International Council in Hong Kong

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Rebecca Raber
(From left) Dan Weiss, Lorenzo Villalon '73, Jose (Bong) Bernas '82, Jerry Crossan '79, Elizabeth Finley, David Ketchum '83, Professor Paul Smith and Eric Sedlak '80
At a luncheon at the China Club hosted by JD Lee ’82: (from left) Dan Weiss, Lorenzo Villalon ’73, Jose (Bong) Bernas ’82, Jerry Crossan ’79, Elizabeth Finley, David Ketchum ’83, Professor of History Paul Smith and Eric Sedlak ’80.

 

Haverford’s International Council marked an historic occasion this year when it held its annual meeting in Hong Kong. The event, on  March 16, was the first time the  group has met in Asia. Made up of dedicated alumni, The International Council fosters a greater awareness of Haverford internationally, helps the College seize academic and outreach opportunities outside the U.S., and offers professional expertise and personal resources  to assist Haverford’s leadership in a variety of ways.

At this year’s meeting, which was held at the W Hotel in Kowloon, incoming President Dan Weiss was on hand to meet the members of the Council, answer their questions about his vision for his presidency, which begins July 1, and seek out their perspectives on global education and the future of Haverford.

 

Michael Kim '85 and Henry Ritchotte '85
Michael Kim ’85 and International Council Chair Henry Ritchotte ’85
Andy Pleatman '66 and Thien Le '05
(From left) Andy Pleatman ’66, Thien Le ’05 and Charles Griffith ’06
Eric Sedlak '80 (back to camera), Dan Weiss, David Ketchum '83
(From left) Eric Sedlak ’80, Dan Weiss, David Ketchum ’83 and Owen Belman ’91
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Corporations as Global Citizens

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Rebecca Raber

Multinational corporations have tremendous influence on people, markets and governments. But what is their role regarding social change? What obligations do they have as global citizens to address inequality? Haverford alumni Daniel Price ’77, David Hackett ’76, and John Heller ’89, who all have deep experience in business, international trade and the law, shared their insights on these and other questions at “Corporations as Global Citizens,” a panel discussion held on campus on Thursday night.

 

(From left) Daniel Price '77, David Hacket '76 and John Heller '89 at the "Corporations as Global Citizens" panel.

 

Hackett is the North American Practice Group coordinator at Baker and McKenzie law firm and is a recognized as an expert in the field of environmental and climate change.

David Hackett '76

 

Heller, a principal in the real estate company the Heller Group, is also a senior strategy advisor at the nonprofit Synergos Institute, where he launched a consulting practice that helps corporations build sustainable businesses and achieve social impact in developing countries.

John Heller '89

 

Price is currently a managing director and co-founder of international economic consulting firm Rock Creek Global Advisors.  During the Bush administration, he served as deputy national security advisor for international economic affairs, a role in which addressed such issues such as climate change, food policy and public health.

Daniel Price '77

 

After the talk, which was hosted by the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship and moderated by Assistant Professor of Economics Saleha Jilani, the speakers moved on to dinner with professors and students, where the conversation continued.

 

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FAB Legopallooza

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Eils Lotozo
Students playing with Legos

Fords Against Boredom (FAB) brought 100 pounds of Legos to Ryan Gym on Friday for Legopallooza, which gave students the chance to revisit the childhood delights of playing with those brightly colored plastic building toys.  Also provided at the event were Hope’s Cookies, which Haverford alums might fondly remember from their time here.  FAB, which is dedicated to sponsoring  alcohol-free activities on campus, puts on many events like this every semester.

 

Looking for the right piece.
Looking for the right piece.
Just a small portion of the Legos available at Legopallooza.
Just a small portion of the Legos available at Legopallooza.

Legopallooza
Legopallooza
A small Lego wall
A small Lego wall

A Lego car
A Lego car
A Lego Jet Car
A Lego Jet Car

A Lego Creation
A Lego Creation
A Small Lego Byplane
A Small Lego Byplane

A Lego Creation
A Lego Creation
Legopallooza
Legopallooza


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James House Welcomes “Interpreting Displacement”

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Rachel Baron '15
Students in front of Sofia Vivado's artwork

 

Pia Chackraverti-Wuerthwein ’16, who has long been interested in both art curation and issues of displacement, premiered Interpreting Displacement on Feb. 22 in James House, the 24-hour student art space on campus. Abby Fullem ’16 and the rest of the James House Board supported the aspiring curator in the creation of the exhibit, which explores displacement and its manifestations in music, space, time and memory, and features the works of Anneke Heher ‘14, Honglan Huang ‘16, Andrew Szczurek ‘16 and Sofia Vivado ‘16.

