Chestertown, MD — Washington College's Department of Sociology and Anthropology has received a grant award of $100,000 under the Maryland Crime Mapping and Analysis Program, a part of the State of Maryland's Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention.
The year-long project will produce a broad array of maps utilizing data from state and local police and criminal justice agencies and will aid officials in developing a long-range strategy for statewide analysis and mapping.
April 25, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The Rose O'Neill Literary House, the Department of English and the Writers' Union will present the annual Washington College Senior Reading, an ever-popular springtime showcase of writing talent, at the Rose O'Neill Literary House on Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m.
Presenting readings from their works will be Seniors Bobby Bangert, Zach Bennett, Ericka Buet, Juliana Converse, Michelle Cook, Jeff Donovan, Leah Ganse, Caroline Herman, Reilly Joret, Ben Kozlowski, Marielle Latrick, Lindsay Lusby, Wes Schantz, Emma Sovich, Lauren Stranahan and Marian Robbins.
Admission to the Senior Reading is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
April 22, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The Washington College Department of Drama will present Wendy McLeod's "Juvenilia" in Middle Hall Basement on Friday and Saturday, April 25-26, at 8 p.m.
"Juvenilia" is an insightful skewering of the manners, morals, pretensions and hidden fears of modern-day college students. Bored of frat parties and second-run movies, a pair of dorm friends challenge each other to engineer a salacious encounter with the virtuous co-ed residing next door. Once their cool, ironic facades begin to slip, however, things don't go quite as planned.
The play premiered off-Broadway in 2003, earning a glowing review from Variety: "With the possible exception of politicians, college students are the most self-regarding creatures on earth. Wendy MacLeod nails that narcissism with a wry vengeance in this comic drama...."
The upcoming Washington College production of "Juvenilia," directed by Senior Bobby Bangert, features James Maguire, Alec Rosa, Maggie Farrell and Allison Valliant.
Admission to "Juvenilia" is free, but reservations are required; call 410/778-7835 or e-mail drama_tickets@washcoll.edu.
April 17, 2008
Chestertown, MD — April 25 might well be dubbed "Green Friday," as it is the date for a series of "George Goes Green" events at Washington College.
The Friday flurry begins with tree plantings on the campus lawn at 3:00 p.m., highlighted by the Arbor Day Tree Dedication at 3:30 p.m. The Virginia Gent Decker Arboretum, the Center for Environment & Society, the Student Environmental Alliance, and the Student Events Board will plant and dedicate a young descendant of the historic Wye Oak, the centuries-old landmark and nation's largest white oak tree until its tragic loss in a thunderstorm in 2002.
At 4:00 p.m., the Center for Environment & Society, the Department of Business Management, the Office of Alumni Relations and the Office of Information Technology will present "Green Business & Entrepreneurship" at Litrenta Lecture Hall. The symposium will feature key players in banking, eco-tourism, agriculture, real estate development, and advocacy. Panelists who integrate ecological and social values in their fields of work will explore sustainability in terms of business ventures, operations, minimizing risks, seizing economic opportunities, and ensuring continued growth. Admission is free and open to the public.
The momentum continues with "Green Drinks & Eco-movies" in the McLain Atrium from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Celebrate "George Goes Green" and the power of film as forces of environmental change. Network with eco-minded professionals, students, faculty, staff and alumni who support environmental awareness and social responsibility. Catch the premiere of "Driving Greener" by the Office of Information Technology's Brian Palmer—"see the car and meet the star," as the tagline goes—then enjoy the best of "60 Seconds or Less" student videos on "recycle-mania," energy conservation and water conservation.
Litrenta Lecture Hall and McLain Atrium are located in the John S. Toll Science Center. For more information, call 410/778-7295 or visit www.georgegoesgreen.com.
"George Goes Green" is a campaign for campus- and community sustainability. The name is a light-hearted reference to George Washington, the College's first benefactor, who was one of the first public figures to promote sustainable community practices even as he built a new nation and laid the foundation of the American Presidency.
April 17, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The Kent County Humane Society and Washington College's Center for Environment & Society will present the annual Mutt Strut, Pet Fair and Earth Day Celebration in downtown Chestertown on Saturday, April 26.
