Saratoga County elections fail to draw in voters: Voting apathy may have factored into Republican defeats

Posted by Max Siegelbaum

Democrats regained control over the Saratoga Springs City Council after the Nov. 8 elections, a defeat Republicans are attributing to low voter turnout, according to The Saratogian.

Of the five positions, Republican Anthony Scirocco and Democrat John Franck ran uncontested. Christian Mathiesen and Michele Madigan took the other seats on the five-person City Council, giving the Saratoga Democratic Party the majority in City Hall. Democrat Brent Wilkes lost to incumbent Republican Scott Johnson by 230 votes in the mayoral race.

Out of the 18,200 registered voters in Saratoga Springs, only 6,373 residents voted in the elections. Of these, approximately 40 were Skidmore students.

Bryn Schockmel '12, president of the Skidmore Democrats, said she was disappointed in the lack of student political involvement.

"We did all this build up leading to the election," she said. "On Election Day, we had some of the candidates come. We were really promoting it and trying to get people to vote. It was really discouraging because we have hundreds of students registered on campus and it doesn't take a lot time to vote.''

Schockmel attributed this to a general apathetic view of local town politics, saying some students believe Saratoga policy has little effect on their daily lives, which he disagrees on.

"Policy in Saratoga Springs really does affect you for the four years that you are here. Things about safety, downtown and transportation, that's all important and [low student participation is] just discouraging," Schockmel said.

This lack of student participation in local politics is not a recent occurrence. The Skidmore Democrats have had trouble motivating students in prior county elections.

"It was the same thing two years ago. We didn't have a very good turnout. That was a major election because our governor and two senators were up for election last year. It just seems like students aren't too interested," Schockmel said.

However, this is not to say that there is a complete lack of political motivation on campus. The presidential elections of 2008 brought extremely high levels of student participation. The same holds true for the rest of the nation, as off-year elections often result in lower voter participation than the presidential race.

In addition, for most students, Saratoga Springs is a temporary residence, and many students are registered in their home states. But for the more than 100 students that are registered on campus, issues that directly affect the College and the campus's relationship with the town can be decided and changed, Schockmel said.

"A person running for mayor is nowhere near as exciting as a person running for president, I understand that," she said. "It's still important and maybe even affects you more directly because it involves making decisions about where you live specifically."

The Skidmore Market's second installment this Friday

Posted by Michael DuPr??

WSPN and Pro-Arts are again sponsoring the Skidmore Market this Friday November 18 from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Student entrepreneurs will be vending vintage clothing, handmade jewelry, original artwork and fresh biscotti from Cait's Cookies. The Skidmore Market is open to all students. For more information about the event or becoming a vendor, contact khumphre@skidmore.edu

Enamelist Jamie Bennett offers insight into his work and career

Posted by Olivia Powers

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, enamellist and jeweler Jamie Bennett presented the annual Rosanne Brody Raab Lecture. Bennett led the audience through the stages in his career, described his process of innovation and discussed his wide variety of influences.

Rosanne Raab, sponsor of the annual lecture and a member of the class of 1955, introduced Bennett in the Tang Teaching Museum's Payne Room.

In his work, Bennett departs from the traditional concepts of jewelry, rejecting the symmetrical framing of jewels. He experiments with the juxtaposition between the public and private aspects of jewelry, often incorporating artwork into the backs of his pieces.

"We tend to memorize [the traditional] system and I think that allowing other methodologies into that system can be very beneficial," Bennett said.

Bennett is very conscious of the responsibility that comes with creating wearable artwork. His recognition of jewelry as "ornamentation applied to enhance" a person's natural demonstrated the respect that he holds for his pieces.

"I really wanted to be reverent to the idea of objects as witnesses," Bennett said.

The artist draws from a variety of influences in his work. Bennett garners inspiration from everything from cell structures, to architecture, to the 1981 film "My Dinner with Andre." Foremost among these influences is his interest in the relationships that other cultures foster with imagery, most notably in Islamic art. As a student, Bennett took a four-and-a-half month leave from school and traveled to Turkey. He has taken two residencies abroad in the past decade: at Istanbul Technical University in 2005 and at Hsinchu University in Taiwan in 2010. His artwork displays his broad perspectives.

"I think that [Bennett] is a very vigorous artist; you can really tell that he has done his research and that he does his art for himself," Reed Fagan '12 said.

Bennett offered wisdom to the aspiring artists in attendance. He presented pictures of his studio and his tools and stressed the importance of discipline in the creative process. His lecture was targeted at art students and the audience was appreciative.

"As an upcoming artist applying to graduate school, [Bennett's lecture] made me think about my future," Fagan said.

Bennett, a professor of art in the metals program at the State University of New York at New Paltz, has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts, and is the Eileen Webb Fellow of the American Crafts Council.

Bennett has exhibited his work both in the U.S. and abroad, with permanent collections featured in over 20 museums around the world. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kunst Museum in Osio, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Gallery of Western Australia in Perth.

Professor explores changes in the Namib Desert

Posted by Sarah Barry

Kyle Nichols of the Geosciences Department with colleague Paul Bierman of the University of Vermont traveled to Namibia this summer to study the effects of the 'flood of record' in Namibia's desert.

Nichols' specialty within geoscience is geomorphology. "I study the rate of the earth's surface changes - the way that the earth naturally changes due to floods, landslides and earthquakes, but also how quickly it changes due to humans," Nichols said.

Nichols has studied these changes in parts of the world including Panama, the Grand Canyon and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The goal for each location is to compile the background rates of change in the landscape.

Namibia, a country in southern Africa is one of the driest places on earth, and the Namib Desert is the oldest desert on earth at tens of millions years old. Nichols has been traveling and studying the area for over 10 years. "I was originally interested in quantifying how quickly the earth is eroding. There are large rivers hundreds of miles long with no water - they're just dry channels," Nichols said. In April and May 2011 Namibia experienced its flood of record, the largest recorded flood in modern human history. The rivers flowed all the way to the ocean for the first time in about 50 years.

Nichols and Bierman's previous research worked to establish the rate at which the landscape was changing by collecting sediment samples. On the most recent trip, they recollected every sample from previous research, around 80 samples in total. "We test the samples to see if we reproduce the same results we found before and find out where the sediment is traveling from" Nichols said.

The research explores the implications of the changes to Namibia's landscapes. "You can imagine that people living in desert environments are living on the edge and in fragile environments. If more sediment is eroded it may tip the balance for the areas that are the most sensitive to these floods and make the area uninhabitable," Nichols said.

There are also larger implications to these types of weather changes. "The bigger question is how these intense floods change the sensitivity of the landscape and how people live on it," Nichols said.

Nichols was in Namibia when Hurricane Irene hit the east coast. "These events ‘seem' to be happening more frequently. We experienced these events simultaneously on opposite ends of the world," Nichols said.

