Under the Arch

MARTIN LUTHER KING SUBJECT OF WEDNESDAY LECTURE

The director of an internationally-known pacifist organization will provide a unique perspective on the lasting impact and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during a guest lecture on campus.

Pat Clark is executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), located in Nyack, N.Y. and founded in 1915. Her lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the Yehl Room. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend the lecture, which is free.

Clark’s lecture at Gannon will have two primary objectives: to address the contributions of King and the civil rights movement and their impact on society; and to help the audience recognize that King’s values remain significant even today – more than 40 years after the civil rights’ leader delivered his famous “I Have a Dream Speech” and more than 35 years after he was slain in Memphis, Tenn.

The second aspect of the lecture is particularly salient, said Sister Anne McCarthy, OSB, director of the Center for Social Concerns. “Unfortunately, some people look at his legacy as something that’s in the past,” said McCarthy, who chairs Gannon’s Martin Luther King Observance Committee. “I’m not sure we as a society realize how much we need to embrace Dr. King’s values today and how broad-based his values really were.”

For example, while King sought to eradicate segregation, he also fought what McCarthy refers to as the “triple evils:” racism, poverty, and militarism. “He saw the connection between segregation and those evils,” she added. “Even today as a society we’re still struggling with those evils.”

Clark, McCarthy said, will be an excellent speaker to address racial and economic justice and inequality. Prior to joining FOR, she worked with the American Friends Service Committee for eight years as its national criminal justice representative. There, she focused on issues such as the death penalty, prison control units, hate violence and restorative justice, juvenile justice, prison reform, and alternatives to incarceration.

From 1985-1990, Clark worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center and eventually became director of the Klanwatch Project, in which she and her staff monitored the activities of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations and conducted research used in litigation against those organizations and for general education.

Gannon's Martin Luther King Observance Committee also is planning a number of events for January, 2004, to coincide with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The committee was formed to strengthen and enhance the university’s annual observation of Martin Luther King Day.

OUR EVENTS

Tuesday, November 11 – Advising Day: No classes.
Wednesday, November 12 – Lecture on Dr. Martin Luther King: Given by Pat Clark, executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR). Clark will address King's legacy and the ideals for which he fought. 7:30 p.m. in the Yehl Room.
Sunday-Saturday, November 16-22 – Hunger and Homelessness Week: Events include the Box City in A.J.'s Way (Nov. 20) and a Global Banquet (Nov. 18).
Friday, November 21 – Faculty Scholarship Recognition Ceremony: Scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Yehl Room; Gannon University's Erie Chamber Orchestra: “Premiere of the Concerto for Orchestra,” with Soloist Lee Williams. 7:30 p.m. in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel.
Saturday, November 22 – Financial Aid Workshop: 10 a.m. in Palumbo room 1200. Call ext. 7337 for more information. Free.
Tuesday, November 25 – Annual Pie for All: Gannon Colleagues are asked to bring $1 or a canned food equivalent per piece of pie. All proceeds will be donated to the Gannon Social Work Club, which in turn will use the funds for its annual Christmas Party. The Pie for All will run from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. in Waldron. Pies, or cheesecakes, also can be purchased and donated to this worthwhile effort.
"Our Events" is intended to serve as a sample of campus events. For a more complete listing, refer to Eventcal.

OUR FOLKS

Sympathy extended: Please remember all in your prayers as regretfully we announce the deaths of:

Rosemarie Stahlbaum Popeski, mother-in-law of Douglas Brougham, distribution clerk in the Distribution-Mail Dept., and mother of alumni Frances Mary Brougham and Kelly Brougham.
Robert "Bob" Dundon, husband of Carolee Dundon, circulation assistant in Nash Library.

Prayer request/update:

Thank you from Julie Srnka, program coordinator, Student Organizations and Leadership Development: “I would like to express a heartfelt thank you to my fellow Gannon community members, for the outpouring of care and support that you have all shown to me during the loss of my mother. The prayers, cards, flowers, and food that I received are very much appreciated by myself and my family. You are all great and I feel truly blessed to be a part of the Gannon community.”

CURRENT BIRTHDAYS

Nancy Kierzek. Christine Cedzo. Robert Tarkowski. Pam Verity. Bernadette Agresti. James Gillespie. Merribeth Kujkowski. Galen Adams. Fred Showalter. Grady Smith. Susan DePaul. David Cardot. Laura Brown. Michael Ferralli. Joel Thompson-Kroon. Holly Jodon. Mary Beth Earll. Susan Chessario. Janis Chelko. Ross Jones. David Groh. Chuanhou Yang. Geraldine Miller. Laurie Jo Curlett. Mary Karg. Alan Swigonski. Andrew Martin. Carmen Toscano. Linda Urch. Michael Walmsley. Michelle Zimmerman. Catherine Engman. Sharon Thompson. Susan Black-Keim. Marilyn Konieczny. Parris Baker. Sister Mary Claire Kennedy. Thomas Stolarski. Val Bacik. Cheryl Guy. Linda Kish. Andrew Grimone.

THE PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE

Monday, November 10 – SGA Leadership Development Seminar on “How to Use Committees Effectively.” Tuesday, November 11 – Zoning Hearing. Wednesday, November 12 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Kick-off Event: Guest Speaker, Pat Clark, Executive Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR). Thursday, November 13 – Villa Maria Academy visit. Saturday-Sunday, November 15-16 – Avalon Classic Basketball Tournament (Gannon women's team).

TIDBITS:

The Office of Admissions extends its thanks to the Gannon Community for its assistance at the Fall Open House. Approximately 340 students and their families attended. Admissions continues to hear from the families how much they enjoyed the friendliness, knowledge and guidance they received.
The Great American Smokeout will target students on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Smokeout will be held on the first floor of the Waldron Center and will offer healthy alternatives to smokers. The event is partially funded through a tobacco control grant (ECDH) and is sponsored by Gannon Student Health Services and the PATCHES student health group. There will be chair massages, gift certificates, pamphlets and videos, a smoke cessation specialist from the American Respiratory Alliance, carbon monoxide monitor testing for smokers, a representative from Hamot Wellness Center offering fitness/exercise programs, and other promos to encourage students to quit for the day.
Cathleen Miner, a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology, will be having her dissertation defense on Friday, Nov. 21, at 1 p.m. in Palumbo 2247A. Her dissertation is titled "Female therapist, male clients: Gender role, therapeutic behavior, and the working alliance." The committee members are: Linda Fleming, chair; Donna Zeigler, member; and Robert Nelsen, member. All are welcome to attend.
Anyone interested in the Splendid China Study Tour is encouraged to attend a brief informational meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 8 p.m. in Palumbo Center 3208. The tour is scheduled for Feb. 27-March 5, 2004. The price is $1,395 for Gannon students and $1,455 for others.
Yoplait Yogurt again is offering its "Save Lids to Save Lives" campaign. For every pink lid from the yogurt that is sent in, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation. Yoplait's guaranteed donation is $830,000, and the company hopes to raise another $1.2 million from the pink lids. Clean, pink lids can be sent to Eileen Jolls, School of Education, Palumbo Center 132, until December 19.