• The 'other rock' marks 50^th year on campus
• YSU hosts seminar on 2010 U.S. Census
• Etruscan offers course on Literary Publishing
• College of Business banquet set for Oct. 30
• WYSU donations help Second Harvest Food Bank
• Head of Armenian Forests visits YSU on Friday
• Executive MBA students from Brazil visit campus
• LGBTQ 'Safe Zone' training set for Oct. 22
• Pianist, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble perform

Calendar

Monday, Oct. 12, 8 p.m. Composer pianist Carter Pann is the featured artist with the YSU Concert Band and Wind Ensemble in Edward G. Powers Auditorium, DeYor Performing Arts Center, in downtown Youngstown. See News Brief.

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 12:15 p.m. The YSU Percussion Ensemble performs a free Music at Noon concert in the Butler Institute of American Art.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. YSU kicks–off the 2009 United Way campaign in the reception area of Tod Hall. All faculty and staff are invited for a free lunch, auction, a chance to win a flat–screen TV and to learn about the United Way and its programs.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m. A Healthcare Economic Forum, featuring panelists from YSU and NEOUCOM, will be held in the Presidential Suites in Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. The forum will address the importance, impact and mechanics of the healthcare industry and its effect on the well–being of the U.S. economy. For more information, call 330–941–3428 or 330–207–5116.

Friday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nearly 20 speakers from across the world participate in the 2nd Annual Distance Education Conference in McKay Auditorium in Beeghly Hall on the YSU campus. The theme of the conference is ￒWeb 2.0 – The Green Solution: How New Technology is Changing Distance Education.ￓ The conference is free and open to the public; registration is required. For more information, visit http://www.ysu.edu/distancelearning/index_conf.htm.

Friday, Oct. 16, noon. Nazeli Vardanyan, director of Armenian Forests NGO in Yerevan, Armenia, will make a presentation in the Bresnahan Rooms in Kilcawley Center. See News Brief.

Friday, Oct. 16, 4 p.m. The YSU soccer team takes on Valparaiso in Stambaugh Stadium. The team also plays 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 in Stambaugh Stadium against Butler.

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17. ￒBad Astronomy,ￓ a show that examines popular myths and misconceptions of the cosmos, is presented at the Ward Beecher Planetarium at 8 p.m. Friday and 1, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Free. Visit http://www.cc.ysu.edu/physics–astro/planet.htm.

Sunday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m. The YSU Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studiesￕ 2009 Youngstown Area Jewish Film Festival kicks off at USA Cinema in the Great East Plaza in Niles with the showing of Yoo–Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. The festival runs through Oct. 28. For film schedule, visit http://cfweb.cc.ysu.edu/marketcomm/view.cfm?articleID=2114.

The 'other rock' marks 50th year on campus

Just about everyone on Youngstown State University's campus knows about the painted rock that famously – or infamously, depending on your point of view – rests next to Kilcawley Center.

But, in the world of rocks at YSU, there is actually another that came first.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the University Marker — a 10–ton granite boulder that sits in front of Jones Hall on the corner of Lincoln and Wick avenues. The boulder was given to what was then Youngstown College by the class of 1949, which received it as a gift from Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. The class paid $500 to transport and place the boulder and to purchase and install a bronze marker tablet.

"It was a big thing because we never before had a marker of any kind on campus," said Harry Meshel, who was president of student council and vice president of the class of 1949.

Before the boulder's placement, the small campus core was not exactly a bragging point, "and everything just looked very bland," said Meshel, who went on to a successful political career, including state senator and head of the Ohio Democratic Party. He is now a member of the YSU Board of Trustees.

Brian Brennan, certified archivist at Maag Library, said the rock played a big role in creating an identity for the college. "It was the first thing you would see driving up Wick to the college," Brennan said. "When you spotted it, you knew you'd arrived."

At the time, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co., along with many other Youngstown businesses, played a huge role in shaping the college, Brennan said. With the boulder came a visible connection between the Youngstown community and the university, and the students recognized that important connection.

"No one would dare vandalize this rock," Brennan stressed, smiling.

"Everyone has respected that rock for obvious reasons," Meshel added. "The name and the history of the college are displayed on that rock. Students know the difference."

