Elders Keynotes Sexuality Week
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders will be the keynote speaker Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom during the University�s 15th annual Sexuality Week (Feb. 9 -13), whose purpose is to offer information and speakers on the subject of responsible attitudes towards sex.
Elders will speak on "Sexuality Education in America: Bridges to the New Millennium."
"During the 15 years that Sexuality Week has been in existence at the University, college students across the nation have been faced with critical issues and choices," said M. Dolores Cimini, staff psychologist with the University Counseling Center and chair of the organizing committee. "Concerns related to gender issues, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health have remained at the forefront across time."
In 1993, Elders was the first African American woman to become Surgeon General. Elders holds that violence, sexually transmitted diseases, poverty, and substance abuse are the biggest threats to the health and well-being of the nation�s young people. She also addresses the importance of good prenatal care, the future of health care reform, women�s health concerns, and meeting the needs of older Americans.
After resigning as Surgeon General, Elders returned to the University of Arkansas Medical School, where she divides her time between the classroom and the clinic. A professor of pediatrics and endocrinology, Elders was educated at UAMS on the GI Bill. She became a full professor after her fellowship and board certification in 1976. She also earned a master�s degree in biochemistry.
On Monday, Feb. 9, the day before Elders� speech, Wendy Sanford, co-founder of the Boston Women�s Health Book Collective, will be the featured speaker. The group collaborated on the books Our Bodies, Ourselves, Ourselves and Our Children, and Ourselves Growing Older. Sanford�s address will be given at 7 p.m. in the Main Theater of the Performing Arts Center.
Our Bodies, Ourselves, one of the most widely read books on women�s health, was published in an expanded and revised edition in January 1996. Begun in 1969 as an informal discussion group, the Boston Women�s Health Collective emerged through the 1970s as a leader in the national and international women�s health movements.
Members of the collective travel around the country to colleges and health seminars and medical schools to talk about health issues that affect women, including: body image/eating disorders; HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases; reproductive health and sexuality; relationships; non-medical approaches to healing; and aging.
Throughout the week of Feb. 9-13, workshops held by trained health educators will be offered. Topics include: safety issues when meeting people through the Internet; healthy communication and conflict resolution in relationships; a panel discussion with people who are infected with HIV or who have AIDS; and, Matters of Consent: A Frank Talk for Men, held by A Few Good Men, a group of University men committed to stopping rape and sexual assault.
The workshops are being coordinated by the Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program of the University Counseling Center. Sexuality Week is co-sponsored by a wide variety of campus groups, including the University Police Department, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and the President�s Task Force on Women�s Safety.
Students, Faculty and Staff Benefit from SUNYTunes
By Greta Petry
Tucked away in the sub-basement of the University Lecture Center is SUNYTunes Productions, an audio recording studio that produces quality radio and television commercials, as well as CDs and tapes. The services of this state-of-the-art production studio are available to any department on campus, as well as to outside clients.
Charlie Vatalaro, recording studio manager for SUNYTunes, mans the control booth.
The purpose of the studio is to provide audio recording services in support of a wide variety of academic and student-centered activities, while reducing administrative dependence on state funding. Associated with the Office of Business Development under the direction of Julia Filippone, Ph.D., SUNYTunes functions at the forefront of the University�s initiative to engage the wider Capital District community in activities which are beneficial to the University and its community partners.
SUNYTunes links the activities of University advertising and video communications, providing audio for radio and television commercials to both internal and external customers. Charlie Vatalaro, recording studio manager and audio producer, has composed and produced jingles, soundtracks, voice-overs, and album projects for internal customers such as the New York State Writers Institute, Summer Sessions, Student Affairs, UAS, the Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, and SUNYCard. External business clients are widely varied, and include the State Employees Federal Credit Union, Citibank, Capital Chamber Artists, Studio Seven, Aesthetic Dental Services, and Osvaldo�s Hair Salon.
Two partners from the Capital District educational community have provided especially interesting projects for SUNYTunes. The Cohoes City School District and Ballston Spa High School each brought approximately 200 students into the studio for a full day of recording activities. Cohoes students focused on recording their school musical, The Pirates of Penzance, while Ballston Spa produced a Christmas album. In both cases, students and parents enjoyed their professional recording experience within a university setting.
