The Harbinger

February 7, 2005

 

Jan Hopkins to Speak February 10


Former CNN Anchor Jan Hopkins will return to her alma mater on Thursday, Feb. 10 for a conversation with Hiram College students. "An Insider's Scoop: A Conversation with Jan Hopkins" is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in the Alumni Heritage Room in Teachout Price Hall.

A Warren native, Hopkins is a 1969 graduate of Hiram College. She studied psychology and elementary education. A life-changing experience on a study abroad trip led her to a career in journalism. "I was studying in Prague when Russia invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968," said Hopkins. "Writing about that experience sparked a lifelong interest in communicating complex issues to a wide audience."

Following her graduation, and after a brief stint as a teacher, Hopkins began her career in broadcast journalism at a number of Ohio radio and television stations. While working in Cincinnati, Hopkins gained the attention of CBS executives. She later moved to ABC and then to CNN. Highlights of her CNN career included covering the stock market crash on Oct. 19, 1987 and the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. She returned to Hiram just three days after the Sept. 11 attacks to speak to the campus community.

Hopkins left CNN to serve as managing director of client communications for Citibank Private Bank in New York City. Her talk will focus on the many career paths made available to her because of her liberal arts education.

Faculty Focus





Professor of History Glenn Sharfman recently spoke at the College of Wooster as part of the institution's Great Decisions lecture series. Sharfman's op-ed, "Israel and Palestine After Arafat," was published in the Wooster Daily Record on Jan. 30. The Weils of Bainbridge recently hosted Sharfman for a presentation entitled "Why is Peace so Difficult in the Middle East."



Joyce Dyer has been invited to deliver the Eleanor Mincks Wolf Lecture at Mount Union College at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 16, in Presser Recital Hall.  She will be reading from old and new work.  On Thursday, February 17, she will be speaking at Convocation on the topic, " 'Remembering, We Discover': A Memoirist Searches for Her Life."  After her talk, she will meet with writing majors at Mount Union.  The Wolf Lecture was established by John L. Wolf of Medina, Ohio, in memory of his wife, Eleanor.  The lecture features a professional in English.



Madrigal Singers Winter Tour begins locally


The Hiram College Madrigal Singers will present a concert on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the First Congregational Church of Ravenna, 266 S. Chestnut St., Ravenna, Ohio at 7:30 p.m.  This is one of a series of concerts the group is performing on their Winter Tour. The singers will also give performances in West Palm Beach, Sanibel, Tampa and Atlantic Beach, Florida as part of this tour.  The concert is open to the public. A free will offering will be taken.

Included on the program will be choral music of all styles and periods, both sacred and secular.  Featured composers will include Hassler, Gastoldi, Morley, Lewandowski, Conte, and DiCormier.   There will be compositions in Latin, Italian, Spanish, and German and the program will also include a group of  madrigals, folk song arrangements, and popular standards.

The Hiram College Madrigal Singers, a vocal chamber ensemble of 16 voices selected from the College Choir, is one of seven music ensembles on the Hiram campus.  The Madrigal Singers are most noted for their "Yuletide Revels," an elaborate recreation of a Renaissance Christmas festival, a 36 year tradition on the campus.   During the spring term, the Madrigal Singers perform vocal chamber music of all types from early music to vocal jazz. During the past four years they have sung in 12 states including venues in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and at the Kennedy Center and the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

True to the liberal arts tradition the singers in the group come from various college departments.  The sixteen students who make up this year's  ensemble have majors in computer science, mathematics, music, biology, biomedical humanities, communications,  political science, integrated social science, philosophy, history, English and theatre arts.

John Drotleff, the conductor of the Madrigal Singers, has been on the faculty for seven years. Drotleff has conducted choirs in Northeastern Ohio for the past forty-four years in middle school, high school, college, church and community settings and has served as a guest conductor and clinician for numerous musical groups and educational organizations. He also conducts the West Shore Chorale and Orchestra in Cleveland.  He is past president of the Ohio Choral Director's Association.

Victory, Valentine, Vagina: V-Day Hiram College 2005


On Friday, February 11 and Saturday, February 12, Hiram College will host a benefit production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. Directed by senior Andrea Mastrobuono, fourteen women from the Hiram College community will perform dramatic stories that recount women’s personal experiences with their sexuality.

Hiram’s performance of the Monologues is part of a worldwide campaign to end violence against women and girls, coordinated by the non-profit organization V-Day.

Both shows begin at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Kennedy Center Ballroom. Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased at the door. All proceeds will benefit Safer Futures, Portage County’s only domestic violence shelter.

V-Day Hiram College is sponsored by Gaia, the Hiram College Theatre Department, and the Hiram College Gender Studies Program.


