Posted on May 8, 2008

The final Art Night Schenectady for this academic year shines a spotlight on Union’s seniors with an opening reception for the Union College Senior Invitational in the Nott Memorial’s Mandeville Gallery, Friday, April 16, 5-9 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public.

The invitational features the work of seniors Ben Atkins, Robbie Flick, Jen Libous, Kaitlin Pickett, Amanda Silvestri, Rachel Start, Clare Stone and Walter Yund, on display through June 15.

Art Night Schenectady is a monthly event to introduce a wider audience to the unique vitality of the arts, restaurants and businesses that the city has to offer. Downtown shops, cafes, restaurants, galleries and vacant spaces stay open on the third Friday of each month to celebrate the work of local artists.

“LGBT: A Union Perspective” is on display in the second floor Wikoff Student Gallery.

 

 

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Posted on May 8, 2008

          Greetings from Union! Everyone is busy with studying for mid-terms. It’s hard to believe the term is half over. Last weekend was Steinmetz Symposium and Prize Day Ceremony. Four hundred students presented their creative, scholarly, and research achievements. On Saturday, over 190 students were recipients of various awards which officially recognize their achievements throughout the academic year.

            This Saturday, students will be able to kick back and enjoy themselves as SpringFest comes to campus. Student Activities and all the students involved in the weekend do an amazing job bringing bands to campus.

            Just a reminder, finals are Monday, June 9 – Wednesday, June 11^th. Commencement is Sunday, June 15^th. For more information on commencement, please visit http://www.union.edu/Commencement/ . If you are planning to attend the Garnet Gala Saturday evening, please remember to RSVP, https://www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/UNN/events/event_order.cgi?tmpl=events&event=2158471

            News from the campus…

Becker Career Center

We are pleased to announce the recipients of funding for internships at non-profit organizations this summer. Please see below for the names of the four students, their internship sites, and a description of their anticipated responsibilities. Please congratulate these students when you see them.

For the past several years, Union has been fortunate to receive monies from various sources to fund students working full-time in non-profit organizations during the summer. With especially strong applications and limited funds, this year’s selection process was particularly competitive. Funds this year came from the Class of 1973 Community Service Internship endowed fund, the Roger H. Hull Summer Community Service Internship endowed fund, and the Dr. Scholl Foundation. 

 Class of 1973 Community Service Internship Funding Recipient:

 An endowed internship supported by the Class of 1973 in honor of their 35^th Class Reunion

Tatum Weishaupt, Biology, ’09 – Community Hospice of Schenectady; Schenectady, NY

As a summer intern with The Community Hospice of Schenectady, Tatum will provide respite care and emotional support to terminally ill patients and families as they face their difficult life experiences. Her ability to work full-time this summer will not only provide additional relief to families, but also allow her to develop more in depth relationships with patients and families positively impacting her preparation for a career in medicine. Additionally, her contribution in the Volunteer Office on projects such as outreach initiatives and new volunteer training will give her an opportunity to engage in the management of a public health program.

Roger H. Hull Summer Community Service Internship Funding Recipient:

An endowed internship supported by the Board of Trustees

Shannon Packer, Biology/Classics, ’09 – Joan Nicole Prince Home; Glenville, NY

Shannon will be providing direct patient care to terminally ill residents at the Joan Nicole Prince Home, part of Schenectady Community Home, Inc. In addition to health care services, Shannon will be providing patients with a safe and comfortable environment during their final months of life. In this capacity, she will be providing patients and their families with companionship and emotional support. Shannon will have the opportunity to participate in community outreach and fundraising efforts as well.

Dr. Scholl Foundation Funding Recipients:

Andrew Mak, Chemistry/Sociology ’10 – NYS Department of Health;   Albany, NY

Andrew will be working in the Patient Safety Center developing a marketing plan and implementing the “Just Ask!” program, a national health literacy effort designed by the Society of Health Systems Pharmacists to help educate hospital patients about the safe and effective use of their medications. Andrew also will be developing a survey for hospital patients to assess the effectiveness of the program and generating a report on the findings. Andrew will form collaborative partnerships with hospitals, government and private sector health organizations as New York is the first state to implement this program.

