Issue 3: Fall 2005 Quarter - September 2005

EEP Names in the News

Korean educators at EEP with Rich and a few EEPsters!

Korean educators visit EEP! On Wednesday, July 13th, 23 top Korean educators from the Busan Science Academy in South Korea visited CSULA for the purpose of interviewing Rich and seeing the EEP in action! The Busan Academy is the only government-sponsored secondary school in Korea specifically designed for the highly gifted, and all the educators had advanced degrees, half with doctorates. It was an honor that the WCGTC (World Council for Gifted and Talented Children) and Dr. Barbara Clark (CAG, former CSULA education professor) recommended EEP for the daylong visit by Dr. Chris Yoon (CSUN faculty) and the Korean delegation.

Welcome to the 40 new EEPsters! It's our largest class ever, and is due to a special request by University Administration! Rich requested and received more office staff time (Erika's new hours are 7 am - 4 pm Mon-Fri, and Lisa added Thursdays from 8:30 am -12:30 pm, and there is also a new clerical assistant Mrs. Lupe Martinez who will supervise the lounge in the early evening) and hopefully EEP will receive additional space as well (see below). The record class size is surely the cause of the Catalina Island trip also setting record participation at 88 EEPsters.

EEPsters in the News. Congratulations to all the EEPsters in the news!

• Since 1997, four out of CSULA's seven Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) graduate fellowships awardees have been EEPsters -- David Nguyen (2005), Michael Tan (2003), Tina Nguyen (2002), and Leana Wen (2001). The seven PKP fellowships earned CSULA the honor of #1 ranking of all 23 CSU campuses for this very prestigious national award for academic excellence and scholastic promise.
• Andre P - Named the CSULA Senior of the Year 2005. Click here for the CSULA press release about the upcoming Awards Gala on October 20th, when he will receive his award.
• Charissa S - Named to the National Dean's list, CSULA Dean's list, and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
• Chris H - Named to the National Dean's list, CSULA Dean's list and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
• Jackie L-Z - Named to the National Dean's List and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
• Andrew P - Named to the National Dean's List, CSULA Dean's List
• CSULA Honors Board Election winners for 2005 are: President-Catherine T; VP Internal- Swapneel P; VP External- Chris L; Treasurer- Jennifer C; Recording Secretary- Claire W and Social Secretary- Winny S.
• Alezandra B-V - Elected President of CSULA Model United Nations (MUN)
• Andrew J - Elected as an ASI B&E Representative
• Stephanie S and Samantha L - Elected as an ASI Rep-at-Large

EEP media coverage. Rich was interviewed by three print mediums this summer: the Sing Tao Southern California paper for their Monday, June 22nd edition, JANE magazine (a popular girls magazine) on July 12th for dating tips for smart girls (Rich has been their volunteer expert on gifted adolescents for a while), and the New York Times (writer Ann Hulbert) on Thursday July 15th for an article to be published in the New York Times Magazine on accelerated educational programs and the nation's gifted youth.

Office Volunteers Still Needed. In August, Rich began his three-year quest for his PhD at USC. He leaves early (about 2 pm) on Thursdays, for classes, and despite the additional office staff time received from the University due to the increased student body, still needs PEEP volunteers serving as the responsible adult presence in the Lounge. He will be in the EEP Lounge as much as possible, Monday-Thursday, 6:30 am-4:30 pm, as usual, but would greatly appreciate additional volunteer help. Please check your EEPster's schedule to see when you might have a couple of extra hours on campus each week, then check for "approval" with your EEPster (some don't like parents in the office), then check our website for the schedule, and then finally volunteer by emailing PEEP Ned Fenton. Thanks for any time you can spare!

Still Looking for a parent volunteer for the EEPC. Is there a PEEP who is interested in volunteering to serve on EEPC's Judiciary and Disciplinary Committee? The parent member would correspond with the committee via email or telephone so the position isn't too time consuming. If any parent is interested and wants to volunteer or get more information, please email Samantha H., EEP Club Vice-President. Thanks!

EEF Website and PEEP Yahoo Group. Check out the EEF website continuously updated with tons of useful links and information -- Rich's favorite news articles, calendars of future events, summaries of meetings you had to miss, links to past newsletters, gifted resources, fun photos and much more! You will especially enjoy our private Yahoo PEEP group, also linked from the EEF website, which contains a private PEEP roster -- email directory and city -- so you can form a carpool or just get in touch with other PEEPs! (And note it has a handy search function on any field -- like zip code!)

EEF Financial News

Our new room - in need of furniture!

