Table Of Content<WIMER 2000
Copyright © 2000 by SKYLARK
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SKYLARK, Pamela Hunter, Editor in Chief
Purdue University Calumet
2200 169th St.
Hammond, Indiana 46323-2094
Phone: (219) 989-2262 Fax: (219) 989-2165
Purdue Calumet is an equal access / equal opportunity University.
Printed by Largus Printing, Munster, Indiana
The wrap-around scene on the cover is an acrylic painting by Charles L. Sizemore. Not only is Sizemore a distinguished local artist,
he is also a teacher of chemistry at Hammond High School. Coincidentally, in this issue is a two-page spread of poems written about
chemistry by six PUC chemistry students of Professor Marfa O. Longas. See pages 6 and 7 for their work.
\ UP fOj
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FEATURES FOR
WINTER 2000
a profile of our retiring Chancellor 4
James Yackel
by Beth Pellicciotti
an interview with W. Virginia 9
Letter Friends
poet Sandra Fowler
this special section is enlivened 14
American
with vintage photos and new
Worker
illustrations created expressly for it
Poetry
this section is highlighted with 36
and
two pull-out color illustrations
Prose
for the first time, this section 76
Young Writers includes chapters from longer
works by young writers
1
LARK
TAFF
AMERICAN WORKER
EDITOR
Pamela Hunter
POETRY EDITOR Cathy Michniewicz
PROSE STAFF
Virginia Deweese
Albert Matulewicz
Dave McCullom
YOUNG WRITERS
EDITOR Shirley Jo Moritz
FACULTY ADVISOR
Charles B. Tinkham
SECRETARY Laura Ruben
READERS Virginia Deweese, Albert Matulewicz
Chris Mauch, Dave McCullom
Cathy Michniewicz, Shirley Jo Moritz
Laura Ruben, Cynequa Sain
Henry White, Patricia Wilson
2
IN MEMORIAM
Adeline Carlson Eddie Ryan
BENEFACTORS
Harvey Carlson Stella Tonkovich
Dave Florey Irene Tuckey
Charles B. Tinkham
Mildred Hunter Jaye Wallace
James Yackel
DONORS
Rosann Cook PATRONS
Robert R Cooke
David Detmer
Dennis Barbour
Ervin Dudek
Mayor Robert J. Bercik
Linda & Henry Hosek
Jim Carley
Francine Jewett
Leonard & Janice Cox
Bill Macauley
Bill Evanouski
Jim & Eunice Madison
Michael Greenwich
Mr. & Mrs. A. Matulewicz
Harold & Barbara Hull
Ed & Barb Michniewicz
Ulrike Jannausch
Dan & Adele Mika
Saul Lerner
Michal Mitol
Mahoney Auto Service
Pat & Virginia
Dave & Sandy McCullom
David Pick
Pat & Cindy McCullom
Chris Rasmussen
Ryan & Shannon Michniewicz
Eileen Schwartz
Tom & Cathy Michniewicz
Robert Selig
Thomas J. Michniewicz
Steven Spebar
Linda Mika & Carol Edwards
Terry Walker
Edward Pasko
Robert & Sharon Wilt
Arlene Russell
Tom & Ann Whiteley
CONTRIBUTORS
Carol Bainbridge
Marilyn Cleland
Carmen Franek
Manfred Grote
Kris Mihalic
3
JAMES
he has most influenced. Sandra Singer, the traits in himself and others. He would agree
current vice chancellor for academic affairs, with John Dewey that education and life are
e all knew that Chancellor describes his vision as “academically ambi¬ identical concepts. To know Jim is to know
James YackePs announce¬ tious and right for the region.” Steven his undying belief in humanism, in the dig¬
ment of his retirement would Beering, former Purdue University presi¬ nity of man.”
be coming soon, and yet dent, describes him as a “highly principled Saul Lemer, professor of history, makes
when it did come, many of us were still man whose unassuming leadership style has these comments: “Seeking to delegate
adjusting to the news. He will be sorely been effective in advancing the quality of authority and responsibility and thoroughly
missed. Purdue Calumet’s educational programs....” knowledgeable and caring about Purdue
The following are some remarks from a Professor Charles Tinkham makes the fol¬ Calumet, Jim Yackel has brought modesty,
variety of perspectives on the Chancellor’s lowing comments on the Chancellor’s con¬ lack of pretentiousness, seriousness, and
personality, life and career. tribution: “James Yackel is essentially a very good humor to the Chancellorship and to the
James Yackel first came to Purdue cordial, friendly man. When he engages peo¬ administration of this campus.”
