5ENEFACTA
Number Twelve
Fall1998
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
In the pursuit of a better world, Americans increasingly are being challenged to become
more knowledgeable about international iss.ues and problems. Universities must
be in the vanguard of this process, preparing both students and faculty to meet these
challenges.
Ball State University is no exception. One of the university's highest priorities is
to
encourage its teacher-scholars
to
give Ball State's curriculum a broader international
focus based on research conducted in other countries.
This year's I)ene Facta presents Ball State faculty who have traveled the world,
endeavoring
to
better understand some particular facet of it.
I)ene Facta proudly recognizes Ball State faculty members who have
conducted studies in the international arena, and who share their knowledge
and understanding of the world with their students, thereby preparing
them to contribute
to
a better life for all of humanity.
James Coffin
Director, Center for International Programs
2
Contents
Lord of the Antlered Flies
Gary Dodson
+
Lessons from the Land
Alisa Coffin
7
Of Corporate Bonds and
Cosmic Structures
Rathina Rathinasamy and
George Wolfe
Women in War in Search of Peace
Francine Friedman
9
13
A Clearer Focus with a Faraway Lens
Michael Stevenson
5
Cultural Broker for All Seasons
Sung-Jae Park
Extending the Reach
Beverley Pitts
17
Underwater Pearls of Wisdom
John Dorwin
21
meaning literally "great deeds, " recognizes
the scholarly and creative activities of
Ball State University faculty that receive
support from external sponsors.
The Researcher of the Year, the Lab,
and the Great Dane
m:
~L
Gale Gehlsen
2+
Distinguished Dissertation of the Year
Inclined toward Innovation
Editor: Kristi Koriath
Wendy Robinson
Assistant Editor: Sabine Zosel
Writers: David Endicott, Hank Nuwer,
Jennifer Hawke, Sabine Zosel
Designer: Ron Mcvey
Copy Editor: Marie Aquila
Photographers: Ed Self, John Huffer
Production: Julie Swan
~JJ~~_!J l\~~
27
The AREA Lady
Dorothy Adalis
28
3
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.54'
.36'"
.52'"
.51
.53"
.62"
-.40'" -.33"
.59
-.3~
.65'"
.71'"
.74
.55'"
.59'"
.68
by Hank Nuwer
Th e slow but steady
Alfred Russel Wallace,
who wrote about evolution
independent of the work of his
contemporary, Charles Darwin,
observed antlered flies in 1858,
publishing sketches of them in
destruction of the green lungs
of the rain forests has long
been the concern of
environmental scientists. The
threat to the towering trees
and lush plant life that pull in
carbon dioxide and expel
oxygen has even entered the
public discourse. The actual
workings of environmental
stresses, however, remain
shady, leaving the scientific
community with countless
mysteries to solve, among
them, what do habitat loss and
pollutants mean for the species
that encounter them, and how
are those effects manifested in
other species?
To answer these
questions, Gar~ Dodson) professor in the
Department of Biology and an expert on insects, has left
the relatively benign terrain of east central Indiana to
study antlered flies in their natural habitats. Since 1987,
his research, funded by the Wildlife Conservation
Society and the Indiana Academy of Science, has led
him to the island of New Guinea and just south of it
to the tropical forests of Queensland, Australia. This
region, part of the Pacific's notorious "ring of fire,"
was formed from volcanic residue and coral deposits.
The Malay Archipelago
(1869). As a University of
Florida graduate student,
Dodson was profoundly
impressed by the book.
Antlered flies are innocuous
members of the Tephritidae
family (which includes
crop-destroying Mediterranean
and oriental fruit flies). No
more than one and a half
centimeters in length, antlered
flies possess one feature visible
to the untrained eye, racks of
horns that resemble deer
antlers-at least superficially. These "antlers," brilliant as
gemstones when observed through macro lenses, are
never shed.
Like other antlered flies, Phytalmia alcicornis
a New Guinea species, has antlers that seem out of
proportion to body mass, but they do have a function.
Dodson hypothesizes that males check out one another's
horns to determine who is dominant. Males, spotting
rivals with bigger antlers, concede defeat without
locking horns. To test this theory, Dodson fixed artificial
J
4
extensions to the antlers. Flies with newly acquired
longer horns were given wide berth, while those with
..sho;tened antlers had to expend energy fighting.
Although large-scale logging threatens rain
forests, much of the rugged landscape Dodson
researches has not changed from Wallace's day. Papua
New Guinea has challenged him as a researcher and,
because of its harsh monsoonal climate, as an
outdoorsman. The rugged rain forest is swampy and
threaded with rivers and wetlands reachable only by
plane or on foot. "Ninety-nine percent of the village
population has never been anywhere else," says Dodson.
Other than the occasional missionary or researcher, the
inhabitants rarely have visitors. "When a plane lands,
everybody from a village comes," Dodson reports.
The first time Dodson visited a particularly
remote village of Papua New Guinea he showed the
people drawings of antlered flies. They took him on a
punishing two-hour journey "that they could have
covered in fifteen minutes," according to Dodson. The
guides pointed to downed logs and some snags. When
an antlered fly landed on one man's shoulders, Dodson
felt euphoric. Additional sightings showed him that
antlered flies need the rotting wood of indigenous trees
5
for courtship and ~gg laying. The tribe has no word for
the antlered fly sin'ce it cannot be eaten and is not a
cause for fear. Th;n a foreigner revered a useless insect
was a source of great amusement for Papua New
Guineans.
Not so amusing, the rain forest is home to
mosquitoes that attack in clouds. Malaria strikes
researchers, as do infections spread by parasites. The
shortened life spans of native peoples are a fact of life.
An adolescent who guided Dodson during his first visit
had died by the second visit. Dodson, a soft-spoken,
enthusiastic man, neither downplays nor overglorifies
the dangers. "You must understand when you go to
New Guinea that you
are assuming a risk,"
Dodson says. "You talk
with your loved ones
and say, (I want to do
this badly enough to
take this risk.'"
Part of his
professionalism involves
preparation to minimize
danger. Dodson takes
antibiotics before
departing Indiana. He
sleeps under mosquito
netting except when
staying in open-air bush
huts that his guides construct for him. Travel in ancient
Cessna planes can be nerve wracking, but Dodson
praises the colorful pilots who dare to land in remote
jungle locales. Dodson's life is in the pilot's hands, but
he is sanguine about such conditions. "Once you've
decided to go, why worry?" Dodson asks. Nor does he
fret when Nature plays havoc with his best-laid plans.
