You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home: A Biography of Dr. Heather Rice

Dr. Heather Rice, a Political Science professor at Slippery Rock University, has overcome a wide array of obstacles throughout her life. From a father who has legal problems and is in and out of rehab, to a family who misunderstands her, it took a great amount of effort to get where she is today, to finally be 'content'.

The Pittsburgh Pirates stadium, PNC Park, where Dr. Rice got married.
Photo taken by Autumn Hannold 

Rice was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a Pittsburgh sports enthusiast, especially when it comes to the Pittsburgh Pirates. She was raised by a single mother who had left her father when she was just two years old. As Rice grew up, she began to understand that her home life was not "normal". Rice realized why her mother had left when she was so young; her father was dealing with his own personal battles.



Rice attended Castle Shannon High School, where things started to look up for her. College application time was nearing, and she wanted to get "as far away from home as possible." Therefore, she applied to and was accepted to Clemson University in South Carolina. Dr. Rice would become the first member of her family to go to college.

After graduating in four years with her undergraduate degree in Political Science, Rice considered graduate school, and began the application process. Ironically enough, the best program she was accepted to was none other than the University of Pittsburgh, taking her right back home where she started.


Rice is now an Assistant Professor at Slippery Rock University. Prior to her full-time position here, she served as an instructor in a number of political science courses at Pitt, including "American Constitutional Law," "American Political Process," "Religion and Politics," and has served as a teaching assistant and department mentor. Rice was also the editorial assistant and reviewer for "Political Behavior".

Dr. Rice leading discussion in a Congress lecture.
Photo taken by Autumn Hannold 

Dr. Rice is popular among the students of the Political Science Department here at SRU, primarily because she connects on a personal level with all of her students. She has been teaching American National Government for years, which is a 100 level liberal studies course, which is dominated by non-majors. Rice told her upper-level Congress students about how frustrating it is to see students who don't care, because she wants them to care, and because she cares. "I just do not understand why a student would go through all the work of getting accepted into college and not put the work in. All of my students have potential, and if I have to push them to reach that potential, I will do that," Rice said.

Rice is open to suggestions for all of her classes, actively accepting feedback at the conclusion of every semester for every class. She values student opinion, and encourages all of her students to be vocal. "I was a student once, and I would not feel right making students do things that I would have hated, or did hate, as a college student. It's only fair," Rice said. It may come as a surprise, however, that she did not always
want to be a professor, until Ms. Laura Olson came along.

Dr. Rice's Congress students circle up for an intense discussion on policy making.
Photo taken by Autumn Hannold 

Congress is a 300 level course that Dr. Rice teaches every two years, during every election season. She has students maintain a weekly journal, containing reflections on the readings, class lectures and discussion, and the overall productivity of each class session. The class is also a discussion based course, so students actually rearrange the seating and make a circle. Rice reads all of the journals and leaves personal comments in each of them. Students applaud Rice for always giving them  the extra "shove" at the end of the semester when they are all struggling to stay afloat.


Angie Buchowski, a Political Science minor, gives credit to Dr. Rice for contributing to her experience as a Slippery Rock student.



Dr. Rice, as previously mentioned, was the first member of her family to attend college, let alone obtain a PhD. Although her efforts do not go unnoticed here at Slippery Rock, it is unfortunately an obstacle she faces with her family.

Dr. Rice with her husband and her son, Robinson, at a Pirates game.
Photo courtesy of Heather Rice 

Rice has had many problems growing up with her family, specifically her father. He is a drug addict and is struggling to find himself. However, Dr. Rice has worked on her relationship with him, and they have come a long way over the years. She may have had problems at home, and with her family, but she has made a name for herself here at SRU. She has a body of students who respect her and appreciate her hard work. She is now happily married and has a son, who she adores, named Robinson. The students in the Political Science Department are happy to have her.

Dr. Heather Rice: The Road to Becoming Laura Olsen on Dipity.

Biography Proposal

Dr. Heather Rice is a valued professor in the Political Science Department at Slippery Rock University. Growing up, she had a rough home life and experienced things that many people do not have to witness in their lifetime. Rice overcame many obstacles in her life, and despite those telling her should could not do it, she went on to get a PhD. She values the work ethic of her students and pushes those who are not capable of pushing themselves.

For this particular project, I'm going to focus on her story, and how she got to where she is today. This will include her difficult stories of her childhood, college, and her present-day life as a professor making a difference at SRU.

Edward Snowden: Traitor or Patriot?

Edward Snowden is a formal NSA subcontractor who made headlines in 2013 when he leaked top secret information about NSA surveillance... Traitor or Patriot?

Project Proposal: A Look at the Life and Conspiracy of Edward Snowden

For my project, I will be doing a brief biography on Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency, NSA. Snowden is a former member of the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, who leaked classified information from the NSA. In June of 2013, he leaked thousands of these classified American documents to numerous international media outlets. These documents revealed global surveillance programs and other top secret security information. Some label Snowden a hero and a patriot, others label him a traitor. His involvement in this government conspiracy has sparked debates over mass surveillance, government secrecy, and the balance between information privacy and national security.

