Senior Jaclyn Sill competes in the 400 meter dash at the Euler State Farm/ESU Relays April 6 at the Zola Witten Track. Sill finished second with a time of 59:12. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

The Emporia State men’s and women’s track teams are preparing for the MIAA Championships this weekend.

Because this is the last conference competition of the season, the seniors aspire to finish their careers on a good note.

“I want to PR (personal record) and put myself out there because I am predicted to score but I am looking to move up and score higher,” said senior distance runner Marcus Summers.

Although senior Jaclyn Sill has taken first in the 400 meter the past two years, she said winning this year won’t be as easy for her.

“This year is going to be more competitive than last year because Nebraska Omaha has two very talented girls,” she said.

Senior javelin thrower Connie Philips also said competition will be tough.

“I have been competing against the same top two women these past couple of years so I know what to expect from them and they know what to expect from me so it should be a good competition,” Philips said.

As leaders of the women’s team, both fifth year seniors said they feel the team members’ ability to work together will help them to succeed.

“We have to set the example for everybody else,” Philips said. “I think they are looking to us to get a little motivation behind everybody.”

On the men’s side, strength in various events will help the team to succeed.

“We have a lot of good sprinters and jumpers to help carry our team but then we also have some younger throwers who can do well and hopefully score some points,” said senior thrower Dustin Loyd.

After success in the indoor season, the men’s team hopes to contend for the championship.

“We are right in the hunt for a championship,” Summers said. “We were close in indoor but there are guys like myself who didn’t run indoor who will add to the points.”

According to Head Coach David Harris, the team has been changing up their training to get ready for competition.

“Our volume of training has gone way down because we are tapering right now,” Harris said. “We are doing high intensity that is close to race and competition pace.”

Harris said he feels the team is prepared for the championships.

“I think the team is ready to go,” he added. “I feel good about our preparation and now it is time to compete for a championship.”

The Hornets’ first day of competition will start this Saturday and will go through Sunday in Joplin, Mo.

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The Emporia State baseball team is looking to take conference in a doubleheader against Southwest Baptist Friday and Saturday at the Trusler Complex.

If the Hornets win one game this weekend, they will be the MIAA regular season champion and will be the first seed in the conference tournament.

“We have four games with SBU left and we have an opportunity to win the conference and hopefully the rain will stay away,” said Head Coach Bob Fornelli.

Currently, ESU is second in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional and is eighth in the nation in the American Baseball Coaches Association top 30 poll.

“It’s a big weekend knowing that we have a lot of work to do with the conference tournament the following weekend and hopefully a regional after that,” Fornelli said.

Because this weekend’s series concludes the regular season for the Hornets, the win at home is all the more important, especially to the senior members of the team.

“Having a chance to play at home in front of our fans will be pretty fun,” said senior outfielder Conner Crumbliss. “It has been a lot of fun here, it will great to have one last game out there and one last chance to play in front of our good fans.”

Senior Hornets Brody McCullough, Conner Crumbliss, Anthony Dreiling, Kellen Lane, Brendan Higgins, Caleb Williamson, Brett McBride, Diego Soto, Mike Sharp, Tyler Applehans, Abe Steinbach, Lucas Fornelli and Ryan Anthony will all be recognized at the start of game two on Saturday.

Although the Hornets went 1-3 in their last series on the road against Missouri Southern, Fornelli said the team is still finishing the season strong.

“We have had 48 games this season so to only lose a couple in the year which is pretty good so hopefully we’ll come out and continue to battle an do some good things,” he said.

Coming into this game, Crumbliss is hitting .403 this season and is has 43 RBI. He leads the Hornets in steals with 25 stolen bases, is second in the nation in runs scored per game and holds the ESU record in runs scored.

Sharp is currently leading the MIAA in home runs and is second in runs driven in per game. He is hitting .400 on the year and is leading the team with 12 home runs and is second in RBI with 52 on the year.

With weather less than cooperative this week, the Hornets have had a lack of field practice.

“It is hard to prepare when you can’t go outside and practice,” Fornelli said. “We will do everything we can to come out and have a good weekend and we’ll see what happens.”

The Hornets will hit off game one at 4 p.m. this Friday.

Doug Irby/The Bulletin

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Phillip Ro’lon Miller, senior graphic design major, puts the finishing touches on his work for the Graphic Design Senior Show Wednesday in King Hall. Miller is one of six seniors who will exhibit their work May 8-12 in the Eppink and Gilson Galleries in King Hall.

