Excalibur Issue #3

Inside This Issue: Health & Wellness

Fair, Honors Courses Reflections, Boy

and Girl of the Month,

Peter Messina & Studying at Oxford

On February 3rd, Gannon hosted its 11th

annual Wellness Fair in the Recreation and Wellness

Center. The venue lent itself well to the topic of the

event. Spread out across the basketball courts were

seven different zones, each focusing on a different

aspect of wellness: environmental, physical,

spiritual, social, occupational, emotional, and

intellectual.

The Environmental Zone Coordinator and

Resident Director of Wehrle Hall spoke on the

success of the event. “I think it went really well,”

says Karel. “It was one of the most successful

Wellness Fairs that Gannon has put on in years.”

Karel spoke enthusiastically about the

unique dynamic of the zones and of the Fair’s

popularity with students and vendors. Outside

vendors, most from the Erie area, were happy to be

a part of the Fair this year and looked forward to

participating again in the future.

“About 940 people, including staff, faculty,

and students came to the Fair,” remarked Karel. She

said that they received much positive feedback

about the Fair, including suggestions to keep it open

longer or throughout a whole day, instead of in

three separate waves.

Karel commented that much credit was

owed to the volunteers, both from the Recreation

and Wellness Center and from other groups on

campus. “Everyone was very eager and had good

attitudes,” Karel happily remarked.

Stay tuned next year for another excellent

Wellness Fair!

“Oh no, not another history class.” “I hope this is an easy A.” “It doesn’t even apply to my

major.” For some of you, one or more of these responses may come to mind when you get your semester

schedule and see history listed. I hope I am not right, but if I am, you should keep reading. Last semester

I took the honors section of History without Borders with Dr. Baugh. As the semester progressed I

realized that this was one of my favorite classes.

Dr. Baugh is a young and vibrant teacher. She is enthusiastic about what she is teaching and

engages the class in the topic as opposed to standing at the front of the room to lecture. In my opinion,

this was effective for the class because it kept us involved and being excited about the material made it

easier to grasp the information. The way Dr. Baugh incorporated technology that is so much a part of

our daily lives was an added bonus.

We also did something that most other classes don’t get the opportunity to do, something that

opened my eyes and the eyes of the class to the world. Our class was given the awesome chance to do

some learning abroad via Adobe Connect with students at the American University of Madaba in Jordan.

During these online classes we discussed various readings and our views on them; it was interesting to

see how things compared and contrasted. Inevitably, we were able to learn about each other and our

cultures. We learned about music, movies, and things they like to do. It was interesting to discover that

they enjoy some of the same things we enjoy. It was also fun learning about our differences; the things

they do that we don’t, and to teach them about our culture.

Dr. Baugh also set up a Facebook page for the classes to communicate with each other outside of

class. We post videos, photos, and statuses so that we can get to know each other and each other’s

languages. Utilizing social media is a fun and easy way to learn interactively with students in another

country. Both classes still use the page to post things such as questions, articles, videos, or music so that

we can keep a connection and continue to learn about each other’s cultures.

Hanan Majed Madanet. Jordan-Gannon Class. Dec. 11, 2014. Photo. Ader, Jordan

So think twice before giving up on a core class because it might mean more to you than you

thought, you just have to give it a chance. The honors program is giving its dedicated students new

experiential learning to enhance our core liberal arts curriculum.

Dr. Menkhaus is one of those professors who goes above and beyond. His

honors section of Theology of Moral Response was more than just a class; it was

an in-depth examination of our personal morals and ethics. Dr. Menkhaus taught

the class in such a way as to include and respect all viewpoints, while engaging

discussion about a wide range of topics. Menkhaus, on a typical day, would assign

a reading one class and then facilitate a discussion of that reading the next class. It

enriched our liberal core requirement the way an honors section should.

Female Honors Student

of the Month

Sarah Thompson

Sarah Thompson

Major – PA

From – Lockport, NY

Alpha Sigma Tau (Historian, Director of Housing), Phi Eta Sigma Member

Concert Band, T.R.A.V.E.L. Group 2016

By: Kyle Volkman

Sarah’s one of many Gannon students from

Buffalo. More accurately, she’s from a small,

country town just outside Buffalo. She decided to

come to Gannon because of the excellent

reputation of the PA program and the advanced

technology available. By her summer orientation

she had yet to pull the trigger on applying for the

honors program yet went to the meeting to see

what it was all about. She loved the idea of smaller

class sizes and discussion-based learning because it

was an ideal learning style for her. The honors

program suited her as a hardworking student and

active learner.

