PennDot Extends Various Deadlines, Offers Safety Tips During Crisis

Posted on June 3, 2020 by The Dunmorean

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has announced that expiration dates for driver licenses, identification cards, and learner’s permits, will be extended for Pennsylvania residents in response to statewide COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

Effective May 27, 2020, expiration dates for driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner’s permits scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020 through June 30, 2020, have been extended until June 30, 2020. These extensions are in addition to those announced on April 30, which extended products with expiration dates up to May 31 to June 30.

A camera card is considered a driver’s license, so it is covered by the same terms and conditions extending other driver’s license products. Camera cards with expiration dates within this timeframe are also extended through June 30, 2020.

Additionally, limited services are available at some Driver License and Photo License Centers. For a list of open driver license and photo license centers and the services provided, as well as their hours of operation, please visit www.dmv.pa.gov.

Customers may continue to complete various transactions and access multiple resources online at www.dmv.pa.gov. Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; and driver license and photo ID duplicates. There are no additional fees for using online services.

PennDOT will continue to evaluate these processes and will communicate any changes with the public.

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As counties move into the yellow phase of reopening and “Stay at Home Orders” are adjusted, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) remind drivers that traffic safety must be top of mind when behind the wheel.

“While social distancing is still encouraged, when you do travel please drive safely,” said Acting PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “We urge all Pennsylvanians to always wear their seat belts, adhere to speed limits, and never drive impaired or distracted.”

The agencies are partnering with municipal police departments and other state and local safety organizations as part of a statewide “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement and education initiative through June 14. The national enforcement effort has been postponed to November 2020 due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

Pennsylvania law requires all occupants younger than 18 to wear a seat belt when riding in a vehicle, as well as every driver and front-seat passenger. Children under the age of two must be secured in a rear-facing car seat, and children under the age of four must be restrained in an approved child safety seat. Children must ride in a booster seat until their eighth birthday.

The public can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles in Pennsylvania by visiting www.511PA.com. The service, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras. Motorists can also see active construction projects at www.511PA.com.

According to state police data, the number of crashes and DUI arrests have fallen dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic that has kept more people at home and off the roads, but officials caution that those rates could creep back up as restrictions are lifted during the summer months.

“Even though we are all traveling less often, we still have the responsibility to do our part to keep Pennsylvania’s roads safe,” said Major Bruce Williams, director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Patrol. “The first step toward safer roads is a commitment to wearing a seatbelt and zero tolerance for impaired or distracted driving.”

Nationally, many states have reported alarming speed increases with the lower traffic volumes during “Stay at Home Orders.” PennDOT and PSP urge drivers to always follow the speed limit and drive safely. Buckle up for every trip, designate a sober driver, and never drive distracted.

PennDOT data shows that total traffic fatalities decreased to 1,059 in 2019, a new record low, from 1,190 in 2018. According to national data, over 90 percent of crashes are caused by driver behavior. For this reason, PennDOT focuses on data trends to drive enforcement and education improvements and invests approximately $18 million annually in federal grant funds statewide to support these behavioral safety programs.

More COVID-19 information is available at www.health.pa.gov. For more information, visit www.dmv.pa.gov or www.PennDOT.gov.

Dr. Christina Clark Named Marywood University’s New Provost

Posted on June 3, 2020 by The Dunmorean

Dr. Christina Clark Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., president of Marywood University, announced that Christina A. Clark, Ph.D., Arlington, Va., has been appointed by the board of trustees as the university’s new provost, effective July 1, 2020.

In her new role as Marywood’s provost, Dr. Clark will serve as the chief academic officer of the University, providing leadership in all academic matters and working collaboratively with the deans, faculty, staff, and administration to further Marywood’s mission and vision. The provost reports directly to the president and acts for the president when she is unavailable.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Dr. Clark’s diverse expertise and experience serving as provost, and she is a welcome addition to our community,” said Sister Mary Persico. “I am especially impressed by her inclusive style of academic leadership and her willingness to embrace Marywood’s mission.”

Prior to her appointment at Marywood University, Dr. Clark served as Dean of the School of Design, Arts, and Humanities at Marymount University [Arlington, Va.], where she also was a tenured professor of literature and languages.

Previously, Dr. Clark served as director of the world literature program and the health administration and policy program at Creighton University [Omaha, Neb.], where she also chaired the Classical and Near Eastern Studies program and served as a professor. She has served internationally as an associate professor at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies [Rome, Italy] and has taught in the United States at Iowa State University [Ames, Iowa]; Bowdoin College [New Brunswick, Maine]; Gustavus Adolphus College [St. Peter, Minn.]; Florida State University [Tallahassee, Fla.], and the University of Wisconsin-Madison [Madison, Wisc.].

Dr. Clark’s academic administration skills include strategic planning, program assessment, recruitment and retention, curricular development, shared governance, university advancement, partnership development, and grant writing, among other issues of critical focus in higher education. She has had extensive leadership development experience, particularly at Marymount and Creighton Universities. Most recently, she participated in Leadership Arlington and CASE Advanced Development for Deans and Academic Leaders.

Dr. Clark’s professional contributions and research include peer-reviewed books, book chapters, articles, papers, and reviews. Her professional specialty is in Ancient Greek and Latin and she reads Italian, French, and German. She is widely published and is currently working on scholarly projects in the Classics, including a book, Paler than Grass: Nonverbal Behavior in Early Greek and Roman Poetry.

Dr. Clark has been recognized for her accomplishments and contributions with the Gamma Phi Beta’s Shine (Teaching) Award at Creighton University and “Iggy” Award for Outstanding Freshmen Mentors, Role Models, and Advocates, also at Creighton. A member of the Eta Sigma Phi and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies, Dr. Clark also merited a Summer Faculty Research Fellowship at Creighton and the Nebraska International Languages Association Star Award, among other accolades.

Dr. Clark earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Classics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison [Madison, Wisc.]. She also holds a B.A. in Classics from Georgetown University [Washington, D.C.]. During her undergraduate education, Dr. Clark spent her junior year abroad at Trinity College [Dublin, Ireland].

Marywood Students Launch Positive Psychology Website

Posted on June 3, 2020 by The Dunmorean

positive spot

Three Marywood University students, Marielle Carpentier, senior art therapy major,; Ellis Vogt, junior architecture major; and Ashley Myers, junior art therapy major, recently turned their Positive Psychology class project into a website, where community members can find positive news, helpful tips, and the ability to stay connected.

The students said, “With the current Coronavirus outbreak closing our physical school, our campus outreach program has, like everything else, gone digital. Now, more than ever, though, it seems people could benefit from strategies and activities they can do to boost their mental health and well-being.”

While the website is connected to a class project, its goal of helping people during this difficult time is personal for the students.. In addition to providing positive blog information, the site also features a Resources and Information page where visitors can link to the Center for Disease Control, mental health organizations, and books written by psychologists.

David J. Palmiter, Jr., Ph.D., ABPP, professor in the Psychology and Counseling department at Marywood University, said, “I am blown away by how many science-based, helpful and creative ideas are listed for COVID coping. The students who created this website as part of a “Make the World a Better Place” project for their Positive Psychology course so well reflect the beauty of the students we serve.”

The Positive Spot website, can be visited at https://ajmyers9.wixsite.com/positivespot. For information about Marywood University’s Psychology and Counseling department, please visit marywood.edu/psychology-counseling/.