More Bits and Pieces

1. I took several students to the NYSTI board meeting at the Capitol yesterday. Aside from the disappointing outcome, we discussed what, if anything, was learned from watching our public servants in action. One of the students was frustrated that Larry Schwartz, who Governor Paterson handpicked as Chairman of the NYSTI board, referred to Artistic Director David Bunce's remarks as 'drama'.

Whenever someone who works in the theatre asserts themselves, rationally or not, their behavior is dismissed as 'drama'. When used this way, the word both ignores anything meaningful that was presented and subtly derides the profession as practiced. I don't like it, though I suppose I'm being dramatic.

If a politician asserts herself, it can dismissed as 'rhetoric'. Could a supermodel's complaints be seen as 'posturing'? A doctor may have 'poor bedside manner'. A policeman? A minister?

2. Grades are in, the college is closed for the holidays and plans are being laid for the next semester.

• Sage's new Dean of Education, Lori Quigley, has put together a great lecture series that I will be looking forward to, beginning with Tom Porter, author and Mohawk Indian Chief.
• Dr. David Salomon in the English Department will be bring British Poet Laurate, Carol Ann Duffy, to campus in April.
  
• Our Creative and Performing Arts Department will be producing The Heiress and Seussical.
  

More to come on all of that...

3. Happy Holidays to all. It can be a tough time of the year, but I hope everyone finds comfort in family and looking forward to the future. It's funny...I look forward to Christmas all year long and then get within two days of it and am not sure my mind, body or spirit will hold out. Still, I'm going to make it. Best wishes for 2011.

Celebrating Constitution Day

Back to blogging. I'm beginning to discover what my students must feel like with rehearsals, classes, meetings and then, a paper to write on top of it all. Blogging was easier when school was not in session, but Sage is now into its third week of classes and beginning to pick up steam. Very soon, freshman students will be collectively hit with the enormity of their work load (so will faculty) as the honeymoon period is almost over and assignments begin to pile up.

Before the blitz begins, our entire first year class met yesterday for a Constitution Day town hall meeting. Organized by the English department, the Living-Learning communities and the WORLD (Women Owning Responsibility for Learning and Doing) program, the meeting is an opportunity to acquaint students with specific aspects of the Constitution, then to have an open microphone session for them to discuss those aspects with an experts panel of faculty. Yesterday's panel included Provost Terry Weiner, and Dr. Stephen Schechter and Dr. Pamela Katz, from History, Law and Government. The event was moderated by English department Chair, Dr. David Salomon.

The discussion focused on the 14th Amendment, which covers the rights of all citizens born in the U.S. The students turned out to be very curious about illegal immigration and why the government has failed to adequately enforce it's own laws. Some of the highlights of the student discussion included:

• The physical act of rounding up 11 million illegal immigrants and sending them back home would be a disaster of epic proportions.
• Information about immigration policy and amnesty proposals put forth by George Bush, John McCain and President Obama.
• An idea to eliminate closed borders all together and re-appropriate enforcement funds to education, health and fighting terrorism.
• That government should punish the powerful businesses that employ illegal immigrants and not the disadvantaged individuals themselves.

There were of course no easy answers. One student wisely said she would vote with candidates who addressed the problems humanely and realistically, allowing for the problems we have already allowed to escalate. Another topic of discussion focused on free speech and flag, Koran and book burning. It was generally agreed that if we live in country with free speech laws, then there will occasionally be things we don't want to hear, or see set on fire.

Two representatives from the New York Times Reading Program (another first year initiative) were in attendance and impressed with Sage's town hall approach to Constitution Day, raising provocative issues then allowing students free expression. My colleague in WORLD, Dr. Sybillyn Jennings, calls it the "pedagogy of voice", that is, giving the students a place to speak aloud the ideas that they are developing. Without too much horn tooting, it is something we do well at Sage.