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Parents Association Newsletter

Posted on Nov 13, 2007

Dear Union Parents and Families,

Well, here we are. The Fall term will be wrapping up very soon, and students will begin their finals in just a few short weeks. During the break, our students will have the opportunity to take advantage of internships, mini-terms as well as visit with family and friends.

Homecoming and Family Weekend was glorious – over 1800 parents, grandparents, alumni and friends converged on campus! The weather turned Friday afternoon leaving the remainder of the weekend sunny – it was the perfect fall weekend. Not to mention all the wonderful events parents could participate in: visit a class; attend the President’s Welcome Reception as well as the Parents Association meeting, and receptions, and panel discussions, and athletic events… and more! At our Parents Association meeting Saturday morning, we heard from many of the administrators and deans who work directly with our students. Interestingly, almost half the parent population was first year parents, followed by sophomore parents, senior parents and – surprisingly – the fewest, from junior class parents. Here are some interesting statistics from the weekend: we had 13 parents from outside the United States (Canada, Bermuda, France, England and Ecuador), and domestically, the farthest traveling parents came all the way from Washington State! Bravo Union!

By now, you should have received either a letter, a phone call from our student affiliates, or both, asking you to make a gift to our Parents Fund. On behalf of Vivian Falco, our Parents Fund Chairperson, I sincerely hope that you will take this opportunity to participate in the Fund! This is a simple gesture that says that you are feeling good about the Union experience that your daughter or son is having. We thank you in advance for being a part of this.

And now News from the Campus…

President’s Office

“A little more than a year ago, in the early days of my presidency at Union, I challenged all of us to re-cultivate our sense of social-connectedness and civic commitment. I recounted the remarkable tale of one of Union’s most emblematic characters, William Seward, who understood the value of community and the self-sacrifice that sometimes comes with committing to the common good.

We have a unique opportunity that I believe will allow us to make a difference in our community. The College recently transferred ownership of one of its properties to Habitat for Humanity of Schenectady County. As most of you know, Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, nondenominational housing organization. Since 1976, Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in some 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

While it is common for colleges to have a student-run chapter of Habitat for Humanity on their campus that provide volunteer work crews to the local organization, very few colleges in the country have given land or property to Habitat for Humanity and taken the lead in refurbishing the home.

That is precisely the opportunity that is now before us. I invite the Union community – students, faculty, staff and alumni – to join together in renovating a house on Barrett Street that we have recently donated to Habitat for Humanity. It does not matter what skills you possess; there are tasks for everyone to contribute. The fruits of our collective labor will allow a family in need of a home to move in this spring; it will also help us adhere to the vision laid out in our strategic plan and to continue the rich history we have enjoyed with Schenectady since our founding 213 years ago.

In the coming days and weeks, there will be information on how to participate. I encourage you to take part in this worthy cause. Working together on this Habitat house, we have a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and demonstrate our commitment to the community beyond our campus and in which we live.”

We have created a Web site, http://www.union.edu/habitat, which provides instructions on how to volunteer. You can help in two critical areas. The first is working at the house on Wednesdays and Saturdays anytime from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. We need between seven and 10 volunteers each day. Volunteers are also needed to provide lunch to the workers. You can track the progress of the project, including photos, through the Web site.

Health Services:

Our annual flu clinic will be Nov.1st and Nov.8th from 11am-3pm in Old Chapel. The cost of the vaccine is $27.00 and can be paid by cash, check or bill tuition. Students under 18 years old must have parental consent. No appointments necessary – just walk in.

Becker Career Center

Bob Soules, the new Director of the Becker Career Center brings passion and energy to his job. Please take a moment to read his letter of introduction and vision for the future of the Career Center.
http://www.union.edu/N/DS/s.php?s=7506

Dining Services

Minerva Programs

“I would like to call your attention to a pilot program that we are launching through the efforts of Professor Hal Fried of the Economics Department.

Known as the Minerva Fellows Program, Union will send seven graduating seniors to developing countries to use their skills, energy and passion in helping the poor. They will depart for their destinations following Commencement and return to Union during the Spring Term of the following year, for a period of one month to share their experiences with the Union community.

