Category: Events

“Autism in Love” a First of Four

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"Autism in Love"
A scene from “Autism in Love”

Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL) will partner with Media Arts Academy of Kalamazoo to host free community sneak previews and discussions of films to be aired on the award-winning weekly PBS series Independent Lens, beginning with “Autism in Love” on Wednesday, November 11, at 5:30 p.m. at the Center (205 Monroe Street).

Formerly known as Community Cinema, the national screening series was recently re-launched as Indie Lens Pop-Up, a title that better underscores the relationship between the project and its sponsor, Independent Lens. “Indie Lens Pop-Up creates a warm, welcoming and enjoyable space for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together and develop a deeper understanding of issues that face our community,” said Mia Henry, executive director of ACSJL. “The powerful line up of films will focus on the history and context of issues in which struggle for social justice continues.” Kalamazoo is one of 75 U.S. cities where the program will occur. During the past decade, screenings of Independent Lens films have brought more than 331,000 participants together at more than 5,700 events to discuss issues that affect local communities. Kalamazoo screenings will include dinner and will be followed by a discussion led by youth participants from the Media Arts Academy and event co-sponsors. Events are free; please RSVP to acsjl@kzoo.edu.

“Autism in Love” (by Matt Fuller) follows four adults at different places on the autism spectrum who open up their personal lives as they navigate dating and romantic relationships. The first-person portrayals show that love finds a way in spite of the challenges faced by persons with autism.

Three other films are planned for the 2015-16 academic year. “In Football We Trust” (by Tony Vainuku and Erika Cohn, Tuesday, January 26, 5:30 p.m. at the ACSJL, 205 Monroe Street) follows four Polynesian high school football players in Utah struggling to overcome gang violence, family pressures and poverty as they enter the high stakes world of college recruiting and the promise of pro sports.

“The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” (by Stanley Nelson, Thursday, February 11, 2016, 5:30 p.m., venue to be determined) tells the story (and suggests the emerging current-day relevance) of a group of people that helped lead the new revolutionary culture that emerged in the turbulent 1960s.

“Peace Officer” (by Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber, Tuesday, April 26, 2016, 5:30 p.m., venue to be determined) explores the increasingly tense relationship between law enforcement and the public through the eyes of someone who’s been on both sides–a former sheriff who established Utah’s first SWAT team, a unit that 30 years later killed his son-in-law in a controversial standoff.

Honors Day 2015

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Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who received awards during the Honors Day Convocation, October 30, 2015, in Stetson Chapel. The awards include all academic divisions, prestigious scholarships, and special non-departmental awards. The Honors Day Convocation occurs annually, during the Friday community gathering of Family Weekend.

FINE ARTS DIVISION

THE BRIAN GOUGEON PRIZE IN ART, awarded to a sophomore student who, during his or her first year, exhibited outstanding achievement and potential in art.
Carlos Arellano

THE LILLIAN PRINGLE BALDAUF PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded to an outstanding music student.
Thaddeus Buttrey
Lauren Landman

THE FAN E. SHERWOOD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded for outstanding progress and ability on the violin, viola, cello or bass.
Elina Choi

THE MARGARET UPTON PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded each year to a student designated by the Music Department Faculty as having made significant achievement in music.
Lindsay Worthingon

THE COOPER AWARD, for a junior or senior showing excellence in a piece of creative work in a theatre arts class: film, acting, design, stagecraft, puppetry, speech.
Cameron Schneberger

THE SHERWOOD PRIZE, given for the best oral presentation in a speech-oriented class.
Esprit Autenreith

THE THEATRE ARTS FIRST-YEAR STUDENT AWARD, given to a sophomore for outstanding departmental efforts during the first year.
Lauren Landman
Samuel Meyers
Stina Taylor

FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION

THE LEGRAND COPLEY PRIZE IN FRENCH, awarded to the sophomore who, as a first-year student, demonstrated the greatest achievement in French.
Molly Merkel

THE HARDY FUCHS AWARD, given for excellence in first-year German.
Camila Trefftz

THE MARGO LIGHT AWARD, given for excellence in second-or third-year German.
Anne Nielsen

