Urey Competition Continues with Case on Native Sovereignty

May 10, 2022

By Alaina Uricheck ’24

Each year at Susquehanna University, two of the university’s top political science and legal studies students face off in the Gene Urey Scholarship Competition where they each argue one side of a real-life case in front of a panel of judges and are evaluated based on advocacy and accuracy.

This year’s competitors were Katie Earle ’22 and Morgan Engler ’22. The case they argued was Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, which is still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta was convicted of neglecting his 5-year-old stepdaughter. Although Castro-Huerta is not a Native American, his stepdaughter is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals vacated his conviction because the crime occurred in Indian Country. This case addresses whether a state has authority to prosecute persons who are not Native Americans who commit crimes against Native Americans in Indian Country.

Earle argued for the respondent, Castro-Huerta. A senior triple major in political science, legal studies and sociology from Westfield, Pennsylvania, Earle is the president of Pre-Law Society, and a member of the Mock Trial team, Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honorary Society and Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society in Social Science. She plans to attend law school in fall 2023.

Engler argued for the petitioner, the State of Oklahoma. Engler, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, is a senior political science and legal studies double major with a minor in the Honors Program. She is president and captain of the Susquehanna Mock Trial Team, a YoungLife leader and is a member of the Pre-Law Society and several other organizations. Engler plans to attend law school next fall.

“The Urey Scholarship Competition benefitted me in so many ways. The competition allowed me to take what I have been learning for the past four years and put it into practice,” Engler said. “This competition made me feel more than ready and even more excited than I was before to attend law school. I do not yet know what area of law I want to practice, but I know I want to be in the courtroom advocating for others.”

The judges agreed that in terms of advocacy, which refers to using the judicial system to advance social change, Earle and Engler tied. The judges in the case were Joshua Funk ’05, chief of staff and counsel for Pennsylvania State Senate Majority Whip; Allison Gordon ’12, data analyst consultant with Consilio, LLC; Mike Piecuch, district attorney, Snyder County; Jack Price Jr. ’73, attorney at Marshall, Bohorad, Thornburg, Price and Campion, P.C.; and Brian Ulmer, public defender, Union County.

The scholarship participants were mentored by Bruce Ficken ’70, attorney with Cozen O’Connor, and Ryan Gleason ’04, judicial law clerk with the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Gene Raymond Urey was professor of political science at Susquehanna University from 1965 until his death in 1999. In 2001, the Gene R. Urey Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to celebrate his passion for teaching, working with young people and the study of the U.S. Constitution. The Gene R. Urey Scholarship Competition honors his legacy by recognizing and rewarding students who, through the study of constitutional law and American government, have become critical thinkers, insightful analysts and articulate speakers.

Alumni Serve Country in Military Music Ensembles

March 26, 2022

By Alaina Uricheck ’24

Teacher, performer, accompanist. These are careers you would expect for a graduate with a music degree. However, several Susquehanna University students have chosen another path and joined the ranks of military musical ensembles.

Airman 1st Class Benton Felty ’17 majored in corporate communications and theatre performance with a minor in business administration. He had a successful career in entertainment until the Covid-19 pandemic ended his “forward momentum.” A tip from a fellow SU music alumnus led Felty to become a proud member of the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band, in which his main ensemble is Full Spectrum, a modern rock/pop group focused mainly on community outreach and recruitment.

Felty said his service encompasses “integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.

“It means pursuing my dream of a steady career in music and entertainment merged with my love of the United States of America,” Felty said. “And it means the stability to have a family, which I’ve only dreamed of in the entertainment industry.”

Musicians serve in all branches of the military, but you do not need to be a member of the armed forces to audition for a military ensemble. If your audition is successful, you will sign your contract for enlistment and receive a projected departure date for basic training.

Unlike his fellow music alumni, retired Staff Sgt. Aaron Fast ’18 came to SU after his career as a musician in the Marine Corps from 1995 to 2006, followed by his service in the Army from 2007 to 2016. After not being in a college classroom in over 20 years, Fast did not know what to expect. But he was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming the SU community was and he graduated with many new friends and colleagues. He went on to earn a master’s degree in music theory and composition and currently works as a composer and researcher.

Working as a military musician allowed Fast to see the world. He travelled to Korea twice, spending two weeks in Seoul for a 50th anniversary celebration of the Incheon Landing and visited the DMZ where he crossed into North Korea. While in Okinawa, Fast visited Iwo Jima, considered a sacred site for the Marine Corps. He was also fortunate to play high-profile events, including the 2004 American Football Conference championship game in Pittsburgh.

“I had such a unique experience as a military musician. I was able to spend a year in Okinawa and while there played on mainland Japan,” Fast said. “But the most meaningful and important musical mission I performed was during my deployment to Afghanistan in 2013 with the 101st Airborne Division.”

Staff Sgt. Julia Amadee ’10 majored in music performance and French and performed as a piccolo player in several Montana orchestras while also working as a youth home counselor before she auditioned for the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.

“Seeing the Corps’ exhilarating performance at the 2015 National Flute Convention in Washington, D.C., and speaking with [my former piccolo teacher] about her positive experience with the group inspired me to apply,” Amadee said.

“Becoming a member of the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps has been a dream come true,” she said. “It has allowed me to combine my love of music with a profession of service to my country in such a unique unit.”

Amadee considers herself a “musical ambassador” for the U.S. armed forces.

“When I interact with audience members after a performance, I try to remember that this may be the first time that they have personally met someone in the military and aim to leave a positive impression,” she said. “I can’t imagine a more meaningful musical career, and I am extremely proud to be a part of the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.”

Find more samples here: https://www.susqu.edu/about-susquehanna/newsroom/