Lawrence University News

APPLETON, WIS. -- As the fight for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination drags on, a Lawrence University senior could wind up playing a significant role in determining the party's eventual candidate.

When Leila Sahar found out she had been hand-picked by party Chairman Howard Dean to serve on the normally obscure Credentials Committee, she was surprised and excited.

"The appointment came completely out of the blue," said Sahar, 22, an English major from New Berlin, Wis., who worked as an intern for the Democratic National Committee the past two summers. "It sounded like a great opportunity to be a part of the process and have a chance to experience the convention from an insider's perspective. I had no idea it would wind up being such a big deal."

Sahar is the only college student among the 25 people Dean appointed to the Credentials Committee, a 186-member body that could decide whether the contested delegates from Florida and Michigan get seated at August's national convention in Denver. While Barack Obama is opposed to those two states' delegates being recognized, Hillary Clinton argues they should be seated based on the primary results.

"As the primaries have unfolded and neither candidate has been able to lock up the nomination, I began to realize this is a pretty important seat Gov. Dean has put me in," said Sahar, who joins such political veterans as the mayor of Baltimore, a Montana state senator and the former chairman of the Florida Democratic Party on the committee.

"I was a little bit intimidated when I realized who some of the other appointees were, but I like to think Gov. Dean put me on the committee for a reason, not just to sit there, but to contribute," said Sahar. "I want to play a role in whatever decision is made and will be honored to be a part of that decision."

"Howard Dean could not have picked a more thoughtful student. Leila will be up to the task," said Arnold Shober, assistant professor of government at Lawrence. "If both Clinton and Obama stay in the race until the convention, Leila's contributions to the credential committee's decision will have a lasting impact on the outcome of the presidential election and the party's future nominating contests."

Her appointment to the Credentials Committee could be traced to making a good first impression. Sahar, who is of Arab-American descent with relatives living in Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, first met Dean at an interns' luncheon when he sought her out for a discussion on Mideast politics after learning of her background from a colleague.

"I expected it to be a breezy conversation, but we really got into some meaty discussions. He really listened to what I had to say," recalled Sahar. "He mentioned I seemed so level-headed considering how personal the subject was for me. He even offered to write me a letter of recommendation for law school, which he did."

Sahar, who cast her first presidential vote in the 2004 Wisconsin primary, thinks the issue may be resolved before the convention, but is prepared to make her voice heard if it isn't.

"We have two very good candidates, but I don't want my decision to be based on my personal preference. My decision will be based on the process and what's best for the party."

Sahar's appointment of the Credentials Committee coincides with a year-long commitment on behalf of Lawrence President Jill Beck to get the student body more engaged in the political process and participatory democracy.

As part of the effort to raise political awareness, Lawrence launched MyElection Decision.org, an interactive, Web site designed to allow users to see which candidate's positions best match their own in an unbiased format. To date more than 9,500 participants have completed a series of questionnaires based on candidates' issue statements.

APPLETON -- Mixing humor and danger, the Lawrence University Theatre Arts Department presents five performances of "The Knight from Olmedo," a tragicomedy by the great Spanish playwright Lope de Vega. The production culminates the theatre department's year-long celebration of Spanish playwrights.

The play will be performed May 14-17 at 8 p.m. and May 18 at 3 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre of the Lawrence Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. Tickets, at $10 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Following the romantic quests of two men pursuing the same woman, the play explores themes of family honor, the power of attraction, the supernatural and respect for authority. The turbulent love affairs and lighthearted comedy are entwined with more dangerous, sinister and supernatural elements throughout the story.

"DeVega gives us a wide-open theatricality that is different from the English language tradition we get from Shakespeare," said director Timothy X. Troy, associate professor of theatre arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama. "There is a palpable sense of celebration and discovery as each character discovers the limits of his or her own desire."

Regarded as the greatest playwright of Spain's Golden Age, the prolific de Vega is known to have penned more than 700 plays during his lifetime. He influenced the tradition of Spanish playwriting by mixing humor and tragedy with a strong commitment to tradition.