The Graphic Design Senior Show, on display from 5-7 p.m. May 8-12 in King Hall, will display a combination of textual, packaging and other types of design art from ESU.

The show, which is free to the public, is meant to be a chance for senior graphic design majors to showcase the fruits of their ESU education and to provide the rest of the campus with a taste of modern graphic design.

Senior graphic design majors Corey Adkins, Eric Sonnakolb, Krista Schraer, Landon Merrill, Phillip Miller and Zach Janice are the featured artists of the show and will display art ranging from border and poster designs to text manipulation, 3-D design and Photoshop-inspired themes.

“This will not be your typical art show by any means,” Janice said. “Pretty much all of it will be digital artwork and that will range from computer design tools like Photoshop and such to displays of borders, posters, even business card designs.”

The seniors began work on the show at the beginning of the semester, but really began to concentrate on piece arrangements and display setup during the last two semesters, Janice said.

Each artist will have several displays or individual art pieces up for display, Janice said and while some of the displays will be themed, many will be abstract.

“We’ll have some displays that have digital themes, or a virtual motif, but a lot of what we’re doing can’t really be defined by a set art theme,” Janice said. “In a way that’s the point, we’re trying to break free of your standard themes with the variety in our pieces.”

In addition to creating pieces solely to be displayed in the show, Janice has also worked on a magazine promoting the arts and music in Emporia, as well as what he termed a “branding project.”

“For a branding project, we’ll go in and take over a business graphically,” Janice said. “And we’ll redesign everything from the ground up: displays, advertisements and business cards, you name it.”

A graphic design show does not imply that the art exhibits will be completely devoid of more traditional art styles, Schraer said, but rather that the styles will be incorporated into each design artist’s own vision and thematic interpretation.

“Someone coming to this show can expect to see both fine arts and graphic design styles blended together,” Schraer said. “The entire presentation will be set up like a fine art gallery, with each of our pieces arranged with each other, so no one artist has their own little section.”

Schraer, whose graphic design interests lean toward typography (graphic manipulation of text) and packaging designs, also said that this final exhibition at ESU is not without a bittersweet feeling.

“It’s sad that this is the last show we’re doing as ESU graphic design majors,” Schraer said, “but there’s also that great feeling of knowing you’re done.”

While most of the graduating seniors will go on to work or graduate school, Miller said his love for design and art will keep him at ESU for a little longer.

“My area of interest in graphic design is more toward Photoshop and posterized designs,” Miller said. “So I decided to continue at ESU with the photography program and earn a major in that as well.”

This year’s Senior Show format has been set up in a different style from years past, a decision made by the current graphic design seniors, Miller said.

“This year we’re doing something unique that we haven’t done before to my knowledge,” Miller said. “Usually it’s set up more like a traditional art gallery, with each artist having their own section, but this year we had a hand in actually setting up the displays for our displays, and we put our touch into that.”

Zachary Hughes/The Bulletin

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What do a woman sawing off the legs of a chair she is sitting in and a pig standing on a bed have in common?

Both are pieces of art from two Kansas University graduate art students, Minerva Ortiz and Jody Wood, who visited Emporia State’s Art Forum yesterday to speak to a crowd that nearly filled Science Hall 72.

“It’s really great to see people coming out of a program that we could very easily be going into,” said Winston Walker, senior art major. “I think it was interesting that they were both dealing with things that were very close to them. … They were both dealing with stuff that was not foreign to them so it was very real and had a lot to do with things that happen to them every day or they would think about every day.”

Ortiz is a painter who works with oil paints and Wood is a performance artist. Ortiz received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California Santa Cruz.

“I had a lot of questions and (art) allowed me to make these questions tangible,” Ortiz said. “I could make something that I can show for these abstract thoughts that I had or was considering. It didn’t have to be so absolute. … It’s strange, because it’s not like, ‘oh, I have this answer in my head,’ it’s like a feeling.”

Wood attended Seattle Pacific University, where she graduated with a degree in English. She says that her style of performance art is to take the art out of the gallery and into the public’s eye.

“The performance art I’m really interested in right now always requires some kind of interaction with the public and that really sustains me because it puts my art into a real world context,” Wood said. “The idea is to develop by just interacting with other people, bouncing ideas off of them and seeing how they are reacting to the situation. It’s very sustaining to constantly be in contact with other people. It’s challenging, but it’s sustaining.”

