eInside Events

March 26 is Kent State Day at the Cleveland International Film Festival

Kent State University Day at the Cleveland Film Festival is
March 26. Kent State alumni, students, faculty and staff
get a $2 discount on films showing at the festival.

Kent State University Day at the Cleveland Film Festival is slated for March 26 at Tower City Cinemas in downtown Cleveland. Members of the Kent State community will receive a $2 discount on tickets to any film showing any day of the festival. Kent State alumni, students, faculty and staff should use the code KSU to obtain the special discount. To see the films playing on Kent State Day at the Cleveland Film Festival, visit www.clevelandfilm.org/schedule and select Thursday, March 26.

The annual Cleveland International Film Festival seeks to enrich the community by promoting artistically and culturally significant film arts through education and exhibition. This year’s festival will take place from March 18-29. Wear Kent State gear any day of the festival and you could be randomly selected to win prizes.

Kent State is a sponsor of the Cleveland International Film Festival.

For more information about Kent State Day at the Cleveland International Film Festival, visit www.kent.edu/calendars.

For more information about the Cleveland International Film Festival, including the full program lineup, visit www.clevelandfilm.org.

Register for the Spring 2015 Bowman Breakfast

Spring 2015 Bowman Breakfast to discuss local and global impact of Kent businesses

The spring 2015 Bowman Breakfast will take place at Kent State University in the Kent Student Center Ballroom on Wednesday, April 1. Doors open at 7 a.m., breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m., and the program will follow at 8 a.m.

Four speakers will discuss the topic “Kent Businesses – Their Local and Global Impact 2.0” at the event. The featured speakers are Tom Myers, president of Davey Drill; Gary Niehaus, Ph.D., chief scientist at Crystal Diagnostics and professor of physiology and pharmacology at Northeast Ohio Medical University; Bob Oborn, president of Kent Elastomer Products; and Joe Zeno, president and CEO of ACS Industries. David Ruller, Kent's city manager, will serve as facilitator.

The cost to attend is $10 per person, payable by cash or check at the door only. Invoicing is not available for this event. Reservations can be completed online or by contacting Mary Mandalari at 330-672-8664 or mmandala@kent.edu no later than Thursday, March 26. No shows will be billed. If you find you cannot attend, please contact Mandalari to cancel your reservation by March 26.

Kent State is committed to making its programs and activities accessible to those individuals with disabilities. If you or a member of your family will need an interpreter or any other accessibility accommodation to participate in this event, contact the university’s accessibility liaison, Jacqueline Gee, by phone at 330-672-8667, by video phone at 330-931-4441 or via email at accessKSU@kent.edu.

The Bowman Breakfast, a tradition since 1963, is sponsored by Kent State and the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.

Kent State Opera and Orchestra Present Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Iolanthe”

A comic fairy opera with British influence

The Kent State University Opera will
present Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Iolanthe”
on March 13, 14 and 15 at Ludwig
Recital Hall.

The Kent State University Opera will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Iolanthe” or “The Peer and the Perri” on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 15, at 3 p.m. in Ludwig Recital Hall. Ludwig Recital Hall is located in the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive on the Kent Campus.

This special collaboration between the Kent State Opera and Orchestra will bring to life one of 14 comic operas created by composer Arthur Sullivan and librettist W. S. Gilbert.

“Those familiar with Sullivan’s scores will be delighted to hear what could arguably be his best orchestration,” says Jay White, associate professor of voice and musical director for the opera. “In true homage to romantic drama, we hear influences of Beethoven and Wagner alongside the traditional topsy-turvy musical language of Mr. Sullivan.”

Gilbert and Sullivan painted a picture of a world far from our own, filled with governmental blunders and self-serving politicians—and fairies. “Iolanthe,” a lush operetta with as much comedy as dance, tells the journey of a banished fairy and her half-fairy, half-mortal son. Politicians, a beautiful ward of the court and a fairy queen round out the cast, with every character striving to find love in a lawless place.

Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults; $13 for seniors and Kent State faculty and staff; $10 for groups of 10 or more patrons; $8 for non-Kent State students; $5 for Kent State students who are not eligible for the Fee for Free; free for anyone 18 and under and free for full-time Kent Campus undergraduate students.

Tickets are available weekdays, noon to 5 p.m. at the Performing Arts Box Office, located in the lobby of the Roe Green Center in the Center for the Performing Arts. The Performing Arts Box Office accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover, in addition to cash and checks.

