‘Redesigned Holy Cross dining hall offers new options’

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Holy Cross in the News

KimballRenovationThe Worcester Telegram & Gazette recently visited the College of the Holy Cross for the soft opening of the newly renovated Kimball Main Dining Hall, which will have its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. Built in 1932, Kimball underwent its first renovation in more than 20 years, still maintaining original elements that have been there since its opening, like its dining tables. Kimball serves about 2,200 students a day and remains dedicated to Holy Cross Dining’s commitment to locally sourced products, with 20 percent of all dining products currently grown and produced in the area, reports T&G correspondent, Barbara Houle.

Beyond its physical renovations, a variety of food options and stations have been integrated into the space, working to meet students’ expectation of  high-caliber and diverse food. “Kimball’s renovated space and new menus certainly meet the criteria,” writes Houle.“Everyone appeared very happy with the new menus featuring world cuisine, brick-oven pizza, a super-food-inspired station, handcrafted deli sandwiches and made-to-order-style cooking.”

This is a “Holy Cross in the News” item by Evangelia Stefanakos.

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The Holy Cross Music Department Announces the Fall 2014 Concert Series

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Evangelia Stefanakos '14

MusicThe music department at the College of the Holy Cross will kick off its fall concert schedule on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. with a concert by the newly appointed Artists-in Residence Adam Golka, piano, Saul Bitran, violin, and Jan Müller-Szeraws, cello, in the Brooks Concert Hall. The program will open with a virtuoso duo for violin and cello by the Norwegian violinist, conductor and composer Johan Halvorsen. It will continue with two of Chopin’s widely-beloved masterpieces, “Third Ballade” and “First Scherzo” for piano solo, and close with one of the great masterpieces of Beethoven’s chamber music output: “His Archduke Trio.”

The concert series will include the following musical performances on campus throughout the fall semester. All events are free and open to the public. For additional information, please contact the music department events line at 508-793-3503.

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 4 p.m.
Linda Bento-Rei, flute and Vytas Baksys, piano
Brooks Concert Hall

Sunday, Sept. 21, 3 p.m.
Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series
Andrea Toschi, organ
St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Holy Cross Chamber Orchestra
Brooks Concert Hall

Sunday, Oct. 5, 3 p.m.
Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series
Liuwe Tamminga, organ and Bruce Dickey, cornetto
St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Friday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m.
Waiting for the World
Holy Cross College Choir & Chamber Singers
Family Weekend Concert
St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Friday, Oct. 24, 9:30 p.m.
Holy Cross Jazz Ensemble
Family Weekend Concert
Crossroads

Saturday, Oct. 25, 2 p.m.
Holy Cross Chamber Orchestra
Family Weekend Concert
Brooks Concert Hall

Thursday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m.
Mike Monaghan & Friends
Brooks Concert Hall

Sunday, Nov. 2, 3 p.m.
Sideband Laptop Ensemble hosted by H-CLEf  
(Holy Cross Laptop Ensemble)
Brooks Concert Hall, Co-sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 8 p.m.
Holy Cross Chamber Players
Carol Lieberman, baroque & modern violin; Mark Kroll, harpsichord;
Marcus Thompson, viola; Jan Müller-Szeraws, cello
Brooks Concert Hall

Thursday, Nov. 13, 8 p.m.
Holy Cross Chamber Singers
Brooks Concert Hall

Sunday, Nov. 16, 3 p.m.
Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series
Jonathan Moyer, organ
St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Monday, Nov. 17, 12 p.m.
Mark O’Connor
Lecture-demonstration
Brooks Concert Hall, Co-sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Holy Cross Chamber Orchestra
Brooks Concert Hall

Thursday, Nov. 20, 8 p.m.
Holy Cross Jazz Ensemble
Winter Concert
Brooks Concert Hall

Sunday, Nov. 23, 3 p.m.
Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series
Music of Christopher Willcock, S.J.
Holy Cross College Choir & Schola Cantorum;
David Harris & James David Christie, conductors; Abraham Ross ’16, organ
St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.
Expressions of Time and Timelessness
Artists-in-Residence Concert
Saul Bitrán, violin; Jan Müller-Szeraws, cello, Adam Golka, piano
Brooks Concert Hall

Thursday, Dec. 4, 4 p.m.
Student/Faculty Recital
Brooks Concert Hall

Thursday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m.
Advent Festival of Lessons & Carols
Holy Cross College Choir & Chamber Singers
St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Friday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.
Gamelan Gita Sari
Brooks Concert Hall

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Washington Monthly Ranks Holy Cross Among Affordable Elite Colleges

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Holy Cross in the News

FenwickWashington Monthly ranked the College of the Holy Cross No. 44 on its 2014 list of “Affordable Elite Colleges.” The list ranked selective schools based on how they help high-achieving, non-wealthy students afford their institution. Holy Cross is one of a select group of colleges and universities that accept students regardless of their ability to pay (“need-blind admissions”) and then meet 100 percent  of their demonstrated need.

Nearly two-thirds of Holy Cross students receive some form of aid, typically in a package that combines scholarships and grants, loans, and work-study employment.  In this year’s enrolling class, approximately half received a Holy Cross grant or scholarship averaging approximately $30,000.

Washington Monthly also included Holy Cross in its 2014 list of the country’s top 277 liberal arts colleges, based on their “contribution to the public good,”  which rated schools according to three main criteria: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).

This “Holy Cross in the News” item is by Evangelia Stefanakos.

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Environmental Champion Slottje ’89 on Crusade to Protect America Against Fracking

Posted on September 3, 2014 by

2014_helenslottje_02Attorney Helen Holden Slottje ’89, who has helped organize bans against hydraulic fracturing (or, “fracking”) in dozens of New York communities, was recently recognized with the Goldman Prize, often referred to by those in the environmental movement as the “Nobel Prize for environmentalists.”

Fracking is highly controversial, with proponents advocating what they say are the economic benefits of the process; and opponents deeply concerned about the environmental impact. Slottje says she has been subject to ridicule, followed out to her car in the dark, and threatened with lawsuits. She says the danger is so real she carries mace around like a “security blanket.”

Panel discussion
Slottje, who majored in economics, will return to Holy Cross for the second time this year (the first was for her 25th reunion, an experience she describes as “amazing”) as part of a panel discussion on Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom. The event, titled “Plant a Seed, Change the World: Holy Cross Alumni’s Contributions to the Environment,” is designed to learn about and celebrate the environmental and humanitarian work of Holy Cross alumni.

Other alumni who will be taking part include Vivian Daly ’13, inside sales representative for Next Step Living, an energy-efficiency company; Tim Mooney ’92, preserves manager for Francis Carter Preserve & Tillinghast Pond Management Area at the Nature Conservancy; and Emily Sullivan ’14, environmental specialist at Triumvirate Environmental. They will reflect on the impact of their Holy Cross education and on their convictions and careers.

The panel discussion was organized by Estrella Cibreiro Couce, dean for the class of 2018 and professor of Spanish, who assigned the first-year class to read “Unbowed,” by Wangari Maathai, the late environmental activist and winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

Care for the earth
A resident of Ithaca, N.Y., Slottje, and her husband, David, also a lawyer, established their own law firm, Community Environmental Defense Council that is specifically designed to provide pro-bono legal representation to municipalities all across New York state that seek to protect a community’s environment. They met while working in the corporate law sector.

