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April 30, 2014NOVEMBER 2, 2016
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Three language programs cut Kristin Baughman News Editor Baughman.25@wright.edu
Over the next several years, three languages will be phased out of the university’s curriculum. These languages include Italian, Japanese and Russian. While this change has been decided solely due to recent budget restraints, Italian and Russian have struggled with enrollment in the higher level courses. However, Japanese has maintained a positive flow of students. “With Japanese, we offer three years of it, and the enrollment has been firm and steady with very good enrollment,” Marie Hertzler, Chair of the Department of Modern Languages. These languages were susceptible for removal due to the lack of full-time staff. “In those three languages, we have adjunct professors teaching, and we don’t have any full time or permanent professors in those languages,” Hertzler said. “So those languages are vulnerable because there are adjunct faculty teaching it.” Students who are currently enrolled in these three languages will have the opportunity to finish the classes needed to finish their language requirements or degree, as long as the classes are taken in succession and are passed with the required grade. Five languages will remain at Wright State, in-
Cats and coffee are generally what you can expect while lounging at home, but now, you can pet a cat while you wait for your macchiato. Dayton is now home to the Gem City Catfe, a coffee shop bringing adoptable cats and humans together. Having cats in a public eating establishment may be a foreign concept to some, but is a trend taking off on the coasts and overseas, and according to owner Karin Gudal-Johnson, Dayton is a great location for a new cat cafe. “It’s new, so I think for people that haven’t heard of it, are a little confused,” said Gudal -Johnson. “It’s a coffee house, a comfortable environment, with adoptable rescue cats living on sight. They are there to interact, it’s expectation free. You can do as much as play with a cat for an hour or if you like one, you can adopt.” Stemming from a passion for animals, Gudal-John-
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Ann Weisgarber receives Alumna of the Year award Cortney Veneman Editorial Intern Veneman.3@wright.edu
cluding Arabic, Chinese, French, German and Spanish. “We have full-time faculty in those languages, and we really want to keep those languages robust,” Hertzler said. The Department of Modern Languages will be impacted just as much as the students. “We’re all dismayed, we’re all disappointed. We all prefer this would not happen,” Hertzler said. “We are all in support of the three languages and the professors,
the adjunct professors who are teaching those languages.” Hertzler encourages all student to enroll in languages, due to the many benefits it has both in Wright State as well as helping to acquire skills when getting a job after graduating. “Cultural competency is important, even when you work in an American business with American employees, but many of us come from different cultural backgrounds,” Hertzler said.
Ann Weisgarber, an award-winning author and Wright State Graduate, was presented with the 2016 Alumna of the Year Award following her graduation in 1976. Her novels are well known. The first one, “The Personal History of Rachel Dupree” won the Lagnum Prize for American Historical Fiction while also being praised by best-selling authors such as Alice Walker, the author of “The Color Purple.” Her second novel, “The Promise” has received rave reviews from the likes of the Dallas Morning News, commenting how “It’s the sort of tale that you find yourself staying up late at night to finish.” Weisgarber, graduate of Fairmont High School, worked in an office before deciding going to college would be the best choice for her. She claims her decision to go to Wright State was pretty easy since she noticed her brother, who was attending, was having a lot more fun than she was. “Wright State took me by surprise,” Weisgarber said. “There was a feeling that not a moment should be squandered. The atmosphere crackled with the sense of discovery.” Weisgarber graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree
Dayton soon to be next home for cat cafe Adam Ramsey Features Editor Ramsey.55@wright.edu
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son wants her establishment to make a difference to animals within the community. “We want to promote rescue cats and their image, and make sure that a rescued animal is not a damaged animal,” Gudal-Johnson said. “It’s not their fault that their owners moved or they had a child who became allergic, or their grandma moved in, it’s still a great cat that needs a home.” Though it’s designed to promote adoption, customers that just want to come and spend time with the cats are welcome. “One of the goals is encouraging empathy and connection between animals and people,” Gudal-Johnson said. “Even if you don’t want to adopt a cat or already own cats, you can still come, meet the animals there, play while you’re studying, talking to a friend, relaxing, anything.” In addition to promoting adoption, Gem City Catfe wants to help cats outside of the home. “Obviously adoption is really important, but one reason South Park, St. Anne’s are im-
portant to us, is the community cat problems that are here,” Gudal-Johnson said. “What we would really like to do, that has worked in other areas, is set up housing in those areas, like little stations where they can have shelter, food. This makes it easier to know where they will be, so we can trap them, neuter them, vaccinate and clip their ears so they know they’ve been through the program. This way, they don’t overpopulate and they’re vaccinated, so they aren’t spreading some of the key diseases.”
Gem City Catfe also plans to engage with the community by hosting events like photography lessons for beginners and those who are more advanced once the building is up and running. Gudal-Johnson also stated that there will be student discounts available when opened. Though a location is still in the works, Gem City Catfe will be completed in 2017. For future updates, students can check them out on social media, such as facebook and twitter.
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in Social Work, with which she worked in a Psychiatric Hospital before moving to Houston, Texas with her husband, Rob Weisgarber. “It’s humbling to be the recipient of this award. After all, I owe the university a debt of gratitude I can’t repay,” Weisgarber said. “Many wonderful things have happened for me, and it is not an exaggeration to say that most of those are the direct results of my four years at Wright State.” Since 2012, Weisgarber has been a part of the Rise. Shine. Campaign for Wright State, along with President David. R. Hopkins in the workings to raise funds for scholarships and support construction on campus. The campaign has raised over 160 million dollars thus far.
Raider 5000 strives to raise resources for Friendship Food Pantry Leah Kelley Editor-in-Chief Kelley.90@wright.edu The Wright State Friendship Food Pantry (FFP) launched a campus-wide fundraiser to collect 5,000 items from Oct. 24 to 29. “Last year we collected around 3,000 items,” Pantry Coordinator Mary Case stated. “When the donation drive was started, we were shooting for 500 items. Participation is obviously growing, which is why we are shooting for 5000 items this week.” The FFP assists students of all ages and backgrounds, from veterans to new moms and dads, even freshman living in WSU dorms. “Our pantry is run by faculty, staff and student volunteers and students from service learning courses,” Case said. “Volunteers process inventory, help write publications, collect donations, and serve clients in the pantry. We have volunteers that visit us on a weekly, monthly, and semester basis.” Whether students are interested in volunteering or are struggling with food insecurity, the Friendship Food Pantry is there to help.