Festivities begin in Fountain Park at 9 a.m. with the 11th annual Mutt Strut, and continue with a variety of pet and Earth Day activities in Wilmer Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Mutt Strut is the spring fund-raiser for the local Humane Society's animal shelter, which hopes to generate enough revenue to start up a spay-and-neuter clinic. "Our goal this year is a hundred-dog march," said Humane Society Shelter Associate Courtney Phelps. "The most we've ever had is 67."
The dog parade culminates at Wilmer Park, the venue for the day-long celebration of the Earth and its animals. JoAnn Fairchild, CES program manager, said: "Our goal is for people from all walks of life to join together in praise of clean air, clean land and clean water. The Earth is our home. To protect the Earth is to protect our pets, our families, our future."
There is a $10 registration fee at Fountain Park for those who want to promenade with their dogs in the Mutt Strut. Admission to Pet Fair and Earth Day in Wilmer Park is free and open to the public.
Highlights will include live music, food concessions, eco-exhibits, pet tricks, canine competitions (the high jump contest, a limbo contest, and the dog/owner look-alike contest), a pet beauty contest, pet photos, pet safety and education, environmental education, recycling, t-shirt tie-dying, henna tattoos, a moon-bounce, and other fun offerings for kids of all ages.
In honor of April being Maryland Archaeology Month, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. the Washington College anthropology club and Lamda Alpha will demonstrate the use of the atlatl, a neolithic hunting spear. Making a special appearance as the life-like quarry will be "Murray the Mastodon," a 7-foot replica of a prehistoric pachyderm.
For more information, call 410/778-7295, or visit ces.washcoll.edu and www.kenthumane.org.
April 17, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The Washington College Department of Art and Art History will present the 2008 Student Art Exhibition, "Chronotopes: Where Space and Time Meet," at the Constance Stuart Larrabee Art Center from Tuesday, April 29, to Sunday, May 4, from 1 to 5 p.m. The opening reception, featuring award announcements, will be held on Wednesday, April 30, at 5:30 p.m.
The show's highlight is an exhibition of Senior Capstone Experiences by graduating art majors Joanna Baker, Josh Burkhart and Megan Travers.
Also on display are works by both advanced and beginning students of various studio divisions such as photography, drawing, ceramics, video art, painting and design.
The three young artists graduating this year have created interdisciplinary works that combine various forms of installation art: projected image, sound environment, sculptural object, found object and drawing.
Their work "provides us with inspiring, thought-provoking and highly creative ways of experiencing the world and their take on it," said Assistant Professor of Studio Art Monika Weiss, who curated the exhibition. "The three works can be thought of as linked via the motif of meditation on space and time, the inside and the outside of our personal membrane."
Joanna Baker's "Ethereal Illusions" is a three-dimensional installation combining drawing, found objects and fabrics. Flowing white tulle material surrounds a series of small-scale drawings of female dancers, their bodies fragmented and presented in states of suspension and flight, while a pile of pointe shoes rests trapped under sand bags. It's a meditation on dance and the dueling strengths and limitations of body movement.
Josh Burkhart's "Dimension of Thoughts" consists of a liquid crystal display hidden inside a five-feet tall white box, where two separate yet almost identical images are viewed as a synchronized stereogram projection. The stereoscopic double image and its accompanying musical composition represent the solitary world of memory and imagination—the inner world of the artist.
Megan Elaine Travers' "Your Revolution Starts Here?" is a three-dimensional landscape combining drawing and sculpture depicting parts of the Washington college campus. The work reconceptualizes the very notion of "landscape," imbuing it with undercurrents of the social landscape and the political landscape in addition to the mere physical landscape.
The 2008 Washington College Student Art Exhibition was coordinated and designed by Maria Taylor '09, majoring in studio art and psychology. Admission is free and open to public.
April 15, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The 56th season of the Washington College Concert Series concludes with a recital by harpist Elizabeth Hainen at the Norman James Theatre in William Smith Hall on Saturday, April 26, at 8 p.m.
Elizabeth Hainen has won international attention as one of today's foremost virtuoso harpists. Sought after as a soloist and chamber musician, she has been hailed by critics on both sides of the Atlantic for her high artistry and unique sound.
As both soloist and recitalist, Hainen has performed in distinguished concert halls on three continents, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Hall in Chicago, the Cultural Foundation of Spain in Madrid, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Tel Aviv Art Museum in Israel.
