Posted on Apr 7, 2000

James Burke, whom the The Washington Post has
called “one of the most interesting minds in the Western World,”
will speak on “Innovation and Change” on Wednesday, April 12, at
7:30 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.

His talk, one of the Perspectives at the Nott series, is
free and open to the public.

A science historian and author whose television series
have been featured on the BBC, PBS, and The Learning Channel, Burke comes
to Union to speak about the role of information in the historical process
of innovation.

Best known for his documentary Connections, which
achieved the highest-ever documentary audience, Burke began work in 1965
with BBC-TV on Tomorrow's World and went on to become the BBC's
chief reporter on the Apollo moon missions.

He is a best-selling author, and his publications
include The Day the Universe Changed, Chances, The
Acemaker's Gift (with Robert Ornstein), and his most recent, The
Knowledge Web.

Posted on Apr 7, 2000

Teresa
Meade, associate professor of history, has been awarded a Fulbright
Lectureship to teach in Tokyo, Japan, for the next academic year.

One of seven faculty lectureships awarded by the
Japanese Fulbright Commission, Meade will teach in the American Studies
programs in several Tokyo universities.

In the fall she will be at Tsuda College and Tokyo Women's
Christian University. In the spring semester she will teach at Tsuda
College and Kyoritsu Women's University.

She is scheduled to teach classes on gender and race in
the Americas, African American and Latino women, Asian American women, and
U.S. foreign policy.

Meade's husband, Andor Skotnes, who teaches history at
the Sage Colleges, also has received a Fulbright Lectureship to teach at
Tokyo University and Japan Women's University. Meade's children – a
son who will defer college admission and a 10-year-old daughter – will
accompany her as well.

Posted on Apr 7, 2000

Friday, April 7, noon.
Hale House Dining Room.
Employee Recognition Luncheon.

Friday, April 7, 8 p.m.
Memorial Chapel.
Schenectady Museum-Union College chamber concert series finishes the
season with the Borromeo String Quartet in the last installment of their
six-concert all-Beethoven program.

Friday, April 7, through Monday, April 10, 8 and 10 p.m.
Reamer Auditorium.
Film committee presents American Beauty.

Saturday, April 8, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Memorial Field House and Collins Park, Scotia.
Union hosts American Society of Civil Engineers regional concrete canoe
and steel bridge competitions.

Saturday, April 8, 4 to 8 p.m.
Old Chapel.
International Festival featuring international, immigrant, term abroad and
language students representing 20 countries with food, music, dance and
traditional dress.

Saturday, April 8, 8:30 to 10 p.m.
Union College Observatory at the F.W. Olin
Center.
Observatory open house.

Through April 8.
Arts Atrium Gallery.
“Return to Nha Trang, Vietnam,” a photo exhibition by Khang
Vodinh '00.

Tuesday, April 11, 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial.
Opening reception for “Separate & Together,” an exhibition
by painters Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason focusing on the husband and wife's
common influences, inspirations and approaches. Event will include a
lecture by Kahn titled “Ten Prejudices About Art and Artists and an
Attempt at their Correction.”

Wednesday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.
Nott Memorial.
Science historian, author and PBS host James Burke on “Innovation and
Change,” a talk on on the role of information in the historical
process of innovation.

Thursday, April 13, 10 a.m. to noon, 1 to 3 p.m.
Reamer 203.
Financial planning session with retirement and estate planning
specialists. For information and reservations, call Human Resources at
ext. 6108.

Thursday, April 13, 7 p.m.
Old Chapel.
AOP/HEOP awards reception.

Posted on Apr 7, 2000

The faculty on Monday tabled a proposal that would have
the College join the Workers Rights Consortium, an organization that
monitors international production of college apparel in an attempt to
limit human rights abuses.

The proposal will be revisited at the faculty meeting on
April 27. Until then, those responsible for purchasing apparel – mainly
the bookstore and athletic department — will consider the budgetary
impact of joining the WRC, said President Roger Hull.

Since its founding in 1998, United Students Against
Sweatshops (USAS) has sought to limit sweatshop-produced apparel purchased
and sold by colleges and universities, explained Amanda Carr and Ariadne
Papagapitos, student members of the College chapter of Campus Action.

USAS last spring withdrew student representation from
the Fair Labor Association because FLA monitors were not doing unannounced
inspections and the FLA did not require disclosure of subcontractor work
sites, the students said. USAS supports the WRC as a better alternative to
the FLA because monitors would be chosen by independent human rights
organizations, inspections would be unannounced, and violators would be
rechecked, the students told the faculty.

On Tuesday, students at a number of campuses held
protests to raise the issue of college-logo clothing made by sweatshops.

In other action, faculty discussed a proposal to
establish a one-year experimental benefits committee, finally agreeing to
revisit the issue at the April 27 meeting. Those in support suggested that
the Planning and Priorities Committee does not have adequate
representation of staff members to be adequately informed about the impact
of benefits changes to all employees. Others cited the difficulty of
assessing benefits outside of P&P and separate from other budget
issues. President Hull suggested that concerns of the those favoring a
benefits committee may be eased by increasing staff representation on
P&P.

Faculty also nominated and voted on candidates for the
Bailey and Daggett Prizes, to be presented during Prize Day on May 13.