Standing before the mobile she created from colorful puzzle-piece cut-outs pasted with facts about endangered languages, Heher cited her linguistics thesis and many summers spent in Montana as the major inspirations for the piece. “It’s really hard to spend time in the Midwest without stumbling upon hints of displacement,” she said.

Anneke Heher's mobile

 

In the adjacent corner was Huang’s interactive photo-exhibit “Traveling through Time,” for which postcards and photos from Shanghai, China, were displayed across the wall. Viewers were encouraged to write messages to a subject from a different time.

Honglan Huang's installation

 

Vivado’s “Untitled Acrylic” is a collection of three acrylic maps displaying the injustices of Mapuche immigration and the issues of border-displacement. Vivado said that the technicality the acrylics required made the piece a challenging creation.

Vivado's "Untitled Acrylic" series

 

Those attending the opening gathered in the James House living room to hear “Duck, Fish and Albatross,” a classical music composition written by Szczurek. A more modernist composer, Szczurek made his first foray into classical composition with this piece, which conveys “how history was a musical displacement and vice versa.” The five musicians who played “Duck, Fish and Albatross” were dressed in clothes reflecting the stereotypes of their respective instruments to further convey the notion of “musical displacement.”

Andrew Szczurek (right) and musicians perform "Duck, Fish and Albatross"

 

David Robinson ’14, in the audience during the performance, commented afterward that he especially enjoyed the “solitary nature and visceral emotions” embedded within Szczurek’s piece.

More musicians playing Andrew Szczurek's piece

 

Interpreting Displacement doubled as the unofficial debut of the newly renovated James House. Board members spent much of last semester repainting walls, replacing furniture and creating a more accessible space for student art work and shows. “I think it’s cool that students are making the space creative and productive,” said attendee Sienna Mann ’14.

Interpreting Displacement will be on display until mid-March and the James House gallery is available for future student show bookings.

Photos by Deborah Leter ’15.

 

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Reviving WHRC

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Nora Landis-Shack '13

Our Haverford magazine article (spring/summer 2012) on the history of Haverford’s radio station got readers wondering about the current state of WHRC. Though it has been decades since the heyday of the station, which shut down in 2009, some students are currently trying to revive it.

WHRC General Managers Karl Moll and Fairleigh Barnes setup a broadcast in the Sunken Lounge of the Dining Center.

 

Karl Moll ’14 and Fairleigh Barnes ’13 were both disappointed by WHRC’s absence and felt a revitalized radio station could offer a new creative outlet for Haverford students.  Last semester they held a “soft-launch” for the station, creating the website radiofords.com, and the duo quickly found that the community was eager to see a newly energized  WHRC on campus.

The station is now back in action as a “web-based collective of audio content and multimedia generated by the Bi-Co community.”  In the fall, Barnes and Moll created a rotating schedule of DJs, each broadcasting a live weekly show online through the website, which has helped build a quiet, but slowly growing, following for the station. These shows include a program of music influenced by the Berlin club scene, hosted by Zach Jacobs ’14, who just returned from abroad, on Monday nights from 6-7 p.m., and a folk/political music show with Morgana Warner-Evans ’16 that airs Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m.

These shows are currently only available via live-stream, meaning that listeners must tune in to the website during the appointed hour to hear a given show’s live broadcast.  (Trying to figure out what there is to listen to when? A complete schedule of shows can be found here.) And while the shows themselves aren’t archived, the WRHC site does feature some samplings of student bands and previously aired interviews.

Dylan Reichmen '16 (left), with Moll and Barnes, broadcasts live from the Sunken Lounge of the Dining Center and online to help generate interest from students to join WHRC.