Nichols and Bierman were awarded a RAPID grant from the National Science Foundation because of their preexisting research. "Since we had background data when these events happened we were able to return and collect what are called temporal replicates. There's not another data set of this size that has been collected over the decade," Nichols said.

"What we have is an estimate of how the landscape is behaving. Using the newly collected samples we will check to see if the results reproduce themselves after the flood of record. If they do it's good for science, if not, we have to deal with the messy reality of the flood and try to understand our methodology better to see what is really happening and what's just noise," Nichols said.

It will take anywhere from six months to a year to analyze the body of samples collected. The research measures isotopes in the sand, specifically radiogenic isotopes. Some of the lab work is done at the University of Vermont, some at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and some of the isotopes are measured here on Skidmore's campus. "When we finish we'll have more questions than answers, but that's science," Nichols said.

Nichols cannot yet say where the research will go in the future. Further work hinges on the results of the current study. "We'll have to see what our results show, what questions they produce and how we can address them. Then, it depends on if we get the funding to do more research. The questions have to be interesting enough that people want to find out more," Nichols said.

Nichols is also interested in the relationship between media and science. "Namibia's story has been picked up by some media," Nichols said. However, Nichols is also working on another project in Australia that he feels is potentially easier to understand, is interesting and is more tangible. "I think more people can understand that pollution and sediment traveling to the Great Barrier Reef is bad. It's a question of what do the media and what do people find interesting," Nichols said.

Nichols recognizes that there is a disconnect between scientific research and the general public. "Potentially, the most interesting or important research isn't highlighted. As a whole, scientists do not always do a good enough job relating scientific research to the public, in large part because it's hard," Nichols said.

For Skidmore, Nichols explained how students have ample opportunity to do research on campus. "A lot of my colleagues are doing interesting research specifically with students. A lot of painstaking work happens in labs that no one sees," Nichols said.

Nichols, who attended the University of Washington, worked as a field assistant as an undergraduate, but found fewer opportunities for research. "My students actually do the research process and some students are co-authors on publications. It's not surprising that the vast majority of people who go on to do doctoral work attend schools like Skidmore," Nichols said.

Skidmore Students join protestors to surround the White House

Posted by Katherine Cavanaugh

As I stood with over 60 other Skidmore students at the bus stop in front of Case Center on Saturday morning, I got the feeling that none of us were making the typical trip down North Broadway. Some waited with sleeping bag and pillow in hand. Others passed bags of bagels from Uncommon Grounds — I took two. It was going to be a long ride, but the energy level was palpably high.

By noon, we had all boarded a coach bus bound for Washington, D.C. We were off to participate in a protest against the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline on Sunday, Nov. 6, exactly one year before the next presidential election. This controversial pipeline would stretch for 1,700 miles and carry crude oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada through the US. to oil refineries in Texas. The concerns surrounding the proposed pipeline are many, but the various environmental threats that it poses are the driving force behind much of the opposition to its construction.

The intention of the rally in D.C. was to place President Barack Obama under "house arrest" by fully encircling the White House grounds in order to hold him to his campaign commitment to tackle the issue of climate change.

Obama can grant or deny the permit for this pipeline, but he has been inundated with pressure from TransCanada, an eneregy corportation that would be running the pipeline, along with other supporters of the project. Skidmore students were inspired to travel to the White House on Sunday in order to push back against Keystone XL supporters with just as much force.

After nearly eight hours on the bus, we were dropped off outside of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, which opened its doors to people traveling to D.C. for the rally.

All tourist activities were suspended by 1 p.m. on Sunday: it was time to congregate for what we had come to do. We donned orange "stop-the-pipeline" vests and acquired pre-made posters with quotes from Obama's 2008 campaign. His own phrases, such as "Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil" and "This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal," appeared on thousands of posters held high, creating a sea of unfulfilled and unforgotten promises for the president to view from his window.

Protesters met in Lafayette Park across from the White House at 2 p.m. to hear both the American and Canadian national anthems and to listen to speakers articulate their concerns about the Keystone XL Pipeline. Speakers included Nobel Laureate Jodi Williams, writer and activist Naomi Klein, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation Larry Schweiger, Maryland State Delegate Heather Mizeur, renowned climatologist and NASA scientist James Hansen, Tom Poor Bear of the Lakota Tribe, Freedom Medal recipient John Adams, actor Mark Ruffalo, Hip Hop Caucus President Lennox Yearwood and others.

The audience constantly erupted in applause and cheers as speech after speech reiterated the need to terminate the progress of the proposed pipeline.

Courtney Hyde, the coordinator of Obama's 2008 youth campaign in Florida, said of the president: "I want to remind him of the hope that he gave me, and he gave us."

Other speeches were more sobering. Williams declared bluntly that if the pipeline is built, "we're screwed." Hansen described the tar sands as "the turning point in our fossil fuel addiction." Transit Workers Union member Roger Touissant spoke to the Executive Branch directly when he said: "President Obama, we want jobs, but not jobs as gravediggers for the planet."

Bill McKibben, master of ceremonies of the rally and founder of both 350.org and Tar Sands Action addressed the protestors from the stage of Lafayette park. He, brought an unmatched ardor to the podium. He said, "No more with this stunt double in the Oval Office," which reiterated Obama's critical role in determining whether or not this pipeline cuts through US soil.

Gabby Stern ‘13 felt that the most powerful part of the day for her was when speakers began to use the "mic check" technique of saying one sentence, and having the audience repeat it back. That way, the message rippled through the crowd and reached even the people farthest from the stage. Amidst the throngs of civilians, there were many college students and young people concerned with the future of the planet.

The demographic was not entirely limited to the 20-something crowd. There were families pushing strollers, businesspeople in suits on their lunch break and people with graying hair who brandished homemade signs that read: "Old Fart Against Big Oil" and "You Promised My Granddaughter a Cleaner Future." There were farmers from Nebraska, people dressed in polar bear suits and constituents from all over the country who together carried an enormous mock pipeline through the streets.

When McKibben gave the word, the crowd members broke up into three teams based on where they were standing in relation to the speakers' stage: the brown team, the orange team and the red team. Each team walked in a different direction, and between 10 and 12,000 protesters began to line up and link arms. We sang and chanted as we organized. "Hey, Obama, we don't want no climate drama" and "Yes we can… stop the pipeline" echoed all around me. The audible determination in those words was invigorating.

Finally, we got the mass text message that the White House had been fully surrounded. The lines were anywhere from three to 10 people deep. The crowd buzzed enthusiastically, particularly the Skidmore contingent, empowered by the realization that our message could not be easily ignored. Ian Van Nest '14 felt most inspired when he found himself chanting "I believe that we will win" over and over again with other demonstrators around him. "I got to see how passionate people were about it," he said.

