Professor of Biology Stacey Darling-Novak has been selected to present about the University of La Verne's work with the USDA-HIS program.

University of La Verne Professor of Biology Dr. Stacey Darling-Novak will present at the 2013 North American Colleges & Teachers of Agriculture, NACTA, conference to be held June 25-29, 2013 in Blacksburg Virginia.

Darling-Novak originally submitted an abstract about service learning with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hispanic-Serving Institution National Program grant La Verne has receive for a poster presentation, but was asked to speak about the topic instead.

“This is a well-known conference in the agricultural sciences, currently in its 59th year,” Darling-Novak said. “Its focus is on teaching students in agriculture-related disciplines, and plant biology falls into this domain. With the USDA grant we have begun offering a new option within the Environmental Biology concentration called Agricultural Biology.”

In line with La Verne’s mission of service and working with the community, Darling-Novak wants others to understand that it is possible to integrate service learning into science programs. Students in the sciences who participate in service learning are able to share their knowledge and passion with the community. 

The USDA-HIS funded program has given La Verne students the opportunity to develop laboratory lessons and activities to share with local high school students, including underrepresented groups of students. Senior Roshan Gamage, Junior Lila Luna and Senior Avneet Nijjar have all benefited from the USDA program.

In a paper they wrote about the USDA-HIS program, the students said “These experiences coupled with student research grants funded by the USDA, allowed for undergraduates to confidently conduct research projects.” 

Participating La Verne students are also provided with an opportunity to develop leadership, organizational and research skills.

Much of the outreach done through this program is to predominantly Hispanic schools, which resulted in a 40 percent Hispanic student enrollment rate in the 2012 summer camp hosted by La Verne students.

The conference in June will allow Darling-Novak the opportunity to share what La Verne students and faculty are doing in an effort to further develop the biology department and build lasting relationships with the community. She will also be joined by Luna and Gamage who are preparing to present a poster at the conference.

Students from Torch Middle School visited the University of La Verne Saturday, May 11, 2013 for the annual "Building Community Ties" program.

Assistant Professor of Education Dr. Adonay Montes and Adjunct Professor Lori Kezos organized an event for 140 middle school students that allowed University of La Verne graduate students in the sections of the “Consultation, Collaboration and Facilitation” class to put theory to practice.

“Building Community Ties from the Inside Out,” an annual event hosted by the education department and coordinated by graduate students in the counseling program, took place on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

“The objective of these guidance lessons/workshops is to support the college going selves of the student participants and parents while developing counseling and advocacy skills,” Montes said. “The responses from participants, students, parents, teachers, and graduate students overwhelmingly reflected a deep sense of gratitude for being able to spend a day of community building and learning together.”

Participating students from Torch Middle School in Bassett Unified School District were assigned to various teams and participated in several workshops throughout the day.

Workshops included lessons on how to work smarter and not harder, using social media responsibly, having healthy relationships and the reality of the cost of living in California. Students were also taken on a campus tour to get an idea of what it is like to be a college student at La Verne.

La Verne graduate students led several workshops across campus that taught the middle school students important life skills.

“These types of events provide students and parents with a viable frame of reference, one that provides students and parents with a tangible experience of testing college from an inside perspective, cultivating and nourishing their educational aspirations and possible selves,” Montes said.

The first conference was held in 2010 and is organized by the graduate students, under the supervision of their professor, and allows them to facilitate workshops that they develop in order to prepare to become school counselors. 

Participating middle school students are provided with an opportunity to experience college life and engage with current college students.

“The event creates a space where they can also apply their counseling skills, they can acquire key learning from their interaction with local communities from the inside out, and they are exposed to a new dimension of counseling that supports educators in expanding local and state standards to a multiglobal perspective,” Montes said. “Ultimately, having the opportunity to gain counseling and advocacy competency under the premise that cultural, physical, mental, social and humanistic conditions of students, parents, and educators are what define them as full members of the global village was an extraordinary gift for everyone.”    

Tanya Velazquez, Ashley Rozatti, Melanie Rodriguez worked on films entered in the festival at San Bernardino Valley College.

All 10 University of La Verne student-produced films entered into the San Bernardino Valley College Film Festival were accepted for the May 3 and May 4, 2013 screening.