SUNYTunes engages University students in its projects as well. Graduate Assistant Jennifer Fulkerson, an MBA student majoring in marketing, writes advertising copy and sells advertising to student and university groups. Graduate and undergraduate students in the theatre department comprise the majority of the voice-over talent. This works well not only for the University and its customers, but also for the students themselves. Students performing voice-overs are given opportunities to practice skills learned in the classroom in a professional environment.
"We�ve had tremendous cooperation from Ken Bush and Anne Liske in the theatre department, who have held classes in the studio for voice-over work," Vatalaro said.
Two would-be song stylists try out a number - just one of the musical and spoken-word projects being created in the Lecture Center studio.
The studio manager described the process of producing a radio ad. "Working with University Advertising, the internal cable system, we produce the commercials together. After I�m given the copy, I compose appropriate original music to match the copy, and direct theatre students in the actual recording of the voice-over," he said.
SUNYTunes is a 32-track digital studio, with a full complement of outboard and midi gear, including a Kurzweil production work station. The large, soundproof main room features a seven foot Yamaha concert grand piano. The piano itself is characteristic of the Office of Business Development�s search for public-private ventures. The piano is loaned to the University by the Yamaha Corporation at no charge, and is maintained by Artist Pianos of Latham.
"While we do work for many outside clients, we want to be of service to other parts of the University as well. We want the University community to know that we are here and with our state-of-the-art equipment, we are able to meet a wide variety of recording needs, cluding musical and spoken-word CD projects," Vatalaro concluded.
MASTER PLAN Update:
And...They're Off!Implementation of the University�s Master Plan, which took more than 12 months to complete, has begun. As recommended by Hillier, the lead consultant, in the recently completed Master Plan the first capital project to be implemented is the re-alignment of Perimeter Road. A re-alignment of Perimeter Road will ease traffic congestion at the Campus� Washington-Ave and I-90 entrance/exit and address the intersection of Perimeter Road and Tri-Centennial Drive and make the roadway safer for navigation by all.
Recently, many of us may have seen several "blue trucks" circulating around the Uptown Campus. The firm of Clough-Harbour & Associates has been working to complete preliminary design for a re-alignment of Perimeter Road and the construction of a new parking lot. Full design of the project is expected to begin shortly.
In addition, and as recommended in the Master Plan, the project to re-align Perimeter Road will also create space for parking that is to be removed from around the Podium. The removal of this parking will "Restore the original design which placed the rigorous, colonnaded arcade of the Podium in the center of a wide green band of pine trees and paths leading to the residential quads" (Master Plan Report, 1998) and eliminate some of the most severe vehicular and pedestrian conflicts which exist on the Campus today.
A new parking lot will be constructed on the west end of the campus between the Social Sciences Building and Colonial Quad and be bound by Perimeter Road to the west, thereby reducing the number of pedestrian crossing points required along Perimeter Road.
New Allocation Method Arriving Based on Enrollment
The State University of New York is currently discussing a proposal for a new method for allocating resources to individual campuses. The proposed Resource Allocation Methodology (the RAM), was a joint effort of the State University Business Officers Association (SUBOA), the Academic Officers (ACAO) and System Administration.
The new methodology replaces the "benchmark" which had not been applied for several years. "Budgeting, in effect, had in recent times been done through proportion and special deals," said Kathryn K. Lowery, the University�s associate vice president for Financial Management and Budget. "One of the major differences in the proposed methodology is that it will distribute the state tax portion of the appropriation only, campuses will retain all tuition revenues."
The new methodology is largely driven by enrollment and is based on a 12-cell matrix of high, medium and low costs disciplines. It also suggests that different levels of instruction will receive varying percentages of their total cost from state tax dollars.
"This produces equitable funding for enrollment across campuses," said Lowery. "We anticipate that the impact of this proposed methodology will be positive for the University at Albany, mainly because of this equitable treatment of enrollment."