Helen, who holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, waded into the fracking battle almost by accident. She attended a community meeting where activists described the risks of fracking — a controversial practice that involves drilling through shale rock using a pressurized mix of water and chemicals to release natural gas. Her outrage turned to resolve.

An education that pays dividends
The education Slottje received at Holy Cross planted the seeds for what would become a social justice movement. She specifically points to three major ways that her education helped her live to the highest intellectual and ethical standards.

“First, I was in the College Honors Program at Holy Cross, and my thesis was about the incompatibility of capitalism and democracy. My focus was on corporations closing and leaving communities in their wake and people jobless; how a company decides to go overseas to save $2 a day and there’s nothing you can do about it. That was my earliest foray on equity and human rights and trying to balance as it were the economy and the human environment — how people live,” she says.

“To this day, I carry around in my head a question that the College posed: ‘How then shall we live?’ That was my ultimate Holy Cross lesson. You don’t have to accept how things are, or do mindless work in your life. You get to choose how to live your life. And that was very empowering.

“Second, I really contribute to a liberal arts education the more you know about any number of things, the more you bring to any one experience. The richness of your experience and basically in all things is enhanced through this very broad sort of knowledge base.

“Third, it sounds trite but you really do more so than learn any particular discipline. What I learned was how to learn, and people continue to be just amazed that I can pick up and learn anything in three days or less. My fight against the fracking industry means I’ve had to fight power plants, learn about the electric market, the regulations of the market, and find entry points for battle. And for most people that would be a pretty daunting exercise. Those skills are obviously invaluable.”

What’s next?
The Goldman Prize, which comes with a $175,000 award, is being used to continue the fight against the fracking industry — with plans for spreading the movement nationally.

“Our hope is that post-Goldman Prize and with surging interest against fracking that we will be able to find a way to keep doing this.”

 

Related Information

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Working Writers Series to Kick Off Sept. 11 with Acclaimed Author Julianna Baggott

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Elizabeth Walker
Julianna Baggott

Julianna Baggott, a critically acclaimed, bestselling novelist, essayist and poet, who holds the William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at Holy Cross.

Navigating dystopian darkness, finding true love, mourning the loss of solitude, moving beyond gender and recording a field guide to people. Those are just some of the ideas that compelled the authors and poets featured in the 2014-15 Working Writers Series to publish. This fall they’re coming to campus to read from their works, discuss their craft and take your questions.

Sponsored by the English department’s Creative Writing Program, these events are free and open to the public:

Thursday, September 11, 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library: Julianna Baggott – Faculty Reading
Julianna Baggott, a critically acclaimed, bestselling novelist, essayist and poet, holds the William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at Holy Cross. Baggott has published 19 books in the last dozen years, including the novel “PURE,” a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and ALA Alex Award-winner. The second and third books in the trilogy, “FUSE” and “BURN,” were released recently. Baggott also writes under the pen names Bridget Asher and N.E. Bode.

Thursday, October 2: Nick Krieger – Craft Talk/Q&A/Reading
3:30 p.m., discussion of the writer’s craft, Fenwick 207
7:30 p.m., reading, Levis Browsing Room, Dinand Library
Nick Krieger wrote the memoir, “Nina Here Nor There: My Journey Beyond Gender”(Beacon Press, 2011), which received a 2012 Stonewall Honor Book Award for nonfiction and the 2011 Independent Literary Award GLBTQ. He received a Solas Award for his travel writing, which has appeared on his blog and in multiple guides.

Thursday, October 30: Daniel Jones and Cathi Hanauer  – Discussion/Reading
3:30 p.m., discussion of the writer’s craft, Fenwick 207
7:30 p.m., reading, Hogan Campus Center, Room 519
Daniel Jones, author of “Love Illuminated: Exploring Life’s Most Mystifying Subject (with the Help of 50,000 Strangers),” has edited the Modern Love column in the New York Times for a decade. His books includes two essay anthologies, “Modern Love” and “The Bastard on the Couch: 27 Men Try Really Hard to Explain Their Feelings About Love, Loss, Fatherhood, and Freedom,” and the novel “After Lucy,” a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award. His writing has appeared in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Real Simple and elsewhere. He lives in Northampton, Mass., with his wife, writer Cathi Hanauer, and their two children.

Cathi Hanauer is the author of three novels – “Gone,” “Sweet Ruin” and “My Sister’s Bones.” She is the editor of the New York Times bestselling essay anthology “The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth about Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood and Marriage.” She has published articles, essays and reviews in The New York Times, Elle, O – The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Parenting, Glamour, Self and others. She was the monthly relationships advice columnist for Seventeen magazine for seven years. She has taught fiction and nonfiction, at The New School in New York and at the University of Arizona.

Thursday, November 6, 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library: Poet Greg Delanty – A Reading
Greg Delanty, Poet-In-Residence at Saint Michael’s College in Vt., is a native of Cork City, Ireland. His latest book of poems, “The Greek Anthology, Book XVII” will be released next year in the U.S. as “Book Seventeen.” He is the lead poet in the book, “So Little Time: Words and Images for a World in Climate Crisis,” and co-editor for the critically acclaimed “The Word Exchange: Anglo-Saxon Poems in Translation” (Introduced by Seamus Heaney). His poems have appeared in American, Irish, English, Australian, Japanese and Argentinean anthologies.

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Students Showcase Work at Summer Research Symposium and Summer Internship Program Expo

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Evangelia Stefanakos '14

SummerResearchThe Hogan Campus Center at the College of the Holy Cross will be buzzing with action as the tremendous scope of work students participated in over the summer is showcased at the 21st annual Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium in the ballroom and the seventh annual Summer Internship Program (SIP) Expo in the ballroom lounge and on the first floor of Hogan on Sept. 5, from 1 to 4 p.m.

With a total of 109 students conducting research this summer, the research symposium will include 82 poster presentations featuring research by students and faculty in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences at Holy Cross, and 30 posters from students who conducted research off campus.

The symposium is a college-wide event that brings together students and faculty from all disciplines to celebrate their accomplishments and those of their friends and colleagues. The event is also an opportunity for students to see the scope of research possibilities on and off campus, and to open dialogue between students and faculty members about research opportunities during the upcoming academic year and summer.

The summer research program was organized by Daniel Bitran, the College’s science coordinator; Daniel Klinghard, director of the summer research program in humanities, social sciences and arts; and  Joshua Congdon-Hohman, the director of the summer research program in economics.

List of symposium presenters, poster titles and descriptions (PDF).

In addition to the students who participated in summer research, more than  50 students will be sharing their internship experiences with the Holy Cross community at the SIP Expo in a poster and discussion format.

The expo will give the students an opportunity to draw connections between their classroom learning and practical work experience. The summer interns will highlight various elements of their internship experiences, including skills they gained or sharpened, initiatives they spearheaded, and their reflections on how their internship impacted them.

The event will allow students to answer questions about their experiences in an informal and conversational atmosphere. It is a great opportunity for students campus-wide to learn more about the SIP and talk personally with the students who have most recently participated in it.

