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The state-of-the-art Park B. and Linda Smith Laboratories opened its doors to students on Jan. 14, the first day of the spring semester.

Ronald Jarret, professor of chemistry and dean of the class of 2012, started off his 9 a.m. Organic Chemistry class by asking students to inaugurate the chalkboard by writing or drawing something on it that says chemistry to them. Responses ranged from writing “sublimation” and H20 to drawing beakers and chemical structures.

Watch the video (total time: 06:48) »

Related Information:

• Integrated Science Complex
• Read a profile of Ronald Jarret: In Keeping With the Holy Cross Experience, Class Dean Offers Students Personalized Attention

Regardless of one’s political affiliations or beliefs, this is an undeniably exciting time to be in our nation’s capital. Since the Holy Cross Washington Semester Program began on Jan. 3, the anticipation of inaugural events has been building and it all hit a fever pitch early this week bursting into an all-out ceremony and celebration that shook the streets of this city and resounded across the nation.

The 15 students in the program, myself included, are fortunate enough to be at the heart of these momentous happenings. We have seen the inaugural posters and the increasing influx of excited onlookers, and felt the stirring atmosphere during our time in the city. I write now my firsthand account of the inaugural happenings from our suite, which overlooks the majestic Capitol building that hosted much of today’s action.

The inaugural events opened with Sunday’s “We Are One” concert, which most of the Holy Cross students here attended. We departed Arlington, our temporary home, at 9 a.m., and arrived at the Lincoln Memorial (after passing through a tight security checkpoint, of course) by 10:15. It was 25 degrees and more than four hours until the concert began.

But the time flew. Strangers surrounded us, yet our common purpose united the crowd and only helped build our anticipation. People of all cultures and ages were here to celebrate the memory of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, Lincoln’s preservation of the Union and emancipation of slaves, and Barack Obama’s swearing in as the 44th president of the United States.

After many rounds of “the wave,” singing, tossing around a beach ball until it sadly landed in the Reflecting Pool, jumping up and down for warmth and cheering on a family as it climbed a tree for a better view of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, 2:30 finally arrived, and the steps of the Memorial illuminated.

The crowd was nothing short of ecstatic as celebrities and performers presented historical quotes and patriotic songs. Speakers included Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Martin Luther King III, Jamie Foxx, Tiger Woods and Queen Latifah, while performers included Beyonce, Usher, Bruce Springsteen, Shakira, U2, Jon Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow.

Finally, Obama spoke, and as he looked out upon the sea of 500,000 Americans stretching from the Lincoln Memorial past the Washington Monument, he addressed the challenges facing our nation, economic and otherwise. Yet, he said, “I am more hopeful than ever” that the country will meet these challenges.

After Beyonce’s rendition of “America the Beautiful,” the crowds filtered out into the streets of D.C. Since the line to enter the nearest metro station stretched for more than a block in three different directions, we continued on to another stop, which finally got us to our residence more than two hours later. Along the way to the metro station, however, we were all stopped by the National Guard. A few moments later, a band of police motorcycles and black cars with dark tinted windows zoomed by us — it was Obama’s motorcade.

On the eve of the inauguration we were restless. In fact, some of us did not sleep at all. While the girls in the program were at a George Washington University party, Garrett Huddy ’10 and James Tuomey ’10 were exploring the city’s nightlife, and ended up at the gates of the National Mall at 3:45 a.m. The metro at this time carried more passengers than it did during normal rush hour. Many people pranced around in fancy furs, elegant dresses, coats and jewelry at pre-inaugural balls. The celebrities were out in full swing as well — while out with friends from Georgetown University, Ryan Donovan ’10 bumped into Rihanna at a bar!

The partying lasted late into the night and the dark quickly yielded to dawn. Garrett and James opted not to sleep, and waited outside the Mall until the masses were permitted inside at 7 a.m., from which point they waited another five hours for the ceremony to commence.

