Steve Lawson, humanities librarian at Tutt Library, was featured in Library Journal, one of the major trade magazines for librarians.
Each year the magazine runs a feature called “Movers and Shakers,” in which it profiles about 50 peer-nominated librarians who have been doing interesting things. This year, Lawson was profiled along with his friend Josh Neff, a librarian at Johnson County Library in Kansas. The two started the Library Society of the World (LSW), which Lawson calls “a sometimes-jokey, sometimes-serious association of librarians.” LSW serves as a way for librarians to join a supportive personal and professional network online. The group has a running chat session on the FriendFeed social networking site and has raised money for the Louisville Free Public Library, which was flooded last year. Lawson and Neff also initiated the Shovers & Makers awards, a parody of the Library Journal‘s Movers & Shakers. The Library Journal profile of Lawson (and Neff) can be viewed at:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/MS2010Inductee/2140493459.html
Dave Mason, Poem Featured on PBS NewsHour
English Professor Dave Mason was featured on the PBS NewsHour on Thursday, April 1, and a few days earlier one of his poems was featured as the weekly poem. Mason ’78 is the author of “Ludlow,” a novel in verse that tells the story of the 1914 Ludlow Massacre in southern Colorado. It was named best poetry book of 2007 by the Contemporary Poetry Review and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Other books include “The Buried Houses,” winner of the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize, “The Country I Remember,” winner of the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award, and “Arrivals.” The featured weekly poem is at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2010/03/weekly-poem-from-ludlow.html.
The extended interview, which includes two additional poems and three interview excerpts, is featured on PBS at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/entertainment/poetry/
KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin Wins Award for ‘Mise en Place’ Series
Andrea Chalfin, news director for KRCC, Colorado College’s NPR-member radio station, won second place from the Colorado Broadcaster’s Association for “Mise en Place” in the “Best Mini-Documentary or Series” category.
“Mise en Place” is a monthly series based on “Colorado Proud,” which comes from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and highlights a Colorado agricultural product. Chalfin or one of KRCC News freelancers typically visits a farmer and a chef for each one, though there have been variations, including speaking with a CSU-Pueblo professor about the historical significance of squash in the region. The show also provides recipes online, one from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and one from the chef who is interviewed.
“Mise en Place” airs at 5:45 p.m. (actually, 5:44:30) the first Friday of each month, and again at 10 a.m. on Sunday, prior to the beginning of “The Splendid Table.” Be sure to tune in to KRCC 91.5 FM on Friday, April 2, for a story on herbs. To view the series, which often has extra content such as slideshows and audio, go to:
http://krccnews.org/rccnews/category/mise-en-place
CC Students on Alternative Spring Break Featured on Texas Television
A group of 10 Colorado College students participated in one of the alternative spring break trips sponsored by BreakOut, a student-led, student-organized association that coordinates service trips during Block and Spring breaks. The students drove four hours south to volunteer their time at a Texas animal shelter. While there, they were featured on the local television news:
http://www.newschannel10.com/global/story.asp?s=12177421
Alumni Gift Launches New Center for Intercultural Leadership
By Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, interim director of the office of minority and international students
The office of minority and international students is pleased to share some wonderful news! Construction will begin this summer on the Ellis U. Butler Jr. Center for Intercultural Leadership (the current working title), which will be located in the ground level of the Lennox/Glass House.
Butler was an African American student who graduated from Colorado College in 1940. This past year, he passed away, leaving $150,000 to Colorado College. In 1982, when Butler’s wife, Ora Brandon Butler, died, he began giving an annual gift to the college in her name. With that gift, he wrote a moving letter highlighting “certain unpleasant experiences I went through as a negro student” while at CC; but he went on to say that he not only survived, but thrived. It was through his reflective comparisons of his “unpleasant experiences” at Colorado College with the “soul-killing racial discrimination” his wife experienced in her native state of Louisiana, that he seemed able to reconcile his own experiences, cast them in a new light and see his circumstances as challenging, but not nearly as challenging as what his wife had endured. In a very real sense, Ellis Butler and his relationship with CC moved to a place of gratitude and forgiveness. His generous gifts throughout the years were certainly indicative of the high esteem in which he still held his alma mater.
Construction is scheduled to begin July 1 and will hopefully be completed in September. The current Student Cultural Center, which has served the needs of students over the years, will be re-designated back to the college in the interests of overall space considerations; its specific use is yet to be determined. While the current structure has served an important role over the past several years, it is currently not the most optimal space in which to host cultural programming for large groups, support student technology needs, or serve as an academic/classroom space. The newly constructed facility will accomplish this, and much more, as it offers:
- A larger, more expansive area to hold greater numbers of people for large meetings and events but also can be divided when necessary for smaller meeting spaces.
- Ideal study spaces—small, intimate corners for individuals or groups of students.
- Creation of a “smart” classroom that automatically increases the usage of the building.
- A kitchen that is twice the size of the current Student Cultural Center kitchen, providing increased counter space and a dining room table for meetings.
- A “bar” area that will be converted into student computing portals.
- Several unused corners and spaces for additional storage, allowing greater management of and access to student organization supplies and materials.