There is a timeline element to this topic because dates of travel and Snowden's whereabouts are brought to the surface, as well as court dates, verdicts, and his current whereabouts. It is newsworthy because it affects every American citizen, and it was dealing specifically with our international and national government.

I will localize the story by interviewing members of the Communication and Political Science departments, as well as a Political Science professor. These interviews will contain educated responses because the interviewees will be experts on government organizations and communication mechanisms.

Slippery Rock Voters: Do You Know the Issues?

Polls opened Tuesday, November 4th, to elect the Pennsylvania Governor, and Slippery Rock's district representative for Congress. I went out to cast my vote at the Slippery Rock Township Building at 1:30 p.m. This particular election is generating a lot of attention from voters of all ages. Essentially, the ultimate decision of the voter comes down to two issues: taxes and education.

Education tops the list of concerns for Pennsylvanian voters. According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Tom Corbett is basing his campaign around the idea that there should be more efficient spending within the education budget. Tom Wolf, Corbett's challenger, opposes Corbett's argument stating that, "increasing Pennsylvania's education budget is in the best interest of the state."

Tom Wolf ran his entire campaign leading up to the election based on one fact: Tom Corbett cut nearly $1 billion from the state's education funding. However, Corbett's campaign replied in aggressive political advertisements, all stating that he "increased funds for education by $1.5 billion."

According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center, Wolf's claim refers to the $860 million deduction that school districts received in the 2011-2012 school year. On Tom Corbett's website, he refers to the additional funds allocated to school employee pensions during his term in office. In the last debate, Corbett argues that "we have put more money into education than anytime in the history of education in Pennsylvania." Corbett urges PA voters to realize that Wolf will hike the taxes in order to achieve his education funding goals.

Wolf has argued this claim, and proposes a solution to implement a five percent severance tax on gas drilling companies, which is a key part in his education funding formula. Wolf plans to overhaul the personal income tax, and address the state's unfunded pension liabilities. He also argues that the taxes will be well-managed, and that this is the most efficient option to raise the funding for schools across the state.

Latest polls show that Wolf is up in the polls 48-42, which is actually the tightest it has been in the race for the governor's chair.

A "Voter Information" table has been set up in the quad all day and they are answering any questions that students have regarding the election.

Karl E. Sparn, Jr. was a man I met outside of the Slippery Rock Township Building. Sparn was an educator for years, and retired after substitute teaching for the Slippery Rock Area School District.  He states that "We are losing our freedom at a very alarming rate," and wants voters to know that if you are voting for Tom Wolf, you are essentially voting for a "Mini-Obama". Sparn strongly disagrees with the tax formula proposed by Tom Wolf, and expressed how the plan is failing in the state of Ohio. Sparn gave me his card after our interview, where he promotes his Facebook page. The following image is a screenshot of one of his posts:

Slippery Rock University voters are being directly effected by the decisions made in Harrisburg, as they are enrolled in a public institution of learning. Arthur Richards, Jr., who previously wrote an opinion article in The Rocket made his point by saying that as college voters, we should be educated on ObamaCare, Schools and the laying off of over 27,000 educators, fracking and its effects on the environment, especially in State Parks, and finally, the concern of wages and raising minimum wage. Richards opposed Sparn by stating how this plan has worked in other states. Richards ended his statement by saying, "You college students are the future."

SRU UPB Hold Haunted House in the Student Center

Did you miss the Haunted House in the Smith Center? No worries, here's an exclusive look inside!

Safety First

Safety Management at Slippery Rock University started out with only 15 students, and now there are over 400 currently enrolled. How has this program evolved throughout the years? Check out this timeline for more information!

Safety Management at SRU on Dipity.

KettleCorn Video Remix Proposal

For the next project, I plan on getting footage of the "Spooky Stories: Halloween Meets History" event from 4-7 p.m. on October 24th at the Old Stone House. The event includes interactive storytelling, historical re-enactments and paranormal investigations. There will also be a costume contest for children ages 10 and under.

Slippery Rock UPB Reveals Fall Concert

The Slippery Rock University Program Board reveals the annual Fall Concert during the halftime show at the SRU football game against rivals Gannon University.

The Annual Autumn Leaf Festival and Clarion Homecoming!

The Annual Sunday Tractor Show is a main attraction for the rural residents of Clarion, Pennsylvania. Just as it is on Craft Day and the Car Show, all of Main Street is blocked off and the tractors are on display from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Current active duty members of local military branches and various bases join together for their march down Main Street during Clarion's Annual Autumn Leaf Festival Parade.




The Annual Autumn Leaf Festival, which is also Clarion University's Homecoming, is filled with notorious food stands lining both sides of Main Street. The "Poor Man's Apple" is a favorite of many A.L.F. goers.



