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

• Students study in Taiwan as Lunghwa link grows

• Conference explores 'The Jewish Woman and Her Body'

• Survey examines ObamaÕs performance, Tea Party and more

• Event recognizes diversity at YSU and community

• Scholarship honors high school newspaper advisers

• Dana concert features Peiyang Chorus

• Business honorary society inducts YSU students

•  Robotics competition is this week on campus

Calendar
Monday, March 9 through Sunday, March 14. YSU Spring Break.

Monday and Tuesday, March 9 and 10. Speakers from throughout the world are featured as YSU's Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies hosts "The Jewish Woman and Her Body: An International Conference." See News Brief below.

Wednesday, March 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Twenty–four teams of students from 13 schools throughout northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania compete in the Northeast Ohio Robotics Education Program in Beeghly Center. See News Brief below.

Thursday, March 11, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The third annual Minority and Female Business Conference will be in Kilcawley Center. The day begins with informational sessions 8 a.m. to noon, followed by luncheon with Melinda Carter, deputy director and state Equal Employment Opportunity coordinator for the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, and closes with a Business Matchmaking session.

Friday, March 12, 3 p.m. YSU Board of Trustees meets in the Trustees Meeting Room on the first floor of Tod Hall.

Friday, March 12, 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 13, 1, 2:30 and 8 p.m. YSU's Ward Beecher Planetarium presents "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity." Free.

Students study in Taiwan as Lunghwa link grows

Living on your own, working on campus and meeting new friends all seem like typical experiences for a budding young college student, but what happens when you do it in say, Taiwan?

Two sophomore Youngstown State University students say they wouldn't have it any other way.

Bryan Cunningham and Jeffery Othman, both 2008 graduates of Canfield High School, spent last fall semester at Lunghwa University in Taipei, Taiwan, as part of YSU's ongoing and growing exchange program with the university. The two have returned to Taiwan and started their second full semester of study last week. This time, they are joined by three additional YSU students – Nathan Pavalko of Poland, Gary Davenport of Youngstown and Sarah Lowry of Hubbard.

"There's no better way to really learn a language or culture than to immerse yourself in it," Cunningham said.

YSU's partnership with Lunghwa dates to 2006, when the two universities signed a faculty and student exchange agreement. Since then YSU has hosted 21 students and four professors from Lunghwa. This semester is no exception, with Lunghwa student Kuan–Li Lee and Computer Sciences Professor Yeong–Ming Wang on campus.

On the other hand, YSU has sent three English professors to Lunghwa previously (Barbara Nykiel–Herbert, Linda Strom and Steven Brown), said Annette El–Hayek, assistant director of YSU Study Abroad and International Exchange.

"This past fall marked the first time in which we were able to send our students over there," she said.

The number of YSU students studying abroad has steadily increased over the past several years, El–Hayek said. Last fall, for instance, 16 students were studying in Taiwan, China, Japan, Belgium, Turkey, Cyprus, England, Germany, Spain and Costa Rica. That number increased to 24 for this spring semester, with students in England, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand, China, India and Chile.

One of the major factors that often deters students from international exchange opportunities is affordability. "We want students to know about this program, realize the value and just how possible it is to study abroad," said George McCloud, vice president for University Advancement. "There are a lot of ways students can do this. Cost is certainly not a barrier."

For more information on the program, visit the Center for International Studies and Programs at www.ysu.edu/cisp, or call 330–941–2336.

Conference explores 'The Jewish Woman and Her Body'
Speakers from throughout the world are featured as Youngstown State University's Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies hosts "The Jewish Woman and Her Body: An International Conference" March 7 to 9 on the YSU campus.

The conference is co–sponsored by the YSU Women's Studies Center as part of the Women's History Month celebration.

Sessions began Sunday, March 7 with a keynote address by Judith R. Baskin of the University of Oregon and a discussion titled "Beauty and the Grotesque," featuring Karen Grumberg of the University of Texas at Austin, Adriana Mariel Brodsky of St. Mary's College of Maryland, and Gail Labovitz of American Jewish University.