- ADA accessibility through the construction of an architecturally non-invasive lift, thus ensuring complete accessibility for all students and campus members.
- Access to the center through a separate entrance on the north side, eliminating safety issues for residents and designating the center as a public campus space.
Naming this space after Ellis Butler, in a very appropriate way, honors the presence and experience of all minority students—past, present, and future—at Colorado College. We are excited to bring you this wonderful news and hope that you will visit the new center once it is completed. During Homecoming Weekend, we hope to host a large celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony for current students and alumni, so please watch for details.
Eric Perramond Publishes New Book on Mexican Cattle Ranching
Eric Perramond, associate professor of Southwest studies and environmental science, has published a new book, “Political Ecologies 
of Cattle Ranching in Northern Mexico: Private Revolutions.”
The book, published by the University of Arizona Press, examines the Río Sonora region of northern Mexico, where ranchers own anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of acres. Perramond evaluates management techniques, labor expenditures, gender roles, and decision-making on private ranches of varying size. By examining the economic and ecological dimensions of daily decisions made on and off the ranch, he shows that, contrary to prevailing notions, ranchers rarely collude as a class unless land titles are at issue, and that their decision-making is as varied as the landscapes they oversee.
Recipients of Named Professorships Announced
Colorado College has announced the recipients of the Reed, McKee, and Hochman named professorships. Each faculty member was chosen based on exemplary teaching and scholarship. They are:
- Marc Snyder, professor of biology, is the Thomas M. McKee Professor in the Natural Sciences.
- Paul Myrow, professor of geology, was appointed the Verner Z. Reed Professor in Natural Sciences.
- Anne Hyde, professor of history, was awarded the William R. Hochman Endowed Chair in History.
Chili Cook-Off Stirs Up Competition, Camaraderie
By Jane Newberry, executive athletics assistant
March 17 heralded the celebration of not only St. Patrick’s Day, but also the Second Annual Colorado College Athletics Department Chili Cook-Off.
An enthusiastic crowd enjoyed a wide variety of chili styles, including the green chili entered by Cecelia Gonzales of facilities services, which took first prize. Closely following was a smoky pork green chili created by Glen Luther, assistant manager of the Honnen ice rink, and a sophisticated wine-infused green chili by Darrold Hughes, athletic field specialist.
In the red chili category, Athletic Director Ken Ralph took first place. Ann DeStefano, psychology staff assistant, was close behind with an “old-school” red chili (as described by her grandson), but believes she’ll be trying out approximately 365 new versions over the course of next year to try to come in on top. A rookie at chili cook-offs, Budget Director Lyrae Williams had a spicy red entry that was very good. Head soccer coach Horst Richardson and his wife, Helen, entered their famous bison chili, while Assistant Athletics Director Rick Swan brought in Beth’s Best Chili. Jane Newberry, athletics executive assistant, brought in a red competitor “just like Mom’s.”
The competition was followed with prizes and a women’s lacrosse contest with Colorado College vs. Skidmore on Washburn field (CC defeated Skidmore College, 14-13).
“We really enjoy hosting the competition,” said Nancy Luther, athletics office assistant. “It gives us a chance to see people from all over the campus that don’t always come to see us here.”
The athletics department sincerely hopes more people enter next year—and remember, you don’t have to enter to come over, taste chili, and have a great time.
Colorado College Accepts Gift of $13,443 from Woman’s Club
The Woman’s Club of Colorado Springs presented a check for $13,443 to Colorado College on Wednesday, March 24, in a ceremony in Slocum Hall. The money will be added to a scholarship fund the Woman’s Club established at CC in 2002.
Jim Swanson, director of financial aid, accepted the gift on behalf of Colorado College.
The Woman’s Club of Colorado Springs Scholarship Fund provides scholarships each year for two female CC students who are from Colorado Springs and who have participated in community service during high school or college.
The Woman’s Club of Colorado Springs was formed in 1902 to support the philanthropic needs of the community.
CC’s Interdisciplinary ‘Art Bus’ Project Wins Davis Project for Peace Award
Three Colorado College students have been awarded the Davis Project for Peace for their project featuring traveling art workshops serving homeless and impoverished communities. Shire Brown ’10, an English major; Jody Joyner ’10, a studio art major; and Eddie Hazera ’11, a biology major, have received $10,000 for their collaborative project, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Da Bus: Traveling Art Workshops for Peace.”
The three will travel to San Francisco and Portland, Ore., for eight weeks this summer, where they will partner with existing agencies currently serving the homeless and impoverished, but which lack artistic and creative outlets. The students will live in and work out of the “Art Bus,” a retrofitted school bus, conducting workshops and presentation which incorporate interdisciplinary approaches to music, poetry, and visual art. They will conclude their stay in both cities with a final presentation, allowing the participants to display or perform their work.
Kathryn Davis, a 103-year-old philanthropist, launched the Davis Projects for Peace initiative in 2007, on her 100th birthday. The program is designed to encourage and support college students seeking to promote peace throughout the world. Each of the 100 selected projects receives $10,000 in funding.
“The competition on more than 90 campuses was keen and we congratulate the students who proposed the winning projects,” said Philip O. Geier, executive director of the Davis UWC Scholars Program.
