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The Dean’s Office recently celebrated the contributions that Holy Cross professors make to their fields of study.

“Every year, Holy Cross faculty members author groundbreaking studies, attract six- and seven-figure grants, exhibit and perform in international venues, and receive accolades from the learned societies in their fields,” said Timothy R. Austin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, before a faculty assembly.

Equally impressive, Austin said, is that faculty members are able to produce such voluminous amounts of scholarly and creative work in addition to providing top-tier classroom teaching, student advising and mentoring that is a hallmark of a Holy Cross education.

Celebration of Faculty Scholarship [PDF] »

A group of Worcester high school students spent a day recently with Holy Cross faculty and students to talk about authenticity and commercialization related to something very close to their hearts: hip-hop music.

In the process, they also learned more about their own opportunities for college.

During the full day event, about 40 students from Worcester’s North High and South High schools engaged in conversations led by Holy Cross students enrolled in one of the music department’s newest courses, African-American Music: From Blues to Rap.

The symposium was a collaborative effort by Margaret A. Post, director of the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning, and Daniel DiCenso, visiting instructor of music. Their primary goals were to showcase the importance of hip-hop music and to help high school students learn about access to colleges, including Holy Cross. With the help of Julianna Stuart ’10, a religious studies major with a Peace and Conflict Studies concentration, and Lauren Buckley ’09, AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer, the two came up with a format that would work within the context of the Blues to Rap course, and then reached out to Worcester high school students.

The symposium began with a keynote address given by Mohamed Adam ’11, a psychology major with an Asian Studies concentration. Engaging the audience by asking “Is hip-hop dead?” Adam gave a brief history of hip-hop culture. He created an environment where dancing, singing and laughing were encouraged while demonstrating the importance of discussing these issues in academia. Adam, who was raised in Worcester and attended high school in the city, noted that he felt “a sense of responsibility” in addressing the students from his hometown.

“It is great to see both North and South [high schools] interacting together,” he said. “I’m glad we have a course on hip-hop here at Holy Cross and I’m glad we can bring these students into the conversation.”

The high school students were assigned to groups, and then participated in discussion topics, created and run by the students in the Blues to Rap course. The session topics were titled:

• “Putting it on the map: How does regional rap affect hip-hop?”
• “Squeaky clean: The return of Willenium?”
• “Money in the bank: Has hip-hop sold out?”
• “Who has the right to rip?”
• “Does hip-hop still take talent?”

Lance Jeune ’11, a group leader on the discussion of “clean” hip-hop, was surprised by and appreciated the unique perspectives the younger generation of students had to offer.

“The kids had a lot to say,” said Jeune. “It was interesting to hear their positive opinions on styles of rap we thought they wouldn’t like at all.”

DiCenso also noted a positive and beneficial conversation between the generations, lending the ease of interaction to the topic at hand.

“Hip-hop is a perfect example the kind of work that runs seamlessly between the high school and college level,” DiCenso noted. “I think we all benefit from the exchange and that the high school students go back to school newly confident about their ability to participate in college age work.”

After each group completed their rotations, the students were treated to a tour of campus, lunch and a reflection on their time at Holy Cross. By the end of the day, conversations flowed more easily and a bond had been formed among students who had previously cheered and boasted of the separation between the two high schools. When asked by a chaperone which school one group of students was from, one boy responded, “We are North and South High School. We are reuniting.”

Commenting on the symposium, DiCenso said: “Hip-hop music is important music. Period. By taking hip-hop seriously, we take seriously all people who find their voice and their experience represented by this special art form.”

By Mary Moczula ’11

Pictured: Mohamed Adam ’11 delivers a keynote address titled “Is hip-hop dead?” before 40 students from Worcester’s North High and South High schools.

April 23, 2010|nm

John Vo ’09, of Worcester, has been awarded a Fulbright grant to paint and study contemporary and traditional Vietnamese art in his parents’ birthplace of Vietnam.

Vo’s parents immigrated to America in 1987. For the past several years, Vo, who double majored in philosophy and studio art, has been creating narrative paintings that focus on his parents’ experiences and stories.

“Through my art it has become clear to me that I must explore this void in my identity and deepen my understanding of exile by going to Vietnam and experiencing what my parents were forced to leave behind,” he wrote in his statement of grant purpose to the Fulbright Program.

He wrote: “I want the chance to be able to experience Vietnam, and visit memorial sites, such as Vinh Moc tunnels and the My Lai Massacre Museum. These are the kinds of encounters I cannot obtain from books or the Internet. Moreover, these are the experiences my paintings try to explain.”

