• Words go from Poet's head, to Paper, to Prize List
• Harpur Professor's New Book Honors Harvard Scholar
• Harpur Alumni Talk About Television
• Harpur Professor Shares Afghan Experience
• Horowitz Named Distinguished Professor
• Harpur Faculty in the News
• Harpur Friends & Family
• Shop Harpur Online
• Back Issues

Words go from Poet's Head, to Paper, to Prize list
By Marty Doorey

During her 87 years, Ruth Stone has learned a lot about life, and has the gift of encapsulating what she knows in pithy phrases and in rhythmic sentences.

Stone, 87, a Bartle professor of English in Harpur college, was named the winner of the National Book Award for poetry, one of the nation's most prestigious literary awards. Stone was cited for her eighth full volume of poems, In the Next Galaxy, published by Copper Canyon Press this year.

The prize, worth $10,000, was awarded at the National Book Foundation dinner in Manhattan, November 20. Since then, Stone says she's been besieged by the media wanting to interview her. On Sunday, November 25, she was interviewed by Lianne Hansen on NPR's Weekend Edition, and was scheduled for an interview with the New York Times.

While the money and the attention are nice, Stone said, "I'm in it for the literature. I've been reading since I've been very young and I've got all these words in my head and they need to come out."

At the end of December Stone will retire, bringing an end to a career that started at Harpur College in 1988 when she was a visiting professor. She lives in Vermont with one of her three daughters.

"It's been wonderful to teach," said Stone who has scaled down her classroom work in recent years because of failing eyesight. She began teaching in 1950 at Harvard and continued in a hopscotch pattern of two-or-three-year stints at various schools until she settled at Harpur College.

For Stone, teaching has kept her in touch with life and culture rather than nostalgia. Nonetheless, she said she tries to apply the lessons she's learned over her long life to what's going on today. "Life is complex as you think it is," Stone said.

While not dwelling on the past – which in Stone's case meant raising three daughters alone after her husband committed suicide – she said her life's experiences always find their way into her poetry. "It takes a long time for your mind to assimilate," she said, describing how her poems mix past and present.

Stone, who published her first work more than 50 years ago, said she has been writing in one form or another since she was seven years old. "I'm a huge reader," she said.

With "all those words rambling around in my head," Stone said her poetry most often comes to her naturally and on its own schedule. "You can force it. You can lure it. But mostly it just comes," she said.

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Harpur Professor's New Book Honors Harvard Scholar

Professor Mark F. Lenzenweger hopes his latest book, Principles of Experimental Psychopathology: Essays in Honor of Brendan A. Maher will educate the newest generation of psychologists about how important Maher has been to he field. The result of a festschrift (a literary tribute to a scholar) in May 2000 at Harvard, the book is a collection of essays about Maher's contributions to experimental psychopathology, the study of mental disorders.

In 1966, Maher wrote Principles of Psychopathology, a groundbreaking work that shifted the study of mental disease from observation and description to an experimental approach. Maher was among the first to move beyond simply describing a disorder and, instead, advocated the use of laboratory experiments to try and understand the causes and nature of a given illness.

Lenzenweger said Maher changed the customary approach to psychopathology research in other ways as well, for example by telling his students, "Don't rate, count." Rather than rating the presence or severity of a symptom, which is subject to the opinion of the researcher, Maher's students would instead count the number of times a symptom manifested itself or the number of times a subject performed a laboratory task in a certain manner.

"Let's imagine a test involves psychomotor speed — how quickly you're writing on your paper," explained Lenzenweger, "I could either rate it as ‘writing quickly' or ‘writing very quickly.' Or I could count how many letters you produce in 60 seconds." He said the resulting data actually obey many of the fundamental laws of scaling (formal rules that govern the construction of psychological tests and measures), which allow the researcher to multiply, divide and have a real zero.

In 1999, while a member of the Harvard faculty, Lenzenweger secured funding from the Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association (APA) to bring together many people whose professional lives had been touched by Maher — colleagues, former students, advisees, friends — and many of them presented papers based on their own research and scientific focus, which had been influenced by working with Maher. "It was a nice opportunity to get everyone together in one room so we could talk about how Brendan had inspired us in so many ways," said Lenzenweger.

