Today, Sonoma State University President Ruben Armi-ana chose as the school's new sports mascot the Seawolves, based on recommendations of a student-initiated committee.
The Alternative Mascot Committee (AMC), a group initiated by the Associated Students last year and chaired by Remy Heng, Associated Students President this year, formed the committee after repeated complaints about the Cossack as a school mascot.
While there is a segment of constituents who would prefer to continue the use of the Cossack name, another group of the campus community, including some faculty and alumni, has long felt the Cossacks an inappropriate symbol due to their aggressive past.
"The Cossack mascot has served us for the 40 years of the University. The issue of the negative connotation of the Cossacks came up enough times that the possibilities for change needed to be explored. The Alternative Mascot Committee was charged by the Associated Students to come up with possible alternatives that we could then present to the President for consideration. We did that and he chose one of our alternatives," said Heng.
The idea of the Seawolves, a mythical creature, came from the connection the University and region has to famous author Jack London who penned a book by the same name. The Jack London Collection was recently gifted to the University by Mr. Waring Jones.
The collection contains at least one first edition copy of each of London's novels, correspondence written either by or to Jack or Charmian London, writings by both Jack and Charmian London published in magazines, including many first appearances, articles about Jack London, movie memorabilia, ephemera, photographs, and artifacts.
Waring Jones felt Sonoma State University an appropriate institution to manage the collection due to the University's proximity to Glen Ellen, where Jack London made his home which he called "Beauty Ranch." Jones also wanted the collection to be housed in a public place where undergraduate students and the community could view the pieces.
One of the considerations of changing the Cossack mascot was the approximate $130,000 price tag. Costly items such as contracting with a design firm to create a depiction of the mythical figure of a seawolf, new uniforms for all teams bearing the logo as well Athletics stationery, web site and marketing costs added consequence to the decision.
"The Cossacks mascot has been controversial for some time. Universities change, symbols change. The Cossacks no longer serve the campus and its constituents as a unifying symbol. Action by the Associated Students, the Alumni Association and the Academic Senate prompted this change," said Armi-ana.
Two other U.S. colleges have the Seawolves as their mascots: the University of Stony Brook and the University of Alaska at Anchorage. The change to the Sonoma State University Seawolves is effective August 28, 2002, the first day of classes in the fall. Work on the design aspect of the mascot begins in the next few months. Uniforms will be ordered over the summer.
"We're looking forward to this change to generate some new excitement and support for our intercollegiate athletic program. The new mascot and logo will be developed to help create a unifying force for the campus, its students, faculty and staff and alumni," said Bill Fusco, Director of Athletics.
The AMC began it's work last year after the Associated Students (student government) and the Academic Senate (faculty governance group) each passed a resolution that a mascot be chosen to replace the Cossack that would be chosen from "other than a human group." The AMC had representation by students, including student-athletes, faculty, staff and alumni. Ideas for alternative mascots and comments were solicited through on and off campus publications. In total several hundred mascots were suggested.
The AMC then narrowed the list of alternatives to 8 and sent out a survey to the campus community to assess those alternatives. The survey was not meant as a means of voting, rather a quantitative tool to gauge interest in the group of 8 names. Based on information received from respondents, and subsequent focus groups, the AMC presented two alternatives, the Seawolves and the Condors, to the President of the University for his consideration.
"Our student leaders did an extremely thorough job of presenting the idea for change, following through with stakeholder contributions, and ultimately leading the process to fruition," said Rand Link, Vice President for Student Affairs (which includes oversight of the Athletics Program).
Inspiring young women to take an interest in math and science is the goal of the "Expanding Your Horizons" (EYH) conference on Saturday, March 23 at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park.
NASA astronaut, Yvonne Cagle, M.D., (Lieutenant Colonel, USAF) will be speaking throughout the day to motivate and educate 500 young conference attendees about the importance of a good education in math and science. The participants include 7th and 8th grade students, adult educators, and parents from Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties. The registration deadline is March 12.
"It's a unique conference," said Julie Silk, President of EYH Sonoma County, "because we believe it provides people with important services that increase the interest of young women in mathematics and science through positive, hands-on workshops." This year's workshop topics range from Pink Hard Hats, How To Build An Office, Vernal Pool Critters, and Forensic Detectives to NASA's Space Mysteries, You Be the Judge to You Can Fly.
