Holiday Survival Guide

During the holiday season, Drexel University experts are available to help news media with the following stories:

Holiday fashion for parties: Director of Drexel’s Fashion and Design & Merchandising Department Roberta Gruber can talk about what to wear to dazzle at this year’s holiday parties. –Contact Alex McKechnie

Making a shopping list and checking it twice: Drexel Design & Merchandising Professor Joseph Hancock with more than 20 years retailing experience—after having worked for The Gap Corporation, The Limited, Inc., the Target Corporation—can talk about shopping trends this holiday season. –Contact Alex McKechnie

The batteries that keep on running: Interim Dean of Drexel’s College of Engineering Dr. Bruce Eisenstein, an electrical and computer engineer, can offer tips on how to make your batteries last longer. –Contact Britt Faulstick

The “War on Christmas”: Many Christians believe there is a movement from non-Christians to strip the holiday of its religious meaning. Dr. Doug Porpora, a sociology professor, can take a closer look at the issue. –Contact Alex McKechnie

Don’t give the gift of your identity: Dr. Rob D’Ovidio, associate professor of criminal justice, can offer tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud while shopping online. –Contact Alex McKechnie

Be the life of the party: Dr. Argie Allen, a Drexel expert in couples and family therapy, can offer tips on how to avoid sensitive family issues around the holidays. –Contact Rachel Ewing

America’s culture of excess : Communications professor Dr. Ron Bishop can talk about America’s culture of excess during the holidays, exemplified by outrageous Christmas light displays, as discussed in his new book “MORE: The Vanishing of Scale in an Over-the-Top Nation.” He also can talk about the theme of “Santa-bashing” in holiday advertisements.  –Contact Alex McKechnie

Packing on the pounds: Dr. Stella Volpe, a Drexel professor of nutrition, nutritionist and exercise physiologist with expertise on obesity and diabetes prevention, is available to offer tips on how to avoid overindulging and gaining weight during the holiday season. –Contact Rachel Ewing

Who to kiss when the clock strikes 2012: Two Drexel information science and technology graduate students—Christopher Mascaro and Rachel Magee—have researched online dating sites and can offer insight into which once has resulted in the most marriages and in what geographic areas.
–Contact Britt Faulstick