Barbara Ehrenreich at Willamette University

Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist and the author of the million-copy bestseller Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America and the New York Times bestseller Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream, will deliver the fall Atkinson Lecture at Willamette University Thursday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. in Smith Auditorium.

Tickets for the campus community are available beginning Oct. 1. The first ticket is free with a Willamette ID and subsequent tickets are $10 each. Tickets for the general public are $10 at the Information Desk in University Center beginning Oct. 12.

Ehrenreich’s articles, reviews, essays and humor have appeared in a range of national publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Ms., Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, The Nation and newspapers throughout the world.

In 2004, she received the Nation Institute Puffin Foundation Prize for Creative Citizenship, given annually to an American who challenges the status quo “through distinctive, courageous, imaginative, socially responsible work of significance.” Dancing in the Streets carries on this tradition by uncovering the origins of communal celebration in human biology and culture and by reminding us of this crucial part of our distinctively human heritage.

Of her new book, Ehrenreich says, “It’s a sweeping book about festivities and ecstatic rituals: their roots in human evolution and the history of their repression by elites from ancient times to the present. I’m now researching for a book on what I call ‘the cult of cheerfulness,’ which requires Americans to ‘think positively’ rather than to take positive action for change.“

A book signing in Smith will follow her lecture.

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Museum Displays Work of Oregon Artist

A small selection of paintings of houses, farms, boathouses and other structure-like formations by Oregon artist Amanda Snyder will be on display Oct. 13 to Nov. 25 at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.

Amanda Snyder: Structures features the work of Snyder (1894-1980), who is well known for her paintings of birds and clowns but whose works based on architectural structures are less frequently seen. Characterized by a strong sense for geometric form, vigorous brushwork and rich color, the works reflect the emotional intensity of this self-effacing and reclusive artist.

Organized by Willamette Professor Roger Hull and drawn from public and private collections throughout the region, the exhibition will be accompanied by a Hull-penned article on Snyder in the October issue of American Art Review.

Amanda Snyder: Structures has been supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax and the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the campus of Willamette University. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855 or visit www.willamette.edu/museum_of_art.

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Philip Taubman to Lecture

Philip Taubman, associate editor and special correspondent for The New York Times, will discuss “Why We Publish Secrets” Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m. in Smith Auditorium at Willamette University. Admission is free and the public is invited.

The lecture is sponsored by the Associated Students of Willamette University in partnership with the Collegiate Readership Program.

Taubman became associate editor for The New York Times in March. National security is his special correspondent assignment. Prior this latest post, he had served as the paper’s Washington bureau chief since August 2003.

Taubman was deputy editor of the editorial page from 2002 and assistant editorial page editor from 1994-02. He was deputy national editor from 1993-94 and deputy Washington editor from 1989-92. He was based in Moscow from 1985-88, covering the first turbulent years of Mikhail Gorbachev’s tenure as Soviet leader. He served as Moscow bureau chief from 1986-88.

He joined The Times in 1979 as a reporter in the Washington Bureau, initially covering the Justice Department and working on investigative projects and later specializing in national security and intelligence issues.

In 1970, Taubman became a correspondent for Time magazine in its Boston bureau. From 1973-76, he was a staff writer and the sports editor in Time’s New York office and from 1976-77, he worked in the magazine’s Washington bureau, covering labor and economic policy stories. His reporting in this assignment led to an article in Time, which exposed the tangled finances of Bert Lance, President Jimmy Carter's budget director. In 1977, he left Time to become a writer at Esquire magazine.

Taubman has received two George Polk awards – the first in 1981 (shared with Jeff Gerth and Seymour M. Hersh) for national reporting about two former C.I.A. employees who provided aid to Libya, and the second in 1983 for foreign affairs reporting for coverage of American policy in Central America.

He graduated with a B.A. degree in history from Stanford in 1971 and was editor of the campus newspaper, The Stanford Daily. He was a member of the University’s Board of Trustees from 1978-82.

He is the author of “Secret Empire: Eisenhower, the CIA, and the Hidden Story of America’s Space Espionage,” (Simon & Schuster, 2003).

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Willamette Introduces Car-Sharing Program

Willamette University is bringing a new car-sharing program to Salem that gives local residents another form of alternative transportation.

Flexcar, a national program, allows members to “rent” a car for a nominal hourly fee that includes fuel and insurance. The program is cheaper than a traditional car rental and is not limited to people older than 21. Many metro areas across the country, including Portland and Seattle, already have Flexcar programs.

Potential users become members and reserve vehicles online. They receive an ID card that allows them to unlock a Flexcar vehicle, parked in a designated space, and then return the vehicle to that space when finished.

Two vehicles will be available in Salem: a Honda Civic Hybrid parked by Willamette’s Kaneko Commons on Mill Street, and a Subaru wagon on Ferry Street near downtown.

