Press Releases

Category: Press Releases

Lawrence University French Professor Cited By Knox College as Distinguished Alumna

Lawrence University Associate Professor of French Judith Sarnecki was recently honored by Knox College as a distinguished graduate. Sarnecki was one of three recipients of Knox’s 2003 Alumni Achievement Award.

A member of the Lawrence faculty since 1985, Sarnecki graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Knox in 1966 with a bachelor of arts degree in French and psychology. She earned a master’s degree in teaching from Portland State University, a master’s degree in French from the University of Iowa and a doctorate in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sarnecki taught French at the junior and high school level for 17 years before joining the Lawrence French department, where her research interests focus on 20th-century French novels, plays and films.

In addition to teaching all levels of French language at Lawrence, Sarnecki is a member of the college’s gender studies department. She organized and founded Lawrence’s Francophone Seminar in Dakar, Senegal, and by working collaboratively with faculty and administration at Knox, made the program available to Knox students as well.

Her scholarly research has produced published articles on French novelist Marguerite Yourcenar and poet Aime Cesaire as well as on pedagogical topics.

Her most recent research interests include gender issues and the subject of tattoos with a focus on the history of women and tattoos, how tattoos function in literature and film and tattoos as a response to personal trauma. She has presented invited papers on her tattoo research at the International Narrative Conference at Dartmouth University and at two Midwest Modern Language Association meetings.

History of Russian National Anthems Traced in Lawrence Main Hall Forum

Rebecca Matveyev traces the long and often-complicated history of official and informal national anthems of Russia in a Lawrence University Main Hall Forum.

Matveyev, associate professor of Russian at Lawrence, presents “Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet National Anthems” Tuesday, March 11 at 4:30 p.m. in Main Hall, Room 201. The event is free and open to the public.

Beginning in the late 1600s up to the present, Matveyev will examine the evolution of the various anthems and the roles that historic events and national identity played in their development.

A specialist in 19th-century Russian literature, Matveyev joined the Lawrence faculty in 1996. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Russian at Rice University and her Ph.D. in Russian language and literature at the University of Wisconsin.

America’s Earliest High Plains Inhabitants Focus of Archaeological Institute Lecture at Lawrence University

Professional archaeologist Bruce Bradley discusses evidence of the earliest Americans and their lifestyles in an Archaeological Institute of America lecture at Lawrence University.

Bradley presents the slide-illustrated address “More Than Enough: Paleoindian Kill Sites on the High Plains” Tuesday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Lawrence¹s Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. An informal reception with the speaker follows the address.

A renowned master flintknapper and potter, Bradley will outline the inhabitation and cultural history of the New World, focusing on large animal — primarily mammoth and bison — kill and processing sites.

A native of Milwaukee, Bradley has served as a research associate at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., since 1999 and currently holds a similar position with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. He earned his Ph.D. in archaeology at the University of Cambridge.

Lawrence University Jazz Combo Earns Outstanding Performance Award

The Lawrence University Jazz Combo I, under the direction of Jose Encarnacion, minority pre-doctoral fellow in music, earned the Outstanding Performance Award Feb. 21-22 at the 2003 Elmhurst College Jazz Festival in Elmhurst, Ill. The two-day competition featured more than 50 college and university jazz ensembles from throughout the Midwest.

The six-member ensemble performed original compositions by renowned jazz artists James Williams and Gary Thomas that were arranged by Encarnacion as well as members of the group.

Combo members include senior Dan Crane, drums, senior Steve Rogness, trombone, senior Kyle Simpson, trumpet, junior Jacob Teichroew, saxophone, junior Bryan Teoh, guitar and freshman Tucker Yaro, bass.

“The students were overjoyed with the reaction that their performance received from the audience — an audience of their peers from other university jazz programs,” said Fred Sturm, professor of music. “It’s important for them to step beyond the confines of the Lawrence campus and recognize just how strong their work really is.

“For those of us on the jazz and improvisational music department faculty, the accomplishment of Combo I at this prestigious festival helps us spread the word about what’s happening here,” Sturm added. “We’re very proud of these superb young musicians.”

The Jazz Combo I is one of seven small jazz groups in the Lawrence jazz and improvisational music department that focus upon jazz improvisation, theory, aural training and small-group performance practice.

