Welcome to the web site for
Kent State University's
Bachelor of Arts Program
in
American Sign Language!
Pah!
From Jean Bout:
OPEN TO ALLLLLLLLL......
Says Nancy Resh, Trumbull ASL Adjunct:
"It would be fun if you could come in costume. As for food, my ASL classes are covering that with donations, etc. Lets party!
RE: REGISTRATION AND SCHEDULING FOR SPRING 2010!
It's been interesting so far.
First, classes at the main campus have filled FAST! If you are still looking for a seat in an ASL class, you might consider one of the regional campuses because seats at the main campus are becoming scarce. BUT...if you need MAIN campus:
IF YOU HAVE BEEN CLOSED OUT
OF THE ASL COURSE THAT YOU NEED,
EMAIL ME BEFORE NOVEMBER 30!!
Secondly, students coming in to schedule have been asking interesting questions about rumors being discussed and passed around in the halls of Satterfield.
I'd like to clear up two of them:
1. Is there going to be a 7th semester of ASL added to the sequence?
No.
2. Are the requirements for the NIC (National Interpreting test - a three part test for certification, supported by RID and NAD) changing and now no one is going to be able to take it???!
No.
As of winter, 2008, yes, changes were started regarding the requirements to sit for all three parts of the NIC. The new requirement as of 2012 is that, if you are a hearing person, you must have a Bachelor degree to take the performance and interview sections:
"Beginning in 2008, interpreters taking the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) evaluation will be required to have an associate’s degree or higher. Beginning in 2012, at least a bachelor’s degree will be required."
- Signals Newsletter, Interpreting and Sign Language Resources, Ohio School for the Deaf
"In 2008, persons who are hearing that wish to take the NIC Interview and Performance Test must have a minimum of an associate’s degree. In 2012, the minimum requirement will be a bachelor’s degree for persons who are hearing. Also in 2012, persons who are deaf that wish to take the NIC Interview and Performance Test must have a minimum of an associate’s degree. In 2016, the minimum requirement will be a bachelor’s degree for persons who are deaf. "
-Sacremento Valley RID chapter
Calm down. Breathe, breathe. 
The ASL major at KSU results in a Bachelor of Arts degree upon graduation. The Ed terp major at KSU results in a Bachelor of Science upon graduation.
BOTH ARE BACHELOR DEGREES, smile. You're safe.
WHENEVER you want to confirm or deny something that you've heard, ASK. And seek out resources who can give you the information you need. To help you with this, there's now a page with resources related to interpreting information on this website. See the index on the left.
3. I wanted to PASS ALONG a comment that was told to me. Recently a woman from the Kent Stater came and told me that she was amazed by the feeling of community and support that she saw in the ASL program at KSU. She was surprised by seeing how students help each other, and how everyone really seems connected and caring.
She's RIGHT!
And I am SO PROUD of you all!
OCTOBER!!
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT PEOPLE
braved cold temperatures and LOTS of wind to come to the FALL FESTIVAL during the first weekend of October! Ten pounds of sloppy joes, 3 quarts of chili, and a whole cake disappeared in an INSTANT! The student presentations were FANNNNTASTIC!!! We had team piggies with noses and wolves, and team piggies without noses. We had Little Red Riding Hood with wooden scenery, a wolf and a wood cutter and a racy grandmother in a white wig! We had green teams and purple teams and HUGE red teams! We had BEAUTIFUL poster creations, including one which contained an ENTIRE BIRD'S NEXT (?!), and we had one minor biking accident (GLAD YOU ARE MENDING SYDNEY!!!). See more about Fall Festival below, along with LOADS of pictures!
But first, back at Satterfield, things are going on in the classrooms too!
(SOME OF THE PIX BELOW ARE OF VERY LARGE GROUPS. YOU MIGHT WANT TO SET YOUR ZOOM SETTING AT 75%.)
Jane and Shaniqua, two students new to KSU this year, navigating the halls of Satterfield.
Cathy's ASL I class has been learning about use of space...
Students are busy EVERYWHERE. They're studying in the halls....
and they're working in the labs.
A visitor from last year, The Cookie Lady, has shown up again...watch for her - she could show up on any campus with free cookies for studious ASL students!
Here's the cookie lady in the main campus lab....and here's the people who ate all the cookies!! 
Eva Marie, a graduate of the ASL program and now an ASL teacher in New York, came back to say "Howdy" and to show her new car....and GOT HER FIRST PARKING TICKET, sigh. She wanted to make SURE it was CLEAR that she had attended Kent for 6 years and NEVER got a ticket UNTIL SHE CAME BACK FOR THIS VISIT.
