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Embarrassments of riches
Associate Professor of Psychology Ryan Howell commented for a May 22 Elle.com article about salary transparency. "What people are willing to talk about -- the intimate details of their lives -- is very surprising, but they feel talking about money is inappropriate. Getting people to ask why it's considered taboo in the first place is very important," Howell said. "The long process is to change what is taboo earlier on. Getting parents to be open with their kids about finances; having frank conversations, teaching them to have a healthy, positive relationship to money whatever their financial situation, and not to be embarrassed when these things come up."
Music to his ears
Lecturer of Music Allen Biggs' efforts to organize the inaugural Mokelumne Hill Music Festival in Calaveras County was the subject of a June 2 Calaveras Enterprise article. "My hope is that festival attendees will come away fascinated by having been exposed to something new, something they have never heard or seen before," Biggs said. "As human beings, we tend to surround ourselves with the familiar, we stick with what we know; new experiences can be uncomfortable, whether it be new tastes, new sounds, new experiences. And yet, if we are willing to venture out of our individual cocoons, we can have a very rewarding experience and come away the richer for it."
Young and adventurous
A June 11 San Francisco Examiner story exploring the sources of San Francisco's cultural identity included comments from Professor of Theatre Arts Larry Eilenberg and Professor Emeritus of History Bill Issel. "It was the place to be if you were young and adventurous" from its beginning, Issel said, pointing to the overnight boom caused by the Gold Rush. Eilenberg noted that between 1850 and 1859, there were more than 1,100 plays, operas and minstrel shows in the city. "It was an extraordinary hub, all this money was rushing in," he said.
More to cover, less coverage
Associate Professor of Journalism Venise Wagner discussed her experience as a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner 20 years ago in a June 11 San Francisco Examiner interview. "It wasn't just young people, it wasn't just the old geezers. ... You had fresh ideas but you also had institutional memory there," Wagner recalled. Today, "There aren't enough resources. There aren't enough people that they can send out to cover [underprivileged communities]. They're not even covering stuff that needs to be covered, really, like government in a very significant way. Not just going into meetings but actually doing investigations and digging deep. I just don't think there are enough questions being asked of the people who are governing us, and it's problematic. I understand why it's happening, but it's a huge issue."
Giant move
The June 15 San Francisco Examiner quoted President Les Wong on the University's partnership with the Giants Community Fund and Major League Baseball to create the Junior Giants Urban Youth Academy on the SF State campus. "We think with the presence of this team right here on campus that it's just the perfect opportunity to bring new programming," Wong said. "We really want to bring young people on to campus. We're finding out that one of the best predictors of going to college is being familiar with a college campus."
For more media coverage of faculty, staff, students, alumni and programs,
see SF State in the News.
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