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Just for Media
The Office of Public Relations produces tip sheets for news media with current story ideas. Listed below are some topics about which Susquehanna faculty can provide expert comment. For additional information, please contact Betsy Robertson, 570-372-4119. Please be sure to consult the SU Source Guide for additional topics.
Spring Semester, 2001
Estate Tax: 05/01
U.S.-China Relations: 04/01
Spiders: 03/01
Speech Paydirt: 03/01
Freshman 15 02/01
Short Story Writer's Companion 02/01
Financial Aid 101 02/01
Tips on Successful College Essays 01/01
Tax Filing Tips from a Pro 01/01
Fall Semester, 2000
Who Owns The Land 10/00
Weighing In On Small Businesses 10/00
The Role of Evil in Harry Potter Books 08/00
Repeal the "Marriage Tax"? 08/00
Easing Into College Life 08/00
ESTATE TAX:
Richard O. Davis, associate professor of accounting at Susquehanna University, says a House measure related to repealing the estate tax that doesn't seem to be getting much media attention would impose a carry-over basis on inherited property rather than a step-up to fair market value. That bit of accounting jargon could have a significant impact on heirs. "First, the record-keeping could be enormous," says Davis. "We'd have to know what the basis is and maybe that was something that was determined years and years ago. Those records would need to be dusted off and brought in. It just seems to provide all kinds of potential controversies."
CONTACT: Richard O. Davis, associate professor of accounting, at (570) 372-4460 or rdavis@susqu.edu. 05/01
U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS:
William A. Ward, Warehime professor of business administration at Susquehanna University, says the greatest concern after the standoff involving a U.S. surveillance aircraft may be over U.S.-China trade relations. "The Chinese need us a lot worse than we need them," says Ward, a frequent visitor to China who witnessed the Tianamen Square tragedy firsthand while a visiting scholar at the Peoples University of Beijing. The Chinese "need our markets for their goods," he says. They need money, foreign direct investment, and that means joint ventures with American companies, he says. Technology, too, is another reason why China must maintain good U.S. business relations. "We can really describe China as a vacuum tube technology in a microchip world. They clearly need industrial technology," he says, adding that they need to know how to use that technology, yet another reason why they need the U.S. "They need technology, manufacturing, and business knowledge," says Ward. "True, they have a basis in entrepreneurial dealings in their culture and business in the past. But they don't have a large-scale international business history and infrastructure as a basis to compete in a modern industrial world.
CONTACT: William A. Ward, Warehime professor of business administration, at (570) 372-4463 or wardw@susqu.edu. 04/01
SPIDERS:
Matthew Persons, assistant professor of biology at Susquehanna University, says the fear of heights or the dread of public speaking wouldn't top the list of America's phobias. Spiders would, though. Persons studies the common wolf spider and says there is an unfortunate "basic ignorance" about spiders. Predators and cannibals they may be, but he says spiders are an ecologically important terrestrial invertebrate. Without the voracious foraging of spiders, for example, farmers would be hard-pressed to control crop-damaging insects. "Spiders represent a large classification of some 36,000 known species. There are probably just as many currently unknown," Persons says. "Despite their abundance and potential importance for the regulation of insect populations, they tend to be an understudied group." The wolf spider, also known as Pardosa milvina, measures less than an inch across and may be the single most abundant ground predator of agricultural fields in many areas, including Central Pennsylvania. That's the spider that gets much of Persons' research attention. Among his findings: spiders use airborne chemical communication and spider silk drag lines contain a wealth of information for both predators and prey.
Reporters who want more information or an interview, contact Matthew Persons, assistant professor of biology, at (570) 372-4526 or persons@susqu.edu. 03/01
SPEECH PAYDIRT:
Larry Augustine, professor of communications and theatre arts and department head, knows a good speech. As director of the Pennsylvania High School Speech League, he brings top Pennsylvania high school students to campus to compete in speech and debate competition. Among his top speech-making tips: Be aware of your audience. "How does your topic relate to them? How much do listeners already know about your topic? How does your topic relate directly to them?" Also, Have a clearly stated purpose. "This is what you want your audience to respond to as it is listening to your speech. This purpose should be able to be achieved in the amount of time you have been allotted." Use supporting materials. "Search for expert opinions on the topic. Use statistical information and examples to clarify ideas."