"Weather dictates when and if your plane goes,"
Dodson says. "You can spend days waiting to
leave-only to turn back after you get in the air.
The day you are supposed to leave [the jungle] can
stretch into many days."
What motivates Dodson is an unquenchable
thirst for knowledge. An eternal student, he seems
driven because so much remains unknown about
antlered flies. However, one of the phenomena Dodson
has observed is that flies have at least one enemy-green
ants. He watched ants capture flies, then go up and
down a decaying tree to a silken nest. "Ants rule
wherever they exist," Dodson explains.
Mter returning home, Dodson condenses his
notes and shares what he has learned with his students
and with the scientific community in scholarly
periodicals. The November 1997 issue of National
Geographic magazine informed the world about
Dodson's work with
antlered flies in a
fascinating feature on
unusual insects. The
article served as an
international validation
of Dodson's work, but
nothing about him
suggests complacency.
By studying the damage
that clear cut logging
has done to the rain
forest and what effect
this damage has had
upon antlered flies,
Dodson may not only
alert the scientific community to the presence of future
environmental trouble spots, but he also may be able to
educate a far larger audience.
"Antlered flies belong to that small percentage
of insect species that are so remarkable in form and
behavior that they are capable of exciting the interest
of nonbiologists in a way mainly limited to birds
and large mammals," declares Dodson. "While this
is essentially unimportant from a scientific standpoint,
it is particularly significant in our efforts to encourage
a conservation-minded public."
6
" essons tram
the
and
f resenting views unmatched anywhere in the
world, the Bolivian Andes cause the hearts of visitors
to soar. But after the initial euphoria of seeing towering
mountains such as the 21,489-foot Mount Illampu
subsides, informed researchers such as Alisa Coffin
of the Department of Landscape Architecture settle in
for a sobering look at the realities of survival in this
land where ancient civilizations flourished.
Living and working on site over time, Coffin
has begun to understand the dynamics of what life was
like then and is now for the inhabitants of the rocky,
oftentimes flooded altiplano (high plateau) adjacent to
Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake. As
Coffin shows a visitor her photographic slides of golden
finches, earth mounds, the stone remains of a pyramid,
and the colorful native garb of the Bolivian people, her
love for the country and its past shows in her animated
voice and gestures.
A 1994 addition to the Ball State University
faculty with a degree from Harvard Graduate School
of Design, she feels strongly compelled to study the
agricultural and ancient traditions of the people of
Bolivia's Lake Titicaca basin. True understanding of
the landscape is achieved by studying Andean history,
mythology, and religion in conjunction with traditional
agricultural practices, Coffin maintains.
Villagers and farmers who lived many years ago
in the outskirts ofTiahuanaco, Bolivia, cultivated the
earth using raised-field practices, a highly successful
farming method. In contrast, today's residents have
adopted the tilling methods of Western Europeans as
they cultivate barley, soybeans, and potatoes.
However, the homes of the residents continue
to have sun-dried adobe walls and grass thatched roofs.
Llamas are less common in the area than they once
were but are still present. In addition to serving as
cargo-carrying beasts of burden, the llama's wool is
woven into native costumes, and its meat supplements
the beef, pork, and mutton that is raised locally.
by Hank Nuwer
7
Il,·
temperatures. "They cope with changes in their lands
and must do so to remain," Coffin says. "They
understand wetlands."
A great deal of Coffin's time has been spent in
archival research at the Archives of the Agrarian Reform
in La Paz, mapping all the natural agricultural systems,
gardens, ditches, and canals that are a part of large
communal landholdings. To develop an information
database, she has searched through archival records to
see how the inhabitants over time have divided land
parcels for the purpose of getting the most food from
the often uncooperative soil.
Coffin's part of the
collaboration requires her to
study land use and land tenure
systems; in particular she
develops strategies for
organizing ownership patterns.
Part of her research is simply to
determine who owns what and
how that ownership has
changed over time. Coffin also
has studied life under the Inca
conquerors and under the first
European treasure seekers who
subjugated native peoples in
the sixteenth century,
depopulating the area as they
snatched away families to force
them to work in silver mines.
Not until a land reform act was passed in 1953 did
peasants finally have access to the land. Descendants
of Europeans were allowed to keep their haciendas but
were forced to divest themselves of large landholdings.
Even though the work of Coffin and Kolata will
be completed by the end of 1998, giving future
scholars comprehensive information on land use and
demographic patterns from the late nineteenth century
to the present, Coffin plans to continue her research in
Bolivia.
"This is a lifelong commitment," she declares.
As Coffin flashes each successive slide, her voice
assumes the com~and of a teacher, pointing out
complex drainage 'Systems and carved stone architectural
remnants (some from basalt brought from Peru) dating
from 200 B.C.E. to around 1000 C.E. She displays a
stunning photograph of a full moon over the vast
altiplano and describes how the ancients revered the sun
and moon and Mother Earth. "Subterranean temple
walls were laid out to line up with the four cardinal
directions," Coffin explains. The main entrance faced
east to honor the rising sun.
Coffin's latest project, funded by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Office of Global
Programs, began in 1996 and is
in collaboration with Alan Kolata,
a University of Chicago
archaeologist. The two undertook
research to study how the
inhabitants of the Lake Titicaca
basin of Bolivia have sustained
life in spite of the harsh, widely
variable climate.
Although the land is about
two miles above sea level, it is
arid in places, and the lake
sometimes floods. The ancients
developed adaptive agricultural
strategies to compensate for flood
and drought conditions often
encountered at different elevations. In the past, raised
surfaces kept the fields from being flooded. During
periods of drought, canals between the fields provided
a source of water. Therefore, the system could resist
some of the anticipated fluctuations in climate and offer
farmers some protection from starvation. Today native
peoples continue to farm the land productively for
potatoes, grain, and legumes in spite of the challenges
of the sometimes annual fluctuations in the lake's
boundaries and occasional year-round freezing
8
,·O f Corporate
50nds and
Gsmic Structures
Land of the sari, Ramayana, and sitar. Home to
industrial growth, communications satellites, and
nuclear reactors-India generates a wide range of
images. However, this is the broad view, the perception
of India in bold strokes.