University Calumet as its chief academic ple in conversation, he makes them feel Harry Lepinske, director of Purdue
officer in 1987. He brought with him twenty comfortable and important. He demonstrates Calumet’s Center for International Research
years of academic leadership at Purdue a sincere interest in them and their ideas. To and Education and International Business
University West Lafayette, having been a sum up this aspect of his personality, he is Development Programs, believes a dedica¬
faculty member, an associate dean and act¬ very warm and approachable. It is a joy to tion to partnerships with the community
ing dean of the School of Science. At that work with him. shows in all of Yackel’s work. “Whenever I
time, the then current Purdue Calumet “James Yackel is quiet and reflective. He have worked with him, I have been
Chancellor Richard Combs described Yackel relishes social discourse and at the same impressed with how focused he is on the
as a “solid academician with experience in time he values the privacy he needs for benefit of our international programs to stu¬
all phases of academic administration.” imaging and abstract thought. He has devel¬ dents, the community, and business and
These would prove to be prophetic words. oped what the Frenchman Michel industry.”
In his ten years as Chancellor at Purdue Montaigne calls the backshop of the mind. Here are some insights from Yackel on his
Calumet, Yackel would increase enrollment At any time he wants, even on his busiest job as Chancellor: “There is a balance to all
ten percent, significantly increase scholar¬ days, he can retire to this backshop for med¬ of this. Leaders have much less freedom
ship dollars, establish innovative partner¬ itation and serious thought. over resources than many people think. They
ships with the business community, and cre¬ “Most of all, he is compassionate. He also may have less control over outcomes.
ate a campus population reflective of the views man as a whole; he views man as free; What sometimes emerges from a project or
demographics of Northwest Indiana. and he views man as independent and plan may be different from its initial start. I
The measure of a leader comes from those responsible. He tries to nurture all of these ask myself if this idea or plan makes sense
4
for the University. If I know of an idea, can in minority enrollment as evidence of a sup¬ come out the other end is something signifi¬
I modify things slightly to meet this need? portive campus environment for students. cantly different and better. We wanted to put
“At any point in time, I have fifteen to He believes that: “Becoming more student together admissions, financial aid, registra¬
twenty new things in the works. Some of friendly is one of the biggest changes I tion and the bursar functions so that through
these projects and ideas may not work out. believe the University has made. We have cross-trained staffs, each could help with
Some of these may move forward and some put in many staff training programs. Ten peak loads in each office. This concept grew
may fail, and some may take a long time. It years ago, students complained about “hot so that students were better served through
calls for patience and the willingness to see spots.” If you crossed people in these hot front-line staffs who were cross-trained. Our
programs and ideas develop in different spots, you were in trouble. I don’t hear that new Enrollment Services Center grew as a
ways, but in an overall positive direction. today. I hear from students how supportive one-stop student contact center.”
“Here’s an example. Ten years ago, our and receptive our staff is to working with “Student-centered,” “learning-centered”—
management curriculum focused on indus¬ students.” both of these terms describe Yackel. Here
try, specifically large manufacturers. At that This sensitivity to the needs of students are ways that others describe him: “good
time, Northwest Indiana was being comes from Yackel’s many years of teaching problem-solver; right for the region; focused
described as the Rust Belt. Large companies and working with students. Prior to his on benefits to the students, the community
were downsizing, and middle management Purdue University West Lafayette years, his and business and industry; interested in peo¬
jobs in manufacturing were being phased classroom experiences were varied. Coming ple and their ideas; and, finally, effective.”