Ortiz said she first started with family portraits, trying to honor both the flaws and the virtues of her subjects. An example is a painting of her grandmother who she described as kind, but also controlling. In the painting, her grandmother looks out at the viewer while a German Shepherd dog is standing next to her. She holds the dog’s head dominantly and tightly to her body while clutching its red collar.

“In a sense of it, (paint) lets you create anything,” Ortiz said. “It’s like the universal matter. It’s so pliable and you can create anything. I could paint an instrument, people. It’s like substance, raw creation.”

An example of Wood’s work was a booth in a gallery where visitors put on headphones and listened to interviews with various women about what makes them feel comfortable while, at the same time, watching a video of Wood physically fighting other women in a public setting.

“Usually, it stems from something that’s difficult for me reconcile,” Wood said. “Making art about it allows me to search for answers and experiment. Usually, in my work, I can break social rules I wouldn’t normally be able to break living daily life.”

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Physical Education to host Kansas Kids Fitness Day

The Physical Education Department will host the Kansas Kids Fitness Day from 9-11 a.m. tomorrow on the football practice fields. In case of inclement weather, the Fitness Day will take place in the HPER gyms.

About 300 local third graders are expected to participate in the Fitness Day, which has occurred for at least the last three years, said Cody Stockwell, junior physical education major.

Stations with field day activities, including tag, relay, water games and beanbag toss, will be available. Stockwell said that this year’s theme is “Wild West and Kansas History.”

The students who participate will receive goody bags with jump ropes and snacks that are being assembled by a physical education methods class.

Emporia Farmer’s Market to reopen Saturday

The Emporia Farmer’s Market will reopen at 8 a.m. May 2 in the Merchant Street parking lot between 7th and 12th Ave.

For the first time ever, the farmer’s market will accept payment via debit and WIC food assistance cards, said Roger Heineken, manager of the Memorial Union information service center and past board member for the farmer’s market.

The farmer’s market takes place every Saturday during early spring, expanding to both Saturday and Wednesday as more locally grown produce become available later in the year.

Tracey Graham, manager of the farmer’s market, said that asparagus, rhubarb, lettuce, radishes, green onions, a wide array of baked goods and fresh chicken eggs will all be on sale at Saturdays’ market.

Individuals interested in selling goods, fundraising, or showcasing art and music at the Emporia farmer’s market can contact Tracey Graham at (620) 343-6555.

WAW Library accepting ‘Food for Fines’

Until Friday, May 22, students may donate canned goods and non-perishable items to the William Allen White Library lobby in exchange for paying library fines. All donations will be given to the Salvation Army Pantry, which provides local families and individuals with food.

This is the third semester WAW library has done Food for Fines, said Terri Summey, head of access services. One food item equals $1 in fines, up to $30 on an individual account.

Summey said that, with the current economy, it is likely that more Lyon County residents will need to use the services provided by the Salvation Army Pantry.

Guidelines for food donations include only non-perishable canned goods and packaged items; food must not be outdated, according to date stamping on the package; packages must be unopened and undamaged; no candy or produce; and food cannot be used to pay replacement costs for damaged or unreturned materials or for processing fees.

Students who have accumulated more than $10 in fines by the end of the semester may be blocked from enrolling for classes, viewing their transcripts, and accessing financial aid.

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When Denise Brown found out that her sister Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered on June 12, 1994, she was devastated and confused.

“I had lost my best friend,” Brown said. “My sister Nicole, who I had been extremely close to my whole life, was dead. I also was the first to say that she wasn’t a battered woman, but I didn’t know everything that she was keeping from me.”

However, Brown decided to take an active role in the prevention of domestic abuse after her sister’s death.

“I looked at her diary and I was shocked at what she’d been hiding,” Brown said. “There was a cycle of violence involved with her relationship that I didn’t know existed – we hadn’t been raised in an environment like that. Unfortunately, it took my sister’s life ending to wake me up to domestic abuse.”

Services Offering Safety (SOS), the local domestic abuse prevention and education group, hosted Brown and Emporia High School Thespians’ production of “dont u luv me?” at the Granada theatre Monday night.

“I thought it was a great presentation and it’s great that (Brown) is spreading the word about domestic abuse,” said Jessica Fleming, freshman criminal justice and sociology major. “I have been in an abusive relationship and this sort of presentation needs to be done more often. I wish it’d been there for me.”

