Posted on Jan 13, 2009

Union’s getting greener all the time. Here’s a look at some recent developments on campus:

RecycleMania: Union will join the 2009 RecycleMania competition, Jan. 18-March 28. This 10-week national drive was designed to encourage college recycling by pitting schools against each other to see who produces the least waste and recycles more. Union has entered into a friendly competition with Skidmore, the University at Albany, and Bard and Hamilton colleges, among others. For more details, go to: http://www.recyclemaniacs.org/Index.htm. To learn more about how to reduce, reuse and recycle, contact Terry Miltner, assistant manager of Cleaning Services, at miltnert@union.edu.

 

College wins sustainability award: U Sustain recently received an Environmental Excellence Award from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Leaders Jeffrey Corbin, assistant professor of biology, and Laura MacManus-Spencer, assistant professor of chemistry, accepted the award at a ceremony in December at DEC headquarters in Albany. Union was one of five groups chosen from more than 40 award applicants from industry, local governments, advocacy groups, schools and the hospitality sector.

 

Copy shop reduces carbon footprint: Campus departments now can get their printing needs met with an eye toward sustainability, thanks to the Printing Center’s recent leasing of a new, more efficient digital duplicator to replace its old printing press. A digital duplicator uses mostly water- and vegetable-based inks containing low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and environmentally friendly paper plates to copy documents. For high-volume printing, the new digital duplicator is a good alternative to standard copiers, said Copy Center and Mail Services Manager Paul DeBiase. Gone are the non-biodegradable plastic plates, toxic toner cartridge, fire safety cabinet for storing hazardous maintenance chemicals and the unhealthy chemical odors.

 

New Web site launched: Want to keep track of Union’s sustainability efforts? Go to http://www.union.edu/usustain.

 

Read More

Posted on Jan 13, 2009

When Barack Obama is sworn in as the country’s 44^th president on Tuesday, Jan. 20, a group of people with ties to Union will be on hand to witness history.

Students, a faculty member and a prominent alumnus are expected to be among a record crowd of as many as 3 million converging on the nation’s capital for the event.

The leaders of the Black Student Union have chartered a bus to take up to 55 students to Washington, D.C. The group doesn’t have tickets to the inaugural, so the odds are long they will get anywhere near the actual ceremony. Still, they wanted to be in proximity of the swearing-in of the nation’s first African American president.

“It’s a big deal for us,” said Nadia Alexis ’09, who along with Arkeisha Pace ’09, her co-chair of the Black Student Union, helped organize the eight-hour trip.

Alexis decided election night to plan the trip, which was open to all students and faculty. A line began forming hours before seats became available at 8:30 a.m. Monday, and slots were filled quickly. A waiting list of nearly 50 people was created. The group will leave just after midnight Monday, returning about 24 hours later.

“We have a chance to be a part of history,” she said. “It’s important for us to be there.”

Plans are also under way for students, faculty and staff who are unable to get to Washington to watch the ceremony at various spots on campus.

For Brad Hays, assistant professor of political science, scoring a coveted ticket to the inauguration was a simple matter of contacts. Prior to joining Union last fall, Hays taught for several years at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, befriending Dina Titus, a colleague in the political science department, and her husband, Tom Wright, a professor of history. When Titus, the former minority leader for the Nevada state senate, was elected to Congress on the same night as Obama’s historic win, Hays was able to secure a ticket.

“I don’t expect to get a chair,” said Hays, who can’t pick up his ticket until the day before Tuesday’s historic event. “I expect to be standing for a long time. But I’m just so excited to have the ‘golden ticket.’ ”

Hays will bunk with friends from his days as a graduate student at the University of Maryland. He expects the atmosphere in the D.C. area to be “slightly insane.”

“It’s a moment in history,” said Hays. “There was a part of me that didn’t want to deal with the mob scene. But when you think about the moment in time, and you have an appreciation for history and those great moments, you want to be there.”

Besides, Hays said, “I like a good party and this is going to be great party.”

