Case Western Reserve University Undergraduate Admission

July 07, 2008

Becoming One with Campus

Pink Lotus Yoga is holding free yoga sessions every Tuesday and Thursday for members of the Case Community. As long as the weather cooperates, the sessions will take place in a shady spot out on the grass of the Case Quad. They are designed for everyone from beginners to experienced yoga practitioners and are a nice break from work or class to relieve stress and relax in Cleveland’s wonderful summer sunshine.

Specific times and instructor contact information can be found online.

Posted by sja15 at 08:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 30, 2008

Summer Time Blues

Wednesdays are quickly becoming more than ‘hump day’ thanks to Wade Oval Wednesdays (WOW). Every Wednesday night a different musician will be performing live for free on the Wade Oval in the center of all the museums. Each night will have a different museum offering special events along with various local artists and venders selling their wares to anyone interested. At the very least, it’s a nice way to relax and enjoy Cleveland’s wonderful summer nights.

For artist and museum information, visit WOW online.

Posted by sja15 at 08:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 26, 2008

Wednesday on the Quad

Bon Appétit is making Case the place to be every Wednesday for lunch. The fun starts at 11:30am with a BBQ put on by our university’s food services. The BBQs have different themes ranging from South of the Border with chicken and pulled pork, to a Mediterranean theme including sausages and grilled vegetables. It’s only $7 a plate and refreshments and desserts are included. As an added bonus, live music keeping everyone entertained.

For menus and musician information, see the event online.

Posted by sja15 at 12:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 26, 2008

Case keeps students involved during a period of change

Last year, Case welcomed a new president onto its campus: Barbara Snyder. This was only the beginning of the many changes that are to come to Case. Currently, the university is also in search of a new provost to replace Interim Provost Dr. Jerold Goldberg. What makes this search different from at other institutions? One of the members of the search committee, which consists of ten representatives, is Undergraduate Student Government President, Myles Nickolich.

Students are also encouraged to attend strategic planning forums regarding emerging goals of the university, and how to take action toward achieving these goals. A draft of the University Plan document was sent around to the entire university earlier to encourage all members, especially students, to stay informed on the subject and offer ideas.

Posted by eeg7 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 08, 2008

Race at Case: The Hudson Relays

In 1882, Western Reserve University moved 26 miles from Hudson, Ohio to University Circle. Every year, Case commemorates this event with the Hudson Relays: a 26-mile relay race around campus. Participants include a team from every class (freshman, sophomore, junior and senior), plus alumni and faculty teams. The winning team of the three-hour race gets bragging rights and their name engraved on a special rock located near Adelbert Hall on campus. In addition, if a class team wins four years in a row, administration provides a steak and champagne dinner for them at graduation.

Posted by eeg7 at 03:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 03, 2008

The Celluloid Campus

Case Western Reserve University is no stranger to the big screen. In fact, a 2008 applicant said he first learned about us from a scene in the 1999 movie Being John Malkovich. Case was also mentioned numerous times in the indy flick The Oh in Ohio, and a number of Case students were cast as extras in the film, some with minor speaking roles. Some of our buildings—including Thwing Student Center (above)—can be seen in Air Force One, starring Harrison Ford.

If you choose to attend Case, there’s no guarantee that you’ll see celebrities and film crews on your way to class (though you might spy members of the Footlighters rehearsing scenes on the quad). However, international stardom isn’t entirely out of the question. A group of engineering majors will appear on the Discovery Channel later this month for their work on Dexter, Case’s robotic vehicle.

Related
Are you a film buff? At Case you won’t be the only one. The Case Film Society offers screenings throughout the semester, as well as special events like the 36-hour Sci-Fi Film Marathon. Case students frequent the renowned Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, located just a few steps from the North Campus residence halls. Also, the Cedar Lee Theater is close to campus and shows first-run independent features.

