Courtesy of danielpackard.com

Daniel Packard, dating expert and professional dating coach, radio personality and internationally touring speaker, will uncover secrets of the opposite sex and answer students’ dating and relationship questions during his Live Group Sex Therapy show at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 in Webb Hall.

“I’m personally excited,” said Carlos Urgiles, junior biochemistry and molecular biology major and vice president of the Union Activities Council. “It’s very interactive, and I really was attracted to what his message was – that’s why we asked him to come to our campus.”

Urgiles saw Packard perform before at the National Association of Campus Activities conference in Oklahoma.

“It’s something that college students are involved in, like sex, dating, having problems with someone that you might like, so we thought it would be an event that could reach everyone,” Urgiles said.

Packard was named Speaker of the Year in 2007 by the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities, according to COCA’s website.

“I’ve never been to one like this,” said Alyssa Schultz, senior sociology major. “I would be interested to go. I’m sure he will have a lot of things to say, so it’s probably really important for students to understand someone else’s point of view.”

The free show, with the slogan “A Comical Insight to the Opposite Sex,” will use a blowup screen to communicate with the students via their cell phones. Students can share their thoughts or ask questions about their personal life with live and anonymous texting and polling.

“Basically he’s a dating and relationship coach who tries to get opposite sexes to reveal secrets to other people,” said Micheal Torres, freshman business administration major and UAC’s chair of public relation, “and then he will interpret those text messages, let us know what exactly that means, how we can work with certain problems, or face specific situations on our own.

Torres described Packard as having an optimistic, humorous personality.

UAC has three speakers lined up to present this semester, and this is their first “sex” topic to their knowledge, Urgiles said.

Tianhai Jiang

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Senior sociology major Taylor Bullock and graduate student in music Jason Brooks design a poster for the list of 2012 events in the Multicultural Affairs office. Yo Han Kim/The Bulletin

For the past 35 years, February has marked the observance of Black History Month. To celebrate the 36th year of the month-long celebration, the Black Student Union will host a variety of events on campus throughout the month.

But Black History Month is not just for students of color, said graduate assistant for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Jason Brooks. It is also a part of American History.

“Even though it’s phrased ‘Black History Month,’ it’s a part of everybody’s history,” Brooks said. “It’s geared not toward blacks, but (toward) educating our society.”

Chasity Wadley, junior business administration major, said BHM is as equally important to learn about someone else’s culture as one’s own.

“You might meet people and you might have more similar interests in common than you could imagine,” Wadley said. “Students need to support other students.”

BSU president and senior recreation major James Jones said he looks at life from a different perspective because his ancestors suffered but he doesn’t have to endure the same hardships.

“(Heritage) embodies us,” Brooks said. “It’s almost like genetics. It lets you know who you are as an individual. You are allowed to not only blossom as a person, but it (also) sets a platform for your character.”

Several events during February are planned to encourage diversity and education, Brooks said. One of these events includes a showing of the movie “Roots” from Feb. 6-10 at 7 p.m. each night in Roosevelt 110, followed by a discussion.

Wadley said many do not know about their own individual cultures or their different background.

On Feb. 15 in the Memorial Union from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., BSU will have an “Ask a Black Person” box where students can leave anonymous questions.

“Knowing your culture can help you in the future,” Wadley said. “If you are asked about it, you want to be able to know and be proud of it.”

From Feb. 23-26, members of BSU will attend the Big XII Conference on Black Student Government in Norman, Okla. The conference will discuss minorities, including African Americans and their leadership capacities on college campuses, Brooks said. To finish off the month, BSU will host a “Karaoke Night” from 7-10 p.m. on Feb. 28 in Albert Taylor Hall.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs also plans to celebrate Women’s Heritage Month in March, as well as Diversity Week during the first week in April.

