So eventful was the junior year of senior Zoe Beaudry that she made sure the summer following was just as worthy in terms of experiential opportunities. Zoe studied abroad in Israel during her junior fall and winter terms. That was followed with spring quarter on campus, during which she worked toward her major in art. Then came a summer of two internships. The first found Zoe in Massachusetts, working with Israeli and Palestinian youth to build community across cultures and differences through art. The second half of Zoe’s summer was spent in Haiti, as an intern with International Child Care. ICC is a Christian health development organization that has operated in Haiti since 1967. It works to change the conditions of poverty that impact health and well-being. Zoe kept a blog while she was in Haiti. Its entries cover her first impressions and hopes and her first art session with children at ICC’s Grace Children’s Hospital. She also worked in the wider community. ICC’s community outreach program serves families of mentally or physically handicapped children in the community by sending hospital staff to their homes for weekly physical therapy or mental exercise sessions. News of her art sessions spread, and so she did artwork with children who participate in community inclusion program. The photo was taken after that session: Zoe is pictured in the back row, at left. Her blog entries are worth a read. Zoe’s senior year promises to be as rewarding as her junior year. Among other activities, she is a Civic Engagement Scholar (CES) for the program Partners in Art. The CES program is administered by the College’s Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement.
students
Writer’s Voice Rising
Alejandra Castillo ’15 will be the first in her family to graduate from college, and she is making her family proud every step of the way. “My three siblings dropped out of high school in the 9th grade. The fact that I’m at a prestigious liberal arts college is truly a dream come true, not just for me but for my whole family.”
Castillo is a Posse scholar, attending Kalamazoo College on a full scholarship awarded to teens from urban areas who exhibit high academic achievement and leadership skills.
Four years ago, while still a high school student, Castillo began work at a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization called WriteGirl. This summer, she returned to the organization, but this time on an “independent internship” through K’s Center for Career and Professional Development’s Field Experience Program. WriteGirl challenges interns to think critically about the world, to write about it, and then to voice their work out loud. Leadership, communication skills and self-confidence are qualities nurtured in the program.
“I came back to WriteGirl because I want to be as ready as I can be to enter the workforce when I graduate college,” says Castillo.
At Kalamazoo College, Castillo is majoring in anthropology and sociology AND distinguishing herself as a playwright. Her one-act play, How Miss Long Beach Became Miss Long Beach, will be performed at the Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse as part of the Senior Performance Series under direction of senior Amy Jimenez. The Senior Performance Series will occur May 1-4, 2014.
“Alejandra has been my student in playwriting class, and she developed this play in an independent study,” says her theatre arts professor, Ed Menta. “It’s a heartfelt and funny story of a young Latina who has mixed feelings about her mother forcing her to participate in a beauty pageant. The play touches on issues of mother/daughter, body image, assimilation, and sexuality.”
Another Castillo play, Say Yes, a conversation between two young people in the parking lot of a convenience store in Los Angeles, was selected for the Kalamazoo New Play Festival.
Campaign For Kalamazoo College Launches Public Phase
Kalamazoo College officials today announced that they have raised more than $84 million in gifts and pledges in The Campaign for Kalamazoo College, a $125 million effort intended to help K “elevate excellence” and “expand its impact” on and off campus.
The College launched the campaign in March 2010. The anticipated end date is June 30, 2015. With today’s announcement, the College moves into a more public phase in which all alumni and other friends of the College will be asked to make a contribution to one of four campaign priorities: student opportunity and access, faculty excellence, K-Plan enrichment, and capital projects.
“The $84 million committed by donors thus far is an amazing statement about how much they value K and the exceptional education we offer students,” said K Board of Trustees Chair Charlotte Hall ’66. “This is a very exciting time at Kalamazoo College,” she added. “This campaign supports a strategic plan that builds on the College’s mission and its historic strengths. It will elevate excellence across campus–excellence among our faculty, excellence within the student body, and excellence across our campus facilities.”