Waiting for the gates to open, Garrett and James said they “braved the cold, and made friends.” What struck James the most was the feeling of unity among the people waiting for noon to arrive. Two million people lined up all the way from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial — a stretch of about one and a half miles. Garrett and James were situated halfway down the Mall.

Only one student from Holy Cross was lucky enough to score a ticket. Evan Konstantinou ’10, who acquired a ticket through his internship at Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ office, stood in the silver section by the Mall side of the Reflecting Pool, relatively close to the Capitol.

“Everyone was happy and we all waited together,” he said. “A guy next to me was from California, while another was from Texas, and we all enjoyed the ceremony.”

The rest of us also enjoyed the ceremony, but from our living room couch. Though the concert was well worth it, dealing with the cold, crowds, and almost stagnant metro lines deterred us from going to the inauguration. As Franco Bacigalupo ’10 said, “Despite the jumbotrons, I wanted to see parts of the inauguration on television that you couldn’t see at the Mall.”

As we watched former President George W. Bush depart from the Capitol on television, we rushed out to our balcony to see his helicopter hover around and leave the Capitol to head west. That was pretty darn cool, and reminded me of my internship at NBC News, where things seem to perpetually jump from on-screen to off-screen in an instant.

The next hour or so following the ceremony, we observed masses outside our window walking across the bridge from D.C. to Virginia. James happened to be one of these walkers, whose journey from the Mall to Arlington took 40 minutes — less time than it took Evan to get to the metro station nearest the Mall.

Garrett, still functioning without sleep, clocked into work at CNN’s “Larry King Live” a little after 4 p.m.

The main message he would like to convey about participating in all the events? “No regrets.”

By Claire Luke ’10

Caption: Courtney Nicholson ’10, Tricia Brown ’10 and Claire Luke ’10, all students in Holy Cross’ Washington Semester Program, sit in front of the Capitol building.

Related Information:

• For Decades, Holy Cross’ Washington Semester Program Has Given Students Rare Opportunities

Holy Cross students may have awoken Tuesday morning to find something different in the air. No, it wasn’t more of the icy winds that have clutched Mount St. James for the past several days. Nor was it snowflakes falling upon an already winter-white campus. In fact, it seems that this new feeling might just have been … change.

If the red, white and blue balloons that decked out Hogan Campus Center were any indication, change did indeed come to Holy Cross yesterday — in the form of a united celebration over the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Like the rest of the country (and world), Holy Cross students, faculty and staff gathered to watch the inauguration of the nation’s 44th president.

The division of Student Affairs, the Office of Multicultural Education, the Office of Orientation, Transition & Leadership, the College Democrats, Audio Visual Services and Conference Services sponsored showings of the event at Hogan’s Crossroads, and newly-renovated Seelos Theater. By noon, hundreds of people were gathered at each location, watching the proceedings intently.

“I couldn’t believe how many students and faculty came together to watch,” said Jen Fraser ’09, who viewed the ceremony from Crossroads. “There was so much excitement in the air!”

It was clear that this day was not your average school day at Holy Cross. Some professors suspended class to allow students to watch the event, or took class time to view the inauguration online.

“I was impressed with the way the campus came together to witness something that was less about politics and more about history,” said Adam LaPierre ’09. “Being let out by professors early to see the swearing-in and seeing other professors joining with their students in front of the big screen really brought home the theme of unity espoused so often by Obama himself.”

Many students responded positively to the inaugural address.

“I really liked the theme of the President’s speech, calling Americans to help themselves and help others. The call to service is a theme I hope will continue throughout his Presidency,” said Chris Szkutak ’10.

The day held deep meaning for many students.

“The most striking thing about today’s ceremony was that we as Americans were experiencing a convergence of the past, present, and future in one single moment,” said Liz Wambui ’09. “We were connected to the past, watching the older Americans cry as they witnessed a moment they never thought they would. We watched history being made in the present. And in Obama’s words, we began to get a glimpse of the future — a future in which we all have a stake.”

