The University of Akron
Department of Sociology
Akron, OH 44325-1905
AKRONews
Fall 2006 Issue
Editors: Baffour Takyi, Phd
& Cynthia Saylor
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
DR. JOHN F. ZIPP
The Department of
Sociology at the University of
Akron remains a great place to
study and to work. Our current
faculty, students and alums
continue to excel in a variety of
ways – even too much for an
annual newsletter to completely
capture. Let me take a stab at
some of the highlights, however,
with many of the details contained throughout the
rest of this newsletter.
In the last year, our faculty published 17
journal articles and 6 book chapters, including five
articles in some of the in top specialty area
journals: Journal of Marriage and the Family (2
articles), Social Problems, Criminology, and Social
Psychology Quarterly. This is an extremely
impressive accomplishment, rivaling the top
departments in the country. Speaking of the top
departments, according to the most recent (2004)
data from the National Science Foundation, your
University of Akron Sociology Department ranked
21st in the entire U.S. in research funding. Our
faculty also maintained a high level of activity in
our scholarly associations, presenting 42 papers at
professional meetings and being a major sponsor of
this year’s Association of Black Sociologists’ Annual
Meeting. Individual faculty have taken key
leadership roles in our professional associations,
with Dr. Kathryn Feltey being the President of the
North Central Sociological Association, and Dr.
Nancy Miller finishing her four year term as
Executive Director of Sociologists for Women in
Society. Finally, five different faculty have served
as Associate Editors at seven different scholarly
journals. Putting this altogether provides a good
indication of just how excellent
our faculty is.
This high level of research
productivity has been
complemented by an equally
impressive focus on teaching, as
five different faculty members
have won teaching awards in their
careers. Perhaps this is part of the
reason that we remain an
attractive choice for students. For instance, we
have more than 500 majors and awarded 51
baccalaureate degrees and 21 minors last year. We
continue to have about 30 graduate students, split
between our MA and Ph.D. programs. As you’ll see
below, our entering cohort has six new students,
including two of our 2006 B.A. grads. Our graduate
students have also demonstrated a high level of
accomplishment. We were fortunate enough to
award four Ph.D.’s, and three Master’s degrees –
with all of our graduates gainfully employed!
Finally, I would like to thank all of our alumni/
ae who graciously sent us copies of your business
cards last year. As you may recall, we used these
to build a “Collage of Success” which is now proudly
on display in the Department office (you can also
see it on our website: http://www3.uakron.edu/
sociology/collage/index.htm). As this collage
clearly shows, our graduates have succeeded as
individuals and have also made a positive impact on
society, serving as educators, business and
community leaders, and local, state and federal
officials. Keep up the good work!
In closing, as always, thanks to Dr. Baffour
Takyi and Cindy Saylor for doing such a great job in
putting together this
newsletter.
NATIONAL ATTENTION FOR THE
DEPT OF SOCIOLOGY
Numerous department members have been cited
frequently in the local and national media, bringing
valuable attention to the department and to the
university.
Dr. André Christie-Mizell appeared on WVIZ PBS’s
Ideas, for a segment on stay-at-home fathers for a TV
production of Ideastream.
Dr. Matt Lee’s work
attracted local and national
attention in a variety of ways.
His course on the “Sociology of
Love” was profiled in
numerous outlets, including
The Chronicle of Higher
Education, ZTV News, The
Cleveland Plain-Dealer, The
University of Akron Buchtellite
and the Canton Repository. He was cited in Reason
Magazine (Aug./Sept. 2006) in an article by Tony Snow
(currently White House Press Secretary) about the
relationship between immigration and crime titled,
"Where’s the Mayhem? Don’t believe the neo–Know
Nothing hype." Finally, his research was also
mentioned in the testimony of Dr. William F. McDonald
before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary on
July 2, 2006. The title of this hearing was "Examining
the Need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”
Drs. John Zipp and Rudy Fenwick’s recent article,
“Is the Academy a Liberal Hegemony?” (Public Opinion
Quarterly, Fall 2006), has been featured in a number of
higher education outlets: Inside Higher Education
(September 19, 2006) and lengthy interviews in “Free
Exchange on Campus” (September 19, 2006; http://
www.freeexchangeoncampus.org and in AFT on Campus
(December 2006/January 2007). John Zipp was quoted
in an article, “Spring Trading Tradeoff,” in The Arizona
Republic (March 31, 2006).
ON TO THE NEXT STAGE
This semester the Department welcomed a new
faculty member into our
program. Dr. Valerie J.
Callanan is a Criminologist and
will be involved with our
graduate and undergraduate
criminology/deviance
program. Dr. Callanan
received her Ph.D. at the
University of CaliforniaRiverside and joins us after
spending six years teaching at California State
University-San Marcos.
