The Vulcan Parking Garage at Cal U is CLOSED until further notice. As yet, there is no timeline for when it will be fully operational.

No vehicleswill be permitted to enter the garage while an independent safety review is being conducted. Pedestrians are not permitted to enter the garage at any time.

Only authorized personnel are permitted to enter the Vulcan Garage while the University assesses the facility’s safety and plans for necessary repairs.

Please check this website regularly, as well as the Daily Announcements. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Alternative parking

Along with the alternative parking provided previously, follow these direction:

• Students on campus for evening classes should park in Lot 4 (River Lot) if space is available.

• For those students who need to be on campus after Vulcan Flyer shuttle service ends at 11 p.m., park in Lot 4 (River Lot) and relocate your vehicle the next day to Lot 24 when shuttle service resumes. (Buses are running on a 15-minute schedule.)
  
  Get directions to Roadman Park
  See a Vulcan Flyer schedule and routes

• Students, faculty and staff may pay the regular hourly rate to utilize the pay-by-meter parking spaces in Lot 11 and Lot 17.     
  
  Learn about metered parking

After the first week of the semester, the Parking Office will be able to assess whether there are any permits available for lots on campus. For information, please check in with the Parking Office staff.

Visitor parking

Visitors may pay the regular hourly rate to use metered parking in Lot 11 and Lot 17.

Contact us

Thank you for your patience. If you have further questions, please contact the Office of Parking & Transportation at 724-938-4677.

Students share their Cal U pride with parents, siblings, relatives and friends on Family Day, Sept. 17. Activities for all ages give families a chance to enjoy time together and experience the best of Cal U.

Unless noted, all events are free.

Family Day activities

• 10 a.m. — Registration, information desk, Natali Student Center.
• 10 a.m. — Free concert by the University Choir, Convocation Center courtyard. (Rain location: Morgan Hall auditorium.)
• 10:45 a.m.— Presentation of the Jennie Carter Award, Convocation Center courtyard. This year’s award recipient is former administrator Alan James ’62. (Rain location: Convocation Center lobby)
• 11 a.m.-2 p.m. — Family Fun Zone activities, Third Street near the Natali Student Center. 
• Noon — Free movie, Vulcan Theater. Additional showings at 4, 8 and 11 p.m.
• 12:30 -4:30 p.m. — 11th annual Family Field Day, organized by the student chapter of The Wildlife Society, in and around Frich Hall. Activities focus on wildlife and nature. 
• 1 p.m. — Vulcan football, Cal U vs. Millersville, Adamson Stadium. Ticket price is $10; visiting students pay $5; Cal U students, faculty and staff with valid CalCards are admitted free, along with children ages 12 and younger. Kids Zone and Vulcan Huddle alumni tent open at 11 a.m.
• 5 p.m. —President’s Showcase: Hidden Treasures, cocktail reception with hearty hors d’oeuvres, Convocation Center lobby. Cost is $125; proceeds support scholarships.
• 7:30 p.m. — Third annual President’s Showcase talent show, Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre. Ticket price is $10, free for students with valid CalCards; proceeds support scholarships.
• 9 p.m. — Fireworks display, on campus.

President’s Showcase: Hidden Treasures 

Sept. 17, 2016 (Family Day)

• 5 p.m. reception, Convocation Center
• 7:30 talent showcase, Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre

See the complete Family Day schedule

California University tops off its Family Day celebration Sept. 17 with the President’s Showcase: Hidden Treasures. 

Proceeds from this signature fundraising event and talent showcase benefit the Student Scholarship Fund for Academics, Arts and Athletics.

Talent showcase

Students, parents and families are invited to attend our third annual Showcase of Stars, an evening of dazzling entertainment featuring some of Cal U’s most talented faculty, staff and students.

As she has in the past, University President Geraldine Jones will perform a musical number with Cal U students.

The talent lineup also includes performers from Cal U’s Department of Music and Theatre; comedian Derrick Knopsnyder, a Cal U alumnus; and popular bands Hear Tonight, Soulios, The Vics and the Tim Litvin Band.

Admission is free for students with valid CalCards, $10 for alumni and others. Tickets are available at the door.

Fundraising reception

Before the talent showcase, join alumni and University friends at the President’s Showcase: Hidden Treasures cocktail reception in the Convocation Center lobby.

Enjoy hearty hors d’oeuvres and a chance to see some of California’s hidden treasures, including seldom-seen items drawn from the Manderino Library Archives and Special Collections.