 

Looking forward, Barnes noted that WHRC will continue to add new DJs and shows to an already impressively varied lineup of music, sports and political debate.  Her hope for the organization, which she will leave to Moll after she graduates in May, is that it will become “a platform for Haverford and Bryn Mawr students to express themselves and engage with one another on a variety of topics.” Hopefully, she is well on her way to that goal.

Photos by Brad Larrison.

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Scholarships at Haverford: Giving Back and Paying Forward

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Emily Weisgrau
Associate Provost Rob Fairman addresses students at the Annual Scholarship Recipient Lunch.

 

“Has anyone here ever heard of Reader’s Digest?” Associate Provost and Professor of Biology Rob Fairman asked a group of students who had assembled for the Annual Scholarship Recipients Lunch on February 13. After the staff members in the room over the age of 35 chuckled at the students’ silence, Fairman went on to explain that not only was it a very popular magazine for decades, it also had a foundation that created scholarship funds, including one established at Haverford in 1965. It is one of 246 endowed scholarships at the College. The first, The Thomas Cope Fund, was created in 1842, and the most recent, The Walter and Carol Shanler Scholarship Fund, was created in late 2012.

 

(From left) Rachel Davis '13, Dean Steve Watter and Director of Stewardship Janet Heron

 

While every scholarship fund is awarded on the basis of financial need, not merit, some funds do have additional preferences for the student who will receive it, such as what part of the country they are from or what their major is. Dean of Student Life Steve Watter joked with the students, “We match you up with scholarships in a dark, smoky room.” In reality, the room may be neither, but there is a team of College administrators that “works hard to honor the requests of the donors,” Watter said.

 

Assistant Director of Stewardship Jason Rash chats with Calla Miller '13 (center) and Victoria Sobocinski '13 (right).

 

This attention to and fulfillment of donors’ intentions falls under the purview of Haverford’s Office of Stewardship. Director of Stewardship Janet Heron and Assistant Director Jason Rash facilitate connections between scholarship donors and scholarship students. Senior Jonathan Fosdick, recipient of the Charles and Barbara Beever Scholarship, explained the importance of this interaction. “The most meaningful way to show your appreciation for your scholarship is to communicate with the donor. It’s a great way for them to get to know you and how you meet the criteria of the scholarship they created.” Fairman added, “Donors are very passionate. Whenever I travel, alumni come out of the woodwork to tell me how much they deeply care about Haverford. And they deeply care about you. Write a letter. Network with them.”

 

Jonathan Fosdick '13

 

Donor-student interaction perpetuates the practice of giving back and paying forward, reinforcing a culture of philanthropy and dedication to making a Haverford education accessible to all qualified students. These values—and the scholarship donors and recipients themselves—are honored each year at the annual Celebration of Scholarships held in April.

Read about last year’s Celebration of Scholarships in the 2011-2012 Scholarship Impact Report.

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Andrew Sullivan: On Being Conservative, Christian and Gay

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Eils Lotozo

“I wanted to talk tonight about some things that appear to be contradictions—religions, political philosophies, that are thought to be in conflict, but are not in conflict… I want to try and argue that our politics have been too simplified and polarized, that our culture is too divided, that we need to accept the complexity and flawed nature of being human… [I want to do it] in a semi-autobiographical way, in covering three things about myself that I have been told for years cannot coexist… I want to come out tonight as a Christian. I want to come out tonight as a conservative, and I want to come out tonight—in a much less controversial way—as a homosexual. Certainly, I think Haverford would view the latter as the least provocative identity to grasp, but that’s because you haven’t heard me talk about what I believe Christianity and conservatism really are.”

With his opening words, Andrew Sullivan grabbed the attention of the audience gathered in Haverford’s Roberts Marshall Auditorium on Friday evening and held it throughout his entire presentation. Sullivan, whose February 8 talk was sponsored by the Students Council Speakers Committee, is a journalist and the creator of and central voice behind the influential blog The Dish, which boasts a readership of 1.2 million unique visitors and an average of 8 million pageviews a month.

Sullivan, who is also a prolific author (Virtually Normal, Love Undetectable, The Soul of a Conservative), acknowledged that he was an interesting choice as a speaker for Haverford.  As a Conservative and a Catholic, he recognized that he was likely a rarity within the College community. Sullivan then went on to explain his beliefs with clarity and grace.