AKRONews asked Dr. Callanan to provide a brief
biographical sketch to introduce herself to our
community:
Dr. Callanan: I was a professor at California State
University San Marcos until 2005, when I moved to Ohio
with my husband, who chairs the Department of
Sociology at KSU. I received my Ph.D. from the
University of California Riverside in 2001, with
specialties in criminology and socio-legal studies. As a
criminologist, I have a number of research areas, but of
particular interest to me is how media influences the
public’s understanding and attitudes about crime,
criminals, and the criminal justice system. I have
examined several aspects of media’s impact on public
opinion, including punitive attitudes toward criminals,
perceptions of fairness in the courts and police
systems, willingness to support taxes for prisons, and
fear of crime. My recent book, Feeding the Fear of
Crime, examines the relationship between crimerelated media and public support for three-strikes
sentencing. My applied work has examined the
effectiveness of community-based services for parolees
on recidivism and the effectiveness of gang
intervention programs on reducing gang-related
violence. I have been evaluating parolee re-entry
programs for the Department of Corrections of the
state of California since 2002. My recent book, Feeding
the Fear of Crime, examines the relationship between
crime-related media and public support for threestrikes sentencing.
I have to say that although I miss my friends and
family, and sometimes the perpetual sunny days, I do
like living in northeast Ohio. The pace of live is less
stressful, and I really enjoy the change of seasons. I
also think the students are more motivated. Best of
all, the sociology faculty at the University of Akron are
wonderful colleagues!
As we welcome Dr. Callanan, our newest addition
to our faculty, we also want to take the opportunity to
keep you abreast of other faculty and staff changes.
Two long-time faculty members, Drs. Frank Falk and
Nancy Miller, retired and moved back to Denver. Also
retiring was our Administrative Assistant of 7 years, Jill
France. They all know how much they are missed
already. One more change has been internal: Dr. Mark
Tausig is working full-time as the Associate Dean of the
Graduate School. On behalf of the Department, we
wish them well in their next endeavors. We also take
this opportunity to thank them for their service to the
Department and the University.
André Christie-Mizell, Nancy Miller, Brooke
Turney, Liza Grossman, & Frank Falk
ON THE RESEARCH FRONT:
Faculty Publications, Grants, and Offices
We take this opportunity to congratulate our faculty
and students who won grants and awards, published or
presented at professional meetings during the past
year. Below are some selected achievements during
the past year.
VALERIE CALLANAN
Zhang, Sheldon, Robert E. L. Roberts and Valerie
Callanan. (2006). “The Cost Effectiveness of Providing
Community-based Correctional Services – An Evaluation
of a Statewide Parole Program in California.” Journal
of Criminal Justice, 34, 4: 341-350.
C. ANDRÉ CHRISTIE-MIZELL
C. André Christie-Mizell.
2006. “The Effects of
Traditional Family and Gender
Ideology on Earnings: Race
and Gender
Differences.” Journal of
Family and Economic Issues,
27 (1): 48-71.
AWARDS-2006-Recognition of
Excellence in Mentoring, Ronald E. McNair Post
Baccalaureate Achievement Program, The University of
Akron.
Editorial Boards-Journal of Marriage and the Family
(2004+)
CHERYL ELMAN
Laura Nichols, Cheryl
Elman, Kathryn Feltey.
2006. “The Myths of SelfSufficiency: Economic
Resource Receipt of New
Mothers.” Journal of Family
Issues 27:1305-30.
OFFICES-Elected Council
Member, Section on Aging
and the Life Course. (Term
2006-2009). American Sociological Association.
Editorial Boards-Research on Aging
REBECCA ERICKSON
Slusser, Suzanne R. and
Rebecca J. Erickson. Group
Quizzes: An Extension of the
Collaborative Learning Process.
Teaching Sociology. 34:249-262
Rebecca Erickson, “Why
Emotion Work Matters: Sex,
Gender Identity, and the
Division of Household Labor,”
Journal of Marriage and Family.
Editorial Boards - Social Psychology Quarterly
RUDY FENWICK
John F. Zipp and Rudy Fenwick. (2006). “Is the
Academy a Liberal hegemony?: The Political
Orientations and Educational Values of Professors.”
Public Opinion Quarterly 70:304-326.
Zhang, Sheldon, Robert E. L. Roberts and Valerie J.
Callanan. (2006) “Preventing Parolees from Returning
to Prison: Community Based Reintegration on a
Mark Tausig and Rudy Fenwick. 2006-Co-principal
Statewide Scale.” Crime & Delinquency, 52, 2: 551Investigator (with Rudy Fenwick), Analyses of the
571.
NIOSH Quality of Work Life Survey. National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health, $60,000.
Nofziger, Stacey and Keith Farrington. 2006.
“Presumed Guilty: An Examination of the Criminal
Activity of Inmate Visitors.” International Journal of
Crime, Criminal Justice and Law 1(1): 93-104.
KATHRYN FELTEY
Kathryn Feltey.2006. “Doing Sociology to Make a
Difference: Commitment, Values, and the Promised Land."
Sociological Focus
Nofziger, Stacey and Hye-ryeon Lee. 2006.
“Differential Association and Daily Smoking of
Laura Nichols, Cheryl Elman, Kathryn Feltey.2006.
Adolescents.” Youth and Society 37: 453-478.