According to Kalamazoo College President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran, the impact of the campaign is already being felt. “More than $7.5 million in new student scholarships enables us to enroll highly talented students regardless of their economic backgrounds,” she said. “Six newly endowed faculty positions help assure that these students are educated by stellar teachers and scholars.
“We have begun to strengthen the experiential programs that power the K-Plan,” she added, “including international engagement, career internships, leadership development, and student research.
“Because of donor generosity, we have also invested in a number of building projects—-such as the Hicks Student Center, K athletics fields and the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership—-that enrich the student experience and foster an even closer campus community.”
Nearly half of the estimated $20 million needed to replace the College’s aging natatorium and build a new fitness and wellness center has been pledged by donors.
“These and future gifts will have a profound impact on our students and ultimately the communities in which they will live and work,” said Wilson-Oyelaran. “This campaign will help K expand its impact on and off campus and help our students do more in four years so they can do more in a lifetime.”
Preparation for Turbulent Times
The College’s Alumni Relations department invited (via an e-mail titled “Welcome to the Class of 2017”) the friends and alumni of the College to share in this year’s Summer Common Reading experience, part of the annual Orientation program. SCR 2013 featured a campus visit by author Vaddey Ratner, who spoke with faculty, staff, and the first-year class that had read her book, In the Shadow of the Banyan. The e-mail invited alumni to “join in on the reading as you think about a new chapter that begins in the lives of our new K students, and remember your first year experiences through this process.” The e-mail also included an old photo (at left) of the inside of Stetson Chapel, and to its call was received at least one response–from Moses Thompson ’70, from quite a distance. “I am in remote, actually very remote, Zambia,” he wrote. “Nevertheless I will find the book on line and join in. Just looking at that photo of the chapel,” he added, “reminded me of the last time I was there, in 1970, well after midnight one evening, sitting in the balcony preparing to graduate and leave the next day: somehow a very powerful place. And musing over the cornerstone: ’The end of learning is gracious living’, which we enjoyed transposing as ’the end of yearning is gracious loving’. Yet, that chapel had a powerful effect on me. It was at a time when the College was in a great transition of culture change, not smooth but turbulent change: for the students then it was a transition from in loco parentis, required chapel, and closed dorms, to personal responsibility, choice about chapel, and mixed dorms–a huge uproar this caused at the time. Trivial issues of change when compared to the enormous and sweeping transformations about to be unleashed around the globe; still, in a microcosm these small changes captured the energy and heart of new directions. It was not to be a simple coming of age for a generation of young people pushing the limits of their local environment. This would be a change in the way we understood personal responsibility, in and beyond our narrow community and interests.
“In 1972 I became director of a predominantly black organization, hired by phone and assumed to be black because of my name, and spent a few years in the midst of the nation’s worst racial tension. I went on to 30 more years in international development assistance. And the decision, and to be sure the desire, to take on these challenges might have been formulated at K, perhaps that evening, in the dark of Stetson Chapel, seated in the back row of the balcony, feet up on the pew before me: chapel no longer required, now a choice. The locus of motivation had changed from the outside and others trying to coerce, to the inside with a personal desire to go out and create something of value.
“Kalamazoo is a wonderful college and a great place to prepare for turbulent times.”
Thompson would have enjoyed the ways in which, during the course of two days, the author, her novel, and its readers touched one another and learned from one another. Ratner posted her reflections of her experience at K. She wrote, “My journey there was as enriching, exciting, and full of life-affirming discoveries and learning as any fantastical adventure conjured up by the magic of imagination. Indeed, I felt I was walking into a sanctuary of learning, where the essence of youthful energy and curiosity is focused in a shared endeavor to know, to understand.”
