Posted on Jan 29, 2004

Schenectady, NY – The Union
College Dutchwomen will entertain the number one ranked team in the
nation this weekend for a pair of ECAC women's hockey games. The
match-up between the Dutchwomen and the Dartmouth College Big Green is
the first for the two schools in women's hockey.

“We may not have the best record, and people are not expecting a lot out
of us this weekend,” said Union Head Coach Fred Quistgard when asked
about playing the number one team in the country. “But, it will be a
great opportunity to evaluate how far this team has come this year.”
Union is playing its first year of Division I hockey after four seasons
as a Division III program under Quistgard's leadership.

Union returns to the ice Friday night after dropping 6-0 and 5-2
decisions at the hands of Yale last weekend in New Haven, Connecticut.
The set-backs dropped Union's record to 3-18-1 and extended the team's
losing streak to 11 games, dating back to a 5-2 victory over Sacred
Heart on November 30.

Freshman goaltender Mandy Hanson (Brainerd, Massachusetts) made 47 saves
in the first game versus Yale as the Bull Dogs out shot the Dutchwomen
53-21. Classmate Lauren Carlson (Rochelle, Illinois) made 49 saves in
game two of the series as Union was out shot 54-13. Freshman Meghan
O'Connor (Portsmouth, Rhode Island) scored her sixth goal of the season
on a power play for the Dutchwomen, and sophomore Kate Gustafson
(Kenora, Ontario) scored her fourth goal of the season off a feed from
freshmen Elise Nichols (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) to complete Union's
weekend scoring.

After spending the first two thirds of the season ranked No. 2 or No. 3,
Dartmouth edged out Harvard and Minnesota for the No. 1 ranking in the
latest USCHO national women's hockey poll released on January 26. The
Big Green (14-1-2, 7-0-1 ECAC) received seven first place votes and 138
points, placing just ahead of No. 2 Harvard. Dartmouth is ranked No. 1
for the first time since the end of the 2000-01 regular season.

Dartmouth has moved up the rankings by going unbeaten (7-0-2) in their
last nine games. The Big Green opened the season No. 2 nationally and
held that position until a 0-0 tie with Mercyhurst on Dec. 14 dropped
Dartmouth to No. 3 behind Harvard. The Big Green moved past the Crimson
and back to No. 2 by defeating Harvard, 2-1, on Jan. 11. Dartmouth won
three games last week, including an ECAC series sweep of Colgate and
Cornell.

The Big Green has posted an impressive 6-1-1 record against ranked
opponents this season. With a 7-0-1 record, Dartmouth leads the ECAC
standings with 15 points. Sophomore Tiffany Hagge is tops on the Big
Green with 25 points, while classmates Katie Weatherston and Gillian
Apps each have 24.

After the weekend series with Union, Dartmouth will step outside of the
league on Feb.7-8 for a pair of games at national power Minnesota.

Posted on Jan 28, 2004

“We give lip service to college service,” says Prof. Terry Weiner in explaining the title of his recent faculty colloquium: “Lip Service: Rethinking the Role of Citizenship in the Liberal Arts College.”

“We've lost the role of college service and citizenship,” Weiner said of liberal arts colleges nationally, adding that service has become a “devalued function” at most colleges.

“There is little effort to evaluate or reward college service in the way we do scholarship and teaching,” says Weiner, professor of political science and chair of the department. “[As a result], faculty members are unwilling to play the service roles that are important in a self-governing community of a liberal arts college.”

Weiner, who last fall was invested as Chauncey H. Winters Professor in Comparative Social Analysis, adds that colleges should also evaluate and reward faculty who serve the outside community in their fields.

Weiner recalls his time in graduate school, when students who considered a career at a liberal arts college, were “frowned upon.” University faculty thought their liberal arts counterparts spent too much time on service – advising, committees, peer review – and not enough on scholarship and research that brings resources to the institution.

Times have changed, Weiner says. The university approach, with its pursuit of resources, has trickled down to liberal arts colleges. “Trying to narrow the role of faculty … has taken us away from what it means to be a liberal arts college and made us more like a large research university.”

