Grant Woodwell, professor of earth and environmental sciences, is a featured guest on the “On Location” program of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Comcast television station. In the interview, which will run for the next two weeks, Woodwell discusses August’s earthquake in Mineral, Va.
GLBTTQQIAAP Celebration| Stand Out! Speak Up!| (October 19-28)
STAND OUT! SPEAK UP!
If all people are to get the same opportunities and rights, then everyone must Stand Out! Speak Up! Societal norms seem to be shifting, queer rights and other GLBTTQQIAAP issues are becoming more prevalent in American politics. There have been legal victories, but there’s still a long way to travel on the road to egalitarianism. Join PRISM – People for the Rights of Sexual Minorities – and the James Farmer Multicultural Center to celebrate the courage to stand out and speak up for one’s beliefs and values.
GLBTTQQIAAP Kickoff Celebration
October 19
4-6 p.m., Ball Circle
(Rain location: Great Hall,Woodard Campus Center)
PRISM welcomes the entire campus community to share in a kickoff celebration that fuses food, live music, and fun. Read “PostSecret” style coming-out stories and be inspired by the experiences, struggles, and victories of your peers.
In this corner….. Fight for Your Rights Panel Discussion
October 20
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
Join faculty, staff, and students as they discuss the many issues facing queer students at UMW. Learn about resources and tools that encourage positive change so you’ll be equipped to Speak Up!
PRISM Prom – Rio Carnival
October 22
8 p.m., Great Hall,Woodard Campus Center
Cost: $3
(Formal attire strongly encouraged)
Standing out at the high school prom might have made for a bad memory, but the memorable PRISM Prom can help undo all that. Look great and proudly stand out while you enjoy all the prom’s trappings – music, dancing, photos, and refreshments.
Changing Time, Changing Policies?
Debate on Protected Classes
October 24
6 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
UMW students debate whether sexual orientation and gender identity should be protected classes in Virginia and whether they should be included in the non-discrimination policies of Virginia’s colleges and universities. Stand out and speak up on the issues that affect your community.
GLBTTQQIAAP Cultural Celebration Keynote Performer: Andrea Gibson
October 26
7 p.m., Lee Hall, Room 411
A powerful live performer, Andrea Gibson is the winner of the 2008 Women’s World Poetry Slam and has placed third in the world on two international poetry slam stages. With Gibson, the personal is political. Her themes deconstruct gender norms, sexuality, class, patriarchy, and white-supremacist capitalist culture.
Queer Film Festival
Featuring Milk and The Birdcage
October 27
6 p.m., Great Hall, Woodard Campus Center
(For mature audiences)
Milk tells the story of American gay rights activist Harvey Milk and his struggles as the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California.
The Birdcage illustrates how standing out and speaking up can be difficult. A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to their son’s request to put up a straight front when his fiancée’s anti-gay, moralistic parents come to call.
Addition to James Farmer Multicultural Center Staff
It is with great enthusiasm that the James Farmer Multicultural Center announces the arrival of the newest member of its leadership team: Greta Franklin, as associate director. Franklin comes to UMW with a great deal of experience in the field of multicultural and diversity programming initiatives. She joins the university after serving in key administrative multicultural leadership positions at the Community College of Baltimore County, Vassar College and the University of Maryland, College Park.
Franklin began her professional career at Mary Washington’s James Farmer Multicultural Center as the Multicultural Student Counselor from 2000 to 2005. She received a bachelor’s in art history from the University of Mary Washington and a master’s of education in college student personnel from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Storyteller to Perform at Belmont this Sunday
Free Program at Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont:
Great Art; Great Stories: Which Came First, the Stories or the Art?
Sunday, October 16, 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
African griot storyteller Bill Grimmette will present a twenty-minute performance in the Studio Pavilion. This all-ages performance will be repeated twice: once at 1:30 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m.
This program is free and includes complimentary admission to the “William H. Johnson” exhibition.
The Smithsonian Community Grant Program, funded by MetLife Foundation, is a proud sponsor of this public program. Call 540/654-1015 or visit GariMelchers.org.
Esther Yook Publishes Article
Esther Yook’s article “ Teaching Intercultural Communication through Service Learning” on an experiential approach to learning has been accepted for publication in Journal of Intercultural Communication, vol. 28.
Run with the Law to Benefit Special Olympics Virginia
On Saturday, October 22, local law enforcement officers will join members of the public at Run with the Law, a 5K race to benefit Special Olympics Virginia. The race is the debut event of the Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run, a statewide effort to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics Virginia.