Susan Welte

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Yawei Fan and Zheng Lin died in October when a fire broke out in their off-campus apartment at 12 East 11th Ave. Courtesy Photo

In honor of Zheng Lin and Yawei Fan, two Chinese students who died in a fatal fire off campus last October, and to remind students of the importance of fire safety, the Office of International Education, Student Life and the Emporia Fire Department will hold a fire prevention workshop from 4-5 p.m. on Jan. 30 in Webb Hall 1, in the Memorial Union.

“After the fatal fire last fall, we realized that we have students in our community that are not familiar with the type of heating equipment that they may encounter in off campus housing here in Emporia,” said Tom Andrews, fire marshal.

Captain Larry Bess, Battalion Chief Rex Fisher and Andrews will speak about safety routines, rights as a tenant, how to use safety equipment, how to escape in case of a fire and the best ways to take shelter in a tornado.

There are about 500 international students at Emporia State, and the majority of them live off campus, said Harry Imbeau, director of international education and scholar services.

“The fire department will talk about what things you can ask for and what things you should request when looking at a new apartment,” Imbeau said.

Imbeau said this workshop, which is now scheduled to take place at least once a semester, is not only for new international students – they also want to include domestic students.

“I live with my parents, and my father changes the battery every year and checks twice,” said Dylan Jacob, junior information systems major, “but when I didn’t live with my parents, I actually didn’t check, so that was a bad habit.”

Sirui Liu, junior information systems major said he will attend the workshop.

“It’s important to know the safety procedures and preventions that can potentially keep me safe in my apartment,” Liu said.

Before the fatal fire in October, Liu just assumed the smoke detectors in his apartment worked and thought it was the apartment complex’s responsibility to check them. So he didn’t personally check it.

Other than the workshop, the fire department will use the fire cell, which is under construction now on campus, to demonstrate how fast a fire can grow. The audience will be able to watch the fire from an incipient, or beginning stage, until the room is fully engulfed with fire, according to Andrews.

“This teaches us how little time we have to escape a fire and therefore the importance of smoke detectors and fire sprinkler systems,” Andrews said.

The fire department will also work with OIE to give away 50 smoke detectors donated by the Michael H. Minger Foundation, which has been addressing campus fire safety issues since Minger’s tragic death in 1998.

TIANHAI JIANG

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When a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan last spring, Midori Mukushi, sophomore business major and president of the Japanese Association Sakura Choir, and other Japanese students were sad, anxious and confused about disaster.

But the support and warm messages the local community gave them helped ease their anxiety.

“(Disaster) brings people together,” said Bob Edmiston, treasurer of the Emporia Presbyterian Church, “because disasters happen all over, some happen here, some happen there, and people like to help each other if they know you need help.”

The J.A. Sakura Choir will present a free concert at 7:30 p.m. this Friday at Emporia Presbyterian Church to show their gratitude for the local community and how well they have recovered.

“Japan is now recovering well from the shock of the disaster with warm support from the international community,” Mukushi said. “I want to say thank you for the people who helped us. At that time, a lot of people, not only our friends but also people who don’t know us before, helped us a lot, like cheered us up and prayed for Japan. I’m really grateful for them.”

The concert, named “Four Seasons,” will present a variety of Japanese choral music that represents the four seasons in Japan through 18 pieces, including four solos from vocal music majors, featuring both traditional Japanese music and western music.

“The concert will be very interesting. I come every Tuesday and listen to them rehearse,” Edmiston said. “They have been rehearsing every Tuesday at the church and every Friday at Beach Music Hall, and they’ve been rehearsing at least twice a week for more than two months. They get better every time.”

J.A. Sakura was originally formed to perform at the International Food Festival last March.

“At that time, our goal was nothing more than entertaining the guests of the Food Festival,” said Masatoshi Takami, junior music major and the director of J.A Sakura, “and we had no plan after the performance until the big earthquake happened on March 11.”

But after the earthquake, they performed in many activities and raised more than $7,600 within two months.

“We invite all of you to our concert,” Takami said. “We would like to thank the Emporia community for tremendous support for Japan right after the earthquake.”