Expanding Your Horizons is a nationwide conference reaching more than 41,000 young women around the country. In Sonoma County alone, more than 4,000 have participated over the last ten years. EYH fosters an awareness of career opportunities in math, science, engineering, and technology related fields as well as provide opportunities for young women to meet and interact with positive role models who are active in math and science related careers.
When asked about last year?s conference, students said, "It's a great way to explore your options and meet new people", "It's very educational and it helps me sample possible jobs that I would like to look into" and "I want others to learn and have as much fun as I did!"
The EYH website, http://eyh-soco.org, provides details about Expanding Your Horizons Sonoma County, the 2002 conference, registration information, links to math and science resources, and Dr. Yvonne Cagle?s biography.
For information call the EYH Hotline at (707) 664-2241.
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EYH 2002 Conference List Of Student Workshops
1. Forensic Detectives - Anthropology
2. Women's Work Is Never Done: Archaeology Examines Women In Prehistory
- Archaeology
3. Design From The Inside Out - Architecture
4. NASA's Space Mysteries - Astronomy
5. Exploring Jupiter - Astrophysics
6. You Can Fly - Aviation
7. The Study of Biology - Biology
8. Here's Looking At You (Cow's Eye Dissection) - Biology
9. Solid Designs In Your Future: Computer Aided Design - Engineering
10. Pink Hard Hats: How To Build An Office ? Engineering
11. They Call This Work? Choosing A Career That You'll Love. -
Environmental Studies: Natural Resource Management
12. Growing Works: The Art Of Landscape Design - Landscape Design
13. You Be The Judge - Law
14. Vernal Pool Critters: What Just Swam By? - Marine Biology
15. Making Your Own Platonic Solids - Math
16. Match it - Math
17. Play Your Favorite Statistical Game - Math
18. Stitches Made Easy - Medical/Health Care
19. Career In Health Care: Nursing Plus - Medical/Health Care
20. X-Ray Vision - Medical/Health Care
21. Health Care - Medical/Health Care
22. Exploring Optics - Optical Engineering
23. Smart Girls Take Smart Risks - Personal Development
24. Physical Therapy, A Life Long Career - Physical Therapy & Health
25. The Race Is On - Physics
26. Introduction To Yoga - Physiology & Anatomy
27. Science Librarian Ship: Helping To Find The Answers - Science
28. Women In Veterinary Medicine - Veterinary Medicine
In honor of National Women's History Month this March, Sonoma State University will host many activities, celebrating (s)heroes, artists, performers, thinkers, teachers including activists Medea Benjamin and Starhawk. Benjamin will discuss her two post-September 11 trips to Afghanistan. Starhawk will focus on her work on anti-globalization protests.
On March 7 and 8, Judy Norsigian founder of the 1970s activist group Boston Women's Health Collective (BWHBC), will untangle medical misinformation about women's bodies in her Thursday talk, "The Media and Women's Health: Sorting Fact From Fiction," and recount the BWHBC's inspiring history in her Friday talk, "Our Bodies, Ourselves and Women's Health Activism in the '70s and '80s."
Wednesday evenings at the "Women's Words, Women's Power" lecture series, authors Judy Grahn, Starhawk, Jewelle Gomez and Etel Adnan will read and discuss their works.
Sonoma State has a special connection to this national celebration. In the 1970s, several SSU students decided to do something new - research women's accomplishments for their history class. These women were so inspired they formed the non-profit National Women's History Project (NWHP) to promote the teaching and study of American women's history. In the '70s and early '80s, the NWHP led various women's organizations to successfully lobby Congress to create what is now National Women's History Month.
National Women's History Month at SSU is primarily sponsored by The Women's Resource Center and Associated Students Productions. For a complete calendar of activities, contact the SSU Women's Resource Center, (707)664-2845, or on the web at www.sonoma.edu/campuslife/wrc/. Campus parking is $2.50
National Women's History Month Schedule of Events
Events are free, unless otherwise noted
Through March 29: Concrete, Sticks, and Wire: Recent Sculpture by Joy Brace. University Library Art Gallery, Schulz Information Center.
Tuesday, March 5, Noon-1 p.m.: Gallery Talk: Concrete, Sticks, and Wire , University Library Art Gallery, Schulz Information Center.