The conference continues Monday and Tuesday, March 8 and 9 in the Presidential Suites in Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. All sessions are free and open to the public.

Monday, March 8
9 to 10:45 a.m., Literary Explorations in the United States and Abroad

• Nevena Stojanovic, West Virginia University, "The Jewish Actress: Staging Power and Enacting Change in Louisa May Alcott's Behind a Mask.
• Nathan P. Devir, Middlebury College, "The Body of the Shekhinah: The Case of Chochana Boukhobza's Un ete a Jerusalem [A Summer in Jerusalem]"

• Scott Lerner, Franklin and Marshall College, "The Jewess in the French Liberal Tradition."

• Tahneer Oksman, City University of New York, "Between Hunger and Wings: Anzia Yezierska's 'Unleashed Voice'."

11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Religious Law and the Body

• Ronit Irshai, Bar Ilan University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, "Wasted Seed (Hashhatat Zera') and Fertility in Modern Halakhic Literature."
• Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary, "Weapons Upon Her Body: The Female Heroic in the Hebrew Bible."

• Orit Avishai, Niddah and Hetrosexual Desire.
• Agnes Veto, Vassar College, "Written On the Body: Salome, Sota and Gynecology as Truth–Testing."

2 to 3:30 p.m., The Jewish Woman as Mystic and Possessed

• Haim Weiss, Ben–Gurion University of the Negev, "I Saw a Dove Flying Over My Bed: Women in Rabbinic Dream Literature.

• Sharon Vance, Northern Kentucky University, "La Hermosa Sol."

• Agnieszka Legutko, Columbia University, "Acting the Woman's Body as a Mode of Resistance: A Gendered View on Spirit Possession in the 20th Century Jewish Literature."

3:45 to 5:30 p.m., Possessing the Body Text, Biography and Ethnography

• Nadja Berkovich, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, "An–sky Questions Women: Contrasting and Comparing Ethnography and Literature."

• Orian Zakai, University of Michigan, "Entering the Records: Bodies, History and Orientalism in Sara Azaryahoo's Autobiography."
  

• Beverly Bailis, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, "Anatomy of the New Jewish Woman: The Emergence of Female Sexuality in the Turn of the 19th Century Hebrew Novel."

• Talila Kosh, Kibbutzim College of Education, "Written on the Body: Memory Writing in the Holocaust Literature of the Second Generation in Israel."

Tuesday, March 9
8.45 a.m. to 10:15a.m., Contemporary Representations of the Torah Observant

• Yael Shenker, Sapir college and Haddasah College, "That made me a woman: On body and gender representations in Israeli''s religious–community filmmaking."

• Hannah Hashkes, "Poetics of Exposure in Literature of National Religious Women."

• Marc Michael Epstein, Vassar College, "''I will hide my face'': The body of Esther and the bodies of others in contemporary Hassidic visual culture."

10:30 a.m. to 12:15p.m., Deviants, Exceptional Cases and Establishing the Norm

• Jennifer Heilbronner Munoz, Harvard University, "Domestic Violence and Religious Observance: The Case of the Conversas."

• Ronit Fischer, Western Galilee College, "Sharing one Fate: The Racial laws in Germany and Romania through the fates of two Jewish women's Mixed Marriages."

• Barak Levy Shilat, London School of Economics, " 'Nice Jewish Girls Don't Do That': The Housewives' Campaign for Soviet Jewry."

• Allan Amanik, New York University, "Body Politics: American Jewish Burial Practice and the Role of the Female Deceased."
  
  

Survey examines Obama, Tea Party and more

The Center for Working Class Studies at Youngstown State University is fielding its third in a series of online public opinion surveys.

The poll entitled "Where are we today?" will measure respondents' attitudes regarding a number of topics, including President Obama's performance in office, the Tea Party movement, economic conditions, and this year's upcoming elections.

