Saint Michael's This Week: Studio grand opening, Burnham relates racial violence

Studio grand opening draws alumni media notables as panelists

Saint Michael’s College’s brand-new Media Creation Studio is up and running, providing the campus community – and potentially, organizations beyond – with new opportunities for learning and communicating using professional-level, cutting-edge equipment, including remote-controlled cameras and a 4K digital laser projector. The College celebrated the grand opening of the studio on Thursday, February 2, by inviting several distinguished alumni back to campus to talk about the importance of having this type of resource on campus and how it will equip students with the future skills that will be in high demand. The three alumni – longtime NESN Red Sox broadcaster Tom Caron ‘86 (at right in top right photo), New York Times Deputy Director of Opinion Video Jonah Kessel ‘06 (center), and former event producer for MTV Networks Clare Wool ‘88 (left) – have all had successful careers in visual media since graduation, and they participated in a panel discussion and open house for the Media Creation Studio Thursday.  “It’s so exciting that the Media Creation Studio is finally here and being used daily by our students, faculty, and staff,” said Media Creation Studio Director Patrick Bohan. “Anyone can come into the studio and start creating videos, interviews, talk shows, voice-overs, podcasts, green-screen elements, and much more. The creativity and skill-building that I’ve witnessed in the studio is extremely impressive, and yet it is still just the beginning.”  

Read full story about studio grand opening>>
See local TV news report about opening>>

SAINT MICHAEL'S NEWS

Sutherland speaker Burnham relates racial violence of history to troubling present-time cases

"We come together at a time when we are all saying the name of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, standing with his family and friends and thinking about the loss of life that continues to characterize and scar our country,” said Margaret Burnham, a judge, civil rights activist and author who delivered Tuesday’s Sutherland Lecture at Saint Michael’s College. By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, Burnham’s acclaimed 2022 book that focused her late afternoon Tuesday talk, documents mid-20th-century violence against African Americans in the Jim Crow era. Sadly, she told nearly 100 gathered in the McCarthy Recital Hall, such violence is “an ongoing crisis and defining feature of our country today.” Burnham’s talk also served as the College’s keynote address for January programs honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Opening the program was Saint Michael’s Dean of Faculty Gretchen Galbraith, who connected with Burnham as a fellow historian. Kelechi Onuoha '23, Student Government Association president on campus, formally introduced the speaker, who warmly thanked her, Galbraith and President Lorraine Sterritt, who attended too, for the invitation to speak. Dean Galbraith noted that Denise and Paige Sutherland, of the family that has endowed this annual lecture since 1998, were watching via a livestream that ended up having nearly 50 more viewers tune in.

Read full story on Sutherland Lecture>>

Student researchers listed as co-authors on published paper in respected science journal

Co-authoring a published paper recently for a respected science journal with their faculty mentors was a rare and valuable opportunity for 26 Saint Michael’s College student researchers to gain a résumé credential more typical for graduate students. In early January, Professors Ruth Fabian Fine (lead author, top right photo) and Adam Weaver (next photo down at right) of the College’s biology/neuroscience faculty had a paper published in the Journal of Comparative Neurology on the topic of neurodegeneration. The publication lists the professors’ undergraduate researchers as co-authors at the start of the paper. For undergraduates aspiring to science careers, such a prominent role and acknowledgement on a paper is uncommon, said the mentor professors — neither of whom saw their first publishing credits on such a paper until they were graduate students. Fabian-Fine said this latest shared achievement reflects a trend in the Saint Michael’s Cellular/Molecular Research Lab to involve a steadily growing number of students more deeply in professionally significant work. Taylor Galgay ’24 (bottom right photo), a junior neuroscience major from Windsor, VT, said participating in research at Saint Michael’s College has been the biggest influence on her desire to continue research and further develop her knowledge.

Read full story on student co-authors>>

Model U.N. Club represents well at McGill conference in Montreal

A nine-member delegation from Saint Michael’s College held their own against students from some of the most prestigious colleges and universities around the world the weekend of January 26-29 as participants in the McGill Model United Nations Conference in Montreal. “It was a great experience for our students and a really successful and engaging conference for them,” said Jeffrey Ayres, who is the Model U.N Club advisor, director of the College’s Center for Global Engagement, and a professor of political science and international relations.“The trip was a really great illustration of the kind of global engagement experience that we want to support more often for the Center for Global Engagement. Ayres said Saint Michael’s “was in really good company” at this event, with 75 schools competing from around the world, including several from the Ivy League, prestigious large state universities, and many groups from Canada plus several from Europe. St. Mike's delegate Jeremy Little '23 (photo at right) even won an award in a Spanish-English bilingual committee.

