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As part of its Spring Awards Ceremony April 13, St. Bonaventure University will recognize 52 employees who marked employment anniversaries this year and one employee who is retiring.

For the second year, this special program will incorporate three previously separate ceremonies — The Fr. Joe Doino, O.F.M., Honors and Awards, the Employee Recognition Ceremony, and Faculty Awards — into one celebration. The ceremony begins at 4 p.m. in The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

During the Employee Recognition Ceremony, individuals with 10 years of service and up will be recognized, with those reaching 25 years of service and retirees receiving special recognition.

Those who will be recognized for 25 years of service are: Robert Amico (Philosophy), Kathleen Boser (Journalism/Mass Communication), Carol Fischer (Accounting), Michael Fischer (Academic Affairs), Lyn Kazanjian (Admissions), Ann (Belvees) Kightlinger (Business Office), Francis “Chris” Leary (Mathematics), Margaret Mazon (Modern Languages), Judith Smith (University Relations), Larry Sudbrook (Baseball), and Larry Wier (Chemistry).

Dr. Robert P. Amico is a professor of philosophy in the School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Philosophy. Amico has chaired St. Bonaventure’s Diversity Action Committee and the Council on Discrimination and Harassment since their inception in 2000. Prior to 2000, Amico chaired the AIDS Task Force and the Sexual Harassment Committee and served as the director of the AIDS Peer Education Program at SBU. In 2002, he founded the Five-College Faculty and Staff Summer Seminar in Curriculum and Program Transformation, and has since served as its director.

He also facilitates multicultural workshops for all student teachers in the School of Education. Amico teaches a wide range of courses in philosophy, from epistemology and metaphysics to philosophy of economics and theories of social and economic justice. He also teaches Worldviews (Oppression & Privilege) and The Good Life in Clare College. Amico has written a book, “The Problem of the Criterion,” which won the Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award in 1996. He has published papers in various philosophical journals and has recently begun publishing papers in the area of race, privilege and multicultural education.

Amico earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Rochester. Prior to his academic career, Amico was a restaurant chef in Beverly Hills, Calif. Amico and his partner, Bonnie, live in Alfred, N.Y., and have two daughters, Maya and Yisela.

Kathleen “Kathy” Boser is secretary to the dean and office manager for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she has spent her entire St. Bonaventure career.

“I feel privileged to have witnessed firsthand the growth of the journalism and mass communication program as it grew from a department to a school and to have worked alongside the school’s founder, Dr. Russell Jandoli, the first woman chair, Dr. Mary Hamilton, and the first dean, Lee Coppola, as well as many faculty and staff whom I’ve come to know as my second family,” said Boser.

A graduate of Olean Business Institute, Boser has served on a number of University committees. She presently chairs the Hourly Staff Affairs Committee and is a committee member of the Council on Discrimination and Harassment, Senior Management Council, the Emergency Readiness Task Force and the St. Bonaventure Family Picnic Committee. Boser has held leadership positions in various community youth organizations, including Camp Fire and Boy Scouts.

She chairs Olean’s two children’s memorial events — the Candle Lighting and Memorial Tree, held in December; and the Children’s Garden on Children’s Day in June of each year. In addition, she is a member of Concerned Citizens of Cattaraugus County and the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She and her husband of 36 years, David, live in Allegany. They have three children: Amy, Justin and Beth Ann, class of 2000. She has seven grandsons, including Noah who was killed in 2002.

Dr. Carol Fischer joined the faculty as an assistant professor of accounting and finance in 1985. She has a B.B.A. from St. Bonaventure University, an M.B.A. from SUNY at Buffalo, and is a NYS certified public accountant. She earned a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in 1993, and was tenured and promoted to associate professor of accounting in 1994. Fischer was promoted to professor of accounting in 2001.

She teaches graduate courses in accounting theory and tax policy, and undergraduate courses primarily in financial accounting. She was honored to receive the St. Bonaventure University Professional Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004. Fischer’s research focuses on decision making and compliance of taxpayers, accounting education, and tax practitioners’ use of technology. She has published articles in many journals, including The Journal of the American Taxation Association (JATA), Journal of Accounting Literature, Journal of Accounting Education, Advances in Accounting Education, The Tax Advisor, The CPA Journal and the Journal of Accounting and Finance Research. In addition to serving as an ad hoc reviewer for several different academic journals, she has served on the editorial boards of JATA and Issues in Accounting Education, and was the associate editor of JATA from 2004 to 2007. Fischer organized the first Accountants in Residence Day on campus to bring successful accounting alumni to campus to share their experiences with St. Bonaventure University students.

