Posted on May 18, 2006

His songs struck at the soul of a generation.

Hard to believe that Bob Dylan, the father of folk rock, becomes a senior citizen when he turns 65 on May 24.

Exuding charisma and mesmerizing us with his personal and evocative lyrics, Dylan helps us all to remember for nearly five decades that music is more than just harmonies and chords, that “it isn't about where a song comes from, but where it takes you.”

Next Thursday, May 25, members of the Union community can relive masterpieces like “Blowin' in the Wind” at the College's eighth annual Bob Dylan tribute concert, to feature music by such local musicians as No Outlet.

To commemorate the big birthday (and for the always delicious cake), visit Old Chapel from 7-11 p.m.

Posted on May 18, 2006

Director Jeff Zimbalist will bring his acclaimed documentary, “Favela Rising,” to Union on Wednesday, May 24 at 1:30 p.m. in Old Chapel.

The film documents a former drug-trafficker turned social revolutionary and community activist in Rio de Janeiro's most feared slum. A Q & A session will follow the screening.

The event is sponsored by LACS, Modern Languages, Africana Studies, UNITAS, Terms Abroad and the Anthropology Department.

Posted on May 18, 2006

Four accomplished haiku composers, including Prof. Yu Chang of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Hilary Tann of Music, will conduct a poetry workshop and reading at Sorum House, today (Thursday), May 18, 7-8:30 p.m.

They will be joined by Tom Clausen, a published poet and a librarian at Cornell, and John Stevenson, editor of “Frogpond, the journal of the Haiku Society of America. The four, who comprise the “Route 9 Haiku Group” (they gave a reading at Mann Library in Cornell University in March), will share reflections on creating poetry and friendship.

The event is sponsored by the East Asian Studies program. Light Japanese snacks and tea will be available.

For more on the haiku experts, who publish a twice-yearly anthology called “Upstate Dim Sum,” visit their Web site at http://www.upstatedimsum.com. 

Posted on May 18, 2006

Eric Noll, director of Human Resources, and Gretchel Hathaway Tyson, director of Affirmative Action and Community Outreach, presented “Human Resources and Affirmative Action: A Collaboration Model” at the recent College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) Eastern Region conference. They discussed effective strategies for partnership between the two areas.

Posted on May 18, 2006

Lori Jo Marso, professor of Political Science and chair of Women's and Gender Studies, has written “Feminist Thinkers and the Demands of Femininity: The Lives and Work of Intellectual Women” (Routledge), due out in June.

The book examines the lives and work of historical and contemporary feminist thinkers such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Germaine de Sta¸l, Emma Goldman and Simone de Beauvoir. Marso creates a dialogue among these pioneering thinkers and argues that their theories should not be divorced from the struggles and contradictions of their actual lives.

Marso also has just published a co-edited book with University of Illinois, titled “Simone de Beauvoir's Political Thinking.”