NEWS @ COMMONWEALTH COLLEGE

Announcements & Activities

  1. Dinner and a Movie: The Namesake, April 7
  2. Weekly Wednesday Workshop: Grad Clearance, April 9
  3. Student Input Needed on Commonwealth College Curriculum
  4. Leadership Opportunities for Commonwealth College
  5. A Chance to Talk to Prospective ComCol Students
  6. Graduating Seniors - Save the Date, May 24

Achievements, Awards & Accolades

  1. Lauren Proctor Nominated for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award

$cholarships and $upport

  1. Scholarship Program: Health and Nutrition Diversity Scholars
  2. $25,000 Scholarship for International Study, 2009-2010
  3. Research Assistant Fellowships Deadline, April 22
  4. Honors Research Grants: Deadline, April 22

Internships & Employment

  1. Young Professionals in New Orleans - This Could Be You!
  2. Community Service Learning Job Openings

Campus & Community Events

  1. Two Israeli Films to Show, April 3 & April 7
  2. Landscapes of Violence: Conflict & Trauma thru Time, Apr 3-4
  3. Spring 2008 Environmental Lecture Series, Apr 16-May 5

— ANNOUNCEMENTS & ACTIVITIES —

DINNER & A MOVIE: THE NAMESAKE, APRIL 7
From the book by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake dramatizes the struggles between two generations of Indian immigrants in New York as members of a family try to reconcile their traditions with American culture. Show starts at 7:00pm in 504 Goodell and dinner is served at 6:45pm. Please RSVP to peers@comcol.umass.edu for dinner by Friday, Apr 4.

WEEKLY WED WORKSHOP: GRAD CLEARANCE, APR 9
Getting down to the wire? Learn about the honors clearance process and final steps you may need to take for a successful graduation clearance from the University. Workshops take place 6:00-7:00pm in 504 Goodell. RSVP to c3@comcol.umass.edu by Monday 4pm prior to the event if you are planning to attend.

STUDENT INPUT NEEDED ON COMMONWEALTH COLLEGE CURRICULUM
Commonwealth College is in the process of evaluating its curriculum. Top faculty members from departments outside of Commonwealth College are taking a closer look at honors courses in Commonwealth College and in your department. The faculty would like to get input from students as they move forward with their evaluation. Come and be a part of the evaluation process and voice your opinion, Thursday, April 3rd from 5pm-6pm in the Campus Center Reading Room. Dinner will be provided. Please RSVP to dean@comcol.umass.edu by Monday, March 31st.  

LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMONWEALTH COLLEGE
Commonwealth College is looking for student leaders! Do you have an interest in learning the ins and outs of the Commonwealth College office and gaining valuable leadership skills? Find out more and apply to be a Peer Intern. Do you have an interest in assisting incoming Commonwealth College students during our Welcome Weekend Orientation (formally Labor Day Orientation) and enhancing your leadership skills? Find out more and apply to be a Welcome Weekend Orientation Leader.

A CHANCE TO TALK TO PROSPECTIVE COMCOL STUDENTS
Would you like the chance to talk with prospective Commonwealth College students? Then please join us for our annual phone-a-thon! We will be calling accepted Commonwealth College students to congratulate them and answer any questions they might have about ComCol or UMASS in general. You could even call students from your hometown or major! Your student perspective is a valuable tool for prospective students in their decision-making process.
    Vital Facts: FREE Dinner! (Either pizza or Loose Goose!)
    Every evening, 5-7:30, Mon-Thurs, now to the end of April.
If you would like to take advantage of this great leadership opportunity, please RSVP to peers@comcol.umass.edu with the dates you would be able to attend, in advance, so that we can order the right amount of food!

GRADUATING SENIORS – SAVE THE DATE,  MAY 24
The Commonwealth College Celebration of Excellence, a cap-and-gown Honors Gold Cord presentation and Convocation for graduating Commonwealth College seniors, will take place starting at 9:00 a.m. in the Mullins Center. "Save The Date” postcards have been sent out to your permanent addresses…and more info will follow! Watch the Celebration of Excellence web site at www.comcol.umass.edu/celebrationofexcellence.

—ACHIEVEMENTS, AWARDS & ACCOLADES—

LAUREN PROCTOR NOMINATED FOR LOWE'S CLASS AWARD
Lauren Proctor, a current senior in the Commonwealth College, was nominated for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.  This recognition, which takes classroom, community, character, and competition into consideration, is one of the most prestigious awards given in NCAA athletics. Proctor is one of 30 softball players in the country nominated. For more information on Proctor and the award, see the Facebook group dedicated to her nomination.

— $CHOLARSHIPS AND $UPPORT —

HEALTH AND NUTRITION DIVERSITY SCHOLARS
The Department of Nutrition is seeking applicants for the HANDS program (Health and Nutrition Diversity Scholars). HANDS is a multicultural scholarship program funded by USDA to increase the diversity of students in the field of nutrition. HANDS Scholars will be awarded a $6000 scholarship annually for up to three years, while they participate in a 1-credit Scholars Seminar each semester, and have access to department and campus-based supports. The Nutrition Department is looking for qualified ALANA and other underrepresented students who will become nutrition majors and receive support and funding through the HANDS scholarship program beginning this spring semester. If you qualify and are looking for a new major or have not yet declared a major, please see the Nutrition Department website for further details or email Prof. Nancy Cohen, Interim Dean, at cohen@nutrition.umass.edu. There will be an open house to answer any questions on April 3, 4-6 PM in 210 Chenoweth Lab.