Posted by tlm42 at 03:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 21, 2008

Darwin’s On the Origin of Species brings the Case species together to celebrate

In honor of the two-hundred year anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, and the one-hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his book, On the Origin of Species, Case is throwing a yearlong celebration. The 2008-2009 school year will be themed around Darwin, beginning with the Common Reading Program. All first-year students will be reading David Quammen’s The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution. Quammen will visit campus as the keynote speaker for Fall Convocation.
The Common Reading Program is a unique aspect of SAGES where all new undergraduate students share in the experience of reading the same work of literature the summer before entering Case. Many SAGES professors will later use the common reading as part of their course curriculum. Every year the Common Reading Selection Committee chooses a new book, and the author is invited to speak on campus during the fall semester.

Read more about the Common Reading Program and the Year of Darwin here.

Posted by eeg7 at 12:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 17, 2007

Finals 101: Surviving finals week at Case

The library isn’t the only place on campus that gets packed during finals week. Our student center, dining halls, black box theater and other facilities will all be providing stressed-out students with many ways to procrastinate.

Thwing Study Over is a jammed packed night of free food, massages and a Cash Vault where you can win loads of prizes. You can also sing your blues away with their karaoke machine, backed up by a live band.

Another way to pack in that brain food is Late Night Breakfast. Hosted by Case Dining Services, Late Night Breakfast gives all students a chance to refuel with a variety of sweets, snacks and breakfast foods. You can also get in touch with your inner-chef by participating in an Iron Chef competition.

To fill up on some laughs, IMPROVment, Case’s short-form improvisational comedy troupe, is putting on its end-of-the-semester Ha-Ha-Holiday Show benefit. Filled with hilarious skits, raffles and holiday cheer it’s sure to be a good time.

Posted by eeg7 at 02:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 14, 2007

Case’s Mather Dance Collective Entertains Cleveland

MaDaCol had guests arriving more than half an hour before the performance for a chance to get seats. The room was packed with students volunteering to sit on the floor so they could watch the performances. MaDaCol had four performances, all choreographed by students, with most also creating their own costumes as well. Dancers from the entire Cleveland community participated, some students, some alumni, and some simply returning for the fun.

The show opened with an emotional piece by graduate student Jamie Knurek, delving into mirror scenes. The show then continued with a piece by Megan Chirby that included one of our very own, Carmen Hendricks, as a performer. The theme was rebounding with the choreography revolving around circular motion, and continuously returning to the same position. The third piece by Jennifer Birou Lakamp had an interesting choreography. Combined with the costumes the dancers appeared as ocean waves. The final piece by Sernaz Demirel was the most fun, starting with a light-hearted approach of girls whispering secrets. The dance had them pretending to hide from one performer as if they would be caught. In the end the show was well worth my time, and judging by other reactions I wasn’t the only one to think so. Many of my friends cannot wait until the next performance.

Related
Check out Case's dance program. The Mather Dance Center continues as one of the oldest dance institutions in Ohio and has a distinguished history.

Posted by sja15 at 11:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 11, 2007

Could Case go from classroom bandwidth to classroom banned-width?

Faculty want to know: when students are rapidly typing on laptops during class, are they taking notes or taking bets?

This past month, Case held an open forum to discuss whether laptops and cell phones should be banned from the classroom. This topic has become an issue throughout the nation, with professors learning that students are actually playing games such as online poker, checking e-mail and chatting with friends instead of listening to class lectures and participating in classroom debates.

Where can Case draw the line and still be considered one of the most technologically advanced universities in the nation? And, where do individual rights come into play?

The editorial staff of our student-run newspaper, The Observer, had its own opinion on the subject as well. Take a look at the editorial on the subject.

Check out the November 2 poll results here.

Posted by eeg7 at 09:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 05, 2007

They Might Be Giants Rock Out On Case’s Campus

Once again, our Undergraduate Programming Board (UPB), a student-run organization, brought another major concert to our campus. On November 17, They Might Be Giants, a band that has won awards for the past 20 years, played for students at Case and our neighbors, the institutes of art and music. If you were lucky enough to pick up a ticket in advance, you were granted two free tickets with one Case ID. Attendance was one of the highest I’ve seen in a while, with many alumni and faculty present among the students.

