Grammy award-winner and legendary mountain music band Dr. Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys are returning to Portsmouth to perform at Shawnee State University’s (SSU) Vern Riffe Center for the Arts (VRCFA).
          The celebrated tenor and banjo picker, who has been in the business for over 55 years, will perform at 7 p.m. on March 31.
            “Dr. Stanley is one of the last remaining authentic mountain voices in commercial music,” said Carl Daehler, executive director of the VRCFA. “We enjoyed Dr. Stanley’s performance last April so much that we immediately scheduled him for a return visit.”
            This will be Stanley’s third appearance at the VRCFA, according to Daehler. The first two concerts were sold-out successes.
            Known as the patriarch of traditional and mountain music, the winner of two Grammy awards in 2002 for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Album of the Year has recorded more than 170 albums, and written and recorded many songs that have become bluegrass standards.  His contribution to the success of the musical score for the movie, “O Brother Where Art Thou,” has made Stanley a mountain music icon throughout the world.
            Joining Stanley on stage will be the Isaacs, a seven-member southern/bluegrass gospel family group that has been performing for more than 30 years with such stars as gospel music artist Bill Gaither and Dr. Ralph Stanley.
            John Simon, Ph.D., adjunct professor of Appalachian music and sociology courses at SSU for more than 15 years, has been instrumental in the organization of this and past appearances of Dr. Stanley according to Daehler.
            “Dr. Stanley is from northwestern Virginia,” said Simon.  “In my experience, he represents the character of the people of the mountains. He maintains a quiet dignity at his age after all the success he has achieved, and this measures integrity. He sings with the most natural mountain voice there is, and he sings with the same voice and the same pronunciation of words that is representative of his community and the regular Baptist church that he grew up in and learned to sing in.”
            Stanley is very unusual in that he is still singing in 2005, said Simon. He began singing in the 1940’s with his brother, Carter, when the golden era of country music was at its best.
            “He has a band that would thrill anyone to listen to, each of them individually are outstanding musicians and singers,” said Simon.
            Reserved-seat tickets are now on sale at the McKinley Box Office located in the lobby of the VRCFA at SSU. Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for SSU students and seniors, and $18 for groups of 20 or more. Box office hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information or to make a credit card purchase, call (740) 351-3600.

            Paying for college tuition will be a little easier for Shawnee State University (SSU) student Amanda Kingrey--the first recipient of the Whitney Dillon Miller Scholarship award.
            Kingrey, the daughter of Gordon and Carla Bullion, of Lucasville, Ohio, graduated from Valley High School and earned her certification in cosmetology from Scioto County Junior Vocational School in 2002. She went on to earn her license in cosmetology in Feb. 2002, and her manager’s cosmetology license in 2003. She is currently enrolled as a sophomore at SSU, majoring in early childhood education.
            The Whitney Dillon Miller scholarship award was established by Miller’s siblings in 2000 as a lasting legacy of Miller’s community involvement and special effort on behalf of the SSU Development Foundation, on which he served.
            Beth Haney, human resources manager for Mitchellace, was Miller’s friend, and helped make the connection between Miller, Kingrey, and SSU. Haney is former president of the SSU Development Foundation Board, and served on the board for six years.
            According to Haney, Miller worked as a sales manager for Mitchellace for 15 years. 
            “He was very proactive in education and educational opportunities in the community,” she said. “He chaired the United Way, was a Rotarian, and was a benefactor to many community organizations. Whitney was a wealthy man, but he shared his wealth, not only in education, but in the community as well.”
            Miller was born in Portsmouth and, although he traveled extensively, was very passionate about the growth and prosperity of Portsmouth, Haney said. He received the Chamber of Commerce “Distinguished Citizen” award in 1999 because of his community involvement.
            Kingrey is a two-year employee of Mitchellace, working in the data entry department, Haney said. 
            “Amanda is a very good, dependable employee, who does quality work while also pursuing a college education,” said Haney. “She is very serious about completing her degree. I know this scholarship means a lot to her because it allows her to continue her education.”
            Kingrey is a newlywed of less than three years, and does not qualify for financial aid or any other form of assistance. She and her husband, Eric, are especially grateful for the scholarship award.
            “I am very honored to be the first person to receive this scholarship,” she said.  “I only wish I had the opportunity to work with Whitney at Mitchellace.  So many people have told me what a wonderful person he was. I would like to thank the Miller family for making this scholarship available, Beth Haney for informing me of the scholarship, and Mitchellace for working with my class schedule.”
            To be eligible for the Whitney Dillon Miller Scholarship award, applicants must be entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and must exhibit financial need.  Preference will go to a Mitchellace employee, child, or grandchild of an employee.
            Students who are interested in applying for the scholarship can obtain an application in the Financial Aid office located on the second floor of the University Center at SSU.  The recipient will be selected by the University Financial Aid/Scholarship Committee. For more information about the scholarship, call the SSU financial aid office at (740) 351-4243.
            For more information about how to establish memorial scholarships and other development opportunities, or to make donations to SSU, call the SSU office of development at (740) 351-3284.
            Offering more than 80 bachelor’s and associate degree programs in areas such as fine, digital, and performing arts; English and humanities; mathematical sciences; natural sciences; social sciences; teacher education; business administration; industrial and engineering technologies; and health sciences, SSU offers over $2 million annually to students in both need- and academic-based scholarships.

