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BNIU psychology professor Lisa Finkelstein found love at a professional conference. You can, too, she says.

She is not talking about romantic love, but the kind of love that emanates from shared positive experience. And you can find it almost anywhere.

In a newly posted Psychology Today blog, Finkelstein discusses how this type of love, illuminated by Barbara Frederickson’s concept of “Love 2.0” in her book by that name, can bring more happiness to our lives, as well as possible health benefits.

NIU psychology professors are regular Psychology Today contributors. They’ve been blogging monthly on the site for more than a year.

Lisa Finkelstein

Lisa Finkelstein

Other blog titles have included:

Date posted: June 25, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on Finding ‘Love 2.0’ at a professional conference

Categories: Humanities Latest News Research Science and Technology

Photo of an employee under stressAn employee in the office receives a flexible time schedule, much to the irritation of her coworkers, who must stick to the 9-to-5 regimen. Because she often arrives an hour or two after everyone else, peers are forced to re-arrange daily meeting schedules. They feel it’s unfair and inequitable.

What this woman’s coworkers don’t know is this: She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, which disrupts her sleep. The boss offered flex time as an accommodation to a legitimate but invisible disability.

In many workplaces across the country, this fictional situation might not be far from the truth. Millions of Americans deal with “invisible disabilities” on the job. Their issues range from depression, dyslexia and panic attacks to diabetes, cancer and hearing or sight impairments.

Yet disclosure to employers – necessary for protection under laws regarding treatment of people with disabilities in the workplace – can come at a cost so great many choose to keep their disabilities hidden.

“The potential stigma that could accompany workplace disclosure may lead employees with invisible disabilities to keep those features concealed at work, even at the cost of health and performance impairments,” says Northern Illinois University researcher Alecia Santuzzi, a professor of psychology.

“Current legislation and policies in the workplace are not sensitive to the unique nature of invisible disabilities,” she says. “So these workers must weigh the social costs against the work benefits of disclosing.”

Alecia Santuzzi

Alecia Santuzzi

Santuzzi is lead author on an article published recently in the journal, Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice. The authors highlight the unique challenges for workers and organizations dealing with unseen disabilities and, in light of this, argue for a review of current disability law and workplace polices.

Co-authors are NIU psychology department graduate student Pamela Waltz, NIU psychology professor Lisa Finkelstein and professor Deborah Rupp, William C. Byham Chair of Industrial/Organizational Psychology at  Purdue University.

“It is surprising that very little research has been conducted specifically on the plight of workers whose disabilities are not visually apparent,” Santuzzi says. “This is even more surprising given that invisible disabilities are well represented among the most recent U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

In fact, in recent years the media has highlighted employment discrimination cases related to hearing impairments, traumatic brain injury, cancer and HIV – all potentially unseen disabilities.

Employers must, as long as it does not create undue hardship to the organization, provide reasonable accommodations to enable qualified individuals with legally defined disabilities to perform the essential functions of a job.

But to receive accommodations, workers must not only disclose their disabilities but also engage in a dialogue with employers about how a given disability might be affecting job performance and what accommodations might be useful.

“Despite these requirements, research suggests that a very small percentage of employees with concealable disabilities actually disclose to employers,” Santuzzi says.

Pamela Waltz, Lisa Finkelstein and Deborah Rupp

Pamela Waltz,
Lisa Finkelstein
and Deborah Rupp

Without disclosure, the employer is obligated to interpret the worker’s behavior under the assumption that disability is not a factor. Some of the most common reasons workers with invisible disabilities don’t disclose include:

  • Denial. Individuals might not detect or accept their own disabilities. A person with depression, for example, might mistake the condition for what he or she considers normal mood variation.
  • Social stigma. Workers might choose not to disclose to avoid awkwardness at work or being treated differently. Even laws that aim to protect individuals with invisible disabilities can have a reverse effect, drawing attention to those workers and their differences and increasing stigma.
  • Potential misperceptions among coworkers. Confidentiality provisions prohibit an employer from informing coworkers that a peer is receiving accommodations for a disability. Recent research suggests that coworkers might view differential treatment as unfair and inequitable as a consequence.
  • Perceived legitimacy of a disability. Even when coworkers are aware that different treatment is being given to accommodate a disability, workers with non-obvious disabilities are more likely to illicit negative reactions, compared to employees with obvious disabilities. For example, coworkers might question whether a person with spinal stenosis is faking back pain to get desired perks.
  • A lack of awareness. Many invisible disabilities are only vaguely understood, and symptoms of lesser known disabilities such as dyscalculia, a learning disability involving math, are less likely to be detected, properly diagnosed or treated. Complicating matters is the fact that clinical and legal definitions can change over time.
  • Burden of proof. Under current laws, a worker must prove he or she has a disability. Particularly with unseen disabilities, a worker might feel uncertain or insecure about the nature of his or her condition.
  • Legal ambiguity. According to federal law, a condition must interfere with at least one major life activity to qualify under the legal definition of disability. But what constitutes a major life activity is subject to the interpretation of the legal system.