One new room to be added! We have delayed decisions on new lockers to plan for the promised new EEP room. It is the one beyond our current suite of rooms, and is planned for multi-use. It will have several tables with chairs, so can be used as a conference room, two computers, bookcases and a sofa. It is expected to be a (relatively) quiet room. Our new fiscal year began July 1st, and our annual giving request letters will be going out soon. We really would like a contribution from EVERY family, whatever the amount, so we can show a great level of support when we ask for grants. Oftentimes, the amount of funds granted are based on the level of parent participation, so every gift is very important. With questions, email PEEP Ned Fenton.

Electronic Scrip Update. We made over $200 last year, with only a few families signed up for part of the year. Our goal this year is $1000. So if you haven't done so already, sign up your grocery cards (not charge cards, just grocery club cards), for your family or even your friends and relatives too -- EEP gets a percentage back on all the grocery purchases. If you have no charitable organization specified on your cards, the stores just keep all the money. You can sign yourself up online (click here) or call PEEP Donna Hay at 818/905-6249 or PEEP Shelley Kadison at 310/246-9060 for more information.

Upcoming Events for EEP Families

Fall Quarter begins Thursday, September 22th! Dates of interest for this quarter are:

New Parent Welcome Brunch. We hope all PEEPs will join in on this special annual event on Sunday, October 9th, 11 am - 1:30 pm at CSULA's Golden Eagle Ballroom (3rd floor), to welcome the new PEEPs. A delightful buffet brunch, prepared by Golden Eagle chefs at a cost of $20 per person, will be served. We will need to provide a final count to CSULA by noon on October 5th, so please return that RSVP with your check ASAP. The special guest speaker this year is Dr. Richard Boolootian, Interim Director of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children (recently returned from the biannual conference in August). Come join in on this informal mixer where all our PEEPs will get a chance to mingle, to renew old friendships and make new ones. (Reminder: this is an adult-only event.) RSVP to PEEP, c/o Mr. Ned Fenton, 16311 Ventura Blvd, Suite 1298, Encino, CA 91436 -- checks payable to "PEEP."

EEP Fright Night. The annual Halloween festivities are scheduled for Friday, October 28th. Check back later for more details, or just ask your EEPster!

Winter WPCT. The annual WPCT and PEEP meeting will be Sunday, December 4th. The meeting is 10-11:30 am, followed by the 1-4:15 pm testing for prospective EEPsters. Did you miss the last PEEP meeting on April 17th? Don't feel left out -- click here for a summary of the highlights! We are looking for potential EEP candidates; if you know of any, please refer them to the EEP office 323/343-2287 or to the EEP website. And we will plan to accept donations for ebay sales too -- if you're doing any fall cleaning! Click here for more details on the types of items good for resale on ebay.

EEΠX Store

Yearbooks, Sweatshirts, T-shirts and More! We have it all! Just send your EEPster in with a check ("EEP Club") or cash, or you can even order these items by email from home or call 323/343-5488 and leave a message for April E. (yearbook) or Josh C. (treasurer):

Lemonhead t-shirt, license frame and yearbook

The ever-popular EEΠX sweatshirt

• Lemonhead T-shirts - only $10 cash or check for this one-of-a-kind long-sleeved shirt.
  
• License Plate Frames - Show off your EEP pride on your car for only $5! The top part says "Early Entrance Program" and the bottom part says "We're Better Than You!" The frames are black with bright yellow lettering.
  
• Yearbooks - Did you miss out on last year's amazing yearbook? No fear! You can still enjoy everlasting memories of the 2004-2005 year on dvd for only $15. And don't miss out on the hardcopy plus dvd yearbook, better-than-ever, planned for this year -- early bird special pricing at only $50 -- reserve your copy today!
  
• EEΠX Sweatshirts - Only $20 for this black-that-goes-with-everything sweatshirt with the oh-so-cool-EEΠX-logo available in S, M, L and XL sizes -- high-quality one-of-a-kind sweatshirts! While supplies last!
  
• Rings - EEP class rings, available for 4th year students and graduates, have an EEP logo (pdf drawing) designed by April E. and the insignia of the student's major and year of CSULA graduation. You can get an idea of what the rings will look like at the Jostens website and be sure to see the Josten's rep in person this month: Wednesday Sep 28th 11:30 am - 1:30 pm or Thursday Sep 29th from 2:30 - 4 pm! The rings cost $398 for the women's and $451 for the men's (10K white or yellow gold).