The event is put on by the Summer Internship Program and Career Planning.

Related Information

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Holy Cross Prof. Selected As Contributor for Globe’s New Website on Catholicism

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Cristal Steuer

Mathew SchamlzMathew N. Schmalz, associate professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross, has been selected as a contributor to Crux, the Boston Globe’s new stand-alone site on Catholicism, which launched Sept. 2.

“Crux will be a website devoted to covering the institution of the Roman Catholic Church with focus on how the words and actions of Pope Francis affect Catholics worldwide,” says Teresa Hanafin, editor of Crux. “ It plans to explore the practices and challenges of leading a Catholic life, publishing a wide range of thoughts and opinions of Catholics and others.”

Staff for the site include well-known Vatican expert John L. Allen Jr., associate editor at the Boston Globe and Crux; longtime Boston Herald columnist Margery Egan, who will be the site’s spirituality columnist; Inés San Martín, an Argentinian journalist who will report from the Vatican; Michael O’Loughlin, a Yale Divinity School graduate who will be the site’s national reporter; and Web producer Christina Reinwald.

Schmalz teaching and scholarship focus on Roman Catholicism and Modern Religious Movements.  His work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including: The History of Religions, Method and Theory in the Study of Religion, Religion, The Religious Studies Review, and America’s Best Spiritual Writing. He is co-editor of Engaging South Asian Religions: Boundaries, Appropriations, and Resistances (SUNY Press, 2010), and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Christian Higher Education and the Catholic theological journal Asian Horizons.

Schmalz has published opinion pieces in the Washington Post, Commonweal Magazine, The National Catholic Reporter, the Huffington Post, and has provided expert commentary to USA Today, The New York Times, the Washington Post, ABC’s Good Morning America, The Boston Globe, NPR, CNBC, MSNBC, and U.S. News & World Report, among others.  Schmalz was quoted in more than 500 media outlets across the country in 2013-2014.

Schmalz’s articles on Crux:

Sept. 4: The Catholic casino conundrum
Sept. 8: Saints’ bodies: Relics, even dismemberment are not uncommon
Sept. 30: Mormons and Catholics have a lot to talk about

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Photo Gallery: Class of 2018 Receives Warm Welcome on Move-In Day

Posted on August 30, 2014 by

MoveInDay__56Sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s made for perfect weather as the 778 members of the class of 2018 arrived on Mount St. James for move-in day.

Members of the first-year class were greeted by 200 student leaders, athletic teams and alumni who helped move them into their residence halls.

The beautiful weather continued into the afternoon for the traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit on the Hart Center Lawn to inaugurate the new academic year. Led by Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president, the Holy Cross community welcomed members of the Class of 2018, transfer students and their families.

First-year students are currently participating in a program of welcoming events, known as Fall Gateways Orientation. The events are designed to ease transition to college life by introducing students to the wide variety of academic, spiritual, community-building, and social programs available at the College.

The events include:

  • “First Night Celebration” on Aug. 30 on the Hogan Courtyard, which will feature food, photo booths, music, giveaways, The Dogfather food truck, and more
  • Film screenings of “Divergent” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” on Aug. 31 on the Hogan Courtyard
  • Fall convocation on Sept. 1 in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, which marks the threshold of full matriculation into the College community
  • Opportunities to create bowls, plates and mugs out of clay on Sept. 2 on the Hogan Courtyard

First Year Schedule – Campus (PDF).

Classes for first-year and all returning students begin on Sept. 3.

Related Information

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Blog: Ghizzoni ’16 to Explore Rich History, Culture in Ireland

Posted on August 27, 2014 by

NAME Ryan Ghizzoni ’16

HOMETOWN Guilderland, N.Y.

AREAS OF STUDY Economics major

WHERE HE’S STUDYING University College Dublin in Dublin

WHY HE CHOSE IRELAND “Because of the rich history and friendly people.”

WHAT HE’S MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO “Meeting new people and learning more about the culture.”

WHY HE’S BLOGGING “I want to document and share my experience with friends and family.”

Read the blog »

Related Information

  • Check out our admissions and photo blogs, along with many of our other online journals at me.holycross.edu
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The Cantor Art Gallery Presents ‘The Italian Presepe: Cultural Landscapes of the Soul’

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Evangelia Stefanakos '14

MARIO'S ASSISTANTThe Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross will host the exhibition “The Italian Presepe: Cultural Landscapes of the Soul.” The exhibit showcases a collaborative project by Margot Balboni, an independent curator and photographer, and Sarah Stanbury, a medievalist and the Monsignor Murray Professor in the Arts and Humanities in the English department, on an important form of Italian installation art: the nativity scene, or the “presepe.” The exhibition will be on view Sept. 3 – Dec. 17. An opening reception will be held Thursday, Sept. 18, 5 – 7 p.m.

Italians date their rich history of the presepe to 1223, when St. Francis reenacted the Nativity in Greccio. Through the centuries the presepe has developed a history deeply entwined with Italian art and culture. The Italian presepe is a vibrant form of installation art practiced all over Italy by everyone from school children to the most highly trained artists. The story is always the same, but the personal act of making a presepe continuously re-energizes the story. This exhibition, while not presuming to present the definitive statement on the Italian presepe, offers a series of encounters in three regions:  Rome, Naples and Puglia.

The exhibit will include more than 50 of Balboni’s photographs of nativity scenes from the 13th-century to today, along with photographs of artists at work in contemporary workshops in Rome, Naples, and Puglia, where the presepe has developed distinct regional styles. Each presepe, a miniature “cabinet of memory,” is a palimpsest of Italian art and culture. Balboni uses antique frames to move the images beyond documentation into memory, and has juxtaposed them with historic maps and etchings that draw out their inner themes.

The golden age of the presepe was in 18th-century Naples when the Bourbon court commissioned the great artists of the day to create startlingly realistic figures.  In addition to Balboni’s photographs, the exhibit will include 18th century presepe figures on loan from the Carnegie Museum of Art and a private collection, a selection of Piranesi prints from the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, as well materials from the Houghton Library, Harvard University, the Knights of Columbus Museum, and the Fitchburg Art Museum.

An inventive presepe set created by Barbara Craig, assistant professor of theatre at Holy Cross, with assistance from Savannah Plante ’16, will also be showcased in the exhibit. This presepe set, which brings the heart of the Italian presepe home to Holy Cross, utilizes figures summer Mellon students, Olivia Vanni ’13, Mario Leiva ’14, and Helen Tucceri ’15, acquired on a 2013 research trip.

The interest in the Italian presepe stems back to 2005, when Balboni stumbled into a room at Cosma Damiano in Rome to find a dramatic 18th-century Neapolitan presepe, crowded with elaborately clothed gesticulating figures. While Stanbury was on leave in 2011, she and Balboni began a three-year journey of research and discovery that was driven by the artists, collectors, historians and curators they met along the way.

Stanbury has been a faculty member in the English department since 1992. Her scholarship interests include Chaucer and late medieval literature, medieval visual culture, and the life and work of Margery Kempe, a 15th-century English spiritual woman and mystic.

