Posted on May 11, 1999

Schenectady, N.Y. (May 11, 1999) – Phi Iota Alpha, the Latino fraternity at Union College, is “taking it to the street” with a Latino Festival on Saturday, May 22, from 1 to 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Emmet and Craig streets in Schenectady's Hamilton Hill.

The event – which is free and open to the public — will feature Latin American music, food, games, prizes and education. There will be face painting, a dominoes contest, dance contest, a clown, and the opportunity for children to have their picture taken with Simba from Disney's The Lion King. For adults, Phi Iota Alpha has engaged representatives of a number of College and community organizations to offer information ranging from health care to employment networking to Army and Navy recruiting.

The theme of the festival is Siempre Se Puede Más (You Can Always Do More).

Last year's inaugural event drew about 100 residents and 50 Union students. Latin music, which could be heard from a block away, drew a number of residents to the area, organizers said.

Members of the fraternity said they decided to host the event on Hamilton Hill rather than on Union's campus to “show residents that they can host safe and fun events in their own community,” said David Torres, vice president of Phi Iota Alpha.

“We want to motivate people to realize that things can change as they continue to work hard,” said Erik España, president of Phi Iota Alpha. “Perhaps, for example, this will motivate a group of people to organize a similar event. We have only 10 brothers in our fraternity, but with a lot of work, we were able to make it happen. We want to promote this work ethic.”

For more information, call 388-6846.

Posted on May 7, 1999

Andrew Silverman is speaking on “Women Under Fascism.”
Amber Johnston has explored “Changing Views of Mental Illness in Fiji.” Michael
Lewis has researched the effects of reduced pH on the response to alarm signals in fathead
minnows. Jennifer Chick will discuss her chemistry research in “Stereoselective
Addition of Chiral Titanium Enolates to Imines Mediated by Titanium Tetrachloride.” A
few hours later, she will perform a dance piece, “Virtual Insanity,” which she
choreographed.

Those are some of the more than 200 stories to be told Friday and Saturday at the ninth
annual Steinmetz Symposium, the College's showcase of student creative, scholarly and
research achievement.

For the first time, classes are cancelled all day Friday (instead of just the
afternoon) for the Steinmetz Symposium. “We have been struck by how crowded the
timing was with everything jammed into just the afternoon,” said Bradley Lewis,
associate dean for undergraduate education. “We believed that (the full day) would
offer more opportunity for faculty, students and parents to see more of the most
interesting stuff that we do.”

The poster sessions and performances by the Jazz Ensemble will be moved to Saturday (at
11 and 11:30 a.m. respectively) to precede the Prize Day ceremony at 1:30 p.m.

For the first time, the Steinmetz Symposium, Prize Day and related events are part of a
special Parents' Weekend dedicated to the recognition of student achievement.

Times and locations of sessions are listed on this page and on the College's main
Web site.

Program books, with a complete schedule and abstracts, will be available throughout the
presentation areas.

Posted on May 7, 1999

Session I: 9:20 to 10:40 a.m. – Concurrent oral sessions in Olin and Social
Sciences;

Session II: 10:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. — Oral sessions in Olin, Social
Sciences and Steinmetz Hall;

Session III: 12:20 to 1:50 p.m. – Sessions in Performing Arts Studio;

Session IV: 2 to 3:20 p.m. — Oral sessions in Olin, Social Sciences,
Steinmetz Hall, Science and Engineering and Arts Building;

Session V: 3:30 to 4:50 p.m. — Oral sessions in Olin, Social Sciences and
Steinmetz Hall, and a performance (at 3:30) by the Union College Choir in the Arts
Building;

Session VI: 5 to 6 p.m. – Oral sessions in Olin and Social Sciences;

6:30 p.m., Upperclass Dining – Steinmetz Symposium banquet;

8 p.m., Yulman Theater – Theater production of “Jack and Jill.”

8:30 p.m., Memorial Chapel – Union College Orchestra performs
“Romantic Favorites.”

10 a.m., Nott Memorial — Welcome by President Roger Hull;

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Nott Memorial — Poster sessions;

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Reamer Campus Center — Union Jazz Ensemble;

1:30 to 2:45 p.m., Memorial Chapel — Prize Day ceremony (reception to
follow in Hale House);

8:30 p.m., Yulman Theater – Theater production of “Jack and
Jill.”

