Stevens to perform musical drama Wednesday On Wednesday, April 13, Claudia Stevens will give her one-woman performance as pianist, singer and actor in "A Table Before Me," a musical drama she created to convey the terror and turmoil experienced by her mother's family during the Nazi takeover of Austria in 1938. The performance, which is free and open to the public, will start at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Hall in the Harmon Fine Arts Center. To her own accompaniment of period music, Stevens enacts the roles of Nazi bureaucrats and of her increasingly desperate, harried grandfather, as he struggles to comply with crippling taxes, legal restrictions and violence against the Jewish community of Vienna. She creates an atmosphere of increasing brutality and grotesqueness, as members of the Sinai family are stripped of property, dignity and life in prelude to the "Final Solution." Stevens is a leading performing artist, playwright and composer. Her unique repertoire of one-person musical theater works has been called "wonderful, both as art and in its pathos" by Nobel laureate Roald Hoffman. Ellis Cose, contributing editor to Newsweek magazine, says her work "derives its power from her journey of self discovery to an infinitely larger quest." Stevens holds degrees in music from Vassar College, the University of California at Berkeley and Boston University. She has held academic and conducting positions at Williams College and the College of William and Mary, where she is currently an associate professor of piano. As pianist and composer, she has been presented at Carnegie Recital Hall by the New York Composers' Forum and was the featured artist on several NPR broadcasts. As a performance artist, she has received grants from the International Theater Institute, the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. During the current season Stevens has appeared in performance of her own solo works at Stages Repertory Theater in Houston, at the Cornelia Street Cabaret in New York, and at universities including Case Western, Purdue, Bucknell and Kansas. The Drake Women's Studies Program and the Drake Humanities Center are sponsoring Stevens' performance at Drake. Admission is free. Three authors will visit Drake this month as part of the Drake Writers and Critics Series. All three presentations, which are free and open to the public, will start at 8 p.m. in Cowles Library Reading Room. On Tuesday, April 12, Drake will welcome Michelle Herman, author of the novel "Missing," which was awarded the Harold U. Ribalow Prize for "Best Jewish Fiction," and selected as one of the 25 Best Books of the Year by the literary supplement of The Village Voice. Her other works include the novella "Dog" and her first non-fiction book, "The Middle of Everything: Memoirs of Motherhood." She has received a major teaching award from Ohio State University, where she has taught since 1988. On Thursday, April 21, the series will feature Peggy Orenstein, author of "Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Kids, Love and Life in a Half-Changed World" and the best-selling "SchoolGirls: Young Women, Self- Esteem and the Confidence Gap." She has published articles and editorials in publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker and Salon. She is working on a memoir, "Waiting for Daisy: Some Lessons on Love, Loss and Making a Baby." The series will conclude on Tuesday, April 26, with a presentation by Nathaniel MacKey, who has written numerous books of poetry, including "Whatsaid Serif," "School of Udhra" and "Eroding Witness," which was selected for the National Poetry Series. He also is the author of "Discrepant Engagement: Dissonance, Cross-Culturality and Experimental Writing" and editor of Hambone magazine. He teaches at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. On Thursday, April 14, numerous Drake University organizations will come together in an effort to educate women on the topic of sexual assault. "Take Back the Night" will begin at 7 p.m. at the Helmick Commons Agora, 28th Street and Forest Avenue. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be held in Pomerantz Student Union in Olmsted Center. The event will include presentations by a rape survivor, the senior director of health services for Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa and a sexual assault nurse exam coordinator for Planned Parenthood. Music will be provided by Anchondo, Shambolic and No Time Better. The event is free and open to the public. The second annual Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences will be held on Friday, April 15th, 2005, at Drake University. The following departments and programs will participate in this event: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science and Policy, Psychology, Mathematics and Computer Science, Biochemistry, Cell, Molecular Biology and B.S. in Pharmaceutical Science. The conference will feature student oral presentations and poster presentations and poster sessions on current research projects by students and faculty. The event will start at 9 a.m. in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center with opening remarks by John Burney, dean of the College Arts & Sciences. Approximately 100 students will participate in oral presentations and poster sessions throughout the day. In addition, students will compete for prizes in a Sciences Quiz Bowl from 2:15 to 3 p.m. The Arts and Sciences National Advisory Board will host an alumni reception after DUCURS from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Poster awards will be announced at 5 p.m. The conference was organized by Maria Bohorquez, associate professor of chemistry; Charles Nelson, assistant professor of physics and astronomy; Heidi Sleister, assistant professor of biology, and Nita Pandit, professor of pharmaceutics, in cooperation with a committee of students. Sleister, Nelson and Bohorquez wrote a summary of last year's conference that was published in 2004 in the American Journal of Undergraduate Research. "Although DUCURS was only a one-day conference, a number of positive outcomes were realized," they wrote. "The quantity, quality and diversity of science and math undergraduate research projects were impressive. Their peers and administrators