“The Myths of Self-Sufficiency: Economic Resource
Receipt of New Mothers.” Journal of Family Issues
BRIAN PENDLETON
27:1305-30.
Labuda Schrop S., B.F.
Pendleton, G. McCord, K.M. Gil,
L.S. Stockton, J. McNatt, V.J.
Gilchrist. 2006. The medically
underserved: Who is likely to
exercise and why. Journal of
Health Care for the Poor and
Underserved. 17(2):276-289.
Elected Office- President North Central Sociological
Association (NCSA) 2005-2006
NCSA presidential address, entitled "Doing Sociology to
Make a Difference: Commitment, Values, and the
Promised Land", was published in Sociological Focus,
August 2006.
MATTHEW LEE
Matthew T. Lee and Ramiro
Martinez, Jr. 2006. “Immigration
and Asian Homicide Patterns in
Urban and Suburban San Diego.” Pp.
90-116 in Ramiro Martinez Jr., and
Abel Valenzuela Jr., (eds.)
Immigration and Crime: Race,
Ethnicity and Violence. NY: New
York University Press.
Matthew T. Lee, Julia Wrigley, and
Joanna Dreby. 2006. “The Research Article as a
Foundation for Subject-Centered Learning and
Teaching Public Sociology: Experiential Exercises for
Thinking Structurally about Child Care Fatalities.
Teaching Sociology 34:173-187.
Editorial Boards - Sociological Focus
STACEY NOFZIGER
Nofziger, Stacey and Rachel
Stein. 2006. “To Tell or Not
to Tell: Lifestyle Impacts on
Whether Adolescents Tell
About Violent
Victimization.” Violence
and Victims 21(3): 375-386.
Pendleton, B.F. 2006. "Methods of
Social Research II Instructional Guide." Pp. 72-84 in
Rhoda E. Macdonald (ed.), Social Statistics: Syllabi and
Instructional Materials." Teaching Resource Guide
Series. Washington, D.C.: American Sociological
Association (Sept.).
Labuda Schrop S, Pendleton B.F., McCord G., Gil K.M.,
Stockton L.S., McNatt J., Gilchrist
V.J. 2006. The medically underserved: Who is likely to
exercise and why. Jr. of Health
Care for the Poor and Underserved 17(2): 276-289.
GRANTS
Pendleton, Brian F. 2006-07. Alcohol Abuse Reduction
Initiative. $25,000. Ohio Department of Alcohol and
Drug Addiction Studies.
ROBERT L. PERALTA
Robert L. Peralta and J.
Michael Cruz. 2006.
“Conferring Meaning Onto
Alcohol-Related
Violence: An Analysis of
Alcohol use and Masculinity in
a Sample of College
Students.” Journal of Men’s
Studies 14(1), 109-125.
Robert L. Peralta. 2005. “Thinking Sociologically About
Sources of Obesity in the United
States.” Gender Issues 21(3): 5-16.
Robert L. Peralta. 2005. “Alcohol Use and the Fear of
Weight Gain in College: Reconciling Two Social Norms.”
Gender Issues 20(4): 23-42.
Robert L. Peralta. 2005. “Race and the Culture of
College Drinking: An Analysis of White Privilege on a
College Campus.” Pp. 127-141 in Cocktails & Dreams:
An Interpretive Perspective on Substance Use edited by
W. R. Palacios. New Jersey, Prentice-Hall
HONORS/AWARDS
Inducted into the National Hispanic Science Network
(NHSN) on Drug Abuse as a new Research Scientist
member of the NHSN, 2005.
BAFFOUR K. TAKYI
Oheneba-Sakyi, Yaw & Baffour K.
Takyi. (2006). African Families at
the Turn of the 21st Century.
Westport, CT: Praeger, 318 pages.
Takyi, Baffour K. and Chris
Broughton. 2006. “Family and
Marital Stability in Sub-Saharan
Africa: Does Women’s Economic
Independence and Autonomy
Matter?” Journal of Family and
Economic Issues 27:113-132.
Gyimah, Stephen Obeng, Baffour K. Takyi, and Isaac
Addai (2006). Challenges to the Reproductive Health
Needs of African Women: On Religion and Maternal
Health Utilization in Ghana.” Social Science and
Medicine 62:2930-2944.
Takyi, Baffour K. and Jesse R. Mann. 2006. “Intimate
Partner Violence in Ghana: The Perspectives of Men
Regarding Wife Beating." International Journal of
Sociology of the Family 32: 61-78.
Oheneba-Sakyi, Yaw & Baffour K. Takyi. 2006.
“Framework of Analysis.” Pp. 1-23 in African Families
at the Turn of the 21st Century, edited by OhenebaSakyi, Yaw & Baffour K. Takyi, Westport, CT: Praeger.
Takyi, Baffour K. and Yaw Oheneba-Sakyi. (2006).
“African Families of the New Millennium: Concluding
Remarks.” Pp. 273-278 in African Families at the Turn
of the 21st Century, edited by Oheneba-Sakyi, Yaw &
Baffour K. Takyi, Westport, CT: Praeger.