“Variability and ambiguity creates challenges for impacted workers and employers alike,” Santuzzi says.

“The stress of hiding a disability identity can come with health costs, and workers whose concealed disabilities interfere with work might receive poorer reviews and lower wages,” she says. “Depending on the type of work, the lack of disclosure also could have negative implications for the safety of the employee, as well as coworkers, customers and the public.”

The journal article’s authors believe much more policy review and analysis is needed to fully understand the issues facing workers with invisible disabilities and how they can be most effectively and fairly accommodated.

“By identifying where and why the disclosure decision breaks down, more sensitive and effective workplace policies could be developed,” Santuzzi says.

The authors suggest that policymakers consider amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act and changes to workplace policies to provide flexibility to the disclosure process and alternative ways to provide accommodations.

The authors further recommend employers develop policies and practices for training and education of supervisors and coworkers regarding invisible disabilities.

“Employers could adopt practices that regularly assess the well-being and work challenges of all employees,” Santuzzi says. “Such check-ups would not only detect disability-related changes among individual employees but also would convey a universal concern and value for all employees.”

Date posted: June 17, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on Why some workers don’t disclose their disabilities

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Humanities Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Science and Technology

Douglas D. Baker

Douglas D. Baker

The Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC), a not-for-profit organization focused on growing the state’s innovation economy, today announced that NIU President Doug Baker will serve as chairman of the ISTC Board of Directors.

Baker replaces outgoing board chair Eric Isaacs, provost of the University of Chicago and former director of Argonne National Laboratory and president of UChicago Argonne, LLC.

“This is an integral position, serving as a catalyst for projects that bring together industry, national laboratories and universities across tech sectors, focused on innovation to address societal problems,” President Baker said. “The ISTC plays an important role as impartial convener of state assets in contexts ranging from large proposal submissions to informed conversations about strengths and weaknesses of P-20 education in Illinois. I will work hard in my new role to be a champion for Illinois’ innovative ecosystem with a focus on attracting new assets to the community and celebrate our technological victories”

The ISTC announced 10 new companies and educational institutions that will join the organization’s membership: Allstate Corporation, Archer Daniels Midland, Cleversafe, Elsevier, Exelon Corporation, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Loyola University Chicago, Microsoft Corporation, Ocean Tomo, and Wellspring Worldwide. The additions bring the ISTC’s membership to 39.

“Dr. Baker’s efforts to forge stronger relationships between NIU and Illinois employers is reflective of the work we do at the ISTC to link public and private entities around areas of mutual interest and need. He understands the critical role that Illinois universities play in cultivating a strong pipeline of talent for our rapidly-growing innovation sectors,” said Mark Harris, president and CEO of the ISTC. “We are thankful for the leadership of Eric Isaacs this past year and look forward to working with our expanded membership and board leaders, many of whom have already contributed significantly to ISTC initiatives.”

Baker was named NIU president in April 2013. An expert in organizational strategy, structure and motivation, he has promoted student career success as his top administrative priority.

“NIU has appreciated being part of the Illinois Innovation Council and working with the ISTC on the Pathways and Race to the Top initiatives focused on improving STEM education in the state,” Baker said. “We look forward to playing a stronger, leadership role in these activities as well as working with the ITSC and others  to celebrate and leverage NIU relationships with community colleges and small-to-medium manufacturing enterprises.”

Before joining NIU, Baker served for eight years as provost and executive vice president of the University of Idaho. Prior to that, he spent 24 years in the Washington State University System, teaching courses in management, organizational behavior, organizational design, strategic planning and human resource management.

He will also serve as board chairman of the Illinois Science & Technology Institute, a 501(c)(3) affiliate of the ISTC, focused on the development of Illinois’ STEM talent pipeline.

“I am honored to help guide the ISTC and Institute’s mission to drive economic growth in Illinois through research and innovation,” Baker said. “By uniting the efforts of academic institutions like NIU with those of industry, federal laboratories and government entities, we can continue to maintain and improve Illinois standing as a national innovation leader.”

The ISTC’s Board of Directors will also grow to 14 members, with Chris Gladwin, founder and vice chairman of Cleversafe, and Robert Lowe, CEO of Wellspring, each taking on new board positions.