"What makes this book different is that many festschrifts resemble what we call ‘proceedings' of a meeting, and the quality of papers can be somewhat variable," said Lenzenweger. However, the contributors to Principles of Experimental Psychopathology wrote superb scholarly papers of publishable quality, rather than just transcriptions of their oral presentations.

Lenzenweger's co-editor for the book is Jill Hooley, professor of psychology at Harvard University, who has also known Maher for a number of years. Principles of Experimental Psychopathology also includes a short biography of Maher, written by Lenzenweger, which spans Maher's childhood in England, service in World War II, education, and career that has lasted over half a century.

Lenzenweger is currently finishing a book summarizing all of his research on schizotypy (the liability for developing schizophrenia). His book will be the very first in-depth, integrative treatment of schizotypy, and schizotypic psychopathology in psychopathology research. It will be distinguished by a thorough review of the experimental psychopathology literature on this important topic.

With all of the research in experimental psychopathology, neuroscience, and genetics, Lenzenweger remains optimistic a cure for schizophrenia lies ahead. "Initially, such a cure might only take the form of a treatment intervention, but what we would really like to have ultimately is what is known as ‘primary prevention,' which would protect virtually everyone," he said. "Schizophrenia is a complex illness and it's yielding its secrets very, very slowly." Thanks to the advances in research methods that began with Maher's classic vision, perhaps the cure is closer than we think.

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Harpur Alumni Talk About Television

Harpur College's "Alumni in Television Panel Discussion" was one of the most popular events on campus last week. Nearly 100 students flocked to UU 133 on November 25 to learn how Andrew Goldstein `84, producer of NBC's "Today" show, Marjorie Cohn `78, senior vice president of production for Nickelodeon, and Michelle Altman `75, associate headwriter for ABC's "One Life To Live" got their jobs, how they got to where they are today, and how to get a foot in the door of an industry that is known for its fierce competition.

After Dean Mileur introduced the alumni, each gave a brief description of his or her career path and current job. Goldstein worked at Skadden Arps, a law firm in New York; the experience taught him he did not want to go to law school. He then held several "assistant type" jobs in New York City in the TV industry before becoming a page at NBC in 1985. After working as a production associate and a researcher, Goldstein became a producer for "Today."

Cohn started as a production coordinator at Nickelodeon, and today is the station's senior VP of production. She was an art major in college and her first was as a puppet designer and creator at the Starry Night Puppet Theater in Binghamton. She credits that experience for teaching her about children's entertainment. After a brief stint with the now defunct "Channel 13 Antiques Auction," Cohn began her career at Nickelodeon. "It was when 'Double Dare' started," she told an audience smiling with recognition (they would have been the target audience when the show was popular). "I got slimed the day before I got married."

Altman's experience was more unusual. "I was here at the end of the Vietnam War, which means I had no idea what I wanted to do," she said. After graduation, Altman worked as an assistant editor with a sports magazine while performing in plays and doing stand-up comedy. Her break came when she co-wrote, "The Amazin' Casey Stengel," which ran in New York City in 1981 and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award the same year. She also CO-wrote the 1986 movie, "Sweet Lorraine." After writing several pilots for TV, Altman got a contract for "Kate & Allie." In 1998, she began writing for "One Life to Live" which won an Emmy for Best Dramatic Series this year for the first time in the show's history. "I think I've got the coolest job on the planet," she said.

The alumni held a question and answer session, which left students with one overwhelming message: to launch a career in television, get an internship and make contacts in the field. Question after question dealt with, "How do I get a foot in the door?" and the alumni consistently replied, "Do well on your internship and they'll remember you when you come back asking for a job."

A student asked if a database of open positions existed to help him find a job. The alumni all said job seekers need to know people in industry. "It's about relationships," said Cohn.

"I applied for internships at NBC and ABC and they both said no," said another student, "Now I'm going to graduate. How do I get in now?" Altman and Goldberg both suggested the student should find a job at a smaller station, and after gaining some experience and making contacts, move to a larger station.

Another student asked about the importance of having an agent. Altman said sometimes having an agent is the only way a writer can get his or her work read. "I used to be a reader for Columbia Pictures," she said, "We weren't allowed to read something unless it came through an authorized person."