The RAM Committee preliminary report was formally submitted to the Vice Chancellor Brian T. Stevens in October. Since its release, a series of briefings were held with SUNY campus presidents, academic and administrative vice presidents, the Faculty Senate, the Board of Trustees, legislative and Division of the Budget staff.
The Board of Trustees is tentatively scheduled to approve a final RAM proposal this Spring. If it does so, implementation may begin as early as July.
University Celebrates Shakespeare Semester
by Greta Petry
Area Shakespeare lovers are in for a treat as the University delivers a semester-long celebration of the Bard featuring performances by an international theater company from London, a student production of Much Ado About Nothing, classic Shakespearean films offered by the New York State Writers Institute, and by the visit of an expert on the newly-built Globe Theater in London.
Members of the theatrical company ACTER from London, who will engage in a residency at the University the week of March 23, and present a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream on March 25, 27 and 28, as well as do workshops, seminars and one-person performances.
"The Shakespeare Semester is a collaborative effort by University faculty members to celebrate the work of the preeminent English-language poet and dramatist," said Theater professor Langdon Brown, director of the newly-revitalized Center for Arts and Humanities, which has organized the event. "We have come together from many disciplines to experience a body of literature so meaningful in content and so powerful in form that it has penetrated diverse cultures worldwide since its creation in 16th Century England."
The Shakespeare Semester is a significant new endeavor for the University. It provides an opportunity for students and faculty on the campus, interested members of the Capital District community, and outside academic specialists and artists to interact, converse and share their knowledge and appreciation of Shakespearean drama. More than 30 events are planned.
"Interim Dean (of the College of Arts and Sciences) Cy Knoblauch and Art Museum Director Marijo Dougherty envisioned an entire semester of events celebrating the Bard, while the support and leadership of President Karen Hitchcock and Provost Judy Genshaft made that vision reality. It is our hope that this exemplary collaborative effort will serve as a model for future cross-disciplinary educational endeavors," said Brown.
William Shakespeare�s works were created, not for a few elite theatergoers, but for the enjoyment of the entire community. In the same manner, the entire roster of Shakespeare Semester lectures, films, and performances is open to the public. Admission to many of the lectures and films is free. The first event, a C-SPAN rebroadcast of a "Richard III Mock Trial" is at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30. The last is the Friday, May 8, screening of King Lear by the New York State Writers Institute. For a full listing of times and locations, see the Update�s Datebook or visit the Shakespeare Semester web site at: https://www.albany.edu/~donj/shakespeare.html.
Shakespeare�s 38 plays, written between 1590 and 1613, were intended to be performed, not read, since his company earned money from producing the plays on stage. In his time, boys were hired to play all of the female characters. Shakespeare�s themes of love, hate, power, and betrayal have captivated audiences since many of his plays were first performed on stage at the Globe Theater.
"Our performances, concerts, exhibits and lectures will bring the same drama and excitement to the Capital District community as Shakespeare�s Globe Theater did to the people of Elizabethan London," said Brown. This year�s Edith O. Wallace Lecture, "(Re)Building Shakespeare�s Globe," will be delivered Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 8 p.m. at the Recital Hall of the Performing Arts Center, by David Scott Kastan of Columbia University, a widely-published Shakespearean scholar and educational representative for the newly-reconstructed Globe Theater. Admission is free.
The original Globe Theater, built in London in 1599, was known as the most famous theater in history. In contrast to today�s audiences, theatergoers in Shakespeare�s day sat close to the stage, surrounding it on three sides. The Globe, a three-tiered outdoor theater, held about 2,500 people. Since there was little or no scenery, there were very few scene changes to slow down the pace of a performance.
English Professor Martha Rozett, the author of Talking Back to Shakespeare, said that in the original Globe Theater "groundlings, who stood throughout the performance, paid a penny for admission, which was about the price of a loaf of bread. A large number of people � a real cross-section � did attend Shakespeare�s plays. They were apprentices, shopkeepers, students and soldiers, and the price of admission was within their reach financially." This also explains the wide range of diction in Shakespeare�s plays and accounts for rapid switches from long pieces of poetry to slapstick comedy.