The concert took place in Adelbert Gymnasium, and opened with a band called Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer rallied the crowd with their tunes and funny antics, especially when the guitarist flipped his guitar to show a sign stating “Air horn Solo” and the drummer let loose with the air horn. Once They Might Be Giants took the stage they were unstoppable ending with a double encore performance. Overall, it was a stellar performance, and not just because it was free.

Posted by sja15 at 08:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 03, 2007

Case Western’s Students Eat Around the World

On November 15, Case students got to travel the world without leaving their seats. Our Undergraduate Programming Board (UPB), a student-run organization, hosted Passport around the World Cultural Dinner and Show, a free event that included performances from cultural groups, as well as booths filled with food. The performances included exhibitions, including martial arts, from Case’s Taekwondo Club, which has been on campus for more than 20 years now, the Argentine Tango, and many other cultural spectacles.

The booths had food from restaurants from all over the Cleveland area, along with my personal favorite, Red Chimney, a Polish restaurant with great pierogi and kielbasa. We had many other vendors, some from Coventry and others from local family-run eateries that students had never even noticed before. Most booths came supplied with ample food and take-out menus for students. I cannot wait for another event like this; it was like Disney World’s Epcot Center, only more delicious, free and a few steps from the residence halls.

Posted by sja15 at 08:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 20, 2007

Student initiative helps to clear the smoke on Case’s campus

After the huge controversy in 2006 over Ohio’s smoking ban in bars and other public places, Case students wondered if they should follow the state’s lead. With the help and support of the university, several student organizations teamed up to research the students’ thoughts on smoking on-campus and take appropriate action.

Undergraduate Student Government headed the operation, and after almost a year of surveys, proposals and revisions, their hard work paid off. Starting in October, the university is completely smoke-free, except for 15 designated smoking locations.

How’s that for the power of students? Read more about our campus-wide smoking ban here.

Posted by eeg7 at 12:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 18, 2007

Case’s Dining Services sustain more than just students’ appetites

Bon Appetit, Case’s primary food service for the second year, combines flavor, nutrition and environmental friendliness to teach students to be responsible in their dietary choices.

With several Culinary Institute of America alumni on staff, Bon Appetit gives their chefs full-reign of the kitchen – as long as every item is cooked from scratch. The company also buys as many products from local sellers, which guarantees fresh produce and vegetables for students while helping to support the local economy and the environment.

Bon Appetit also works directly with students to give them what they want. Managers and chefs meet with the Food Committee, a division of the Residence Hall Association, biweekly to discuss ways in which the dining halls can provide more of what students like.

For more about Bon Appetit, visit their Web site.

Posted by eeg7 at 12:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 16, 2007

Case Western’s Always Looking Out

CaseWARN: Now you can get more than laundry updates from Case

Case Western Reserve University has recently implemented a new program called CaseWARN, which stands for Case Wide Area Rapid Notification. Students who sign up for this program are able to receive text messages or a voice mail to alert them about any major disturbance. Each message is evaluated and distributed by the university’s senior leadership team minutes after any incident is reported. Students will be able to receive information ranging from a case of imminent danger to a school closer due to weather or power outages.

For more information or to sign up for these alerts please visit our Emergency Notification Web site.

Posted by sja15 at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 08, 2007

Case Campus Makes a Charity Splash!

The Delta Gamma sorority held their annual Anchor Splash charity event on November 3. People from all over campus joined together in teams to compete in various swimming events for top prizes. Half of the proceeds from the event goes toward Service for Sight Charities, the Delta Gamma national charity and the remaining half goes toward the Cleveland Sight Center. The day was filled with intense competition, leading up to the two best events, Big Splash and Synchronized Swimming. In Big Splash, a member of each team attempts to make the biggest splash as judged by alumni and professors (yours truly performed the only belly-flop of the event; unfortunately I did not win). The next, and last, big event of the day is the Synchronized Swimming when teams of six or more perform various water-logged acrobatics.