A member of the audience asked if TV stations require a special degree and what kinds of extra-curricular activities help give an edge to job seekers. Goldstein said each station has different requirements, but having a background in something special like computers, sports, or science is helpful. Cohn said, "Do something that shows you've got initiative."

The alumni all agreed e-mail is the most important computer skill. Cohn said Nickelodeon's animation studio in Burbank, CA uses it to send footage to the station in New York. Altman said "One Life to Live's" writers are scattered throughout the country, but with e-mail, they can read each other's work at any time.

Students asked the alumni about their work schedules. Goldstein, by far, had the most grueling schedule, working 14 hours a day except Saturdays. Cohn said she tries to be home at 5:30p.m., but sometimes it's closer to 8:00 or 9:00 and she also reads scripts at home. Altman had the most flexible schedule, working from 10:30a.m. to 4:00p.m. unless she is not rushing for a deadline. "There is no telling the teacher you'll have it next week," she said "But I can also work at home in my pajamas at two in the morning."

A student asked the speakers to describe their stations' experiences on September 11, 2001. Goldstein said everyone at NBC just worked to get the story out, but the trauma did not end that day. "Anthrax was discovered on my floor the following month," he said.

Cohn said Nickelodeon aired a special show with kids talking about their feelings. "Parents said they were grateful to have a safe haven for their kids on TV," she recalled.

Altman said ABC pre-empted "One Life to Live" for a week and then the show's ratings escalated. "People wanted a break from the pain," she said.

Students also had some tougher questions. "Was there any debate at ‘Today' about airing Katie Couric's colonoscopy," asked one. Goldstein said it was in good taste and the network tried not to be sensational. "It was a good cause, close to Katie Couric's heart because her husband died from colon cancer," he explained, "We warned the audience in advance that it would be graphic."

A member of the audience asked Cohn about the backlash against Rosie O'Donnell for talking about homosexuality on "Nick News." She said the president of Nickelodeon wanted to do the story because many children grow up with same-sex parents. Nickelodeon suggested the story to a conservative group and they revolted with an e-mail campaign, slamming the station for the idea. The show eventually aired, but Cohn said, "We can't take kids where parents don't want them to go."

Altman answered several questions about the nuts and bolts of writing for a soap opera. "There are several writers and you shouldn't be able to tell when a different person writes a show," she said. Viewers often ask which character she writes for, but "A writer covers an entire episode. I write for Wednesday and Thursday." She admitted the network has final say over controversial topics. "To this day," she said, "no soap opera has done an abortion story."

After the question and answer session, students waited in line to meet the alumni personally and ask more questions, many with resumes in hand. "I really enjoyed it, said James Calizaire `03 "I didn't know BU had graduates in these great jobs!"

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Those who attended Reinhard Bernbeck's presentation last month, "War, Emergency Relief and Nation Building in Afghanistan" got a rare look inside a war-torn country with a devastated past and an uncertain future. Bernbeck, associate professor of Anthropology, spoke about his service with the International Committee of the Red Cross, whom he served as a translator in Afghanistan from December 2001 until March 2002.

Bernbeck learned early on that knowing foreign languages can help you help others. Originally from Germany, he grew up in Kabul while his parents taught in a German school in the 1960's. It was there that he learned Dari, one of two major languages spoken in Afghanistan. After graduating from high school, he spent a year in Iran volunteering at a home for blind people and learned to speak Farsi.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which makes sure prisoner of war (POW) camps uphold the standards of the Geneva Conventions, hired Bernbeck to translate Dari to English, French and German. He saw a number of prisons in Afghanistan and spoke about the experience.

"A POW, according to the Geneva Convention, is somebody who has not committed any crime. Parties have the right to keep POW's or exchange them, but once the conflict ends, the Geneva Convention stipulates the POW's be liberated," explained Bernbeck.

Bernbeck described the challenges of living in a war-torn country, such as abiding curfews and avoiding land mines. "One of the first things you have to do is make sure you survive." ICRC personnel had to travel in more than one car at a time. "If you drive over a mine, you have to have somebody else who can help you immediately," explained Bernbeck. "You have to make sure you can always park your car in the right spot, so you can drive forward out of it and not backwards. You have to learn the rules to live."

The ICRC forbids anyone with a weapon to enter their facilities and made sure everything that belonged to the organization or its members had the Red Cross emblem.