Weiner's research is based on the literature of college service – reports by professional societies, articles by scholars, reports by foundations – which he will share at Wednesday's talk.

Weiner has the distinction of chairing two academic departments at Union, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (1978-1986) and the Department of Political Science (currently). After receiving his undergraduate degree in sociology and history from the University of Illinois at Chicago, he went on to earn his master's degree and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of North Carolina.

He joined the Union faculty in 1974 and has developed courses in such areas as health care politics, the sociology of medicine, political sociology, and issues in American education. He also has published in the major journals of political science and sociology and health, including the Journal of Politics, the American Journal of Sociology, and the American Journal of Public Health.

He was associate dean of the faculty for seven years and acting dean of the faculty for one year; he started the College's M.A.T. program and, as dean and department chair, has increased the presence of women on the faculty. Among his community positions, he has been a member of the Niskayuna School Board since 1990 (currently serving as president), a member of the board of trustees of Wildwood School and Family Corp., chair of the board of the Early Childhood Education Center, and an advisor to Schenectady Association for Retarded Children and DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education).

Posted on Jan 28, 2004

The Union College men's basketball team congratulates Gregg Schnell for
winning the Dutchmen's Super Bowl Bash Prize Pack. Mr. Schnell will
receive the following party package:

• 10 lbs of hot dogs,
• 10 lbs of hamburgers,
• 10 lbs of chicken wings,
• 10 lbs of sausage,
• as well as assorted chips, dips, cheeses, crackers,
  pepperoni, desserts and soft drinks.

The total value of the Super Bowl Bash Package is $250

The men's basketball team thanks everyone who participated in the
raffle, and extends a special thank you to Tom Bayly for donating the
prize package. All proceeds from the raffle will go to support the
Union College men's basketball program.

Posted on Jan 26, 2004

At the recent NCAA convention in Nashville,
Division III members approved a number of proposals as part of a reform package,
including a reduction in the length of playing and practice seasons, an end to
“red-shirting” of athletes, and a new annual financial aid reporting process.

Also on the agenda was a proposal
that would have barred all Division III institutions from offering
athletic-based scholarships. As reported by the Troy Record: “Many of
those who wanted the waiver removed and thus opposed Prop 65-I were eloquent
and principled when speaking … Union College President Roger Hull was foremost
among that group. He painfully explained how he wanted to support his fellow
conference members and vote for Prop 65-I but that his principles, and strong
belief in the Division III philosophy that forbids athletic scholarships, would
not permit him to do so.”

Hull's
position has been supported by students and faculty on-campus and lauded by
other college presidents and foundation executives.

“Though the vote was the
culmination of a number of studies, articles, and books over the past several
years, this has been my position since Union
College introduced Division I
hockey 13 years ago,” said Hull. “The
principles have not changed since then … though the issue has attracted more attention.

“Anyone who has ever competed
athletically knows the tremendous lessons that can be learned on the courts,
fields, pools, or rinks, as young men and women learn the joy of trying hard,
of working as a team, of winning and losing gracefully, and of keeping the
proper perspective of sports in relation to academics. To me, this concept of 'student-athlete'
is what college athletics ought to be all about. Competition does not require
wins; it requires effort and commitment and a fair chance of winning – and one
can do that without athletic scholarships. This philosophy is one that, to me,
embodies the broader mission of the undergraduate liberal arts curriculum – and
it is one that continues to guide Union
College.”

To read President Hull's earlier statement
from after the NCAA meeting, visit: http://www.union.edu/N/DS/s.php?s=4122.

Posted on Jan 26, 2004

With forecasters predicting significant
snowfall over the next several days, our colleagues in Facilities are asking
for help.

Campus Facilities has published a
web site of the College's snow removal policy, and they're asking members of the Union community to help by following the guidelines. The site is aimed at enhancing safety and minimizing disruptions and inconvenience.

The site is at the following URL:

http://www.union.edu/Resources/Campus/Facilities/Snow%20Removal%20Policy.htm

For more information, call
Facilities at ext. 6181.