eInside Events

Kent State to Host the Fifth Annual Hablemos “Let’s Talk” Conference

Kent State alumnus Joey Pompignano will speak at the
fifth annual Hablemos “Let’s Talk” conference on May 1.
(Photo credit: The Dark Room Co.)

Kent State University’s Latino Networking Caucus (LNC) and the Spanish and Latino Student Association (SALSA) will host the fifth annual Hablemos “Let’s Talk” conference on May 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva.

Hablemos is an annual spring event for the campus community, where students, faculty and staff engage in conversation about personal and professional development and the importance of higher education for the Latino/Hispanic community. Local students from Lorain High School’s Upward Bound program are invited to hear the message and participate in the discussion as well.

State Rep. Dan Ramos will speak
at Kent State's Hablemos “Let’s
Talk” conference on May 1.

This year’s speakers include Kent State alumnus Joey Pompignano, who will address professional and academic development as a Latino in the United States, and Dan Ramos, who was the first Hispanic state representative of either caucus in either the Ohio House of Representatives or Senate to serve in a leadership position.

The conference sessions and the luncheon are free and open to the public, but reservations are required for the luncheon. The luncheon will take place in the Kent Student Center Ballroom Balcony located on the third floor. Reservations can be made by emailing lnc@kent.edu and will be accepted until April 28.

For more information about the Hablemos conference or the Latino Networking Caucus, contact Rich Roldan, chairman of the Latino Networking Caucus, at 330-672-5391.

Kent State’s Jewish Studies Program Turns 40, Pays Tribute to Longest-serving Director

Herbert Hochhauser, Ph.D., former
director of the Jewish Studies Program
at Kent State from 1980-1999, will be
honored at a dinner celebrating the
program's 40th anniversary on May 17.

(Photo credit: David LaBelle, School of
Journalism and Mass Communication at
Kent State)

Kent State University’s Jewish Studies Program will host a gala, “Memories, Milestones, Momentum,” in honor of its 40th anniversary on May 17 at the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center located at 215 Depeyster St. in downtown Kent.

The celebration features a tribute to the program’s longest-serving director, Herbert Hochhauser, Ph.D., who served for 20 years, and the late Saul Friedman, Ph.D., who taught in the program for 20 years.

Cocktails will be served starting at 5 p.m., followed by dinner and the program at 6 p.m., including remarks by Kent State President Beverly Warren. Free parking is available in the garage adjacent to the hotel. Dinner and one drink costs $100 per person. Dinner includes a choice of salmon, vegetarian or supervised kosher meals – available upon request. Reservations are required by May 5.

About Herbert Hochhauser, Ph.D.

Hochhauser was born in Berlin in 1935. After his parents were sent to a labor camp, he spent four years in orphanages in Switzerland and France. He was reunited with his parents and immigrated to the United States in 1948. He received his B.A. from Ohio University in German history, his master’s degree from Middlebury College in German literature, and his doctorate from the University of Akron and the University of Innsbruck Austria in 19th-century German literature.

He taught German literature and Jewish studies at Kent State for 35 years. He served as the director of the Ohio Council on Holocaust Education (now Ohio Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education) and director of Kent State’s Ethnic Heritage and Jewish Studies programs. He also served as director of the Akron Jewish Community High School and led numerous meetings and seminars featuring guest experts on various aspects of Holocaust studies in Northeast Ohio and beyond. His more recent work focused on helping to expose German physicians and corporations that conducted unethical medical experiments on prisoners of war.

In addition to his academic career, he has produced numerous films about the Holocaust and has worked with such notable survivors as Elie Wiesel, Robert Clary and Leon Bass, Ph.D. He won seven Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, including his most recent for his documentary Beyond the Fence, the story of two survivors of Buchenwald and the American G.I. that helped in their liberation.

About Kent State University's Jewish Studies Program

Chaya Kessler, director of Kent State’s Jewish Studies Program, encourages the public to support the Dr. Herbert Hochhauser Endowed Fund for Jewish Studies to fund scholarships for students, guest speakers and education-abroad opportunities.

“For 40 years, the Jewish Studies Program at Kent State University has brought the university into the community and the community of Northeast Ohio to the university through a variety of classes, national speakers, conferences and study trips to Israel and Poland,” Kessler says.

Prior to 1975, Kent State courses related to Jewish studies were offered as “heritage studies” classes and included courses in Hebrew language and Yiddish stories and theatre. In 1975, a distinct Jewish Studies program was founded with a grant from the Jewish Services Center – Five Communities Board of Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Kent and Youngstown.