The Ball State University community has an
opportunity to refine its perspective of India's culture
and people through the research experiences of its
faculty. Recently, two Ball State professors-one an
expert in finance and the other a musiciancontributed greatly to bring to the university the
realization that India, a nation steeped in traditional
culture, is also growing rapidly as an international
economIC power.
As the recipient of a Fulbright Research Scholar
Award, f\.athina Rathinasam.:J of the Department
of Finance returned to his native India to study the
country's bond markets and their performance in the
last few years. Inspired by India's recent shift from a
socialist system to an open market economy,
Rathinasamy's research, though highly specialized in the
area of finance, was grounded in the shifting political
climate of India. After a change in governments, India
liberalized its economy in June of 1991. Among the
reforms introduced by the new government were the
deregulation of capital and money markets and the
"rationalization" of interest rates. In a short time, the
nation's stock and bond markets experienced major
growth.
For Rathinasamy, the connection to his research
was natural. "Given my interest in international finance
by David Endicott
9
66 J30~'.
.
and having come from India, I
was interested in examining the
emerging bond markets."
Actually, Rathinasamy saw the
prestigious Fulbright award as an
opportunity for a logical
extension of his previous
research. He relates, "In one of
my published papers, I examined
the factors that affected the
default risk of corporate bonds.
I had analyzed bondholder
returns in my dissertation work."
Specifically, the Fulbright
award enabled him to study the
Indian bond market, the third
largest in Asia. Rathinasamy's
work analyzed the return, risk,
and historical performance of
various debt instruments,
including government treasury
bills, commercial paper, and
government and corporate bonds
of varying maturity. He worked
closely with the Reserve Bank of
India (similar to the United
States Federal Reserve Bank)
gathering data for the sample
period covering bond
performance from 1985 to 1995.
According to Rathinasamy,
"Preliminary findings indicate
long-term bond returns in India
seem to outpace inflation.
Therefore, Indian bonds have
been inflation hedges."
Originally from Thalatheru,
in the province of Karaikal,
India, Rathinasamy received his
early training in agriculture in his
10
.-,:1
native country but completed
doctoral work in business at the
University of Tennessee. His
teaching career has included
positions at the University of
Minnesota and Rutgers
University.
As an educator, he is an
advocate of the university's
teacher-scholar model. Of this,
Rathinasamy states, "I firmly
believe in it. I have integrated
the results and findings of my
research into my teaching. The
students in my International
Finance course are learning
about the January Effect in the
United States dollar market from
my paper on that topic-which
was demonstrated for the first
time by me." Rathinasamy's
students also will have the
advantage of witnessing firsthand
the value of original research,
namely, that thorough study
by a prepared investigator can
bring life and meaning to what
was formerly vague or unknown
-in this case, the emergence
of a modern economy in a
vibrant India.
/J
For George Waite of the School of Music, the vitality of India can be found
in her very soul-the centuries-old Hindustani music still played today. Although
a dedicated professor instructing students in the performance of the modern
saxophone, Wolfe's interests extend far beyond that realm. Wolfe received a Faculty
Open Fellowship from the Lilly Endowment to study the music of northern India
at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, and with Diam Ali
Quandri in New Delhi.
Vital to Wolfe's interests and experiences is the exploration of the cosmological
structures of philosophical traditions as expressed in music, religion, and other
aspects of culture. For Wolfe, it is the emphasis on a worldview that incorporates
the parallels of Eastern and Western thought that stimulates his interest in Indian
music. «It is almost as if the music was originally designed to teach the philosophy,"
asserts Wolfe. For him, this realization is vital to a true appreciation of the music.
11
After his initial exploration of the music, Wolfe "began
relating its musical structures to themes and symbols
found in Hindu scripture. That's when I started
crossing over into the philosophical domain." In turn,
this led him to recognize the cosmological components
that he felt were present in Western classical music.
Wolfe states that "Indian music is the most
sophisticated dron~-based music in the world. Its
structure is a microcosm of the Vedic worldview, a
creation in miniatllre. The drone represents the eternal
unmanifest condition of creation, from which the forms
of creation (in this case melodies and rhythms) are
born, evolve, and ultimately dissolve at the end of the
'kalpa' or creation cycle." The strict adherence to the
rhythmic cycle (tala) reflects ancient societies'
perceptions of cyclical creation.
As in his own performance, an understanding of
the union of music and philosophy influences Wolfe's
teaching. "I teach the structure of the music, and then
I use it as a stepping stone into the philosophy. This is
now my approach to teaching Western classical music
as well as the music of India." Central to his teaching
of Indian music is the method of learning both melody
and rhythm through the oral tradition of verbally
chanting the lesson. Wolfe applies the process of
verbalization to the teaching of Western music because
it offers students an intermediate step between learning
the music cognitively and applying it to their
instruments.
Wolfe came away from India with an admiration
for the importance of music in contemporary Indian
culture. "The music plays a very active role in society. It
really amazes me how things can be modernizing so
much, yet people are still extremely interested in their
classical music. There are performances going on all the
time. People often go to them several times a week."
All of these observations contribute to Wolfe's
admiration for India and its culture. These experiences
have helped shape the saxophonist-educator, refocusing
his appreciation of Western music while relating it to an
Eastern tradition. Ultimately, his perspectives on the
culture of India provide a basis for his role as educator
that can only expand the diversity on this campus. "You
should not judge a culture by its technology alone. The
artistic achievement in the Indian culture is extremely
profound. If you are going to look at a culture you
must look at all of its elements."
,•
!
,
-"a
~
~
12
W omen in
W ar in5
earch
ot feace
by Sabine Zosel
We saw the images of the faraway civil war in the
former Yugoslavia flicker over our television screens.
As with most media representations, our understanding
of the events remained limited, framed by camera shots
and news accounts.
Francine Friedman, director of Ball State's
Office of European Studies, delved deeper into the
region's turmoil. Interested in the role that women
play in civil wars, Friedman visited the former
Yugoslavia twice in 1997, attempting to study the
13
politicization of women during wartime and how this
phenomenon affec:ts the search for peace.
Her research' compares women's roles in the
Yugoslavian conflict and the American Civil War.
