Earlham faculty approve neuroscience major

By Micah Sommer

Earlham students interested in the inner workings of the brain will soon be able to major in neuroscience. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, the faculty approved the update, which is a revision of the current psychobiology major.

In addition to a different name, the major will include three new classes and a larger credit requirement.

Professor of Biology Bob Rosenberg was a driving force behind the change. A neuroscientist by training, Rosenberg arrived at Earlham in fall of 2009 and soon began discussing with other science faculty the possibility of updating the psychobiology major.

“The word ‘psychobiology’ describes where neuroscience is at the interface between psychology and biology,” Rosenberg explained. “[However,] it’s a word that is out of date, it’s used at very few places, and out in the world, ‘neuroscience’ is the word that is used to describe this field now.”

In December, Rosenberg, Professor of Biology Amy Mulnix and Professor of Psychology Kathy Milar proposed the change to Earlham’s Curricular Policy Committee (CPC). On Feb. 8, CPC recommended to the faculty
that the neuroscience major be approved.

Professor of English and CPC Member Nate Eastman said that CPC realized when reviewing the proposal that the faculty never formally approved the original psychobiology major.

“There were lots of other things going on at that time … and the major never went before the faculty,” Eastman said, explaining that at that time the college was also transitioning from quarters to semesters.

Eastman said that the process for approving the neuroscience major was very quick, compared
to a brand new major such as environmental studies, which “was in the works for years.”

Rosenberg echoed this statement, saying that the faculty approved the change with “very little discussion.”

The neuroscience major includes one new required class and two new electives. The required class, Topics in Neuroscience, will be a onecredit, discussion-based seminar for declared and prospective majors. Rosenberg, who will teach the course beginning next fall, explained that students in the class will be exposed to the latest advances in neuroscience by examining recent publications in the popular and scientific press.

“The field is incredibly diverse, and we wanted to just expose neuroscience majors to the breadth of the field in a way that introduces them to the stuff that’s going on right now in research,” Rosenberg said. “And the other motivation for that class is to build a community of neuroscientists.”

The two new elective courses are Research in Developmental Psychology: Cradle and Grave,
to be taught by Professor of Psychology Vincent Punzo beginning next fall, and Sensation and
Perception, to be taught by Milar beginning in spring 2011.

“[Sensation and Perception] is a classic neuroscience course that most colleges have, and Kathy has been wanting to teach it for years,” said Rosenberg. “Now is an opportunity for her to put that class together.”

The major’s credit requirement will be increased from 38-41 to 44-46. Additionally, some formerly optional classes will be required and vice versa.

Psychobiology major Max Shannon, junior, said that the change is “definitely a good thing.”

However, he noted that the updated requirements place less of an emphasis on behavioral study,
which might limit possibilities for some students.

The changes to the major requirements will not affect juniors and seniors who have already declared a major in psychobiology, Rosenberg said. Shannon, however, intends to make the switch to neuroscience.

Noting that the name neuroscience is much more widely used, Shannon said, “I’d rather have that on my diploma.”

Rosenberg hopes that the revision of the major will bring in more students interested in the field.

“I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to be a neuroscience major,” Rosenberg said. “Understanding the brain and how it works and why we do what we do at a sort of mechanistic level, I just think is so amazing and it’s such a growing field.”

Lt. Governor hosts College Media Day

By Adam Tobin

This past Tuesday marked the first-ever College Media Day hosted by Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman’s (Republican) office, where students were able to interact with Skillman and explore a part of Indiana’s government.

Although 20 reporters were supposed to attend the event, the severe winter weather had its way and only seven were in attendance. Student reporters represented Indiana University (IU) Bloomington, Butler University, and Franklin College.

Rachel Sorvig, Skillman’s communications specialist and a recent graduate of IU, said, “We had never done an event like this before and so we said to ourselves ‘hey, let’s make a date of this.’” Sorvig was responsible for coordinating the event, setting up an interview with Skillman and allowing the reporters to tour the Capitol building.

From the outset Skillman emphasized the amount of duties for which she is responsible, which cover nearly fifty different sectors of government.

“I have the most constitutional and statutory responsibilities out of any Lt. Governor in the United States,” Skillman said.

