eInside Briefs

School of Visual Communication Design Recruits Creative High School Students for Summer Camp

The Inspire Camp concludes with a show of student work
and a reception for parents, friends and family. A mother,
pictured here, views her student’s work from the camp.

Kent State University's School of Visual Communication Design is sponsoring its second summer creative camp, known as the Inspire Creative Camp, for 14- to 19-year-old students from June 16-21 at Kent State University. Students who are incoming freshmen at Kent State will receive a $100 scholarship to attend.

The five-day camp is geared at exploring graphic design, illustration, photography and stop-motion graphics, and allows students to build a full portfolio of creative work. This summer, students have the option of staying overnight, allowing interested participants from across the country to attend, and even more time for design activities.

Inspire serves as a pre-college experience, preparing youth for college life, expectations and demands. Enriching students’ lives through design is part of the camp’s mission.

“Camp attendees are educated about design by providing a space for experimentation and an introduction to the practice of design, the profession and creative problem solving,” according to the camp’s website. “Our camp is designed to foster creativity, encouraging students to "spread their wings" in a learning-centered, collaborative and fun environment.”

Visual communication design assistant professors Jillian Coorey and Gretchen Rinnert lead the camp, which culminates with a show to display student work for family and friends on Friday, June 21, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Each day, the projects that students complete and the associated learning objectives focus on one area of visual design, photography, motion or illustration. So, students get a full day to explore areas such as printmaking or 2-D and 3-D graphic design. Students build their creative skills, while engaging with current design students and professionals.

"Being able to have creative freedom with the projects and learning about different ways I could use design in a job later on," one camper says was his favorite part. View images of the students’ projects in this video.

Last year, the theme of the camp’s projects was the alphabet. While working on 3-D graphic design, students took a wayfinding walk through campus and used the experience as inspiration for creating 3-D letterforms.

Overnight campers will get an even closer look into what living on a college campus is like. Camp evenings will be spent exploring campus and delving deeper into design through more creative activities.

Guest speakers and instructors help students envision what a career in design, photography or a creative field would be like. The breadth of work produced by campers can build a well-rounded portfolio of their work for use in college applications or job credentials.

“I wanted to tell you what an impact the Inspire Camp had on my son,” one parent says. “He loved it and enjoyed all of the experiences with various media across the week and the interaction with other participants. Most importantly, we feel he was actually ‘inspired.’ He wants to pursue graphic design at Kent State.”

Questions and inquiries can be directed to Coorey at jcoorey@kent.edu or Rinnert at grinnert@kent.edu. The application can be found online at vcd.kent.edu/inspire. May 31 is the deadline for applications.

Kent State University Staff Support Go Red for Women's Heart Health

Kent State employees dressed in red
outfits in show of support for the Go Red
for Women, American Heart Association
luncheon.

More than 70 participants in Kent State’s Office Support Staff Recognition luncheon arrived early last Wednesday in their red outfits to have a group shot taken on the stairs of the Kent Student Center.  The picture will be used as part of the Kent State Sponsorship of the Go Red for Women, American Heart Association luncheon to be held May 14 at 11 a.m. at the Quaker Station on 135 South Broadway in Akron. 

The Akron Go Red For Women Luncheon presents area women with the opportunity to support the fight against heart disease and stroke in women by heightening their awareness of the issue, igniting a passion to advocate for their own health and generating funds to support women's heart and stroke education and research. 

For more information, including luncheon tickets, visit www.heart.org/akronohgoredluncheon.  

Kent State’s Special Education Program Receives $1.3 million Grant, Seeks Applicants

Kent State's Early Intervention in Natural
Environments Specialization Training
through Distance Learning program will
prepare individuals at the graduate level to
work with infants and toddlers who have
identified disabilities or delays and their
families.

Students to receive full tuition, monthly stipend and iPad

Kent State University’s Special Education program seeks applicants for its Early Intervention in Natural Environments Specialization Training through Distance Learning program to prepare individuals at the graduate level to work with infants and toddlers who have identified disabilities or delays and their families.

The program, which received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, is designed for individuals who have existing bachelor's or higher degrees in special education and related fields (e.g., early childhood education, human development and family studies, speech pathology), but all interested individuals are encouraged to apply. The program will financially support six students per year for the next five years for a total of 30 scholars.    