For more information about Kent State's Jewish Studies Program, visit www.kent.edu/jewishstudies.

Event Registration Details

Please send your dinner reservation check for $100 per person (payable to Kent State University Foundation Hochhauser Fund) to Kent State University Jewish Studies Program, 113D Bowman Hall, Kent, OH 44242 by May 5. For more information about the program and about donating to the Dr. Herbert Hochhauser Endowed Fund for Jewish Studies, contact Kessler at jsp@kent.edu or 330-672-8926.

WKSU Presents Journalist John Hockenberry in Akron

Celebrated journalist and host of The Takeaway John
Hockenberry will come to Northeast Ohio for two events
on Thursday, May 7.

Celebrated journalist and host of The Takeaway John Hockenberry is coming to Northeast Ohio for two events on Thursday, May 7.

Hockenberry will speak on the changing state of media and news at 7:30 p.m. at Actors’ Summit Theatre in Greystone Hall in downtown Akron. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions during the Q&A following his talk.

Hockenberry is currently heard on WKSU as host of PRI’s The Takeaway weekday mornings at 9 a.m. During his stay in Ohio, he will broadcast his program live from the WKSU Broadcast Center at Kent State University.

Tickets are on sale now to hear Hockenberry speak. Seats are $15 for General Reserved and $40 for Gold Circle, which include admission to a pre-talk meet-and-greet reception at Greystone Hall beginning at 6 p.m.

A limited number of passes also are available to watch Hockenberry on-air in Kent starting at 8:30 a.m. Admission is free with ticket RSVP. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 330-672-3114.

The Takeaway continues Hockenberry’s return to his roots in public radio, where he was one of the medium’s early innovators. His radio hiatus includes 15 years in network and cable television, during which time he earned four Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award and a Casey Medal. At NBC, he served as a correspondent for Dateline and also hosted two of his own programs for MSNBC, Hockenberry and Edgewise.

Hockenberry also has been recognized for his pioneering online content. He hosts the award-winning public radio series The DNA Files. Hockenberry is a weekly commentator for the series The Infinite Mind and currently sits as a Distinguished Fellow at the prestigious MIT Media Lab. In 2012, he offered a popular TED Talk on design and disabilities.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, Hockenberry grew up in upstate New York and Michigan, and attended the University of Chicago and the University of Oregon. He and his wife, Alison, live in Brooklyn with their five children. He is the author of the memoir Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence and appeared off-Broadway in the autobiographical play “Spoke Man.”

WKSU’s presentation of John Hockenberry in Akron is made possible through support from Dominion, National First Ladies’ Library, One in Six Foundation, State and Federal Communications and United Disability Services.

WKSU is an award-winning public radio station and service of Kent State University that broadcasts to 22 counties in Northeast Ohio from the station’s primary signal at 89.7. WKSU content can also be heard over WKRW 89.3 (Wooster), WKRJ 91.5 (Dover/ New Philadelphia), WKSV 89.1 (Thompson), WNRK 90.7 (Norwalk) and W239AZ 95.7 (Ashland). The station adds WKSU-2 Folk Alley, WKSU-3 The Classical Channel and WKSU-4 The News Channel over HD Radio and as streaming audio at www.wksu.org.

For more information about tickets, visit www.wksu.org/features/feature/602/The-Takeaway-s-John-Hockenberry-Comes-to-Northeast-Ohio/.

University Libraries’ Stress-Free Zone Returns for Spring Finals Week

A Kent State University student takes a break from
studying to relax with a therapy dog at the University
Libraries' Stress-Free Zone. The Stress-Free Zone
returns May 4 and 5 from 3-5 p.m at the University Library.

Relax! To ease the stress of finals week, Kent State University Libraries will host the popular Stress-Free Zone this semester on Monday, May 4, and Tuesday, May 5, from 3-5 p.m. The therapy dogs will return once again, and there will be free popcorn and beverages to enjoy.

The event is open to all Kent State students, faculty and staff.

“A lot of students come in because the dogs are coming,” says Jasmine Jefferson, First-year Experience librarian. “We know the students definitely enjoy the time they have with the dogs, so I think that it really helps them cool off for a while.”

The University Library will be open 24 hours during finals week.

For more information about University Libraries, visit www.library.kent.edu.

Registration Opens for “Run the World 5K” Scheduled for Sept. 12

Event will support education-abroad scholarships at Kent State

Kent State University will host the inaugural “Run the
World 5K,” a run/walk international-themed race, on
Sept. 12 on the Lefton Esplanade at the Kent Campus.
Registration proceeds will support education-abroad
scholarships at Kent State.