Hainen has released recordings on the Naxos and Eagen labels. She is the Principal Harpist for the Philadelphia Orchestra and teaches on the faculties of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University.
Tickets ($15 for adults and $5 for youth and students) can be purchased at the door. For more information, call 410/778-7839.
April 14, 2008
Chestertown, MD — It's a voyage around the world without ever leaving Chestertown, when Washington College's International Relations Club and the Office of International Relations present the annual Culture Night on Saturday, April 19, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The program celebrates the cultural diversity that the exchange and international-student population brings to Washington College.
The evening begins with an International Buffet Dinner in the back gym of the Cain Athletic Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and continues with the Culture Night Show in Norman James Theatre from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Attendees will whet their appetites with a deliciously eclectic cornucopia of traditional dishes from around the world.
A dazzling array of music, dance and fashion from all corners of the globe follows in Norman James Theatre.
Admission to Culture Night 2008 is free and open to the public.
April 12, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The J.C. Jones Seminar in American Business will present "Banking and Real Estate," a lecture by Frank Saul, Chairman and CEO of Chevy Chase Bank and Saul Centers, at Washington College's Norman James Theatre on Friday, April 18, at 5 p.m.
Saul, a 2006 inductee into the Washington Business Hall of Fame, has received numerous awards throughout a distinguished career, including the Catholic Charities' Voice of Hope Award in 2004 and the Urban Land Institute Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
He is a past director of Danac Real Estate Investment Corporation, past director of Washington Board of Realtors, past director and treasurer of Suburban Maryland Home Builders Association, past member of the National Capital Area Council of the National Health Agency, and past director of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America.
The talk is sponsored by the J.C. Jones Seminar in American Business, established in honor of the late James C. Jones Jr., a Baltimore businessman and 1947 graduate of Washington College who remained active in alumni affairs throughout his life and served on the Board of Visitors and Governors of the College.
Admission to "Banking and Real Estate" is free and open to the public.
April 11, 2008
Washington — Garry Wills, Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian and critic extraordinaire, will appear at the Smithsonian on Saturday, April 26, as part of the new American Pictures Distinguished Lecture Series, to discuss the mysterious and evocative Thomas Eakins painting, "William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of the Schuylkill River."
Sponsored by Washington College in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the series features an all-star lineup of eminent cultural figures who, on four Saturdays this spring, are each exploring a single powerful image in American art.
One of America's most distinguished public intellectuals, Garry Wills has published more than 30 books, a syndicated newspaper column, and countless essays on history, politics, religion and culture.
The critic John Leonard wrote in the New York Times that Wills "reads like a combination of H.L. Mencken, John Locke and Albert Camus."
Wills's book Nixon Agonistes: The Crisis of the Self-Made Man landed the author on President Nixon's enemies list.
Wills won the National Book Critics Circle Award for general nonfiction in 1978 for Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. He was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism in 1992 and the Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction in 1993 for his book Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America. In 1998 Wills received a National Medal for the Humanities from President Clinton.
Wills, whose articles appear frequently in the New York Review of Books and other publications, is professor emeritus of history at Northwestern University. His most recent book is Head and Heart: American Christianities.
His April 26 "American Pictures" lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 4:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at 8th and F Sts., N.W., in Washington, D.C. For more information about the series, visit http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu.
April 10, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The Friends of Miller Library will present the annual Spring Book Sale at Washington College's Clifton M. Miller Library on Thursday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A great variety of used books, both hardcover and paperback, will be available for purchase at bargain prices. The sale, considered a yearly springtime "must" for area book lovers, will be held inside the back entrance to the library.
April 8, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The award-winning novelist widely considered to be the most important living African writer will present "An Evening With Nuruddin Farah" at Washington College's Rose O'Neill Literary House on Thursday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m.
Farah's presentation comes during his four-week visit to the College. He is the first-ever PEN World Voices Festival/Washington College Fellow in International Letters, a program created together by the PEN American Center, the premier literary and human rights organization, and the Rose O'Neill Literary House. The fellowship will be offered each year to a distinguished participant in the famed PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. The 2008 festival kicks off April 29 in New York City.
