Chapman Magazine Fall 2014

Executive Editor: Sheryl Bourgeois, Ph.D. Executive Vice President for University Advancement

Managing Editor: Mary A. Platt, APR Director of Communications platt@chapman.edu

Editor: Dennis Arp arp@chapman.edu

Art Direction: Noelle Marketing Group

Editorial Office: One University Drive Orange, CA 92866-9911 Main: (714) 997-6607 Delivery issues/change of address: (714) 744-2135 Chapman Magazine (USPS #007643) is published quarterly by Chapman University. © 2014 Chapman University. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

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The mission of Chapman University is to provide personalized education of distinction that leads to inquiring, ethical and productive lives as global citizens. www.chapman.edu

Chapman Magazine is printed on recycledcontent paper.

Maestro Daniel Alfred Wachs, Chapman University’s director of orchestral activities, conducts the Chapman Orchestra, the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra and the combined choirs of Chapman and UC Irvine in a concert presented by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

The performance in a sold-out Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa included Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the West Coast première of “Frieze” by Mark Anthony Turnage. The concert was selected by both The Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times as a top pick of the 2013–2014 season. The Register’s review exclaimed: “Wachs guided the ensemble with energy, precision and a welcome sense of clarity and poise. The performance wasn’t just good by standards for younger performers, but forceful and exuberant by any standard: genuinely inspiring, technically proficient, structurally sound. The combined choruses were a powerhouse.”

Photo by Scott Stedman ’14 What’s your best shot of life at Chapman?

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IN THIS ISSUE UP FRONT

FEATURES

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President’s Message

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First Person: An Affinity for Polaroid Pictures Puts Real Life at Her Fingertips

15 A Milestone Anniversary Brings Out the Best in Four Buildings with a Shared History

CHAPMAN NOW 5

Chancellor Struppa Touts Student Selectivity and the Growth of Research

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The New Rinker Campus and DMAC Are Helping to Train Future Leaders in Dynamic Industries

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From Ulster to ISIS, There Is a Path to Peace, Professor Paul Arthur Says

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A Kinesiology Program and a Master’s Degree in Accounting Are Among the Advancements for Fall

18 Two Biology Students Come From a Land of Conflict but Find Friendship in a Unifying Purpose 22 Justin Simien ’05 Hopes His Satirical Film Makes You Laugh but Also Starts a Serious Conversation 26 Where Science Meets Art, Lia Halloran and Her Students Go Old-School Exploring 30 A Chapman Research Team Delves into the Depths of What Scares Americans

ALUMNI NEWS 36 For Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg ’03, Washington, D.C., Is Home to More than Partisan Bickering

DEPARTMENTS

38 Class Notes

10 Figures

39 Chapman Stories: Bob Vu (EMBA ’05), Craig Shields ’12, Mamie Yong Maywhort ’78, Darryl Wharton-Rigby (MFA ’10), Nick Conedera ’10

11 Seen & Heard 12 Sports: Water Polo Foes Learn Fast that There’s No Room for Pity When Facing Wilson Parnell ’17 14 In Memoriam: Sue Kint 34 Faculty Bookshelf

44 Seth Casteel ’03 Returns for Homecoming and Is Greeted by Pools of Puppy Love

CHAPMAN

p r e s i d e n t ’s m e s s a g e

Premiering a Crossover Hit s our academic year began, another new building opened on the Chapman University campus: the Digital Media Arts Center, part of our Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

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You’ll find a closer look at the DMAC on page 6 of this issue of Chapman Magazine, along with an introduction to our new Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine, made possible by a transformational gift from a visionary couple.

Like the Rinker Campus, the DMAC is a state-of-the-art facility. It provides a new home for our animation, visual effects and digital design programs and has rapidly become a favorite of students.

They gather in the Stan and Mary Harrelson Family Student Creative Commons as well as the art and directing studios, laptop bar and screening room, all within the shell of an 80-year-old building that retains its look of “industrial chic.”

As I watch the students exchange ideas in the Commons, it occurs to me that creative sharing is happening all over Chapman — and that’s by design. We like to say there are “no silos” at Chapman — that is, no academic area is so rigidly defined that it can’t display creative flair and cross over into another area. In fact, that’s how some of our most interesting programs have grown: Entertainment Law is a crossover between our Fowler School of Law and Dodge College. The Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education exists at the boundary of history, religious studies and ethics. Our globally recognized Economic Science Institute tests economic theories in the laboratory using the principles of science (a process pioneered by our Nobel Prize recipient, Vernon Smith).

There are many, many others. I like to think these boundary-less disciplines are in large part due to the entrepreneurial spirit of Chapman: We welcome creative ideas for innovative programs so that our students can obtain the careers of the future.

Maybe this economist/university president will start hanging out with film students in DMAC’s Commons to get some great crossover ideas.

Because, you know, I’ve always wanted to direct!

Regards, Jim Doti

Board of Trustees OFFICERS Doy B. Henley Chair David A. Janes, Sr. Vice Chair David E.I. Pyott Vice Chair Scott Chapman Secretary Zelma M. Allred Assistant Secretary TRUSTEES Wylie A. Aitken Donna Ford Attallah ’61 Raj S. Bhathal James P. Burra Michael J. Carver Phillip H. Case Irving M. Chase Hazem H. Chehabi Arlene R. Craig Jerome W. Cwiertnia Zeinab H. Dabbah ’12 Kristina Dodge James Emmi Dale E. Fowler ’58 Barry Goldfarb David C. Henley Roger C. Hobbs William K. Hood

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

Mark Chapin Johnson ’05 Jennifer L. Keller Parker S. Kennedy Joe E. Kiani Joann Leatherby Charles D. Martin James V. Mazzo Joel P. Moskowitz Sebastian Paul Musco Frank O’Bryan Harry S. Rinker James B. Roszak The Honorable Loretta Sanchez ’82 Mohindar S. Sandhu James Ronald Sechrist Ronald M. Simon Ronald E. Soderling R. David Threshie Emily Crean Vogler Karen R. Wilkinson ’69 David W. Wilson EMERITUS CHAIRS The Honorable George L. Argyros ’59 Donald E. Sodaro EMERITUS TRUSTEES Richard Bertea Lynn Hirsch Booth J. Ben Crowell Leslie N. Duryea

Robert A. Elliott Marion Knott Jack B. Lindquist Randall R. McCardle ’58 (M.A.’66) Cecilia Presley Barry Rodgers Richard R. Schmid EX OFFICIO TRUSTEES Donna S. Bianchi James E. Blalock (J.D.’09) Reverend Don Dewey James L. Doti Kelsey C. Flewellen ’05 Judith A. Garfi-Partridge Reverend LaTaunya Bynum ’76 Reverend Dayna Kinkade Penni McRoberts ’71 Wendy Salmond Reverend Felix Villanueva Reverend Denny Williams

Board of Governors OFFICERS Judith A. Garfi-Partridge Chair Melinda M. Masson Executive Vice Chair Thomas E. Malloy Vice Chair

Douglas E. Willits ’72 Secretary GOVERNORS George Adams, Jr. Marilyn Alexander Lisa Argyros’07 Margaret Baldwin Marta S. Bhathal Deborah Bridges Barbara Brogliatti Kathleen A. Bronstein Eva Chen Paul A. Cook Ronn C. Cornelius Rico Garcia Kathleen M. Gardarian W. Gregory Geiger Steve Greinke Galen Grillo (EMBA’13) Lula F. Halfacre Rebecca A. Hall ’96 Stan Harrelson Sinan Kanatsiz ’97 (M.A. ’00) Elim Kay ’09 Scott A. Kisting John L. Kokulis Dennis Kuhl Stephen M. Lavin ’88 Michael Penn (J.D.’04) Betty Mower Potalivo James F. Wilson

EMERITUS GOVERNORS Gary E. Liebl Jean H. Macino Richard D. Marconi Jerrel T. Richards EX OFFICIO GOVERNORS Sheryl A. Bourgeois James L. Doti

President’s Cabinet Nicolaos G. Alexopoulos George L. Argyros, Jr. ’89, (J.D.’01) Julianne Argyros Joyce Brandman Heidi Cortese Sherman Lawrence K. Dodge Onnolee B. Elliott (M.A.’64) Paul Folino Douglas K. Freeman Marie Gray Frank P. Greinke Gavin S. Herbert Steeve Kay General William Lyon The Honorable Milan Panic Lord Swarj Paul James H. Randall The Honorable Ed Royce Susan Samueli Ralph Stern David Stone Alan L. True

about

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On the Cover

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chapman magazine

Survey says …

We asked for your opinions about Chapman Magazine, and hundreds of you filled out our online survey. Thank you; we learned a lot and will act on your suggestions.

We found out that, for the most part, you like us — you really like us — but you also have some ideas about how we can improve.

Among the results:

As a student in Professor Lia Halloran’s “Intersection of Art and Science’’ class (see story on page 26), Adam Ottke ’13 united physics and photography to get our cover image. He stretched latex over a car speaker and used vibration to propel paint into the air. A high-speed shutter did the rest. Sounds simple, but synchronizing everything took 1,200 tries. It was 4 a.m. by the time he got what he wanted, and his shouts of triumph brought a member of the Moulton Hall cleaning crew running. Ottke quickly told him everything was OK and showed him the images. “He thought they were awesome,” Ottke says. “He got it.”

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About 94 percent of you say that you get some to all of your information about Chapman University from the magazine.

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More than 69 percent prefer to read the magazine in print, vs. 13 percent who like to read the online version, with 18 percent saying you enjoy both.

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The most popular types of stories are those that report on facilities and growth at the University (96 percent of you said that you find these stories very interesting to somewhat interesting).

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Next in popularity are stories that cover student research, academic experiences and achievements, visiting speakers, and cultural events and performances.

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Leading the list of stories you want to see more often: those that cover University history and traditions (93 percent).

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Another thing we can do better: More follow-up on previously highlighted projects.

The things you like best about the magazine are the photography (88 percent say it’s good to excellent), the covers (86 percent), the ease of reading (84 percent) and the overall content (83 percent).

Many of you also included specific comments, which are particularly valuable because they give us a more nuanced understanding of what you want. Clearly you care about the magazine, as you care about the University, and that heartens us as we strive for continuous improvement.

Based on your feedback, we plan to seek out more opportunities to report on Chapman’s rich history and to provide updates on programs covered in previous issues. Please know that we always look forward to hearing from you. Write us at magazine@chapman.edu or call (714) 997-6607.

❯❯❯ Chapman Magazine Online Don’t forget to check out Chapman Magazine online, with Web-only stories, links to video, slide shows and more.

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In the Next Chapman Magazine For the one in 68 children identified with autism spectrum disorder, unique learning challenges and opportunities are a part of daily life. In the winter issue of the magazine, we’ll explore the ways Chapman University scholars are helping families manage autism, from clever applications for smart phones to educational programs for families and educators.

From left, Professor Amy-Jane Griffiths, Ph.D., with her autism intervention team of Chapman graduate students: Kelsey Compton ‘14, Amanda Schlitt ‘15, Hayley Taitz ‘15 and Jared Izumi ‘15.

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CHAPMAN

first person

I SEE MYSELF. I SEE MY FRIENDS. WE DRIFT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA IN PRACTICED HAND-ON-HIP POSTURE. WE LOOK TAN, DULLY FAULTLESS AND ODDLY SIMILAR TO OTHER STUDENTS WHOSE PHOTOS CLUNK AFTER OURS. I see us often. But it wasn’t until I started using a Polaroid camera that I really recognized us. It’s because Polaroid photos cannot be edited. They cannot be filtered. And, just like life, they will not pause for retakes.

My infatuation started with an impulse buy — the revamped version of the Polaroid camera, the white and chunky FujiFilm Instax Mini. My reasoning: It’d be fun for nights out with friends. Soon my mom sent me her original 1983 Polaroid camera, charcoal black and even chunkier. I was hooked. I could snap photos and print them immediately without any digital fiddling.

At the same time, the viral song #SELFIE saturated the air waves.

It features a woman asking, “Can you guys help me pick a filter? … I want to look tan.”

It’s the “perfect photo” fetish, and it’s routine.

Digital cameras have patience for fabricated realities involving “Wait, I need to fix my hair!” or “No! My eyes were closed!” Cue a forced pose, extra lip gloss, strategic cropping and a filter dark enough to make that pimple disappear.

Finally that digital photo looks fine. We’re happy with it. But what about us? We just told ourselves we’re not good enough without 10 edits.

Meanwhile, the Polaroid photo captures reality. It captures awkward poses from hugging friends too hard.

It captures silly smiles that aren’t sexy. It captures defiant hair, squinting eyes, smudged makeup, unexpected yawns, tan lines, freckles, dimples, kisses, sweat, confusion, dancing, laughing, mistakes, victories and memories until suddenly you realize, holding that photo, you see real life between your fingertips.

And you accept it. You hold it tightly. You don’t want to change a thing because if you did you’d be playing pretend. And you realize you can do better than that.

