Searching for a managing editor

by M. Stewart

Eastern Flash faculty adviser

Melody Gustafson, the long-time managing editor of Eastern Flash, has moved on to the Kent campus. We at the East Liverpool and Salem campuses appreciate the hard work and dedication Melody displayed in her role as Flash editor and chief writer.

In the meantime, Eastern Flash is without a managing editor, and as yet no one has stepped forward to take Melody's place. We will resume publication when the position is filled.

The job requires a background in journalistic writing and editing and/or a willingness to learn. The successful candidate must be well organized, able to manage other writers and photographers, and willing to gather news from both the Salem and East Liverpool campuses.

For the most part, Eastern Flash is a chance to learn--an internship, if you will; however, the managing editor position comes with a small stipend of approximately $125 per month. Any Kent State East Liverpool or Salem student interested in the position should contact me at mrstewar@kent.edu.

American Bald Eagle in the backyard

Local artist Bob Frost submitted these shots of the American Bald Eagle who nests in Springfield Township on Lippely Road, off Route 7. She nests in the tallest tree on the west side of the Firestone Farms house. It's imposing size is staggering.

According to http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/, Congress officially adopted the bird as the symbol of the United States in 1787, after Revolutionary War noise disturbed a nest. Eagles circled above the battle and complained shrilly. Patriot soldiers, sentimentally inspired, felt that the eagles were "cheerleading" them and championing liberty.

Benjamin Franklin did not agree that the eagle was a good choice because the birds' living habits are "dishonest." Franklin's observations found the Bald Eagle to be a lazy thief who is so cowardly that even little birds can drive him out of an area.

Apparently, aesthetics prevailed over Franklin's suggestion, Wild Turkey. America, in its infancy, chose a symbol reputed to have what Franklin called "a bad moral character," but one could argue that the Bald Eagle gives the U.S. a more daunting look for its seal and coin. Selecting facade over substance has become an American way.

Although the yellow-eyed Bald Eagle was endangered in previous decades, it has now been officially removed from the U.S. List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

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Eastern Flash will break for summer and return in late August with human interest stories and relevant news in the fall.

Eastern Flash is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain experience with an internet publication medium, improve skills and provide information service to a public. It is a Columbiana County Kent State entity that allows people to explore their own interests while working with various means to share their news, information or creativity.

Eastern Flash is always open to new contributions from students, faculty, staff and residents. Tips, inquiries, ideas? Contact Melody Gustafson at magustaf@comcast.net.

Dio live at the Spectrum '86

Ronnie James Dio led a fantastic, decades-long career fronting several bands, including Dio, Black Sabbath and Rainbow. He has earned renown for his strong vocals and has been described as having "one of the most recognizable voices." At the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles last April, Alice in Chains presented him with the Best Vocalist Award. He has passed away, but his influence runs through rock coming out today. This clip is "Rainbow in the Dark" live in Philadelphia in 1986.

Wilde's Revenge

By Taren Maple

Dawn rises over crisp land.
A woman smiles, buttermilk lips, with autumn-red tint.
Baby's cry breaks silence, handsome cacophony in a polluted city.
The writer continues the scene, powerful, all-seeing.
He is deliberate with wit, a golden man, extravagant.
Now the child will sleep, the woman will leave.
Silence returns,
a deadly fiend thorough in its kill.
Rain washes away dreams, baptizes youth.
Dreams fold in on themselves,
a simple white tee in a drying machine
Wiped clean again.

Stars emerge;
lights guide explorers of the skies.
A writer was born,
he made Earth an anonymous eyeball, blinded by cream clouds.
Life screamed for destiny,
so we were made wilde,
beasts who feed on the weak.

Taren is a student of poetry under the instruction of Dr. Craig Paulenich. She wrote the following poem as an excercize of the one above, writing it backwards from the last line up and from right to left, with some editing decisions. While the excercize suggests possibilities to the poet in regards to her own work and process, the product is fun for readers. It is interesting to watch how the poem means differently.

