Posted on Nov 23, 2004

Visitors to the second-floor
Social Sciences Gallery can get a feel for Tasmania, through the eyes of students and
faculty who did a field study term abroad there last winter.

Photographs from the anthropology term
will be on display through March 18.

After about 10 days traveling
through New South Wales and Victoria,
the group made the 15-hour ferry crossing of the Bass Straits from Melbourne to Tasmania.
Soon after, each student moved into the home of a Tasmanian family in
communities near the capital of Hobart.

During the term, students learned
anthropological research techniques while studying the ecology and culture of Tasmania. Each student
also carried out an independent research project with topics ranging from the
political controversy over aboriginal history to artists who have chosen an
alternative lifestyle known as “voluntary downward mobility.”

Students were Chris Berk, Mike
Carey, Rose Chowallur, Morgan Gmelch, Cara Kantrowitz, Andrew McCord, Chris
Neal, Mike Pascucci, Kaitlyn Richards, Kyla Rudnick and Sarah Tidman. The term
was co-directed by George Gmelch and Sharon Gmelch, with the assistance of
fellow anthropologist Richard K. Nelson.

Tasmania,
Australia's
only island state, was home to an aboriginal population of about 4,000 in 1803
when British colonization began and it was used as a penal colony. By the
mid-1800's, Tasmania's
aboriginal population had been wiped out. Today, 477,000 people have an economy
based on agriculture, mining, logging, fishing, shipbuilding and tourism.

Posted on Nov 18, 2004

Bubo scandiacus is the Latin name for a snowy owl. The birds are typically found in the subarctic. But one sat placidly on a lawn in the middle of campus until the state Department of Environmental Conservation took the bird to a vet.

Ed Becker, a veterinarian at The Animal Hospital in Guilderland, reported the bird was “very thin — he is basically emaciated and dehydrated,” but otherwise apparently intact. Other tests were ongoing. (Becker wasn't sure whether the owl was male or female. Blood tests are generally the only way to figure that out.) After the owl recuperates, it likely will be released somewhere farther upstate, officials said.

Karl Parker, the DEC wildlife biologist who snared the owl with a net and delivered it to Becker, said the owls will migrate far afield when they are having trouble finding the small animals they usually eat. While it's not unheard of for a snowy owl to appear this far south, it did appear earlier in the season than one usually might.

“I haven't seen one in a number of years, actually,” Parker said.

A Union biologist who came to look at the owl, Carl George, said other birds typically found far to the north have come south sooner than usual. Ward Stone, a DEC wildlife pathologist, had heard that too — and worried that global warming might push more snowy owls out of their habitat as the wide-open spaces they look for are overgrown with bushes and trees.

Several people gathered to look at the owl, a dome of white feathers flecked with dark markings. A maintenance worker on campus first spotted the bird around 6:30 a.m., when it was scurrying across campus. It stopped near a stone wall near the Nott Memorial.

When Parker netted the owl, it put up little resistance, spinning its head around and widening its big, golden eyes. Parker held it aloft, like a trophy.

“Gorgeous bird. Absolutely beautiful,” said Jeremy Dibbell, Union's archives specialist, who was among those giving wide berth to the owl and its talons.

If anybody found it ironic that next week millions of turkeys will quietly go to their deaths while such a fuss was being made over this one bird, nobody said so.

Later, a chef wearing a toque and white coat showed up. People joked that the bird was off limits. He laughed at the commotion he caused. He walked away, saying, “No owl — tortellini for lunch.”

Posted on Nov 18, 2004

You've been through it all before, right?

As the end of the year approaches, you have become quite adept at making clever
moves that reduce your taxes and position you for better results in the coming
year. Even so, there may be another strategy or two that could make your results
even better.

Some of your best opportunities to fine-tune your tax picture come in the form
of charitable planning strategies. You may be familiar with many of these, but
others may be new options you have not considered.

The Office of Gift Planning is pleased to offer a special booklet – Top Ten
Year-End Tax Planning Questions and Answers – to help you sharpen your year-end
planning acumen. We invite you to take our year-end planning quiz to reinforce
your planning prowess and to introduce you to some ideas you may find useful.

To request a copy of Top Ten Year-End Tax Planning Questions and Answers, send
your name and address in an email message to GiftPlanning@union.edu. We'll
send a copy out ASAP.

Posted on Nov 18, 2004

…with Union College alumni wine.

Your fellow alumni have joined together to hand pick a selection of premium
wines for this year's portfolio and labeled them exclusively for the Union
College Alumni Council. Every bottle contributes cheer to your gatherings and
funds to support the Alumni Council's programs, scholarships, and events. So
get in the spirit! Click here
to order today or call 888/968-7946 for more information

For a limited time, you can “uncork the season” with a stainless
steel, quality-engraved Union College Alumni Council corkscrew- yours with any
purchase as an expression of our appreciation for your continnued support! To
receive your corkscrew, use code: OCJL4

Posted on Nov 17, 2004

Senior middle hitter Jess Meliosky (Amsterdam, NY)
was voted to the Liberty League volleyball All-Conference first team and was
one of three Dutchwomen that were selected. 
Senior middle hitter Sue Gestwick (Burnt Hills, NY) and junior
setter Suzy Barbaritz (Clarence, NY) were named to the second team. 

Senior hitter Ashley Clark (Greenwich, CT/Westminster)
was named to the league's All-Tournament team.