Perhaps when we look back at Polaroid photos, we’ll remember the jokes that scrunched our noses.

We’ll recall the nights that, unlike mascara and hairstyles, seemed infinite. We’ll know we’re not fooling ourselves with fictitious, edited memories.

And I think we’ll thank ourselves for that.

I don’t suggest doing away with the iPhones and Instagram accounts. Digital photos don’t necessarily have flaws. Yet, at times, that might be where their fault lies. I don’t recognize a world that, according to Instagram, is Lord Kelvin pink or Toaster yellow. But I do love the one I see in front of me.

Go out one night. If you don’t have a Polaroid camera, try a disposable one for $5. It works the same magic.

And, just maybe, we’ll remember what we’ve forgotten by looking down too often: A life unedited and unfiltered is OK. Perhaps it’s even better.

BETWEEN HER FINGERTIPS

By Kelsey Kloss ’14

Kloss wrote this piece as managing editor of The Panther. She now works as assistant health editor for Reader’s Digest in New York City.

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

TOP-TIER PERFORMANCE In his annual State of the Academy address, Chancellor Struppa touts student selectivity and the growth of research.

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rom a new science campus to a premier internship program, The chancellor also touted the research and publishing Chapman University is taking bold steps in the development success of faculty members, who are publishing more research of both its facilities and programs so that today’s students in scholarly journals each year. Those papers increasingly are can be tomorrow’s leaders, Chancellor Daniele Struppa said in his cited by other researchers — an important factor in the annual State of the Academy address.

University’s national standing.

“This is a very exciting time in the life and history of Chapman “It means that not only are we more active and productive,” University,” Struppa said, adding that employers are showing a high he noted, “but the community at large is paying attention to level of trust in Chapman graduates. what we write.”

The chancellor’s address was the official opening Other growth areas the chancellor to the Chapman Family Homecoming cited include: Celebration. Speaking in Memorial Hall “Not only are we more to an audience of students, faculty, staff • The opening of new facilities, including the Harry and Diane Rinker Health and other University friends, Struppa active and productive Science Campus in Irvine and the cited numerous achievements (with our research), but Digital Media Arts Center (see story in student selectivity and retention, on page 6). community service, faculty research the community at large and campus sustainability.

• Development of several health science is paying attention to The continuing trend in student graduate programs, as well as new selectivity was high among those graduate programs in history and film. what we write.” accomplishments, Struppa said. He • A premier paid-internship program noted that in the top tier of Western U.S. that will provide students with strong comprehensive colleges and universities, Chapman ranks second opportunities for growth. in student selectivity. A high-achieving student body helps shape In addition to academic successes, Struppa paid tribute to the learning experience, he said. the many outreach and philanthropic projects in which students, “This selectivity is important not just because we like to pride faculty and alumni serve as part of the Chapman experience. ourselves on attracting the best students,” Struppa said. “Those “One of the things that astonishes me is the tremendous students learn from the discussions that go on with each other humanity our kids bring to campus,” he said. “These are not at the end of class as well as those they have with professors and just very good students; they are tremendously caring.” peers during class.”

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Open to

Diane and Harry Rinker

the

The Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus and the Digital Media Arts Center are more than just new buildings that welcomed Chapman University students this fall. Both are learning centers for soon-to-be leaders in two of today’s most dynamic industries — health care and entertainment.

Soliel Doman, left, and Caretta Reese, students in the M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences program, enjoy their new academic home.

Professor Alison L. McKenzie, PT, Ph.D., provides hands-on learning during a physical therapy class at the Rinker campus, which features state-of-the-art teaching labs.

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

To view more images of the Rinker Campus and see coverage of the celebration that officially opened the campus, visit chapman.edu/magazine.

Future The Rinker Campus, unveiled at an Oct. 15 ribbon-cutting, is home to Chapman’s new School of Pharmacy and the University’s widely respected physical therapy doctoral program.

The campus is well-positioned amid a cluster of large R&D ventures in the Irvine Spectrum area and can accommodate Chapman’s continuing growth in health science graduate programs.

The new campus was made possible by a transformational $15 million naming gift from Newport Beach couple Harry and Diane Rinker, longtime Chapman supporters.

“Chapman University has devoted significant attention to science and technology in recent years, and this gift from Harry and Diane Rinker will help propel Chapman into an area where we think we can make a long-term impact,” said Chapman Chancellor Daniele Struppa.

The goal of immersing students in a team-based approach to health care shaped the design of the campus. Among its features are flexible, shared classrooms and research laboratories to support inter-professional education and interdisciplinary research. Additionally, students learn in simulated environments that model the new arenas in which advanced care professionals will practice.

The Digital Media Arts Center (DMAC) is a high-tech facility that reflects the tremendous demand for computer animation skills needed throughout the entertainment industry, says William Kroyer, professor and director of the Digital Arts Program at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Animated and high-action special-effects films make up 85 percent of box offices sales. Gaming, Web design and handheld media industries are equally hungry for digital artists.

“The digital arts are really an exploding industry. To teach that properly, you need a dedicated facility,” says Kroyer.

The new center is on Cypress Street, across from Marion Knott Studios.

The project also includes a new 357-space parking structure, fronted by the original brick façade of the former industrial plant on the site, creating an artful balance of historic preservation and modern function.

The DMAC includes editing suites, state-of-the-art labs and a screening theatre that features 4K digital projection, plug-in jacks for interactive multiplayer gaming, and seating arranged to promote collaboration.

That inventive environment was carefully replicated throughout the center, Kroyer says. Food service, an outdoor picnic area and even large communal charging tables were incorporated to encourage more informal interaction.

“If you go to Pixar, Disney, Google or any state-of-the-art facilities, you’ll see hangout space,” Kroyer says. “Students from other programs and schools on campus can come over and meet friends, start conversations and see what others are working on. That’s the way ideas happen.”

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now

Q&A

WITH PAUL ARTHUR

CHAPMAN

The Path to Peace:

At a welcome reception, Professor Paul Arthur meets Peace Studies students, from left, Nimah Gobir ’15, Tessa Venizelos ’15, and Medha Vishwanath ’17.

Arthur holds the Delp-Wilkinson Chair in Peace Studies and is interim program director.

From Ulster to ISIS The start of the new academic year has brought exciting advancements at Chapman University, from the arrival of a renowned peace scholar to the launch of new undergraduate and graduate programs.

In the Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Paul Arthur takes up the challenge of continuing the work begun by the late Professor Don Will leading the Peace Studies program. Arthur is one of the architects of the peace treaty in Northern Ireland and has also led conflict resolution workshops in Colombia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Palestine and Macedonia. He will teach classes as a distinguished visiting professor and hold the Delp-Wilkinson Chair in Peace Studies while serving as interim director of that program.

A professor emeritus of politics at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, Arthur has written five books, including Special Relationships: Britain, Ireland and the Northern Ireland Problem.

In 2007 he was a Fulbright scholar at Stanford University.

Arthur’s international contacts will be especially beneficial to students seeking internships and planning for graduate school, says sociology professor Roberta Lessor, Ph.D., who was on the steering committee that brought Arthur to Chapman.

“Our students are going to learn from a world expert in peace studies,” Lessor said.

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

As airstrikes, insurgencies, drug cartels and all manner of violence rattle the globe, peaceful solutions seem awfully far away. But as Paul Arthur steps in as interim director of the Peace Studies program at Chapman University, he remains a champion of the peace process and the search for reconciliation. The man who helped end one of the most intractable conflicts of the 20th century, the Irish-Anglo disputes, says that every conflict has lessons for today.

Q

Contemporary conflicts like ISIS and Syria seem too complicated to ever resolve. How do you even begin?

In the life cycle of a conflict, you go through three different phases: analysis, negotiation and implementation. The negotiation leads to a peace agreement, but often that’s the easiest part. You don’t get to the peace agreement until you’ve done a thorough analysis of the problem. So let’s look at the problem from every angle imaginable, then we can talk about solutions. You have to work on the assumption that there is a solution, because if not, you’re into fatalism and passivity, and that’s not what the human condition’s about.

Q

Do you see parallels between the extremists in the Irish conflict and those in ISIS?

Yeah. To give a specific example, we had hunger strikers. The difference, of course, is that with our hunger strikers, we weren’t taking anybody else’s lives.

But what it says to me is that this is an image of people saying, ‘We are absolutely impotent. What can we do? Therefore we go to this extreme.’

So trying to learn the psychology of this sort of thing becomes part of trying to find a solution. It’s painstaking. It will take a long, long time.

Q

How might that look in a real-world scenario?

The first mistake with ISIS is we speak of a monolith. Every organization is a coalition of some sort. I have met some people from Hamas in the past.

They met us quite openly. I was involved in a workshop in Gaza just before the outbreak of the Second Intifada. We were invited by President Arafat, who, I believe, was beginning to think of his legacy. We were people who’d come from different conflicts around the world, and there were 300 key opinion makers gathered there. You could see there were so many gradations of opinion inside that. It’s trying to decide, ‘To whom can I talk? With whom can I establish a link?’”

Q

You’ve written that “navel gazing” is a problem when it comes to resolving conflicts. Can you explain that?

One of the driving forces in conflict is this assumption that you have nothing to learn from anyone else. I’m on the board of a couple of international organizations, and one of the things we do is get invited into a particular conflict and we bring people there from other conflicts to come and tell their stories. And the first thing that hits the auditors there is that there are commonalities between conflicts. So you have to create conditions where people stop contemplating their own navels. That’s become a cottage industry.

Stop doing that. Try to look at the broader picture.

Q

As part of its continuing commitment to civic engagement, Chapman has partnered with the federal volunteer program AmeriCorps VISTA to bring two full-time volunteers to Librería Martínez de Chapman University, where they will develop and manage a collegeand career-readiness mentoring program.

It’s hoped that this will develop into a lasting service opportunity for Chapman students.

You can see Chapman’s piece of the Berlin Wall from your office window. Does that have any special importance for you?

When you look at it in the context of all that’s going on around Chapman, what an ugly structure. And that enhances the power of it because it is a symbol of ugliness. It’s also a huge symbol of hope, because that was the serendipity that opened us to solving our (Irish) problem. The collapse of the Berlin Wall led to changes in South Africa, the Middle East, etc., and it led the IRA to reconsider its long-term strategy. So it’s very, very important.

And its ugliness enhances its potency.

AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers Susanna Creed, left, and Elsa Valdivia join Chapman Presidential Fellow Ruebén Martínez in mentoring youngsters at Librería Martínez de Chapman University.

The University welcomed its first cohort of students seeking undergraduate kinesiology degrees. Students in this major will also have the option of pursuing a 3+2 accelerated program that will lead to a master’s in athletic training, replacing the undergraduate degree in athletic training. Beginning in fall 2015, both programs will be housed in the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences.

The Argyros School of Business and Economics has added a Master of Science degree in accounting. The MSA program is designed to prepare graduates to sit for the California CPA exam in addition to earning a master’s degree.

In response to the growing body of research and scholarly work produced by faculty, the Leatherby Libraries inaugurated the Chapman University Digital Commons.

The online platform collects, preserves and makes publicly accessible the University’s scholarly and creative output. The Digital Commons can be viewed at digitalcommons.chapman.edu.

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FIGURES 140,242

8,000,000

Total views of YouTube videos made

by Alexa Abadee ’18 in which she uses American Sign Language to translate lyrics so that deaf and hard-of-hearing teens can enjoy popular songs

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Ranking of Dodge College of Film and Media Arts on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the nation’s top film schools

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Consecutive years the Chapman dance team has won the USA National Collegiate Championship

Panther student-athletes earning recognition on Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-academic teams

Visits to Leatherby Libraries since it opened 10 years ago

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83

Chapman’s placement among the 131 schools in its category of the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report

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1,409

STUDENTS IN CHAPMAN’S CLASS OF 2018

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The Dale E. Fowler School of Law’s ranking for “Best Quality of Life” in the annual Princeton Review book The Best 169 Law Schools

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Nations represented by Chapman’s incoming class

FRESHMEN DECLARING FOR THE MOST POPULAR MAJOR, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

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Seen Heard &

“There’s nothing on the face of this earth more important than a teacher. Period. No pope, no president, no senator, no great athlete, no great engineer, no great anything has ever been able to do it without a teacher. Ever.”

Edward James Olmos, recipient of an honorary doctorate during Commencement for the College of Educational Studies.

“Find something that interests people that isn’t being done, for some inexplicable reason. I have no reason to understand why nobody was doing (a blog on the U.S. Supreme Court), but I thought, OK, I’ll do it.”

Tom Goldstein, co-founder of the award-winning SCOTUSBlog, which provides in-depth analysis of the Supreme Court and the justices’ decisions, speaking as part of the Chapman Dialogue Series at the Dale E. Fowler School of Law.

“Education can be more powerful than a bullet, and the lack of education can be more devastating than a bomb. It must not be taken for granted, and it must be defended and promoted for all.”