By Kaitlin Juleus ’09

Pictured: Alicia Molt ’09, Liz Wambui ’09 and Shea Sennett ’10, clad in Obama T-shirts, were among the hundreds who gathered in Crossroads and Seelos Theater to watch the Presidential Inauguration.

The construction of Holy Cross’ Park B. and Linda Smith Laboratories — which was completed on schedule and on budget earlier this month — opened its doors to students for the Jan. 14 start of classes.

The four-story building is linked to the existing science and social science building on campus (Beaven, O’Neil, and Swords halls). Construction on the building began in the spring of 2007.

Only grounds work remains, says Leonard Raymond, assistant director for construction in the Physical Plant department at Holy Cross. That work will be done in the spring. Concrete terraces and pavement have been laid in the exterior courtyard of the building.

The last few months of last year were spent installing drywall, painting and air balancing. The modern furniture for the building arrived in early January.

Smith Labs is phase one of the integrated science complex project. The second phase is the top-to-bottom renovation of Haberlin Hall. The wall partitions in the 45-year-old building are currently being demolished, a process that is expected to take five weeks. The building will be completely rebuilt with an expected completion date of January 2010.

The O’Callahan Science Library, located on the first floor of Swords Hall between Haberlin and O’Neil halls, will remain open throughout the renovation of Haberlin Hall.

Pictured: A student conducts a lab experiment in Holy Cross’ new building, the Park B. and Linda Smith Laboratories.

Related Information:

• Integrated Science Complex

A variety of events at the College of the Holy Cross will honor the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

This year’s holiday observance marks the 80th birthday of King and the 23rd anniversary of the national holiday in his honor.

On Jan. 19, artist and musician Tyrone Roberson will perform from noon to 1:15 p.m. in Hogan Suite A. The event is titled “A Celebration in Song.”

Later in the day, from 4 to 5:15 p.m., faculty and students will discuss King’s legacy and look to the future in a faculty-student panel titled “Remember the Dream … Change Has Begun.”

Panelists include Daniel Klinghard, assistant professor of political science; Thomas Doughton, senior lecturer in the Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies; Jerry Dickinson ’09, a political science and sociology double major; and Casey O’Keefe ’10, a psychology major with a Peace and Conflict Studies concentration. Timothy Austin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, will serve as facilitator.

In addition to these events, more than 50 members of the Holy Cross community are taking a trip to Washington, D.C., to watch the historic inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.

On Jan. 13 during Holy Cross’ annual Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon, a current student and an alumnus — Daryl Brown ’09 and Rev. Kenric Austin Prescott ’73 — reflected on King’s dream of racial equality.

The following films will be shown at the Seelos Theater at 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.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Wed., Jan. 14: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Starring Anamaria Marinca and Laura Vasiliu. Set in 1980’s Romania, this gripping tale tells the story of a young woman who helps her friend with an illegal abortion.

Happy-Go-Lucky
Fri., Jan. 16 and Sat., Jan. 17: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan. A quirky, upbeat English school teacher takes optimism to the extreme, much to the exasperation of those around her.

Persepolis
Wed., Jan. 21: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Denevue. Marjane Satrapi helped to write the cartoon adaptation of her celebrated graphic novel about an independent girl coming of age during the Islamic Revolution in contemporary Iran.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Fri., Jan. 23 and Sat., Jan. 24: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz. In this Woody Allen film, two American girls vacationing in Spain fall in love with the same painter.

The Duchess of Langeais
Wed., Jan. 28: Showings 3 and 8 p.m. Starring Jeanne Balibar and Guillaume Depardieu. This adaptation of a Balzac story is full of elegant settings and destructive passions of forbidden and obsessive love.

Body of Lies
Fri., Jan. 30 and Sat., Jan. 31: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. A CIA agent working in the Middle East uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader, only to be manipulated by both his boss and a Jordanian spymaster.

The Band’s Visit
Wed., Feb. 4: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Sasson Gabai and Ronit Elkabetz. A band made up of Egyptian police journeys to Israel for a performance at the inaugural ceremony of the Arabic cultural center and gets lost along the way.