THE ROMANCE LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT PRIZE IN SPANISH, awarded for excellence in the first year in Spanish.
Georgetta Booker
Emily Kozal

THE CLARA H. BUCKLEY PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN LATIN, awarded to an outstanding student of the language of the ancient Romans.
Danielle Gin

THE CLASSICS DEPARTMENT PRIZE IN GREEK, awarded to an outstanding student of the language of the ancient Romans.
Brittany Jones

THE PROVOST’S PRIZE IN CLASSICS, awarded to that student who writes the best essay on a classical subject.
Elisia Venegas

HUMANITIES DIVISION

THE O. M. ALLEN PRIZE IN ENGLISH, given for the best essay written by a member of the first-year class.
Elisse Houcek

THE JOHN B. WICKSTROM PRIZE IN HISTORY, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in history.
Frank Meyer
Kierra Verdun

THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY PRIZE, awarded for excellence in any year’s work in philosophy.
Gabriel Klotz
Federico Spalletti

THE L.J. AND EVA (“GIBBIE”) HEMMES MEMORIAL PRIZE IN PHILOSOPHY, awarded to that sophomore who, in the first year, showed the greatest promise for continuing studies in philosophy
Benjamin Baldwin
Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia
Ian Engstrom
Jasmine Khin Oo Khin

NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION

THE WINIFRED PEAKE JONES PRIZE IN BIOLOGY, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in biology.
Megan Hoinville
Gwendolen Keller
Connor Webb

THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in chemistry.
Omar Leon

THE FIRST-YEAR CHEMISTRY AWARD, awarded to a sophomore student who, during the first year, demonstrated great achievement in chemistry.
Gwendolen Keller
Gabriel Rice

THE LEMUEL F. SMITH AWARD, given to a student majoring in chemistry pursuing the American Chemical Society approved curriculum and having at the end of the junior year the highest average standing in courses taken in chemistry, physics,and mathematics.
Marie Fiori

THE COMPUTER SCIENCE PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in computer science.
Elizabeth Fiatorz
Miles McDowall

THE FIRST-YEAR MATHEMATICS AWARD, given annually to the sophomore student who, during the first year, demonstrated the greatest achievement in mathematics.
Abhay Goel

THE THOMAS O. WALTON PRIZE IN MATHEMATICS, awarded to a member of the junior class for excellence in the work of the first two years in mathematics.
Yicong Guo
Raoul Wadhwa

THE COOPER PRIZE IN PHYSICS, given for excellence in the first year’s work in physics.
Zach Miller
Jeremy Roth
Keigan Ryckman

SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION

THE DEPARTMENTAL PRIZE IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY, awarded for excellence during the first and/or second year’s work.
Erin Butler
Alicia Gaitan
Carmen Nogueron
Madeline Woods

THE C. WALLACE LAWRENCE PRIZE IN ECONOMICS, awarded annually to a pre-business student who has done outstanding work in the Department of Economics and Business during the sophomore year.
Olivia Cares
Christopher Monsour

THE IRENE AND S. KYLE MORRIS PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s courses in the Department of Economics and Business.
Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia
Phuong Nguyen
Jacob Wasko

THE WILLIAM G. HOWARD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded for excellence in any year’s work in political science.
Gabriel Klotz

THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY FIRST-YEAR STUDENT PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in psychology.
Ellie Grossman
Carolyn Williams

THE MARSHALL HALLOCK BRENNER PRIZE, given by family and friends in memory of Marshall Hallock Brenner (class of 1955), to be awarded to an outstanding junior for excellence in the study of psychology.
Molly Meddock

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

THE DIVISION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION PRIZE, awarded to those students who, as first-year students, best combined leadership and scholarship in promoting athletics, physical education, and recreation.
Charles Carson
Alexandria Oswalt

THE MAGGIE WARDLE PRIZE, awarded to that sophomore woman whose activities at the College reflect the values that Maggie Wardle demonstrated in her own life. The recipient will show a breadth of involvement in the College through her commitment to athletics and to the social sciences and/or community service.
Alexandrea Ambs

