Campus Currents

September 11, 2017

Welcome Back to FSU!

9/11 Anniversary: Screening of The Second Day

Today marks the 16th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. To commemorate the anniversary, the Office of the Vice President of Enrollment and Student Development has partnered with LUNA (Latinos Unidos En Acción) to host Brook Peters for a screening of his film, The Second Day, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. in the McCarthy Center Forum.

At the age of 11, Peters set out to create this documentary film to help shed emotional light on the manic moments of 9/11 and the personal lessons he and others learned. Peters, who is now a college student at Emory University in the scholars program, completed the documentary at age 14. It has gone on to earn international acclaim and was selected to premier at the prestigious Tribeca Family Film Festival in New York City, where it received a standing ovation from over 900 people. 

Following the screening, Peters will be available to answer questions. To learn more about the film, visit  http://theseconddayfilm.com/  

Duty and Disobedience: Arts & Ideas 2017-18

Framingham State University is pleased to announce its 2017-18 Arts & Ideas Program, which is focused on the theme of “Duty and Disobedience.”

We invite students, faculty, staff and the community at-large to join us for a number of stimulating, thought-provoking events that delve deeper into the definition of “duty”—to self, to gender identity, to family, to faith, and to race—and how a call to such duty many times clashes with the dictates of societal norms. How does one negotiate the difficult call to action?

The Main series kicks off on September 26 with a lecture from one of the world’s leading Thoreau scholars, Jeffrey S. Cramer, who will lead a discussion on Henry David Thoreau’s famous essay, “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.” It is considered the central text for all discussions that there are higher laws and moral principles to which every citizen of the world is obligated.

Other events will provide the community with an opportunity to meet the founder of an international organization for LGBTIQ Muslims as he discusses being queer and Muslim in the current political climate; hear from one of the creators of the Disobedience Award, which is given to rebels, free thinkers and disrupters for breaking established rules and speaking truth to power; and engage with a photography installation focused on the puzzle of work and family in the context of diversity and change.

The series will wrap up in April with the inaugural speaker in the Olivia A. Davidson Voices of Color Lecture Series, Angie Thomas, bestselling author of The Hate U Give, which addresses political violence, racism and activism through the lens of a teenage girl. The book is in the works to be made into a movie.

Other series in the program include the Midday Performance Series; Mazmanian Gallery exhibits; the Lifelong Learning Series; Public Science Events; and the Authors and Artists Series.

Constitution Day Celebration - Sept. 18

Join us as we celebrate Constitution Day on Monday, Sept. 18th!

A table will be setup in McCarthy Center lobby where members of the community can pick up handheld copies of The Constitution of the United States; register to vote; test their knowledge of the Constitution; and tweet to be entered for a prize (#wethepeopleofFSU). There will also be a voting rights display up in the library foyer as well as an exhibit of FSU alumni who were active in the suffrage movement.

During the afternoon and evening, there will be interactive workshops taking place in the McCarthy Center. The following three workshop will be taking place at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. and are open to the entire community.

-"The Equal Protection of the Laws" (Professor Emeritus John Ambacher), 1839 Room

-"Freedom of the Press and American Society" (History Professor Joseph Adelman), Forum

-"The Embattled Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment" (Professors Lissa Bollettino and Bridgette Sheridan), SGA Conference Room, MC 404

Finally, at 6:30 p.m. in the Forum, join Carol Rose from the American Civil Liberties Union for a special discussion on the Constitution! 

 

Family Night at the FSU Planetarium

Don't miss the first public planetarium show of the academic year!

Cassini’s Grand Finale
Friday, Sept. 15
FSU Planetarium, O'Connor Hall
5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

On September 15, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will plunge into Saturn, ending its mission of exploration that began almost 20 years ago. Cassini was the first spacecraft in history to enter the orbit of Saturn and has spent the last 13 years studying the giant planet and its unique system of rings and moons. Join planetarium educator Mary MacDonald and NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Piyush Khopkar as we say farewell to this remarkably successful mission and reflect on its many years of discovery. In this live, collaborative presentation, we will locate Saturn in our night sky, explore the technical innovations of the Cassini spacecraft, and of course, observe the Ring World as Cassini saw it, up-close and personal. Piyush will have all the information and resources you need if you want to learn more about Cassini and the many other missions following in its footsteps.

Important Upgrades to FSU WiFi

Dear FSU Community,

Institutions need to continually take action to protect their information systems and networks from potential malicious activity. We’re writing to inform you of a few important updates to the wireless network on campus designed to improve connectivity and provide additional security.

  • Moving forward, faculty, staff, and students will be required to log into the wireless network on each of their devices. This step will provide additional security and stability to wireless users.

  • Members of the FSU community can connect to FSU_Wireless using their campus username and password. Guests can join the network by registering through a website once they connect. For a detailed description of this effort, and why it is an important step to prevent malicious activity from occurring on our network, click here.

  • The University also has joined “eduroam,” which will allow guests from participating Universities to connect to the wireless network with their home school credentials. To learn more about “eduroam” and how to connect, click here.

  • Students will be happy to know that the University recently received $211,000 from the Massachusetts State College Building Authority (MSCBA), which funded the upgrade and replacement of network electronics in all of the residence halls with the expectation that performance, including wireless internet, will greatly improve. Upgrades of network electronics in administration buildings are ongoing.

    If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the IT Service Desk at 508-218-5906 or IT@framingham.edu.