Get a close look at the University Mace, the symbol of office carried at Commencement and Presidential Inauguration ceremonies. See the University’s remarkable collection of sheet music from the era of silent films — one of the largest collections outside Hollywood. Meet some of Cal U’s stellar students — our very own “hidden treasures”!

Dress is business casual. Each $125 ticket includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and admission to Our Showcase of Stars at 7:30 p.m.

Reservations are required; call 724-938-5775 for details. Make checks payable to: The Foundation for California University of Pennsylvania. 

Support the President’s Showcase

Proceeds from the President’s Showcase: Hidden Treasures supports the Student Scholarship Fund for Academics, Arts and Athletics, which helps Cal U students remain enrolled until they earn their degree.

Alumni and University friends are invited to show their support at these giving levels:

• Silver — $2,500
  Includes four (4) tickets to the reception and talent showcase, plus sponsorship recognition throughout the evening. 

• Gold — $5,000
  Includes eight (8) tickets to the reception and talent showcase, plus sponsorship recognition throughout the evening.

• Diamond — $10,000
  Includes twelve (12) tickets to the reception and talent showcase, plus sponsorship recognition throughout the evening.

For more information about supporting the President’s Showcase, call 724-938-5775.

CollegeDebate16 Town Hall live-stream 
8 p.m. Sept. 7, 2016
Eberly Hall, Room 110

Students, faculty, staff and the general public are invited to watch when CollegeDebate16 airs its College Convention at 8 p.m. Sept. 7.

The 90-minute moderated town hall-style meeting will be streamed live to universities across the country. Attendance at the watch party in Eberly Hall is free.

Delegates to CollegeDebate16, including Cal U political science major Ellen “Mari” Boyle, will identify issues that matter most to college students and other young citizens.

According to the organizers, ideas raised at the CollegeDebate16 town hall meeting will inform “a memo to the moderators of the Presidential debates that will outline the key issues the College Delegates want the candidates to address.”

Cal U delegate to CollegeDebate16

In June, Boyle joined 150 delegates from all 50 states at Dominican University of California, where they prepared for the college convention. The delegates attended workshops focused on promoting civil discourse, understanding responsible digital citizenry, and avoiding stereotypes and assumptions while focusing on the issues rather than party politics. 

After the delegate workshops, Boyle wrote: “It was amazing that CollegeDebate16 was able to take an already politically active and motivated group of people and inspire them even more to want to generate a movement, and I truly believe that a movement is what will come of this.”

Read Mari Boyle’s blog about CollegeDebate16.

Watch party, ‘Commander in Chief Forum’ 
Sept. 7, 2016
Cal U Convocation Center

• Doors open at 7 p.m.
• Broadcast begins at 8 p.m.

 The Cal U Veterans Club is collaborating with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America to host a "watch party" for the MSNBC/IAVA Commander in Chief Forum airing on national television Sept. 7.

The event, televised from New York, features the Democratic and the Republican presidential nominees. The candidates are expected to answer questions about national security, military affairs and veterans’ issues in front of an audience consisting primarily of service members, military veterans and their families.

Cal U students, military members, veterans and their families are welcome to attend the watch party, along with the general public. The nonpartisan event is focused on the issues and does not support or oppose either candidate. 

Admission to the watch party at Cal U is free. Registration is requested.

Register here to attend.

Cal U Annual Health Fair 
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sept. 21, 2016
Convocation Center

More than 40 health care industry representatives will staff booths, conduct screenings, offer giveaways and more at Cal U’s 29^th annual health fair.

The free event is coordinated by the University’s Health and Wellness Education Center. The event is open to the public, as well as to the entire campus community.

Education — and a healthy dose of fun — is the goal of the event, which addresses health and wellness topics such as diabetes, smoking cessation, orthopedics, healthy eating and more.

Central Blood Bank will conduct a blood drive during the event. Rite-Aid pharmacy staff will administer flu shots; cost is $31.99, and insurance cards will be accepted.

In addition to the pamphlets and giveaways offered by exhibitors, Cal U’s Health Education Awareness Resource Team (HEART) will hand out free sunglasses, megaphones and cellphone wallets during the event.

Bottled water and healthy snack packs will be distributed randomly throughout the day.

Hear Tonight, a band featuring Cal U students, will perform in the Convocation Center courtyard. Temporary tattoo artists and caricature artists will provide entertainment.