The comparative study, which is intended to highlight
similarities across culture and time, produced a
fascinating record of the motivations of women who
become leaders for peace during war. Written accounts
from women in the American Civil War complement
the interviews carried out in the former Yugoslavia.
The project's significance lies in its potential to increase
our understanding of what elements contribute to the
phenomenon of war and the search for peace. Although
it is apparent that the world still experiences wars of
different kinds, the knowledge of human reactions
might help in seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts.
During her recent trip to the Balkans, Friedman
was able to speak with representatives of women's
groups in Zagreb, Belgrade, and Sarajevo, gathering
information on the role of women leaders in the
postwar era. Fascinated by Women in Black, a group of
Serbian women protesting against the war, Friedman
raised questions about the risks of a female protest
movement in a predominantly patriarchal society. "I
was interested in how and why these women so bravely
risked their lives," states Friedman. "What motivated
them, in their daily struggle for survival, to protest
against the war?" Intrigued by the activism of these
women, Friedman was able to immerse herself in the
culture, collecting data not only on Serbian, but on
Bosnian and Croatian women as well.
The material gathered from her experiences in
the former Yugoslavia includes tapes of interviews and
written accounts. Yearbooks and conference papers put
out by Women in Black and by other women reflecting
on the war supplement Dr. Friedman's sources. The
language barrier did not pose a problem for Friedman,
who reads Serbo-Croatian and speaks Russian, a
language with a Cyrillic alphabet that translates well
into Serbian. "To immerse yourself in a foreign culture,
it is essential to learn its language," notes Friedman.
Traveling in a war zone and through cities
scattered with ruins and bomb craters was no easy task
for the American professor. "Flying into the Sarajevo
airport, which is still predominantly military, is flying
over bombed-out buildings, concertina wire, and
sandbags. The devastation is incomprehensible,"
Friedman states. "The big 1984 Olympics stadium is
now a cemetery for war casualties of all ages. While
you might not hear gunshots, the war is still very
much on the minds of the people."
Friedman, who teaches courses on International
Relations, Contemporary Europe, and Russian Politics,
stresses the necessity of becoming aware of the world.
"With the Internet supplying connections to people
around the globe, it is ludicrous to focus just on the
United States," she explains. "I want my students to
see themselves as part of the world community."
Bringing her own experiences into the classroom has
been successful. They let her present a more personal
view of international experiences, one that students
from Indiana can relate to. Friedman encourages her
local students to interact with Ball State's international
student community because international students can
provide stimulating firsthand perspectives on foreign
affairs.
Reflecting on her role at Ball Sate University,
Friedman laughingly states, "Gorbachev helped me get
my job here!" In response to the far-reaching changes in
the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the
university recruited Friedman, a specialist in the politics
of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and
provided for an Office of European Studies. She
considers it extremely important to look at the effect of
international events on students in Muncie. "Ball State
University's expanding teaching and research programs
that study the turmoil in Europe emphasize Ball State's
role in the world arena. We need to make our students
aware of their place in world affairs."
14
A Clearer
fo:cus with a
farawa-y kns
by Sabine Zosel
Michael5tevenson l s
In understanding gender
relations, he considers it vital to
study women's and men's lives in
other contexts. "Much of
psychology has been dominated
by Western, industrial, JudeoChristian values," Stevenson
notes. "Working, studying, and
living in a non-Western culture
gave me the opportunity to
expand my own thinking in
connection with the theoretical
assumptions that limit our
field."
Energetic and not afraid
to step into a different culture,
Stevenson explored the
intricacies of Indonesian life.
"It is fascinating to be in a
country of more than three
hundred different languages
and identifiable groups and to
experience such a wide variety
of cultural specifics," states
Stevenson. "It is not unusual to meet a person who
speaks at least four languages." His willingness to
explore and experience a culture so different from his
own has given him a rich collection of stories to draw
from when preparing for his courses in psychology.
Outside his official obligations, Stevenson did
volunteer work for Lentera, an AIDS education
organization, helping to contact, alert, and educate
government and health officials to take action while
the number of HIV-infected patients was still low.
"Poverty is an extremely important factor in
office is scattered with
memorabilia from Asia and the
Middle East, and when he
speaks of his international
projects, one of which led him
to Indonesia, his face brightens.
As a Fulbright scholar in
Indonesia, Stevenson offered
lectures, workshops, and
seminars for faculty, for
graduate and undergraduate
students in psychology, and for
graduate students in American
Studies at the Universitas
Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta.
He spent his second semester
at the Universitas Indonesia in
Jakarta, where he consulted on
curriculum development and
feminist pedagogy for the only
women's studies program in the
country.
Michael Stevenson's professional history illustrates
his extensive background in gender and sexuality studies
as well as in related areas of public policy, HIV issues,
and homophobia. His teaching experience in Ball State's
Department of Psychological Science includes courses
such as Child Development, the Psychology of Women,
and the Psychology of Human Sexuality. While serving
for three years as the Director of the Women's and
Gender Studies Program, Stevenson helped expand the
program and make the curriculum more inclusive and
in terdisci plinary.
15
\
f
determining
containment and
treatment options in
Indonesia," explains
Stevenson. "It is vital,
however, that action is taken
before the disease turns epidemic,
as it did in Thailand." For Stevenson,
effective AIDS education must also
address prejudicial attitudes toward the gay
community. Articles like "Searching for a Gay Identity in
Indonesia," published by Stevenson in the Journal ofMen's
Studies, document the realities of homosexuality in Indonesian culture.
Describing the effect his year in Indonesia has had on his teaching at
Ball State University, Stevenson claims, "Being in Indonesia changed the way
I think. It is much more effective to live outside your own country and look
back at its culture than it is to view it from within." Stevenson is an enthusiastic
observer, intent on understanding the subtleties of a culture. "Watching people
interact in another country," states Stevenson, "supplies me with stories that I
can share with my American students. It helps them understand their own culture
and peculiarities." Such experiences seem especially valuable for students who
have limited experiences abroad. "I want to encourage others to take part in
international exchange programs because it helps them learn about who they
are as members of their own cultures," Stevenson notes.
His interest in international studies has also led Stevenson to Yemen.
The recently reunited country presents fascinating questions about the roles
of women and the indirect way in which these roles affect men. Stevenson
intends to conduct research in this Middle Eastern country, which has had
to endure change of enormous proportions in every layer of society. His
future students will be the beneficiaries of this intriguing study.
