Spring 2018 e-Bulletin

Let us celebrate the accomplishments of the College of Social & Behavioral Science's faculty, staff and students.

You have all been hard at work, and it's time for some well-earned recognition.

Please continue to give us your feedback and suggestions for the e-Bulletin, as well as news of your publications, presentations, awards, accomplishments, upcoming lectures and events for the next e-Bulletin.

Again, thank you for your contributions to the college and university!

Asterisks (*) indicate WSU students.

Spring 2018 e-Bulletin

Publications and Presentations

  • Brooke Arkush (Anthropology) presented the paper "Results of Recent Excavations at Cottontail Rockshelter, an Archaic and Late Prehistoric Seasonal Camp in Eastern Idaho" at the 2018 Winter Meeting of the Utah Professional Archaeological Council in Ogden in February.
  • Sarah Herrmann (Psychology) published Herrmann, S. D. & Varnum, M. E. W. (in press). “Integrated social class identities are linked to academic success, well-being, and workplace satisfaction.” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.
  • Sarah Herrmann (Psychology) published Herrmann, S. D. & Varnum, M. E. W. (in press). “Utilizing social class bicultural identity integration to improve outcomes for first-generation college students.” Translational Issues in Psychological Science.
  • Sarah Herrmann (Psychology) presented “Using psychology to understand and reduce the social class achievement gap” in April, 2018 at the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association’s convention, Denver, CO.
  • Sarah Herrmann (Psychology) presented “A role model intervention improves women’s STEM performance and persistence.”
  • Huiying Wei-Hill (Sociology) presented two papers: "How to Teach Race and Ethnicity Effectively in Classrooms?" and "Girl Power—Empowerment or De-powerment of Women?” at the Pacific Sociological Association Annual meeting in Long Beach, CA in March.
  • Ron Holt (Anthropology) – A book review of A Chemehuevi Song: The Resilience of a Southern Paiute Tribe by Clifford E. Trafzer in New Mexico Historical Review Vol 92, No 1, Winter 2017.
  • Gary Johnson’s (Political Science) Urban Politics class presented three projects — a wellness proposal, a moderate income housing proposal and plans for a fitness park — before the Roy City Council, April 3, 2018. The following students presented: Braeden Christofferson, Andrew Coutee, Jayson Decker, Sara Kamppi, Andrew McDonald, Tyler Phillips, Parker Van Eerden, Jacob White, Ty Whitworth, Clinton Yingling and Jace Zemcik.
  • Susan Matt (History) presented “Homesickness, History, and American Emotional Life” at Dixie State University on Feb. 27, 2018 as part of the Dixie Forum, DSU’s weekly lecture series.
  • Shannon McGillivray (Psychology) published Hargis, M. B., McGillivray, S., Castel, A. D. (2018). “Memory for textbook covers: When and why we remember a book by its cover.” Applied Cognitive Psychology, 32, 39-46. doi: 10.1002/acp.3375
  • Marjukka Ollilainen (Sociology), with Kris De Welde and Catherine R. Solomon, gave two presentations: “Feminist Leadership in the Academy: The Role of Mentors in Cultivating the Next generation of Feminist Leaders” at the Sociologists for Women in Society Winter Meeting, Atlanta, GA and “Feminism as a Compass: Justice Minded Leadership in Academia” at The Southeastern Women’s Studies Association Annual Meeting, Clemson, SC.
  • Richard Price (Political Science) published “Linde’s Legacy: The Triumph of Oregon State Constitutional Law, 1970-2000,” Albany Law Review 80(4): 1541-1602; and presented “On Remand: Legal Strategies After Supreme Court Losses,” Annual Meeting of the Western Political Science Association, San Francisco, CA, March 29-31, 2018.
  • Makayla Reid* (Anthropology) presented the poster “Studying Aboriginal Foodways in Eastern Idaho: The Faunal Remains from One Unit at Cottontail Rockshelter” at the 2018 Winter Meeting of the Utah Professional Archaeological Council in Ogden in February.
  • Jodi Shegrud* (Sociology) presented her senior thesis study, “American Mormon: A Case Study in Value Priorities” at the 2018 National Council for Undergraduate Research conference at the University of Central Oklahoma in April.
  • Madelaine Tesori* (Political Science), a 2017 WSU graduate, will present her research entitled “Can Policies Mitigate Barriers to Healthcare among African Americans?” at Posters on the Hill in Washington, D.C. in April.
  • Stephanie Wolfe (Political Science) presented “Memory Beyond the State: An Examination of Memorial Practices” at Memorialization Unmoored – The Virtualization of Material Mediums of Social Memory; the Reflections on the Aftermaths of War and Genocide Symposium at Yale University, March 8-9, 2018.
  • Sarah Herrmann, Shannon McGillivray, Julia Blumenstein*, Jesus Saavedra*, Rosemary Sage*, John Simmons* and Samantha Tibbets* (Psychology) presented “That Face Looks Bitter: The Impact of Taste on Judgments of Emotional Expressions” in April, 2018. Poster to be presented at the WSU Research Symposium and the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Denver, CO.
  • Sarah Herrmann, Shannon McGillivray, Tamara Cardon*, Raquel Lemos* and Monika Sahleen* (Psychology) presented “Why are you Wrong? The Effects of Challenging Information, Religiosity, and Superstitions on Beliefs About Psychology as a Science” in April, 2018. Poster to be presented at the WSU Research Symposium and the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Denver, CO.
  • Sarah Herrmann and Jesus Saavedra* (Psychology) presented “A qualitative analysis of first-generation faculty experiences.” Accepted at Rocky Mountain Psychological Association’s convention, Denver, CO.
  • Shannon McGillivray and Sabrina Badali* (Psychology) presented “Proving People Wrong: Effects of Perspective and Presentation Modality on Overcoming Misconceptions” in April, 2018 at the annual Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Denver CO. Poster was presented at the WSU research symposium.
  • Shannon McGillivray, Hunter Anderson*, Sabrina Badali*, Giuseppe Paucarpura* and Joanna Reeder* (Psychology) presented “Truth vs Fiction: The Influence of Learning Styles and the Testing Effect on Prediction of Memory Performance” in April, 2018. Poster to be presented at the WSU Research Symposium and the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Denver, CO.