Revenge of Wilde

Weak feed on beasts, Wilde made.
Destiny screamed for life
Clouds by cream, blinded, anonymous made Earth
Born was a writer,
explorer that guides the light.
Emerge stars.

Again clean wipe
Machine drying, a tee white,
they fold on dreams.
Youth baptizes, dream away the wash rain
Kill its thorough fiend, return silence.
Leave the will woman.
Sleep the will child.
Extravagant, golden, wit deliberant
Seeing-all, powerful, a continued writer
City polluted, a cacophony handsome,
silence breaks the cry.
Tint red autumn lips, buttermilk smiles,
Land crisp over dawn.

Environmental Club to hold Recycled Garment Contest, give cash prizes

EAST LIVERPOOL -- The Kent State University Environmental Club encourages people to design, create and submit outfits made from recyclable materials for judgement in a contest and fashion show.

According to the rules and regulations for the Recycled Garment Contest, first place wins $250, second gets $125 and third wins $75.

Judges will select winners from criteria stated clearly in the "Rules and Regulations." Garments comprised of all forms of paper, plastic and metals and no more than $25 worth of "outside materials" will be judged on creativity, wearability, and environmental awareness. "Outside materials" refers to components that are not of recycled or recyclable goods.

The rules stipulate guidelines to which participants must adhere while designing the outfits. To ask questions or request the rules and regulations from Environmental Club member Charles Stoddard, send inquiries to charles.stoddard@me.com .

Participants must submit creations by noon May 15. There is a $5 entry fee, but it also enters the participant in a gift basket drawing. The exhibition will take place at the Hot Dog Shop, corner of Fourth and Market, May 16 at 2 p.m.

All participants and models for the event must be at least 16 years of age and be prepared to discuss their creations.

All-day environmental forum has impact

By Kim Schneider
EAST LIVERPOOL -- At the Earth Day Environmental Justice Conference on April 24, student and guest speakers led discussions on various environmental topics in an all-day forum.

The conference opened with a continental breakfast and a welcome with a few words from Assistant Dean Susan Rossi, pictured left.

Susan Rossi welcomed everyone for attending the event and expressed what Earth Day was like for her while growing up in the 1970’s. Rossi reminisced about the Cuyahoga River and how its pollutants caught the river on fire. She brought up old icons such as Woodsey Owl and Kermit the Frog. “If you were into conservation, it meant listening to John Denver on the radio,” Rossi said.

Following the Rossi's speech, the crowd dispersed to several rooms throughout the building to listen to the student essays on Earth Day. The speeches touched on a range of topics: bees and wildlife, recycling, endangered animals, to celebrating the environment, health issues, pollution, global warming, protecting the environment, environmental experiences and water.

The crowd regathered after the student essays to listen to speakers, including Lance Schmidt from Portage and Summit Counties Home Builders Association and Stephen Briggs, who discussed “Electric Transportation Technologies: Environmental and Economic Development Opportunities for Ohio.”

During the lunch break, Eric Wilson, pictured right, gave a presentation on Beaver Creek: A New Look at Nature.

By early afternoon, a head count of people that included both students and community members was approximately 150. The number of attendees demonstrates a public interest in environmental issues. The late afternoon count brought the total higher.

Likewise, knowledge of the number of attendees is reassuring to those who presented information; they touched others by increasing their awareness. In light of this, the event was a success.

Art students celebrate their creativity

By Bob Frost
EAST LIVERPOOL -- At the OVRAC art show Thursday night, community members and students in Betsy Babb's art classes enjoyed a wonderful spread while admiring each other's creative efforts.

Photos, from top: a view of the Mary Patterson Gallery and the party; Laura Crowell poses near her various works; Kim Schneider stands near her paintings; Cassandra mingles near her framed work; James Yarwood stands by his penciled portraits of admirable men with great minds.

Bob Frost, a local artist and profesional photographer, provided the pictures here. The gallery has displayed his work in an opening in the past.