Our bus left from Pennsylvania Avenue at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Saratoga bound, students slept soundly, studied feverishly or alternated between the two. Margot Reisner ‘14, EAC president, both congratulated and reminded us that our work was not yet finished. The completion of a successful rally and a persistent sense of looming responsibility left me feeling somehow simultaneously satisfied and restless.

That same combination of calmness and conviction pervaded the entire bus. "I felt tired," Tim Robinson '14 said of the trip home. He added, though, "I felt like I was a part of something. We made five rings around the White House." Though exhausted and perhaps unprepared for the week ahead, we had shown up to participate in something larger than ourselves. The full effect of our collective effort has yet to be seen, but we will continue to believe that we can win.  

Skidmore literati assemble new magazine: ?Palimpsest? promises another forum for student poetry and prose

Posted by Brendan James

At a college where the study of English reigns supreme among the humanities, two students have set out to fill the gaps in Skidmore's literary scene with a new journal dedicated to students' creative writing.

English majors Anne-Louise Korallus-Shapiro '12 and Margo Shickmanter '12 have spearheaded a new student literary journal to exhibit the talents of their peers. The journal, Palimpsest, will be an online-only publication dedicated to student fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction.

"We want to showcase the English department's amazing work for the entire college, the way that the Art department displays their work in galleries," says Korallus-Shapiro.

Creative non-fiction in particular is largely absent from Skidmore's other publications, such as Folio or the literary sex magazine Bare. Korallus-Shapiro and Shickmanter seek to highlight the neglected category in Palimpsest.

"We think that the body of creative writing, and particularly non-fiction, kind of gets short-shrift right now," says Shickmanter. "It's sort of crowded out by the literary analysis and theory."

The project began with the help of a student opportunity grant from the Office of Academic Advising. Next Korallus-Shapiro and Shickmanter enlisted their peers from workshops in the English department and began to form an editorial staff.

At the moment that staff is full of upperclassmen, but with the magazine launching soon the editors are eager to reach out to underclassmen who hold a creative and literary impulse.

"As seniors, this is something we obviously want to see continue after we leave, so we are very interested in getting underclassmen involved as soon as possible," Korallus-Shapiro says.

The decision to hold off on a print edition and produce an online-only magazine, she adds, was chiefly due to costs. However, it will also allow the editors of Palimpsest to accept and publish submissions on a rolling basis. She hopes that this online format, designed by Matt Rothenberg '12, will allow for an even greater amount of content than a printed journal could contain.

The editors are hoping to publish selected submissions by students, as they come, by this December. Unique to the submission process is the editors' plan to turn each submission into a kind of workshop.

"In reviewing a student's work, rather than simply accepting it or turning it down, we want to create a workshop environment where applicants can see the creative process and understand the way this all works," says Korallus-Shapiro.

The pair invite any students interested in the magazine to submit fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry to the editors' email and stay tuned for the impending launch of the website.

"For those on campus who live and breathe [literature], we are looking to create this space that doesn't quite exist yet," says Korallus-Shapiro.

Having borrowed the term "palimpsest" for the title of his first memoir, Gore Vidal described the technique as "erasing some but not all of the original while writing something new over the first layer of text." In this vein, Korallus-Shapiro and Shickmanter say they are ready to redefine the College's literary landscape while preserving the core of creativity that attracted them to Skidmore in the first place.

Restaurant Review: The Local

Posted by Tegan O'Neill

The next time you have a hankering for a nice, unpretentious midday meal, give The Local a try. Nestled in the quaint Beekman Street Arts District, The Local doubles as a pub and teahouse serving up traditional English and Irish fare. The Local does not put on airs. Instead, Bob Marley plays in the background and customers get cozy at their booths and plank tables. When we went, the place was decked out in Halloween knickknacks and, although eating alongside cobwebs was slightly disturbing, I could still appreciate the festive touch.

The establishment's dimensions are suggestive of a boxcar. Throughout the meal, I had the sensation that we might start rumbling along at any moment. Luckily though, with all of the beer mugs hanging above the bar and the teacups on tables, The Local is planted on firm ground. At our table, we shared a pot of honey chai tea poured from a little teapot short and stout.

To begin with, we had the day's soup special: pumpkin - and it truly was a special soup. The savory flavor of pumpkin glowed with the sweet and simple taste of brown sugar. I was tempted to ask for the recipe, but decided I would rather remain in a state of wonder.

It seemed like the right place and time to order a tea sandwich, as we were sitting in a teahouse drinking tea. I was in the mood for a sandwich of goat cheese and almonds. My eyeballs bulged upon seeing the hardly petite tea sandwich placed in front of me. The fluffy snow pile of goat cheese wedged between two slices of bread with the crusts cut off made my dreams come true. To add to my contentment, a dainty roof of almond slivers was crunched above the chèvre cloud.

I was pleasantly surprised by the veggie burger which, in actuality, was not a burger but a slab of grilled eggplant between roasted red peppers and mozzarella. I delighted in biting into the cushiony bakery roll, feeling my teeth cut through the chewy eggplant, slice through the soft mozzarella and sever into the slippery red peppers. Admittedly, that sounds like a tale of treacherous textures, but have no fear. The veggie burger is pudgy and kind like the pillsbury dough boy. The best element of the sandwich's construction is actually not a part of the sandwich but sits on the side in a little thimble of a cup. According to the menu it is balsamic vinaigrette, but I believe this is too modest of a description. More mayonnaise than vinaigrette, it was tasty and I loved dipping and re-dipping the veggie burger for more.

The Local also does breakfast (technically it's brunch) on the weekends. If you are planning on logging trees for the remainder of the day, breakfast there will suit your needs quite well. The hefty breakfast portions are fit for lumberjacks and those pining for heart attacks. Eggs, potatoes and meat dominate the menu. Ordinarily, that would suffice, but what was so bothersome was the poor quality of those breakfast basics. The homefries were clearly not made in house and the grilled tomato was grainy and a very sad shade of pink. When the farmers' market down the street is selling fresh tomatoes it seems like a sin to put what The Local did on a plate. If The Local truly took its name seriously, maybe it would buy its produce locally, too.

Where I had been happy with the soup and sandwiches at lunch, I was thoroughly unimpressed and borderline disgusted with what I ate for breakfast. I can hardly bring myself to recount the ingredient list for the Eye Opener: poutine fries (i.e. french fries drowned in gravy and cheese), two eggs, bacon and sour cream. Never have I seen such a hideous mountain of glop. It looked like a soggy mess and tasted like one, too.

The Irish Breakfast was just your basic eggs, bacon, sausage, homefries and toast with a grilled tomato added to the mix. The mild and mushy sausage was disappointing and neither the eggs nor the bacon stood out. I already griped about the homefries, and I can't help myself from lamenting about the problems with the toast. Packages of Smucker's jam were thrown haphazardly onto the plate on top of the food. Seeing plastic packets lying on meat and eggs really rubbed me the wrong way. At least they could have put the jam packets to the side.