The program is a one-year, full-time study designed to prepare early intervention practitioners to provide direct services to young children and their families, consult with other early intervention professionals, and apply research-based practices in their profession. The training program includes significant opportunities for trainees to work in identified programs located within the geographic boundary of a high-need area, serving infants, toddlers and young children. Upon completion, students will be recommended for the Early Intervention Specialist certificate in the state of Ohio. The early intervention certificate training includes seven courses and three field experiences over the course of three semesters, and the graduate-level courses can be applied toward a master’s degree in special education.  

Financial support will be provided for full-time students, and will include:

• Full tuition support for one calendar year (three semesters with a full-time course load)
• A monthly stipend of $1,000, including summer months
• An iPad 
  

Individuals must hold at least a bachelor's degree, and individuals must meet Kent State University graduate school admission requirements. A two-year service obligation (i.e., position in the field of early intervention) will be required for funded students after completion of the program. 

Applications for the program must be received by May 1. Contact Assistant Professor Sanna Harjusola-Webb at shwebb@kent.edu with questions.

Kent State Connects Blog: The Sneaky Symptoms of Diabetes; Fun Ways to Be Active Outside

Paula DiVencenzo, tax manager for Tax and Treasury Services at Kent State, writes about how she and her family found out that she had type 1 diabetes. DiVencenzo discusses the symptoms on the Kent State Connects blog.

The Sneaky Symptoms of Diabetes

“I was exhausted after dance class. I couldn't get enough to drink and had more ‘pit stops.’ I was happy when I got on the scale because drinking diet pop was making me lose weight.  I just didn't feel good. I was tired of going to the school nurse because I was going to throw up in class. I got into trouble for calling my mom on the pay phone (remember those?). I had repeated trips to the doctor,” DiVencenzo says.

Click here to read more from DiVencenzo’s post.

David Herpy, outdoor adventure coordinator at Kent State's
Department of Recreational Services, hikes with his son
Jacob at Gorge Metro Park.

Fun Ways to Be Active Outside

With warmer months approaching, David Herpy, outdoor adventure coordinator at the Department of Recreational Services, talks about the many fun ways to be active outdoors.

“As an outdoor guy, both personally and professionally, there is no better feeling than being outside.  When I’m not coordinating outdoor adventure activities for the Department of Recreational Services or teaching outdoor activity classes for the College of Education, Health and Human Services, I’m spending as much of my free time as I can outside,” Herpy says.

Click here to read more from Herpy’s post.

Click here to subscribe to the Kent State Connects blog and receive an email notification when a new post has been published. It is the easy way to always keep up with what your Kent State colleagues are writing about on the blog.

Last e-Inside Issue for the Spring 2013 Semester

The last e-Inside issue for the Spring 2013 Semester will be published May 6. Copy submissions for this issue should be emailed to einside@kent.edu by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30. e-Inside will resume publication on June 10.

Important Information About Final Grading

Online final grading for Spring 2013 Semester courses meeting in Full Term (1: 1/14/2013 – 5/5/2013), Third Five Weeks (F3: 4/1/2013 – 5/5/2013), Second Half of Semester (H2: 3/7/2013 – 5/5/2013) or Second Seven Weeks (W2: 3/10/2013 – 5/4/2013) parts of term begins Friday, May 3, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Spring 2013 Semester course section that was flexibly scheduled. The deadline for grading submission is midnight Tuesday, May 14. Any final grades not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow.

To access FlashFAST, log in to FlashLine at http://flashline.kent.edu and click the Faculty & Advisor Tools tab. Locate the Faculty Toolbox, and select Final under the Submit Grades heading.

Grades Processing Tips and FAQ may be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website at www.kent.edu/registrar/facstaff/facresc.cfm. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.

Troubleshooting TIP: FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to offer assistance with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.

Kent State Students Named to Academic All-MAC Team

Kent State senior Tommy Sasfy (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) and sophomore Andrew Candiello (Pittsburgh, Pa.) were named to the 2013 Academic All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) Wrestling Team, as selected by conference faculty representatives. Of the eight MAC wrestling institutions, Kent State was one of just two teams with multiple wrestlers receiving the honor.

Sasfy also earned Academic All-MAC honors in 2011 and claimed Academic All-MAC honorable mention in 2012. A life science major, he has a 3.43 cumulative grade point average. This season, he placed fifth at the MAC Championships and grabbed sixth place finishes at the Ashland Open and Cleveland State Open.