16
Cultural 5roker tor
/J
AII5easons
by Jennifer Hawke
When it comes to classroom size and faculty-student
ratios, the consensus is the smaller, the better. But
5ung-jae Fark, professor of physical education
and director of Ball State's Far East Exchange Program,
has other ideas about this.
From his small campus office, Park has made the
world a classroom for students and faculty. For thirty
years, he has developed programs to bring together the
people of the continents of North America and Asia.
Ball State University students and faculty have
participated in study tours to the area and in exchange
17
programs with China, Korea, and Japan. Scholars and
performers from those countries have resided at Ball
State for varying l'engths of time. Even business leaders
from Asia have be~n welcomed to Muncie for cultural
and language exchanges. All have gained from the
experience of sharing.
As a teaching tool, there is nothing like travel.
A select group of eleven students makes the trip to Asia
every year after Ball State's spring commencement. They
prepare thoroughly, completing a semester-long course
before the trip to learn about the languages, cultures,
and histories of each country. When they arrive on the
other side of the world, the students and accompanying
faculty spend two weeks in China including three days
in Hong Kong, two weeks in Korea, and ten days in
Japan. Supplementary funds for the program are
provided by the Friends of the Far East, a network
established for the benefit of the university's programs
in East Asia.
Part of the trip is spent with host families,
giving students a firsthand look at everyday life in these
countries. The students lodge with families during
their entire stay in Japan. "Many of them develop longlasting friendships with their host families and keep in
touch over the years," Park notes.
Park relates that many students return home with
changed philosophies of life. They seek out other travel
opportunities, going to Europe, Mexico, Mrica, or back
to Asia. Some students and faculty members go back to
the sponsoring universities, such as Yeungnam
University in Korea, to teach. "During just the last
three years, we have sent twenty-five Ball State
graduates to Korea and Japan to teach English," notes
Park, himself a graduate ofYeungnam University.
Faculty members, including those from the performing
arts, business, and communications, have taught there
from three or four months to a year.
Ball State also regularly welcomes students from
Asia to the Midwest. "Every year we bring visiting
scholars to Ball State," says Park. "These scholars stay
from a few months to a year, learning new technologies
and educational systems, while sharing their
professional experiences with our faculty and students."
In recent years, another campus program has
helped to make world travelers of more Ball State
students, even if they remain in Muncie. Focus on ... ,
a series of events made possible with funds from
business organizations and universities in Asian
countries, the Hudson Institute in Indianapolis, and
the Indiana Humanities Council, puts each country in
the spotlight. Each Focus event lasts four to five days,
featuring student discussions, lectures, and presentations
on the relationships, education, history, business, and
culture of the country. Artists from the Asian country
visit and perform on campus, as do speakers and
educators. Recently, for instance, two retired generals
from Korea came for the week of events. Ball State's
Asian students, numbering more than four hundred,
participate in the presentations, helping their fellow
students grasp what it means to be Korean, Japanese,
or Chinese.
The surrounding community benefits from these
events as well. Dance groups from the visiting countries
give high school and public performances. Recently, a
Japanese drum corps gave a performance, and the
public was invited to a Japanese tea ceremony and a
martial arts exhibition.
Business exchange programs are another
impressive outreach of the Far East Exchange Program.
On a regular basis, Korean and Japanese business
leaders visit Muncie and the campus. While here they
tour public schools, talk with members of the local
Chamber of Commerce, and attend cultural events. In
1997, Ball State hosted the nineteenth International
Conference for Business and Economic Development,
which brought leaders of small businesses from Korea
to Muncie.
The importance of these programs grows every
year, according to Park. Not only is technology bringing
together partners in business and education, but
businesses are recognizing that a mutual understanding
of cultures is necessary to interpersonal communication.
With the number of companies that are establishing
offices and manufacturing plants in foreign countries,
the demand for people able to speak both the business
and cultural languages only increases. Today, more than
18
IJ
30,000 Indiana residents work in more than 150
Japanese-owned companies.
"There are great opportunities for Hoosiers, here
and abroad," says Park, who has seen students take steps
in their careers inspired by their experiences in the Far
East Exchange Program. One student, for instance, got a
job with an advertising agency in Japan after teaching
there for a year.
Those opportunities apparently have not been
lost on the other countries. Nineteen ninety-eight
marks the thirtieth anniversary of the student-faculty
exchange programs with Yeungnam University in Korea.
"Through changes in the leadership at all these
institutions, these exchange programs have continued,"
says Dr. Park.
19
Gtending the ~ach
by Hank Nuwer
praised Sung-Jae Park's "attempt to move beyond the
ambiguous relationship between Japan and Korea,
[which has been obscured due to ... dark emotional
undercurrents]' in the hope that we can cooperate with
each other as members of a larger Asian community."
One of the best-received programs was ASIA IN
US: Windows with Pacific Views, an imaginative
interactive computer display that captivated school
children in all seven Muncie-area school corporations,
the Muncie Area Career Center, the Muncie Children's
Museum, Indiana Factory Shops, Minnetrista Cultural
Center, and the Muncie Mall. The traveling exhibit
explored cross-cultural transplants from the United
States to Asia and from Asia to Indiana, according to
Swedeen. Children at Delta Middle School and other
area schools accessed information available on a
CD-ROM that allowed them to witness the daily lives
of people in China, Japan, and Korea. Area teachers
were given informative library resource kits. The
council used its home page on the World Wide Web
to give computer-savvy Indiana residents the same
information the children had. In addition, they were
put in touch with more than seventy ASIA IN US
links.
"There was constant attention on the Far East
thanks to a modest grant," Pitts said. "This is an
example of how the university, building on its strengths,
can take a small amount of funding from a state agency
and connect with the larger community. It doesn't take
a whole lot of money to have a quality program if the
right people connect with the right resources."
Sung-Jae Park's colleague across campus, Associate
Provost 5everle~ Fitts, has extended Ball
State's international connections to the Muncie
community, particularly to school children, thanks
to a project funded by the Indiana Humanities Council.
She has directed a pilot program of the council called
ASIA IN US.
