Non-toxic Saltwater Etching Workshop
1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Sept. 9; 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Sept. 10
Coover Hall Jewelry Studio, Rooms 7-8

Artists can explore a non-toxic saltwater etching technique at a jewelry and printmaking workshop Sept. 9-10 in Coover Hall’s jewelry studio (rooms 7-8).

Sponsored by Cal U’s Department of Art and Design and funded through a grant from the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, the workshop is free and open to the Cal U community and the general public. 

Sessions run from 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Sept. 9 and 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Sept 10.

Artist and jeweler Jesse Bert, of Mexico, will conduct the workshops awith Art and Design faculty members Dr. James Bove‘ and Dr. Scott Lloyd.

At the workshop

Workshop participants will learn the process of etching a copper plate with a pure saltwater solution. This non-toxic process produces results similar to traditional ferric chloride acid etching, but without acid fumes and hazardous materials. The process is easy to manage and simple to use.

Participants will work with Bert to create an etching with unique surface textures that can be used for jewelry applications or printing plates.

Using their etched metal plate in a printing press, participants will work with Lloyd to create a print on paper. Hand printing techniques also will be demonstrated, so participants without access to a press can continue using the technique.

In the last part of this workshop, students will work with Bove‘ to create a piece of jewelry incorporating their etched copper plate.

Register now

For more information or to reserve a spot in the workshop, e-mail Bove‘ at bove@calu.edu.

Join us on Saturday, Sept. 27, for Cal U Family Day. The day will be packed with activities, including a live animal show, a Kids Zone with face-painting and games, and Vulcan football vs. Edinboro at 1 p.m. Free parking will be available in the Vulcan Garage. Read more

What happens if YOU make a gift on the WCCF Day of Giving?

Make a gift today

The Washington County Community Foundation’s annual Day of Giving supports participating charities in our region. Online contributions received on Wednesday,Sept. 10, will be increased by part of a bonus pool, estimated to be $100,000.

On Wednesday, Sept. 10, visit the WCCF Day of Giving website and click "donate now" to give to the Foundation for California University.

Here’s what happens next: 

• Your gift gets larger! A portion of the $100,000 bonus pool is added to your donation, making your gift to the Foundation for California University even more valuable.

• You receive a receipt via e-mail to acknowledge your gift.

• Your enhanced gift, and those of other donors, are directed to the Foundation for California University, where they benefit Cal U and its students.

What happens on the WCCF Day of Giving? It’s up to you! Thank you for choosing to support the Foundation for California University on the WCCF Day of Giving.

Questions?

Find the Foundation for California University on the list of participating charities.

Learn more about the WCCF Day of Giving.

Our Showcase of Stars
7:30 p.m.
Oct. 10, 2014
Steele Hall Mainstage Theater

Kick off the Homecoming weekend with a night of unforgettable entertainment featuring some of Cal U’s most talented students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Proceeds from Our Showcase of Stars benefit the Student Scholarship Fund for Academics, Arts and Athletics. Ticket price is just $5 for students, $25 for alumni and others.

Among our featured alumni are:

• Mark “Muddy” Whalen , who recently performed his signature up-tempo “vacation music” at the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh. Listen now

• Singer-songwriter Seamus Hutchens, an up-and-coming guitarist and vocalist now based in central Florida. Listen and download songs

• Comedian Regis Whetzel. (Hey, reggae fans! You’ll never guess why he’s wearing a kilt.)

The lineup also includes a “house band” of Music Department faculty, along with the University Gospel Choir, pop a cappella groups Vulcanize and Acapella Stella, bluegrass musicians Sam Stuckey and Jeff Smith, and performers from the Theatre Department and Mon Valley Performing Arts Academy.

Get tickets
Tickets for “Our Showcase of Stars” are available at the door. Cost is $5 for students with a CalCard, $25 for alumni and others. To order tickets in advance (with a credit card), call the Steele Hall Box Office at 724-938-5943. 