Homecoming and Reunion Weekend
Welcome back, Orange and Black, on October 18-20. Homecoming registration is open NOW! Please check out the schedule of events to view all of the opportunities to connect. Highlights from the weekend will include: reunion activities for the classes of 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008 (as well as special gatherings for the Class of 2013 and emeriti alumni); a student film festival featuring works created in K’s introductory and advanced documentary film production classes; family friendly activities on the Quad, featuring the Fresh Food Fairy, Cirque Du K, and the College’s three a cappella groups; the Hornet football game vs. the Albion Britons at the new Kalamazoo College Athletic Field Complex; and an opportunity to tell your K story or record a favorite memory at the Story Zoo booth in the library. There is so much to share, and alumni relations staff members are looking forward to seeing you and your family. Kalamazoo area hotels are filling up fast so please do not forget to book your hotel and mention “Kalamazoo College Homecoming” to receive a special rate. If you would like a registration form mailed to you or need assistance with online registration, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 269-337-7300 or aluminfo@kzoo.edu. All alumni, faculty, staff, students and K friends are invited.
Opening Convocation 2013
Kalamazoo College marks the beginning of the 2013-14 academic year with its annual Convocation on the campus Quad, Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 3:00 p.m. Free and open to the public, this colorful ceremony serves as a formal induction into the K community for the incoming Class of 2017 and includes a musical fanfare, faculty processional, welcoming remarks, and an international flag ceremony.
Under sunny skies (or in Anderson Athletic Facility in the event of rain), 457 first-year students, 27 visiting international students, and 22 transfer students from other institutions will recite the “Ritual of Recognition for New Students” and receive their charge from President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran.
Jody Clark ’80, vice president at Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, will deliver the keynote address, which will be live-streamed for the first time. Visit www.kzoo.edu/convocation for live-stream details. A reception for attendees follows on the Upper Quad, behind Stetson Chapel.
New students will receive an extensive orientation through the College’s nationally recognized First-Year Experience, including a reading and talk by Vaddey Ratner, author of In the Shadow of the Banyan, the Summer Common Reading book new students.
The incoming Class of 2017 is one of the largest since the College was established 180 years ago (1833). Fifty-three percent are female, 47 percent male. Approximately 62 percent (284) come from Michigan, 31 percent (141) come from other U.S. states and territories, and seven percent (32) come from 13 other countries (Cambodia, Canada, China, South Korea, Colombia, France, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe).
Also, 187 K students are participating in study abroad this fall at 28 programs throughout Africa (20 students), Austral-Asia (45), Central and South America (26), and Europe (96).
The College’s overall enrollment for the academic year will be approximately 1,440.
Fall quarter classes at K begin Monday Sept. 16. The fall quarter ends Wed. Nov. 27.
Prep and Patience
Myles Truss ’17 and Braeden Rodriguez ’16 are learning a great deal about chemistry during their summer internships in the laboratory of Associate Professor of Chemistry Jeffrey Bartz. Among the lessons is the extraordinary patience and preparation required to run an experiment that shoots lasers at chemical compounds in order to watch how they behave. According to Truss, it’s “a way of seeing” a chemical component “that combines chemistry and physics.” But things don’t always go as planned. Lasers need fixing, problems arise in the “beam machine,” sample preparation may go awry. According to Bartz, when a high tech piece of lab equipment breaks down his response often aligns with the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). And who would have thought chemistry taught that? Rodriguez and Truss are completing data from a Senior Individualized Project begun several years ago, which shows another key element of science–how it builds over time and through collaborations. Part of what they seek through laser “sight” is nitric oxide (NO) released from interesting compounds. Nitric oxide happens to be central to the chemistry research of someone quite close to Truss—his mother, Associate Professor of Chemistry Regina Stevens-Truss, whose research has found nitric oxide to be of great interest in several cascades of chemical events associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Truss and Rodriguez are testing theory, says Bartz, more “pure” science than applied—with two key products nevertheless, Bartz adds: “the research itself, and aspiring scientists like these two young men.” Rodriguez intends to declare chemistry as his major winter quarter of his sophomore year. Truss begins his first year this fall and is leaning toward chemistry as a possible major.
Hornet Fall Student Athletes Arriving on Campus!
