korea. This isthe second year for the exchange agree-ment between Hanyang and OhioNorthern.

“Even though I knew that I wouldn’tbe able to take any courses that wouldapply directly to my major,” Rowe said,“I wanted to treat it as an enrichment tomy teaching career.”

Rowe wasn’t shy about her originalmotivation to apply for the fellowship as a

smile formed on her face.“I love to travel,” she said.

“It’s more of an adventurefor me, and I’m reallylooking forward to it.”

Rowe will be one ofeight students (two stu-dents from each of theUniversity’s undergradu-ate colleges are accepted)traveling to Seoul thissummer for the six-weekprogram. The group willleave the United States onJune 18 and return July30. The students willspend five weeks atHanyang and their finalweek in China.

Rowe’s course loadwhile overseas includesboth beginning Koreanand contemporary Koreathrough literature andfilm. The week spent inChina will include grouplectures instead of classtime.

“The lectures wewill have in China will

introduce us to their history and culture,”Rowe said. “It’s basically just a bonusfield trip.”

While in Korea, Rowe will be stayingin a dorm at Hanyang University with aKorean roommate.

“I’m really excited about it,” Rowesaid. “They pair each of us with a Koreanstudent to help us learn their culture. It’sjust as much of a summerprogram for her [the Koreanstudent].”

Rowe, ensuring that herentire time overseas won’tbe spent studying in a class-room, said that there will beplenty of time to exploreKorea.

“The director of the pro-gram has already arrangedseveral day trips” she said,her excitement noticeable.“The one that sounds reallyinteresting – we will begoing to the DemilitarizedZone [DMZ], and we’ll

actually get to see the border betweenSouth Korea and North Korea.”

Rowe’s biggest concerns in regards tothe culture shock she will face are learn-ing the language and the Korean affinityfor spicy foods.

“I want to learn to like spicy food,”Rowe said, laughing. “Spicy seems to betheir favorite flavor.”

Rowe’s excitement for the trip stemsfrom both her love of traveling andbecoming acquainted with new cultures,as well as her passion for teaching. Evenwith a summer packed with activities andadventure, teaching always seems to be onRowe’s brain.

“I’m just really excited for thisopportunity,” she said. “I definitely hopeto apply this experience to my classroomsomeday.”

Gaining insights from outside our culture

Photo/Easter KellerJenny Rowe will be taking over as the president of theSigma Tau Delta English honorary next year.

From left, English majors Morgan Baughman, RachelWells, Elizabeth Dugan, Jenny Rowe, Erica Ranly, EmilyShrider joined fellow STD members at the March confer-ence in Louisville, Ky.

Jenny is one of eight students(two from ONU’s four under-graduate colleges are accepted)traveling to Seoul this sum-mer for the six-week program.The group will leave theUnited States on June 18 andreturn July 30. The studentswill spend five weeks atHanyang and their final weekin China.

Jenny Rowe hopes a summer abroad will strengthen her skills for the classroom

4


It wouldn’t be unlikely to see seniorcreative writing major Thomas Majorroaming the halls of Dukes. He’d proba-bly be wearing a pair of shorts – regard-less of the season – laughing and sharinga story with a professor or friend. With hiswarm smile and contagious laugh, itwouldn’t be unusual if several of his peersgreeted him along the way.

It would, however, being unfath-omably odd if Major was wearing shoes.

Major, whose pair of athletic shortsdon’t do his character justice today, as it isunseasonably warm, is now in his finalquarter of study at Ohio Northern. Thesenior creative writing major is bestknown for his quirky personality, light-hearted nature and adventurous spirit.Above all else, Major has a passion forlife.

Major found himself traveling to Adato begin his college career after beingoffered an outstanding scholarship. Heexplained that his desire to play tennis at

the collegiate levelhelped to impact hisdecision, since OhioState had also offeredhim a noteworthyscholarship.

“Ah, the old D-III [Division III] ath-lete,” Major said,mid-laugh. “Therewas no way I wasplaying for OhioState – I’m not thatgood.”

Major’s parentsalso played a role inthe small-schoolatmosphere choice.

While atNorthern, Major hasproven his love forwriting, music andtennis. Major’s inter-est in music – morespecifically guitar –first began during hisjunior year of high

school after attending his church youthgroup with a few friends.

“The youth group had a really horri-ble band,” Major said. “Really…horrible.I thought, ‘Well, I could do that.’”

Major became more serious aboutmusic during his freshman year at ONU.

“There was a senior here; his namewas ‘Johnny B,’” Major said. “We wouldget together and play guitar – he’s the bestguitar player I’ve ever met in person.”

Major also has a talent for singing,which developed much earlier than hisinterest in guitar. Though he performed inmusicals throughout high school, his firstmajor singing debut was in seventh grade.

“I was in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’” Majorsaid.

The grin that had started to formassured me that there was more to thestory.

“Yeah, I was the Munchkin Mayor.”As Major has grown, so have his per-

formance locales. Major now performs inthe chapel during Sunday night TNT, aswell as at a coffee shop in Findlay, andopen mic nights around the area.

Major’s plans post-graduation are asbig as his personality. His plan to move toDenver will incorporate two of his trade-mark talents: writing and music. Major’sfriendship with fellow guitarist Johnny Bhas only strengthened throughout theyears, and he will be joining his oldbuddy in Denver.

“Back when he was still in college,we would spend nights talking about howsomeday we were going to be famous.You know, typical college kids,” Majorsaid.

Major explained that Johnny B hasfree studio recording time lined up forwhen he arrives in Denver. The pair hopeto write several songs together and recordtheir first demo within a month of Major’sadaptation to Colorado.

Fellow ONU senior and creative writ-ing major Nate Arida also will be makingthe move to Denver, filling the role asMajor’s roommate.

However, the move from Ada toDenver will probably not come as a cul-ture shock for Major, a seasoned and pas-sionate traveler.

“Well, let’s see,” Major said. “I’vebeen everywhere. I went on a 56-day roadtrip across the country. We went to 44 dif-ferent states.”

As he now sits among Ada locals inthe Northern on Main café, it’s hard topicture Major jumping from state to stateon the adventure of a lifetime.

Adding to his anything-but-ordinarylife, Major also said that after his sopho-more year of college, he dropped out andmoved to Los Angeles. Major took part ina 10-week internship during the fall, andthen returned to ONU for the winter quar-ter.

Aside from his plans in Denver,Major also hopes to get the book he iscurrently working on published after grad-uation.

“My book is just about all of my trav-els,” Major said. “It’s perfect for the mar-ket right now – and it’s fun. And funny.”

Fun and funny. Major’s description of his book is a testament to his own character.

5

Characters PhotoThomas Major, senior creative writing major, plans on movingto Denver, Colo., to begin his career after graduation.

On the road again

Major sets big plans for the future


“Well, something always goeswrong,” Steve Keslar said, “and thenwe scramble to fix it. We set our-selves up to look really good even ifwe aren’t.”

That, in a nutshell, is the essenceof Mock Trial.

Keslar, a sophomore journalismmajor, has ventured outside the hallsof Dukes into the turbulent world oflaw. As a member of the OhioNorthern University Mock Trial team,Keslar has an aptitude for speakingon his feet and using critical thinkingskills under pressure.

Keslar, now in his second year ofcompetition with the Mock Trialteam, shares his interest in law withanother English major, Brad King.

