News and Notes About South Windsor College Students

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT - Here are some recent awards and honors received by college students from South Windsor, as provided by readMedia Newswire.

Eastern Psychology Students Inducted into Psi Chi Honor Society

On April 25, Eastern Connecticut State University inducted 43 psychology students into Psi Chi, the international honor society for psychology.

Among the inductees was Erica Armes '18 of South Windsor. Armes majors in Pre-Early Childhood Education and Psychology.

Among the inductees was Heather Nowak '17 of South Windsor. Nowak majors in Psychology.

Among the inductees was Taylor Pendergast '17 of South Windsor. Pendergast majors in Early Childhood Education and Psychology.

Psi Chi's mission is to encourage excellence in scholarship and to foster the advancement of psychological science. Eastern students who are inducted into Psi Chi must declare a major or minor in psychology, have at least 12 credits of coursework in psychology and attain a 3.5 GPA in psychology and a 3.0 GPA overall.

Elmira College Dean's List

Marissa Silverman of South Windsor has been named to the Elmira College Dean's List for Term II, Winter 2016.

Tau Upsilon Alpha National Honor Society

The Assumption College Department of Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies (HSRS) has announced that Victoria Russo, of South Windsor, has become a member of the Human Services National Honor Society, Tau Upsilon Alpha. Russo, a member of the class of 2017, was inducted into the honor society earlier in the spring semester.

"The purpose of Tau Upsilon Alpha is to honor academic excellence, to foster lifelong learning, leadership, and development; and to promote excellence in service to humanity," said Susan M. Scully-Hill, Ph.D., advisor of the honor society. She serves as chairperson of the Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies program and interim coordinator of the Rehabilitation Counseling program at Assumption.

Tau Upsilon Alpha is active with a variety of service events and awareness-raising events to benefit people living with disabilities and other challenging life situations. In order to qualify, students must be an HSRS major or minor and have a 3.25 overall grade point average.

ECSU Spring Concert

A number of talented student musicians and vocalists from Eastern Connecticut State University performed in concerts on April 23 and 24. The collaborative concerts included members of Eastern's Concert Chorale, Chamber Singers, Men's and Women's Choirs, Korean Samul Ensemble, String Trio, Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble.

Among the performers was Andrew Hofmann '19 of South Windsor. Hofmann majors in Music.

Eastern Students Give Oral Presentations at CREATE Conference

More than 250 talented students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented research and creative work at the university's second annual CREATE conference this past April. CREATE stands for Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern, and is the university's premier, academic year-end showcase. At the culminating event, students of all majors presented professional posters, live music, dance performances, artwork, photography, documentaries and panel discussions.

Emilio Estrella '17 of South Windsor, who majors in Spanish and Labor Relations/Human Resources Management, gave an oral presentation. Estrella's two oral presentations were titled "Factoring in Rising Student Debt in Calculating Returns to Investment in College Education" and "The Social Devaluation of Labor: Is it a Choice?"

For his first presentation, he said: "Labor economists have long touted the advantages of higher education as a critical factor determining lifelong earning potential. For decades the cost of a bachelor's degree was swiftly rewarded with increased earnings in comparison to those with high school or trades qualifications. However, rapidly rising education costs, driven by decreasing government spending in higher education, have led to a student debt crisis. With 40 million college graduates carrying a student loan debt, the returns to higher education seem to be rapidly diminishing. This effect is likely compounded by increasing numbers of workers returning to college during the economic recession. In fact, research has found that approximately 60 percent of all student debtors are over the age of 30 and student loan debt saw an 84 percent jump since the start of the last recession to $1.2 trillion. This study seeks to examine the potential impact of debt obligations on the lifetime earnings of those with college degrees."

In Estrella's second presentation: "Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th century, and more prominently in the automatization shift in the early 20th century, machine-based mass production has vastly overtaken traditional manual labor. The economic benefits derived from the cost-effectiveness and efficiency obtained from replacing humans with machines and compartmentalizing labor are undoubtedly better for the capitalists who run the corporations. However, it seems that the general populace is apathetic to this devaluation of labor. Trends indicate that people seem unaffected by the systematic replacement of employees by machines. Through historical research, current opinion, and compilation of recent studies, this paper aims to answer the following question: Are people truly indifferent to this change, or do we simply have no choice, since this replacement of labor translates to undeniable economic benefit for the consumer?"

Megan Velasquez '16 of South Windsor, who majors in English and Theatre, gave an oral presentation. Velasquez's oral presentation was titled "Child Must Have a Ticket: An Analysis of Book-to-Stage Adaptations of Alice in Wonderland and Matilda."

"Story adaptations are very popular in our culture, with the most well known books into big Hollywood movies and even well-known television shows," said Velasquez. "Adaptations are everywhere, and while many people believe that adaptations are inferior to the original story, either because they are "just copies" or "the adaptation can't get the story right", my research shows what adaptations are really about. While I analyzed the two children's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Matilda by Roald Dahl and their respective adapted stage productions, I have found that simply copying elements directly from a book during an adaptation process undermines the story itself, and that adaptation is about a whole reconstructive process involving literary analysis in order to successfully translate a story from one medium to another. By doing this research, I was able to determine what is required in adapting children's novels to a dramatic setting, while also figuring out what constitutes success in an adapted stage production."

Belmont University Dean's List

Jeanette Porcello of South Windsor qualified for the spring 2016 Dean's List at Belmont University. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C.

Emerson College's Dean's List

Janii Yazon of South Windsor was named to Emerson College's Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester. Yazon is majoring in Writing, Lit and Publishing. The requirement to make Emerson's Dean's List is a grade point average of 3.7 or higher.