            Graduating Shawnee State (SSU) students and alumni can throw their hats into the job market when the annual Bear Hunter Career Fair comes to the James A. Rhodes Athletic Center on Wednesday, March 9.
          “The focus is more on those who are ready to graduate and who are trying to find employment but there are also opportunities for part-time positions, summer employment, and internships,” said Stephen Gregory, director of career services at SSU.
          Gregory said there will also be a couple of universities at the fair with information about their graduate programs.
          Between 90 and 100 employers are expected to participate in the career fair, and Gregory said some will be conducting interviews while others will have displays set up.
          “They may be handing out applications or just information about their business,” Gregory said.
          Businesses conducting interviews will be set up in the Mezzanine section of the athletic center while those with displays will be set up on the gym floor. Gregory said students wanting to participate in the interview process must register in his office by March 4.
         “Probably a third of the employers that come to the career fair are from the health care industry.” He said. “Health science students have the opportunity to talk to a lot of hospitals, nursing home facilities, assisted-living and other types of health care employers. Quite a few school systems will also be in attendance both interviewing and displaying information.”
          Businesses scheduled to conduct interviews include Adena Health Systems, Berger Health Systems, Camp Molly Lauman, Combined Insurance, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Gallipolis City School District, Greenup County Schools, Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Health South Western Hills Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Pike Community Hospital, Portsmouth City Schools, Scioto County Board of MR/DD Residential Services, Scioto Valley Local Schools/Piketon, South Central Educational Service Center, St. Claire Regional Medical Center, Stanley Electric, Tupperware, U.S. Army/Army Reserves, Wells Fargo Financial and Wellston City Schools.
            Businesses scheduled to set up displays at this year’s job fair are: Adena Health Systems, AK Steel, Berger Health Systems, Camp Molly Lauman, CAO/Scioto Employment and Training Systems, Cedar Point Amusement Park, Combined Insurance, Edgewood Manor of Lucasville, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Fairfield Medical Center, Fifth Third Bank, Gallipolis City School District,  Grandview Medical Center, Greenup County Schools, Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Health South Western Hills Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, Heartland of Portsmouth, Hocking Valley Community Hospital, Hopewell Cultural NHP, J.R. Berry and Associates, Jewish Hospital, Kelly Services, King’s Daughters Medical Center, Lute Supply, Manchester Local School District, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mitchellace, Morehead State University, Naval Reserve, Nifco American Corp, Ohio Army National Guard, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, Ohio River Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Pike Community Hospital, Preferred Medical Personnel, Primerica Financial, RehabWorks, Rent-2-Own, Scenic Hills Nursing Center, Scioto County Board of MR/DD, Scioto County Board of MR/DD Supported Living Program, Scioto County Children’s Services, Shawnee State University office of Personnel, Social Security Administration in Kentucky, Social Security Administration in Ohio, Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Southern Ohio Medical Center, Southwest Ohio Developmental Center, St. Claire Regional Medical Center, Stanley Electric U.S. Company, Inc., Star Community Justice Center, Steak N Shake, Tupperware, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Health care Recruiting Team, U.S. Army/Army Reserve, University Hospital Health Systems, VA Medical Center, Vinton County Local School District, Wells Fargo Financial, Western Southern Life, Westmoreland Place and WNXT.
          The SSU Bear Hunter Career Fair will be Wednesday, March 9 in the James A. Rhodes Athletic Center. The display area will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and interviews will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
          For more information call Lisa Ashcraft with the SSU Office of Career Services at (740) 351-3259.