She has been actively involved in service at the University and in the School of Business, as well as for the American Taxation Association, a national organization for tax accounting professors. In the local community, Fischer serves as a trustee on the board of Mt. Irenaeus and on the Financial Advisory Committee of the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur.

Fischer lives in Allegany with her husband, Dr. Michael Fischer, and their children Katie, Mark and Claire.

Dr. Michael J. Fischer is St. Bonaventure University’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and a professor of accounting. Fischer earned his B.S. and M.B.A. from the School of Management at the University at Buffalo and his Ph.D. from the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University.

A certified public accountant, he was an audit manager in the Buffalo office of the international accounting and consulting firm Price Waterhouse before joining the St. Bonaventure faculty as an assistant professor in 1985. Prior to being appointed provost in June 2006, Fischer served as dean of the schools of Business and Graduate Studies at St. Bonaventure. He has also served St. Bonaventure as dean of enrollment management, chair of the Department of Accounting, and director of the M.B.A. program. During his time at St. Bonaventure, Fischer has served on the Commission for the Future, as chair of the Graduate Council, and serves as chair of the University’s Faculty Status and Welfare Handbook Amendment Committee.

He is an ex-officio member of the University’s Faculty Senate, and has served on the Senate’s Compensation, Curriculum, Enrollment Management, Finance, and Grievance committees.

Outside of St. Bonaventure, Fischer serves on the boards of directors of the Cattaraugus Empire Zone Corporation and the Cattaraugus County Business Development Corporation. He served on the board of directors of Olean General Hospital until the recent formation of the Upper Allegheny Health System, and presently serves on several committees of that organization’s board of directors.

His scholarly work has been published in such outlets as the Journal of Business Ethics; Accounting, Organizations, and Society; Advances in Accounting Education; the Journal of Accountancy; and The CPA Journal.

Fischer lives in Allegany with his wife, Dr. Carol M. Fischer, and their children Katie, Mark and Claire.

Lyn Kazanjian is a secretary for the Department of Admissions. She started at St. Bonaventure in July of 1985, working in the Records Office. She joined the Admissions staff in 1994. Kazanjian is a 1969 graduate of Bryant & Stratton Business Institute in Buffalo. She lives in Cuba, N.Y., and has three children: Kelly Hale of Hinsdale; Kale Gray of Cape Coral, Fla; and Kieran Gray of Portland, Ore., a St. Bonaventure graduate.

Ann R. (Belvees) Kightlinger has been the University bursar since 1988. Prior to that, she was a clerk in the Business Office. Kightlinger is responsible for all accounts receivable and associated collection functions, and for developing and maintaining appropriate related procedures. During her tenure as bursar she has implemented an online billing and payment system, which enables students and parents to view their accounts online.

“I enjoy working with parents and students. The Business Office staff and I take pride in the customer service that we provide,”she said. Kightlinger, an Olean native, earned her bachelor’s degree in 2001 and her M.B.A. in 2005 from St. Bonaventure University.

She lives in Olean with her husband, Tom, and two children: Melissa, a 2008 graduate of Duquesne University who is pursuing her M.B.A. at St. Bonaventure; and Nicholas, a 2009 graduate of St. Bonaventure’s five-year M.B.A. program.

Dr. Francis Christian Leary, associate professor of mathematics, joined the faculty at St. Bonaventure University in the fall of 1985. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut in 1971, and his master’s and Ph.D. from SUNY Albany in 1975 and 1979, respectively.

He formerly taught at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. Leary has served on various committees at St. Bonaventure. He is the faculty moderator of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national honorary mathematics society, and is the faculty moderator, along with Dr. Chris Hill, assistant professor of mathematics, for the St. Bonaventure Student Chapter of the Mathematical Association of America.

Leary was on the Faculty Senate twice and was the faculty Athletics representative to the NCAA. He also had the honor of chairing the Department of Mathematics from 1994-98.

