CSU, Chico News

Close to 230 first-time students will begin a one-week introduction to college life at California State University, Chico today at 1 p.m.

Chico Academic Transition (CAT) prepares students enrolled at CSU, Chico through the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) for a successful first year. The students come from as far away as Los Angeles in the south and Humboldt County in the north. About one-third live in counties in the local service area.

During the weeklong program, students attend presentations about academic life, time management and goal setting, and engage in small-group discussions and social activities. The goal of the program is to familiarize new students with university programs and services, assist them in creating realistic expectations and ease their social transition into college.

Students check into Shasta Hall today, June 26, between 1 and 4 p.m. CAT begins at 4:30 p.m. with a large-group activity in Shasta Hall.

“The CAT program makes the first few weeks in the fall so much easier for these students. It is an important part of our overall effort to see that EOP students do well and stay enrolled at the university,” says Michael Tokuno, coordinator of the CAT program.

The Educational Opportunity Program works with students from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure their success at the university and beyond. About 1,200 CSU, Chico students are enrolled in the program every year.

For more information, contact the EOP Office, 530-898-6831.

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Nancy Fox has been voted chair and Scott Chalmers vice-chair of the California State University, Chico University Advisory Board.

The board officers will assume their new positions at the board’s first fall 2001 meeting Sept. 28.

Fox, a Chico resident, operates an online jewelry business, N and J Imports, with her husband, Jack. Chalmers, also a Chico resident, is president of RSC Associates Inc.

The University Advisory Board was formed in 1996. Its 25 members from Northern California provide advice and guidance to the university on issues important to the university and community.

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California State University, Chico president Manuel A. Esteban has taken action against the campus-based Construction Management Association (CMA) based on a preliminary campus investigation and Union Pacific investigation following the death of CSU, Chico freshman John Barbaro.

Barbaro, 19, was struck and killed by a train as he lay on the Union Pacific tracks near Lake Shasta in the early morning of April 29. He had accompanied 25 fellow students on a weekend water-skiing trip organized by members of the CMA, a CSU, Chico student group.

Union Pacific Railroad Police special agent Randy Anderson has found that alcohol was used during the weekend trip and was available to Barbaro. Anderson’s report lists the probable cause of death as accidental, speculating that Barbaro may have fallen asleep in an intoxicated state on the railroad tracks. Anderson’s report states that Barbaro had an alcohol level of .25 at the time of his death.

Based on the information received this week, Esteban has temporarily withdrawn university support of CMA activities, including the CMA’s use of all university facilities, pending further investigation. The group currently uses a campus office and other equipment to conduct activities for some students who major in construction management. Esteban said he will consider other possible actions at a later date.

“The death of John Barbaro is a horrible tragedy that has shaken students, faculty and staff of the university,” said Esteban. “The fact that alcohol probably played a role in his death adds immeasurably to the tragedy. The university cannot tolerate the abuse of alcohol and the horrific effects it has on our students.

“We will continue to work with and educate student groups, particularly as it pertains to occasions where alcohol could be available,” Esteban said. “Students, faculty, staff and administrators must all play a part in finding a solution to the crisis of alcohol abuse.”

In December, Esteban banned the Chico chapter of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity in response to the alcohol-related death of freshman Adrian Heideman, which took place at the fraternity house Oct. 7. The ban followed a university investigation into Heideman’s death as well as a review of student organization rules, activities and advising by faculty and staff. Three Pi Kappa Phi members pled no contest to misdemeanor charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor causing death and received 30-day jail sentences.

Esteban said efforts to educate the campus community about high-risk drinking behavior, the penalties of under-age drinking and the benefits of alcohol-free activities had significantly increased over the past year. “It may be we still need to do much more,” he said.

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Sarah Blackstone, chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, has been named to a two-year term as interim dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at California State University, Chico. She will start her new assignment in August.

Blackstone replaces Dean Donald Heinz, who is retiring after 16 years as HFA Dean. Heinz will continue to teach in the Department of Religious Studies. A national search for a new dean will commence in fall 2002.

Blackstone joined CSU, Chico last year as theatre arts chair. Prior to that, she spent 10 years on the Department of Theatre faculty of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. During her tenure at SIU, she served as theatre department chair and director of graduate studies in the department. Blackstone has also taught for two years at the University of Washington’s School of Drama.

Blackstone earned her Ph.D. at Northwestern University in theatre history. She did her undergraduate work in theatre at the University of Wyoming and earned a master’s degree in theatre at Kansas State University.

Blackstone is an expert on 19th century popular entertainment, and has published two books on Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. She is also a practicing theatrical director, and directed the production of “The Bartered Bride” presented at CSU, Chico last February.

