Search Among the Stars
November 9 - 12, 2006
Anaheim, California

Speakers and Special Guests

Ross Szabo
Mixed Drinks, Mixed Emotions: Alcohol and Mental Health
www.campuspeak.com

Ross Szabo is the Director of Youth Outreach for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign. He has a vast amount of experience both in living with and speaking about mental health. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 16. Ross experienced two hospitalizations and a leave of absence from American University due to a relapse with bipolar disorder, before returning to American and earning a degree in Psychology.

Ross’ program will look at the relationship between alcohol and depression. How many times have you seen a friend openly discuss all of their emotions while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and never talk about it again? Sometimes they forget what they have said. Other times they are too afraid to deal with it. A lot of times people are more comfortable addressing their emotions while they are inebriated. Self-medication has been one way college students have coped with difficult situations for many years.

Over two-thirds of young people with a substance use disorder have a co-occurring mental health issue. It is important to address the reasons why some students may be drinking to excess, abusing substances, driving under the influence and engaging in negative behavior. The average college student today is facing overwhelming amounts of stress, workloads, transition, pressure and mental health problems. Often times they suffer in silence, hiding their fears until they become too large to deal with.

This program addresses the ties between substance abuse and mental health. Ross Szabo has been speaking about this issue to hundreds of thousands of young people all over the country. His goal is to break down the stereotypes surrounding expression of emotion in order to help young people function at their highest level. Students will learn about mental disorders, positive coping mechanisms and the best ways to open communication amongst their peers.

Erin Weed
Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break!
www.campuspeak.com

When her friend and Alpha Phi sorority sister Shannon McNamara was violently murdered in her own apartment near Eastern Illinois University campus, Erin Weed decided that college women needed to know more about fighting back against potential attackers. From the loss was born, Girls Fight Back!, a program teaching women to trust their gut in threatening situations and how to effectively fend off a rapist or other attacker.

Erin is certified by the American Women’s Self Defense Association and has received training in car jacking situations, multiple assailant attacks, firearms, rape prevention techniques, criminal psychology and the judicious use of force. As a recent college graduate, she is especially effective in talking to young women about these scary issues. Erin’s session teaches women how to protect themselves by instilling mental confidence, physical survival tactics and inspirational ideas on how to live in a world with crime. Erin addresses the mental, emotional and physical components of defending yourself. Topics covered include: How to protect the home, ideas on preventing crime by learning to be a “bad victim”, learning the importance of trusting your intuition, practical weapons you have in your purse and how to use them, basic self defense moves that ANY woman can do, thoughts on how to feel safe in a violent world and learn the true power in a woman’s mind and body.

For the Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break Program, Erin addresses a high risk time period on college campuses. Students are gearing up for the long-awaited, MTV inspired Spring Break vacation, but the false ideology of whatever happens on spring break stays on spring break is becoming increasingly dangerous. In March 2006, CNN flew Erin Weed to Daytona Beach for a special report on Spring Break. Erin had the chance to get an in-depth look at what’s happening on spring break and the danger behind seemingly innocent situations. In this program, Erin will offer proactive strategies for: party situations, hotel security, avoiding date rape drugs, air & car travel and the top 5 ways to avoid crime targeted at tourists. She’ll also demonstrate her favorite self-defense techniques that could be used to escape a violent confrontation. Using her signature tone of down-to-earth humor, Erin serves as a helpful reminder to have a blast on spring break…but to do so safely.

Ty Ramsower
Director of Health Education Outreach
Claremont McKenna College

Program Title:
It’s Just Sex…
It’s fun, it’s always hot, sometimes it’s hard… it’s just sex.

Who’s having sex and what really is sex? Asking your sexual partner about his/her sexual history is good communication, but it isn’t enough to protect yourself. How do you reduce your risk and educate others when statistics show that students often lie about past sexual activity, putting their partners at risk of contracting STIs including HIV?

This humorous and informative presentation will have you laughing (and blushing) as you find out a little bit about yourself and explore what it takes to pull off a successful sexual health program. You’ll never look at “it” the same way again.

Ty Ramsower is the Director of Health Education Outreach at Claremont University Consortium. Ty has been designing and implementing original and creative health enhancing programs to address issues surrounding: sexual health, alcohol and other drugs, stress reduction, disordered eating and self-esteem on college campuses for eighteen years. He has developed and presented innovative STI/HIV prevention programs to diverse groups of adolescents and young adults at local and national conferences and to schools, colleges, and community groups across the US. Ty’s popular sexual health programs include “You Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine”, the Art and Science of Genital selfexamination, SWEET- Safe Wise Empowered Educated and Tested, and Eroticizing safer sex. His student centered presentation and instructional style encourage open discussion of sexuality, intimacy, relationships and sexual health in a friendly, humorous and responsible manner.