CONTACT: Larry Augustine, professor of communications and theatre arts, (570) 372-4355, or augustin@susqu.edu. 03/01
FRESHMAN 15:
It used to be a safe bet that new students gained 15 pounds in their first year. April-Borry-Black, administrative director of the Susquehanna University Health Center, says that while today's students are wiser about weight and exercising, weight gain can still exist for some. Among her tips on avoiding the Freshman 15: Eat regular meals. "People who don't eat regular meals are the ones who are ordering the pizzas and fast foods - and that's where the extra weight comes from," she says. Anecdotal evidence, though, suggests that today's students are more health conscious than in earlier years. "They are watching and monitoring what they eat," says Black. "That's really important. They, as consumers, are demanding more of the healthier choices. Twenty years ago, that was nonexistent."
CONTACT: April Borry-Black, administrative director of the university health center, (570) 374-4385, or blacka@susqu.edu. 02/01
SHORT STORY WRITER'S COMPANION:
Susquehanna University's Tom Bailey, assistant professor of English, knows about short-story writing. A successful short-story writer himself, Bailey has published his second book on writing. "A Short Story Writer's Companion," published in January by Oxford University Press, guides writers to a better understanding of the mechanics they need to create short stories. Where to begin? Bailey starts with a character draft. "Every character wants or needs something. Consider such a character. Name their desire. Now, simply ask yourself why they can't have what they wish for or need. That's your basic conflict. Now, keeping your eye on that problem, write a draft of the story in which your character struggles to satisfy the specified desire." If the draft goes wide of mark, Bailey says, write another. "In my opinion, there's no substitute for simply swinging away, draft after draft." As he tells students: "Short stories aren't written; they are rewritten."
CONTACT: Tom Bailey, assistant professor of English, (570) 372-4383, or bailey@susqu.edu. 02/01
FINANCIAL AID 101:
"The prospect of paying college expenses can be overwhelming," says Helen Nunn, director of financial aid at Susquehanna University. "Borrowing your share and delaying payments into the future can be tempting. Sometimes, it's even the best choice." First, though, exhaust other options - savings, better budgeting, paying off debt to free monthly cash flow - and never borrow more than needed. Also, consider first those loans offering tax deductibility of interest. "For many families, borrowing some portion of the family's contribution makes sense. Research indicates that holders of bachelor's degrees on average earn $15,000 per year more than their counterparts with no education beyond high school," Nunn says. And don't overlook a student's capacity to contribute. CONTACT: Helen Nunn, director of financial aid, at (570) 372-4453 or nunn@susqu.edu. 02/01
TIPS ON SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE ESSAYS:
College essays help to set a tempo for a student's candidacy and demonstrate the level of readiness for college writing, says Chris Markle, director of admissions at Susquehanna University. They, too, can carry particular significance for students whose grades or scores are less than stellar. His advice: keep it short - one to three pages. "Choose a topic with which you are familiar and about which you are passionate," he says. Be specific and descriptive, but vary sentence structure to avoid repetition and compound sentences filled with prepositional phrases. Use short simple sentences to power important points. "Involve yourself in the topic," he says. "YOU should have the starring role in your essay… Remember the cardinal rule of college application essays: your reader should know you better after reading your work."
CONTACT: Chris Markle, director of admissions, at (570) 372-4425, or his home, (570) 374-9352. Also, marklec@susqu.edu. 01/01
TAX FILING TIPS FROM A PRO:
"Congress seems to change (tax) law on an annual basis and most of us do not have enough time to keep up with these changes – which is why there are so many surprises that can bite you," says Richard Davis, an associate professor of accounting at Susquehanna University, and a former IRS agent. Among the potential surprises: A "kiddie tax" on children less than 14 years of age who are being claimed as a dependent on their parents' return. Investment income of more than $1,400 is taxed at the parents' marginal rate. Another: If a couple seeks an adoption that falls through, the fees for the adoption process are deductible IF the child is a U.S. resident, but not if he or she is a non-resident. "This is a big shock to many couples who are now trying to adopt children from overseas, such as Russia and other countries," says Davis.
