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

Calendar
Monday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m. “Africanist Value–Centered Education in the Global Village,” a lecture by Yvonne Brown, will be held in the Gallery of Kilcawley Center. Brown is a Canadian educator who has sponsored international service–learning projects in Africa and Canada. The lecture is part of YSU’s African–American History Month.

Tuesday, Feb. 24. The YSU Board of Trustees meets in the Presidential Suites of Kilcawley Center on the following schedule: 8 a.m., Internal Affairs Committee; 9 a.m., Academic and Student Affairs Committee; 10 a.m., External Relations Committee.

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. A dinner and panel discussion entitled “Women Entrepreneurs: Increase Your Possibilities in Today’s World” will be held at the DeBartolo Stadium Club in Stambaugh Stadium as part of National Entrepreneurship Week at YSU. See News Brief below.

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 12:15 p.m. YSU Choral Ensembles perform a free Music at Noon concert in the Butler Institute of American Art.

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. YSU Concert Band and Symphonic Band perform in the Ford Family Recital Hall at the DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown Youngstown.

Thursday, Feb. 26. The YSU Board of Trustees meets in the Presidential Suites of Kilcawley Center on the following schedule: 8 a.m., Investment Subcommittee; 9 a.m., Audit Subcommittee; 10 a.m., Finance and Facilities Committee.

Thursday, Feb. 26, 9:30 a.m. Jennifer Wexler and Kelly Bucci, founders of ERIS Medical Technologies, will discuss their experiences as entrepreneurs in the health care billing software business in the Gallery Room of Kilcawley Center. The discussion is part of National Entrepreneurship Week at YSU. See News Brief below.

Thursday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m. Cornel West, one of the nation’s most provocative public intellectuals, speak in Stambaugh Auditorium as part of YSU’s Skeggs Lecture Series. All 2,000 tickets for the lecture have been distributed. For more information, call 330–941–3497.

Friday, Feb. 27, 8 a.m. to noon. The Ohio Small Business Development Center hosts “JUST THE FACTS:ﾠ Financing & Resources for Existing Businesses” in Room 228 at the YSU Metro Campus at the Southwoods Commons in Boardman. The seminar is part of National Entrepreneurship Week at YSU. See News Brief below.

Friday, Feb. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teachers, principals, counselors, school psychologists, graduate students, education pre–service candidates, university faculty and parents will attend the second annual Northeast Ohio OISM Conference in the Presidential Suites of

Kilcawley Center. See News Brief below.

Friday, Feb. 27, 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The YSU Student Chapter of the American Marketing Association hosts the 6th Annual Professional Networking and Etiquette Luncheon in the Ohio Room of Kilcawley Center.ﾠ

Friday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. YSU’s men’s tennis team takes on Dayton at the Boardman Tennis Center. The team also plays Cleveland State 9 a.m. Sunday, March 1, also at Boardman Tennis Center.

Friday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. YSU’s 3rd Annual Wind and Percussion Invitational in Powers Auditorium at the DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown Youngstown.

Saturday, Feb. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Educators learn about ways to use MP3 players, GPS technology and LEGO Robotics in the classroom as part of the 2009 Teaching & Learning Conference at YSU. The free conference is sponsored by YSU’s Office of Associate Degree and Tech Prep Programs, in partnership with the Northeast Ohio Center of Excellence.

Counseling students place in national ethics contest
Youngstown State University counseling program graduate students Kyle Wagner of Youngstown, Emily Myers of New Middleton and Meredith Edgar–Bailey of Youngstown placed second in the American Counseling Association Student Ethics Competition.

In all, 29 teams signed up to compete and 25 essays were submitted in the national contest.

Myers and Edgar–Bailey are in the community counseling track in the counseling program at YSU. Wagner graduated from the program in December. The community counseling track gives students and graduates the opportunity to be licensed as a professional counselor. After completing the curriculum, graduates can work in community mental health centers. Wagner is working as a counselor at St. Joseph’s New Start Treatment Center in Warren. Myers is working as an intern at Belmont Pines in Youngstown.

Wagner, Myers and Edgar–Bailey will be recognized at the annual ACA conference in Charlotte in March and their essay will be published on the ACA Web site.

Events planned for National Entrepreneurship Week
The Williamson College of Business Administration at Youngstown State University celebrates National Entrepreneurship Week this week with three events for students, faculty and the business community.