out. The Coleman Foundation provided from a very small high school in Sanborn,
resources to develop support for small busi¬ Minnesota, (a graduating class of fifteen), he
ness owners. This shift in focus from large enrolled at the University of Minnesota for
companies to include small companies was his undergraduate and graduate years.
good for Northwest Indiana and good for our Additional work at Dartmouth College as
management faculty.” well as at the University of Minnesota pro¬ Beth Pellicciotti,
vided him with a real understanding of qual¬ Assistant Vice Chancellor
ity instruction. for Enrollment Management,
arly in Yackel’s time as Yackel is a proponent of quality student lives in Munster, Indiana.
Chancellor, he said that he services and quality classroom experience.
wanted the enrollment to reflect He reflects: “An example of a quality stu¬
the demographic make-up of the dent service is our Enrollment Services
region. He points to the growth Center. It started as one idea and what’s
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5
The Relevance of Chemistry
Maria 0. Longas —Professor of Chemistry, Purdue University Calumet
When I ask ray students how I could make my classes more enjoyable, they answer: “Make them more relevant.”
Chemistry, the study of matter and how its components interact to produce innumerable products, among them Life, is a mystery to many people.
In an attempt to explain the relevance of chemistry in our lives, my students in CHM 256, Organic Chemistry II, have written about chemistry,
how they go about learning it, and their experiences in the process. The following six poems reveal that my students, at the end of the semester, now
realize that the study of chemistry is not only important because it is relevant. They have discovered that chemistry also affects our emotions and, con¬
sequently, our moods. But, most important, it is virtually responsible for our being here on this earth. Simply put, chemistry is what we are!
The Key Chemistry is Everywhere Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry
Affects you and me
The trick is to know the KEY We study every day,
Which revolves around To obtain that precious degree,
carbon compound chemistry Wandering through the fray
Of organic chemistry
Compounds constitute the central
chemicals of all living things
From genetic material to enzymes, muscles,
Esters, alkanes, carbonyls, too
and even proteins.
Fill our brains in all that we do
It all started several billion years ago,
when the earth existed as methane
Memorize every term
According to most historians
But remember, understanding is the key
Then along came an interaction with water,
To demonstrate and affirm
ammonia, and hydrogen
Our knowledge of organic chemistry
To produce the atmosphere —
It all began here
Alcohols, ethers, aromatics, too
The atoms combined to form more complex compounds
Fill our brains in all that we do
Like amino acids, formaldehyde, and hydrogen cyanide,
Purines, and pyrimidines all came
Then ran with the rain
Into the sea where they were stored The professor is our guide
Until the emergence of Life brought them aboard But we must do our part
Chem is no free ride
Amino acids, such as threonine and alanine, We must take our learning to heart
Combined to form proteins
Purines and pyrimidines with sugar and phosphate in combination
Formed DNA, which gives us our genetic information.
Aldols, alkyls, hemiacetals, too
RNA is the genetic transcription
Fill our brains in all that we do
And can act as an enzyme to catalyze reactions to completion.
The carbon atom is everywhere:
Push those electrons
From the gasoline we use to propel our car
Through mechanisms galore
To the ethers that we can smell from afar.
Rearrange those protons—
Organic chemistry affects you and me Convince ourselves it’s chem we adore
The trick is to know the key
Which lies in the carbon compound chemistry.
-Christy Ramian — Sara Spencer
Portage, Indiana Illustration by Brandi Lohr Crown Point, Indiana
6
Chemistry Nightmares Follow Me
Yesterday, as I went to bed
Nightmares of halide dance came to my head
Organic chemistry deals with carbon
Carbon is written with the letter “C”
I
l I got up and tried to read for a while
l You might think that couldn’t be hard
u
s But all I saw were combinations of nitrile
t But follow me and you’ll believe
r
a
t
i
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n I looked for sleeping pills, warming tea, and Tylenol
o
f But there was only carboxylic acid or phenol
t
w So many mechanisms, so many reactions
o
It’s enough to give my brain a contraction
D As I was reading, I recall
e
r That my friends told me, don’t take organic at all
m
a
t
a
n My friends told me, don’t take organic
It’s SN1 or Sn2
S
u You will definitely get panic
l What’s a chem student to do?