More pictures and information about Delta Gamma is online.

Posted by sja15 at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 01, 2007

Case Western Students Get a New Way to Publish Their Productions

CaseTV V2.0 -- our own, personal YouTube. MediaVision, known by many students for recording lectures, is now providing a service that allows students to upload their own videos. The hope is to generate a Case Community YouTube that ranges from hobby videos to meetings and events. "Our role is to provide the enabling technology, not police the content," Michael Kubit, director of MediaVision, explained. Soon V3.0 will arrive, incorporating a 24-7 webcast of either live or pre-recorded programming.

http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2007/09/11/casetv

Posted by sja15 at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 26, 2007

Case Western Weatherhead Students Sweep-up Cleveland

Weatherhead School students took second in the Net Impact Green Challenge 2007 for cleaning up on and around campus. Students raised several hundred pounds of canned goods for the Cleveland Foodbank, gathered clothing for Shoes and Clothes for Kid’s, and even helped inner city students prepare for their future. On campus Weatherhead students gave out free tax preparation among other services.

http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2007/09/13/weatherheadcfcd

Posted by sja15 at 02:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 25, 2007

I Heart Case's UPB

Sure, Cleveland’s a great place to be, but every once in a while, every student would rather be in the city that never sleeps (and not because it’s studying for a Chemistry midterm!).

The University Programming Board at Case has one of the most important jobs on campus: bringing entertainment to students. And when that fails, they’ll happily bring the students to entertainment. Over Fall Break this year, UPB took 50 lucky students to the Big Apple for a four-day adventure full of sight-seeing, shopping and Broadway shows. Even better, the trip only cost $100 per student!

UPB has a lot planned for the rest of the semester as well. The student committees manage to bring a small band to campus every Wednesday night and take over the student center on Tuesday afternoons to battle weekday blues. Their biggest event of the semester takes place November 17: They Might Be Giants is coming to rock the campus.

Learn more about UPB and its awesome programming here.

Posted by eeg7 at 11:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 25, 2006

Student leaders thrive at Case

Last night, I attended Case's annual student leadership awards ceremony. It was an event that recognized outstanding undergraduate student leaders and organizations.

I sat with a group of students from The Observer, the campus newspaper that I co-advise. These students are an amazingly talented bunch: Rob is a biology major active in Spectrum, Megen is a pre-med music major, Rick is an accounting major who recently won a prestigious sports journalism scholarship, Liz (the new editor-in-chief) is a pre-med biology major, and Laura is a chemistry major finishing up her second year as the editor-in-chief.

This is the first year that I'm advising the group, and I've already become very attached to the students. It fills me with pride seeing them achieve their goals. I don't know if it's the strong maternal instinct I've got going on or what, but I'm so proud and protective of these guys!

Overall, several Observer staffers and reporters were honored yesterday, but for their accomplishments outside of the newspaper - Brian for Outstanding Member of the Undergraduate Student Government, Jeff for Outstanding Student Club/Organization member (Footlighters) and Rob for Drag Ball.

Best of all, Laura won Outstanding Senior. I was thrilled that she won! But still, I have to admit that I was disappointed that the Observer staffers didn't pick up even more awards. Call me greedy, but even though there are a zillion student leaders on campus, I happen to think that the Observer kids deserve more accolades.

In any case, it was really cool to be surrounded by so many outstanding student leaders in the Thwing Ballroom. It was inspiring to learn about the accomplishments of so many Case students and student organizations and to witness the campus community celebrating them.

Posted by lac20 at 09:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 11, 2006

Liberal Arts Weekend

Spring time is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year to work in Tomlinson Hall here at Case. The gallery and hallways are always jumping and filled with visiting students and their families, which is great for those of us who do more behind-the-scenes work in the Office of Undergraduate Admission (and not just because sometimes there are extra snacks around we can munch on).