Tianhai Jiang/The Bulletin

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Runners and walkers will raise money for the general scholarship fund tomorrow by participating in the Annual Blaufuss wich Scholarship Walk/Run.

Runners and walkers will raise money for the general scholarship fund tomorrow by participating in the Annual Blaufuss Scholarship Walk/Run.

The event is named for John Blaufuss, a former Emporia State controller who was killed in December 2005 after being struck by a vehicle while out jogging. Blaufuss was an employee at ESU for over 30 years, becoming the controller in 1973 after serving as the business manager for the College of Emporia.

“(He) was a big believer in Emporia State and he wanted to see students succeed, so when he was killed the university thought that it would be good to honor him by doing this event every year,” said Shanna Basset, development officer for the event.

Basset said the event has been in existence for six years and is split into two different courses. Participants can choose between a five kilometer run or a two mile walk. Both courses begin at the Sauder Alumni Center and run through the campus, eventually returning to the finish line at Sauder.

Participants can register for the event at the Sauder Alumni Center during business hours or at the event itself beginning at 4:30 p.m. The cost is $25. Anyone who has already registered can also pick up their race packet which contains a T-shirt and bib number at the Sauder Alumni Center during business hours.

“I have volunteered at the Blaufuss Run with the ESU Ambassadors for the last two years,” said Lacee Hanson, senior communication major and intern for Basset. “Previously my job has been to direct runners and walkers on the route and cheer them on.”

Other participants in this year’s run are also previous volunteers.

“I am doing the Blaufuss run this year because I wanted to help donate to the General Scholarship Fund, support the Blaufuss family and because it is part of Senior week,” said Drake Foster, senior secondary social science education major.

Foster helped direct runners and walkers, handed out water and helped with the reception that followed the event last year.

The event begins at 6 p.m. tomorrow at the Sauder Alumni Center, followed by a reception at Sauder.

Luke Bohannon

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For Jessica Buchholz, executive director of the Granada Theatre, the wine tasting and showing of the movie “Sideways” tonight is a step towards offering opportunities for all age groups to be involved with the Granada.

“We just wanted to do something a little different,” Buchholz said. “We try and have activities that will get the community involved – we want to have family nights, but we also want to do events that are more adult driven so we can cater to all ages.”

The theme for the evening is “Get your wine on” and the event will begin with the wine tasting at 5:45 p.m. and will then transition into the movie.

According to the Granada’s website, the wine tasting had about 10 tickets remaining for sale on Tuesday, which cost $15 each and includes the wine tasting and the movie. There are also tickets available for $5 for those who only want to watch the movie. The doors will be open at 6 p.m. and the film will begin at 7 p.m.

Buchholz said the wines available for tasting will be a Francis Coppola Diamond Series Chardonnay, a Five Rivers Pinot Noir, an Apothic Red Blend, a Ghost Pines Merlot and a Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon.

“All the tasting will be on the stage, and we’ll have someone here explaining all the wines, going over the ins and outs of each label,” Buchholz said.

King Liquor, located at 318 East 6th Ave., is sponsoring the event. The wines will be available for purchase at the store with a 10 percent discount through March 17.

“It’s basically to get more exposure for the store and showcase some fine wine in the area,” said Keith King, owner of King Liquor.

The movie “Sideways” is about two middle aged men who go to the California wine country, according to IMBd.com.

“Sideways is a wine movie – it’s all about wine, so it just made sense,” King said.

Buchholz said the Granada hopes this branching out will help broaden their appeal to the community and reach out to students as well. They plan to have more activities such as the wine tasting in the future.

“It’d be great to have the students from the university come down and participate in some of these events because on a Thursday night there might not be a lot of other activities in town, and it’s something different to do,” Buchholz said.

Charlie Heptas

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Members of the Emporia State Theater Department will be traveling to Ames, Iowa, on Sunday to participate in the 43^rd annual Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival regional meeting from Jan. 16-22.