These duties cover a plethora of tasks, including overseeing the state Department of Agriculture, community and rural affairs, defense and energy development, tourism office, state housing authority, counterterrorism unit and responsibilities as the president of the Indiana Senate.
Skillman has served in the Indiana government for nearly 30 years. She stresses that what she loves the most about her job is “driving on the road, visiting with Hoosiers and understanding economic needs.”

Skillman is from Bedford, in the south-central part of the state, and wants to energize local communities to bolster their economies. This led to the first question regarding the recently presided-upon Township Bill, which allows local governments to keep or do away with trustees, or refer these emergency issues to county level government.

Later the group of reporters delved into a question-and-answer session regarding the economy and what Indiana has done with its stimulus money since it was allotted back in early 2009. Skillman implied that the state was already on track to have a balanced budget and was ahead of the curve by already implementing infrastructure projects.

“We already had invested in projects around our infrastructure; we were creative in that sense. We didn’t criticize the stimulus or the president, we merely said we’ll do what’s best for Indiana,” she said.

In addition to highway projects, Skillman mentioned that the legislature approved to increase a cigarette tax to help pay for better health care coverage. The Indiana legislature also used some Medicaid funds to enact the Healthy Indiana Plan.

The focal point of the interview came with the mention of education.
“K-12 education and higher education comprise 55 percent of the state budget,” said Skillman. She continued, “The stimulus definitely helped pay for our education, which was an area we needed to plug holes in.”

Skillman ensures that many programs are helping to improve statewide education initiatives on par with United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s plan.

“We have our Fast Forward program and Race to the Top grants that are federal funds we have used,” Skillman said. “We’re really measuring teacher quality and we even changed a law last summer to look at student achievement to measure teachers.”

When asked about the recent “tea party” movement in American politics, she said, “With the tea parties, you can’t get more grassroots than that! How can it be a bad thing? It’s democracy at its finest when like-minded individuals come together, although it might detract from Republican candidates if it breaks off into a third party movement.”

An IU reporter then asked whether she still considered the movement to be grassroots despite the corporate sponsors and celebrity endorsements, to which she said that “the people are moving on their own.”

Finally, she was asked by a Butler reporter if she would consider running for governor, to which she responded, “I never said I’m not going to run,” yet she immediately stated she is leaning towards running. If elected she would succeed current governor Mitch Daniels.

College Media Day allowed students the opportunity to stroll through the antiquated hallways, passing previous politicians’ plaques and the acclaimed library, and casually glance in at committee hearings. With this experience, the students were able to get a small sense of how Indiana’s government functions.

Theme houses vie for reinstatement next semester

By Simon Levine

Fine Arts House and Vegetarian House will be reinstated next semester, but Culinary Arts House will no longer be a theme house.

Sophomore Joel Hogel, a resident of Culinary Arts House said, “It is not going to be reinstated because we have not had any events.”

When asked why there were not any events, Hogel said, “I think all four of us [residents] are pretty busy people.” He also added that the house’s low number of inhabitants made it difficult to put on events regularly.

In contrast, Fine Arts House received a full vote of confidence to be reinstated as a theme house next semester.

Fine Arts house, which occupies Woodman House, supports the fine arts by hosting events and providing logistical support to the community, according to its founders.
Convenor August Chiarella, sophomore, explained that Fine Art House’s goal is to be a space where people can come to do art.

“We have bands practicing here,” Chiarella said. “The Funkaholics are practicing in our attic.”
Chiarella also hoped that the space would become a gathering point for artists within the community.

However, Chiarella also tempered this call to artists in the community, adding, “We want it to be a social place, but it is also a place where we live and cook meals.” Fine Arts House has hosted several potlucks, open mics, faculty dinners and a general art exhibition, as well as an “art battle” last semester.

For theme houses like Culinary Arts House or Fine Arts House, there is a long petition process that requires a faculty advisor and a statement of purpose, among other things. The theme must go through a provisional year before it is considered for reinstatement, the first step to long-term existence.

As Assistant Director of Residence Life Jerrod Hodge defined it, a provisional year is for homes to “find their direction and fit in.” Houses that do not put on events or do not find support within the community will not be reinstated and will cease to be a theme.
“When we make theme houses,” Hodge said, “We put it out to the community to decide if this is a theme that they want or not.”

The other house to be reinstated was Vegetarian House, which occupies Marmon House. After some confusion over the size of the house, there is still doubt over what space it will occupy next year.
Co-convenor of Vegetarian House Grace Huang, sophomore, said, “A house of this size can be difficult to organize.”