The two previous surveys conducted by the CWCS measured opinions about the Obama administration's first 100 days and health care reform.

John Russo, CWCS co–director, said he is eager to compare the results of the current poll to those derived from the first 100 days instrument. "Clearly much has changed since March of 2009 when enthusiasm and optimism were the watchwords in the wake of Mr. Obama's election," he said. "It will be interesting to learn how people feel about important issues like the economy, health care, the stimulus package, and banking regulation at a time when unemployment remains high and dissatisfaction with government is growing."

The survey is accessible through the CWCS website, http://cwcs.ysu.edu/survey until Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Results and analysis of the data collected will be available seven to 10 days later.

For more information, contact Russo at 330–941–2976, jbrusso@ysu.edu or visit the CWCS website www.cwcs.ysu.edu.

Event recognizes diversity at YSU and community
Justice Maureen O'Connor of the Supreme Court of Ohio will be the guest speaker at Youngstown State University's third Annual Diversity Leadership Recognition Celebration on Thursday, March 25 at Mr. Anthony's, 7440 South Ave. in Boardman.

Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $35 per person, with tables of eight for $280.

The purpose of the event is to acknowledge, celebrate and embrace diversity at YSU and in the community. This year's honorees are:

Campus Leadership
Michael Beverly
Dr. Paul Carr
Dr. Sherry Linkon

Leader of Tomorrow
Bryan Chaidez
Ra'Shawd Davis
Jennifer Edwards
Mason Shattuck

Community Leadership
Atty. Bonnie Deutsch Burdman
Clifford Johnson (posthumously)
Rev. Kenneth Simon

For more information, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity at 330–941–3370. Reservations for the banquet may be made by contacting the Office of Alumni and Events Management at 330–941–3497. Proceeds from the event will fund student scholarships through an endowment that has been established with the YSU Foundation.

Scholarship honors high school newspaper advisers
The $500 Dolores P. Sullivan/Pat Shively journalism scholarship will be awarded as part of Press Day on May 10 on the campus of Youngstown State University.

The scholarship for a student who will study journalism at YSU is named after two of the Mahoning Valley's most influential high school newspaper advisers. Sullivan, long–time adviser to the Boardman High School Bugle, and Shively, former adviser of the Mineral Ridge Rampage, worked hard to instill in their students an understanding of the importance of the First Amendment in society and the unique role that high school journalists can play.

Shively, who will present the award to this year's winner, said it is thrilling to see so many students from the Mahoning Valley display such strong interest in and talent for journalism.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must attend Press Day at YSU, be nominated by their advisers and plan to major in journalism at YSU.

YSU's College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is funding the scholarship. "Journalism is growing in size, resources, and value at YSU, and the college is pleased to contribute to this valuable scholarship, making possible the study of a recipient of exceptional caliber," CLASS Dean Shearle Furnish said.

For more information, visit the Press Day website, www.ysu.edu/journalism, or contact Alyssa Lenhoff at 330–402–1207, or ajlenhoff@ysu.edu.

Dana concert features Peiyang Chorus

The Peiyang Chorus of Tianjin University in China, a world–class chorus that has toured the globe, and the Dana choral ensembles are featured in the Dana Spring Choral Concert at 8 p.m. Friday, March 19, in St. Columba Cathedral,159 W. Rayen Ave. in Youngstown.

The concert is in celebration of the 140th anniversary of the Dana School of Music.

The Peiyang Chorus, one of the best college choirs in China, has been honored as a world–class chorus by the International Federation for Choral Music. The chorus has toured more 30 countries and regions and served as a demonstration choir at the choral conductor seminars organized by the IFCM and China Chorus Association. It has also published seven volumes of choral music and recorded nine albums. In recent years, Peiyang Chorus has exchanged performances with more than 30 world–renowned choruses.

At the concert, the Dana choral ensembles will present music written by Morten Lauridsen. The Peiyang Chorus will present all Chinese music written by contemporary Chinese composers. At the conclusion of the program, the choirs will join for Praise His Holy Name, a gospel song by Keith Hampton.

