Humanities & Social S
Weekly
Political
Ticker
ADAM SPINELLI
humanities editor
Rep. Wilson (R-SC) shouts
“You Lie” to President
Obama during his address
to a joint congress...his out
burst has called for legisla
tion to be passed criticizing
him... Actor Patrick Swayze
dies after fighting a battle
with pancreatic cancer on
September 14, 2009...audi0
tape of Osama Bin Laden
surfaces saying Obama can
not stop the war... Former
White House Press Secre
tary Jody Powell passed on
September 14, 2009...
Obama says reform is
needed so financial collapse
on Wall Street doesn’t hap
pen again... Former NFL
player Jay Riemersma to
run for the Michigan con
gressional seat being va
cated by Rep. Peter
Hoekstra...WWE CEO
Linda McMahon announced
Tuesday she is running for
Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D-CT)
seat in 2010... President
Jimmy Carter says that op
position towards President
Obama is “racially driven”...
Obama announced a new
missile defense plan to bet
ter provide for US forces
and Allies in Europe... The
White House unveiled a $25
million medical malpractice
initiative in efforts to reduce
health care cost...this initia
tive is another part of Presi
dent Obama’s plan put forth
from last week’s address to
a joint congress... President
Obama joined Chinese
Primer Hu Jintao, • and>
Swedish Prime Minister
Fredrik Reinfeldt to address
the UN on global climate
change... House Ok’s to ex
tend jobless benefits... Sen
ator Max Baucus created a
health care bill that is cur
rently being reviewed and
amended by the rest of con
gress...Obama presses for
new talks of peace between
Israeli’s and Palestinians
On This Day in
History:
September 25
1513: Spanish explorer
Vasco Nunez de Balboa dis
covered the Pacific Ocean.
1789: The U.S. Congress
adopted 12 amendments to
the Constitution, which Ten
of became the “Bill of
Rights.”
1957: 300 U.S. Army troops
stood guard as nine black
students were escorted to
class at Central High School
in Little Rock, AR. The chil
dren had been forced to
withdraw 2 days earlier be
cause of unruly white mobs.
1965: Willie Mays, at the
age of 34, became the oldest
man to hit 50 home runs in
a single season.
1981: Sandra Day O'Con
nor became the first female
justice of the U.S. Supreme
Court, being nominated by
President Reagan.
1995: Ross Perot formed
the Independence Party.
2002: U.S. forces landed in
Ivory Coast to aid in the res
cue foreigners trapped in a
school by fighting between
government troops and
rebel troops that had at
tempted to take over the
government.
FACULTY AND STAFF
H&SS Honors Diane Nowacinski
contributed photo
Administrative Assistant
Diane Nowacinski
ANDREW TARR
humanities writer
The Penn State Behrend
School of Humanities and
Social Sciences has gone
through substantial growth
over the last several years
and Diane Nowacinski has
done her share of work in
helping the schools expan
sion.
A native of Erie, with over
thirty years of learning and
CREATIVE WRITING
Behrend welcomes back Diana George
ALLI HEITZENRATER
humanities writer
Diana Hume George, pro
fessor of English and
Women’s Studies Emerita at
Penn State Erie, The
Behrend College, will return
to the college oa Thursday,
Oct. 1, to appear in its Cre
ative Writer’s Speaker Se
ries.
The reading will take
place at 6 p.m. in the chapel
worship space, preceeded
by a reception at 4:3opm.
Both events are free and
open to the public; however
parking will be available in
the Junker Center lot.
George is the author of
many pieces of literature in
cluding, but not limited to:
The Lonely Other: A Woman
Watching America.
FACULTY AND STAFF
Dr. Irwin
ADAM SPINELLI
humanities editor
Dr. Zachary Irwin, Associ
ate Professor of Political
Science here at Penn State
Erie, The Behrend College,
Contributed Photo
Dr. Zachary Irwin
*•;:>? -• if.i. -. ' •
. Cover news thatwn/ltfSfe about!
To write for the Humanities page, e-mail Humanities Editor Adam Spinelli at alsssB9fepsu.edu. v
working at Behrend, Diane
has spent much of her life
on the Behrend campus.
She graduated with a
bachelor of arts in English
with a minor in Woman’s
Studies and was one of the
first members of Alpha
Sigma Lambda, an adult
learner society, where she
still takes part in the yearly
induction ceremony.
She has a son, Jason, who
recently graduated from
Behrend with a degree in
History. A daughter, Kelly,
who is a junior at Behrend
and plays for the Behrend
Lions woman’s basketball
team. She even knew Irvin
Kochel, whom the Hu
manties and Social Sciences
building is named after.
Diane worked in the Col
lege Registrar’s office for 25
years before taking the posi
tion of administrative spe
cialist for the School of
Humanities and Social Sci-
ences
“The move to H&SS was
like coming home since I
graduated with a bachelor
of arts in English with a cre
ative writing option” says
Diane. “The growth in the
In addition, she is an es
sayist, poet and critic. Her
work also has appeared in
such publications as Best
American Essays, River
Teeth, and Creative Nonfic
tion.
“I have met George on a
number of occasions and I
am excited for her to return
to campus,” says Professor
Eugene Cross. “It is always
nice to have alum return so
we can see where they are
now.”
A member of Penn State
Behrend’s faculty for 26
years, George is the former
director of both its Creative
Writing and Women’s Stud
ies Programs.
Professor Cross also says,
“I will encourage all my stu
dents to hear her speak.
Along with the students who
set to travel to Norway
has the opportunity to travel
to Oslo, Norway next
month. He will be going as
part of a conference that
works with post Yugoslavian
states. Dr. Irwin recently
completed another confer
ence in Norway ob Slovenia
in 2003.