OFFICES
Board Member, Ohio Council
on Family Relations (OCFR),
affiliate of National Council
on Family Relations NCFR
(2003+)
BRENT TEASDALE
Haynie, Dana L., Eric Silver,
and Brent Teasdale. 2006.
“Neighborhood
Characteristics, Peer Influence and Adolescent
Violence.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology 22:
147-169.
Teasdale, Brent. 2006. “Gender, Threat/ControlOverride Delusions and Violence.” Law and Human
Behavior (forthcoming).
MARK TAUSIG
Mark Tausig, Michael J.
Selgelid, Sree Subedi and
Janardan Subedi. 2006.
“Taking sociology seriously:
A new approach to the
bioethical problems of
infectious disease.”
Sociology of Health and
Illness.
Mark Tausig, Sree Subedi and Janardan Subedi. 2006.
“The Bioethics of Medical Research in Very Poor
Countries. “ Health.
GRANTS/AWARDS
Mark Tausig and Rudy Fenwick. 2006-Co-principal
Investigator (with Rudy Fenwick), Analyses of the
NIOSH Quality of Work Life Survey. National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health, $60,000
Mark Tausig and Rudy Fenwick. 2006. Understanding
mental health outcomes in broad context: An example
from the study of work-related stress. 10th
International Conference on Social Stress Research.
Portsmouth, NH, October.
VIRGINIA SMERGLIA
Miller, N.B., Smerglia, V.L., and Bouchet, N.
Women’s adjustment to widowhood: Does social
support matter? Journal of Women and Aging (in
press).
JOHN ZIPP
John F. Zipp and Rudy
Fenwick. (2006). “Is the
Academy a Liberal
hegemony?: The Political
Orientations and Educational
Values of Professors.” Public
Opinion Quarterly 70:304326.
Editorial Boards - Teaching
Sociology
OFFICES
Chair, Section on Teaching and Learning in SociologyAmerican Sociological Association
GRADUATE STUDENTS:
NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS
FALL 2006 GRADUATE STUDENTS
Bernie Bisheimer, Marie Bozin, Brittany Buffington,
John Durkin, Theresa Huzyak, Mary Laske, and David
Skubby.
GRADUATE STUDENT ALUMNI
more medical benefits through the government
Jessie Mann – Jessie is now enrolled at the University
of Miami Law School Miami, FL.
GRADUATE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
On the research front, we have seen a gradual increase
in our graduate student publications and presentations
over the past couple of years. Some of the recent
publications of our graduate students are listed below.
Congratulations to our recent PhD recipients. The
Slusser, Suzanne R. and Rebecca J. Erickson. Group
following graduate students successfully completed and Quizzes: An Extension of the Collaborative Learning
defended their dissertation during the academic year. Process. Teaching Sociology. 34:249-262
Dr. Michelle Bemiller: “Mothering on the Margins: The
Experience of Non-Custodial Mothers.” Michelle is
now an Assistant Professor at the Sociology
Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan,
KS.
Williams, Dana M. 2006. "Patriarchy and 'The Fighting
Sioux': A Gendered Look at Racial College Sports
Nicknames." Race, Ethnicity, & Education 9(4): pp.
325-340.
GRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Dr. Rachel Schneider: “Battered Women and Violent
Crime: An Exploration of Imprisoned Women before
Schneider, Rachel Zimmer and Michelle Bemiller.
and after Clemency Movement.” She is currently
“Analyzing Children’s Films through a Race, Class and
employed as an Assistant Professor at Eastern
Gendered Lens”. North Central Sociological
Washington University, Cheney, WA.
Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April 2005.
Dr. Wendy Grove: “The Experiences of Grief among
Nurses: measuring, Feeling and Managing Emotion.”
Wendy is now with the Community Health Services
at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of
Medicine (NEOUCOM) and will be starting a position
as Health Planning Administrator in the Bureau of
Early Intervention Services at the Ohio Department
of Health in Columbus, Ohio. She will be
coordinating and evaluating the Healthy Child Care
Ohio Program, as well as developing,
implementing, and coordinating the review of
training programs related to early childhood
intervention.
Dr. Jean-Anne Sutherland:
“What can I do Different,
What can I do better? What
Could you do More? Guilt,
Shame and Mothering.” She
is currently working with
the Merz Consulting Inc.
(Akron, OH).
Congratulations to our recent MA recipients:
J. Brooke Turney – Brooke is now the Undergraduate
Advisor for the University of Akron Dept. of Sociology.
Stacey Blount. 2006. Using the Happy Pill: The Effects
of Education and Race on the Use of Prozac. Annual
Meeting of the Association of Black Sociologists (ABS),
Montreal, CA: 2006.
Blount, Stacye A. “John Q and Healthcare.” North
Central Sociological Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April
7-10, 2005.
Commisso, Lenore T. and Jodi Ross. “Babies Shaken,
Injured and Killed: Accounts of the Mothers.” Child
Abuse/Family Violence Session. North Central
Sociological Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April 2005.
Aya Kimura. African Americans and Physical Health:
The Consequences of Self-Esteem and Happiness.
Annual Meeting of the Association of Black Sociologists
(ABS), Montreal, CA: 2006.
