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Across Campus
It started as a hobby, but by the time Lee Anderson and
Cecilia Gray retired from Sac State, they had second careers
as antique shop owners.
The two former faculty members—Gray was the associate
vice president for Academic Affairs; Anderson chaired the Department
of Design—were long-time colleagues and, as it turned out, prolific
collectors. Last year, they put those collections to use, opening Dish.
The 1,000-square-foot space focuses on kitchen and dinnerware from
the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s that the partners have collected over the years.
The store is also part-museum, Anderson says. Many of the pieces
are one-of-a-kind and are for show, not sale.
Anderson’s passion is for chrome and tends toward larger items like
coffeepots, toasters and waffle irons. Gray’s leans toward dishes such as
Fiestaware from the ‘30s and fancy china of the ‘40s. But she also contributed
more than 100 silver candy dishes to the cause.
“A lot of antique stores have a sort of ‘mishmash’ approach. Our
focus is on that specific period,” Gray says. It’s a timeframe that also
matches the Land Park neighborhood where the store is located, she
adds. In many cases, customers are looking for something to match
the vintage of the homes in the area.
Dish reflects Anderson’s training as an interior designer specializing
in lighting. And he continually tinkers with the look, mixing and matching
pieces. The space is divided into “rooms,” one decorated as a dining
room with dishes, flatware and photos to match the era, while another
has kitchen goods such as glassware, napkins and tablecloths. Another
is filled with old Hollywood photos and posters. Anderson and Gray
pay further homage to the ‘40s and ‘50s by keeping the store lighted at
night, as was the custom in that era.
The clients tend to be fellow antique collectors, often looking to fill
a hole in their own collections. That’s where the specialization comes
in. “We don’t have a lot of what you see elsewhere,” Gray says.
—Laurie Hall
Cool Course: RPTA 34 - The Outdoor Recreation Experience
Description: Students get a hands-on-to-theextreme opportunity to understand the value and benefits of outdoor recreation experiences. They explore a variety of non-motorized outdoor activities including rafting, rock climbing, backpacking and camping. Also stressed in the course are minimumimpact wilderness travel techniques and environmental responsibility and ethics.
Class work: Reading assignments focus on technical aspects of outdoor travel, such as coldweather physiology and insulation, nutrition planning and equipment for mountain, desert and river recreation, hygiene and first aid. Other course readings include human experiences, such as an essay by a woman who hiked the entire Pacific Trail alone. “There are physical, psychological and sociological aspects to the experience, which we explore as part of the General Education requirements for the course,” says Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Professor David Rolloff.
Assignments: The class backpacks into Desolation Wilderness, located west of Lake Tahoe at the crest of the Sierra Nevada, for a two-night trip. The group meets with government agencies that oversee the land and talk with forest rangers. A three-mile hike takes the class to the campsite, where students have lunch, learn about the area, filter their water and learn about leave-no-trace camping. Students also take a solo hike, spending two hours in solitude. “They are often amazed what they learn about themselves during that time,” says Rolloff. After returning from the trip, students talk about what went well, what didn’t and what was unexpected. They also write reflective essays.
Students say: After the overnight backpacking experience, student Michaela Nunn says, “Just as we started, we ended in the same way: with all our gear, all our members, strong in spirit and sharing an experience that will not be forgotten.”
—Kim Nava
Zen and the Art of Social Work
Followers of the Eastern philosophy
of Zen say it helps them center their
lives. Sac State Social Work Professor
Andrew Bein says practitioners in psychology,
counseling and social work
can also use Zen principles to better
reach their clients.
Bein’s book on the topic, The Zen of
Helping: Spiritual Principles for Mindful
and Open-Hearted Practice, drew accolades
from fellow social workers.
Using scientific and medical criteria
when sizing up a client can supply only
so much information, Bein says. That’s
where the “strong back, soft front” philosophy
of Zen can be used, he says.
The “strong back” is used to keep the
practitioner from giving up on a client as
a lost cause. At the same time, though,
he or she doesn’t try to pound the truth
into them, so the practitioner must also
have a “soft front” of open-heartedness,
Bein says. “It’s a little different slant.”
Bein emphasizes radical acceptance,
mindfulness and compassion for the
client —something that traditional
approaches may see as “soft” or nonscientific,
he says. To that end, Bein
asks the practitioner to “view one
person’s suffering as a river that flows
through everyone.”
The practitioner should also recognize
that being with the client is
an opportunity—a gift—to help that
person, Bein says. If just a few circumstances
were changed, it could
be the practitioner who was seeking
help, he says.
Bein embraced Zen Buddhism 10
years ago as a way to manage challenges
in his personal life. He incorporated
the philosophy into his profession
shortly afterward, finding that it fit with
the acceptance required in social work.