Sigh.
I was so EXCITED the other day! I was in the main campus lab, and a SPONTANEOUS DISCUSSION, IN ASL, DEVELOPED ABOUT THE RECURSIVE RELATIONSHIP OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE!!!!! This was so COOL I had to sit down! (If the topic doesn't mean much to you, it would after Linguistics class, smile.) But the COOL part is that, 4 years ago, most of the conversations I had a chance to witness were ..."Stop Voicing!"..."Yes, you have to do that assignment."...."What it's like to be deaf...." It is FANTASTIC that KSU ASL students are talking about topics comparable to any of the top programs...and they're doing it IN SIGN!
KSU ASL STUDENTS ARE THE BEST!!!
Stefanie, Brenda, Sarah, and Jessica - philosophical topic discuss-ers!
Talking about Linguistics.....Linguistics students have been busy experimenting with morphemes in ASL and English:
They also used data abtained from the Fall Festival, and their knowledge of language and phonology, to make observations (they would be quick to tell me this is "Descriptive Linguistics" smile) and discover patterns in student language acquisition and learning:
ASL Linguistics students analyzing data samples and then noting patterns.
Mallory and Bethany celebrate Bethany's "epiphany" regarding a pattern she found! We get very happy in Linguistics class when things make sense!
We had some big news in Linguistics class. also. Right in the middle of looking for patterns and exploring morphemes, Eunice-Marie received a message that her daughter had just left for the hospital to have Eunice-Marie's FIRST GRANDCHILD! The picture is kind of blurry because everyone was excited and it happened so fast but.....CONGRATULATIONS EUNICE-MARIE!!
WHAT EXCITEMENT!!! Eunice-Marie has since reported that:
"After nineteen hours of labor....Pheonix was born Oct 6, @ 12:49 p.m wgt: 6 lbs 10 ozs. & 18 3/4" long - a beautifulllllllll baby....Mommy and daughter are doing fine. Thank you for a beautiful send-off, I was full of love and excitement by the time I arrived at the hospital. --- I AM OFFICIALLY GRANDMA EUNICE-MARIE!!!!!!!!"
Speaking of excitement - we also finished up some business left over from September's SpotLight Celebration. Vic presented Laurie with her George Veditz award!
CONGRATULATIONS LAURIE!
We've got LOTS to be PROUD of here in the KSU ASL program, on ALL the campuses!! My door is filling up with pix of great memories and student accomplishments! There's main campus up there, Twinsburg, Stark, and Trumbull, and just looking at it makes me smile!
ASL AT KSU HAS THE BEST STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS!!! I'll let Christina express our exuberance....
Still to come.....Don't forget Cleveland SignStage is coming (see the Calendar link in the menu to the left). And Trumbull's ALL CAMPUS Halloween Party (see the info above).
Many students and instructors have inquired about when the ASL Literary performance will be in November. Larry Nehring informs me that the class has picked a day, and NOW HAS A ROOM AND A TIME (SEE BELOW). HOWEVER, INSTRUCTORS MAY STILL APPROVE ANY OF THESE ALTERNATIVES TO THE ASL LIT SHOWCASE (Instructors may decide to approve an alternative for an entire class OR may approve on an individual basis per student):
1. Campuses can arrange to borrow Voices from El Sayed (main library has it) or similar DVD/video and show it OUTSIDE OF CLASSTIME, then discuss it in class, in ASL:
To see more about Voices from El Sayed, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5etVAr5fPmE
2. Students may attend the Nov 5 presentation on diversity, given by BILL MORGAN, from Cleveland SIGNSTAGE (see the ASL Calendar, available from the menu, for time and location - interpreters will be provided, event is hosted by KSU AAUP RECC).
3. Students may attend the Trumbul Halloween Party on Oct 22 (see the ASL Calendar, available from the menu, for the time and location, or see the top of this page for their flyer), or, for STARK STUDENTS ONLY, they may attend the Stark Deaf Community Holiday event.
4. Students may attend the performance by Keith Wann at Bowling Green State University on
Friday, October 30, 2009
Bowling Green State University
Student Union Ballroom
7:00pm—8:00pm
*FREE*
ASL 19201 students would still need to write a 100 word summary of the event and include a picture, plus do an ABC or 123 story in class.
ASL 29201 students would still need to do the written summary and picture plus present a summary in their class, in ASL.
ORRRR...... Come to the ASL LIT SHOWCASE:
THE ASL LIT CLASS HAS A DATE, A TIME,
AND A ROOM!