Grand opening of May 4 Visitor's Center: Remember the past, shape the future

By Melody Gustafson and Mike Canaday
KENT – In recent years, a group of professionals and alumni, including KSU-EL’s own Dr. Carole Barbato, keenly felt that history, when forgotten, will repeat. The sobering lessons that rose from the blood and ashes of the incidents surrounding the May 4 tragedies are too valuable to allow them to vaporize with the years.

To that end, Barbato discussed the initiative in detail: "On May 3, the university will dedicate the May 4 site that has been recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Site Walking Tour . The historic site consists of 17.4 acres in the heart of the Kent State campus. Visitors to the campus can pick up a walking tour brochure near the May 4 memorial. They can then follow the trail markers scattered throughout the historic site. The trail markers contain photographs from the time, text, and quotes or a timeline. While viewing the site visitors can also listen to a narration of the tour by noted civil right activist, Julian Bond, by dialing on their telephones 330-672-MAY 4. During May 1-4, video documentaries will be available for visitors to use during the walking tour. The videos were created by Dr. Steve Zapytowski after he and Dr. Barbato examined 4,000 photographs taken during May 1-4, 1970.

"In addition to the walking tour, the university is in the design and fundraising phrase to create the May 4 Visitors Center. It will be a permanent exhibit in Taylor Hall overlooking the historic site. The exhibit places the events of May 4 in the context of the 1960s and discusses lessons that can be learned. You can follow the progress of the Visitors Center by joining the cause on facebook."

Click here to connect: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?%23!/pages/May-4-Visitors-Center/145400647544?ref=ts%20 . More details on the May 4 Visitors Center are at: http://www.kent.edu/may4%20 .

Eastern Flash staff members enjoyed the 50-minute walking tour experience with live guides: Alan Canfora, director of the May 4 Center and shooting victim; Provost of the Office of May 4 Initiative, Laura Davis; Dr. Barbato, event expert and aftermath witness.

Canfora’s personal articulation of the melee begins April 30, 1970 when Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia. Already a common location for anti-war rallies, the commons near Taylor Hall became the site of instigation. At noon May 1, the Victory Bell, called students to gather to rally.

Canfora said “there was protest in the air” the night of May 2, when “the ROTC building burned to the ground.” The building was a center of controversy; students were repulsed by a military recruiter on the campus, the domain of scholarship. After several failed attempts, the building caught fire at last. When the firemen responded, they brought with them “the country sheriff, state boys, city cops, campus police and tear gas,” he said.

According to Canfora, on May 3, 1200 guardsmen came to Kent in military vehicles and occupied the main street, and Gov. Rhodes held a news conference that day, seizing “a photo opportunity” two days before the election. He “exaggerated the situation and demonized KSU students,” said Canfora. Later, he described a scene in which the governor’s speech had elevated the situation to a point wherein guardsmen were beating people with clubs and stabbing students with bayonets.

Canfora narrated the events of May 4 in depth for a crowd of students, alumni and community members: “It was a 24-minute hunting expedition. Armed men with deadly rifles were marching around chasing people. They shot at people they specifically wanted to shoot, but at the same time they shot non-protesters who were simply walking to class.”

Canfora dived behind a tree under gunfire, but still sustained a gunshot wound to the wrist. He hitchhiked to the hospital because the two ambulances weren’t sufficient, even for the mortally wounded.

The dead, shot because they allegedly posed threats to the armed guards, are: Sandra Scheuer, neck wound from 390 ft.; Jeffrey Miller, mouth wound from 265 ft., Allison Krause, chest wound at 343 ft.; and William Schroeder, chest wound from 343 ft.

In the days immediately after, the tragedy effectually stimulated activism nationwide and led to the National Student Strike of 1970. Across the country, 450 high school or college campuses were shut down by violent and non-violent protests.

Stories like this are what visitors will find when they walk the tour. Multimedia documentary programs have been created for the marker stops and one can download them to cell phones or other portable devices provided by the center, on site.

The center, located at 101 Taylor Hall, is open from noon to 10 p.m. on May 1 and 2; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on May 3; and 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on May 4.

