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Eastern Students Help with Katrina Relief
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On Feb. 25, Health and Physical Education Professor Charles Chatterton, along with seven sports and leisure management students, traveled to New Orleans to meet and present a check to John Hopper, director of development at City Park in New Orleans. The fundraising project is part of Eastern's efforts to continue to support the people of New Orleans on a long-term basis. Students (left) included Lindsay Raymond, Meredith Merchant, Matt Mitchell, Justin Brown, Andrea Brown, Ryan Rossi, and Monica Rochon. If you are interested in making a donation, visit the website at http://neworleanscitypark.com/donate.html
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Eastern Students Continue to Give Blood
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On Feb. 20, Melanie Libby of the Connecticut American Red Cross secured blood donations from Mike Gale ’09 and Sarah Macintosh
’09 in the Betty R. Tipton Room of the Student Center.
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Indian Educator and Author Speaks at Eastern
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Despite India’s abolition of the caste system in 1951, discrimination continues, especially for that country’s lowest caste, the Untouchables. On March 12, Ashok Malhotra, renowned educator and author and professor of philosophy at SUNY Oneonta, NY, visited Eastern as part of the University Hour lecture series. Malhotra discussed and showed videos of how his Ninash Foundation builds schools designed to prepare Untouchables to work and advance in a global society. Malhotra is the author of more than 50 articles and 10 books and has been recognized as a leading world educator by the International Biographical Center in Cambridge, England.
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Eastern Grad Named Executive Director of San Diego Chamber Orchestra |
 Tyler Richards Hewes ’02 was recently named executive director of the San Diego Chamber Orchestra. Prior to his appointment, Hewes, who majored in performing arts, was the production manager for Mainly Mozart and manager of the Mainly Mozart Orchestra Festival, both in San Diego. Mainly Mozart is an organization internationally recognized for providing Southern Californians with opportunities to experience classical music performed by world-class musicians from the nation’s most celebrated orchestras.
During his time with Mainly Mozart, Hewes increased student attendance by 100 percent and assisted in doubling the income raised by the organization’s annual fundraising auction.
Hewes also has worked at various San Diego-area theatres, including the 6th at Penn Theatre, the North Coast Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, OnState Playhouse, and the Actors Alliance of San Diego.
“Eastern is the best kept secret in Connecticut’s education system,” says Hewes. “I had a wonderful experience in one-on-one learning from my professors. They have imparted in me a desire to do them and the university proud.” |
Jessica Giordano Presents Research on Female Sexual Behavior |
Eastern alum Jessica Giordano ’07 of Tolland presented her independent study project, “Associations Among Female Sexual Behavior, Body Image and Feminist Ideology,” at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, held in Boston, March 14-15.
The Department of Psychology will submit a manuscript of Giordano’s research to the journal, “Psychology of Women Quarterly,” later this month.
“Having my research showcased at the conference was a big deal because it is my first large research study and it was my first time at a conference,” said Giordano. “My research helps me to offer contributions in the field of psychology in regards to gender and sexuality studies.”
In her study, Giordano examined the relationships between risky female sexual behavior and attitudes, body image, and liberal feminist ideology among college-aged women. Giordano is working on her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Springfield College. |
Erika Harrington Researches Impact of Racism |
 Erika Harrington ’08, who is majoring in psychology, will present her research project, “Perceived Racism as a Predictor of Depression, Anxiety, and Cultural Mistrust,” at the Council for Undergraduate Research Posters on the Hill Conference in Washington, D.C., April 29-30.
Many senators and state representatives attend the conference. On the first day, participants will go on several field trips around the Capitol. On day two, each presenter will meet with the representatives from his or her state to discuss their research. That evening, everyone will present their projects at a poster session, to which all U.S. representatives and senators are invited, as well as guests of the students and their faculty advisors.
“Presenting my research on Capitol Hill is such an honor,” said Harrington, a native of Milford. “I have spent half of my undergraduate education working on this project and have invested so much of myself into it. Being selected for such a prestigious event really makes me feel that all of my efforts were worth it.” Harrington is a member of Eastern’s Honors Program and a member of Psi Chi, the psychology national honors society. She worked at the Eastern Regional Academy for students with behavioral difficulties in Columbia, CT, where she helped to provide academic and emotional support.
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Allison Kelley, the Comedian! |
Allison Kelley ’09 of Cheshire is living her dream in Chicago, Ill. She is attending a comedy studies program at Columbia College in Chicago, offered in conjunction with the Second City Entertainment Company. The school has turned out some of America’s best-known improvisational comedians, including John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and Bill Murray. Students in the program attend shows at a variety of improvisation and comedy venues, network with theater artists, explore Chicago’s unparalleled theater and arts world, and present their work in a showcase.
“I'll be doing things in Chicago, which will be exciting and interesting at the same time,” said Kelley. “My goal down the road is to write for a sitcom, write sketch comedy, or just write in whatever venue I'm in.” |
Adam Wurtzel Helps Produce Reality Show |
Adam Wurtzel ’07 of Levittown, NY, worked on the new reality show, “Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann,” this past summer and fall. Wurtzel was head audience coordinator during auditions held in Central Park in New York City. Dance War is a spin-off of the popular show, “Dancing with the Stars,” hosted by Drew Lachey. Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Ianba, judges from “Dancing with the Stars,” created dance teams who compete against each other.
Wurtzel hired two people to assist him: Gina Bullard ’07 from Hebron, former co-anchor of “News 22”; and Jeff Cullen ’08 from Sparta, NJ, current floor director of “Eastern Expedition” and “News 22,” two programs that air on Eastern’s Channel 22.
Their duties were to assemble a studio audience to sit in front of the stage where the performers audition for Dance War. To gather audience members, they walked around Central Park and recruited a variety of people.
“This experience was positive for my future working in the broadcast production field,” said Cullen. “I was able to be a part of a large-scale production. The production team was huge; it probably consisted of 100 people. I learned how to work with a large group of people, most of them well-established. This experience was a great networking opportunity for me. I was able to meet some of the business’s most established producers and directors.”
The show premiered in January 2008 on the ABC television network, the same night that auditions for the show were being held in Los Angeles and Nashville. The audition winners perform on live shows in Hollywood, where America votes on whether Tonioli or Ianba has created the best team.
Drew Lachey and Adam Wurtzel ’07
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Puerto Rican Writer Mayra Santos-Febres to Visit Eastern |
Popular Puerto Rican writer Mayra Santos-Febres will visit Eastern on April 8 as part of Latin-American Awareness Month. She will speak and read from her work in the Betty R. Tipton Room of the Student Center at
3 p.m. “Poetry is my master. Nothing gives better shape to the emotional mappings of a description or the subtexts of a dialog,” said Santos-Febres. “A poetic consciousness makes any writer very aware of the sensual content and shape of every image and every word.”
Santos-Febres received an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Cornell University and is a faculty member of the Departamento de Estudios Hispánicos at the Universidad de Puerto Rico-Río Piedras.
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- The March 23 edition of The Day ran a story on Eastern inviting the public to participate in one of an unprecedented series of New England-style town meetings to discuss why education is important for Connecticut’s economic future. The town meeting at Eastern was held on March 31.
- The March 24 edition of the Hartford Courant cited Bill Leahy, associate executive director of Eastern’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, in a feature story titled, “Schools Adjust Approach to Energy.”
- The March 10 edition The (Willimantic) Chronicle ran an editorial saluting the winners of Eastern’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award.
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