Organized by the John Carroll Conservatives, over 500 people came out to the event on Thursday, April 15. They protested current U.S. government policies and spending, most specifically health care.

“Tea” generally stands for “taxed enough already,” a slogan of the Tea Party movement, which is a national anti-tax movement.

Sophomore Nick Tribuzzo, president of the John Carroll Conservatives, said that he was very happy with the turnout at the Tea Party.

He said, “It’s been a really excellent turnout.  I’m so glad that the Tea Party is reaching young people.”

Not only JCU students were present at the protest. People from all over Ohio traveled to JCU to support the Tea Party and stand united in their dissent against the Obama administration.

Dave Krutsch traveled from Mansfield to attend the Tea Party with his wife.  He said, “I see the government going in a direction that is not in the best interests of our country and our Constitution.  I’m scared for our kids, and we need to show the government that they work for us.  We all have to do something to help.”

Along with the residents in the community attending the rally, Jim Quinn, a conservative radio talk show host based in Pittsburgh, also attended the Tea Party and spoke to all those who were there.

Quinn said, “Capitalism raised the baseline of human existence.  Free markets work – they are self-correcting.  I am not against the redistribution of wealth, but I want to be the one to do the redistributing.”

However, not everyone at John Carroll was excited about the day’s events.  Sophomore Senator Sean Cahill, said that he disagreed with the Tea Party movement.

“All of this is political rhetoric without any substance.  It’s just hatred slinging at other hatred, and it’s the biggest farce I have witnessed on campus,” said Cahill.

There were also students present to protest the Tea Party.

Sophomore Andy Bryan-Ramón was among those protesting the Tea Party.

“Although, I partially agreed with the original idea of no more taxes, the Tea Party has unfortunately attracted extremist, conservative fanatics that have taken over the momentum that the group was originally pushing for, and far away from the ideals that this nation was founded upon,” said Bryan-Ramón.

The rally, which began at 11 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m., offered free food and music to those who attended. There were also other activist groups at the event. The People’s Constitution Coalition of Ohio had a table set up with petitions they wanted students to sign against health care reform.

Jean Coe, a member of the People’s Constitution Coalition of Ohio, said that it was great to be invited to the John Carroll Tea Party.

She said, “We need to make people more aware of what is going on, and show that with current government policies, there will be no more freedom.  We’re here today to wake up college students.”

Leebow said, “I really enjoyed my experiences at John Carroll. For me, [donating the money] is a way to give back to the school. I’m blessed and grateful to be in a position to do something good for the University.”

Leebow, who currently works at Majestic Steel USA Inc., donated $100,000 to JCU. He said the donation will help upgrade Campion Hall so future John Carroll students can have great experiences like he did.

 “Giving the money was a way for me to pay-it-forward. I hope the contribution helps in the continued effort to make John Carroll a great school for students to attend,” he said.

Kris Willis, director of planning and implementation at JCU, said Campion Hall will undergo a significant transformation. Three lounges in Campion will receive new facilities, including the Campion classroom, the recreation lounge and the elbow wing lounge. All of the lounges are located on the ground floor of Campion. 

Willis said, “Each of the spaces will provide students with a variety of spaces and furniture types to socialize; to study individually or in groups; to eat in groups; to organize gaming; or to just hang out and watch TV.”

The Campion classroom will get new paint and flooring, as well as new surfaces so students can work. There will also be a feature wall, where students can hang up posters for school campaigns or other areas of interest.

The classroom will also house a new widescreen TV, as well as soft furnishings, and new tables and chairs for study purposes and booth-type seating.

Willis added that the different types of seating would give students the opportunity to choose what feels comfortable for them.

The recreation lounge, similar to the octagon lounge in Hamlin Hall, will receive a pingpong table, newly-refurbished walls and carpets.

The elbow wing lounge will receive new finishes to the floor, furniture and a widescreen TV, but the walls will not be re-painted. The aim of the renovation is to upgrade Campion Hall’s recreational facilities with similar furnishings, but each lounge will have its own unique qualities.

Heather Losneck, director of residence life at JCU, said she was very excited about the renovation.

She said, “We are excited to see the ground floor lounges come to life with his donation.  If students are wondering where they should sign up to live next year consider Campion Hall.”

Freshman Cara Stamp, a resident of Campion, said the lounges would look much better if they were renovated. 

“If they were fixed up a bit, they’d definitely be sweet places to hang out,” said Stamp.