Leary lives in Olean with his wife, Catherine Leary, who is also a mathematics instructor at St. Bonaventure. They have two sons and a daughter.

Dr. Margaret Mazon, associate professor of modern languages, joined the St. Bonaventure faculty as a history instructor in 1979. Approximately five years later she moved to the Department of Modern Languages to teach Spanish. She teaches intermediate and advanced classes in Spanish culture, grammar, and conversation and composition.

Mazon received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She earned her master’s and Ed.D. in Spanish and foreign language curriculum at West Virginia University. Mazon is an advocacy officer for the University’s Council on Discrimination and Harassment. She is also engaged with St. Bonaventure’s Study Abroad Program and with admissions efforts for the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP).

Her off-campus activities include having helped resolve immigration issues for exploited undocumented Mexican nationals who were smuggled into the U.S. to work at Mexican restaurants in the region. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening and going on bike rides. Mazon lives in Allegany. She has two sons, both residents of South Florida.

Judy Smith, the Annual Fund office secretary since 2005, joined St. Bonaventure University in 1985. She served as assistant to the secretary for the vice president of University Relations until 1988, then worked in the Development Office until 2005.

Smith attended Olean Business Institute and has taken additional classes, including many at St. Bonaventure. Her hobbies include gardening and traveling, and she is particularly fond of traveling in California, Las Vegas, and other places out West.

Patrick. Larry Sudbrook, head coach of the men’s baseball team, is SBU’s all-time winningest coach, having collected more than 530 wins in his coaching career. A two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year recipient, Sudbrook has led the Bonnies to 17 winning seasons, eight berths in the A-10 Tournament, two A-10 East Division championships, and an A-10 Tournament title in 2004. During his tenure as head coach, 13 St. Bonaventure players have moved on to the professional level, including nine players who were selected in the Major League Baseball draft.

Sudbrook has developed 29 All-Conference players, three Freshman All-Americans, two NCAA statistical champions, two A-10 Players of the Year, an A-10 Pitcher of the Year, and 19 A-10 statistical leaders. Sudbrook’s players also achieve off the field, as the Bonnies have placed a student-athlete on the A-10 Academic All-Conference team in 20 of the 26 years of the team’s existence. Prior to coming to St. Bonaventure, Sudbrook guided Fairport (Ohio) High School to four sectional titles in five seasons. As a player, he was a two-year letterman at Lakeland (Ohio) Community College before graduating with a degree in physical education from Kent State University.

Sudbrook and his wife, Beverly, have two sons, Shane, a 2005 SBU graduate who played baseball for his dad, then joined his coaching staff as an assistant for several seasons; and Cory, a 2009 SBU graduate who’s pursuing his master’s at St. Bonaventure and playing baseball in his last year of eligibility. Dr. Larry M. Wier came to St. Bonaventure as an assistant professor of chemistry in September of 1985. He was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 1989. He chaired the Department of Chemistry from 1990 to 2007. Wier earned his B.A. in chemistry from SUNY Binghamton in 1972, graduating magna cum laude and as a Phi Beta Kappa inductee. He received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1977. Prior to coming to St. Bonaventure, Wier was a visiting assistant professor of chemistry at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., then an assistant professor of chemistry at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y. Wier was also a visiting research scientist at Cornell University from 1984-85, and in the summer of 1987 was a fellow at Project SERAPHIM, a National Science Foundation project in science at Eastern Michigan University. He has received research grants from the Petroleum Research Fund and Union College, as well as a Faculty Research Award from St. Bonaventure. He has authored numerous articles and book reviews, and has been a presenter at chemical education conferences. In his spare time, he likes to walk or ride his bike.

Wier lives in Olean with his wife of 30 years, Elaine. Their son, Michael, earned his M.S.Ed. from St. Bonaventure in 2006 and teaches high school in Alaska.

Other employees who will be recognized for service are: Suzanne Watson (Computer Science), who will be retiring.

45 years of service: Sarah Groat (Admissions), John Neeson (Physics), and Patrick Panzarella (English).

40 years of service: John Apczynski (Theology), Michael Chiariello (Perugia Center/Philosophy), Roderick Hughes (Philosophy), Richard Reilly (Philosophy), and Richard Simpson (English).