Read full story on Model U.N. Conference>>

Jibfest 2023: A big crowd of happy students having big fun watching snazzy snow tricks

Saint Michael’s College students and student life staff gathered around the 300s Townhouses last Friday, January 27 for the annual Jibfest jubilee. Occurring later than it normally would due to a lack of snow back in December, the ski and snowboard event was much anticipated among students, particularly the College’s seniors. For many it would be their last Jibfest as a Saint Michael’s Purple Knight. Campus was abuzz with excitement once the first few inches of snow fell last week, with students knowing that Jibfest would come soon after. In the week leading up to the event, the most common words coming out of students’ mouths were, “Are you going to Jibfest?” After a couple years of restricted and uneasy socialization due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was as if someone lit a spark under Saint Michael’s students. Frigid temperatures did not dissuade the hundreds of students in attendance, crowded around the ramps set up by ShredMC, the College’s ski and snowboard club. Saint Michael’s Student Life staff set up a fire pit where students could keep warm while they cheered on their peers participating in the event. Food was also provided to students. But the participating skiers and snowboarders really were the main event, as many pumped up the crowd with tricks navigating the ramp and railings. For what amounted to a relatively low stakes competition, many students were not afraid to try flips or other fun moves to get praise from the onlookers. One bold student even stripped off his shirt despite the cold, skiing down the ramp to a cheering crowd (top right photo). Peyton Edwards '23 created a fantastic video of the event -- check it out by clicking the top image.

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Enjoy photo gallery from Jibfest>>

Dykstra travels, translates, publishes, writes poems

Kristin Dykstra, distinguished scholar in residence, participated in the August 2022 Almost Island Dialogues, an international literary gathering in New Delhi, India, where she gave a reading and spoke in panel discussions. In November she published “Cinquains for Survival: On Urayoán Noel’s Transversal (2021),” an article for Chicago Review online: https://www.chicagoreview.org/cinquains-for-survival-on-urayoan-noels-transversal02021/. Kristin published her original poems in Lana Turner 15 and Distropika. Her literary translations appeared in the same issue of Lana Turner, as well as in Astra 2 and Washington Square Review, featuring three different living Cuban authors.

Director says MOVE fully operational again

Lara Scott is director of MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts), the community service arm of Edmundite Campus Ministry at Saint Michael’s. This week she shared a roundup of the many good things she, her staff, and students have been active with recently: "MOVE is fully operational again [after meeting challenges during the pandemic that limited some programs for a time]. Programs are in person and nearly all 19 programs are functioning again! We have a temporary program with the Days Inn until March that supports community members who are experiencing houselessness. Our volunteers have been spending time with children whose families are living temporarily at the Days Inn. The program runs on Fridays and has been very successful and a wonderful example of MOVE meeting a community need. We also are hosting an Open House and International Market in MOVE on Friday, February 3 (today) from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. It’s a chance to showcase our new space and have some great connection with the campus community. We urge community members to come buy some items from the international market. Also, last our mentor programs are up and running and youth are on campus Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons again -- lots of energy?

Twilight time

Heavenly shades of night were falling earlier this week on the beautiful Saint Michael's campus as Michelle Jordan of the Marketing staff walked back from a late afternoon event and captured this pretty scene.

Paul Olsen publishes cases, two with students

Paul Olsen of the Business Administration and Accounting Department faculty recently had the following three cases (and teaching notes) published, with the last in this listing of citations scheduled to be out this month: Olsen, P. (2022). Good Samaritan or poor performer? Journal of Critical Incidents. Winter 2022, Volume 15 Issue 1, p. 58-60; Olsen, P., & Mitchell, B. (2022). That’s so gay: Kellogg’s faces backlash to its “Together With Pride” cereal. Journal of Critical Incidents, Winter 2022 Volume 15 Issue 1, p. 73-75; and, Olsen, P. & Mitchell, B. (2022); and, Land O’Lakes abandons Native American logo: Brand authenticity or virtue signaling? Business Case Journal (In press). Paul notes that the last two of these cases are coauthored with Brandon Mitchell ’22 are the eleventh and twelfth published with Saint Michael’s undergraduates.