Kent State University will host the inaugural “Run the World 5K,” a run/walk international-themed race, on Saturday, Sept. 12, on the Lefton Esplanade at the Kent Campus. Registration proceeds will support education-abroad scholarships so that Kent State students can better afford the experience of short- or long-term education-abroad programs.

Registration is open to the public, and participants may run, jog or walk through the beautiful, tree-lined race course along the scenic Lefton Esplanade. Strollers and pets are welcome. Packet pickup begins at 7 a.m., and the race begins at 8:30 a.m. The start and finish line will be located in Risman Plaza (in between the Kent Student Center and University Library).

"This event appeals to both runners and non-runners alike and offers Kent State and the city of Kent a chance to come together and celebrate our international community and encourage our young scholars to get out there and see the world beyond Northeast Ohio," says Ed Butch, race director and senior academic advisor in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Participants can register online at www.kent.edu/RunTheWorld. Registration is $25 and includes a tech T-shirt, a finisher’s medal and a post-race party with an international flair. Race-day registration is available starting at 7 a.m., payable by cash or check. Awards will be given to the top female and male runners, as well as age group categories.

“Studying abroad is not just about visiting another country; it’s about expanding our students’ ability to think critically about themselves and the world in which they live so that they can become better global citizens,” says James Blank, Ph.D., dean of Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Supporting this race means supporting our students to enable them to have the most rewarding and potentially life-changing experiences of their academic career at Kent.”

For questions about the race or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.kent.edu/runtheworld or contact Butch at 330-672-8976 or ebutch@kent.edu.

Registration Open for PEAK Summer Camp

PEAK Summer Camp participants pose for a photo by the
rock on Front Campus. Registration for the summer camp,
which is hosted by Kent State University’s Department of
Recreational Services, is now open.

Registration is now open for the 15th annual PEAK Summer Camp, hosted by Kent State University’s Department of Recreational Services.

PEAK Summer Camp, which runs for a total of nine weeks, is accredited by the American Camp Association and dedicates itself to providing playful and educational activities for children ages 6 to 12 years old. PEAK also offers a Leaders-in-Training program for children between the ages of 13 and 15.

“Because we’re well known, accredited and have a good reputation, parents don’t stress about leaving their kids with us,” says Phelan Fletcher, intramural sports and youth programs coordinator. “We’re not just occupying their time. We’re engaging them in different activities.”

Beginning June 8, children can participate in weekly themed camps Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Before- and after-care options are also available starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. All camp activities take place on the Kent Campus.

“Because we are on a college campus, we have different resources that other camps don’t have available to them,” Fletcher says.

In the past, counselors engaged their campers in campus activities like rock climbing, swimming and ice skating.

Parents have the option to enroll their children for one week, nine weeks or any week in between. The themes for each week include Sportstastic Fun; Galactic Galore; Animal Adventures; Time to Travel; Superhero Academy; Gadgets, Gizmos and Goo; Mystery and Magic; Wacky Wonderland; and Survivor: PEAK Island. Registration forms are due the Wednesday prior to the desired week.

“For the last couple summers, we’ve maxed out our weeks, so the earlier people register, the better,” Fletcher says.

Registration forms, along with a detailed description of the themes for each week, can be found online at www.kent.edu/recservices/peak-summer-camp-0.

For more information, contact Fletcher at pfletch3@kent.edu or 330-672-0460.

Kent State Gospel Choir to Hold Spring Concert

The Kent State University Gospel Choir performs during
a concert. The choir will present its spring concert on
Friday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Auditorium
at Cartwright Hall.

The Kent State University Gospel Choir will present its spring concert, themed “There are No Strangers,” on May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

This semester, the Kent State Gospel Choir is composed of 25 talented individuals.

“They’ve worked extremely hard and are more than ready to put on a free concert that includes amazing solos from members of the choir and outside talent,” says Amir Burse, freshman biology major and student assistant for the Kent State Gospel Choir.

Burse says that the concert will be filled with songs that will send the crowd into a soulful sensation and later into a mood of swing and jazz.

“The theme of the concert, ‘There are No Strangers,’ will come into character once everyone in the audience is dancing and singing with others around them,” Burse says. “The stupendous Dr. Linda Walker has been directing the Kent State Gospel Choir since 1996. She comes with nothing but experience when it pertains to music. Somehow, she was able to find time in her busy schedule to participate in her church’s gospel choir and preform in numerous bands.”