35 years of service: Margaret Bryner (HEOP), S. Alan Silliker (Counselor Education), and John G. Watson (School of Business).

30 years of service: James Costanza (Reprographic Center), Dalton Hunkins (Computer Science), Durriya Khairullah (Marketing), Donald Lengvarsky (Cemetery), Shirley Perrine (Library), and Paul Spaeth (Library). 20 years of service: MaryBeth Fidurko (Athletics).

15 years of service: Ralph Aloia (Safety and Security), Michael Bates (Tennis), Anne Ciolek (Human Resources), Anne Goergen (University Relations), Sally Kwiatkowski (Mathematics), Kathleen Taylor (Ticket Office), and Constance Whitcomb (Career Center).

10 years of service: Giles Bootheway (Finance), Patricia Bradley (Business Office), Adam Brown (Elementary Education), Charles “Joe” Coate (Accounting), James Fodor (Theology), Jason Geise (Safety and Security), Susan Harrington (Buffalo Center), Michael Hoffman (Technology Services), Donald Hopwood (Quick Center for the Arts), Michael W. Jackson (English), Roger Keener (Counseling Center), Josiah “Bart” Lambert (Political Science), Christopher Mackowski (Journalism/Mass Communication), Mary Monterville (School of Education), Clinton Pataye (Safety and Security), Nancy Ryan (Payroll), Kathleen Thierman (Teaching/Learning Center), and Mary Wiley (Safety and Security).

SBU ruggers to take on Hoosiers April 10 in Rochester

On April 10, the St. Bonaventure men's rugby team will head to Rochester, N.Y. to take on perennial Top 25 team Indiana University at the 14,000-seat Marine Auto Stadium. After traveling to California, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to play three National Sweet 16-bound teams, the SBU ruggers look to make one last preparatory step toward a promising fall 2010 season by defeating the Hoosiers.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. as part of an all day college rugby showcase to benefit youth rugby in Rochester.

Tickets are $8, available at the door, and include admission to more than eight hours of competitive Division 1 rugby.

Father Mychal Judge Center offers students the chance to travel, learn and grow

Daryl Robinson is the first participant in a new exchange program with Northern Ireland offered through the Father Mychal Judge Center at St. Bonaventure University.

As an exchange student from Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital, Robinson is now completing his second semester at St. Bonaventure studying business.

“I have been afforded the opportunity to talk to people here about my life back home and my culture,” Robinson said, “and how we have faced up to problems and experienced the genesis of peace.”

Additionally, he has been able to experience the American culture and way of life. He has gained a new appreciation for learning, and feels the attitudes toward education he’s been exposed to at St. Bonaventure will prove invaluable back in Northern Ireland. According to him, the program has been an overwhelming success.

“I feel privileged to have been able to be one of the first recipients of (the program’s) mission,” said Robinson. “The program is most certainly an asset to the university as it allows for a greater sense of culture in the ‘Bona Bubble.’”

Three St. Bonaventure students hope to be accepted into the exchange program for next year. Jacob Keenan, Bridget Steele and Crystal Hopkins were selected from a large pool of St. Bonaventure applicants to be recommended for the program. The three students are among many others from more than 100 private universities also vying for a spot in the exchange program, which will only select 40 applicants. If selected, the students would study abroad at Queens University during the next school year. There they would attend classes and experience Irish culture, while simultaneously sharing their own American culture as representatives of St. Bonaventure University.

The Father Mychal Judge Center for Irish Exchange and Understanding was created to give students opportunities to learn and better understand Irish culture. The center is named in memory of Father Mychal Judge, a St. Bonaventure graduate who served as a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. Judge was one of the first victims in the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ by Rebecca Skloot is All Bonaventure Reads selection for 2010

Science reporter Rebecca Skloot’s debut book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” has been chosen as the All Bonaventure Reads selection for 2010.

Skloot tells the enthralling story of Henrietta Lacks, the forgotten woman behind one of the most important tools in modern medicine, and of Lacks’s descendants, many of whom feel betrayed by the scientific establishment.

Born in 1920 in Clover, Va., Henrietta Lacks was a poor tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors. In 1951, she developed a strangely aggressive cancer, and doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took a tissue sample without her knowledge. She died without knowing that her cells would become immortal — the first to grow and survive indefinitely in culture.

