“Living ‘Green’ With Ed” Begley Jr. March 25 at WIU
By Matt Blankenship | March 18, 2008
MACOMB, IL - - Environmental activist and actor Ed Begley Jr. will present “Living ‘Green’ With Ed” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 25 in the Western Illinois University Union Grand Ballroom in Macomb as part of the University Theme “Global Challenges and Personal Responsibility – Environmental Sustainability” 2007-2008 Speaker Series. Begley’s presentation is open free to the public.Begley and his wife Rachelle Carson are the subjects of the Home & Garden Television’s (HGTV) green reality show “Living with Ed,” currently in its second season. The show takes an up-close look at Begley living out his environmental passion, from his home powered with the sun and his stationary bike - - which helps run the toaster - - to his electric car and his bicycle.
He said his devotion to protecting the environment developed in the late 1950s as a youth in scouting through camping trips in New York; during his teenage years in California he witnessed the smog and pollution and shopping malls where rural areas used to be.
“In 1969 came those Hasselblad pictures taken during the first moonwalk, of this beautiful frail water planet in the distance. This had a profound impact on many people I knew - - seeing the Earth as a whole, and us as a part of a finite region. By the time the first Earth Day happened in 1970, I was poised to really get involved. That’s when I became a vegetarian, started recycling and composting and bought my first electric car,” Begley is quoted in E: The Environmental Magazine, January-February 1996 article.
Begley has served as chair of the Environmental Media Association and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. He remains on those boards as well as the Thoreau Institute, the Earth Communications Office, Tree People and Friends of the Earth among others. His environmental work has earned him many awards from some of the most prestigious environmental groups in the nation, including the California League of Conservative Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, The Coalition for Clean Air, Heal the Bay and the Santa Monica Bay Keeper.
The talented actor of television, film and stage is a six-time Emmy nominee for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the TV series “St. Elsewhere.” He has many TV credits, including recurring roles in “Arrested Development,” Stan Sitwell; “7th Heaven,” Dr. Hank Hastings; and “Six Feet Under,” Hiram Gunderson.
Begley is also the author of the musical drama “Cesar and Ruben: A Musical,” about Cesar Chavez, leader of the United Farm Workers, and Ruben Salazar, a reporter for the L.A. Times.
Copy By: Bonnie Barker, University Relations
Phone: (309) 298-1993 * Fax: (309) 298-1606
Topics: Co-curricular Activities | 1 Comment »
René Hicks First African-American woman ever nominated for an American Comedy Award
By Matt Blankenship | March 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 8th, 7:30pm, Murray Street Cafe
Comedienne René Hicks is a nonsmoker who
had lung cancer and a partial lung removal due to
her exposure to secondhand smoke. Her partial
lung removal was due in part to a misdiagnosis by
her doctor because she was young, a nonsmoker,
a distance runner, and had no history of cancer
nor smokers in her family. Years of performing
as a comedian in smoked-filled clubs caused the
cancer. Now Hicks uses laughter and her bout
with lung cancer to get people to consider the
health dangers of tobacco and secondhand smoke.
Here’s a poster about her talk.
Topics: Co-curricular Activities | 1 Comment »
Earth Day Speaker - Individual Class Visits for Your FYE Section
By Matt Blankenship | March 4, 2008
Dear Judy,
Thank you for your voice mail left on our phone last week. I apologize for taking a while to get back to you. As you may recall, I called because there will be an individual in town in April, who is an excellent example of the university theme this year: Global Challenges & Personal Responsibility: Environmental Sustainability. Below is a detailed description of this individual and her activities. Please feel free to share this information below with anyone who might be interested.