APPLETON, WIS. -- Ever since returning from a 2006 study-abroad program in Vienna, Lawrence University senior Katie Gladych has been thinking about how she could return to Austria. The Austrian-American Educational Commission provided the answer.

Gladych became the third Lawrence student this spring to be named a 2008-09 Fulbright Scholar to teach English abroad. She was awarded a $15,400 fellowship for an assistant teaching position at a preparatory school in Vienna beginning Oct. 1 following a week of orientation. Gladych could be assigned students anywhere from fifth through 12th grade.

A German and government major from Evanston, Ill., Gladych made her first trip to Europe in the fall of 2006, spending four months on the Institute for the International Education of Students program in Vienna.

"That was such a wonderful experience, it really motivated me to look for opportunities to go back," said Gladych, who will also facilitate cultural exchanges while on her fellowship.

Earlier this spring, Gladych spent 10 days in Berlin, exploring the German city's rich history and architecture through daily walking tours as part of a class. Vienna's own rich history was a siren call when she applied for the Fulbright Fellowship.

"I didn't have the time to fully explore everything I wanted to when I was there the first time," said Gladych, who started out as a music major at Lawrence. "I really wanted to go back to learn more about the city and its people. Plus, Vienna has such a great music history, I'm excited about exploring some possible singing opportunities while I'm there."

Gladych, who serves as a German tutor in the Center for Teaching and Learning and has participated in Lawrence's Model U.N. and mock trial team programs, says she's excited about the opportunities the fellowship will offer.

"I'm looking forward to increasing my knowledge of Austrian society," said Gladych, the fourth German major in the past three years to be awarded a Fulbright Fellowship. "Being totally immersed in German will certainly help my fluency. And I hope to meet a lot of interesting people."

While her career ambitions are still fluid, Gladych says she might explore the possibility of pursuing a master's degree in German or political science at the University of Vienna while on her fellowship or investigate internship opportunities with the United Nations office in Vienna.

Created by Congress in 1946 to foster mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's premier scholarship program. Since its founding, it has supported opportunities for nearly 280,000 American students, scholars and other professionals in more than 155 countries. Fulbright alumni have become heads of state, judges, ambassadors, CEOs, university presidents, professors and teachers. Thirty-six Fulbright alumni have earned Nobel Prizes.

APPLETON, WIS. -- ABC News' "Nightline" co-anchor Terry Moran shares his perspective on the 2008 race for the White House Thursday, May 22 as the featured speaker at Lawrence University's annual Honors Convocation.

A 1982 graduate of Lawrence, Moran presents "The Republic of Noise: Civic Intelligence and the Campaign of 2008" at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton. Moran also will conduct a question-and-answer session at 2 p.m. in Riverview Lounge of the Lawrence Memorial Union. Both events are free and open to the public.

During a journalism career spanning more than 20 years, Moran has covered many of the nation's most famous, and infamous, stories. Before succeeding Ted Koppel in November, 2005 and moving into "Nightline's" anchor chair, which he shares with Martin Bashir and Cynthia McFadden, Moran spent six years as ABC News' Chief White House correspondent and 15 months as anchor of "World News Tonight Sunday."

A member of the ABC News team since 1997, Moran has covered the trial of the Unabomber, Theodore Kaczynski, the civil disturbances that erupted in Miami over the seizure of six-year-old Elian Gonzalez by federal agents, Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000 and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In the fall of 2003, he traveled to Baghdad to report on the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and the insurgency against it that followed.

Moran began his career writing for the New Republic magazine. He also worked as a reporter and later assistant managing editor of Legal Times. Prior to joining ABC News, he spent several years as a correspondent and anchor for Court TV, covering such high-profile cases as the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, the confirmation debates of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the trial of Los Angeles brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez for the shotgun murders of their parents.

In 1999, Moran was recognized with the Thurgood Marshall Journalism Award by the Death Penalty Information Center for his reporting on former death-row inmates who were freed when evidence subsequently exonerated them.

Moran earned a bachelor's degree in English from Lawrence and was honored in 2003 with the college's Lucia R. Briggs Distinguished Achievement Award.