Balboni is a cultural landscape photographer who works on independent projects and assignment. Her work has been exhibited nationally and is in many private and public collections such as the Farnsworth Museum and the Boston Athenaeum. From her work on the “Big Dig” and the transformation of Boston to her aerial alphabet of the “American Made Landscape,” Balboni has been photographing “time and place” for the past 25 years.

The Cantor Gallery is publishing an 80-page color catalogue that will include photographs by Balboni and an essay by Stanbury, and will be available for sale at the Gallery. Numerous events scheduled throughout the fall semester, including “tableaux vivants” by the theatre department and a craft demonstration by Refugee Artisans of Worcester, will be open to the public.

EVENTS

Wednesday, September 3, 10 a.m.
Exhibit opens: “The Italian Presepe: Cultural Landscapes of the Soul”

Thursday, September 18, 5 – 7 p.m.
Opening reception in the Cantor Art Gallery

Thursday, September 25, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Talk by Rachel Delphia, curator, Carnegie Mellon Art Museum, “‘Most Wonderfully Deceitful to the Eye’: The Art and History of the Neapolitan Presepe.” Co-sponsored by the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, Rehm Library

Tuesday, October 7, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Talk by curator Margot Balboni, Sarah Stanbury, Murray Professor of the Arts and Humanities at the College of the Holy Cross, “The Italian Presepe: the Inside Story,” Rehm Library

Friday, October 24, 3 – 4 p.m. and Saturday, October 25, 11 a.m. – noon
Tableaux Vivants in the Cantor Art Gallery
The Italian nativity comes to life at the Cantor Art Gallery through a “tableau vivant” theatrical presentation, featuring students enacting the presepe’s surprising mix of high and low, angels and demons, with  costumes by Holy Cross designer Kurt Hultgren.

Saturday, October 25, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Craft demonstrations by members of Refugee Artisans of Worcester, Hogan Campus Center, 1st floor
Refugees who have relocated to the U.S. from around the globe will showcase the practice of traditional crafts, brought with them from in their native countries, that they continue to produce here in Worcester as a means of support and community.

Please visit the Gallery’s website for a listing of noontime Gallery Talks.

Gallery Information

Founded in 1983 through the generosity of Iris & B. Gerald Cantor, the Cantor Art Gallery serves both as a venue for a changing series of historical and contemporary public exhibitions, as well as a vital resource for Holy Cross faculty and students, linking exhibitions to the broader liberal arts curriculum.

The hours for the Cantor Art Gallery are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays 2 – 5 p.m. Located in O’Kane Hall, 1st Floor, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, Mass., 01610.  Visitors needing assistance with handicap accessibility should contact Public Safety at 508-793-2011. Admission to the gallery is free.

For additional information please call 508-793-3356 or visit the Gallery’s website.

Media Coverage

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Holy Cross Presents the Seelos Film Series for Fall 2014

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Evangelia Stefanakos '14

Seelos Theater Photos - PostThe following films will be shown at the Seelos Theater at the College of the Holy Cross.  All films are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. For additional information, please call the Seelos Theater Box Office at 508-793-2455.

“August: Osage County”
Wed., Sept. 3: Showing at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Meryl Streep, Dermot Mulroney, and Julia Roberts. After a family tragedy, the women of the Weston family return to their Oklahoma home, forcing them to examine their present and past, and deal with their dysfunctional mother.

“The Amazing Spider-man 2”
Fri., Sept. 5 and Sat., Sept. 6: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13.Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Jamie Foxx. Peter Parker tries to protect New York City against a new threat—one stronger than any he has faced before.

“Inside Llewyn Davis”
Wed., Sept. 10: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and John Goodman. A look into the life of a young folk musician living in Greenwich Village in 1961.

“The Monuments Men”
Fri., Sept. 12 and Sat., Sept. 13: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Bill Murray. Based on a true story, an unlikely WWII platoon attempts to rescue artistic masterpieces stolen by the Nazis.

“The Railway Man”
Wed., Sept. 17: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, and Stellan Skarsgård. As a prisoner of war, Eric Lomax seeks to confront his tormentor years later.

“Lone Survivor”
Fri., Sept. 19 and Sat., Sept. 20: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, and Emile Hirsch. A Navy seal and his team set out to capture a notorious Taliban leader.

“Locke”
Wed., Sept. 24: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, and Ruth Wilson. Ivan Locke receives a phone call that catalyzes a series of events he never expected.

“Godzilla”
Fri., Sept. 26 and Sat., Sept. 27: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Bryan Cranston. Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, is the world’s only hope against its threatening adversaries.

“Under the Skin”
Wed., Oct. 1: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, and Lynsey Taylor Mackay. A women drives through the streets of Scotland seducing lonely men.

“Neighbors”
Fri., Oct. 3 and Sat., Oct. 4: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Zac Efron. A young couple deals with life living next to a fraternity house.

“Night Moves”
Wed., Oct. 8: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard. Three environmentalist work to execute their most extreme protest yet: blowing up a hydroelectric dam.

“Blue Ruin”
Wed., Oct. 22: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, and Amy Hargreaves. A man returns to his hometown to carry out an act of vengeance and protect his estranged family.

“We Are the Best”
Wed., Oct. 29: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated NR. Starring Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne. Set in 1980s Stockholm, three young girls decide to form a punk rock band.

“Maleficent”
Fri., Oct. 31 and Sat., Nov. 1: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG. Starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, and Sharlto Copley. A powerful and troubled sorceress, Maleficent curses infant Aurora who may be the kingdom’s only hope for peace.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Wed., Nov. 5: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, and Mathieu Amalric. Wes Anderson’s newest film showcases the adventures of a legendary concierge and his most trusted lobby in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka.

“Million Dollar Arm”
Fri., Nov. 7: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG. Starring Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, and Alan Arkin. American sports agent, J.B. Bernstein, recruits Indian cricket players to play Major League Baseball.

“Black Nativity”
Wed., Nov. 12: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG. Starring Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, and Jennifer Hudson. Langston travels to New York City to spend Christmas with his estranged relatives in an inspirational story.

“Cesar Chavez”
Fri., Nov. 14 and Sat., Nov. 15: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Michael Peña, America Ferrera, and Rosario Dawson. A biography of the civil-rights activist, Cesar Chavez.

“Belle”
Wed., Nov. 19: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, and Emily Watson. Inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, a mixed-race daughter of an English Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle in 18th century England.

“Guardians of the Galaxy”
Fri., Nov. 21 and Sat., Nov. 22: Showing at 7 p.m.Rated PG-13. Starring Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper. After discovering an orb in deep outer space, Peter Quill becomes the target of a manhunt spear-headed by Ronan the Accuser.

“Snowpiercer”
Wed., Dec. 3: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, and Tilda Swinton. Aboard a train that travels around the world, a class-system emerges among the world’s only surviving humans in this futuristic thriller.

“Edge of Tomorrow”
Fri., Dec. 5 and Sat., Dec. 6: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, and Bill Paxton. Caught in a time loop. Major William Cage is forced back into the same brutal combat against alien adversaries.