HeLa cells, as they are called, were essential to developing the polio vaccine. They have aided in the development of in-vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping, and have helped us to better understand the workings of cancer and innumerable viruses. Even today, HeLa is the most widely used cell line in labs worldwide, bought and sold by the billions. “The Immortal Life” was selected by the All Bonaventure Reads Committee for the incoming class of 2014.

All first-year students are asked to read the annual All Bonaventure Reads text, which is the cornerstone of the University 101 course. Many other courses will adopt the text, and the entire campus community is invited to read the book.

Members of the All Bonaventure Reads 2010 are Mary Jo Brockel, Chris Brown, Nancy Casey, Eric Danielson, Jean Trevarton Ehman, Carol Fischer, Ann Lehman, Adriane Spencer, and Ann Tenglund.

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” took Skloot more than a decade to research and write. The book, published Feb. 2 by Crown, an imprint of Random House, debuted at No. 5 on the New York Times bestseller list Feb. 21.

After learning about the HeLa cell line in high school, Skloot became consumed by curiosity about the woman behind the cells. She spent years winning the trust of Henrietta’s daughter, Deborah, who longed to know more about her mother and to better understand the science behind her cells, which often seemed more like science fiction. Henrietta’s husband and children did not find out about her “immortality,” or the enormous profits her cells had generated, until more than 20 years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using blood samples from her family in research without informed consent.

Skloot is a science writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; Columbia Journalism Review; and many other publications. She has explored a wide range of topics, including goldfish surgery, tissue ownership rights, food politics, and the perils of packs of wild dogs in Manhattan, and her essays have been widely anthologized. She is also a contributing editor at Popular Science magazine, and has worked as a correspondent for NPR’s RadioLab and PBS’s Nova ScienceNOW. An excerpt from the book was published in the February 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.

You can read an excerpt here: http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/excerpt/. Skloot appeared March 16 on “The Colbert Report” (http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/267542/march-16-2010/rebecca-skloot) and CBS “Sunday Morning (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/15/sunday/main6300824.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody) March 14.

Skloot served for eight years on the Board of Directors of the National Book Critics Circle, where she was a vice president and judge for their yearly book awards. In 2006, she launched Critical Mass, the blog of the National Book Critics Circle. She now blogs at Culture Dish, hosted by Seed Magazine.

Skloot has a B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA in creative nonfiction. She financed her degrees by working in emergency rooms, neurology labs, veterinary morgues and martini bars. She has taught in the creative writing programs at the University of Memphis and the University of Pittsburgh. She has also taught science journalism in NYU’s graduate Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She presently teaches writing workshops and gives talks on subjects ranging from bioethics to book proposals at conferences and universities nationwide.

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Student-produced DVD opens door to classroom discussions on Haiti

Images and videos of the devastating January earthquake in Haiti really struck home for St. Bonaventure student Diego Valdenegro. Valdenegro, a senior and member of the SBU tennis team, is from Chile, which usually experiences two to three big temblors (mini earthquakes) a year.

As he watched news reports of the Haitians struggle in the earthquake’s aftermath, Valdenegro decided he wanted to explain to the campus community how dangerous and powerful earthquakes can be. The result is a short documentary, “Hands for Haiti,” incorporating compelling images of Haiti and interviews with St. Bonaventure faculty in students.

“Hands for Haiti” is a 17-minute DVD that is intended to provide individuals and groups with a basic introduction to: What is the history of Haiti? What is the current situation? Why should we care? How can we help? At the end of the DVD there are three questions for reflection and discussion if it is used in a classroom or for a group discussion.

In addition to a variety of film clips and pictures, the DVD includes an ongoing narrative, comments from two St. Bonaventure students, Melissa Desir and Franceline Demosthenes, from Haiti, as well as St. Bonaventure University faculty members Dr. Joel Horowitz, professor of history; Dr. Mary Rose Kubal, assistant professor of political science; and Fr. Robert Karris, O.F.M., Th.D., a research faculty member in the Franciscan Institute and a Food for the Poor advocate.

Valdenegro was the producer, director and camera operator.

“It was important for me (to produce) because I’m a student who knows a lot about earthquakes,” said Valdenegro, who noted he wants students “to watch this documentary and realize we care about Haitians and that there are ways to help them.” Valdenegro, a senior finance major, utilized his video skills he developed producing his own TV show for his family and friends. The show, “Tennis SBU y Nada Mas,” is about tennis and the life of a Division 1 tennis player.

