INSIDE THIS WEEK’S NEWS@COMCOL (details below)
** Commonwealth College Notices **
+ GRADUATING SENIORS–SAVE THE DATE! SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2006
+ TEXAS HOLD ‘EM TOURNAMENT, FEB 23
+ COME TO PIZZA & PROF THIS MONDAY, FEB 27
+ FILM SERIES: A PATCH OF BLUE, FEBRUARY 28
+ WWWORKSHOP: MAKE A DIFFERENCE, MARCH 1
+12TH ANNUAL UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE, APPLY NOW
** Campus & Community Announcements **
+ FAITH ADIELE READING IN WRITING BUTTERFIELD, FEB 23
+ THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY MONTH
+ GROWING ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN THE U.S., LECTURE MARCH 2
** Student Life **
+ BECOME AN EPOCH PEER MENTOR
+ DO YOU WANT TO BE A RESIDENT ASSISTANT?
+ UMASS RSOS AND SENIORS - THINK YOU LOOK GOOD?
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** COMMONWEALTH COLLEGE NOTICES **
GRADUATING SENIORS – SAVE THE DATE! SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2006
Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 9:00 a.m.
The Commonwealth College Celebration of Excellence, a cap-and-gown Honors Gold Cord presentation and awards ceremony for graduating Commonwealth College seniors, will take place starting at 9:00 a.m. in the Mullins Center. A light snack reception will follow. “Save The Date” postcards have been sent out to your permanent addresses…and more info will follow! www.comcol.umass.edu/celebrationofexcellence
TEXAS HOLD ‘EM TOURNAMENT, FEB 23
7:30pm in the ComCol Lounge
Join us for Commonwealth College’s second “Play a Hand, Lend a Hand” Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament at 7:30 pm on Thursday, February 23 rd!
The donation required to reserve a seat is 3 non-perishable food items or $5, all of which will be contributed to a food drive for the Amherst Survival Center. How often do you get the chance to simultaneously gamble and help those in need? Pizza will be provided for all participants, and prizes will be awarded to the top 5 players in the tournament. To reserve a seat in the tournament, please RSVP to peers@comcol.umass.edu or call 545-2483 by February 21 st.
Forget or don’t know how to play poker? Show up at 7:15 p.m. for a review of the rules, techniques, and more!
If you are unable to attend but would like to contribute to the food drive, there will be a collection box in 504 Goodell until the day after the event. Any and all contributions are welcome!
COME TO PIZZA & PROF THIS MONDAY, FEB 27!
TOPIC: "What Is That Women's Studies Professor Doing in the Kitchen?" With Professor Arlene Avakian, Chair of the Women's Studies Department. Join in on the fun! As always there will be Antonio’s pizza!
Place: 504 Goodell, the ComCol Lounge (Goodell is the building with white pillars across the sidewalk from the Old Chapel)
Time: 6:00pm (Antonio's pizza will be served at 5:45)
RSVP REQUIRED IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND. RSVP by Sunday, February 26th at 6pm to PIZZAPROF@COMCOL.UMASS.EDU. Make sure to include your first and last name. (We need you to RSVP so that we can order the right number of pizzas from ANTONIOS!)
***IMPORTANT: Please be prepared to stay until at least 7:15. People leaving early can cause a distraction for the other students and speaker.***
FUTURE PIZZA & PROF: Monday, March 6, Professor Walter Denny from the Art History Department will be hosting! Save the date!
~Pizza & Prof Night is made possible by the generous donations of parents, friends and alumni of Commonwealth College~
FILM SERIES: A PATCH OF BLUE, FEBRUARY 28
Come join us and watch a powerful theatrical work as we continue with our 'Rebel With a Cause' Film Series on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 in the Goodell Lounge. Snacks and refreshments provided! Check out the summary below!
A Patch of Blue is the story of a chance encounter beneath a tree in a city park and the friendship that ensues. Sidney Poitier plays Gordon, a compassionate stranger who befriends a blind white girl named Selina (Elizabeth Hartman). Selina, the next thing to a shut-in, can only judge people by their voices, and Gordon is unusually patient, kind. Troubles ensue when Selina's abusive mother happens upon the pair during one of their park rendezvous. How will Selina escape the future that Roseanne has planned for her? Will she ever see Gordon again? Is love color blind?
WWWORKSHOP: MAKE A DIFFERENCE, MARCH 1
You’re invited to attend this week’s workshop about influencing political support for the University and the Commonwealth College. Workshops run from 6-7pm in the Goodell Lounge, and include sandwiches from the Loose Goose. Please RSVP to peers@comcol.umass.edu if you plan on attending!
12TH ANNUAL UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE, APPLY NOW!
Being held -- Thursday, April 27th, 2006, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at The Colonnade Hotel, Boston. For more info and to register, go to the Conference website:
http://www.comcol.umass.edu/conference/
The Undergraduate Conference is an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your work in a professional setting. Undergraduate students present their research and creative work in oral or poster presentations to fellow students, faculty and other invited guests. Presentations can be based on one's thesis research, creative work in the visual or performing arts, independent study, community service or study abroad.
APPLY ON-LINE NOW!Application deadline: March 2, 2006.