The ICRC also had to educate Afghans that their red cross is not a Christian symbol. Fortunately, this was not difficult. "The Red Cross has been working in Afghanistan for 22 years, so the population knows what that symbol means and they have a positive perspective of it," said Bernbeck.

Bernbeck also discussed the ICRC's medical relief outreach, in which he was not extensively involved. "The medical infrastructure has been broken down for many years," he said. "There are many Red Cross facilities throughout Afghanistan that help the civilian population survive."

The major part of Bernbeck's work was in prisons, which he could not discuss in great detail because the ICRC's pledge of confidentiality. In exchange for confidentiality, the ICRC hopes to see every single prisoner.

He explained, "We would go to a prison and speak to the authorities. They know that we are not going to publish anything of what we learned during the prison visit. The ICRC tries to make sure they have access to all prisoners. This is the most important aspect of the visit: to make sure we see everybody."

Confidentiality also ensures the privacy of the prisoners themselves and protects their families from any stigma. "There is never a picture taken of any prisoner so there cannot be any discrimination after release, nor is any name given because it can have a huge and negative effect on their families at home."

Bernbeck said the ICRC initially registers every prisoner. Every time their personnel visit a prison, they look for changes on that list, for instance, to see if a prisoner has left, and if so, why. ICRC Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland keeps a database of every POW until he is free.

The ICRC also makes sure prisoners can contact their families through a service called Red Cross Messages, which are letters from prisoners to their families. They cannot contain anything political, but only news about their family and themselves. The letter also includes a reply form, which in many cases speeds up turnaround time. "In the third world countries, this becomes very important because often there are no postal systems," said Bernbeck.

The most important part of ICRC visits is what Bernbeck called, "interview without witness." The Red Cross has the right to speak to every single prisoner privately. "Only that way we can make sure there is the necessary trust to tell us, what may be problematic in such a place," he said. "That is also mostly where we get the information from that helps us address problems with the authorities."

Bernbeck spoke briefly about the political future of Afghanistan. He fears history will repeat itself and a new government will enforce radical modernization, building resentment from the Afghan population and ultimately leading to more violence. "I hope this will not happen and that whatever transition is produced will be a slow one."

Bernbeck ended his presentation by stressing the need for removing the approximately 10 million land mines throughout Afghanistan. "I think 30 people per day become mine victims, ranging from slight injuries to death," he said. "This means a huge cleanup, a lot of money, and certainly requires the help of foreign governments, financially as well as personally."

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Horowitz Named Distinguished Professor

Michael M. Horowitz, who has advised governments around the world on how development projects affect native people and their environment, was named a distinguished professor by the SUNY Board of Trustees last month.

Horowitz, recognized for his long career in developmental anthropology, which focuses how policy decisions affect development, became the University's 23rd active distinguished professor. There are also seven emeriti distinguished faculty.

The title, granted only by SUNY trustees, is above the rank of professor and is conferred on individuals who have achieved national or international prominence in their field.

In the nomination letter, President Lois B. DeFleur said Horowitz has raised the level of scholarship within the field of anthropology by illustrating how practical experience in the policy domain can be used to conceptualize new kinds of research.

Horowitz, who came to Harpur College in 1961, was named full professor in 1969. He founded the Institute for Development Anthropology, an independent research center, to help him carry on his work.

On the international front Horowitz's latest scholarship focuses on how dam building has affected local economies and ecologies of South East Asia, especially along the Lacong-Mekong river, which starts in China and travels through Thailand, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Cambodia and Vietnam.

Previously he worked extensively in Africa, especially in Senegal and in the Zambezi river basin. In fact, there are few continents he hasn't worked on or visited. While acting as a consultant for various arms of the United Nations, the World Bank or other international agencies, Horowitz has worked in Pakistan, Senegal, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Syria and Morocco.

He has also held visiting professorships in Israel and Germany.

In the midst of recounting his work overseas, Horowitz said he's also begun dusting off an idea that could be applied in the Southern Tier – a pilot project to raise meat goats on the area's abandoned farmland. The concept would use recent immigrants from Somali and other regions who have come to the area and who are already familiar with goat farming to help with forest management.

If the Broome County project goes nowhere fast, Horowitz will continue his research on riverine development in Bolivia where he just returned.