SPECIAL COLLEGE AWARDS

THE GORDON BEAUMONT MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to the deserving student who displays qualities of selflessness, humanitarian concern, and willingness to help others, as exemplified in the life of Gordon Beaumont.
Natalie Davenport
Audra Hudson

THE HENRY AND INEZ BROWN PRIZE, awarded in recognition of outstanding participation in the College community.
Olivia Cares
Kevin Ewing
Mallory McClure

THE VIRGINIA HINKELMAN MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to a deserving student who displays a deep concern for the well-being of children, as demonstrated through career goals in the field of child welfare.
Yessica Hernandez
Elizabeth Lenning

 

Choreopoem Ready to Move

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Students rehearsing for a Festival Playhouse production
Rehearsal for the Festival Playhouse production of “for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf.” Photo by Emma Franzel ’17

Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College will present Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf in the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse. The play opens Thursday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m. Additional evening performances occur Friday and Saturday, November 13 and 14, at 8 p.m., and a matinee concludes the run on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for senior citizens, and $15 for other adults. For reservations call 269.337.7333. For more information, visit the Festival Playhouse website.

Directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Karen Berthel, Shange’s “choreopoem” is an award-winning landmark in American theatre. It has been described as “a dramatic elegy for black women” and noted for poetry “that gives you chills and makes you tremble” and its thematic treatment of courage. The play recently has been made into an award-winning film.

“Through storytelling and dance For Colored Girls depicts authentic renditions of Black women’s experiences,” according to Omari Oliver ’16, who plays the role of Lady in Red.

“Shange addresses issues that women of color have dealt with for centuries,” adds Nakeya Boyles ’16, who plays the role of Lady in Yellow and serves as the production’s dramaturg. “In the face of these issues, the women have found a way to prosper and defy the odds set against them.,”

Unlike traditional scripts built upon a sequence of scenes, For Colored Girls… is a series of poems infused with movement and music. “It is important for the audience to have an open heart and mind,” Boyles says.

Movement Coach Bianca Washington has remained true to the spirit of the original show and at the same time provided creative space for individual growth and expression. “It is important for me to help guide the cast into finding their own shape with the piece.”

Medea Benjamin Kicks Off a Global Prize Weekend at Kalamazoo College Dedicated to Grace Lee Boggs

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Medea BenjaminMedea Benjamin kicked-off her keynote speech during the first night of the 2015 Kalamazoo College Global Prize for Transformative Social Justice Leadership with an ironic quip.

“It’s interesting to celebrate social justice at a competition,” said Benjamin, also a juror for the Global Prize, from K’s Dalton Theatre stage. “But in reality, what we are looking to do is not say we are better than anyone else, but that we look to emulate each other out of admiration and inspiration.”

Clad in her trademark pink, Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war, social justice organization Code Pink, spoke to an audience of K students, faculty, staff, and community members and members from the ten finalist organizations vying for the Global Prize.

“We are healers, the visionaries, the transformers,” she said to the finalists sitting close to the stage. “We transform what does not work into what can work for the whole world.”

It was the opening celebration of a two-day Global Prize weekend hosted by K’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The night also featured music by Yolonda Lavender and Scarlet, with vocalist Abbie Maikoski, poet Denise Miller, and vocal drummer Dan Davis.

Global Prize Social Justice Leaders on stageKalamazoo College President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran welcomed audience members with the news that the 2015 Global Prize competition would be dedicated to the memory of social justice leader activist and scholar Grace Lee Boggs who died this week at the age of 100. Boggs received an honorary degree from K in 2007 and was a frequent visitor to campus in the last ten years of her life.

Benjamin touched on current-day issues that highlight the need for social justice activists to remain vigilant in fighting – including class, wealth, and racial disparities, as well as climate change, LGBTQI issues, and more, including ongoing wars across the globe.

“For a lot of young people here, war is all they’ve known.”

