PresRelease

Saturday, all of our UConn student-body Presidents got together in Hartford to discuss ideas and initiatives on their respective campuses and continue building a more unified vision for UConn student government.  They’ve had several meetings already this semester, including a day-long workshop and reception on the Storrs campus on September 13, when I had a chance to meet them at a reception in the Jorgensen Gallery:

I’m excited to see our student leaders reaching out to each other, to draw on their collective strengths and experiences from our different campuses and build a better organization – and a better experience – for all of our UConn students.  It’s the perfect example of synergy: “Increased effectiveness, achievement, etc., produced as a result of combined action or co-operation.” (OED)  When I was a kid in Iowa taking Biology, we learned about ‘hybrid vigor,’ also called heterosis,’ the genetic phenomenon that produces an unexpected dimension of strength when two different but related strains are combined.  Of course, in Iowa Biology we were talking about corn.  Here in Connecticut, I suspect the subject is introduced using nutmegs as examples.

UConn vigor!

UConn alum Wally Lamb autographed and read from his new, fourth novel, Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story last Tuesday evening at the UConn Coop.  His first two novels, She’s Come Undone (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, 1992) and I Know This Much Is True (HarperCollins/ReganBooks, 1998), were # 1 New York Times bestsellers and New York Times Notable Books of the Year.  He’s taught creative writing in the past at UConn and also facilitates a writing workshop at Connecticut’s York Correctional Institute, a maximum-security prison for women. Wally’s been a Connecticut Department of Corrections volunteer since 1999.
Here’s a 1951 photo of Wally (front and center) on the book jacket of Wishin’ and Hopin’:

There’s a quote of his circulating on the internet: “As my early drawings warned me, where humans go, lions and tidal waves follow.”

UConn’s preeminent faculty rock band, “Off Yer Rockers,” warmed up the Coop the night before.  The first photo shows the backs or the tops of the heads of musicians/professors Davita Silfen Glasberg (Sociology): Vocals; Harry Frank (Chemistry): Vocals and Bass Guitar; Eric Jordan (Mechanical Engineering): Drums; David Miller (Psychology): Vocals and Rhythm Guitar; Ernie Zirakzadeh (Political Science): Lead Guitar. Special guest: Robert Birge (Chemistry): keyboards. In the second photo, bassman Harry Frank, drummer Eric Jordan, and tambourinist/vocalist Davita Silfen Glasberg rock it out. Professor Greg Anderson and his wife Mona were mesmerized:

Both events were fundraisers for the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic. Along with gift wrap donations, the Coop raised $1500. You should keep your eye on the Coop’s web page and Facebook page: there’s a lot going on over there.

Clifford and Jonathan

On Saturday evening I stopped by the reception at the Dodd Center for the 2009 Connecticut Children’s Book Fair.  The Fair filled the Rome Ballroom Saturday and Sunday with presentations and book signings by well known authors and illustrators, storytelling, crafts, holiday shopping, two breakfasts with Clifford the Big Red Dog, and presentation of the 2009 Raab Associates Prizes for Illustration and Writing.

The Connecticut Children’s Book Fair brings together prominent children’s authors and illustrators and the general public in an annual event designed to foster the enjoyment of children’s literature. Each year it’s open to the public without an entrance fee. Children, parents, grandparents, book collectors, and interested members of the public attend to meet the writers and artists, hear readings and storytellings, and meet some characters from their favorite books.

At the reception I met Katelyn Fox, 2009 Raab Prize in Illustration Winner and John Allie, 2009 Raab Prize in Writing Winner.  The Raab Associates Prizes are intended to promote the field of children’s book writing and illustration. The illustration competition was created in 1999 by Susan Salzman Raab, founder and co-owner of Raab Associates, a children’s book marketing agency based in Chappaqua, New York. Ms. Raab, who is also a 1980 UConn alumna with a degree in English, especially wants to encourage and support people who have interests in the arts and the world of publishing. The competition is held annually and the prize is awarded to students enrolled in the University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts’ illustration courses or in the English Department’s creative writing courses offered during the fall semester. In 2009, Susan Raab established the Raab Associates Prize for Writing in conjunction with faculty in the English Department, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Brinley Franklin; children’s author Lois Lowry; children’s author PW Catanese; me; Lisa Catanese.

The Connecticut Children’s Book Fair is a project of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center and the UConn Co-op. Proceeds from sales at the event are used for the growth of the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection in the Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries.