The 5K will start at 8 a.m. at the Anderson Center and will be followed by a one-mile “fun run.” The course will go through the Mary Washington campus and the surrounding neighborhoods, ending on Campus Walk. Registration is $25 through October 16 and $30 the day of the race. For more information or to register, visit http://torchrunva.com/View/Page/Calendar_70 or contact Carrie Dyer at cdyer@specialolympicsva.org or (804) 726-3023.
Christina Eggenberger Named Excellent Eagle Employee
Congratulations to Christina Eggenberger, director of service in student affairs, who has been selected as an Excellent Eagle Employee by the Staff Advisory Council. To thank her for such a wonderful job, Christina will have a reserved parking spot of her choosing through Monday, October 31.
“It’s nice to be recognized for your hard work, no matter what form it comes in,” Christina said.
Here is what one of Christina’s co-workers said about her:
“Christina is an extraordinary example of how great employees care for not only our UMW community but the world. As the Director of Service, Her tireless dedication to the students is only surpassed by her passion for community service, leadership, and sustainability. Christina has continually provided assistance, planning, and leadership to programs and campaigns such as D.O.T. and Day of Caring. These essential programs benefit our institution, community, and world. Her presence is felt throughout University initiatives as she quietly works hard to provide a quality well rounded student experience within the department of Student Affairs. Lending a hand when illness struck a fellow employee, volunteering her time to teach Student Success Seminars, and always having an eagle spirit are just a few reasons why Christina an Excellent Eagle Employee!”
This year, community outreach and resources (COAR) and community service are in their own office. “We are excited for what it will do for our ability to grow,” Christina said.
To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, just send an email to Dre Anthes (aanthes@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the Subject Line. In your email, be sure to include the person’s name, department, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized. Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).
Charles Shields to Give Writing Center Lecture and Book Discussions
Charles Shields, associate director of Great Lives, will give the lecture “How to Make a Big Research and Writing Project Totally Manageable” on Tuesday, October 11. The lecture, sponsored by UMW Writing Centers, will focus on how to organize large academic projects and will take place at 10 a.m. in Lee Hall, Room 412. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Gwen Hale at (540) 654-1036.
Following the release of his biography of Kurt Vonnegut on November 8— “And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life” (Henry Holt & Co.) —Shields will participate in a number of literary events.
The Library of Virginia will host a book launch at the Library of Virginia at noon on Tuesday, November 8. The launch will include a reception and book signing. UMW faculty and staff are invited to attend and light lunch refreshments will be served.
Shields also will appear at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md., on Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.; the Griffin Book Shop in Fredericksburg at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 17; the Miami Book Fair International on November 19-20; Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, November 22 at 7:00 p.m.; McNally Jackson Booksellers in Soho, N.Y., on Wednesday, November 30 hosting a panel on biography; the CUNY Graduate Center and the Center of Biography in New York for a panel discussion about biography, hosted by jazz critic and biographer, Gary Giddins on Wednesday, December 7; and Fountain Books in Richmond on Friday, December 9 at 12:30 p.m.
Sustainability Day at UMW
Curious about sustainability? Join local experts and learn about recycling, composting, plastics in the environment, use of native grasses, stormwater effects and proper planting at Sustainability Day at UMW on Saturday, October 8. The activities will run from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Jefferson Square and are free and open to the public.
Bring your questions and unidentified pests to the Plant and Insect Clinic offered by Master Gardeners and the Stafford County Extension agent.
At 10:30 a.m., UMW staff will demonstrate dividing perennials, spring flowering bulbs and proper tree planting, followed by a presentation by volunteers from Tree Fredericksburg at noon.
Sponsors include the University of Mary Washington, Friends of the Rappahannock, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Rappahannock Group Sierra Club, Master Gardener Association of the Central Rappahannock Area, the Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board and the UMW Ecology Club.
For more information, contact Joni Wilson at (540) 654-2088 or jwilson@umw.edu.
Ranjit Singh to Deliver Addresses in Japan
Ranjit Singh, associate professor of political science and international affairs, will deliver the keynote address opening a two-day workshop titled “Conflict, Collapsed States, and Social Movements in the Contemporary Middle East and Asia,” which will be held in Kyoto on October 8.
The workshop is jointly organized by Kyoto University’s Center for Islamic Area Studies, the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and an organization called Humanosphere. Singh’s address, “Reflections on the Arab Spring,” focuses on the recent popular uprising in Bahrain, and recalls a period, twenty years ago, when he worked as a ghostwriter for a member of that country’s ruling family. His address provides a glimpse into the life of a now-prominent Bahraini minister and the inner workings of the monarchy. It will appear in the workshop’s published proceedings.
Singh will deliver the same talk a few days later to another audience at Tokyo University. At the Kyoto workshop, he will also formally comment on the research papers on Middle East topics delivered by Japanese MA and Ph.D. students. Kyoto and Tokyo Universities are sponsoring the week-long trip.