eInside Events

Kent State to Welcome New Students During Welcome Weekend

Kent State University students participate in a dance
party during last year's back-to-school Blastoff at the
Student Green. The annual back-to-school celebration is
part of activities marking Kent state's Welcome Weekend.

Before the fall semester starts on Aug. 25, new students are invited to participate in Welcome Weekend, a four-day orientation program that will run Aug. 21-24 and helps familiarize students with the Kent State University community. The events during the weekend serve as an opportunity for students to transition into the university environment and learn about the academic and social opportunities that exist at Kent State.

“Welcome Weekend is a great way for our first-year residential and commuter students to transition into Kent State’s academic and campus life,” says Josh Perkins, assistant director of Student Success Programs, which coordinates the program. “Our hope is that the weekend provides an array of opportunities for students to not only immerse themselves into the Kent State community, but to also get to know each other through fun activities before classes begin. Ultimately, Welcome Weekend helps facilitate an environment of connection between students, faculty and staff as we all move into the fall semester.”

Move-in day for students begins on Aug. 21, with other events continuing through Aug. 24, the day before fall semester classes begin.

The four-day program is a requirement for first-year students. It features a variety of events and activities, including the Convocation where students will meet Kent State President Beverly Warren in the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center; a screening of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center’s pool ; and Discover Downtown, which offers trolley and walking tours downtown. The weekend will conclude with the annual back-to-school celebration, Blastoff, which features hot air balloon rides, a laser light show and live music.

The activities also include a discussion on Aug. 22 of the 2014 common reading book, The Circle, by Dave Eggers. For more information about the 2014 common reading book, visit www.kent.edu/success/reading.

Welcome Weekend is required for all first-year students, but not all of the events are mandatory. All new students are required to attend Welcome Weekend check-in to pick up information and supplies and attend all events scheduled between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 22; Saturday, Aug. 23, between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 24,between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Required events are indicated on the Welcome Weekend schedule.

A complete listing of events and the schedule can be found online at www.kent.edu/success/schedule.

Carmen G. Gonzalez is Keynote Speaker for AALANA Faculty Workshop This Fall

Carmen G. Gonzalez, professor at
Seattle University’s School of Law, will
speak at the 5th Annual African-American,
Latino-American and Native American
(AALANA) Faculty Workshop on Sept. 5
at Kent State University.

Carmen G. Gonzalez, professor at Seattle University’s School of Law, will be the featured speaker for the 5th Annual African-American, Latino-American and Native American (AALANA) Faculty Workshop, titled “Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia.” The event is open to faculty and staff. Seating is limited, so reservations are encouraged. RSVP to Diane Matasek at dmatasek@kent.edu or 330-672-8540.

This very informative, reality-driven workshop will be held at the Kent Campus, on Friday, Sept. 5, in the Multipurpose Room at Ritchie Hall. The workshop will convene from 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and will include a continental breakfast and a hearty lunch.

“We are very excited that Dr. Gonzalez will be joining us as keynote speaker for this year’s workshop as her areas of interest and research get to the heart of diversity and inclusion issues currently being explored in academia today,” says Alfreda Brown, Ed.D., vice president for Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

As professor of Law at Seattle University’s School of Law, Gonzalez teaches torts, environmental law fundamentals, international environmental law and international trade law. She has published widely in the areas of international environmental law, environmental justice, trade and the environment, and food security, and recently co-edited a book on the experiences of women faculty of color, titled Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia (Utah State University Press, 2012). Copies of her latest book will be provided for workshop participants.

Gonzalez was a Fulbright Scholar in Argentina, a visiting fellow at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, a visiting professor at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in Nanjing, China, and a fellow at the U.S. Supreme Court. She has created summer-study opportunities in Brazil and Guatemala for Seattle University law students, and is part of a consortium of law professors that was awarded a three-year grant from Higher Education for Development/U.S. Agency for International Development to conduct environmental law capacity-building workshops for law professors in Central America.