Rachel Crandell is a very good friend of mine and also the President of the Monteverde Conservation League U.S. (MCLUS; http://www.mclus.org). Rachel was a 2nd grade teacher for twenty years and during that time engaged her classes in hands-on environmental stewardship, including fundraising for the Children’s Rainforest in Costa Rica (Bosque Eterno de los Ninos, BEN). This is the largest private preserve in Costa Rica and is the result of efforts of children from over 44 countries around the world to raise money for the purchase and protection of land (started in 1987). Rachel and her husband have led many eco-tourism trips to Costa Rica and other countries in Central or South America. In 2002, she and her husband established the Monteverde Conservation League U.S. as a counterpart to the Costa Rican Monteverde Conservation League, because incoming funds to the organization were slowing down and they could no longer hire an environmental educator, enough guards, nor could they purchase more land.
Through their work over the last 6 years MCLUS has raised enough money to enable the Monteverde Conservation League to hire an environmental educator, more guards, and to purchase land. In March, a children’s book co-authored by Rachel will be published titled “The Forever Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure”, which is a story about the BEN. The expectation is that it will raise awareness about the forest and encourage a whole new generation of children to get involved in fundraising for the BEN. The cloud forest that resides in the BEN is home to many rare animals, which migrate up and down the mountain, following the availability of their food sources. Since there is little forest habitat left at lower elevations, Rachel hopes that through renewed fundraising efforts, it might be possible to purchase and reforest the land that extends to the Pacific coast.
In addition to Rachel’s tireless efforts to raise awareness about this precious tract of forest in Costa Rica, she has been involved in celebrating and recording indigenous cultures. Her children’s book, Hands of the Maya, features hands at work in the cultural crafts and daily lives of Mayans in Belize and Guatemala. She learned about these traditions and activities while living in Maya Centre Village in Belize during her sabbatical. More recently, she has video recorded the stories of the indigenous Panamanian Emberá. Another children’s book titled Hands of the Rainforest: Embera People of Panama, will be coming out this year, and eventually the indigenous stories of the Emberá will be made available in three languages, as she has assisted with translation.
Rachel is a living example of taking responsibility for the natural environment, both publicly and privately. Be it in washing the dishes, drying the clothes, driving, printing, mailing, shopping, or heating the home, her actions consistently reflect a genuine care for the environment. Through her personal and public life she has spawned hundreds of individuals of all ages, to love and protect our planet in practical ways.
I encourage you to take this opportunity to invite Rachel to speak. She is warm and approachable and will undoubtedly touch the lives of WIU students, faculty, and staff. She is an outstanding example of this year’s University theme.
Rachel will be speaking at the Macomb Earth Day Celebration on April 26th, which will be held at Spoon River College. If there are classes or programs at WIU that would be interested in having her speak, it could be arranged for her to come earlier than the 26th or stay later. She charges $200 to speak and the fee is donated directly to MCLUS for the purchase and protection of more land in the Children’s Rainforest.
Please let me know if you are interested in having Rachel speak, and I will help arrange a date and time with her.
Thank you,
Lisa Gruver
Topics: Co-curricular Activities, General Announcements, University Theme Related | No Comments »
April: Alcohol Awareness and Sexual Assault Awareness Month
By Matt Blankenship | March 4, 2008
April 16 at 7 p.m. Sex Signals Sexual Assault Awareness Program to highlight Alcohol Awareness and Sexual Assault Awareness Month will be held in the Heritage Room. Only 400 people allowed at event as per artists contract. Would recommend participants contact Diane Cumbie at OSA 298-3232 to RSVP and turn-in count of attendees to guarantee seating. We will only hold seating up until 5 minutes before the show, then we will open the reserved space for general audience seating.
http://www.bass-schuler.com/sexsignals.php4 provides full information.
If the focus of a facilitator/peer mentor is to direct students to fun activities outside the classroom experience with less of a academic slant, please share that http://uub.wiu.edu provides a full calendar of events scheduled by the UUB for the campus community.
Topics: Co-curricular Activities | No Comments »
More Info on The Big Money/Big Life Game Show
By Matt Blankenship | March 4, 2008
The University Union Board has upcoming events which may be of interest to FYE facilitators and peer mentors.