“I am pleased to welcome Sarah Blackstone to the interim deanship of HFA,” said Heinz. “She will be the first dean the college has had from the arts and will no doubt bring a special perspective. More important, Blackstone believes in the ‘calling’ of the administrator and aspires to it. She knows that good institutions can become better through effective and collaborative leadership. As I return to teaching, I will be cheering for Blackstone and for the college from the sidelines.”

“Dr. Sarah Blackstone is a well-published scholar of American theatre history,” said Scott McNall, CSU, Chico provost and vice president for academic affairs. “She has worked in technical theatre and also as artistic director of theatre programs, including our own. Please join Dean Heinz and me in wishing her and the college success during this interim period.”

“I’m very much looking forward to working with the college,” said Blackstone. “Over the past year at Theatre Arts, I’ve had a chance to see what the college is all about and work with the other chairs. I’m eager to step in and help continue the work already started and move everybody’s dreams forward.”

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Expert advice for walnut, prune and almond growers will be available Wednesday, June 13, at California State University, Chico’s second annual Orchard Field Day at Paul Byrne Memorial Agricultural Teaching and Research Center (University Farm).

The event will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with a lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Among the sessions growers can attend are irrigation scheduling tools and techniques, cover crops for orchards, aphid control for prunes, and vertebrate pest management.

Welcoming comments will be provided by CSU, Chico College of Agriculture Dean Charles Crabb and Bill Olson, UC Cooperative Extension farm adviser for Butte County.

Other presenters include CSU, Chico agriculture professor Richard Rosecrance, Richard Buchner, UCCE farm adviser for Tehama County, and Bill Krueger, UCCE farm adviser for Glenn County.

Growers are expected to come from Butte County and surrounding counties. The event is hosted by CSU, Chico and the UC Cooperative Extension.

The event is free, but the lunch costs $15. For more information, contact Rosecrance at 898-5699 or Olson at 538-7201.

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California State University, Chico’s much-honored student newspaper, The Orion, has added another prestigious national award: the Mark of Excellence Award for Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper.

The awards were announced June 6 by The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the nation’s largest journalism organization. CSU, Chico and other winners will receive their awards Oct. 4-6 at the 2001 SPJ national convention in Seattle, and will be honored in the July/August issue of Quill, the SPJ magazine.

The competition included 2,200 entries in 36 categories for print, radio, TV and online collegiate journalism. The University of Texas at Austin’s Daily Texan won for best daily student newspaper.

“This is a big award, because to win it The Orion had to best the top college papers from 10 other national regions, as judged by professional journalists,” said Dave Waddell, The Orion adviser. “That we’ve never won it before, despite all of our successes, says a lot about how tough it is to win. I appreciated the judges’ comments about The Orion’s professionalism and the ‘truly collaborative team effort’ that’s evident in our paper.”

In recent years, The Orion has been one of the most-honored student newspapers in the country. Over the past eight years, the paper has received five “Pacemaker” awards from the National Association of Newspapers and Associated Collegiate Press, five first-place finishes in California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Better Newspapers’ Contest and two National Newspaper of the Year awards from the Associated Collegiate Press.

“The Mark of Excellence Awards are among the most prestigious awards college students can win,” said David Carlson, SPJ vice president for campus chapter affairs. SPJ has presented student journalism awards for 27 years.

Student newspapers were judged for design, content, writing style, investigative prowess and editorial page. Before being considered for the national competition, newspapers had to place first in SPJ’s regional competitions.

Commenting on The Orion, judges said: “This large broadsheet shows excellent design throughout. Handsome section fronts feature strong feature stories and art. Content is all local, with well-written and carefully edited stories. Editorials run in each issue and are thoughtful and well-written. Numerous guest columns and letters offer a variety of opinions. A near professional quality production by what is evidence of a truly collaborative team effort. California State University, Chico has a student publication to be proud of.”

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Professor Dalen T. Chiang of Cleveland State University has been named the new dean of the College of Business at California State University, Chico.

Chiang will start his assignment on August 1. He replaces Heikki Rinne, who accepted a position in private industry in January.

Chiang is currently the interim chair of the Department of Operations Management and Business Statistics and the Department of Finance at Cleveland State University. He founded and serves as the interim director of Cleveland State’s e-Business Center and directs the university’s SAP University Alliance Program.

Chiang earned his Ph.D. in operations research from UC Berkeley. His M.A. in mathematics is from UC Berkeley and B.S. in mathematics is from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Chiang joined the Cleveland State faculty in 1976. He was awarded the university’s Service Merit Award in 1997 and Research Merit Award in 1998. He has published extensively in research areas including enterprise resource planning, inventory management and operations management.

“Dr. Chiang brings substantial administrative experience to the position of dean and a level of energy and knowledge that will make him a strong leader,” said Scott McNall, CSU, Chico provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We welcome him and his family to Chico.”