Awards and Recognitions

  • Eli Alexander* (Anthropology) was accepted to graduate school at the University of British Columbia, starting in fall 2018.
  • Dan Bedford (Geography) was named a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor by President Charles Wight.
  • Ryan Bell* (Sociology) was accepted to a PhD program at Oxford University, UK, starting in fall 2018.
  • Chris Binning* (Criminal Justice) accepted an offer to attend the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
  • Nicole Callaway* (Anthropology and Sociology) was accepted to the International MA program in Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University, Israel. Nicole has also been offered a position as a contributing author to Ancient-origins.net, an archaeology online journal, which also includes articles regarding science, mythology, religion and history.
  • Rosemary Conover (Anthropology) received the Karen J. Ashton Storytelling Award for her nine years of serving on the Festival Executive committee as the University Liaison for the annual festival. She helped to organize and spoke at 10 campus symposia.
  • Rosemary Conover (Anthropology) was recognized at the Faculty Senate on April 12, 2018 as a retiring former Faculty Senate Chair. She was the first woman to be elected at Weber State and the first woman in Utah to serve as a faculty senate chair in higher education (public & private institutions), 1985-87. T.R. Reddy and Richard Sadler were also recognized as retiring former Faculty Senate Chairs.
  • Miles Dittmore* (Sociology) was accepted to graduate school at St. Andrews University, Scotland, starting in fall 2018.
  • Cole Eckhardt* (Anthropology) received the Crystal Crest Man of the Year award in April, 2018.
  • Rosanne Farley* (Anthropology) was accepted to graduate school at the University of Utah, starting in fall 2018.
  • Sarah Herrmann (Psychology) received the Weber State University Student Success Grant ($9,830.48).
  • Kathryn MacKay (History) received the 2018 Faculty Governance Award from Faculty Senate.
  • Shannon McGillivray (Psychology) received the Weber State University Outstanding Mentor Award, March 2018.
  • Liz Murphy* (Anthropology) was accepted to graduate school at Boise State University, starting in fall 2018.
  • Marjukka Ollilainen (Sociology) was interviewed for the Standard Examiner article, “6th grade Valentine’s dance raises issues of consent, empowering girls,” Feb. 14 and her comments were featured in the paper’s editorial on Feb. 15, 2018.
  • Jenae Rusch* (Criminal Justice, Psychology) was accepted to the University of California Irvine School of Law where she is contemplating a PhD in Psychology. She was also accepted to University of San Diego School of Law, Chapman University School of Law, and Loyola Marymount School of Law.
  • Gene Sessions (History) was recognized by Disability Services with the WildCat Disability Collaboration Award. He was honored at a reception April 4, 2018.
  • Nathalia Whitecar* (Anthropology) was accepted to graduate school at Johns Hopkins University, starting in fall 2018.
  • Alison Smith and Alberta Young* (Political Science) received the Student Sustainability Research Award offered by the Sustainability Practices and Research Center for their project “Water Basin Water Conservancy District/Weber State University pricing Elasticity Study.”
Four CSBS professors will be retiring June, 2018: Rosemary Conover (Anthropology), T.R. Reddy (Political Science), Richard Sadler (History) and LaRae Larkin (History). They have given a combined 176 years of service to the college and will be retiring as professors emeriti. They were subjects of a story in the Ogden Standard Examiner on April 25, 2018.

Special Projects and Travel

  • Rosemary Conover (Anthropology) participated in the Utah Women in Higher Education (UWHEN)-Leadership Conference on "Mentorship Matters" with a poster submission on April 6, 2018.
  • Gary Johnson (Political Science), along with English professor Scott Rogers, received a Hemingway Grant to develop a Politics in Film class.
  • Kathryn MacKay (History) brought a group of students to the UVU Capitol Reef Field Station May 15-18, 2017 as part of an experimental history class studying the American West.
  • Mitt Romney made an appearance at WSU for an event co-sponsored by the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce and the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service on March 13, 2018. He was a guest lecturer for two Political Science classes (POLS 1100 and POLS 4750) and posed for photos with students.
  • Myla Andersen*, Serena Posluszny* and Aimee Urbina* (Political Science) organized Black Futures Month: Social Justice Today, a series of campus events including: Activism Today Luncheon with Amnesty, Social Justice Luncheon with Black Scholars United, two classroom visits and an evening panel with Black Lives Matter coordinators Jasmine Richards and Lex Scott. Feb. 27-March 1, 2018.