Don Cardinal, dean of the College of Educational Studies, who delivered the annual “Aims of Education” address to incoming freshmen during Opening Convocation. WEB

“Being adopted is like being a character in a fairy tale. There’s a sense of invention and possibility.

When I was a little girl I used to tell myself stories to explain where I came from. I was a princess who had been spirited away from a magic island. Or I was a gypsy who fell off the back of the caravan and got taken in by kindly farmers. I’ve come to realize that these hours became my training ground for being a writer.”

Jillian Lauren, novelist, adoptee, adoptive mother and one of 14 speakers at TEDxChapmanU. All the talks can be viewed at tedxchapmanu.com.

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Story by Dawn Bonker Photo by Nathan Worden ’13 (MBA ’15)

Water polo foes learn fast that there’s no room for pity when facing amputee Wilson Parnell ’17. veryone loves inspirational stories of hardships overcome — those comeback tales that leave disease, adversity or bum luck in the dust and the victor on top of the world.

Wilson Parnell ’17 knows some people see his life story in that light.

The Chapman University water polo player was born without a fibular bone in his left leg, which led to its amputation below the knee when he was 16 months old. Several complicated surgeries followed until age 7, when his leg and knee were rectified to the point where he could play sports.

And play he did. Basketball first, then water polo after a meniscus tear ruled out a hoops career. Now in water polo he plays the set position, or the equivalent of a center, an important offensive position where the fierce hooking, kicking and pushing that unfolds underwater is as important as what happens above the surface. If his success in overcoming physical challenges inspires people, that’s OK with Parnell, who played varsity water polo his four years of high school and helped lead his team to a California Interscholastic Federation division championship. But his eyes crinkle as he smiles and describes his real objective.

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Check out the water polo team’s schedule at www.chapmanathletics.com and watch home games online at portal.stretchinternet.com/chapman/.

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

“By the end of the game I’m definitely getting my opponent’s best effort, which is my goal,” he says. “I don’t want you to take it easy on me.”

There’s no reason anyone should. Eric Ploessel, head water polo coach at Chapman, recruited Parnell for his strength, size and skill. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he is a formidable opponent. Ploessel expects the player teammates have nicknamed “Hoppy” to be a major contributor in every game this season.

“He’s really, really strong. That’s what we need – size and strength,” Ploessel says.

He even performs the dry-land conditioning runs with the team and holds his own during a drill that requires players to hold a 40-pound jug aloft while treading water.

And the right-hander’s ability to fire off goals with his left hand has also impressed the 13-year coach.

“Some of those goals, it’s just ‘Whoa!’ It’s not even about his leg,” Ploessel says.

Except when it is. In certain moments of his underwater grappling for position, the short leg can be an advantage, Parnell says with a grin.

“It gives me an easy way to kick off people and get that little stump in there and work it,” he says. “There’s a move where you turn somebody, but instead of turning with my left hand or left arm, I use my leg sometimes. It’s a different way and it catches the defender off guard. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does.”

Ploessel says it makes for a unique style of play.

“Some of the stuff that he can do underwater against somebody else is definitely different,” he says.

The combination of skill and physicality is what Parnell says he loves about water polo. Parnell was delighted that Ploessel’s freshman-year offer to play at Chapman was still good after Parnell tried a year as a non-athlete at Loyola Marymount University and realized he missed the game.

Away from the pool, Parnell is busy in the Argyros School of Business and Economics studying business administration with a management emphasis — “I like being in charge,” he says — and he ambles around campus on one of several custom prosthetic legs. One bears the Argentine flag, a reflection of his family heritage, while a glossy wood one is reminiscent of a gym floor. His tie-dyed leg is a fashion statement that resulted from a poll he took of his friends back in high school.

And he has plans to try out for the swim team in the spring and train for international swim meets, at which he hopes to set a time in the 500-meter freestyle or 100 or 200 butterfly that will qualify him for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

If others are inspired by all that, then he’s pleased. He hopes it’s less about sports, though. Personally, he says he never worried about his leg holding him back athletically, but he did have occasional qualms about social situations or making people feel uncomfortable about his leg.

“Sometimes I’d worry — Is a girl going to like me?” he says.

He decided to plunge ahead by embracing the leg as just one part of who he is and to put it out there for everyone to see, tie-dyed whimsy and all.

“I like being unique,” he says.

And he hopes amputees, including military veterans or anyone shy about showing off a prosthetic limb, will draw a little more nerve from someone who can’t remember any other way of being.

“Don’t stop. Just keep going on with life,” he says. “Get a tie-dyed leg.”

“By the end of the game I’m definitely getting my opponent’s best effort, which is my goal. I don’t want you to take it easy on me.”

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CHAPMAN

By Janna Parris

in memoria m

YOUNG ALUMNI LINKED

BY INSPIRING COMMITMENT

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SUE KINT A devoted friend of Chapman University and member of the Board of Governors since 2005, Sue Kint passed away from lung cancer on June 19.

Kint was a supporter of many programs at Chapman, including the Leatherby Libraries Endowment, Argyros Global Citizens Plaza, Doti Hall, American Celebration and Women of Chapman. In 2012, she provided for the framed installation of the “Kevin Lee Photography Collection: Portal to the Onnolee B. Elliott Library of Science and Technology” in Leatherby Libraries.

The permanent exhibition features the underwater images of her brother, award-winning photographer Kevin Lee. Charlene Baldwin, dean of Leatherby Libraries, remembered Kint for her dynamism.

“Leatherby Libraries was fortunate to have Sue Kint as a strong supporter. She was gracious, generous, a devoted sister and a savvy businesswoman. I enjoyed working with her and seeing her at many Chapman and Leatherby Libraries functions,” Baldwin said. “She was one of the first to support the Leatherby Libraries Endowment created during the University’s 150th anniversary celebration.”

Kint arrived in the United States from South Korea as a freshman university student and met the challenge of learning English and adjusting to a new culture while simultaneously studying for her bachelor’s degree in finance from Cal State Los Angeles.

In the 1970s, she founded Kint & Associates Inc., an international consulting and trading firm focused on the food industry, with primary export markets in East Asia. Most recently, she started Enspri, a start-up firm that produces a line of high-end skin care products.

At 2014 Commencement, the University awarded Kint an Honorary Doctor of the University degree, which was accepted on her behalf by her brother.

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

ills, living trusts and last wishes are extremely important topics, yet many of us don’t start thinking about them until our retirement years.

However, some Chapman University alumni are planning ahead and hoping to pioneer a trend in alumni giving.

“I am a long-term planner,” Alex Popescu ’10 says. “So figuring out my estate was something I’d been meaning to do for a while.”

Popescu wants assets in his estate to go to “great causes,” including his alma mater. He Alex Popescu ’10 wants to supports the Chapman Fund, which helps perpetuate the ongoing support he has provided to the University meet the most pressing needs of the University. through the Chapman Fund.

An estate gift can perpetuate a donor’s annual support. For Popescu, 27, that means including Chapman as one of the death beneficiaries of his 403(B) retirement account.

His development of a strategic vision at such a young age makes Popescu stand out, but he isn’t the only one planning ahead.

Adam Coughran ’04 (M.A. ’10) is also designating Chapman for a gift through his living trust. After years of supporting the Chapman Fund, Coughran, 32, says he made this provision because Chapman instilled in him a belief that he can make a lasting impact “I felt it was only right to help on the world. He also wants future students give other students the same to receive the unique, personalized education opportunity I had,” Adam Coughran ’04 (M.A. ’10) that he enjoyed. says of naming Chapman a With the help of alumni, foundations and beneficiary of his estate. other supporters, Chapman is able to offer generous scholarships, with 82 percent of students receiving some form of financial aid.

Coughran says he was fortunate enough to receive a Dean’s Scholarship for his undergraduate education and notes that it helped his family tremendously.

Adam felt a meaningful way to “pay it forward” was to name the University as a beneficiary of his estate.

“Adam and Alex are both inspirational,” says Jessica Price ’11, alumni engagement manager at Chapman. “Seeing their commitment at such an early age shows that Chapman has a lasting impact on all who come to study, learn and grow.”

By documenting their wishes now, Popescu and Coughran are heartened knowing that others will benefit in the future.

“Considering what the University has done for me in my life, I felt it was only right to help give other students the same opportunity I had,” Coughran says.

A free guide to planning a will and living trust is available online at www.chapman.edu/wills-guide. For more information, contact David B. Moore (M.A. ’09), director of planned giving, at 714-516-4590 or dmoore@chapman.edu.

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A PERFECT

ourishing body, mind, heart and soul in a single day is a pretty tall order. But 10 years ago this fall Chapman University symbolically did just that with the opening of four major buildings on campus.

On Oct. 16, 2004, the University hosted grand opening celebrations for the Fish Interfaith Center, Leatherby Libraries, Oliphant Hall and Glass Residence Hall.

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The festivities were akin to a movable feast, with campus leaders, press, trustees and donors moving from site to site to see the buildings officially dedicated to the students of Chapman.

“It was the culmination of an intense but satisfying phase in the University’s history,” says Kris Eric Olsen, vice president of Campus Planning and Operations Now they are all busy hubs of campus life. Long before the curtain rises, music students rehearse each note in the recital halls and practice rooms of Oliphant Hall.

Glass Hall won a “Dormy Award” from the Campus Splash blog, which offers a fun look at college life.

But Chapman students, faculty and staff have a special connection to the Fish Interfaith Center and Leatherby Libraries, whose interdisciplinary programs and cross-cultural energy are the heartbeat of the University. To mark this milestone anniversary, Leatherby Libraries and Fish Interfaith Center each are celebrating with special events throughout the academic year.

Among the highlights is a 10th Anniversary Banquet to be held Nov. 11 in the Wallace All Faiths Chapel. The event will be followed by a keynote address featuring Eboo Patel, called by U.S. News & World Report “one of American’s best leaders for promoting interfaith cooperation.” Patel’s talk is titled Sacred Ground: Why Religious and Non-Religious Diversity Matters in the 21st Century.

On the two pages that follow, we offer a heartfelt appreciation for some of the notso-well-known features and programs that keep us coming back to explore Leatherby Libraries and the Fish Interfaith Center.

From top, Oliphant Hall, the Fish Interfaith Center, Glass Residence Hall and Leatherby Libraries all are celebrating their 10th anniversaries this year.

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Leatherby Libraries

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THINGS YOU MAY NOT

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The Nobel Prize Medal given to Chapman professor Vernon Smith, Ph.D., for his groundbreaking work in economic science is housed in the Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives.

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Electronic resources in the collections include 74,000 online journals, more than 300 databases and 138,000 e-books.

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The circa-1890 solid mahogany specimen cabinet in the first-floor entrance was donated by Tim and Jan Wood and hails from the British Museum.

The 4,000-volume personal library of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman and his wife, Rose, was donated to the library in 2003. The collection ranges from a rare 1707 treatise on the cost of corn in England to a first-edition copy of Friedman’s landmark book There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.

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The display in the fourth-floor lobby case changes often and features an eclectic mix from the archives, ranging from antique orange crate labels to intricate pop-up books, many of which are gifts from the collection of library supporter Margaret Class, left.

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The vintage oxygen bottle displayed in the Doti-Struppa Mountaineering Alcove is signed by climbing legend Sir Edmund Hillary.

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Last year, librarians taught 270 information literacy sessions, helping 5,000 students hone their research skills for the information revolution.

The ceiling sculpture suspended over the third-floor entrance to the Leon and Olga Argyros Library of Business and Economics is a bronze bowl embossed with a map of the world to symbolize international business.

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The circulation desk keeps chess pieces available for check out to use on the wood inlay tabletop chess board in the Yakir Aharonov Alcove. The alcove was dedicated in 2012 to honor the 80th birthday of the Chapman theoretical physics professor and winner of the National Medal of Science and the Wolf Prize. Aharonov is also an Israeli chess master who once played Bobby Fischer.

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Free cookies are the comfort food of choice during finals week.

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The light in the Wallace All Faiths Chapel changes throughout the day as the sun moves across the colored art glass windows placed high in the chapel’s soaring walls.

Need a quiet moment?

The meditation room is open for drop-in visits.

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Images and symbols from the world’s faith traditions are subtly embedded in the marquetry of artist William Tunberg, who created the solid maple chancel furnishings and other tables, chairs and shelving throughout the center.

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Eight different faith groups hold regular meetings or worship in the Wallace All Faiths Chapel each week, and more are always welcome.

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The sky-blue marble that lines the Chapman Columbarium was imported from Brazil.

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Science is at home here. Chapman professors Yakir Aharonov, Ph.D., and Jeff Tollaksen, Ph.D., from the Institute for Quantum Studies are just two of the scientists who have added their perspectives to conversations about the nature of time and being.

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At night, the 60-foot-tall Chapman Light Tower and Plaza glows like a beacon that’s identifiable to passengers on final approach to John Wayne Airport.

The center won the American Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.