The purpose of the program is to encourage more people to use public transportation, says Joe Bowersox, environmental science professor. This could help alleviate downtown parking issues and also reduce the amount of carbon emissions in the area, he said.

“Many community members have barriers to using alternative transportation to get downtown,” Bowersox said. “They might think they need to drive to work because they have a doctor’s appointment or an errand to run in the middle of the day. This gives you assurance that if you walk, ride a bike or take the bus to work, you have something available to help you make those side trips quickly.”

The program also gives potential downtown residents the option of living car free, Bowersox said.

On the Willamette campus, the goal is to get fewer students to bring vehicles to school, which helps alleviate parking woes and reduces the university’s overall carbon footprint.

For the first year of the program at Willamette, Flexcar is waiving the membership fee, which normally is $35 annually. Rates start at $9 an hour or $65 a day. For membership information and reservations, visit www.flexcar.com/oncampus.

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Willamette University Campaign Effort Hits $100,000,000

About 650 Willamette University alumni attending reunion weekend events were among the first to hear the news: The University’s Campaign for Willamette had hit the $100 million mark. The gift that made the difference was a check for $1 million presented to University President M. Lee Pelton Saturday evening from members of the Class of 1957.

“We are thrilled with this result,” Pelton said. “Members of the Class of 1957 are to be commended for this outstanding contribution. We are deeply moved by their generosity. Living Willamette alumni number fewer than 17,000. That is a relatively small community to engage in this level of fundraising. Equally important is the participation among our faulty and staff. Since the campaign began in 2002, our own campus community has donated more than $1,670,000. That’s impressive and it speaks to the pride we all feel for this university.”

The campaign has experienced periods of unexpected intensity. In one 13-month period between April 2006 and May 2007, the University raised $25 million.

The $125 million campaign is focused on growing the endowment which stands at approximately $285 million.

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Willamette Community Learns from Renowned Scientist

What will be the state of environmentalism in the next 200 years? How do you conduct scientific research without “selling out” to a major corporation? Why is society so disconnected from nature? How do you encourage environmentalism on a global scale?

These are the burning questions on the minds of Willamette University’s science students. And they had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this week to get answers — by posing them to Edward O. Wilson, one of the world’s greatest living scientists, while he visited campus to deliver the Biology Centennial Lecture.

“We’re in a very strange situation in the 21st century,” Wilson told the students in an intimate meeting before speaking to a sold-out crowd of 1,300 that evening in Smith Auditorium. “We have Stone Age emotions, we have medieval beliefs and we have god-like technology.

“We have evolved to exploit the planet, and now we’re having trouble slowing down.”

Wilson is considered a leader in the fields of entomology, animal behavior, evolutionary psychology, island biogeography, biodiversity, environmental ethics and the philosophy of knowledge. He is the Pellegrino University Research Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, and he has won two Pulitzer Prizes for his non-fiction books “The Ants” and “On Human Nature.”

At his evening lecture, he addressed “The Future of Life,” informing the crowd about the immense biodiversity of our planet and the important task of trying to protect it. He had the same message for the students earlier. “The world needs to see that ecology and biodiversity studies are fundamental to the health of the planet,” he said.

He talked about meeting with evangelical leaders, setting aside their different views regarding evolution and focusing on issues they both agreed on. “I told them, ‘Let’s stop talking about issues like abortions and stem cells. Let’s do something important together, which is save the creation. See how we can combine science and religion into a single enterprise … and accomplish something quite extraordinary.’”

Wilson also discussed his work on the Encyclopedia of Life, an online resource launched in May that will include information about every species on the planet (view it at eol.org). “We’ve now reached an advanced state in the information age such that the idea of having everything known and available to everybody is not out of reach.”

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One of World’s Most Renowned Scientists at Willamette Thursday

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson, considered to be one of the world’s greatest living scientists, will speak tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in Smith Auditorium at Willamette University. His free lecture will address “The Future of Life.”

Wilson is one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. His groundbreaking research, original thinking, and scientific and popular writing have changed the way we think of nature and our place in it. Wilson is a research professor and museum curator at Harvard University. He has received many of the world’s leading prizes for his research in science, his environmental activism, and his writing. Wilson has been a leader in the fields of entomology, animal behavior and evolutionary psychology, island biogeography, biodiversity, environmental ethics and the philosophy of knowledge.

He has written groundbreaking books and articles on all of these subjects. Two of his non-fiction books, “The Ants” (1990, with Bert Hölldobler) and “On Human Nature” (1978), have won Pulitzer Prizes. “The Diversity of Life” (1992) and “Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge” (1998), two of his more recent books, have been applauded for their graceful, creative and constructive approaches to challenging subjects. In “The Diversity of Life” and “The Future of Life” he conveys his deep concern for humanity’s degradation of our planet’s ecosystems. His commitment to protecting our natural heritage has brought him to the forefront of environmental activism.

Free tickets can be picked up between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Information Desk in the University Center on campus.