The ASIA IN US program offered "an excellent
opportunity for Ball State University to work with the
community of Muncie in bringing focus to a very
important part of the world," stated Pitts. "The 'US'
was a bit of creative wordplay to make those who heard
it think of the United States," she explained. "IN" was
a similar reference to Indiana, noted Ann Whitlock
Swedeen, director of International Programs for the
council.
ASIA IN US is part of a campaign by the
Indiana Humanities Council, together with the Lilly
Endowment, to increase international awareness in
the state and to encourage cultural exchange and the
exploration of business opportunities with Japan,
Korea, China, and other nations of the Pacific Rim.
The events at Ball State gave the university and the
Muncie community an opportunity to experience
the arts, culture, and commerce of these important
members of the international family of nations.
The Center for International Programs, under
the direction of James Coffin, also participated in this
project, which gave participants from the center the
opportunity to learn about Asian social customs and
points of view. A highlight was a visit by Haruki Abe,
a journalist for a prominent Japanese newspaper, who
20
fsdom
. "\:.~
IF' '
by Hank Nuwer
Landlocked Ball State University is one of only a
handful of colleges that offer undergraduates the
opportunity to take part in nautical archaeology
studies. The program is ancillary to the overall
archaeology program in the Department of
Anthropology, and it reflects a particular interest of
ProfessorJ 0 hn Do rw in. The program boasts a field
experience that takes students out of the classroom and
into a veritable underwater laboratory off the coast of
Grand Cayman Island-thanks in part to a National
Science Foundation award funding the purchase of
diving gear and other necessities for students. Ball State
has offered nautical archeology classes since Dorwin's
arrival in the early 1990s. It has done so with essential
equipment only, not with the custom-built submarines
or state-of-the-art decompression units of longestablished programs at maritime institutions.
"Underwater archaeology is inordinately
expensive to start and retain," says Dorwin. "It is
equipment-intensive and highly technological."
Nautical archaeologists work hand-in-hand
with countries where wrecks repose and take pains to
distinguish themselves from treasure-hunting pillagers
seeking profit from sunken treasure or ancient specie.
Sunken ships are virtual time capsules because the
21
22
breakfast. In the days and months that followed, the
Geneva Kathleen was dismantled and her cargo and
her own hull went into the building of several vessels
and other structures on land. Even a water tank was
removed and turned into a cistern for a local resident's
house. Two years after the shipwreck, a hurricane broke
up what was left of the Geneva Kathleen, tore her
from the reef, and deposited her in about eight feet of
water. Nature covered some of the ship's carcass with
sand, silt, and turtle grass, and gaily colored fish began
darting in and out of the wheelhouse and other pieces
of machinery that remained.
A museum exhibit, including Dorwin's
summary report of the Geneva Kathleen, is planned
by the Cayman Islands National Museum in the fall
of 1998. Dorwin maintains that the project is every
bit as much a result of student effort as it is that
of a committed professor. "It flies in the face of the
traditions of archeology," Dorwin declares, "I will take
twice as much time to do a project with students
running equipment. I put up with breakdowns in
equipment due to student handling, but that
equipment was purchased for their use."
The Cayman wreck has inspired Ball State
student Michael Arbuthnot to write a paper on the
Geneva Kathleen's windlass, freight-hoisting apparatus,
and other remains. Other papers researching the crew's
diet have been written by Abraham Navarro and Alys
Caviness.
After the museum exhibit appears, Caymanian
authorities may use her for educational purposes,
allowing tourists and students to investigate her remains
on a marked snorkeling trail site. If that comes about,
Dorwin just might have to change his estimation of the
Geneva Kathleen. Although she may not have been
special in life, in her final place of rest, she is a buried
treasure that might entice more than one student to
pursue a career in underwater archaeology.
That, indeed, would make her special.
construction of the ship and what remains of its cargo
reveal important information to historians and social
scientists. This type of treasure has little monetary
value, but it is priceless in terms of learning
opportunities for researchers and students.
The reason for the first Ball State trip to Grand
Cayman (repeated three times since) was to investigate,
with the approval of the Cayman Islands National
Museum, the wreckage of the Geneva Kathleen.
Unlike well-publicized underwater archaeological
excavations, such as an expedition to a Late Bronze Age
(1600-1100 B.C.E.) shipwreck at Cape Geliodonya in
Turkey or the salvage ventures involving the
Titanic and Andrea Doria, the nonacademic world is
not likely to find the Ball State undertaking particularly
glamorous. "There was never anything very special
about the Geneva Kathleen," according to Dorwin.
"She was a workhorse."
This "horse," a three-masted schooner made
of oak and pine, was used to transport lumber from
the timber-rich United States to the tree-sparse islands
of the Caribbean. Hauling lumber was a marginal
enterprise, said Dorwin, and none of the ship's various
owners from 1918 to 1930 made substantial profits
after they subtracted operating expenses and the cost
of labor.
In 1930, the ship-bound for Curacao-was
destroyed when the ship's master, Erskine Connolly,
intentionally or accidentally put her "aground on Bluff
Bay Reef off the northeast shore of Grand Cayman
Island," according to Dorwin. There is some anecdotal
evidence that the ship's owner arrived on the scene
"perhaps a bit too quickly" to file a claim for insurance.
Present-day Caymanians who recall the wreck have
been somewhat reluctant to reveal what they know
about its demise.
What is known is that Connolly, a Caymanian,
stayed on board with his crew members overnight
following the wreck, then took the men to his home for
23
esea rcher ot the '(ear)
th~
l:,b) and the Great Dane
w men athletes have begun to make names for
by Jennifer Hawke
0
themselves in amateur and professional sports events
once dominated by men. Professional baseball and
basketball are no longer the realms of men only, and
women's swimming and track and field events grow
more popular with every Olympic and world
competition.
There is another woman competitor who,
in her own way, has helped hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of these athletes-both men and women.
Gale Gehlsen, director of Ball State University's
Biomechanics Laboratory, knows that the small things
add up and can make or break an athlete's performance.
"I think most people know me for my dog," she
jokes, referring to Babe, the black female Great Dane
that accompanies her on walks across the university
campus and frequently welcomes visitors to the
Biomechanics Laboratory.
But that is hardly the case. Since 1969, Gehlsen
has distinguished herself by receiving grants for more
than seventy-five research projects funded by federal
and private agencies. Among other things, she has
studied the use of counterweights in jogging, falls in
the elderly, improving stroke mechanics in competitive
swimming, wheelchair propulsion, and knee joint
rehabilitation.