Perhaps no one with a Union connection will have a better view of the inaugural than U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie '59 of Hawaii. Abercrombie, who earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Union and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and Student Council, was friendly with Obama’s mother and father while all three attended the University of Hawaii in the 1960s. He has known Obama since he was born.

“It is a stunning story that Hawaii would be the birthplace and the origin of the most powerful person on the planet, the President of the United States,” Abercrombie writes on his Web site. “Hawaii, its people, its diversity, and its spirit of aloha helped to shape President-elect Obama as a boy and young man growing up in these islands.

“When he ascends those stairs to the Inaugural platform at the U.S. Capitol, the people of Hawaii and his immediate ohana will follow his steps, as he assumes the reigns of an office for which he has worked so hard to attain and realizes a dream that he and Americans have only envisioned until this day.”

Read More

Posted on Jan 12, 2009

 

Hello Union Parents –

            Welcome back to all of our students! It’s terrific to see the campus buzzing with activity – it’s very quiet without the students here! I hope your holidays were wonderful and you had time to spend with your son and/or daughter.

            Although it’s cold and snowy right now, spring is just around the corner (hopefully) – and with that brings us to Commencement. This year, Commencement is Sunday, June 14.

Without further ado…here is the news from campus…

Classics Department
The Department of Classics recently enjoyed a visit from Andreas Mehl, Professor of Ancient History at Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany. His topic was Roman history composed in ancient Greek. Mediterranean conquest required that the Romans explain themselves to their neighbors, and all those who wanted to reach an audience outside their own borders had to use the international language of the day. Our students continue with their researches as well. More than twenty of them are engaged this term in independent research projects in Classics, ranging from ancient representations of women in athletics to insults in Latin poetry. And our faculty has not been idle: Professor Tarik Wareh recently won a fellowship to spend a year at the National Center for Hellenic Studies to pursue his research on “Philosophical Politics in the Generation after Plato.”

PALS

The PALs program is offering several workshops for students.

Memory vs. Memorization, Tuesday, 1/13 at 5 pm in Sorum

Learn how to improve your memory.  This workshop, led by Professor Burns from Psychology and the PALS, will help you develop strategies to commit things to memory, rather than just memorize.  This workshop will benefit anyone who has a lot of reading to do, or formulas to memorize, and has troubling recalling the information when needed, such as on exams.

Improving Lab Science Performance, Thursday, 1/15 at 7 pm in Beuth

Is this your first college science course?  A gen-ed science?  Learn how to succeed in science at Union.  Led by Professor Rice from Biology and the PALS. This workshop should benefit any student studying Science. Some first-years may have not done as well in Biology or Chemistry as they would have like in the fall and this will help improve the performance. Engineering students may be faced with Physics and doing labs for the first time. Or you might be a junior finally tackling your Gen Ed science with lab.

Effective Reading Strategies, Wednesday, 1/21 at 5:30 pm in Beuth

Feeling overwhelmed by the reading you have? Feel like you don’t remember much of what you read? Learn effective techniques for staying focused and retaining what you read. This workshop is lead by Professors Lewin and Bracken from English and the PALS.

Applying for Fellowships and Scholarships, Tuesday 2/3, 4:30 pm, Olin Auditorium. Interested in Watsons, Fulbrights, and other exciting opportunities? Even if you are in your first two years, it is not too early to start planning. Learn about how to go about preparing yourself to apply for various undergraduate and post-graduate fellowships and scholarships from Maggie Tongue, Director of Fellowships and Scholarships.

Registration 101, Wednesday, 2/11, 6:30-8:00 pm, Location TBA

Not sure what classes you should be taking? Confused by petitions, Gen Eds, WACs, clusters? Go into your advising meeting well prepared to get the best advice. Just stop by this session…two experienced upperclass students, along with Professor Rosenthal, the faculty advisor to PALs, will get you on the right track!

Workshops for first-year dorms:

Cabin Fever…for residents of West

1/22, Sorum House

Getting Involved …U Can Do it!