“My work is to deal with
the relationship of Bosnia-
Herzegovina and the Euro
pean Union,” says Irwin.
“The European Union has
been a major actor both do
mestically and internation
ally in relationship to this
country. I will also be focus
ing on how together with
the United States and other
major countries and unions,
The European Union has
spent billions of dollars to
try and develop this small
country.”
A group like this meets
every once in a while in
■ _ Behrend Beacon a
C | n£j C September 25th, 2009 |
W X XX V* v 3 www.thebehrendbeacon.com
school over the last several
years has been astounding.”
In the H&SS Diane does a
lot of work in making sched
ules for professors, setting
up offices and mailboxes,
basically all of the behind
the scenes work that goes
on in the school.
When she first started in
H&SS in 2003 the school
had 57 full-time faculty
members and 27 part-time
faculty. Now growing to 68
full-time members while
keeping the part-time num
ber at 27.
“The increased number of
faculty, of course, meant an
increase in the number of
classes I schedule” says
Diane, “an increase of about
40 classes. We were able to
secure the permanent use of
two classrooms in the REDC
to help accommodate the
additional classes. The new
psychology lab finally mate
rialized. Dr. Jason Bishop,
launched YPC, The Young
People’s Chorus of Erie. We
received endowment for the
school. Faculty from the
school received numerous
awards, the most recent
being Dr. Rob Speel’s Coun
will attend the reading, the
campus is certainly benefit
ting from her return.”
Most recently she was a
visiting writer at North Car
olina’s Davidson College, at
Antioch College in Los An
geles, and at Ohio Univer
sity.
George also is a co-direc
tor of the Chautauqua Writ-
Festival
contributing editor of Chau
tauqua Journal.
The School of Humanitites
and Social Sciences is also
bring other speakers to cam
pus, like poet David Baker
on October 22nd.
For more information
about the series, phone the
School of Humanities and
Social Sciences at 814-898-
6108.
order to create a monograph
- a scholarly book about a
specific topic. Professors
from all over the world
gather in a space, normally
the hometown of the book’s
editor, to discuss, draft, and
organize the book.
“Each professor has a dif
ferent field of interest and
specialty,” continues Irwin.
“I will be focusing on the
European Union, but there
could be a variety of topics
on Bosnia-Herzegovina like
Education, nationality, and
so on.”
Countries from around the
world are represented in
this conference and also
support this meeting for the
production of a textbook.
Dr. Irwin believes that this is
a fundamental part of being
a college professor.
“This isn’t a part of teach
ing, college teaching is
cil of Fellows Excellence in
Outreach Award.”
Over the past year the
school has also hired seven
full-time professors.
In their busy schedules the
staff of H&SS still took time
to hold a farewell party for
Mrs. Cathy Mester, senior
lecturer in communication,
who retired after 38 years.
The faculty also held their
annual staff assistant’s ban
quet to remind them that
they are appreciated.
She notes of her support
staff: Bev DiNola, Jackie
May, and Tricia Willis.
Diane also set up the display
of photos in the H&SS of
fice.
The photos are works of
students that entered them
in the Spring Photo Show
that happens annually in the
Kochel Center.
“I definitely have my ties to
Behrend” says Diane.
The Behrend Beacon,
along with all the other
members of the School of
H&SS, would like to thank
Ms. Nowacinski for all of
her hard work and dedica
tion to the school.
Diana Hume George
about this,” states Irwin.
“Personally I am grateful to
Penn State for the opportu
nity of research because it
allows professors to stay
fresh and in touch with what
is going on in the world.
These meetings have a bear
ing on fairly specific sub
jects that may normally
have nothing to do with our
classes. But the subjects of
the meetings all trickle
down to the classroom level;
that is what makes college
teaching different and that’s
what is important.”
Dr. Irwin also works with,
and chairs the American As
sociation for the Advance
ment of Slavic Studies and
had the opportunity to go to
many countries to write
books like this. He is ex
cited to have this opportu
nity to go to Norway next
month.
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Rock Chart:
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Black Gives Way to Blue
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Album:
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The Blueprint 3
From The Office
of H&SS:
Given recent outbursts by
Congressman Joe Wilson,
Kanye West, and Serena
Williams, public attention
once again has turned to the
question of civility -- or
more accurately, the lack of
civility - in contemporary
America. H&SS offers stu
dents opportunities to im
prove the public discourse
through various courses in
history, political science,
English, communications,
philosophy, and other areas
that focus on national is
sues, history, and culture.
The Sample Center for Civil
ity, housed in H&SS, also of
fers events during the year
aimed at improving the
quality of public debate.
H&SS invites students to get
involved by enrolling in
these courses and taking
part in H&SS activities.
Dr. Richard Aquila
Director, School of Humanities
and Social Sciences
School of H&SS:
Upcoming
Events
Monday, Sept. 14
6:00 p.m.
Event: Creative Writing
Speaker Series
Speaker: Diana Hume
George, Author
Location: Smith Chapel
Note: reception at 4:3opm and
reading at 6pm
Corrections:
In the last issue of the Hu
manities and Social Sci
ences page (9/11), an
introduction to new H&SS
Behrend professors high
lighted seven first-year fac
ulty members.
In the feature, Dr. Dhar
maranda Jairam’s name was
misspelled. His last name,
Jairam, was displayed as Ji-
Rum. While we are confi
dent that everyone who has
read the article now can
enunciate his name per
fectly, having his name
printed in phonetics was no
doubt a horrible error in
copy editing, and we apolo
gize for the error.
Behrend Beacon
Humanities Staff
Humanities Editor:
Adam Spinelli
Humanities Writers:
Andrew Tarr
Lasheena Barnes
Alii Heitzenrater