The official literature describes the Biomechanics
Laboratory as "fully equipped to quantify all types of
musculoskeletal biomechanical experimental data ...
research conducted may be classified as either clinical or
sports biomechanical." In other words, the laboratory
counts, measures, and tracks reactions and changes that
24
occur when the body is in motion. But instead of
using test tubes, petri dishes, and pipettes to gather
information, Dr. Gehlsen and her staff of seven
graduate assistants and one undergraduate use
treadmills, monitors, blood pressure cuffs, video
cameras, computer models, weights, and human
subjects to gather data. From this information, other
researchers can determine, for instance, how to avoid
injuries or new ways to promote healing.
Gehlsen first came to Ball State to teach
physical education. She soon discovered her
affinity for research, however. "I just
thought it was more fun than anything,"
she says. "I like looking at a problem
and trying to find ways to solve it."
Some problems were less "fun" than
others, however. "I literally built
my first lab in a closet in Ball
Gym," says Gehlsen. "When it
would rain, the water would
leak in, and I'd have to pick
up all the equipment and
move it!"
Biomechanics
research was in its infancy
in the late 1960s and early
1970s. It was also lacking
an important point of view.
"The field [of research] was
almost all men at that time,"
she says. "There were very
few women who were
accepted. Even at my chapter
meetings of the American
College of Sports Medicine,
there would be very few women.
And all of the research, until the
passage of Title IX [the act of
Congress prohibiting federal funding
to gender-biased programs], was mainly
focused on men."
,
/
'.
'.
",
25
That began to change. One of Gehlsen's first research projects
evaluated cardiovascular endurance in women college athletes. Another
one evaluated the causes of shin splint injuries in female athletes. Then,
in 1979, th~re was the "bra study." With a small grant from the Clark
Foundation, Gehlsen evaluated several bras designed for women athletes.
At the time, relates Gehlsen, there was no information on the topic-and
no takers from the male researchers. "A lot of my colleagues said I should
just drop it-I got a lot of kidding about that one," she says, laughing.
"But it got us some recognition."
In the following years, the Biomechanics Laboratory began
securing larger grants for its projects, including grants from the National
Institutes of Health; the Indiana Association for Health, Physical
Recreation, and Dance; the Center for Hip and Knee Surgery; and the
American Association of Retired Persons.
During the last five to six years, Gehlsen has worked closely with
Ball Memorial Hospital's Performance Dynamics, the sports medicine
fellowship and outpatient physical and occupational rehabilitation center.
This program provides services for people with sports- or work-related
injuries and for their prevention. "Dr. Gehlsen has had a hand in almost
every project we have done at Performance Dynamics and in our
fellowship program," says Thomas Sevier, sports medicine physician and
director of the sports medicine fellowship program at Ball Memorial
Hospital. "She is very willing to innovate. If there is no machine available
to collect the data we need, she'll create it. She gives us that strong research
base and biomechanical support that have helped to make our program the
number one sports medicine fellowship in the country."
During her career, Gehlsen has enjoyed successes large and small. But
the best moments, she says, are the ones that remind her why the work is
important. "I think the best thing about doing research is the contact from
your colleagues, people who have read your research article and want to talk
about it," says Dr. Gehlsen. "That makes my day every time.
"I had a call from a high school swimming coach in Wisconsin," she
adds. "He told me the state was going to set standards at high schools that
would prevent swimmers from diving into pools less than five feet deep for
their starting dives." This rule was based, she says, on the research she had
done in 1992 and 1993 that showed that, among competitive swimmers,
many diving accidents happened on the first dive of the day.
"If we save just one young man or woman from becoming a
paraplegic, then we've done some good."
26
Distinguished Dissertation ot the Year
.Inclined toward Innovation
by Sabine Zosel
topic. Her study examined the social and work
environment and the corresponding potential for
change on the part of administrators in Fort Wayne
Community Schools. Using literature and methodology
found in sociological and management studies as her
theoretical groundwork, Robinson gathered data from
214 administrators and professional and technical staff
members in responsible leadership positions within the
district.
The investigation attempted to determine
relationships between elements of personal growth
and professional training on the one hand and the
administrative group's support for innovation and
change on the other. The study also assessed the
influence of selected demographic variables (age, race,
gender, employee classification, and length of service)
on the group's propensity for change.
Rooted in actual problems of educational
organization, the study has a well-documented practical
utility. Findings were used by the school district to
move toward school renewal, and they helped provide
a better understanding of strategic planning processes.
As deputy superintendent of the Fort Wayne
Community Schools, Robinson is now constantly
involved in long-term plans for school renewal and
innovation in that district. Her dissertation offers an
excellent example of the application of professional
research to contemporary school reform.
School districts have to deal with an ever-changing
environment, one that demands that school principals,
superintendents, and administrators recognize new
trends and provide leadership for innovation.
How does "who they are" affect the ability of
administration personnel to grapple with needed
changes?
Wend!:) Robinson) winner of the 1997 Ball
State Alumni Association Distinguished Dissertation of
the Year Award, has tackled this important national
27
The AREA Lad~
Man~ contribute to Ball State's mission to provide outstanding
undergraduate education opportunities through the work of distinguished
teacher-scholars. Doroth~ Adalis)professor of biology and, since 1984,
associate director of the Office of Academic Research and Sponsored Programs,
is one. Her service in this role is highlighted
by her work with faculty in the sciences. Of
particular note is the Academic Research
Enhancement Awards (AREA) program of the
National Institutes of Health.
The goal of these awards is to strengthen
undergraduate training of health professionals
by enhancing the research environment for
them and for their teachers. The program
matches Ball State's mission, and under
Dorothy's leadership the university has received
twenty-nine awards totaling $2,216,363. This
success led the National Institutes of Health to
convene an AREA conference under Ball State
sponsorship in Indianapolis in 1995 to present
exemplary projects from across the nation.
Many Ball State students and faculty members
were featured. More importantly, AREA
research opportunities have provided a
generation of Ball State students with roles in
advancing the health care needs of the nation
through research.