Kimura, Aya, Nancy B. Miller, R. Frank Falk and
Samuel Noh. “Ethnic Identity and Self-Concept in
Adolescents and Young Adults from Immigrant
Families.” American Sociological Association. Social
Psychology Section Roundtable. Philadelphia, PA.
August 2005.
Noh, Marianne S. “Investigating Identity Constructs: A
Conceptualization of Ethnicized Gender and Gendered
Lenore Commisso- Lenore is working with HumanArc
Ethnicity.” SWS Summer Meeting. Philadelphia, PA.
helping low-income individuals (mainly elderly) receive
August 2005.
Noh, Marianne S. “Exploring Processes of Identity
Formation: What is Ethnicity and Gender for SecondGeneration Korean Americans and Canadians?” North
Central Sociological Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April
2005.
Prohaska, Ariane. “Gender and the Formation of the
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.” North Central
Sociological Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April 2005.
Prohaska, Ariane and Jeannine A. Gailey. “It’s Dog’s
Night Baby and We’re All Gonna Score!” Achieving
Masculinity through Hogging.” Mid-South Sociological
Association. Atlanta, GA. October 2005.
Cases” American Society of Criminology. Toronto,
Ontario, Canada. November 16-19, 2005.
Sutherland, Jean-Anne. “Social and Cultural Forces
Impacting the Experience of Mothering.” American
Sociological Association. Philadelphia, PA. August
2005.
Sutherland, Jean-Anne. “The Experience of Guilt in
the Mothering Role: A Qualitative Study.” North Central
Sociological Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April 2005.
Sutherland, Jean-Anne. “It’s more than Just a Movie:
Teaching the Pedagogical Nature of Film.” North
Central Sociological Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April
2005.
Williams, Dana and Jodi Ross. “Exploring the
Gendered Dimensions of Food Not Bombs”. North
Central Sociological Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April
2005.
Williams, Dana. “Two Tendencies Within One
Movement: Red and Green Anarchist Ideology”. North
Central Sociological Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April
2005.
André Christie-Mizell, Baffour Takyi, Erin
Pryor, Liza Grossman, Stacey Blount &
Aya Kimura at the ‘06 ABS Meeting
C. André Christie-Mizell, Erin Pryor, and Elizabeth R.
B. Grossman. 2006. “Child and Adolescent Depression:
The Consequences of Race, Spanking, Maternal
Depression, and Emotional Support.” Annual Meeting
of the Association of Black Sociologists (ABS), Montreal,
CA: 2006.
Williams, Dana. “Anarchists and Labor Unions:
Applying New Social Movement Theory to the
Characteristics of Contemporary Anarchists”. Midwest
Sociological Society. Minneapolis, MN. April 2005.
Yomoah, Ferdinand. “Interpreting Gender Differences
in Housework Participation: The Perspectives of
Habitus and Communicative Action.” NCSA. Pittsburgh,
PA. April, 2005.
GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS
Schneider, Rachel Zimmer, Jodi Ross and Kathryn
Feltey. “Making Sense of Incarcerated Battered
Marianne Noh was elected SWS student
Women’s Lives: A Life Course Approach”. Ohio Criminal
representative
this year. Ms. Noh also co-organized a
Justice Research Conference. Columbus, OH. October
roundtable session for graduate students at this year's
2005.
SWS summer meeting in Montreal, Canada.
Schneider, Rachel Zimmer. “The Incarceration and
Aya Kimura, Suzanne Slusser, and Marianne Noh
Liberation of Battered Women Who Kill”. American
Sociological Association. Philadelphia, PA. August 2005. received funding from the Institute of Teaching and
Learning (ITL), Sociology Department, and the Office of
International Programs to interview graduate students
Schneider, Rachel Zimmer and Michelle Bemiller.
“Analyzing Children’s Films through a Race, Class and
who are teaching. The project is titled, Investigating
Gendered Lens”. North Central Sociological
of the Experiences of Graduate Student Instructors.
Association. Pittsburgh, PA. April 2005.
Additionally, the three of them (Marianne, Suzanne
and Aya) were all involved in different capacities at
Stein, Rachel and Suzanne R. Slusser. “Offending
the Annual ABS and SSF meeting. Their ABS session was
Construed: The Celluloid Reflection of Prostitution.”
titled “Emerging Scholarship in Sociology”.
North Central Sociological Association. Crime and the
Media Section. Pittsburgh, PA. April 7-10, 2005.
Yomoah, Ferdinand received the Harmon DeGraff
Stein, Rachel and Stacey Nofziger. “Who Knows:
Scholarship;
Akron Urban League; Fall 2005.
Adolescents’ Choice of Confidant in Sexual Abuse
Baffour Takyi & Lawrence Bobo
The 2006 banquet was held at Springlake Party
Center in Lakemore. The distinguished speaker was Dr.
Lawrence Bobo, Martin Luther King Jr. Centennial
Professor and Director, Center for Comparative Studies
in Race and Ethnicity and Program in African and
African American Studies at Stanford University,
Stanford, CA. Dr. Bobo is an accomplished researcher
and author specializing in race, ethnicity, politics, and
social inequalities. Professor Bobo's talk examined the
controversy surrounding the fishing, hunting, and
gathering rights of the Chippewa Indians in Wisconsin.