"It's rare that an international writer gets the chance to live and write in an idyllic 18th century American town," says Rose O'Neill Literary House director Joshua Wolf Shenk, explaining the appeal of the partnership with PEN. "And it's even more rare that the citizens of such a small town have the chance to engage intimately with such an eminent writer from abroad." Farah's residency is co-sponsored by Washington College's Cater Society of Junior Fellows and Goldstein Program in Public Affairs.
Born in Somalia in 1945, Farah was forced to flee his home region in 1963 and now lives in South Africa. Farah's acclaimed novels—including the trilogies Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship and Blood in the Sun—tell the stories of his homeland, of Diaspora, and of the struggle for dignity, identity and community. The New York Review of Books has praised Farah as "one of the most sophisticated voices in modern fiction." "Nuruddin Farah," says Leonard Lopate, "has not only been hailed at the most important African writer in the last 25 years. He is believed by many to be among the great writers of the world."
Farah's novels have been translated into 17 languages and have won numerous awards. He was named the 1998 Laureate of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, described by the New York Times as "the most prestigious award after the Nobel."
Farah's residency comes amid two significant events at the venerable Rose O'Neill Literary House: the official re-unveiling of the newly restored and renovated writers' hub and salon; and the two-month long Shelter Festival of the Arts, a multi-disciplinary celebration being presented by the Literary House and the arts faculty of Washington College. Farah's April 17 presentation will close the Shelter Festival, which has brought a Russian-born video artist, a New York hip hop theater star, and a Cambodian arts ensemble to campus.
The Rose O'Neill Literary House is also a co-sponsor of Farah's appearances at the PEN World Voices Festival, which includes a presentation on "Writing Place, Finding Refuge," on May 1, at 7 p.m., at the Brooklyn Public Library.
Prior to Farah's April 17 talk at 7:30 p.m., coffee and dessert will be served at 7 p.m. Admission to "An Evening With Nuruddin Farah" is free and open to the public.
April 1, 2008
Chestertown, MD — Washington College will honor and celebrate diversity with Multicultural Awareness Week from Monday through Friday, April 14 to 18.
Highlights include a Cultural Carnival, presented by the Community, Nation and World Multicultural Counseling Class, at Martha Washington Square on Tuesday, April 15, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Students will present artwork, music and history about the many cultures represented at the College.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs will present "Multicultural Awareness Jeopardy," featuring questions that cover aspects of diversity, at the Hodson Hall Student Center on Tuesday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m.
There also will be a trip the Reginald R. Lewis Museum in Baltimore and a "What Does Diversity at Washington College Mean to You?" photo contest. Throughout the week, the dining hall will serve meals based around various ethnic-cuisine themes.
April 3, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The Washington College Department of Drama will present Arthur Kopit's "Road to Nirvana" Thursday through Saturday, April 10-12, on the Daly Hall Patio from 5 to 6 p.m. and in the Casey Academic Center Gallery from 6 to 7:15 p.m.
"Road to Nirvana" offers a sardonic skewering of Hollywood's seamy underside, and the cutthroat nature of the art of the deal, Tinseltown-style. A couple of power players are planning a documentary about a bizarre rock star, and as they try to recruit an old friend's collaboration during a lunch meeting, the temptations of success (and selling-out) are exposed.
The upcoming Washington College production of "Road to Nirvana," directed by Senior Philip Doccolo, features Harry Wright, Annabelle Shore, Brian Schultz, Dorothy Johnson and Michael Golze.
Admission to "Road to Nirvana" is free, but reservations are required; call 410/778-7835 or e-mail drama_tickets@washcoll.edu.
April 2, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The staid Victorian structure had stood along Washington Avenue for as long as anyone could remember, quiet and unassuming. But in 1985, the old Bell House was reborn as the Rose O'Neill Literary House, soon to be famous far and wide as a thriving hub for Washington College student writers and visiting literary luminaries.
Now, after years of memorable moments and months of much-needed makeover, the venerable Rose O'Neill Literary House will have its official re-unveiling on Friday, April 11, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The rededication ceremony will offer visitors a first look at the newly restored and renovated writers' salon.
Now that the house has undergone a major refurbishment, it is being officially rededicated as "a center for literature and creative life."