1/12, 7 pm, for residents of Webster House

Please take advantage of these programs.

 Dining Services

Order a Special Treat for your Special Student – an 8” Decadent Heart Cake!
Available in either Chocolate or Vanilla Cake
With your choice of filling- Chocolate Mouse, Strawberries and Cream or Bavarian Cream (Vanilla), topped in Chocolate Ganache, White or Chocolate Butter cream, with or without chocolate shavings.  Include a special message from you on the cake!

Ganache cakes $15.99
Butter cream cakes $12.99

Also available Chocolate Dipped Strawberries in decorative wrapping – $9.99
All orders come with a gift tag for you to personalize

To order: Call 518.388.6050
Email: union_dining@union.edu

Orders can placed until Monday, February, 9th

Catholic Chaplaincy 

Good to see everybody back after the long break.  Check out the recent article on the Union website about our weekly Catholic Mass on campus: http://www.union.edu/N/DS/s.php?s=8180.  The 7:30 p.m. Sunday Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church on Union St. has been moved up to 5:00 p.m., with our Catholic community dinner following in Hale House.

Athletics

Can’t make the game at Union? Is your son or daughter playing on the road? Don’t worry, now you can receive the score DIRECTLY TO YOUR CELL PHONE! Sign up now for the text message alerts from UnionAthletics.com. It’s FREE to sign up, (standard text message rates will apply for receiving scores). You will get the score after the game, sent directly to your phone. Pick which sports you are interested in for receiving the updates, and sign up here:

http://unionathletics.com/member/sms_signup.aspx

Stay in touch with your favorite Dutchmen and Dutchwomen teams with our new text alert feature at UnionAthletics.com!

Minerva Houses

Alumnus, Phil DiSorbo '71, who has done some terrific humanitarian work, visited campus on Friday, January 9 at 2:10 pm.  Spoke about his work with the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa.  As many of you may know, last year Union, through the Minerva / Unitas Winter Ball, raised about $6000 to help purchase a Toyota Land Cruiser to help transport and deliver medicines and health care workers to those suffering in outlying areas in Africa.  Phil has told us how much of a difference this has made.  We intend to keep supporting this effort again this year through the Winter Ball, which will take place on Saturday, February 7 at College Park Hall.  Further information on that will soon be coming.

Minerva Fellows

Over the winter break, Tom McEvoy, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Minerva Programs, visited five of the Minerva Fellows and three of the sites Union has placed its Fellows for volunteer work in third world countries . McEvoy reports all of the Fellows are working hard and successfully in the inaugural year of the Fellows Program.  Sites visited were Project Hope in Cape Town, Engeye in Southern Uganda and The Global Child in Cambodia.  Successful candidates for next year's program will be notified in late February.  Plans are underway for much programming on campus when this year's Fellows return on May 1.  This year's Fellows will also help to train the next wave of students who will be departing for their assignments this summer.

Message from the Becker Career Center

In its simplest form, the Becker Career Center is about helping students develop their goal attainment skills so that they’ll be able to secure opportunities for which they are well suited and manage their career for a lifetime in a dynamic, diverse and global environment.

Now, when I say “secure opportunities for which they are well suited,” I mean opportunities that stir their passion – that drives their natural curiosity. I believe that if they secure such opportunities, they will perform better and the rewards will take care of themselves.

For students who don’t know what they want to do, we encourage them to get to know themselves through self-assessment and exploration. With a better understanding of who they are, students will be in a better position to align who they are with their course of study, practical experience, and post graduation pursuits.

By having the courage to get out of their comfort zones and engage in activities, courses, events, etc. that peak their interests, your student will have many positive and some negative experiences. Both experiences, however, are very important in helping them better understand themselves.

At the end of the day, by knowing themselves better, they will be much more likely to make decisions that will put them in situations where they are more likely to succeed – however they define success.

So, if your son or daughter doesn’t know what they want to do, have them call us at 518.388.6176 or stop in for some assistance.