A contemporary version of the well-known medieval play “Everyman” will be presented by the Shawnee State University (SSU) theater department on March 11, 12, and 13 in the Kahl Studio theatre in the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts (VRCFA) at SSU.
            Conceptualized by Vivian Robson, associate professor of theatre at SSU, the script was adapted and rewritten into modern English by SSU senior and English major, Shaun Umland of Portsmouth.
            “It’s a play about a man who like all of us is facing death and is essentially asked to take a pilgrimage, do penance, and meet his death with grace,” Robson said. “He asks along the way who can come with him and in the end it’s good deeds.”
            Written in the 1500’s Robson said the play was not difficult to bring into modern times.
            “This is a theme, one of the great themes and why the play is still read in English literature classes,” Robson said. “It’s a well-written early play, pre-Shakespeare, but it’s written about a very important theme which is death.”
            To bring the play up-to-date Umland said language was the first thing he worked on. He said he also tried to make situations in the play more current.
            “The original was a morality play and it was just a sequence of events,” Umland said. “’Everyman’ meets people who bring information into the play but it really didn’t have a plot like you think a modern play should have, not really a structure, a beginning, middle, or end as such so that had to be modernized to make much sense out of it.”
            One thing different and unique about “Everyman” is excerpts from interviews with local ministers and chaplains such as Reverend Stan Webster of Second Presbyterian Church, SOMC Hospice Chaplain Reverend Peter Michael and members of the Hospice staff, West Portsmouth’s Father David Young, and Temple B’Nai Abraham’s student Rabbi Lorraine Rudenberg will be woven into scenes of the play as well as excerpts from interviews with SSU professors Mark Mirabello and Nicholas Meriwether.
          “We wanted to contemporize it but we wanted it to have meaning within the community and to get different perspectives on death and the issue of good deeds versus faith which is a Christian issue,” Robson said. “We just wanted to get some perspective from ministers of different faiths on these issues and also their experiences with dying people.”
            Members of the cast are SSU students Tyler Anderson (Waverly), John Campbell (Lucasville), Judith Coker (Westerville), Melissa Cook (New Plymouth), Charles Farley (South Shore), Jessica Gray (Owensville), Marcho Markov (Burgas, Bulgaria)  Damica Myers (Cincinnati), Amy Skelton (Marysville), Katie Stephenson (Portsmouth), and Nathan Wheeler (Wheelersburg) as Everyman.
            “The cast is a fun, diverse group of people with just about every religion and philosophy I can immediately think of represented in the cast, which I think brings a wonderful dynamic to it,” said Umland.
            Performances of “Everyman” will be held on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 and are available at the McKinley Box Office located in the VRCFA at SSU. For more information call (740) 351-3600.

            As part of an effort to foster awareness of Women’s History Month, Shawnee State University (SSU) has invited Debbie Jewett to present “A History of Massage Therapy and Related Women’s Health Issues” on Wednesday, March 2, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Micklethwaite Banquet Hall, located in the University Center on the SSU campus.
            Jewett has been a licensed massage therapist in Ohio since 1991, and owns a private practice in the Portsmouth area.  She has held multiple board offices in the Ohio chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).  She is currently a member of the Massage Therapy Advisory Committee to the state of Ohio Medical Board, and is a member of the Ohio Sports Massage Team.
            According to Jewett, Ohio was the first state in the nation to recognize massage therapy as a licensed profession.
            “In Ohio, massage therapy is licensed under the Medical Board,” she said.  “Ohio is the only state in the U.S. to do this.  This is significant because it is recognized as a health care profession, as opposed to a luxury service.”
            Massage therapy is quickly growing in popularity, according to Jewett, who also notes that it is predominantly a field for women.  Although men are becoming a part of it, it is still 75-80 percent women.
            Jewett will also be speaking about the related women’s health issues she has seen as her profession has grown.
            “As women begin to take on a more predominant role in the workplace, we begin to notice increased instances of auto-immune disorders and stress-related complaints, such as neck and shoulder tightness and headaches,” shed said.  “The onset of computers in the workplace has also brought on increased complaints of pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, and hands.”
            The event is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact Susie Fennell at sfenell9955@yahoo.com . For more information about the Women’s History Month celebration, contact Shannon Lawson at (740) 351-3295, or slawson@shawnee.edu .