She wanted to get more involved on

campus so she looked into joining a social sorority.

She found her home last spring at Alpha Sigma Tau.

Being a sister of AST has allowed her to expand her

horizons on leadership and volunteer opportunities

around campus. This past fall she was elected

historian and director of housing for the chapter.

If you ever find yourself at a Gannon

concert band performance, you will see her in the

clarinet section. She has been playing the clarinet

since she was in fourth grade. Concert band lets her

escape from her stress once a week and focus on

playing music.

She has always had a passion for traveling

so Gannon’s and the honors program’s newfound

globalization initiative fits right in line with her

interests. Over the past four years Sarah has had

the privilege of traveling to Italy, Ireland, and

England, which has sparked her interest to continue

her travels through Gannon’s T.R.A.V.E.L. program.

In the summer of 2016 Sarah and her travel group

will venture to Italy and Greece. She plans on

seeking out scholarship opportunities through

Gannon and the honors program. After graduation

she hopes to join a traveling medical practitioner

program. Her passion for traveling combines very

well with her major as a physician assistant.

When asked about Gannon’s honors

program, she really enjoys the class sizes and

offerings. The classes enhanced her liberal arts

experience. However, she still would like to see

more course options available since she no longer

has any room for honors courses in her schedule.

She acknowledges the limitations and sees the

program moving in the right direction. Overall her

experience in the honors program has enhanced

her college experience at Gannon University.

This month’s edition of Excalibur

honors junior, Scott Conrad. Scott Conrad is

a computer science major from Irwin,

Pennsylvania. He is a Delta Kappa Epsilon

Fraternity member, a Resident Assistant for

Wehrle Hall, and a member of Phi Eta

Sigma. Scott is a Campus Minister and very

involved with Campus Ministry. He also

participates in the Icthi, Catholic Faith

sharing group on campus. After college,

Scott plans to pursue a career in his life’s

passion, cyber security.

Everybody enjoys traveling, and

Scott is no exception. Last semester, Scott

worked with software engineering students

in Sweden. Using Skype, the students

involved worked on the same project even

though the Atlantic Ocean divided them. At

the end of the semester, Scott traveled to

Sweden to finish the project. Scott is also

involved with the T.R.A.V.E.L Program.

This year, he and his group will travel to

Germany.

Scott believes the Gannon honors

program has helped him the most through

the Honor’s classes in the liberal studies

core. He attributes the discussion setting for

his gaining of an appreciation to these

courses, and he goes as far as to pick for his

favorite honors course Introduction to

Philosophy, which he studied under Dr.

Latzer. When asked how he would improve

the honors program, he suggested that

honors courses expand into other majors. He

does admit,

however,

that it this

would be a

very tough

job, and

that he is

grateful for the opportunities he has had.

By: Stephen Karpinsky

I had the pleasure of speaking to the honors program’s own Peter Messina on his semester

abroad last fall to Oxford University. I’m sure many readers are curious and may even be unaware of the

possibility of studying abroad at places like the esteemed Oxford University. For that this article will be

split into two parts. The first part will be explaining Peter’s own experience learning about the

opportunity to study at Oxford. This will easily shed light on how the program works and hopefully spark

the interests of fellow Gannon honors students. The second part will briefly let Peter reflect on his

semester abroad. My talk with him was so interesting I strongly encourage you to email him or meet up

with him if you would like to hear more details!

Gannon | Believe in the Possibilities

Peter had learned of the study abroad opportunity

from honors program director, Dr. Bomberger, and former

student Jake Stein, who had been in the program in 2012.

These conversations brought him to Gannon’s study abroad

office (main office is in Old Main while the assistant office is

in Waldron Campus Center next to Knight’s Cove). Here he

received an application to study at St. Edmund Hall of Oxford

University. He was personally surprised at both Gannon’s

relationship with Oxford and then how easy the application

was. The application for studying abroad at St. Edmund Hall

of Oxford University like Peter Messina is available on their

website.