The boulder bears two new inscriptions. It was originally dedicated as: "Youngstown College—1908. Presented by the class of 1949." Over the years, the plaque has been changed to follow the name changes of the college to Youngstown University in 1955 and, finally, to Youngstown State University in 1967. The new names appear above the older titles on the plaque.

Even today, half a century later, the boulder still remains a steady marker for the university and a valued symbol of tradition and welcome.

"Some of us viewed it as an ideal monument because it showed the strength of the college and how it was growing," Meshel said. "It was our mark. We planted a stone."

YSU hosts seminar on 2010 U.S. Census
The Youngstown State University Center for Urban and Regional Studies is hosting a seminar titled "U.S. Census 101" from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Oct. 22 in the Ohio Room of Kilcawley Center on campus.

The seminar is free and open to the public and is geared toward educating community leaders and the public about the U.S. Census and how it will impact the Mahoning Valley. The 2010 U.S. Census will determine the amount of funding the area will receive from the federal government for various programs.

The keynote speaker is Barry Bennett, population programs coordinator for the Ohio Department of Development. Richelle Taylor of the U.S. Census will also speak. The seminar will feature a panel discussion on how census data is used, followed by a question–and–answer session.

The event is sponsored by the YSU Center for Urban and Regional Studies, the city of Youngstown, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, the U.S. Census and the Ohio Department of Development.

For more information, contact Jacqueline Taylor, research economist, Center for Urban and Regional Studies, at 330–941–1462.

Etruscan offers course on Literary Publishing
Etruscan Press is offering a two–day course in Literary Publishing, featuring Dana Gioia, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The course will be Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31 in Kilcawley Center on the campus of Youngstown State University.

The one–credit course, sponsored by the Northeast Ohio MFA, the YSU Poetry Center and YSU Metro College, will present an overview of the world of literary publishing and cover subjects such as large and small presses, prestigious lit mags, racy lit rags, blogs, twitter, editorial policies, design issues, book distribution, grant–writing, book marketing and selling manuscripts.

The course will offer the opportunity to see a literary press in operation, working in–house at YSU with Etruscan Press, a non–profit cooperative of poets and writers working to produce and promote books that nurture the dialogue among genres, achieve a distinctive voice, and reshape the literary and cultural histories of which we are a part.

The course is open to NEOMFA and YSU graduate, undergraduate and Metro College students, as well as community members who may take a non–credit option. It is aimed at anyone interested in publishing—whether students want to start their own press, find work in the publishing industry, or learn how to market and support their own manuscript.

The course will be conducted by Philip Brady, YSU professor of English and executive editor of Etruscan Press, with lectures by a number of professionals in the field, including Nin Andrews, Dan Bourne, Chris Barzak, Robert Carioscia, Jean Casella and Jim Warner.

Gioia will deliver a keynote address and give a reading of his work, both of which are open to the public. Gioia has published three collections of poetry. Interrogations at Noon won the 2002 American Book Award. His 1991 volume, Can Poetry Matter, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and is credited with helping to revive the role of poetry in American culture.

For more information, contact Brady at 330–941–1952 or psbrady@gmail.com.

College of Business banquet set for Oct. 30
Youngstown State University's Williamson College of Business Administration will honor outstanding graduates at the 14th Annual WCBA Alumni Banquet 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center on campus.

At the banquet, the 2009 WCBA Outstanding Alumnus Awards will be presented. A full news release, including names and background materials of the award recipients, will be distributed later this week.

To make reservations for the banquet or for additional information, contact Christine Shelton, WCBA coordinator of external relations, at 330–941–3068 or cgshelton@ysu.edu.

WYSU donations help Second Harvest Food Bank
The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and WYSU 88.5 FM have joined forces to help provide food to those in need in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley has agreed to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank two dollars for every pledge of support WYSU–FM receives during its upcoming fall fund drive.

The two–dollar–per–pledge donation means that Second Harvest Food Bank will distribute $30 worth of food for every pledge of support made to WYSU–FM this fall.

WYSU–FM's 40th Anniversary Fall Fund Drive will be Oct. 16 through 23.