While he is in Vietnam, Vo will learn the Vietnamese art forms of silk painting and woodblock printing. Vietnamese woodblock printing is an admired art form because of its significance in Tet (Lunar New Year) decorations. He will study at Ho Chi Minh City’s San-Art, a non-profit organization which provides exhibition space, residency programs for young artists, lecture series and an exchange program that invites international artists and curators to organize or collaborate on exhibitions.

Vo says an exhibition titled Changing Identity: Recent Works by Women Artists from Vietnam, held in Holy Cross’ Cantor Art Gallery during his senior year, helped spur him to apply for a Fulbright award.

“When I stood in front of those pieces I could not help but feel a connection,” he said.

Over the last year, Vo has been creating artwork and putting on shows in Boston. At Holy Cross, he was involved with ASIA (Asian Students in Action) and the Gesso student art society.

Vo also credits Anthony Cashman, director of Holy Cross’ Office of Distinguished Fellowships and Graduate Studies, in shepherding him through the Fulbright applications process.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 250,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Read about this year’s three other Holy Cross Fulbright Grant recipients: Connor Hayden ’10, Kaitlyn Mearn ’07, Stacy Nazzaro ’10, and Olivia Pruszko ’10.

April 23, 2010|nm

Holy Cross plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day with a series of activities over the coming weeks. And just in time to usher in the big day on April 22, the College has received recognition for its sustainability efforts from the Princeton Review.

Holy Cross is included in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges,” for demonstrating “an above average commitment to sustainability in terms of campus infrastructure, activities and initiatives.”

In developing the guide, which is published in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and based on a survey of hundreds of colleges nationwide, the Princeton Review looked at an institution’s commitment to building certification using USGBC’s LEED green building certification program; environmental literacy programs; formal sustainability committees; use of renewable energy resources; recycling and conservation programs, among others. To see the full report, click here.

Events
Events and activities scheduled at Holy Cross follows:

* Holy Cross “celebs” appear in a video designed to encourage community members to “go green.” The video will also be displayed in a continuous loop on the first floor of the Hogan Campus Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 22.
* All members of the Holy Cross community are encouraged to wear green on April 22.
* From April 19 to 23, all clothing in the Holy Cross Bookstore containing the colors purple or green will be marked 20 percent off. Applies to in-store purchases only.
* On April 22, free recycled pads will be available to students in Dinand Library. The College’s Graphic Arts department made the pads from recycled paper.
* On May 1, Dining Services will serve the annual spring picnic barbecue on Frisbees to help reduce waste from the event.

Student-Led Efforts
Eco-Action, a student organization dedicated to the promotion of environmental awareness through education and local action, is holding an info session on Summer of Solutions Worcester in the Loyola First Floor Study Room from 6 to 7 p.m. on April 22.

Summer of Solutions Worcester is a two-month cooperative summer learning experience focusing on holistic, community-based solutions to environmental, social, and economic justice issues by generating practical projects that have a tangible impact in the city of Worcester and beyond.

“We’re hoping by hosting an info session on campus we can get more Holy Cross students involved this summer,” says Eco-Action co-chair Maria de la Motte.

In addition, Eco-Action members who are also members of the Worcester Energy Barn-Raisers have been helping organize a barn-raising on April 24 from 10 am.-3 p.m. at the Oak Hill Community Development Corporation. A barn-raising is a one-day community event where people come together to weatherize a community center, learn important energy-saving skills, make new friends, and celebrate our accomplishments with music food and fun.

“In the spirit of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, many local community groups will be tabling to educate us about their work and further action we can take,” says de la Motte.

Earth Day in Worcester
Kelsey Shields ’10, from Wallingford, Conn., will help beautify dozens of areas in Worcester.

As a work study/intern at the Regional Environmental Council, a non-profit focused on building sustainable communities, the biology major has been helping organize the 21st annual Earth Day Cleanups program. On May 1, groups of volunteers will fan across the city picking up trash in more than 40 registered sites.

“My interest in the environment has grown exponentially during my time at Holy Cross,” she says. “I’ve always had an interest but I’ve become more and more focused over the past four years. The more I learn, the more I want to know.”

Following graduation, Shields plans to work in environmental education or protection. “I really want to educate the public about the environment and our role in it,” she says.

April 21, 2010|nm

Stacy Nazzaro ’10, of Falmouth, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Argentina, where she plans to merge several of her passions (Spanish, music, teaching and international relations) in three projects.