Valdenegro was assisted on the project by Gina Oldani, ’10. Student Shannon Holfoth, ’10, supervised the development of the script and Jared Robinson, ’11, served as the narrator.

“Hands for Haiti” was produced at the request of St. Bonaventure University’s Center for Community Engagement (Lawrence Sorokes) and the Franciscan Center for Social Concern (Sr. Suzanne Kush, C.S.S.F). Copies of the DVD are available upon request from the Center for Community Engagement at St. Bonaventure University (cce@sbu.edu) at a cost of $3. Proceeds from the sale of the DVD will be used to purchase meals for the people of Haiti.

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2006 Hellinger winner earns prestigious national prize for investigative sports reporting

At summer freshman orientation, more than a month before she ever took a note in a St. Bonaventure classroom, Rachel George was pulled aside by Dr. Denny Wilkins, her adviser.

“The highest award we have in journalism is the Hellinger. I expect you to win it,” Wilkins recalled.

A product of Pioneer Central School’s renowned journalism program, George did just that. The former BV sports editor, Times Herald intern and Associated Press stringer graduated with a 3.8 GPA and was honored with the university’s Hellinger Award in 2006.
Four years later, George has added an even more impressive award to her trophy case. The Wilmington (N.C.) StarNews sports writer took first place in the 2009 Associated Press Sports Editors Writing Contest in the highly competitive Investigative category.

“I’m beyond excited getting the award. But I’m so much prouder of the fact that we didn’t have to write a story about four football players who died because the roof caved in,” George said.

George figured the odds were long that her entry would be honored. Investigative is the only APSE category open to newspapers of all circulations. The StarNews, circulation 40,000, was up against writers from the Boston Globe, YahooSports, USA Today and New York Times.

Phil Kaplan from APSE phoned George at work April Fools’ Day to inform her of the good news. Long past quitting time, she thought about not answering the phone.

“When the finalists were named in early March, I guess I never realized there was a next step,” George said. “Phil said, ‘You’re No. 1,’ and then made some crack about it being like Butler winning the national title. My brain just couldn’t process what he was saying. I was speechless. At one point he said, ‘Are you still there?’”

Remarkably, SBU alum Adrian Wojnarowski, class of ’91, was among a team of four YahooSports reporters who took third place in the same category for their probe into alleged recruiting violations by UConn’s men’s basketball program. Longtime Times Herald sports editor Chuck Pollock, an adjunct instructor in SBU’s journalism school, won first place for columns in the under-40,000 circulation category.

George wrote a series of articles on New Hanover High School’s Jap Davis Field House, which had been shut down in late 2007 because of structural concerns. School officials assured the newspaper that repairs were made before students and coaches started using it again in spring 2008.

A year later George was taken into a restricted area of the building where a beam that supports the roof was sagging significantly. She had a number of safety questions and started her investigation.

The first part of the story was published Aug. 1, 2009, a day after football practice started.

“Clearly, it was a problem that the football players were going to be using an unsafe building,” George wrote in the cover letter submitted to APSE with her entry. “The county inspections department condemned the building before the start of practice because of my reporting. Alternate arrangements were made when the season started, and the players were kept out of danger.”

George said the stories were built through a diligent investigation that ended up being more than 700 pages of documents and e-mail, and 20 hours of interviews.

StarNews sports editor Dan Spears knew from the beginning that George was a special talent.

“Rachel has always been willing to push envelopes,” Spears said. “She did a huge series on Title IX issues that has led to changes in sports programs in North Carolina. She has a persistence about her, a willingness to put herself on the line knowing things need to be fixed.”

John Hanchette, who teaches in SBU’s Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication, knows something about investigative reporting; he won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1980 for his work on a series that unmasked a religious fundraising scandal and resulted in the return of several million dollars in lost invesments to elderly Catholics.

Hanchette saw the potential in George right away.

“Even in JMC 101, Rachel was always concentrating, always questioning, always looking for the hard news angle,” Hanchette said. “Sometimes we mull our consciences over in faculty meetings wondering if we are teaching an empty profession, so to hear news like this, especially when the impact of her reporting is so meaningful, is especially gratifying.”

