Issue 4: Winter 2006 Quarter - January 2006

EEP Names in the News

CSULA University Police dispatch card

PEEP Meeting - Emergency Preparedness. The December 4th PEEP meeting featured guest speaker on CSULA Emergency Operations, Desiree Bumgarner (Administrative Services Manager - University Police). The keyword in all emergency situations is flexibility, but knowledge of emergency skills and procedures will be invaluable to everyone. Highlights of many of the important issues reviewed at the meeting can be accessed by clicking here, which also has links to CSULA's Multihazard Emergency Plan. Thank you to PEEP Janice Cheung for being the catalyst behind this quest for better emergency preparedness! Please note: parents who could not attend the December 4th meeting, please be sure to fill in the emergency contact form and return it to the EEP office ASAP. And if you want a wallet-size dispatch card for your EEPster's wallet, just ask in the EEP office; there are a few extras.

Congrats to Rich! His biography was included in the 9th edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers -- what a wonderful honor!

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

• Elizabeth C. was hired as a Writing Consultant and tutor at the University Writing Center.
• Kimberly C. won as 1st place speaker in the Novice Prose category at the Interstate Regional Debate and Speech Championship Tournament held at Cal State University, Northridge (CSUN).
• Anita D. published an article in the University Times (UT) entitled, "Detecting Breast Cancer Early Saved and Changed Her Life" and was the first EEPster to ever publish through the UT in their first fall quarter!
• Cory O. won as the Bronze Medalist Speaker at the Interstate Regional Debate and Speech Championship Tournament at Cal State Northridge and was named to the 2004-2005 National Deans List
• Christopher L. (Elder) was appointed as a student representative for the College of Natural and Social Science for the Associated Students (ASI).
• Pam L. was the 2nd place Informative Speaker at consecutive collegiate speech & debate tournaments at both PCC at the Watson-Lancer 33rd Annual Tournament and at the Interstate Regional Debate and Speech Championship Tournament at CSUN. She was also a Finalist as an Informative Speaker at CSUN.
• Andre P. (Elder) was honored as the University's 2004-2005 Outstanding Senior at the annual CSULA Alumni Award Gala. Congratulations Andre!
• Andrew P. (Elder) & Cory O. won as the 1st place Novice Debate Team at the Interstate Regional Debate and Speech Championship Tournament at CSUN and Andrew finished as a 2nd and Cory as a 3rd place speaker at this CSUN Tournament. Andrew and Cory finished in 3rd place in the Junior Debate Team competition at the Interstate Regional Championship and in 3rd place in the Novice Debate Team competition at the PCC Tournament. They also were individual medallist winners at the PCC Tournament with Cory taking the Bronze.
• Claire W. completed a summer internship at Shepard of the Hills United Methodist Church, organized by the Center for Pacific and Asian American Ministries.

Is your daughter interested in LEEP? Ladies of EEP, a female support, conversation and reading group, has started up again. For more information email EEP Elder Helen N. Meetings are on a weekly basis in the EEP Lounge, with plans for exciting activities and fundraisers, such as Pie Day and the recent holiday Toy Drive. Your EEP daughter will enjoy joining this group of motivated, energetic and involved EEP ladies, having fun while supporting EEP!

Davidson Fellowships. EEP was asked by the Davidson Foundation to spread the word about possible Davidson Fellowships and scholarship opportunities for the EEPsters. Dr. Jan Davidson was the guest speaker at the PEEP Fall Welcome in 2004. Please visit the website for more information

EEP International! Three families visited EEP this fall from outside California. Interested students and their parents came from Nebraska, Puerto Rico and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Additionally, there was interest in EEP by families from Japan and Washington DC. Wow!

Office Volunteers Always Welcome. Rich's extra-busy schedule, with the large freshman class and his Ph.D. studies, means he is always looking for extra hands. He especially likes extra PEEP volunteers serving as the responsible adult presence in the Lounge, Monday-Thursday afternoons. Please check your new quarter 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), and then finally volunteer by emailing PEEP Ned Fenton. Thanks for any time you can spare!

University Testing Office and the WPCT. After a recent program review, it was recommended that the WPCT test be coordinated and administered through the University Testing Office. This change to the biannual SEAA Talent Search, Tester Reception and PEEP General Meeting events will be largely transparent -- nothing will change from a student-proctor or a parent-meeting perspective. The Testing Office will be responsible for the test floor and the actual process of administering the test to the students. Rich is happy with the change as it should mean less work for him in the long run!

Emergency Phone Tree. We are looking to make an emergency telephone tree for EEP families. In case of emergency, this tree would ensure that all families get a phone call with information. To not be too onerous, we are looking for volunteers that will make five calls each. To split up the list like this, we need about 35 volunteers. If you wish to volunteer, please email PEEP Donna Hay. We will distribute the emergency numbers from your emergency contact form, so please be sure to fill that in and sent it in to the EEP office. Given that so many of our EEPsters travel so far to come to school, please also consider setting up your personal Buddy System too -- click here for more information on Buddy Systems and what else you and your EEPster can do to be prepared.

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

Spencer's hiding the worst worn-out spots! Just ask your EEPster!

It's Annual Giving time! We have already met 36% of our annual goal, and a hearty thank you to all the parents who already sent in donations. For all of those who were waiting for their donation to count against 2006 taxes, now is the time! 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 Donna Hay. Please help us replace that worn-out furniture in the EEP lounge living room, and outfit the new space we still expect from the University. It's all for your children, and it's all tax-deductible, of course! (Mail to: Early Entrance Foundation, 16311 Ventura Blvd #1298, Encino, CA 91436).