          The first tenured female professor of physics at Harvard University, Melissa Franklin, Ph.D., will speak on “Is Dark Matter Matter? And How Can We Tell” at Shawnee State University (SSU) on Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in the Clark Memorial Library’s Flohr Lecture Hall on the SSU campus.
          Gary Gemmer, professor of physical science at SSU and organizer of the presentation, said, in the past, The Department of Natural Sciences has had good attendance at lectures that feature cutting edge science.
            “Dr. Franklin should be able to give the lay audience a feel for “Dark Matter,” which is matter that we cannot see, but which composes a significant portion of the universe.”
         Franklin is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard where she has worked in experimental particle physics, studying the interactions between elementary particles.
          “I became interested in physics when I was 15, when I read a book about quantum mechanics; it was qualitative but very well written by Wolfgang Pauli,” Franklin said.
           For the past 30 years Franklin has been studying ordinary matter that she said comprises only 5 percent of the stuff of the universe while dark matter, which cannot be seen, comprises 25 percent. She is a member of the team that discovered the sixth and last quark, the top quark, at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and has also been working on the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The Collider Detector is an experiment designed to study the collisions of protons and anti-protons at the highest energies currently possible.
          “I have been working on the collider detector for 20 years,” Franklin said. “We are trying to study the interactions of quarks with each other in order to understand the forces and symmetries that determine the interactions.  In the process we found the last and sixth quark, the top quark.  It was great discovering an elementary particle that does not last long enough to measure directly but weighs more than a gold atom.”
          Being the first tenured female professor of physics at Harvard, Franklin has overcome many obstacles.  In January, she was quoted in Newsweek and Time magazines on statements made by Harvard University President Lawrence Summers who suggested that women might not be as equipped for science study as men.
          “When they are sitting there constantly saying ‘Am I smart enough? Am I smart enough?’ it doesn’t really help when the president of the university says, ‘Maybe you’re not’.” Franklin said in the magazines.
         Franklin’s appearance on campus is part of the Jane M. G. Foster Distinguished Lecture Series.  For more information, call the SSU Department of Natural Sciences at (740) 351-3456.

          The first tenured female professor of physics at Harvard University, Melissa Franklin, Ph.D., will speak on “Is Dark Matter Matter? And How Can We Tell” at Shawnee State University (SSU) on Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in the Clark Memorial Library’s Flohr Lecture Hall on the SSU campus.
          Gary Gemmer, professor of physical science at SSU and organizer of the presentation, said, in the past, The Department of Natural Sciences has had good attendance at lectures that feature cutting edge science.
            “Dr. Franklin should be able to give the lay audience a feel for “Dark Matter,” which is matter that we cannot see, but which composes a significant portion of the universe.”
         Franklin is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard where she has worked in experimental particle physics, studying the interactions between elementary particles.
          “I became interested in physics when I was 15, when I read a book about quantum mechanics; it was qualitative but very well written by Wolfgang Pauli,” Franklin said.
           For the past 30 years Franklin has been studying ordinary matter that she said comprises only 5 percent of the stuff of the universe while dark matter, which cannot be seen, comprises 25 percent. She is a member of the team that discovered the sixth and last quark, the top quark, at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and has also been working on the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The Collider Detector is an experiment designed to study the collisions of protons and anti-protons at the highest energies currently possible.
          “I have been working on the collider detector for 20 years,” Franklin said. “We are trying to study the interactions of quarks with each other in order to understand the forces and symmetries that determine the interactions.  In the process we found the last and sixth quark, the top quark.  It was great discovering an elementary particle that does not last long enough to measure directly but weighs more than a gold atom.”
          Being the first tenured female professor of physics at Harvard, Franklin has overcome many obstacles.  In January, she was quoted in Newsweek and Time magazines on statements made by Harvard University President Lawrence Summers who suggested that women might not be as equipped for science study as men.
          “When they are sitting there constantly saying ‘Am I smart enough? Am I smart enough?’ it doesn’t really help when the president of the university says, ‘Maybe you’re not’.” Franklin said in the magazines.
         Franklin’s appearance on campus is part of the Jane M. G. Foster Distinguished Lecture Series.  For more information, call the SSU Department of Natural Sciences at (740) 351-3456.

             The Shawnee State University (SSU) Alumni Association, campus bookstore, Career Services, and the Office of the Registrar will be sponsoring a “Countdown to Commencement” program designed to make the process of graduation easier for students.
            “This is a one-stop opportunity for graduating seniors to make sure they have everything they need to graduate: a registrar audit, career services, cap and gown, announcements, class ring ordering, and address verification,” said Angela Henderson, assistant director of development and alumni affairs.
            The event is free and open to all SSU students who will graduate in June. Henderson said the program will make the period before graduation less hectic for students.
            “The time before commencement can be very stressful for our graduating students,” she said. “We hope this event will make things a little easier.”
            The event will be held on Tuesday, March 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the University Center. For more information on this program, contact Henderson at (740) 351-3364.