This program is supported in part by the Minervas and through grants and donations that Hal has procured. More information follows, and we will be announcing the program and information sessions for seniors within the next day. Please encourage any students who you feel might be good candidates for this experience to attend the information sessions and / or direct them to me for more in formation. If you have any questions, please be in touch.

Mission

To instill in some recent graduates of Union College an entrepreneurial approach to social problems and a lasting commitment to the poor in developing countries with an important spillover impact on current students.

The Program

All students and faculty members at Union College belong to one of seven Minerva Houses that serve students’ social and academic interests. The Minervas will select seven graduating seniors per year to receive a scholarship to devote eleven months to working with a social entrepreneurial organization in a developing country and to educating Union College students upon their return.

The students will apply in the early winter, be selected in the late winter, take a social entrepreneurship course in the spring, graduate in the middle of June and report to work in the middle of July.  The students will return to Union on May 1 of the following year and live in their Minerva House for one month. During the month of May, the students will participate in an ongoing course on social entrepreneurship, which will focus on international examples for the final four weeks. In addition, the students will informally interact with their former student colleagues (many of whom will be friends), give presentations at Minerva Houses and to classes.

Based upon the demonstrated success of the one-year pilot, the College is committed to sustain the effort with a combination of undergraduates and newly graduated students. The Minerva Council voted to contribute $10,000 per year to the program.

The Goals

It is important for the College to make a commitment to alleviating poverty in developing countries and to make a commitment to its students after they graduate beyond asking for their support as alums. Perhaps globalization will pull up the destitute eventually, but in the meantime, this program exposes young people to the human side of poverty and provides them with the opportunity to have a positive impact.

The social entrepreneurship course that students take in their final term at Union will open their minds to the possibilities for managing social initiatives better. The entrepreneurial perspective will establish an inquisitive, creative, questioning, skeptical and ambitious mindset. Students will provide a critical analysis of their experiences when they revisit the social entrepreneurship course upon their return. 

Many students care deeply about the less fortunate, but know little about opportunities to help.  This program provides an opportunity. The program will probably have a larger impact on participating volunteers than on participating communities; the volunteers will be changed for life.  Most will undoubtedly return to a conventional career path, but they will be sensitized to the ravages of disease and poverty and will support its eradication. It is even possible that some will become social entrepreneurs, devoting their careers to finding innovative ways to improve the world.

Effective programs leverage the benefits.  This program directly impacts seven students and indirectly impacts many more. The students will return to Union College immediately after their time abroad to share their experiences with their colleagues before it dissipates with time. Other students will rethink their career plans and values as a result.

Collaborating Partners

Discussions are underway with the organizations below who will sponsor the Minerva Fellows.  To varying degrees, these organizations are willing to provide accommodation and food. One to two Minerva Fellows will be assigned to a sponsor.

PRELIMINARY DESTINATIONS:

Organization Location Mission
BRAC Bangladesh Alleviation of poverty and empowerment of the poor
National Child Protection Service Mumbai, India Street children
Self Employed Women’s Association Ahmadabad, India Collective purchasing, finance, child care, insurance, legal
Sustainable Rural Development Philippines Coconut farmers
Fiji Red Cross Suva, Fiji Health outreach
Save the Children Foundation Suva, Fiji Childcare and education
Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Sahara Africa South Africa Hospice care for HIV/AIDs patients
To be determined Ghana  
See Mike Brody Kenya See Mike Brody

And, last but not least, Parent Association News There are a number of ways that you, as families and parents of Union students, can be involved – many of which do not require you to be on campus:

  1. From your home or office: be our “Welcome Wagon”. This is an opportunity for parents of sophomore-junior-senior students to call and welcome incoming parents, and answer any questions they may have.
  2. Within your child’s old High School, or in your township, attend the local College Fairs. Attend a college fair in your local high school, and spread the good word about Union and share your own experiences.
  3. Within your own professional environment, help out Union’s Career Services. Help provide internship or job opportunities through your profession or network of contacts.
  4. Financially, assist the Parents Committee. Give a gift at the Leadership Level of $1000 and invite fellow parents to support the College by participating in the Parents Fund.
  5. Help in person during move-in day in September for the New Student/Parent Orientation. Help staff the Parents Welcome Center on move-in day and be a resource for new parents.

