Posted on May 19, 2000

Steve Martin's script for Picasso at the Lapin
Agile calls for something that not every set designer has lying around
in the closet: a 19th-century painting of sheep grazing in a pasture.

But serendipity struck when set designer Charles
Steckler (who confesses he was “not at all confident in my ability to
create such a piece”) was making his rounds through an area
second-hand shop. He was looking for picture frames – when he noticed a
small print that fit the bill.

Problem was it was too small – only about 4 by 6
inches – and it had too many sheep.

So Steckler brought the print to a copy center to have
it enlarged and to have some of the sheep digitally erased.

The result is a gauzy, impressionistic-looking work that
hangs over the bar of the Yulman's set of the Lapin Agile.

“Nothing wrong with this picture,” says
Freddy, the owner of the bar in Martin's play. “Got it out of my
grandmother's house just after she died; well, actually, while she was
dying. Sheep in a meadow in the fog. Beautiful.”

Posted on May 19, 2000

It's
all relative — David Jacks '00, left, (as Albert Einstein), speaks
with Mark McKee '01, right (Pablo Picasso), as Dan Danbusky '00
(Freddy, the bartender) looks on. Picasso at the Lapin Agile by
Steve Martin, is directed by Jon Galt. The play runs through May 28 at the
Yulman Theater. Shows are Thursday, May 18, through Saturday, May 20, at 8
p.m.; Sunday, May 21, at 2 p.m.; Thursday, May 25, through Saturday, May
27, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m. Admission is $7 ($5 for
students and seniors). For tickets and information, call ext. 6545.

Posted on May 19, 2000

The College's U2K Steering Committee has issued a
proposal for residential and social life at Union.

The document addresses three primary topics: transition
to a sophomore rush, establishment of an all-inclusive house system in the
fall of 2004, and an array of new social alternatives.

“We believe our proposal represents a careful
balancing that preserves the 175-year tradition of Greek letter societies
while simultaneously offering a new model for residential and social
life,” wrote members of the Committee in the introduction to the
report.

Formed two years ago, U2K was charged with proposing
“a set of reforms that would preserve the traditions of Greek life
that are consistent with an academic community that values open inquiry,
seriousness of purpose, diversity of opinion, and a broad and equitable
choice of residential and social options.” Members include students,
faculty, staff and alumni.

The committee invites reactions to the proposal. The
document can be accessed on the Web.

Posted on May 19, 2000

A political scientist, an historian and an economist
will weigh in on a panel, “Germany and the European Union,” on
Friday, May 19, at 1:30 p.m. in Hale House.

Brian Ladd, historian at the University at Albany, will
speak on “Shadows of the Past in the New Germany,” describing
how Berlin, the capital of five different German states in the past
century, still struggles with its legacy.

Elisabeth Egetemeyr, a political scientist at the
University at Albany, will address “Political Culture in
Post-Unification Germany,” examining the political and social
attitudes of the “East-West rift.”

Eshragh Motahar, associate professor of economics at
Union, will analyze the costs and benefits for Germany of joining the Euro
zone in a talk titled “Economic Consequences of the Euro for
Germany.”

The event is sponsored by the College and the American
Association of Teachers of German.

Posted on May 19, 2000

Friday, May 19, 1:30 to 4 p.m.
Hale House.
“Germany in the European Union,” panel discussions sponsored by
the College and the American Association of Teachers of German.

Friday, May 19, 8 p.m.
Nott Memorial.
Bala Troupe presents concert of South Indian classical music and dance.

Sunday, May 21 10:15 a.m.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 1935, The
Plaza, Schenectady.
Union College Jazz Ensemble, Prof. Tim Olsen, director, performs
Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.

Through May 21.
Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial.
“Separate & Together,” an exhibition by painters Wolf Kahn
and Emily Mason focusing on the husband and wife's common influences,
inspirations and approaches.

Tuesday, May 23, 12:30 p.m.
Reamer Auditorium.
General faculty meeting.

Wednesday, May 24, 8 p.m.
Memorial Chapel.
Shaul Bakhash, professor of history at George Mason University and an
authority on modern Iran, on “Iran: John Locke and Liberalism in an
Islamic Republic.” The lecture is part of the Frederic E. Miller
Lecture Series in Honor of Anwar Sadat.

Wednesday, May 24, 8:30 to 11 p.m.
Old Chapel.
Celebration of Bob Dylan's birthday hosted by musician and journalist
Mike Eck.

Thursday, May 25, 4 p.m.
Reamer 302, Women's Studies Lounge.
Reception with artists Lori Beth Malinoski '00, Marni LoIacono '01,
Cequyna Moore '00 and Lindsay Kay Rieck '01. Second annual art
exhibition by Union women runs through June 2.

Through May 28.
Yulman Theater.
Opening of Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin, directed
by Jon Galt. Admission is $7 (students/seniors $5). For tickets and
information, call ext. 6545.