Hiram students lobby state Senators for financial aid

 

A small delegation of Hiram students led an effort to garner more support for student financial aid programs in a visit to the Statehouse in Columbus on Feb. 1, 2005. In individual meetings with Senators representing their hometown districts, the students discussed the value of a liberal arts education and how financial aid – scholarships, grants, and loans – helps them meet their cost of attendance. They informed their representatives about the Hiram College Tuition Guarantee and asked that the legislature does what it can to keep college costs manageable for all students in Ohio. The students reinforced their message that evening during a reception for elected officials hosted by President Thomas V. Chema.

“I loved the opportunity to participate in the political process and to help higher education,” said senior Colleen Kardasz. “It was a joy to watch our government in action.” Senator Kimberly Zurz of Portage County introduced the student delegation during an open session on the Senate floor.

The students who participated in the effort were Antoine Akins, Ron Alcorn, Brooke Bertle, Bethany Costilow, Brad Cromes, Matt Draiss, Theresa Fabrizio, Hannah Good, Monica Hayden, Colleen Kardasz, Maureen Malinowski, and Samantha Selig. The trip to Columbus was part of Hiram’s continuing effort to raise the awareness of keeping education affordable for the families of college students.


Hiram a host site for College Goal Sunday program

Prospective college students and their families can obtain assistance in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Financial Aid (FAFSA) and learn more about the financial aid process by attending College Goal Sunday. College Goal Sunday is a statewide program put on by the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and is being offered at 34 sites throughout Ohio in an effort to assist Ohio residents to gain access to financial aid.

Hiram College is serving as one of the host institutions. The Hiram program is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Hiram College Kennedy Center, State Route 700 in Hiram. It is free and open to the public.

Prospective college students must complete the FAFSA in order to qualify for federal and state grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance including certain scholarships. Families should bring the parents' and students' 2004 IRS tax returns and W2s along with other 2004 income and benefits information. Financial aid experts will be on hand to assist each family.

More information on College Goal Sunday is available at www.aasfaa.org or www.ohiocollgegoalsunday.org. For additional information on the Hiram event, please call 330-569-5113.



Special Election in Hiram Community February 8th


Students and staff who are registered to vote in the Hiram and Mantua areas are reminded about the special election next Tuesday, February 8.  The Crestwood School District has an emergency levy for 6.98 mills on the ballot. For more information about this issue, voters can go to the Crestwood School District web site at http://crestwood.sparcc.org.  Students registered to vote in Hiram can vote in the Hiram Municipal Building on Route 82 (behind the Hiram Christian Church education building).  The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.


Spaghetti Dinner Set for Friday


The Western Reserve Kiwanis will be hosting their monthly spaghetti dnner on Friday, February 11 in the Kennedy Center .  Meal includes all-you-can-eat spaghetti with two different sauces, salad, garlic bread, beverages, and dessert.  Price is $6, children 10 and under eat free.

Artist in Residence to deliver February 8 convocation


Potter Mary Louise Carter will deliver a convocation talk on Tuesday, Feb. 8. Carter, who will work as an artist-in-residence at Hiram the week of Feb. 7, has been a potter for more than 30 years. The title of her address is "The Cup, the Bowl, and Beyond: Finding My Way in Ceramic Art." Her talk is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Ballroom.

Carter teaches ceramics and design at Louisiana Tech University where she holds the title of the Lyles Endowed Professorship in Ceramics. She previously served as the resident potter at the Vermont State Craft Center in Middlebury, Vermont, and has taught at Penn State University. Her porcelain ceramics have been exhibited in numerous juried and invitational shows throughout the United States. Carter earned her B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute and her M.F.A. from the New York State College of Ceramics.

In addition to her convocation presentation, Carter will demonstrate techniques of making porcelain vessels by working in a demonstration/teaching studio in the Frohring Art Building. Her appearance at Hiram is made possible support from the Hiram Community Trust.

Drumplay to conduct workshop, perform in concert


The improvisational percussion ensemble Drumplay will perform at Hiram College on February 8 as part of the Black History Month celebration. The group's music is inspired by Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Middle Eastern rhythms.

Drumplay will conduct an educational workshop on Feb. 8 from 3 to 4 p.m. in Frohring 102. A concert is scheduled for 7 p.m., also in Frohring 102.

"While we honor the elder master drummers, we strive to create our own unique voice in the vast universe of percussive sounds," says Drumplay founder James Onysko.

Drumplay has performed concerts throughout Northeast Ohio. In 1996, the ensemble performed with Arthur Hull and D'Cuckoo before an estimated audience of 500,000 people as part of the Cleveland Bicentennial Festival.

The workshop and concert are free and open to the public.

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