eInside Events

Kent State University at Stark Hosts Events to Honor Veterans

Kent State University at Stark proudly presents several events and activities to honor those who are serving and have served in our American Armed Forces. All events are free and open to the public and take place at Kent State Stark, 6000 Frank Avenue NW in Jackson Township. For more information, call 330-499-9600 or visit www.stark.kent.edu/about/events/veterans-day.cfm.

Thursday, Nov. 6

Movie: Inglourious Basterds
3 – 5:30 p.m. in Main Hall Auditorium
Sponsored by the Kent State Stark Veterans Club. Free popcorn will be provided.

An Evening with Congressman Bob Gibbs
6 – 7:30 p.m. in Main Hall Auditorium
Sponsored by the Kent State Stark Veterans Club. Light refreshments will be provided.

Congressman Bob Gibbs is the U.S. Representative for the 7th District of Ohio. He sits on the Republican Study Committee, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where he is chairman of the subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, and he also sits on the House Agriculture Committee.

A Holmes County resident, graduate of the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute and a self-employed farmer, Gibbs served on the Ohio Farm Bureau’s Board of Trustees and was president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation for two terms. He took his knowledge and advocacy of Ohio agriculture to the next level and served in the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate, strongly advocating for agriculture and small business.

He has received many awards and accolades for his work in public service, including the prestigious Guardian of Small Business Award and being named the Watch Dog of the Treasury. Gibbs and his wife, Jody, have been married for 37 years and have three grown children.

Friday, Nov. 7

Field of Honor
Flag planting begins at 11 a.m.
Sponsored by the Kent State Stark Veterans Outreach Committee.

Volunteers from Kent State University at Stark and Stark State College will place 1,000 American flags along the Frank Avenue entrance to the campuses to the Kent State Stark flagpole circle. The Field of Honor will remain on campus through Thursday, Nov. 13.

Wall of Honor
Nov. 7 – 14
Campus Center’s Food Emporium Window
Sponsored by the Kent State Stark Veterans Outreach Committee.

A display of military photographs submitted by Kent State Stark students, faculty and staff will be on display.

Thursday, Nov. 13

Veterans Reception
10:15 a.m. – noon
Campus Center’s Fireplace Lounge
Sponsored by the Kent State Stark Veterans Outreach Committee. Light refreshments will be provided.

Military Uniforms, Pictures and Gear Display
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Campus Center
Sponsored by the Kent State Stark Veterans Club.

Military memorabilia (no ammunition, guns or explosives – authentic or replicas will be accepted) submitted by Kent State Stark students, faculty and staff will be on display.

Posted Nov. 3, 2014

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Speaker to Discuss the Holocaust in Poland

The Kent State University Jewish Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences will host a presentation by Annamaria Orla-Bukowska, Ph.D., a social anthropologist at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, on Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Cohn Jewish Student Center on the Kent Campus.

Her talk, “Representing the Shoah in Poland and Poland in the Shoah,” will discuss the Holocaust in Poland. Shoah is the Hebrew term for the Holocaust. Orla-Bukowska’s scholarship specializes in Polish Christian-Polish Jewish relations in the 20th and 21st centuries. She teaches in the postgraduate programs at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and the Graduate School for Social Research in Warsaw. She is the co-editor of a 2007 book, Rethinking Poles and Jews: Troubled Past, Brighter Future.

The event is free and open to the public. A dessert reception will follow. This event is also supported by Kent State’s Department of History and the Center for Comparative and Integrative Programs.

Posted Nov. 3, 2014

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Student Recreation and Wellness Center Will Offer New Leadership Lectures

Kent State University’s Student Recreation and Wellness Center aims to merge education with healthy living in its new biannual leadership lectures beginning Nov. 12.

The lectures are organized by Chris John, new assistant director of Outdoor Adventure. John says the purpose of the lecture series is to promote a well-rounded approach to wellness activities.

The first lecture will focus on Sir Edmond Hillary, one of the first people to reach the top of Mount Everest. John says his goal is to demonstrate how Hillary’s experiences are relevant today.

“I’ll be looking at the expedition, what were some of the leadership challenges of the actual ascent and leadership successes,” John says. “I want to link it back to some lessons that are applicable to students, faculty and staff today.”

John says the lecture is open to the Kent State community but is targeted to faculty and staff. John recommends the lecture to anyone interested in the life of Sir Edmond Hillary and participating in a discussion on leadership.

“With Recreational Services, our primary audience is always students, but we do have faculty and staff come use the facility and participate in the outdoor programs,” John says. “We want to engage them with an educational component.”

The lecture will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Seminar Room of the Student Recreational and Wellness Center. John hopes those who attend have three main takeaways.

“I would want the audience to take more knowledge about Sir Edmond Hillary’s leadership traits, a little about the first ascent of Everest and just some good introspective questions on the status of a person’s leadership.” John says. “What we hope to do at Recreational Services is provide activities that develop healthy lifelong recreational habits. One of my objectives is to present a broad-reaching outdoor adventure program that includes programming and leadership opportunities along with the physical outdoor component.”

For more information about the Kent State Recreational Services’ Adventure Center, visit http://www2.kent.edu/recservices/adventurecenter/index.cfm.