King, also a sophomore, ismajoring in both literature and phi-losophy. King joined the Mock Trialteam in the fall of his freshman year.

“I first joined because I thoughtit would be something good to put onmy resumé,” King said. “It seemedlike a good extracurricular, and it hasdefinitely helped me to meet people.A lot of the members are political sci-ence or history majors – people I wouldn’t meet in Dukes.”

The Mock Trial team meets weekly to go over a case sent tothem by the National Mock Trial Association. Every participat-ing college receives the same case.

“We each get different parts,” King said. “If you’re a wit-ness, you have a specific affidavit you have to stick to.”

Keslar also helped to explain the process.“As a witness, you prepare opening and closing statements,”

he said. “Basically what we do each week is practice and go overdifferent strategies. Every school has the same case but there aretons of different ways to look at the same problem.”

Keslar said that their goal is to have everything memorizedand polished by the time they get to trial.

Each Mock Trial team is comprised of eight to nine people,and King said that ONU had three full teams this year. Dr.JoAnn Scott, professor of political science, is the advisor of theprogram.

“We get in a decent amount of traveling,” Keslar said. “Wetried to stay around Ohio this year, but we did get to go toChicago twice.”

The Mock Trial teams travel to roughly five tournamentseach year, including the regional tournament. Everyone is invitedto compete in regionals, but from there teams are able to qualify

for one of two national competitions.“We qualified this year to the national meet in Hamilton,

Ohio,” Keslar said, “and I think that’s the first time we have inabout six years.”

As far as the benefits of Mock Trial, Keslar and King are inagreement. Both have seen improvements in their public speak-ing skills and have learned to handle the pressure associated withquick thinking.

“It’s an intellectual competition, and you are going upagainst people from other schools whose main objective is just totrip you up mentally,” Keslar said.

Just as their collegiate hobby matches up, Keslar and Kingplan to follow the same path after graduation.

“I initially wasn’t really thinking about law school,” Kingsaid, “but Mock Trial has definitely pushed me in that direction.”

Keslar said that Mock Trial has given him an advantage tothose going into law school cold, since he is already familiarwith a lot of the terminology, rules and reviews through the com-petitions. Like King, Keslar also plans on attending law schoolafter Northern.

“I wanted to major in journalism because, if along the way Idecide not to go to law school, I know I will always have a back-up job.”

Characters PhotoSophomore journalism major Steve Keslar has been a member of the ONU Mock Trial teamsince freshman year. Keslar plans on attending law school after his undergraduate studies.

Bringing order to life outside of Dukes

6

7


To her peers, AutumnSteiner seems quiet, polite,confident. She never missesa class, proving her respon-sibility to her course workand her passion for hermajor.

Writing comes natural-ly for Steiner, a junior pro-fessional writing major.It’s a talent that she nowis sharing with the OhioNorthern Universitycommunity. Steiner hasbeen working with ONUCommunications andMarketing since the fall –her task: to write featurestories that are displayed onthe University’s home page.

Steiner got involvedwith Communications andMarketing through friendand fellow professionalwriter, Kristen (Pniewski)Steele, BA ’07. Steiner’slove for writing propelledher into the new position.

“Kristen suggested thatI take over for her,” Steinersaid, smiling. “I just fell into it I guess.”

Steiner’s work is highlighted in the“features” section on the ONU homepage; sometimes her stories also end up inthe Alumni Journal. Steiner also isresponsible for writing some Universitypress releases.

“Everything I do is strictly writing,”Steiner said. “I write things, and KenColwell takes care of the Web design.”

Colwell is the associate director ofWeb design in the Communications andMarketing department.

Throughout the 2007-08 academicyear, Steiner has had an opportunity towrite numerous features. Steiner’s favoriteassignment came as bit of a shock.

“Well,” Steiner said, already starting

to let laughter escape, “I had to write apiece about the Green Monster – and Imean, how often to you get to write abouta jogging path?”

Steiner’s work on the Green Monsterpiece, inspired by the path’s 16-yearanniversary, was more than just an articleabout avid joggers.

“I talked to a lot of different people,”Steiner said, “including Dr. Baker andTony Wolke [the assistant director of thephysical plant]. I also got to talk to somealumni that had interesting stories abouthow they met on the Green Monster.”

Steiner said that her work with thearticle discussed more than just “a greenpath that runs through campus.”

“It was a people story,” she said.As a member of the color guard and a

member of Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha LambdaDelta, Simga Tau Delta and Mortarboard,Steiner has proven to be a bit of a people-person herself on the ONU campus. Heractive involvement in various organiza-tions doesn’t impede her participation inher major, however.

“I was actually a marketing majoruntil the middle of my sophomore year,”Steiner said. “I just knew that I liked writ-ing so much more.”

Smiling, Steiner described her chosenmajor as both flexible and a practicalapplication.

“I just thought it would be somethingI could get a lot out of,” she said.

Just in her third year of studies,Steiner has already proven that theory tobe true.

Expanding her horizons

Steiner takes her writing to the web

Photos/Easter KellerAutumn Steiner, junior professional writing major, has been working for Communications andMarketing for the past year. Steiner’s articles are featured on the Ohio Northern University homepage.

Photo/ONU Communications and Marketing

By Zach StipeSenior, Journalism

The Ohio Northern journalism depart-ment has a commitment towards makingwell-rounded students.

Journalism majors are required tohave a minor outside of the journalismdepartment, and also are required to havea professional internship.

Additionally, journalism majors aretaught to be technically savvy through avariety of desktop publishing software attheir disposal.

Journalism students also are requiredto work for the 12-page weeklyUniversity newspaper, the NorthernReview.

“It’s kind of like in theatre how theywant you to sing, dance and act,” said Dr.Druann Bauer, assistant professor ofEnglish. “In journalism, we want you towrite, edit, take your own pictures anddesign your own pages.”

Students start out as reporters andhave the opportunity to become editors asthey advance through the program.

“We may be the only university in thearea that allows freshmen to come and beimmediately immersed in the studentnewspaper,” Bauer said.

Students are required to take a varietyof courses, including Editing, LiteraryJournalism, History of Journalism, NewsWriting and Desktop Publishing, to get afeel for all aspects of the profession.

The journalism department is led byBauer, in her second year at ONU, and Dr.William O’Connell, associate professor ofjournalism now in his 10th year atNorthern.

Both handle the journalism classesand rotate as adviser of the Review.

In addition, O’Connell is constantlymaking connections with graduate schoolsand employers.

Katie Wiederhold, BA ’07, graduateof ONU, just wrapped up her first year ofgraduate school at the University ofMemphis, while fellow ’07 graduatesJason Simcoe, BA, and Jacob Lammers,BA, are reporters at daily newspapers.

Simcoe is a sports reporter for theCulpeper Star-Exponent. Lammers is anews reporter for the Sandusky Register.

“I was worried I’d be overwhelmedin my first job out of school,”Simcoe said. “But between thebook knowledge I picked up inclasses like Editing, LiteraryJournalism and News Writing,and the hands-on experience atthe Review, I was ready.”

What also prepares stu-dents is the emphasis on intern-ships.

“I think we have some-thing special going at ONUwith how we aggressively pur-sue internships,” Bauer said.

Journalism students are required to doat least one internship.