The presentation began with the Emporia High School Thespian’s performance of “dont u luv me?” which portrayed an abusive high school relationship. The play utilized modern text messaging, language and cyber stalking to demonstrate what an abusive high school relationship may look like.

“I thought the play was fantastic,” said Cody Pritchard, junior math secondary education major. “It’s modern and that kind of thing happens every day. The young people watching may not have known what abuse looked like.”

After the play, Brown began her presentation on the necessity of strong community bonds and communication to prevent domestic abuse. Her sister’s story was an example of poor communication about domestic abuse, Brown said.

“It takes a lot of courage for someone to be willing to talk to you about domestic abuse,” Brown said. “If you make the call on their behalf you may be saving their life, and I wish I got to talk to my sister about what was happening to her.”

Brown also praised SOS and its program for being more proactive about domestic abuse than many programs around the nation.

“You guys do some really impressive work in Kansas,” Brown said. “I am really impressed, and I hope that other counties or states will follow your lead.”

Brown also mentioned the transfer of Domestic Abuse Awareness Month from October to May.

Brown concluded her presentation by explaining her view on the necessity of involving every member of society in the process of ending domestic violence. Brown put a particular emphasis on young men and boys.

“I love the ‘Hands Are Not For Hurting’ program that many schools have instituted,” Brown said. “My nephew still remembers learning the program as a child, and he’s a man now.”

A key point of Brown’s lecture was the importance of getting men in positions of power to encourage better legislation for Domestic Abuse victims and abusers.

“I agree with her that that’s the key,” said Joel Wilburn, junior secondary education major. “Men still have a lot of authority in some positions, and they need to help out just as much as women do.”

Brown’s final statements encouraged involvement by all members of a community.

“Get involved before it’s too late,” Brown said. “Get involved before it happens to your family, or get involved before it happens to someone that you love. Let’s not let evil prevail. We must meet the challenge of doing what’s right every day.”

Josh Johnson/The Bulletin

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FOSTER

For Drake Foster, sophomore secondary social sciences education major, Emporia State is the perfect place to be. That is why he decided to help as many students as possible make the decision to attend ESU by working as an ambassador.

“I really wanted to bring students to Emporia State to show them all the opportunities they could get,” Foster said. “They could make a connection with any student organization. It’s small and there’s a great student to teacher ratio. I also get to work with the president and the alumni.”

Originally, Foster was going to attend Kansas University to study pharmacy.

“It was about the money, rather than the profession,” Foster said. “Education was a little bit better. I would rather take the pay cut because it’s more rewarding.”

Since Foster came to Emporia, he has been involved in several activities on campus. During his freshman year, Foster was a senator on ASG, a chair for Up ‘til Dawn and a member of the Towers Complex Government.

“He’s really, really nice,” said Ellen Hansen, chair and associate professor of social sciences. “He is just one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. He’s so warm and sincere and he truly is a lovely person. And he’s really bright.”

Foster was also one of the 20 founding members of Alpha Kappa Lambda, the newest fraternity on campus.

“What I really liked was that it was based on Judeo-Christian principles,” Foster said. “That was something, coming to college that I was looking for. These guys have the same morals and values that I do. They weren’t just looking to drink or party and got involved in leadership roles on campus.”

As a member of Up ‘til Dawn, Foster had the opportunity to travel to Memphis, Tenn., where he visited children who were hospitalized at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“It was life changing,” Foster said. “Their parents were pulling them in wagons and they had masks on and their IVs in. They were really sad. I was not on the executive board this year (for Up ‘til Dawn) and that’s something I regret.”

This year, Foster is part of Ambassadors and will be a Resident Assistant for 2009-2010.

“I really missed the community since I moved into the fraternity house,” Foster said. “I missed the resident hall life.”

Fellow ambassador Carrie Leach, junior elementary education major, had good things to say about Foster.

“He is always happy and very energetic,” Leach said. “He is very much a people person. He is someone that I can always rely on.”

In his spare time, Foster really enjoys reading. Among his favorite books are “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck and books by C.S. Lewis, although he’s never read any of Lewis’ most well known books, “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

“I’m going to be teaching history and the Great Depression was a big influence in my grandparents’ time,” Foster said.

Foster also had the opportunity to study abroad last summer. He said that his trip to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was “amazing.”

