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THE
Clarion Call CLARION UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1913
OCTOBER 10, 2013
VOL. 100 ED. 5
Symposium draws crowd, raises disability awareness Anastasia Bates STAFF WRITER
CLARION, Pa. - The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps sponsored a talk by the copresidents of Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance in Carlson Library on Monday. The mini-symposium saw Dr. James Conroy and Jean Searle present on the history of the Pennhurst Institution and American Disability Rights Movement and the conditions that were faced by many disabled children. The talk focused on the abuse and segregation faced at such institutions and featured both a personal insight from Searle, who had lived through such conditions, and Dr. Conroy who had studied them. The presentation described Searle as a “survivor of the Pennhurst experience” and Dr. Conroy said, “We are still making mistakes, and you can be part of solving this problem.” Some of the conditions that children with disabilities faced at Pennhurst Institution included abuse, isolation, segregation and children
Nicole Caratelli/ The Clarion Call
Audience members listen to a presentation at the TASH symposium. being left in cribs all day and night. During the presentation, it was said that 2,800 people lived in Pennhurst, a building meant for just 700. The Pennhurst Longitudinal Study began in Pennsylvania, and Conroy describes the outcomes of the deinstitutionalization, which
spread across the world to India, England and Mexico to name a few, as positive. Among the audience were Special Education and Education majors; however, all majors were welcome to hear the talk. The department chair of Special Education and Rehabilitation was also present at the talk and
praised the event, citing the speakers as “experts.” After the presentation, Conroy said, “It is a little known civil rights victory that Americans should know about and celebrate.” Both speakers, Searle and Conroy, were open to take questions from the floor, and were keen to share their perspectives
and experiences with the students. The pair ended by saying that this study was one of the most successful of its kind. TASH sponsored the event, and the vision is to have a world where people with disabilities are accepted in society and participate in society. They association holds an annual
conference each year, and 2013’s will take place on Dec. 11-14 in Chicago, Ill. Young Gyoung-Kim, a TASH board member, international member, and associate professor at Clarion University, said, “We have state TASH chapters, called Pennsylvania TASH, and the Pennsylvania TASH is one of the biggest state chapters. Pennsylvania TASH board members decided to offer mini-symposium across PA. The first minisymposium took place in Philadelphia and I am honored to host the second symposium at Clarion University.” “We want to raise disability awareness and bring disability related international issues here in parts of PA via mini-symposium,” said Gyoung-Kim. She said, “It was a successful event. I’ve prepared for this event for a long time and had lots of conversation with Pennsylvania board members. I feel like I’ve achieved one of biggest goals this year. I hope this was one of the tools making our Clarion students open their eyes toward important issues in this society. I was so glad that many students attended this event and showed their sincere interest.”
Students present scientific research projects Marck Emch MANAGING EDITOR
CLARION, Pa. - An assortment of undergraduate and graduate students presented what was, for many of them, a culmination of years of work and scientific research Wednesday evening at the Pennsylvania Council of Trustee’s student-faculty research project presentation event. Students presented their findings on a myriad of topics, ranging from the effects of woody debris on the stream habitat of Brook Trout, to the cat-
aloguing and characterizing of different types of novae within the Andromeda Galaxy. The research was exhibited on large, detailed posters in the first floor lobby of the Science and Technology Center to a collection of university faculty President Karen Whitney included. The students who presented the projects worked in groups of three or more under the tutelage of a faculty overseer. They selected a topic to research within their branch of scientific study, set up parameters and conducted research. For many of the proj-
ects, research has been an ongoing process for the past several years, with graduating classes handing down their findings to the successive senior class. “It’s been very time consuming, but fun,” said senior Kait Briggs. Senior physics major Matt Walentosky has been working on his project, a catalog of novae in the Andromeda Galaxy, for the better part of three years. “It’s been a 40-hour-aweek project for the last three summers,” said Walentosky. During that time, he’s travelled to all corners of the country. He worked
in collaboration with the University of Alaska-Anchorage, and later presented those collaborated findings last January to the American Astronomical Society, in Long Beach, Calif. He’s even implemented photos taken by the Kitt Peak National Observatory’s telescope in Tuscon, Ariz. into his project. Walentosky hopes to publish his findings by the end of the fall semester. “Several different scientists want to know when the catalogue is going to be released. They want to use it to further look at these different individual binary systems,”
said Walentosky. Many of the projects dealt with localized scientific issues, such as the project graduate student Brandi Hake presented. In her attempt to observe the effect woody debris has on pool formation in streams and subsequently the effect that debris and pool formation has on the stream’s fish population, she, along with a coalition of other students and faculty members, artificially felled 50 trees into a nearby stream. Hake has been observing the effects the artificial debris has had on the stream and its fish population
THIS WEEK’S EDITION
Inside
INDEX
Mary Walter leadership series holds first speaker. FEATURES PAGE 5
Clarion theatre’s “Women of Lockerbie” review. ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 9
University quarterback continues to blossom. SPORTS PAGE 12
News Opinion Features Classifieds Puzzles & Comics Arts & Entertainment Sports Standings
2 4 5 7 7 8 10 11
since December 2012. “This is my thesis project,” said Hake. “So I’m going to write it up and hopefully get it published.” The multiple projects received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Provost’s Office, faculty contribution and undergraduate research grants. The project posters will be posted at various spots within the STC. Students are encouraged to take time to read the students’ findings, and reach out to those who conducted research to become further involved in the program. (See page 3 for photos)