The omelet we ordered was a take on the classic lox, cream cheese and capers except, rather than on a bagel, it was all slipped into an omelet. Despite an excess of capers, which pushed the omelet past acceptable saltiness, I enjoyed it. The refreshing taste of salmon was a much welcome relief amid the mess of the heaviest of breakfasts.

Part teahouse, part pub, The Local's offerings span quite the range. To be satisfied, it all depends on what you are looking for. If a huge, hearty, hulking breakfast is what you're after, then you will not be disappointed. If that type of thing is not your cup of tea, I say skip the breakfast and instead wait until lunch. It is then that creativity peeks through, details are attended to and unique eats appear.

Read More of Tegan O'Neill's outings at her blog

Caroline Busta '01 addresses the past and present of contemporary art criticism: Assistant editor of Artforum discusses the discourse behind contemporary art

Posted by Sandy Zhang

Last Thursday, Caroline Busta, class of 2001 and assistant editor at Artforum magazine, gave a lecture in the Tang Teaching Museum on the past and present roles Artforum magazine has played in the contemporary art world.

Appropriately, Art History Department Chair Katie Hauser, who was Busta's advisor, introduced Busta. Professor Hauser said that in Busta's senior year, Busta curated a well-received art show in her apartment.

Busta started the lecture with a brief history of the magazine's early years, chronicling its founding in San Francisco in 1962 and its subsequent moves to Los Angeles and New York. In light of Artforum's looming 50th anniversary, Busta painted a picture of the magazine's founding purpose by reading the mission statement of its conception. She explained that in 1962, a surge in consumption of fine modern art necessitated a community that objectively dialogued about art. Discourse about fine art in a circulating object form was needed to establish value for artists and consumers alike. Artforum sought to be this nexus point where artists, critics, art dealers and galleries co-existed.

Busta went on to reveal that Artforum continues to act as a host to the relationships between its editorial board, galleries, artists and art dealers, which often become twisted and convoluted.

In 1974, the magazine wanted to publish a naked photo of artist Lynda Benglis holding a double-sided dildo. Busta explains that the work interrupts the normative hetero fantasies that pornography encourages because she is shown as an object of male desire and the prop signals that she is sexually self-sufficient. Because of its explicit nature, the magazine refused to publish the photo. The solution was for the artist to ask the Paula Cooper Gallery, which was representing Benglis at the time, to purchase advertisement space so the photo could run as an ad instead.

"However, the spread (a full two pages, as a centerfold photo would appear) was not taken out to advertise a forthcoming show, but rather, to present this photo. For Benglis the work wasn't just the photo, but the photo-as-circulated was part of the magazine," Busta said.

The lecture addressed more current issues when Busta declared that the Occupy Wall Street movement is creating and circulating quirky dialogue, art and criticism. She presented examples of the spontaneous art the movement has spurred. For example, Joie de Vivre, a 70-foot red steel sculpture by Mark di Suvero that resides in Zuccotti Park, has been altered to resemble a bulletin board – sporting an anarchy sign, stickers and notices.

"Showing Joie de Vivre was intended to demonstrate how, like the pages of a magazine, a physical site could also be a vital place for discursive exchange. And what better than a site that is also the very art object that is being contested," Busta said.

Busta also showed a photo of two hand-written posters on top of each other. One reads "TAX DAT ASS," and the other, "ASS DAT TAX." The poster represents a more straightforward form of discourse. "This demonstrates another form of direct criticism, one that doesn't need further mediation via a publishing vehicle, such as a magazine, to exist." Busta said.

In her discussion of the art that surrounds the movement, Busta acknowledged that blogs and micro-blogs like Twitter are attaining increasingly influential roles in the continuing dialogues of the contemporary art world.

Before ending the lecture with a 20-minute question and answer session, Busta briefly outlined the magazine's standard editorial operations and procedures. "To make sure that a plurality of voices is represented, no artist can be reviewed by the same writer twice in a row," Busta said.

During the question and answer session, Busta spoke more specifically on her role and duties at the magazine. She also walked the audience through her own career, describing the trajectory to her position at Artforum.

After graduating from the College in 2001, Busta moved to New York, where she worked as an assistant to former Skidmore Professor Rob Linrothe at the Rubin Museum of Art, received an MA degree in Art History from Columbia University, and began freelance writing. Busta also served as a co-director of Miguel Abreu Gallery and co-curated an exhibition at Orchard, galleries located in Manhattan's Lower East Side. She joined Artforum as a full time staff member in July of 2008.

Dylan Lustrin '13, an art history major, was pleased with the lecture. "It was refreshing to hear someone speak who not long ago was also a Skidmore student. Having attended the Living the Liberal Arts panel just a few weeks before her lecture, hearing about her career experience fit nicely with the Art History department's valid questioning of the real-world utility of an Art History degree," Lustrin said.

The Alfred Z. Solomon Residency, which has also brought artist Nicolas Guagnini and writer Jessica Lott to campus, sponsored Busta's visit to the College.

New director plans to relaunch Career Services: Focus to shift to students early in their college careers

Posted by Adrian Appleman

Deborah Loffredo has served as the new director of Career Services since Sept. 26, bringing a wealth of career development experience and ambition along with her and already working to render changes in what may be renamed the Career Development Center.

As reported by Scope, Loffredo is a "career-development professional" who has had extensive experience in the professional realm, including working as a manager of campus recruiting for the Pepsi Bottling Group, a human performance consultant at global consulting firm Accenture and a senior staffing specialist at Thermo Electron.

"We are looking to relaunch and rebrand Career Services to become the Career Development Center," Loffredo said, "with a focus on developing and engaging students earlier in their Skidmore careers through a variety of programming, including offering trained senior peer career coaches. We also plan to improve our support for students and alumni pursuing graduate education, international students pursuing careers in the U.S. and alumni looking to make career transitions."

Penny Loretto, who served as interim director of Career Services from December 2010 to this September, met with Loffredo as part of the screening process.

"Ms. Loffredo was by far the best candidate for the position," Loretto said in an email. "Her expertise, vision and past experience made her the perfect candidate for the job." 

Most recently, Loffredo worked at the NYU Stern School of Business, where she served in a variety of roles, including employer relations, career development and counseling for MBA students and alumni and leadership development.

"The skills I developed in these roles gave me a great foundation to come to Skidmore and add value in Career Services," Loffredo said.

Loffredo oversees the development and delivery of programs and services that help students and alumni set and achieve their short and long-term career goals. She collaborates with faculty, alumni, parents, students and administration to expand the Career Services offerings, which includes cultivating relationships with prospective employers.

"Ms. Loffredo has already made presentations to the Alumni Association, Parents Council and SGA, discussing some of the new initiatives Career Services hopes to make in the next couple of years," Loretto said, "along with asking for feedback and suggestions on ways Career Services can improve on the services it offers to students and alumni."

Since arriving in September, Loffredo has met with students, faculty, alumni and various associations within the College community. "It seems as if everyone at Skidmore wants a piece of her," said Shelly Bouchard, staff assistant and recruiting coordinator for Career Services.

Loffredo has also overseen several projects, including the coordination of the third annual Career Jam on Oct. 14 in conjunction with the Alumni Association and Parents Council. She, along with the rest of Career Services, is overseeing the placement of approximately 100 students with sponsors who work in career fields and locations of interest to students during winter break, as well as orchestrating internship workshops and "Living the Liberal Arts" presentations throughout the remainder of the semester.

"The liberal arts curriculum prepares students with critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to take risks and embrace change, leadership skills, etc.," Loffredo said. "I attended a small liberal arts school similar to Skidmore and I loved the diverse learning platform provided by the liberal arts curriculum. Skidmore graduates go into so many unique careers with this foundation, which makes my job as a Career Services professional extremely interesting and fun. Skidmore is a very special place and a welcoming community; I am thrilled to be here."

The next Internship Workshop will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov, 8 in Bolton Hall, Room 280. "Living the Liberal Arts in Biology" will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Murray Aikins Dining Hall.

DateMySchool offers academic exclusivity and caters to the picky

Posted by Sarah Barry and Sandy Zhang

For those frustrated by the limited romantic offerings in their schools, DateMySchool may be the apt solution. DateMySchool.com specifically caters to only undergraduates, graduates, and alumni users to provide a virtual way to meet social peers from schools across the country.

On October 19 DMS expanded to 600 colleges and universities nationwide. "We're extending usage to become what we really are: a platform to discover new people online. We plan to expand to even more colleges and universities in the U.S and, eventually, we plan to expand internationally," said Melanie Wallner, public relations director of DMS.

Two MBA classmates at Columbia University, Balazs Alexa and Jean Meyer, founded the website, which launched in Nov. 2010. "Within a week, 5 percent of Columbia's student body signed up. We expanded to NYU a month later and, today, over 25 percent of Columbia and NYU students are on DMS," Wallner said.

Perhaps the most useful feature of the website is that it allows users to pick and choose the qualities that are important to them. One can search for potential suitors by school, major, graduate program, religion, age, height etc. For example, if someone only wants to date people who are enrolled in Columbia Business School and are between 20 and 25 years old, then anyone without these traits will not appear in a search.

"They [Alexa and Meyer] came up with DMS after a girl in the nursing school complained about her department being 90 percent female. They were in the business school, which was 80 percent male. They realized that there was a bigger market – lots of students want to meet across departments and campuses," Wallner said.

Similar to Facebook in its early stages, DateMySchool only allows those with an email address ending in .edu to become members. In other words, only if you are associated with an educational institution are you allowed to join.

According to the website, this restriction of email address creates a safer virtual environment to those who hold qualms about meeting with any stranger with an Internet connection. Members are also unsearchable on Google, and DateMySchool does not require a fee from its members.

The networking and dating service has expanded to schools in hubs like Washington, D. C., Boston, Miami, Los Angeles and San Diego. "Extensive press coverage, including CNN, The New York Times, The Huffington Post and Time Out NY, have helped us reach over 55,00 members," Wallner said.

"Whether for dating, relational or study purposes, DMS is the go-to place to discover new friends, not necessarily to connect with old ones," Wallner said.

To find out more information or to register for DMS visit DateMySchool.com

Young entrepreneurs thrive at Skidmore Student Markets: WSPN & PROARTS host the first of several campus market events open to everyone

Posted by Michael DuPr??

Oct. 7 marked the opening of the first Skidmore Student Market, which brought together students' diverse artistic and culinary talents to sell their creations on Case Green. 

Katie Humphreys, a brainchild of the Student Market, helped create the event for students who make interesting things. "The Skidmore Market is a great way to promote WSPN and the talents of Skidmore's student artists and bakers," Humphreys said. 

At the market, a few of the students sold used or vintage clothes.  Since high school, Humphreys has collected unique items at thrift stores.  Her collection has pieces from all over the country: Washington, Louisiana and upstate New York. The pieces that she sold at the market were ones that did not fit her or that she had not worn in a while.  Humphreys was able to make enough money to fund a few weekends. 

"My friends, like many college students, have get-rich-quick schemes," Humphreys said. "We've been talking about doing this for a while."

On the weekends, Humphreys' friend, Alex Maddalena '12, often brings up his idea to sell banana bread to Skidmore students.  Another one of Humphreys' friends, Melissa Schlobohm '12, often expresses her desire to have a garage sale on campus. 

Another popular item was the biscotti baked and sold by Caitlin Allen '12.  After studying abroad in Florence, Allen brought back some local recipes and started Cait's Cookies. 

Allen thought of the Student Market as a learning experience.  "Students who study art at Skidmore receive great instruction, but learn very little about the business side of things," she said.

Humphreys has high expectations for the Skidmore Student Market.  "I want to see it flourish.  I would like to see more clubs, and especially more underclassmen, get involved," Humphreys said.

Humphreys hinted at the possibility of collaborating with the environmental action club, vendors from the Saratoga Farmers Market or a local animal shelter. 

Students are not required to sell the items they place on display. Trading items is also encouraged. "We are able to make a profit from our talents without the influence of any outside power structure," Humphreys said.

Look out for posters announcing the next Skidmore Student Market, the time and place of which have yet to be announced.  To find out more, contact Katie Humphreys at khumphre@skidmore.edu or Alex Amaddalena at amaddale@skidmore.edu. 

EAC plans trip to join Washington, D.C., protests against Keystone XL: Club members continue to voice their opinions despite previous arrests

Posted by Julia Leef

In step with the nationwide environmental movement, the Environmental Action Club is organizing a trip to join the thousands of protestors campaigning against the Keystone XL Pipeline on Nov. 6 in Washington, D.C.

This event is part of a series of protests that have been occurring in the last few months. People have been gathering in Washington, D.C. to speak out against the new Keystone XL Pipeline, a project that would bring oil from Alberta, Canada to refineries in Texas, passing through the Sand Hills of Nebraska, location of the Great Plains ecosystem.

"This is the next civil rights movement," said Eliza Sherpa '14, vice president of EAC. "This issue isn't going away."

On Sept. 3, Sherpa and Margot Reisner '14, president of EAC, who were on campus early for S-rep training, went down to D.C. with three other S-reps to join the last day of a two-week protest.

The police arrested 1,253 people during those two weeks, including Reisner and Sherpa, as well as Jane Li '14 and Joe Marto '14. Sherpa said the arrest really affected her.