Sophomore Tom Vokac said he likes the idea of Campion Hall being renovated.

He said, “Campion is quite far from the other dorms, so it would give the residents more to do anyway.”

The Center combines the resources and services of the Faculty Technology Innovation Center, previously located in the Bohannon Science Center, with those of the Student Multimedia Center, previously located in the basement of the Grasselli Library.

The  Center has a student lab, as well as a faculty lab, where professors can prepare lessons and upload presentations.

Jay Tarby, faculty liaison to the Center and Blackboard specialist, said he was very pleased with the opening of the new Center.

“The response to the Center has been really great. A lot of people worked very hard to make this possible and demand for the Center has been more popular than we ever could have imagined,” Tarby said. “The school needed a place that would be fully equipped with updated technology accessible to both students and faculty, and the Center for Digital Media will meet the needs of everyone.”

The Center is equipped with Flip cameras that can be loaned out, as well as both PC and Mac computers complete with specialized graphic, photo and video editing software. Work stations are also available for scanning documents and graphics.John Carroll also has BlueStream, a file-sharing system, available for use by students and faculty.

“BlueStream is just like YouTube except that there is no limit on the file size that can be uploaded. Some professors have already started recording lectures and putting them on BlueStream. Anyone can loan out a Flip camera, make a video and then upload it to BlueStream,” said Tarby.

He stressed that students do not need to be enrolled in an electronic design course to loan out equipment and said that once the Center becomes more established, it will run workshops to teach students and faculty how to use Adobe and DreamWeaver programs.

“The Center is available to everyone at John Carroll University. Today, digital literacy is more important than ever, and the Center will serve as a one-stop-shop providing the necessary resources for faculty and students to create sophisticated presentations, videos, graphics, simulations, interactive games and other forms of multimedia for classroom use,” said Tarby.

Director of the Center Patricia Dawson said that she was very happy with the support the Center has received so far.

“I am thrilled by the reception the Center has been given. The Center is here to help all students actively create projects with digital media,” said Dawson.

Although the actual cost of the Center was not specified, Mike Bestul, chief information officer at JCU, said that much of the equipment was already owned by JCU.

Bestul said, “The Center was not costly, and most of our equipment was either stockpiled or needed to be updated anyway, which is often the case with IT equipment. The Center represents a great collaboration between the IT department and the Library and it will allow students to use technological resources much more effectively.”

Students have already started using the Center, which has the same opening hours as the Grasselli Library.

Freshman Megan Lowes said, “Now that the Center is in a good location and has so much equipment available, I’m going to take advantage of it.”

Freshman Max Harscar works in the Center and said that he’s pleased with how the Center has changed.

“I really like the new look of the Center. Hopefully more students will make use of the Center and, as it becomes more popular, even more equipment will be added so that John Carroll can be a fully digitalized campus.”

Students were asked to donate their lunch swipe if they had a meal plan at the school, and could do so by completing an online survey by Feb. 3. The Student Union also publicized the event on Facebook.

Tyson Dubay, food service director at John Carroll University, said that the University has previously donated meal swipes to charity, including after the 2004 tsunami disaster in Indonesia, and planned the fundraiser in conjunction with the Office of Residence Life.

Dubay said, “Each meal swipe donated was worth $2.25, and this was based on the cost of the food for that meal.”

He added that although JCU meal swipes are usually valued at $8, a higher cost than the $2.25 donated, the value of meal swipes differ for each student based on their meal plan.

Dubay said, “Students usually have a ten, fourteen or nineteen meal plan. To work out how much each meal is worth depends upon calculating the total cost of their meal plan per semester and finding the value of each meal.”

Although students were unable to donate the full value of their meal plan to benefit Haiti, many students who took part said that they were happy to donate anything that they could.

Sophomore Kelsey Thompson agreed. She said, “I really did think that it was a great way for students to be active in the relief projects for Haiti. It was such a simple thing to give up, and yet it meant worlds to some people.”
Senior Katy Flynn said, “Although I wish the entire monetary value could have been given, I understand how portions of the cost of every meal are divided up and allocated to different things. I know that Aramark has contracts with vendors and other monetary obligations that they have to uphold, so they probably could not allocate the entire amount for the donation.”

Dubay declined to comment on contracts.