Admission is free, but an offering will be taken to help defray the costs associated with the Peiyang Chorus' tour. For more information, contact the Dana School of Music at 330–941–3636.

Business honorary society inducts YSU students
The Youngstown State University Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, hosted by the Williamson College of Business Administration, recently installed 48 business students during induction ceremonies in the DeBartolo Stadium Club in Stambaugh Stadium.

Beta Gamma Sigma is the world's premier business honorary reserved exclusively for AACSB–accredited institutions. While nearly 300,000 students receive bachelors or master''s degrees in business each year, only about 20,000 are inducted into a lifetime membership in Beta Gamma Sigma. To be eligible for membership, students must be registered in business administration programs and be candidates for a baccalaureate or MBA degree. Students must rank in the top 10 percent of the junior class, the top 10 percent of the senior class or the top 20 percent of the master''s program.

YSU students installed include: Lori Stewart of Austintown; Cody Dearth of Bellevue, Nicholas Fournier, Kristen Mihalko, Rodney Neill, and Breanne Romeo of Boardman; Ryan Sklenicka of Brunswick; James Anderson, Gregory Brott, Lauren LeGoullon, Nicholas Meditz, and Adam Remias of Canfield; Kelcie Witmer of Columbiana; Chelsea Munroe of Cortland; Christina Niemeyer of Findlay; Richard Trimbur of Girard; Susan Beiling of Leetonia; Carmela Ballone and Mario Nero of Lowellville; Omar Alhadi of Masury; David Dugan and Jennifer Zura of McDonald; Stephen Horne, Scott Ruark, and Frank Ruminski of New Middletown; Todd Francis of North Lima; Steven Hoffmaster and Jessica Wittenauer of Poland; Danielle Long and Christina Perry of Struthers; Omar Alhadi of Masury; Rebecca Campbell, Sara Hosni, Nikki Makridis, and Annette Moy of Warren; Anthony Allen, Kristen Bennett, Stephen Bevan, Amanda Fraser, Mohamme Kamal, Chauncey Hilson, Matthew Hirschl, Shari Montgomery, Amy Perdulla, Megan Vendemia, and Jonathan Wagner of Youngstown. Students from Pennsylvania include Michael Turner of Baden; Alana Kane of Greensburg and William Baker of New Castle.

The YSU chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma was recognized as a Premier Chapter for its superior level of membership acceptance. With Premier Chapter status, the YSU BGS chapter awarded a $1,000 Beta Gamma Sigma scholarship to Scott Wilms of Columbiana in the 2009–2010 academic year. Bill Vendemia of Youngstown is the president and advisor and Tony Kos of Transfer, Pa. is secretary/treasurer. Karen Cooper of Canfield, a senior, holds the office of vice president. 

Robotics competition is this week on campus

Twenty–four teams of students from 13 schools throughout northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania will compete in the Northeast Ohio Robotics Education Program robotics competition 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 10 in Beeghly Center on the campus of Youngstown State University.

This year marks the first time that the middle school and high school divisions will compete on the same day. 

In honor of a planning committee member and former middle school robotics coach who recently passed away, the middle school program will be named the Richard T. Rupe Middle School Competition. Rupe was a retired science and technology middle school teacher and former College Tech Prep engineering teacher in Youngstown City Schools.

The event is free and open to the public.

Participating schools include Canfield High School, Howland High School, Lakeland Tech Prep in Kirtland, Ohio, Lakeshore Compact of Kirtland, Ohio, Mahoning County Career & Technical Center, Canfield, Mentor High School, Mercer County (Pa.) Career Center, Six District Compact Engineering Academy at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, and Trumbull Career and Technical Center. Participating middle schools are Boardman Center Middle School, Niles Middle School, Poland Middle School, and Rayen Early College Middle School.

For more information, contact Arlene Floyd, director, Associate Degree and Tech Prep
Programs, YSU, at 330–941–2333 or afloyd@ysu.edu.

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