Senior journalism majors Zach Stipeand Amanda Williams did internshipswith the Youngstown Vindicator, whileNick Dutro has done one with Tiffin’sAdvertiser-Tribune. Simcoe, Lammers andStipe have interned with the Lima News,and senior journalism major RachellePavelko is set to begin her internship therethis summer. Additionally, many studentshave interned at the local Ada Herald.

Students who work as editors of theReview are granted the opportunity toattend conferences once or twice a year.Last year, students traveled to St. Louisand New York. This year, students visitedWashington, D.C., where they attendedsessions and speakers from ESPN, CNNand the Washington Post.

This year, the Review debuted a newWeb site, as well as changed some designfeatures, including adding a new flag atthe top of the page.

“I think we have the equipment andsoftware we need to produce both a solidnewspaper and solid graduates,” Bauersaid. “We truly are on the cutting edge.”

Journalism: the cutting edge

Photo/Nick DutroFrom left, senior professional writing major Erica Ranly and journalism majors ZachStipe and Sarah Richardson all served as editors of the Northern Review during theirtime at ONU, Stipe acting as the 2007-08 editor in chief.

8

When I tell someone I am a professional writing major, Ialways get the same response: what is that? The major is a mys-tery to most people. That’s because it contains a little of every-thing. Professional writing is distinctly different from otherEnglish majors.

“As a professional writer, you are prepared to take advan-tage of different opportunities,” said Dr. Jonathan Pitts, associateprofessor of English, head of the professional writing depart-ment. Requirements for the major provide a wide range of skillssuch as news writing, screenwriting and nonfiction writing. As aprofessional writer, you become competent in many differentforms of writing and can use these skills in any setting. Thismeans that there is no specific job or position waiting after grad-uation. A professional writer can go anywhere they want and finda job that fits them.

Some recent profes-sional writing intern-ships have been withBoys’ Quest magazine,the Heritage Foundation,the American Red Cross, South Bend Minor League Baseball,Pearson Publishing, a Cleveland law firm and the Sakae Institute.

Recent graduates from ONU have moved on to some impres-sive positions. Kristen (Pniewski) Steele, BA ’07, has become thecommunications coordinator for Bluffton Hospital, Jessica Shaw,BA ’03, an editor for Autherhouse, and Adam Wallace, BA ‘03,has become an attorney and captain in the U.S. Air Force.

Some graduates decided to continue their education. MarkCiepiel, BA ’05, is at Case Western in a dual JD/MBA program,Nina (Riggs) Griffin, BA ’03, is a graduate student at theUniversity of Dayton, Carrigan Hayes, BS ’02, is working for aPh.D. in chemistry at Ohio State University, and Kori Fraizer,BA ’07, is at West Virginia University in a MFA program.

There are two new changes currently being developed forthe major. Cultural Studies was a class that mostly dealt withpopular culture in the past. The name will remain the same, butthe content matter is shifting to intercultural communications.Students will learn about cross-cultural understanding. As theworkplace is becoming more diverse, the ability to communica-tion between different cultures is a valuable skill.

Another change to the major will be the addition of MediaStudies. The University is searching for another professionalwriting professor that will head up this new program. The pro-gram will work with students on gaining video and Web expert-ise.

There are many opportunities for the professional writers atONU. With the wide range of skills acquired, professional writ-ers are becoming more valuable in the job market.

Professional writing: a major

for all tradesBy Rachel Smith

Senior, Professional Writing

Creative writerstake courses

to heart

The creative writing student in the English department is partof an eccentric but close community. Indeed, the four main writingclasses all creative writing majors take allow for individual expres-sion, as each class focuses on a specific genre that covers each areaof writing: fiction, nonfiction, poetry and senior seminar, whereinthe student produces a significant amount of work in any genre.But each class encourages the students to work on projects that suittheir own desires as a writer.

The classes’ seminar style structure benefited me in a coupleof ways. First, when I entered the program, I was terrified to listento the critiques of my first story. But as a graduating senior, Iunderstand the value of hearing comments from a group of studentsdedicated to writing. The comments offer the writer insights thatusually take months of solitary work. Second, the seminar classesnormally consist of less than 10 students. The limited number ofwriters creates a community in the classroom. The close-knit com-munity promotes honest dialogue about the student’s work.

Aside from knowledge attained inside the classroom, I’ve hadthe opportunity to gain insightful wisdom from the faculty. As apoet, associate professor of English Robert Lietz’s expansive poeticknowledge has fostered the progression of my writing. Each pro-fessor willingly makes time to discuss any matter, regardless if itpertains to a specific class. The open communication is a blessingof this English department.

A huge advantage of the creative writing classes is the encour-agement to publish. Every writing class’s ultimate goal is for thestudent to produce a work ready to be sent to a publication.Certainly, we would all love to be published in major literary jour-nals. But the experience of sending out work and getting rejected isa necessary rite of passage.

From left, creative writers Nate Arida and Erin Millarsit on either side of professional writer Crystal McNealat an STD dinner at Dr. Scott’s house.

Photo/Easter Keller

By Nate AridaSenior, Creative Writing

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By Denise JansenSenior, Literature

Literature majors within the depart-ment are taking new and interesting class-es that will help them find the purpose fortheir bachelor of arts in English. From therequired course Literary Criticism, whichdiscussed the critical theories of great lit-erary minds, to British Literature Before1500, an elective class that focused on theliterature surrounding the multiple tales ofKing Arthur, literature majors have beenexposed to a variety of specialized cours-es. These classes have challenged ourminds and bodies, as staying up until thewee-hours of the morning to add the fin-ishing touches on a paper lead to verysleepy students.

This year’s Shakespeare course,taught by Dr. Eva McManus, professor ofEnglish, allowed students to act outscenes from King Richard II andCleopatra. The groups of students whopresented the acts rehearsed and usedprops, music and backdrops to understandthe meaning and complexities involved inShakespeare’s plays. In Cleopatra, seniorLuke Erford, clad in a robe withHollywood-style makeup, starred asCleopatra. His, along with his group’sperformance, captivated the class audi-ence, bringing tears of laughter and sor-row during the Queen’s last moments.

In British Literature Before 1500 withDr. Lisa Robeson, asso-ciate professor ofEnglish, the class foundsome astonishing com-parisons between therevered King Arthur andthe infamous AdolfHitler. Our silly group-ing of the two historicalpolitical figures led to aserious analysis of thetwo for our final exam.Robeson also invited theclass to her home for a

medievalfeast, with

authentic recipes and no silverware. Aftera fantastic meal, the class played gamesand discussed our favorite version of the

tale of King Arthur.Another interesting

course offered this pastyear was Readings inEnglish LanguageLiterature, which fea-tured novels by authorsfrom the Caribbean andAfrica. Though theclass was unable totravel to the warmsunny beaches of theCaribbean or the deepdeserts of Africa, somevisitors from othercampus departments

brought these places to the classroom. TheDrs. Robert and Sarah Waters from themusic and history, politics and justicedepartments presented to the class theirpersonal experiences working in bothAfrica and the Caribbean.

There are many other courses offeredin the department with equally excitingand interesting material that we literaturemajors truly enjoy. To answer the ques-tion, “What are we doing for our B.A. inEnglish?” we are taking courses to help usidentify our personal taste in literature.The variety and range of works that arecovered within the department havehelped us greatly as we solidify our deci-sions of what we will do with our bache-lor in English.