The rededication ceremony is being sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Washington College, and will feature student performances from across the disciplines, including a performance by the Washington College Jazz Ensemble. Meanwhile, the most famous cake-maker in America, the New York-based Raven (aka "Cake Man"), is creating a beautiful, and beautifully edible, masterpiece for the occasion.
Through the decades, the Rose O'Neill Literary House has played host to a rich panoply of famous authors; the Washington Post dubbed it "the Carnegie Hall of literary readings." Walls lined with memorabilia and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves induce a cozy, creative atmosphere. The house feels steeped in the history of those who have come before, as it continues to be a haven for the aspiring scribes of Washington College and the celebrated writers who pass through. Currently, for example, the house is headquarters for a month-long visit to Chestertown by novelist Nuruddin Farah, widely considered the greatest living African author.
Admission to the rededication of the Rose O'Neill Literary House is free and open to the public, but advance reservations are requested; call 410/778-7899 or e-mail kbursick2@washcoll.edu.
April 2, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The Washington College Department of Music will present performances by the Early Music Consort and the Vocal Consort at the Norman James Theatre on Sunday, April 13, at 4 p.m.
The Washington College Early Music Consort is an instrumental ensemble that performs music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque eras on period instruments.
The Washington College Vocal Consort sings music from all principal periods and performs both on and off campus. The ensemble is open to students through auditions, which take place at the beginning of each semester.
Admission to the concert is free and open to the public.
April 2, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The exciting drum and song traditions of a vibrant musical culture will come alive on campus when the Washington College Afro-Cuban Ensemble performs at Norman James Theatre on Wednesday, April 16, at 8 p.m. The Washington College Jazz Combo also will perform, presenting enduring classics from the American jazz canon.
The Afro-Cuban Ensemble was founded in 2005 by percussionist and ethnomusicologist Kenneth Schweitzer, D.M.A., of the Washington College Department of Music. Wednesday's concert will include Santeria drums and songs, rumba, popular sones and boleros (as in "The Buena Vista Social Club") and Brazilian bossa nova.
Schweitzer also leads the Washington College Jazz Combo, which will round out April 16's entertainment. The Jazz Combo is comprised of a small group of Washington College students (both majors and non-majors) who show exceptional talent and motivation. The goal of the ensemble is to provide members with professional opportunities; playing in club-like settings and providing ambient music in a variety of venues both on and off campus.
Admission to the concert is free and open to the public.
April 1, 2008
Chestertown, MD — Dr. Valerie Traub of the University of Michigan will present "The Nature of Norms: Anatomy, Cartography, King Lear" at Washington College's Sophie Kerr Room on Wednesday, April 16, at 4:30 p.m.
Dr. Traub is professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan, where she is Director of the Women's Studies Program. Her publications include Gay Shame, The Renaissance of Lesbianism in Early Modern England, Feminist Readings of Early Modern Culture: Emerging Subjects and Desire and Anxiety: Circulations of Sexuality in Shakespearean Drama.
Dr. Traub's essays have appeared in GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, English Literary Renaissance, Feminist Studies, Shakespeare Quarterly, Shakespeare Studies and elsewhere. Her book in progress is Mapping Embodiment in the Early Modern Text: The Prehistory of Normality.
Her April 16 lecture will conclude Washington College's 2007-2008 Sophie Kerr Lecture Series. The series honors the legacy of the late Sophie Kerr, a writer from Denton, Md., whose generosity has enriched Washington College's literary culture.
When she died in 1965, Kerr left the bulk of her estate to Washington College, specifying that one half of the income from her bequest be awarded every year to the senior showing the most "ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor"—the famed Sophie Kerr Prize—and the other half be used to bring visiting writers to campus, to fund scholarships and to help defray the costs of student publications.
Admission to "The Nature of Norms" is free and open to the public. The Sophie Kerr Room is located in Miller Library. For more information, call 410/778-7879.
April 1, 2008
Chestertown, MD — She was a writer, salonnià re, anti-slavery advocate and sometimes risqué novelist, but Margaret Bayard Smith, who died in 1844, is best known for her witty and perceptive observations of life in America's capital during its formative years.
"I think of her as the court historian. She helped construct an early national society, but she was also a brilliant critic of that society," says Fredrika J. Teute, the 2007-2008 C.V. Starr Fellow, who will present "The Spectacle of Washington: Picturing Margaret Bayard Smith's Metropolis of a New World" at Washington College's Litrenta Lecture Hall on Wednesday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m.