Tuesday and Wednesday, March 5 and 6, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Always The Women. A performance based on the Gospels depicting women who encountered Jesus. Tickets $2 in advance, on sale at the SSU Student Union; $3 at the door.
Wednesday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. Poet Judy Grahn: Women's Words, Women's Power Writers Series Donation requested to benefit the YWCA battered women and children?s services. Schulz Information Center 3001.
Thursday, March 7, Noon-1 p.m. World Weaving Tongva/Ajachmem Artist and tribal activist L. Frank Manriquez. Stevenson 1002.
Thursday, March 7, 5 p.m. The Media and Women's Health: Sorting Fact from Fiction. A talk by Judy Norsigian, founder of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective. Schulz Information Center 3001.
Friday, March 8, 9 a.m. Our Bodies, Ourselves and Women's Health Activism in
the '70s and '80s. A talk by Judy Norsigian. Multi-Purpose Room, Student
Union.
Saturday, March 9, 8 p.m. Slam Poet Alix Olse.The Pub, Student Union.
Monday, March 11, Noon-1 p.m. Auto Repair Basics for Women. Mechanic Maria do Céu, owner of Petaluma's Out West Garage. InterCultural Center Gallery, Student Union.
Monday, March 11, 5:15-6:40 p.m. Afghan Women and the Political Process. Human rights activist Medea Benjamin discusses her two, Post-September 11 trips to Afghanistan. Cooperage.
Tuesday, March 12, Noon-1 p.m. Women Artists: Past and Present. SSU Prof. J.J. Wilson and SRJC librarian Karen Petersen Schulz Information Center 3001.
Wednesday, March 13, 7:30 p.m. Author/Activist Starhawk: Women?s Words, Women's Power Writers Series. Discussion of recent activism against globalization. Donation requested to benefit the YWCA battered women and children's services. Schulz Information Center 3001.
Thursday, March 14, Noon-1 p.m. Fiddlers on the Roost: The Radical Jewish Women Chicken Farmers of Petaluma. Stevenson 1002
Tuesday, March 19, Noon-1 p.m. Gender and Sexuality in the Photographically Illustrated Books of Claude Cahun Lecture. SSU Art Prof. Jennifer Shaw. Schulz Information Center 3001.
Wednesday, March 20, 7:30 p.m. Novelist and essayist Jewelle Gomez: Women?s Words, Women's Power Writers Series. Donation requested to benefit the YWCA battered women and children?s services. Schulz Information Center 3001.
Thursday, March 21, Noon-1 p.m. Writing Women Back into History: The Local Origins of National Women's History Month A talk by SSU librarian Paula Hammett, a founder of the National Women's History Project. Stevenson 1002.
Thursday, March 21, 7-9 p.m. Daring to Resist: Three Women Face the Holocaust. Documentary on three Jewish women from Holland, Hungary and Poland who resisted the Nazis. Schulz Information Center 2015B.
Saturday, March 23, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Expanding Your Horizons Conference. Hands-on math and science workshops for 7th- and 8th-grade girls. Keynote speaker: NASA Astronaut Yvonne Darlene Cagle, M.D. Registration deadline is March 15. For information, visit the web site at www.eyh-soco.org, or call (707) 664-2241.
Monday, March 25, 6:30 p.m. Women Student Leaders of the Year. Multi-Purpose Room, Student Union.
Tuesday, March 26, Noon-1 p.m. Politics, Gender, and Art. A lecture by SSU sculpture professor Jann Nunn. Schulz Information Center 3001.
Tuesday, March 26, 7:15 p.m. Enduring Suffering. A feminist interfaith (Jewish, Pagan, Christian) ceremony offering spiritual responses to suffering. Student Union Multi-Purpose Room.
Wednesday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. Poet and novelist Etel Adnan: Women's Words, Women's Power Writers Series. Donation requested to benefit the YWCA battered women and children?s services Schulz Information Center 3001.
Thursday, March 28, Noon-1 p.m. Challenging The Future. History Department
M.A.s Mary Blanchette and Stephanie McGraw discuss their research. Stevenson 1002.
Agilent Technologies has announced it will donate electronic test and measurement equipment valued at $1 million to establish a new engineering science laboratory at Sonoma State University.