However, Huang is optimistic for the future of the house. “We’re looking to do a lot more events this semester,” she said.

Huang and co-convenor Shannon Egan, junior, took the helm after a first semester that saw several community potlucks, as well as events done in conduit with Earlham Animal Advocates. Huang, who edited the proposal for Vegetarian House, also co-convened first semester with junior Donnie Smith. Smith was the writer of the first proposal and was co-convenor last semester before going abroad to London this semester.

“The person who was really instrumental was Donnie Smith,” said senior Vegetarian House resident Benjamin Davidow about the founding of Vegetarian House. Davidow is the co-founder of Earlham Animal Advocates and helped Huang and Smith to write the proposal for the theme house.

Davidow decided not to convene because, he said, “the skill set involved in getting a house approved is much different than the skill set in day to day running of the house.”

In Davidow’s opinion Vegetarian House deserved to be reinstated because it ran a large number of dinners and potlucks.

Friendship and Theme House applications for the 2010-2011 academic year are due on Monday, Feb. 15 at noon.

Hidden rock ‘n’ roll stars come to light

By Mamus Ngeseyan

The Student Activities Board (SAB) organized its 16th Air Guitar in Goddard Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 6. This year the event had seven groups and four individuals participate for cash prizes ranging from $60 to $200.

Uncle Sam and The Good Time Sunshine Band came out on top this year. They featured a surprise appearance by Earlham’s very own president Doug Bennett performing Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).”

Most students took out their cell phones and other media recording devices once a flamboyantly-dressed Bennett was dramatically revealed from behind a white sheet. By the end of the performance, almost everyone was on their feet hoping that there would be an encore.

In second place were the Kings of Africa and Afghanistan, a group made up of four Africans and two Afghanis dressed in mismatched women’s clothes dancing to Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” The crowd went hysterical for these young men as they gyrated their way to winning a $150 gift certificate.

House of Quaker came in third place, performing Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” as members of their group emerged from the audience dressed in zombie-like fashion.

Among the four individuals who performed, sophomore McKayla Heller won first place, clearly wooing the judges with her performance of Dreamgirls’ “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
Heller also performed a duet with freshman Ginny McNulty to The Lonely Island and Justin Timberlake’s rendition of “Dick in a Box.” The two wore boxes attached to their pelvises, and at the end of the song Heller opened hers and pulled out a banana, which she proceeded to eat before walking off the stage.

Freshman Alishba Zarmeen took second place in the individual category. She performed to Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever” Taking third was Ginny McNulty singing “Out Tonight” from musical Rent.
This year’s judges were freshman Logan Schuerman, Associate Professor of Chemistry Corinne Deibel, Area Director Michael Grasso and Associate Professor of Religion and Director of African and African American Studies James Logan.

All the individuals who participated in the Intermission Improv should send an email to Melissa Barnes, mabarnes07@earlham.edu to receive their $10 gift certificate for Chipotle.

Earlham hosts Model United Nations

 

By Sasha Benderly-Kraft

 

Earlham College Model UN (ECMUN) held its annual conference for high school students last weekend.

The conference, now in its 16th year, was the largest it has ever been, with 210 students attending from nine high schools in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. A 10th school was registered to attend but canceled due to weather problems.

The conference was centered around committee debate sessions. There were six committees, each of which had three or four topics to discuss. The committees included the African Union Peace and Security Council, the Committee on the Status of Women, the Human Rights Council, the Security Council, the United Nations Environment Program and the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). 

William Overhauser, a 10th grader from the International School of Indiana (ISI) who represented Belarus on the CSD, said that the topics of that specific committee were sustainable tourism, climate change and the rights of indigenous peoples.

According to senior Nadira Khudayberdieva, ECMUN’s convenor and Secretary-General for the conference, the faculty advisors at the attending high schools were given the main say in their schools’ choices of countries and committees. “They e-mailed me preferences, and we tried to give everyone their first or second choices,” she said.

To the students attending, ECMUN represented a learning experience of several different dimensions. Overhauser mentioned that he learned quite a bit about Belarus, the country he was representing, which he described as “the last dictatorship in Europe.” 

Overhauser’s fellow ISI 10th grader, Noah Flaniken, said that “arguing a position from a country’s viewpoint and not your own beliefs gives you much more perspective.”