“We went to the Estonian parliament and they gave us a book that was the entire contents of the Estonian constitution,” Hansen said. “He read the entire Estonian constitution. Other people were out drinking and Drake is in his room reading the Estonian constitution. He was so interested in learning about this place.”

Foster would eventually like to teach at Mulvane High, in Mulvane, where he went to school.

“I played soccer for four years and I want to coach it and teach (at Mulvane),” Foster said. “I’ll probably go back there and teach.”

Choosing education as a career was Foster’s way of changing people’s mind about history.

“A lot of people think history is so boring,” Foster said. “I just want to change that perception and make history fun.”

While Foster has been involved in several activities during his two years at ESU, he says that his life motto is “lead by example.”

“That’s something I always try to do through my morals and my beliefs,” Foster said. “Someone is always watching you so you should always be on your best behavior.”

Ashley Peaches/The Bulletin

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After a weekend of delays, former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ nomination for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Obama was confirmed Tuesday.

But last Thursday, in one of her final acts as governor of Kansas, Sebelius vetoed House Substitute for Senate Bill 389, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act.

Originally passed through the Kansas Senate with fewer votes than would be required to override a governor’s veto, the bill would have created tighter restrictions on late-term abortions and provided legal avenues for patients and relatives of patients to bring civil suits against doctors who provided late-term abortions in violation of Kansas law.

The text of the bill requires that women who are about to receive a late-term receive documentation stating the reasons for the abortion and the physician’s approval, and states among other things that “such documentation… shall be provided to the pregnant woman no less than 30 minutes before the abortion is initiated.”

The bill also states that “a cause of action for injunctive relief may be maintained against anyone… who is about to perform an act in violation of this section.”

In a statement last Thursday, Sebelius cited concerns that this portion of the bill could be used to intimidate women who are about to receive an abortion, or to create situations where a woman could be kept from receiving an abortion by a relative or spouse.

But for some Emporia State students, abortion is less about legislation and more about personal morality.

“As a Catholic, I really don’t believe abortion is right,” said Melissa Beck, graduate student in library science. “I really think there probably should be restrictions on late-term abortions, because you’re really ending a life there.”

In cases where the mother’s life is at risk, or when the pregnancy results from a rape, the lines of morality become more blurred, Beck said.

“Usually a woman’s body is pretty good at knowing when a baby is a life-threatening danger, and that’s when a miscarriage will take care of it,” Beck said. “But I guess it would be acceptable to have an abortion if the mother’s life is in danger, and if you get raped, well, who wants that reminder for nine months?”

Other students said they see even fewer circumstances in which an abortion is acceptable.

“My pro-life feelings are really strict, actually,” said Sergio Segura, freshman pre-optometry major. “I just don’t think there’s any excuse for taking the life of innocent kids who have no say in the decision like that, there’s really no circumstances in which a person should be allowed to end an innocent life.”

Segura also said that legislation on abortion should be a state- or locally-decided issue and that the federal government should have no say in the matter.

“I really don’t like the idea of the federal government having a say in the issue,” Segura said. “Each state should be allowed to voice its own decision.”

Other students said they see abortion as an issue of privacy and believe that no government prerogative can match the right of a woman to choose whether or not to keep a pregnancy.

“I hate when people try to force their beliefs on others with regards to abortion,” said Ashley Gillett, freshman secondary English education major. “It is and should be a matter of choice, and no person should hold that power over another one.”

Gillett also said that part of that right to choose includes the right of each state to decide for itself what legislation should exist regarding abortion laws.

Sebelius’ nomination to the cabinet position had been delayed from last Thursday in part because of concerns over campaign contributions she had received from Kansas abortion clinic director George Tiller.

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 64 cases of Swine Flu in the U.S., including two cases in Kansas.

Swine Influenza, or Swine Flu, is a respiratory disease in pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs, according to the CDC.

“This virus is normally transmitted in pigs but now, probably because of mutation, it’s starting to adapt to human beings,” said Eric Yang, assistant professor of biological sciences.

The CDC has reported that the World Health Organization has raised the alert level to Phase 5, meaning that human-to-human transmission has occurred. There are six levels in WHO’s pandemic alert system.

“The disease we found in the United States is much more alleviated compared to the cases in Mexico,” Yang said. “The reason that we are on high alert is because we have no measure to control, for example, transportation.”

Yang associated Swine Flu with the 2003 outbreak of SARS in China.

