News

Shirish Korde

Boston Musica Viva (BMV), Boston’s first professional contemporary music ensemble, will present a concert titled “Origins,” which will highlight the world premier of a “KA” a dynamic new song cycle by Shirish Korde, chair and professor of the music department at the College of the Holy Cross. The concert, on April 27 at the Tsai Performance Center in Boston, will be directed by Richard Pittman, BMV music director, and will weave the musical influences of India, Peru, Israel, and the American South with traditional Western chamber ensemble.

Korde’s music is influenced by diverse world music traditions ranging from the throat singers of Tuva and the ancient Vedic chants of India, to the shimmering colors of the Balinese Gong Kebyar Gamelan orchestra. Korde is celebrated for “integrating and synthesizing music of diverse cultures into breathtaking works of complex expressive layers” (Musical America).

Korde says his musical pieces have primarily Indian and Western influences, which is a combination that is rarely composed. “One of my passions is combining two genres, which I’ve been working on in original ways,” he shares.  

Korde performs throughout the U.S. and Europe. Previous collaborations with BMV include the premieres of “Blue Topeng” (2003), “Songs of Ecstasy” (2008), and the full-length operas “Chitra” (2000) and “Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen” (2010).

“KA” is commissioned by Boston Musica Viva for Carnatic soprano Deepti Navaratna, who made her BMV debut in “Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen.”

Three other composers will also be featured in the performance including Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann, Eitan Steinberg, and Ezra Sims.“The different performances all have different angles,” says Korde. “It should be interesting to hear the many diverse and cultural influences in the pieces.”

Korde graduated from the master of music program at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and completed his graduate studies at Brown University. He has won a number of awards—both national and international—over the course of his career. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 1976.

Advance tickets for the concert are available by visiting www.bmv.org or by calling the Boston Musica Viva box office (617) 354-6910. Tickets are $10-30.

Patrick Wang

Screenwriter, director and actor Patrick Wang will be at the College of the Holy Cross on Thursday, April 12, to discuss his film “In the Family,” which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. The film, dealing with race, gender, law and the politics of family, will be released nationwide this spring. Seelos Theater will offer two free screenings: Tuesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, April 12 at 3:30 p.m. The College will host a discussion with Wang, immediately after Thursday’s screening, which will be moderated by Marybeth Kearns-Barrett, director of the chaplains’ office. All events are free and open to the public. 

“The film was rejected by over 30 film festivals before it premiered, only to go on to rave reviews and a number of awards,” says Leah Hager Cohen, critically acclaimed author and Jenks Chair of Contemporary American Letters at the College.  “It’s a beautiful film: unusually intelligent, ethical and deeply emotionally satisfying.” 

“In the Family” is set in the town of Martin, Tenn. Chip Hines, a precocious six year old, has only known life with his two dads, Cody and Joey. And a good life it is. When Cody dies suddenly in a car accident, Joey and Chip struggle to find their footing again. Just as they begin to, Cody’s will reveals that he named his sister as Chip’s guardian. The years of Joey’s acceptance into the family unravel as Chip is taken away from him. In his now solitary home life, Joey searches for a solution. The law is not on his side, but friends are. Armed with their comfort and inspired by memories of Cody, Joey finds a path to peace with the family and closer to his son.

“Patrick Wang is a marvel—a gifted storyteller, a self-possessed auteur and a social healer. ‘In the Family’ speaks eloquently to so many issues and interests without a whisper of preaching or polemic,” shares Cohen, who is organizing the event. “In fact it is an anti-polemic, showing us what might be possible when apparent adversaries meet on common ground. I am so excited that he will be joining us in person after the screening of his film.” 

Slant Magazine named the film one of the 25 Best Pictures of the year:  “This year saw the release of many impressive debut films, but they all feel weightless compared to Patrick Wang’s ambitious, compassionate, and devastating three-hour masterpiece…in Wang we have found a major talent.”
The New York Times made it a Critics’ Pick. “A remarkably fresh and unpredictable drama…one of the most accomplished and undersold directorial debuts this year.”

More information on the film: http://www.inthefamilythemovie.com/

The event is sponsored by the Jenks Chair of Contemporary American Letters, the creative writing program, ABiGaLe-Allies, Advocating Student Interest in Asia (ASIA), Asian studies, peace and conflict studies, the prelaw program, sociology and anthropology department, theater department, and women’s and gender studies.