There was also a strong social component to the experience for the students. The conference gave students a chance to get to know one another, as well as experiencing Earlham campus for themselves. Greg Kelly, a junior from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, was very enthusiastic about Earlham’s campus and admired the architecture and size of the campus while appreciating the fact that Earlham is “tucked away in a quiet area.” Kelly also praised the organization of Earlham’s conference, comparing it favorably to the conference he attended last year at the University of Dayton. In particular, he described ECMUN as “welcoming and relaxed.”

According to junior Amrit Moore, who served as undersecretariat-general, that relaxation was a result of good logistics and thorough preparation. 

“Most of the work was done beforehand, actually,” said Moore, who served in the same position last year and recognized many students and advisors this year. “What really helped was our use of the ECMUN website – we posted answers to questions, as well as the working papers, online, so that the schools could access them during their preparation process.” According to Moore, that preparation was a major asset for the smooth functioning of the conference.

Yusra Saleh, a sophomore who chaired the Human Rights Commission, cited the high school students themselves as another reason for the conference’s success. “The high schoolers think highly of ECMUN, but we couldn’t do it without them,” said Saleh. “Everyone is actively engaged, and there’s no awkward silence. Plus, the working papers are short and basic – it’s up to the delegates to make something of them, and I’ve been very impressed.” 

Saleh also said she was enjoying being a chair, having attended several college-level conferences as a delegate. “Chairing is different; it really helps you understand the structure and framework of the committees,” she said.

Joe Maloney and Jen Wiegle, faculty advisers from St. Xavier, expressed a particular appreciation for this year’s conference, with the added perspective of seven years of experience chaperoning students. 

“Our kids are really enjoying the conference,” said Maloney, “the choices of topics and committees are exciting for them.”

Maloney mentioned that the students running the conference always put their mark on the dynamic, and said he was very impressed by this year’s organization. 

Wiegle also gave credit to Assistant Professor of Politics Jennifer Seely, who is serving as ECMUN’s adviser while Welling Hall is on sabbatical, saying that Seely has done a great job stepping in during Hall’s absence.

Seely, for her part, elevated the students’ contributions. “I asked them as many questions as they asked me,” said Seely. “Welling had been running this for so long that it had become a part of the institution, but she didn’t write things down.” She cited Khudayberdieva’s experience and energy as essential parts of the conference’s preparation. Seely says that while Hall will likely return to her supervisory role when she comes back from sabbatical, she intends to support ECMUN as much as possible in the future.

 

 

 

‘Yesterday’ illustrates conversation on AIDS in Tanzania

By Mamus Ngeseyan

Leleti Khumalo’s graceful and soul-wrenching performance in Yesterday (2004) made a strong impression on the students and faculty who attended its showing in the Womyn’s Center on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The event was open to both male and female students.

Members of the Pan African Society at Earlham, in conjunction with the Womyn’s Center, showed the film in hopes that it would shed realistic insight on the ongoing scourge of HIV and AIDS within Africa. The movie showing also allowed students to become acquainted with what Dr. Theresa Kaijage would elaborate on during convocation  Wednesday afternoon.

Written by Darrell Roodt, a South African film screenwriter and producer, Yesterday was the first feature-length film ever made in isiZulu, the native language of the Zulu people of South Africa. The film was nominated for an Oscar in 2005 and for an Emmy in 2006. It also received a Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Drama in 2006 and a Human Rights Film Award in 2004 from the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation.

The main character of the movie, symbolically named Yesterday, discovers she is HIV positive. After this discovery Yesterday manages to undergo an ascent in mental courage despite her ailing physical strength.

According to members of the 61st Venice Film Festival, “Yesterday” presents different issues regarding human rights, with a particular focus on human dignity and economic and social rights. These rights include access to water, education and health care, as well as freedom from gender discrimination.

For senior Hallie Cranos, co-convenor of the Womyn’s Center, the movie screening was a sign of positive things to come. 

“It was a beautiful story and movie,” Cranos said. “I’m really excited that we were able to use the Womyn’s Center and want it to be an inclusive space. We want all women on campus to feel it is their space.”

James Logan, Director of African and African American Studies and Associate Professor of Religion said the film was “the best of the human spirit in the midst of tragedy.” 

The film was obtained through Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) with the help of junior Alma Raymer. According to its website, AID seeks to empower young people to “address global challenges …[through] sustainable solutions at the campus, community and national levels… by facilitating educational dialogue through conferences, workshops, film screenings, video conferences and op-eds.” 