“I’m very excited to be named the dean at Chico,” said Chiang. “My introduction to Chico was through a workshop on SAP presented by Chico faculty. I was very impressed, and look forward to working with this great group of faculty at the college.”

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Using an unprecedented strategy in their first year competing, California State University, Chico engineering students won a prestigious national contest for who can design the highest mileage vehicle.

CSU, Chico bested 25 other colleges, universities and high schools to win the Society of Automotive Engineers Supermileage Competition held June 1-2 at the Eaton Corporation Proving Grounds in Marshall, Mich.

The team’s vehicle reached 640 miles per gallon, winning the college and overall competition. Homestead High School from Michigan finished second overall, at 603 mpg, and UC Berkeley finished third in the college division at 527 mpg.

Seven mechanical engineering students from the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology formed the team that built the vehicle as a senior project during the 2000-2001 academic year: Matthew Charles, Michael DeMercurio, Allana Kearney, Drew Lander, Frank Lucido, Michael Meteer and Tou Vang.

Team members are gathering tomorrow, June 8, at 11 a.m. in front O’Connell Hall to discuss the victory and show off the vehicle to the media and public.

All vehicles in the competition must have three wheels and use a two-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine. Competitors also must maintain at least 15 miles per hour over a 6-lap, 1.3-mile oval. The driver must weigh at least 130 pounds and be enclosed in the vehicle and separated from the wheels and drive train.

The CSU, Chico team members employed a strategy different from all other entering schools to win the competition their first time out. While other vehicles turned their engines off and on and coasted part of the course to increase mileage, the CSU, Chico vehicle maintained a higher, constant speed that resulted in better mileage overall.

“We designed our car with the engine running–real-world driving–and found it ran more efficiently at a higher speed than 15 mph,” said team member Meteer. “Our first time on the track we ran at 40 mph, and the other teams thought we were showing off. We didn’t know the accepted strategy was to coast, and we benefited by not doing the same thing.”

Meteer said the CSU, Chico team used a heavily modified engine, different clutch and active suspension that made its vehicle perform better than its competitors.

“Our students took a completely different approach by being innovative and creative,” said Mike Ward, chair of the mechanical engineering department. “They came up with a design that blew everybody away.”

Ken Derucher, dean of the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, said, “Our faculty are noted for application-oriented teaching and research. The students love this approach in the classroom, and when they apply it, they consistently win regional and national competitions.”

In recent years, CSU, Chico engineering students have won regional and national competitions in areas such as bridge building, robot design, manufacturing design and other vehicle contests.

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A California State University, Chico engineering student won a regional competition earlier this month by designing the fastest and smartest “micromouse.”

Dustin Hess, a computer engineering major, won the annual micromouse maze contest sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) on May 5 his small robotic mouse negotiated a table-top-sized course in 23 seconds, a record for the competition.

Hess received $450 for winning the event, and an IEEE trophy came to CSU, Chico’s College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology.

Ten robotic mice from Northern California, Nevada and Hawaii universities were entered in the event, held in Sacramento.

The IEEE competition also includes a computer engineering design contest and research paper contest. CSU, Chico computer engineering student Aaron Lager received third place and $100 for his design of a radio-controlled rocket launcher.

“We thank Dustin and Aaron for the tremendous effort they put into their projects to represent our university,” said Ben-Dau Tseng, professor of electrical and computer engineering. “Dustin had so much confidence that he volunteered to be the first one to put his micromouse in the maze. We are proud of his record-breaking achievement.”

To take part in the competition, students must be members in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Entries often constitute a student’s senior project. Tseng said Hess’s mouse was a senior project, but Lager’s design was his own project.

Since 1998, 12 CSU, Chico students have placed in the top five in the IEEE competition.

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Students at California State University, Chico’s Business Resource Center have once again raised funds to help the Make A Wish Foundation bring joy to children’s lives.

Fund-raising efforts this year included a roller-skating party, softball tournament, and sponsored concert at the Brickworks in Chico. The students also sold Make A Wish stars and badges.

Earlier this month, the students presented Arlene Planas, Make a Wish Foundation Northern California representative, with a check for $3,700 at the Business Resource Center office in Glenn Hall.

Last year, the students raised funds to help the foundation launch its Northern California effort at a kick-off event in Redding. The fund-raising provides the students with learning and leadership experiences as well as an opportunity to help others.

The mission of the Make A Wish Foundation is to grant wishes to children under the age of 18 with a life-threatening illness. Founded in 1980, the foundation has granted more than 73,000 wishes to children around the world.

The College of Business established the Business Resource Center in August 1998. Its mission is to aggressively recruit economically disadvantaged students to the College of Business and to provide innovative educational support programs for all students.

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