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THE
Clarion Call CLARION UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1913
MARCH 8, 2012
VOL. 98 ED. 18
California dean speaks on curriculum Alizah Thornton NEWS EDITOR CLARION, Pa. - Students and faculty gathered Monday, March 5 to hear Ken O’Donnell give a presentation called “Connecting Curriculum to Student Success—Orchestrating Progress.” O’Donnell, associate dean at California State University, discussed the importance of implementing “high impact practices” into a school curriculum and offered tips for orchestrating progress. He spoke abou t Pell grant recipients , minorities and firs t gene ration students as historically und errepres ent ed in colleges an d universities. O’Donnell talked about plans to help incorporate quality curriculum in a university in order to close the gap between the under-represented and majority students in areas such as graduation and retention rates, as well as improving overall student success. He said there are three
Joe Bucci / The Clarion Call
Ken O’Donnell speaks to students and faculty on “Connecting Curriculum to Student Success.” questions that need to be answered before progress can be orchestrated—Why bother? Toward what? and How? “Bottom line, you do it by thinking big,” O’Donnell said. He said the hardest question to answer is “why bother?” The answer to this question is on an unbalanced scale. On the lower end there is social justice, and on
the other, it’s because as the standard of living increases in society, people are more educated. Concerning this question, O’Donnell gave three values of society’s ecological niche: biodiversity, social justice and agent of change. As an example of a reason for “why bother” O’Donnell cited a study for six-year college graduation rates for the fall
1999 cohort of students. He compared the rates for under-represented minorities—a student of American Indian, AfricanAmerican or Latino descent—versus non-URMs. California State University had a 38 percent graduation rate for URMs and a 53 percent rate for non-URMs. For comparison purposes, he gave the audience the statistics for Clarion University for the
Student speaks in Harrisburg on budget cuts Jen Schwartz STAFF WRITER CLARION, Pa - Students are feeling the bite of last year’s budget cuts both financially and academically, and are now bracing for the possibility of another, an issue Clarion University Student Senate President Joanna Catalano further communicated at the Pennsylvania state budget hearing, which took place in Harrisburg, Pa. on March 5. Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget cuts in the funding of Pennsylvanian State System of Higher Education proposes a drop from $503 million down to $233 million. In doing so, this will place all academic programs in consideration to be potentially cut. Other universities within PASSHE have already been forced to eliminate programs, such as Kutztown doing away with its theater, French and nursing programs. Catalano stressed the issue of the university’s possible elimination of undergraduate research, one of the specific attributes that solidified her decision in attending the state school, and what she said has helped
“What worries me the most about the future of academics at Clarion University is whether or not undergraduate research can continue with any additional substantial budget cuts.” -Joanna Catalano propel her into medical school after graduation. She will attend the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “What worries me the most about the future of academics at Clarion University is whether or not undergraduate research can continue with any additional substantial budget cuts,” Catalano said. “The one thing that made Clarion shine amongst the other schools is in danger of disappearing.” Last year the budget had not been finalized until late summer, leaving
students forced to take out loans while most had a limited amount of time to accumulate enough for the increase in costs. The government will no longer offer subsidized loans after July, and another cut going through will make whatever loan the student takes out to be expensive in the long run. “For the most part, the representatives were very positive and seemed to be in favor of reducing the percent cut proposed by the governor,” Catalano said. “It was very encouraging to see PASSHE
school alumni who are now representatives speak so highly of the PASSHE system,” she said. Nonetheless, the thought of another possible cut has students and parents alike speaking of not only program eliminations, but possible school closures. PASSHE Board of Governors Chairman Guido Pichini spoke out against these rumors. “As we face what is without doubt the most challenging time in our history, there have been those who have raised questions about whether all of our campuses can survive,” Pichini said. “Clarion University – through both its main campus and its branch campus in Oil City – is continuing to offer essential progr a m s i n f i e l d s such as allied health, and also is working closely with industries throughout its r e g i o n t o m e e t v ital workforce needs. Although PASSHE looks closely at all of our universities’ performance, I can assure you that there have been no conversations concerning the possible closure.”
same cohort of students. The results were similar. Clarion had a 38 percent graduation rate for URMs and a 52 percent rate for non-URMs. “When universities incorporate high impact practices, the overall student success increases, and the gaps between the URMs and non-URMs close,” O’Donnell said. Examples of high-
New group gains interest Amelia Eiger STAFF WRITER CLARION, Pa. - March 6 marked the first meeting of Clarion’s new group Emotions Inc. Established and run by senior psychology major Ryan Snyder, the group offers emotional support for students experiencing stress, depression or anxiety in any facet of their lives. During meetings, Snyder facilitates group discussion by encouraging participants to explore the causes of their emotional stress, while co-facilitator and therapist Heather Simons offers insights and strategies to relieve negative feelings. The group consists of an intimate gathering of students seeking a safe and confidential place to both speak their minds and support their fellow students. Snyder constructs a welcoming and comfortable environment that allows students to openly discuss deeper emotional matters that
THIS WEEK’S EDITION
Inside
INDEX
Adam Ritz speaks about sex and alcohol safety. FEATURES PAGE 5
“Rhinoceros” production put on in Marwick Boyd. ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 8
Two students place first at EWL championship. SPORTS PAGE 10
impact practices outside the classr o o m are the developing learning communities and holding town hall meetings with students. Some examples of high impact learning in the classroom are peer mentoring, group work and student study groups. The basic idea is to “engage students with material,” O’Donnell said. O’Donnell said orchestrating progress at a college or university can be done by following these tips: Set clear and simple goals, exploit existing neutral networks of change, change relationships between academic affairs and institutional research, seek opportunities to publish a request for proposal and include a requirement for frequent reporting and update key policy documents annually. “This list is the only way to make beneficial and lasting change,” O’Donnell said. To read more from O’Donnell, visit his webpage at diffusionoflight.wordpress.com.
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they may not have occasion to discuss during everyday conversation. Snyder motivates participants to discuss their emotional state through prompts and questions. The comfortable atmosphere contributes to the members’ willingness to disclose their personal feelings, striking a good balance between mediation and student-led discussion. “We’re just trying to provide a safe haven for any student who is going through a difficult time,” Snyder said. “Students need a place where they can go to receive help coping with their feelings, or if they just need to vent a little bit. Snyder founded Emotions Inc. as part of his internship with Dr. Lepore, along with another social group, Circle of Friends, and is also attempting to initiate an eating disorder support group on campus. Emotions Inc.’s next meeting will be Tuesday, March 20 in 128 Egbert at 6 p.m., and will meet every other Tuesday for the remainder of the semester.
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