NOVEMBER 10, 2009
7:15 - 9:00 pm
in
THE MAIN CAMPUS ASL LAB
Room 317 Satterfield Hall
Kent Campus
Kent, OH
(Directions? See: http://maps.kent.edu/kent.html )
Now....on to news from the FALL FESTIVAL!....
FALL FESTIVAL TEAMS....
FALL FESTIVAL 2009!!
Team Laurie from Twinsburg!
It was WINDY, it was COLD, it was LOTS of people but, to quote Patrick S. from KSU-Main - We "had a blast at fall fest!"
FIFTEEN teams competed, with 178 people attending (which was almost twice as many as had been predicted by instructors when reporting their expected team sizes??)!
From ASL 19201 (ASL level I)....we had:
The Green Team, The Black Shirts Team, The Big Bad Wolves Team, The ASL Love Team, and Awesome Sauce (?!), all from ASL Main Campus;
The Black Piggies from Stark Campus;
Team Sweet from Trumbull Campus; and
Team Laurie from Twinsburg (KSU-Geauga).
From ASL 29201 (ASL level III)...we had:
Team KSU Trumbull, from Trumbull Campus; and
Team Awesome, The Stellar Signers, Team Unity, and Laurie's Team with No Name, all from KSU-Main.
From ASL 39201 (ASL level V)....we had:
Cathy's Other Children, and Bradley's Black Night Owl Crew, both from KSU-Main.
THE TEAMS:
(if I get some names and photos confused, please let me know!)
Stark's Black Piggies
I believe this is Team Sweet!
No confusion possible - this is the GREEN team!
Awesome Sauce!
I believe this is ASL Love...
The BIG, BAD Wolves!
I believe these are The Black Shirts.
Team Trumbull!
Clever, clever Team Laurie! You can tell their campus by reading what they're spelling!
The team with the MOST clever team photo - TEAM AWESOME (Look at their hands - get it? Up, down, Up, down...?!)
Stellar Signers!
Laurie's Team with No Name...
Team Unity!
Cathy's Other Children....
Bradley's Black Night Owl Crew.
SCENES AND ACTIVITIES.....
LOTS of people, lots of wind, some sunshine, some clouds, NO RAIN!
People ate, chatted, shivered, hiked, hunted for clues, made Deaf posters, and solved mysteries.
After completing their hike around the lake in the scavenger hunt, Team Black Piggies, from Stark, pose for a picture!
Vic meets up with his Green Team:
Working on Deaf Culture Family Trees:
Nancy - she was either throwing her hands up at trying to help almost 200 people move from station to station...or she was saying it was wonderful....hmmmmm....?
Jasmine, a Design student helper!
After walking 2 miles around the lake on the scavenger hunt, Team Bradley's Black Night Owls Crew's scorecard gets caught by the wind and blown to the lake. Moses saves the day by catching it!
Teams worked on solving mysteries...
Working, freezing, and still smiling! KSU ASL students are the BEST!
Winter wear was not a bad choice for fashion that day!
Robbie and Brenda (another Design student who was helping that day) manage to smile while freezing!
After the Deaf Culture posters were done, they were displayed so people could vote for their favorite. There were a LOT of really artistic arrangements of natural material interspersed with famous Deaf names!
Then it was time to gather for the presentations.....Nancy and Sheila gathered the crowd.
Nancy and Sheila, the facilitators and judges for the afternoon presentations!
First was Team Sweet, from KSU-Trumbull:
The Black Piggies, from KSU-Stark:
ASL Love, from KSU- Main:
The Big Bad Wolves, KSU-Main:
Awesome Sauce! from KSU-Main:
The Black Shirts Team, KSU-Main:
The Green Team, KSU-Main:
Team Awesome! KSU-Main:
Laurie's Team Twinsburg, from KSU-Twinsburg:
Laurie's Team with No Name, KSU-Main:
Team Awesome! KSU-Main:
Team Trumbull, KSU-Trumbull:
Stellar Signers, KSU-Main:
Team Unity, KSU-Main:
Cathy's Other Children, KSU-Main:
Bradley's Black Night Owl Crew, KSU-Main:
Two judges and a videographer!
Meanwhile, Jasmine and Brenda began to pick out the winning Deaf Culture posters, to begin to calculate the rankings for the teams.
Then it was time for the awards!
Everyone gathers in the shelter....
WAKE UP! WAKE UP! (and maybe thaw a bit!) Can you all understand me?
Vic heckles the presenter for not signing LOUD enough! 
Brenda displays an interesting presentation style!