$25,000 SCHOLARSHIP FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDY
The Rotary Foundation, the world’s largest private provider of international scholarships, is seeking candidates for a $25,000 Academic Year Ambassadorial Scholarship for study abroad.  To be eligible for the scholarship offered in our area, applicants must:  (1) study, work or reside in Western Massachusetts,(2) have completed at least two years of university or college course work, and (3) be proficient in the language of the proposed host country (with limited exceptions in Africa).  The application deadline is June 1, 2008.
     For further details, see the online announcement and the Rotary website, at www.rotary.org.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT FELLOWSHIPS DEADLINE, APRIL 22
Attention Freshman & Sophomore Commonwealth College students! The deadline to apply for Research Assistant Fellowships for Fall 2008 is Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 4:00 p.m., 408 Goodell.
     These Fellowships are working fellowships that pay $8.00 per hour up to a maximum of $1,000 for students to work on a faculty member's research project. The program is designed to provide supplemental financial assistance, to give you an opportunity to gain experience in your academic field, and to help prepare you to undertake your own research. Application forms and guidelines are available here. Submit applications with essay and documentation from faculty member to ATTN: Research Fellowships, Commonwealth College, 408 Goodell. You must submit your application jointly with a faculty member.

HONORS RESEARCH GRANTS: DEADLINE, APRIL 22
Attention Junior Commonwealth College students! The deadline to apply for Honors Research Grants for Fall 2008 is Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 4:00 p.m., in 408 Goodell.
    Juniors who will be seniors pursuing honors research in the next academic year are eligible to apply. Students must submit a proposal outlining their project accompanied by a letter of endorsement from their faculty sponsor. Every recipient is asked to present his or her work at the statewide Undergraduate Research Conference in spring 2009. These fellowships of up to $1,000 are for direct costs only and do not provide a stipend or wage. Application forms and guidelines are available online here. Submit applications with proposal and letter of support to ATTN: Honors Grants, Commonwealth College, 408 Goodell.

— INTERNSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT —

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN NEW ORLEANS-COULD BE YOU!
Presented by The New Orleans Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals Initiative (NOLA-YURP) (www.nolayurp.com) The mission of the NOLA-YURP Initiative is to build a support and resource network to attract, connect, and retain young professionals from diverse backgrounds for a sustainable New Orleans. The executive director is Nathan Rothstein, UMass '06.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 22nd at 7pm
WHERE: UMass Campus Center, Room 162
WHAT: They will speak about the climate of the city from a young person's perspective and the types of job opportunities are available. They will also talk about different ways to help the city from college campuses. The event will feature photography Erin FitzPatrick, who will also talk about her work.
     This event is free and open to the Five Colleges community. Juniors & Seniors who are thinking about jobs after graduation should check this out. We would also like to see the different groups who went to New Orleans for Alternative Spring Break to meet each other and reflect on their experiences. [view NOLA-YURP poster]

COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING OFFICE JOB OPENINGS
The Office of Community Service Learning currently has two undergraduate positions available. See the OCSL website or download pdf announcement for more information.

— CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EVENTS —

TWO ISRAELI FILMS TO SHOW, APRIL 3 & APRIL 7
Thursday, April 3 at 7:30pm
School of Management Room 137
   Hot House, at once chilling and humanizing, provides an unprecedented look at how Israeli prisons have become the breeding ground for the next generation of Palestinian leaders.
Monday, April 7 at 7:30pm
School of Management Room 137
   Storm of Emotions brings us face to face with the people on the front line of Israel's evacuation of Jewish settlements in Gaza--the secular and religious police officers who carried out the evacuation, and the settlers who were forced to leave their homes.
   Free with UMass I.D., $8.00 general admission. Presented by the Office of Jewish Affairs in conjunction with the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival. More information at www.umass.edu/jewish.

VISITING WRITERS PRESENT ALICE NOTLEY, APR 3
The Visiting Writers Series at the University of Massachusetts Amherst invites you to a poetry reading by Alice Notley on Thursday, April 3, at 8 pm in Memorial Hall. Notley is the author of more than 20 books of poetry. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Poetry. In the spring of 2001, she received an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Poetry Society of America’s Shelly Memorial Award.

LANDSCAPES OF VIOLENCE: CONFLICT & TRAUMA THROUGH TIME, APR 3-4
Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology (Co-Chair Ventura R. Pérez, Ph.D.) and the Psychology of Peace and Violence Concentration, Department of Psychology (Co-Chair Linda Tropp, Ph.D.), this inter-disciplinary conference aims to examine violence through ideological connections between the material world and social discourse, thus providing a multidimensional approach to understanding the bases and aesthetics of violence. Attention will be given to uncovering the motives, dynamics and functions of violence for individuals, groups, populations and societies, as well as for bonds and social relations in the private, institutional and public spheres of life.
    For more information, see the online flyer or visit their website at http://scholarworks.umass.edu/violence/.

SPRING 2008 ENVIRONMENTAL LECTURE SERIES
The Environmental Institute is pleased to announce the Spring 2008 Environmental Lecture Series which will feature three distinguished scientists addressing Emerging Technologies and Environmental Applications and Impacts. Public Lectures will focus on the environment and nanotechnology; wireless sensor networks to monitor global environmental change; and the role of genome science in bioenergy, carbon cycling, and environmental remediation respectively. The series is free and open to the public. See flyer for complete information.