Speed faithing parties give participants five minutes to answer questions about their faith and then learn about someone else’s traditions.

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Fish Interfaith Center

KNOW ABOUT…

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Alumni brides- and grooms-to-be get a discount on the facility fee.

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The Peace of Shared Purpose

During a season of war in their homelands, two Chapman biology students sustain an enduring lab partnership by focusing on friendship and a passion for research.

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INQUIRING

Undergrad Research

MINDS

AT CHAPMAN

Story by Dennis Arp Photos by Nathan Worden ’13 (MBA '15)

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s partnerships go, this is hardly a buddy-movie scenario. You won’t find a Butch or a Sundance in your typical bio-chem lab; likewise a Thelma or a Louise. That just isn’t the way lab partnerships work.

In this spotless and serious realm, where the stainless-steel surfaces gleam but the real work is done in the half-light of obscurity, the bond between partners tends to be more subtle and cerebral.

Which brings us to Lena Haddad ’15 and Dor Shoshan ’15, both

Chapman University biology majors and chemistry minors performing research on parallel tracks toward better detection and treatment of prostate and pancreatic cancer. The two self-certified lab rats spend countless hours together, helping each other calculate concentrations, prepare new samples, conduct assays and endure the wait to see the latest results. Perhaps better than anyone, they know that the fourth-floor lab in Hashinger Science Center is home to lots and lots of waiting.

“Dori and I are more alike than we’re different. And in light of what we’re researching, regional issues become especially trivial.

Cancer doesn’t care if you’re Palestinian or Israeli.”

Lab partners Dori Shoshan ’15 and Lena Haddad ’15 say that their friendship overshadows any conflict in their homelands. “We realize that our research is so much bigger than the two of us,” Shoshan says.

So during the downtime, they dive into course work for other classes.

Or they review new cancer research literature. Sometimes they brainstorm essay ideas for their grad-school applications. Then there are the occasional escapes into the game “Would You Rather.” Haddad is always the antagonist.

“Would you rather only eat tortilla chips or only drink orange soda for the rest of your life?” she asked Shoshan on a recent morning. The questions change, but the choices are never ones Shoshan would favor. Sometimes the options are downright objectionable.

“She knows how to make me laugh,” he says.

Slivers of silliness are welcome in these students’ lives, and not just because their research deals with life-threatening illness. During the summer, much of their time together was spent sharing updates on the fighting in the Middle East that killed 2,200 in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel. Both students have close family members who felt the direct effects of the conflict. And who knows, if they were in their familial homelands right now, they might even view each other as the enemy.

You see, Shoshan is Israeli and Haddad Palestinian.

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Cultural and geopolitical divisions are never easy to overcome, and in times of extreme pressure they can stretch friendships until they snap. But for Shoshan and Haddad, the bonds of shared purpose outstrip any potential for discord.

“We’re both moderate and open-minded, and we both want peace,” Haddad says.

And they both see the world through the lens of science.

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“From a biological perspective, there are more genetic differences within a racial group than there are between two people from different groups,” Haddad says. “So Dori and I are more alike than we’re different. And in light of what we’re researching, regional issues become especially trivial. Cancer doesn’t care if you’re Palestinian or Israeli.

We’re doing this research to benefit everyone.”

Still, Haddad and Shoshan both adapted quickly and did well in school, with each developing a strong interest in medicine. Haddad’s father was a doctor, and Shoshan’s grandmother volunteered at a home for special-needs children that provided medical care. The two started volunteering in hospitals and excelled in biology and chemistry classes.

CULTURES CLOSE AND APART

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Shoshan was born in the Israeli settlement of Beit Aryeh, beyond the Green Line of demarcation that is still a source of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. When he was 11, he moved with his family to Las Vegas because his parents had a chance to relocate their business manufacturing doors and windows. His mom and dad both have six brothers and sisters, so Shoshan left behind many aunts, uncles and cousins — just about all of them having some direct connection to war.

“It’s such a small country that if someone dies in a war, chances are someone close to you is related to the person who died,” he says.

Even his mom’s name, Tiranit, was born of conflict. The Straits of Tiran were a key component of the Six-Day War in 1967.

For Haddad, the connections are just as strong. Both of her parents are Palestinian, and though she lived in Los Angeles, she grew up speaking Arabic and had very little contact with American students until her parents enrolled her in a public middle school so she could acclimate to U.S. culture.

Her first day of school, she wore a thobe, or tunic, which identified her as different, and when a boy sat down next to her and began asking questions, she was so startled that she had to excuse herself and leave the class.

“I was used to boys and girls studying separately,” she says.

They met as Chapman freshmen in Biology 205: Evolution and Diversity of Multicellular Organisms. They shared time in the class and in the lab, quickly becoming friends, but they didn’t know much about each other’s background until they sat together in organic chemistry. One day as they waited for a lecture to start, the conversation turned to cultural heritage.

Shoshan volunteered that he's Israeli,

CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

many other things in common.”

Both have a passion for science and plan careers in medicine — Shoshan as a physician, Haddad as a pharmacy professional. And they both participated in the Chapman Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program.

The program allowed them to work directly with a faculty mentor and focus on a cancer research project each helped advance. The chance to learn from research mentors and peers while also concentrating full-time in the lab thrilled the two.

“It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Haddad says.

A SUMMER OF SURF Building on research developed by his Chapman mentor, molecular cancer researcher Marco Bisoffi, Ph.D., Shoshan launched a project to target the 30 to 50

“The treatment I formed caused those cells to die. It took my breath away and I started to shake. It was the most amazing feeling. I wanted to keep coming up with treatments to do terrible things to those cells.” and there was a pause. “Oh, wow,” Haddad finally said. Then she offered, “I’m Palestinian.”

“Wow,” Shoshan answered, as the two looked at each other and smiled. The conversation quickly moved on, somehow segueing to the best falafel place each had found and the amazing hummus at Zankou Chicken in Anaheim.

“Honestly, it just isn’t an issue,” says Haddad, who as a Catholic is among the small percentage of non-Muslim Palestinians. “(Our differences) are not something we shy away from; it’s just that we have so

percent of prostate cancer cases that go undetected because of false-negative tests at the time of biopsy. There are so many false-negatives because the current method of detection is so hit-and-miss. A limited number of core samples are drawn from the prostate, and if none hits a tumor, the choices for further clinical management are also limited.

So Bisoffi and Shoshan started thinking outside the tumor. They focus instead on surrounding tissue and test for biomarkers as indicators of cancer, circumventing the strict need to detect cancer cells themselves.

eanwhile, Haddad is studying the benefits of natural products on inhibiting the growth of pancreatic cancer cells. Her Chapman mentor, molecular biologist Melissa Rowland-Goldsmith, Ph.D., has studied the beneficial effects of a pomegranate juice extract, while others have also looked at other potential inhibitors, such as the caffeine in green or black tea. Haddad decided to test a combination of the therapies.

Both Haddad and Shoshan have compiled encouraging results that they hope will lead to papers in peer-reviewed journals. But for now, they know that there’s still more lab work to do.

What sends a student researcher back into the lab, day after day, knowing that the ultimate reward may be years away or may not come at all? Haddad answers with a singularly beautiful lab memory.

“I was looking at cells under a microscope and noticed there were hardly any of them, and the ones I saw looked dead,” she says.

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“The treatment I formed caused those cells to die. It took my breath away and I started to shake. It was the most amazing feeling. I wanted to keep coming up with treatments to do terrible things to those cells.”

Professor Rowland-Goldsmith is confident that Haddad will have many more beautiful moments in the lab.

“She knows what she wants, and she isn’t going to let anything get in her way,” she says.

Rowland-Goldsmith saw that drive even before Haddad became her student. Twice Haddad came to her asking to join her lab team, and twice she had to say that she had no openings to offer.

“In the meantime, I suggested that she review the literature, and not only did she read those articles, but she found and reviewed other ones as well,” the professor recalls. “Her maturity is quite fascinating.

She’s always one step ahead.”

Likewise, Shoshan is “a student of the utmost talent — skilled, inquisitive and

healthily ambitious,” Professor Bisoffi says.

“I’m thrilled to have him in the lab.”

Like Haddad, Shoshan can be so meticulous that it borders on the compulsive, he adds.

“If he knows an experiment wasn’t optimal from the beginning, he’ll stop and start it all over again,” Bisoffi says. “He doesn’t accept less than optimal performance.”

SIDESTEPPING CONFLICT Shoshan and Haddad share so much lab time and so many traits that sometimes it seems hard to separate them, even for their mentors. And given the Middle East events of this summer, that closeness could have been a concern. When each day brought news of Israeli airstrikes or Palestinian rocket attacks, and media outlets were blowing up with inflammatory rhetoric, there were moments in the lab when Bisoffi thought the conversation might veer into dangerous territory.

“I’ve never been to Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Israel, but I can imagine how polarizing the atmosphere can be,” he says. “Dor and Lena are very smart, and I’m sure that they have opinions. Plus, they’re dealing with the influence of their homes and families. But they realize that the research, by definition, has to overcome these things.

“They choose to be colleagues and friends, and I think that’s a great thing.”

The students’ friendship has endured a multitude of stressors, and next year, as Shoshan heads to medical school and Haddad starts her pharmacy studies, it will continue. The students are sure of it.

“We’ve been through too much to let it stop once we graduate. I’ve told him repeatedly that when he gets to medical school, he can call anytime with pharmacy questions, and I’m definitely going to call him,” Haddad says.

Perhaps those calls will also touch on politics or world events — perhaps new cancer breakthroughs, or just each one’s latest research into the local falafel scene.

One thing Haddad knows for sure: the conversation will flow from a source of mutual admiration.

“Dori has never made me feel anything but respected,” she says. “We’re both Middle Eastern, and we’re passionate people. Luckily we’re passionate about the same thing. We’re both trying to make a difference in the world.”

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Let’s Talk About

Justin Simien ’05 wants his satirical breakthrough feature film to make you laugh. But he also hopes to start a serious conversation.

By Dennis Arp

ustin Simien ’05 has lots of ideas. Some are for screenplays, others for TV shows, Web series and books — so many ideas that he toggles between them in his head and in his professional life.

First things first.

The desire to say something new, clever and revealing about race and identity in America motivated him to write and direct Dear White People, an indie satire that he hopes will help elevate the tenor of public conversation. One thing’s for sure; the film has changed Simien’s life.

The film opened Oct. 17 in selected cities, but its buzz is more widespread. Simien has been digesting accolades like “fresh,” “hilarious” and “articulate” ever since Dear White People made him one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch and earned him the Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Talent earlier this year.

In September, as Simien prepped for his first nerve-jangling experience with a Hollywood release, he noted that there was a time when he would have been satisfied if the critical praise for his film had stopped at “funny.” No more.

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Justin Simien ’05 directs Tessa Thompson in Dear White People, which New York Times reviewer A.O. Scott calls “as smart and fearless a debut as I’ve seen from an American filmmaker in quite some time: knowing but not snarky, self-aware but not solipsistic, open to influence and confident in its own originality. …You will want to see this movie, and you will want to talk about it afterward, even if the conversation feels a little awkward.”

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The first iteration of the movie, then titled 2 Percent, was a straightforward comedy about what it’s like to be a black face in a largely white place. In part it was drawn from his Chapman experiences but also from those working in film industry marketing.

This was after Barack Obama had become president and there was talk of a post-racial America. At the same time, the “birthers” were active, and then Trayvon Martin was shot.

“A lot was happening in the world,” Simien says. “It wasn’t good enough just to be funny.

I wanted to say something.”

The compressed 20-day shoot for Dear White People taught Simien “that filmmaking is really the only thing I want to do. Because even with all the challenges, I loved it. I couldn’t wait to get back on the set to do it again.”

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

He admired the way films such as Fame and Election used school settings as microcosms, so he set his story at a university. Research into real-life racial incidents on college campuses prompted him to create his own pivotal plot point of white students holding an African American-themed party, complete with some arriving in black face.

“The more egregious things that happen in the film would never happen at Chapman; that just isn’t the school’s vibe,” Simien says.

“But some of the things did happen (at other schools).”

Now, as the racial unrest in Ferguson, Mo., lingers like silt that has yet to settle, Simien hopes his film will slyly broaden thinking and prompt important conversations that bridge divides.

“We kind of move into post-racial mode the moment we sweep past a tragedy,” he says. “One of the challenges of being black and, some would say, successful — having ambition — is that as a

person of color you have a unique instinct for racism. But you somehow feel that you’re not allowed to talk about it, because you’re doing pretty OK. You’re not being run out of town by a lynch mob.”

Race and identity should be talked about, and not just within separate communities, Simien adds.

“I hope this film will be a force in the culture that keeps bursting the post-racial bubble,” he says.

While at Chapman, Simien engaged in many conversations that provoked critical thinking.

“I think the best thing about Chapman is that there’s a diversity of ideas,” he says. “I got a lot of film-specific training, but there were other classes that really opened my mind.”

