News & Events

Notable & Quotable

• An article in USA Today on May 2, 2020, cites associate professor of communication and media Lisa Perks’ research on binge-watching during an illness. The article offered tips on making sure binge-watching during the coronavirus pandemic is a healthy and calming escape.

• Assistant professor of communication and media Melissa “Mish” Zimdars, author of “Watching Our Weights: The Contradictions of Televising Fatness in the ‘Obesity Epidemic,’” was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article March 24, 2020 discussing the portrayal of fat women on television. 

• Associate professor of communication and media Lisa Perks was cited as a source for an article in The Wall Street Journal on March 20, 2020 about what people are watching on TV while in self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. Perks, who researches binge-watching and media-engagement, said media-marathoning can be a therapeutic coping mechanism. 

• Cristi Catt, voice instructor at Merrimack College, recently wrapped up a session at Berklee College’s renowned recording studio, Shames Family Scoring Stage. She was awarded a grant to record “All Over the Map” with her ensemble Blue Thread.

• Psychology Department assistant professor Laura Kurdziel was recently featured by KABC-TV News in Los Angeles for a story on the benefits of napping for children. When children don’t get a nap they need, it stresses their bodies and makes it harder to go to sleep at night, Kurdziel told the news outlet.

• Simona Sharoni, professor of women’s and gender studies and director of the Interdisciplinary Institute recently received the Eminent Scholar Award from the feminist theory and gender studies section of the International Studies Association (ISA). Sharoni has been an active member of ISA, one of the largest international academic associations, since 1991.

• Peter Ellard, the dean of student success and academic support, who also teaches environmental ethics and religious studies, had his article “Don’t Think Your Campus Needs to Prepare for Climate Change? Here’s why you’re wrong” published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. He argues that colleges and universities must adjust to weather changes caused by climate change.

• Philosophy professor William Wians has published a second volume of essays titled “Logoi and Muthoi,” exploring interdisciplinary connections between ancient Greek philosophy and literature.  The chapters examine philosophical problems of knowledge and ethics in ancient writers, including Homer, Hesiod, Sophocles, Euripides, the pre-Socratics, the Sophists, Plato, Aristotle, and Lucretius. It is available on Amazon.com

• Fathers Stephen Curry and Richard Piatt spoke to the Eagle-Tribune about the burning of Cathedral of Notre Dame at the start of Holy Week. “She symbolized Paris, a symbol of grace, and hope, and comfort that both humbled and lifted up all those who approached her facade,” said Piatt. Curry said the cathedral “embodies centuries of devout Catholics’ faith, prayers, miracles, religious history, and spiritual inspiration.”

• Michael DeCesare, professor of sociology, spoke to the Arizona Republic about a plan to seat a student on the governing board of Maricopa Community College District. DeCesare, chair of the AAUP Committee on College and University Governance, which has raised concerns about board politics, said, “The board has taken some promising first steps, but (the committee) will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the faculty’s governance rights are fully restored at Maricopa.”