Through the hard work of organizers and advocates such as the Global Prize finalists in the room, said Benjamin, the needle is moving in the direction of justice on a myriad of issues.

Presenters discuss Grace Lee Boggs“We’re at the tipping point on so many issues,” she said. “All because of the work of people like you. We don’t do this (work) because it’s easy, we do this work because we have to.”

Benjamin praised the cooperation between what is seen by some as disparate groups – the LGBTQ and black communities, Palestinian rights groups and the Black Lives Matter movement. The shared urge and passion for equality and justice is what the overall movement is all about, she said.

“Love is the essence of what we do,” she said. “It is love that moves us and love that will ultimately win.”

The Kalamazoo College Global Prize continues today with presentations from the finalists to a seven-member juror panel and the general public in the Connable Recital Hall in K’s Light Fine Arts Building.

One finalist will be selected to receive the $25,000 Global Prize. The announcement of the winner will be made tonight at 8:00 p.m. by President Wilson-Oyelaran at a closing celebration in the College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (205 Monroe St.). Today’s presentations and tonight’s closing celebration are open to the public.

Visit here for information about the Global Prize, the ten finalists, and a schedule of Global Prize weekend: https://reason.kzoo.edu/csjl/prize.

Convocation 2015 Live Stream

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[livestream url=”http://livestream.com/accounts/2075738/events/4301056/player?width=560&height=315&autoPlay=true&mute=false” width=”560″ height=”315″]

Convocation 2015

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Kalamazoo College faculty participate in ConvocationKalamazoo College kicks off the 2015-16 academic year on Wednesday Sept. 9 at 3:00 p.m. with its annual opening convocation ceremony for new students.

The ceremony will take place on the campus Quad and be available via live streaming. In case of rain, the ceremony will move into Stetson Chapel.

President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran, Provost Michael McDonald, Dean of Students Sarah Westfall, Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00, faculty, staff, and student leaders will welcome new students and their families. Nike Foundation Partnerships and Communications Manager Tieneke vanLonkhuyzen ’06, from Portland, Oregon, will deliver the keynote address.

K will welcome 367 first-year students (including 30 matriculating international students), 18 transfer students, and 28 visiting international students. New students come from 29 states within the United States of America including Oregon, Florida, Maine and Texas, and from 23 countries including, Japan, Ecuador, Greece, Vietnam, and Sierra Leone. Students of color from the U.S. make up more than 25 percent of the incoming class.

Eleven members of the incoming class of 2019 are the first “Kalamazoo Promise Eligible” students to attend K. Through a partnership announced in June 2014 by The Kalamazoo Promise and the 15-member Michigan Colleges Alliance (MCA), eligible Kalamazoo Public School (KPS) graduates enrolling at an MCA member institution will receive free tuition and fees. The Kalamazoo Promise, now in its tenth year, was established by anonymous donors who pledged to provide free college tuition and fees for KPS graduates attending 43 state universities and community colleges in Michigan. With the addition of the 15 MCA liberal arts college members, Michigan 58 institutions are now Kalamazoo Promise eligible.

 

Kalamazoo College hosts the USTA Boys’ 18 & 16 National Championships July 31 – Aug. 9.

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Stowe Stadium at Kalamazoo College
Stowe Stadium at Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo College hosts the USTA Boys’ 18 & 16 National Championships July 31 – Aug. 9. For a full schedule of events and more information, visit www.ustaboys.com.

Be advised that Academy St. will be one-way, downhill (west to east), angled parking only from Bulkley St. to Catherine St., July 31 through August 9.

Additionally, Acker Lane and the lower Light Fine Arts parking lot next to Stowe Stadium will be closed to through traffic and parking during the tournament. A pass will be required to gain entry to these areas.

Please plan your parking and driving accordingly and we hope everyone enjoys another “Nats at the Zoo!”

 

 

Hornets and Bears, Oh My!

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Advertisement for K Night at the Kalamazoo Growlers gameKalamazoo College poet (and professor emeritus of English) Conrad Hilberry once wrote a poem about kids playing sandlot baseball, noting that, after a hit, the run from home to (hopefully) home again was counterclockwise—in other words: against time, a circle-sprint (maybe even ending in a dramatic slide) in the general direction of that magical place called when-we-were-younger.