Walker, a professor of music, joined Kent State’s School of Music in 1990.

“She has done an admirable job at working with various talents and turning every individual into one sound -- a sound that made the Kent State president tweet about the choir’s performance last year at its December concert,” Burse says.

The Kent State Gospel Choir will perform at the inauguration of Beverly Warren as the 12th president of Kent State.

“The Gospel Choir is not only locally loved, but loved internationally!” Burse says.

For more information about the Kent State Gospel Choir and its spring concert, call or text Burse at 216-409-0281.

Participate in the 34th Annual Black Squirrel Festival at Kent State

Members of the Kent State University community gather
at the Student Green to celebrate the annual Black Squirrel
Festival. This year's event will take place Sept. 11.

Kent Student Center Programming cordially invites you to participate in the 34th Annual Black Squirrel Festival at Kent State University. The Black Squirrel Festival is one of the largest events held on campus each fall and will take place on Friday, Sept. 11, from noon to 6 p.m. at the Student Green and Risman Plaza in front of the Kent Student Center. The Black Squirrel Festival attracts more than 3,000 students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Kent community.

In order to participate and reserve your table, university departments are required to fill out a contract form that can be found at www.kent.edu/csi/black-squirrel-festival-0 and return it by Sept. 4 to the Kent Student Center, Room 226. Please note that if your organization is sponsoring a vendor, you also must have the vendor fill out a separate application (which can be obtained from and returned to the Kent Student Center Programming Office). Fees may apply for the vendor.

Please drop off or mail completed contracts to:

Attn: John Camargo and Allissa Lozano
Kent Student Center Programming c/o CSI
226 Kent Student Center
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio 44242-0001

If you have any questions about the Black Squirrel Festival, please contact Kent Student Center Programming at 330-672-8188 or email kscprog@kent.edu.

Kent State Tuscarawas Student Computer Designed Art Show and Silent Auction

Kent State University at Tuscarawas and the Tuscarawas County Center for the Arts are sponsoring the 11th annual Student Computer Designed Art Exhibition from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 30. The art exhibit will be held at the Tuscarawas County Center for the Arts at 461 Robinson Dr. S.E. in New Philadelphia. The event is free and open to the public.

The student artwork will be judged with the top pieces to receive the honor of “Best of Show” that evening. In addition, all pieces will be available for a silent auction with the proceeds benefiting the Animation Imagineers Club, a campus club for computer design, animation and game design majors. Selected artwork submitted by high school students also will be on display.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Computer Design, Animation and Game Design program. In honor of this anniversary, selected alumni artwork from previous years will be showcased and available for auction.

Computer design, animation and game design is one of the fastest growing majors at Kent State Tuscarawas. It is the largest major offered by the engineering technology program. Students can also earn a bachelor’s degree in computer design, animation and game design at the Tuscarawas, Stark and Kent campuses. The computer design, animation and game design major appeals to students who enjoy combining visual design, art and technology.

Kent State School of Music Presents World Music Concerts

Concerts feature two evenings of music selections from Africa, Asia and Europe

The Kent State University Hugh A. Glauser School of
Music will present World Music Concerts on April 28
and 29 in Ludwig Recital Hall. The concerts will feature
traditional and contemporary music and dance from
various countries across Africa and selections from Asia
and Europe.

The Kent State University Hugh A. Glauser School of Music presents World Music Concerts on Tuesday, April 28, at 8 p.m., and Wednesday, April 29, at 8 p.m., in Ludwig Recital Hall, 1325 Theatre Dr. in the Center for the Performing Arts on the Kent Campus. Both concerts are free and open to the public.

On April 28, audience members will be exposed to traditional and contemporary music and dance from various countries across Africa. Performing these various styles of dance will be campus groups such as the African Ensemble, Barefeet Dance Tribe, African Dance Class and Highlife Band.

On April 29, the Kent State Thai Ensemble, along with Kent State music faculty and guest performers, will present selections from Asia and Europe. Audiences will be treated to performances by Yang Jin; Priwan Nanongkham, Kent State assistant professor of music; Rosemary Heredos, Kent State senior music major; and Frances Acar. The program will include Piphat ensemble music, as well as a khaen (a free-reed aerophone) solo from Thailand. Jin will perform the Chinese Pipa and Zhong Ruan (both plucked lutes). Heredos will sing two Irish folk songs, and Acar will lead a group of participants on Scottish waulking songs.

For more information about the African concert, contact Janine Tiffe at 330-672-2172. For more information about the Asia and Europe concert, contact Andrew Shahriari at 330-672-2830.