What are literature majorsdoing for a B.A. in English?

10

Photo/Denise JansenThis book shelf full of a variety of titles from the Middle-English “Le Morte Darthur” tonon-Western literature like “Brick Lane” to contemporary works like “Rule of theBone” shows that a literature major has to be well-versed in it all.

With only 90 students in a college that hasover 1,200 individuals, ONU’s English depart-ment is often considered to be a close-knit fami-ly. Indifferent of their specific majors, studentsmay have as many as two or three courses withfriends in a single quarter. Despite this familiari-ty, how much does each major really knowabout the others?

The foundations of the English curriculumspread across the five disciplines, but at somepoint each group branches out, defining theirown space within the halls of Dukes. But forsome, no clear space exists – this is the plight ofa LAE.

LAEs, more formally known as languagearts education majors, are unique in that theybelong not only to the English department, butalso to the Center for Teacher Education. Thatduality both enhances and complicates thelearning experience. The program’s setup pro-vides students with experts in the fields of edu-cation and English, emphasizing the importanceof theory and principles in teaching, as well as athorough understanding of content. Unfortunately,because there is no one person to whom theycan turn, questions sometimes go unanswered,and it becomes easier to fall through the cracks.

At times, LAEs may even feel the need tochoose. Who will they associate themselveswith? Are they English majors or educationmajors? No matter what the response, the realanswer is both. The two cannot be divided.Without the knowledge, skills and experienceprovided by the Center for Teacher Education,LAEs could not effectively teach. On the otherhand, no amount of principles can make up fora lack of content. To be successful teachers, lan-guage arts education majors must learn to marrythe two. In each literature or writing class, theyshould examine the material from an educator’sperspective. Taking that knowledge one stepfurther, LAEs can implement their expertise andskills in the classroom setting, making the jour-

ney from students to teachers. With that in mind, each lesson becomes more meaningful

and more pertinent. Shakespeare is no longer just Shakespearebecause classes are no longer just about individual learning. Inthe mind of a LAE, Shakespeare is an obstacle and a challenge.As future educators, LAEs must learn to break down the thinkingprocess; to transform the concept in a way that teenagers will notonly grasp, but become interested and engaged in as well.Hamlet must move beyond the philosophy; Romeo and Julietmust be more than star-crossed lovers.

Being a LAE is about so much more than being just anEnglish major or just an education major; it’s about making con-nections and utilizing all of one’s experiences to create andtranslate meaning for future generations.

Learning toteach

What does it mean to bean LAE major?

By Susan ClewellSenior, Language Arts Education

Photos/Easter Keller

Top left: LAE major Luke Erford finds refreshments at a poetry reading. Top right:LAE Jenny Rowe strikes a pose, and below her, fellow LAE majors take a breakwhile at the NCTE conference in New York. Above: LAEs CassanovaGreen and Nick Vonderau chat with A&S Dean Rob Manzer. 11

When language arts education majorsLiz Fogle, BA ’07, and Jen Samide, BA’07, decided to create an organizationdevoted to helping secondary educationmajors, they were serious about it. A fewquarters later, their dedication remains inboth old and new faces.

The Secondary Education Society,which was recognized as an official cam-pus organization in the spring quarter of2007, currently consists of all active andinterested language arts education majors.Although SES does have a membershipfee, any of the current 23 LAE majors arewelcome to attend the meetings to gaininformation about graduation require-ments and conventions to attend, or tosimply have the chance to get to knowtheir fellow classmates.

Several underclassmen LAEmajors have recently joined the

group to learn more about what to expectin the years to come from upperclassmenmembers. Dave Pavlansky, a sophomoreLAE major, when asked why he attendsthe SES meetings, said, “[SES] keeps meupdated on classes I need to take that Iwould probably forget.”

Fogle and Samide’s goal for thisorganization was to expand membershipto all secondary education members oncampus (hence the organization’s name),and the current LAE members are stillplanning to make this happen. Eventhough the group is still working to berecognized outside of the English depart-ment, it does have some accomplishmentsto boast about.

Besides assisting LAE majors inattending two National Council forTeachers of English (NCTE) conventions,the first in Nashville, Tenn., during

November 2006 and the second in NewYork City this past November, SES hasrecently arranged a few philanthropic andacademic events as well.

On April 5, members of SES held acornhole tournament on campus to raisemoney and awareness for ImaginationLibrary, a non-profit organization devotedto providing books for underprivilegedAmerican children. Also, throughout thispast spring quarter SES has held a cam-pus-wide book drive to donate books tochildren in Kenya.

Academic events included a presenta-tion for interested LAE majors on the useand benefits of Smart Board technology,and a presentation by Fogle, now analumna, on her first-year teaching experi-ence.

The 2007-08 officers of theSecondary Education Society are JennyRowe, president; Melody Adams, vicepresident; Melissa Widman, secretary;Luke Erford, treasurer; and Jenny Pelton,membership chair.

All language arts education majorsare encouraged to attend meetings, even ifthey are already well informed about theirmajor.

Senior LAE major Susan Clewellresponded to the social benefits of theorganization and now says, “I transferred[into the major], and I found out [SES] isa great way to get to know my peers andbuild friendships with them.”

The goal of SES is to strengthen thebonds among secondary education majorsand their departments, and this is exactlywhat Fogle and Samide had in mind.

2007-08 proves year ofgrowth for SecondaryEducation Society

Secondary Education Society memberstake a moment to pose in front of a NewYork landmark while at the NCTE confer-ence in late fall of last year.

Characters Photo

From left, Whitney Schemenaur, Melissa Widman, Susan Clewell, Rachel Rufenacht,Jenny Pelton take a break at the NCTE Conference in New York.

Characters Photo

By Jenny RoweSenior, Language Arts Education

12

By Jay DixonSenior, Journalism

“I’m just going to go straight into the poetry without anyprefacing,” senior creative writing major Phoebe Stroede said.

Stroede kicked off the second annual Celebration of the Artsnight on April 10, a night that included two poetry readings byOhio Northern English majors, a live music performance, and areading by guest poet Tom C. Hunley, assistant professor ofEnglish at Western Kentucky University.

Stroede breezed through three poems, leaving notable linesringing in the ears of the audience members: “She was twelve,evidently; they cut her in half and counted the rings” and “Ourgravestones stand like fingernails of slate.”

After Stroede’s reading, fellow senior creative writing majorMichael McCord took the mic.

McCord read six poems, interrupted once by screamingfeedback from the microphone. Among the favorite lines: “Anabsence of graveyard poets; Bermuda triangulated away, whereare they now?”

“Pouring liquid codeine over my breakfast cereals, threebowls worth, all the major food colorings, sweet-tasting freedomis gone” and “The devil never did build no cities, but mammothsonce roamed the earth.”

The ONU poets took their seats, and Casual Friday tookover the stage. Composed of ONU students Leon Allen, RossKowalski and Robert Allen on drums, guitar and bass, respec-tively, the group performed four songs: three originals, and acover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.”

Among their lyrics: “Perhaps someday we’ll realize, there’smore to this life than meets the eye” and “Just a couple poormusicians, but this song is well endowed.”