"I felt more empowered than I've ever felt. I was giving everything that I physically possibly could to the issue," she said. "It was very inspiring to have so many people around you and just know that this is what our future is - we're making our future right now."

These protests are directed at President Barack Obama, who will make his decision about the fate of the pipeline project at the end of the year, Reisner said, adding that staging a protest on Nov. 6 places it exactly one year before the 2012 presidential elections. Obama's position regarding these environmental issues may have a great impact on his re-election chances, Reisner said.

"There's a problem in our society where we don't exercise our rights to democracy," Reisner said, adding that this is an opportunity for the people to make their voices heard, instead of relying on representatives to do so for them.

The potential pollution the pipeline could cause is not the only issue at hand, however. Sherpa said the original Keystone pipeline, which carries oil from Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma, has had 11 spills at pumping stations in the past year.

Reisner doesn't agree with the government's claim that extending the pipeline to Texas will create jobs and reduce our dependency on foreign oil. She said that not only is this latter statement untrue, as the oil will be imported from Canada, but the number of new jobs will reach a peak force of only 4,500 outsourced, not local, jobs during construction.

"It's really just the government leaning toward corporate profit over community health," Reisner said.

Reisner and Sherpa both hope that involving students will assist in spreading information around and bringing these controversies to light. The EAC has enough funding to bring 50 to 100 students to D.C., and it offers other ways to get involved locally.

Students may contact either Reisner or Sherpa to be placed on an interest list, which currently has 120 students, after which they will receive emails with information on the issues, petitions and other ways to get involved.

In addition, the EAC will be arranging carpools to attend a hearing on Nov. 21 in Trenton, New Jersey held by the Delaware River Basin Commission. This hearing will determine whether to allow hydrofracking in the Delaware River Basin, and there will be a large gathering of people to protest an affirmation of this decision.

The environmental issues behind hydrofracking, a drilling process that threatens to pollute public drinking water, are connected to the Keystone protests in that both are important events relating to public health and environmental progress, Sherpa said.

"This is one of the issues that will define our future entirely," Sherpa said.

Students who are interested in becoming involved should contact Reisner and Sherpa for more information, or speak to other members of the EAC, who will be in the atrium in the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall during dinnertime in addition to their weekly meetings at 9 p.m. on Mondays in Ladd 207.

Those who wish to attend the protest in D.C. must come to an info session hosted by the EAC at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30 in Gannett Auditorium. At the meeting students will learn more information and must sign a liability form and an emergency contact list to attend the trip.

Students will leave from Case Center on Nov. 5 around 1 p.m. and will stay overnight at St. Stephen's Church in Washington, D.C. The following afternoon, students will join the protests in front of the White House for an hour or two before returning to the college on Sunday night. Although housing will be free, students should bring money for food and metro cards.

"This isn't something that's going to happen without the people going and taking action," Sherpa said. "It's a good way to bring together, not just the environmental community at Skidmore, but other members of society as well. This is a turning point in our history."

Union workers no longer demonstrating at Skidmore College

Posted by Julia Leef

At a meeting this week between the College's construction services management firm and the union leaders from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America-Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, the union leaders revealed that there will be no further action at the college, said Mike West, vice president for finance and administration.

West said that the management firm provided carpenters with additional information regarding their contract with the College, and he hopes that this will help to resolve the differences between Local 291 union and Niatrust Drywall Inc., the private cooperation contracted for the construction projects in Northwoods and Scribner Village.

More information on the union's previous protests at the college can be found here.

Todd Banks, leader of the picketing effort for Local 291, confirmed that, for the time being, the union would cease demonstrations outside of the College. "For the time being, we're going to hold off there as part of a good faith effort," he said.

However, Banks said that the union still has issues with Niatrust, as well as other non-area standards contractors, such as Commercial Interiors and Landmark Flooring.

"Our agreement to not do action up there [at the college] has nothing to do with our disagreement with Niatrust," Banks said. He added that the union will continue to protest wherever Niatrust is employed, so long as it continues to pay substandard benefits.

"We're just moving forward and doing what we have to do when companies like Niatrust come around," Banks said.

Banks said that if the College contracted a non-area standards company for future work, whether Niatrust or another company, the union would demonstrate again. 

Restaurant Review: The Wine Bar

Posted by Tegan O'Neill

The Wine Bar has the opulence of Saratoga Springs stamped all over it. Diners sip from glistening globes of wine in a dark and warmly lit dining room. A strand of lights twinkles like fireflies in the large bay window overlooking Broadway. It feels like the town of horses and money that the postcards of Saratoga purport it to be.

All three sections of the Wine Bar's menu - earth, land, sea - offer intriguing selections. The option to order either a small or large portion of many of the entrées exists, and, in the interest of saving money, it is wise to take advantage of this choice.

From the earth, we chose the pizza with Gruyere, onion confit and roasted pumpkin. The Gruyere strung beautifully from the pizza as we divided its slices. A thick layer of succulently sweet onions glazed the crust. The pumpkin was wonderful and autumnal – its rich, orange pigmentation bestowed a beautiful color to the pizza. The crust, however, was no match for the toppings. It lacked both structure and flavor and came off tasting rather flat.

Ordering the wild boar bolognese with fresh pasta rags was an opportunity too tempting to pass up, but unfortunately upon trying it my hopes came crashing down. I expected a dish that would snarl back at me. I envisioned a snout covered in coarse bristles of fur. Instead, the plate of wild boar bolognese was disappointingly tame. I would not have guessed that the mild meat sauce was something other than beef.

The oil poached halibut with squid ink risotto and fennel purée blew the other two dishes out of the water. Each bite was a thrill - the halibut was light and fresh. Equally refreshing was the fennel purée pooled upon the plate. It tasted like it came out of a spring garden. The squid ink risotto did nothing to enhance the dish other than to provide visual contrast. Albeit appealing to the eye, it had little flavor and no memorable taste.

The rich, juicy duck was utterly superb. The brussels sprouts, turnips and carrots served with the confit leg seemed superfluous. How can you care about eating carrots when the succulent meat of duck awaits your palate? Additionally, the drizzling of apple mustard gastrique also seemed nonessential. The duck was the shining star of the dish and it did not need any backup dancers. I wish the chef had just left the duck to steal the show.

Speaking of stealing the show, the chocolate cake deserves some time in the limelight. The Wine Bar's chocolate cake was the best chocolate dessert I have had in a very long time. It was rich without being too rich and sweet without being too sweet. The texture of the token-shaped dessert was hard to pin point; it was almost chalky yet also almost moist. A simple scoop of sweet vanilla ice cream atop was a perfect compliment to the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate cake.

The portions at the Wine Bar leave you wanting just one bite more. Not because they are too small, but because they are too good. I wouldn't mind having just one more gnaw at the duck or another nibble of chocolate cake. I guess that means I'll have to go back.