For information about the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, contact Julie Scarsella at 330–743–5555. For Information about the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley, contact Rebecca Martinez at 330–792–5522 Ext. 14. For information about WYSU–FM, contact Ed Goist at 330–941–3364.

Head of Armenian Forests visits YSU on Friday 
Nazeli Vardanyan, director of Armenian Forests NGO in Yerevan, Armenia, will make a presentation at noon Friday, Oct. 16 in the Bresnahan Rooms in Kilcawley Center.

Vardanyan's presentation, sponsored by the YSU Department of Biological Sciences, is titled "The Armenian Environmental Situation: Problems and Ways to Solution."

Armenian Forests is a governmental organization whose main activities are forestation, reforestation and forest protection in Armenia. Vardanyan supervises projects in 1,829 acres of reforestation and has been coordinator of a working group drafting a forest code detailing policies for forest management. She is also president of GOY, an environmental/legal NGO that engages in environmental education, environmental rights protection, lobbying, public participation in decision–making, and access to justice in environmental issues.

Vardanyan is a licensed attorney in the Republic of Armenia and a member of the Chamber of Advocates, as well as the International Bar Association. She has testified at numerous international conferences and helped draft several international conventions, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2001 Aarhus Convention on justice in environmental issues. She lectures at the Russian–Armenian University in the capital Yerevan. She also is coordinator of the Human Rights and Sustainable Development Working Group of the Northern Alliance for Sustainable Development.

Executive MBA students from Brazil visit campus
Youngstown State Universityￕs Williamson College of Business Administration welcomes MBA students and faculty from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, for their 10th annual business study tour.

The USP group arrived in the Youngstown area Sunday, Oct. 11 and will be here through Saturday, Oct. 17, attending lectures and business tours. The students, who are retail executives, will be touring local retail establishments such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Grove City Outlet Center, Southern Park Mall, WalMart Distribution Center, Samￕs Club, and IKEA in Pittsburgh.

Seminars about business–to–business marketing, emerging trends in marketing communication, tools for strategic decision–making, and business perspectives internationally as well as in the United States will be presented by YSU faculty and representatives from the Regional Chamber during the Brazilian's visit to the YSU campus.

"We are very excited about our partnership with the University of Sao Paulo and are looking forward to other joint ventures," said Betty Jo Licata, WCBA dean.

MBA students of USP will be on the YSU campus throughout the week and are available for interviews. This initiative is part of YSU's Center of Excellence in International Business, which partners with universities from other countries to enrich the global education of our students.

LGBTQ 'Safe Zone' training set for Oct. 22
Youngstown State University faculty, staff and students are invited to attend Safe Zone training 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct 22 in the McKay Auditorium in the Beeghly College of Education.

The Safe Zone project is an ongoing effort by YSUnity to make the YSU campus a safer place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Persons signing the Ally Pledge upon completing a Safe Zone training session will be given a small sign to display in their workspace. The Safe Zone message on a door or window indicates the person inside has volunteered for the training and can be expected to have a level of awareness that might make conversation more comfortable.

Participants should complete a registration form by Oct. 16. The registration form can be accessed on the YSUnity website at http://www.ysu.edu/stu_org/ysunity/.

Pianist, YSU Concert Band, Wind Ensemble perform
Composer and pianist Carter Pann, professor of composition at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will be the featured artist and will perform with the Youngstown State University Concert Band and Wind Ensemble 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12 in Edward G. Powers Auditorium, DeYor Performing Arts Center, in downtown Youngstown.

In the last 15 years Pann's music has been performed around the world by such ensembles and soloists as the London Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Berlin–Stockholm–Finnish Radio Symphonies, Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, National Symphony of Ireland, New York Youth Symphony, Richard Stoltzman, the Ying Quartet, pianists Barry Snyder and Winston Choi, and the Antares ensemble, among others. Honors include the K. Serocki Competition for his First Piano Concerto, the Charles Ives Scholarship from the Academy of Arts and Letters, and five ASCAP composer awards. His Piano Concerto was nominated for a Grammy Award as ￒBest Classical Composition of the Yearￓ in 2001. 

Admission is $5. The cost for senior citizens and non–YSU students is $4. Admission is free for anyone with a valid YSU ID. Call the Youngstown Symphony Center Box Office at 330–744–0264 for tickets.

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