One University of La Verne Film, “Homestead Museum”, won first place for best news story in the festival.

The second annual SBV College film Festival featured films made by student filmmakers ranging from high school through graduate school.

In addition to screening of the selected films, the festival featured workshops on lighting, casting, budgeting, scheduling and editing.

The University of La Verne films selected for the SBVC festival were:

Making a Difference: Hal Hargrave, (documentary) Spencer Bruno, Marilyn Mejia, Emily Morrow, and Mike Laponis, advisor.

Homestead Museum, (documentary)Tanya Velazquez, Melanie Rodriguez, Ashley Rozatti, and Don Pollock, advisor.

Marshall Canyon Equestrian Center, (documentary)Tanya Velazquez, Melanie Rodriguez, Ashley Rozatti, and Don Pollock, advisor.

Jeff vs. Food, (documentary) Jeff Clarke, Halel Duberry, Raven Freret, Jessica Gerhart, and Don Pollock, advisor.

Sinfully Sweet Apple Company, (Documentary) Claudia Gonzalez, Ozzy Mora, Kassandra Gil, and Don Pollock, advisor

Read a Book, (Public Service Announcement) Raquel Lucero, Serena Ghazzawi, Matthew Martin Hall, and Don Pollock, advisor.

Cyberbullying, (Public Service Announcement) Dania Nasri, Gary Golden, Jacqueline Melendrez, and Don Pollock, advisor.

House of the Dead, (Experimental) Alex Clague, Chris Mitzel, Spencer Bruno, and Jake Huberman, advisor.

The Fountain, (Experimental) John Comunale, Natalie Kubes, Elizabeth Ortiz, Delanie Pacheco, and Jake Huberman, advisor.

Beatlemania, (Experimental) Ariel Devore, Ashley Rozatti, Jeff Clarke, and Jake Huberman, advisor.

Junior Sabrina Consiglio is one of only 30 students chosen from around the world to study on the island of Gozo this summer. Photo courtesy of Michelle Niellose.

Sabrina Consiglio wants to experience the world.

She now has that opportunity thanks to the Off the Beaten Track program in the Republic of Malta on the island of Gozo.

“Most of the students who attend the Off the Beaten Track program are graduate students, so I did not have expectations of acceptance, but I am so tremendously excited and grateful,” Consiglio said.

Touted as a summer school for anthropologists, Off the Beaten Track is an anthropology field school that is held annually on the island of Gozo in the Mediterranean. Only 30 Students from around the world are selected to participate in the program to acquire “in the field” experience, which includes anthropological research about architectural sites and religious sites, tourism, ethnic relations and food.

Consiglio, a junior anthropology student at the University of La Verne, who has received unwavering support from her family, has also received tremendous support from Professor of Anthropology Dr. Kim Martin and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Felicia Beardsley and she attributes that support to her success.

“The program was brought to my attention by Dr. Martin, who has been an unwavering supporter of me throughout my time in the Anthropology department,” Consiglio said. “She and Felicia Beardsley encouraged me, and helped me to perfect my research proposals.”

Many social norms in the United States such as divorce and women in industry are relatively new constructs to the Maltese people. During her time in Malta in the summer 2013 program, Consiglio will conduct ethnographic research on the evolving role of women on the island of Gozo. She will write a paper about her findings at the conclusion of the trip and she hopes to be published in the Omerta Journal of Applied Anthropology.

“The biggest thing that I hope to gain is real-world experience,” Consiglio said. “You can spend years reading, writing, studying, and discussing, but at the end of the day, until you have actually researched and done what you’ve studied, it is all completely theoretical. I believe that anthropology has the ability to decimate gender barriers, and it is through researching and furthering knowledge of the positive changes that are transpiring world-wide.”

After graduation in 2014, Consiglio plans to continue her education in anthropology and eventually earn her Ph.D. in anthropology and eliminate degradation on a global spectrum.

Spring, known as the season of new beginnings, this year proved to be a time of impressive finishes for University of La Verne athletic teams. Leopard student-athletes turned in a number of outstanding performances on the way to clinching a pair of Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships.