Other 2014 board additions also include Linda Darragh, clinical professor of entrepreneurial practice and executive director, Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative at Northwestern University; John Flavin, executive director of the Chicago Innovation Exchange at the University of Chicago; and Laura Frerichs, director of the University of Illinois Research Park and director of economic development, UIUC Public Engagement. View the full list of board members and full membership list.

Allstate has previously participated in the ISTC’s Corporate-Startup Challenge, which partners major Illinois corporations with innovative startup companies to provide them with mentoring and businesses opportunities. Elsevier and Ocean Tomo, world leaders in tracking and evaluating research and innovation outcomes, are supporting, through in-kind data and expertise, the development of the Illinois Science and Technology Road Map, an ISTC-led assessment of Illinois technology strengths that will leverage our research institution capabilities to drive the state’s industry base and inform Illinois innovation policy.

insectsCould something as simple as aspirin be the key to controlling harmful insects? That’s the question NIU Biological Sciences Professor Jon Miller asked when he began his research on insect cellular immunity. His discoveries could eventually lead to safer, greener pest-control practices for agriculture.

Miller will be the guest speaker at the next STEM Café, “Infecticide: Using Cellular Immunity to Control Insect Pest Populations.” This free presentation and discussion will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18th, at Eduardo’s Restaurant, 214 E. Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb.

Miller serves as acting director of NIU’s Center for Secondary Science and Mathematics Education and as director of the Teacher Licensure Program for biology. He is also a research scientist in cell biology with more than 20 years of experience in teaching biology, chemistry and human anatomy and physiology at the high school and university levels.

Jon Miller

Jon Miller

Miller has long been fascinated with insects and was interested in ways to control pest populations without negative effects to humans and other important insects such as honeybees. “Insects are a part of the ecosystem and play an important role,” Miller says. “We don’t want to completely eradicate insect pests in agricultural settings. Instead, we should try to keep their populations below economic thresholds so the farmer can earn a living and the environment is not negatively impacted.”

Miller says that if researchers spray fields with low doses of anti-inflammatories rather than using pesticides, they can disrupt the insect immune system. This causes insects in the sprayed area to lose their natural immunity to common microorganisms and bacteria found in the environment.

Unlike pesticides, which are also poisonous to humans, immune disruptors will have little to no effect on human health. “It just so happens that the immune disruptors are NSAID pharmaceuticals such as Advil, Aleve, aspirin and common drugs we take for a headache or fever. They are anti-inflammatory drugs,” Miller says. “Many of the disruptor agents are also treatments for arthritis.”

Miller plans to discuss insects, immunology and applications of his research. After his talk, he will participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience.

This event is part of NIU STEM Outreach’s series of monthly STEM Cafés, which are free and open to the public. Food and drinks are available for purchase from the host restaurant.

The STEM Café series is just one of the many engaging events STEM Outreach hosts to increase public awareness of the critical role that STEM fields play in our everyday lives. Learn more about STEM Cafés and other events online or contact Judith Dymond at jdymond@niu.edu or (815) 753-4751.

Date posted: June 11, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on June 18 STEM Café explores green alternatives to pesticides

Categories: Communiversity Events Faculty & Staff Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Science and Technology

Omar Chmaissem

Omar Chmaissem

Northern Illinois University physics professor Omar Chmaissem, an NIU alumnae and a current postdoctoral student are key members of a team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory shedding light this week on the mysteries of superconductivity.

In a study published today in “Nature Communications,” the team announces the discovery of a previously unknown transition phase in a class of superconductors called iron arsenides. The finding illuminates the debate over the electronic interactions responsible for superconductivity.

The science and tech communities have long been fascinated with the amazing properties of superconductors. When cooled below certain temperatures, they conduct electricity without energy-sapping resistance.

Superconductors are already used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) devices, in the transportation industry and in scientific-research equipment, including particle accelerators. But the best known superconducting materials can operate only below 218 degrees Fahrenheit under ambient pressure.

For decades, scientists have been on a quest to develop room-temperature superconductors, which could revolutionize the energy industry and lead to many more applications, such as magnetically levitated superfast trains, powerful supercomputers and devices that now only exist in the imaginations of science fiction writers.

It’s well known that superconducting materials lose their resistance below a certain temperature, which is usually near absolute zero (−459.6 Fahrenheit). They also dislike magnetism and do not allow magnetic field lines to penetrate through the materials.

“But a full understanding of the theory of superconductivity remains elusive,” said Chmaissem, a Naperville resident and NIU physics professor who holds a long-term collaborative appointment at Argonne.