“The remainder of the money that was not donated was the cost of labor, since the employees were still present on that day for the students who still ate in the cafeteria. It was not possible to donate the entire $8 or the cafeteria would have had to close completely,” said Ashley Bauer, Student Union vice president for commuication.

However, many students were unaware that only $2.25 from their meal swipe was donated to Haiti.

Lauren Gunderman, freshman, said that she would still have donated her meal swipe even if she had known that only $2.25 was being donated from each meal.

Gunderman said, “I donated my meal swipe because after the disaster in the already impoverished Haiti I wanted to do all I could, and donating a meal swipe seemed like an easy way to give to the country.”

However, Gunderman felt that the amount that was to be donated should have been advertised.

“Maybe the group advertising the meal swipe should have notified the students of the little portion of money being sent to Haiti,” said Gunderman.

In order to achieve this core value, the Rev. Robert Niehoff, president of JCU, established an Institutional Task Force on Diversity in July 2008. The group met from Sept. 2008 to Sept. 2009 to investigate issues of diversity and discrimination within the University. They explored specific campus issues concerning community relations, as well as planned steps to improve the experience of students, faculty, staff and administrators through an institutional structure based on a commitment to diversity. 

Lauren Bowen, academic vice-president and co-chair of the task force said that the group was formed in order to better understand issues of diversity, and more broadly, issues of inclusion. 

She said, “The task force met to exchange a variety of ideas concerning not only race, sex, and religion, but moreover it became focused on looking at a wealth of diverse perspectives and helped raise more questions as to what everyone should be doing to promote a better atmosphere of inclusion.”

Bowen added that, as a member of staff at JCU for 20 years, her experiences with diversity had been positive. 

“Diversity is something that is both progressive and prospective. At John Carroll, I feel that there is a genuine commitment made by faculty and students to promote inclusion. Nonetheless, all of us could be more culturally competent and the Task Force concluded that fostering inclusion is an ongoing process,” said Bowen.

The Task Force outlined several goals in a report, stating that the college was aiming to make central its commitment to ‘diversity, inclusion and cultural competence’ and to creating a campus climate in which differences are explored openly and respectfully. 

The Task Force also proposed the creation of an Ombudsperson, someone for all students and faculty at JCU to speak to in cases of discrimination. A Diversity Committee is currently working on this. 

The Task Force also proposed that each department within the university should seek to establish goals for advancing diversity and articulate possible ways of attaining them. 

Sophomore Kevin Rossignol felt hat John Carroll needs to work harder to promote diversity across campus. 

Rossignol said, “I think that JCU could definitely look further into issues of inclusion. As a student body, JCU could be more diverse in terms of race, economic status, religion and sexual orientation. Hopefully the Task Force has helped identify which areas need improvement.”

The Task Force also looked into the University’s core curriculum. All students at JCU are required to take a class that satisfies their Diversity requirement within the core curriculum in order to graduate. The report argued that although those requirements were ‘sufficiently innovative’ and beneficial towards promoting diversity in 1995 when the core curriculum was originally adopted, those diversity (D) or international (R) courses are now viewed as requirements to check off. 

The report also found that approximately 55% of students fulfil the diversity requirement by taking Introduction to Sociology and other courses that fulfil the diversity requirement rarely exceed 5%. 

The Task Force is now considering looking at the possibility of introducing changes to the core curriculum to further satisfy issues of diversity and foster community relations. 

Freshman Kyle Hutnick has found the atmosphere at JCU to be very diverse and welcoming to all students. 

“It’s one of the main reasons I chose to come here. I think the atmosphere at JCU is great and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Hutnick.

The Task Force worked in conjunction with JCU organizations such as the Student Diversity Initiatives Working Group, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and other affiliated groups across campus in the hopes that diversity can progress further. 

The Task Force concluded that although JCU is a community that fosters diversity and welcomes all cultures, there is a constant need to reinforce the topic of inclusion and make it a central focus point across the university. 

Bowen added, “The Task Force raised a lot of good questions and will hopefully act as a catalyst for change.  It’s our duty now to ensure that the issue of diversity is placed at the top of our priorities.”

Lisa Lewis, manager of the JCU television studio, said that all of the technological equipment that is used is completely digital and state of the art. She said, “John Carroll has had a TV studio for many years. The studio was renovated in July 2007 and all of the equipment was [also] updated.”

The relatively new equipment includes a switcher, audio board, a video frame NTSC decoder, character generator that puts images on the TV screen, and studio cameras.