Southern Ohio Medical Center and University Outreach Services
          to Offer Continuing Education Program for Stroke Care

            Shawnee State University (SSU) and Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) are teaming up to offer a continuing education course on stroke care.  The course will be held on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Friends Community Center in Portsmouth.
            According to Sam Coppoletti, academic coordinator of clinical education and senior instructor for SSU’s physical therapist assistant program, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapists, registered nurses, certified occupational therapy assistants, and social workers would benefit from participating in the course.  He adds that the course is near capacity, and the remaining spaces will probably fill quickly. 
            Coppoletti encourages anyone who wants to take the course to sign up as soon as possible.
            “We are partnering again with SOMC and RehabCare group to offer our third in a series of annual CEU conferences. The common theme for all of our programs has been Geriatric rehabilitation. We are pleased to announce our Clinical Instructors of the Year again this year. We also provide a home style lunch to all participants. This is a nice time of reunion for many of our SSU PTA, OTR, and COTA graduates,” Coppoletti said.
            For more information on the program or to register, contact Ginnie Moore, director of University Outreach Services, at (740)351-3281.

Shawnee State University (SSU) will host an Open House for prospective students on Monday, February 21. 
            The event, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts (VRCFA), is designed to help prospective students formulate a plan for their college careers and help ease the transition from high school to college life.                    
              Brian Saul, SSU admission officer, has successfully handled the Open House program for several years.  Although the event is sponsored by the SSU Office of Admissions, Saul insists that it could not be accomplished without the support and involvement of various departments, offices, and facilities.
            “SSU has a lot to offer students, and this is an opportunity for us to put our best foot forward to better enable prospective students to make an informed decision on where to go to college,” he said.  “It is really nice to see how the entire campus can come together to help support this event and to show what SSU has to offer.”
            The program will offer a variety of events throughout the day, featuring various introductory sessions in the different academic departments on campus, including:  Arts and Sciences, Health Sciences, Teacher Education, Fine Arts, Undecided/Undeclared, Sports Studies, financial aid presentations, meetings regarding college athletics, campus and housing tours, and placement testing.
            “Open Houses are a great opportunity for prospective students to visit the campus, interact with faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students, and to really get a feel for what SSU is all about,” said Bob Trusz, SSU’s director of admissions.  “We expect to have approximately 150 prospective students in attendance from all over the state.  The day is aimed predominantly to encourage current high school students who will be entering college in the fall of 2005, but we encourage all to come and attend.  This is a great opportunity to explore SSU, to become familiar with our programs, and to meet SSU personnel.”
            The SSU Open House is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact the SSU Office of Admissions at (740) 351-4778 or (800) 959-2SSU.

            Beginning on Feb. 25, and ending on the 26, Shawnee State University’s (SSU) Campus Crusade for Christ members will forego eating for a total of 30 hours to raise money for charity.  They will be joined by community members from the Portsmouth area.
            According to Campus Crusade for Christ treasurer and SSU student Christina Cooper, the event, called “30 Hour Famine,” is designed to raise money and to demonstrate to participants what it would be like to go hungry, giving them an appreciation for being able to eat each day. 
            “The goal of the famine is not only to raise money to feed starving children, but it's also about suffering together and drawing closer to God,” she said.  Campus Crusade for Christ's goal is to unite our group and the community of Portsmouth in Christ,” Cooper said.
            Donations will be accepted and given to World Vision, a Christian-based charity that sends aid overseas to aid children in third-world countries.  According to Cooper, every dollar raised will feed a child for an entire day. 
            Donations may be sent to 1603 4^th Street, Portsmouth, OH 45662.  To participate in the “30 Hour Famine”, contact Cooper at cooperc2@shawnee.edu

             An informational meeting for area residents interested in a master of education in classroom teaching degree will be held at Shawnee State University (SSU) on February 16 at 6 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center (ATC), room 132.  The master’s program will be offered at SSU in cooperation with the University of Rio Grande.
            The meeting will explain all current and pending concentrations, including fine arts, intervention specialist, mathematics, athletic coaching, and educational technology.
            For more information, contact the University of Rio Grande at (800) 282-7201.  For more information on other graduate opportunities on the SSU campus, contact the SSU Graduate Center at (740) 351-3177.