One delved into fear and evil, and was taught

by Rafael Luevano, Ph.D., associate professor of religious studies.

“We read all kinds of articles and books, and we watched a couple of Coen brothers movies, but really it’s a class that forced me to write at a level I wasn’t accustomed to,” says Simien. “Father Rafael taught me to analyze things critically. That class really sticks with me. I go out into the world and look for stories that interest me, and that class provides context.”

Meanwhile, his Dodge College courses give him a foundational skill set for his storytelling.

“I like that my experience wasn’t just theoretical,” he says. “I got to make quirky, bizarre little films — ones I would never show anyone now — and screen them and get feedback.

It forced me onto movie sets, and it forced me out of my comfort zone.”

Even after he landed a good marketing job in the film industry, Simien always found time to keep writing narrative scripts, develop Web series and edit friends’ short films.

“I had a craving to do more, and that was fostered at Chapman,” he says.

So he honed his sprawling Nashville-esque, multi-protagonist story until he had something he wanted to workshop. He brought in actors just to hear Dear White People spoken out loud.

“People were really moved by it,” he remembers. “The feeling was palpable.”

Next he took his 2011 tax refund and shot a concept trailer, which he posted to YouTube.

About 100,000 people watched it, totally

“I’m also very cognizant that in this industry it’s easy to get put in a box. I have no interest in staying in that box.”

exceeding his expectations. Then came a crowdfunding campaign that reached a million views, raised $46,000 and landed Simien on CNN. Somewhere in there was also a “Dear White People” Twitter campaign to test the jokes of the character Sam White, who hosts a radio show called Dear White People that playfully educates a campus-wide audience about the do’s and don’ts of post-racial behavior.

The $46,000 paid for line producers and a casting director, as well as a tour of studios and meetings with independent financiers. Enough money materialized JUSTIN SIMIEN ’05 to begin production.

Typically a movie like Simien’s — one heavy on art design — needs months of preparation. He had two weeks of prep and 20 days to shoot.

“Luckily I had been preparing for that day for six or seven years,” he says. “Still, it was a tough shoot. That’s when I knew that filmmaking is really the only thing I want to do. Because even with all the challenges, I loved it. I couldn’t wait to get back on the set to do it again.”

A journey full of lessons taught one anew.

“They tell you in film school that you have to be tenacious and never give up — they tell you that and they tell you that. But it didn’t become something I knew in my bones until this project,” Simien says.

Now the film is out in the world. The writing, cajoling, honing, pitching and shooting are behind him, as are the negotiations, altitude sickness and general “freaking out” of the Sundance festival experience.

While he enjoys promoting Dear White People, he’s also ready to move on to new projects, including shooting a TV pilot of the Web series Twenties, written by Lena Waithe, Simien’s best friend and a producer of Dear White People. The series chronicles the lives of three African American women in L.A., but at its heart it’s about identity, he notes.

“I’m in love with the idea behind the show,” Simien says.

Justin Simien has lots of ideas. And not all of them involve him becoming the voice of a race or of a generation.

“I do see myself as a storyteller first,” he says. “I don’t just have one thing to say. I’m also very cognizant that in this industry it’s easy to get put in a box. I have no interest in staying in that box.

“I’m very proud and honored to be asked to talk about the film and to be opening people up to talking about things they haven’t talked about before. But I’m also eager to get on to the next thing.

We’ll see how I do managing that.”

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In the Spirit of

By Mary Platt

Professor Lia Halloran and her Chapman students go old-school exploring at the modern nexus of art and science.

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

The historic 60-inch telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory is home base for a night of astronomical exploration and timedexposure photography by Chapman University students.

Professor Lia Halloran occupies the seat from which a NASA scientist controls the Mars rover Curiosity.

Casey Wyman ’14 and Katie Murphy ’15 check out the camera on a rover used to simulate Curiosity’s journey.

Ethan Young ’14 examines an installation art piece by Murphy that employs colored panels to influence video projections.

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious – the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”– ALBERT EINSTEIN Science and art weren’t always at opposite ends of the academic spectrum. The geniuses of the Renaissance — foremost among them Leonardo da Vinci — synthesized art and science as part of their attempt to understand and depict the workings of the real world. Art and the sciences were discussed widely and with equal fervor by Renaissance Neo-Platonists, and that hand-in-hand synergy continued through the great Age of Enlightenment and into the Victorian era. hen did these two roads to knowledge diverge? They haven’t, really. Science has always been considered one of the classical academic “arts,” and even today many universities combine humanities and sciences in one college, school or academic unit.

At Chapman University, today’s Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences was Wilkinson College of Letters and Sciences — combining humanities and all the sciences — until less than a decade ago, when Schmid College of Science and Technology was created in 2006.

But in today’s popular mindset, it seems, there never were two disciplines farther apart.

Most people (supported by views in the popular media) perceive scientists as white-coated eggheads pursuing their research slowly and methodically and concerned only with dry facts, while disheveled, bohemian artists soar on the wings of their imaginations, creating their own worlds out of pure fancy.

In creating “The Intersection of Art and Science” at Chapman three years ago — first as a January Interterm class and for the past two years as a semester-long class — art professor Lia Halloran seeks to bridge that misconception.

She allows her students to immerse themselves in science and then to create art from the experience: particularly from the perspectives of astronomy, astrophysics and current projects at NASA.

27 Seth Josephson ’15 prepares to work on his abstract painting, using a magnet to manipulate ferrofluid from below.

alloran is a working artist whose love of science really took off in high school when she landed a position as an “explainer” at the San Francisco Exploratorium. At one time she seriously considered a career as an astronaut, and she entered UCLA as a double major in art and astrophysics before eventually earning a BFA in fine art. She went on to get an MFA at Yale, where she started making art about science.

“I was highly influenced JPL say you have to be a ‘cowboy’ or you’re never going to get anywhere; you have to think by the work of Kip Thorne, the outside the box, and that’s totally encouraged. That’s how all artists need to think, too. I almost CalTech physicist,” she says. feel that my students have a better idea of what they’re trying to do than most students would, “I was making paintings about because they know what it means to come up against a problem, have no idea how to solve it, black holes. I spent three bang their heads around it, and then come up with something truly new.” months in the Chilean “I believe that art and science are inherently connected through curiosity,” says student desert looking for black Seth Josephson ’15, who took the class last spring. “Good artists and scientists are curious holes with a lot of physicists, about the world, and work to understand their environment more fully. They share an standing at telescopes.” interest in the unknown and attempt to make it known. The main difference, I think, is One of her images — from perception of the world versus reality. Artists deal mostly with understanding through when she connected black holes with the lens of our senses, where scientists primarily deal with objectivity and the laws of skateboarding to come up with the nature. I think professionals in either field should incorporate principles from the concept “Dark Skate” — is now in the other to drive their ideas.”

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Halloran received an education grant to add extra perks to the class, which has Her work is featured in many other enabled her to do things like take the class to experience the famous Integratron in prominent collections, galleries and Joshua Tree, Calif. Built in the early 1950s by a true California eccentric named museums, and has been published in The George Van Tassel, the Integratron “is based on the design of Moses’ tabernacle, New York Times, The New Yorker, The Boston the writings of Nikola Tesla and telepathic directions from extraterrestrials,” Globe, the Los Angeles Times, ArtNews and explains a plaque on the building.

New York magazine, among others.

“Oh, the Integratron,” Halloran says with a laugh.

“Connecting this Chapman art class to NASA, “It’s a bizarre place — a domed building out in the engineering and design is important,” Halloran desert where the spiritually minded go to meditate and says. “By narrowing the science focus, the class “By narrowing the science focus, the class goes from being something conceptual and distant — and perhaps difficult for students to goes from being something conceptual relate to — to something practical. It allows them to wrap their heads around it.” and distant to something practical.”

The class is historically based, “there are a lot of readings in the history of science and the history take ‘sound baths’ for healing. I know, it sounds really hokey, but actually of art,” as well as being a practicum in the making it’s the perfect place for the intersection of art and science. That was of art inspired by science. a fantastic field trip.”

One of the high points of Halloran’s class is Student Madeline Lucas ’14 reminisced on the class blog about the a visit to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Integratron visit: “When someone stands at the center of the room …

La Canada Flintridge, where students talk to and they hear sound in a way that they have never heard. The room harbors work with JPL scientists. and spirals sound vibrations so amazingly. Our sound bath was “They learn valuable lessons,” she says. “People at rejuvenating and soothing; you could feel the vibrations all around.”

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

Find links to the “Intersection of Art and Science” student blog and Professor Halloran’s website at chapman.edu/magazine.

(Page 28, left photo) Vibrations from a car speaker launch paint into the air as part of an art project by Adam Ottke ’13.

(Page 28, center photo) Students try in vain to get a feel for aerogel, a superlight synthetic solid that’s nicknamed “frozen smoke.”

(Page 28, right photo) A “sound bath” is one way to experience the meditative and mysterious Integratron in the Mojave Desert.

(Page 29) Ethan Young ’14 occupies his own art installation, which combines sound and light using projection mapping.

Perhaps the students’ most memorable experience was when Halloran used the grant to rent the prestigious Mount Wilson Observatory for a night. Located in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles, the observatory boasts two of the most important telescopes in the world: the 60inch Hale, built in 1908, and the 100-inch Hooker, built in 1917 and once the largest telescope on the planet. Both are among the world’s preeminent scientific instruments.

“I wanted to take pictures of my students when they looked through the Hale telescope at Saturn,” Halloran recounts. “I’ve seen it time and time again: you look at it and you’re suddenly reminded that you’re on a rock hurtling through space.”

“When we toured the largest telescope, I couldn’t help but visualize the astronomers working all night on that precarious equipment, making groundbreaking

discoveries that completely changed not only the field of science but the way that humans perceive the universe,” student Kelsey Hart ’15 wrote on the class blog.

“To be in such a charged space was a unique experience that I knew I would not encounter in other courses. Above all,

“On the visit to Mount Wilson, for example, they were assigned to produce one print, knowing these photos would be on view at a JPL open house later,” says Halloran.

“But this class is not to illustrate science.

The point is not to catch them up on physics and have them try to understand all these things, but that they can create and demonstrate the experience, not the description, of science perhaps better than some of the scientists can.

When we watch a rocket take off, do we need to know the engineering of it? Do you need to know what the solid rocket booster is made of?

No — because you’re completely engrossed in the experience of it. And that’s what I want for these students — for them to have an openminded, engaged way of looking at science.

“Students know what it means to come up against a problem, have no idea how to solve it, bang their heads around it, and then come up with something truly new.” seeing Saturn in the eyepiece of the 60-inch telescope blew my mind. It was difficult to comprehend how I could see something so unimaginably far away with nothing but the aid of a very old piece of equipment.”

Following their experiences communing with scientists, faraway planets and sound baths, Halloran’s students turn to creating art.

“I’m so impressed with the work of these student artists — I can hardly think of another class where I’ve felt like this.

They’re working conceptually and technically on par with some of the working galleries in Los Angeles. I’m pinching myself, and I’m already thinking about what we can accomplish next year.”

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What Scares You,

Professors Edward Day, Christopher Bader and Ann Gordon team up to launch The Chapman Survey on American Fears, which Bader calls “a credit to our students,” who contribute greatly to the ongoing research.

That question inspires a new Chapman research project that’s bringing the wide range of U.S. anxiety into sharper focus.

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CHAPMAN MAGAZINE

America?

Story by Dennis Arp Illustrations by Ryan Tolentino ’02

A tsunami of fears washed over Professor Christopher Bader, who struggled to keep up as he scribbled on the whiteboard in Smith Hall room 216.

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errorist attacks, earthquakes, identity theft, Obamacare, school shootings, clowns — the suggestions of things that might scare Americans poured from his students at a pace that had Bader fearing he would run out of room to record them.

So this is what it looks like at the headwaters of social science research. Or at least it is when you combine the enthusiasm of students with a research idea whose time has arrived.

Over the 10 months since Bader’s winter Interterm class first convened, the words on that whiteboard morphed into the first comprehensive nationwide study on what strikes fear in Americans. Bader and Chapman University colleagues Ed Day and Ann Gordon set out to fill a gap in our cultural understanding — and, just maybe, to start the process of repairing the social fabric by illuminating the consequences of our fears.

For starters, what they got was a window to a nation on edge.

Among the findings of the inaugural Chapman Survey on American Fears, released Oct. 21:

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Americans are most afraid of walking alone at night.

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The Internet is also a source of great trepidation, with identity theft and general “safety on the Internet” ranking 2-3 on the list of fears. That puts them just ahead of being the victim of a mass/random shooting and having to speak in public.

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In general, America harbors a fear of crime that far surpasses the actual problem.

“I believe that these fears are decaying the social fabric.

Fears make us stay away from public spaces, from our neighbors, from helping others. If I had a pie-inthe-sky wish, it would be that we could help people understand that they don’t need to be so afraid.”