Center for Inclusive Excellence - Opening Reception

The Office of Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement invites you to attend the Center for Inclusive Excellence Opening Reception in its new space in O'Connor Hall!

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017
1:30 p.m.
O'Connor Hall, Room 120A

RSVP to Chon'tel Washington by Monday, Sept. 11, at cwashington@framingham.edu.

Rackliffe ’17 a Nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year

Volleyball and basketball standout Alycia Rackliffe ‘17 is one of 145 student-athletes from around the country nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, which recognizes a graduating female student-athlete for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

A total of 543 schools from all three NCAA divisions submitted nominees for the honor. From that pool, each athletic conference selects just one nominee, which narrowed the field of candidates to 145. Rackliffe, who graduated from Framingham State in May with a degree in food science and chemistry, was selected to represent the entire Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC).

In September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will name the top 30 honorees, which will include 10 women from each division. All 30 will be honored during the annual NCAA banquet on October 22 in Indianapolis and the NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced during the event.

“Alycia will go down as one of the best athletes in Framingham State history,” says Framingham State President F. Javier Cevallos. “But it is her leadership skills, academic success and commitment to volunteerism that make her a truly exceptional student-athlete. We could not be more proud of her.”

Rackliffe earned multiple honors in both women's basketball and volleyball during her four years at FSU, including being named the MASCAC Volleyball Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. She was tabbed as both the MASCAC Volleyball and Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year after her freshman season in each sport in addition to being named the D3hoops.com Northeast Rookie of the Year after the 2013-14 season. After her senior season in each sport, Rackliffe, a four time All-MASCAC selection in volleyball and a three time All-MASCAC selection for women's basketball, participated in the NEVO Senior All-Star game as well as the NEWBA Senior All-Star game.

In addition to her success on the court, Rackliffe excelled in the classroom, being named to the Dean's List every semester and landing on the President's List multiple times. As a two sport student-athlete, Rackliffe was named to the MASCAC All-Academic Team 11 times during her four years.

Rackliffe was also active in the community during her four years volunteering with the MetroWest Special Olympics. She coordinated the EPAL program with Framingham's Cameron Middle School in which FSU student-athletes served as EPALs to the middle school students. She also worked with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, fostering and training a German Shepard puppy that will eventually become a service dog.

Midday Performances: William Lang, Trombonist

Don't miss the first Midday Performance of the year with the talented trombonist William Lang!

Monday, Sept. 28, 1:30 p.m.
Heineman Ecumenical Center

Originally from Long Island, trombonist William Lang is an active performer, composer, improviser, and teacher based in New York City. He can be found playing in all settings and styles, from the avant-garde and classical to Broadway and indie chamber pop. He is proud to teach at the Longy School of Music.

Upcoming Events Sponsored by CIE

CDI Meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 20, 1:30 p.m., Center for Inclusive Excellence

Hispanic Heritage Month Event - Salsa Night
Thursday, Sept. 27, 6:30 p.m., McCarthy Center Forum

Hispanic Heritage Month Event - Hispanic American Leadership Panel
Wednesday, Oct. 4, 6 p.m., McCarthy Center Forum

CDI Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 1:30 p.m., Center for Inclusive Excellence

Notable Accomplishments

-Professor Patricia Horvath’s memoir, All the Difference, was praised as “elegant” and “a graceful story not of overcoming challenge, but of accepting it,” in a recent Boston Globe article. 
 
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2017/07/27/touring-new-new-england-mobile-book-fair/3bA5ZGnlQWJm3yAp0EHivI/story.html

-Dr. Alexander Hartwiger of the English Department was a member of the Men’s Masters Ultimate Frisbee team representing the United States at the Beach World Championships in Royan, France from June 18 to June 23. The U.S. beat France in the finals 13 -7 to win the gold medal!

-Professor Eamon Cunningham’s article, “Authentic Questioning as a Form of Inquiry: Writing in the Dialogic Classroom,” has just been published in The Journal of Teaching Writing (Indiana University – Purdue University: Vol. 32 No 1).  Here is a link to his article:   https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/teachingwriting/issue/view/1255
 
Professor Cunningham is Chair of the English Department at Milford High School and a Visiting Lecturer teaching first-year writing at FSU.

-Professor Cynthia Bechtel from the Nursing Department was recently named one of the 20 most active Nursing Professors on Twitter by OnlineEducation.com. Dr. Bechtel tweets often about the intersection of technology, education, and health. She can be found tweeting at: @cfbechtel

-Communications Arts Professor Derrick Te Paske's work is part of an exhibit currently on display at McGowan Fine Art in Concord, NH. The exhibit is called "Terra Incognita" and also includes work from Becky Darling and Molly Wensberg. It will be up through October 27th.

-Education Professor Kelly Kolodny contributed a chapter to Women's Higher Education in the United States: New Historical Perspectives, edited by Margaret A. Nash and published by Palgrave Macmillan in September, 2017. The title of the chapter is "The Endorsed and Spontaneous Reading and Writing Exercises of Students in Early State Normal Schools in Massachusetts (1839-1850)."

 

Upcoming events

Women's Lacrosse vs Fitchburg State

Saturday, March 30, 2024

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Maple Street Field

Organized by: Athletics

Baseball vs Albertus Magnus

Monday, April 1, 2024

3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Bowditch Field Athletic & Cultural Complex

Organized by: Athletics

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