Read More of Tegan O'Neill's outings at her Blog

The Long and Winding Road to Beatlemore Skidmania: The decade-old gig draws near and takes shape

Posted by Brendan James

Few events at the College stir as much anticipation as the annual tribute concert to Britain's Fab Four, Beatlemore Skidmania. This year's program has been published and preparations are under way for the shows on Nov. 11 and 12 in the Zankel Music Center.

From artistic direction to integration of new media, this year's concert will feature a host of new approaches toward bringing the Beatles' music to life. As always, Dr. Gordon Thompson of the music department oversees the organization of the concert, having founded and managed the show since its inception in 2001.

Thompson assigns his MU 344 Beatles seminar the task of organizing the concert. "I gave them as much of a say as I could in the planning," Thompson said. Because the seminar meets at 9:10 a.m., this has been the smallest group he has ever had, but he stresses their ambition to pull off a lively and complete show.

"It has been challenging to say the least, "said Jonathan Duennebier '13, one of the seminar students. "However, with only six students in the class, we all feel very closely involved, and are taking a great deal of pride with the process." Duennebier and his peers sat through 12 hours and 50 acts with a view to narrow them down to 20 for the program.

The interpretations of the Beatles catalog at the show are historically unique and diverse. One year saw two turntable artists with drums and bass backing a spoken-word version of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite;" another saw a rap version of "Give Peace a Chance."

"This year, we'll have the same kinds of diversity and yet still have something new," Thompson said. "You will hear interpretations of Beatles songs unlike anything you have ever heard in the past."

A novel aspect of the show's preparation has been the line of T-shirts and posters designed by Professor Deb Hall's "Communication Design II." Thompson brought the designs by Hall's class back to the Beatles seminar, which then spent more than an hour choosing the designs for Beatlemore Skidmania.

"In the end, we selected a great poster by Samantha Shneyer ('12) that we will print in proper poster size, along with the wonderful three runners-up. These we will raffle off at the end of the concerts," Thompson said.

"It's a very special, vibrant event, and with every year the buzz seems to grow. Judging from the acts we've selected, I think everyone will be blown away by the concert. We still have a lot of work to do, but it should be an incredible night," Duennebier said. "Who doesn't love The Beatles?"

Over the past decade the show has risen from obscurity to become a staple of the college's culture.

Thompson began leading a Beatles seminar in 1996, but in the fall of 2001 his students asked for the opportunity to actually perform the music they had studied. "The first event ran way below the radar. We held it on a study day in December, we invited friends and we did no advertising," Thompson said.

As years went by the concert swelled in attendence until the hall was full at every show. People drove from Boston and Newark to see the concert. Last year's concert in the 600-seat Filene-Ladd Hall of Zankel sold out of the non-student tickets in minutes, prompting Thompson to schedule a second show.

Thompson reflects on the surge in popularity: "No longer is this a small, in-house concert with music students and faculty getting together to play music. Now, lots of people want to be in the show. I've tried to preserve the idea of student ownership of the event, but much is new. For example, we're exploring a webcast in the hopes that we can give even more people access to the event."

Now that his project has grown from a small recital to a sold-out event, Thompson remains pleased with the originality that Skidmore students bring to the arrangements and spirit of the music.

"This is our event and it's unlike anything else out there that I know," Thompson said.

Mountain Quickstep brings country music to Zankel: Unique band delivers an energetic performance in Ladd Concert Hall

Posted by Olivia Powers

On Oct 13, Mountain Quickstep transported Skidmore to another time and place during their performance at the Ladd Concert Hall of Arthur Zankel Music Center.

The band combines elements of old-time bluegrass and influences of early country music from the Adirondack, Appalachian, and Smoky Mountain regions to create a folksy sound that melds the old with the new. The band members, who include Sarah Milonovich, Greg Anderson, and faculty members John Kirk and Trish Miller, were natural performers. They brought the country atmosphere to Zankel by telling stories of Louisiana fiddle camp and using words like "folks" and "fellas" with a slight country twang.

"[The band] is very good at keeping the old styles alive, but putting a new spin on them," said fiddle student Leland Martin '14.

Music wasn't the only thing brought to the stage. Kirk and Miller both broke out their dancing shoes and displayed an energetic performance of quickstep as the other two band members continued to play. Their enthusiastic smiles, impressive high kicks, and fast feet inspired the audience to clap, and even sing along at times. In a way, the music made a community out of the unacquainted audience members as they laughed together and raised their voices in a single chorus.

The performance was a special kick-off concert to celebrate Mountain Quickstep's selection for the "Rhythm of the Road: American Music Abroad" program. The tour will take the band to Eastern Europe in November. Put on by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the US Department of State, the tour will allow the group to introduce their traditional American sound to international venues.

"We're so lucky to be able to take this tour," gushed Miller. "We're going to be able to go around the world and make some friends."

The band is excited for the opportunity that the tour will give them in becoming more active world citizens.

"We'll go very close to the Middle East and hopefully meet some people there who will be able to say ‘we are friends with some Americans'," Miller said.

The audience responded to this hope with a resounding cheer.

The concert ended as the band brought student musicians from the College and Bennington College on stage to play two final songs. Kirk and Miller coaxed the students closer to the microphones, displaying the burgeoning talents of the younger generation in recalling a past time.

When the band returned to stage for a final encore, Kirk thanked the college's music department for supporting smaller instruments, like the fiddle and banjo, which are inherent to folk music. The audience's boisterous applause confirmed its gratitude as well.

For photos and videos of Mountain Quickstep's tour fans can visit the band's blog at www.mountainquickstep.com.

EAC discusses trip to D.C. to join protests: Students may join protests against hydrofracking and Keystone XL

Posted by Ani Lordkipanidze

Members of the Environmental Action Club (EAC) met to discuss the upcoming protest against hydrofracking and Keystone XL that will take place in Washington, D.C.

The protests are against hydrofracking, a form of drilling that, while financially beneficial, threatens to pollute drinking water and endanger public safety.

Thousands of people will likely protest against hydrofracking and the Keystone XL Pipeline Project outside of the White House from Nov. 5 to Nov. 6 as part of a series of protests that have occurred in the past few months.

The Keystone XL Pipeline Project is a proposed system to transport petroleum from the Athabascan oil sands of Alberta to refineries in Texas. This pipeline would pass through the Sand Hills of Nebraska, a Great Plains prairie ecosystem.

At the meeting, the EAC proposed traveling to Washington, D.C, to join the protests. Students are welcome to attend this event through buses provided by the EAC. Participants will stay at St. Stephen's Church overnight.

Transportation and housing will be free, although a $5 donation to the church is encouraged. Students will leave on Saturday, Nov. 5 and return on Sunday.

The EAC also discussed future lectures and debates on campus that will be hosted by guest speakers and will focus mainly on sustainability.