Invest for Tomorrow

Interim University President Geraldine M. Jones invites alumni, employees and friends of Cal U to attend The President’s Showcase: Investing for Tomorrow Oct. 10 in the Cal U Convocation Center.

This signature fundraising event opens at 5 p.m. with an interactive cocktail reception that highlights the spirit of Cal U and showcases student achievements in academics, the arts and athletics. A gourmet dinner follows in the South Wing of the Convocation Center.  

Ticket price of $500 per person includes the reception, dinner and VIP seating at “Our Showcase of Stars” at 7:30 p.m. in Steele Hall Mainstage Theater. Proceeds benefit the Student Scholarship Fund for Academics, Arts and Athletics.

Our sponsors
California University gratefully acknowledges these sponsors for their participation in The President's Showcase: Investing for Tomorrow: 

• Steven ’85 and Lynne ’94 Stout
• Frank and Michele M. ’69  Mandell
• Harry ’65 and Linda ’64 Serene
• Bill Booker ’74
• William and Dr. Saundra ’72 Stout
• Paul ’87 and Catherine ’93 Kania
• William R. Flinn II ‘68
• AVI Foodsystems

For reservations or event details, contact Daphne Livingstone at 724-938-5467 or livingstone@calu.edu. 

A new edition of the Journal is available online. Headlines from the latest Journal include: Professor is Red Cross hero, Enrollment dips slightly; President tells trustees; GACO passes $3 billion mark; Student playwright’s one-act to debut. Read the Journal online today.

Cal U will mark National Voter Registration Day with a voter registration drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 23 in Manderino Library and in the kiosk area outside the Natali Student Center.
 
In case of inclement weather, the Natali location will move indoors to the student center lobby.

Both students and university employees may register.
 
The program is sponsored by the American Democracy Project at Cal U.
 
Co-sponsors are the Office of the Provost/Academic Affairs, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of History and Political Science, the Women’s Studies program, the Frederick Douglass Institute, and APSCUF, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Professors.

Noss Lecture Series:
Dr. Richard Cavasina
11 a.m. Oct. 9
Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre

The Noss Lecture Series presents a free talk by professor emeritus Dr. Richard Cavasina, director of the patient advocacy program at the Pittsburgh-based Abdominal Transplant Institute, which supports transplant patients and their families.

Cavasina, a former member of the Cal U Psychology Department, will present “Dealing with Life and Career Goals Through Positive Mental Health.”

His talk will discuss how life and career goals are affected by mental health, how to achieve positive mental health, and his own experiences as a liver transplant patient.

Admission is free. The lecture is open to all Cal U students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The public is invited to attend. Parking is available in the Vulcan Garage, off Third Street near the campus entrance in California, Pa.

Get directions

About Dr. Richard G. Cavasina

Dr. Richard G. Cavasina joined the Department of Psychology at California University of Pennsylvania in 1988, after earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Duquesne University and an Ed.D. in counseling practice from West Virginia University.

During his 28-year career at Cal U, Dr. Cavasina served in many roles, including director of the school psychology clinic and interim associate director in the University’s Advising, Placement and Testing Center.

In 2005 Dr. Cavasina received one of Cal U’s most prestigious awards, the Presidential Faculty Award for Research, which was presented at the President’s Gala. He also reported on his research at the Oxford Roundtable at St. Anthony’s College in the University of Oxford, England.

Dr. Cavasina retired from California University in June 2012 and was named an emeritus professor in March 2013.

Shortly after he retired, Dr. Cavasina received a liver transplant at Allegheny General Hospital. Since his recovery, he has drawn on his experience in the field of mental health as director of the patient advocacy program at the Pittsburgh-based Abdominal Transplant Institute. The program helps to support transplant patients and their families through the surgery and recovery process.  

Chair for the Cavasina Endowment for Transplant and Research, Dr. Cavasina currently is conducting research with transplant surgeon Dr. Ngoc Thai regarding psychological issues involved with transplantation.