After a brief intermission where attendees mingled, browsedthe art work of several ONU art students, and partook of fruit,desserts and fondue provided by the Dean’s office, associate pro-fessor of English Bob Lietz introduced Hunley, and he took themic.

“That was the most fun I’ve had listening to live music in along time,” Hunley said of Casual Friday.

Hunley read several poems from his collections of poetry,including several from his newest book, Octopus, which will bepublished within the next few months.

After his reading, Hunley stopped to answer a few questionsabout his poetry:

Newsletter: What do you find yourself writing about mostoften?

Hunley: Nowadays, it’s new fatherhood. My new book isgoing to be mostly about new fatherhood; the anxieties that goalong with it. I always grew up thinking of domesticity as a real-ly square thing, and I bought in to the idea that artists had to berunning around in cities and doing a lot of drugs, and I thoughtof that [lifestyle] as being really wild. But then having kids is

more wild because there are greater risks. I’ve got all these otherpeople depending on me – it really feels like being out on a highledge. So I’m trying to show the wildness within domesticitynowadays.

I also wrote a book about teaching poetry writing. I had oneidea about a different way to teach poetry and I got a whole bookout of it and now I’m writing a second book, which is a text-book, so, when I’m not writing poems or reviews of poems, I’mwriting about how to teach poetry.

Newsletter: Is poetry an important emotional release foryou?

Hunley: I’ve come to need it; you kind of come to getdependent on it. It’s just so much fun to be able to go so manydifferent places in my head and be so many different people.Kind of like when people get the travel bug and they start havingto travel, and you meet people who spend all their extra moneyon travel. Poetry is like that, but you don’t usually have to leaveyour house

Newsletter: Do you have any suggestions for young poets?Hunley: Young poets should start out reading all of the

great poets, and then work their way up to contempo-rary poetry and read a lot of that.

Poet Tom Hunley visits ONUSpring “Celebration of the Arts”

Photo/Easter KellerPoet Tom Hunley reads from one of his collections of poetry.

13

By Erica RanlySenior, Professional Writing

Whether they were working with elementary students in thearea, raising money for Ada Public Library, or presenting workin Louisville, Ky., members of Ohio Northern’s chapter of SigmaTau Delta (STD) kept busy on campus and in the communityduring the 2007-08 school year.

This year, the 23-member-strong organization was headed byPresident Rachel Wells. Other offi-cers included Rose Emrich, EricaRanly, Emily Shrider, Nick Dutro,and Rachelle Pavelko.

As they do every year, mem-bers of STD again read to kinder-gartners at Ada Elementary. At theend of each school day, somekindergartners have to wait for alater bus to take them home. OnFriday afternoons throughout theyear, two members of STD wouldvisit the kindergarten classroomsand read stories to those studentswho had to wait for the late bus.Through their participation in thisactivity, STD members fulfill themission of STD: to promote literacy.

Another STD activity that pro-motes literacy in the community istheir annual Bowling for Booksevent. STD members and facultymembers bowled in the McIntoshBowling Alley. High scorer for theevening was professor of EnglishRob Scott’s young son, Dylan. Theevent garnered $160 for the AdaPublic Library.

STD members also raisedmoney for St. Jude Children’sResearch Hospital in the campus-wide Up ‘til Dawn fundraisingevent. Members wrote letters tofamily and friends, requestingdonations for the hospital. TheUniversity as a whole raised$44,300.82.

To support its own activitiesand projects, STD raised moneywith its annual Little Caesar’sFundraiser. STD members sold over

$700 worth of cookiedough and pizza, result-

ing in a $300 profit for the organization. Junior creative writingmajor Easter Keller was the year’s top seller, with nearly $200 insales.

Members of STD helped the English department this year,assisting with advertising for the department’s fall and springspeakers. This fall, STD helped promote poet Albert Goldbarth’svisit to campus. In the fall, STD promoted poet Tom C. Hunley.

In March, six STD members had the opportunity to presenttheir own work at the 2008 Sigma TauDelta International Convention held inLouisville, Ky. Scott accompanied sen-iors Emily Shrider, Liz Dugan, EricaRanly, Morgan Baughman and RachelWells, and junior Jenny Rowe to theconference. Each student had at leastone paper accepted to the conference.Wells had two works accepted.Unfortunately, a snow storm hittingKentucky and Ohio cut the conferenceshort for the ONU students. Scottbraved the snowy, slippery road condi-tions to return the students to OhioNorthern, but the four-hour drive fromLouisville to Ada took the fearless STDcrew eight hours to complete.

Another important activity forONU STD members this year was theannual Read-a-thon. STD challengedthe fifth-grade class at Upper SciotoValley to read for 365 hours – thatequals 21,855 minutes – during themonth of March. This means that all 47fifth-graders had to read 15 minuteseach of the 31 days of March. If theclass reached this goal, they wouldreceive an ice cream sundae party. Atthe end of the month, though, the classdiscovered that they had just missedtheir goal, having read only 17,415minutes. All 31 students who partici-pated in the Read-a-thon received asmall candy prize. The top three read-ers in the grade each received a Wal-Mart gift card.

STD again designed EnglishDepartment T-shirts this year. Designentries included sayings like “I’m in itfor the money,” and “I read dead peo-ple.” This year’s winning entry was“English majors are novel lovers.”

The year was not all work and noplay for the STD members, however.Once again, STD organized the EnglishDepartment Christmas Party, complete

Sigma Tau Delta: another year

14

Sigma Tau Delta: another year

Photo/Easter KellerAbove, Dr. Scott bowls for books at STD’s annualevent. Below, Dr. O’Connell helps a participant withthe scoring.

with the annual book exchange. In April, Scott also hosted theSTD Social Extravaganza. Scott provided food as English majorscompeted in three hours of literary trivial pursuit.

On May 3, STD initiated 18 new members. The organizationnow boasts a membership of 41 English majors and minors, thehighest enrollment the University’s chapter has ever achieved.

full of service, fun and games

Photos/Easter KellerOld and new STDs gathered at Dr. Scott’s house for the annualSTD Social Extravaganza in April. Above, Nick Dutro and JayDixon wait in line for food. At right, Scott, Don Stacy and AlanOhman look on at the literary trivial pursuit board.

17 new STDs initiated on Honors DayBy Rachelle PavelkoSenior, Journalism

On May 3, Sigma Tau Delta (STD) initiated 18 new mem-bers into the honorary during the Honors Day ceremony. STD isnow at its largest size since its origination at Ohio Northern with41 members.

Dr. Robert Scott, the advisor to the honorary, oversaw theinduction ceremony. Current president Rachel Wells led the cer-emony with help from her fellow officers. Emily Shrider, vicepresident; Erica Ranly, secretary; Rose Emrich, treasurer; NickDutro, historian; and Rachelle Pavelko, marshal, all took part inthe induction ceremony.

Initiates received both a rose and pin during the ceremony.During the English Department Honors Day ceremony,

Wells gave an overview of the activities STD members partici-pated in throughout the 2007-08 school year. Ada Reading,Bowling for Books and the Little Caesar’s fundraiser were a fewof the highlights.

Jenny Rowe, current member and next year’s president,then spoke about the STD conference this winter. Rowe present-ed a paper at the conference this year, and encouraged moremembers to do the same in the future. With such a large mem-bership, Rowe is looking forward to the coming year.

