Community Invited to Star Trees Lighting

The community is invited to the 11th annual Star Trees Lighting Saturday, Dec. 1, at Willamette University. The free program begins at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn north of Waller Hall and is followed by a free Family Holiday Concert at 7 p.m. in the nearby Smith Auditorium.

The Willamette University Band and other small chamber groups will play a broad range of seasonal music. Seating is limited.

Prior to the event, Bon Appetit will provide a holiday dinner from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at Goudy Commons on the Willamette campus. The cost is $9 for adults and $5 for children 8 and younger.

The tree lighting will include carols, along with free hot chocolate and cookies. A drawing will be held for a boy and girl to flip the switch that lights the trees, and each winner will also receive a small gift and a $50 gift certificate from The Willamette Store on campus.

The community is invited to bring articles of clothing to the 14th annual PennyCoat Drive, sponsored by Beta Theta Pi to benefit Salem’s homeless population. (The Willamette fraternity will also go door-to-door earlier in the day to collect clothing.)

Event sponsors include Willamette University, Dick and Linda Carney, Elwood’s Tree Service, Bon Appetit, Beta Theta Pi, Starbucks, the Lilly Project and The Willamette Store on campus.

The Star Trees are located on the Willamette campus, across from the State Capitol Building at 900 State Street in Salem. For information about the PennyCoat Drive, contact Daniel at (503) 375-5304 or via email. For information about the lighting and concert, call Michelle at (503) 370-6031.

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Native American Artist Featured at Museum

An exhibition of work by Don Bailey, a highly regarded painter and art teacher at Chemawa Indian School in Salem, opens Dec. 1 and continues through Jan. 13 at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.

Don Bailey: Spider and the Bureau, The Blanket Series, organized by Professor Rebecca Dobkins, presents a new body of paintings created during the past four years that reframes the complex legacy that formal and informal institutions have had on Native American life. Bailey, a Hupa tribal member, was raised on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in California. For nearly 30 years, he has taught art at Chemawa Indian School, the oldest federal Indian boarding school in the U.S.

Bailey will give a free lecture about his work Friday, Nov. 30, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the museum. A free reception follows from 6 to 8 p.m. in the lobby and galleries. A free full-color brochure with an essay by the artist and eight color illustrations accompanies the exhibition and will be available at the museum.

Don Bailey: Spider and the Bureau, The Blanket Series is supported through an endowment gift from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, through the Spirit Mountain Community Fund. Additional support has been provided 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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Willamette ranks high for community outreach

Willamette outranked other Oregon liberal arts schools in Washington Monthly’s recent college rankings issue. The report measures community outreach and service of students. Washington Monthly is a progressive magazine out of Washington, D.C., that covers politics, government and culture.

Liberal Arts Colleges rankings [PDF]

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Zerzan Wins Second National Championship

Willamette University senior runner Sarah Zerzan won her second NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Championship Saturday, Nov. 17, at St. Olaf College.

Zerzan (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame High School) crossed the finish line in the 6-kilometer race with a time of 20:54, finishing 23 seconds ahead of second-place runner Liz Montgomery of SUNY Geneseo. Zerzan became only the third athlete to repeat as the NCAA Division III women’s national champion.

She concludes her Willamette career with two individual national titles, three West Region championships and two Northwest Conference titles. Zerzan and junior teammate Maddie Coffman (Boise, Idaho/Boise High School) earned All-America honors as they led the Bearcat women’s team to a ninth place finish. Coffman placed 11th individually (10th among scorers). The Willamette men’s team tied for 18th.

Zerzan’s accomplishments in running — and in the classroom — were featured in the Nov. 16 issue of The Oregonian. Read the article here: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/news/article/2007/11/sarah_zerzan_runs_toward_md.xml.

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Zerzan Chosen West Region Women’s Runner of the Year

Willamette senior Sarah Zerzan (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame High School) is the NCAA Division III West Region Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, as selected by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). This is her third consecutive time to receive the honor.

Zerzan won the West Regional individual title Nov. 10, as she concluded the 6-kilometer race in 20:51.65, for the fastest time in West Region history. The old record was 21:44. It was Zerzan’s third consecutive West Regional championship.

Zerzan, who won the NCAA Division III women’s individual national championship in 2006, will defend her title at the National Championships Saturday, Nov. 17. Willamette will have full teams running at the National Championships.

Zerzan’s accomplishments in running — and in the classroom — were featured in the Nov. 16 issue of The Oregonian. Read the article here: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/news/article/2007/11/sarah_zerzan_runs_toward_md.xml.

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Community Invited to World AIDS Day Summit

The Willamette University chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaign will host a two-day summit Nov. 29–30 on campus in honor of World AIDS Day.

Community members of any age are invited to attend the events, which begin with a free educational panel about the AIDS pandemic at 7 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Hatfield Room of the Hatfield Library. Events on Nov. 30 include a rally at noon in Jackson Plaza, and a dance-a-thon from 8 p.m. to midnight in Sparks Athletic Center to raise money for Partners in Health, a global health organization with a proven track record of preventing the spread of HIV and delivering life-saving health care to those in need.

This is the second year Willamette’s Student Global AIDS Campaign has hosted a summit for World AIDS Day, which is Dec. 1. SGAC is a national grassroots movement, the largest student network committed to ending the HIV and AIDS crisis worldwide.

All events are free, although those wishing to participate in the dance-a-thon are asked to register their fundraising efforts at www.willametteworldaidsday2007.weebly.com. For more information, call (503) 370-6593.

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Noted Author to Discuss Religious Literacy

Religion scholar and best-selling author Stephen Prothero will address “Religious Literacy and Cultural Understanding” in a free lecture Nov. 15 at Willamette University.

The event is at 7:30 p.m. in Paulus Great Hall at Collins Legal Center, 245 Winter St. SE.

Prothero’s New York Times bestseller, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn’t, received the 2007 Quill Book Award and was named an “editor’s choice” this summer in the New York Times Book Review. Prothero has appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to discuss the book, which notes that religious illiteracy in the U.S. has led to many politicians, pundits and general citizens misinterpreting religious rhetoric in policy arguments.

Prothero, chair of the religion department at Boston University, also wrote American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon. He has been a commentator on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, Fox and PBS, and has written for The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Salon, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.

The event is sponsored by the Willamette University Center for Religion, Law and Democracy, and the Lilly Project. For more information, call (503) 370-6213 or (503) 370-6732.

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Symposium on Sustainability, the Environment and the Pacific Rim

Scholars and researchers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond will discuss the local effects of global issues at a symposium Friday, Nov. 9. All events are free and open to the public, including the award-winning documentary, Manufactured Landscapes. The symposium is sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies and the Center for Sustainable Communities.

More details can be found at the Calendar of Events

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