Spring time gives us a chance to finally see the students we’ve worked hard all year recruiting, and sometimes a chance to meet students and families in person who we had previously only met via e-mail or the phone. All of Case’s spring programs are great, and like Bob has already mentioned, visiting campus is a great way to really see which of your many college options is truly the best fit.

What I really want to talk about though, is a program this year for admitted liberal arts students (coinciding with Case’s Humanities Week 2006 the theme of which was “Childhoods.” Check out this lineup!) called… wait for it… Liberal Arts Weekend! I had the privilege of helping out with the program this year, and it was a complete blast from beginning to end. What I like about the program is that it really highlights what it is like to be a humanities major here at Case and the nowhere-else-in-the-world opportunities that our liberal arts majors get to take advantage of all the time. Lemme hit some of the highlights:

Students each had a SAGES-style seminar taught by some of our outstanding faculty members, Jonathan Sadowsky from the history department, John Orlock from the theater department, Darci Brandel from the English department and Alan Rocke from the history department.)

Students and their families (and some UGA staffers) had a great lunch with some of Case’s humanities faculty members (complete with delicious asparagus and great conversation, especially at my table!). Mark Turner, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, spoke during dessert about the history of liberal arts at Case and the SAGES program.

Our student tour guides and some faculty braved the rain to show off our beautiful campus. (To the left, check out tour guide Sean giving a tour to some parents along with History Professor Ken Ledford.)

Probably the highlight of the day was the reading by author Anne Lamott and follow-up discussion moderated by Florence Harkness Professor of Religion and Director of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities Tim Beal. Anne Lamott’s reading was laugh-out-loud funny and her conversation with Prof. Beal, as well as her answers to questions from the audience revealed (if you’ll pardon the cheese) the humanity that makes her such an amazing author. For anyone interested in any type of writing (or as Anne pointed out, any creative endeavor) let me recommend Anne’s book, Bird by Bird, which is full of insight into the creative process as well as some hilarious anecdotes from Anne’s life. (The pictures are of visiting students waiting for the lecture to start, as well as Tim and Anne’s discussion. Quality isn’t the greatest, darn flash!)

I could go on with highlights and tell all about what a great time the UGA staff had hosting the event, as well as what a great time our current students, faculty, prospective students and their families had, but let me cut to the chase: While this schedule seems almost too cool to be true - days chock full of invigorating seminars, opportunities to meet with faculty outside of class, and lectures by world-renowned authors, musicians, scientists, researchers, politicians and civic leaders - days full of chances to extend learning outside the classroom are every day for students of the liberal arts at Case! Don’t believe me? Check out some of our students’ blogs, or slap this puppy on the portable listening device of your choice. Case Western Reserve University offers students the chance to create their own curriculum by building their own major, traveling abroad, and spending time at some of the coolest cultural institutions in the world like the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Playhouse Square, Severance Hall, the Museum of Contemporary Art, all with mentorship from our top notch faculty.

Posted by jdw14 at 11:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 07, 2006

Faculty/staff team dominates students at annual basketball game

Whoa! The old-timers prove that they still have some skills. At Friday's annual Faculty/Staff vs. Students basketball game, the faculty team beat the students 32-19! I don't know if I've ever seen the faculty team win before.

It was a pretty cool event. A bunch of us from the office went to watch our very own Dave Vitatoe contribute to the victory. We had known that Dave was an All-American placekicker, but we didn't know he had basketball skills too. Here's a photo of Dave (in the grey t-shirt) in action.

Besides the game, there was free pizza and performances from Case's dance team and an a capella group.

(Thanks to Ben Chodroff for the photos!)