“The Immigrant”
Wed., Dec. 10: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jeremy Renner. Newly arrived immigrant, Ewa Cybulska falls into a life of prostitution in New York City in 1921, and soon into a complex, erratic relationship with two men.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Fri., Dec. 12 and Sat., Dec. 13: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, and Andy Serkis. After a deadly virus swept over the earth, a growing nation of genetically evolved apes are threatened by a band of surviving humans.

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Holy Cross Unveils New Website Designed to Better Tell the College’s Stories

Posted on August 18, 2014 by College of the Holy Cross

As of Aug. 18, www.holycross.edu has a brand new look — the first phase of a yearlong initiative to redesign the College’s most widely accessed communications medium.

With tens of millions of page views annually, the website is used daily by members of the campus community, and is the first stop for anyone — high school students researching colleges, alumni, potential employees, reporters, visitors to campus, and just about everyone — who is seeking information about Holy Cross.

“The last site-wide redesign took place back in 2006, which was another era in web design and development,” said Ellen Ryder, the College’s chief marketing and communications officer. “Now is definitely the time to make some big changes.”

That first big change involved redesigning the home page and updating top-level “landing pages” in sections such as Admissions, Academics, and Student Life. Headers and footers on each page across the site have also been updated, but the overall site navigation has stayed the same, for the moment.

“We need an extensive blueprint to redesign and build a new site, and we want to make sure the entire campus community has an opportunity to be involved in those decisions,” said Ryder. “So we are taking a two-step process. A campus advisory team has already been convened, and we will be holding open sessions on campus to hear from students, faculty, and staff about what they want to see in terms of storytelling, news, photography, design, and site architecture — and then make informed decisions about how to create the most effective site for all audiences.”

With this phased approach, the College will also be able to track traffic to and from the redesigned home page, and have data to assess how the “interim” design is performing. That, coupled with feedback from campus and external audiences, will be used to inform the final design, scheduled to launch in the spring of 2015.

In the meantime, the new home page incorporates bold new campus photography and graphics, and gives more prominence to distinctive facts about Holy Cross as well as more stories about Holy Cross faculty, students, and programs. The home page is responsive for reading on all size screens — whether desktop, tablet, or smartphone — and was developed in conjunction with new student recruitment print publications, to ensure a consistent tone and style. The publications will be ready later this month to distribute to high school students across the country as they begin their college search.

Months before the design began on the website and new recruitment material, the College conducted extensive research to inform the design direction and content of the new material. Groups of alumni, faculty, staff, parents, high school students, and guidance counselors participated in a mix of focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and an online survey.

“We know that our entire community — students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents alike — are exceptionally proud of Holy Cross. The College lives and breathes in the hearts of people who have experienced it,” said Ryder. “We want the website, and indeed all our communications, to tell our story with clarity and strength — and to be heard and appreciated by even more people across the country and around the world.”

To read more about the Holy Cross story and our storytelling, please visit http://www.holycross.edu/askmore/.

Related Information

 

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Student Profile: Briana Mora ’16

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Cristal Steuer

NAME Briana Mora ’16

HOMETOWN Los Angeles

ACADEMICS Anthropology and philosophy double major with a concentration in Latino Studies

GETTING TO KNOW HOLY CROSS Briana first heard about Holy Cross from her high school guidance counselor at La Salle High School in Pasadena. “I wanted to go to an East Coast, liberal arts college that would prepare me for law school or anything else I wanted to do.” But living 3,000 miles away from Holy Cross, she wasn’t able to visit campus.  Luckily, the College came to her.  She attended a Holy Cross event in Los Angeles, where she met Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, president of the College, current students, and alumni.  “Over and over, Holy Cross grads told me about the fantastic alumni network, the friendly and welcoming community at Holy Cross, and how prepared they felt for their futures. I left that event knowing I wanted to go to Holy Cross.”

ARRIVING ON CAMPUS “Being a first generation, Mexican-American student, I had no idea what to expect when I got to the Hill.” Briana opted to participate in the Odyssey Program, arriving in Worcester a week before the official move-in day.  Odyssey offers international and ALANA (African-American, Latin American, Asian-American, and Native American) student’s workshops, field trips, discussions, and social programs to get to know the campus, Worcester, and New England. “I got to meet other students from diverse backgrounds and the program helped me get a feel for college life before classes actually started. I learned where everything was before the rest of my classmates arrived, and met some of my best friends.”

TAKING THE LEAD Briana is a co-founder of the Holy Cross chapter of MEChA, the national Mexican-American student organization that promotes higher education, culture, and history.  As an executive board member, she is in charge of making sure Holy Cross is represented at MEChA’s national youth symposiums. “My friends and I wanted to present the social issues of our culture, share them with the campus, and make a change. The College—and especially the chaplains’ office—was extremely supportive of the idea. We know first –hand that language is a huge barrier to family involvement in the college process. This year we plan to implement a mentoring program for both students and parents, and a college hotline run by MEChA members. Because the majority of us are bilingual in Spanish and English, and have succeeded in applying and getting into college, sharing our knowledge is the best thing we can offer to immigrant families and first generation students.”

AT HOLY CROSS AND BEYOND A member of the Moot Court team, Briana represented Holy Cross at the South Atlantic Regional Tournament, a highly competitive national event at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., where the team qualified for the national tournament. She is an editor of the College’s law journal, an admissions tour guide and has a radio show on the student-run station WCHC.  “I play a lot of indie rock and local L.A. indie bands.”  During the summer, she worked in the Los Angeles district attorney’s office. “From the philosophy professors expanding my ability to think and problem solve in new ways to the anthropology department opening my eyes to different cultures, being involved in so many activities on campus has given me the opportunity to find my passions and act on them.” Mora_20140723_hcross_578v

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Student Profile: Logan Silver ’15

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Evangelia Stefanakos '14

NAME Logan Silver ’15

HOMETOWN Eugene, Ore.

ACADEMICS Spanish major

HOME ON THE HILL Discovering Holy Cross early on in the football recruitment process, Logan traveled across the country to visit the campus, and while being hosted by recently named New York Giants cornerback, Chandler Fenner ’12, noticed there was “something different about the people here.”  He explains, “They were well spoken and inviting, and I realized that these were the types of people that I wanted to be around.”

CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE Along with knowing he wanted to continue his passion for football, Logan also knew he wanted to study Spanish at Holy Cross. While Spanish was not spoken in his household, Logan attended a Spanish immersion school in Eugene, Ore., where half of the school day was entirely in Spanish. “I was constantly exposed to cultural norms of the Hispanic world and that is why I am so connected to Spanish and Latin American culture. Bilingualism and cross-cultural understanding are as much a part of me as anything else.” At Holy Cross, he continues his involvement beyond  the classroom  by participating in cultural nights and various programs run by Caribbean African Student Assemblage (CASA) and Latin American Student Organization (LASO).

ON THE FIELD & IN THE CLASSROOM A safety for the varsity football team, Logan is usually awake and on the field before the campus stirs and is up after his classmates have gone to bed, devoting an average of 35 hours to the sport during the season in addition to his academics. “We work hard as a team every single day. I’ve experienced a huge learning curve through our wins and losses. You either quit or go all out—it’s a character thing. You learn life lessons playing this game.” But the effects of football are far-reaching—and crucial to his success at the College, he says. “Being short on time means you must learn how to prioritize and manage your activities and school work.”  Logan also credits campus-wide support and a sense of community for his success.  “Everyone is pushing each other; it’s an environment where you have all the help you need, where every professor is open to sit down with you. There is an automatic support system, from students to coaches to alumni who come to visit.”

