Around the Block

‘Focus’ on CC and Win a New Camera

The annual Flash Photography Club contest is underway, which means it’s time to turn the lens on Colorado College. The contest is open to faculty, staff, and students, and the club has $800 worth of prizes available, including a fully manual Canon Powershot S95 and a waterproof digital camera.

The theme this year is “focus on CC” (academics, activities, life). This can involve anything that represents the CC experience, and many of the submitted photographs will be displayed on the Colorado College website.

To submit, go to http://cr-multimedia.coloradocollege.edu/rs/, enter your CC username and password, then click the “contribute new resource” link. [Note: this site is only available on campus.] Then simply fill out the submission form and upload your photographs. Deadline for submissions is 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7.

Contest rules include:

All submissions must be about CC.
You may only submit your own work. Do not submit someone else’s photographs.
Each entry must consist of five photos, with at least one in each of these categories: student life, student activities, academics.
Flash Photography Club will do the initial screening to determine which entries will be displayed.
You retain all rights to any photographs submitted, but you grant Colorado College non-exclusive rights, in perpetuity, to use them for college purposes.

The message of “focus” can be reinforced with high-quality photography that literally “focuses” on the people and environment of CC.

Make sure that graphic elements capture the power-surge experience of life on the Block Plan; the intense energy that ebbs and flows and ultimately creates a balance between hard work and hard play.

Instead of panoramic shots of crowds of graduates, classes on the quad, or sports teams (which could be taken on any campus and do not differentiate CC or its experience), highlight individuals or elements of Colorado Springs and the CC campus. Get close up and personal in tone, content, and photography.

Possible topics: landscape views, library studying, architecture, studying abroad, face shots, club activities, whatever expresses the Colorado College experience.

“Tiger Pride – Eight Decades of CC Hockey” to Air on Television Nov. 26

CC hockey fans, if you haven’t already seen the recently released film featuring your favorite hockey team, you’ll get your chance over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Tiger Pride – Eight Decades of CC Hockey,” available on DVD since last month, makes its prime-time premiere on the NHL Network at 7 p.m. EST (5 p.m. MST) Friday, Nov. 26.

The movie, produced by Rival Films, LLC, traces the CC hockey program’s evolution from a rag-tag industrial league outfit in the mid-1930s to its two national championships in the 1950s to its present-day status as a perennial powerhouse in the ranks of NCAA Division I.

Narrated by Mike “Doc” Emrick, voice of the NHL on Versus and NBC, it features rare footage and photographs dating back more than half a century as well as interviews with players, administrators, and other key individuals connected with Tiger Hockey.

The film makes its television debut 2½ hours before the Tigers play host to the University of Alaska Anchorage in the opener of a two-game WCHA series at the World Arena that same night.

A DVD version of the film is available online for $14.95 at http://www.thewchashop.com/category_s/270.htm and http://www.rivalfilms.com/store.

It also can be purchased in person at the Colorado College Bookstore, as well as at the World Arena during all CC home games.

Brenda Soto Receives Committee Member of the Year Award

Brenda Soto, conference manager for Summer Programs, has received the Committee Member of the Year Award from the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS). The award recognizes a member who has demonstrated exceptional work on a committee that supports the NACAS mission. The award states that Soto maintained continuity of the goals of the group by keeping the members focused on

Brenda Soto on stage with her family at The Broadmoor during the presentation of her award.

assigned tasks and exceeded the requirements of a member, making certain that all deadlines were met and tasks accomplished.
NACAS was founded in 1969 to serve as a one-stop connection for information, insight and opportunity for college auxiliary service professionals, or ancillary, non-academic campus support services.

Soto was recognized at the annual conference, held Nov. 7-10 in Colorado Springs at The Broadmoor hotel, with her and her family on stage. She will be featured in the upcoming issue of the NACAS magazine, College Services.

NACAS members include 760 U.S. institutions, 63 Canadian institutions, and five overseas institutions.

Venture Grant Program Receives Equivalent of $2 Million Endowment

Allison Stewart ’12 describes her research project “Movement of Cuba: Study of Rueda de Casino Style Dance” to Jeff Keller ’91 at the Venture Grant Forum on Nov. 9.