“Working with a particular class of iron-based magnetic materials, our team discovered a novel magnetic state just when the material is about to become superconducting,” he says. “This is important to theorists and experimentalists as they try to create novel materials with superconducting properties at room temperature.”

From left: Duck-Young Chung, Omar Chmaissem, Stephan Rosenkranz, Daniel Bugaris, Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, Ray Osborn and Jared M. Allred

Members of the Argonne team (from left): Duck-Young Chung, Omar Chmaissem, Stephan Rosenkranz, Daniel Bugaris, Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, Ray Osborn and Jared M. Allred

At NIU, Chmaissem teaches a wide range of courses, from general physics to electricity and magnetism to analytical mechanics. The first author on the new research paper is Chmaissem’s former postdoctoral fellow Sevda Avci, who earned her Ph.D. in physics at NIU and is now at Afyon Kocatepe University in Turkey. Jared Allred, one of Chmaissem’s current postdoctoral students, also was a member of the team.

The research was performed at the ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, U.K., using a method known as neutron powder diffraction.

Superconductors are notably finicky. In order to get to the superconducting phase—where electricity flows freely—they need a lot of coddling. The iron arsenides the researchers studied are normally magnetically ordered, but as you add sodium to the mix, the magnetism is suppressed and the materials eventually become superconducting below roughly -400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Magnetic order affects the atomic structure. At room temperature, the iron atoms sit on a square lattice, which has four-fold symmetry, but when cooled below the magnetic transition temperature, they distort to form a rectangular lattice, with only two-fold symmetry.

A neutron diffraction image giving evidence for the new magnetic phase in iron-based superconductors discovered by Argonne scientists. It shows the scattering results from a sample of barium iron arsenide with sodium ions added to 24 percent of the barium sites. Nematic order sets in below 90 K but four-fold symmetry is restored below 40 K. The resulting atomic and magnetic structures are illustrated in the figure on the right, in which the blue spheres represent iron atoms and the red arrows show the direction of their magnetic moments. Image by Jared Allred.

A neutron diffraction image giving evidence for the new magnetic phase in iron-based superconductors discovered by Argonne scientists. It shows the scattering results from a sample of barium iron arsenide with sodium ions added to 24 percent of the barium sites. Nematic order sets in below 90 K but four-fold symmetry is restored below 40 K. The resulting atomic and magnetic structures are illustrated in the figure on the right, in which the blue spheres represent iron atoms and the red arrows show the direction of their magnetic moments. Image by Jared Allred.

The Argonne team discovered a phase where the material returns to four-fold symmetry close to the onset of superconductivity.

“Our new discovery shows that there’s a novel four-fold symmetrical magnetic state above superconductivity,” Chmaissem said. “Further, this magnetic state and superconductivity compete against each other at lower temperature and manage to coexist. There’s no return to the two-fold symmetry. This was completely unexpected and is now subject to extensive theoretical work by collaborators and competitors alike.”

The research paper is titled “Magnetically Driven Suppression of Nematic Order in an Iron-based Superconductor.”

Other coauthors on the paper were Argonne scientists Ray Osborn, Stephan Rosenkranz, Daniel Bugaris, Duck Young Chung, John-Paul Castellan, John Schlueter, Helmut Claus and Mercouri Kanatzidis (a joint appointment with Northwestern University); Ilya Eremin at the Institut für Theoretische Physik in Germany; Andrey Chubukov at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and ISIS scientists Dmitry Khalyavin, Pascal Manuel and Aziz Daoud-Aladine.

Date posted: May 22, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on Super(conducting) discovery

Categories: Faculty & Staff Global Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Science and Technology Students

Joe Fennell

Joseph Fennell

An alumnus of NIU’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is being recognized nationally for his leadership in public works projects.

Joseph Fennell, executive director of the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency, was named to the American Public Works Association’s (APWA) list of 2014 Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year.

APWA annually recognizes 10 of the most outstanding public works professionals from across the U.S. and Canada for their career-long dedication and service, professionalism and expertise in public works infrastructure.

An active alumnus, Fennel graduated with his NIU MPA degree in 1984. His son Allen is also an alumnus of the program, having received his MPA in 2010. Allen works for the Village of Woodridge.

“Joe Fennel exemplifies the best in our MPA graduates,” said Kurt Thurmaier, professor and chair of the Department of Public Administration. “He is a truly dedicated public servant who, while working in a difficult financial and political environment, manages complex systems that affect thousands of people every day. It is wonderful that he is getting recognized by his peers around the nation as an outstanding public manager.”

Joseph Fennell will be honored in August during the APWA 2014 International Public Works Congress & Exposition in Toronto. He also will be presented the award locally at a ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 22, at Seven Bridges Golf Course located at One Mulligan Drive in Woodridge.