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. New families can expect calls from PEEPs Zoya Kavutskiy, Jill Pacheco or Faith Urpa to answer questions and help them sign up their cards.

ebay Donations. Thanks once again to PEEP Helene Chemel for collecting those ebay donations at the December 4th PEEP meeting. All donations are sold through her i-soldit store in Chatsworth. If you missed that collection, drop your items off anytime, or save them for the upcoming Spring PEEP Meeting on April 23rd. Visit the I-SoldIt website for more information.

Upcoming Events for EEP Families

Winter Quarter began Tuesday, January 3rd Dates of interest for this quarter are:

Spring WPCT. The semi-annual WPCT and PEEP meeting will be Sunday, April 23rd. 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 December 4th? Don't feel left out -- click here for a summary of the highlights, including a link to the details of the Emergency Preparedness presentation by Desiree Bumgarner! Rich is always 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 spring cleaning! Click here for more details on the types of items good for resale on ebay.

EEΠX Store

Julian (and Matthew) with a Lemonhead t-shirt

Sharon's EEΠX sweatshirt

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-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 -- still a few left!
  
• 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. 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

An Evening with Cherríe Moraga. Poet, playwright, essayist, Moraga is also a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Theatre Playwrights’ Fellowship and is an Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University. Monday, February 6th, 6:15 pm at the Arena Theatre. Call the Cross Cultural Centers at (323/343-5001) for more information.

Love Day Celebration. Your EEPster will enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day with free popcorn and candy. Spin the Wheel of Love for a chance to win Valentine’s Day prizes. Take a keepsake photo with the day’s honorary cupid, the Golden Eagle. Decorate a Valentine’s crafts frame and jam to the beat as the DJ spins the hits! Tuesday, February 14th, of course, at noon at the Main Walkway

Engineering, Computer Science & Technology Week. It's an innovative week of activities geared toward ECS&T student, running from Saturday, February 18th - Friday, February 24th and includes:
- PROGFest 2006, a programming competition for local high school and community college students on Saturday, February 18th, 8 am- 6 pm. Call David Linnevers, ECST outreach coordinator (323/343-5604) for more details on this fourth annual contest.
- the ECS&T Career Fair with leading industry representatives
- the ECS&T Banquet.
Call the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology (323/343-4500) for more information.

Annual Latin Jazz - Eddie Palmieri, Tolú. Once dubbed "the Latin Monk" by timbalero Willie Bobo for the dissonance he customarily deploys in his solos, pianist Eddie Palmieri enjoys the distinction of having revolutionized Latin Jazz. Seven-time Grammy winner, Palmieri and his popular ensemble Tolú opens the evening with an explosive mix of jazz and Latin rhythms on Saturday, February 18th at 8 pm at the Luckman Theatre. Visit the website or call the Luckman Box Office at (323/343-6600) for more information.

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

• Guo-meng Zhao (Physics & Astronomy): "Evidence for room temperature superconductivity in multi-walled carbon nanotubes." Wednesday, February 8th at 8 pm in Physical Sciences 158
• Maj Dean Mirmirani (Mechanical Engineering): "Air-Breathing Hypersonic Flight Vehicles." Wednesday, March 8th at 8 pm in Physical Sciences 158.

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, including
- "42nd Street" on Thursday, January 12th at 8 pm at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre
- String Chamber Concert on Saturday, January 21st at 7:30 pm at CSULA Music Hall
- Visual Arts Exhibition, Saturday, Feb 4th - Friday, Feb 10th at the Luckman Fine Arts Gallery
- Dance Ensemble/Jazz Concert, Sat, Feb 11th at 7:30 pm and Sun, Feb 12th at 2:30 and 7:30 pm at Van Nuys HS
- Choreography Concert Fri, March 10th at 7:30 pm and Sat, March 11th at 2:30 and 7:30 pm at Van Nuys HS
- Winds Chamber Concert Sunday, March 12th at 3 pm at the Calvary Pres. Church in S. Pasadena
- Shakespeare Project Sat, March 18th at 7:30 and Sun, March 19th at 2:30 and 7:30 pm at Gabrielino HS
- Romeo & Juliet Friday March 24th at 8 pm and Saturday, March 25th at 7:30 pm at the Luckman Theater

Articles of Interest

The Preteen Tech Consultants - LA Times - November 25, 2005. "They can't drive or vote, but 8- to 12-year-olds are holding sway in the home when it comes to choosing devices." Click here for complete article.

A Flu Pandemic Is Expected to Happen Sooner or Later - LA Times - November 2, 2005. "No one knows whether the bird flu now migrating across the globe will cause a human pandemic, but researchers say it is inevitable that some flu virus eventually will." Click here for complete article.

What's the Buzz? Rowdy Teenagers Don't Want to Hear It - NY Times - October 28, 2005. Howard Stapleton, inventor of the Mosquito - a speaker device which projects a very shrill and very annoying tone that only youths can hear. Click here for complete article.

Cal State Raises Fees - LA Times - October 28, 2005. "Trustees approve an 8% hike for undergrads, 10% for grad students. Critics say the increases will make school unaffordable for some." 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, pension security, cross-dressing, eating disorders and much more -- click here!

Old Favorites! A Nation Deceived - a study summarizing 50 years of research on acceleration and its effectiveness - at this website http://nationdeceived.org/download.html and TIME's "Saving The Smart Kids" - a 2001 study found that 70% of kids who skipped ahead had no regrets.

Links of Interest, Past Issues, Contact Information