About 30 students from ESU will make the trip to Ames to participate in various workshops, theater performances and to interact with theater students from throughout the region.

Jim Bartruff, director of theater, will also be attending the conference. Bartruff, who became ESU’s director of theater in 2004 and was selected as a national directing fellow for Region V at the 2010 conference, said the conference is a very good chance for ESU theater students to experience theater at a higher level.

“(The conference) gives us the opportunity to share the work that we do with other schools in the region to recognize the fact that we are a part of the largest theater community in the nation… In any given day, there is more theater going on at colleges and universities than anywhere else in America. It’s a fairly vibrant community and we need to celebrate being a part of that,” Bartruff said.

According to The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival website, the conference was started in 1969 and has “served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States.” According to the website there are eight regional festivals throughout the country. ESU participates in Region V, which encompasses Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Students who are selected to participate in the regional festivals may also be selected to represent the region at the national conference in April. Eight ESU theater students have been selected as Irene Ryan nominees, which is a scholarship through the Irene Ryan Foundation for college theater participants across the country. ESU students nominated for the award are James Hatton, Marah Melvin, Gabe Moyer, Annie Rosenbrook, Brianne Simon, Kangwon Song, Josh Taylor and Andrew Walker.

Taylor, junior theater major, is participating in his third KCACTF in as many years and said that the experience is very helpful for theater students at ESU.

“A theater student in Kansas doesn’t get a lot of opportunity to see a lot of other theater and get known in the theater world and this is a good opportunity for (us) to meet other theater students, attend classes, go through workshops and network for jobs in the future,” Taylor said.

Taylor will audition for the Irene Ryan Scholarship by showcasing a light design that he created. He wants to be a stage electrician or lighting designer after graduating.

Bartruff also added that the festival was a great opportunity for ESU students to experience the work of other theater students throughout the region.

“I think more than anything, it’s (about) getting to see each others work, because during the academic year there is not much of an opportunity to do that… Just being able to hang together with a bunch of people who have similar interests and the same kind of focus in their lives is really enriching and rewarding,” he said.

Eric Hemphill

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For Rosie Sauls, a student assistant in the Multicultural Affairs department, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is more than just a day of remembrance.

“Our main (goal) is to reiterate what Martin Luther King’s message was more than the “I Have a Dream” speech, that’s why I added the jail cell activity,” Sauls said.

Sauls has been orchestrating the children’s morning portion of the day’s event, which will be held in the Memorial Union, and has tried to deepen the knowledge of Martin Luther King Jr.’s works by creating a station for the children to write letters like King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to try and put the children in his shoes and see how he felt.

Sheryl Lidzy, faculty adviser for the Black Student Union and professor of Communications, has been helping to spread the word about the event.

“ESU and the community sponsor many activities available on Monday, including an art activity in the Memorial Union and a free dinner,” Lidzy said.

This celebration marks the 25^th year the holiday has been observed, despite being signed into law in 1983, according to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service website.

There is a day of activities planned for this coming Monday including a children’s art program with a project the children can take home, a candlelight walk from William Allen White Library to First Presbyterian Church where a free dinner is being held.

There are also numerous guest speakers talking on the subject of Martin Luther King Day and Pastor Leo Barbee will have a presentation on “Taking a Stand for Things that Matter.” The event has many pastors and speakers from the community to reach every demographic.

“Martin Luther King was a pastor, so that plays an important role in the day – but the event is for everybody, it’s not just ESU or First Presbyterian or the community, everyone plays a part in the event,” Lidzy said.

There will also be a station for writing about things they dream of and how those could come to pass, with more of an essay for the older children. Also the Textiles and Toymakers Club will be creating a bubble art project for the children to take home.

Charlie Heptas

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Corky welcomes children from the Center for Early Childhood Education to the star lighting ceremony Monday afternoon in front of Plumb Hall. Erica Cassellla

Students from the Center for Early Childhood Education donned homemade headbands and mittens on Tuesday afternoon to help kick off the Holiday Season at ESU.