recognized student and faculty researchers for excellence in research. The conference allowed students to practice giving oral and poster presentations for an interdisciplinary audience. The conference led to increased interdepartmental interactions and collaborations as well as collaborations between Drake University and the nearby Des Moines University. "The success of DUCURS has become a catalyst for organizing research in the sciences at Drake University. Initiatives are currently under way to organize and seek funding for a summer undergraduate research program, to submit a grant proposal to support interdisciplinary research, to develop and interdisciplinary seminar series and to establish the Drake University Undergraduate Research Journal." For more information about this year's conference, visit Drake University has been selected as a Merit Award recipient in the 20th Annual Admissions Advertising Awards. Drake was awarded this honor for a new direct mail advertising campaign that encourages prospective students to frequently access the Drake Web site. The Office of Marketing and Communications, as part of an ongoing partnership with the Office of Admission, created the campaign postcards. “In the last few years, Drake’s Web site for prospective students has become a destination for students wanting to learn more about Drake,” said Casey Gradischnig, associate director of marketing and communications. “I’m really proud that our efforts to repeatedly drive students to the site have been recognized by a national newspaper that focuses on mission trends.” The postcards are both visually appealing and informative, featuring graphic-intensive images and topic specific messages. Not only do the direct mail pieces share important topics of interest pertaining to Drake, they also encourage students to personalize the Web site, "We have a great Web site for prospective students. As more students conduct their college searches on the Internet, it is helpful having a fun way to advertise our site," said Emily Kruse, associate director of admission. "Plus, students have told us that they really like the postcards." The award-winning Drake University Jazz Ensemble I will perform some of the highlights of its new CD, "Latenight at the Mainstay: Return to Nowhere," in a free concert at 8 p.m. Friday, April 15, in the Performing Arts Hall, Harmon Fine Arts Center, 25th Street and Carpenter Avenue. "This is our fourth CD, but it's the first one that's been recorded, mixed and mastered in Drake's jazz building, the Mainstay at 25th and Forest," said Andrew Classen, director of the ensemble and jazz studies at Drake. "Latenight at the Mainstay" includes favorites such as "That Old Black Magic" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," as well as newer works such as "Family Guy" and "Blues and the Abscessed Tooth." Drake Jazz Ensemble I is the premier jazz group at Drake University. The ensemble has won awards while performing at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival and the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Jazz Festival. In addition, the group has been featured at the European Montreaux Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival. The new CD, which costs, $12.97, can be ordered online at The Drake University Honors Program will be hosting the Hawley Foundation Lecture on Monday, April 18, featuring a presentation and discussion of Title IX and its impact on collegiate athletics. Angela Lumpkin, a professor in the Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Kansas, will lead the presentation as a part of her three-day visit to Drake. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. The lecture, "Title IX: The 37 Words that Changed the Educational and Sports Worlds Forever," will offer an informational and innovative look into Title IX. The controversies and concerns surrounding Title IX will be discussed, including: the consequences on equality, the effects on male sports teams and the punishment for schools that do not comply. "Title IX requires that girls and women in educational institutions have equitable access to sporting opportunities never dreamed of by their foremothers," said Lumpkin, who was also the coach of the women's basketball team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1974 to 1977. "The heights to which they can now soar are boundless." "The Honors Student Council selected Dr. Lumpkin in an effort to take a step outside the boundaries within which most previous speakers haven fallen," said Charlene Skidmore, assistant director of the Honors Program. "This is a topic that we feel will reach out to a large constituency and is very appropriate with Relays approaching." Drake Law School's Constitutional Law Center recently conducted the first symposium in the country to examine both the domestic and foreign implications for constitutionalism of the war on terror. Approximately 150 attorneys, students and faculty attended the symposium at Cartwright Hall on Saturday. All of the proceedings will be published at a later date in the Drake Law Review. Several nationally known scholars and attorneys participated in the symposium, which was titled "Constitutionalism and the War on Terror." The first panel addressed "The Enemy Combatant Cases." The panelists were Frank Dunham, a federal public defender who represented enemy combatant Yaser Hamdi; Douglas Kmiec, the Caruso family chair and professor of Constitutional law at Pepperdine University School of Law; and Mark Drumbl, a prominent international law scholar from Washington and Lee University Law School. The symposium's second panel addressed "Constitutionalism in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Emerging Nations." The panelists were Nathan Brown of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Said Arjomand, the inaugural Crane fellow and visiting professor of public affairs at Princeton University; and Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor at University of Pennsylvania Law School. "The debates were lively, especially on the panel concerning the Supreme Court's enemy combatant decisions," said Mark Kende, the James Madison chair in constitutional law and director of the Constitutional Law Center. "The audience also