The Ludwig Recital Hall Box Office will open one hour prior to the performance for walk-up sales and will accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover. Tickets and more information are available by calling 330-672-ARTS (2787) or visiting www.kent.edu/music.

Participate in the 12-hour Knit-a-Thon Event on March 13

A group of women gather to knit items during a previous
Knit-a-Thon event at the University Library. A 12-hour
Knit-a-Thon will take place at the library on March 13
from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Both experienced and non-knitters
are invited to participate.

Knitting for Those in Need (KTN), a nonprofit charitable organization based in Kent, will join its Kent State University student chapter in sponsoring a 12-hour Knit-a-Thon on Friday, March 13, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the fourth floor of the University Library on the Kent Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Experienced and non-knitters are welcome to participate. Supplies are provided, and a simple form of loom knitting will be taught during the event. Come when you can, leave when you need to.

The volunteer service organization promotes the use of the yarn arts of loom knitting, needle knitting and crochet to create warm items to serve people in need in the community.

For more information about the event or Knitting for Those in Need and its mission, call 330-552-8299 or email learn.create.serve@gmail.com or knitting.ksu@gmail.com.

Kent State University Museum Displays Garments “Inside Out” for New Exhibit

Pictured are details of buttons on an embroidered silk satin
breeches from the 1780s.

(Silverman/Rodgers Collection, KSUM 1983.1.22 a-c.)

A new exhibition of historic and couture clothing at the Kent State University Museum will focus on the hidden interiors and construction of garments. Appropriately, the show is dubbed “Inside Out: Revealing Clothing’s Hidden Secrets.” “Inside Out” will be on view at the museum from March 12, 2015 – Feb. 14, 2016.

“Inside Out” curator Sara Hume, Ph.D., also will lead a special program offering further insight into the exhibit on Wednesday, March 18, from 2–4 p.m. in the museum’s Murphy Auditorium. Refreshments will be served following the presentation. Tickets are $15 and can be reserved through March 13 by calling 330-672-0300.

“The art of creating beautiful custom clothing has always entailed beautiful workmanship that is hidden when the pieces are worn,” Hume explains. “This exhibition showcases these secret inner-workings that are usually out of sight. Pockets, quilted linings, boning and labels all come to light when the garments are flipped inside out.”

The pieces on display span the 18th through 20th centuries and include both men’s and women’s wear. What they all have in common, says Hume, is their beautiful representation of accurately preserved interiors.

“While many surviving garments have been reworked or have had their linings and waistbands altered or removed, these pieces have maintained a remarkable degree of integrity,” she says. “In fact, in some cases, the insides are as beautifully finished as the outsides.”

The Kent State University Museum is located at 515 Hilltop Drive, at the corner of E. Main and S. Lincoln streets in Kent. The museum is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-8:45 p.m. on Thursday; and noon-4:45 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children under 18. Admission to the museum is free with a Kent State ID and free to the public on Sunday. Parking is free. For more information, call 330-672-3450 or visit www.kent.edu/museum.

Cheer Your Golden Flashes to a MAC Victory

A Kent State University basketball player
takes a shot at the basket during a game
against Central Michigan University.

The Kent State University men’s basketball team will hit the courts on Thursday, March 12, in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Kent State Alumni Association and Intercollegiate Athletics will co-host pre-game receptions at Flannery’s Pub at 5 p.m. through the tournament as Kent State advances. Flannery’s Pub is a short walk to Quicken Loans Arena and has hosted the pre-game receptions for more than 10 years.

“It’s our Cleveland MAC Tournament home away from home,” says Nancy Schiappa, associate director for alumni relations. “It’s a great blend of people who love and support Golden Flashes basketball.”

The receptions are free, and faculty and staff are welcome to attend. Flannery’s Pub will provide complimentary appetizers for everyone during the celebrations. The Kent State Bookstore will be onsite if fans want to purchase Kent State apparel.

To purchase game tickets, contact the Kent State Ticket Office at 330-672-2244. The first-round tournament games will be played at campus sites, and all other games will be played at the Quicken Loans Arena.

For more information about the tournament schedule, visit www.ksualumni.org or call 1-888-320-KENT (5368).

2015 McGruder Lecture and Awards Luncheon Takes Place April 1

Notable casting director tapped for Media Distinguished Leadership Award

Kate O’Brian, president of Al Jazeera
America, has been named the 2015
winner of the Robert G. McGruder
Distinguished Guest Lecture and Award
for Diversity by Kent State University’s
School of Journalism and Mass
Communication.