TEAM SWEET HAD THE BEST SIGN!
TEAM LAURIE FROM TWINSBURG HAD THE GREATEST PROPS! They had costumes and an ax (!?) and a wooden painted meadow/forest (although I think that white wig might give some nightmares for some time to come, smile!). Part of their meadow now lives in the ASL lab at KSU-Main! Thank you Steve!
TEAM AWESOME HAD THE MOST HELPFUL ATTITUDE.
Best liked posters were from TEAM LAURIE - TWINSBURG, TEAM SWEET - TRUMBULL, THE GREEN TEAM - MAIN, TEAM KSU TRUMBULL - TRUMBULL, and TEAM AWESOME - MAIN.
THEN IT WAS TIME FOR THE AWARDS! To figure the awards, the judges considered the team's signing for their level, their ability to "police" themselves and not voice during the day, and the distance that members travelled. ALOT of the competitions were VERY close.
For best performance at STATIONS (Solve-the-Mystery + Deaf Culture Family Tree Poster + Scavenger Hunt)
TEAM AWESOME FROM MAIN!
Vic accepted the trophy for his class, which Nancy presented.
For best presentation at ASL I Level
THE BLACK PIGGIE TEAM FROM STARK!!
(The Black Shirts from KSU-Main were a REALLY close competitor. The deciding factor in this competition ended up being based on furthest mileage travelled!)
For best presentation at ASL III level
TEAM KSU TRUMBULL - FROM TRUMBULL!!
This is the SECOND YEAR IN A ROW that this team has taken home awards from Fall Festival!
For best presentation at ASL V,
BRADLEY'S BLACK NIGHT OWL CREW - FROM MAIN!!!
AND....
THE ALL-AROUND, ALL CAMPUS CHAMPIONS
(based on points earned for number of stations completed, their ASL presentation for their level, and the furthest distance driven) was....
TEAM UNITY - FROM KSU MAIN!!!
WILDLY WAVING HANDS FOR ALL WHO PARTICIPATED AND CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AWARD WINNING TEAMS!!
KSU-TRUMBULL won ALL-CAMPUS CHAMPIONS in Fall 2008. KSU-MAIN will keep the ALL-CAMPUS CHAMPION TROPHY UNTIL Fall 2009. Begin thinking EARLY about how YOUR CAMPUS can gain the ALL-CAMPUS TROPHY!
As of Fall 2009, the standing for the campuses is:
KSU-TRUMBULL - FOUR TROPHIES (3 in 2008; 1 in 2009)
KSU-MAIN - FOUR TROPHIES (1 in 2008; 3 in 2009)
KSU-STARK - ONE TROPHY (Their first in 2009!)
KSU-ASHTABULA, KSU-GEAUGA, KSU-SALEM, and KSU-EAST LIVERPOOL - all have not yet placed.
I wonder how this will change in 2010!?
After the awards, it was time for goodbyes....
By 3:20, the park was empty, the plates, posters, dishes, and boxes were cleaned up, and the wind-blown crew left:
On Monday after the Fall Festival, there were cookies in the ASL lab at the Main Campus, to celebrate the coming of the ALL-CAMPUS CHAMPION TROPHY!
(Those are the flowers from Team Twinsburg, on the lab desk!)
AFTER SPENDING SOME TIME BEING SHOWN AROUND DURING THE WEEKEND, TEAM UNITY PLACED THEIR TROPHY IN IT'S TEMPORARY HOME, AND THEN CELEBRATED ON WEDNESDAY WITH PIZZA DURING CLASS!
I hear that Team Awesome is deciding whether to put their trophy into Vic's office, or in the ASL lab. I don't know yet where Bradley Crew's Trophy, Team Trumbull's Trophy, or the Black Piggies' Trophy are being housed, but it would be nice to see pictures! (HINT HINT, smile).
EVERYONE DID GREAT
and
should be
very PROUD of how well they did.
KSU-Trumbull summed it up BEST:
HOCKING HILLS SILENT WEEKEND #112
OCTOBER 14-16, 2009
HOCKING HILLS STATE PARK
Park Office Address: 19852 State Route 664 South
Logan, OH 43138
Park Office phone: (740) 385 - 6842
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING: Your tent for non-electric sites, sleeping bag, other camp gear, food, something yummy to share at the Friday night "Munchie feast" and extra money for your SW112 shirt and outside activities, etc. Towels, toiletries, etc. are also needed.
For more information: Contact Gayle Murphy at gmurphy@cscc.edu
For registration: http://www.silentweekend.com/registration_form.htm