Peter filled out and emailed to Oxford the form for St. Edmund Hall of Oxford University,

provided a writing sample, personal information, statement of purpose, Academic transcript (provided

by Gannon) and two letters of recommendation. While at first glance this may seem like a lot, but when

taking a closer look it’s not much work for the experience you would be getting. Peter was very laid back

when he explained the process to me.

The cost is essentially the same as it would be as a normal semester at Gannon. Peter paid

Gannon’s tuition rate. Room and board was also very similar at Oxford.

Peter had finished his application on February 12th, of 2014. He wanted to study abroad as it tied

in closely with his personal interests, his major of political science, and minor in international studies.

His first thought was to study at the American University of Rome. However, he ended up choosing

Oxford because more funding was available and there would not be a language barrier.

Anxious to hear back from Oxford, all of February and most of March went by without a

response. Finally, at the end of March he was told that he wasn’t able to take the political science

classes he had requested. He was asked if he would be open to taking other classes if the opportunity

arose. Peter spoke to his academic advisor, Dr. Mark Jubulis, and replied back with the obvious “yes.”

One again weeks went by without any more news. It wasn’t finals week that he heard a

response. On April 30th, he received word that He had been accepted into two classes at St. Edmund Hall

of Oxford University for the upcoming fall semester: Logic and he Psychology of Religion.

Academic Culture Shock

This part of my talk with Peter blew me away. I was inspired myself by hearing of the great

things Peter learned and experienced at Oxford. My paragraphs could never adequately do justice to

explaining his experience. Yet, I will still gloss over our talk and share the overview of his journey.

A major theme I took away of my talk with Peter Messina was that of a culture shock,

specifically in the academic sense. Studying at Oxford was in so many ways different than here in

America. First of all, his classes were one-on-one with a professor, called a “tutor,” who provided

research topics. Peter would do plenty of outside research in the elaborate libraries of Oxford studying

up and writing essays. In his “tutorials” (rather than being called “classes”) he would defend his essays

against his tutor. He felt that this learning strategy really improved his writing skills while letting him get

personally involved in the subject matter. He was aware of his strengths and weaknesses while being

able to get the most out of his time spent with his tutor. His tutorials were also very relaxed and often in

his tutor’s office. This setting provided an environment conducive to learning and developing a personal

relationship. Basically, the concepts of “classes,” “professors,” and “lectures” do not exist in Oxford.

Actually lectures do exist at Oxford but in a completely different form. Lectures are held often

on campus (typically a couple lectures a week) on various subjects and are open to all students.

Likewise, they are completely optionally. Peter was impressed by the dedication of the students to

attend these lectures. Typically one-hundred or so students attend the lectures given by experts in their

fields. The opportunities let Peter learn about political science and other areas of study as a bonus.

Lastly, whereas in America we are competitive and have pride in the university we attend, at

Oxford there is much more of a large academic community. All students work together to learn versus

fighting to get the highest grade. Exams and grades are still given but based more on essays and a final

standardized test (similar to SAT’s) so getting over the 70th percentile is an A while anything below the

60th percentile is failing.

Peter’s experience at Oxford also

rejected the Oxford Myth, that all students

there study ninety percent of the time and

live in elite cliques. Moreover, the student

population was very welcoming and full of

“committed self-driven students,” as Peter

best put it. Oxford also had a very good

sense of balancing work and play. They often

held student nights at dance halls. Peter did

fun things like singing in the chapel choir,

playing Ultimate Frisbee, and attended

sporting events.

Here Peter was taken aback at the

international presence held at Oxford. He

met students from Britain, Boston, France,

Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Malaysia,

Africa, Canada, Boston, Hong Kong, China,

Japan, and even more places. He

remembered his game of Ultimate Frisbee in particular and reminisced about the amazing blend of

accents.

Peter spent time at tourist attractions, too while at Oxford. He visited memorable locations seen

in the Harry Potter films like bridge or the Duke Humphrey’s Library. Some of those places he was only

able to see being a student. He visited places like the University of Oxford Botanic garden, the

Sheldonian Theater, and the Radcliffe Camera (seen in the picture above)

Overall, Peter talked of his experiences as letting him attend a large university while having a

small college feel. He was never felt overwhelmed or like an outsider at Oxford. The experience truly left

a lasting impact on Peter Messina. Gannon gives us all great opportunities like that.