Posted on Oct 14, 2010

Students advocated for greater campus sustainability Monday at Green Expo.

The event, held in the Reamer Campus Center, was a way to get more students involved in earth-friendly efforts, such as attending events, signing petitions and participating in groups like U Sustain and the Environmental Club.

“We want to increase awareness on sustainability,” said Eliza Duquette ’11 of Ozone House, “and try to initiate an alternative social atmosphere on campus.”

Members of Union’s Environmental Club provided information on single stream recycling and the perils of bottled water. Club member Meghan Haley-Quigley ’13 said the group will be holding several more green events, including its annual trash audit on Nov. 15 to coincide with America Recycles Day.  

Monday’s event was organized by the Education and Outreach Subcommittee of U Sustain, chaired by Shabana Hoosein ’11 and Professor Matt Manon of the Geology Department. As Hoosein told the Concordiensis this week, "The expo was important because it showed the campus the variety of environmental groups available."

Students, faculty and staff interested in making Union a greener place can also apply for a Presidential Green Grant. Proposals for the grants, which are up to $2,000, are due Oct. 22 and can be submitted to sustain@union.edu.

Posted on Oct 14, 2010

Author Awista Ayub will discuss her efforts to unite Afghani women through sports on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Nott Memorial.

Her talk is titled “However Tall the Mountain,” after her book of the same name. It is sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Office of Campus Diversity.

Ayub fled her native Afghanistan with her family in 1981, when she was 2. In the U.S., growing up in Connecticut, she flourished in organized athletics.

In 2003, she founded the Afghan Youth Sports Exchange with eight Afghan young women as a way of giving them hope under the harsh Taliban rule.

Fifteen teams and hundreds of girls now compete in an organized league through the Afghanistan Football Federation.

Ayub’s book chronicles her experiences using soccer to empower young women while working toward social change. The paperback version, released last year, is called “Kabul Girls Soccer Club.”

Awista received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Rochester in 2001 and a master’s of public administration from the University of Delaware. From 2005 to 2007, she served as the education and health officer at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C.

She has been featured in a number of national news publications and programs including ABC News (Person of the Week), ESPN, Glamour (Hero of the Month), CNN American Morning, New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated.com, the San Francisco Chronicle and USA Today.

For more about Ayub’s mission, visit http://www.awistaayub.com.

Posted on Oct 14, 2010

Leonard Kleinrock, a “father of the Internet,” will deliver the 71st Steinmetz Memorial Lecture on Monday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.

He will discuss the history and future of the Internet, touching on critical events in the medium’s history, user participation, applications, services and innovation.

“Dr. Kleinrock's visit will be a unique opportunity for the Union community to hear from the computer scientist who developed the mathematical theory of packet networks, a fundamental technology of the Internet,” said Dean of Engineering Cherrice Traver.

Kleinrock developed the mathematical theory in the early 1960s, while a graduate student at MIT. The theory became the technological foundation of the Internet; he later wrote the first paper and published the first book on the subject. He also directed the transmission of the first Internet message.

In 1999, the Los Angeles Times cited him among the “50 People Who Most Influenced Business This Century.” He was also listed as among the 33 most influential living Americans in a 2006 issue of Atlantic Monthly.

Kleinrock received the 2007 National Medal of Science, this country’s highest science honor. He is currently a distinguished professor of computer science at the UCLA.

The Steinmetz Memorial Lecture commemorates world-renowned engineer Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865-1923), professor of Electrical Engineering at Union from 1902 to 1913. Created in 1925, it has brought dozens of eminent scientists, engineers and innovators to campus.

Monday’s event is presented in conjunction with the Schenectady Section of IEEE. 

The Steinmetz lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

Posted on Oct 14, 2010

Due to improved market conditions, the College is now in the process of finalizing its plans to complete the 2008 Board of Trustees approved deferred maintenance borrowing of $30 million over 10 years at $3 million per year.

The financing will help the College address deferred maintenance issues on several older buildings, including electrical and mechanical upgrades, roof repairs and energy efficient measures over the next several years, according to Diane Blake, vice president for Finance.   

In addition, the College will borrow an additional $8 million as cash flow financing for the Lippman and Wold building.  As the gift pledge payments are received, the cash flow financing will be repaid. 

The terms of the financing are currently under review. The borrowing is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. 

Posted on Oct 14, 2010

Check out the central campus calendar at calendar.union.edu to learn about events and activities, and submit event requests to the Calendar if you want publicity. 

Posted on Oct 14, 2010

Zeta Upsilon, Union’s chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, recently received a Best Chapter Award for colleges with enrollments under 6,000 students.

Pi Sigma Alpha recognizes only three chapters in this size category each year, from more than 700 chapters in colleges and universities across the nation. The award is given to chapters that demonstrate extraordinarily high levels of activity and creativity in furthering the goals of the honor society.

From 2007 to 2010, Zeta Upsilon hosted the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics, a national journal that publishes outstanding undergraduate research. Zoe Oxley, associate professor and chair of the Political Science Department, was the faculty advisor. The Editorial Board was made up of Union Pi Sigma Alpha students.

Zeta Upsilon was founded in 1974 by the late Professor Charles Tidmarch.