Top News

SOUTHWESTERN PREPARING FOR HURRICANE IKE

Southwestern is making preparations in the event that Hurricane Ike affects central Texas. The hurricane is expected to hit the Texas coast sometime early Saturday morning and then track northward to the east of I-35 Saturday afternoon. On Friday, Physical Plant staff will begin removing anything from the grounds that could easily be picked up by high winds. The following events have been cancelled or rescheduled due to anticipated bad weather in the area on Saturday:

Admissions – The Senior Visit Day scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13, has been cancelled.

Athletics:

  • The men’s golf tournament scheduled for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at Texas Lutheran has been cancelled.
  • The women’s soccer match versus the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at Belton Saturday has been moved to 3 p.m. Friday in Belton.
  • The men’s and women’s tennis match at Howard Payne University in Brownwood on Saturday is pending; the decision will be made on Friday.
  • The women’s volleyball tournament scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Southwesternhas been shortened. Southwestern will play Heidelberg Thursday night at 7 p.m. The remainder of the tournament is will occur on Friday with the pairings TBA. 

Community events – The Friends of the Sarofim School of Fine Arts event scheduled to be held this Saturday evening will be held Friday evening instead (Sept. 12).

For the latest hurricane forecast, go here (link to http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/092814.shtml?5day#contents

For the latest Southwestern-related hurricane updates, visit the Southwestern home page at www.southwestern.edu. In the event this Web site goes down, please visit emergency.southwestern.edu.

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR CLASS OFFERING MOVIE SCREENING FOR THE COMMUNITY SEPT. 18

Students from the First-Year Seminar “Politics by Other Means: The Demons of War” are taking learning outside of the classroom and sharing it with the Georgetown community.

On August 18th at 7 p.m. they will conduct a public showing of the movie “Paradise Now followed by a discussionat the Georgetown Public Library.

“Paradise Now” is the story of two childhood friends who are recruited for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. The controversial film, which won a Golden Globe award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006, explores the perspectives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, and whether their frustration justifies resorting to violence.

“This movie should provide a unique opportunity to explore our own perspectives about the phenomenon of war,” said seminar instructor Daniel Castro, a professor of history and chair of Latin American Studies.

This is the fourth year that Castro’s First-Year Seminar class has done a movie screening for the community. “The conversations between the students and the community have been extraordinary,” Castro said. “These events help students to break away from the feeling of isolation from the community.”

Events

CELLO RECITAL SEPT. 14

The Sarofim School of Fine Arts Department of Music is presenting a guest artist recital by cellist Douglas Harvey on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. in the Alma Thomas Theater located in the Fine Arts Center.

The concert will feature works by J.S. Bach, Bach-Busoni, Sir Edward Elgar, and a unique piece by Dan Welcher titled “Waltz for Paul 2006,” which was written in honor of Austin cellist Professor Emeritus Paul Olefsky’s birthday celebration concert at Steinway Hall 2006. “Waltz for Paul” is conceived in the classic Tschaikowsky/Prokofiev ballet style.

Harvey is a former student of Professor Paul Olefsky at the UT-Austin School of Music. Harvey became the youngest first cellist of the Austin Symphony Orchestra in June 2002 and holds the Sam and Sonia Wilson Principal Cello Chair.

Pianist Edward Laurel will accompany Harvey. Laurel is currently on staff at The Juilliard School and Mannes College. The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, call The Sarofim School of Fine Arts at 512-863-1504.

FLUTE RECITAL SEPT. 18

The Sarofim School of Fine Arts Department of Music is presenting a guest artist recital by flutist Marianne Gedigian and pianist Rick Rowley on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Caldwell-Carvey Foyer located in the Fine Arts Center. The concert will feature 19th century works by Edwin Grasse, Frank Bridge, Antonin Dvorak and Cesar Franck.

Gedigian is an associate professor of flute at The University of Texas at Austin. She was a regular performer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade, including several seasons as Guest Principal Flute under Seiji Ozawa. As Principal Flute with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and Guest Principal Flute with the Boston Pops, Gedigian has been heard on dozens of recordings and “Evening at Pops” television broadcasts as well as the nationally broadcast Fourth of July specials. She has also been heard on several John Williams’ movie scores, including “Saving Private Ryan” and “Schindler’s List.” Her solo recordings include Voice of the Flute and Revolution, both with pianist Rick Rowley.

The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, call The Sarofim School of Fine Arts at 512-863-1504.

SPECIAL CHAPEL SERVICE SEPT. 21

Southwestern will host a special service in Perkins Chapel Sunday evening, Sept. 21, at 5 p.m. as part of the worldwide observance of the International Day of Prayer for Peace. The 30-minute service will include prayers, hymns and liturgy around the theme of world peace. It will be led by Interim Chaplain Eric McKinney, along with current students and alumni. For more information, call the Office of Religious Life at 512-863-1527.

Media Coverage

The Round Rock Leader ran a story on the opening of the fall public viewing season at the Fountainwood Observatory. Read the story at http://www.rrleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=13&ArticleID=19644

The Williamson County Sun ran a story about the opening of the French Film Festival.

Accolades

Lois Ferrari, associate professor of music and music director of the Austin Civic Orchestra, conducted one of the ACO’s seven 07-08 season concerts in May 2008.  This program featured Stravinsky’s monumental “Firebird Suite,” Wagner’s “Rienzi Overture,” and an opera aria showcase that highlighted the talents of Southwestern’s own Bruce Cain and Carol Kreuscher, former faculty member Claire Vangelisti, and David Stevens of Austin. In June, Ferrari was recruited by Professor Emeritus F. Ellsworth Peterson to conduct Mendelssohn’s rarely performed opera, “Son and Stranger,” as part of the Georgetown Festival of the Arts. Several Southwestern students performed with Ferrari, along with Cain and Southwestern graduates Lynn Parr Mock and Virginia Dupuy.

Rick Roemer, professor of theatre, is playing the role of Salieri in the Austin Playhouse’s 2008-09 season opener of “Amadeus.” Several Southwestern theatre graduates are also involved with the production: Brian Coughlin has an acting role and David Stahl is co-director. The play will run from Sept. 12-Oct. 19 at the Austin Playhouse, 3601 S. Congress, Bldg. C. For tickets, call 512-476-0084 or visit www.austinplayhouse.com.

Eric Selbin, professor of political science and University Scholar, had an article titled “What Was Revolutionary About the Iranian Revolution? The Power of Possibility” accepted for publication in Comparative Studies of South Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East.