Fennell manages the policies and contractual commitments of a multi-jurisdictional, inter-governmental agency through the operations of a water plant and transmission network serving a daytime population of 500,000. He manages personnel, budgetary and operational policy matters.

American Public Works Association logoHis agency purchases its water from the City of Chicago, and Fennell regularly interacts with city and state officials concerning matters of allocation, distribution and legislative administration.

In 2004, the City of Chicago approached Fennell with a request to relocate the agency’s single supply line to its 350,000 customers to avoid the new O’Hare International Airport runway. Fennell worked to ensure that water supply was continuous throughout the relocation project.

Fennell recently navigated possibly his biggest challenge of all—the need to relocate a significant part of the water system to accommodate the widening of the I-90 Jane Addams Tollway.

Unlike the O’Hare main, this part of the main was relocated at the agency’s cost, a massive undertaking with the first estimates at $120 million. Fennell worked with consultants and Illinois Tollway officials to reduce the impacts as well as the total cost, to $70 million. He successfully negotiated a repayment plan, reducing the impact to his member communities and customers.

Based in Kansas City, Mo., the American Public Works Association is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 28,500 members involved in the field of public works. More information on APWA’s Top Ten Public Works Leaders is available online.

Date posted: May 15, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on American Public Works Association recognizes MPA alumnus Joseph Fennell

Categories: Alumni Faculty & Staff Liberal Arts and Sciences

Photo of a hand holding a lit matchMore than one in six people in the United States experience anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorders. Could marijuana, which is now being used more widely and legally for medical purposes, help relieve the stress?

NIU psychology professor David Valentiner and graduate student Sara Wyman tackle that topic in a new blog entry this week in Psychology Today. The authors discuss current research but say more is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

If pot use led to a reduction in anxiety symptoms, “you’d expect to see a low percentage of marijuana users suffering from anxiety disorders or PTSD –
why would their problems persist if they smoke regularly?” the authors say. “However, rates of cannabis use are not lower among individuals with anxiety disorders, and are, in fact, higher among individuals with PTSD.”

NIU psychology professors are regular Psychology Today contributors. They’ve been blogging monthly on the site for more than a year.

Other blog titles have included:

Date posted: May 14, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on High anxiety

Categories: Campus Highlights Faculty & Staff Humanities Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Science and Technology

Marc Adler, Kikue Hamayotsu and Holly Jones

Marc Adler, Kikue Hamayotsu and Holly Jones

International Affairs has announced the recipients of this year’s Cobb Fellowships:

Each fellow will receive a grant of $1,333 to facilitate research collaboration with an international colleague.

The Cobb program is funded through an endowment that was established from the estate of Lillian “Pauline” Cobb, who served as the first chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures from 1930 to 1966. It is a competitive grant program designed to promote the active involvement of regular NIU faculty members in international travel that will enhance their on-campus programs.

The specific invitational priorities of the Cobb Faculty Travel Fellowship program may be adjusted each year to support particular aspects of the strategic plan and mission.

For the 2014 competition, the invitational priority was international research collaboration.

Photo of international flagsAdler seeks to initiate new collaborative research with a lab at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom to study protein folding and related diseases. Hamayotsu plans to build collaborative relations with leading researchers in Indonesia in the field of religious conflict and democracy in Indonesia. Jones seeks to facilitate international collaboration with Auckland University of Technology, Auckland University and Victoria University in New Zealand to quantify island recovery following invasive species removal.

In addition, the Division of International Affairs has provided funds for three more international research collaboration fellowships. These have been awarded to Catherine Raymond of the School of Art and Center for Burma Studies, Victor Ryzhov of chemistry and biochemistry and Karen Samonds of biological sciences.

Raymond’s collaboration involves poetics, politics, digitization and bi-directional capacity building in Burmese museology. Ryzhov will collaborate with colleagues in the Netherlands on the study of free radicals in protein model systems. Samonds will collaborate on the study of the arrival of modern vertebrate fauna to Madagascar.

Date posted: May 7, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on International Affairs announces Cobb Fellowship recipients

Categories: Arts Faculty & Staff Global Grant Getters Humanities Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Science and Technology Visual Visual and Performing Arts

Katharine Wiegele poses in Tacloban City with boat recipient and fisherman Rodrigo Enico (far left) and his family during the boat blessing and handover in Tacloban City. Enico's motorboat was named after DeKalb resident and donor Jennifer Mescher, childhood friend of Wiegele. Enico's livelihood has always been fishing but until now he did not have a boat of his own. "It took Typhoon Haiyan for me to have my own boat," he said.

