eInside Events

Kent State Holds 13th Annual Symposium on Democracy, April 23-25

Bestselling novelist Jeff Shaara is the
keynote speaker at Kent State's 13th
annual Symposium on Democracy.

Kent State University’s 13th annual Symposium on Democracy will be held at the Kent Student Center Kiva on April 23–25. In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the nation’s greatest conflict, this year’s theme is “Democracy and the American Civil War.” The event is free and open to the public.

“I can't think of a better topic for our fine annual Symposium on Democracy than the anniversary of a conflict whose cause was the continued right of states to allow their citizens to hold other Americans as chattel, property to be bought and sold,” says William Underwood, director of the Kent State University Press and one of the co-chairs of the 2012 symposium.

Bestselling novelist Jeff Shaara, author of Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, will be the keynote speaker. On Monday, April 23, at 5 p.m. in the Kiva, Shaara will address the question of why the Civil War continues to fascinate Americans and what it is about the war that makes it such an enduring phenomenon in his presentation “The Civil War as an Enduring Phenomenon.” Shaara also will participate in Tuesday’s panel discussions. Books will be available for sale and signing by the author.

Panel discussions with six leading scholars of the Civil War era will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24 and 25, in the Kiva. On Tuesday at 9 a.m., Mitchell Snay of Denison University, and John David Smith of University of North Carolina Charlotte, will discuss “Race and the Civil War.” At 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Matt Gallman from the University of Florida, and Mark Grimsley from The Ohio State University, will examine “The Civil War Home Front.” And on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., Stanley Harrold of South Carolina State University, and Fay Yarbrough of the University of Oklahoma, will discuss “Reconstruction and the State of the Nation after the Civil War.” Audience members will be invited to pose questions to the panelists.

Breakout sessions for teachers will take place following the panel discussions.

Each spring, Kent State University inquires, learns and reflects on social, cultural and historical events through the annual Symposium on Democracy, held in commemoration of the events surrounding May 4, 1970. The symposium honors the memories of the four students — Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder — who lost their lives on that day, with an enduring dedication to scholarship that seeks to prevent violence and to promote democratic values and civil discourse.

For more information about the symposium, including the schedule of events and speaker bios, visit www.kent.edu/democracy.

School of Journalism and Mass Communication to Host First Kent Multimedia Workshop

Kent State Lecturer and Student Media
Adviser Susan Kirkman Zake will teach
a multimedia workshop for media professionals,
faculty, staff and students.

Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication will host its first Kent Multimedia Workshop — a three-day, hands-on video and photography multimedia storytelling workshop — June 14-16 in Franklin Hall on the Kent Campus.

Media professionals, faculty members, students and others interested in polishing their multimedia skills will work closely with five photography and multimedia educators to learn the skills they need to tell narrative stories using various techniques.

"Our workshop is an outgrowth of the Keystone Multimedia Workshop, held each year at Penn State,” says Kent State Lecturer and Student Media Adviser Susan Kirkman Zake. “We thought it would be great if the Penn State faculty joined us in Kent to teach the same type of workshop in Ohio."

Zake and her husband, Bruce, an adjunct photojournalism instructor, have traveled the past three years to teach the Keystone sessions.

They will be joined in Ohio by Penn State Senior Lecturers Curt Chandler, John Beale and Will Yurman, all award-winning journalists before beginning work at Penn State.

Participants may use Kent State’s equipment on a first-come, first-served basis. Supplies are limited, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own gear. Franklin Hall labs are equipped with Macintosh computers running the Adobe CS5 suite and Apple’s Final Cut Pro.

The workshop has financial support of the Akron Beacon Journal, The Plain Dealer, the Ohio News Photographers Association and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University.

For more information and to register, visit www.kentmultimediaworkshop.com. Registration will close May 31 unless other arrangements are made in advance.

Women’s Center's 10 Points of Light to Take Back the Night 2012

Kent State University Women’s Center, in collaboration with the Take Back the Night Foundation and nine other college campuses and communities across the nation, is pleased to announce the third annual 10 Points of Light to Take Back The Night initiative to be held at the Women’s Center on April 26. Take Back the Night is a powerful movement that began in the 1970s to combat sexual violence and abuse on campuses and in communities around the world, including more than 400 annual events across the U.S. alone. This national initiative has assembled community organizers, campus advocates and student leaders to illuminate the darkness of abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault.

