Lawrence University

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Lawrence University “Shack-a-thon” Aids Habitat for Humanity

Lawrence University’s Main Hall Green will be transformed into a temporary shantytown the weekend of May 17-18 when the Lawrence Volunteer and Community Service Center sponsors its second annual “Shack-a-thon” for Habitat for Humanity.

Teams of students will construct shacks from donated materials on 10-foot-by-10-foot plots near Main Hall beginning Saturday at 2 p.m. and remaining up until mid-morning Sunday. Teams will be soliciting pledges for having at least one member remain in the shack overnight to simulate the feeling of homelessness. Change jars also will be placed in front of each shack. Cash donations to the jars will be counted as “votes” for a best shack contest. A host tent on site will provide information on issues related to homelessness and the need for affordable housing.

Shack-a-thon organizers are hoping to construct 20 shacks and raise $10,000 at this year’s event. Last year’s Shack-a-thon featured 12 shacks and raised $5,000. All proceeds will to be applied toward the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home in the Fox Cities. For more information, contact the Lawrence VCSC at 920-832-6644.

Celebrate! Lawrence University Festival Marks 30th Year of Family Fun and Entertainment

Celebrate!, Lawrence University’s popular annual spring festival of the arts celebrates its 30th birthday Saturday, May 10. The family-oriented celebration of community life in the Fox Cities runs 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Lawrence’s downtown Appleton campus and is free and open to the public.

Celebrate! 2003 will feature its usual array of live music, a lively family area with a diverse mix of kid-friendly performers and attractions, more than 160 arts and crafts booths of hand-crafted and fine arts items for sale along with food and beverage concessions featuring international treats as well as Wisconsin favorites.

An eclectic mix of popular music groups from throughout the Midwest will be featured on the Wriston Stage, located in the amphitheatre between the Wriston Art Center and the Lawrence Memorial Union.

The Madison-based band German Art Students opens the Wriston stage at 11:15 a.m. The New Wave rock quartet plays mostly original material, crafting songs with lyrics that are witty without being smug, intelligent without being pretentious.

At 1:15 p.m., the five-piece acoustic group Paradise String Band performs American and Irish folk music, bluegrass and old-time traditional folk music.

Wisconsin’s Tasty Wanton, which is drawing national attention for its original music full of infectious grooves, soaring harmonies and stunning melodies, takes the stage at 2:45 p.m. The five-piece blues, funk and rock band recently signed with Head West Records.

Closing out the Wriston stage at 4:30 is the Oshkosh-based band Road Trip, one of the state’s hardest-working musical groups. The six-piece rock band regularly plays more than 150 shows each year and has opened for several national acts, including Sheryl Crow, Stir, ZZ Top, REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, Fleetwood Mac and Foreigner.

The Shattuck Stage, located on the Conservatory of Music porch, will feature a day-long blend of the best new and seasoned jazz performers from the Lawrence campus and beyond.

Back by popular demand, Lawrence’s percussion ensemble Sambistas kick things off at 11 a.m. with their infectious Brazilian rhythms.

The nine-piece tour de force Phat Phunktion takes the stage at 12 noon, combining the polish of Top 40 with the smoothness of ’60s soul and the raw energy of ’70s funk.

At 2 p.m., the Sullivan Trio brings jazz riffs to the stage, followed at 3:45 p.m. by Recycled Percussion, the four-piece band that turns recycled and salvaged items into choreographed percussion. Music veterans of concerts in more than 40 states, Recycled Percussion has performed with such notables as LL Cool J, Godsmack, Staind and They Might Be Giants, created halftime shows for the NBA and NFL and been featured on numerous television shows, including “Crook and Chase,” “Talk Soup,” and CBS’ “Late Show with David Letterman.”

Appleton’s own Big Band Reunion rounds out the Shattuck stage at 5 p.m. with its trademark repertoire of jazz tunes and big-band classics.

The Family Stage, located on the lawn north of Ormsby Hall, plays host to a range of artists and activities aimed at the younger festival goers. Dick Stader, a certified dive master and retired U.S. Navy master chief machinist mate, opens the stage at 10:30 a.m. with a scuba diving demonstration geared especially for children.

Ventriloquist Dave Parker with Skippy and all his friends will entertain at 12 noon, followed on stage by caricaturist Paul Merklein and his “Great Big Faces” at 1:30 p.m. Merklein also will be available for free caricatures throughout the rest of the day.

Rick Kelley brings rock and roll with a message for children of all ages to the stage at 2:45 p.m., and local favorite Chad Harkins presents his unique puppet show at 4:30 p.m.

In addition, the family area will feature a petting zoo, pony rides, carriage rides, inflatable attractions, a climbing wall, a mechanical bull as well as numerous children’s games, exhibits and activities. There will be roving artists throughout the day, including a special appearance by the “Renaissance Man,” a wandering bard who presents Shakespeare to passers-by and Dizzy D. Clown making free balloon creations for the kids and clowning around.