But he says practitioners don’t have
to practice Eastern spiritual traditions
to use his concept. If they don’t wish
to meditate, they could pray to bring
a sense of the divine to the encounter.
Even an atheist can view the approach
more along the lines of relaxation, he
says. “It’s about being inclusive.”
—Craig Koscho
Quiet please! Testing going on
Want sound advice? Then visit Sac State’s
anechoic chamber. Sometimes described as a
sound-proof booth, the two-story chamber in
Sequoia Hall is designed to reduce noise to far
less than a pin drop so precise sound measurements
can be taken.
The walls are constructed of a patchwork of
panels that absorb sound instead of reflecting it,
and the chamber floats on its own foundation
so that there is no interference from building
vibrations.
Its acoustic isolation is rated above 70 decibels,
says Gary Shoemaker, chair of the Department
of Physics and Astronomy, which runs
the chamber. “That won’t mean anything to
most people, but if a train were right outside
the building and went past, no one inside the
chamber would know it.”
The chamber is also electronically shielded
and can be used for precision electronic
measurements.
Students in Physics 130 (Acoustics) use the
room to learn how sound behaves, how it
impacts room acoustics and how it shapes loudspeaker
and microphone design and use.
“This room allows students to directly
observe subtle effects of sound and to measure
its impact on items,” Physics Professor William
DeGraffenreid says. “Sound is becoming
increasingly important in a number of applications,
such as building design. When a building
is designed, it’s important to make sure outside
noise doesn’t impact the ability of people in
the building to have a conversation or work in a
comfortable environment.”
The chamber is also used to teach the science
of music. Students in Physics 186 (Musical Acoustics)
learn the physical principles of vibration and
wave motion as they relate to musical instruments,
concert hall acoustics, recordings and the
reproduction of sound.
“Musical acoustics is a good class for anyone
who wants to be a sound engineer,” Shoemaker
says. “They would hear music in its
purest form and would get a richer, deeper
understanding of how the room and the audience
can affect sound.”
The chamber is one of the largest in the
state, Shoemaker says. In addition to its use in
teaching, it has been employed by different
entities including the California Highway Patrol
for a test of its sirens.
—Mike Ward
Secret Treasures of the Archives
What do you give to a collection that has a little bit of everything? Donors to
the Library’s Special Collections and University Archives have given a treasure
trove of items for scholarly research, along with some less conventional wares.
A set of dirt-caked golden shovels, a collection of historic birth control paraphernalia,
and a Richard Nixon punching clown can be found in the archives
offices in the University Library. You could also find a coiled-up snakeskin, a
postage stamp collection and, until recently, a piece of petrified cake left over
from the University’s 50th anniversary—before it got too moldy to justify its
continued presence (the University recently turned 60).
Librarian Julie Thomas says the more unusual pieces often arrive as part
of a larger collection of professional papers donated by retired faculty
members or dignitaries. The golden shovels came from late Sacramento
Mayor Joe Serna and have labels commemorating various groundbreaking
ceremonies. The Nixon punching bag was from the archives of
another former mayor, Phil Isenberg, who also was a delegate to the
1972 Democratic National Convention and who campaigned for candidate
George McGovern. The snakeskin was found in a file folder in
the papers of J. Harold Severaid, the first chair of the University’s Life
Science Department.
And while the quirky items accompany valuable historical documents
and papers, and provide a glimpse of the personality and interests of
the donor, they can also have research value of their own. The birth control
devices dating from the early 1970s were provided by Sally Wagner,
founder of the Women’s Studies program at Sac State. “I could see
someone finding value in those when studying that era,” Thomas says.
She adds that they are never sure what they will find when they
receive a collection. “And part of our job is to know politically what to
do with objects, as well as how to preserve them.”
—Laurie Hall
By the Numbers
29,011 - Number of students enrolled in Fall 2008, the highest in Sac State history
2623 - Number of those students who are first-time freshmen
59 - Percentage of students who are female
What's Your Favorite Thing About the Holidays
Courtney Franklin, Senior, Ethnic Studies “Soul food and spending time with family. I’m making peach cobbler this year.”
Roxanne Genver, Sophomore, Nursing “Seeing my family. I live in Sacramento so I’m close.”
James Henderson, Senior, Public Relations “It ’s all about family. We really cherish each other. I am lucky that I still have both my grandparents.”
Shyamal Jagtap, First-year graduate student, Electrical Engineering “Relaxing without exams to take. Eating a lot and not being stressed out.”
Trina Latrine, Sophomore, Photography “Winter. I really like cold weather. You get to wear great jackets like this one. It has toggles.”
We Want to Hear from You
We’d like to hear from you about this issue of Sac State Magazine. Please send your opinions about the magazine to infodesk@csus.edu, or Sac State Magazine, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819-6072. You can also call us at (916) 278-6156.