The men’s golf team captured the 2013 SCIAC title in dominating fashion, finishing the 54-hole conference tournament with a 10-stroke victory and earning La Verne the top spot in the final standings by 14 strokes. And a series of inspired performances lifted the women’s track & field team to first place in both the conference dual meet standings and at the SCIAC Championship meet.

The conference crown in men’s golf marked the continuation of a dynasty as the Leopards earned their seventh consecutive SCIAC title. Under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Davis, La Verne led wire-to-wire, winning the first conference tournament in February and maintaining its stroke advantage throughout league competition.

Leading the way this season is the trio of senior Derek Zachman, junior Keven Holliday and sophomore Trent Twamley.  Both Zachman and Holliday carded scores of 1-under 215 to tie for second place at the three-day conference tournament, while Twamley’s earned a share of fourth.  All three were named First Team All-SCIAC with junior Paul Gomez earning Second Team honors.

By winning the SCIAC title, the Leopards also earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. This year’s national tournament, hosted by 10-time Division III champion Methodist University (N.C.), will take place May 14-17 at Sandestin Resort in Destin, Florida.

La Verne has played in the Division III Championship event nine times in the past 11 years, finishing second in 2007 and again in 2009.

A SCIAC crown for the Leopard women’s track & field, earned after a hard-fought season, certainly proved a sweet reward.

A season high point came during the dual meet against then-unbeaten and defending conference champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on April 6. On a day when a host of individuals rose to the occasion to establish season and personal bests, La Verne trailed CMS by two points heading into the final event, the 4 x 400 meter relay. Led by Samantha Tucker’s come-from-behind anchor leg, the Leopards bested the Athenas to earn the final five points, capture the dual meet win and finish undefeated in SCIAC dual meet competition.

At the 2013 SCIAC Championships, the Leopards won four event titles and used depth in several events to score 162 team points to claim a tight three-team battle over Cal Lutheran and CMS.  Senior Losa Akauola (shot put, discus), junior Deanna Doss (hammer) and junior Nicole Crutchfield (100 meters) each claimed conference individual titles.

Senior distance standout Lenore Moreno also provided a season highlight. Her final time of 35:00.43 in the 10,000-meter run at the 2013 Mt. SAC Relays established a new SCIAC record in the event.

The conference track & field title is the fourth in the women’s team program history under head coach Pat Widolff and the first since the 2005 season.

The men’s track & field team, paced by five individual conference titles, finished second at the SCIAC Championships. Event winners included senior Michael Anderson (110m hurdles), junior Chantice Watkins (200 with a school record-tying time 21.31), junior James Francis (long jump), junior Matt Rehder (the first La Verne student-athlete to win the men’s conference javelin title), and freshman Jacob Lopez (triple jump).

A number of La Verne women and men student-athletes are seeking to qualify for the 2013 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, scheduled for May 23-25 in La Crosse, Wis.

Conducted by James Calhoun and accompanied by Caelin Eager on the piano, the evening musical event will also feature music by Hairston, Gershwin, Galvan, Rincon, Franklin and Smallwood.

The ULV Chamber Singers is the premiere vocal ensemble at the University of La Verne and is comprised of upper-division students selected by audition who represent a wide diversity of academic disciplines.

Admission is free for students and $5 for general admission.

When: Tuesday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: University of La Verne, Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium, 1950 Third Street, La Verne, CA 91750

Dr. Brooks, whose baccalaureate address is titled “Moving On,” is the author of The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories From an American Faith, and a regular source on Mormonism for the media. She is also a proponent of interfaith collaboration.

Professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University, she has been featured on CNN, NPR, The Daily Show, MSNBC and PBS. Brooks is also a contributor to the Washington Post and Huffington Post, and has been utilized as a source for Newsweek, New York Times, Reuters and Associated Press. Brooks is also a senior correspondent for ReligionDispatches.org and has been named one of “50 Politicos to Watch” by Politico.com, and one of “13 Religious Women to Watch” by the Center for American Progress.

A Graduates’ Dinner will commence immediately following the baccalaureate ceremony.

Graduates who plan to join the faculty and staff processional must arrive by 3:30 for robing and line-up.

When: Friday, May 31, 4-5 p.m.