For more information regarding Celebrate!, contact the Lawrence University Campus Activities Office at 920-832-6600.

Lawrence Radio Drama Featured on WPR Program

Lawrence University’s recent Theatre-of-the-Air taping production of the World War II radio drama “Strange Morning” will be among the shows featured Sunday, May 4 on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Old Time Radio Drama.” The program airs from 8-11 p.m. Sunday evenings.

Directed by Tim Troy, associate professor of theatre and drama, “Strange Morning” was taped during a live performance in mid-March in Lawrence’s Cloak Theatre. It recounts the differing reactions of wounded soldiers at an army hospital in March, 1945 to the news from a nurse that V-E Day is near.

The 25-minute drama, one of seven shows featured on Sunday’s program, is scheduled to air at approximately 10 p.m. and can be heard on WPR affiliates WLFM 91.1 FM and WRST 90.3 FM.

Lawrence University’s Rogness Named Udall Scholar

Lawrence University senior Steve Rogness has been named one of 80 national recipients of a $5,000 scholarship by the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation.

An environmental studies and economics major from Roseville, Minn., Rogness was the only student from a Wisconsin college or university to be named a Udall Scholar for 2003. This is the third straight year a Lawrence student has been awarded a Udall scholarship.

Lawrence was one of 57 colleges and universities represented among this year’s 80 Udall scholarship recipients. Yale and Penn State universities led the way with four apiece, while Harvard University, the University of Chicago, the University of South Carolina, Pomona College and Swarthmore College each had three Udall recipients.

Each year, the Udall Foundation awards scholarships to American undergraduates in fields related to the environment and to Native American and Alaska natives in fields related to health care or tribal policy.

The Udall Foundation was established by Congress in 1992 to honor Morris Udall’s 30-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives and his commitment to preservation of the nation’s natural environment.

Kenyan Struggle for Human Rights, Democracy in Africa Focus of Lawrence University Amnesty International Address

Koigi wa Wamwere, a political prisoner in Kenya for more than a decade, shares his personal story of survival and the struggle for democracy in Africa in an Amnesty International lecture at Lawrence University.

A visiting scholar at the Institute for Human Rights at Columbia University, wa Wamwere presents “Human Rights, Exile and Liberation” Tuesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium on the Lawrence campus. The event is free and open to the public.

While a student at Cornell University in the 1970s, wa Wamwere discovered democracy, freedom of speech and black pride, concepts he took with him when he returned to his native Kenya. In 1979, he won a seat in the parliament, but as an activist and parliament member, wa Wamere was a target of the oppressive Kenyatta and Moi regimes. He eventually was detained on three separate occasions, spending more than 13 years in prison after speaking out against the Kenyatta regime. He escaped execution only through the intervention of the Norwegian government and human rights organizations around the world.

Wa Wamwere, who was re-elected to the Kenyan parliament last December, chronicled his life in his 2002 autobiography “I Refuse to Die.” A second book, “Negative Ethnicity,” which addresses African tribal conflict and genocide, is scheduled for release later this year.

Talks by DNR Chief, Secretary of State Highlight Lawrence University Earth Day Celebration

Appearances by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Hassett and Secretary of State Douglas La Follette highlight Lawrence University’s fifth annual Earth Day Festival Saturday, April 26. All Earth Day Festival activities are free and open to the public.

Hassett, who began his duties as DNR secretary in January of this year, delivers the address “Environmental Challenges Facing Wisconsin” at 2 p.m. in Youngchild Hall, Room 121. Following his talk, La Follette, who helped organize the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, presents “Black Smoke to Backlash — 30 Years of U.S. Environmental History.”

Lawrence’s Earth Day Festival begins at 9 a.m. with a trash pickup along the north banks of the Fox River adjacent to the Lawrence campus. Refuse collected during the pickup will be used to create a one-of-a-kind Fox River “trash sculpture” near Main Hall. All volunteers interested in participating can meet at the front of the Lawrence Memorial Union.

Between 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the Main Hall Green, the festival will feature information booths addressing various environmental issues, including organic food and Fair Trade coffee, a display of environmentally friendly hybrid automobiles and arts and crafts activities for children. Lawrence’s award-winning, six-member jazz combo will provide musical entertainment from 11 a.m.-12 noon.

Lawrence’s Earth Day Festival is sponsored by EARTH House, a student organization that promotes environmentally sustainable lifestyles, Greenfire, a student environmental awareness organization and the Co-op House. In the event of inclement weather, festival activities will be moved inside the Lawrence Memorial Union and the Buchanan Kiewit Recreation Center.

Ayn Rand Expert Discusses the Mind as Hero in Lawrence University Address

One of the world’s leading proponents of objectivism discusses philosopher Ayn Rand’s literary portrayal of the human thinker as the ultimate hero in an address at Lawrence University.