Katharine Wiegele (right) poses in Tacloban City with fisherman Rodrigo Enico (far left) and his family during the boat blessing and handover in Tacloban City. Enico’s motorboat was named after DeKalb resident and donor Jennifer Mescher, a childhood friend of Wiegele. Enico’s livelihood has always been fishing but until now he did not have a boat of his own. “It took Typhoon Haiyan for me to have my own boat,” he said.

NIU adjunct anthropology professor Katharine Wiegele took a cue from the old saw: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Only Wiegele went the extra mile – or make that about 8,200 miles.

She worked with family, friends, colleagues and NIU students to raise enough funds to purchase supplies and three fishing boats for victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines in November.

Then, while doing anthropological research last month in the Philippines, Wiegele helped personally present the boats to families in Tacloban City, in the country’s central region.

Typhoon Haiyan was the deadliest typhoon ever to hit the Philippines, and among the strongest ever recorded. The violent storm left more than 6,000 dead, and thousands more displaced. Tacloban City was among the areas worst hit.

Wiegele said that one of the fishermen who received a boat had a particularly tragic story. He and his wife and their four children took refuge during the storm on the rooftop of their home. They were separated in a rush of seawater.

When the waters receded, the man’s 11-year-old son was discovered nearby clinging to the top of a coconut tree. The man’s wife and three other children were never found.

“The fishermen were extremely grateful for the boats, but they are still dealing with the tragedy of their own personal losses,” Wiegele said. “People there are still in shock. They have no homes, most have lost family members or friends, and they don’t have jobs.”

Wiegele’s efforts began late last year. After the typhoon hit, she started collecting relief funds from her Facebook friends. Then she teamed up with Rhodalyne Gallo-Crail, an NIU instructor of Tagalog, one of the major languages spoken in the Philippines.

Katharine Wiegele

Katharine Wiegele

Gallo-Crail’s Tagalog classes – both in the fall and spring semesters – conducted bake sales with proceeds going to Wiegele’s disaster-aid fund.

“In class, I always try to make connections to the country and Filipino culture,” said Gallo-Crail, who is a native of the Philippines.

“After the typhoon, news media were reporting regularly on the Philippines, and I recognized a service opportunity for my students,” she said. “Helping typhoon victims allowed them to learn more about the country and engage them in the needs of its people after the disaster. It also enriched my students in terms of developing personal responsibility for improving the world.”

Wiegele has had a close connection to the Philippines dating back to her service there in the Peace Corps during the 1980s. At that time, she became friends with the family of former Filipino senator Manuel Manahan. The family later founded the Manuel P. Manahan Foundation, a Filipino NGO.

Wiegele gave the $1,000 that she and students had collected to the foundation, which used the money to provide food, medicine and other supplies to disaster victims. Some of the funds were also used to purchase toys for children at Christmastime. The foundation’s work attracted Filipino news coverage, which made mention of NIU’s “baking class” contribution.

phil-banner

Katharine Wiegele with recipients of the new boats holding a best-wishes banner from NIU.

Prior to her March 10 through April 14 research trip, Wiegele raised another $2,000 for the foundation – enough to purchase the three motorized boats. The foundation kicked in the additional funds needed to fully equip the boats with nets, goggles and other fishing gear.

Wiegele’s main purpose in the Philippines was to investigate the cultural models of nature for fishermen along the shores of the Verde Island Passage in Batangas Province, an area of the Philippines that is among the world’s richest in marine diversity. The research is part of a large-scale National Science Foundation-funded effort led by NIU Presidential Research Professor Giovanni Bennardo.

Halfway through her field research in Batangas, Wiegele met up with representatives of the Manahan Foundation in Manila, boarded a C-130 cargo plane and traveled to typhoon ravaged Tacloban City to present the boats.

The boats were named after those who had made the most significant donations, including one called “Jenny” after DeKalb resident Jennifer Mescher, a friend of Wiegele who also has hosted young people from Southeast Asia during leadership-training programs at NIU.

“What’s great about this effort is that we were able to provide boats and equipment directly to families in need,” Wiegele said, adding that Tacloban City remains devastated.

win-this-fight

Katharine Wiegele with Muffet Manahan of the Manahan Foundation (in red) and Cesar Cayanong (right), the artist who painted the new boats. He painted slogans such as these around the city after the storm, many of which were picked up by national and international press.

She saw mass graves, large ships run aground and people still living under tarps amidst rubble.

“There’s still a broad region of devastation, but people don’t want to leave their property because property titles have been lost. Building is still restricted, presumably so people don’t build on land that is not theirs,” she said. “Most of the city is dark at night because electricity has been reestablished only along the main roads.”