George said she heeds lessons from her Bonaventure education all the time.

“I hear Hanch and Denny in my head all the time,” she said with a laugh. “I spoke to some UNC-Wilmington students recently and told them three things: learn how to report a story, tell a story, and adapt a story. I learned that from them.”

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St. Bonaventure campus groups collaborate to host Eco-Fest celebration

A campuswide Eco-Fest celebrating Earth Week is planned for the week of April 19-24 at St. Bonaventure University. A number of events are being co-sponsored by the Recycling Club, BonaVoyageurs, BonaResponds, Voices and the Sustainability Coordinating Committee. Scheduled activities run from Monday, April 19, through Saturday, April 24, concluding with an Eco-Fest Fair on April 24.

The week begins with a talk on energy use given by Philip Winger, associate vice president for facilities, at 7 p.m. April 19 in Dresser Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building. Participants will be encouraged to reduce power consumption, open blinds for natural light and turn off power switches in empty rooms.

A coffeehouse and Recycled-Craft Fair will occur the evening of Wednesday, April 21, in the Thomas Merton Center. Fair Trade coffee will be served. (Fair Trade principles include fair price, fair labor conditions and direct trade.) Participants at the craft fair will be encouraged to take part in making crafts with recycled materials. Betsy Priester, a Franklinville resident, will be conducting the craft session from 7 to 9 p.m.

Butler Gym will be open from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 22, for a clothing swap. Students may bring unwanted clothing in order to trade with other students. The Eco-Fest Committee will host a campout Thursday evening behind Francis Hall, also functioning as a tent drive for Haiti coordinated by BonaResponds. Visitors may leave their tents behind. The tents will be shipped by BonaResponds to needy locations in the disaster zone. A bonfire will take place at 9:30 p.m.

SBU will celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, April 23, with a tree planting on the northeast corner of the Friedsam Library at 1 p.m. A 2 ½-inch caliper Sugar Maple has been donated by Schnichtel’s Nursery. This event is the first step for St. Bonaventure University to receive Tree Campus USA status. Also on April 23, Susan Avery, a naturalist from the Pfeiffer Nature Center in Portville, will conduct walking tours along the Allegheny River Valley Trail, showcasing local flora and other natural phenomena. A “Treeture” hunt will accompany the walk, in which students will identify trees around campus for a prize.

The Eco-Fest culminates Saturday, April 24, with an Eco-Fair, bringing campus and community together, including appearances by BonaResponds, Recycling Club, Canticle Farm and others. VOICES, a campus women’s issue group, will hold an organic bake sale. Proceeds from the bake sale will be used to purchase wildflower seeds for the Allegheny River Valley Trail. Music will be provided by Marco Polo and the Allegheny River Band. The Eco-Fair will take place from noon to 3 p.m. in front of Hickey Dining Hall. The public is welcome.

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Alumna runs with BonaResponds for Haiti

By Bobby Gohn,’10

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — St. Bonaventure University alumna Carrie Jackling knows the importance of community service. BonaResponds played a large role in her Bonaventure career and it continues today. Jackling is the leading force behind the Haiti Relief 5K Run & Walk, which will take place April 10 at 9:30 a.m. at Delaware Park in Buffalo.

Jackling partnered with BonaResponds to raise money for its Food For Haiti Now campaign. All the proceeds from the Run & Walk will be given to BonaResponds for the drive. Food For Haiti Now is a program that provides meals to the people of Haiti.

“A meal costs 17 cents through Food For Haiti Now,” Jackling said. “Our goal is to raise $17,000, which would mean 100,000 meals for the people of Haiti.”

Jackling wants to make sure that everyone understands that Haiti still needs help even after all the initial relief efforts after the earthquake.

“The earthquake hit back in January, but the situation is still horrible and is getting worse with the rains continuing in Haiti,” Jackling said. “The disaster might be fading in the news, but it is still a large issue that people should be aware of.”

The event is split into two parts: a walk and a run. Participants for the run will be given a time-chipto place on their shoe to record their time. Both the male and female overall winners will be given medals. People who do not wish to run can participate in the walk.

Students can register for both the walk and run for $15, while the general public can register for the run for $20 and the walk for $15. Also, any Haitian participates can run or walk for free. The first 100 registrants will receive event T-shirts.