Posted by lac20 at 02:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 01, 2006

Best Study Locations - Winter

I attended what I would describe as a small-to-medium size high school (my graduating class had about 150) in a tiny-to-small Pittsburgh river town. The locations where I could study or do homework were limited. Basically, it was my bedroom, a friend’s house, or a rare trip to our town’s bookshelf (yes, when the library was functional, it was a bookshelf).

When I moved on to college, my bedroom was not only my bedroom, a friend’s room was usually two friends’ room, the bookshelf was actually moving walls of books, and my school was no longer one building but dozens. Needless to say, I had more study space options and I needed to find a location that felt comfortable.

During my first year, I tried to find the best places relax, rest, and review for an upcoming exam. Here is a list of my top 5 study spots in no particular order-

Yost Lobby
Warm. This choice was more convenient than any of the other ones for me. As an undergrad, I worked in Yost and I was a math major, so most of my classes were in Yost. While there are only 6-8 chairs in the lobby, they are all near the heater. So on those cold Cleveland days, you stay warm while reading or watching all the people walk in front of the Michaelson-Morley Fountain.

Tomlinson Gallery
Busy. This spot is not really advertised as a study location, probably because it isn’t very quiet through most of the day; but before and after lunch, this is a nice place to get away. I think my first trip to the Gallery was after not being able to find a seat in the cafeteria.

Guilford Parlor
Home. One semester I had a break before my French class started but not enough time to go back to my room. I found the Guilford Parlor when poking around inside of the big yellow house. The room is sometimes off-limits due to functions the Department of Modern Languages and Literature holds, but the plush, living-room setting reminded me of home. If it’s warm out, try the rocking chairs on the front porch.

University Hospital Atrium
Refreshing. I chose this spot because it allowed me to experience some life off-campus, but was only next door. The Atrium is located behind the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and near the hospital cafeteria. There are a lot of people and noise, but UH does sell Coke products for those not partial to Pepsi or want something different.

Crawford-SAGES Café
New. The SAGES Café was only in the planning stages during my final semesters, so I didn’t get to use the space as a study spot; but I often see students at the tables reading or computing. When I am in there waiting for my coffee I like to spy on the SAGES seminars. It’s kinda fun.

What are some of your favorites?

Posted by clk13 at 09:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 14, 2006

Students serenade us with singing valentines!

We had a nice surprise during our weekly staff meeting today! Case's Men’s Glee Club serenaded us with a great performance of two songs. Apparently, the Glee Club is selling Singing Valentines on campus for $5 per song (a total bargain, if you ask me!).

I think one of the Valentines came from Liz, our director. The other one was from Dave to our marketing/communications team. Thanks, guys!

The Glee Club sounded awesome and looked super cute in their nice suits. I recognized four members of the group. Three of them are tour guides and greeters who meet with prospective students and their families. Another one is the cartoonist for The Observer, the student newspaper on campus. I didn't realize that those guys could sing!

Anyhow, it was a cool way to start the morning. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Posted by lac20 at 01:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 11, 2005

Our Campus is REALLY Park-Like - Part 2

Special Thanks to Heidi for the photos.
The deer has also been sighted in the South Residential Village. According to Heidi, the deer knows how to use the Adelbert pedestrian bridge.

Posted by pls9 at 04:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Our Campus is REALLY Park-Like

You may have read in our information to prospective students that our campus, although urban, is "park-like." This morning, we had a visitor to the Case quad that really drives home that point -- a deer! With all the people gawking at him, he was discouraged from attempting to cross Euclid Avenue. Probably a good thing.

Posted by pls9 at 09:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 27, 2005

An NFL pool of galactic proportions

Recently, Case astronomy professor Chris Mihos has been making the news for some observations he and his team have made of the roughly 2,000 galaxies in the Virgo cluster. Pretty cool to have one of your campus professors making such big-name mainstream news outlets like USA Today and the New York Times. Even cooler that Prof. Mihos is a laid back, down-to-earth, extremely approachable guy.