Wiegele and Gallo-Crail are continuing their local fundraising efforts.

Gallo-Crail and her Tagalog students held another bake sale this month. This summer, she and three of her students – Isabelle Squires, Carlo Aseron and Rachael Horvath – will visit the Philippines for language study. They hope to do some work for the Manahan Foundation and hand deliver the latest donations.

“My students are hoping to intern with the foundation so they can create some visibility for the organization by developing a website that would provide a way to connect the foundation with some of our friends and students at NIU,” Gallo-Crail said.

Anyone interested in making a donation can contact Wiegele at wiegele@niu.edu.

Date posted: May 7, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU professors, students pitch in for Philippines disaster relief

Categories: Communiversity Engagement Faculty & Staff Global Humanities Latest News Liberal Arts and Sciences Research Students

Photo of browniesStudents of Rhodalyne Gallo-Crail, an NIU instructor of Tagalog, one of the major languages spoken in the Philippines, will hold a bake sale today at the Holmes Student Center, south entrance.

The sale will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to raise funds to help fishermen impacted by the deadly typhoon in the Philippines last November. Several artworks will be auctioned off as well, and Adobo, a Filipino meat dish, will also be on sale for lunch, weather permitting, in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commons.

All proceeds will go to the Manuel Manahan Foundation in the Philippines to purchase a fishing boat for fishermen in Tacloban City, which was among the areas worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan. The deadliest typhoon ever to hit the Philippines, and possibly the strongest ever recorded, Haiyan left thousands dead, and thousands more displaced.

Date posted: May 1, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on Bake sale today to benefit typhoon victims in the Philippines

Categories: Communiversity Events Faculty & Staff Global Liberal Arts and Sciences Students

clce

Students in a course taught this spring by Mark Schuller became social activists
on such topics as environmental issues.

“Hands-on,” “practice-based,” “experiential” and “engaged” all accurately describe two unique courses offered this spring by NIU’s Center for Non-Governmental Organization Leadership and Development (NGOLD) through its community leadership and civic engagement (CLCE) academic programs.

“Service-learning and other engagement activities are cornerstones of the CLCE major, minor and certificate programs,” said professor Nancy Castle, NGOLD director. “Blending academic theory with practical experiences provides an opportunity for incredible growth among students and allows exciting campus-community collaborations to take place.”

Castle developed and taught a course on nonprofit boards and governance, which was offered for the first time this spring.

Six students were selected to participate in the course and served as “board members in training” with local organizations in DeKalb and Sycamore. Participating organizations included the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Sycamore History Museum, Family Service Agency, TAILS Humane Society, DeKalb Public Library and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

Along with attending board and committee meetings, students went to annual dinners and agency fundraisers, assisted in online fundraising efforts, supported the development of policy position statements and led focus groups at local high schools to aid in program development.

Nancy M. Castle

Nancy M. Castle

Nathan Tripp, a senior sociology major with a CLCE minor, remarked on his time with TAILS Humane Society. “As a future nonprofit professional, I find that this experience has helped me gain an understanding of how these boards function, as well as how I can be an effective board member.”

Tripp is graduating in May, but has decided to continue his term with the TAILS board as he works toward his Master in Public Administration at NIU next fall.

“The class has been received very well,” Castle said. “We have multiple students from this semester that will continue on with their organizations and at least six more willing to make a two-semester commitment next year. Many organizations are excited to get involved as well.”

Another course, CLCE 410, focused on community organizing and activism this spring.

Taught by assistant professor, Mark Schuller, students were charged with identifying an issue within the NIU and DeKalb County communities and then organizing in an attempt to address the issue. The class divided themselves into four groups focused on tenant’s rights, recycling, developing a communiversity garden and sexual assault prevention and awareness.

“I’m proud of the students” Schuller said. “I have seen their growth as students, activists and people as they organized into groups and worked on issues that are important to them and the community – both on and off campus.”

Mark Schuller

Mark Schuller

Each group has seen the fruits of its labor.

The tenant’s association coordinated with Student Legal Aid to understand common landlord-tenant issues facing NIU students, hosted a meeting to educate students and community members about these issues and is in the process of becoming a recognized student organization at NIU.

Students focused on recycling gathered information about recycling habits in the residence halls, fraternities, sororities and apartment complexes, while raising awareness about the environment.

The communiversity garden group collaborated with Dan Kenney of the DeKalb County Community Gardens and expects to break ground Thursday, May 8.

The final group, focused on sexual assault, received Institutional Review Board approval to conduct a survey on student perceptions of sexual assault and how many are reported to police. They also developed a proposal calling for the expansion of Victim Advocacy Services.