The Agilent Technologies Communications Laboratory will feature a variety of industry-leading photonics, optics and communications test instruments used by graduate students in the university's Masters program in Computer and Engineering Science (MS-CES) as well as undergraduate students in applied physics.
At the same time, Agilent Corporate-University Relations announced other major donations to Stanford University, UC Davis, University of Arizona, and several other highly-regarded universities. "We are delighted to be included in this prestigious group," said Dr. Saeid Rahimi, Dean of the School of Science and Technology, who drafted the proposal for the laboratory and equipment.
"This donation program honors and rewards a professor who demonstrated creativity and innovation in educating future engineers and scientists in the field of photonics, optics and communication technologies," said Kay Gilles, Ph.D., director of Agilent's university-relations program.
"We were looking for programs that emphasize theory and hands-on, collaborative learning experiences for scientists and engineers who will invent tomorrow's communication technologies," Gilles said.
The MS-CES program and the new Agilent Technologies Communications Laboratory will promote collaborative research and teaching opportunities between Sonoma State University and Agilent Technologies, according to Rahimi.
The donated equipment will include optical spectrum analyzers, lightwave component analyzers and digital communications analyzers from the Lightwave Division, which is based in the Airport Corporate Center. Electronic test and measurement equipment from other Agilent organizations in Sonoma County will round out the $1 million local donation.
"Agilent has a long history of partnership with Sonoma State University, dating back to when we were part of the Hewlett-Packard Company," said Dave Bass, vice president of the Lightwave Division. "We are honored and excited to work with the university in establishing a state-of-the-art instructional laboratory devoted to photonics, optics and communication technologies."
Dr. Ruben Arminana, president of the university, said "public/private partnerships between Sonoma State University and companies such as Agilent benefit all parties. Agilent's donation is not only generous for our students, but thoughtful toward a future where higher education and industry support one another."
The Hutchins School of Liberal Studies is now offering its highly-regarded interdisciplinary approach to learning to a new program that will allow students to earn a B.A. and a multiple-subject elementary school teaching credential in only four years of study.
"This program builds on the strength of the Hutchins seminar method which teaches students how to integrate topics across the curriculum," says Hutchins provost Debora Hammond.
"This is exactly what the State of California is mandating for teacher education. "The combined B.A. plus credential option allows the student to explore the relationship between their academic work and their career goals beginning in their first semester. The interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum, along with the interactive approach to learning, provides a valuable model for future educators."
This new "blended" program will allow students to earn a B.A. in Liberal Studies, while taking classes in the theoretical and practical issues of teacher education. Students will carry a total course load of 136 units over four years with 17-18 unit semesters.
The Hutchins School, a cluster school within the larger institution of SSU, conducts seminar-based learning in which students form a learning community dedicated to asking probing questions and exploring multiple ways of approaching them; classes are small, usually about 13 students, so that each student can be an integral part of on-going discussions.
Applications must be made to the University as well as to the program within the Hutchins curriculum. Deadline for applications for the new program is March 31, although applications will be accepted until the available positions are filled.
For further information, contact Thomas Cooper, Blended Advisor, (707) 664-2492.
Low cost physical examinations and health appraisals for well adults and children will be available through the SSU Nursing Department's Family Nurse Practitioner Program on Wednesdays from March 20 to May 15.
Services include a complete medical and health history, identification of health risk factors, complete physical examinations and screening tests such as blood pressure checks, vision testing, urinalysis, hematocrit (for anemia), cholesterol testing and Pap smears for cervical cancer. Audiology testing will also be included.
These services can be utilized for annual exams, sports physicals, pre employment physicals, camp physicals and Class I and II DMV licensing physicals.
The cost of a physical examination is $20, pap test $15, cholesterol check $10 or $15, hearing test $10 and a DMV physical examination is $35. Copies of records are given to clients upon request as well as mailed to private physicians or agencies.
Appointments may be made by calling SSU's Nursing Department at (707) 664- 2466, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The public is invited to attend a field hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee/Energy Subcommittee at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 21 at the Environmental Technology Center at Sonoma State University. The theme of the hearing is "The Renewable Roadmap to Energy Independence."
A key "witness" at the hearing is the Environmental Technology Center (ETC) itself. The ETC is a "building that teaches," designed to maximize conservation and energy efficiency, powered by state-of-the-art photovoltaics and constructed with innovative green building materials. Prior to the hearing, Dr. Alexandra von Meier, Director of the ETC, will give a short presentation on the building.