For example, starting last year I have been participating in Chris's weekly NFL pool. (Don't worry feds and vegas thugs--this is strictly for entertainment purposes--no money changes hands.) Chris, who did his graduate work in Ann Arbor, is a dyed-in-the-wool Michigan Wolverines fan, and much to the delight of this Michigan native, he is relentless in his hounding of my co-worker Lisa, who did her graduate work at Ohio State. (Once he infiltrated her office with dozens of paper cutout block M's.)

It's like Henry Louis Gates, Jr, said when he visited Case this fall--when he related a story about a student who came up to him after a lecture, and asked, in a highly reverent manner, "Mr. Gates, what do you and Cornel West talk about when you're alone?" Gates speculated the student thought he and West spend all their time arguing about Kant and Hegel and such. "What do we talk about," he laughed. "We talk about basketball, and movies, just like every other human being."

One of the most enriching aspects of your college experience is getting to know your professors on a personal level. Some of the best food I ever had was at the home of poet Claudia Rankine, who was a visiting professor in Case's English department. Want to discuss the Indians chances of making the playoffs? Ask Martin Helzle, who also happens to be an expert on Ovid. Think a physics professor is only concerned with numbers and Newton? Think again--check out Mano Singham's blog, or keep an eye on the news for stories involving Lawrence Krauss's impassioned defense of science education. Last week I saw Cynthia Beall, expert on Tibet and high-altitude populations, at the bagel shop. These are the people in your neighborhood. It's pretty good company.

Posted by rrm3 at 10:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 16, 2005

Henry Louis Gates, and pursuing a dream

So yesterday Case hosted Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for the Anisfield-Wolf lecture. A group of us from the admission office made the short walk over to Severance Hall for the lecture, joining a large portion of the new first year class at Case, other students, staff and faculty members, as well as students and counselors from other colleges and local high schools to hear one of the top scholars in America today. Like Lisa said, it's one of the perks of working on a college campus, getting to listen to smart people talk about a multitude of topics. (I learned SO MUCH about the history of comics from Art Spiegelman--if you ever get the chance to hear him, he's fascinating!)

Anyway, Gates talked about the pursuit of a dream. In 1909, WEB DuBois hatched an idea--that the most efficacious way to combat white racism was to create an encyclopedia of African-Americans, because DuBois was convinced that racism has its roots in ignorance, and an encyclopedia, by remedying that ignorance, would also remedy racism. I won't go into the long and storied history of this dream, as Gates did so eloquently (and in such an entertaining fashion!) but long story short, this dream originally conceived by DuBois was finally fulfilled by Gates just a couple years ago--nearly a century later.

There's a lot to say on this topic, but what really spoke to me is how passionate and inspired DuBois and Gates were to realize this dream, how it became the drumbeat that marched their lives forward, how it was such an ambitious goal, faced so many hurdles, goalposts moved back numerous times, yet they kept on in their pursuit because its intent was so grand. Gates told us at the end of his talk to dream big. He believes he was put on this earth to carry the torch for DuBois over those last miles, and finally (of course, with the help of some other outstanding scholars and partners) to light the fire that would illuminate the darkness of ignorance and help to overcome racism.

So of course, I ask--have I dreamed that big? I love my job, but do the goals and objectives, however ambitious they may be (and believe you me, they're ambitious!) offer the same kind of inpiration that fueled DuBois and Gates? It would be easy to feel like a loser because they don't--and probably couldn't. There aren't too many goals that are on par with creating understanding and harmony among people. (Not to sound like a contestant in a beauty, er, scholarship pageant.)

But even though we might not have as grand a pursuit, I think we can still be energized by Gates's passion, and to think about whether we approach our day-to-day, more mundane aims with the same kind of zeal, because there is joy in pursuing and achieving a dream, however small it might be...while at the same time, being mindful that there may be greater goals to consider, and there's nothing stopping us from taking up those somewhat heavier burdens.

Bob, Undergraduate Admission

Posted by rrm3 at 11:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack