The Harbinger

September 4, 2007

Run for Grace and Andy set for September 29

The inaugural Run for Grace and Andy on Hiram’s three-mile square will be held at Hiram College on Saturday, September 29. There will also be a one-mile fun walk.

The run and walk will celebrate the lives of Grace Chamberlain and Andy Hopkins and their love for Hiram College. Grace and Andy were first-year Hiram students killed in a March 2006 accident when their car was struck by the vehicle of a drunken driver who had eleven previous DUI convictions. Evan DaSilva was seriously injured but has recovered. He will be a junior this fall at the College. Proceeds from the run and walk will benefit the College’s Grace Chamberlain and Andy Hopkins scholarship funds. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. at Hinsdale Hall, where the race and walk will start at 8:30 a.m. Pre-race registration is being handled by Hermes Sports & Events in Cleveland. For more information or to register online, visit Hermescleveland.com.

Early registration (by mail by September 25; online by September 27) costs $15 (there is a added fee for online registration). Runners may register by mail by printing the registration form and sending it with a $15 check made payable to Hermes Sports & Events, 1468 West 9th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113. Registration is $20 the day of the race; group and family discounts are available. (Additional donations beyond the entry fee or from those who do not wish to run or walk may be made to The Grace and Andy Fund.) Runners will test themselves on Hiram’s challenging three-mile square, which will take them outside of the village; the one-mile walk will be in the village. Both courses will finish on the track at Henry Field. Participants will be given T-shirts and refreshments, and there will be awards for the best overall male and female finisher, as well as for the top two runners in each of 12 age categories. Students representing residence halls and groups, including ID3 (I Don’t Drink and Drive) which was formed by DaSilva and others in response to the tragedy, are expected to take part in the event. The College also sponsors the Chamberlain/Hopkins Symposium on Alcohol and Culture. Plans are underway for the second symposium, which will be held during the spring 2008 semester.

Date

Saturday, September 29 / Champion Chip timing

Time

Registration begins at 7 a.m.
Run and walk begin at 8:30 a.m.

Location

Hiram College at the intersection of state Routes 700 and 82/305 Race begins at Hinsdale Hall and ends on the track of Henry Field

Course

Hiram’s challenging Three-Mile Square (actual distance is 3.3 miles) and a one-mile fun walk in the Village

Parking

At the Coleman Sports Center and on Hiram Village streets

Age Divisions

10 and under; 11-14; 15-19; 20-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 60-64; 65 and over

To Register

Register online by September 27: Hermescleveland.com
Register by mail by September 25: Download and print the registration form
Send the form and a check made payable to Hermes Sports & Events to:
     Hermes Sports & Events
     1624 St. Clair Ave.
     Cleveland, OH 44114

Cost

Early registration: $15 per person (Processing fee added to each online registration)
Race-day registration: $20 per person
Group/family discount: $10 per person (Offer valid only through mail and entries must be received by September 20.) Group members or more than one person living at the same address can qualify for the discount. Submit all forms in one envelope.

Giveaways

T-shirts and refreshments

Awards

Awards will be presented to the overall male and female finisher as well as the top two runners in each age category.


Professor Kim Phillips studies the brain of capuchin monkeys

Capuchin monkeys are playful, inquisitive primates known for their manual dexterity, complex social behavior, and cognitive abilities.  New research now shows that just like humans, they display a fundamental sex difference in the organization of the brain, specifically in the corpus callosum, the region that connects the two cerebral lobes. 

A recently published paper by Associate Professor of Psychology and Biology Kimberley A. Phillips (Hiram College), Chet C. Sherwood (George Washington University) and Alayna L. Lilak (Hiram College), reports finding both sex and handedness influences on the relative size of the corpus callosum.  The researchers’ contribution appears in PLoS ONE, the online, open-access journal of the Public Library of Science. The paper can be read at: http://www.plosone.org/doi/pone.0000792.

In the study, thirteen adult capuchins underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the Go to fullsize image brain to determine the size of their corpus callosum, which is the major white matter tract connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres. The monkeys were later given a task to determine hand preference. The authors’ results led them to conclude that, as in humans, male capuchins have a smaller relative size of the corpus callosum than females, and right-handed individuals have a smaller relative size of the corpus callosum than left-handed individuals.  As the two hemispheres show greater independence of function, the relative size of the corpus callosum is expected to be smaller.  This has been documented in humans, and same pattern was found in capuchins.  Phillips and her co-authors hypothesize their results are related to hemispheric specialization for complex foraging tasks that require the integration of motor actions and visuospatial information.  In the wild, capuchin monkeys utilize both arboreal and terrestrial substrates and are also noted for being very adept at capturing small rapid prey, such as birds, lizards, and squirrels.   While such research frequently is associated with large research universities, Phillips says scientists at small liberal arts colleges such as Hiram often do not receive enough credit and, especially, for involving undergraduates, such as Lilak, in their work. “It is not where you are,” Phillips says. “It is the quality of the science, and scientists at small liberal arts colleges can and do conduct high-quality research. Undergraduates are an integral part of my research team - they participate in lab meetings, brainstorming, sharing ideas.  They are colleagues in my lab. They just need a little more mentoring.” 

At Hiram College, Phillips typically has six to eight students working in her laboratory. Alayna Lilak, who received her degree in psychology in May, has recently begun a job as a research technician in a Stanford University lab.

****

Kim Phillips appeared on WSKU’s “Your Way Home” program on Friday, August 31. She was interviewed about her research by host Daniel Hockensmith, who even found a way to interject the handedness of monks into the conversation. To hear, Kim’s interview, go to: http://www.wksu.org/news/story/21352

 

Wit auditions begin tonight and continue Wednesday

Auditions will be held tonight, Tuesday, September 4, and Wednesday night, September 5, for Wit, the Department of Theatre Arts fall production. The November 1, 2, and 3 performances will be a part of Stages: Cancer and the Arts, a fall series of events presented by the Center for Literature, Medicine, and Biomedical Humanities.

There will be an information session tonight in Hayden Auditorium from 7 to 7:30, with prepared auditions beginning at 7:30. New auditions will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, with call backs at 7:30 p.m. (Prepared auditions are not required; materials will be provided for all who wish to audition.)

In addition to roles in Margaret Edson’s 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a tough-minded literature scholar who is dying of ovarian cancer, technical and front-of-the-house positions also are available. Some of the positions can be departmental work-study.

Rehearsals begin September 24.

 

Construction projects create challenges

A note to campus from Vice President and Dean of Students Eric Riedel:

As we begin the 2007-2008 academic year, we are faced with several challenges that call for cooperation and patience in light of new construction, growth and change.  How we care for the safety of us all in the wake of violence in the academy, how we live together as a collaborative and cooperative community, and how we use and store our vehicles will require good will and patience in the coming months. With this in mind, I want to direct your attention to the following:

  • Construction on route 422 has increased truck traffic in our village from 500 trucks per day to 2600 trucks per day.  As a result, the village police will give particular attention to the “twelve inches from the curb” parking regulation in an effort to reduce the frequency of damage to parked vehicles from passing trucks. 
  • Growth in our population and growth in vehicle traffic means that crossing the street will be more risky than in the past.  The village police will give particular attention to speed limits on Garfield Avenue (State Road 700) and State Routes 82 and 305 in an effort to reduce the risk to pedestrians and other motorists.
  • Construction of new hall and the disruption of “Pit” parking will make it more difficult to find appropriate and convenient parking spaces on campus. If you don’t absolutely need to have a car on campus, please leave your car at home. 
  • Access to Gelbke Art facility will be a challenge until the pathway and lighting is completed.  In the meantime, please be very careful as you walk along State Route 700 or walk through the new residence hall construction area. 
  • Please do NOT remove signs or materials from any construction areas. Your safety is of primary importance and signage to deal with the construction process is intended for your safety. Tampering with protective tape or signage will result in disciplinary action. 
  • In response to issues associated with an off-campus student residence last year, the Village of Hiram has passed a Noise Code. Please be aware that noise disturbances after 9 p.m. and before 8 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and after midnight and before 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday may result in a citation from the village police. Please be considerate of each other and of our neighbors and refer any noise issues or concerns to Residential Life staff, or our own Campus Safety. 

 

Jon Moody leads the annual teach-in on the green

The annual teach-in will be held on the Green, if the weather allows, at the convocation hour on Tuesday, September 11. This event began as a response to the events of 9/11/2001, and has continued because of the responses over the years. It is designed to construct an environment of conversation among faculty, staff and students, around topics we are interested in and might be teaching, but not in just this way, accoprding to Jon Moody, the George and Arlem Foote Chair in Ethics. The event is tied to the annual Ethics theme, which this year is storytelling. Here are the workshops as they now stand. Moody is currently negotiating with two or three others, and would still have room for one or two beyond that if someine is moved to add one. Moody asks that faculty announce the teach-in to their classes. Lunch will be served on the green so the students will be there for their meal and can spice the food with conversation. The first session will begin at noon, and the teach-in will end at 1:50. Some workshops may be offered once only because of lab schedules and the like.

Sessions will include:

  • Jane Rose - Telling Stories for Sales
  • Steve Zabor - Entrepreneurial Stories
  • Natalie Syderenko - Discontinuous Stories
  • Bob Dean - Stories “America Reads”
  • Lynn Underwood  - Spirituality: Science and Story
  • Jason Bricker-Thompson - Justice Stories
  • Yu Xinlu - Telling the News in Different Cultures
  • Lashawnda Pittman - Stories of Urban Grandmothers
  • Rodney Hessinger - "Comforting Stories for the Masses, or How Disney tells us what we want to hear about Pocohontas and the American Past"
  • Craig Moser - Spinning for Politics
  • Jodi Modarelli - Stories of Survivors
  • Brad Goodner - “DNA Tales of History, Tinkering, Distress, and Subversion”
  • Jon Moody - “Divine Fantasy: Stories of, and Sometimes about, the Masters”
  • Roger Cram - True stories about grass-roots heroes

 

Erin Kelly hired by Admissions Office

Erin Kelly, class of ’07, has joined Hiram College staff as an admissions counselor and tour guide coordinator. Erin majored in communications and minored in business management while attending Hiram College. As a student worker, she has three years experience in the Admissions Office as a tour guide and administrative receptionist. Erin said she is happy to be back at Hiram College. Her future aspirations are to get a Ph.D. in marketing or higher education and eventually become a college president.