W.
Fri., Feb. 6 and Sat., Feb. 7: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Banks. Oliver Stone depicts the life and presidency of George W. Bush, chronicling from his college days at Yale to his re-election campaign in 2004.

The Counterfeiters
Wed., Feb. 11: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Karl Markovics and August Diehl. Based on a true story, a team of Jewish artisans is exempt from the horrors of concentration-camp life to counterfeit currency in the 1930s.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Fri., Feb. 13 and Sat., Feb. 14: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG. Starring Ben Stiller and Chris Rock. The wild and crazy animals from the first film are heading off the island, but instead of going back to New York, they crash-land in Africa for some more adventure in the wild.

The Duchess
Fri., Feb. 18: Showing at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Keira Knightly and Ralph Fiennes. A chronicle of the life of the 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, duchess of Devonshire, who was berated for her elaborate political and personal life.

Appaloosa
Fri., Feb. 20 and Sat., Feb. 21: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen. Two friends are hired to police a western town run by a rancher, and their job is complicated with the arrival of a young widow.

The Boy in Striped Pajamas
Wed., Feb. 25: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Asa Butterfield and David Thewlis. Set during the Holocaust, the eight-year-old son of a commandant at a concentration camp befriends a Jewish boy, leading to startling consequences.

The Secret Lives of Bees
Wed., March 11: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Dakota Fanning. In South Carolina in the 1960s, a runaway white girl haunted by memories of her mother is cared for by four black women in a heated racial climate.

Quantum of Solace
Fri., March 13 and Sat., March 14: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Daniel Craig and Gemma Arterton. Out for revenge for the death of his lover, secret agent James Bond battles an unethical environmentalist in the latest installment of the 007 series.

Milk
Wed., March 18: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin. The eye-opening story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man voted to public office in the U.S., who was later assassinated.

Changeling
Fri., March 20 and Sat., March 21: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich. Jolie plays a single mom in Los Angeles in the 1920s, who comes home to find her son missing. Five months later, the police return a boy that’s not hers, and she struggles against hostile male authorities to find the truth and her son.

Doubt
Wed., March 25: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. An authoritarian nun suspects a popular priest of sexually abusing a young black boy, and a fiery showdown of authority, religion, and morality ensues.

Australia
Fri., March 27 and Sat., March 28: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. This adventurous love story is set in pre-WWII Australia, where romance sparks between an aristocrat and a stock-man.

The Reader
Wed., April 1: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Starring Kate Winslet and David Kross. In post-WWII Germany, a law student watching war crime trials discovers that a past lover worked as a Nazi guard.

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Fri., April 3 and Sat., April 4: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13. Starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connolly. A remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic about an alien visitor warning the earth against environmental dangers.

Frost/Nixon
Wed., April 15: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. A dramatic retelling of the famous post-Watergate scandal interviews between celebrated British TV journalist David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.

Gran Torino
Fri., April 17 and Sat., April 18: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Clint Eastwood and Bee Vang. Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a grumpy Korean War veteran who sets out to reform his teenage Hmong neighbor.

Slumdog Millionaire
Wed., April 22: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R. Starring Dev Patel and Anil Kapoor. An impoverished Indian teenager lands a spot on the Hindi version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and is arrested for cheating.

Role Models
Fri., April 24 and Sat., April 25: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott. Unruly behavior forces two energy drink reps into court-mandated community service in a Big Brother program as mentors for two misfit kids.

The Wrestler
Fri., May 1 and Sat., May 2: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R. Starring Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. This drama is centered on retired pro wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson as he tries to make his way back for one last showdown.

Forty-nine students and six faculty members and administrators from the College of the Holy Cross will travel to Washington, D.C., to witness the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 20.

A bus will leave Holy Cross at midnight on Jan. 20 and return on midnight the following day. The event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Education.

The group, which does not possess tickets to the official events, hopes to be close to the U.S. Capitol where Obama will take the oath of office, or on the National Mall.

Faculty and administrators on the trip include Luz Colon-Rodriguez, assistant director of OME; Thomas Doughton, senior lecturer in the Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies; Mable Millner, assistant dean and director of OME; Jeffrey Reno, associate professor of political science; Boyd Servio-Mariano, associate director of OME; and Isaac Tesfay ’04, consultant to OME.

Back on campus, the Presidential Inauguration will be shown on big screens in both Crossroads in the Hogan Campus Center and Seelos Theater from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hundreds of fourth-year students attending Holy Cross’ annual Senior Convocation on Jan. 13 in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel listened intently as classmates Cara Joyce and Mary Kate Brennan reflected on their time on Mount St. James.

Senior Convocation is a “for seniors, by seniors” event, in which students reflect on the challenges and accomplishments of their time in college, and consider how they will use their remaining time at Holy Cross to shape their lives and their life’s work.

Joyce, a sociology major and visual arts minor from Cumberland, R.I., spoke about how much she cherished the sense of community at Holy Cross. She also highlighted that the Class of 2009 is on pace to achieve another high graduation rate, one of the hallmarks of Holy Cross.

Brennan, an English major and art history minor from Metuchen, N.J., encouraged her classmates to embrace the change that is coming after graduation by seeking new opportunities and taking risks in their remaining time at Holy Cross.

Read Joyce’s essay. (PDF)

Read Brennan’s essay. (PDF)

Read more about this year’s Senior Convocation.

The Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon is an annual event that offers an opportunity for student leaders — resident assistants, multicultural peer educators, and orientation leaders — to reflect on their position as role models for other students, and the positive impact they can have on increasing awareness of and sensitivity toward human differences.

In separate speeches during this year’s event held on Jan. 13, a current student and an alumnus — Daryl Brown ’09 and Rev. Kenric Austin Prescott ’73 — told a rapt audience in a packed room in the Hogan Campus Center that King’s dream of racial equality has not been fully realized, and that students must be willing and ready to fight the injustices of the world.

Brown related how just weeks earlier he discovered his family’s personal connection to the slain civil rights leader.

“My grandmother tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘June 19, 1958,’ ” said the political science and Spanish double major from Stone Mountain, Ga. “She could tell by the puzzled look on my face that I could not understand the significance of this date. My grandmother then explained that this was the day my great grandparents hosted Dr. King and Ralph Abernathy for dinner in Omaha, Nebraska.”

The civil rights leaders were in Omaha attending the National Baptist Sunday School Conference, Brown explained. Local preachers brought them to his great grandparents’ house for a good meal.

“This specific dinner happened more than 50 years ago, but my grandmother remembers it like it was yesterday,” he said.

Brown referenced King’s 1957 speech “Give Us the Ballot” in which the activist said “if physical death is the price that some must pay to free their children from a permanent life of psychological death, then nothing can be more Christian.”

He added: “Dr. King’s dream is a dream of many dreams, encompassing generations of success and progress for every race and community.”

Brown underscored the fact that Barack Obama’s election to the highest office in America does not mean that King’s dream is complete.

Continuing that theme, Prescott, pastor-teacher of Union Baptist Church of Hartford, Conn., told the emerging leaders “you need to keep reminding yourself that the dream has not been fulfilled.”

Racism, he asserted, is alive and well, albeit in a concealed fashion. As a freshman at Holy Cross in 1969, Rev. Prescott recalled walking on Southbridge Street, near the bottom of College Hill, with a fellow black student, when a young boy, who he guesses must have been 6 or 7 years old, shouted a racial epithet.

Events like that are rare nowadays, he said, but only because people know they can land in hot water if caught. Instead, “they’re underground.”

Rev. Prescott concluded by reminding the audience that hate grows when people are alienated from each other. His advice to students who aspire to leadership positions:  befriend strangers to continue the fight against hate.

Pictured: Daryl Brown ’09