The Chapman researchers titled the crime section of the survey results “The Sky Is Falling (and a Serial Killer is Chasing Me).”

“The majority of Americans not only fear crimes such as child abductions, gang violence and sexual assaults, but they also believe these crimes (and others) have increased over the past 20 years,” says Day, Ph.D., who led this portion of the research and analysis.

Meanwhile, data compiled by police agencies and the FBI consistently show that crime has decreased over the past two decades.

“Criminologists often get angry responses when we try to tell people the crime rate has gone down,” adds Day, chair of the Department of Sociology and director of the Earl Babbie Research Center, which is the home of the fear survey at Chapman.

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MUST-FEAR TV

DISASTER INACTION

Why the huge disconnect between fears and reality on crime?

In a word: television.

“TV profits from that fear; they get high ratings from it,” Bader says. “Every one of these crimes occurs less often than it did 10 years ago, but if a single one happens, it’s all over the news. In fact, the rarer it is, the more coverage you see.”

There’s clarity in survey answers that reveal education levels and TV viewing habits, Bader adds.

“Beyond whether you’re white or black, Republican or Democrat, we want to know if you’re watching 48 Hours, Dateline and 20/20,” he says.

The researchers hope that by shedding light on the link between TV coverage and oversized fears of crime, they can, in some small way, help close the gap between perception and reality.

“I believe that these fears are decaying the social fabric,” Bader says. “Fears make us stay away from public spaces, from our neighbors, from helping others. If I had a pie-in-the-sky wish, it would be that we could help people understand that they don’t need to be so afraid. The world is actually becoming a safer place.”

Fears can become self-fulfilling prophecies, the researchers note.

“When people stay away from public spaces because they’re afraid of bad things happening, then bad things move in,” Day says. “The park can become the place you were afraid it was.”

“I’m not optimistic,” Bader adds, “because there will be a lot more messaging on the opposite end from what we’re trying to get out there. But I do hope that we can have some small effect on the narrative.”

In addition to a section on crime, the survey covers fears about disasters. Topping this list are tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, a pandemic or major epidemic and a power outage.

Despite these concerns, only 25 percent of Americans have put together a disaster-preparedness kit with suggested items like food, water and medical supplies. Organizations such as the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tell people they should be prepared to be without electricity and other services for at least 72 hours after a disaster. But the message isn’t getting through, says Gordon, Ph.D., the architect of this survey section.

“We need better communication strategies,” notes the political science professor and director of Chapman’s Henley Lab, which provides tools and training for students to perform statistical analysis. “We’re doing follow-up to examine why so many Americans remain unprepared despite the lessons from recent natural disasters.”

Gordon is an expert in political communication, and she’s concerned that current efforts to prompt disaster-preparedness seem to have the opposite effect.

“One response to fear is to become even more fearful and, as a result, paralyzed,” she says. “We want to build resilient communities.”

“One response to fear is to become even more fearful and, as a result, paralyzed.”

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Complete survey findings and analysis are at chapman.edu/fearsurvey.

LESSONS OF PREPPERS

A ‘MOST REWARDING EXPERIENCE’

For professors Bader, Day and Gordon, the act of launching The Chapman Survey on American Fears is just one step in a long-term research project. They plan to tweak the list of questions every year, reflecting cultural changes. And over time, they hope to understand more deeply the social forces and effects of fear.

Students will continue to be a key part of the process.

Tyler Jones ’16 was in the class that helped develop the initial survey and calls it “the most rewarding experience I’ve had at Chapman.”

Before the students started suggesting possible topics for fear questions, they performed a range of research.

And after they helped prepare a first draft of the survey, they collaborated on the hard work of whittling 30 pages down to the 11-page questionnaire that ultimately went into the field.

Along the way, the students faced the scrutiny of a faculty panel that made them defend the validity of each question.

“The students were amazing,” Bader says. “No one got flustered, despite withering questions. I told them on day one, if you don’t leave this room a little mad, then you don’t care about it enough.”

The rigorous process not only sharpened the survey’s focus but also vetted questions for bias. The final result is a research tool about which the whole team can take pride, Bader says.

“This project is really a credit to our students,” he says.

“We hope it grows in its coverage and becomes an integral part of the culture here at Chapman.”

Student Matt Lyons ’15 and Professor Ann Gordon learned about everything from blacksmithing to archery during a visit to Prepper Camp in North Carolina.

To better understand effective messaging about disaster preparedness, Professor Gordon and her students are studying “preppers” — those who channel their disaster fears into extreme action.

“We want to know who they are, what they’re afraid of, what they respond to and what they’re recommending to each other,” she says.

“Why is it that this community is prepared when the rest of us aren’t?”

Preppers definitely believe in and respond to communication, Gordon says. She and her students draw lessons from the thousands of online videos, blogs, websites and TV shows in which preppers share their readiness tips. There’s even a dating site for preppers.

“It’s like other dating sites, except that here love means 100 gallons of water and a sustainable garden,” says Matt Lyons ’15, a double major in economics and political science who’s working on a senior thesis about preparedness communication.

In September, Gordon and Lyons traveled to North Carolina to experience Prepper Camp — sort of a Comic-Con for the extremepreparedness set. There, they attended seminars such as “Blacksmithing on the Cheap” and “Bugging out by Boat,” and they conversed with dozens of preppers, who provided plenty of insights. For instance:

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Instead of throwing up their hands at the size of the readiness task, preppers tend to take it a day, week and month at a time. Gordon thinks aid agencies might get more people to prepare if they took such a systematic approach. “Vulnerable communities may look at a task that takes hours and $200 as unattainable,” Gordon says.

“So maybe it’s ‘get water’ one week and ‘buy batteries’ the next.”

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Prepper messaging not only inspires readiness but also redundancy.

“They mean it when they say, ‘Two is one, and one is none,’” Gordon relates.

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Preppers are big on showing rather than telling, which reinforces the importance of visuals in effective readiness communication.

Research by Gordon and her team shows that simply adding photos to online lists of preparedness steps gets more people to act.

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RETHINKING HOUSING BUBBLES (Cambridge University Press) Steven D. Gjerstad, Ph.D., presidential fellow, and Vernon L. Smith, Ph.D., professor, Economic Science Institute and 2002 Nobel laureate in economics

History provides the backdrop, but a love story propels the new novel by Professor Richard Bausch.

LOSS AND RENEWAL IN SHADOWS OF 9/11 Chapman University professor and author Richard Bausch hopes people understand that his new book, Before, During, After, is not a Sept. 11 novel.

It does explore one couple’s private disaster as it plays out against the backdrop of the nation’s public one. And the falling towers, the scary days of uncertainty and the beginning of the long war are all there. But at its core it’s a love story — a drama complicated by fear and secrets, he says. Bausch, who teaches in the MFA writing program at Chapman, concedes that some will see it otherwise.

“It’s like saying that my novel Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. America is a Kennedy assassination novel because all the action takes place a year after that. But it’s always about the person.

The history is the backdrop. Even terrible history. Mostly terrible history.

We all have to live day to day.”

That kind of everyday living is the heart and soul of Bausch’s 12 novels and eight volumes of short stories, a body of work that has won him the PEN / Malamud Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Rea Award for the Short Story.

With his newest novel, published by Knopf and which took him four years to write, he has again hit the mark. A Booklist critic called it “a luscious, sweeping heartbreak of a novel.”

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The authors examine key characteristics of the U.S. housing market over the past 90 years and how those traits have contributed to the market’s highly cyclical nature. The work also helps explain the impact of monetary policy on economic output and fosters understanding of the central role of mortgage credit in the transmission of monetary policy. It shows that excessive mortgage credit creates much greater risk for the banking and financial sector.

LIFE IN SCHOOLS, SIXTH EDITION (Paradigm Publishers)

By Peter McLaren, Ph.D., distinguished fellow in critical studies This text is a provocative investigation of the political, social and economic factors underlying classroom practices, offering an historical materialist introduction to critical pedagogy. Life in Schools features excerpts from the author’s best-selling Canadian diary, Cries from the Corridor: The New Suburban Ghetto.

Several previous editions have received the Critics’ Choice Award presented by The American Educational Studies Association.

COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE: GOALS AND CONTEXTS (Bridgepoint) Jennifer Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Communication Studies This research-based approach explores the range of skills that impact interpersonal, intercultural and mediated relationships. Going beneath the surface of communication goals, Waldeck helps readers build their speaking, conversational, relational, listening and social media skills, introducing approaches for reducing apprehension about communicating.

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NO SYMBOLS WHERE NONE INTENDED (Palgrave Pivot/MacMillan)

By Mark Axelrod, Ph.D., professor of English This is a collection of Axelrod’s literary essays on subjects from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ Dangerous Liaisons to Samuel Beckett’s Watt. The essays use Vladimir Nabokov’s stylistic approach to wellknown texts (fiction, drama and criticism) as a point of departure.

Notions of style and structure link the three prose pieces discussed in the text to the fiction and drama of Ibsen and Strindberg.

UPSETTING COMPOSITION COMMONPLACES (Utah State University Press)

By Ian Barnard, Ph.D., professor of English Barnard argues that composition still retains the bulk of instructional practices that were used in the decades before poststructuralist theory discredited them. The book upends several especially intransigent tenets that continue to influence the teaching of writing: clarity, intent, voice, ethnography, audience and objectivity.

DAGAS: LOS CUADERNOS DE LA CÁRCEL DE A. KOZAMEH (University of Poitiers, France)

By Alicia Kozameh, instructor, Department of English, and others This is a book of essays about the notebooks written by Alicia Kozameh while in prison during the last Argentine military dictatorship, when the political repression killed 30,000 people and kept another 20,000 in prisons and concentration camps. It includes drawings and reproductions of pages from the original notebooks, as well as the short story “Dagas” (Daggers)

by Kozameh.

LA PAURA DELL’AMORE (THE FEAR OF LOVE) (Raffaelli Editore)

By Federico Pacchioni, Ph.D., the Sebastian Paul & Marybelle Musco Professor in Italian Studies Love stands here for all those unknown forces that pull and shape our lives, that we yearn for and yet fear embracing fully. This book of verse addresses the challenge of learning and opening to the unfamiliar — experiencing otherness when it comes in the form of another human being, a culture, a place or a language.

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F PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT (Routledge)

By David M. Shafie, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science

Like presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush before him, Barack Obama has pursued an environmental agenda without the cooperation of Congress. Shafie analyzes two decades of administrative actions, noting that the discretion of presidential appointees increased as more responsibilities were delegated by a gridlocked legislature.

THE ROAD AHEAD: TRANSITION TO ADULT LIFE (IOS Press)

By Keith Storey and Dawn Hunter, Ph.D., professor, College of Educational Studies This text explores the importance of transition services for people with disabilities. It provides readers with strategies for person-centered transition planning; conducting employment assessments; teaching selfdetermination, vocational, independent/supported living and social skills; and ensuring a smooth transition from high school to post-secondary education.

THE EVANGELICAL ORIGINS OF THE LIVING CONSTITUTION (Harvard University Press)

By John W. Compton, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science Compton offers a surprising revision of American constitutional history, showing that 19th-century evangelical Protestants paved the way for the most important constitutional developments of the 20th century. He demonstrates that evangelical efforts to eradicate sinful forms of property led to a new conception of the Constitution as a "living" document.

FORGOTTEN TRIALS OF THE HOLOCAUST (NYU Press) Michael Bazyler, J.D., professor of law and “1939” Club Law Scholar in Holocaust and Human Rights Studies; and Frank M. Tuerkheimer This book uncovers 10 “forgotten trials” of the Holocaust, showcasing how perpetrators were dealt with in courtrooms around the world and revealing how different legal systems responded to the horrors. The book provides a graphic picture of the genocidal campaign against the Jews through eyewitness testimony and incriminating documents.

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By Dennis Arp

The D.C. You Don’t See Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg and her husband, David, attend the Washington Nationals’ inaugural home opener.

In a town that often abounds with partisan bickering, policy advocate Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg ’03 builds relationships that cross divides.

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s a policy insider trying to drive change in Washington, D.C., Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg ’03 knows all about the divisions that can poison political waters. It’s just that she chooses to drink from the cup of optimism.

“I feel like I’m a glass-is-half-full kind of girl,” she says.

After stints on John McCain’s presidential campaign and working for the Texas governor’s office, Wonnenberg is now vice president of government relations and public affairs at the National Association for the Self-Employed. A Chapman University history graduate, she’s also a board member and immediate past president of Women Under Forty, a bipartisan political action committee that seeks to recruit young women to run for office and then help them succeed.

On a warm summer morning, when the Washington news is filled with stories about international conflict and domestic partisanship, Wonnenberg shares breakfast with a visitor at a Capitol Hill diner and is asked to describe a good day in her capital life.

Wonnenberg met Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, left, three years ago, when the Hawaii Democrat was running for Congress. Though Wonnenberg is a Republican, “we connected as a rock be a presidential candidate.”