“With 10 shining points of light circling the country on a single night, the Take Back the Night Foundation aims to bring visibility to crimes that go unreported or are underreported. We hope many more communities will join us in lighting candles on April 26 at 9 p.m. in support of survivors of sexual violence,” says Katie Koestner, executive director of the Take Back the Night Foundation.

In the United States, one out of every three women will be beaten or abused during their lifetime. On college campuses and for young people around the country, this is a daily reality; 32 percent of students report dating violence by a previous partner, and 21 percent report violence by a current partner.

Approximate Schedule of Events:

• Name-burning, Clothesline Project, from 8 - 8:30 p.m.
• Candlelit Vigil, Survivor Kickoff, from 8:30 - 8:45 p.m.
• Campus March, from 8:45 -10 p.m.
  

Location: The Women’s Center

Additional information is available at www.kent.edu/womenscenter.

For more information, contact Amanda Kenney, Women’s Center program coordinator, at akenney2@kent.edu or 330-672-9230.

Kent State Sponsors Third Annual Greater Akron Supplier Diversity Conference

Kent State University is a title sponsor for the third annual Greater Akron Supplier Diversity Conference, which takes place on Tuesday, May 15, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Akron Urban League’s President Hall at 440 Vernon Odom Blvd. in Akron. Registration for the event is $25 and includes breakfast and lunch.

Iris Harvey, Kent State’s vice president for University Relations and chief officer for Marketing, Communications and Government Relations, is the conference kick-off keynote speaker.

For registration and additional information regarding educational sessions at the conference, visit www.summahealth.org/supplierdiversityconference.

Kent State’s Procurement Department and the Office of the University Architect also will hold its Supplier Diversity Matchmaker event on May 3, which focuses on construction. Sixty construction business owners have been scheduled to meet with Kent State representatives to discuss approximately $170 million in construction bid opportunities available at the university through 2013.

“Due to an overwhelming response, all slots have been filled” says Michael Bruder, director of design and construction in the Office of the University Architect. “We are very enthusiastic about the response and plan to hold future events.”

Additionally, on May 23, Kent State’s Procurement/Supplier Diversity Department will host and participate in the “How to do Business with State Colleges and Universities,” organized in partnership with the State of Ohio. A series of sessions will be held across Ohio where several colleges will meet with state business owners and representatives from the State of Ohio’s Office of Procurement Services. The Kent Campus is the host of one of the sessions. The purpose of the sessions is to create opportunities for businesses that are owned by minorities, women, socially and economically disadvantaged, or employ persons with disabilities. This event will be held from 8 a.m. to noon in the Governance Chambers of the Kent Student Center.

On the afternoon of May 23, Kent State will host and partner with the Procurement Technical Advisory Center (PTAC) and the State of Ohio office of Administrative Services to present a workshop on Job Order Contracting. Job Order Contracting is a unique indefinite quantity type of contract that enables facility owners to accomplish a large number of repairs, maintenance and construction projects with a single, competitively bid contract. The workshop will be held from 1:30 -3 p.m. in the Governance Chambers of the Kent Student Center.

In addition to the above supplier diversity events, Kent State’s Procurement Department is committed to working with small businesses and will participate in the Cleveland Business to Business Matchmaker event that connects buying organizations to small businesses. The event, organized by the Cleveland district’s Small Business Administration, takes place on May 2 and 3 in the Terrace Club and Suites at Progressive Field.

“At Kent State, we are committed to a comprehensive supplier diversity program,” says Veronica Cook-Euell, supplier diversity program manager. “These events will help us enhance our relationships with minority suppliers and also help us continue to offer resources to help them meet the university’s procurement standards.”

For more information about these events, contact Cook-Euell at vcook3@kent.edu or 330-672-9195.

Kent State School of Art’s Downtown Gallery Features Abstract Art By Richard Lazzaro

Artist Richard Lazzaro's "Random Passages" gouache on
paper is featured above.

The Kent State School of Art’s Downtown Gallery will present the exhibit “Far East to West, A Series of Gouache Works” featuring artist Richard Lazzaro, from May 18 to June 16. An opening reception, free and open to the public, will take place on Friday, May 18, from 5 – 7 p.m. There will be a brief gallery talk at 5:15 p.m. by Anderson Turner, director of Galleries. The Downtown Gallery is located at 141 E. Main Str., in Kent.