They sang “Jingle Bells” followed by a countdown to the more than 70 year old tradition known as the Star Lighting Ceremony. The star on top of Plumb Hall sparked to life, and the CECE students sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

Little is known about the origins of the tradition, but Marjorie Werly, director of communication, said that the ceremony has been around since the late 1930s, and that the star has always sat on top of Plumb Hall. Werly said the lighting of the star almost always coincides with the night of the Emporia Christmas Parade.

“The parade is always the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and anyone can enter a float – but no one is allowed to have Santa, (he’s) always the last float to be featured,” said Jessica Leeds, Public Relations Coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce.

The winner of this year’s Parade Marshall Award was Rollers Roller Skating Rink. Several bands also braved the cold to perform, including Emporia High School’s orchestra and Emporia State’s marching band.

This year, Mrs. Claus was in attendance. She greeted children at the Kress Center, collecting letters to take to Santa and handed out candy canes.

The Holiday festivities will continue at ESU with the Fourth Annual Festival of Trees.

“(Participants) can enter a category that they align with and then decorate a tree that will be on display here in the Union Main Street,” said Roger Heineken, Director of the Memorial Union.

Heineken said a panel of judges will select the best tree for each of those categories, and then one top tree will be recognized as Best of Show. The decorated trees will then be auctioned off, and funds raised from the event will be donated to the Emporia State University General Academic Scholarship Fund.

Each year, Emporia State Federal Credit Union has donated full-sized, artificial trees for the Festival and will continue to do so this year.

“We’ve been involved in the Festival of Trees since its inception – I think that it’s a really worthy cause that we support,” said Susie LeGault, ESFCU’s Marketing Director.

LeGault is also on the panel of judges this year and is looking forward to seeing what the university has to offer.

The winners will be announced at 2 p.m. on Dec. 8 at the Memorial Union Main Street. Heineken said that the winning club or organization will receive a plaque of recognition.

“I hope that everyone goes out and supports it – it’s a really fun idea, (a) great opportunity for people to have some fun with their coworkers and with the groups that they’re involved with on campus,” LeGault said.

Kenzie Templeton

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The ongoing animal cruelty case involving former Emporia State student Kristin Chambers will be coming to a close this December.

“We’ve been working on trying to get all the issues with the case resolved, but at this point in time there hasn’t been much finalized – it’s taken some time for the process to run its course with some of the nuts and bolts of trying to make sure the horses were cared for,” said Doug Witteman, Coffey County District Attorney.

Chambers’ attorney, Clark Allemang, said that the plea review date is set for Dec. 14 at the Coffey County Courthouse. Chambers has been charged with a one count misdemeanor for cruelty to animals, but Allemang said that Chambers has not pleaded to anything at this point.

According to court records, approximately 81 animals were seized fromWinding Road Equine Rescue and Retirement  after Chambers “unlawfully, willfully, and intentionally had physical custody of a herd of horses and failed to provide food and/or proper veterinary care as needed for the health and well-being of that kind of animal.”

Tom Johnson, a detective for the Coffey County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed that upon seizure some of the horses were euthanized.

“We had veterinarians from K-State here the day we served the search warrant and they laid hands on every animal there – those veterinarians felt that it was best to euthanize those animals due to their total body condition,” Johnson said.

Coffey County asked Karen Everhart, owner of Horse Calls LLC and director of Rainbow Meadows Equine Rescue and Retirement, to help in re-homing the horses so that they would not have to go on to sale.

“Our efforts re-homed 64 (horses), and we had 11 returned to the rescue (WRERR) as a part of a plea bargain,” Everhart said.

Johnson said that that the horses returned to Chambers’ custody continue to be monitored for proper treatment.

Everhart said that the animals suffered from malnutrition and “severe emaciation” when they were first seized.