Colorado College’s venture grant program, in which students are awarded up to $1,000 for research or other academic projects of their choosing, has received a grant from the Keller Family Foundation that will fund the program indefinitely.

The program, which will be named the Keller Family Venture Grant Program for Student Research, allows approximately 100 Colorado College students to imagine, articulate and pursue original research or an academic project of their choosing. The Keller family will provide 100 percent of the grant funding, which runs about $100,000 each year, making the gift the equivalent of a $2 million endowment.

Jeff Keller ’91 made the announcement on behalf of his family, parents Dennis and Connie, and brother David ’95, at the 2010 Venture Grant Forum, held Nov. 9 at Colorado College.

The venture grant program was established at Colorado College in 1970. While some schools have money available for advanced research, the funds are largely for conventional academic, lab or classroom research and are not broadly available to students. At Colorado College, the spirit of the venture grants program is different: It is expected that a student’s experience will be an adventure, a departure from the norm, whether the research takes place on campus or on some far corner of the earth.

The 92 venture grants awarded during the 2009-10 academic year include:

Magdalena C. Reinsvold ’10, research in India for a project titled “Politics of Polio: The Resurgence and Reemergence of Poliomyelitis in India and Nigeria”
Anais Gude ’10, research in Beijing, China, for a project titled “Aging in Beijing: An Analysis of What it Means to Grow Old in China’s Capital”
Will Rosenheimer ’10, research in Guatemala for a project titled “Where Does Your Coffee Dollar Go? Democracy, Transparency and Social Consciousness of Guatemalan Fair-Trade Coffee Cooperatives”
Drew Thayer ’11, a project titled “The Effects of Glacial Recession on Geohazards in the Cordillera Blaca”
Kerry Cavanaugh ’12, a project titled “Western Medicine Practitioners in Rural Uganda”

Susan Ashley, dean of the college and the faculty, says “There are three keys to a successful venture grant. The first is to imagine the project in the right way. The second is to articulate the project vision. And the third is to execute.”

All proposals for a venture grant must have academic merit; applicants must have a faculty sponsor and the maximum grant awarded is $1,000. For more information, go to: http://www.coloradocollege.edu/resources/dean/VentureGrants/

Tia Wood ’10, Geology Paraprof, Receives Award

Tia Wood ’10, a current paraprofessional in the geology department, competed with graduate and undergraduate students at the American Geophysical Union conference, held in December 2009 in San Francisco. Wood was awarded an “Outstanding Student Paper Awards” for her presentation “Anisotropy and mantle flow in the eastern Sierras Pampeanas from shear wave splitting” in the Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior category.

Does Your Office or Department Have What it Takes to Be “CC Fridays Best Dressed”?

by Erin Thacker, Coordinator of Sports Services

Are you an avid wearer of your black and gold CC gear each Friday? Do you find yourself having a hard time picking out exactly what you will wear each Friday because your wardrobe is now bursting with black, gold, Colorado College or tiger print wear? Do you walk around your office each Friday and find that everyone is donning their CC gear?

If this is the case, we want to see it! During blocks II, III, and IV we will be running a photo contest to see which department on campus is “CC Fridays Best Dressed.” Gather up your group and snap a picture of all those wearing their CC Fridays gear from now until Friday, Dec. 10.

The winning office/department will receive a complimentary pizza and pasta party on Friday, Dec. 17. Submit your photo by 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 10 for your chance to win! The winning office/department will be randomly selected the week of December 13 and will be notified prior to the 17^th. Offices/departments can submit one photo each Friday. Submit your photos to Erin Thacker at erin.thacker@coloradocollege.edu.

Want to see what the competition is like across campus? Take a look at the CC Tigers Athletics Facebook page and check out the “CC Fridays Best Dressed” photo album. Weekly submitted pictures will be posted. Let’s see which office/department on campus will be crowned “CC Fridays Best Dressed”!