Photo/Easter KellerEighteen new members were initiated into ONU’s chapter ofSigma Tau Delta at the 2008 Honors Day celebration. Picturedabove are the 18 new initiates, along with the 2007-08 STDhistorian and marshal. The ONU chapter has now reachedrecord membership, with over 40 active members. 15

18

Profile edit Friends ! Networks ! Inbox ! home account privacy logout

Dr. Druann BauerAssistant Professor of EnglishUpdated on Thursday edit

Networks: Ohio NorthernSex: FemaleRelationship Status: Married to John BauerHometown: Seattle, Wa.

View Photos of Me (87)Edit My Profile

! Ohio Northern Friends152 friends at Ohio Northern. See All

Dr. Robeson Dr. McManus

Dr. Criniti Dr. Pitts

Contact InfoEmail: [email protected]: Dukes 104Personal InfoInterests: Certified scuba diver, golf,

photography, sewing, real estate, reading

Favorite Music: Everything, Bright Eyes, classical and show tunes, jazz, blues

Favorite TV Shows: What Not to Wear, Monk, Law and Order: Criminal Intent

Favorite Movies: I need more time in my day to watch movies, Doctor Zhivago, Gone with the Wind, The Sound of Music

Favorite Books: Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Favorite Quotes: “Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind,when it has once seized on it, like a lichen on the rock”-Frankenstein’s Monster

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Dr. John Paul KanwitAssistant Professor of EnglishUpdated on Monday edit

Networks: Ohio Northern ’08Sex: MaleRelationship Status: Married to Alissa KanwitHometown: Outside of Chicago, Ill.



Dr. Kline Prof. Lietz

Dr. Robeson Dr. Scott

! Groups10 groups See AllWhen I was your age, Pluto was a plan-et - The Black Swan ate my tuition - TheBest Day of My Life. . . the day thatONU was cancelled

Contact InfoEmail: [email protected]: Dukes 117Personal InfoInterests: Victorian literature, the visual

arts and how they make a differ-ence to the novel, swimming, reading fun books that have nothing to do with academics, hanging out with my kids

Favorite Music: Billy Joel, The Cure, Rolling Stones

Favorite TV Shows: Sports, college basketball, Sesame Street, Clifford

Favorite Movies: The Untouchables, Ratatouille, Enchanted

Favorite Books: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, Paula by Isabel Allende, Tumbling by Diane Mckinney-Whetstone

Favorite Quotes: A student once said he wasn’t passionate about asexual reproduction

About Me: I like working with people, I like class time, but I like talking to students just as much. I like thatits a smaller department and easier to work with students andprofessors.

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Bloomington, Ind.

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20


Dr. Dan KlineVisiting Instructor of EnglishUpdated on Tuesday edit

Networks: Ohio NorthernSex: MaleRelationship Status: Married to Marie LogothetisHometown: Barrie, Ontario, Canada



Dr. Kanwit Dr. Cullen

PauleneCallahan

Dr. Pitts

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Contact InfoEmail: [email protected]: Dukes 119Personal InfoInterests: Reading, golf, travel, gardeningFavorite Music: Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin

Cake, classical musicFavorite TV Shows: Hockey, golf, I’m a sucker for

reality TV, Top Chef Chicago, CSI, Real Time with Bill Maher

Favorite Movies: There Will be Blood, Godfather, No Country for Old Men, Dazed and Confused

Favorite Books: Bleak House by Charles Dickens, Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, Poetry of Robert Browning

Favorite Quotes: “Fanatics force their opinions on others in order to convincethemselves”—Matthew Arnold“War, when necessary, is unspeakable. When unnecessary, it is unforgivable” —Anonymous

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teaching while working on my doctorate at OSU

When I was your age, Pluto was a plan-et - The Black Swan ate my tuition - TheBest Day of My Life. . . the day that

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21


Dr. Steve CrinitiVisiting Instructor of EnglishUpdated Today edit

Networks: Ohio Northern ’08Sex: MaleRelationship Status: Married to Mary Beth CrinitiHometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.



Dr. O’Connell Dr. McManus

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10 groups See AllWhen I was your age, Pluto was a planet - The Black Swan ate my tuition -The Best Day of My Life. . . the day that ONU was cancelled

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ball, music, and I’m a “Scrubs” junkie

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22


All Friends " Recently Updated

Dr. Eva McManusProfessor of English,Department Chair

Recent activities: Presented a paper last spring at the Collegeof English Association of Ohio in Columbus; Selected to be onthe editorial board for the Ohio Valley Shakespeare ConferenceWeb publication; participated in the search for new musicdepartment chair for cross-curricular communication.

You have 8 friends with recent profile updates.

Dr. William O’ConnellAssociate Professor of English/Journalism

Recent activities: Traveled to Washington D.C. to plan for theNYC conference; Ran the Apple Awards in NYC; Helped re-vamp the computer lab and install flat-screen televisions withDVD recorders in the classrooms; Handed off the NorthernReview for the first time in nine years; Vacationed at SanibelIsland, Fla., last summer.

Dr. Lisa RobesonAssociate Professor of English

Recent activities: Presented at the International MedievalCongress at Western Michigan University; Presented atMedieval Association of Mid-America; Published an article onMallory in the Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature; Applied forsabbatical for Winter 2008-09; Traveled to Wisconsin, biketrails and brewery.

Dr. Robert ScottProfessor of English

Recent activities: Presented a paper at a conference inLouisville, Ky.; Took a record number of students to the SigmaTau Delta conference, also in Louisville, Ky.; Wrote an articlefor a book; Applied for sabbatical for Spring 2009; Working ondesigning a program to send students to England.

23


All Friends " Recently Updated

Dr. Jonathan PittsAssociate Professor of English

Recent activities: Working on a book about the white man inliterature; Running the professional writing program; Workingwith the ONU Multisports club; Preparing for a NationalTriathlon; Revising the Cultural Studies course.

Professor Robert LietzAssociate Professor of English

Recent activities: Had poems published in web journals; Tookphotographs in connection with poetry; Worked with theCelebration of the Arts program and brought in two speakersfor the program; Helped bring Albert Goldbarth to ONU.

Dr. Margaret CullenAssociate Professor of EnglishRecent activities: Currently on sabbatical in CattaraugusCounty in upstate New York with dog Zoe, writing; Plans tovisit the American Antiquarian Society’s archives in Boston fora few weeks; May travel to England for more research;Currently living across the street from an Amish family ofnine, with seven children under age 11 who love Zoe and arefascinated by things like microwavable popcorn.

Paulene CallahanAdvanced Administrative Assistant

Recent activities: Worked part-time with the summer honorsinstitute; Set up file systems, and will be working on it again;Helping with the 19 camps this July.

24

Each year, senior English majors are presented with thechallenge of piecing together and presenting a Senior Capstoneproject. Here are the results of the 2007-08 year.

Nathaniel Arida:“I’m a Pepper, He’s a

pepper, She’s a Pepper,We’re a Pepper,

Wouldn’t you like tobe a Pepper Too!”

A collection of poetrywritten by the 21st Centurycollective unconscious.

Morgan Baughman:“The Hole in the Frame”

From diagnosis to daily life, “The Hole in the Frame”explores what life is like for the blind. Baughman uses the storyof her grandmother’s struggles and successes with age-relatedMacular Degeneration to explore her own understanding of thecondition and to convey universal themes of suffering andstrength.