Candiello won nine matches on the year and claimed his first career MAC dual victory on Feb. 1 at Eastern Michigan. He has a 3.71 GPA as a pre-med, biology major.

The duo helped the Golden Flashes finish second in the MAC regular season standings at 4-1. Kent State finished 24th in the final team standings of the NCAA Championships, its fourth Top 25 finish in the last five seasons.

Hyde Park Forum Brings Alumni Back to Campus as Contest Judges

Participants in the Hyde Park Forum Persuasive Speaking
Contest get together for a photo at the conclusion of the
contest.

A tradition in Kent State University’s School of Communication Studies, the  Hyde Park Forum Persuasive Speaking Contest, was held on April 10 in the Kent Student Center Ballroom.

Nine students from a variety of academic majors who are enrolled in the school’s Introduction to Human Communication course competed against each other to be named winner.

Matt Fredmonsky, magazine journalism alumnus, ‘06, and editor of KentPatch.com; Ann Guariniello, Rhetoric and Communication, ’91, and IS/IT technical coordinator of ComDoc; Suzanne Theisen, Stow Munroe Falls High School speech coach; Paul Haridakis, Ph.D., director of the School of Communication Studies; and Stan Wearden, Ph.D., dean of the College of Communication and Information, served as the competition’s judges.

“We had our largest audience,” says Jennifer McCullough, Ph.D., assistant professor and basic course director in the School of Communication Studies. “We invite alumni to judge the forum so that they have an opportunity to see what current students are doing and give them a chance to stay involved in the school.  With hundreds of people attending the event, it is a good chance for alumni to see how excited and engaged our students are.”

“I felt very honored to judge this competition as a proud alumna of the Kent State School of Communication Studies,” Guariniello says. “I believe I was a good candidate to judge this competition because I have 20 years of work experience, which allows me to use what I have learned to help judge this competition.”

Every student enrolled in Introduction to Human Communication during the 2012-2013 academic year was eligible for the competition. Contestants were determined by a committee that reviewed each of the submitted persuasive speech outlines of the hundreds of enrolled students.

“Each forum contestant was judged on his or her clarity in topic and purpose, the use of credible supporting materials, and use of a clear and logical organizational pattern," McCullough says. “Contestants also were judged on their use of language, vocal qualities, articulation, and use of nonverbal communication.”

“Personally, I think what affects their scores the most are two things,” Guariniello says. “One, were they prepared? Another, were they confident? They will have a hard time convincing a panel of judges anything without these two things.”

Pearson Education, the world’s leading education company, sponsored the 2013 Hyde Park Forum. It donated $1,500 in scholarship and event funds.

First place went to Lindsey Shook, special education major, who earned a $500 scholarship. Her topic was “Spread the Word to End the Word.” Hallie Rasner, visual communication design major, took second place and a $300 scholarship with her speech titled “The Detrimental Effects of Reality Television on Society,” while third place and a $100 scholarship went to Natalie DeGenova, broadcast journalism major, for her presentation “Celebrities Above the Law.”

In addition to the scholarships, students gained valuable experience from participating in the contest.

“Students always benefit from competing in this competition,” McCullough says. “Confidence in one’s presentation skills is a major advantage. The Hyde Park Forum provides students with a unique opportunity to speak to a large audience of peers and an experienced panel of judges. The feedback competitors receive from the judges is a great way for students to learn from experts.”

“I feel any opportunity like this is an excellent chance for a student to shine and showcase his or her talents, such as presentation skills and knowledge about the topic covered,” Guariniello says. “Students should be able to learn to take constructive criticism on the feedback that is offered to them. They should also feel honored that they are part of this great event.”

Other students who competed in this year’s forum were:

• Cassandra Mejia, exploratory major – “Know the Breed Before You Buy”
• John Stahl, finance major – “Space Exploration”
• Lauren Nervo, early childhood education major – “Texting and Driving Could Lead to a Dead End”
• Rachel Morrell, communication studies major – “Adopt-A-Bull: Your New Best Friend”
• Taylor Heibertshausen, hospitality management major – “Raising Chickens:  Becoming Healthy, Wealthy and Wise While Still Sleeping In”
• Amber Bucher, news major– “Honey Bees”