Please click on the following link if you would like to become actively involved. http://www.union.edu/Parents/form2.php

On a final note, in an attempt to reduce emails in your mailboxes, after this month’s edition, we will no longer be emailing our monthly newsletter. Instead, you will be able to find it on our webpage at http://www.union.edu/Parents > Parents Association > Newsletter.

I hope you enjoy the time your students will be home on break. Best wishes to your daughters and sons in their Union endeavors this year!

Sincerely,

Karen Dumonet (Vanessa ’07, Sebastian ’09)
Parents Association Chairperson

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Monopoly players raise $11,000 for family agency

Posted on Nov 12, 2007

 

About 150 Monopoly players turned an hour-long tournament into over $11,000 for the Family and Child Service of Schenectady on Sunday at Union College, thanks to the fundraising and organizing of two local fraternities. 

Delta Kappa Epsilon and Sigma Phi helped organize the fourth annual event at Park Hall on Nott Street. For a registration fee of $5 for adults and $2 for children, players competed for prizes donated by local businesses. Prizes were handed out based on money totals at the end of an hour.

The grand prize was a weekend package trip to Montreal courtesy of the Albany Broadcasting Co., with other prizes donated by Amtrak and the Times Union Center. Smaller table prizes were also donated by corporate sponsors, some of whom paid $500 and $1,000 to be part of the event.

Mary Conklin is the development director for the Family and Child Service on Union Street.

“I think it’s fantastic how the community at Union College comes together to help co-sponsor this with us,” she said. “The students at Union have been tremendous.”

Started 77 years ago, the agency serves families from all over the Capital Region. The main programs of its $980,000 yearly budget include a family support service, a homemaker program for seniors, and counselling to at-risk youth groups.

The family support service helps families with school and Medicaid issues, and the homemaker program aims to help seniors remain at home and independent.

“I think that the people who work and Family and Child Service are extremely dedicated to helping people in the community to doing whatever’s needed,” Conklin said. “The employees of the agency, they go above and beyond.”

Pam Derrick is the president of the group’s Board of Directors. She has been part of the event for the last two years.

“I think it’s absolutely terrifi c that they’re interested enough in their communities to get involved in something that’s fun and really towards a good cause,” Derrick said. “That’s what’s going to make the difference in the future; the kids that are going to be recruited to the boards, and so on. That’s really important, you need that energy.”

Derrick has been on the Board of Directors for the last four years, and said that she got involved in the group after retirement.

“Because it works with families that have loved ones that are disabled, and because it works with an elderly population that really is very, very needy for services, I thought it would be a wonderful way to spend some of my time,” she said.

Alex Leisenring is the philanthropy chairman for Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Dave Conelias is his counterpart with Sigma Phi.

“I think it’s kind of unique for Union because most of the charities we do are national charities,” Conelias said. “This is one of the local charities so it’s a great chance to really reach out to the community.”

“We need to build a better relationship with the City of Schenectady,” Leisenring added. “The number one thing here today is that we’re giving back to the community.” 

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Union teams up again with Salvation Army for “Angel Tree Program”

Posted on Nov 9, 2007

Angel tree gifts await adoption by girls and boys.

Once again this holiday season, the Dean of Students Office has teamed with the local Salvation Army for the annual “Angel Tree Program.”

The program lets families select unwrapped toys for their children, up to 11-years-old, at the Salvation Army in Schenectady. Angel tags, identifying the gender and age-appropriateness of the toy, are taped to the toys, which are priced between $8 and $10 each.

This year’s program coordinator is Karim Cruz-Neal ’02, administrative assistant at the Salvation Army. Cruz-Neal, who majored in Latin American Studies and Performing Arts, has worked at the Salvation Army since February. At Union, Cruz-Neal also met her future husband, Richard Neal ’02.

