School of Arts and Sciences Review Winter 2014 | Page 35

News & Events
Students present political
science capstone projects
Political science and international studies
major Leanna Chojnacki, ’13, and political
science major Paul Leonardo, ’13, presented their political science capstone research projects at the 5th Annual
Undergraduate Political Science Conference at SUNY College at Oneonta March
15, 2013.
Chojnacki presented her paper on “The
Resolution of the Conflict in Cyprus: Can
Mediation be Effective?” and Leonardo's
paper was on “Sharing is Caring: Mercosur
v. NAFTA.”
More than 20 students from nine colleges and universities presented at the conference.

Native American artist shares
her work, customs, beliefs
The university welcomed Native American artist Colleen Cutschall to campus
March 26, 2013. During a public presentation, Cutschall discussed how her work is
relevant to her Native
beliefs and culture, as
well as Native politics in
the United States.
A Native American
artist originally from Pine
Ridge, S.D., Cutschall
has been working and
living in Southwest Manitoba as an artist, art historian, educator and curator for more than
20 years. She is a professor and chair of the
Visual and Aboriginal Art Department at
Brandon University in Manitoba, Canada,
and continues to work on visual arts. She
also recently was an artist-in-residence in
Bellagio, Italy.
Cutschall has had numerous solo exhibitions that include “Voices in the Blood,” a
touring exhibition organized by the Art
Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, “House
Made of Stars,” The Winnipeg Art Gallery,
and “… Dies Again,” Urban Shaman
allery.
Cutschall, who has produced numerous
publications, lectures on Native issues and
art nationally and internationally.

Review by Walsh
appears in Early
Republic journal
Dr. Megan Walsh’s review of “Shaping the Body
Politic: Art and Political
Formation in Early America,” edited by Maurie D.
McInnis and Louis P. Nelson (Charlottesville: U of
Virginia P, 2011), appeared
in the fall 2012 issue of
Journal of the Early Republic.

SBU Model UN
represents Canada,
Bosnia at conference
St. Bonaventure’s
Model United Nations organization traveled to
Washington, D.C., in February 2013 to debate at
the annual International
Model NATO conference,
representing both Canada
and Bosnia.
Student Lauren Loftin
received a Leadership
Award for her work in the
Committee on Emerging
Security Challenges, where
she represented Canada’s
view on water, arctic, energy, and cyber security.

Psi Chi marks Brain
Awareness Week
On March 21, 2013,
Psi Chi hosted a talk by
clinical psychologist Dr.
Pearl Berman from Indiana
University of Pennsylvania
in honor of Brain Awareness Week.
Berman has presented
nationally and internationally on her topics of specialty, which include
violence prevention, child
abuse, neglect, and the
brain.

Hilmey, DiMattio attend
conference on Liberal Studies
Dr. David Hilmey, assistant professor of
chemistry, and Dr. David DiMattio, dean
of Clare College, attended the 52nd Annual Association of General Liberal Studies (AGLS) Conference in Portland, Ore.,
in September 2012.
The three-day conference centered on
the theme “Degree Completion: The Critical Role of General and Liberal Studies.”
Hilmey presented a paper titled “A
Community Based Learning Archetype for
World Views: Native American Health
and Medicine.”
DiMattio, a member of the AGLS Executive Council, participated in the AGLS
assessment research pre-conference
workshop as well as the council board
meeting.

Sabina receives MusicPlus
Award for 17th straight year
For the 17th straight year, Dr. Leslie
Sabina has hit just the right note with
ASCAP.
The chair of the
university’s Department of Visual and
Performing Arts,
Sabina was honored
by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
(ASCAP) with another
MusicPlus Award.
ASCAP has given Sabina, director of
SBU’s music program, a MusicPlus Award
every year since 1995.
Awards are granted by an independent panel and are based upon the unique
prestige value of each writer’s catalog of
original compositions as well as recent
performances in areas not surveyed by
ASCAP. The award comes in the form of
a monetary grant.
“It definitely validates a continually
long run of compositions that others feel
are worthy of programming at concerts,”
said Sabina, the composer of 50 big band
and saxophone quartet works published
and internationally distributed by Kendor
Music Inc.

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