Lewis added that students are also able to borrow media equipment. She said, “Students can [borrow] equipment including cameras, digital audio recorders, tripods and microphones by going to room 33 in the O’Malley Center.” However, in order to borrow any equipment students must be enrolled in a Communications class, and equipment is usually loaned for up to two days at a time.

JCU’s TV-4 currently produces several television shows including “Dish,” an entertainment/news program, “Common Grounds,” a talk show with a multi-cultural spin, “The Sports Show,” and two other shows currently being developed for this semester.

Hannah Ellison, an international student at JCU this year, said that she was impressed by the amount of technological equipment that is available to students. She said, “I took [a] sports broadcasting [class] last semester, and I really enjoyed it. We had so much equipment available and we weren’t limited by any means.” Ellison felt working with hands-on media equipment is very important because it can be added to her resume. She said, “Employers always look for students who are experienced.”

JCU students also have the opportunity to use other AV equipment. Senior Meghan O’Keefe took a business and professional speaking class last semester and used video conferencing equipment. She said, “[The] class was one of the best classes I have ever taken at John Carroll, not only because of the content of the class, but because of the technology we used. We used video conferencing for one of our speeches and it was really useful.”

The video conferencing equipment is set up in the Dolan Center in room E347, and is linked to room 48 in the Administration Building. Both computers are connected by digital equipment so that students can give conference speeches from Dolan to students in the Administration building.The system works primarily like Internet-based video conferencing software Skype.

“By learning to use that equipment, I feel much more prepared for the real world and for a real business-like atmosphere,” O’Keefe said.

JCU is also home to other media technology, used in JCU’s very own radio station, WJCU. Senior Katy Finucane, who hosts her own radio show on Tuesday nights, said, “Nearly all of the equipment that we use is digital nowadays; stations have all moved away from analog. The equipment is very easy to use too, and once you’re trained you can apply to have your own show or host a show with another student.”

 “I spent nearly $500 on my textbooks this semester at the bookstore. It’s the biggest rip-off in college,” said sophomore Odell Brown. “We already pay a lot of money to go here and it’s unfair that we have to spend enormous amounts of money on books that we only use for four months.” 

Other JCU students are choosing not to buy their books from the bookstore, instead purchasing them second-hand through popular Web sites such as Amazon.com. 

Another option some students are using is renting textbooks rather than purchasing them, which can be done through Web sites like Chegg.com. 

Many textbooks on Chegg cost less than half of what the JCU Bookstore is charging students, and once students no longer need the textbooks they just send them back without shipping costs.

Sophomore Emily Cassidy rented her books from Chegg and also bought some from Amazon.  

“My books through the bookstore would have cost over $600. Through these Web sites I got all of my books for less than $200 and they were all in really good condition,” she said.

Freshman Laura Kisthardt used Chegg, too. 

“I didn’t buy any of my books at the bookstore. I always try to get the cheapest possible book, and my book from Chegg would have been $60 used or $80 new if I had gotten it from the Bookstore,” said Kisthardt. 

Many students are frustrated because some classes require frequently updated editions of textbooks with access codes for online programs that accompany the textbook, and as a result students cannot purchase used or earlier editions of those textbooks. 

Joseph Miller, a professor in the communications department at JCU, said that textbook pricing is complicated and that pricing policies differ between departments. 

“One book we use for CO 100 is used in all sections, but that text is printed specifically for JCU because it has a part we alone include and use. It is also shrink-wrapped to keep costs as low as possible for students,” said Miller.

He added that certain textbooks require frequent updating. 

“Not only do shipping costs add to the overall pricing of textbooks, but getting reproduction rights to produce pictures in certain textbooks raises prices as well. There are many issues involved in text selection and pricing,” he said.

The JCU Bookstore is a leased enterprise that is privately owned and operated by the Follett Company. Follett specializes in bookstores for private universities.

Follett announced this week that it is going to start a pilot program to rent certain textbooks at Loyola University Chicago; however, it is uncertain whether JCU will decide to start renting textbooks in the future. Bookstore Manager Jim Traverse was unavailable to comment. 

John Carroll’s Bookstore’s Web site currently has eBooks that are available for students to download as either PDF files or audio files, but some students think that these prices are still quite expensive and would rather just purchase the textbook or borrow it from the library. 