Gabriella Petrick ’89

Gabriella Petrick ’89, associate professor of nutrition, food studies and history at George Mason University, will return to her alma mater, the College of the Holy Cross, to give a lecture titled, “Can Industrial Food Be Ethical? A Historical Perspective,” on Thursday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library, Smith Hall. The lecture, sponsored by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

Petrick, who studied history and economics at Holy Cross, uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore how the development of food processing techniques over the last century has changed Americans’ diets and tastes. Her forthcoming book is titled “Industrializing Taste: Food Processing and the Transformation of the American Diet, 1900-1965.”

“The way we taste and the way we perceive flavor is influenced by what we eat and what’s provided within our society. Over time, the American diet has become more industrial, but at the same time, we’ve also developed a taste and a preference for more industrialized foods,” Petrick explains. “When you industrialize a food product, it’s not the same as fresh, and it’s inherently degraded.”

A second book project in the works on the history of taste is titled “Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter: Taste in History.” It is a global examination of the biological, as well as the social and cultural, aspects of taste and how our understanding of sensorial taste has changed over time.

In addition to her Holy Cross degree, Petrick holds a culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America, a master’s in hospitality management from Cornell University, a master’s in the history of technology from Carnegie Mellon University, and a doctorate in the history of food processing from the University of Delaware. She is a visiting research fellow at the University of the Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy and has won many awards for her scholarship, including the Hindle Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Society for the History of Technology and a National Science Foundation Grant. She has published in the Journal of America History, Agricultural History, and History and Technology, among other journals and edited volumes.

For more on upcoming events and to find lectures online, visit www.holycross.edu/mcfarlandcenter.

About the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

Paul Farmer

Paul Farmer, founding director of Partners In Health, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 25 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

A medical anthropologist and physician, Dr. Farmer founded Partners In Health (PIH), an international non-profit organization that provides direct health care services and has undertaken research and advocacy activities on behalf of those who are sick and living in poverty. Dr. Farmer is the Kolokotrones University Professor and chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School; chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and the United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti, under Special Envoy Bill Clinton.

Dr. Farmer and his colleagues in the U.S. and in Haiti, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, and Malawi have pioneered novel community-based treatment strategies that demonstrate the delivery of high-quality health care in resource-poor settings. Dr. Farmer has written extensively on health, human rights, and the consequences of social inequality, including his most recent book “Haiti After the Earthquake” (PublicAffairs, 2011). Other titles include “Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader” (University of California Press, 2010), “Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor” (University of California Press, 2003), “The Uses of Haiti” (Common Courage Press, 2005), “Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues” (University of California Press, 1999), and “AIDS and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame” ( University of California Press, 1992). Dr. Farmer is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Margaret Mead Award from the American Anthropological Association, the Outstanding International Physician (Nathan Davis) Award from the American Medical Association, a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and, with his PIH colleagues, the Hilton Humanitarian Prize. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The College will also bestow three other honorary degrees on the following individuals at Commencement:

Lisa Sowle Cahill, theological ethicist

Cahill is the J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology at Boston College where she has taught since 1976. She is a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America (1992-93), and the Society of Christian Ethics (1997-98), and is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She received her Ph.D. in theological ethics from the University of Chicago Divinity School, where she studied under James Gustafson. Her A.B. degree is from the University of Santa Clara.  She has been a visiting professor at Georgetown and Yale universities. Her recent books include “Bioethics and the Common Good” (Marquette University Press, 2004) and “Theological Bioethics: Participation, Justice, and Change” (Thomson Gale, 2007).

Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., 31st President of the College of the Holy Cross

Currently serving as a visiting scholar at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, Fr. McFarland is a computer scientist with extensive liberal arts teaching experience and a special interest in the intersection of technology and ethics. During his tenure as president of Holy Cross (July 2000 to January 2012), he led the College through rapid and progressive change—from dramatic campus construction and record-setting fundraising to student diversity and significant community partnerships.

A graduate of Cornell (A.B.) and Carnegie Mellon (M.S., Ph.D.) universities, Fr. McFarland entered the Society of Jesus in 1975, and studied at the Weston School of Theology where he earned a master’s degree in divinity and a Th.M. in social ethics.

Sherry Turkle, scholar and author

Turkle is Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT and the founder (2001) and current director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Her most recent book is “Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other” (Basic Books, 2011). She writes on the “subjective side” of people’s relationships with technology, especially computers. She is an expert on mobile technology, social networking, and sociable robotics. She received her B.A. summa cum laude in social studies from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard University.

Relay for Life

Students at the College of the Holy Cross will host the third annual Relay for Life from 5:45 p.m. on Friday, April 13 to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 14on the Hart Center track. “This year’s theme is birthdays,” shares Jackie Smith ’15, co-chair of the event. “We hope the Holy Cross and College Hill communities can join in the fight against cancer so that every cancer victim can celebrate another birthday.”  