While he challenges the Church’s position on homosexuality, Sullivan’s personal Catholicism springs from a deep faith he said he’s never been able to shake, even in dark moments.  He noted that for him religion was inherently full of doubt, but also full of love and acceptance.  Sullivan disagreed deeply with the attempts people make to control one another through religion, preferring a more open dialogue, much like the one he created during his presentation.

Besides being a Christian, said Sullivan, “I’m also a conservative. And when I come to college campuses today and say that to people, I get this bizarre and horrified response… as if I’ve committed a crime or believe in mass murder. But what I place at the core of conservatism is something that I place at the core of the Christianity I’m talking about and that is that one can believe in an idea, in a way of life, in the importance of a certain set of virtues … You should always understand that doubt about those convictions is integral both to those convictions and to their success. I don’t think anyone who’s never doubted has ever actually believed.”

Reporting by Nora Landis-Shack ’13 and Rachel Baron ’15

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Fords Against Boredom Sponsors “Loveshack”

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Eils Lotozo
Loveshack

Ryan Gym was filled with students on Saturday for Loveshack, an annual event created by Fords Against Boredom (FAB), an organization funded by Student’s Council to provide fun, alcohol-free events both on and off campus. Modeled on the idea of making gingerbread houses, Loveshack gives students the opportunity to organize into teams of whatever size they choose and make whatever they want out of graham crackers, icing and more candy than anyone knows what to do with.  This year the event was a huge success with 150 students braving the ice and snow to attend.

Some of the creations were Haverford-centric, such as miniature models of the Duck Pond, apartment 26 in the Haverford College Apartments and numerous replicas of squirrels. Others went with the Valentine’s Day theme and created hearts and heart-shaped buildings.  (The crowning achievement in this category was undoubtedly the “Prison of Love,” which had towers and even a drawbridge.)  Still other teams, trying to be less predictable, created graham cracker models of farm scenes, the Superbowl and Noah’s Ark.  There was even a sarcophagus with a napkin wrapped mummy inside.

At the end of the night, prizes were awarded and any remaining candy was quickly snatched up as everyone departed.

Jack Hasler ‘15

This creation was modeled on Apartment 26 and even included a detailed look at the 1A suite.
This creation was modeled on Apartment 26 and even included a detailed look at the 1A suite.
A view of Apartment 26 from the front.
A view of Apartment 26 from the front.

Inside Suite 1A
Inside Suite 1A
This creation sought to embody the most recent Superbowl.
This creation sought to embody the most recent Superbowl.

Just some of the candy at Loveshack.
Just some of the candy at Loveshack.
Even more of the candy at Loveshack.
Even more of the candy at Loveshack.

This scene was modeled on the Haverford Duck Pond, complete with Skater's Shack and practicing Frisbee Team!
This scene was modeled on the Haverford Duck Pond, complete with Skater’s Shack and practicing Frisbee Team!
Aerial view of the Duck Pond
Aerial view of the Duck Pond

This graham cracker heart aimed at winning the prize for the creation that best embodies the spirit of Valentines Day and flattered the event sponsors at the same time.
This graham cracker heart aimed at winning the prize for the creation that best embodies the spirit of Valentines Day and flattered the event sponsors at the same time.
This FAB House was created by one of Fords Against Boredom's own members.
This FAB House was created by one of Fords Against Boredom’s own members.

A miniature farm.
A miniature farm.
This heart had a gooey marshmallow center!
This heart had a gooey marshmallow center!

FAB's Loveshack in Ryan Gym attracted more than 100 students.
FAB’s Loveshack in Ryan Gym attracted more than 100 students.
This Noah's Ark even had some unicorns, who had just missed the boat.
This Noah’s Ark even had some unicorns, who had just missed the boat.

This squirrel was more icing than anything else.
This squirrel was more icing than anything else.
The famous "Prison of Love" had towers and a drawbridge.
The famous “Prison of Love” had towers and a drawbridge.

This Sarcophagus had a napkin wrapped mummy inside.
This Sarcophagus had a napkin wrapped mummy inside.
Two squirrels falling in love. Before long they'll be Haver-married!
Two squirrels falling in love. Before long they’ll be Haver-married!