C H“Tulsi A P MisA N M Astar.

G A ZShe I N could E 36 people,” she says.

“Today is a great day,” she says. “A candidate in the New York 21st, Elise Stefanik, won her primary last night, and she’s like my age. That’s exciting. I’m going into the office and write a letter of support for some legislation. We have our newsletter out today, which I have to finish up. And then I have my book club tonight.

“It’s a beautiful morning — a little humid, but the Fourth of July is coming, and that’s awesome.”

A California native, Wonnenberg met her husband, David, in D.C., and the two just bought a house on Capitol Hill. They walk their black lab, Coltrane, through the Congressional Cemetery, which they helped revitalize after it fell into disrepair.

Wonnenberg plays beach volleyball almost in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial.

“This is really a great place to live,” she says of her adopted home. “I’ve decided that if ever there’s a time when I cross the Memorial Bridge and I don’t get a little flutter from seeing the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Capitol, that’s when I know it’s time to leave.”

Anyone who lobbies for political change, works for candidates or tries to make policy knows that the setbacks far outnumber the victories. For instance, Wonnenberg says, “I would love to work on a winning presidential campaign, because I’ve worked on three that didn’t turn out so great.”

Still, she adds, it’s a misconception that D.C. life is bathed in bitterness and partisanship.

“This town isn’t really divided by Republicans and Democrats,” she notes.

“When you live here, you find that people can work together. Of course, there are some who are never going to get together, but for the most part people want to be able to get things done.”

Wonnenberg says her inclination toward optimism and achievement blossomed during her undergrad days at Chapman.

She cites a wide range of experiences, including the chance to learn from Holocaust survivor Leon Leyson and former presidential cabinet members Brent Skowcroft and James Baker, as well as taking on leadership roles with her sorority and as chair of the Senior Class Committee.

Those bonds endure. Wonnenberg recently returned to campus as international vice president of Phi Sigma Sigma, and she gets together with Professor Marilyn Harran, Ph.D., each year when the director of the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education visits D.C. with student winners of Chapman’s Holocaust Art and Writing Contest.

“It’s thrilling — but no surprise to me — to see Katie achieving such success in Washington and as a national leader of Phi Sigma Sigma,” Harran says. “Katie never skims along the surface of anything she does. I remember how deeply invested she was in the Holocaust courses she took with me and how she connected ideas and people.

“Like so many of us, Katie was greatly inspired by the gentle humanity of ‘Schindler’s List’ survivor Leon Leyson, who

“This town isn’t really divided

by Republicans and Democrats.

When you live here, you find that people can work together.” contributed so much to our Chapman program. Leon’s face lit up whenever he saw Katie, and Katie’s lit up just as much when she saw Leon! Passion for ideas and people — that’s part of what makes Katie so special.”

For her part, Wonnenberg calls her Chapman experience “phenomenal.”

“Empowerment and advancement of women was the core of my sorority experience, and I felt like I was empowered by Chapman to go out into the world with the confidence to make a difference,” she says. “It’s like your Chapman degree is a little bit of armor to help you get through life.”

A particular Chapman moment stands out for Wonnenberg.

In 2001, she was in a class on the Vietnam War taught by the now-late peace studies professor Don Will, Ph.D., the day after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Phi Sigma Sigma sisters, from left, Paige Katz ‘15, Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg ‘03, Jackie Petrucci and Erin Fry Patterson ‘03 share a moment during Bid Week at Chapman University. Wonnenberg is an international vice president with the sorority.

“Dr. Will took the time to talk with all of us about what we were seeing and feeling,” she says. “You could tell that he and other professors were really concerned about the emotional well-being of their students.”

An earth-shattering day gave rise to profound learning and growth, she says.

“To see the world change underneath you while you’re in the cocoon of college impacts you directly,” she notes. “And when I talk about being empowered to go out into the world and change it, I don’t just mean change on the macro level. I also mean just being nice to people and working to understand other people — being more tolerant.

“You can do anything in any field, but ultimately it’s about the little things.”

Wonnenberg knew early on that her field would be policymaking.

The idea of solving problems, building consensus and advancing causes steered her toward Washington long before she first moved to the capital to attend grad school at George Mason University.

“I would never leave,” she says.

Push past the rancor and you really can get things done in Washington, Wonnenberg contends. “It’s all about building relationships.”

Where better to take on the challenge of bridging divides?

“In my 11 years of living here, I’ve seen a massive mistrust of government,” she says. “And I want to change that.”

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Email your news and photos to alumni@chapman.edu or mail to: Alumni Engagement, One University Drive, Orange, Calif. 92866. Any pictures received by mail will be scanned and returned. Class notes are subject to editing due to space. To post class notes and photos online, visit alumni.chapman.edu.

1970s 1 Paul Beal, B.M. ’75, retired from the

Fontana Unified School District after 27 years of teaching in the Drama Department.

Lorna Farnum, B.A. art ’79 (M.A. special education ’87), and Dale “Skip” Farnum, B.A. communications ’78, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in June.

2 Dr. Richard T. Pitts, B.A. chemistry ’70, was awarded a special certificate from the American Board of Emergency Medicine commemorating his more than 30 years of being board certified in emergency medicine.

Pitts also presented his research in September at the Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare Conference at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

3 Cathy Runnels, B.A. communications ’73, was a featured speaker at Syracuse University’s dedication ceremony for the newly constructed speech pathology and audiology clinic, the Gebbie Clinic.

1980s

Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, Calif.

He joined Broadway veteran Norman Large and YouTube sensation Sarah Horn in this production. This marks Steve’s third performance as Beadle Bamford.

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Paul Higgins, B.A. communications ’85, hosted the KIA World Extreme Games for Fox Television for the ninth consecutive year. His company, Athletes In Motion Sports Television, just produced and he hosted the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico for ESPN. He continues to produce shows for ESPN and Comcast Sports Net NBC Universal, including the Blowsion Surf Slam, shot in Pacific City, Ore. In addition, he just launched the Youth Television Network.

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Philip Moses, B.A. communications ’84, is the associate director of the National Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE). This program provides technical assistance to state education agencies nationwide as well as early intervention agencies, parent advocacy centers and dispute resolution practitioners.

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Edward Frelly, B.S. business administration ’81, recently moved back to Southern California after 20 years of living in Colorado Springs. He works with Waddell & Reed in Costa Mesa as a financial advisor. Edward is also a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Endowment Council at Chapman University.

4 Steve Grabe, B.M. performance ’87, performed in Sweeney Todd in Concert in May for the Golden State Pops Orchestra at the

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1990s 5 Jeff Garvin, BFA film and television ’98, wrote his first novel, Symptoms of Being Human, published by HarperCollins.

6 Jackie Goldston, BFA

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communications ’94, starred in the Warner Brother’s romantic comedy Blended.

Adam Myman, BFA film and television ’95, published his first book, The Magical Adventures of Brian Leonard.

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Rebecca Wanta, B.S. computer information systems ’91, became an inaugural member of the Board of Advisors for the enterprise software company EXO U. She is the former CIO of MGM International, Best Buy and former CTO of Pepsico and Wells Fargo.

2000s

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7 Sarah (Boyd) Blake, B.A. communications ’07, and Ryan Blake, B.S. business administration ’07, welcomed daughter Harper Blake on March 16, 2014. The couple, who married in 2010, live in Dallas, where Ryan works in corporate finance and Sarah is a teacher.

8 Mary Brazie, MFA screenwriting ’08, and Collin Brazie, MFA cinematography ’09, were married at St. Francis de Sales Church in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on Aug. 24, 2013.

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9 Mike Brown, B.S. business administration ’06, was recently featured in SEMA Magazine (the publication for the Specialty Equipment Market Association) in the “35 under 35” section.

Mike is the CEO and co-founder of ModBargains. He is also a founding member of Chapman50.

10 Brenda Brkusic, BFA film

and television ’04, recently won a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award (her second) in the Arts and Culture/History category as executive producer of The Hollywood Reporter in Focus: The Wolf of Wall Street, a PBS program featuring Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Terence Winter discussing the filmmaking process and the impact and cultural relevance of the film The Wolf of Wall Street.

Danielle Beckmann, BFA theatre performance ’08, was featured in the new play Accidents Waiting to Happen by Jonathan Libman in New York. She also produces a hit stand-up comedy show in New York City called 3 the Hard Way Comedy.

Genevieve Carson, BFA dance performance ’07, is the incoming artistic director at the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company.

John Cheney, MFA film production ’07, published the novel City of Spies, a thriller set in Berlin during the last days of the Cold War.

Bob Vu (EMBA ’05)

Students as Start-Ups

By Janna Parris

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ob Vu (EMBA ’05) has always been passionate about education. After finishing his undergraduate studies, Vu founded a start-up tech company and then spent 10 years as an educator for many public institutions.

Today, he works at Raytheon Co. in El Segundo, Calif., as a project manager as he is also running for a seat on the Irvine Unified School District Board of Education. By joining the board, he hopes to help district schools better prepare students for an economy that is increasingly global and competitive.

“My campaign platform is based on my belief that we need innovation for education,” says Vu. Vu believes that his own education at Chapman was a game-changer for his career.

Because the emphasis was on studying business enterprises through several lenses, Vu gained a greater understanding of problem-solving and leadership.

“I have always been interested in seeing problems and issues from many different angles,” says Vu. So it’s no surprise that he’s passionate about keeping students at the top of a tech-savvy world. Vu wants teachers to be entrepreneurial and bring innovation into the classroom.

“A good education creates new opportunities, new vistas and new paths to follow,” he says. “I see every student as a start-up of unlimited potential.”

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Craig Shields ’12 provides the music that helps Wooden Floor dancers gain confidence in themselves.

Notes of Fulfillment

By Janna Parris

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hen Craig Shields ’12 joined the music staff at the Wooden Floor, he didn’t realize the job would change his life.

“My world view has definitely expanded,” says Shields, a Chapman University graduate in instrumental performance and education.

The nonprofit Wooden Floor in Santa Ana gives 375 underserved youth the tools to live fuller lives. The program is grounded in dance but also provides academic support and family services, all free of charge.

“I’m a more patient person now because I have to consider what our students might be dealing with at home or at school, or whether they have a place to sleep at night,” says Shields, who plays hand drums, piano and other instruments.

For the 10th year in a row, all of the program’s graduating seniors are going to college.

In recent years, other Chapman alumni have joined the Wooden Floor team, including Meg Glaser Terán ’09, Nathan Lammers ’08, Derek Bruner ’08 (MPA ’12), Jenn Bassage Bonfil ’02, and current Ph.D. candidate Michael Fernández.

Executive Director Dawn S. Reese says the Chapman staff members “have a deep love for the youth we serve and an intrinsic desire to care for the underserved.”

For his part, Shields calls the professional experience “the most fulfilling I’ve ever had.”

Nové Deypalan, B.M. performance ’08, received a conducting award at the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic International Masterclass in February. He also accepted an offer from the Georgia Music Educators Association as conductor of the All State Orchestra for February 2015 in Athens, Ga.

Maci Peterson, B.A. public relations ’09, launched a messaging app called “On Second Thought.” The app won the Start-Up Oasis competition at the 2014 South by Southwest Interactive conference. The app allows users to “unsend” text messages before they reach the recipient.

Jonathan Dyer, M.A. education ’02, recently released the third volume of his Nick Temple File series, Silent Vector. The series, which includes Switchback and The Heraklion Gambit, chronicles the major events of a CIA agent during the Cold War.

13 Felicia (Gill) Ross, BFA graphic design ’09, and Bradford Ross, B.A. political science ’10, were married on April 5.

William Heatley, B.S. computer science ’09, and Vanessa Gordon, B.A. English literature ’09, are engaged to be married.

11 Julian Gray, BFA screenwriting ’06, and Trisha Tamashiro Gray, B.A. public relations and advertising ’07, married on March 8 in Honolulu.

Dan St. Marseille, B.M. performance ’09, was named director of contemporary music at the Orange County School of the Arts.

12 Lauren Myers, BFA

theatre performance ’08, booked a recurring role on WGN America’s TV series Manhattan. She’ll appear in several episodes toward the latter half of the season opposite Michael Chernus (Orange Is the New Black), Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones), Daniel Stern, Katja Herbers and John Benjamin Hickey.

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Kevin Schnicker, B.A. social science ’05, was promoted to head boys’ basketball coach at the School of Osage Middle School in Osage Beach, Mo. Teren Shaffer, B.M. music education ’09, was named director of the Classical Music Conservatory at the Orange County School of the Arts.

14 Melissa Starr, B.A. criminal justice ’03, recently rejoined Sentinel Offender Services in Irvine, Calif., as vice president of operations.

In June, she married Kate (Bookhammer) Starr in Taneytown, Md., before honeymooning in Belize.

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Chris White, MFA film and television ’05, shot and produced a series of videos for a museum exhibit called My Dog Is My Home, about homeless people and their companion animals.