“If China was able to control transportation, it could have been stopped,” he said. “But we cannot do that here. (The ease of transportation) allows the virus to spread out.”

Before this sudden outbreak, only 12 cases of Swine Flu had been reported to the CDC since 2005, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Energy.

The two persons diagnosed with Swine Flu in Kansas are still ill and recovering, according to KDHE, and neither of them has been hospitalized.

Maggie Thompson, director of public relations for KDHE, said that no updates have been released on their condition.

Both persons live in the same household, one having been to Mexico recently. Those who have been in contact with the individuals are being tested for the virus as well, according to KDHE.

The CDC reported that Swine Flu could not be contracted by eating pork, even if the animal was infected.

“You cannot get the disease by consuming pork,” Yang said. “It is transmitted through the respiratory track and not the intestinal tract.”

However, the government of Egypt began an effort earlier this week to slaughter all pigs within the country in an effort to prevent the swine flu from spreading.

Swine Flu is transmitted like any other influenza virus, through the air and close contact with individuals that are infected.

Paper facemasks can be used to help prevent individuals from contracting the virus.

“(The masks) would help to prevent them from getting it because it’s transmitted just like any other flu,” Yang said.

However, just touching an infected animal will not transmit the virus.

“Of course, if you have very close contact with a pig, you could get it because the virus is transmitted through the air,” Yang said.

The CDC stated that cleaner environments can help curb the spread of the virus.

“The best way to prevent contracting the disease is to wash your hands as often as possible,” Yang said.

Cases of Swine Flu have been reported in years past, including a case in 1988 when a pregnant woman in Wisconsin contracted the disease and died 8 days later. In Fort Dix, New Jersey, 200 cases were reported in 1976 and one death resulted according to the CDC.

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Erin Gruwell, president of the Freedom Writers Foundation, speaks about the hardships that her former students faced at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California Tuesday night in Albert Taylor Hall. Gruwell’s presentation was sponsored by over 20 organizations and nearly 600 people attended. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

At a university that is known for the education of teachers, the story of Erin Gruwell and “The Freedom Writers” can be an inspiration.

“Like many teachers, I was brainwashed to teach to the test,” Gruwell said.  “But Maria Reyes was the first kid to teach me ‘don’t teach to the test, teach to me.’”

Gruwell gave a presentation about her experiences teaching underprivileged high school students last Tuesday to a nearly full Albert Taylor Hall.

Gruwell was a teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, Cali. where she taught underprivileged students. When she first started teaching, she realized that the students had given up hope for a better life

Then, when she found a note that depicted one of her African-American students with exaggerated lips, she became furious. She compared the racism in her class to that which occurred during the Holocaust and was shocked to find out that her students did not know what the Holocaust was.
Gruwell said that the violence that occurred in the everyday lives of her students made them think that the cycle of a poor quality of life was inevitable. Gruwell realized that it was this exact attitude that was perpetuating the cycle so, one day in class, she encouraged her students to “toast to change” in their lives.

She then engaged her students by challenging them to compare the lives of Anne Frank, Romeo and Juliet and other literary and historical subjects with their own lives. In Romeo and Juliet, they associated the feud of the two families with gang war and, in Anne Frank, they found a girl who was against the odds and trapped and learned to overcome difficulties, and even death, through writing.

Gruwell said that her students felt like they lived in a war zone, so she juxtaposed their lives to the lives of children in actual war zones.
“I thought it was really good,” said Britten Kuckelman, freshman history major. “You can actually change someone by just being there for them. Change is possible for people who want it.”

Throughout their time spent in Gruwell’s class, the students became motivated and started to improve their grades in all of their classes.

In addition to sharing her story of overcoming odds, Gruwell also gave advice on teaching during her presentation.

“As a teacher, I knew that I was competing against pop culture,” Gruwell said. “I knew that if my kids had a TV clicker in hand, they would turn the channel on me, they would tune me out, they would go to the next song.”

To solve this problem, Gruwell incorporated pop culture into her lesson plan. For example, she played “Respect” by Aretha Franklin to teach students about rhyme and meter.

To some people, experiences like those of the Freedom Writers are all too real.

Cathy Terrell, Emporia High School English as a Second Language teacher and ESU alum, was raised in an abusive home and a neighborhood where drugs and prostitution were prevalent. At one point, she was placed in special education because of her grades, though she says anyone who knows her now would know that she did not belong there.