It involved the efforts of the Chippewa to assert their
traditional spearfishing rights, which met with angry,
racially charged, highly mobilized responses from
whites.
This year’s award winners are:
Outstanding Student Award-Wendy
Grove, Outstanding Graduate
Student Teaching
Award-Rachel
Schneider, Outstanding Graduate
Student ServiceBrooke Turney,
and the Patricia Conley Peer
Mentoring Award-Jodi Ross.
The students awarded Dr. André Christie-Mizell
with the Faculty Mentoring Award for the second time.
Also, awarded was Dr. Stacey Nofziger for her
continuing outstanding service as the Sociology Club
Advisor.
Stacey Nofziger & André Christie-Mizell
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT NEWS
NEW SOCIOLOGY ADVISOR
Brooke Turney
As many of you know, Rachel Schneider
successfully defended her dissertation and left the
University of Akron to take a position as an assistant
professor. During the summer, Rachel trained me to
take over the undergraduate advisor position. I’d like
to take a moment to introduce myself. I graduated in
2004 from Ohio Northern University with a BA in
Sociology and Spanish. In the fall of 2004, I began my
graduate studies in the Department of Sociology at the
University of Akron. I graduated with my Master’s
degree in sociology in the summer of 2006.
SOCIOLOGY MAJORS: PROFILE & HIGHLIGHTS
Anazette Hudson
Anazette Hudson is a junior majoring in Sociology/
Criminology & Law Enforcement, and
double minoring in Criminal Justice and
Spanish. She is from Cleveland, Ohio,
and was admitted into the Honors
College in 2005. Anazette is involved in
several campus organizations and has
received various awards and
scholarships. Anazette is in the Ronald
E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate
Achievement Program, the National
Society of Collegiate Scholars, the
Mortar Board National College Senior
Honor Society, and the Golden Key
International Honor Society. Anazette also served as a
2006 New Student Orientation Leader. She was
awarded the Outstanding Sophomore Award in 2005, as
well as the Outstanding Junior Award in 2006 at the
Office of Multicultural Development's Annual Awards
and Scholarship Dinner. In 2006, she was awarded the
Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Diversity
Scholarship, as well as the McNair Summer Research
Award.
will start at 6:30pm. The third Wednesday of each
month will be our speaker series and will start at
5:30pm. All meetings will be between 1 and 2
hours. Although below is our intended schedule, we
are still confirming some of the speakers so please stay
tuned for any changes. All regularly scheduled
meetings will take place in the Student Union, room
316.
This semester we have had three different
monthly themes. In September we focused on
Terrorism, in part to commemorate the 5 year
anniversary of the events of 9/11/01. We watched a
video documenting the events of that day and invited
Dr. Kaltenthaler, from the department of Political
Science, to talk to us about media myths about
Anazette is currently preparing to take part in a
terrorism. These were both well attended events that
study abroad program for Fall Semester 2007 in Madrid,
generated a great deal of discussion from the
Spain. She plans to attend graduate school following
participants. October has the theme of Diversity and
the completion of her Bachelor's Degree.
Discrimination. We watched segments of the video
Our 2006 Outstanding “Transgeneration” for are video this month and are
Undergraduate award very much looking forward to our speaker, a
was awarded to
transgendered student attending the University of
Rachel Cohen. Our
Akron. Our theme and topics for November are Crime
Rogler Scholarship
and Justice.
recipients are Jessica
We had one an additional event on November
Dolezal, Kaitlyn Hart,
8th. We brought to campus the Cleveland Public
Natalie Jacobs, and
Theater (CPT) Y-Haven production. Y-Haven is a
Lindsay Matousek.
program for drug and alcohol dependency
2006 AKD new
treatment for homeless men. It provides a wide
inductees are Angela Adkins, Kathryn Biggins, Leon
range of services, from primary counseling, relapse
Harris, Kaitlyn Hart, Peter Ipnar, Lindsay Matousek
prevention, education and employment
and Virgil Russell. Congratulations on a job well done.
preventions, and assistance in finding permanent
housing. The CPT annually works with Y-Haven
SOCIOLOGY CLUB [SOCCLUB] NEWS participants to write and produce an original
play. All their performances are free as a means of
The University of Akron Sociology Club is
providing the audience with a unique insight into
comprised of students and faculty interested in a
the lives of these men. In addition to the play, all
diverse array of topics that have, are, and/or will
the actors, who are Y-Haven clients, discuss their
affect society and human interaction. Members get
experiences and answer audience questions. This
together to explore numerous issues, through mediums year’s play is titled Making it Right. Making It
both social and intellectual, in a friendly open
Right is the story of Al Anderson, a man who has
atmosphere. The club seeks to benefit its members by successfully turned his life around yet struggles to
increasing student-faculty interaction and networking
reconcile his feelings around the stranger that he
possibilities, as well as broadening the individual
harmed in the past. It explores universal themes of
college experience through exposure to a variety of
regret, forgiveness and responsibility. Despite his
different opinions and perspectives.
successes and material comforts, Anderson feels
obligated to take responsibility for his past by
The Sociology Club regular meetings are the first
tracking down the stranger he once harmed.
and third Wednesdays of each month. The first
Wednesday of each month will be our video series and Making It Right follows Anderson’s attempts to
During the summer, she participated in a research
project under the guidance and mentorship of Dr.