If your son or daughter wants an internship or full-time job this summer, now is the time for them to prepare to secure their opportunity. Some of the preparation includes:

• Developing a resume
• Having the ability to write a cover letter
• Understanding the importance of networking and having the skills to conduct informational interviews
• Interviewing practice

Again, we can help your student with all of this.  All your son or daughter needs to do is call us at 518.388.6176 or stop in for some assistance.

Finally parents, we will be having a Career Fair on Tuesday, February 17, from 4-7pm. If you (your employer) would like to participate, just let us know.

As always, if you have or know of internship or full-time employment opportunities we would be happy to post the opportunity for our students.  Please call us at 518.388.6176, or email Laura Leib at leibl@union.edu.

 

January Events Bulletin

Employer Information Sessions

GE US Employee Services

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 5:00 pm- Becker Career Center

Price Chopper/Golub Corporation

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 5:00 pm- Becker Career Center

Teach for America

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 6:00 pm- Becker Career Center

Funding for Non-Profit Summer Internships: Prep Sessions

Union College has received funds to support students in unpaid summer internships at non-profit organizations. Attend one of these sessions to learn more.

Thursday, Jan. 15, 1:00 pm- Becker Career Center

Monday, Jan. 19, 1:00 pm- Becker Career Center

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 5:00 pm- Becker Career Center

Internship Search Workshops

Attend one of these hands-on programs to learn how to identify employers who are looking for you and opportunities that are appropriate for you.

Thursday, Jan. 8, 1:00 pm- Olin 306

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1:00 pm- Olin 106

Thursday, Jan. 15, 5:00 pm- Olin 107

Monday, Jan. 19, 5:00 pm- Olin 306

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1:00 pm- Olin 107

Monday, Jan. 26, 1:00 pm- Olin 106

Resume and Cover Letter Workshops

Thursday, Jan. 22, 1:00 pm- Becker Career Center

Monday, Jan. 26, 5:00 pm- Becker Career Center

Alumni Sales Professionals Panel

Union Alumni discuss… What separates successful sales professionals from everyone else? Thursday, Jan. 29, 6:00 pm- Olin Auditorium

Career Fair

Tuesday, Feb. 17 from 4:00-7:00 pm- College Park Hall

Save the date!

For information about these and other events visit eRecruiting or call 518-388-6176.

Physics Department

 

On December 6, 2008, the Department of Physics and Astronomy held the first annual Union College Physical Constants Workshop for high school physics teachers and students. Seven teachers and 17 students worked in teams to perform experiments to measure fundamental physical constants and gain experience with modern instrumentation and laboratory techniques such as high-resolution video analysis, scattering experiments with a particle accelerator, and scanning electron microscopy.

The workshop included five schools from the Capital District, and also two Union alumni, Justin King ‘06 and Nicole Sabbatino ‘06, who are now teaching at Commack and North Shore high schools on Long Island. Six faculty members from the Department of Physics and Astronomy ran experiments for the workshop, along with two current students, Brandon Bartell ‘10 and Tom Perry ‘09.

The goals of the workshop are to stimulate students to study physics and pursue careers in science, provide teachers with an exciting and enriching professional development experience, and to establish a network through which the Department of Physics and Astronomy can support local high school physics education. The workshop was supported by the New York State Section of the American Physical Society and the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

History Department

We were in (lovely, warm!) Buenos Aires from November 29 through December 21.  We met with a member of the Argentine Supreme Court, with Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (who continue to demand answers from the government regarding the fate of their children who were “disappeared” during the dictatorship from 1976-83; we met with housing activists who are using a government fund to build and renovate housing for low income workers; learned the history of Eva Peron (1919-52), one of Argentina’s (and the world’s) most famous women.  We visited the museum, her office, and the floor of the General Confederation of Workers, where she worked and her body was embalmed and preserved for years.

We also had tango lessons, salsa lessons, and practiced when we could.  The group also had a couple of lovely days at an estancia (ranch) relaxing and eating very well!