** CAMPUS & COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS **
FAITH ADIELE READING IN WRITING BUTTERFIELD, FEB 23
Thursday, February 23 at 7:30pm in Butterfield Lounge
The Women of Color Leadership Network is excited to bring Faith Adiele to UMass. She has been a Buddhist nun, community activist, diversity trainer and “petty bureaucrat,” and has lived and traveled in Southeast Asia, West Africa, Latin America and Europe. She currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she is Assistant Professor of Creative Nonfiction at the University of Pittsburgh. She also teaches travel writing at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and nonfiction at National University's (L.A.) on-line and Gettysburgh College's low-residency MFA programs.
Faith Adiele, the daughter of a Nordic-American mother and Nigerian father, holds a BA in Southeast Asian Studies from Harvard College, an MA in Creative Writing from Lesley College, and MFAs from the University of Iowa in both Fiction and Nonfiction.
Her current projects include Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun in Thailand (Norton, April 2004), and "My Journey Home," a PBS documentary based on her writings and travels to find family (airdate April 2004). The film was produced by award-winning filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña and written and narrated by Ms. Adiele. If you would like more information, you should visit her website at http://www.adiele.com.
Faith’s reading in Butterfield will be followed by an informal question and answer session.
THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Thursday, February 23. Life and Struggles of Malcolm X”: Discussion and Reception with Minister Yusef Mohammad Mohammad, Temple Number 13, Springfield, MA. 203- New Africa House, 5:30 PM-. Free Admission. Sponsors: CCEBMS, Malcolm X and Sylvan Cultural Centers.
DINING HALLS’ OBSERVANCE OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN FOODS. Sponsor: Food Services
Friday, February 24. Harlem Renaissance Ball (with Best Theme-Dressed Awards). Campus Center Auditorium, 7:30 PM - 12:00 AM. Student Admission - $5.00, General Public Admission - $10.00. Sponsors: Student Affairs Campus Life, Black Student Union and Multicultural Student Support Services.
Saturday, February 25. “Fight /Apathy on Aids” Tour. Bowker Auditorium, 7 PM. Free Admission. Sponsors: Black Student Union, Pride, African Student Association, Student Government Association, and Student Affairs for Campus Life.
GROWING ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN THE U.S., LECTURE MARCH 2
Several departments and organizations are co-sponsoring a March 2nd lecture about growing economic inequality in the U.S. The speaker is Felice Yeskel, Director of Class Action (see their excellent website at http://www.classism.org/). She will focus particularly on how our cultural inability to talk openly about class differences impacts students and the campus community. Mark your calendars: March 2nd, 4:30 PM, Campus Center!
** STUDENT LIFE **
BECOME AN EPOCH PEER MENTOR
**What is a Peer Mentor?
Peer Mentors are live-in, part-time, undergraduate student staff members who live in residence halls that house the Epoch Program. Peer Mentors serve as an academic support system for students as they face new challenges and concerns during their first year of college.
**Why does Epoch have Peer Mentors?
Students who are involved in specialized first year residence hall programs tend to perform better academically, feel more connected to the University, and are generally happier with their college experience. Positive relationships between first year students and spirited, motivated, and experienced upper class students are what make such programs a huge success.
Residence Life wants to make sure that Epoch students have a remarkable beginning to their college lives, and this could not be accomplished without Peer Mentors!
**Bringing it all together!
Epoch Halls include Pierpont/Moore, Melville/Thoreau, and Van Meter/Butterfield. There are 6 Peer Mentor (PM) positions in Pierpont/Moore, 7 PM positions in Melville and Thoreau, 4 PM positions in Butterfield, and 7 PM positions in Van Meter Hall. PMs are supervised by a First Year Experience Specialist (FYES) designated to their specific residential area.
The PMs and FYES are an integral part of a talented team of people that also consists of the RAs, Assistant Residence Directors (ARD), and Residence Directors (RD), faculty and staff from various academic departments and support services. All these individuals work together to develop a supportive and academically focused environment that addresses the needs of first year students.
Email Melissa Beesley at mbeesley@comcol.umass.edu for an application.
Application Due:
Tuesday, February 28, 2006 by 5:00pm
Residence Life Resource Center
101 Moore House
413-545-0472
DO YOU WANT TO BE A RESIDENT ASSISTANT?
RA Position Information...what’s in it for you?
-Meet new people
-Create an inclusive community
-Work on a diverse team
-Direct students to campus resources
-Enhance your time management skills
-Respond to student crises and emergencies -Build your resume -Mediate roommate conflicts -Promote and enforce safety policies -Organize fun and educational community activities
Minimum Qualifications:
-GPA 2.4 or higher
-Be free of current University judicial sanction -Have lived in a residence hall for one semester
Information Sessions: Date Time Location
Wed 2/22 5:30PM Hillel House
Wed 2/22 8:00PM Leach Basement
Thurs 2/23 6:00PM Melville Main Lounge
Thurs 2/23 8:00PM Greenough Basement
Mon 2/27 7:00PM Cance Main Lounge
Tues 2/28 6:00PM Campus Center 904-08
Wed 3/1 5:00PM New Africa House
UMASS RSOS AND SENIORS - THINK YOU LOOK GOOD?
Show us what you've got at the Yearbook's RSO and Friends Photo Shoot. March 13, 14, 15. We'll be taking pictures of student groups and friends for the '06 yearbook. Dress up or dress down, bring props or don't. It's up to you!
Let us know if you've coming by - email: index@stuaf.umass.edu. We'll be in room 165-69 from 6-9 from March 13, 14, and 15th.
If you can't make it, feel free to submit photos and info to the Resource Room, 300 Student Union. We accept both digital and film images. It's your yearbook. Why wouldn't you be in it?