Relay for Life is a national event that is an overnight, relay-style event that raises money for the American Cancer Society, which is dedicated to providing cancer patients with the tools for research, education, advocacy, and services. Teams sign up online and can camp in tents overnight at the track. Although members of each team are not required to stay for the entire duration of the event, Relay for Life’s goal is to have at least one member of each team walking the track at all times to show the perseverance and strength that are needed to find a cure for cancer.

Although Holy Cross has organized a Relay for Life during the past two years, Smith anticipates that this will be the start of a bigger tradition at Holy Cross. “Holy Cross is very proud of its sense of community between the faculty, staff, and student body,” she shares. “I would love to see this campus come together in order to raise money and participate in such a great cause.”

In her hometown of Springfield, Mass., Smith was very active with Relay for Life throughout her high school years. In 2010, she chaired her local relay, which had more than 1000 participants, 50 survivors, 80 teams, and raised more than $85,000. In 2011, she set the bar even higher with over 1,500 participants, 55 survivors, 88 teams, and raised more than $100,000.

The goals for this year’s Relay for Life at Holy Cross is to have over 500 participants, 25 survivors, and raise at least $5000. 
 
The speakers for the event include Marielle McKenna ’14, the ‘Fight Back’ speaker who will talk about her experience shaving her head to spread awareness for pediatric cancer through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation; and Lenore Montanaro ‘12, a three-time cancer survivor and volunteer with the John Montanaro Fund, which was started in honor of her brother who passed away from cancer.

Various campus groups will provide entertainment including The Delilahs, a female a cappella group, and student deejay Peter Issa ’13. There will be activities and games throughout the night including a moon bounce.

For more information contact Jackie Smith ‘15.

James Fisher

The College of the Holy Cross’ Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies has selected James Fisher ‘13, a political science major from Burlington, Vt., as the 2011 fall semester’s Maurizio Vannicelli Washington Semester Away program award recipient. He will present a talk titled “Voter ID: What’s the Problem?” on Tuesday, April 10 at 4 p.m. in the Rehm Library.

During his time in Washington, D.C., Fisher interned with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law.  As part of his job responsibilities he assisted in the publication of the advocacy group’s web content, including articles on civil rights issues, information for voters, and maps that depict the range of voter ID laws across the country. He also had the opportunity to attend congressional hearings, panel discussions, and other events related to civil rights issues of voting rights and immigration.

“The experience helped me learn more about what practicing law entails and how one can apply a law degree to social justice issues,” shares Fisher.  

In his talk, Fisher will examine the current debate over voter identification laws, and how each side emphasizes distinct problems. “I analyzed voter identification laws through an ‘impartial and academic approach’ because I found that most existing literature on the issue argues either strictly for or against voter ID,” shares Fisher.

On campus, Fisher works as a resident computer consultant in ITS, volunteers through the Spring Break Immersion Program, participates in the Holy Cross Political Union, and has tutored elementary school students in Worcester as part of  Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD).

This summer, Fisher will work as a paralegal for attorney Leslie Holman, second vice president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, of Holman Immigration Law, in his hometown of Burlington, Vt. This will be his second summer working in her office. 

The Vannicelli Prize is awarded each semester in honor of the late Holy Cross political science professor and Washington Semester director, Maurizio Vannicelli, for best research paper produced in the Washington Semester Away program. The recipient of the prize is awarded the opportunity to give a public lecture at the College on his or her thesis. In addition, the recipient receives a bound copy of the thesis and is presented the book award during commencement exercises.

Danielle Evans

Fiction writer Danielle Evans will host a discussion of the writer’s craft on Thursday, March 28 at 3:30 p.m. in Fenwick 330 and give a reading as part of the Working Writers’ Series at 7:30 p.m. in the Levis Browsing Room in Dinand Library at the College of the Holy Cross. Both events are free and open to the public.

Danielle Evans’s fiction has appeared in several journals and been anthologized in “New Stories from the South” and “Best American Short Stories” of 2008 and 2010.  Her collection of short stories, “Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self” (Penguin Group, 2010), won the 2011 Paterson Prize for Fiction, the 2011 Hurston-Wright award for fiction, the 2011 PEN American Bingham Prize for a first book, was named one of the best books of 2010 by both Kirkus Reviews and O Magazine, received honorable mention for the 2011 PEN/Hemingway award and was recognized as a National Book Foundation “5 under 35” selection for 2011.

Evans earned her M.F.A. in fiction from the Iowa Writers Workshop.  She currently teaches literature and creative writing at American University in Washington, D.C.

The Working Writers Series was formerly known as the Visiting Writers Series.