BEYOND THE HILL Entering his final year at the College, Logan is starting to think about life after Holy Cross: “I have contemplated everything from teaching English in Spain to sales or marketing.” Logan participated in the College’s Summer Business Program—a four-week program where students work directly with Holy Cross alumni who are at the top of their business careers to learn about running and launching a business, research/analysis, marketing, and financial accounting—in order to further explore his interest in the business world.  “I’m not sure which doors will be opened but I do know that Holy Cross has prepared me to succeed no matter what I do. The College teaches you more than any one subject. You learn that the greatest skill of a good leader is self-awareness. It helps you find the unique qualities that make you an asset.” Silver_HC-Jul14-038

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Student Profile: Meghan Casey ’15

Posted on August 18, 2014 by

NAME Meghan Casey ’15

HOMETOWN North Attleboro, Mass.

ACADEMICS Self-designed global health studies major with premedical and Africana studies concentrations

EXPLORING THE WORLD During her sophomore year, Meghan was in Nairobi for a monthlong Holy Cross study abroad program. As a junior, she spent a semester studying Swahili at the State University of Zanzibar in Tanzania through a prestigious Boren Scholarship; and then studied tropical medicine and public health in Costa Rica.

A WOMAN FOR AND WITH OTHERS Meghan’s passion for public health, science, language and culture came to life in Kenya. “The first day that I stepped foot in the slum, I was shocked at the desperate conditions. I remember crying myself to sleep, wondering how life could exist in such a devastating place. Each day that passed, however, I began to feel that very life thrive within my own body. I no longer heard the trash squelching beneath my feet, saw the mud splattering over my pants, or smelled the horrid stench that had once turned my stomach inside out. I didn’t forget about these things — we should never become numb to the evidence of injustice — but my eyes opened to the everyday beauty that defines life in Kibera so much more than the hardship does. I stopped focusing on the yellow of the malnourished eyes and instead cherished their sparkle, stopped only wondering about a patient’s HIV status and instead asked about family, and stopped caring whether or not I’d gotten to shower and instead found myself, for the first time in my 19 years, freed from the chains of what I’d always been ‘expected’ to be. Although I had always known that public health was a passion of mine, this time in Kenya is where my experience and love of the beautiful Swahili language and Eastern African culture first began.”

ON CAMPUS Through the Summer Research Program and under the mentorship of Vickie Langohr, associate professor of political science, researched efforts to eradicate female genital cutting; co-chair of Fools on the Hill a cappella group; sponsorship chair of Relay for Life; site manager at Project AIDS Worcester through Students Helping Children Across Borders; chemistry peer assisted learning tutor through Academic Services and Learning Resources; and Student Government Association liaison to Medical Ministry International.

WHAT MAKES HOLY CROSS UNIQUE “There are a lot of liberal arts colleges, but with a motto of ‘men and women for and with others,’ Holy Cross gives you the support and freedom to explore your passions — and how you’re going to use them to help other people. That’s something that’s really special about this place.”

AFTER HOLY CROSS Meghan hopes to work in international health development, perhaps through U.S. government agencies like the Office of International Health in the State Department or the United States Agency of International Development. Utilizing her language skills in Spanish and Swahili, she would like to work with the Latin American and East African regions in some capacity. “I hope to be able to work with the people on the ground who are actually affected by these issues and to use my combined language, political science, and hard science background to work toward greater justice in basic health both domestically and abroad.” Casey_HC-Jul14-120

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Student Profile: Christopher Campbell ’15

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Bridget Campolettano

NAME Christopher Campbell ’15

HOMETOWN Kingston, Jamaica

ACADEMICS Religious studies and political science double major, concentrating in Africana studies

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME Having grown up in Jamaica, Christopher’s first trip to the U.S. was when he arrived  in Worcester, Mass., during  the summer of 2011 for the College’s Odyssey program, a one-week program open on a voluntary basis to all first-year ALANA and international students as well as American students living abroad, first-generation college students, and students for whom English is their second language. “Upon arriving, I was amazed by the beautiful landscape, exquisite architecture, and the wonderful friends, staff and faculty I now call family,” says Chris. And in the months and years that followed, it was also the experiences  away from campus that made Holy Cross feel like home – seeing the city beyond the campus  through the Worcester Immersion Program, and traveling to El Salvador on an immersion trip, to California for the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference, and to Paris for a summer study abroad program. “Holy Cross  has so many opportunities and ways to learn more about the world around you,” says Chris. “The traveling I’ve done is something that I never imagined being possible, and Holy Cross made that  happen for me.”

INVESTMENT IN OTHERS At Holy Cross, Chris found many ways to become involved in cocurricular activities, meet new people and experience all that Holy Cross has to offer. “With my professors, it’s not just about attending and participating in class; it’s also about going to office hours, and the one-on-one time — they really want to know me as a person, and are invested in me,” says Chris. Whether it’s participating in the Student Government Association—first as a class senator, then as director of diversity — working as an Orientation Leader, serving as co-chair of the Caribbean African Student Assemblage (CASA) or working as a resident assistant, Chris brings that same investment modeled by his professors to his relationship with classmates and other students.

CONTINUING CLASSROOM CONVERSATIONS “Mary Hobgood [associate professor of religious studies] encouraged our Faith and World Poverty class to meet in small groups outside of class, so that others can hear and join in the discussion. I was meeting with a group one afternoon over coffee in Cool Beans, and friends walking by would stop and say ‘What are you talking about? That sounds so interesting’ and they would sit down and start talking with us,” says Chris.  “I like that challenge, to engage in dialogue and have those courageous conversations, and I find myself bringing that same attitude to my activities beyond the classroom. I want to continue talking about the thoughts I have in my class on Catholicism and Latin America  with my residents, or with my fellow members of CASA.” Campbell_HC-Jul14-259

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Holy Cross to Welcome Class of 2018 on Aug. 30

Posted on August 18, 2014 by

Holy Cross will welcome an academically accomplished and diverse first-year class of 778 students on Aug. 30. The Class of 2018 is the most culturally and geographically diverse first-year class in history, with approximately 27 percent African-American, Latin American, Asian-American and Native American heritage (ALANA) representation and 19 students hailing from other countries.

About 82 percent of students rank in the top 20 percent of their high school class, and 98 percent rank in the top 50 percent of their class.

The number of ALANA students entering Holy Cross in the first-year class is more than 12 percentage points higher than 10 years ago. A total of 46 percent of students are from outside New England. Students come from 33 states, plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and five other countries, including Austria, Canada, China, Peru and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Men represent 49 percent of the class and women 51 percent. Sixteen percent are first generation college students, and 11 percent are sons or daughters of Holy Cross alumni.

A total of 333 students who applied Early Decision will enroll this fall. Early Decision allows students who consider Holy Cross to be their top choice to apply early and receive a decision by mid-December.