Are you ready for some Hornet football?! How about soccer, volleyball, golf, and cross country? Because student athletes from all these teams arrive on campus soon, led by football players like Ronnie Russell ′17 from Lansing moving in today. Ronnie, putting on a tie while mom, Paulette, and younger sister, Kathleen, help arrange his Harmon Hall room, joins his teammates for their first practice at Angell Field on Saturday, in preparation for their Sept. 7 home opener against Rose-Hulman. Hornet Men’s and Women’s Soccer players arrive tomorrow, followed by Volleyball players on Sunday, Men’s and Women’s Golf teams on Aug. 25, and Men’s and Women’s Cross Country arrive Sept. 6. Check out the Hornet Athletic webpages (http://hornets.kzoo.edu/) for full schedules, rosters and other info on fall athletics at K. Go Hornets!
From Chem Lab to Gridiron
Three student scientists/athletes transitioned from the laboratory to the gridiron on August 16, the first day for Hornet football practice. Jake Lenning ’15 (chemistry major, health studies concentration), Joe Widmer ’14 (chemistry major, biochemistry concentration), and Jake Hillenberg ’14 (chemistry and psychology major, neurosciences concentration) spent the summer doing chemistry research–Lenning in the lab of Professor of Chemistry Greg Slough; Widmer and Hillenberg in the lab of Associate Professor of Chemistry Jennifer Furchak. Lenning’s research involves testing for differences in two variations of a resin known as the Wang Resin. Widmer and Hillenberg were working outside the laboratory on the day I visited. Lenning plays wide receiver for the Hornets, Widmer and Hillenberg are defensive linemen. The 2013 season will be the team’s second on the new Angell Field, and Lenning is excited. “We had a good season last year,” he said, “and that success will be a good foundation to build a great season this year.”
Liver Chemists
Because its name sounds like a vintage fighter plane, one might think the “Heme Team” that works with this enzyme is a group of pilots or aviation mechanics. But P450 (short for Cytochrome P450) refers to a family of enzymes that do vital work in the human body such as clearance and transformation of pharmaceutical drugs in the liver. And the “Heme Team” (named for heme, an iron-containing chemical component in all members of the P450 family) are four student research assistants working this summer in the chemistry lab of Professor Laura Furge. The team includes Rina Fujiwara ’15 (pictured at left), Amanda Bolles ’14, Mara Livezey ’13, and Parker De Waal ’13.
According to Fujiwara, Cytochrome P450 2D6—one member of the enzyme family—is responsible for the metabolism (think: conversion into a useful form) of some 20 percent of the medicines we take. So it’s definitely a P450 worthy of study—which, of course, means nature made it difficult to grow in a laboratory setting (as sure as the vegetables your mother said were good for you always tasted terrible). In fact, a great many P450 enzymes are intriguing, and the chemical modification of them and their mutations could one day have significant application in making medicines more effective.
Enter the Heme Team. Part of its summer work, says Fujiwara, has been to use recombinant bacteria (bacteria modified to include the DNA of P450 2D6) to grow the enzyme. Then team members try to separate the purified enzyme from the bacterial culture. Last year, they came close to achieving the goal. This year they developed a new protocol in which the bacteria cells (think: P450 factories) grow more slowly. Fujiwara is also doing work to obtain an even more difficult to express mutant version of 2D6, and that work might become the basis of her Senior Individualized Project next year.
On the threshold of her third year at K, the international student from Japan (chemistry major and thinking about a second major in biology) has always loved science, particularly the area of nutrition. This is her first year in the Furge lab, and she loves working with Dr. Furge and her fellow research assistants. “They are great mentors,” says Fujiwara, “and always help me with my many questions, no matter how elementary those questions may seem.” One exciting side effect of her work this summer, she adds, is the enthusiasm it has sparked for cell biology and biochemistry, two courses she is eager to take during her junior year.
Another great side effect is Dr. Furge’s expertise in another kind of chemistry—baking! “She makes delicious carrot cake and blueberry pies and brings them in for her research students,” says Fujiwara. “I love this lab!”