He says his own surgery has “given me a second life,” and he is pleased to share both his insights into obtaining positive mental health and his firsthand experience as a successful transplant patient.

Dr. Cavasina was the recipient of the Deahl Honors Society Award for distinguished alumni at West Virginia University, and he has published two books in consultation

The science of tornadoes will be the topic when Cal U’s Meteorology Club welcomes Dr. P. Grady Dixon to campus at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, as part of the Fall Colloquia Series.

An expert in physical geography and meteorology, Dixon is chair of the Department of Geosciences at Fort Hays State University, Kansas. He will speak in Eberly Hall, Room 120.

Dixon, who has appeared on CNN and The Weather Channel, has focused his recent research on the effects of weather on suicide rates, weather and climate effects on wildlife behavior, and tornado climatology.

His presentation is free and open to the public.

About the speaker

Dr. P. Grady Dixon earned a Bachelor of Science in Geosciences from Mississippi State University, a Master of Science in Geography from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in Geography from Arizona State University.

In addition to his recent research topics, he has studied how people affect climate and how weather variations affect health and mortality. Other research has focused on the transportation of moisture into Arizona throughout the annual monsoon season and thunderstorms initiated by the urban “heat island” of Atlanta, Ga. 

Dixon’s professional affiliations include the International Society of Biometeorology, the American Meteorological Society, the National Weather Association, the Association of American Geographers and the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers (Mississippi State University). 

Additional resources

Meteorology Program

Directions to Cal U

For more information, contact John Troutman, Colloquia Series chair, at TRO7075@calu.edu. 

Due to necessary maintenance upgrades to the University Network, there will be a planned network outage starting at 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 and lasting until noon Sunday, Sept. 28.  

The University Network will be down during much of this maintenance. All network access, including, but not limited to, phones, Internet, e-mail, and VIP  — both on campus and off campus — will be affected during this outage.

Desire 2 Learn also will be affected. Users who are logged into D2L prior to the outage may still have access, but access will be limited.  We ask that both faculty and students take this into consideration and plan according.
 
If you have any questions, please contact the UTech Services Helpdesk at 724-938-5911 and select Option 1.

Coal Bowl Activities, Oct. 18

• 11 a.m.: Froggy radio broadcast; Vulcan Huddle
• Noon: The Weedrags in concert
• 1 p.m.: Football, Cal U vs. IUP

Cal U’s annual football rivalry with IUP will have a distinctly western Pennsylvania soundtrack this year.

The Weedrags, an Appalachian-style acoustic band from Washington County, Pa., will perform a free concert at noon Oct. 18 before the Vulcans face the IUP Crimson Hawks in the 1 p.m. Coal Bowl at Adamson Stadium, on Cal U’s upper campus.

The music

The Weedrags— soon to be known as the Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers — will perform from noon to 12:45 p.m. Oct. 18 outside the stadium at Roadman Park.

The band’s music has roots in bluegrass, country, old-time and swing, a style that “resonates with the hard-working spirit engrained in the western Pennsylvania and West Virginia foothills.”

The Weedrags have performed at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Flood City Music Festival in Johnstown, Pa., and at other festivals and music venues throughout the region.

Hear The Weedrags

The fun

The Vulcan Huddle tent opens at 11 a.m. outside the stadium.

Coal Bowl festivities also include a remote broadcast by Froggy Radio, 94.9 FM, beginning at 11 a.m. The public is invited to hear the music and get in on the giveaways!

Look for the Pittsburgh Penguins' merchandise truck at Roadman Park. A portion of proceeds from all sales support Cal U students through the Pittsburgh Penguins Scholarship Fund.

The game

Seeking a victory over PSAC football rival IUP, the Vulcans head to Adamson Stadium Oct. 18 for the sixth annual Coal Bowl.

Game time is 1 p.m. The “Coal Miner’s Lunch Pail” trophy will be presented to the winning team immediately after the game.