Jackling hopes to reach 1,000 registrants, but believes the amount of registrations will not be known until race time because there is no penalty for not registering before the event.

“It is hard to figure out how many people will register because there is no price change for registering the day of the race,” Jackling said. “Depending on the weather, there should be a good turn out because of the cause.”

People can register online before the event at http://haitirun.weebly.com.

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Students and educators explore historic site of the first off-reservation federal boarding school for Native American children

Through the generous support of the Center for Community Engagement and the School of Education, St. Bonaventure students and faculty teamed up with Salamanca-area colleagues to explore the first off-reservation federal boarding school for Native American children in the United States.

SBU students Ashley Schroeder, Lindsey Peterson and Melissa DiBattista, along with Br. Joe Kotula, O.F.M., from Mt. Irenaeus and SBU faculty members Dr. Anne-Claire Fisher and Dr. Paul Brawdy, accompanied a group of 39 individuals comprised of members of the Seneca Nation of Indians, students from the Faith Keepers School, teachers, counselors and social workers from Salamanca City High School and the Gowanda School District to Carlisle, Pa., to tour and learn about the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

This two-day experience included opportunities for students and educators to explore the historic site of the first off-reservation federal boarding school for Native American children in the United States and to also access archival data related to students who were enrolled at Carlisle.

Between 1879 and 1918 more than 10,000 children, representing more than 500 indigenous peoples across North America, were relocated to Carlisle, Pa., where they were socialized through the schooling process into the dominant culture. It is estimated that during this time nearly 10 percent of the children enrolled in the school died before they were able to return to their people.

Additionally, among those who returned after graduation, many would experience a deep sense of alienation from their respective tribal cultures because of restrictions placed on the use of language and traditional practices at the boarding school.

Among those enrolled in the Carlisle School, Seneca children represented one of the largest groups. Through the help of local experts, participants on this trip were able to access family records as well as historic documents of high-profile students such as sports legend Jim Thorpe to learn more about those enrolled.

Facilitating this experience were members of the Cumberland County Historic Society and Barbara Landis from the Viola White-Water Foundation, a noted authority and school historian.

Although the focus of the trip was history, the experience allowed teachers and students from different schools and cultures to reflect on the relationships they share today and the possibilities for further collaboration in the future.

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Dr. Robert P. Amico, professor of philosophy, is an invited speaker at the 11th Annual White Privilege Conference in LaCrosse, Wis., April 7-11.

John Hanchette, associate professor of journalism/mass communication, was the keynote speaker at Edinboro University’s 2nd Annual High School Journalism Day March 29, 2010.

Dr. Paula Scraba, associate professor of physical education, presented at the 125th National American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., March 19, 2010, as part of a national panel titled “Strength through Partnerships: The Special Olympics University Curriculum.”

The universities selected for the panel represent model programs utilizing the North America Special Olympics University Curriculum. St. Bonaventure University is the only University utilizing an international service learning program with Special Olympics. Below are the universities and representatives that co-presented at the session.

•Special Olympics Coaches’ Training as Professional Development
Dr. Bob Arnhold, Pam Arnhold & Wendy Fagan - Slippery Rock University Monica Lepore, West Chester University

•Unified Sports® Comprehensive Program of Training, Competition & Coach Certification
Dr. Jody Brylinsky, Western Michigan University

•Motor Activities Training Program Support and Assistance
Dr. Karen Castagno, Rhode Island College

•Marketing the Program to Your University and Your Students (including Face book)
Dr. Reggie Overton, Virginia State University

•Officials Training at SBU Leading to Service Learning in the Bahamas
Dr. Paula Scraba, St. Bonaventure University

On March 26, the Business Information Systems (BIS) Club met with alumnus Mark Evers (finance major) who is a trader at the Wells Fargo Securities & Investment Group of Wells Fargo Securities, LLC in Charlotte, N.C. Evers provided the club members with a briefing of the firms operations and a tour of the trading floors and information technology facilities. Pictured during the tour are (from left) Jeffrey Champlin (BIS Club president), John Mattia, Abbi Kapuscinski, Jessica Fisher, Michael Leet, Joseph Monesi, Dr. Carl Case, ’80, and Mark Evers.