March 4th at 7 p.m. the Big Money/Big Life Game Show will be held in the Murray Street Cafe.
Go to http://www.bass-schuler.com/bigmoney.php4 for full information.
Topics: Co-curricular Activities | No Comments »
Japanese Society Today
By Matt Blankenship | March 4, 2008
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Tuesday, March 4, 2008 01:41:03 TAM#AKR MSE515J JOB06626 |
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UUB Presents: The Game Show
By Matt Blankenship | March 4, 2008
UUB Presents
The Game Show
$$$$$$ “BIG MONEY” $$$$$$
The UUB will present a game show where students will have the opportunity to answer questions & earn cash prizes. The purpose of the game show is to educate students about the importance of actively managing their finances.
Be There!
Tuesday, March 4th
Doors Open at 6:30 P.M.
Show starts at 7:00 P.M.
Murray Street Cafe
For any other questions feel free to contact:
Raymond Fiala
rj-fiala@wiu.edu or (309) 298-3286
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2008 LGBT Awareness Week: Musical Poet
By Matt Blankenship | March 4, 2008
Unity is proud to present the closing entertainment for the 2008 LGBT Awareness Week: Musical poet, Bitch will be performing at COFAC Recital Hall Friday, March 21st at 7:00 pm.
Tickets for students will be $8.00, and for non-students $12.00. Tickets will be sold at our Awareness Week table in the Union Concourse Tuesday through Thursday March 4-6, then again Tuesday and Wednesday March 18 & 19, and before and after the Drag Show on Wednesday March 19, or at the door before the show.
So come Friday for a good time and bring a friend!
If you would like more information, or to buy tickets, please call 309-298-3203 or email unity@wiu.edu.
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Where are the teachers who are to train and help the eager students?
By Matt Blankenship | February 13, 2008
Mark your calendars and spread the word for the next in a series of History faculty lectures on current research.
On February 21, at 5:00pm in MG304.
“‘Where are the teachers who are to train and help the eager students?’: Japanese-American Collaborations for Women’s Higher Education, 1890s-1920s”
by Febe D. Pamonag, Ph.D. Department of History Western Illinois University
Nineteenth-century accounts of official Japanese engagement with the West tend to present Japan as a country that was trying to catch up to a superior West and responding to Western demands for change. Yet, exploring the history of private initiatives for Japanese women’s education suggests that Japanese–American relations were far more complex than mere competition. My project examines the nature and extent of American support for the promotion of women’s higher education in Japan from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. By focusing on the relationship between U.S.-educated reformer Tsuda Umeko (1864-1925) and the Americans who supported her initiatives for women’s higher learning, my study reveals profoundly significant cross-cultural collaborations that, at times, were characterized by considerable tensions over divergent notions of how and why women should be educated.
This lecture is sponsored by Phi Alpha Theta and the Associated Students of History. Please spread the word to students and colleagues.
For more information please contact:
Lee L. Brice, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Advisor, Phi Alpha Theta
WIU Department of History MG438
1 University Cir.
Macomb, IL 61455
309-298-2982
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Bayliss & Henninger Meeting Spaces
By Matt Blankenship | February 7, 2008
Dear WIU FYE Faculty,
The first year complex of Bayliss and Henninger Halls would like to extend an invitation to you for the spring semester. Currently we have available space for FYE professors to use for office hours or student meetings. We believe it is important for our first year students to integrate academics holistically into their residence hall, which many consider home. By offering professors a space in our building, we believe we may attract more of our 700 residents to take an active role in their education.
The space that is currently available is located in Bayliss hall and necessary office supplies will be provided. There is a wireless connection for lap tops.
The space is available any time through out the day or evening for the convenience of you and your students.
We hope that this opportunity will be interesting to you, as we feel many of our students will be interested in this option.
If you are interested in utilizing this space, please contact JK-Pond@wiu.edu or MM-Cohenour@wiu.edu for more information.
Topics: General Announcements | 1 Comment »