In conjunction with the Office of Campus Diversity, the History Department’s new Public History program is hosting the eighth annual Underground Railroad History Conference. This is a major event, held February 27th and 28th at Campus Park Hall. The theme of the conference is “The Underground Railroad, Its Legacies, and Our Communities.” We are very excited about this event and urge all history students to attend.

Also, Andrew Morris, 20^th century US historian, published a book, The Limits of Voluntarism:  Charity and Welfare from the new Deal through the Great Society (New York:  Cambridge University Press, 2009).

            In closing, I hope your student is off to a good start for the term. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

                                                            Best wishes for 2009!

                                                            Karen Dumonet (Vanessa ’07, Sebastian ’09)

                                                            Parents Association Chairperson

Read More

Posted on Jan 9, 2009

Emanuel Ax, a pianist renowned for his poetic temperament, unsurpassed virtuosity and exceptionally diverse performing capacity, makes his fourth appearance at Memorial Chapel Sunday, Jan. 25 at 3 p.m.

General admission tickets cost $25; area students may attend for $10.

During this upcoming Chamber Concert Series performance, Ax will present portions of Schubert’s Four Impromptus and Sonata in A, as well as portions of Liszt’s Vallee d’Obermann, Sonetto del Petrarca and Mephisto Waltz.

Born in Lvov, Poland, Ax captured public attention when he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in 1974. A year later, he went on to win the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, and eventually the coveted Avery Fisher Prize.

Ax, who studied at The Julliard School, has also been honored for his recorded releases. The second and third volumes in his cycle of Haydn’s piano sonatas received Grammy awards. Ax also made a series of Grammy-winning recordings with cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Ax’s special projects for the current season include performances with pianist Yefim Bronfman and a solo recital tour in North America and Europe. He will also return to several orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony.

During his 2004-2005 season, Ax contributed to a BBC documentary commemorating the Holocaust. It aired on the 60^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and was awarded a 2005 International Emmy.

Ax lives in New York City with his wife, the pianist Yoko Nozaki. They have two children, Joseph and Sarah.

For additional information, call 388-6080 or click here.

Read More

Posted on Jan 9, 2009

Coming in from the cold with a smile on his face, David Leavitt ’12 walked energetically into Memorial Chapel on Thursday for the first Catholic Mass of the new term.

“This is a great way to just put things in perspective after being so focused on the nitty-gritty and getting down to the books all week,” Leavitt said of the Mass, which is celebrated every Thursday from 1 to 1:30 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.

Since becoming Catholic Chaplain five years ago, Tom Boland has worked to bring a weekly Mass to campus. Before, Mass was limited to special occasions like Ash Wednesday and ReUnion.

“Since I’m not a priest, we’ve been really dependent on local parishes like St. John the Evangelist and St. Anthony's for Mass,” Boland said. “Those parishes are great, but I’ve always wanted to have a weekly Mass on campus so that interested members of the Union community can come together in prayer this way.”

Members of the Jewish faith hold Shabbat every Friday night, said Victoria Brooks-McDonald, campus Protestant minister and Interfaith Chaplain. The Intervarsity Christian Fellowship hosts a prayer meeting on Fridays as well.

In addition, there are occasional Protestant and Hindu services on campus, she added. Muslims also use the college's new prayer and meditation room in the Reamer Campus Center for daily devotions.

Boland was able to garner enough support from the local Catholic community to start a weekly Mass last fall. Priests from parishes across the area, including Father Richard Carlino from St. John the Evangelist Church, rotate as celebrants.

Lucia Reed ’09, Catholic Student Association vice president, is thrilled with the new Mass.

“I love it because it fits in better with my schedule,” she said.

Students are still encouraged to attend Mass on Sundays. For years, St. John's, which is across the street from the main campus entrance, has held a 7:30 p.m. Mass that has been popular with students. This year, the time of the Mass has been changed to 5 p.m. to appeal to more students.

“It’s been my impression that students feel pressure to get back to the books by Sunday evening,” Boland said. “Having Mass earlier might make it more attractive to them.”

Read More