The longtime editor of publications at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture—a leading center for the study of colonial history—Teute has taken up temporary residence at the C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience in the old Chestertown Custom House while she writes a book and teaches a course about early Washington, D.C., as seen through the eyes of one of its most fascinating personalities. Teute has been interested in Smith since she stumbled across her unpublished letters to her sister at the Library of Congress and realized that she was far more complex than the woman most historians thought they knew.
"There was this hidden side to her—introspective and critical and literary," Teute says. "It was clear that she felt excluded from power and, as a result, felt a great deal of sympathy for other people—slaves, free blacks, poor white farmers—who had also been excluded from power. And this is what I love about working as a historian—that you can get behind the conventional wisdom and discover these hidden voices in the past."
Kenneth Miller, assistant professor of history at Washington College, says the chance to hear Teute discuss her research "is a very exciting opportunity for our students and for all of us, really. She is one of the leading historians of the early national United States and we are very lucky to have her here in Chestertown."
Established in 2000 with a grant from the New York-based Starr Foundation, the C.V. Starr Center draws on the special historical strengths of Washington College and colonial Chestertown to explore the early republic, the rise of democracy, and the manifold ways in which the founding era continues to shape American culture, through fellowships, scholarships and innovative educational programs, and especially by supporting the art of written history.
Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to "The Spectacle of Washington" is free and open to the public.
April 1, 2008
Chestertown, MD — "George Goes Green," the environmental-sustainability initiative at Washington College, enters its third year this April with a variety of events and activities.
George Goes Green is a campus-wide initiative for sustainability, encompassing everything from local foods in the dining hall to energy conservation in the dorms. Every time someone on campus does something to preserve the environment, improve the campus community, or make connections with the Chestertown community, they're helping George Go Green.
Since 2006, when George Goes Green was launched, campus sustainability efforts and student awareness have grown faster than a melting Arctic ice-sheet. The ever-growing movement has begun to attract acclaim—locally, regionally and nationally. In the spring of 2007 George Goes Green received glowing coverage in a syndicated feature article distributed by the Capital News Service. And Washington College was highlighted in a cover story in the Fall 2007 issue of Newsweek's campus-oriented magazine Current, which reaches 225,000 students nationwide. In addition to being selected for the magazine's cover photo, Washington College now also has the distinction of having been awarded "Sexiest in Sustainability" status by Newsweek.
The awareness-raising has been paying off: Today, students, faculty and staff sign a voluntary Green Pledge, dorms compete to see which can be the most energy-efficient, and the College is now, by its President's signature, on board with a nationwide campus-sustainability pledge.
This spring's George Goes Green campaign includes four themes and four ways to save, rolled out week by week through the month of April: Week One — Water Conservation. Week Two — Energy Conservation. Week Three — Waste Reduction. Week Four — Earth Week. A host of green-themed lectures, presentations and events throughout the month culminates with an Earth Day celebration on April 26. For details on all that's happening during George Goes Green Month at Washington College, go to http://georgegoesgreen.com/.
April 1, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The Washington College Dance Company, under the direction of Prof. Karen L. Smith, will present its annual Spring Dance Concert at the College's Cain Athletic Center, Thursday through Saturday, April 17-19. The concert, which will kick off the beginning of National Dance Week, commences with a special matinee for local schoolchildren on Thursday, April 17, at 1:15 p.m. Subsequent performances are Friday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 19, at 1 p.m.
This year's program will feature a variety of dance styles—classical and contemporary ballet, modern dance, jazz, hip hop, tap, lyrical, as well as Spanish Flamenco—performed by more than 25 students.
Ensemble dances include "Rhythm", "Apologize" and "Toy Soldiers" choreographed by Lauren Thomas '09; "Near to You" and "Memory" choreographed by Barbara Harrington '08; "Lady Marmalade" and "Respect" choreographed by Diane Swenson '08; "Brand New Bag" choreographed by Laura Connelly '08; "Kitri Variation" and "The Graduate" choreographed by Jenn German '08; "Low" and "Look Pretty" choreographed by Katie Himmelberger '08; and a Spanish Flamenco dance choreographed by Kathy Bands '10.