Anyone interested in seeing the movie before it is returned to AID should contact sophomore Sharon Martins at scmarti08@earlham.edu.

A benefit dinner for WAMATA, Kaijage’s HIV/AIDS support group organization, will take place tonight at 5 p.m. Kaijage will speak and the Brimleys will perform at the dinner.

Protesters oppose SOA weapons training

by Chrissy Sollenberger

 

Three carloads of Earlham students snapped in their seatbelts and headed to Fort Benning military base in Columbus, Ga. to attend the School of the Americas (SOA) protest.

The SOA is a military combat training base for Latin American soldiers. Soldiers trained at SOA have been involved with the muders, tortures and disappearences of hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans, according to the advocacy group SOA Watch.

Since 1990, advocates for closing the school have met in November, accompanied by legislative work done year-round by the SOA Watch. 

Organized as a class project for non-violent movements with history professor Carol Hunter, planning for the trip began two months before the actual departure. 

“We split into groups and ours chose the School of the Americas,” said freshman Chris Perbix, one of the main organizers of the trip. 

Three students in the class were in charge of planning the trip: Perbix, freshman Eva Marengo Sanchez and junior Rachel Dana. 

The other members of their group were in charge of the history, current events and a case study pertaining to the School of the Americas. 

The funding from the trip came from various sources through the fundraising efforts of the class group. Amnesty International, SEL, AASV and SOC allocations ,as well as individuals, contributed to the fund.

Planning information sessions and sending emails got other students on campus involved. 

“My roommates from last year had gone a few times and told me about what the school was about,” said sophomore Sophie Wood-Brinker.  “I wanted to see all the people who are passionate about stopping the school” 

The SOA Watch’s main objectives are to stand in solidarity with the victims of the school, to close the school and to change the U.S. foreign policy that the SOA represents, according to its website. 

Saturday’s events included speakers, musicians and information booths. 

“It felt at times more like an event than a protest,” said Perbix. “Killer Coke, The Beehive Collective and anti-death penalty groups were there to raise awareness — I don’t think there’s another protest like that.” 

The Beehive Collective, a group that visited Earlham this fall, shared Saturday evening about their efforts to bring change through art and storytelling. Another group familiar to Earlham was rap group Rebel Diaz, who presented at a collaborative concert Saturday evening.  

Sessions were held in a nearby conference center on a variety of topics related to Latin American violence and social justice issues. Earlham alumna Maia Rodriguez Sullivan shared her experience of growing up in Venezuela and the positive changes since Cesar Chavez took office. Her mother, Lisa Sullivan, is the SOA Watch’s Latin America coordinator. 

Sunday began the annual “Presente” vigil and march. SOA Watch organizers read the names of victims who had been killed by SOA graduates. 

“People had crosses with the names, dates and places of the victims and held them up to say, ‘presente,’ meaning present, here — that they hadn’t been forgotten,” said Perbix. 

Junior Carmen Black agreed that the vigil was the most powerful aspect of the weekend. 

“The best part of the experience was the idea behind the vigil — how everyone was still remembering,” said Black. 

Following the vigil, protesters hung crosses on the fence bordering the street from Fort Benning. Others took to the streets for chanting and dancing, sending a political message to the residents of Columbus and the police officers lining the street. When police pushed the protesters back, the crowd responded with, “Whose streets? Our streets!” 

Perbix filmed about two hours of footage to compile into a class presentation. The assignment challenged the students to try to raise awareness on campus. 

“I think it’s really great that they’re having a movie screening about the SOA,” said Wood-Brinker, referring to another component of the class project.

Earlham students have attended the SOA protest for the majority of the 19 years it has taken place. 

“I think more publicity, and taking Earlham vans, would get more people to go,” said Wood-Brinker. 

Perbix hopes that the planning for next year’s trip starts sooner, and that the organizational resources will be available for next year. 

A bill to suspend operations at the SOA is currently in the House of Representatives. Representative Jim McGovern (of Massachusetts) reintroduced Bill HR 2567, which was co-sponsored by 88 representatives. 

SOAW.org offers resources to take political action toward the bill and other related issues.

Earlham students launch Food Not Bombs

by Terah Primack

Recently, two students have begun to organize a division of the food pantry group Food Not Bombs in the Richmond area. 