Evolution of Eurasian Steppe Communities Examined in Archaeological Institute Lecture at Lawrence University

Sweet Briar College anthropologist Claudia Chang highlights the latest research conducted on settlements in the Talgar region of southeastern Kazakhstan in an Archaeological Institute of America lecture at Lawrence University.

Chang presents the slide-illustrated address “Researching the Eurasian Steppe: Excavations and Surveys along the Silk Route of Southeastern Kazakhstan” Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Lawrence’s Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. An informal reception with the speaker follows the address.

Chang will outline the evolution of communities of the Talgar region on the northern side of the Tian Shan Mountains of modern Kazakhstan, tracing developments from the Bronze Age (1700-900 B.C.) through the Islamic and Mongolian periods of Medieval settlement (700-1500 A.D.). She will discuss the the agricultural and pastoral nomadic economic cycles on the steppe and the relationship between burial traditions and settlement sites.

A specialist in Iron Age archaeology of the Eurasian steppe, Chang joined the faculty at Sweet Briar in 1995 after spending a year as a Fulbright Scholar at the Kazakh State University in Kazakhstan. She earned her Ph.D. in anthropology at the State Univeristy of New York-Binghamton.

ABC News Analyst, Newsweek Editor Discusses “Why They Hate Us” in Lawrence University Convocation

Newsweek International editor and ABC News analyst Fareed Zakaria examines the religious, cultural and political reasons behind the growing resentment and distrust of America in much of the Arab world Tuesday, March 4 in a Lawrence University convocation.

Zakaria presents “Why Do They Hate Us? America in a New World” at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. He also will conduct a question-and-answer session immediately following his address. Both events are free and open to the public.

Widely considered one of the nation’s best foreign policy minds, Zakaria, 39, has been editor of Newsweek International since October, 2000, overseeing the magazine’s three English and 26 foreign language editions in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In 1992, at the age of 28, the Bombay, India-born Zakaria became the youngest managing editor in the history of Foreign Affairs — America’s most influential foreign policy journal — where he spent eight years before joining Newsweek.

A contributing editor at Newsweek for the past six years, Zakaria’s first column for the magazine, “Thank Goodness for a Villain,” argued why America needed Saddam Hussein in order to sustain American policy in the Middle East, but today he supports military action in Iraq.

In addition to Newsweek International and Foreign Affairs, Zakaria has written on international affairs for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The National Interest, International Security, The New Republic and the webzine IntellectualCapital.com.

Named “one of the 21 most important people of the 21st Century” in 1999 by Esquire magazine, Zakaria joined ABC News last fall as an analyst and appears regularly as a member of the round table panel on the Sunday morning program “This Week” hosted by George Stephanopoulos.

Zakaria, a resident of New York City, earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University and a Ph.D in international relations from Harvard University. He is the author of the 1998 book “From Wealth to Power: The Unusual Origins of America’s World Role” and his latest book, “The Future of Freedom,” is scheduled to be released in April.

Lawrence University Hosts Professional Stylists for Hair-Cutting Demonstrations

For the second straight year, Lawrence University will host three professional hair stylists from the Chicago area who will provide demonstrations of the latest black hair styles and cuts and offer advice to local cosmotologists on some of the “tricks of the trade.”

The three stylists will be cutting and styling hair at the Lawrence Diversity Center, 207 S. Meade St., from 6-9 p.m. Friday Feb. 28 and from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1. All cuts will be free of charge, but those wishing to participate are encouraged to make a reservation by calling 832-7051 prior to Feb. 28.

“We had a fantastic turnout last year,” said Rod Bradley, Lawrence’s assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs. “In two days, we were able to cut the hair of 40 people and we are looking to equal or exceed that number this year.”

Time restrictions will limit the number of haircuts to approximately 50 volunteers this year.

While getting a haircut would seem to be a simple thing most people take for granted, Bradley said for blacks it can be quite a challenge.

“Many of the students can’t just walk in off the street into a salon and be assured that the barber or stylists know how to cut black hair,” said Bradley. “Some of our black students and some at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh cut each other’s hair. Some have to travel Milwaukee or Madison to get the cuts they want or they just wait until they return to their hometowns to have it done.