CONTACT: Richard Davis, associate professor of accounting, (570) 372-4460, or his home (570) 374-1802. Also, rdavis@susqu.edu. 01/01
WHO OWNS THE LAND?:
When the glare of the Olympic spotlight fades, Australia will turn its attention back to the ongoing issue of Aboriginal land rights. "This is a problem that's been going on for over 20 years," says Dave Richard, assistant professor of biology at Susquehanna University and advisor for Focus Australia, a University program combining academic coursework and study abroad. "When the British first settled in Australia, they looked around the country and saw no one group of people settled in one area. They assumed wrongly that the land was not claimed, so they just took it. The Aboriginese people are very nomadic and moved around a lot, which is why the British didn't find them, and so they (Aboriginese) found themselves being displaced." Richard adds that the growth of an ultra right-wing nationalism under a party called "One Nation" has surfaced to combat the move to restore land rights to the Aboriginese.
CONTACT: Dave Richard, assistant professor of biology, (570) 372-4206 or richard@susqu.edu (e-mail). 10/00
WEIGHING IN ON SMALL BUSINESSES:
Which of the two presidential candidates would be more beneficial to small business if they were elected? William Ward, Warehime Professor of Business Administration at Susquehanna University, believes there are some real differences between the two major candidates concerning small business "because of their differing views on training and education, tax reform, and on FICA (social security)." He adds, "as a part of the tax reform package, their view on the capital gains tax is important, but probably the one significant item overlooked is killing the estate and/or death tax - so a business can be passed on to the appropriate heirs."
CONTACT: Bill Ward, who is on the board of directors for two dot-com start-ups, can be reached by calling his office at (570) 372-4463, or his home at (570) 374-8314. You can also e-mail him at wardw@susqu.edu. Ward is a national media expert on small business issues. His credentials include organizing and running an international conference on small business in Washington, D.C., about eight years ago, and being the past president of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 10/00
THE ROLE OF EVIL IN HARRY POTTER BOOKS
"The Harry Potter books have captivated children, yet can be chilling to adults," says Assistant Professor of Philosophy Anne Collins Smith. "Within the context of the stories, magic is real and may be used as a force for good or evil…Adults may take heart in knowing that the Harry Potter books vehemently discourage the darkness they describe. More important, the reference to darkness is actually necessary as an integral component of their powerful moral lesson."
CONTACT: Anne Collins Smith, assistant professor of philosophy, 570-372-4167 (o), acsmith@susqu.edu. 08/00
REPEAL THE "MARRIAGE TAX"?
Actually, there is no marital tax "per se," says Assistant Professor of Accounting Rick Davis. "Married couples are often taxed more than if they were single, because the standard deduction for marrieds is not twice the standard deduction for a single person. Also, the higher marginal tax rates kick in earlier for a married couple because incomes are combined." But, he adds, "this is only true if both spouses work. If one spouse works, and the other doesn't, then there is a 'marriage benefit,' and not a 'marriage penalty.'"
CONTACT: Rick Davis, assistant professor of accounting, 570-372-4460, rdavis@susqu.edu. 08/00
EASING INTO COLLEGE LIFE
Students going away to college for the first time have a huge adjustment to make, according to Kathy Bradley, director of counseling and associate dean for personal development. Among some of the biggest are combating homesickness, learning time management skills and dealing with personal finances."Homesickness is largely 'missing what's familiar' so make sure your son/daughter brings lots of familiar things along to college: favorite comforter, pictures of family/friends, special mementos and so on," says Bradley. She also encourages students to become familiar with campus and the surrounding town as soon as possible. For time management skills, parents should help their son/daughter pick out a good day-planner and have them write in important dates and phone numbers. Finally, Bradley says new college students should already have some experience handling money; if not, it's time to review the basics, such as personal spending, credit card use, and reducing phone bills.
CONTACT: Kathy Bradley, director of counseling and associate dean for personal development, 570-372-4238, bradley@susqu.edu. 08/00
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