• Tuesday, Feb. 24, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., a dinner and panel discussion entitled “Women Entrepreneurs: Increase Your Possibilities in Today’s World” will be held at the DeBartolo Stadium Club in Stambaugh Stadium. Panelists include Denise Powell, president of James & Weaver Office Environments; Pat Butto, owner of The Party People; and Laura Scott, owner of Cassidy Advertising & Consulting, LLC. The fee is $10. This event is sponsored by the WCBA, the Emerging Markets Initiative, the Partners for Workplace Diversity, and the Youngstown Business and Professional Women. To register, call 330–941–3064.
• Thursday, Feb. 26, 9:30 a.m. in the Gallery Room of Kilcawley Center, Jennifer Wexler and Kelly Bucci, founders of ERIS Medical Technologies, will discuss their experiences as entrepreneurs in the health care billing software business. ERIS Medical Technologies is a recipient of the GLIDE/Innovation Fund Grant and a partner company of the Youngstown Incubator. Bill Oliver and Patricia Veisz from the Ohio Small Business Development Center at YSU will also be at this session to provide assistance and answer questions about resources available to start–ups. This session is free and sponsored by the Monus Entrepreneurship Center.
• Friday, Feb. 27, 8 a.m. to noon, the Ohio Small Business Development Center will host “JUST THE FACTS: Financing & Resources for Existing Businesses” in Room 228 at the YSU Metro Campus at the Southwoods Commons in Boardman. Entrepreneurs will learn about financing options, how banks lend and what resources are available to assist existing businesses. The session is free. Seating is limited. Reservations are required at 330–941–2140 or by email at rsulik@ysu.edu. 

Teachers, counselors, others attend OISM conference
Teachers, principals, counselors, school psychologists, graduate students, education pre–service candidates, university faculty and parents will attend the second annual Northeast Ohio OISM Conference 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, in the Presidential Suites of Kilcawley Center on the Youngstown State University campus.

The purpose of the consortium is to gather information and provide professional development for regional K–12 school personnel, university faculty and graduate students. The conference will include presentations and panelists sharing their knowledge, experiences and resources in implementing academic and behavioral interventions to improve student achievement.

Among the topics to be discussed: Culturally Responsive Practices to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners; Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions; Building Pyramids of Intervention Using the 3–Tier Model; Administrative Leadership; Evidence–based Decision Making; and Collaboration and Strategic Panning.

For more information, contact Sylvia J. Imler, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Special Education in YSU’s Beeghly College of Education, 330–941–3263.

YSU shoots for top five in this year’s RecycleMania

Youngstown State University is again participating in RecycleMania, a nationwide contest that pits colleges and universities to see which can reduce, reuse and recycle the most campus waste.

The contest started Jan. 18 and runs through March 28. YSU and 510 other schools across the nation are competing in various categories measuring the success of their recycling and waste prevention efforts.

Last year, YSU placed 10th in the competition. The university placed 18^th in 2007.

“My goal this year is to put YSU in the top five of the Grand Champion competition,” said Dan Kuzma, manager of the YSU recycling program.

Kuzma encouraged faculty, staff and students to use the many bins located across campus to recycle all paper, publications and beverage containers. During the competition, staff in the YSU Recycling program will try to catch people “Green–handed” and reward them with a gift for doing their part to conserve natural resources, prevent pollution and save energy.

RecycleMania awards its Grand Champion based on who recycles the greatest overall percentage of their solid waste. Additional recognition is given to schools that collect the most paper, beverage containers, cardboard and food waste for recycling, as well as the school that collects the greatest overall amount of recyclables. Each week, the standings are posted online.

For more information, visit www.ysu.edu/recycle, call 330–941–2294 or e–mail djkuzma@ysu.edu.

To view past results or see updated 2009 weekly rankings, visit http://recyclemaniacs.org/results.asp. For more information on RecycleMania, visit www.recyclemaniacs.org. 

Rec Center hosts kayak clinics in March, April

Youngstown State University’s Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center is hosting the American Canoe Association’s “Quick Start Your Kayak” clinics in March and April.

The clinics, which are open to the public, will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays March 1 and 22, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays April 5 and 26, in the Beeghly Center Natatorium pool on the YSU campus.

The cost is $10 and includes a paddle and kayak, or participants may bring their own.

The clinic is a brief introduction into the world of kayaking. Participants are presented basic information on dressing to paddle safely, potential hazards and simple self–rescue techniques. A paddle skill set is presented and practiced, allowing participants to safely and comfortably maneuver on still water.

Pre–registration is required at the Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center. Visit www.ysu.edu/reccenter. View video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJyH6Qf2YeI.

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