“I attended a summer camp with the Salvation Army Schenectady Citadel in 1999 while I was a student at Union,” said Cruz-Neal, who plays cornet in the Army's brass band and is a member of their songsters group. “It’s great to be working for them full time and to be able to partner with my alma mater on this important project.”

Karim Cruz-Neal ’02, administrative assistant at the Salvation Army and program coordinator for the 2007 Angel Tree Program. An Amsterdam native, Cruz-Neal holds an interdepartmental bachelor’s in Latin American Studies and Performing Arts. She joined the

Donations of new, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the Dean of Students Office in the Reamer Campus Center, Room 306, by Tuesday, Dec. 11.

This marks the 14th year the College has participated in the program. Each year, the campus community has donated more than 100 toys to the Salvation Army.

Families interested in the program may sign up at the Salvation Army’s Schenectady office at 222 Lafayette Street at these times. Eligibility is based on income and number of children:

Thursday, Nov. 15 from 2 to 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 16 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 27 from 2 to 5 p.m.

For additional information, contact Kim Puorto at (518) 388-6061 or puortok@union.edu. To contact the Salvation Army’s Schenectady office, call (518) 346-0222.

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Ex-teen Liberian soldiers to speak today

Posted on Nov 9, 2007

"Wartime Experiences and Postwar Development in Liberia: Two Ex-Teen Soldiers Share Their Stories" will be held this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at the Nott Memorial.

Morlee Gugu Zawoo Sr. and K. Johnson Borh will speak about their wartime experiences as teenagers in Liberia's 14-year civil war. 

At 16 and 19 years of age respectively, Zawoo and Borh were forced to fight and were fortunate enough to survive the brutality they faced on the front lines to share their stories and bring about awareness of the reality of child soldiers. They formed the War Veterans' Association during the war to lobby for support for wounded soldiers, and they transformed this association into the National Ex-Combatant Peacebuilding Initiative (NEPI).

The NEPI specializes in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, detraumatization and human rights training. It is partnered with Washington D.C.-based CHF International to create Community Peace Councils throughout Lofa County and to conduct interviews with 1,400 ex-combatants about issues surrounding economic reintegration.

The event, organized by Jen Libous '08 of Wold House, is open to the public. It is being sponsored by Wold House, Africana Studies, the Political Science Department and the Dean's Office. There will be a reception following the event at Wold House.  

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Orchestra concert, student recital set for next week

Posted on Nov 9, 2007

The Union College and Community Orchestra will perform on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. The concert is titled, "There Will Always be an England" and will feature works by composers from or active in the British Isles.

The program begins with Sir Arthur Sullivan's "Overture to The Pirates of Penzance," a whimsical operetta subtitled, "The Slave of Duty." The second work, "Sarsen," is by Music Prof. Hilary Tann. 

"This three-movement work was inspired by standing stone formations on three continents; Adirondacks, Sozhou in Japan, and Avebury in England," said Director of Performance Victor Klimash.

Peter Warlock's "Capriol Suite," based on a group of old French dances, opens the second half of the program. The final work is George Frideric Handel's suite of music for the Royal Fireworks.

There will be a reception for the Orchestra and audience in Hale House immediately following the concert. 

"Please join us for a fun afternoon of good music and good fellowship," Klimash says.

In addition, there will be a student recital in the Fred L. Emerson Foundation Auditorium in the Taylor Music Center Monday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. Performers include pianists Peter Bonventre ’11 and Heidi Ching ’10, and vocalists Ben Bauer ’08, Yu Chen '10, Alexandra Gallagher ’09, Kara McCabe ’09 and Elizabeth Ruddle ’08.

Selections include Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Whither Must I Wander” and “Bright is the Ring of Words” featuring Bauer, bass. Bauer will also sing bass along with McCabe, soprano, for the duet “Là ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Both numbers will be accompanied by Elinore Farnum on piano.

The orchestra and student concerts are free and open to the public.

 

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