Health fair exhibitors

Among the community agencies and organizations scheduled to participate in the health fair are Adagio Health, Amedysis Hospice of Pennsylvania, AVI FoodSystems, Avon, BeautiControl, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, Centerville Clinics, Central Blood Bank, Children’s Home of Pittsburgh, Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Greenbriar Treatment Center, Hamilton Chiropractic, Magnolia Law (Pittsburgh), Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mental Health America of Westmoreland County, Monongahela Valley Hospital, New Life Options, Nurse-Family Partnership, Redstone Pharmacy, Rite-Aid Pharmacy, Schneider’s Dairy, Sysco, The Physical Therapy Institute, Tri-State Dermatology, Uniontown Hospital, UPMC Womancare Associates, Walmart Health and Wellness, Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission Inc. and Washington Health Systems. 

University exhibitors include the Communication Disorders Departmen, Counseling Center, End Violence Center, Women’s Center, Health and Wellness Center, Options@ Cal U, Office of Academic Success, Office for Students with Disabilities, Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union (PSECU), Prevention Awareness Recovery Center and Veterans Affairs Office.

Contact us

For more information about the Cal U health fair, contact Fran Fayish at fayish@calu.edu or graduate assistant Dan Bickerton at 412-251-7313 or bic4237@calu.edu.

Constitution Day 2016
1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (two panel presentations)
Sept. 16, 2016
Rooms 206/207, Natali Student Center 

Cal U seniors Claudia Pehowic, Kirra Lent and Ellen “Mari” Boyle, along with alumna Courtney Cochran ’12, ’13, will share their election-year experiences Sept. 16 as Cal U celebrates Constitution Day.  

This politically active quartet will hold panel discussions at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. in Rooms 206-207 of the Natali Student Center. Cochran will serve as the panels’ moderator.

About the panelists

• Claudia Pehowic interned this summer with Talk Media News at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Kirra Lent traveled to Philadelphia, Pa., where she was a Fox News intern at the Democratic National Convention.
• Mari Boyle is Pennsylvania’s student delegate to CollegeDebate16, a national, non-partisan initiative to engage young voters in the presidential election. She also is a contributor to Politics PA.
• Courtney Cochran is the regional organizer for the Campus Election Engagement Project, a nonpartisan initiative that encourages America’s 20 million college students to register, volunteer in campaigns, educate themselves and cast their ballots.

About Constitution Day at Cal U

All schools that receive federal funds are mandated to observe Constitution Day, which commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution.

This year’s Constitution Day program at Cal U is presented by the campus chapter of the American Democracy Project, the Office of the Provost/Academic Affairs, the College of Liberal Arts, and the Department of History, Politics and Society.

Cal U’s Constitution Day program is free and open to the entire campus community, as well as the general public. Pay-by-meter parking is available for visitors in Lot 17, behind the Natali Student Center. 

California University of Pennsylvania is once again partnering with the Washington County Community Foundation through the annual WCCF Day of Giving on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016.

Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Sept. 13, every online gift of $25 or more designated to the Foundation for California University of Pennsylvania will be even more valuable. On Day of Giving your gift will be increased from a bonus pool of funds estimated to be at least $100,000.

The minimum contribution is $25, but you may give as much as you like during WCCF Gives.

Make your gift here

How you can make a difference

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

• If 58 Cal U alumni gave $25 each, their total gifts would pay one student’s University fees for the spring semester.
• If 73 Cal U employees gave $50 each, their total gifts would pay one student’s in-state tuition for a semester.
• If 75 campus leaders gave $75 each, their total gifts would pay one student’s out-of-state tuition for a semester.

• If 100 friends, neighbors and members of the business community gave $100 each, their total gifts would help to pay the fees and expenses for two summer internships.

 Thank you for choosing to support the Foundation for California University on the WCCF Day of Giving.

Questions?

For more information, contact Randi Minerva at 724-938-4248 or minerva@calu.edu.

California University of Pennsylvania will waive application fees, defer initial deposits and streamline the admissions process for former ITT Technical Institute students who enroll through Cal U’s Finish Line degree completion program.

California University will hold a special Finish Line workshop for ITT students from 2-6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at its Southpointe Center in Canonsburg, Pa.Get directions

Depending on their desired program, eligible transfer students may be able to start Cal U classes as early as October.

To register for the Finish Line workshop for ITT students, or to learn more about Cal U’s degree completion programs, call 724-938-5958 or email finishline@calu.edu.

Why choose the Finish Line?

Designed specifically for students who have earned college credits but do not yet have a degree, the Finish Line helps students map out the most efficient and cost-effective route to a Cal U bachelor’s or associate degree.