Lisa Crescenzo, Art History ’10 – Heckscher Museum of Art;

Huntington, NY

Lisa’s contributions to this community focused museum will range from digitization and archiving, to long range conservation planning, as well as collections management and exhibition installation. During the Museum’s renovation and transformation, Lisa will contribute to creating more accessibility of the collections through state-of-the-art photography for inclusion in a web-based database searchable from off-site. She’ll also provide support through the evaluation of objects for conservation, art handling for relocation of the vast permanent collection, and installation of traveling exhibits to enhance the Museum’s educational and creative programs.

Attention Juniors! Jumpstart your career search. Don’t wait until senior year! The Becker Career Center is holding information sessions on Thursday, May 8 1:00-2:00 pm, Monday, May 12 6:00-7:00 pm and Tuesday, May 13 6:00-7:00 pm to learn what you can do this summer to prepare to compete effectively in the fall.

Health Services

We are writing to notify the campus community that after much research and conversations with colleagues in college health we have decided that administering allergy injections is a high risk service in the college clinic setting.  This decision comes after a thorough process of review aimed at enabling Union College Health Services to provide quality health care in a safe environment. We now provide full Nurse Practitioner coverage and have instituted an appointment system to ensure sufficient time to address students’ needs.  We are pleased to offer students various times conducive to their academic schedule.

We will therefore no longer be able to administer allergy injections effective June 13, 2008.  This decision has not been an easy one as we realize this may cause inconvenience and additional concern. To assist you with this transition, we encourage you to contact us at (518) 388 – 6120.

Below are two local allergists’ offices that have agreed to continue your immunotherapy.  Please allow ample time for the office staff to review your schedule and explain their services as not to interrupt your injection schedule.

Please be sure to discuss your insurance plan with the allergist office. Union College’s health insurance offers partial coverage for immunotherapy.

Campus Safety can provide transportation to and from your appointment if needed.

 Certified Allergists

624 McClellan St.

Schenectady, N.Y.  12304

(518) 374 – 2266

Allergy & Asthma Center

1544 Union St.

Schenectady,  N.Y.  12309

(518) 374 – 4879

Thank you for your understanding regarding this new policy.

Sincerely,

Barbara Lahey, APRN, BC

Director of Medical Services

The Parents Fund Corner: Celebrating the Class of 2008

It must seem like it was only yesterday to the parents of the Class of 2008, when they first brought their students to campus for freshman year.  Over the past four years, the Union experience provided our students with opportunities to grow and mature, intellectually and socially. With the 2008 Commencement approaching, please consider making a gift to The Parent's Fund in honor of your graduating senior. A gift to the Parent Fund is an affirmation of the value of a Union College diploma.

Thank you for your support and for your consideration of a gift this year. Every gesture, no matter how great or small, supports our students and faculty at Union and has an immediate impact. It is easy to give online at www.union.edu/give.

If you have any questions about the Parents Fund, please visit the Parents Webpage at www.union.edu/parents/parentsfund or contact Elizabeth Epstein, Assistant Director of The Parents Fund, at (518)388-6142.

Thank you for your consideration.

Vivian Falco, Peter '09
The Parents Fund, Chairperson

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at Parents_Association@union.edu. 

Take care,

                                                            Karen Dumonet, Vanessa ’07 and Sebastian ‘09

                                                            Chairperson, Parents Association

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Posted on May 8, 2008

“Feminists are Funny,” a 70-minute play featuring the Guerrilla Girls On Tour, will be presented Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. in the Reamer Campus Center Auditorium.

The performance is free and open to the public; seating is limited. Advance tickets may be picked up in Visual Arts Room 101.

Guerrilla Girls on Tour, a 26-member company that advocates on behalf of women and artists of color, creates and performs plays, street actions, visual work and residency programs that dramatize women’s history. Each performer takes the name of a dead woman artist and wears a gorilla mask to focus on the issue, not the performer.