Colorado College Receives $10 Million Matching Grant for Financial Aid

The Walton Family Foundation has awarded Colorado College a $10 million matching grant for high-need and first-generation students. The college’s goal is to match the grant with an additional $10 million from other donors, creating a $20 million infusion of new endowed scholarship funds over the next five years.

When this affordability initiative is fully funded, it will make significantly more scholarship funding available to students with high financial need and ensure that the college can continue to attract the best and the brightest, regardless of their ability to pay.

“This addition to our endowed financial aid will generate a dramatic and sustainable difference over time in what we can provide for prospective students,” said Richard F. Celeste, Colorado College president. “Scholarship support not only opens the door for many students who wish to attend CC, it gives them the freedom to focus more closely on their academics and pursue activities outside of class.”

Colorado College intends to use the grant to inspire other donors to join in helping to add to available scholarships. The grant comes in the final year of Celeste’s tenure; he announced in May that he will retire after June 30, 2011, completing nine years as president. Early in his presidency, he described a $300 million vision to build resources for student financial aid, faculty and campus projects.

The college awards $26 million in predominately need-based financial aid each year, with more than half of its students receiving some level of financial aid.

This is the third commitment of $10 million the college has received during Celeste’s tenure, bringing the total committed to the college since 2002 to about $180 million from alumni, parents, foundations and other college supporters.

Public Interest Fellowship Program Receives Boost with $250,000 Grant

Colorado College’s Public Interest Fellowship Program (PIFP) was awarded a $250,000 Special Opportunities grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The grant will go toward the challenge match, issued by the Randleigh Charitable Trust in January 2008, to establish a $1 million endowment for the program. The Randleigh Challenge deadline is Dec. 31, 2010, and this gift moves the college much closer to its goal of raising $500,000 for the endowment.

The Public Interest Fellowship Program places Colorado College students and recent graduates in paid positions with Front Range public interest nonprofits in summer or yearlong fellowships. CC’s strong culture of service and civic engagement contribute to immense student interest in the program.

Among the nonprofit host organizations are the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, the National Council of State Legislatures, and Care and Share Food Bank. Jeff Livesay, CC sociology professor and PIFP founder, said, “PIFP is thriving. Even in these financially challenging times, an unprecedented number of nonprofit organizations have applied this fall for an unprecedented number of fellows for 2011-12, and access to PIFP fellowships has grown increasingly competitive on campus through the years.”

Four CC Seniors Present Research at Microbiology Conference

Four Colorado College seniors, Mengyi Cao, Nguyen Nguyen, Branden Petrun, and Amber Dornbusch, presented their research at the American Society for Microbiology-Rocky Mountain Branch meeting in October at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo. Petrun won third place for the undergraduate poster presentations, and Dornbusch, current

From left to right: Nguyen Nguyen, Mengyi Cao, Amber Dornbusch (thumbs up), Phoebe Lostroh, and Branden Petrun

president of CC’s Native American Student Union, won first prize for best undergraduate poster presentation.

The students’ collaborative research was done with associate biology professors Phoebe Lostroh and David Brown, and was funded by an Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences grant, National Science Foundation grant, various Colorado College venture grants, Natural Sciences Division Executive Committee, the biology department, the Dabb Fund, and Southwest Studies. The trip to present the research was funded by the Dean’s Advisory Committee and Lostroh’s NSF grant.

Michael O’Riley Publishes “Cinema in an Age of Terror”

Michael F. O’Riley, Colorado College associate professor of French and Italian, has recently published “Cinema in an Age of Terror: North Africa, Victimization, and Colonial History.” The book looks at how cinematic representations of colonial-era victimization inform our understanding of the contemporary age of terror. By examining works representing colonial history and the dynamics of viewership emerging from them, O’Riley reveals how the centrality of victimization in certain cinematic representations of colonial history can help one understand how the desire to occupy the victim’s position is a dangerous and blinding drive that frequently plays into the vision of terrorism.

O’Riley also is the author of “Francophone Culture and the Postcolonial Fascination with Ethnic Crimes and Colonial Aura” and “Postcolonial Haunting and Victimization: Assia Djebar’s New Novels.”