Sophomore Megan Muhar said, “I would rather just buy the textbooks from the Bookstore than download them. Although they’re quite expensive, you can find some used textbooks that are quite cheap through kids who have taken the class and are trying to sell them back. That’s usually how I try and get some of my books.”

Although the textbooks at the JCU Bookstore are expensive, in some cases, students have to acknowledge company costs surrounding publishing and re-selling rights, as well as shipping costs from the Follett Company to the Bookstore. In many ways, the issue of college textbook prices is complicated.  

Nevertheless, more and more students are finding ways to save themselves money and still get the textbooks that they need for their classes. 

With Web sites like Chegg and Amazon growing in popularity by the day, as well as the availability of used textbooks at the JCU Bookstore, the stress of buying expensive textbooks may soon be a thing of the past.

“It has always been a dream of mine to start a non-profit organization to support the arts. The organization would be called ‘Cleveland Rocks for the Arts’ and it would serve children in the Cleveland area who are interested in pursuing their dreams in areas of the arts including music, drawing and painting, drama and graphic design,” said Albert. 

Albert’s own son Michael was musically involved at a young age. He sang in four choirs during his time at school.

“I have always had a great appreciation for children who are interested in the arts, and I really wanted to give something back to a community that I’m proud to live in.” 

The organization would work to help children, like Michael, who would be identified by their teachers as having great potential in their field, but lacking the financial support required to fund their goals. 

“Teachers would nominate the children for a service such as lessons, art supplies or instruments and then receive permission from their parents or guardians for the child to receive this service,” said Albert. 

 “The non-profit administration department at Carroll is perfect for experienced people like Ann,” said Professor Duane Dukes who teaches Albert on the non-profit administration course. “I think her project is a wonderful idea and I wish her well with it after she graduates.” 

Cleveland is the second largest city in the United States for non-profit organizations. 

“There is great corporate and community support available and I found that out through entering the contest,” said Albert in reference to the Fit to Boom, Refresh Your Life contest that she was a finalist for this year. 

The competition, sponsored by Subway, Microsoft, MSN and MSNBC, gave contestants aged 45 or above an opportunity to improve their communities and lives with a $20,000 grant. Albert’s idea was so well received that she became one of only ten national finalists. Also due to the amount of support within the community Albert scored an interview on the “Fox Morning Show.”  

Although Albert didn’t win the competition her Fox interview and the publicity from JCU’s Web site have continued to propel her forward.  She is still determined and passionate about the project and she said that she will continue to search for funding for the organization.  

Her next goals include seeking program and operating funds as well as initial endowment funding through local and national foundations, corporations and the government programs that support education and the arts. 

“I will seek to establish a loyal donor base of private individuals in order to generate an endowment fund to make the organization self-sustaining,” said Albert.

 Albert is currently working as an E-commerce coordinator at Middleburg Heights’ AmeriMark Direct, LLC.  She said that studying at JCU has prepared her in many ways to take her idea to the next level, from taking an internship at the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless to taking the grant-writing program provided by the non-profit administration course. 

 “Most people want to start a non-profit group out of the goodness of their hearts, but it takes more than that.  You need to educate yourself because it’s essentially a business,” she said.

Albert offered some advice to those who might want to follow her footsteps and get involved with non-profit administration in the future. 

“Never give up, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. The support I received has been incredible.  We are all blessed to be part of this community,” she said.

The Web site for “Cleveland Rocks for the Arts” can still be viewed at www.rocksforthearts.org and it can be followed on Twitter (RocksForTheArts).

Org Sync is ideal for student organizations but is open to anyone.

The software also provides students with the opportunity to find out what is happening on campus and join organizations in a relatively easy way.

According to Lisa Ramsey, director of the office of student activities, “Org Sync provides tools that assist student organizations, departments and other groups at John Carroll.  It facilitates student organizations with online forms, polls, calendars, to-do lists, events, meetings, rosters and much more.”

Ramsey endorses Org Sync, with hopes that students will join in and use the program.

She said, “The best way to understand it is to join it yourself.”

The cost of the Org Sync software was $16,500 for a three-year contract. This contract also covers training and support.

Ramsey said, “The student organization account had an overage that needed to be used so they decided this would be a great use of the money.”

The University switched to Org Sync this year from another management organization program, Club Software. However, the Office of Student Activities decided to change software because they were displeased with the product. 