Kate O’Brian, president of Al Jazeera America, has been named the 2015 winner of the Robert G. McGruder Distinguished Guest Lecture and Award for Diversity by Kent State University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The award recognizes the accomplishments of media professionals who encourage diversity in the field of journalism.

Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication will honor O’Brian at an awards luncheon and lecture on Wednesday, April 1. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 2:15 p.m. at the Kent Student Center Kiva. O’Brian will be the keynote speaker at the lecture. Following her lecture, she will be presented with the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity

Lillian Pyles, one of the most familiar and respected names in the Cleveland casting industry with film credits such as Spider Man III, Antwone Fisher and The Soloist, will be recognized at the annual McGruder luncheon as the 2015 Diversity in Media Distinguished Leadership Award winner. The luncheon is by invitation only, and will include comments by Pyles. Special awards will be given to student media representatives who have reported on diversity issues in the past year.

The luncheon and lecture are co-sponsored by Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Todd Diacon, Ph.D., Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost; Alfreda Brown, Ed.D., vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion; AnnMarie LeBlanc, interim dean of the College of Communication and Information; and Thor Wasbotten, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will speak at the luncheon. Special guest Annette McGruder will be recognized for her continued support of diversity initiatives and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

About Robert McGruder

Lillian Pyles, a familiar and respected
name in the Cleveland casting industry,
will be recognized as the 2015 Diversity
in Media Distinguished Leadership Award
winner.

The late Robert G. McGruder was a 1963 graduate of Kent State and a foundational local figure for diversity in journalism.

He went on from Kent State to become the first black editor of the Daily Kent Stater and first black reporter at The Plain Dealer. McGruder marked several other firsts in his career, becoming the first black president of the Associated Press Managing Editors group and the first black editor of the Detroit Free Press, in 1995 and 1996.

McGruder was a strong proponent for diversity in and out of the newsroom: “Please know that I stand for diversity,” he said once. “I represent the African-Americans, Latinos, Arab-Americans, Asians, Native Americans, gays and lesbians, women and all others we must see represented in our business offices, newsrooms and newspapers.”

For more information about the Robert G. McGruder Award or event, contact Eugene Shelton, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, at eshelto1@kent.edu.

To RSVP for the luncheon by March 24 contact Darlene Contrucci at 330-672-2623.

For more information about Kent State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, visit www.kent.edu/jmc.

You’re Invited to Flash Ice Fest

Kent State University faculty and staff are invited to bring their families to Flash Ice Fest on Saturday, March 21. Sponsored by the Kent State Alumni Association, the fun-filled evening will include ice skating, balloon art, activities, snacks and more at the Kent State Ice Arena.

Enjoy a fun night with Golden Flashes of all ages! RSVP by Friday, March 13, and find more information here.

Kent State Student Choreographers Highlight New Dance Works in IMPULSE

Showcases student talent and versatility; choreography will enthrall and inspire

Pictured are the five BFA Dance Performance candidates
(from left to right) Roberta Bailey, Jennifer Ames,
Jessica Gasdick, Dana Wasielewski and Nina Price.

Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance will continue its 2014-2015 production season with the B.F.A. Senior Dance Concert/Student Dance Festival: IMPULSE. The concert will run March 13-15 in the Erdmann-Zucchero (EZ) Black Box Theatre located at 1325 Theatre Drive in the Center for the Performing Arts on the Kent Campus. The concert is divided into two programs with Program A on March 13 at 8 p.m. and March 14 at 2 p.m. and Program B on March 14 at 8 p.m. and March 15 at 2 p.m.

The B.F.A. Senior Dance Concert/Student Dance Festival: IMPULSE offers audiences a wide selection of dance forms ranging from modern to jazz. In addition, each piece examines and expresses a variety of topics, emotions, ideas and social issues. In this culminating concert, the student choreographers premiere original and engaging works. They each bring something new to the stage while simultaneously incorporating and reflecting on their education and experiences at Kent State.

For tickets, call 330-672-ARTS (2787), purchase online at www.kent.edu/theatredance or in person at the Performing Arts Box Office located in the Roe Green Center lobby of the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive, Monday to Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for Kent State alumni, faculty and staff, $14 for seniors (60+) and non-Kent State students age 18 and under are $10. Tickets are free for full-time, Kent Campus undergraduate students. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $12 per person. The box office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, checks and cash.