The first to kick off the Annual Saturday afternoon A.L.F. Parade are local Clarion Vets, earning themselves a standing ovation.



Clarion University of Pennsylvania graduate, Michelle White, 24, discusses what the Annual Autumn Leaf Festival means to her both as an alum, and as a resident of Clarion County.



Above is the Art Gallery that contains the works of many talented Clarion University students, bringing artistic culture to the small, rural town.

Oktoberfest is back in Evans City!

Gambling... Yay or Nay?

The legalization of gambling has been on the center stage of the political arena, specifically in state governments, for years. Protesters of the legalization of gambling in all states are voicing their concerns about financial matters, stating that there is a trend with gamblers; they bet what they cannot afford to lose. On the other side of the argument, we have people defending the claims of economic stimulation, specifically increasing tourism generation and job creation.

Various studies have been conducted focusing on the human behavior aspect of gambling. Recent results of these studies indicate that people always want what they cannot have. Therefore, if legislation increases the number of people who are allowed to legally gamble, this should reduce illegal gaming behaviors. There is an overwhelming amount of social concerns that the public has discussed concerning the parallel of addiction and gambling. Like the addictive substance alcohol, the feeling of winning can be addicting. According to a handful of opinion leaders in cities that have recently legalized gambling, people are participating in more illegal activities in order to obtain the money to go out to these casinos. Along with alcohol, cigarettes, the internet and other addictive items, gambling involves self-control. A responsible gambler enters a casino with an “x-amount” of cash, with clear intent of only using only that amount for that evening. It is comparable to an individual walking into a bar with a few friends with the intent of only having a couple beers. An alcoholic feels they need alcohol to survive. Someone who is addicted to gambling would do everything in their power to get ahold of more money to fund their addiction, just as any other addict would do. Not everyone lacks self-control. Essentially, the argument that the majority of people are posing is, if we make gambling illegal everywhere, then there might as well be legislation banning alcohol, cigarettes, the internet and anything else that the general public uses for recreational purposes.

Looking at it from a political angle, it is a popular opinion that gambling would in fact balance our government’s budget. Sin taxes are taxes on items considered to be harmful or undesirable, such as alcohol and tobacco products. According to public documentation, the amount of federal excise tax revenue on cigarettes in 2011 was nearly $33.3 billion. By taxing gambling, it would provide enough revenue so it could potentially reduce the amount of taxation in other areas, (i.e. food), and lessen the burden on the lower class.

 Research indicates that it is a government assumption that legalizing gambling and enacting sin taxes would be a net gain to society. Debate will continue until the legislation reaches a verdict.  

 

Just Keep Swimming

My name is Autumn Hannold and I am a junior Public Relations major at Slippery Rock University. I'm particularly interested in New Media Journalism because as  PR major, I feel that it is crucial to be completely aware of the changing forms of media in order to efficiently represent clients and conduct more personal ways of business with the variety of publics. I've been a faithful user of social media ever since the times when my biggest worry of the day was what my 'profile song' was, or what color I had set as my background on MySpace. Then, I converted on over to Facebook where one can still find me from time-to-time. Twitter is how I find everything out, and it has become even more appealing now that you can "mute" people, meaning you do not have to start World War 3 by 'unfollowing' someone, you can just delete them from your timeline and they will have no idea.

Writing has always been a hobby of mine, whether it be for a class, blog, poetry, or an occasional Facebook rant. However, after participating in a few business courses my junior and senior years of high school, I soon discovered that I also had a passion for entertainment, sports, and traveling. It was then that my teacher introduced me to the oh-so-wonderful world of PR. A perfect little combination of business and writing? This certainly sounded like a game plan to me.

Going into college, I was focused primarily on American politics and government PR. Although I still hope to land a job on Capitol Hill some day, I have recently become interested in the tourism industry. I am happiest at the beach and take a serious interest in marine life and aquatic animals. I love traveling and exploring new cultures. So, someday down the road, I'll either be the White House press secretary, living on the beach in Charleston, SC, or I'll be boarding a Caribbean Cruise Ship loving my life.


As far as traditional news outlets are concerned, I tend to watch MSNBC. Politics are an interest of mine, so I do watch Fox News, too, to prevent selective exposure. I also religiously watch the 6:30 Nightly News Broadcast with Brian Williams. This could be because it is the quickest and most detailed recap of the day's events, or because someday Brian and I are getting married. Most of the time, however, Twitter is the quickest way to discover new information in today's media landscape. 

In terms of a new-media outlet, I shamefully admit that BuzzFeed takes up storage on my Apple iPhone. As non-credible and unprofessional as they are, the app does have some perks. When the user first downloads the application, they have the ability to select news that seems interesting to them. So, BuzzFeed essentially caters the news to your personal interests, unless it's a breaking news story, of course. Since younger people are not as interested in the news, Buzzfeed is an efficient way to expose them to stories that they would not have seen, had they not downloaded the app.