Posted Nov. 3, 2014 | Endya Watson

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Maj Ragain to Give Poetry Reading at Kent Student Center

Long-time Kent State University Professor and Poet Maj Ragain will give a poetry reading on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 306 ABC at the Kent Student Center as part of the Wick Reading Series.

Ragain works with a veteran’s writing circle through Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center and Warriors’ Journey Home. He has been writing poetry, teaching creative writing at Kent State and inspiring new voices for more than 40 years.

"There aren’t many words or phrases I could use without boxing him into connotation, and he lives outside of that box,” says Avery Leclerc, one of Ragain’s students. “He taught me that poetry is an attempt to ‘come awake’ somehow, and to say the things that can’t be said.”

In addition to his scholastic activities, Ragain has hosted a continuous, monthly, open reading that now takes place in downtown Kent at Last Exit Bookstore, says David Hassler, director of the Wick Poetry Center.

“With his generosity of spirit and selfless labor, Maj has tilled the fields, making Kent fertile ground for poetry,” says Hassler. “He is one of our community’s great treasures.”

The most recent of his five collections of poems is A Hungry Ghost Surrenders His Tackle Box.

"Poetry is an ongoing conversation, yoking solitude and community," Ragain says.

For more information about Kent State's Wick Poetry Center, visit www.kent.edu/wick.
Posted Nov. 3, 2014 | Rachel Gill

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Kent State’s 2014 Online Learning Symposium takes Place Nov. 12

Kent State University’s Office of Continuing and Distance Education will host the 2014 Online Learning Symposium at the Kent Student Center on Nov. 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Online Learning Symposium will feature speakers, breakout sessions and dialogue with colleagues about best practices in online learning. The event is free and open to faculty members and administrators. Registration is required, and a continental breakfast and lunch are included.

Michael Wesch, dubbed "the explainer" by Wired magazine, is a cultural anthropologist and media ecologist who will keynote this year’s event. He will explore the effects of new media on society and culture. “We are really excited to have Michael Wesch share his research on how people interact with digital media,” says Val Kelly, director of online learning at Kent State.

Topics covered during the symposium will include ideas for online teaching, research topics in online learning, campus partner poster sessions, breakout sessions on best practices, Kent State online template, online accessibility and more.

“Wesch, who has spent years experimenting with social media and assessing the learning potential of these tools, will share his insights and offer compelling ideas about how to make genuine connections online with students,” Kelly says. “He will share his research into how people interact with digital media and help us understand the changing learning environment in the digital age.”

Wesch has a doctorate in anthropology from the University of Virginia and most recently studied the effects of social and digital technology on global society. His videos on cultural technology, education and information have been viewed by millions and translated in more than 15 languages.

Wesch has won several major awards for his work, including a Wired Magazine Rave Award. He was recently named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic. He also has won several teaching awards, including the 2008 CASE/Carnegie U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities.

For more information and to register for the symposium, visit www.kent.edu/online-learning-symposium.

For more information about Kent State’s Office of Continuing and Distance Education, visit http://www2.kent.edu/cde.

Posted Nov. 3, 2014

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Kent State University at Stark Theatre Presents One Slight Hitch

Kent State University at Stark will kick off its first theatrical event of the 2014-15 season with One Slight Hitch by Lewis Black on Nov. 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. and on Nov. 9 and 16 at 2:30 p.m. in the Kent State Stark Theatre at 6000 Frank Avenue NW in Jackson Township. American Sign Language interpretation will be provided for the performance on Nov. 16 at 2:30 p.m. Opening night is Scholarship Night with proceeds benefiting students in Kent State Stark theatre and music programs.

Set in Ohio, satirical comedian Lewis Black’s production opens the door to the Coleman’s house on the day their daughter is to marry a stuffy, wealthy emblem of the Reagan era. Hilarious family drama is set in motion with the unannounced arrival of the ex-boyfriend, a beatnik poet who is unaware of her engagement and came to share the enlightenment he experienced on his recent travels. Doors slam, secrets erupt, chaos ensues.

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $7 for non-Kent State students, children under 17 and senior citizens. All Kent State students are admitted free with a current student I.D. Reserve tickets online at www.stark.kent.edu/theatre or call the Kent State Stark Theatre Box Office at 330-244-3348, Mondays through Fridays, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Directing One Slight Hitch is Brian Newberg, Kent State Stark assistant professor of theatre and theatre director. Louis Williams is the scenic and lighting designer, Susan Blurton is the costume designer and Ron Jarvis is the sound designer.

Posted Nov. 3, 2014

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Kent State University Libraries to Host Library Live Conference on Nov. 6

University Libraries will hold its ninth annual Library Live Conference on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the University Library on the Kent Campus. The free event is open to faculty, staff and graduate students who want to learn about library resources and services that can support their teaching and research. Programs include “A Flash in Time: The Black Student Movement at Kent State 1965-71,” Library Research Management Tools, Incorporating 3D Printing into Your Curriculum, Copyright Basics and Services and Student Plagiarism in Context.

Register online at www.kent.edu/library/librarylive. For more information about the conference, contact Anita Clary at 330-672-1656 or aclary@kent.edu.

Posted Nov. 3, 2014

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