During the entire month of May art by E.A. Meuser will be on display at Taylor Hall and in dowtown Kent at the McKay Bricker Gallery at 141 East Main Street. The artist will donate all proceeds to the May 4 Visitor's Center.

For more information on opportunities to make a monetary gift to the May 4 Visitor’s Center, please call the office of Institutional Advancement at 330-672-2222 or email to advancement@kent.edu. To view a list of events for Commemoration Week, click here:
http://www.kent.edu/about/may4commemoration/events-listing.cfm .

Photos from top: (1)This is the front of Taylor Hall, and this is the location of the infamous shootings. The May 4 Visitor's Center is around back. (2) Canfora, Barbato and Davis with a crowd of avid listeners on one of the permanent memorial sites that mark the spots where the dead had fallen.

Odds and Ends

EAST LIVERPOOL -- Karen Vincent will recieve an achievement award from the Business Management and Related Technologies (BMRT) program on May 6, and it will be on display on the Wall of Fame in the Main Building. She is not only a successful student, but works hard full time to ensure cleanliness at the Mary Patterson Building.

On May 29, there will be a student art display at the Mary Patterson Gallery on the second floor. It is open to the public. Pictured right are James Yarwood, Laura Crowell and Professor Babb.

On Wednesday, April 28, KSU-EL communications professor Dr. Carole A. Barbato is presenting " May 4, 1970 - May 4, 2010 Remember the Past, Shape the Future." It will be in the Blair Memorial Library in the Main Building at noon. Her presentation is the first of several upcoming events documenting the Kent State shootings, 40 years later. Dr. Barbato is a local expert on the subject and was attending class at KSU the day the shooting occurred. She is also a key figure in the soon-to-open Kent State May 4 Visitor Center and walking tour at the main campus. For a schedule of the official KSU events pertaining to these openings and anniversary ceremonies, contact the office of Institutional Advancement at 330-672-2222. Pictured left, from left, Laura Davis, Alan Canfora, shooting victim, and Dr. Barbato at the scene of the shootings. Photos and text by Mike Canaday.

East Liverpool Wrestling Team vs Steelers

By Kara Lockhart-Milan
EAST LIVERPOOL -- We know the Pittsburgh Steelers can play football, and they have six Super Bowl rings to prove it. But now we know that the gridiron gladiators can handle themselves on a basketball court too.

The Steelers Footballers Basketball Team took the court at the Potter Field house for a charity basketball game against the ELHS Wrestling Team on April 19. Entering the gymnasium at approximately 8 p.m. were players Antwaan Randle El, Charlie Batch, Deshea Townsend, Justin Vincent, Dennis Dixon, Nick Eason, Anthony Madison, Brandon London and Stefan Logan.

Tip-off time came; Steelers Antwaan Randle El was met at center court by all 13 wrestlers who wanted to show they meant business and official Scott Dieringer. Rules of the game were explained by Dieringer, then the trash talking began.

From tip-off, play was about as intense as it was funny. The Steelers faced some tough competition on the court; out sized for the most part the wrestlers gave it their all. The Potters 103-pounder, Frankie Williams, was picked up by Steelers 310-pound Nick Eason at one point so he couldn’t do a thing; the crowd went wild. It was a night of laughter and excitement for all. A highlight of the evening was when wrestling Coach Jimmy Joe Savage put down his camera and took the court; he showed the kids you’re never too old to put in two minutes on the court.

At halftime, the Steelers signed autographs for fans. The best way to describe the game is that it was a bad, yet hilarious version of a Harlem Globetrotters game that kept the fans cheering for both teams. Early in the fourth quarter the Steelers saw their lead become a deficit with a little finger work of the scoreboard controls. When the final buzzer sounded, the Steelers were 107-99 winners, real score never to be known. The big winners of the night were the wrestlers that had an experience of a lifetime playing the Steelers.

The charity basketball game was sponsored by the EL Takedown Club to benefit the East Liverpool Wrestling Program.