“Feminists are Funny,” is an energetic romp through some of the troupe’s street theater protests. It explores some of the funniest female activists and their accomplishments and recaps the current events in politics, the performing arts and media.

The ensemble has toured through 30 states and six countries and has been featured in The London Times, Village Voice and The New York Times.

The group's appearance at Union has numerous sponsors, including the Department of Visual Arts Walter C. Baker & William B. Jaffe Fund; Michael S. Rapaport Ethics Across the Curriculum Initiative; and the Women’s and Gender Studies Saddock Fund for Women and the Arts.

For more information, contact the Department of Visual Arts at 388-6714.

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Posted on May 8, 2008

Volunteers in the Union College Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) recently visited Schenectady High School for “A Day of Service,” a science outreach program begun last year.

“STEP professors, mentors and staff went into the schools and worked with the Math, Science and Technology House,” said Angela Blair, Kenney Community Center director.  

The event took place in the Black Box Theatre, with three presentations. Prof. Samuel Amanuel’s Physics Club students conducted experiments with liquid nitrogen, lasers and other chemicals. The students also talked about why they chose Union, why they are majoring in physics and what they plan to do with their degrees after college.

Prof. Emeritus Twitty Styles spoke to biology students about allergies, and Elroy Tatem ’06 gave a presentation on nanotechnology.

“It was a wonderful event with a lot of enthusiastic participation by the high school students,” Blair said.

 

 

 

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Posted on May 7, 2008

Assistant Professors Stacie Rauccie and Tarik Wareh of the Department of Classics recently brought their students to the annual meeting of the Eastern Zone Latin Teachers Association in Saratoga Springs, where they presented their research to high school teachers from Eastern New York. Union students and the titles of their talks are: Jennifer Hough ’08: “Did the Greeks Invent Calculus?”; John Feliciano ’08, “A Literary Commentary on Livy's Early History of Rome and His Handling of Women”; Allison Baum ’08: “The Evolution and Migration of Trojan Myth in Ancient Greece and Rome”; and Claire Hendry ’08: “Barbarians Through the Eyes of Romans.”

 

Kristin Bidoshi, associate professor of Russian, published an article titled “The Case for Dynamic Exercise Systems in Language Learning” (with David Galloway) in Computer Assisted Language Learning: An International Journal 21 (2008): 1-10(Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group Publishers). In April, Bidoshi was an invited member of the National Endowment for the Humanities Collaborative Humanities Research Grant Selection Committee, where she helped the American Council of Teachers of Russian and the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research organizations grant NEH travel awards. She was recently invited to serve as the head of the Theory, Central/Eastern European Literature and Special Topics Division for the 2008 Program Committee of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures Conference. Bidoshi is an associate editor for the journal, Symposium (Syracuse University Press), and was recently elected vice president of the Slavic and East European Folklore Society.

 

Two choral works by Hilary Tann, the John Howard Payne Professor of Music, were premiered by the Melodia Women's Choir in St. Lukes in the Field in New York City recently. “Wellspring” had its U.S. premiere, and “Contemplations” had its New York premiere. The program, “Force of Nature – Celebrating the Earth,” featured music written by 20th and 21st century composers honoring the spirit of the natural world. A portion of ticket sales were donated to Water is Life – Kenya, a not-for-profit organization devoted to bringing resources, supplies, equipment and expertise to complete new wells in drought-stricken areas.

  

Robert Baker, the William D. Williams Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Rapaport Everyday Ethics Across the Curriculum Initiative, and Chalmers Clark, visiting associate professor of Philosophy, will join with Udo Schuklenk, editor of Bioethics, Barbara Katz Rothman of CUNY and other bioethicists to discuss current controversies in genetics, religion and big pharm at the Bioethics International Conference on New Dilemmas in Medicine at the United Nations in New York City May 23. The daylong U.N. affiliate conference is sponsored by Bioethics International, IHEU and the Appignani Center for Bioethics. A reception at the Romanian Consulates will follow. 

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