Students are matched with Finish Line “coaches” who can guide them through the admissions process, assist with financial aid, and help them develop a personalized plan for reaching their educational goals.

Why choose Cal U?

California University of Pennsylvania offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and concentrations, including programs in criminal justice, nursing, science and technology, and legal studies.

A free transcript evaluation will help students select the best fit to maximize the college credits they already have earned.

Students who enroll through the Finish Line can take on-campus courses at Cal U or complete their degrees 100% online.

Cal U Global Online offers accelerated programs that shorten the time to graduation and make it possible to earn a degree from any location with Internet access.

Learn more

The Princeton Review has ranked California University of Pennsylvania among the best colleges in the Northeast for 12 consecutive years. To learn how you can complete your degree at Cal U, visit finishline.calu.edu.

On Discovery day, high school students and their families can tour the campus, meet faculty and staff and learn about Cal U’s 130 undergraduate programs. Registration is requested

A well-known expert on climate change will speak at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, in Eberly Hall 110, as part of the Meteorology Club’s fall speaker series.

Dr. Michael Mann is a professor of atmospheric science at Penn State University. His presentation —“The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy”— will take a lighthearted approach to a very serious environmental issue.

His talk is based on his new book, The Madhouse Effect, which he co-authored with Washington Post editorial cartoonist Tom Toles. The book will be available for purchase on Sept. 23, and Mann will sign copies.

He has published two other books, Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change and The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines.

Mann is the director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center and the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications. His post-graduate degrees, in physics, geology and geophysics, are from Yale University.

Admission to his lecture is free, and the public is welcome.

Learn more about Cal U’s Department of Earth Sciences

Directions to Cal U

A new edition of the Cal U Journal is available online. The latest headlines include: Football playbook includes community service; Retired dean to receive Carter Award; Constitution Day panel to discuss conventions, politics. Click here to read the latest Cal U Journal online.

Cal U Vulcan football fans can now keep up with the team on the road. 

For the first time, away games can be viewed via live video on California University Television’s YouTube channel. 

CUTV, which is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in 2016, is helping to test the live-stream technology for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, which plans to provide real-time viewing on the Web for all PSAC games in 2017.

CUTV will continue to broadcast the complete Vulcan football season as well as nine high school games via tape delay. 

Vulcan football broadcasts are slated for 6 p.m. Mondays and 4 p.m. Tuesdays on the Armstrong (channel 61) and Atlantic Broadband (channel 17) cable systems. Viewers also can watch the YouTube archive of the game at youtube.com/cutvsports1.

For the complete Cal U football schedule, visit calvulcans.com.

High school broadcasts on the same affiliates air at 8:30 p.m. Sundays and 5:30 p.m. Thursdays.

CUTV’s nine-game scholastic slate is under way, with Belle Vernon Area at Ringgold (Sept. 16), Greensburg Central Catholic at Charleroi (Sept. 23), Waynesburg at Southmoreland (Sept. 30), Baldwin at Connellsville (Oct. 7), Bethlehem Center at Brownsville (Oct. 14), Frazier at Bentworth (Oct. 21), and Bishop Canevin at Carmichaels (Oct. 28).

‘Concussion’ author Jeanne Marie Laskas
7 p.m. Oct. 20
South Wing, Cal U Convocation Center

How did a forensic pathologist in Pittsburgh uncover the connection between repeated head trauma and the downward spiral suffered by more than a dozen NFL football players, including “Iron Mike” Webster?

Find out when the Noss Lecture Series presents a conversation with award-winning writer Jeanne Marie Laskas, author of Concussion.

A New York Times bestseller, Concussion is the story of Nigerian immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, whose research uncovered the traumatic effects of repeated concussions on the brains of NFL football players.

Concussion was published in December 2015 to coincide with the release of a film by the same name, starring Will Smith. The book is based on Laskas’ 2009 article for GQ, “Game Brain,” which addressed the National Football League’s response to the findings of Omalu and other researchers.

Join us

The talk by Jeanne Marie Laskas is free and open to the public. Laskas will discuss her reporting and writing, as well as the response to her work.

After her talk, the audience may participate in a question-and-answer session.

Copies of Concussion will be available for sale, and a book-signing will follow the presentation.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and parking is available on campus.

Get directions to Cal U

About the author

Jeanne Marie Laskas teaches at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is a professor and director of the creative writing program. She is a former syndicated columnist for The Washington Post Magazine and the originator of the “Ask Laskas” column in the Reader’s Digest.

Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, Allure, Ladies Home Journal and other publications, as well as Best American Magazine Writing 2008 and six annual editions of Best American Sportswriting.  