Elizabeth Dugan:“Family Quilt”

“Family Quilt” is an assorted collection of stories and poemsbased on letters, interviews and Dugan’s own memories. Pastand present collide to create a quilt of memories, a piece of his-tory told from one family’s perspective.

Jimmy Green:“Of Semiotics and Specters”

In this lecture, the American novel is looked at through themotif of the ghost story found at the heart of semiotic theory.The novel is valued as a semiotic apparatus that does not justreflect or simulate reality, but rather reveals the specters thathaunt and define human lives.

Adam Howes:“The Importance of High School English”

High school teachers of any content area encounter studentswho learn reluctantly. English teachers must be aware of thevalue of the information they teach, and how to effectivelyprompt reluctant students to hone their abilities in English. Byfocusing on why students must be effective readers and commu-nicators, a teacher can be ready to answer when a student asks,“Why do I have to do this?”

Thomas Major:“Embracing Fire: How Traveling this Country

Helped Me Find Mine”

Michael McCord:“Perfect Men: AMulti-Narrative

look into theprocess of Guilt,

Maturity andCoping with Life

and Death”

A narrative look intothe process of guilt,maturity and coping withlife and death.

Eugene Oh:“Existential Misappropriation: An Introduction to

Pretentious Criticism and Theory”

The author initiates an inquiry into the fundamental ques-tions of human thought and, in so doing, introduces and estab-lishes a theoretical and critical stance which subverts these ques-tions into manifestations of the irrationally rational pretensionsof impotent desire.

Senior Capstone presentations

Nate Arida

Michael McCord

25

Erica Ranly:“Living on the Streets of Lima, Ohio: Helping the

Homeless Here”

The author discusses the causes of homelessness in Lima,Ohio through interviews with directors at two area homelessshelters and with men staying at one of those shelters.

Sarah Richardson:“WWII: Under Enemy Skies”

Richardson writes about her Grandfather Doolan’s story andexperiences during World War II, portraying not only the tensionof war but also the humor that people will use to lighten themood, even in the midst of the most extreme conflict.

Emily Shrider:“More than Tights and a Cape: A Functional

Analysis of American Superheroes”

Shrider examines American superheroes using functionalismand Robert K. Merton’s concept of manifest and latent functionsto determine why superheroes have remained popular whilemany other aspects of popular culture have faded over time.

Zach Stipe:“Who’s Packing: A Look at Ohio’s Concealed

Carry Law”

Stipe examines Ohio’s concealed carry law in relation to theLima area. He expands on his story project written for the LimaNews and discusses the process of writing a major story for adaily newspaper.

Rachel Wells:“Lost”

Wells develops her own poetic voice in this collection. Herpoetry examines the human condition through its diverse rela-tionships, environments and even through “bright-blue bubblegum.”

Photo/Easter KellerErica Ranly reads at the Sigma Tau Delta induction ceremonyon Honors Day.

Photo/Easter KellerSenior Rachel Wells catches up on some work by the FreedCenter pond on a nice sunny day.

Emily NavarreSenior, Literature

Where: Valparaiso University, ChileWhen: February-June 2008Program: International StudiesAbroad (ISA)

While abroad, Emily Navarre concentrated on classes thatfit into her literature major, taking three with Chilean students,and three with fellow exchange students. Courses she tookincluded Theory of Translation, Neoclassic/Romantic SpanishLiterature, Formation of Hispanic Culture, an advanced grammarcourse, a Chilean history course and Traditional Chilean Dance.While Navarre said the dance class was the most popular amongstudents, she found the Theory of Translation Course most inter-esting.

“I [was] the only foreign student in the class,” she said.“Since it’s designed for Spanish-speaking students, I [learned]techniques for translating into English.”

The fact that Navarre was in a non-English-speaking countrymade her study abroad experience unique. While shesaid the language barrier wasn’t too difficult for her to

overcome, she was still constantly learning things. Chileansspeak very fast Spanish, and they often drop syllables, whichmakes following conversation difficult at times, Navarre said.They also don’t use the “classroom Spanish” taught in manyhigh schools and colleges.

“Especially during my first weeks, people would give mestrange looks and ask me where I learned those words, becauseno one ever uses them,” she said.

Navarre said she picked up the most Spanish by spendingtime with her Chilean host family.

While abroad, Navarre also had the opportunity to do someextra traveling. She spent a weekend in Pucon and climbed Mt.Villarrica, an active volcano. She also spent a weekend in IslaNegra to see the house of world-famous poet Pablo Neruda.Navarre also had the opportunity to travel outside of Chile toMendoza, Argentina, with fellow ISA students for a few days.

Rachelle PavelkoSenior, Journalism

Where: University of Westminster,LondonWhen: Three-week summer session,2007Program: International StudiesAbroad (ISA)

Studying abroad in England, Rachelle Pavelko had thechance to experience British culture while in a learning environ-ment.

Academically, Pavelko learned about British media in acourse called “Celebrity, Society and the Media,” in which theclass compared British tabloids with typical U.S. daily papers.She also had the chance to tour the publishing buildings of oneof London’s most prominent papers.

On top of her academics, Pavelko also had the chance tolearn about London itself. Like the fact that getting a “crossingthe street like The Beatles” picture at Abbey Road is not as easy– or as safe – as it seems.

Pavelko also had the opportunity to do some travelingbeyond London. Optional trips included one to Bath to tour thecity where Jane Austin spent a period of her career, as well as theRoman Baths. Pavelko also had the chance to visit the site of

Stonehenge, which she cited as her favorite trip.“We’ve all seen picture after picture,” she said, “but it’s not

until you are standing in front of a giant post and lintel withsheep grazing and men mediating behind you that you can reallyput it in perspective.”

But perhaps the biggest thing Pavelko learned was aboutherself.

“I was glad I decided to study abroad alone because itallowed me the chance to become more independent, well round-ed and appreciative of what I have,” she said.

From taking runs past Buckingham Palace, to riding “thetube” to her first football match, to plotting ways to sneak ontothe center court of Wimbledon, Pavelko would not trade herexperiences in London for anything.

“Each day was a new adventure. There was always some-thing to see, something to learn, and someone to have fun with.”

Majors take studies overseas

Photo/Rachelle PavelkoRachelle said seeing Stonehenge was one of her favorite moments.

Characters PhotoEmily, always a literature major, has her nose in a book in Chile.

26

Megan TritchJunior, Journalism

Where: University of Westminster,LondonWhen: Six-week summer session,2008Program: International StudiesAbroad (ISA)

Megan Tritch chose the summer program in London for acouple of reasons. First of all, she wanted to go to an English-speaking country. Secondly, Rachelle Pavelko, who attended theUniversity of Westminster in the summer of 2007, recommendedthe program and its strong journalism program to Tritch.

While in London, Tritch will be taking classes related to hermajor. These will include Journalism: The London Experienceand Celebrity, and Society and the Media.

With her trip very close at hand, Tritch was most lookingforward to getting out of the United States and having the chanceto experience a slightly different culture.

“I want to be able to say that I’ve been somewhere besidesCanada,” she said.

Tritch also admitted to a slight obsession with Britishaccents, and said she was looking forward to hearing them all thetime.

As far as what she hopes to get out of her study abroadexperience – besides a couple of class requirements – Tritch ishoping to learn more about herself and how she will functionwhen she’s out on her own.