Senior Rosalie Jacobson and freshman Olivia Thornburg have spearheaded the project and are looking for more students who might be interested in helping them.

“Food not bombs is an anti-hunger organization,” said Jacobson. “It’s based on the premise that there is enough food for everybody to eat, but it’s being thrown away.”

“In other words, we should be spending our money on food rather than bombs,” said Thornberg.

 “Food not bombs is a pretty cheap organization to run but we’re gonna need some start up capital,” said Jacobson. “We’re gonna need like, big pots and pans, big bowls, we’re just gonna need the initial stuff.”

If students could provide these things they are encouraged to come and talk to Jacobson or Thornberg.

“A lot of people skip meals,” said Thornberg, “and a lot of food goes to waste, and it can’t be donated because you can’t donate it to traditional soup kitchens. So this would be a way to alternatively, without the same sort of regulation, make a place where people can go if they’re hungry.”

“We both worked at a Food Not Bombs in New York at different times,” said Jacobson, “and it’s just a very grassroots organization anyone’s welcome to come help out and serve. Who eats is not limited to economic status, it’s just like, if you’re hungry please eat food.”

The two decided that Food Not Bombs is just the thing Richmond needs now that the food co-op has moved elsewhere. Jacobson and Thornburg are still searching for a place to set up the food pantry somewhere close to the college. 

“We’re trying to find a place to cook off campus, like close to campus but still not on our turf. So it’s more of neutral ground for folks from Richmond to come help out,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson and Thornburg would like to keep the organization separate from and un-financed by the college. 

“One thing I know that we both care about is making it not just an Earlham group. Because Food Not Bombs is a community rooted, grassroots organization, we want to make as many Richmond people feel comfortable, as well as Earlham people,” said Jacobson. 

Food Not Bombs is a vegetarian and vegan food service that protests the development of weapons over the making of food. Founded in Massachusetts in 1980 by an anti-nuclear activists, Food Not Bombs has provided aid for the refugees of hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami. 

The idea to start a Food Not Bombs group in Richmond had been floating around for a while. However, not much has actually been done yet, as the project is still being planned out. 

“We’re honestly in the very, very beginning stages,” said Jacobson

Food not Bombs will be celebrating their 30th anniversary this coming year on May 23. In celebration, the organization is setting up rallies around the nation, among other events.

Ideas for other events can be e-mailed to the group’s Web site at menu@foodnotbombs.net, which they in turn will post to the planning page for the occasion www.foodnotbombs.net/anniversary_plans.html.

Students interested in putting forward ideas for the Richmond Food Not Bombs group should attend the weekly meetings on Wednesday at 9 p.m. in the student-run coffee shop space (previously the Clear Creek Co-op).

Only two meetings have occurred so far. Students with ideas are encouraged to stop by. Other ways of tracking the developments of this group include checking out their Facebook group and visiting the official Food Not Bombs website http://www.foodnotbombs.net/. 

Words and music come together at convocation

by Cem Erez

 

Earlham students got a glimpse of where art could take them at this past Wedneday’s convocation, “Diverging Roads and Crossing Paths: The Collaborative Process in Poetry and Music.” 

Earlham class of 1997 graduate Lisa Pegram teamed up with composer David Arbury to create a medly of poetry and music that will have its world premier tonight at 7.30 in Goddard Auditorium. 

The piece was commissioned for Earlham by choral director William Culverhouse.

Arbury and Pegram originally went to the same high school. They went their separate ways after graduation only to find each other again and write a piece together.

Pegram, who graduated from Earlham in 1997 and is now a poet, songwriter and arts educator, decided to write a poem for the piece. 

“The poem ‘Trade Winds’ is about community, exchange of ideas, culture, individuals and the harmonic ways in which they interact with one another,” she said when asked about the poem’s meaning. 

“It’s about elements, not only in nature, but within ourselves and society that work coherently together.”

In the past, Arbury’s compositions for concert hall, church, dance and theater have been performed throughout the U.S., as well as in Denmark, France and Italy. 

When he was asked about the piece having its world premiere at Earlham, he said, “I’m thrilled about the piece being played here for the very first time. It’s really exciting because a Quaker college is a part of my past as well. There’s a good sense of comfortableness and I’m hoping to see everyone at the concert on Friday.”

Arbury compared composing a piece to moving into a new home during the convocation.