APPLETON, WIS. -- Award-winning drummer Matt Wilson and his quartet Arts and Crafts bring their imaginative, quirky brand of jazz to the stage of the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton, Friday, May 23 at 8 p.m. The concert is the finale of the 2007-08 Lawrence Jazz Series.

Tickets, at $20-22 for adults, $17-19 for seniors and $15-17 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Wilson also will conduct a master class Saturday, May 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in Shattuck Hall, Room 46. The master class is free and open to the public.

Lauded by the New York Times as "one of the best drummers of his generation," Wilson began his career with some cookware, a five-gallon bucket and a pair of drumsticks. From those humble beginnings he has emerged as one of the most sought-after drummers in New York City and worldwide.

The winner of four consecutive "Rising Star Drummer" awards this decade in Downbeat magazine's International Critics Poll, Wilson also garnered prominent mentions in Downbeat's Jazz Artist and Composer categories. He earned nominations in 2004 and 2006 for the Jazz Journalists Association "Jazz Drummer of the Year" award.

"Not only is Matt Wilson an extraordinarily gifted drummer, he is an all-around percussion guru," said Dane Richeson, professor of music and director of percussion studies at Lawrence, who toured with Wilson in Portugal in the mid-1990s. "He plays the drums like he's conducting an orchestra."

Wilson can be heard as leader and sideman on more than 160 records with performers such as Dewey Redman, Lee Konitz, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau, among others. His recordings include the acclaimed 2004 album "Wake Up!" and 2007's "Scenic Route," his most recent recording with Arts and Crafts.

Formed in 2000, the Arts and Crafts group features the creative talents of Terell Stafford, trumpet; Larry Goldings, piano; and Dennis Irwin, bass. The quartet has performed at Carnegie Hall, Chicago's Symphony Center and the Newport and San Francisco jazz festivals. They conducted a European tour in 2006.

APPLETON, WIS. -- Fifteen Lawrence University art majors will showcase their creativity in the 2008 Senior Art Exhibition at the Lawrence Wriston Art Center, 613 E. College Ave., Appleton.

The exhibition, in the Leech, Hoffmaster and Kohler galleries, opens Friday, May 23 at 6 p.m. with a reception with the student artists and runs through August 1.

The multimedia exhibition will include animation, ceramics, painting, performance, photography, prints, and sculpture works varying in size from 3" x 5" to 15 feet.

The students whose work will be featured are Anne Aaker, Kristena Easter, Megan Fonstad, Jessica Holz, Davis Hudson, Jessica Justmann, Hillary Krueger, Emily Leininger, Kelly Mulcahy, Nick Olson, Natasha Quesnell-Theno, Erik Jon Rinard, Ashlee Thatcher, Sara Wexler and Kelly Shaw Willman.

The Wriston Art Center galleries are free and open to the public Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from noon - 4 p.m. The galleries are closed on Mondays. For more information on the exhibition, call 920-832-6890 or visit www.lawrence.edu/news/wriston.

APPLETON -- Lawrence University freshman Amy Lauters earned first-place honors at the annual Wisconsin Music Teachers Association Badger Collegiate Piano Competition May 17 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This was the second year in a row a Lawrence pianist has won the WMTA Badger competition.

A piano performance major from Manhattan, Kan., Lauters received $200 for her winning performance, which included Haydn's "Sonata No. 60," Chopin's "Nocturne," Ravel's "Jeux d'Eau," and "Vast Antique Cubes" by Joan Tower.

This was the second competition win this spring for Lauters. In March, she was named one of five winners of the state-wide Neale-Silva Young Artists Competition sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio. She is a student in the piano studio of associate professor of music Anthony Padilla.

Lauters also will compete in the upcoming PianoArts Competition June 19-24 in Milwaukee. She will be one of 10 national semifinalists vying for an $8,000 first-place prize.

Participants in the WMTA competition, which is open to students attending any college or university in Wisconsin, are required to play a solo recital of between 20 and 30 minutes in length. The program must include at least three selections from one of five historical periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic and Contemporary.