As soon as they arrive on campus, the newest Holy Cross students will participate in a three-and-one-half day program of welcoming events, known as Fall Gateways Orientation. The events are designed to ease transition to college life by introducing students to the wide variety of academic, spiritual, community-building, and social programs available at the College. Students also have the chance to meet members of the facultyClassof2018_RS69592_HCGW-317, administrators, and fellow classmates before classes begin on Sept. 3.

Members of the new class and their parents will gather for the formal inauguration of the new academic year at the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Aug. 30 at 4 p.m. on the Hart Center Lawn (rain location: Hart Center basketball arena). Rev. Philip Boroughs, S.J., president of Holy Cross, will preside and preach.

Related Information

Traffic Around Campus

Road and highway construction is taking place around the Holy Cross campus. Although crews will not be working on move-in weekend, we wanted to make you aware that the construction is still underway and may cause delays when you leave the campus.

The most noteworthy situation is the current closure of the on-ramp to I-290 East at College Square.

The best alternative route to leave the campus is via McKeon Road (see campus map – PDF), which is easily accessed by driving through campus via McCarthy Lane and past Figge Hall. Signage will be posted on campus.

For those traveling points east and north, follow McKeon Road east to Route 146 North for I-290 East.

For points south, follow McKeon Road east to Route 146 South for the Mass Pike East.

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Innovative Classroom Experiment ‘CreateLab’ Takes Shape at Holy Cross

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Cristal Steuer

Take eight faculty members from various disciplines—economics, sociology, psychology, music and theatre. Add 70 students with more than a dozen different majors. Bring in Cristina Pato, the Galician bagpipe “diva.” Set it in a renovated theatre space turned into a think tank or “incubator.” Born is the Creative Laboratory or “CreateLab,” an innovative pedagogical experiment, at the College of the Holy Cross.

The class stemmed from “Arts Transcending Borders,” a new initiative designed to infuse the fine and performing arts in students’ academic lives and create new opportunities throughout the curriculum and the community by transcending cultural, geographic and disciplinary boundaries.  The initiative is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

“CreateLab is intended to engender imagination and innovation among students,” explains Lynn Kremer, professor of theatre and director of Arts Transcending Borders. “The goal of the program is to foster creativity outside the confines of disciplinary boundaries to enrich student learning and growth in all areas.”

Operating free from the constraints of a traditional classroom, students participating in CreateLab will work cooperatively to produce imaginative projects, which are designed to teach students to be risk-takers, use resourceful thinking and, most of all, collaborate on creative work.

“Building upon models fostered at a number of prominent colleges and universities, students will be challenged to think outside the box of conventional learning,” says Kremer. “The course is intended to complement the goals of the Arts Transcending Borders initiative, specifically the residency of Galician bagpiper, pianist, and composer Cristina Pato, a member of the famed Silk Road Ensemble.”

Artist-in-residence Pato will help introduce the 2014-15 theme of Arts Transcending Borders—“Time, Memory, and Identity” —with a concert and panel discussion (with CreateLab faculty) on Sept. 23.

A large team-taught class is a somewhat radical idea says Kremer.  “Each faculty member is responsible for bringing 6-10 students from his or her discipline into the Lab.  They will then mentor a team of students from across disciplines,” says Kremer.

Leah Hager Cohen, Distinguished Writer in Residence at the College, is one of the faculty members teaching in CreateLab.  Says Cohen:  “I hope students will experience this as an opportunity to take real risks: creative, intellectual, social, and most of all, the risk of giving oneself permission to dwell in the space of not-knowing—which I believe is the source of all creative work.”

Cohen explains  the faculty in the class are working on “balancing the traditional task of imparting knowledge (delivering lectures, guiding activities, giving and evaluating assignments) with a more facilitating role – that is, at times stepping back and being there simply as resources for the students while they take responsibility, while they take the lead.”

She adds: “ The truth is, we’re going to be asking a lot of the students: to own their goals and to play a large role in devising the road maps for reaching them.”

The class is not just for students majoring in the arts. Prebusiness, premedical and students from across the disciplines will l benefit, too.  CreateLab faculty member David Chu, associate professor of economics and director of Entrepreneurial Studies and Pre-Business Advisor,  says, “In their professional work after Holy Cross, students will need to know how to integrate seemingly disparate information in order to present their proposition in front of top management, investors, clients, and especially need to learn how to work in teams.”

Cecilia Wolfe ’15, a psychology major with a concentration in peace and conflict studies, who has enrolled in CreateLab, says “My work as a psychology major is informed by all of the other academic and co-curricular projects I invest time in, including event planning, lab work, creative writing, and theater. I think this class is a brilliant way to bring together students who would otherwise not have opportunities to work together and focus on a mutual interest in academic, artistic exploration.”

Most classes are being  held in The Pit, located in the basement of O’Kane Hall. “It will serve as a ‘beehive’ space that will encourage cross-disciplinary enrichment and faculty and student interaction,” says Kremer.  Additional faculty team members include Renee Beard (sociology and anthropology), Mark Freeman, (psychology), Osvaldo Golijov (music), Edward Isser (theatre), and Michael Beatty (visual arts), as well as guest faculty, artists and musicians, such as Marcus Santos, the Brazilian percussionist who  promotes music as an educational resource.

“Now that I am a senior, I’ve had some experience in this type of open academic space, and my hope is to take bigger risks [in CreateLab],” says Wolfe. “Usually, I try to understand everything about a topic or idea before diving in, whereas this semester I want to push myself to immerse myself in projects and ambitions that may not have clear pathways or end goals. I’ve learned over the last three years, that is how true discovery and learning happens.”

Related Information

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Brazilian Drummer to Lead Inaugural ‘CreateLab’ Class

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Cristal Steuer

Brazilian drummer Marcus Santos

Brazilian drummer Marcus Santos

On Sept. 4, Brazilian drummer Marcus Santos will lead the inaugural class of “CreateLab,” a team taught course with eight faculty members across disciplines and 80 students from more than a dozen different majors. Operating free from the constraints of a traditional classroom, students participating in CreateLab will work cooperatively to produce imaginative projects, which are designed to teach students to be risk-takers, use resourceful thinking, and collaborate on creative work.

Santos will kick off the first day of class with a drumming extravaganza based on traditional Afro-Brazilian rhythms while also drawing from other world traditions. The class will begin in Brooks Hall at 1 p.m., where Santos will lead all students and faculty in Afro-Brazilian drumming exercises.  The class will then move outside (at 2 p.m.) to St. Joseph Chapel Plaza and perform a demonstration of what they have learned for the campus (rain location: Brooks Hall). There will be hand drums and shakers for members of the Holy Cross community to join in.

“The CreateLab faculty wanted an unconventional start for our class. A start that would unify the class members in a joint activity and create a ‘big bang,’” explains Lynn Kremer, professor of theatre and director of Arts Transcending Borders. “World drumming, according to Santos, is used as an ‘educational resource, entertainment and as a catalyst for social change.’ We are certain the ‘big bang’ will set a pitch perfect tone for CreateLab.”