Members of the Science Committee's Energy Subcommittee will hear testimony from an expert panel with national and international credentials. The hearing has been arranged by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, a ranking member of the committee.
In a letter to constituents, Woolsey said "I am hopeful that this field hearing will influence members of the joint committee to craft a bill with strong energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy provisions."
Woolsey also said in the letter that last year as the ranking member of the Energy Subcommittee, she was able to increase renewable energy research by $177 million over three years in the energy bill passed by the House. "The Senate, however, is still working on energy legislation, and when that bill is completed, a joint House-Senate committee will meet to reconcile both bills."
The witnesses and their topics include:
Admiral Richard Truly, Director of the National Renewable Energy Lab: "The Current State of Renewable Energy and Their Long Term Potential"
Richard Charter, Bluewater Network: "Offshore Oil: Putting our Environment at Risk for Short Term Gains"
Dr. Donald Aitken, Union of Concerned Scientists: "Transitioning into Energy Independence"
John Newcomb, Newcomb Anderson, Associates: "1st Steps Toward Energy Independence: Energy Efficiency and Conservation"
There will not be an opportunity for public comments during the hearing, but members of the public are encouraged to submit their concerns to Woolsey in writing. For further information, contact Tom Roth in the congresswoman's Santa Rosa office at 707 (542-7182).
Art comes in many shapes and sizes and sometimes the artist?s materials are unexpected. In "Concrete, Sticks, & Wire: Recent Sculpture by Joy Brace," now on display through March 29 in the Sonoma State University Library Art Gallery, Brace departure from her previous work, most often assembled with clay to create pieces primarily constructed from concrete.
The artist feels the materials impart the essence of strength - both visually and structurally. "I have spent the past three years reflecting on materials other than clay, materials that would enable me to get much closer to the ideas I want to express," says Brace.
Through this new work, the artist is examining obstruction and superficiality as related to such things as emotion, disease, and absence of voice. "I think that most of us have a tendency to easily deny what is right under the surface and go on with our daily existence. I want to look at what is underneath that surface, expose it, and force it out."
Brace was born in Florida and studied at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. She received a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. She has exhibited nationally, including various shows throughout California and on the East Coast. Currently, she is working in Oakland.
The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Friends of the University Library and Barbara Llewellyn Catering and Event Planning. The University Library Art Gallery hours are Monday ? Saturday 10 a.m. ? 5 p.m. A daily parking permit ($2.50) is required M-TH 6 am ? 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. ? 5 p.m. Fridays except holidays. Daily permits are not valid in reserved lots.
A new University gospel choir is filling the rafters with song at Sonoma State University this semester--- and community members are encouraged to join with no charge until March 15.
The director of the group is Rachelle Rogers-Ard of Oakland, who has been the Minister of Music at Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland for the past ten years, where she coordinates six choirs and five musicians.
In addition, Rogers-Ard directs, composes, and is the founder of the East Bay Anointed Voices (EBAV). She was nominated for Director of the Year by the Bay Area Gospel Music Academy in 2000, and EBAV was nominated for Group of the Year by the same organization in 2001. For ten years, she was director of the renowned Castleer Vocal Ensemble at Castlemont High School in Oakland.
The choir meets on Wednesdays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in Warren Auditorium. A free public concert planned by the group is set for 5 p.m. on April 21 in Warren Auditorium.
For additional information about the choir, contact Rogers-Ard at (707) 664-2625
From teaching elementary school children history to providing literacy instruction to local adult, migrant and immigrant communities, Sonoma State University's various Community-Based Learning courses benefit the local community.
On Friday, Feb. 22, members of the campus community and local county organizations will join together for a service-learning workshop to discuss further cooperation between them. The Service-Learning Partnerships Symposium, titled "Achieving a Balance among Academic Learning, Community Needs and the Ethics of Service" is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Rohnert Park campus.
During the symposium, participants will discuss community resources and challenges, and how campus-community partnerships can enhance student learning while addressing community needs in the areas of community health, education, environment and social justice.
Additionally, poster presentations will highlight service-learning projects in Sonoma County. Facilitation will be provided by local service-learning experts, community leaders, and Erika Randall of the California State
Chancellor's Office on Community Service-Learning.