As an artist and educator, Lazzaro has been a prominent advocate of abstract painting for more than 50 years. His work has been included in several invitational exhibitions in museums, art centers and galleries throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia and South America. Over the years, his experimentation in painting moved away from the reference of the visible world to an exploration of flat space, movement, color direct painting and the use of nonspecific imagery.

"I find it difficult to pursue pure abstraction without feeling a sense of guilt about abandoning the teachings and humanist concerns that were so eloquently discussed by my mentors,” says Lazarro. “I therefore want passion to be a part of the work, and to have [it] be an expression of experience not solely about aesthetics.”

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1937, Lazzaro studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art (1955-59), Kent State University (B.F.A., 1961), and the University of Illinois (M.F.A., 1963). He is an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he taught drawing and painting in the Department of Art from 1963 - 2001. He has lived in Mexico, New York City and Europe. Lazzaro’s art is represented in more than 400 private and public collections, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Dayton Art Institute and the Cleveland Print Club in Ohio.

Kent State LGBTQ Student Center Hosts Farewell Reception

Students, faculty and staff celebrate first year of programming

The Kent State University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
and Queer Student Center (LGBTQ) will host a farewell reception
for students, faculty and staff on Friday, April 27.

The Kent State University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Student Center (LGBTQ) will host a farewell reception for students, faculty and staff on Friday, April 27, at 4 p.m. in the Kent Student Center. The event, hosted in The Nest, will provide a space for students, faculty and staff to relax and celebrate the end of the Spring Semester.

The Farewell Reception marks the LGBTQ Student Center’s first full year of programming at the university. With operations beginning in July, the center has hosted and sponsored more than 30 events and programs on campus in its first year.

The reception will feature a number of speakers, including Alfreda Brown, Ph.D., vice president of Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Sue Clement of Equality Ohio, and Max Blachman, Northeast Ohio regional representative for Sen. Sherrod Brown.

“This is a great way for the LGBTQ Student Center to give back to the students, faculty and staff at Kent State University,” says student assistant Christopher Clevenger. “We’ve been in operation for a full year now and have been fortunate enough to provide a number of great programs to the LGBTQ and Ally community.”

Snacks, including rainbow cupcakes, assorted rainbow candies and pink lemonade, will be provided during the reception. Board games and music will also be available.

High School Students Can Learn Design Secrets from Kent State Professors

Inspire Camp will give students an overview of graphic design
disciplines such as 2-D print, 3-D print, image-making, motion
and interaction.

Jillian Coorey and Gretchen Rinnert, both assistant professors in the School of Visual Communication Design at Kent State University, will kick off the school’s first-ever, week-long summer creative camp called Inspire.

Held July 23-27 at Kent State’s School of Visual Communication Design, the camp will give students an overview of graphic design disciplines such as 2-D print, 3-D print, image-making, motion and interaction. Covering a different discipline each day, Coorey says each session will be fresh and exciting for the students.

The day camp is for high school students who have completed their freshman year through incoming college freshman, who are between the ages of 14 and 19 and have an interest in design, photography, illustration and creative thinking. There is no requirement of previous experience, transcripts or a portfolio to attend this program. Camp attendees will be introduced to the practice of design, the profession and creative problem-solving.

Coorey and Rinnert have high hopes for the success of the program. With only a handful of similar design camps in the country and nothing similar in the area, the directors hope this camp will become an annual event, eventually turning into an overnight camp with multiple sessions in order to reach out to more than just the local community.

To download an application or for more information about camp details, how to donate or sponsor students, or to register for the program, visit www.inspirecamp.com.

Kent State Women’s Center Offers Mammogram Screenings, May 1 and 2

Kent State University's Women's Center will offer mammogram
screening services on May 1 and 2. Mammogram screenings
will take place in Tiffany Breast Care’s mobile mammography
unit pictured above.

Kent State University’s Women’s Center will offer mammogram screenings to qualified Kent State employees, spouses and students on May 1 and 2. Mammograms take approximately 12 minutes and will be conveniently provided in Tiffany Breast Care’s mobile mammography unit. The van will be located on the Kent Campus in front of the Women’s Center. Participants’ health insurance will be billed or participants may choose to self-pay.

During mammogram sessions, the Women's Center will provide a 10-minute, fully-clothed, oil-free, chair massage for stress reduction and relaxation. The massage will be provided by Kristin Driscoll, licensed massotherapist and owner of Songs of the Sidhe Day Spa. Please stop by the Women’s Center following your mammogram for a gift bag and massage.