Upcoming CSULA Events of Interest for EEP Families

Ghost Love: The Spirit Girls

Exhibit: From the Dust Room. The first U.S. survey exhibition of works by Marnie Weber, featuring a selection of her hauntingly beautiful works of fantasy and fiction from the past five years. Tuesday, September 6th through Saturday, October 29th. In conjunction, the artist premieres her new performance work, The Spirit Girls: Songs that Never Die, as a special one-night event on Saturday, October 22nd, 8 pm, in the Luckman Intimate Theatre. Gallery hours: Mon.-Thu. & Sat., 12 noon - 5 pm. Visit the website www.luckmanarts.org or call 323/343-6604 for more information

Altoids® Collection

Altoids® Curiously Strong Collection. This exhibition features 22 new works by some of today’s most talented emerging artists, including Minneapolis-based John Largaespada, who pushes the expressive potential of photography in La Boheme, a scene of grotesquely disproportionate figures -- hyper theatrical, and more painterly than photographic. Other artists include James Gobel, Violet Hopkins, Elissa Levy, Katie Pell, Juan Miguel Ramos, Amy Sarkisian, Randall Sellers, Ana Sew Hoy, Yuken Teruya, and more. After its national tour, this collection will be donated to the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York. Saturday, November 12th through Saturday, December 17th in the Luckman Gallery. Visit the website www.luckmanarts.org or call 323/343-6604 for more information.

Concerts planned. Many free and discount concerts are planned for the Fall quarter:

• Free Jazz concert - Saturday, October 1st, at 6 pm - listen to Ellington, Strayhorn, Mingus, Newton, and more on the Street of the Arts.
• Pacific Contemporary Music Center Concert - Sunday, October 2nd at 8 pm - solo clarinet and multi-media from two extraordinary Australian musicians--Ros Dunlop, clarinet, and Martin Wesley-Smith, composer. (General, $10; students/seniors, $5)
• Tango Flamenco - Saturday, October 8th, at 8 pm - directly from Madrid, Spain, a sizzling hot blend of Flamenco and Classical Spanish Dance accompanied by the heart-stirring music of two Argentinian bands
• Interactive Jazz Experience – Sunday, November 6th at 3 pm - the Bennie Maupin Ensemble: Penumbra. A small jazz ensemble in an intimate setting

Science Series. A fascinating array of topics by top CSULA science professors, of interest to all. Call the Department of Physics and Astronomy at 323/343-2100 for more information.

• "Physics of Second-Generation Wires Composed of High-Temperature Superconductors." Professor Rodriguez, on Wednesday, October 5th at 8 pm (PS158)
• "The Impact of Special Relativity in Nuclear Physics: E=Mc2." Professor Aniol, on Wednesday, November 2nd at 8 pm (PS158)
• "Are Electrons Free in Today’s Metals?" Professor Bernal, on Wednesday, November 30th at 8 pm (PS158)

Annual Toy and Food Drive 2005. Each year, EPIC (Educational Participation In Communities) sponsors a toy and food collection drive on campus to bring holiday cheer to low-income families in the greater Los Angeles area -- non-perishable foods, canned goods, and new toys or used toys in "good" condition. Bring items to the EPIC office (Career Center-Lower Level) and call EPIC at 323/343-3380 for more information. Drive runs from Saturday, October 1st - Thursday, December 15th.

For information on all events, visit the CSULA online calendar to see all offerings on campus.

LACHSA too. EEPsters and their families might also be interested in LACHSA events. Visit their website for their schedule, with details on their many concerts throughout the LA area, as well as their events at CSULA's Luckman Theatre. As of the publication of this newsletter, their 2005-2006 calendar was not yet available.

Articles of Interest

Smart 'Problems' - townhall.com, September 13, 2005. "Let's face it: Most of the teachers in our public schools do not have what it takes to develop high intellectual potential in students. They cannot give students what they don't have themselves." Click here for complete article.

Debate over Textbook Costs Isn't Just Academic - LA Times, August 21, 2005. Textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of inflation -- find out why and what to do about it! Click here for complete article.

Deep, Dark Secrets of His and Her Brains - LA Times, June 16, 2005. Sandra Witelson had studied scores of brains looking for gender differences. Then she found one that made a difference: Einstein's! Click here for complete article.

A Bone to Pick in Indonesia - LA Times, June 15, 2005. Discovery of remains in a cave that may be of a previously unknown species of tiny human has set off a full-sized row among scientists. Click here for complete article.

For a link to the index of dozens of articles Rich has clipped -- to learn about "crispies'", "twixters", what makes teens tick, the meaning of life, identity theft, social security and much more -- click here!

A Nation Deceived; How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students. You can download a copy of this two-volume fascinating study on acceleration (including early college entrance) for free, directly from the website http://nationdeceived.org/download.html. The report, endorsed by NAGC, was released on September 20, 2004, and concludes that America’s schools routinely avoid academic acceleration, the easiest and most effective way to help highly capable students. While the popular perception is that a child who is accelerated will be socially stunted, fifty years of research shows that moving bright students ahead most often makes them happy.

Links of Interest, Past Issues, Contact Information