“Every piece I work on is like moving into a new apartment. Lots of new things and decorating. Working collaboratively was like having a roommate in that new apartment,” he said. 

The choir performed small sections of the piece and gave the audience the taste of the things to expect. The audience responded to these snippets enthusiastically.

Earlham Music professor Dan Graves attended the convocation and was very pleased by the outcome. 

“It’s awesome that they’re doing the premiere here. Kudos to Bill for having the enthusiasm, the contacts and the perseverance to make it happen,” he said.

The students involved in it also seemed to be having a good time. Junior percussion player Sami Hamed said, “Having a percussion section for a choir makes this piece great and challenging. We accomplished our goals and we’re ready for Friday.” 

Liz Burman, junior choir performer, also had positive things to say. 

“I really like how they brought a wonderful piece together in such a short time. It’s amazing. I’m really looking forward to the concert.”

“Scalene” chooses Earlham as partial set for film

by Breena Siegel

 

Earlham will be receiving a cinematic stomp this coming spring season as native Zack Parker will be shooting part of his third feature film “Scalene” here. Certain scenes will require the backdrop of Earlham as one of the lead roles is a female, college-aged sociology major. “Scalene” is the third feature film Parker has written and will soon direct. 

Production coordinator Kate Chaplin said that three of the leads have been cast. Although the names could not be disclosed it is understood that they are “recognizable name actors that have been in films that have shown in Sundance and with academy award winners,” as Chaplin said. 

Parker and Chaplin set out this past Saturday to find actors for the remaining cast members. Auditions were held at the Richmond Civic Theater and drew a gamut of local actors as well as those traveling from the capital. 

The assortment ranged from Paula Werle, who has been active at the RCT for 16 years and has yet to be in a film, to more film-oriented actors like Dustin Helton, who is currently working on commercials.

Allie Miller, an actress based in Indianapolis, said of the film, “The story is close to my heart with experiences I’ve been through.”

Other actors present shared their reasons for coming to the auditions.

Rick Philips said he was there for “the possibility of being the next George Clooney.” Part-time actor Andrew Robert Dudas said, “You never know what could come of something like this. Look at ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ or ‘Paranormal Activity.’ You just get the right person in a particular place in Hollywood who likes what Zach Parker has done.”

Parker’s most recent feature “Quench” (2007), a gothic horror film, focused on the sanguinarian vampire culture.

In speaking of “Quench,” Parker said, “we came out at a very good time when the vampire culture started to get popular.” The film was released soon after Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” reached bookstores and before the highly acclaimed vampire drama “Let The Right One In” (2008) appeared on screen. 

Parker, who grew up merely three blocks away from Earlham and spent many of his childhood days on the campus, biking around the heart, has high aspirations for “Scalene.” Parker discussed his choice to stray from the norms of storytelling.

“Almost every film is linear, although you have stuff that is non-linear like ‘Pulp Fiction’ or ‘Reservoir Dogs,’” he said. “Then there is the reverse like ‘Memento’ or this great French film ‘Irreversible,’ but I have never seen a film that took all three of those and put them into one movie.” 

In “Scalene,” there are three perspectives of the story told: the first is told in reverse, the second is told linearly and the third is non-linear. The format of the movie is the inspiration behind the title, “Scalene,” which refers to a type of geometric triangle with unequal sides. The three lead characters are a woman in her mid-fifties, her son with an agnostic brain injury (who is subsequently mute) and the college-aged student who has been hired by the older woman as a part time caregiver. The college student alleges that the young man has sexually assaulted her, at which the young man is incarcerated.

Miller said she likes “the idea of trying to tell the story through different perspectives and tell it through the perspective of a person who doesn’t know right from wrong because he doesn’t think he’s raping her, he thinks he loves her.”

Parker said of the style of films he makes, “I like a movie that is going to challenge the audience, really ask questions and make an audience think. I feel insulted by a movie if it is force-feeding me information. I want to get involved in the world and I’m not going to the movies just for escapism.”

In choosing to make independent films Parker understands the slowness yet necessity that results from not appealing to a mass-audience. Parker spends years independently funding his films, but early on in his career he trailed to Los Angeles to create a name for himself.

As Zack Parker has decided to reconnect with his roots he is much more focused on creating a connection between the Richmond arts community and his film work. He can be reached at zparker@alongthetracks.com for questions or commentary regarding his film experience or the film business at large.

 

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