“It was a teacher in high school who recognized my potential,” Terrell said. “I still remember the first time when my teacher asked me, ‘Have you ever thought about going to college?’ And I am not kidding you, I’m not making this up, my response to her was, ‘College? What’s that?”

Recently, USD 253 was granted a program that is similar to Gruwell’s teaching philosophy. The program is called Advancement Via Individual Determination, or A.V.I.D. It is not designed for students who get either high or low grades, but for students in the middle with, for example, a 2.0 or 3.0 grade point average, Terrell said.

“(It’s for people) who can really succeed and actually do well and go to college, but maybe don’t have the right direction or the support, or even the academic skills or tools that they need,” Terrell said. “What the A.V.I.D. teacher teaches them is, basically, academic success skills.”

The first A.V.I.D. class will be offered in January at both Emporia Middle School and Emporia High School. Even though A.V.I.D. is not based off of Gruwell’s teachings, it is similar, Terrell said.

The feature film titled “Freedom Writers” is based on Gruwell and her class and stars Hilary Swank as Gruwell. “Freedom Writers” is also the title of the published compilation of writing from Gruwell’s students about their life experiences.

“I wondered if the movie would be true to the actual story and it seems pretty much the same,” said Emily Hilton, freshman psychology major. “I really liked her stories of all the kids and how she really inspired them, that was amazing.”

Gruwell was sponsored by Community Hornets, Student Success Programs, Public Affairs and Marketing and the Special Events Board and about 20 other co-sponsors.

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Nayaf Alluhaiden talks about the unexpected greeting he received from James Harter, assistant vice president of international education, when he first arrived to ESU Tuesday afternoon in Webb Lecture Hall. Alluhaiden received an award for his service to the Saudi Club along with other members who were recognized for their achievements and service to Saudi Club./PHOTO BY KELLEN JENKINS

The Saudi Club hosted its first annual recognition ceremony for its members and contributors Tuesday in Webb Lecture Hall with guests from Saudi organizations and ESU administrators in attendance.

“We came here and we saw a different story than what the media portrays in Saudi Arabia, and we thought that maybe some people wouldn’t like us from what they’ve seen in the media,” said Basmah Albhrawi, clinical psychology graduate student.  “We were wrong though. The picture we get from each other is what we should be looking at, not what we’re shown in the media.”

The Saudi Club was established in 2006 to communicate with national and international students that go to Emporia State.

“Gaining an understanding between our cultures can only help lead to peaceful resolutions to problems,” said Michael Lane, ESU president. “These students share their culture with us through their club.”

The ceremony began with the presentation of awards for Lane and his wife on behalf of the Saudi Club. Mohammed Alomar, cultural attaché assistant of the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, attended the ceremony as an honorary guest.

“We have more than 17,000 students from Saudi Arabia attending college in the United States,” Alomar said. “We want them to share in the culture, the social events and of course the educational aspect of the United States.”

Jonathan Krueger, junior political science major and 2009-2010 Associated Student Government president, commented on the cultural and social understanding that the Saudi Club has brought to ESU.

“I want to thank the club,” Krueger said. “You have all played an integral role in cultural exchange on campus.”

James Harter, assistant vice president of international education, was also honored by the club and appreciated having the opportunity to work with the Saudi students.

“They’re a group that mingles well,” Harter said. “They relate well to all age groups, and relate very well to other cultural groups on campus. Not only do they share their culture with students from the United States, but also with students from other cultural clubs.”

A video chronicling the events of the past three years of the Saudi Club and its members was also presented and anecdotes about the club were also shared.

Awards for club sponsors and members were distributed, including an award for Turki Al Zahrani, information and design technology graduate student, who is the first member of the club to graduate from ESU since its inception three years ago.

“It was such a magnificent experience and a dream that’s come true for me to see all the effort that this club has put forth,” Al Zahrani said.  “Little things have turned into big things, and so many things have happened. We expand our knowledge and experience in the same way we share our culture. I am so proud of what the Saudi students have accomplished.”

Saudi Club President Ahmed Ashi, instructional design education graduate student, reiterated the club’s mission to build cultural understanding and hopes that many will continue to show interest in the learning opportunities presented by the club.

“I want to share our country, and if you want to learn anything about us just ask,” Ashi said. “We want to do more activities to introduce our culture, our lives and our heritage.”

Josh Johnson/The Bulletin

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