Below are a variety of items about upcoming events and other news notes on the campus of Youngstown State University:

• YSU awarded grant from Latino Affairs Commission
• Website aims to helps journalists on working–class issues
• YSU SBDC sponsors workshops for entrepreneurs
  

Calendar
Friday, Aug. 8, 10 a.m. Ohio Latino Affairs Commission presents $10,000 grant to YSU in the Ohio Room of Kilcawley Center on campus. See News Brief below.

YSU awarded grant from Latino Affairs Commission
The Ohio Latino Affairs Commission has awarded $10,000 to Youngstown State University to establish a program that offers opportunities for Hispanics to succeed in higher education and in their future careers.

The award will be presented to Graciela Perera, YSU assistant professor of Computer Science and Information Systems, at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8 in the Ohio Room of Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus.

Expected to attend the event are State Sen. John Boccieri; State Reps. Ron Gerberry and Robert Hagan; Lilleana Calderon Cavanaugh, program director of the Latino Community Network Program; and Ezra C. Escudero, director of the Office of Ohio Latino Affairs.

The grant will be used to establish the “B2B Program: A Bridge to Building Capacity for Hispanics in Computer Science” at YSU. Perera said the program will provide the foundations of an educational path for Hispanics.

Perera earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of South Florida in August 2007. She has recently published a book on “New Search Paradigms and Power Management for Peer–to–Peer File Sharing,” published by VDM Verlag. Her research interest is the design and performance evaluation of distributed search methods.

The grant is one of eight awarded by the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission designed to build the capacity of community organizations to better assist Hispanic Ohioans, especially in the areas of education and integration of American norms and customs.

The Ohio Latino Affairs Commission is a state agency that advises policymakers and elected officials on issues affecting Hispanic Ohioans, connects the diverse Latino communities across the state and builds the capacity of community organizations so they may better serve the fast growing Latino population of Ohio.

Website aims to help journalists on working class issues

Center for Working–Class Studies at Youngstown State University has created a new resource for journalists and others interested in working–class politics and issues.

The new website, Working–Class Perspectives (http://workingclassstudies.wordpress.com/), will include a blog, links to recent news stories and information on how Center affiliates can help journalists contact real people to get the story right, said Sherry Linkon, co–director of the CWCS. 

“With all of the attention focused on the working class in this year’s election, and the complex nature of working–class culture, we knew it was time to join the discussion,” Linkon said.

John Russo, the other co–director of the CWCS, said the Center’s affiliates have been monitoring how the media has been covering the working class. “So much of the coverage of working class reduces these people to little more than a simple phrase. We believe we can help journalists by sharing our insights and by helping reporters find real people to talk to,” Russo said.

The blog, “Working–Class Perspectives,” will feature weekly commentaries about politics, the economy, the media, education and other issues.

The inaugural entry of Working–Class Perspectives finally offers a clear definition of who are the working class today, Linkon said. “It''s not just blue–collar workers,” she said.

Russo said the Center has been engaged in research about working–class voters, labor issues, economic change and a variety of other topics for more than 10 years. “We want to share this expertise,” he said.

The Center for Working–Class Studies at YSU was the first interdisciplinary academic center in the country devoted to understanding and making visible working–class culture. Its 13 faculty affiliates teach, conduct research, and work with community organizations on a wide variety of topics.

YSU SBDC sponsors workshops for entrepreneurs
The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Youngstown State University is sponsoring a series of workshops in September for entrepreneurs in existing and start–up businesses.

The workshops will be at the YSU Metro College at Southwood Commons in Boardman. The schedule:

Tuesday, Sept. 9, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., “Developing a Business Plan for Entrepreneurs.”

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., “Financial Management for Entrepreneurs.”

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., “Human Resources and the Law for Entrepreneurs.”

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., “Marketing and Selling Skills for Entrepreneurs.”

The cost is $25 for each workshop or $80 for all four. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 330–941–2140 or e–mailing rsulik@ysu.edu. Payment should be made in advance by check or money order and mailed to Ohio Small Business Development Center at YSU, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555. Registration for each workshop begins at 8 a.m.