“Black women, in particular, have all but given up hope trying to find salons that can offer chemical relaxants for their particular kind of hair or specialized stylings like cornrows, dread locks, jerry curls and even particular styles of perms.

“We felt there was a need for instruction on black cultural hair styling in the area, not only for our students but for other community members as well,” Bradley added.

Bradley said area salon owners and stylists are encouraged to attend the demonstrations to learn some of the cutting techniques that are readily available in many larger urban areas.

Lawrence University Faculty, Students Join International Reading of “Lysistrata” as Protest to Possible War in Iraq

Lawrence University faculty and students will participate in a reading Monday, March 3 of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek anti-war comedy “Lysistrata” as part of a worldwide initiative.

Sponsored by the New York-based Lysistrata Project, Lawrence’s reading is expected to be one of more than 620 readings conducted in all 50 states and 38 countries to voice opposition to the possible war in Iraq. Many of the readings will be used as fund-raisers for charities working for peace and humanitarian aid in the Middle East.

Lawrence’s reading of “Lysistrata,” organized by faculty members of the Gender Studies Program, will be conducted at 2 p.m. in the Science Hall atrium. Other readings are scheduled throughout Wisconsin, including UW-Madison and UW-Steven’s Point.

“Lysistrata” tells the story of women from opposing states who unite to end a war by refusing to sleep with their husbands until the men agree to lay down their swords. Powerless in their society and distraught over too many of their children being slaughtered in battle, the women take the only tactic available to them: they withhold sex.

The project grew out of a concept to provide people from around the world a dramatic means to publicly voices their opposition to military intervention in Iraq and the prospect of massive loss of human life — both Iraqi and American.

In New York on Monday, dozens of teams of actors and directors will read “Lysistrata” in public spaces throughout the day. The Lysistrata Project will then present an evening all-star performance of the play featuring Mercedes Ruehl reading the title role. Others scheduled to participate include F. Murray Abraham, Kevin Bacon, Peter Boyle, Kathleen Chalfont, Delphi Harrington, Kyra Sedgwick, Lori Singer and David Strathairn.

On the west coast, Julie Christie, Alfre Woodard, Christine Lahti, Mary McDonnell, Barbara Williams, Eric Stoltz, Ed Begley Jr. and Jose Zuniga will appear in a reading at The Los Angeles Filmmaker Cooperative’s Powerhouse Cultural Space.

In addition to readings in international cities such as London, Berlin, Paris, Beirut and Jerusalem, groups from nearly every state are hosting events as part of this worldwide theatrical act of dissent. Other activities associated with the grassroots project include:

— College students in Texas will hold Lysistrata-reading marathons on a conservative campus;

— Midwestern homemakers will conduct readings with their book clubs;

— Teachers will use the study guide from the Lysistrata Project’s web site in their classes;

— A man in Beirut will put on his own adaptation of the play that incorporates Arabic and English anti-war poetry;

— A woman in California will stage her reading with the patients and staff in the hospital where her partner is undergoing cancer treatment.

The Lysistrata Project was conceived in early January of this year by New York actors Kathryn Blume and Sharron Bower.

“Before we started Lysistrata Project, we could do nothing but sit and watch in horror as the Bush Administration drove us toward a unilateral attack on Iraq,” said Blume. “So we emailed all our friends and put up a web site. The response has been enormous. Our purpose is to make it very clear that President Bush does not speak for all Americans. Our message is simple: If you oppose this war, then speak up!”

Co-founder Bower adds, “Many people have emailed us to say how distraught they feel about the war. Now they feel empowered to do something and foster dialogue in their own communities.

Lawrence Academy of Music Holds Open House March 2

The Lawrence Academy of Music will hold an open house Sunday, March 2 from 2-4 p.m., offering information on its extensive student music programs as well as live lesson demonstrations, group mini-performances and model early childhood classes. Door prizes, refreshments and a musical instrument “petting zoo” will also be provided.

The Academy of Music, which offers high-quality music instruction to more than 1,800 area students of all ages and levels of advancement, is located at 100 Water Street, Appleton, across from the Fox River Mills apartments. For more information, call 920/832-6635.