Photos, from top: #7 Steelers Antwaan Randle El and Deshea Townsend kept the laughter going on the bench; #24 EL Junior Kody Edwards trying to guard Steelers Nick Eason; #41 EL Senior Ryan Milan and Steelers Antwaan Randle El say "cheese"; #28 EL Senior Ryan Milan tries to take the ball from Steelers Nick Eason;#12 Coach Jimmy Joe Savage forgot it was basketball and tried a wrestling move on Steelers Dennis Dixon; #33 Potters 103 pounder Frankie Williams was picked up by Steelers 310-pound Nick Eason so he couldn’t do a thing.

Steelers vs. ELHS Wrestlers...in basketball?

By Bethany Gadd
EAST LIVERPOOL -- At East Liverpool High School Apr. 19, the Pittsburgh Steelers played the ELHS Wrestling Team in a basketball game. It was a blast for the community although the wrestlers lost.

Photos, from top: #82 Antwaan Randle El signs autographs during half time; #28 Anthony Madison for the Steelers looks on while #2 Dennis Dixon jumps for a rebound, East Liverpool Wrestler Preston Foster looks on; Johonna Hull and Bethany Gadd take advantage of a photo opportunity with Steeler Dennis Dixon; Steelers, Anthony Madison #28, Dennis Dixon #2 and Stefan Logan #15 taking a defensive stand.

Steelers in Liverpool

Click to enlarge.

Proverb

By James Yarwood

One day, the wealthiest king of the wealthiest kingdom decided that he wanted more.

The king had savaged his way through all the lands of all the world. He had solved every puzzle, defeated every Kraken, taken all things as his. The peasants beloved and worshipped him above all others. The king seemed a living god, perfection embodied; he had all and everything, but one day, he decided that he wanted more.1

He had the wealth, thought the king, he had the daring and the people who knew how! He could do it, he could make himself greater! He would start small; one does not joust before learning to tilt, and so he, the great and powerful king of the world, does not consume heaven before first mastering those wills of earth. He was a wise king, so he set to work thinking of ways that he could become greater. And then it came to him. He had mastered all the ways and wills of men; he had quelled great demons and menace beyond number. He ruled and was loved by all, but he was still slave to laws. Enslaved not the laws of his people, no, but the laws of nature itself. He could not fly, this great god-king, he could not bend time, could not walk on water, could not even turn lead to gold. And there, he had it.2

What did he seek in his early days of pillage? What did he love and cherish above all things? What was he himself adorned with at this very instant? Midas had been foolish, but he had not this king's fine mind and commanding step, and this king would do it better.3

Alchemy, he thought, is the way to go. He could understand alchemy, although he knew he could never grasp it. This king was a man of high intellect and humble grace. So he called for the alchemists, called for the chemists, the mathematicians, the soothsayers, the well-tellers, all these he called forth, all these would be needed, to make his gold, and he would have the best. 4

They were loathsome at first- impudent and lazy. But the king easily dealt with their impudent questions and their doubt. It did not take much convincing; he was beloved after all, even by these philosophers and learned men; and of course above all, our king was a warrior first. And so they started, tirelessly, days in, months out, until the king grew angry. He was not seeing his results; he was not happy with these prestidigitators. These alchemic charlatans were mocking him! He put them to death. The next batch would do better.5

The convincing was less involved this time, their tempers less haughty, their woes less grievant. Yes! Thought the king, they would do better. They did not do better, though, through months and years, and all of the kings fortune-- gone. Yet, he had land and title, no one need know his treasury was empty. He was an old king, a tired warlord, not weak, but not dominant-- not any longer. He would sell off some of his land, as there were other rising tyrants, lords and barons who would pay, long had they coveted the land. Just as he, the king, coveted god-dom, true deityship, and not his mortal-worship here. All of it would come to him, all of it would pass, if only he could turn the lead.6

There was no need convincing the third batch. Their wills were tired and stupid, and the king was no longer the only ruler of the world. Countries and continents were autonomous now, sold to the highest bidder. He still held much land, and great wealth, but the alchemists would help with that. Years upon years, the treasury came and went; it ebbed with every alchemic botch, and swelled with every scrap of land sold, until the great king fell. His lands gone, his treasury spent, the great king went insane. He stripped off his clothes and ran off one day in a fury, mad from years of disappointment and war. 7

No one saw him after that, after his nude cavort into the sunset. But everyone remembered him. All knew the story of the greatest king, of the greatest kingdom, who one day wanted more and spent all he had to get back all he had spent.