From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20 in Gannett Auditorium, Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White and author James Howard Kunstler will invite the public to debate the need for a sustainable future, and whether change is possible in light of modern conditions.

Jeff Olson of Alta Planning & Design will moderate the debate, and there will be a meet-and-greet session an hour before the lecture.

The Environmental Studies Program is sponsoring this debate.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, EAC will meet in Falstaff's to clean up compost buckets from every apartment in Northwoods. Volunteers are welcome.

The Environmental Action Club meets at 9 p.m. every Monday in Ladd Hall 207.

Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini... Oh my!: Professor Flagg Taylor discusses new book on totalitarianism

Posted by Kelsey Nichols

Flagg Taylor's new book, "The Great Lie," is a selection of 36 essays that address the power and scope of totalitarianism, a phenomenon that dominated the 20th century.

The volume aims to make the writings of these notable political authors more accessible and manageable. The work is a hefty piece of reading at around 600 pages and is arranged in six different subsections to help its readers grasp the complex political, philosophical and moral dilemmas detailed in the book.

One of Professor Taylor's favorite sections is titled "Seduction." It emphasizes the allure of the utopia that attracted so many followers. Taylor feels it can be difficult for a generation that did not experience the propaganda of totalitarianism to understand this allure. The most prominent leaders of totalitarian regimes are names that will not soon be forgotten — Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin to name a few. Each leader found multitudes of followers who were seduced by the promise of a better world.

Taylor has always been interested in political science, but it wasn't until he wrote his dissertation about 10 years ago that he found himself overwhelmed by the works of 20th century political dissidents such as Aleksander Solzhenitsyn and Vaclav Havel. In 2005, Taylor had the opportunity to teach a summer class called "Dissident Political Thought," which has since become a regular course offering at Skidmore. After teaching this class, Taylor recognized the need for the creation of a neat compilation of some of the best and brightest authors on this subject.

Taylor's dedication to creating the compilation was prompted by his desire for present and future generations to remember the power of totalitarianism.

"Most of the authors that I collect in the book are either dead or getting old," Taylor said. "We, especially in America, have no direct connection to the experience of what it was like to live under those regimes… [therefore] each generation has to take it upon themselves to learn about political evil and the temptation of ideologies."

Taylor hopes that information about the citizens under these past regimes can prevent the totalitarian temptation from taking hold again. "Evil does not come knocking at the door promising evil. It is attractive and promises good," Taylor said.

Taylor and former Government Professor Carl Scott are currently working on another book of essays that touches on these themes about the award winning German film, "The Lives of Others," a film about life in East Germany under Communism in the 1980s.

Students and parents gather for Celebration Weekend: The Office of Alumni Affairs & College Events sponsors events for the weekend

Posted by Julia Leef

As students and parents gather together for the upcoming weekend, they will have the opportunity to attend a variety of programs sponsored by the Office of Alumni Affairs & College Events that make up the annual Celebration Weekend, which takes place from Oct. 14 to 16.

Families will be able to see the college's facilities through events, open houses, interactions with the administration, performances at the Arthur Zankel Music Center and the SGA Club Fair.

"This is our opportunity to really showcase the great things at Skidmore that don't necessarily show every weekend," said Megan Mercier, associate director of Alumni Affairs & College Events, who will be in charge of Celebration Weekend for her fourth year. "It's a great way to engage parents in the life of the college."

Mercier said planning for Celebration Weekend begins in January with making reservations for space on campus to host events. In April, initial callouts are sent to faculty members for participation in MiniCollege, a program that allows families to attend lectures featuring a variety of professors and topics.

These lectures include "Your Brain Is Not a Computer and Your Mind Isn't Computation" with Flip Phillips, director of the neuroscience program and professor of psychology, and "The Beatles ‘I Feel Fine' " with Gordon Thompson, professor of music, and are available from Friday to Saturday.

"We have found over the years that people really enjoy our schedule," said Mercier, citing feedback surveys from families in attendance from previous years.

From April until August, the Office of Alumni Affairs & College Events finalizes the details for Celebration Weekend, working with various facilities to set up events. One such facility is the Williamson Sports Center, which will host "Under the Big Top," an event that allows student performers to showcase their talents, which will take place on Saturday. Advanced reservations are strongly recommended.

Mercier said the Office of Alumni Affairs & College Events tries to make as much use of the college's resources as possible in order to control costs. "We do our best to use our resources carefully to showcase what the college is about," she said.

The Office of Alumni Affairs & College Events advertises for Celebration Weekend all year long.  It informs parents and students about the many events of the weekend through announcements in Scope Monthly, an online news publication, "Save-the-Date" cards sent to parents of the incoming first-year class, handouts given to families at registration and other media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter.

"It's a real pleasure to work on this weekend," Mercier said. "It is nice to see it all come together, and it's a wonderful time to show off the best of the college."

A full schedule for Celebration Weekend, with information on events, facilities and a campus map key can be found here. Tickets for events may be picked up at the Welcome Desk on the second floor of Case Center.

Career Services sponsors third Career Jam this Friday: Programs give students the opportunity to learn more about careers and networking

Posted by Julia Leef

This week, Career Services has hosted a variety of programs for students concerning jobs and graduate schools, culminating in Career Jam, an event that allows students to connect with parents and alumni who work a wide variety of careers.

The College played host to many visiting graduate schools, including Fordham University of Education, Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University and Albany Law School. These schools have had booths set up in Case Center, where students may speak with them and learn more information about their programs.

There were also two information sessions on Oct. 5 and 6 concerning the job-shadowing program, which students must apply for by Oct. 28.

On Oct. 14, students will have the opportunity to speak to volunteers from many different industries, allowing them to make connections and learn more about their fields of interest. An informational meeting on how best to capitalize on this networking event, "How to Get the Most Out of Career Jam," took place on Oct. 13.

"The event is a collaboration between the Parents Council, the Alumni Association and Career Services," said Deborah Loffredo, director of Career Services. "We reach out to recruit volunteers who are parents, alumni and friends of the College to come network with the students so that they can learn about careers within a diverse set of industries."

Participants in Career Jam come from a wide variety of fields, including the military, advertising, the performing arts, business entrepreneurship, psychology, medicine and cell biology.

Students will be provided with short volunteer bios, suggested questions to ask and networking tips. Volunteers are encouraged to promote job openings and shadowing opportunities, and to aid students in their career pursuits.

Loffredo suggests that students follow-up with the volunteers with whom they speak, and to keep in touch in case a position opens up sometime in the future. For other opportunities outside of Career Jam, she suggests visiting Career Services for counseling and checking out its website for a list of upcoming events and opportunities, including a Living the Liberal Arts workshop at 6 p.m. Oct. 17.

Career Services encourages all students of all years to start networking at an early stage. "It's never too early to start thinking about internships," Loffredo said.

Career Jam will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 14 on the second floor of the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall. Students are advised to dress professionally.