Posted on Feb 1, 1998

Humorist Bertice Berry, a popular college-circuit lecturer and host of USA LIVE, a daily live interactive talk show, will speak on “Diversity on College Campuses” on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in Reamer Campus Center Auditorium at Union College.

Her lecture is free and open to the public.

Berry is keynote speaker for Union's celebration of African Heritage Month sponsored by the College's African and Latino Alliance of Students. (See other events listed below.)

Berry earned her master's and Ph.D. in sociology from Kent State University and quickly developed a reputation for using humor as a tool for learning, becoming one of the most sought-after lecturers on the college speaking circuit.

Her schedule now includes more than 200 appearances a year. She has been a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN's Sonya Live, Crossfire, Black Entertainment Television (BET), National Public Radio's Morning Edition and many other national programs.

Her books include Bertice: The World According to Me; Straight from the Ghetto, and the recent I'm On My Way But Your Foot is On My Head: A Black Woman's Story of Getting Over Life's Hurdles.

Berry also is an accomplished singer and has starred in “The Little Black Girl Who Did,” a musical play adapted from her book, Bertice: The World According to Me.

Other events in the College's celebration of African Heritage Month include:

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m., Reamer Campus Center Auditorium. Prof. Adrian MacFarlane, professor at Hartwick College, speaks on the theme of the month-long celebration: “Digging Deeper to Soar Higher.

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m., Reamer Campus Center Auditorium. “Black Jeopardy” transforms the popular game show into an education experience as contestants test their knowledge of black history.

Feb. 23 through 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Reamer Campus Center Atrium. Vendors of African-American arts and crafts.

Saturday, Feb. 28, 5 p.m., Old Chapel. “The Production,” a student variety show, is a tribute and celebration of black history.

All events are free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by Union College History Department, Africana Studies and the Academic Opportunity Program. For more information, call 388-6961.

Posted on Feb 1, 1998

Asian American studies expert Gary Okihiro will give a talk titled “Whose History Is It Anyway” on Monday, February 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Union College's Nott Memorial.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

A nationally renowned expert in Asian American studies, Gary Okihiro is the author of several award-winning books on Asian American history and has built Asian American Studies programs at Cornell University and elsewhere. Professor of history and director of the Asian American studies program at Cornell, Okihiro is editor of the Journal of Asian American Studies and has served as president of the Association of Asian American Studies. Also a scholar of African and African American history, Okihiro addresses larger questions of ethnicity and gender in America. His lecture examines the nature of history and the place of Asians in American history.

A reception in Old Chapel will follow the lecture.

The sixteen-sided Nott Memorial is located at the center of campus and parking is available on campus and on nearby sidestreets.

For more information, call (518) 388-6131.

Posted on Feb 1, 1998

Washington personality Linda Chavez will give a talk titled “Inside Washington: A Political Perspective” on Wednesday, February 11, at 7:30 p.m. at Union College's Nott Memorial.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

An outspoken critic of affirmative action, Linda Chavez is head of the Center for the New American Community, which seeks to foster commitment to common American civic culture and shared identity among diverse people. Called “an influential voice on civil rights policy” by The New York Times, Chavez served as White House Director of Public Liaison under President Reagan, and is a former president of U.S. English, the group fighting to make English the country's official language. She is a regular on Capitol Hill and in the media, and attended the Oval Office Dialogue on Affirmative Action in December.

Author of Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation, Chavez disputes the notion that Hispanics are victims, arguing that they are an upwardly mobile group in pursuit of the American dream. In her book she addresses the implications of bilingual education, voting rights, immigration policy, and affirmative action.

The sixteen-sided Nott Memorial is located at the center of campus and parking is available on campus and on nearby sidestreets.

For more information, call 388-6131.

Posted on Feb 1, 1998

Opening set for Feb. 12 at 4:30 p.m.

The works of six former Union College photography students will be featured in a show titled “Then to Now” from Feb. 12 through April 5 in the Arts Atrium Gallery at Union College's Department of Visual Arts.

An opening reception will be Feb. 12 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Featured will be the works of Timothy Archibald, Markus Feger, Mitchell Friedman, Adam Licht, Trinh Thai and Tina Tryforos.

Archibald will give a slide lecture on his work on Feb. 12 from 2 to 3 p.m. in Arts 215.

At least one example of work done previously when studying at Union will be displayed as an introduction to the series of recent works by each photographer. The exhibition contains 58 photographs. The exhibition has been organized and curated by Martin Benjamin, professor of photography.

The Arts Atrium Gallery is in the Arts Building of Union College, and is free and open to the public. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Hours may be limited during the week of March 21-28 while the College is on spring recess.

For more information, call the Visual Arts Department Office at (518) 388-6714.

Posted on Feb 1, 1998

Union alumnus Gary Prevost, an expert on politics in Cuba, Nicaragua and Spain, will give a talk titled “Cuba After the Pope: Is the Cold War with America Over?” on Thursday, February 12, at 4:00 p.m. at Union College's Nott Memorial.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

A political scientist at St. John's University in Minnesota, Gary Prevost has published books on politics in Latin America and Spain and, in 1997, established and directed one of the first American term abroad programs in Cuba. Prevost recently returned from Cuba where he witnessed the Pope's historic visit, and he will speak on the papal visit and its implications for future U.S.-Cuban relations in the wake of the Cold War.

The sixteen-sided Nott Memorial is located at the center of campus and parking is available on campus and on nearby sidestreets.

For more information, call 388-6131.