“There were problems with injuries that had not been treated, hooves that were not being trimmed and literally had pathology that had not been addressed… rain rot, scratches in which bacterial or fungal infection was evident, and lack of proper dental care,” Everhart said.

However, Everhart said that of the 64 horses she was involved in, all have made either significant or complete recovery.

Everhart said that WRERR probably just had more animals than was manageable and there was most likely not any malicious intent, despite the fact that this happened at Winding Roads, that it should not be an indictment for notable successful rescues.

“I don’t think that it is appropriate to make an opinion since we were not there to see what was happening first hand, but I do think that if someone understands the human and financial resources necessary to take care of a horse and then they do the math, it doesn’t take very long to understand that they just ended up with too many horses considering the resources,” Everhart said.

Kenzie Templeton

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Larry Schwarm will soon be leaving for two-week visit to Cuba where he will be photographing agricultural practices. Megan Gartner/ The Bulletin

Larry Schwarm, professor of photography, is going to Cuba to photograph agricultural practice. With a license from U.S. Treasurer’s Department, he leaves on Dec. 12, and plans to stay in Cuba for two weeks.

“I wrote a proposal to go to photograph agricultural practice in Cuba, because they are essentially self-sufficient and they also are essentially organic,” Schwarm said.

Schwarm is going to Cuba by himself and said he has never been before. He said he was fascinated by it.

“Technically, it’s not illegal to travel to Cuba but it is illegal to spend money in Cuba, which of course you can’t travel without spending money,” Schwarm said.

Schwarm said it was difficult to get the special license without a “specific reason” which is important enough, such as having family that is Cuban and going there for a limited amount of time.

As outsiders, people can go to Cuba for research, educational, medicinal and religious purposes. Traveling with the license, visitors are forbidden to bring back any Cuban products.

In his proposal, Schwarm’s argument was that the agriculture should be documented. Schwarm said with the strict rules for visitors, Cuba rarely lets anyone go as an artist.

“I needed to make my proposal more scientific research based, not because I thought Cuba was pretty, but because it’s more scientifically interesting,” Schwarm said.

The proposal was written about a year ago and was approved in April.

Miranda Renfro, senior English major, said the trip is “pretty cool.”

“It is an awesome opportunity and lots of people don’t have the chance to go (to Cuba),” Renfro said.

Schwarm said Cuba is a very beautiful colonial country and has really not progressed for last the last 50 years.

“Photographing in Cuba is something like a time capsule because they’re still driving American cars from the 1950s to ‘60s, and when I found out about their agricultural practice, I don’t know if there are any other countries quite like that,” Schwarm said.

Schwarm said he is interested in older countries and less developed countries, which is the reason he chose to go to Cuba.

Cynthia Patton, interim chair of art department, said Schwarm is best known for his landscape photography of the burning of the prairie land in the spring. She said his work looks like painting.

“He is excited to capture this disappearing way of life and relate to the land, before it is gone completely. He is choosing the historical moment before it is too late,” Patton said.

Schwarm is going to a very agricultural area in Cuba with his primary focus on photographing the farms and farmers.

“I am just going down there and I don’t know what I am going to find, so I am hoping to be able to make some contacts,” Schwarm said.

The license allows Schwarm to go to Cuba twice in a year, so he plans to go back to Cuba in March.

“I am seeing this time as exploring trip and I get to make contacts, then come back (to the U.S.) and see what I feel like is important and re-photograph that,” said Schwarm.

Since Schwarm speaks little Spanish and most of the population in Cuba doesn’t speak much English, he said the trip would be very interesting.

“It is a unique subject, and I am looking forward to him bringing back the culture, the lifestyle and how their working together back from Cuba,” Renfro said.

Patton said the work a professor does for himself will always contribute to his teaching.

“I am looking forward to seeing the images, his style changes with new subjects and also what he will bring back to extend his students’ knowledge,” Patton said.

Lauren Lau

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