The Globe was destroyed by fire in 1613. Building the new theater was an international, multi-million dollar project. The idea was to reconstruct the Globe at the original site, using all of the scholarly and archaeological evidence available. Performances started at the new Globe last summer; it has become a major cultural and tourist attraction in London.
Throughout the Spring �98 Shakespeare Semester, the University will intertwine its missions of outreach to the community with dedication to teaching.
Rozett said the Shakespeare Semester "is really giving the University a lot of attention. Just yesterday I was asked to speak to a group of 100-150 high school English teachers this spring. So it is having a domino effect and getting the University�s name out to the community."
Music, literature, theater, dance, and history will be the focus of a series of lectures, workshops and other activities scheduled throughout the Spring �98 semester. Rozett, Kathleen Kendall, Judith Barlow, Drew Hartzell, Richard Goldman, John Pipkin, and Roberta Bernstein are among the faculty offering lectures and workshops.
On March 23, a juried undergraduate student exhibition opens at the University Art Museum, in which all works will feature Shakespearean imagery. That same week, artist Tim Rollins and selected high school guest artists will begin a week-long residency to create works based on A Midsummer Night�s Dream.
The highlight of the semester is the March 23 week-long residency of the theatrical company ACTER, which consists of five actors from the London stage (from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theater of Great Britain, the BBC Shakespeare Series, and others). ACTER, a Center for Theater, Education, and Research, is an international research institute, educational center, and theatrical company based in London, England, and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
ACTER will present A Midsummer Night�s Dream March 25, 27 and 28, at 8 p.m. in the Main Theater of the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 and $15. The acting company is also offering several one-person shows as part of its week-long residency. The actors are devoting a large part of their time to workshops, seminars, and informal meetings with students.
"Their stay provides students and professors with an unusual opportunity to observe extraordinary performances and to discuss the literature and art of theater in depth with some of the most talented artists from some of the most important theater companies in the world," said Brown.
The Shakespeare Semester�s impetus comes through a gift from Harold and Lea Gould which funds the ACTER residency. Harold Gould, B.A. �47, who holds a Ph.D. in theater from Cornell University and has been successful as a classical stage actor, in addition to enjoying major commercial success in film and television, is one of Albany�s most effective and enthusiastic supporters.
SEFA/UW Campaign Exceeds 1996-7 Total by 4 Percent
The University has concluded its 1997-98 SEFA/United Way Campaign with 507 employees pledging $71,877.60 this year � 96 percent of the campus goal of $75,000 and more than $2,500 above a year ago.
Faculty coordinator Helen Desfosses of public administration and policy and Africana studies praised the generosity of University employees and said she was especially pleased that the number of participants continues to grow in the past few years.
"United Way is an excellent vehicle through which the University can support civic and community organizations," Desfosses said. "It�s a collaborative approach and it�s also an efficient way in which each of us can change the lives of the disadvantaged around us."
Associate Athletic Director Gail Cummings-Danson, whose office oversaw the United Way/SEFA effort this year, said that the University last year raised $69,309 with donations and pledges from 496 employees � 92 percent of the goal.
SEFA Campaign/United Way 1997-98
Final Results
# Contributing Unit Goal Collections % of Goal Employees President's Office $ 1,600 $1,842.00 115% 11 Academic Affairs VP & Support Units $ 4,400 $5,701.30 130% 34 College of Arts & Science $20,500 $18,582.20 91% 110 Rockefeller College $7,300 $8,295.00 114% 51 Business $2,700 $3,297.00 122% 23 Education $6,300 $6,532.80 104% 40 Public Health $2,600 $1,669.00 64% 12 Libraries/Info Sys $8,100 $7,963.00 98% 52 Total for Academic Affairs $51,900 $52,040.30 100% 322 Finance & Business $6,400 $5,045.30 79% 56 University Auxiliary $ 600 $1,056.00 176% 22 Research & Grad Studies $4,500 $3,020.00 67% 21 Student Affairs $5,700 $5,500.00 96% 47 University Advancement $2,200 $2,023.00 92% 20 Other $2,100 $1,351.00 64% 8 Total $75,000 $71,877.60 96% 507