            Shows at Shawnee State University’s (SSU) Clark Planetarium have been scheduled for the month of February on every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

            The title of this month’s show is “Destination Universe.”  According to Dr. Timothy Hamilton, Assistant Professor of Physics and Planetarium Director at SSU, the show has something for everyone; it is appropriate for both children and adults. 

            “The show is a vivid tour of space, with color computer animation and narration.  Each show will also include a traditional planetarium display of the night sky over Portsmouth, showing the stars as they really appear that night,” Hamilton said. 

            According to Hamilton, the shows this month are part of a series of public shows that began in December.  The schedules and selections change each month. 

            The cost for the show is $3 for adults and $2 for children under 12. Admission is paid at the door.  Hamilton adds that seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

            For more information, contact Hamilton at (740) 351-3145.

                    Roundtable Discussion Kicks off Black History Month

            Portsmouth residents Eugene Collins Sr. and Clemuel Womack will join Matt Matthews, Director of Multicultural Affairs at Shawnee State University (SSU) for a roundtable discussion on Thursday, February 10 to kick off Black History Month activities at the university.  

          The roundtable discussion will be from 4 to 6 p.m. in Massie Auditorium on the ground floor of Massie Hall. Matthews said it will be an open mike program moderated by George Gamble, He said there will be an exhibit of Civil War items by Dr. Larry Mangus, Vice President for Student Affairs at SSU. 

          “We just want to hang out and talk and see how it goes,” Matthews said. 

          He said the roundtable discussion was put together by some of the students as a way to go over black history and what it means to different people. 

          “What it means for today’s student, what it meant to us in our day and time and also what it’s going to mean in the future for them,” Matthews said. 

          Matthews said another event planned for the month will be on Thursday, February 24^th when the former executive editor of “The Source” magazine, Bakari Kitwana comes to campus. 

          “He’s an acknowledged expert on youth culture and activism and has been quoted in “The New York Times”, “The Washington Post”, “USA Today” and “The O’Reilly Factor,” Matthews said.

          Kitwana is the author of “The Hip-Hop Generation” and “The Rap on Gangsta Rap” and is the former Editorial Director of The Third World Press. His work has also appeared in “The Village Voice”, “The Progressive” and on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”. He frequently gives lectures on hip-hops evolution and activism in the hip-hop generation.

          “Bakari is a very dynamic young man and will give us a great enlightenment on the youth of today and we certainly can use some of that,” Matthews added. 

     Bakari Kitwana’s appearance will be Thursday, February 24 from noon to two in the Micklewaite Banquet Hall in the University Center at Shawnee State University. The event is free and open to the public. 

            For more information call (740) 351-3553           

SSU financial aid officials set to help students and parents
fill out financial aid forms at College Goal Sunday on Feb. 13

            Spring boarding off of Governor Taft’s official declaration of January as “Financial Aid Awareness” month in Ohio, Shawnee State University (SSU) will host “College Goal Sunday” on Feb. 13 from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. The free event will help students and parents complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in an effort to meet the increasing demand for college financial aid assistance.

            Claudia Wenzel, co-chair of the statewide College Goal Sunday event, said despite state budget cuts, millions of dollars slashed from the low-income Pell Grant program, and looming tuition increases, aid administrators are set to meet the disparity head-on.

            “The FAFSA is key to funding a college education and helping families overcome financial barriers that typically prevent students from attending,” she said.

            Families are encouraged to register for the free event at www.ohiocollegegoalsunday.org, due to the great demand for assistance in completing the eight-page FASFA.

            Mary Tomlin, associate director of financial aid at SSU, said this year an even larger group of students and parents are expected to attend.

            “We have seen our numbers nearly double at SSU over just the past three years and we are expecting an even larger turnout this year,” she said. “While walk-ins are welcome, registration is encouraged.”

            The SSU event will be held in the University Center on the SSU campus. For more information, visit the Ohio College Goal Sunday web site or call the SSU Office of Financial Aid at (740) 351-4243 or 351-3548.

The Shawnee State University (SSU) Women’s Forum, and other SSU faculty and staff members, gather in the SSU University Center on Friday afternoon to show their support for the American Heart Association's (AHA) “Go Red for Women” campaign. SSU offices/departments challenged one another to donate to the AHA and joined other organizations throughout the nation to raise awareness of heart disease in women. Employees made donations to AHA and wore red to show their support. They also purchased a “Red Dress” in honor or memory of a loved one who had/has heart disease.