Andrew Bernstein, adjunct professor of philosophy at Pace University, presents “The Mind as Hero in Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged'” Tuesday, April 22 at 8 p.m. in Main Hall, Room 216.

A senior writer at the Ayn Rand Institute, a California-based think tank that promotes the philosophy of objectivism, Bernstein is a frequent talk radio and television guest and has written widely on philosophical issues, including the need for heroes in our lives and the application of philosophical principles on topics ranging from volunteerism to war. His first novel, “Heart of a Pagan,” was published in 2002. His next book, “The Capitalist Manifesto,” is scheduled for publication next year.

Ethiopian Farmer Discusses Worldwide Coffee Crisis in Lawrence University Address

Tadesse Meskela, a coffee farmer from Ethiopia, discusses the crisis facing coffee farmers around the world and the economic benefits of the Fair Trade system Monday, April 14 at 7 p.m. in Riverview Lounge of the Lawrence University Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public.

Raised in an impoverished coffee-growing region of Ethiopia, Meskela experienced first-hand the low prices many coffee farmers received for their harvest because they were often forced to sell their beans to middlemen. In 1994, Meskela began organizing different Ethiopian coffee cooperatives in an effort to collectively improve their earnings.

By 1999, he had formed the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union. Two years later, Meskela helped one-third of the union’s members become part of the international Fair Trade system, a global partnership that seeks equity in international trade. Fair Trade coffee guarantees farmers a minimum price of $1.26 per pound, which provides them with a living wage for their harvests.

In 2000, 165 million pounds of Fair Trade certified coffee were produced by more than 500,000 farmers in 22 countries, but only 30 million pounds were sold at Fair Trade prices. In recent years, prices paid to coffee farmers have dropped in half, falling to less than 50 cents per pound. Coffee is the world’s second most valuable traded commodity, trailing only petroleum. Eight out of 10 Americans drink coffee daily.

In February of this year, Lawrence became one of the first colleges in the Midwest to begin offering “triple-certified” coffee at the coffeehouse in the Memorial Union. Triple-certified indicates that the coffee has Fair Trade certification, it is certified organic and the beans are shade grown.

Meskela’s appearance is sponsored by Global Exchange, an international human rights group.

Noted UW Psychiatrist Discusses Mysteries of Savant Syndrome in Lawrence University Science Lecture

The rare, but spectacular, condition known as savant syndrome, in which persons with severe developmental disabilities, including autism, display remarkable islands of genius, will be the focus of a Lawrence University Science Hall Colloquium.

Dr. Darold Treffert, one of the world’s leading authorities on the condition, presents “Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome,” Tuesday, April 8 at 4:15 p.m. in Youngchild Hall, Room 121. The event is free and open to the public.

Treffert’s address will profile several remarkable musical, artistic and mathematical savants, describe the hallmarks of this condition that reveal prodigious skills and remarkable memory, discuss the latest scientific findings that provide clues to the essential question “how do they do it?” and provide insights, based on recent discoveries, about the hidden potential that resides within everyone.

A consultant on the award-winning movie, “Rain Man,” which made “autistic savant” household words, Treffert has been studying savant syndrome for more than 40 years. He met his first savant his first day as a psychiatrist at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh, where he was charged to develop a child-adolescent unit.

Treffert is the author of the 1989 book “Extraordinary People,” which has been translated and published in five countries and was reissued in 2000, and has discussed savant syndrome on an array of documentary and television programs, including “60 Minutes,” “Oprah,” “McNeil/Lehrer News Hour” and “The Today Show,” among others.

Treffert is a clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the UW-Madison Medical School and also serves on the medical staff of St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac.

Moral Status/Value of Embryos Discussed in Lawrence University Biomedical Ethics Lecture

The status given to human embryos — human subjects, human tissue or something in-between — will be the focus of the third installment of Lawrence University’s 2002-2003 Edward F. Mielke Lecture Series in Biomedical Ethics.

Bonnie Steinbock, professor of philosophy at the State University of New York, Albany, will deliver the address “Moral Status, Moral Value and Human Embryos” Friday, April 11 at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium on the Lawrence campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

A specialist in biomedical ethics issues related to reproduction and genetics, Steinbock will discuss various theories of the moral status of embryos used in stem cell research. She favors the view that says embryos have moral “value” but do not warrant moral “status,” which is reserved for sentient, aware beings. As a form of human life, embryos, Steinbock argues, are owed respect. But this respect differs significantly from the respect due to persons and such respect is consistent with embryonic stem cell research.

A member of the SUNY-Albany philosophy department since 1977, Steinbock has written widely on issues of moral status, embryonic stem cell research, sex selection and cloning and is the author of the book “Life Before Birth: The Moral and Legal Status of Embryos and Fetuses” (Oxford, 1992).

Steinbock, who also serves as a fellow of the Hastings Center, an independent, nonprofit, research institute that explores fundamental ethical questions in health care, biotechnology and the environment, earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.