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Willamette University presents “The Importance of Being Earnest”

SALEM, Ore. — Willamette University Theatre is proud to announce its first show of the 2007–08 season. Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” will run Sept. 28–29 and Oct. 4–6 at 8 p.m., and Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 at 2 p.m., with a preview performance Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. All performances will be in Willamette’s Kresge Theatre.

Wilde’s final and most recognized play, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” is a masterpiece of modern comedy. More than a century later, it is a respected and studied piece of literature as well as a favorite with audiences.

The play tells the tale of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, young men who have taken to bending the truth in order to add excitement to their lives. Jack invents an imaginary brother, Ernest, who he uses to escape from his dull home in the country to frolic in town. Algernon uses the same technique, only in reverse; his imaginary friend, Bunbury, provides a way to pursue adventures in the country. Their deceptions eventually cross paths, resulting in a series of crises that threaten to spoil their romantic pursuits.

The play will be directed by Theatre Department Co-chair Susan Coromel and feature guest artist Raissa Fleming as Lady Bracknell. Theatre Department Co-Chair Chris Harris will conceive the visual surroundings, Bobby Brewer-Wallin will create period costumes and Technical Director Rachel Steck will serve as lighting designer.

To purchase tickets, contact the Willamette University Box Office at (503) 370-6221 or go online. Opening night is $12 for general admission and $8 for students and seniors. Most other evening performances are $10 for general admission and $6 for students and seniors. Please contact the box office for specific prices. Willamette University is at 900 State in Salem. For more information contact the Theatre Department at
(503) 370-6222 or visit our website.

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25th Year Reunion Concert at Willamette University

WHAT: 25th Year Anniversary Concert for members of the University Choir and Chamber Choir who performed for Dr. Wallace Long, director of Choral Activities, Willamette University

WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 16, 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Rogers Music Center, Hudson Hall, Willamette University

COST: Free

Willamette University choral alumni will perform a special concert in celebration of 25 years of service by Wallace Long, director of Choral Activities. The free concert is Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1:30 p.m. in Hudson Hall on campus. Performers will include an 80-voice Alumni Choir and this year’s 40-voice Chamber Choir.

Literature for the Alumni Choir will be chosen from some of Long’s favorites of more than two decades of choral singing at Willamette. The concert will include “Down to the Water to Pray” and “Amen” from the 2004 choir’s tour to South Africa; “Dusk to Dawn” composed by Willamette alumnus, Vijay Singh; “How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place” from Brahm’s “Requiem”; and “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord” by Moses Hogan. The concert will open with a performance by the current 2007–08 Chamber Choir featuring another of Long’s favorite works, “Consecrate the Place and Day” by Lloyd Pfautsch. It will conclude with the Reunion Choir and the Chamber Choir joining to perform what has become known as the signature piece for the group, the “Nunc Dimittis” by Alexander Gretchaninoff.

The choral program at Willamette University has seen significant growth since Long’s arrival in 1983. At the time of his arrival Willamette had one regularly meeting choir, the University Choir, a non-audition ensemble. The Willamette Singers group did not meet on a continuing basis. Within one year the University Choir became an audition group and the reinstated Willamette Singers presented Madrigal Dinners in the fall and studied vocal jazz in the spring.

In the fall of 1984, Long joined with the Lutheran Fine Arts League to create what is now known as the Willamette Master Chorus. By the fall of 1989 the program had grown immensely, and a Chamber Choir was created for advanced students. In the fall of 1989 the University Choir was divided into a choir of male voices and a choir of female voices, now known as Male Ensemble Willamette and Voce Femminille, respectively. During the early 1990s Long directed all five choral ensembles at Willamette in addition to teaching voice and a variety of music education courses.

In the fall of 1995 Willamette hired two adjunct faculty members to take over Male Ensemble Willamette and Voce Femminille. Long turned the Willamette Master Chorus over to Paul Klemme. The choral program has grown to be a healthy and vital part of the music program at Willamette. It is not uncommon for 10 percent of the student body to audition for placement in a Willamette choral ensemble.

The choral program has been acknowledged as one of the strongest in the Northwest. Many requests have been made for honorific performances. Willamette choral groups have performed for American Choral Directors Association Northwest Conventions, the American Choral Directors Association National Convention, and the International Convention of the International Association of Jazz Educators.

In addition to convention performances, Willamette choral ensembles take yearly tours throughout the Northwest. Special tours have gone to Hawaii, Japan and at the request of Bishop Desmond Tutu, a tour to South Africa. In May 2006 the Chamber Choir, Willamette choral alumni and members of the Willamette Master Chorus performed Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Mass in the Time of War” in Carnegie Hall.

Beyond the convention performances and tours, Long’s legacy includes scores of young people who have gone on to make music a permanent part of their lives, as an avocation or a vocation. This 25th anniversary concert will celebrate a musician who has worked with almost 900 students during his tenure at Willamette and has touched countless hearts with passionate, artistic performances of choral music.

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