SGO Election: candidates' debate slated

By Melody Gustafson

SALEM – All Student Government Organization (SGO) candidates submitted their nomination forms and all candidates but those for president are uncontested.

Brad Heckathorn, three-year member of SGO and senator for Smokin’ Aces Club, will oppose 2-year member Danielle Stewart in a debate April 15, at 2 p.m. in room 101.

These three uncontested candidates will automatically fill their seats: Michael Morgan, vice-president; Jo Broffman, secretary; Christina Pinatiello, historian. The three offices for which no one attempted to run, web officer, treasurer, and communications officer, will become appointed positions after the president has been established.

Stewart put forth her intentions if she wins the president position. She said, “If I am elected president of this campus’s student body, I will be sure to work on these issues and make the voices of the students heard. I have numerous reasons for running for SGO President. One major reason is to ‘change the face’ of SGO because for a long time SGO has been made up of the same group of people. My goal is to get more people involved, and to do this, I plan on holding more activities on campus. I would like to see more academic help for students that need it- for instance, psychology tutoring. I would also like to see maybe some group study sessions with tutors or professors leading the sessions. This is something I have seen done many times on main campus, but not really thought about here.”

Stewart continued: “Another outreach idea I would like to continue is to advocate having the community daycares in the area offer a discounted rate to students with children. This would be a great resource for single parents and co-parenting families with a need for daycare that cannot afford the high rates because of our suffering economy.”

Heckathorn discussed the importance of the SGO and how he can work with others to improve the KSU-Salem experience: “We act as liaisons between the clubs, the students and the business office. We [SGO members] exist as an entity for the single purpose of speaking for every student who comes to us with ideas or complaints.

"Some people may think they can't make a difference. Well, everyone has something they can give, whether ideas or leadership, and everyone has the ability to to make this a stronger organization. It is said that you are only as strong as our weakest link and we believe that holds true with the SGO. It is important that everyone knows that we are not involved for our own benefit, the office, or the money. We became officers to better our school and the quality of it for the next generation."

Broffman, a human development and family studies (HDFS) major and SGO secretary for the 2010-2011 year, said: “Being a student leader isn't about boosting your ego or getting a better job after graduation or looking good on your resume. It's about serving your campus, your community, and your fellow students. I look forward to serving the needs of the Salem campus students.”

Pinatiello, a justice studies major, said: “My plans as historian are to get pictures of important events and keep track of them.” The position requires her to compile visual documentation of school functions.

Michael Morgan, vice-president, declined comment Monday.

Voters can pick up election ballots at the reception desk between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. on both Wednesday, Apr. 21 and Thursday, Apr. 22. Everyone will learn the results at the Apr. 30 Awards Banquet.

East Liverpool's Council of Student Organizations (CoSO) will announce elections at a later time.

(Photos from top: Danielle Stewart with daughter; Brad Heckathorn; Jo Broffman; Christina Pinatiello with dad. Photos submitted by candidates.)

Carnegie Museums: Lots to Offer!

A small group of students, faculty and community members took a trip to Carnegie Museums of Art and of Natural History during spring break. Below is a sampling of some of the exhibits on display there, clockwise, from left: Professor M. Stewart and students admire casts of various ancient sculptures; a student stands by a cast of goddess Athena from a colossal bust from an original from Tivoli, Italy; porcelain sculpture, "Instict" by Sergei Isupov, 2000; James Yarwood and Laura Crowell admire paintings on permanent display; two assembled skeletons of Tyrranasaurus Rex species hover over the room. Photos by Mike Canaday.