The Book Fair is a great program that reaches out to our younger readers while supporting writers and artists who produce children’s literature.  Thanks to Jean Nelson at the Dodd Center for the photos.

On Saturday I helped UConn student Aseel Eid, who directs the SOS Food Recovery Program in Towers Dining Hall, her friend Brian Thomas, Dennis Pierce (Director of Dining Services), and several UConn Dining Services Staff in making a food delivery to the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic, and then helping serve the Saturday lunch with a group of volunteers from Storrs’ St. Thomas Aquinas.  UConn’s Community Outreach provided the van, driven by History major Andrew Folsom, who was cramming for an assignment as we loaded food at each dining-hall stop.

This initiative on our Storrs campus is a close collaboration between our Community Outreach office in Student Affairs and Dining Services.  Community Outreach trains and prepares the student leader who in turn who recruits, trains and manages the student participants.  Gina Brassaw in Community Outreach works very closely with Dining representatives to ensure that this program has developed systematically over the last three years.   Dining Services provides the food and staff on campus to freeze and package the materials.  Both aspects are crucial to making the program possible.  Dining and CO need each other to make this program work.

The SOS Food Recovery program delivers surplus food to the Covenant Soup Kitchen from Towers Dining Hall. Much of the food has been flash frozen to ensure that it is fresh, or it’s been maintained at a health-department required temperature. The program serves a dual purpose as it puts our left-over food to good use and also provides nourishment to those who need it the most. The SOS Food Recovery program focuses on delivering and providing food to Covenant.  We were fortunate to be able to help serve lunch on Saturday also.  The program aims to have consistent deliveries to the Soup Kitchen on a weekly basis during the year.

Here’s Alex Morely, Dining Services Area Assistant Manager at North, with Aseel Eid and Brian Thomas, in the kitchen at North. They’re “temping” the refrigerated food that’s being picked up for delivery to Covenant.  “Temping” means taking the food’s temperature and recording it on forms, so that we can be sure that food has remained at a safe temperature throughout the pickup and delivery process.
Here we’re on the loading dock behind South, taking containers of food to our van for transport.  Joe Ferris, Area Assistant Manager at South, is wearing the tie. Aseel is taking care of the records.

Unloading the van (or loading, I can’t remember which) at Covenant in Willimantic.  This insulated container for transporting food in aluminum trays is called a “cambro.”

Covenant Director Paul Doyle greets us and our food with more thermometers, in the receiving area at Covenant.

We joined up with a group of volunteers from Storrs’ St. Thomas Aquinas, who were at Covenant for their monthly volunteering effort there.  Some of the folks from St. Thomas volunteer at Covenant more than once a month.  They were a friendly, lively crowd, and included several UConn alums.

Here’s the serving line at Covenant, open for business.  I’m at the right, serving cupcakes from the UConn Bakery and also home-made ones from the St. Thomas volunteers.

And here we are back on campus, returning cambros at Shippee.  That’s Andrew Folsom (of Extreme Measures) on the extreme left – our intrepid driver – myself, Aseel, and Brian.  Thanks to Sal Murana for some of the photos, and to Paul Doyle for welcoming us to Covenant.

Husky Headliners kicked off at the Jorgensen on October 23 with “Dancing with the UConn Stars.”  Our UConn Ballroom Dance Club and Team teamed up with the Club’s advisor George Gibson (who professors Physics when he’s not dancing) and his wife Zoe Strickler:

The Photon Bolero
and also with Pharmacy Dean Robert McCarthy, Professor Arlene Albert (Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Jorgensen CoStars Joanne Sousa and George Jones, and celebrity guest dancers Sara Schilling and Evgueni Chalouski.  MC’s were Mick Malek and UConn Ballroom VP Lauren DellaFera.  Husky Headliners is a new series designed to offer student talent an opportunity to show off in a professional venue.

For my part, I danced in the opening Lady Gaga medley – good thing I was up on my Lada Gaga moves.  I had good help, from Club President Kailee Donovan:

Kailee and me, backstage
Here’s the Dean and Kailee, performing a Swing to “Waterloo” by ABBA:

The Exelon Swing
I tried out a little Swing myself: here’s a photo that pretty well captures what I can do:

Dean McCarthy brought his own cheering section, exhorting him to finish the number:
How many Bob McCarthys can you count in this photo?

The next performance in the Husky Headliners series is on December 4: “Jingle Jam – A Capella Holiday Show” featuring Five O’Clock Shadow (cosponsored by SUBOG and the Jorgensen).  Put it on your calendar!