f
a
te El and E2, is there an E3 —
But I needed to take the class
T
Silly me, now that can’t be
e
t And I was hoping to pass
r
a
s
a
c
c In this class I had to learn
h
a Carboxyls, halides, and hemiacetals
r An alkane and an alkene differ by only a bond
i
d
e The alkyne only one more bond still
u
I thought studying every day was the key
n Do you think this is getting hard yet?
i
ts To pass the exams in chemistry I didn’t think so either, but trust me it will
Then, I went to bed again
And woke up with muscle pain
Most things happen because of physical attractions
Could a nightmare I’ve got to say I’ve seen some pretty radical reactions
Produce lactic acid everywhere? / An electrophilic attack on a conjugated diene
Makes a 1,4 addition; you know what I mean
— Osama Abu-Eledam
Hammond, Indiana k
Protons can be deshielded and rings can be formed
I know how you feel, at this part, too, I was bored
What Would it be Like?
But the aromatics are bound by Huckel’s rule
And their synthetic applications are really cool
This morning I woke up, glad to be me,
Because I could be a chunk of bacteria floating in the sea.
No, really, what would it be like to be a molecule,
There are alcohols and phenols and arenes and amides
Floating around the world existing as such a useful tool?
And amines and enols and ketones and aldehydes
And what would it be like to be a bond,
And ethers and esters and carboxylic acid anhydrides
Holding together the H20 in a pond?
All of these compounds, it’s a wonder my brain’s fried
Ever think how boring life must be for hydrogen,
In constant search for nitrogen, carbon and oxygen?
Tell me what you would do if you were a mechanism.
Could you rearrange charges enough to create some magnetism?
Organic chemistry has reactions and mechanisms galore
What would it be like if you were aromatic?
But I must say there’s some parts I adore
Would your name be arene or aryl—how problematic!
Like how a tree can be a tree
Now, just think if you were a hydrocarbon chain,
And it’s how we can be as different as you and me
The longer you get, the more hydrophobic—what a pain!
So, let me tell you what it is like to be me.
I am just worried about my grade in organic chemistry!
—Jeremy Fox
—Jill Paolino
Lowell, Indiana
St. John, Indiana
7
W S
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Stillness is a Song What is Infinitesimal
The weight of shadows is so elegant. Touch with me what is infinitesimal—
The mood feels like a fall of velvet snow. A single vagrant blue note of the dusk,
Stillness is a song that takes the breath. A leaf that has no home but window glass,
Only the sound of wind’s dark horn is left. A lonely whistle frozen into frost.
What is there to believe in now but white? Such beauty closes eyes against all loss,
You close my hand upon a bit of lace. Makes requiem a picture without depth.
Old friend, the memory is as long as frost. And yet it sears the senses for all time.
We measure its intensity by loss. Like one frail whisper blows a world away.
I Hold You in the Lyric of My Thoughts
(In memory of Menke Katz)
Sometimes the Light is Merciless
I hold you in the lyric of my thoughts.
No, never mind that mist that hurts the eyes,
Tomorrow in Jerusalem, my friend,
Our dance beguiles the autumn of its grief. Sometimes the light is merciless to tone.
Music struggles to lift earth’s heavy bones.
I have you still with all my treasures kept, Brave friend, I know you feel the patterns break.
Poor scribbles and the pencil-colored flowers. Your eyes write poems of it for our sake.
Write me new letters on the windowpane.
Sign them as always with your shadow name.
Frost memories give me courage for today. How well you blunt nakedness by a word,
Just taste October with me, find it good. Though like a shadow passage never heard,
The time is poignant like a Yiddish tune, Your work remains obscure to a landscape,
As bittersweet and smoky as old leaves. From which not even air makes an escape.
8