Gonzalez holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Before joining the law school faculty in 1999, she clerked for Judge Thelton E. Henderson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and practiced law at Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro, where she specialized in environmental litigation. She later served as an attorney at Pacific Gas and Electric Company and as assistant regional counsel in the San Francisco office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information about Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, visit www.kent.edu/diversity.

Attend Homecoming to Show Off Your Golden Flashes Pride

A group of Kent State University alumni gather near the
Williamson Alumni Center to watch the 2013 Homecoming
parade.

Attend Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 18, to watch the Kent State Golden Flashes take on the Army Black Knights. The Homecoming game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. at Dix Stadium.

Prior to the game, faculty, staff, students and alumni will have a variety of activities to attend. Starting at 8 a.m., the day kicks off with the 14th annual Bowman Cup 5K Race. In keeping with this year’s Homecoming theme – Kent State Pride is Worldwide – there also will be an option to run the Bowman Cup Virtual Race from wherever you live. Following the race, all Golden Flashes are welcome to visit the hospitality tent at the Williamson Alumni Center and watch the Homecoming parade.

Other highlights of the day include open houses at the May 4 Visitors Center, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and the School of Fashion, tours of downtown aboard Lolly the Trolley, a Flash Photo Zone, a faculty lecture on the “Fashions of the Downton Abbey era,” and a Fashion Walk down the Lefton Esplanade.

For a full event listing or to register your organization or department’s Homecoming event, visit www.ksualumni.org/homecoming.

Rodney Carrington Coming to Kent State Tuscarawas

Comedian Rodney Carrington will perform
at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State
University at Tuscarawas on Aug. 29.

Capitol recording artist, comedian and star of stage, film and TV, Rodney Carrington will bring his live stand-up comedy show tour, Laughter's Good, to the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas at 9 p.m. on Aug. 29. This show contains adult themes, explicit language and is for mature audiences only.

Tickets for Carrington, which range in price from $35 to $55, can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center Box Office, online at www.tusc.kent.edu or by calling 330-308-6400. The box office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free parking is available for all shows.

This multimillion selling artist has released eight major label albums, garnered gold and platinum records, had his own sitcom, Rodney on ABC; a co-starring role in a major movie, Beer for my Horses with Toby Keith; a one-hour Comedy Central special; and he regularly sells out concerts in the U.S. and Canada. Carrington currently has several new projects in development, including the re-release of his very first CD, Rodney Carrington Live, C'mon Laugh You Bastards, and the much-anticipated album of new songs and material entitled Laughter's Good. Both of these albums will be the inaugural projects released on Carrington's very own record label that he has recently formed. There also are two television specials planned for the summer of 2014. CMT will premiere the all-new Laughter's Good and will re-air his extremely popular Live at the Majestic show.

Carrington has appeared on countless other TV shows, including the ACA (American Country Awards), hosted the American Country New Year's Eve Live show on Fox, and had his own Comedy Central and CMT specials. He won Supporting Character of the Year from the CMT Music Video Awards for his appearance on the Trace Adkins' music video "I Got My Game On," and starred in a comedy sketch music video of his song entitled, "If I'm the Only One," with guest appearances by Jennifer Aspen (Rodney, GCB, Glee), Nick Searcy (Rodney, Justified) and Toby Keith, which aired on CMT.

Another of Carrington’s projects, of which he is very proud, is the Rodney Carrington Foundation, a 501c(3), which he founded that benefits charities who need a helping hand. Carrington added "author" to his list of accomplishments with the release of his first hard cover book titled, Rodney Carrington, Coming Clean published by Hachette Books.

According to Pollstar, Carrington has been one of the top 10 highest-grossing touring comedians for the last 10 years and among the top four or five the last several years.

Carrington’s popularity derives, in large part, from his connection with his audience, both at his live shows and through social media.

For more information, visit www.rodneycarrington.com, www.facebook.com/rodneycarrington and www.twitter.com/laughtersgood.