By HARLEE BOEHM
assistant news editor

Gannon University will hold its third annual College of Humanities, Education and Social Services (CHESS) Conference from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Palumbo Academic Center. The theme of this year’s conference is Transformation and Renewal.
According to Jeanette Long, coordinator of the conference, this event was created in order to promote the work being done in a variety of humanities courses. Throughout the growth of the event, the conference has come to include work from multiple local schools, such as Slippery Rock and Penn State Behrend.
Long said that a new piece was added to the conference this year. The conference will now feature creative work along with scholarly work.
Long said that she hopes the popularity of the conference will continue to increase and attendees will take something with them when they leave.
“Because the conference participant numbers have grown three sizes since last year, I would like to see three times the attendees come out to celebrate the remarkable work being produced,” Long said. “I would also love to see people leave the event inspired by the ideas generated within the conference and use that energy to do some good.”
The event will begin with registration from 8-8:30 a.m. in Main Commons. Coffee will be available during this time. Presenters not affiliated with Gannon will be required to pay a $10 fee for the conference.
Immediately following registration, opening remarks will take place from 8:30-9 a.m.
Presentations will begin at 9 a.m. with three different events. In Room 3201, “Reimaginings & Reincarnation” will be presented by Tom Noyes, Kat Giordano, Angela Roman, Concetta Mangini and Martha Larkin.
The presentation of “Landscapes: Local, Historical & Literary,” will take place in Room 3216 by Nathan Venesky, Donoven Chase and Stephen Craig. “The Labyrinth: Legacy of Women’s Leadership” will be discussed by Tania Reis, Beth Burnside, Julia Dyatel and Athar Almadanat in Room 3223.
The next set of presentations will take place from 10:10-11:10 a.m. “Culture, Poetry & Motion” will be presented in the commons by Berwyn Moore, Shreelina Ghosh and the Slippery Rock University practicum dance class.
In Room 3216, Eric Potter and Jon Shumway will discuss “The Nature of Faith: Poetry & Animation.” Tania Reis, Ray Oshop, Matthew Patterson and Kristen Petrushka will present “Themes of Practice in Educational Leadership” in Room 3223.
From 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., four presentations will be held. “Meaning Connections & Spiritual Self” will be presented in the commons by Becky Willow, Danielle Strohmeyer, Angie Jeffery, Derek Loesel and Anjali Sahay.
In Room 3201, “Bards: Old, New & Undead” will be discussed by Rene Cooper, Kyle Rodewald and Sarai Medina. “Filling our Pockets with Bread” will be presented by Berwyn Moore, Julia Fulton, Leigh Tischler and Elias Kerr in Room 3216.
Oksana Moroz, Laurie Lynne Urraro and Ashley Sullivan will present “Understanding Gender in Education” in Room 3223.
A presenters’ lunch will take place from 12:15-1:15 p.m. in Room 3200. During this time, all non-presenters are encouraged to use the time as an opportunity to visit one of the local restaurants near campus.
The conference will resume at 1:20 p.m. with four final presentations. In the commons, Chet LaPrice and the WERG staff will present “Behind the Scenes of 90.5: WERG’s Creative Process.”
In Room 3201, Terry Giles, Miguel Ternosky and Aaron Kerr will be presenting “Theological Philosophy & Paradigm Shifts.”
“Transformation of Historical Reality” will be discussed in Room 3216 by Shawn Clerkin and Megan Woller. Taylor Roth, Jake Murzynski and Laura Rutland will present “Composing Transformation: The Writing Process” in Room 3223.
The conclusion of the event will take place from 2:30-3 p.m.
At this time, attendees are encouraged to visit the display “Catching Climate Change, A Reality Check” in Room 1219.
Long said that she hopes a variety of people around campus will participate in the conference and appreciate the work of fellow students.
“Gannon is a small, tight-knit community and I’d like to see Gannon students and faculty come out and support the achievements taking place this day,” Long said.
The conference is free for all Gannon students and faculty. Everyone is encouraged to take part in the conference to support the achievements of the Gannon community.
HARLEE BOEHM
[email protected]