“I also hope to learn more about our culture by experiencinganother culture and how they view us,” she said.

Kathleen SaylorSenior, Literature

Where: University of Wales atLampeterWhen: October 2008-June 2009Program: Bi-lateral exchange

Beginning in October, Kathleen Saylor will be spending anacademic year at the University of Wales at Lampeter. She chosethis university over others in the area based on its focus on the

humanities, rather than science and technology.“It’s also a very old campus, rich in history and character,”

Saylor said.While in Lampeter, Saylor will be taking six year-long

courses, including Sidney, Shelley, and Milton: Religion, Loveand Politics; The American Short Story; a British history course;as well as Beginner’s Welsh.

Along with looking forward to classes, Saylor said she ismost looking forward to traveling.

“It’s no secret that I am in love with Scotland,” she said,“And being so close to returning there gives me the chills.”

From her experience abroad, Saylor hopes to not only storeup some great memories, but also learn a decent amount ofWelsh language. Eventually, she hopes to find a job that wouldallow her to return to the UK permanently.

Amanda WilliamsSenior, Journalism

Where: Massey UniversityWellington, New ZealandWhen: July-November 2008Program: United Studies AbroadConsortium (USAC)

Amanda’s fascination with New Zealand began in highschool, right after The Lord of The Rings trilogy made its appear-ance on the big screen. Since then, her love of all things associ-ated with the films has grown, and, in 2005, she was able to visitNew Zealand with her mother. USAC was an easy choice forWilliams, as it was the only program in Wellington that ONUhas a connection with.

“It was my favorite city the last time I visited, so getting tolive and go to school right downtown in the thick of things

should be fun,” she said. While studying in New Zealand, Williams hopes to be tak-

ing several journalism courses, including a travel writing coursethat she is especially interested in. The last time she was in thecountry, she made connections with a company that gives toursof the sets where The Lord of The Rings trilogy was filmed, andshe plans on spending time tagging along on tours (when she’snot in the classroom), gathering information for her Capstoneproject. She also hopes to interview some people who weredirectly involved in the film series, such as a horse trainer, stuntman and a calligrapher.

While she’s excited to spend so much time in one of herfavorite countries and gain some excellent first-hand experiencefor her Capstone project, Williams has a couple concerns: beingaway from home and condensing her life enough to fit into twosuitcases.

“I’ve done plenty of traveling before, but I’ve never been onmy own away from my family and friends for so long. I’m bothexcited and nervous to be completely on my own, but I also feelready for it,” she said.

Upcoming studies abroad

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Adam Wallace, BA ’03, with Commanding General of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, General David Petraeus.

A look at where ONUgrads have taken theirEnglish degrees

The week after shegraduated in 2007,Elizabeth Fogle

accepted a job at an alternative charter school in Dayton, Ohio,called the Life Skills Center. Currently, she teaches English tolow-income, urban students who were high school dropouts.

Shortly after coming on staff, Fogle was made test coordina-tor for the Ohio Graduation Tests and the Ohio Proficiency Tests.It is a lot of hard work, Fogle says, but since it is the differencebetween a student graduating or not, she views it as a hugeresponsibility.

Fogle also started graduate school at the University ofDayton to earn her MA in English with a writing concentration.Because of her work at ONU, the Life Skills Center, and UD,she presented at two different conferences in her first year ofteaching. In November, Fogle presented with other ONU stu-dents at the NCTE convention in New York City. In March, shewent to St. Louis, where she presented a paper about her schooland research about reading with urban and learning disabled stu-

dents at the College English Association conference.

After graduating in2007, Samide beganlooking out of state

for a teaching position soon after waving farewell to ONU,because she knew how hard it was to find a steady job in Ohioupon graduation. She looked to the East, and was offered a posi-tion teaching high school English at La Plata High School inCharles County, Md., a town about 30 minutes south ofWashington, D.C. Because of recent developments in CharlesCounty and the high cost of living in the D.C. area,Samideresides in a small, private apartment on someone else’s property.

“It’s a very common situation here, and I’m grateful for myown quiet space after speaking and listening to people all day,”she said.

At school, Samide teaches honors and academic-level 10thgraders. Samide’s students are the “assessed” grade, meaningthat they take the state exit exam in May. The requirements forteaching that particular level are often demanding during the les-son planning, documentation and the administration, but Samidetries to do all she can to adequately prepare her students.

Samide enjoys the community in which she works and lives,and her school is proving to be one of the highest-achieving inthe county. In her spare time, Samide coached a color guardcompetition and co-chaired the SES presentation in New YorkCity last November. One thing this grad doesn’t miss are theOhio winters.

Jennifer Samide

Elizabeth Fogle

Where are theynow?

Captain Adam Wallace,BA ’03, is currentlyserving in Iraq in

Detainee Operations. In December 2007, he was living in a tentso small that not even all of his belongings fit inside, but thecramped space didn’t seem to dampen his spirits.

“It’s better than sleeping in a Humvee in the middle of theIraqi wilderness and being shot at, so I can’t complain,” he said.

Also in December, Wallace met General David Petraeus,Commanding General of the Multi-National Force in Iraq (seephoto). A few months later, in March, Wallace got a chance tomeet with South Carolina Senator and Colonel, Lindsey Graham.

“I am happy to report that Senator Graham is opposed to the‘sage’ boots that are part of the new Air Force uniform…I thinkthis is an issue we can all get behind,” he said jokingly.

By January 2008, Wallace finally moved into a much moremanageable space in a trailer, which he now shares with hisroommate, a captain in the Army Signal Corps. Later in themonth, Wallace witnessed Baghdad’s first snow in nearly 100years. Since being in Iraq, Wallace is required to carry hisweapon with him at all times.

“There are signs outside of buildings saying, ‘NOWEAPON, NO AMMO, NO ADMITTANCE.’ Seriously, howgreat is that?” he said.

When he first arrived in Iraq, Wallace was working the nightshift; the only perk of his time-slot being access to current eventshappening in the U.S. In March, Wallace was expected to startworking a day shift, but plans fell through.

“I’ve been promised a move to day shift at the end ofMarch; we’ll see if that pans out. On the plus side, staying on thenight shift will allow me to better be able to follow the NCAAtournament and breaking news in the U.S.,” he said.

Adam Wallace

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Photo/Adam Wallace

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Fun and Games In keeping with this year’s graphic theme, thenewsletter staff thought it would be fun to makepaper dolls of Dr. Lisa Robeson and Dr. WilliamO’Connell. Go ahead and put Robeson in armor, orO’Connell in motorcycle gear or have them wear afunny hat.

Get your parents help to use the scissors. Have fun!Designs by Nick Dutro

Department of EnglishDukes MemorialOhio Northern University525 S. Main St.Ada, OH 45810

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PAIDPermit No. 43

Ada, Ohio 45810

The Legion of English takes a break from fighting crime to put together this year’s spectacular newsletter. 2007-08 Newsletter staffmembers, left to right: journalism junior Hailey Uhler, language arts education junior Rachel Rufenacht, journalism senior AmandaWilliams, journalism senior Rachelle Pavelko, literature senior Denise Jansen and journalism senior Nick Dutro. (Rufenacht andJansen, who could not be present for the group picture, appear courtesy of Adobe Photoshop.)

Characters 2008

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