The show also will feature a dance from the repertoire of Sho' Troupe, Washington College's dance team, titled "Don't Stop the Music" and choreographed by Lauren Thomas '09.
Seven solos will be performed under the choreography of Barbara Harrington, Diane Swenson, Jenn German, Katie Himmelberger, Laura Connelly, Kathy Bands and Lauren Thomas.
Performers in the concert are Seniors Carimanda Baynard, Laura Connelly, Jenn German, Barbara Harrington, Katie Himmelberger, Katie Kirlin and Diane Swenson; Juniors Slavina Batalova and Lauren Thomas; Sophomores Kathy Bands, Riley Carbonneau, Mary Fletcher, Nicole Hovermale, Megan Johnson and Katie Rivera; and First-year students Rachel Dittman, Allison Farrow, Ally Happel, Paige Harrison, Nichole Horn, Erica Henderson, Mara Smith, Kelly Topita and Mandy Tuttle.
The Spring Dance Concert will feature a raffle for a chance to win a "Night at the Movies" or an Eastern Shore-themed basket filled with goodies. Tickets for the raffle cost $1 and can be purchased during all three performances. The winners will be drawn at the end of the Saturday performance.
The Spring Dance Concert is open to the public; a $1 donation is welcomed. For more information, call 410/778-7237.
April 1, 2008
Chestertown, MD — Award-winning novelist Nuruddin Farah, widely considered the greatest living African writer and among the top writers in the world, will present "Caught in a Web of Words" at Washington College's Hynson Lounge on Thursday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m.
The lecture is being presented by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs.
Farah, the first-ever PEN World Voices/Washington College Fellow in International Letters, is here in collaboration with the PEN American Center, the premier literary and human rights organization, and Washington College's Rose O'Neill Literary House. He is currently in the midst of a four-week visit to Washington College, where he is sharing insights on the writing life and giving various public presentations.
Born in Somalia in 1945, Farah was forced to flee his home region in 1963 and now lives in South Africa. His current U.S. sojourn is part of the fourth annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, being held this month in New York City and diverse satellite locations.
Farah's acclaimed novels—including the trilogies Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship and Blood in the Sun—tell the stories of his homeland, of diaspora, and of the struggle for dignity, identity and community. The New York Review of Books has praised Farah as "one of the most sophisticated voices in modern fiction."
Farah's novels have been translated into 17 languages and have won numerous awards. He was named the 1998 Laureate of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, described by the New York Times as "the most prestigious award after the Nobel."
The Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs was established in 1990 to encourage students to enter public service by introducing them to exemplary leaders, both in and out of government. The Goldstein Program has hosted journalists, authors, political activists, foreign policy analysts, diplomats, military commanders and government officials of both national and international stature.
The Goldstein Program sponsors lectures, symposia, visiting fellows, student participation in models and conferences, and other projects that bring students and faculty together with leading voices from the international sphere.
Hynson Lounge is located in Hodson Hall. Admission to "Caught in a Web of Words" is free and open to the public.
March 31, 2008
Chestertown, MD — The world's favorite fictional archaeologist-adventurer is back at last. In anticipation of the May 22 release of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," and in honor of April being Maryland Archaeology Month, Washington College's Center for Environment & Society will present an Indiana Jones movie marathon at Litrenta Lecture Hall on Saturday, April 12, from 1 to 8 p.m.
All three action-packed Jones classics will be screened. Admission is free and open to the public.
When actor Harrison Ford first donned his Indiana Jones costume—battered brown fedora, weather-beaten leather jacket, six-shooter and, of course, the trademark bullwhip, a movie-adventure icon for all time was born. The role was an unprecedented boon to Ford's career, and the films aroused widespread public interest in the field of archaeology. In recognition of same, Ford today sits on the Board of Trustees of the Archaeological Institute of America.
The movies hit the public like a shot of adrenaline in the 1980s, setting a new standard for nonstop thrills. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) features Jones in a race against the Nazis to unearth the Ark of the Covenant. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984), a prequel to "Raiders," has the globetrotting archaeologist liberating kidnapped children and recovering stolen sacred stones from a death-cult in India. In "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989) Sean Connery is along for the ride as Jones's befuddled medievalist father in a quest for the Holy Grail.
Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. For more information, call 410/810-7161.
March 31, 2008