Ty also advises the Claremont Colleges Student AIDS Awareness Committee and has served as a board member and volunteer for Foothill AIDS Project—the agency that provides services for those affected by HIV/AIDS in the San Gabriel Valley. Ty received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and completed his graduate studies in Health Education, with an emphasis in human sexuality, at Kent State University.

Christian Murphy and Gail Stern
SEX SIGNALS!
www.catharsisproductions.com

Christian Murphy and Gail Stern founded Catharsis Productions in 2000. Their program, SEX SIGNALS, is an innovative response to one of our society’s most challenging dilemmas: nonstranger rape. Combining their experience in theatre, advocacy, comedy, and education, SEX SIGNALS incorporates humor and audience participation to foster greater understanding about the nature and impact of interpersonal violence.

The two-person show explores how mixed messages, gender role stereotypes, and unrealistic fantasies contribute to misunderstandings between the sexes. At their worst, these factors enable some to view date rape as simple seduction, and for victims of rape to blame themselves for their vulnerability. Although the message is a serious one, the show uses humor throughout to engage audiences in candid discussions about interpersonal relationships. Seasoned actors and educators, the performers strike a balance between laughing about the differences between men and women, and clearly communicating some serious messages about how we treat one another.

Gail serves as the Education Director for Catharsis Productions. She served as the director of the Campus Advocacy Network at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), providing crisis counseling and court advocacy to victims of rape and domestic violence. In addition, she has toured the country educating college students and law enforcement officers about gender-based violence and hate crime. In 1999, she appeared on “Politically Incorrect” with Bill Maher, and completed a master’s degree in Education at UIC, focusing on the relationship between humor and learning. She then served as the National Law Enforcement Training Coordinator of the Anti-Defamation League, a ninety year-old civil rights organization, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Christian serves as the Artistic Director for Catharsis Productions. He has been a performer, writer, director, educator, and presenter for over ten years. He co-founded and served as Artistic Director for Voices in Harmony, a nonprofit theater arts program that paired inner-city teenagers with professional actors to write and perform pieces exploring diversity. Christian is also a certified rape victim advocate. In addition to co-creating Sex Signals, he has been the program’s main male presenter since its inception and has presented it over 400 times.

Brent Scarpo and Patti Ramey
Last Call
www.brentscarpo.com

According to USA Today, 30% of all college freshman deaths are contributed to alcohol or drug overdose. Last Call is the groundbreaking program that looks at the reality of alcohol and how it affects your campus as well as surrounding community. Through the use of visuals, documentary footage, stories of personal tragedy and triumphs over alcohol, the presenters will bend the education curve into a whole new standard.

Brent Scarpo and former student affairs practitioner, Patti Ramey, will share with the audience their experiences of having to make the “last call” to a parent, a friend, a loved one. Participants will leave the program with real life skills on dealing with alcohol, alcohol abuse and the culture that it creates within our classrooms, campuses and communities. Students will be given the necessary tools of responsible drinking behaviors and how to engage their peers who abuse that responsibility.

For more than 15 years, Brent Scarpo has combined work in the entertainment industry with public speaking. Brent moved to California from Pennsylvania upon graduation from Mercyhurst College in Erie in 1984. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and began an acting career in film, television and commercials. In 1993 Brent began focusing his energies as a casting director. He has worked on such films as The Shawshank Redemption, Matilda, The Chamber, That Thing You Do, Dear God, and Air Force One.

Patti Ramey has over a decade of experience in higher education as a student leader, hall director, residence life director, educator and programmer at private and public universities. Patti became a member of Omega Phi Alpha, the National Service Sorority, and gained a new level of servant leadership in her own life. A member of the national board of her sorority for the past seven years and educator on the principles of service she began to see how one person can make a difference in this world.

Randy Haveson
Party With a Plan
www.randyspeaks.com

Know the Code 0-1-2-3, Party with a Plan is a program that will revolutionize the way college students look at the consumption of alcohol. The creator and presenter of the program is Randy Haveson, who brings over 18 years of experience as a therapist, university health educator, professional speaker, and recovering addict to this program. Randy’s teach, not preach approach to this topic has been widely accepted and appreciated on campuses across North America. Students see his method as nonthreatening, sensible, honest, and logical. Even non-drinkers appreciate the message!

Alcohol education often replays the same theme…“Just say no” doesn’t work for most college students. It’s time we had a new message, a real message. One that not only makes sense, but works! Finally that message is here. “Know the Code 0-1-2-3, Party with A Plan” gives students who choose to drink the tools they need to use alcohol in a safe and low risk manner. How to drink and not worry about DUI’s, fights with friends, or dropping grades. How to place a reasonable limit on drinking that draws an accurate line between those who drink and those who get drunk.

Social norming shows us that how you present information is vital to how it gets through to students. By putting the focus on the positive, you get more attention and more acceptance than highlighting the negative. Party with a Plan does the same thing! It shows students how to make good decisions regarding alcohol and provides solid guidelines to follow.