McCarthy Gallery features art by Erickson Richard

Upcoming in the McCarthy Art Gallery: From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 9, Erickson Richard, a Saint Michael’s senior art and design major, displays his photo exhibition “Markings” (which runs February 7-15) during a reception at McCarthy Art Gallery. This event is free.

Visit the gallery web page>>

Humanities Center announces spring talks

The Humanities Center this week announced the Faculty Colloquium Series: Spring Talks:

*Thursday, February 23 at noon: Jen Purcell, History Department, “Rewriting the media narrative?: Mass-Observation, Popular Opinion, and Life Writing, 1937-today.”
*Monday, March 6 at 2:45 p.m.: Maura D’Amore, English Department, “Various Useless and Pleasing Things: Crafty Children in the Nineteenth Century.”
*Thursday, March 9 at 4 p.m.: Peter Harrigan, Department of Fine Arts: Theatre, hosting a panel featuring Professors Alexi Garrett, Gretchen Galbraith, and Jen Purcell of the Department of History. This discussion is being offered in conjunction with the Spring Mainstage Production "Woman This and Woman That: An Evening of Suffrage Plays" which will be performed in McCarthy March 22-25.
*Monday, April 3 at 2:45 p.m.: Alexi Garrett, History, "Twice Forgotten: Loyalist Women in the American Revolutionary War."
*Friday, Apr 21 at 2:45 p.m.: Brian Collier, Fine Arts, “The Art & Ecology of Unlawning America.”

For more information, please contact the Humanities Center directors: Christina Root (English), shown in bottom photo at right, or Crystal L’Hote (Philosophy), top right photo.

In nature column, Facey writes of hibernation

While Declan McCabe of the biology faculty usually writes the regular nature column called “The Outside Story” for Northern Woodlands Magazine, recently Doug Facey of the biology emeritus faculty took a turn with the column, writing about “Hibernation: Winter survival by chilling out.” Here’s the opening of Doug’s recent piece: “Mammals and birds are endotherms, which means they generate their own body heat through relatively high metabolic rates. That high metabolism requires energy, which these animals garner from food. We typically think of endotherms as warm-blooded; however, some of them are not warm all of the time.”

Read full nature column by Facey>>

Psychology professor, student publish paper

Sarah Nosek of the psychology faculty (photo at right) and Kaitlyn Root ’22 have published a paper in the journal, Medical Humanities, entitled Understanding how college students characterise and cope with chronic pain: A thematic analysis of expressive writing samples (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2022-012466). Kaitlyn, now a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Program and a Resident Director at Saint Michael’s College, collaborated with Sarah on this research as an undergraduate while completing the Psychology program’s PS 406/408 Senior Research Capstone option.

CAREER CORNER

Are you ready? Boot Camp can help

Do you have a professional résumé and LinkedIn profile? Do you know the appropriate attire and best practices for your interviews? Do you feel comfortable networking?

If your answer to any of these questions is, “No,” then join us for a Career Ready Boot Camp to cover all these topics and more to gain the tools to succeed in your internships and post-grad jobs. Thursday, February 9 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Alliot Vermont Room, you will learn valuable professional skills.

Prepare to take the next steps on your career path and prepare to be successful.

This is also great preparation for the Environmental Career Fair on March 7 in Alliot Lobby from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and for the Global Careers Trip to Washington, DC, March 29 to April 1. Stay tuned for more information.

- Ingrid Peterson, director of career education/career development

ALUMNI NEWS

Chad McEachern '91 making media appearances to tell of Missions work

Chad McEachern ’91, president and CEO of the Edmundite Southern Missions in Selma, AL, has been dealing with even more than his already demanding schedule in the aftermath of a tornado that seriously damaged large areas of the city where the Society of St. Edmund, founding religious order of Saint Michael’s College, has done important missionary work since the 1930s. Chad has been working overtime not only to meet community needs, but also through media appearances to get the word out about how others can help the cause. Chad appeared on the current affairs interview program Alabama Live on TV station WSFA 12 on January 31 this week to talk about the Missions and tornado recover work. “I also will make a return appearance to the internationally broadcast EWTN Live with Father Mitch Pacwa on February 8 at 7 p.m. CST/8 p.m. EST to discuss the impact the Missions is having on the communities we serve, from disaster recovery and beyond,” Chad said.

ATHLETICS NEWS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saint Michael's This Week is produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications and
written by Mark Tarnacki, Staff Writer, Marketing and Communications.
Visit Saint Michael's online at smcvt.edu