The Coal Bowl originated with Cal U alumnus Bob Lippencott ’66 and his brother Barry, a 1967 graduate of IUP, who established endowed football scholarships at their respective alma maters. The family also donated a coal miner’s lunch pail to be used as a traveling trophy presented annually to the winning team.  

“This trophy … is a tribute to the men and women of the coal mining industry, both past and present, for their strong work ethic and dedication to family,” says Bob Lippencott.

Directions to Roadman Park

Follow Vulcan football

For the sixth consecutive year, Victory Media has honored California University of Pennsylvania as a Military Friendly School, recognizing Cal U’s service and commitment to military service members, veterans and their families.

The 2015 Military Friendly Schools® list honors the 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are most responsive to the needs of veterans and the military community.

“Cal U takes care of our student veterans and our active-duty service members,” says Capt. Robert Prah, director of the Office of Veterans Affairs at Cal U. “It’s what we do.

“We have been in their shoes, from inquiring and applying to Cal U through graduation and seeking employment. We are proud to serve as a resource for students, both on campus and online.”

The Military Friendly Schools® website features the list of designated schools, plus interactive tools and search functions to help military students find the college or university that best meets their needs. 

How Cal U serves

Cal U is a GoArmyEd provider of online education for Army personnel and their families. In addition, service members around the world are enrolled in degree programs through Cal U Global Online, where a dedicated military coordinator helps to integrate them into the University’s online learning community.

In 2012 and 2013, Cal U welcomed members of the active-duty military, reserve and National Guard as they strove to qualify for the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge.

In addition to the recognition from Victory Media, Military Times EDGE ranks Cal U among the top schools in the nation for its commitment to helping military veterans pursue higher education.

The Cal U Department of Theatre and Dance presents “An Evening of One-Acts” at 8 p.m. Oct. 2-3 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Oct. 4.

The student-directed short plays will be performed in the Gerald and Carolyn Blaney Theatre in Steele Hall.

The department’s first performance of the Fall 2014 semester features plays that may be irreverent or enlightening, but always entertaining. Subject matter may not be suitable young children.

Cost is $12 for adults, seniors and children. Cal U students with valid CalCards pay 50 cents, plus a $5 deposit that is refunded at the show.

For ticket information, or to charge tickets by phone, call the Steele Box Office at 724-938-5943.

Do you know someone who you feel would be a good fit at Cal U? Is so, make a referral through Cal U's new Recommend a Vulcan program. Click 'more' to refer a potential student today. Learn more

A new edition of the Cal U Journal is available online. The latest headlines include: Stars shine for Homecoming; Emeritus professor returns for talks; Register now for online Winter College; Panel discusses ethics in government. Read the Journal online today. 

Read more

Celebrate Homecoming 2014 with U.S.A.-themed festivities, Oct. 6-11 at Cal U. Highlights include the annual Homecoming Parade at noon on Oct. 11, followed by Vulcan football at 3:30 p.m. View a schedule of events.

Jennie Carter Day of Service
Oct. 9, 2014
11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Lobby areas, Keystone and Eberly halls
5-6 p.m. — Carter Hall Multipurpose Room

Just 16 years after the Civil War ended, in 1881, Elizabeth “Jennie” Adams Carter became the first African-American to graduate from the South Western State Normal School, now known as California University of Pennsylvania.

She went on to become a noted speaker and educator. And since 2009, Cal U has remembered Jennie Carter each year by observing Jennie Carter Day on Oct. 9, the date of her birth.

This year, Cal U will mark the Jennie Carter Day of Service by creating inspirational bracelets and donating them to the western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.

Students, faculty and staff may participate, along with representatives from Delta Chi Fraternity, the Black Student Union, Multicultural Student Programs and the Center for Volunteer Programs and Service Learning.

Bracelet materials will be available from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the lobby areas of Keystone and Eberly halls, and from 5-6 p.m. in the Carter Hall Multipurpose Room. 

Questions?

Contact the Center for Volunteer Programs and Service Learning at 724-938-4793.