 

Artists Jeff and Lee update Hiram friends on their Hurricane Katrina recovery

Hurricane Katrina victims Lee Renninger and Jeff Schmuki made many new friends at Hiram College during their stay starting last November. Having lost their home to Hurricane Katrina, Jeff and Lee, both artists from Carey College in Gulfport, Mississippi, stayed in Hiram for several months as the College's guests as a gesture to help victims of Katrina. Lee and Jeff presented a convocation, interacted with students, gave lectures about art as well as the hardships caused by Katrina, and created many pieces of their ceramic art while at Hiram. The following email, addressed to the Hiram Community, was received from Jeff and Lee on August 29:

Dear Hiram Community:

Today on the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina I thought I would send a short note on what Lee and I have been up to. I am currently a visiting professor at DepauwUniversity in Greencastle, Indiana. I am a sabbatical replacement and if things work out I may stay on. The atmosphere here has many similarities to Hiram so I am very comfortable. Lee is currently in Virginia as an artist in residence and will be sharing her work and teaching a bit at Sweet Briar College.  We have fully repaired the studio down in Mississippi and have converted a small portion of that structure into a living space. It is wonderful to be free of the FEMA trailer.  We also have recently received grants which will carry us into the next year so we have little to worry about. In short, we are doing great! I wish everyone well up there in Hiram. Our stay there changed our lives and we are richer from knowing each of you. 

Sincerely,

Jeff and Lee

Men's and Women's Chorus resume rehearsals

The Hiram Men's Chorus and the Hiram Women's Chorus will resume rehearsals Tuesday, September 4, at 7:30 p.m, in Frohring Music. Both groups are open to all members of the College community without audition. The Men's Chorus will welcome a new director, Jose Gotera, also director of the Opera and Musical Theater Workshop.For additional information, call Women's Chorus director Damaris Peters Pike at 330.569.7643 or e-mail pikedp@hiram.edu


Parking at Hiram sporting events

Nick Bellas, Hiram's new safety director, requests that all visitors arriving on campus for Hiram sporting events park by the Physical Plant. Parking at the Colemen Athletic Center is at a premium and the Physical Plant parking lot is the only alternative. Nick will place signage by the roads to help direct drivers.

 

This Week at Hiram

Tuesday, September 4

  • Faculty Meeting - 12 p.m. to - 1:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: Trustee Davis Young...Details
  • APC - 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
  • Study Abroad Fair - 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Auditions for Wit, the Department of Theatre Arts fall production, at 7 p.m. in Hayden Auditorium
  • Involvement Fair - 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Interested in joining a group on campus, but are not sure? Come to the Involvement Fair on the lawn in front and inside the Kennedy Center to learn about what Hiram's organizations are all about....Details

Wednesday, September 5

  • Auditions for Wit, the Department of Theatre Arts fall production, at 7 p.m. in Hayden Auditorium


 Friday, September 7

  • HC Volleyball Hiram Invitational
    • Hiram vs. Geneva 3 p.m.
    • Saint Mary's vs. Texas Lutheran 3 p.m.
    • Geneva vs. MIT 5 p.m.
    • Thiel vs. Saint Mary's 5 p.m.
    • Hiram vs. MIT 7 p.m.
    • Texas Lutheran vs. Thiel 7 p.m. ...Details
  • HC Women's Soccer @ Hilbert (New York) College - 4 p.m.
  • HC Men's Soccer vs. Malone @ JCU Tournament - 2 p.m.
  • Last Day to Add/Drop a Course with No Grade

Saturday, September 8

  • HC Men's Soccer vs. Shenandoah (Virginia) University @ JCU Tournament - 2 p.m.
  • HC Women's Soccer vs. Tri-State (Indiana) University- 2 p.m.
  • HC Cross Country @ California University of Pennsylvania Invitational


Sunday, September 9

  • HC Volleyball Hiram Invitational
    • Hiram vs. Texas Lutheran 12 p.m.
    • MIT vs. Saint Mary's 12 p.m.
    • Geneva vs. Saint Mary's 2 p.m.
    • Thiel vs. MIT 2 p.m. Hiram vs. Thiel 4 p.m.
    • Geneva vs. Texas Lutheran 4 p.m....Details
  • HC Football vs. Bethany College - 1 p.m.
  • The Terriers take on Bethany at the home opener....Details

 

Terrier Athletics

http://www.hiram.edu/athletics/index.html

Submit to the next Harbinger: lovesh@hiram.edu

Corrections to this week's Harbinger: cramrf@hiram.edu

Additional Information