“[We] were disappointed with the outcome of the product.  It had many limitations and students did not like it.  After researching other products, the college ultimately decided to go with Org Sync after input from students, IT staff and other members of John Carroll,” said Ramsey.

The University hopes that the use of this new software will provide students with the opportunity to find out what is happening on campus and get involved with student organizations in an easier and more manageable way. 

Senior Andrea Capasso,  student union vice president for student organizations, is in favor of the program.

“OrgSync was purchased in order to provide student organizations with all of the tools they need in one place,” said Capasso. 

“In my opinion, planning events was becoming difficult for student organizations because it was hard to find out what everyone else was doing and it resulted in multiple events occuring on the same night,” said Capasso. “With OrgSync, student organizations can see what events others are planning and work around that in order to have more successful programming.”

Presently, it is unclear how the software will be fully received, but students are now able to go online and register with the program by logging onto www.orgsync.com. Once registered, students are able to connect with various campus organizations.

“Org Sync is a communication tool for student organizations and officers.  They can do everything from update calendars to sending e-mails and text messages to reserving facilities.  The set-up is similar to the look of Facebook because each student has a profile and they join organizations.  Student organization leaders will be able to keep members up-to-date, plan events and market the events all in one place. 

Sophomore Megan Hamlin said, “I registered the other day. It only takes a minute because it’s so simple. I think it’s a good way to keep the college and myself organized and connected with different groups.”

Not all students, however, are enthused about the new software.

“I don’t really see the point,” sophomore Megan Muhar said.  “It’s a waste to spend so much money on a piece of software that nobody’s really going to have the time to use.”

Sophomore Jeff Hatgas agreed.

He said, “Although it’s a good idea to connect students with their organizations, I don’t think that the college should be spending that amount of money on a piece of software.  Surely there could have been a more innovative way to spend the money.”

Overall, most students are not yet sure of the benefits of Org Sync. According to Ramsey, however, the University hopes that the software will prove to be a success and further bring the JCU community together.

“In the long run, it will be more efficient for student organizations and officers because instead of having to go to multiple places to get something done, they only need this one tool,” said Capasso. “Ultimately, Org Sync centralizes all of the tools and resources organizations need and will help them achieve successful events and stronger communication between members and between organizations.”

Buchanan (left), Fitzpatrick (right) and others bring diversity.

Lauren Bowen, associate academic vice president for academic programs and faculty diversity, believes that the international faculty at the university plays an extremely important role.

Bowen said, “[It is] better to have a faculty that is diverse in terms of their research interests, their approach to teaching, their background and their perspective, because I think the essence of liberal education is being challenged to think critically and to examine complex issues.”

Simon Fitzpatrick, from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, recently joined the philosophy department at John Carroll.

He said, “I’d always wanted to try living and working in the U.S. and broaden my horizons a bit, and I had heard good things about the University and the department. I applied, got an interview, and here I am!”

Fitzpatrick enjoys working at JCU. “The campus is very pleasant and the students and faculty are all very nice and friendly. My colleagues in the Philosophy department and several others around the University have been very supportive in helping me make the transition into my new job and living in a new continent,” he said.

Fitzpatrick also said, “Although things are still all very shiny and new to me, I am slowly getting used to the differences between the U.S. and the U.K. — both academically and in general— and gradually finding my way around the area.”

Carrie Buchanan, new to the Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theatre Arts, moved to Cleveland three years ago. She and her husband moved here from Canada to complete her Ph.D. She said, “I am thrilled to be at John Carroll. I have long admired the Jesuits and their educational approach, and as for my department, I have joined at a very exciting time.”

Buchanan also said, “I care very much for the future of journalism, and about continuing to keep graduating great journalists from John Carroll.”

Bo Liu, a professor in the Art History department, originally moved from China to Michigan to complete a Ph.D. in art history before hearing about a teaching position at John Carroll this year. She said the college was full of “friendly staff members ready to help” and is enjoying her time here at John Carroll so far.

The American Association of Colleges and Universities state that, “Liberal Education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity and change.”

Bowen said, “Having a critical mass of faculty who has significant experiences outside the U.S. is one meaningful way to achieve this.”

Also new this year to JCU are Yi Shang of the education department, Yan Gao who specializes in managing marketing and logistics and Peifang Tian in the philosophy department.

John Carroll welcomes students and faculty from all backgrounds and prides itself on having developed such an open and inviting atmosphere for so many international staff and students. The university hopes to keep expanding its connections with people from across the world.