Keith Wilcox, MFA creative writing ’06, published his novel Into the Slough in May. 13

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Reagan Williams, B.S. computer science ’06, sent a stuffed doll named Yammy to space and filmed the process as part of a promotional campaign for Yammer, a social networking service.

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2010s Jessie Horowitz, B.A. film production ’10, worked on a Kickstarter campaign and video to raise awareness of The Spinpod. As the creative director of this campaign, Jessie enjoyed the opportunity to work with a start-up business.

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Amber Bonasoro, B.S. business administration ’06 (MBA ’13), is now the director of marketing at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties. She also recently became a Big Sister with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County.

Lauren Bruschi, B.S. communication studies ’11, was promoted to account executive at Morgan Marketing and Public Relations, LLC. She will provide tactical support to clients such as Del Taco, Panda Express, Blaze Pizza, Wetzel’s Pretzels and Philly’s Best. She will also work closely with media outlets to secure press coverage.

Lindsey Clopp, B.A. communication studies ’10, graduated with a Master of Science degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In April, she began her career as a research assistant at the UC San Francisco Family Health Outcome Project.

Christina Diep, MFA screenwriting ’11, received a Master of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and was hired by UC Irvine, as a library assistant. She is also engaged to be married.

Liz Ficken, B.A. European history ’11, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach in the Slovak Republic, in the town of Kosice, for the 2014–2015 school year.

Jonathon Johnson, B.A. religious studies ’10, was one of six teachers named finalists for the 2014 Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice, a $25,000 award that spotlights excellence in teaching and the practices of the nation’s most effective educators.

Jason Kummerfeldt, BFA digital arts ’13, was chosen to debut his short film My Light Has Gone during KCET’s festival of student films.

Pat Elliott ’60 (’74), left, is among those in the Chapman Family who provide volunteer support to Mamie Yong Maywhort ‘78 and Homefront America.

Homefront Hero

By Dennis Arp

T

o Mamie Yong Maywhort ’78, they were “young kids,” and they were headed into harm’s way. After 9/11, she saw a stream of Camp Pendleton Marines prepare to leave for Afghanistan and Iraq, so she asked them: What can I do to help?

“Please take care of our families,” she repeatedly heard, “because that will give us the peace of mind to focus on our mission. ” It’s been a decade now since Maywhort and friend Arthur Hasselbrink founded Homefront America to assist military families. These days they serve thousands of youngsters and families from every branch of service, providing backpacks full of school supplies, care packages, scholarships, dental assistance referrals and special events.

“We’re a grassroots organization, totally driven by volunteers, so it’s a credit to the support we’ve received,” Maywhort says.

“It’s all about community.”

In her role as community builder, Mahwhort draws on the lessons of her career as a CFO and entrepreneur. Quality matters, she preaches, and the military parents take notice. They proclaim the Homefront America student backpacks “combat ready.”

“As long as I’m involved, we’ll never compromise,” Maywhort says.

That attitude is traceable to her Chapman University experience, and in particular a class she took in 1974 with a memorable accounting professor: Jim Doti.

“The way he taught it, everything clicked,” she says. “I have admired and emulated him ever since.”

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15 Ryan Massey, BFA screen acting and B.A. public relations and advertising ’12, married Holly (McDaniel) Massey, B.A. religious studies ’12, on May 4, 2013, in San Marcos, Calif.

Darryl Wharton-Rigby (MFA ’10)

Scripting a Winner

By Janna Parris

A

lthough the 2014 FIFA World Cup ended in July, Darryl Wharton-Rigby (MFA ’10) clearly still has soccer fever.

The former staff writer for NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street recently wrote a screenplay about the Ghana soccer team’s compensation ordeal during the most popular athletic event on the planet.

Wall Pass is inspired by the true story of a courier tasked with bringing $3 million to Brazil to stop the Ghanaian players from quitting the World Cup. In Wharton-Rigby’s script, things go awry when the courier is ambushed on the way, leaving him less than 12 hours to recover the stolen money.

“Wall Pass is unique in featuring an African character as a hero in an international thriller,” says Wharton-Rigby. “He’s an ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances.”

The idea for the script also emerged under extraordinary conditions.

Wharton-Rigby saw an article about the real-life $3 million delivery and posted on his Facebook page that it was a great idea for a movie. Fellow filmmaker Dan Mirvish saw the post, contacted Wharton-Rigby, brought Emmy-winning producer Barry Hennessey into the conversation and subsequently struck a deal.

The soccer-themed thriller is already set for production.

“Wall Pass is the product of social media and jumping on an idea immediately,” Wharton-Rigby says.

16 William McDaniel, B.S. business administration ’13, proposed to Hillary Foss, B.S. business administration ’13, on Chapman’s campus while visiting for Commencement in May. 17 Neda Lahidji, B.M. performance ’13, was recently accepted to New York University to pursue a Master of Music degree in vocal performance with an emphasis in musical theatre. She also attended Songfest at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.

She was selected as one of 12 singers to be a Schubert Fellow.

18 Amy Logan, B.A. public relations and advertising ’13, co-founded a socially conscious business, JOJI Bags, a fashion line of products based on traditional Mayan designs and artistry to benefit and empower women weavers in Guatemala.

19 Sarah Nininger, B.A. integrated educational studies ’12, moved to Uganda to oversee her nonprofit, Action in Africa. She will host afterschool art workshops that will serve as the platform for education, inspiration and empowerment.

Matthew Owensby, B.M. performance ’14, was accepted to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music master’s degree program in music compositiont.

20 Mariajose (Cienfuegos) Quaranta, B.S. business administration ’12, and Severin Quaranta, B.A. economics ’12, were married on May 3 in Santa Barbara.

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21 Charles Ruby, B.A.

psychology ’08, was featured in Lee Coulter’s music video Boss Senorita. The video stars two-time U.S. women’s boxing champion Danyelle Wolf.

Jonathan Raymond, B.A. legal studies ’10, and Melissa Raymond, B.A. integrated educational studies ’14, celebrated their second wedding anniversary July 30.

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Jeff McCrary (J.D. ’10) married Levente Smith on May 10 at the One World Theater in Austin, Texas. The wedding party included Andrew Shultz (J.D. ’10).

Latha Murugesan, M.S. food science ’11, is conducting cutting-edge research on food poisoning while pursuing her Ph.D. at Penn State University.

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Jennifer Woods, B.A. psychology ’10, graduated with a Master of Arts in organizational psychology and evaluation from Claremont Graduate University in May.

22 Alexandra Santoro, B.A. film studies ’12, associate produced A Big Love Story, which was released on DVD and video on demand as well as in select international territories last Fall. Alexandra also produced an adaptation of the book Palo Alto titled American History, with James Franco and Rabbit Bandini.

Emily Uematsu, B.M. performance ’13, recipient of the Henri Temianka Scholarship in String Studies, has been invited to perform a recital in New York at Steinway Hall. She has also been accepted to the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

Future Panthers

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B

A Kristin (Ritchey) Katz, B.A. psychology ’07, and Joshua Katz, BFA film and television ’04, welcomed a son, Henry, on Jan. 30. The couple was married in May 2011.

B Saydee Pojas, B.S. business administration ’06, and her husband welcomed their second child, Ka’ makakealoha Keli’iwahamana Siosi Tomio Pojas-Kapoi, on May 5 at Moanalua Hospital in Honolulu.

C Aaron Keigher, B.A. dance ’09, and Katharine Keigher, B.A. English ’10,

welcomed a son, Henry, on May 21.

C

Nick Conedera ’10

Edgy Filmmaking

By Janna Parris

F

or most students, a summer job is a temporary way to earn some extra money. For Nick Conedera ’10, selling high-end cutlery during Interterm was the beginning of something big.

In just 12 weeks, he sold $47,000 worth of knives, making him Cutco’s top-rated sales rep in the region. Then the film production major went a step further. He turned his experience into a full-length feature film, SHARP. “The film is about a lazy surf bum who must adapt to the corporate world and learn how to sell knives to support his family,” says Conedera.

Applying his newfound sales skills, Conedera raised $250,000 to produce his indie dramedy. The production crew he hired included many Chapman alumni. The resulting feature recently was released on DVD. So how close is Conedera’s journey to that of Terrance, his lead character?

“Like me, Terrance learns the value of relationships,” he says. “After being manipulative and dishonest, he learns that’s not the best way to sell.”

Conedera’s own transformation came when he quit caring so much about the sale and “began connecting with my customers, getting to know them more, having fun with them, and my average order exploded.”

The filmmaker adds, “My dreams came true by raising the money to make the film. So there are definitely elements of truth that are directly lifted from my personal experiences.”

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‘OFF THE PAGE’: PADDLING PUPPIES It all started with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Buster. When that precocious pooch dived into a pool during a photo shoot three years ago, photographer Seth Casteel ’03 felt compelled to follow.

“My life changed that day,” says Casteel, who recently released Underwater Puppies, the follow-up to his New York Times bestselling book, Underwater Dogs. Casteel returned to campus during the Chapman Family Homecoming Celebration in October to inaugurate “Off the Page,” a new series of talks by people featured in Chapman Magazine. A full house in Irvine Lecture Hall heard Casteel tell of how he transformed his love of animals into a one-of-a-kind career. Oh yeah, he also displayed some of the images that his publisher says have been seen online and in print by more than a billion people. Looks like there’s plenty of underwater love to go around.

Photo by Seth Casteel ©

Seth Casteel ’03 shows off his new book after signing a copy for psychology major Clare Liddell ’16.

Links to a slide show of the latest photos and an NBC Nightly News feature on Casteel are at chapman.edu/magazine.

Have a suggestion of an ‘Off the Page’ talk you’d like to see? Let us know at magazine@chapman.edu.

FRIENDS WE WILL MISS Jim Mather, B.A. business administration ’64, passed away May 6 while on vacation in Amsterdam with his wife, Karin Olson Mather ’68.

Jim earned his law degree and MBA from the University of Arizona and practiced as an attorney and certified public accountant in Tucson.

Harriet Dohrmann, home economics ’69 (M.A.’73), passed away July 9 at age 96 after battling pneumonia. She was a retired Santa Ana school teacher.

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Douglas Dyer (M.A.’70) passed away July 5. He taught at Santa Ana High School for 39 years. He also taught part time at Santa Ana, Orange Coast and Rancho Santiago colleges.

Dorothy Marie (Lorenz) Harte ’77 passed away June 10. She was a special education teacher in the Newport-Mesa School District for 37 years.

ALUMNI NEWS AND CAMPUS EVENTS

CHAPMAN ECONOMIC FORECAST Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014 ■ Conference at 2 p.m., Post-conference Reception at 3:30 p.m.

Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts ■ Costa Mesa, California Spend an afternoon with President Jim Doti and Professor Esmael Adibi as they present their 37th annual Economic Forecast.

This is a great opportunity to network with leaders in the Southern California business community, gain valuable insight on the economic trends of the past six months and learn what’s in store for the economy in 2015.

Individual tickets are regularly $150, but Chapman University alumni are eligible for a discounted rate of $50 per ticket.

This special rate is good for one ticket per alumna/alumnus. Use the code PANTHERPRIDE during checkout to receive the discount. Register and learn more at chapman.edu/economic-forecast.

WINTERFEST AND DOY’S HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING THURSDAY, DEC. 4, 2014 ■ 5 P.M. Celebrate the season with your alma mater! The campus will come alive with holiday lights and decorations, live performances of seasonal music by Chapman student ensembles, a holiday marketplace, free hot chocolate and cider, children’s activities and fireworks. Bring your family and friends – you don’t want to miss this festive annual event!

Find Us Online Are you receiving the monthly Chapman alumni e-newsletter?

Each issue is packed with alumni news, class notes, opportunities to get involved on campus, career and networking advice and Chapman events across the country.

If you’re not receiving it, update your contact information at chapman.edu/alumni-update.

Web: chapman.edu/alumni Blog: blogs.chapman.edu/alumni Facebook: facebook.com/chapmanuniversityalumni Twitter: @ChapmanAlum LinkedIn: Search for Chapman University Alumni Association

Jonathan Amato ’15 still remembers the moment. Floating in the Galapagos Islands’ Tortuga Bay, he bobbed on blue-green waters as sea turtles swam past his small boat and birds dived from the sky to catch their lunch. It was a picture-perfect scene, so Amato raised his friend’s Canon with telephoto lens and focused on a bluefooted booby, capturing the bird in a dancelike pose just before it plunged into the sea. Amato amassed many memorable images during an Interterm study trip to the Galapagos led by Professor Fred Caporoso, Ph.D. Now countless others will also enjoy the student’s work, as this photo was selected from among more than 1,200 submissions for placement on the back cover of the Galapagos Conservancy’s 2015 calendar. Amato, a mathematics major in the Schmid College of Science and Technology, counts the study trip as a highlight of his Chapman University career. “Seeing all that wildlife in its true form was just spectacular,” he says.

See more of Amato’s Galapagos photos at chapman.edu/magazine.