Robert Baker, professor of philosophy
and director of Union's Center for Bioethics, gave the
keynote at a two-day “Bioethics Forum” at Emma
Willard School
in Troy. He also led workshops on
techniques and resources available to teachers interested in introducing ethics
into their courses. Baker has been leading such workshops since he was commissioned
to do so as part of a National Institutes of Health grant five years ago. The
event was Emma Willard's 175th Speaker Series.
Erie lock work by Foley, Wolfe featured in journal
Denis Foley, research professor in
anthropology, and F. Andrew Wolfe,
assistant professor of civil engineering, were featured in an article titled
“Raiders of the Lost Lock: Researchers in New York Unearth Part of the Old Erie
Canal,” in the February issue of Offshore
magazine.
Alumna who heads NYC reconstruction to speak on campus
Sabrina Kanner '80, vice president
for design and construction at Brookfield Financial Properties, which oversees
the $50 million reconstruction of the 10-story Winter Garden atrium at
the World Financial
Center, will speak at the Scholars
Luncheon on Tuesday, March 11, at noon
in Strauss Lounge, Reamer Campus
Center.
Kanner, who majored in English,
will discuss her more than 20 years of professional experience in the demanding
and highly competitive construction business, where she oversees a major reconstruction
project after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Kanner, who was recently profiled in
the Union College magazine and the New York Times, said “It's tough to be in the
construction business now, but back in the 80's it was the Wild West.”
Her husband Dr. Jed Kanner, graduated
from Union in 1978.
For more information, call College
Relations at ext. 8374.
‘Save Your Aid’ day set for March 12
Students have organized a rally
aimed at fighting Governor George Pataki's proposed cuts in financial aid to New
York State students.
“Save Your Aid Day” is set for Wednesday,
March 12, at 6:30 p.m. in Chet's at Reamer
Campus Center.
The event will feature a panel of
speakers including Abe Lackman, president
of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities; Beth Post, director of
financial aid at Union; Gloria Taylor-Neal, director of the College's
HEOP/AOP; and a number of students who could be affected by the proposed cuts.
“The stakes for maintaining
financial aid funding have never been higher, and it's the voice of those most
impacted – the students and their families – that will make a difference in
this current budget crisis,” said Bill Schwarz, Union's director of corporate
and government relations.
About one quarter of Union students
receive grant aid directly from New York
State, according to Post. For the current
academic year, they will receive about $1.25 million in funds to assist with
college expenses. The governor's proposed budget reflects a significantly
reduced commitment and could mean a loss of up to one-third of each student's
state aid, she added.
With the state facing a more than $10 billion budget
deficit next year, the competition for funding is fierce, Schwarz said. “Students,
particularly those who receive aid, must attend the forum to understand the
issues and learn what they can do to make their voices heard in Albany,”
he said.
In first appearance, Ethics Bowl team makes quarterfinals
Edelstein, Raiyan Syed, Adeel Khaleel and Nell Alk
The
College's Ethics Bowl team made it all the way to the quarterfinals before
bowing to Navy, the eventual winner of the whole competition.
The
team, the first from Union to enter the event, traveled to Charlotte, N.C., to compete with 40 other teams on Feb. 27 in the ninth
annual contest.
Representing
Union were Raiyan Syed '03, a political science major; Jeffrey
Marshall '05, philosophy; Mohammed Khaleel '03, bio-econ ID/Leadership in
Medicine; Eleanor Alk '06, undeclared; and Aaron Edelstein '05, organizing
theme in American ethics. Team researchers were Jamie Werner '05, a political
science/philosophy ID major; and Justin Geist '03, political science.
The team
was sponsored by the College's Philosophy Department and coached by Michael Mathias, visiting assistant professor of philosophy. Support came from
a grant from the Intellectual Enrichment Fund.
Ethics
Bowl combines the excitement of a competitive quiz with an innovative approach
to education in practical and professional ethics, Mathias said. A moderator
poses questions to teams of three to five students. Questions may address
ethical problems in classroom topics (e.g., cheating or plagiarism),
professional ethics (e.g., issues in engineering, law, medicine or business),
or social and political ethics (e.g., free speech or gun control).
The
Ethics Bowl was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association
for Practical and Professional Ethics. After competing, students met
practitioners, professionals and scholars for discussion of issues in practical
and professional ethics. Mathias hosted a conference session on business
ethics.
Union's
team went two-and-one in the opening round, losing to Milliken
University from Illinois
before beating Manhattan College
and host UNC Charlotte.
“It was great to see the
enthusiasm of our students in talking with others from around the country about
ethical issues,” Mathias said. “For all the good we did in the competition, the
value of the preparation they put into it was just great.”