The event, hosted by the Office of Community-Based Learning, is recommended for community members from non-profit organizations, local government and schools, and students. The registration fee is $25 per individual, $40 for groups of two or more from the same organization, and $15 for students. Registration includes lunch and materials.
For more information contact the Office of Community-Based Learning by mail at 148 Nichols Hall, Sonoma State University, 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, by phone, (707) 664-3202 or by e-mail ocbl@sonoma.edu. See the web page at www.sonoma.edu/cihs/ocbl for more
information.
Do you know of an innovative K-12 program that deserves recognition?
Local parents are being asked along with school superintendents and fellow teachers to nominate an exemplary and innovative K-12 program for the Jack London Award for Excellence in Education. The award is given every year by Sonoma State University's School of Education.
Deadline for applications is Friday, Feb. 28, at 5 p.m. with site visits to be scheduled for March. The award is given annually to classroom teachers who run exemplary educational programs in Sonoma County schools with a record of excellence, says Dr. Phyllis Fernlund, Dean of the School of Education at SSU.
"Over the last fifteen years, we have had many wonderful teachers and directors of programs in Sonoma County who have been recognized through this award."
In addition, programs coordinated by school administrators or community representatives are eligible for the Jack London Special Award for Community-School Cooperation.
Winners who have earned the Jack London Award trophy in the past include Santa Rosa Middle School's Rekindling Hopes and Dreams (2001), Robert L. Stevens Elementary School's Dolphin Kings Chess Club (2000), Santa Rosa High School's Art Quest (1999) and the Cali Calm�cac Immersion School in Windsor (1998).
SSU faculty and staff, as well as community and educational leaders, serve as judges for this awards program. Winners will be honored at a reception at the Sonoma State University Art Gallery from 4 - 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15.
Applications as well as the criteria for judging each program are available on the SSU web site (www.sonoma.edu/education), in the principal's office at each school, or by calling Kristen Fellner at SSU, (707) 664-2132.
Inspired by man?s fascination with and manipulation of biological materials and processes, eleven ceramic artists will display sculptures that comment on the games we play with evolution in an upcoming exhibit called "Biological Mutiny" at the Sonoma State University Art Gallery.
The exhibition opens with a reception on Thursday, February 28 from 4 ? 6 p.m., and will remain on view through Sunday, March 24.
"Each artist is a master at shaping clay into stunningly beautiful forms, but are they from nature, nurture or some strange hybrid in between?," ask ceramics professor Greg Roberts, who is curating the show. "These eleven artists have works in clay to comment on the intriguing questions emerging from current human genome research."
"In the age of exponential growth of the biotech industry, the human genome project, mad cow disease and patented crops, the new scientific frontiers and pitfalls have an allure that is both frightening and a fascination for artists, " says Roberts.
Biological Mutiny will feature the work of eleven internationally recognized artists from across the United States: Tetsuji Aono (Los Angeles, CA ), Russel Biles (Greenville, SC), Mark Burleson (Asheville, NC), Mark Burns (Las Vegas, NV), Marek Cecula (New York, NY), Deirdre Daw (Seattle, WA), Sergei Isupov (Louisville, KY), Kathy King (Atlanta, GA), Eva Melas (Brooklyn, NY), Brad Miller (Woodycreek, CO), and Monica Van den Dool (Oakland, CA).
For more information about Biological Mutiny, contact Gregory Roberts (707) 664-3042 or Carla Stone (707) 664-2295.
The first Sonoma State University Language Festival is being planned from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 in the Cooperage and other selected venues on the Rohnert Park campus.
In the morning, local high school students will compete in poetry, diction, and public speaking contests in three languages, French, German and Spanish. After a short brown-bag lunch, many SSU students, faculty and family members will join selected high school groups in a cabaret extravaganza, from French and German hip hop to traditional New Orleans jazz by the Russian River Ramblers.
The ceremony to award prizes to the morning contest winners will take place immediately following the cabaret, and high school students will then be treated to a tour of SSU in the language they are studying. Admission to the cabaret is $3 at the door.
For more information, contact Christine Renaudin, Professor of Foreign Languages, at (707) 664-3159.