Posted on May 7, 1999

When Jason Goldberg '98 got up at a moot court session last month to argue against
the legality of a search and seizure, he remembered what he learned from his Steinmetz
presentation last spring.

So, he gripped the lectern with both hands, stood straight and delivered a clear,
concise and persuasive argument.

“Steinmetz taught me not to fidget,” recalls Goldberg, a first-year student
at Brooklyn Law School. “After my presentation last year, Professor (James) Adrian
came up to me and said, 'Jay, I loved your talk, but I was distracted by you moving
your pen.' Since then, I've been careful to stand still and not move my hands
unnecessarily.”

Goldberg's experience is not unusual, says Bradley Lewis, associate dean for
undergraduate education, who hears often from students who have learned valuable lessons
through the symposium.

“The value of doing a Steinmetz presentation is disproportionate to the amount of
time the student is standing up talking,” Lewis said.

“This is almost something of a professional conference for the students, and they
work with their adviser not only on the material but on their presentation, Lewis said.
“For the student, there is a heightened awareness of how they look and how they
present themselves, and that is what they must face after college.”

Lewis recalls a recent Steinmetz presentation by a student who was talking on
appeasement of the Nazis during World War II. She was surprised that no fewer than 10
faculty members came to her presentation and engaged her in discussion afterward.

“It was so wonderful because she had done a piece of work that faculty in the
field found very interesting,” he recalls.

“Steinmetz is a way for the faculty to say to the student, 'we take you
seriously as an academic.'”

Posted on May 7, 1999

The Steinmetz Symposium is dedicated to the memory of
“electrical wizard” Charles P. Steinmetz (1865 to 1923). He was chief engineer
at the General Electric Company while head of electrical engineering and physics at Union.
He wished for his students “the spirit of divine discontent, for without it the world
would stand still.”

Thursday, May 6, 3 p.m.
Nott Memorial.
GMI presents “Education in New York State: What Really Needs Reform?” a panel
discussion with state education leaders. Will be taped for broadcast on state public
television. Call ext. 6238.

Friday, May 7.
Steinmetz Symposium. (See stories and schedule this issue.)

Saturday, May 8, 1:30 p.m.
Memorial Chapel.
Prize Day.

Friday, May 7, 3:30 p.m.
Performing Arts Studio.
Union College Choir's Steinmetz Concert, Prof. Diane McMullen conducting.

Friday, May 7, 8:30 p.m.
Memorial Chapel.
Union College Orchestra, Prof. Hilary Tann conducting, presents “Romantic
Favorites.”

Friday, May 7, through Monday, May 10, 8 and 10 p.m.
Reamer Auditorium.
Film committee presents Patch Adams.

Saturday, May 8, 11:30 a.m.
Reamer Campus Center.
Union College Jazz Ensemble, Prof. Tim Olsen conducting, presents Steinmetz Concert.

Saturday, May 8, 4 p.m.
Jackson's Garden.
Duck Race to benefit senior class gift. Call ext. 6174.

Monday, May 10, 7:30 p.m.
Social Sciences 016
International Film Festival presents In the Realm of the Senses, directed by Nagisa
Oshima. In Japanese with subtitles. Series sponsored by grant from IEF.

Wednesday, May 12, noon.
Memorial Chapel.
Lunchtime Jazz with Prof. Tim Olsen, piano and trumpet; James Chirillo, guitar; Murray
Wall, bass; and Prof. Tom D'Andrea, drums.

Thursday, May 13, 4 p.m.
Arts 215.
U.C. Knoepflmacher, professor of English at Princeton University, delivers colloquium on
“Fluid Forms: Film, Fairy Tales and Interpretation” for Cultural Studies series.
Other events planned for May 11 and 14. For details, call ext. 6720.

Friday, May 14, 12:15 p.m.
Science and Engineering, N 304
Physics colloquium with Aaron Reidy '99 on “Spectroscopy of Active Galaxies
Using the 20-inch telescope,” and Bryan Lincoln '99 on “Segregation and
Pattern Formation in Granular Materials.”

Through May 30.
Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial.
Work by painter Stephen Pace on exhibit.

Through June 13.
Social Sciences Lounge.
Photographs by Michalena Skiados '99 from 1998 anthropology field study in Barbados.