A Spanish and economics double major, Nazzaro will teach English at a Teachers Training College in an Argentine province during the March to November 2011 school year. She will also work on a supplementary cultural project titled “Promoting Multiculturalism through Song,” which includes forming a singing group to teach the English language and North American culture through song. She also plans to join an Argentine choir in the community to immerse herself in the language and culture and form a deeper relationship with the people of Argentina.

Nazzaro’s study abroad experience last year in Leon, Spain helped spur her to apply for the Fulbright. “The best part of every cultural exchange is that by learning about others we learn about ourselves,” she says. In Leon, she sang in the Coro Ángel Barja, the city’s competing youth choir. Despite returning to the United States with a better understanding of Spanish culture, she was eager to extend her love of the Spanish language into a new community and gain firsthand knowledge of Latin America.

“I love experiencing new cultures, and that may be due to the fact that my mother is an immigrant,” she explains. “She moved to the United States from the Portuguese Azores islands when she was 12 years old. Growing up with an immigrant mother has taught me to appreciate other cultures and traditions that are often lost in the U.S. melting pot.”

Her interest in teaching stems from three experiences from her college years: tutoring a third-grade Japanese immigrant the English language; tutoring two children English while she was studying abroad in Spain; and helping Holy Cross students with introductory Spanish courses.

Nazzaro’s goals are constantly evolving, but there are three things she says she can’t live without: the Spanish language, music and the ability to make a difference across cultures. She is interested in working in international economic development.

At Holy Cross, Nazzaro is a Chapel Choir leader, Christian Life Community leader, president of Sigma Delta Pi (the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society), and organizes the Spanish Writer’s Workshop. She is also involved with the Chamber Singers and College Choir. Nazzaro co-wrote an article titled “Moral Rights Protection for the Visual Arts” in the Journal of Cultural Economics, along with Melissa Boyle, assistant professor of economics, and Debra O’Connor, assistant professor of accounting.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 250,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Read about this year’s three other Holy Cross Fulbright Grant recipients: Connor Hayden ’10, Kaitlyn Mearn ’07, Olivia Pruszko ’10, and John Vo ’09.

April 21, 2010|nm

The College of the Holy Cross will host Academic Conference 2010 from April 21 through April 24. The four-day conference provides students from across academic disciplines with an opportunity to present the results of their independent work. The programs, projects, poster sessions, and performances by students are the results of student work over one or two semesters under the guidance of faculty members.

Approximately 300 Holy Cross students will be involved in the conference this year. Academic Conference 2010 is free and open to the public.

Representing a fraction of the independent and group-project opportunities of which Holy Cross students have taken advantage this year, the conference includes works from the arts, social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. Students will present an array of topics including:

* “The Artistry of Architecture”
* “An Acoustically Ideal Outdoor Amphitheater”
* “Tree Homes: A Sustainable Solution for the Communities of Tomorrow”
* “Climate Change and Poverty: States’ Ethical and Moral Obligations”
* “A Study of Television Writing: A History of the Sitcom, An Exploration of ‘30 Rock,’ and the Creation of a Spec Script”
* “The Conception of Mental Illness: What It Is, What It Means, and What It Should Be”
* “Miles Davis: The Early Years”
* “In Search of Black Men’s Masculinities: Hip Hop and ‘The Street’ Culture”
* “Chocolate: Not Just a French Staple, a Cultural Cornerstone”
* “Bank Failures and Bailouts: A Closer Look at the Current Banking Industry”
* “Emotional Facial Memory: An Investigation of an Own-Age Bias in Younger and Older Adults”
* “Cognitive Control in Opiate Addiction”
* “A Voice for the Silent: A Creative Approach to Ending Violence Against Women”
* “The Female Athlete: How Is She Depicted by the Media?”
* “Life With Cancer”
* “Using Peptide Isosteres to Investigate Antibiotic Resistance”
* “The Advent and Early Evolution of Audio Recording and Its Impact on the World of Music”
* “Social Class Embodied: Understanding How Body Image, Power, and Resistance Operate across Socio-Economic Class”

The conference will open with a lecture by this year’s Fenwick Scholar, Owen Fenton ’10. The Fenwick Scholar Award is one of the College’s oldest and most prestigious academic distinctions. Departmental nominees design, with several advisors, a program of study leading to a significant research or creative project that will be an entire senior-year curriculum.

Fenton has spent the academic year working with chemistry professor Richard Herrick. His lecture, “Chemical Body Armor: A Study on Phosphorus,” will be presented at 4 p.m. in the Rehm Library on Wednesday, April 21.

A reception, open to the entire Holy Cross community, will follow the lecture at 5 p.m. in Moran Lounge, on the fourth floor of Smith.

The conference is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of the College.

View the complete schedule [PDF].

April 20, 2010|nm