Well, dust off your old baseball hat, it’s time for some time travel and everything else associated with an evening at the ballpark.

Kalamazoo College, and the Kalamazoo Growlers baseball association, presents “K Night” at Homer Stryker Field (undoubtedly the most aptly named baseball park in the country!) on Friday, July 17, at 7:05 p.m. And to throw in a little mythology to go with all that poetry, “K Night” activities include Star Wars Night and a raffle of Chewbacca-themed jerseys. Whoopee! Or, should we say: WOOKEE!

At the game, the College’s first class of Promise students will be introduced. And, speaking of firsts, the first pitch will be thrown by Kalamazoo College head softball coach Melanie Hamlin, the four-year collegiate standout from the University of Redlands. (After that first pitch, we wouldn’t be surprised if the home team asks her to stay on the field.)

Fireworks follow the game, and tickets ($12) include a new Growlers hat, which means you can throw out the old one you dusted off, or start a collection.

Bring your friends and family to support both Kalamazoo College and the Kalamazoo Growlers.

To get your tickets contact Lynsey VanSweden (269.337.7082) in the Athletic and Physical Education office. Last day to purchase tickets is Friday, July 10. Cash or check is accepted. Go Hornets! Go Growlers!

Arcato Opens Summer with “Seasons”

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Logo for Arcato Chamber EnsembleThe Arcato Chamber Ensemble performs its summer concert, “The Seasons,” on Saturday, June 27, at 8 p.m. in Dalton Theatre (Light Fine Arts Building, Kalamazoo College). Tickets–available online or at the door–are $15 for general admission and $5 for students.

Founded in 2008 by conductor Andrew Koehler (associate professor of music), the Arcato Chamber Ensemble is a dynamic orchestra whose membership is drawn from the musicians of the Kalamazoo, West Michigan, Southwest Michigan, Battle Creek, and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras, as well as the faculty of Western Michigan University. Despite employing flexible instrumentation, the group’s first performances were as a string ensemble; hence the name Arcato, which means “bowed” in Italian. Numbering just 21 select players, the group unites the grandeur of symphonic sound with the intimacy and individual ownership of artistry that make chamber music so vital.

In its first summer performance this Saturday the Arcato Chamber Ensemble will perform music that celebrates all of the seasons. Beethoven’s beloved slow movement from his late Quartet in a minor, Opus 132–known as the Heiliger Dankgesang, or Holy Song of Thanks–invokes the feelings of gratitude we celebrate in fall, and is among the most profound, personal, and moving creations of the composer. It is heard in a new arrangement for full string ensemble completed by conductor Andrew Koehler. Concertmaster Renata Artman Knific steps into the role of soloist in the electric violin concerto titled “Winter” by Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi. It is the final work from a set of four concerti based on Italian poems about the seasons. Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, from the ballet written for Martha Graham, is an iconic work of Americana, and it features the famous series of variations on the Shaker hymn “’Tis a Gift to be Simple.” Heard here in its original orchestration for a small chamber ensemble of woodwinds and strings, the work’s poignancy and lyricism are even more apparent. Tchaikovsky spent a summer holiday in Italy, and was inspired to recollect the experience through a work for string sextet, which he titled “Souvenir de Florence.” Arranged here for string orchestra, Tchaikovsky’s work is a rollicking ride, full of breathless excitement and virtuosic playing for every member of the ensemble.

Commencement Start Time Delay

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COMMENCEMENT TIME CHANGE!

Due to weather considerations, the start of Kalamazoo College’s 2015 commencement ceremony has been postponed to 2:15 p.m. The location remains THE QUAD.

Seniors should report to Stetson Chapel at 1:30 p.m. for set-up and processional line-up. The ceremony will begin at 2:15 p.m.

Seniors, please let your parents know about the change of time. Please tweet and re-tweet that information about the change of time can be found at www.kzoo.edu.