asked interesting questions that provoked further dialogue. Given the importance of these issues, and the need for more discussion of what is going on, I think the event turned out well." The folks in athletics know how to build the Bulldog family. Kerry Beidleman, a new assistant volleyball coach, moved to Des Moines in December 2004 to be with her fiancÈ, assistant women’s basketball coach Jon Will. New Drake volleyball coach Amy Farber Knowles hired Beidleman as an assistant. Will and Beidleman planned a May 7 wedding in Costa Rica. Before going, however, the couple decided to make their vows legal in Iowa. With women’s basketball coach Amy Stevens and Faber Knowles as official witnesses, Will and Beidleman were married by Judge Connie Cohen, a Drake alumna and former Bulldog cheerleader. “It made for a lot of happy Bulldogs,” Beidleman said, who will change her last name after the couple’s formal wedding in Costa Rica. The couple joins men’s and women’s track coaches Natasha Kaiser-Brown and Brian Brown, Mike Cotterman, strength and conditioning coach, and Gwen Cotterman, academic success coordinator, as Bulldog married couples in Athletics. Matt Miller, assistant director of recreational and facilities services, and Angela Dahl, assistant athletic trainer, plan a summer wedding. Drake Head Start recently received $1,000 from the Junior League of Des Moines Inc. to help distribute books through participation in the federally-funded Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program. “More than 1,000 children and their families will directly benefit from this donation,” noted Georgia Sheriff, director of Drake University Head Start. “Our participation in RIF depends upon our contributing a 25 percent match for the federal funds. The Junior League grant will provide almost all the needed matching funds.” As the largest Head Start organization in the state, Drake University Head Start programming serves more than 1,000 low-income 3- and 4-year-olds and their families in six central Iowa counties. Additionally, Drake University Early Head Start serves pregnant women and children ages birth to 3 years old in Polk County. Approximately 3,150 books are annually distributed through Drake University Head Start’s RIF partnership. To foster interest and participation, Head Start program parents and other volunteers plan and conduct a variety of activities when books are distributed in December, February and April. “So much more than just books are involved when we hold RIF activities,” said Sheriff. “We use the book distributions as an opportunity to enhance learning, community partnerships, and interaction among parents, as well as to inspire the children and their families to read more as a way to improve their quality of life.” Lee Jolliffe, associate professor of journalism, and 12 Drake students were responsible for the development, fundraising and event planning of the project. After months of work, the group held a launch show and the posters have since been displayed at the Wakonda Club and The Principal Financial Group building at 711 High St. "The project has done a wonderful job of telling the story of Camp Sunnyside through pictures," said Nancy Bobo, Easter Seals Iowa vice president of development and public relations. "It has undoubtedly increased awareness and helped people to better identify with those who benefit from our services." "Drake students learned more than just how to handle a 'live' project with a 'real' customer," said Jolliffe, project adviser. "Many of them didn't know what Easter Seals was or how important the Easter Seals contribution is to children and adults with disabilities. "The most wonderful element, from my point of view as a teacher, was that once the students saw the need at Camp Sunnyside and met the kids there, they ran with the project. They raised nearly $2,000 to get the posters printed as giant photographs and to stage the launch event." Sigma Alpha Epsilon social fraternity chose Easter Seals Iowa and this Camp Sunnyside awareness campaign as its charity this year. Their major donation, along with help from Drake, Easter Seals and individuals, made the poster show a reality. Former Iowa Gov. Bob Ray, a Drake alumnus and former president of the University, has been a longtime spokesperson and supporter of Easter Seals Iowa. He also is a Sigma Alpha Epsilon alumnus. Borders Books Music Movies and CafÈ is offering discounts of 25 percent on most merchandise on April 15-17 for educators and retired educators as part of the store's annual Educator Appreciation Weekend. Drake faculty and staff may take advantage of the discount by showing a Drake ID, pay stub or other proof of educator status. A special reception featuring food, fun and prizes for educators will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 15, at the store at 4100 University Ave., West Des Moines. The Drake University community expects to clear out more than100 tons of trash, yard debris and other junk out of the Drake-area neighborhoods during a city-sponsored scrub day from 7 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 16. The city will place trash receptacles in the large parking lot at the intersection of Forest Avenue and 25th Street, just southeast of the U.S. Post Office on Forest. Most trash is welcome, including yard debris, furniture and other garbage. Appliances may be disposed of for a $10 cash-only fee. Car batteries, propane tanks, and toxic liquids such as oil and paint cannot be accepted. More than 110 Drake students will scour the neighborhood alleys and public areas, north and south between Kingman Boulevard and Clark Street and east and west between 34th Street and 23rd street. “This is the city and University at their best – working together,” said Don Adams, Drake special council for institutional advancement. “This event is one of the most fantastic things I’ve ever seen, everybody working together to put the brightest face possible on our community.” The event is for residents only, not for businesses. Participants may be asked to show a photo ID or other proof that they are a resident of the city of Des Moines. For more information about scrub days, call the city of Des Moines Action Line at 283-4500. |
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