Meliosky led the Dutchwomen with her 302 kills and her 48
blocked shots and is second in assists with 41.  For her career, Meliosky finished third on the Dutchwomen's
all-time block list with 404, is eighth with 850 kills, and tied for 16th
in assists with 103.

Getswick enjoyed another solid all-around season as she
placed second with her 42 blocked shots, fifth with 22 assists and is fourth
with 157 kills.  Gestwick placed second
on the all-time Dutchwoman career block list with 484 while her 790 kills
leaves her in fifth place.  She finished
19th on the dig list with 461, and 22nd on the ace list
with 20.

Barbaritz led this season's Dutchwomen with 1,052
assists.  She contributed 55 kills, 21
service aces, and 157 digs.  She goes
into her senior season second on the assist list with 1,738.  Sarah Pontius is the all-time leader with
4,212.

Clark finished her career 10th on the kill list
with 750, was 19th with 72 aces, 15th with 73 blocks and
20th with 459 digs.

Posted on Nov 17, 2004

The dates Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13, 2003, will long be remembered in Union's athletic history as the weekend that the Dutchmen hockey and football teams swept Capital District rival RPI.  On the ice, the Dutchmen took a 5-4 victory from the Engineers in their own barn on Friday night, and then thrilled the capacity crowd at Messa Rink on Saturday by coming away with a 3-2 win.

The football team, meanwhile, did its part by coming from behind in the final two minutes to capture a thrilling 18-13 victory in Troy.  The win brought the Dutchman Shoes Trophy back to Schenectady…where they belong!

Saturday also marked the first time in history that both the hockey and football teams competed against RPI on the same day.

Coach Nate Leaman's hockey team accomplished a number of things with the twin win.  First, it marked the first time in the history of the rivalry that Union accomplished a sweep over RPI.  Second, it snapped a four-game losing streak at the hands of the Engineers and atoned for RPI's two-game sweep in the first round of last year's ECAC playoffs at Achilles Center.  Finally, and maybe most importantly, it gave the Dutchmen sole possession of first place in the ECAC Hockey League for the first time in the 14-year history of their Division I status.

As for coach John Audino's football squad, it ended the 2003 campaign on a positive note.  The Dutchmen finished 5-1 in the league, losing 33-27 in overtime at Hobart in the eighth game of the season.  Union, was 6-3 overall, posted its 24th consecutive non-losing season (which includes five .500 campaigns).  The Dutchmen sport an overall record of 187-56-1 (.768) during that streak.  The win snapped a seven-year string in which the home team captured “The Shoes” and marked the eighth consecutive season that the trophy has changed hands (Union played at RPI for the second consecutive year due to a scheduling fluke that saw WPI, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine come into the league).

While all three wins took total team efforts, there were a few individual efforts that were recognized. 

Senior Jordan Webb (Nepean, ONT) was named the ECACHL Player of the Week, making it the second straight week a Union College men's hockey player has earned the award.  Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Anthony Marotti (River Edge, NJ) picked up the Liberty League's Offensive Performer of the Week award for the second time this season.

Webb made history in front of the home crowd on Saturday night as he moved up to second on Union's Division I all-time scoring list.  In Friday's game Webb scored a goal and had one assist.  The goal came at 12:47 of the first period to break a 1-1 tie.  He then assisted on Union's third goal of the game to help break a 3-3 tie in the second period.  Webb followed that up with a pair of power play goals in the series finale.  He broke open a scoreless game with back-to-back goals in the second period to give Union a two-goal lead. 

Webb now has 10 goals on the season to tie him for first overall in the league.  He is also first in the league in power play goals with seven. 

Webb's first goal of the second game gave him 96 career points as he passed He now stands at 97 points and needs just eight more to overtake Christopher Ford. 

Junior Scott Seney (Silver Spring, MD) was named to the ECACHL Honor Roll following an impressive offensive display.  He recorded two goals and two assists.  Both goals came in the first game and the second would prove to be the game-winner.  His second assist the following night came on Union's game-winning goal.  He leads the team with nine assists and has three goals on the season.

Union, 5-5 overall, looks to continue its win streak at Princeton this Friday to start a nine-game road trip.     

Marotti, who was one of 15 Dutchmen named to the Liberty League's All-Conference team, completed 21-of-40 passes for 418 yards to break the mark of 362 set by Brett Russ against Plymouth State in an ECAC playoff game on November 17, 1990.  He had two touchdown passes, the last being a 15-yarder to Ryan Twitchell with 1:27 left to play.

Marotti established two Union records this year when he threw five touchdowns in the game against Rochester (breaking the old mark of four) and finished with 418 yards against Rensselaer to smash the mark of 362 set by Brett Russ in 1990.   In nine games this season, Marotti completed 158 of 283 passes (55.8%) for 2,319 yards, the team's third highest all-time total behind Brett Russ, who had 2,670 in 14 games in 1989, and Ben Gilbert, who had 2,337 yards in 11 games in 2001. 

Marotti's 20 touchdown passes ties Dan Stewart's 1983 standard, which was accomplished in 12 games.  Gilbert threw for 27 touchdowns in 11 games in 2001 and had 24 scoring passes in 11 games in 2000.  Russ had 23 touchdown passes in '89.  His 3,275 career yards and 28 touchdown passes each rank sixth all-time.