“CLCE 410 challenged me to think bigger and work harder,” said graduating CLCE major Gretchen Ahrens. “It allowed me to see how great things can happen in town-gown collaboration, but that there are hurdles and resistance to overcome in the process.”

The four student groups will present their work from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, May 4, in Room 100 of the Campus Life Building. All are welcome.

Both the nonprofit boards and governance course and CLCE 410 are expected to be offered again during the 2014-2015 academic year.

Established in 2010, NGOLD’s purpose is to enhance civil society through academics, research and programming related to non-governmental organizations, nonprofits and other avenues of public service.

NGOLD, which offers the interdisciplinary community leadership and civic engagement (CLCE) undergraduate major, minor and certificate, provides comprehensive programs and services to students, faculty, researchers and organizations.

For more information, call (815) 753-4410 or email ngoldcenter@niu.edu.

Date posted: April 30, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on Super-charged engaged learning

Categories: Business Centerpiece Communiversity Engagement Faculty & Staff Liberal Arts and Sciences Students

Sam Schmitz, president of Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois, presents NIU’s Melissa Lenczewski with a certificate of appreciation.

Sam Schmitz, president of Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois, presents
NIU’s Melissa Lenczewski with a certificate of appreciation.

Goodwill Industries is hoping NIU students will do another solid for the non-profit agency.

At the end of the past three semesters, as students were moving out of residence halls, they donated a whopping total of 19,281 pounds of clothing and household goods through the hugely successful NIU “Give and Go!” project.

Now, with finals again just around the corner, the spring 2014 donation drive is ramping up.

The large blue Goodwill bins are expected to be delivered to residence halls today (April 29), and the donation drive will run through Saturday, May 10, when the residence halls close.

Bins will be available in the lobbies of Gilbert Hall, Grant North, Stevenson South, Stevenson North, New Hall East, New Hall West, Douglas Hall and the breezeways of Neptune Central. (Because its students stay longer, Northern View Community will run on an altered schedule with bins available on staircases; check with NVC staff for schedule.)

Accepted items include, but are not limited to, gently used clothing, furniture, housewares, blankets and electronics. Unaccepted items include tube televisions, chemicals and carpeting. For a full list of accepted and unaccepted donations, see the signs on the bins as well as the “Give and Go!” posters in the residence halls.

Goodwill is working on the drive in concert with the Huskie Service Scholars and the Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy (ESE). Additionally, the Golden Key National Honors Society is coordinating the collection of non-perishable goods and toiletries.

NIU Give and GO! Move Out 2014ESE helped launch the Give and Go project, first as a pilot in December 2012. The donations reflect NIU’s commitment to helping keep the community green.

“People can’t believe how much we’ve collected,” says geology professor Melissa Lenczewski, director of NIU’s ESE Institute. “This effort saves the Earth, and you’re cleaning up the planet. It’s a great thing.

“These drives have spared NIU the cost of having to pay for disposal of more than 19,000 pounds of materials, which would have taken up space in a landfill,” she added. “Instead, the items were reused and repurposed. They go to a very worthy cause.”

Revenue from the sale of donated items helps fund Goodwill’s mission of providing jobs, job training, financial education and other crucial programs for people with employment barriers in the northern Illinois region.

“Goodwill is thrilled to have Northern Illinois University and its students take part in this donation drive,” said Sam Schmitz, president of Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois. He and other Goodwill representatives visited campus earlier this month to present NIU with a certificate of appreciation.

“The NIU donations will help provide individuals with the opportunity to experience the power and dignity of work through Goodwill’s employment programs,” Schmitz said.

Goodwill logoThe U.S. Department of Education estimates that 3 million students live in campus housing at 2,100 U.S. colleges and universities nationwide. Each year, students leaving campus encounter storage and car trunks that can only hold so much, and often leave perfectly good clothes, electronics, books and furniture in overflowing campus dumpsters.

“We know NIU students are eco-friendly and willing to do something on behalf of the planet if it’s convenient and fun,” Schmitz said. “The Give and Go: Move Out Donation Drive is an easy clean-up solution that offers real results.”

After students donate their goods, those items are sold at Goodwill stores, and the revenue is used to fund job training and community-based services for people who face challenges to finding employment.

“A box of books can provide 13 hours of on-the-job training; eight desk lamps can provide an hour-and-a-half of résumé preparation,” Schmitz said. “Give and Go is an opportunity to donate responsibly and recognize how donating the things you can no longer use can have an important social impact.”

For more information, email kquesnell@niu.edu.

Date posted: April 29, 2014 | Author: | Comments Off on It’s actually quite easy being green

Categories: Centerpiece Communiversity Students