In addition to Concussion, she is the author of five books, including Hidden America.

About the Noss Lecture Series at Cal U

Since 1983, California University of Pennsylvania’s Noss Lecture Series has brought important voices to the campus community and the residents of southwestern Pennsylvania. 

Previous speakers include environmental activist Robert Kennedy Jr., Nobel Peace Prize recipient Lech Walesa, civil rights leader Coretta Scott King, political activists Ralph Nader and Donna Brazile, and political columnist Charles Krauthammer.

California University’s Department of Music and Theatre will open its 2016 fall theater season with “An Evening of Creativity” at 7 p.m. Sept. 29-30, and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Oct. 1. In the Gerald and Carolyn Blaney Theatre in Steele Hall.

The comedic one-act Long Ago and Far Away, written by David Ives, will be among the selections performed.

The short play takes the audience to New York City, where a young, married couple sits in their empty apartment debating the meaning of life. Things take a mysterious turn when the wife finds herself travelling through time, and identities, on a snowy winter night.

Senior Trevon Kiser directs the performance. Cast members are seniors Ryan Johnson (Gus), Emily Marmoi (Laura) and sophomores Sabria Johnson (Landlady) and D.J. Miller (Jack).

Junior Alexis Hawk is the stage manager, with lighting design by senior Liz Andrews.

See the show

The “Evening of Creativity” is open to the public.

Ticket price 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 Hall Box Office at 724-938-5943. 

Get directions or a campus map

The union representing faculty at Pennsylvania’s public universities, including California, has announced its intention to strike on Oct. 19 if a settlement has not been reached with the State System of Higher Education.

Negotiations are continuing, and a strike is not certain. Although Cal U remains hopeful that a fair contract can be negotiated, we want you to be informed. 

Read a fact sheet, messages for students and FAQs from the State System

What will happen at Cal U?

The education of Cal U students is our University’s primary concern. Even if the faculty union chooses to strike, Cal U will remain open. 

In the event of a strike:

• Not every professor will take part in the work stoppage. Students should plan to attend their scheduled classes each and every day. (If a professor does not arrive after 10-15 minutes, students will be asked to sign in to record their attendance.)
• Residence halls, Vulcan Village and dining facilities will remain open.

• The library will be open (although hours may change), computer labs will be open, and students will be encouraged to keep up with their studies.
• The Natali Student Center, Herron Recreation & Fitness Center and other facilities will remain open, and services will be provided. As much as possible, student activities will continue as planned.
• University Police will be on duty to assure the safety of everyone on campus.

How can I stay informed?

If faculty do go on strike, students and their families will have access to up-to-date information. This website will be updated regularly, and links to State System announcements and FAQs will be provided.

Students also should check their campus email accounts at least once a day.

The University may use its official social media accounts and other outlets to provide updates, but this website will be your most comprehensive source for current, accurate information. Please check back often.

Thousands of viewers nationwide are expected to watch the debate between presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Cal U students, faculty and staff are invited to watch together as the candidates face off.

Join us for DebateWatch 2016 at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, in Eberly Hall, Room 110.

Sponsored by the American Democracy Project at Cal U, the event includes a “watch party” and moderated discussion of the candidates and the issues.

The event is free, and the public may attend.

More to come

Other DebateWatch events this election season include:

• Oct. 4— Vice Presidential DebateWatch, 9 p.m., Eberly 110
• Oct. 9— Presidential DebateWatch, 9 p.m., Eberly 110
• Oct. 19— Final Presidential DebateWatch, 9 p.m., Eberly 110

A new edition of the Cal U Journal is available online. The latest headlines include: President emphasizes opportunities; Barnhart named provost; Project revitalizing Pike Run. Click here to read the latest Cal U Journal online.

The conversation in Eberly Hall went on until after midnight when presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off in their first televised debate.

Now see what the vice presidential candidates, Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence, have to say.

Cal U students, faculty and staff are invited to watch together as the vice presidential candidates discuss the issues on live TV.

Join us for the Vice Presidential DebateWatch 2016 at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, in Eberly Hall, Room 110.

Sponsored by the American Democracy Project at Cal U, the event includes a “watch party” and moderated discussion of the candidates and the issues.

The event is free, and the public may attend.

More to come

Other DebateWatch events this election season include:

• Oct. 9— Presidential DebateWatch, 9 p.m., Eberly 110
• Oct. 19— Final Presidential DebateWatch, 9 p.m., Eberly 110