The uncommon friendship of a holocaust survivor and a Nazi youth that spawned a nationwide best-selling book is one of several highlights of the 19th Annual Holocaust Lecture Series at Sonoma State University this semester.
"Shadows of the Holocaust: Exploring the Legacies" is the theme of the free public lecture series now being held on Tuesdays from 4 to 5:15 p.m. through May 21 on the Rohnert Park campus.
Speakers during the series will address topics ranging from the founding of Israel, the post-Holocaust church, voices from the Shoah Project, the legacies of Nuremberg and confronting the current genocides in Africa.
Bernie Rosner and Frtiz Tubach will discuss their Holocaust memoir, "An Uncommon Friendship: From Opposite Sides of the Holocaust" in a lecture on March 26 in the Evert B. Person Theatre.
Rosner is a Hungarian Jew who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, before eventually being adopted by an American soldier and moving to the United States. Tubach was the son of a German army soldier and member of the the Nazi Youth Movement. In their touching memoir they reveal how they became friends and how their friendship forced each of them to come to terms with his past.
Voices From The Shoah Project with Mikko Allane with be presented on March 19. Allane will show a video tape of survivors forced to work in the crematoria and gas chambers.
On April 23, Kathi L. Austin, Director of the Arms and Conflict Program for the Fund for Peace will show her documentary "Forsaken Cries: Genocide In Rwanda." Austin has written and consulted widely on issues relating to the arms trade, the proliferation and abuse of small arms and light weapons, security, conflict, human rights and Africa policy.
The Holocaust Lecture Series is sponsored by the Alliance for the Study of the Holocaust, the Sonoma State University Holocaust Study Center, and the Paul V. Benko Holocaust Education Endowment.
Credit is available to community participants. For further information, contact Myrna Goodman, Director of the Holocaust Studies Center,
(707) 664-4076/4296.
The complete schedule follows:
19TH ANNUAL SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY HOLOCAUST LECTURE SERIES
Through May 21,
Tuesdays, 4-5:15 p.m.
Warren Auditorium
Robert L. Harris lecture in Evert B. Person Theatre
SHADOWS OF THE HOLOCAUST: EXPLORING THE LEGACIES
February 5: Historical Background and Video: "Master Race 1933" - Steve
Watrous, Ph.D. SSU.
February 12: "Historical Legacies And The Third Reich" - Steve Watrous, Ph.D. SSU.
February 19: "Survivors Panel" - Lucille Eichengreen, Berkeley Betty Kale, Santa Rosa.
February 26: "Zionism, The Holocaust And The Founding Of The State Of Israel" - Barry Preisler, Ph.D., Lecturer, SSU.
March 5: "The Post-Holocaust Church" - Sandy Lowe, Ph.D. www.westarinstitute.org/Fellows/Lowe/lowe.html
March 12: "New Perspectives In Holocaust Scholarship" - Myrna Goodman, Ph.D.; Ilka Hartmann M.A.; Elaine Leeder Ph.D.; Barbara Lesch McCaffry Ph.D.; Joel Neuberg, M.I.L.S., Sonoma State University.
March 19: "Voices From The Shoah Project" - Mikko Allane: Historical Content
Supervisor, Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation
March 26: "Overcoming the Past: An Uncommon Friendship" - Fredric Tubach, Ph.D. and Bernat Rosner, L.L.D. Robert L. Harris Memorial Lecture, Evert B. Person Theatre
April 9: "Facing History And Ourselves" - Jack Weinstein, Northern California Program Director, Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation. www.facinghistory.org
April 16: "Legacies Of Nuremberg: International Legal Accountability" - Dr. Diana Grant, Professor of Criminal Justice, Sonoma State University
April 23: "Forsaken Cries: Genocide In Rwanda" - Kathi L. Austin, Director, Arms and Conflict Program, The Fund for Peace. www.fundforpeace.org/programs/acp/acp.htm
April 30: "The Sociology of Evil," Noel Byrne, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, SSU.
May 7: "Confronting Current Genocides" - Jerry Fowler, Staff Director, Committee on Conscience, United States, Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington D.C. www.ushmm.org/conscience/
May 14: "The Legacy Continues: Second Generation Panel" - Blair Pleasant, and Julia Silverberg. Dr. Elaine Leeder, Dean of School of Social Sciences, SSU, moderator.
May 21: "What Have We Learned?"