Christie-Mizell. Anazette recently joined the Ballroom
Dancing Club, and works with international students in
the English Language Institute's Conversation Partners
Program.
among students, staff, and faculty. The goal here is to
make everyone feel that they are a valued part of the
university community. Schools that promote frequent
Although all these regular events are open to
student-faculty-staff contacts outside the classroom —
such as the recent Student Appreciation Day — and
everyone, there are definite benefits of
those that have a broad range of extracurricular
membership. We regularly travel to regional
activities have been able to create a culture of
universities and colleges to hear guest speakers
belonging in which students feel emotionally welcome.
that are of interest to our members. We also take
Although these kinds of activities have historically been
an annual trip to the North Central Sociological
associated with small liberal arts colleges, in recent
Association conference. This year that is in
years large state universities, such as Clemson and
Chicago so if you want to attend, you need to be a
Louisiana Tech, and urban commuter schools, such as
Montclair State (New Jersey), have successfully
regular, active member. We also have a range of
adopted these activities to increase student success.
members-only social events. So, if you are
• Develop a proactive and integrated approach to the
interested in getting more information, contact Dr.
delivery
of student services. The literature on best
Nofziger at [email protected] or our president
practices suggests that schools in which faculty and
Lindsay Matousek at [email protected]
student service professionals work together, especially
in academic advising, can provide an “early warning”
system in which student progress can be actively
FEATURED ARTICLES
monitored and students can be advised and counseled
at the first indication of academic difficulty, such as
frequent withdrawals.
MAKING A CONNECTION: IDEAS TO INCREASE
Develop more engagement through academic programs
THE ENGAGEMENT OF OUR STUDENTS
themselves. Schools that provide overall curricular
coherence so that students see a rationale for the
DR. RUDY FENWICK
courses they take have been able to improve student
Associate Professor of Sociology, Chair of Faculty
success. Likewise, schools as diverse as Wisconsin-La
Senate and Co-chair (with Dr. Karla Mugler) of the
Crosse and City University of New York have succeeded
Student Success and Retention Committee
in increasing academic self-directedness and
motivation among their students by linking classroom
As my colleagues and
connections to the “real world” through internships,
I have been going about
service learning, and undergraduate research.
our work on the Student
As you can see from these examples, there is no
Success and Retention
Committee, one of our
magic bullet, no one single best path to student
main areas of focus has
success. Different approaches have worked for
been on the policies and
different schools, and not all approaches will work at
procedures that impede
every school. The overriding conclusion of the
students’ progress to
literature on best practices is that the schools that
degree attainment. As we
have increased student success, retention and
have conducted our
research, one point has become clear: students who
graduation rates have done so because they have
feel connected and engaged by their academic
understood the demographics of their students and
program, and by the university more generally, tend to developed policies that were best suited for their
persist to graduation more than students who do not.
particular needs. They have succeeded because they
How can we increase the degree by which UA
have embraced and taken ownership of the simple idea
students feel engaged? The literature suggests that
that every student they admit can succeed, and they
activities outside the classroom can be highly
should hold themselves and their practices to that
effective. Likewise, engagement can be enhanced by
expectation.
classroom activities as well as activities that link the
Copyright: Perspectives of the Provost (U-A:
classroom to the outside world. To think about ways we September 27, 2006)
can increase the engagement of our students, we have
gathered a list of best practices from The University of
Akron and from other campuses. Here are some that
stood out:
• Develop a culture of inclusiveness or “family”
reconcile himself with the nightmares of his past in
order to move forward with his future.
ALUMNI AND FRIENDS NEWS
DONATIONS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY
George Bachmann, III
Jannis Bachmann
Dorothy Blackmon
Keary Crim
Thomas Furman
George Haddad
Harry Movsesian
Raymond Unk
CHARLES ARDINGO received his BA in Sociology in ’01.
Chuck is a Union Representative for United Food and
Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local Union 21 in
Bellevue, WA.
JANNIS BACHMANN received her BA in Sociology in ’71.
Jannis is the Alumni Coordinator for St. Vincent-St.
Mary High School in Akron, OH.
ALLISON BALL received her BA in Sociology in ’97.
Allison is a Supervisor for the Ohio Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction Adult Probation Authority
in Akron, OH.
SCHOLARSHIPS CHANGE LIVES
CHARLENE CORLETT received her BA in Sociology in
’71. Charlene works with the United Way of Summit
Many students today cannot afford the cost of a County, Akron, OH as Vice President of Major Gifts.
college education and rely on the availability of
MICHAEL DAVIES received his MA in ’99. Mike is a
scholarships to pursue their dream of achieving a
college degree in their field of interest. The University Social Worker for Stark County Children Services in
Canton, OH.
of Akron is proud of its top-notch Department of
Sociology, whose alumni and friends are especially
JOHN DIXON received his BA in Sociology Law
mindful of students’ needs.