A native of Bahia, Brazil, Santos is a contemporary percussionist and educator, who studies and teaches his hometown’s Afro-Brazilian music and heritage. He has performed for the President of Brazil, and on TEDx and Telemundo with the “One World Band” produced by MTV. He also played on the Sony Pictures, Oscar-nominated movie, ‘Rachel’s Getting Married’ with Anne Hathaway. He has received several industry honors including the KoSA Recognition Award (2013), Outstanding Arts Performer Award by the Brazilian Immigrant Center (2008) and Outstanding Percussionist Award by Berklee College of Music (2004).

In the education field, Santos has led workshops on Afro-Brazilian percussion and music for social change at notable universities and conventions including Carnegie Hall, PASIC and Harvard University. He is the director of the network project, Grooversity, and artistically directs 15 drumming groups throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The CreateLab class stemmed from Arts Transcending Borders, a new initiative at the College designed to infuse the fine and performing arts in students’ academic lives and create new opportunities throughout the curriculum and the community by transcending cultural, geographic and disciplinary boundaries.  The initiative is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

All Arts Transcending Borders fall events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted:

Sept. 23, 7 p.m.
Brooks Concert Hall
A concert and panel discussion with Cristina Pato and CreateLab faculty will introduce “Time, Memory and Identity”—this year’s Arts Transcending Borders theme. Joining Pato will be renowned clarinetist Todd Palmer,  fellow Silk Road Ensemble member and percussionist Shane Shanahan,  and musicians from the Boston-based ensemble A Far Cry. The program includes Pato’s “My Lethe Story,” composed in response to her mother’s memory loss, and Holy Cross Loyola Professor of Music Osvaldo Golijov’s “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind.”

Sept. 25, 6 – 8 p.m.
Hogan Campus Center, Suite A
Cultural Entrepreneurship: At the Intersection of Business and the Arts: the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies and the Prebusiness Program will host a dinner speaker series with Artist-in-Residence Cristina Pato. Learn about the development of Pato’s annual “Galician Connection Festival” and the emerging field of cultural entrepreneurship from the perspective of an independent artist. Must pre-register in advance.

Oct. 6, 5 p.m.
Brooks Concert Hall
A Window to the Art of Kathakali: Traditional Dance-Theatre from South India: Kathakali, literally “story-play,” is south Indian traditional dance-theater. Its broad canvass aesthetically synchronizes dance, drama, music – vocal and instrumental. Make-up and costuming of its non-worldly characters drawn from the great Indian epics, Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagawata, are colorful and intriguing. A traditional Kathakali recital is a nocturnal affair beginning at 9 p.m.  and continues until next dawn.  In this lecture-demonstration, following a brief introduction to Kathakali, we will learn about the grooming of a Kathakali actor, and the use of language, gestures and facial expressions as techniques and part of the story and the characterizations. Co-sponsored by the dance program.

Oct. 24, 3–4 p.m. and Oct. 25, 11 a.m. – noon
Cantor Art Gallery
Tableaux Vivants: In conjunction with “The Italian Presepe: Cultural Landscapes of the Soul,” the Italian nativity comes to life at the Cantor Art Gallery through a “tableau vivant” theatrical presentation, featuring students enacting the presepe’s surprising mix of high and low, angels and demons. All costumes will be created by Kurt Hultgren, costume designer in the theatre department at the College. Co-sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders and the Cantor Art Gallery.

Oct. 28, 5 p.m.
Seelos Theater
Artists Patty Chang and David Kelley will give a talk titled “Site and the Imaginary.”  Chang and Kelley will discuss their collaborative video work with excerpts from a selection of projects. Exploring what they describe as “the intersection of site and the imaginary,” their work merges performance, photography, and digital video. Co-sponsored by the visual arts department.

Related Information

Posted in Arts Transcending Borders (ATB), News | 1 Comment

Holy Cross Welcomes Six New Tenure-Track Faculty, Representing an Array of Academic Disciplines

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Evangelia Stefanakos '14

newtenure2As the 2014-2015 academic year begins, Margaret Freije, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, announced the hiring of six new faculty members in tenure-track positions.

“We are delighted that these highly accomplished scholars and teachers are joining the Holy Cross Community,” Freije said.  “They come to us from the finest graduate programs in the nation, and will bring new perspectives to their departments and colleagues across campus.  This is an exciting time at the College with the launch of cross-disciplinary programs, innovative new research opportunities, and planning well underway to realize institutional priorities in the academic enterprise.”

She added:  “In addition, this group of tenure-track hires may be the most diverse—in terms of both scholarship and personal backgrounds—in Holy Cross history.”

They are:

  • Lynna Gabriela Avila-Bront (assistant professor, chemistry) specializes in the study of surface-absorbate systems and their electronic and chemical relationships. She earned her B.A. in chemistry at Columbia University, and both her M.S. and Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of Chicago. She has presented at various symposiums and has received multiple fellowships, including a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She has been a leader and participant of multiple educational outreach programs in Chicago and New York City.
  • Lauren Capotosto (assistant professor, education) focuses on adult and family literacy in her research. She has a masters of education from Lesley University and another from Harvard University, where she earned her doctorate in human development and education. In addition to her work as a research assistant for READS for Summer Learning in Cambridge, Mass., she has received multiple fellowships and travel grants to conduct research. She has also presented at an array of conferences both internationally and throughout the U.S. and is a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading.
  • Matthew Gamber (assistant professor, visual arts) is an artist/photographer who earned his B.F.A. at Bowling Green State University and  M.F.A. at Tufts University. Among his many accolades, he received a traveling fellowship from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and the New Photography Grant from the Humble Arts Foundation. He also collaborated on the recently published interpretive textbook, “Matter” (Vandret Publications, 2014), and his latest exhibitions include “Still Life Lives,” at the Fitchburg Art Museum (2013-2014), and “Basic Ingredients of a Complex World,” at the Gallery Kayafas (2013). He previously taught at Holy Cross in the 2008-2009 academic year.
  • Alvaro Jarrin (assistant professor, sociology and anthropology) has been examining the development of new biotechnologies and their relationship to the anthropological study of medicine, the body, and inequality in Latin America. He earned his B.A. at Williams College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at Duke University. He has been featured in multiple publications including Medical Anthropology and “Girls’ Sexualities and the Media” (Peter Lang, 2013). He has also conducted extensive research in Brazil, with the support of national fellowships from the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies.
  • Octavian E. Robinson (assistant professor, modern languages and literatures) specializes in the history of the American Deaf community. He earned his B.A. in history and M.A. in Deaf studies at Gallaudet University, and his Ph.D. in modern U.S. history at The Ohio State University. His extensive publication includes encyclopedia entries in The Deaf Studies Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia of American Disability History. He currently serves as the editor of H-Disability for H-Net, an international online consortium of scholars in the humanities and social sciences. He had previously been a visiting faculty member at Holy Cross in 2013.
  • Jorge J. Santos (assistant professor, English) specializes in 20th century ethnic American literature, particularly in the intersections between race and religious experience. He earned his B.A. in English at Sam Houston State University, his M.A. in English at Texas Southern University, and his Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. He has presented at conferences across the country, and was awarded the Aetna Critical Writing prize in 2014 for his work on Rhode Montijo’s Pablo’s Inferno, which is currently under consideration for publication. He is also a member of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States Association and the Modern Language Association.
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