Thanks to Dorothy, Ball State faculty and
staff have made important contributions
in other fields as well. Applications for space
research and educational projects have been funded through the Indiana
Space Grant Consortium, a network of five Indiana universities, including
Ball State, supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
She has strengthened funding possibilities for Ball State energy researchers
through Argonne National Laboratory and Central States Universities, Inc.,
a consortium of midwestern universities receiving funding in part from the
United States Department of Energy.
She has been a master mentor for Ball State faculty members, exulting
in their accomplishments and buoying them in discouraging moments. Her
many friends and colleagues salute her work and wish her well.
28
1997 List ot Sponsors ot Research)
S .c holarship) and Service
f
National Biological Service
business
National Cancer Institute
Alphaflex Industries L.L.c.
National Institutes of Health
Anixter, Inc.
National Science Foundation
Autodesk, Inc.
Office of Naval Research
Boehringer Mannheim Corporation
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Central Indiana Orthopedics
United States Department of the Interior
First Merchants Bank
United States Forest Service
Glencoe/McGraw Hill
Hawkins Industrial Resource Company
State
Holland Colors Americas, Inc.
Jimcon, Inc.
Governor's Commission for a Drug-Free America
Kelvin Electronics
Indiana Arts Commission
Microfit
Indiana Business Modernization and Technology Corporation
Middle Tennessee Pony Club Horse Trail Organization
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Motorola
Indiana Department of Commerce
Nixon Newspapers Benevolent Association, Inc.
Indiana Department of Education
Northrop Grumman
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Outreach Extensions
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration
Polar, Inc.
Indiana State Department of Health
Scottsburg Plastics, Inc.
Indiana State Library
The Compass Alliance Group, Inc.
Local
Trott Brook Equestrian Facility
Tubbs Snowshoe Company
City of Auburn
United States Games
Muncie Community Schools
Vollenbrock en v Voorthu
Office of Community Development and Neighborhood Services
W H. Brady Company
Foundation
College
Benton Foundation
Indiana University
Cinergy Foundation
Kyung-Hee University
Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Inc.
Marquette University
Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
New Hampshire Academy of Applied Sciences
Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation
Purdue University
Gravure Education Foundation
Wabash College
Inland Container Foundation
Yale University
Kauffman Foundation
Knight-Ridder, Inc. Fund
Federal
Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Argonne National Laboratory
Masonic Community Building Foundation
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Minnetrista Cultural Foundation
29
Muncie Altrusa Foundation, Inc.
Mary Daniel
Radio and Television News Directors Foundation
McMillen Center for Health Education
The BMH Founqacjon
Muncie Symphony Orchestra
:0
National Writing Project Corporation
Non-Frotit
Northeast Indiana Special Education Cooperative
Performance Dynamics
Alexandria Community Center
Phi Delta Kappa
American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund
Queeny Park Horse Trails Organization
American College of Sports Medicine
Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc.
Arbor Neuropsychological Assessment Clinics
Sigma Xi
Arts Midwest
Stockbridge Audubon
Ball Memorial Hospital
The Civil Rights Project, Inc.
Benjamin V. Cohen Peace Studies Program
The Nature Conservancy
Bloomington Convalescence Center
United States Olympic Committee
Capitol Region Tech Prep
United States Swimming
Center for Mental Health, Anderson
United Way of Central Indiana
Central Indiana Sports Medicine
Urban Enterprise Association
Community and Family Services, Portland
Corporation for Educational Communications
For more information about I)eneFacta or sponsored
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
research, contact the Office of Academic Research and
Eta Sigma Gamma
Sponsored Programs at
Friends of the Limberlost
Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Association
(765) 285-1600
Habitat for Humanity International, Inc.
(765) 285-1624 Fax
Indiana Academy of Science
www.bsu.edu/oarsp/research.htm
Indiana Campus Compact
Indiana Combined Training Association
Indiana Council for Economic Education
Indiana Family Health Services, Inc.
Indiana Historical Society
Indiana Jewish Historical Society
Indiana Minority Health Coalition
Indiana Space Grant Consortium
KCTS Television Outreach Extensions
Korea-America Research Center
Korea Economic Institute
page 1 Batik cap, Indonesia
Korea Water Resources Corporation
page 2 "Wttyong golek (puppet), Indonesia
Life Care Centers of America
page 5 Phytalmia alcicornis, photo by Gary Dodson
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
page 6 Phytalmia alcicornis, photo by Rod Morris,
Dunedin, New Zealand
Marion and Hamilton County Head Start
page 32 Ikat (woven cloth), Sumba
Marshall Start Head Start
30
Antlered fly
Papua New Guinea
Pachamama (Mother Earth)
Stone figurine, Bolivia
Bayan (percussion
instrument), India
Andean textile
Wedding painting on cloth
Northern India
Queen Conch, Grand Cayman Island
Batik tulis, Indonesia
Korean musicians in Han bok (traditional dress)
31
l)ENElJ\CTA
E:>allState Universit.:J was founded as a state institution in 1918, when the Ball
family bought and donated to the state of Indiana the campus and buildings of the
Muncie Normal Institute. In 1922 the school became Ball State Teachers College.
In 1965 the Indiana General Assembly renamed the institution Ball State University in
recognition of its growth in enrollment and physical facilities and the variety and quality
of the programs in its colleges.
Today Ball State offers a strong undergraduate liberal and professional education and
graduate programs of high quality. More than 140 major and minor areas of study are
offered through its seven colleges.
College ot Applied Sciences and Technolog.:J combines an applied emphasis
on career orientation with academic programs in business, education, and service.
College ot Architecture and Planning has an internationally recognized faculty,
outstanding facilities and technological resources, and innovative approaches that foster
professionalism and excellence.
College ot E:>usiness, ranked among the top thirty largest undergraduate business
programs in the nation, is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate
Schools of Business.
College ot Communication, Intormation, and Media, the university's newest
college, established in 1996, prepares communication professionals to face the challenges
and opportunities of the Information Age.
College ot Fine Arts offers solid professional preparation for careers in visual art,
music, theatre, and dance.
College ot Sciences and Humanities presents a broad liberal arts curriculum
and preprofessional preparation through many branches of learning.
Teachers College, one of the largest teacher education programs in the nation,
recently was ranked among the top ten educational institutions in the United States.
Ball State University practices equal opportunity in education and employment and
is strongly and actively co mm itted
to
diversity with in its communi ty.
98026 ur