College of Arts & Sciences Newsletter
October 2021
CAS Student Highlights
Forensics Team Is Chicago Swing Tournament Champions
On October 16 the EMU Forensics Team, competing against schools including Northwestern University, Ball State University, and Purdue University, took first place overall at the Chicago Swing Invitational Tournament hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago. Students placed multiple events in out-rounds and won many of the categories. Cedrick Charles, a sophomore on the team, won first place in program oral interpretation. Cedrick, who is majoring in Political Science with a minor in Economics, is currently the Speaker of the Student Government Senate, a writer for the Eastern Echo, and a member of the Black Honors Students Organization. Kate Inman, a sophomore on the team, won first place in extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking, and persuasive speaking. She was also the individual sweepstakes champion of the tournament. Kate is a Paralegal major with a minor in Political Science. The team continues to craft and hone performances in preparation for their national competition in April. Follow EMU Forensics on social media for more results.
Back, left to right: Cedrick Charles, Hannah Ihrig, David Reyes, Basra Keynan.
Front, left to right: Kate Inman, Gavin Millard, Meghan Huelsman.
Students Present at the Geological Society of America Conference
Three EMU undergraduates presented their research at the annual Geological Society of America conference, which was recently held in Portland. Morgen Bergren and Karlee Foster, who work with Dr. Chris Gellasch, presented on "Source tracking of inorganic contaminants in Millers Creek, Ann Arbor, MI." Collin Bogoski, who works with Dr. Eric Portenga, presented on "Reproducibility of 10Be concentrations in stream sand following the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Solstice Canyon, Santa Monica Mountains California."
CAS Faculty & Staff Highlights
Professor Carla Damiano Receives Highest Honor from the Federal Republic of Germany
The Federal President of Germany, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, awarded Eastern Michigan University German professor Carla Damiano the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, also known as the Order of Merit. This is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation. The Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany Chicago, Wolfgang Moessinger, honored Damiano on behalf of Steinmeier during a Ceremony of Bestowal on EMU’s campus on Friday, Sept. 29.
Works by Amy Sacksteder Shown at Buckham Gallery, Flint
Works by Professor Amy Sacksteder are now on display at the Buckham Gallery in Flint as part of Entropy, a three-person exhibition with Jennifer Bock-Nelson and Kelly A. Mueller. The closing reception will be 3:00-6:00 p.m. November 6.
Lecturer Yael Rothfeld Named a Semifinalist for the 2022 GRAMMY Music Educator Award
Yael Rothfeld, Lecturer in Music Education in the School of Music & Dance, has been named by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum as one of 25 semifinalists for the 2022 Music Educator Award. Rothfeld is in her 19th year of teaching music at Thurston Elementary School in Ann Arbor. In 2018 Rothfeld received the DTE Energy Foundation Educator of the Year Award, and in 2020 she was named Michigan Music Education Association’s Music Educator of the Year.
CAS Events
EMU Theatre Presents The Comedy of Errors
After over a year of virtual performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students and community members can now witness in-person theatre once again! In October EMU Theatre had their first live in person performance since March 8, 2020 at the Legacy Theatre, with William Shakespeare’s farce “The Comedy of Errors.”
Check out EMU Theatre's social media pages to find out about the rest of their in-person events this school year.
In-Person Performances Return to the School of Music and Dance
This semester the School of Music and Dance has returned with full force to live in-person performance, with the Homecoming choir concert, concerts by the Jazz Ensemble, Wind Symphony, and Symphonic Band, and half-time performances by the Marching Band. EMU Marching Band also hosted its annual High School Band and Twirler Day live and in person!
Check out the School of Music and Dance's social media to keep up with all of their concerts and events.
EMU Symphony Orchestra Participates in the YpsiGlow Festival
The EMU Symphony Orchestra recently recorded Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain as part of a new collaborative experience with the YpsiGlow Festival. The recording will be digitally enhanced by students and faculty in the School of Communication, Media and Theatre Arts and later used as part of a live installation projected on Boone Hall as part of the YpsiGlow Festival on Saturday, October 30th.
McAndless Professor Kevin Boyle Lectures on Ossian Sweet, the 1960s
In the first public lecture of his McAndless Residency, Kevin Boyle told the story of Detroit Civil Rights pioneer Dr. Ossian Sweet. On November 4, Boyle will return to EMU to speak about "History as Narrative: The 1960s." This talk will coincide with the October 26 release of The Shattering: America in the 1960s, one of the LA Times' 30 most anticipated books of fall 2021. Boyle will trace this tumultuous decade through the stories of the men and women who lived through it. The 1960s were marked by fierce conflicts over issues of race, war, and sex. By focusing on the leaders and foot soldiers of these iconic social movements that threatened to tear the nation apart, Boyle’s talk will illuminate new insights into current political divisions.
Our Detroit Theme Year continues in November with a full schedule of events. On November 2, Oakland University Economics Professor Timothy R. Dodge will give a talk on "When a 'Social Contract' Is in Crisis: Lessons from Detroit's Property Tax." On November 4, McAndless Professor Kevin Boyle will speak on "History as Narrative: The 1960s," and on November 5, Boyle will lead a workshop on "The Craft of Narrative in Academic Writing." The EMU Marching Band will perform “The Music of Motown” at their November 9 and 16 halftime shows and at the November 20 Band-o-Rama Concert. On November 17, Urban Planning will host a presentation of the work of the Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund. Finally, on November 29 we will kick off our Civil Rights Film Series with a showing of 4 Little Girls, introduced by Political Science Department Head Barbara Patrick. Please visit the Detroit Theme Year website to see our regularly updated schedule of events and our CAS Detroit Blog.