A very colorful turtle.
A very colorful turtle.

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Lightning Talks: Round II

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Eils Lotozo

There are a few ground rules for the Save As: Lightning Talks. Each presentation is limited to two-minutes. Clapping is confined to “Lightning Breaks” (two-minute breaks between every five presentations). And innovative ideas concerning the intersection between scholarship and digital media are a must.

Save As is an ongoing initiative of Digital Scholarship in the Library, whose members included library staff members Laurie Allen, Jen Rajchel and Mike Zarafonetis; Corey Chao from IITS, and Student Coordinator for Digital Humanities Shahzeen Nasim ’15. The first round of talks was held in the fall and on January 31, in the Phillips Wing of Magil Library, members of the College community got to hear Round II.

Presentations covered subjects ranging from the growing DIY video game culture, the paradox of  the term “user-friendly,” and eBook doodling. Aubree Penny ’13 gave an online tour of the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery and Magill’s Rajchel pitched the murder mystery exhibit slated to open in the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery. Alexandra Colon ’13 gave a two-minute talk on her documentary detailing a family history often “silent” to her. Colon shrunk her original film down to 30-seconds, which she played during her presentation.

Said Coordinator for the Digital Scholarship and Services Laurie Allen, “We wanted to get the campus interested so people would know it wasn’t just them doing these interesting projects. It was a chance to let Haverford know about all the little, awesome projects going around on campus as well as the bigger ones.”

Save As will be hosting a series Workshops concerning technology and its academic application throughout the spring.

Here is a full list of the recent Lightning Talks presenters and their subjects.

Students:

Arielle Harris, “The Ira de Augistine Reid Digital Exhibit”

Katherine Pryor, “Medieval Marginalia and Animation: One Degree of Separation”

Alexandra Colon, “Unearthing Silence: Memory and Re-membrance in Video Production”

Ivan Goldsmith, “Bridging the Digital Divide”

Aubree Penney, “The Gallery on the Screen: virtual Exhibition Desgin in Trimble SketchUp”

Dan Fries, “Hand-Held, or, Please Go Home and Make Video Games”

Samantha Shain (below), “Mapping #Occupy (A foray into Arrestibility)”

 

Faculty:

Professors: Megan Heckert, “What is this thing called access?”

Steven Lindell, “Creating a course resource for CS147: The History of Mechanized Thought”

Donovan Schafer, “Animal Bodies”

Bret Mulligan, “A Born-Digital Commentary for Nepos’ Life of Hannibal”

Ken Koltun-Fromm, “Discussing Texts Online with Comment Press”

James Krippner, “From Power Point to Historical Documentary”

Laura McGrane (below), “The User Paradox”

Staff:

Corey Chao, “Electric Etiquette: How to give a lightning talk”

Margaret Schaus, “Going Medieval on Your Art: Images in the Feminine Database”

Jeremiah Mercucio, “Can I Doodle in my eBook? Distraction in the Digital Age”

James Gulick, “Current Art Exhibitions”

Jen Rajchel, “The Thing was Done in the Dark: Who Killed Sarah Stout?”

—Rachel Baron ’15

 

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From Haverford to Bangladesh: A Message of Peace

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Rebecca Raber

While on a trip to Bangladesh with a group of students over winter break, visiting assistant professor of economics Shannon Mudd spotted something that reminded him of Haverford. On the campus of the University of Dhaka, Mudd, who coordinates the Microfinance and Impact Investing Initiative (MI3), saw a peace pole, a handcrafted monument reading “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in several languages, that was planted in a campus park.

The peace pole at the University of Dhaka

The pole is part of a project of the World Peace Prayer Society, which aims to symbolize “the oneness of humanity and our common wish for a world at peace; remind us to think, speak and act in the spirit of peace and harmony; and stand as a silent visual for peace to prevail on earth.” The WPPS estimates that there are some 200,000 peace poles that have been dedicated on every country on earth.

The Bangladeshi monument looked familiar to Mudd because we have a peace pole here on campus. Ours was dedicated in April 2008 and sits near Chase Hall.

The Haverford peace pole

Had you noticed the peace pole before? Did you realize it was part of an international movement?

 

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