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Harpur Faculty in the News
Many of our alumni readers say they enjoy seeing their former professors quoted in the media. Here's what a few of them have been saying lately:

Christopher Anderson, professor of political sciences, was quoted in an October 24 Press & Sun-Bulletin article regarding the use of advertisements by three local Democratic candidates for town office.

Thomas Brunell, assistant professor of political sciences, was quoted in the Press & Sun-Bulletin October 16 regarding political ads that are used during the campaigning process to target specific regions.

Lois Einhorn, professor of English, was quoted by the Press & Sun-Bulletin October 26 regarding the effect of television debates on voter choice.

Deborah A. Elliston, assistant professor of anthropology was quoted extensively in a November 22 article, "Practices, Identities, and Desires" in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The article discusses Elliston's article in a newly published anthology, Out In Theory: The Emergence of Lesbian and Gay Anthropology. The Chronicle's exhibit at the recent American Anthropological Association's annual conference in New Orleans also featured the article and the anthology.

Anthony King, professor of art history, was quoted in the October 25 edition of the Indonesian newspaper, Jakarta Post. The paper discussed King's participation in a public debate about government-funded public works projects in the city.

Tim Lowenstein, professor of geology, was quoted in an article, "Inconstant Ancient Seas and Life's Path," in the November 8 issue of Science. The article discusses the work of several other scientists who have independently confirmed Loweinstein's research on the changing composition of sea water over time, based on samples of ancient water trapped in rocks when compared to the composition of modern sea water.

Dale Madison, professor of biological sciences, was quoted in the November 15 Press & Sun-Bulletin regarding the fear local scientists have that the hell-bender salamander may be dying out.

Patricia Rourke, adjunct assistant professor of psychology, was quoted in an October 26 Press & Sun-Bulletin story regarding the role parent's play in encouraging the spirit of volunteerism.

Julian Shepherd, associate professor of biological sciences, was quoted in the October 10 Press & Sun-Bulletin regarding the increased number of mosquitoes in the Southern Tier that tested positive for the West Nile Virus this year.

Harpur Friends & Family

In response to your much-appreciated feedback, the Harpur Hotline has developed a regular feature of alumni news. Please send us anything you want: publications, promotions, marriages, babies, graduations, retirements, etc. Many thanks to everyone who shared their stories. Here's what some of your fellow Harpur alumni and friends are doing:

1963: Ron Golditch Block wrote: "Being president of our local Rotary Club in Newbury Park, CA takes me to some interesting places. The trip to Ghana in November 2001 was to help immunize children against Polio. Rotary's efforts to eliminate polio will hopefully culminate in 2005. Millions of children have been immunized around the world and currently only 10 countries are left with recent cases. Of course, being in the teddy bear business I did take Asumgwi (which means 'peace' in Twe, their main native language) to help cross the barrier."

1965: Andrea DiPrima Ouida wrote: "Our 25-year-old son, Todd, an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, perished in the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The Todd Joseph Ouida Memorial Children's Fund has been established to create a meaningful legacy for Todd. Please visit our website at www.mybuddytodd.org to learn more about Todd and the fund."

1973: The November 2002 issue of Enterpreneur.Com includes an article by Bruce Freeman. "Smart PR Strategies for Small Business Owners" explains how small companies can build a good relationship with the media. Freeman is president of ProLine Communications in Livingston, New Jersey. He's also an adjunct professor of public relations at William Paterson University and a television commentator for News 12 New Jersey's "Weekend Business Report."

1990: Seth Joel Hertz and Carol Ann Cavouti were married at the Miller Place Inn on October 13, 2002 in Miller Place, NY. Hertz is a senior manager for Ernst and Young in Sidney, Australia. The couple resides in Tamarama, Australia. (source: www.newsday.com)

1998 & 1999: Peter P. Saladis III `98 and Kelly A. Johnson `99 were married April 20, 2002 at St. Patrick's Church in Binghamton, followed by a honeymoon in Aruba. Peter earned an MBA from Long Island University and is a manager at Verizon Communications in Binghamton. Kelly is an environmental chemist at Shumaker Consulting and Engineering in Vestal. (source: www.westsidenews.net)

2001: After graduating with a double major in Biology and Psychology, Daniel Choi joined the Peace Corps and is currently stationed in El Salvador. His term will be finished this summer.

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