March 5th, 2009

On Tuesday, March 10, this year’s series of Keene is Reading events continues with a discussion of The Omnivore’s Dilemma at the Keene Public Library (70 Winter St.) at 7 p.m. The event is hosted by William Stroup (English) and will feature the expertise of local organic farmer Bruce Bickford from Abenaki Springs Farms. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the desk of the Keene Public Library. All students and faculty can use the same card you use at Mason Library at the Keene Public Library through the Keene-Link program, so if you don’t have a copy of the book, this is your chance to join the conversation. Contact William Stroup with questions, and please forward this to anyone who might be interested.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma

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From Heather Jasmin, Continuing Education: “The Great Decisions” program, a nationwide forum of the Foreign Policy Association (FPA), has received a Pepsi-KSC Partnership Grant. Focusing on impartial, thought-provoking analyses of issues concerning U.S. policymakers, the “Great Decisions” format combines a lecture on a topic of current global interest followed by an open discussion period. The series is free and open to the public. “Great Decisions” is designed to encourage thoughtful, non-partisan conversation among community members.

The Pepsi Partnership Grant program supports worthwhile campus projects with unrestricted dollars given by the Pepsi Corporation. Projects should improve the College academically or culturally, enhance its reputation, and/or improve students’ quality of life. Twenty-four proposals were submitted from students, faculty, and staff to fund projects and speakers.

The 2009 “Great Decisions” program includes “Afghanistan and Pakistan” (March 12), “Egypt: Key Ally in the Middle East” (March 26), “Global Food Crisis” (April 9), and will conclude with “The U.S. and Rising Powers” (April 23).

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On Tuesday, February 17, the English Department’s Third Tuesday Series will host Dr. Margaret Langford (Modern Languages). She will read from and discuss her translation of The Innocent Victim by Adélard Lambert at noon in the Appian Way Conference Room, Mason Library. This event is free and open to all; refreshments will be served.

Margaret Langford Reads for Third Tuesday Series

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From Jeff Friedman, English: Poet Judith Vollmer will be on campus Wednesday, October 15, and Thursday, October 16,
 to talk with students and the campus community.

On Wednesday she will participate in a panel with KSC faculty Helen Frink, Sally Joyce, and Ali Lichtenstein titled “Pushing the Margins: Contemporary Women’s Literature,” at 
4 p.m. in the Mountain View Room. The panel will explore issues of feminism and post-feminism, form and content, politics, and publication.

On Thursday at 4 p.m. she will read selections from her most recent book, Reactor (a nominee for the National Book Critics Circle Award), and her newest poems. Her other books include The Door Open to the Fire, Black Butterfly, and Level Green.

Vollmer has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. She has received residency fellowships from the Corporation of Yaddo, the American Academy in Rome, the Centrum Foundation, and others. She teaches at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and in the New England College MFA Program.

These events are sponsored by the dean of Arts and Humanities, the English and American Studies departments, the Women’s Studies program, Diversity & Multiculturalism, the Common Ground Multicultural Club, and the provost. For more information, contact Jeff Friedman at jfriedman1@keene.edu.

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John McCardell, president emeritus of Middlebury College and organizer of the Amethyst Initiative, and Chuck Weed, KSC political science professor and NH state legislator, spoke on September 30 at Keene State College’s forum “Why 21? Is It Time to Debate the Minimum Drinking Age?”

More than 150 people gathered in the Mabel Brown Room to discuss how lowering the drinking age would impact binge drinking on College campuses. (Left to right): moderator Daniel Saucier, KSC Student Body president; Chuck Weed; John McCardell; and moderator Geoff Ness, KSC Student Assembly chair.

Photo: Robin Dutcher

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Keene State College will join mental-health advocates across the country next week to celebrate Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW). The U.S. Congress established MIAW in 1990 to raise awareness, promote early detection and accurate diagnosis, and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

Monday – Friday, October 6 – 10
Information Tables by Active Minds Student Organization; noon – 3 p.m. in the Student Center Atrium

Tuesday, October 7

• De-Stigmatizing Mental Illness, poster displays by the Wellness Living & Learning Community; 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the Student Center Atrium
• Inspiring Hope: Stories of Breakthrough or Resolution while Facing Life’s Challenges, performed by ActingOut; 6:30 p.m. in the Night Owl Café, Student Center

Using Playback Theatre, the ActingOut company will explore issues of mental health, family struggles, school, and peer challenges. The performers will ask audience members for stories from their own lives.

Wednesday, October 8

• The Challenge of Coping with a Mental Illness at College, student panel luncheon; noon, Mountain View Room, Student Center

KSC students living with mental illness share their challenges and successes. Hosted by the KSC Diversity Commission, a light lunch will be served.

• In Our Own Voice, panel and discussion; 7 p.m., Madison Street Lounge, Student Center

Presenters from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Granite State Monarchs, and the Counseling Center will share their stories of struggle and success as they have lived with mental illness. Refreshments provided by First Course and sponsored by the Monadnock Center for Successful Transitions.

For more information, contact Forrest Seymour, 8-2047.

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From Therese Seibert, Sociology: Valentina Iribagiza and Harwood Union students will share stories of hope about Rwanda on Wednesday, October 15, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Lantern Room of the Student Center.

As a child, Valentina survived the Nayarubuye church massacres that occurred during the Rwanda genocide. Valentina is the subject of the 1997 Frontline special Valentina’s Nightmare and appears in the 2004 Frontline special, Ghosts of Rwanda. (Clips of Valentina’s Nightmare will be show that night). She spent the 2007/2008 school year at Harwood Union as its Humanitarian In Residence. Students from Harwood will also speak about their humanitarian work in Rwanda. For more information, contact Therese Seibert, 8-2520.

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From Frederick Wolf, Physics: On Thursday, October 2, Professor Laurence Gould of the University of Hartford will present “ A Convenient Falsehood: Myths, Methods, & Consequences of the Global Warming Hoax,” at 8 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room.

A physicist, Professor Gould is one of the most knowledgeable individuals in all of New England, outside a handful of climatologists, on the subject of global warming. He will present a side of the issue that is rarely heard within the context of political verbiage and the mainstream media. The lecture is free and open to the public. A question and answer session will follow. For more information, contact Frederick Wolf at 8-2584.

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From Heather Jasmin, Continuing Education: As we prepare for the 2008 election, the Office of Continuing Education invites the entire community to join in four free discussions of global issues. A 45-minute lecture is followed by moderated discussion.

Schedule:

10/2 Iraq End Game
Moderator: Wes Martin, KSC Assistant Professor of Political Science

10/16 Latin America: Shift to the Left?
Moderator: Chuck Weed, KSC Professor of Political Science

10/30 Russia
Moderator: Patrick Dolenc, KSC Professor of Economics

All discussions are free and open to the public. Discussions will be held on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Rhodes N120. Attendees are encouraged to purchase Great Decisions 2008, which provides a synopsis of the issues to be discussed ($18, available at the KSC Bookstore), prior to the first night’s meeting. For more information contact hjasmin@keene.edu.

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Keene State College invites the entire community to join in the first of four free discussions of global issues this fall.

On Thursday, September 18, the topic will be U.S.-China trade policy
, moderated by Jules Larocque, Cheshire Academy for Lifelong Learning. A 45-minute lecture is followed by moderated discussion.

All events are free and open to the public. Discussions will be held on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Rhodes N120. Attendees are encouraged to purchase Great Decisions 2008 ($18, available at the KSC Bookstore), which provides a synopsis of the issues to be discussed prior to the first night’s meeting.

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