Enforcement in ’88. John is a Lieutenant for the Bay
A scholarship in your name can be established for Village Police Department in Bay Village, OH.
as little as $10,000. For information on contributing
DARREN HENDRICKSON received his PhD in ’02.
your support or for making a donation of any
Darren
was recently promoted with tenure to Associate
denomination, please contact:
Professor in Sociology and Anthropology at Eastern
Illinois University in Charleston, IL.
George Van Horne
Department of Development
KRISTEN HILDRETH received her MA in ’01. Kristen is
The University of Akron
the Health Promotion Coordinator for Medina County
Health Department in Medina, Ohio.
Akron, OH 44325-2603
330/972-8255
MARIA LUKINAC received her BA in Sociology in ’94
[email protected]
Maria is the current owner of Akron Title & Abstract
Agency, Ltd., in Akron, OH.
ALUMNI BRIEFS
JANET MICHELLO received her PhD in ’89. Janet is an
Associate Professor at LaGuardia Community College
We enjoy hearing from our alumni. Thanks to everyone City University of New York, Social Sciences in Long
Island, NY.
who responded to our “Collage of Success” business
card project. A few are summarized below.
HARRY MOVSESIAN received his BA in Sociology in ’68.
Harry is the owner of USA Snacks, an honor box locator
SURENDRA BIR ADHIKARI received his PhD in ’02.
company. He has been honored by Vending and OCS
Surendra is a Program Project Manager with the Ohio
Professionals on his 30 year anniversary in the business.
Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation in
He has also devoted 25 years as Commissioner of the
Columbus, OH.
West Akron Youth Basketball League.
ANSAR AHMED received his PhD in ’89. Ahmed is an
Associate Professor and Chairperson in the Department
of Sociology at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, OH.
DOUGLAS PECK received his Ph.D. in Sociology in ’93.
Doug is currently the Dean of General Studies and
Public Service Technologies Division of Stark State
College of Technology in Canton, OH. He is listed in
the 2006 Edition of Who’s Who in American Education.
ALUMNI BRIEFS CONTINUED
KISHA PIERCE received her BA in Sociology Corrections
in ’02. Kasha is the Service Coordinator for the
Alliance for Children & Families, Inc., Help Me Grow
Program in Alliance, OH.
MICHELE SCHAFER received her BA in Sociology in ’97.
Michele is the Director of Campus Ministry at Walsh
University in North Canton, OH.
Department. Linda also volunteered on campus at
WZIP 88.1FM for over 25 years
as a community programmer
on the weekends. She and her
husband, Mark, live in Green
and have two children and a
dog: Mark, Jr. is 16,
Stephanie is 13, and “Marbles”
is their Yorkshire terrier.
Our student assistants for
JAMES SIDARI received is BA in Sociology in ’73. James
owns and is a Broker for James V. Sedaris and
this year are Greg Ellis, Megan
Associates, Brokers of Imported and Domestic Specialty Hudak, Kivan Pennington,
Foods in Fairview Park, OH.
Joseph Santiago, and Sarah Stoner.
SUSAN WARNER received her PhD in ’00. Susan is an
Sociology Newsletter is a publication of the
Associate Professor in Sociology at Cedarville University Department of Sociology, University of Akron, Akron OH
in Cedarville, OH.
44325-1905. Its purpose is to provide news concerning
the activities of the Department, including teaching,
BRADFORD WILLIAMS received his BA in Sociology in
research, scholarship, and service.
’74. Bradford went on to receive his PhD and is now
the Executive Director of Solutions Behavioral
Healthcare, Inc. in Medina, OH.
DEPARTMENTAL STAFF
Meet our hardworking staff at the main office
whose work and dedication has been instrumental in
making our department one of the best to work in at
the University. Once more we say thanks for all your
help and services.
Jean Garcia, Administrative Assistant
(Email: [email protected])
Linda Malachin, Administrative Secretary
(Email: malachi @uakron.edu)
Cindy Saylor, Computer Support
(Email: [email protected])
Jean Garcia has been with the department since
December of 2000. She was just promoted to
Administrative Assistant with Jill France taking early
retirement.
Linda Malachin is the new part-time
Administrative Secretary for the department. Linda is
no stranger to The University of Akron. She attended
UA from 1980-84 and received an A.A.B. degree in
Secretarial Science. She also worked at the university
bookstore for four years while she was a student. She
was employed here full time from 1986-1999 in the
Office of the Registrar and the Human Resources
Contributions and comments are welcomed. Please
direct all correspondence to Dr. Baffour K. Takyi
[Editor] at [email protected] or 330-972-6887. Also,
we encourage you to visit our website at http://
www.uakron.edu/sociology/
University of Akron
Department of Sociology
Olin Hall 247
Akron, OH 44325-1905
(330) 972-8082
www.uakron.edu/sociology