For additional information or to register, call the Women's Center at
330-672-9230, Monday through Friday, from 9-4 p.m. If you are unable to reach the staff at the Women’s Center, please call back at another time. Registration is required by April 25.

The Kent State University School of Art Gallery Presents the First BFA Gala

Kent State student Barbara Watson's ceramic work will be
featured the week of April 23 during the BFA Gala.

The Kent State University School of Art Gallery will continue its BFA Gala, the very first collection of works by Kent State Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates, the week of April 23.

The exhibition includes all types of works including but not limited to mixed media, printmaking, painting, sculpture, glass, jewelry, metalwork and textiles.

The works of students Paul Rogers, Ashley Williams, Natalie Petrosky, Barbara Watson and Alexandra Carlson will be featured the week of April 23 with a reception on April 27, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The students have been asked to provide artist statements describing their work. Many students express that they create artwork to tell a story or assign deeper meaning.

“The characters I create on paper in ink are meant to represent the human psyche,” says BFA candidate Ashley Williams in her artist statement describing her drawing. “I place them in unreal environments to give them a life or a reality in which feelings can be portrayed.”

If you would like more information about the School of Art Galleries, contact Anderson Turner, director of Galleries, at 330-672-1369, haturner@kent.edu or visit http://galleries.kent.edu.

Kent State Holds Arbor Day Celebration

Kent State University will be holding an Arbor Day celebration for the fourth consecutive year on April 25 at 1:30 p.m. in front of Engleman Hall.

Engleman Hall was the winner of the 2012 Recyclemania Campus Competition. In honor of Arbor Day, Kent State will plant a tree in front of the hall.

“Kent State has long had a dedication to urban forestry issues at the university,” says Heather White, manager, University Facilities Management at Kent State.

Kent State met the required five core standards of tree care and community engagement in order to receive Tree Campus USA status. Those standards are establishing a campus tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan, involvement in an Arbor Day observance, and the institution of a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.



Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, honors colleges and universities and the leaders of the campus and surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship. During the first year of the program, Kent State was one of 29 schools to receive the initial designation.



The Arbor Day Foundation launched Tree Campus USA in the fall of 2008 by planting trees at nine college campuses throughout the United States. Currently, Tree Campus USA has planted more than 2,100 trees at 28 different colleges and universities throughout the country.


“Planting trees with students, in whatever capacity, is always fun for me and it’s such a lasting legacy for current students” White says.

More information about the Tree Campus USA program is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA or www.arbordaynow.org.



The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the foundation and its programs can be found at www.arborday.org.

Department of Pan-African Studies Holds Conference, “Slavery, Colonialism and African Identities in the Atlantic World”

Kent State University’s Department of Pan-African Studies is hosting the conference “Slavery, Colonialism and African Identities in the Atlantic World” on April 26 and 27 at Ritchie Hall.

The keynote speaker is Sylviane Diouf, Ph.D., author of the renowned book Dreams of Africa in Alabama, which won the 2009 James F. Sulzby Award of the Alabama Historical Association, was a 2008 Finalist Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and won the 2007 Wesley-Logan Prize of the American Historical Association. She is also author of the acclaimed book Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas. Diouf is currently curator at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Her address is titled “Deconstructing and Reconstructing Africans' Identities During Slavery.”

The events on April 26 will take place from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and include a faculty workshop and reception. Events on April 27 include eight open sessions and the keynote address, lasting from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

After the conference, Reggae Night with Akron’s Rhodes Street Rude Boys will be held in the Kent Student Center’s Rathskeller.

Conference registration is $20. Students and faculty are eligible to have the fee waived.

For more information on the conference, visit www.kent.edu/CAS/PAS/conference/index.cfm. For general information about the Department of Pan-African Studies at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/cas/pas.

Kent State Gospel Choir to Pay Tribute to Whitney Houston

The Kent State Gospel Choir will hold a multimedia concert that pays special tribute to late singer Whitney Houston on Friday,
April 27, at the University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public, although donations will be accepted.

“This is a family concert, so we strongly encourage you to bring children of all ages, the elderly, parents and family members,” says Linda Walker, Ph.D., director of the Kent State Gospel Choir.

For more information about the concert, contact Walker at 330-672-2431 or lwalker@kent.edu.