Where: La Verne Church of the Brethren, 2175 Bonita Ave., La Verne, CA 91750

Team captain of Cure-iffic!, La Verne administrative aid John Gilmore, said that thanks to the support of the entire campus the team was able to surpass its goal of raising $1000.

“We set a modest goal of $1000 and crushed that. It is amazing to think of the impact we were able to make, the people that got involved, and the time and effort our team gave toward this worthy cause,” Gilmore said.

Cure-iffic! received support from Facilities Management, Bon Appétit, President Lieberman and La Verne’s student entrepreneurial team, Enactus, which raised $375 at their annual College of Business and Public Management picnic and donated every penny.

In addition to Cure-iffic!, other teams that represented La Verne were the Stu-Han Clan, headed by Sasha Jones and the ULV Art Collective, headed up by Danielle Zamora, which also sold ceramics, jewelry and paintings to help raise money.

The annual Claremont-La Verne event, held at Claremont High School, raised more than $60,000 all together.

Donations are being collected through the month of August. For more information on how to donate, contact John Gilmore at  jgilmore@laverne.edu.

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Al Clark, Professor of English Dr. Jeffrey Kahan, Professor of Journalism Dr. George Keeler and Professor of Education & Director of Teacher Education Dr. Peggy Redman have served a combined 70 years as volunteer sponsors of the national college honor society.

Clark, Keeler and Redman were honored with 20 year service pins and Kahan with a 10 year service pin.

Additional La Verne sponsors include Assistant Dean, RCA Pam Bergovoy, Executive Director, CAPA Patti Noreen and Associate Dean of College of Business and Public Management Dr. Rita Thakur.

Alpha Chi admits students from all disciplines and is limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s juniors, seniors and graduate students. Qualifying students are issued an invitation for membership by their local institutional chapter based on their cumulative GPA. The California Theta Chapter at La Verne, which was sponsored by Professor of Spanish Emeritus Dr. Andrea Labinger in 1993, currently has about 1,000 members who joined over the last two decades.

“Alpha Chi National College Honor Society allows La Verne to recognize its highest performing upperclassmen/women and master’s degree students,” Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Al Clark said. “The University recognizes students in many ways, but Alpha Chi (and other honor societies) are the only way that we recognize student scholars as scholars. Alpha Chi is a special honor society, because it recognizes student scholars of all majors.”

Founded in 1922, there are now more than 300 chapters in nearly every state of the United States and in Puerto Rico, with more than 12,000 members inducted annually.

“Every induction ceremony includes students from La Verne’s Vandenberg Campus to its Irvine Campus and from its Oxnard Campus to its Ontario Campus,” Clark said.  ”About half the students who join each year study at the Main Campus.”

Members of Alpha Chi are involved in every aspect of the organization including student representation on the National Council, chapter officer leadership, local chapter event planning, and presenting scholarly programs at regional and national conventions.

To learn more about Alphi Chi Honor Society, visit alphachihonor.org.

For Media: Alisha Rosas, University of La Verne, Interim Public Relations Director, arosas@laverne.edu or 909-593-3511, ext. 4708.

But that is exactly what the University of La Verne’s Enactus (Entrepreneurial Action Us) students do on a daily basis, and they proved that on Tuesday, April 30.

Led by Associate Professor of Management Dr. Issam Ghazzawi, students presented a high-energy 45-minute presentation showcasing the humanitarian projects they have completed and are currently still working to complete in order to help combat the issue of hunger.

Two such projects they have completed in the past year include installing three gardens at the LeRoy Haynes Center for children in La Verne, in partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement, and running the “Let’s Can Hunger: Canning Hunger, a Can at a Time” in partnership with Campbell Soup Company.

Enactus, formerly known as SIFE, is a “community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world.”

La Verne’s team has embodied that definition of the organization and has been chosen as a regional winner and members of the chapter will attend the 2013 USA National Exposition in Kansas City Missouri May 21-23 to compete. One team will win the honor of being named a national champion and represent the United States at the Enactus World Cup.

It has been a solid year for La Verne’s Enactus team, receiving the 4.0 Club award in recognition of the quality educational programs, success in Enactus and long-term sustainability to improve the quality of life and standard of living for others for the academic year 2013.