IMPULSE presents 14 pieces of original choreography created by juniors and seniors who are pursuing either a major or a minor within Kent State’s Dance Division. In addition, the five graduating senior B.F.A. Dance Performance majors will perform the premiere of “M3(5) = Thrust,” choreographed by guest artist and Dance Division part-time faculty Erin Smith.

The piece titled “Run; Hide,” choreographed by Kent State dance student Roberta Bailey, is inspired by the internal struggles of an individual when faced with the choice of moving on or remaining stagnant. The music composed by Philip Wesely reflects the growing intensity of each movement as the dance progresses. At the culmination, each dancer must decide whether to stay stagnant as a group or leave the toxic environment to journey into the unknown future.

In this photo, the five BFA Dance
Performance candidates strike a pose
from a dance routine.

Kent State student choreographer Jessica Gasdick created her new work, “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep,” as a reflection about the loss of a loved one and the idea that the spirit never really leaves. The dance explores the sensations created by having a guardian angel watch over and guide one’s way. Choreographed to the music “Amazing Grace” performed by Celtic Thunder, it is paired with the poem “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” authored by Mary Elizabeth Frye.

“The Side (un)Spoken,” choreographed by Kent State dance student Nina Price, is based on the concept of the internal and external side of emotion, tied with the mind’s ability to deny and hide the inner, unseen realities. With music by Ólafur Arnalds, this piece incorporates a dynamic movement blend of contemporary and modern styles that illustrate the constant struggle of forcing the unknown side away. Using contrasting movement qualities between the two dancers, “The Side (un)Spoken” exploits the hardship of acknowledging, fighting and overcoming those inner battles. Price’s piece was chosen by the Dance Division faculty to represent Kent State in an adjudication concert at the American College Dance Association East-Central Conference at Ohio University this spring.

Kent State dance student Dana Wasielewski’s new work “Perceive. Receive. Play.” provides the audience an opportunity to observe the journey of the performers, which is based on the positive emotions that dancing can evoke. It offers the outside world a look inside the mind of a dancer through the use of authentic and pure movement.

“Forever Present,” choreographed by Kent State dance student Jennifer Ames, reaches deep into the psychological stress of the tragic loss of a loved one. As a tribute to her late uncle, the duet represents the one who has passed and the other who is dealing with the grief and emotional trauma of the loss.

Kent State dance student Miranda Harig’s contemporary modern piece explores the concept of time. In contradiction, time can feel like it is whizzing by, while at another moment, dragging on endlessly. With music by The Album Leaf, this dance employs unique ways to explore the different relationships between movement and music.

Kent State student choreographer Abbey Recker tackles the difficult topic of suicide in her duet titled “My White Butterfly.” She examines this tragedy by going beyond the individual’s struggle and looking at the devastating impact it has on others.

Kent State student Brialle Menefee’s dark fantasy creates an atmosphere of mystery and drama. The fast-paced, syncopated movement is driven by contemporary jazz technique with additional modern elements.

For more information about the B.F.A. Senior Dance Concert/Student Dance Festival, visit www.kent.edu/theatredance.

Media at the Movies: "A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power and Jayson Blair at The New York Times"

Join Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication for a screening of the 2014 documentary “A Fragile Trust: Power, Plagiarism and Jayson Blair at The New York Times” on March 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Franklin Hall First Energy Auditorium (Room 340).

“A Fragile Trust” tells the story of Jayson Blair, the serial plagiarist of our time, and how he unleashed the massive scandal that rocked The New York Times and the entire world of journalism. The story of “The Blair Affair” is both a compelling, character-driven narrative about an important chapter in the history of journalism, and a complex story about power, ethics, race and accountability in the media. Featuring exclusive interviews, including Blair himself, “A Fragile Trust” is the first film to tell the whole sordid story of the scandal while exploring these deeper themes.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion of ethics issues. Panelists include Jim Crutchfield, former publisher of the Akron Beacon Journal and current member of the board of the Knight Foundation; Brian Welsh, M.D., board-certified psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Coleman Professional Services; Deborah Barnhaum, Ph.D., chair of Kent State’s Department of Philosophy and ethics expert; and Thor Wasbotten, director of Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

• Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
• Movie begins at 6:30 p.m.
• Panel discussion and Q&A at 7:45 p.m.
  

The movie screening is sponsored by the Media Law Center for Ethics and Access (MLC) and funded by the Akron Community Foundation.