Posadas 2006
Does this couple look familiar to you? Cynthia Sanchez and Yeison Lara played the parts of Mary and Joseph at the annual Posadas celebration held at the home of Sally Farrington-Clute on December 15. Over 30 people joined the candlelit pilgrimage and enjoyed traditional foods, songs and a piñata. The event was sponsored by the Organization for Latino Awareness.
Send a Bouquet…
…for Valentine’s Day!
Want to send a Valentine greeting to that special someone? OLA will be taking orders for balloon bouquets on Monday, February 12 at lunch and dinner and Tuesday, February 13 at lunch on the OC. You may pick up your order at lunch on Valentine’s Day. Bouquets are priced at $3 (balloons and candy sack) or $5 (balloons, candy and mug) and must be paid for when you order. Questions? Call Cindy Rodriguez at x4916 or Claudia Pineda at x5723.
Alumni Profile
What Ever Happened to . . . Towanda Birmingham?
Graduated: 2003
Major: Sociology/Ethnic Studies, Minor: Psychology
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Current address: Murrieta, CA
Career update: Will graduate from Cal State Fullerton in May 2007 with Masters in American Studies; currently works as a special education teacher for a private school.
What she loved about Cornell: “I actually was quite fond of the OCAAT program; it taught me how to work under pressure. Though the casual atmosphere where you could just be you was fun, that is not what kept me there: it was the professors. What I truly loved about Cornell was how the professors taught us to think. We already knew how to learn when we arrived, but they taught and showed us how to think. I am forever grateful to those professors who opened not only my mind, but the minds of others, to the possible.”
Meet the Press: Our Student Staff
Gordaki “Daki” Moore (pictured here demonstrating her commitment to recycling) is a gifted artist, a talented dancer, a superior student and a member of many organizations on campus. Daki’s energy and enthusiasm are evident in the feature stories she submits for Cultural Connection. Have news you’d like to share? Give her a call!
Student Spotlight
Name: Yeison Lara Fonseca
Hometown: San Vito, Costa Rica
Major: B.A. in Italian Linguistics, Certified English Teacher
Year: ACM Exchange; works as a language assistant in the Spanish Department
Hobbies/interests: Yeison enjoys learning, speaking and teaching languages, learning about different cultures, traveling, building relationships worldwide, and nature.
What he likes about Cornell: “OCAAT gives students a chance to have a block off to pursue other opportunities.” Yeison enjoys the atmosphere of the campus and appreciates the opportunity to experience American culture and improve his English; he is tri-lingual in English, Spanish and Italian. Unlike some of us, he was delighted to experience the recent (his first!) snowfall.
Future plans: After Cornell, Yeison hopes to return to Costa Rica to teach English and/or Italian.
Student Spotlight
Name: Amber James
Hometown: Denver, CO
Major: Biochemistry/Molecular Biology with minor in Spanish
Year: Senior
Hobbies/interests: Watching TV (Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy are favorites), reading and listening to music.
What she likes about Cornell: The small classes allow students to maintain close relationships with professors.
Future plans: Amber plans to attend grad school (somewhere in Texas) and then move on to med school. After school, Amber hopes to begin her career as a doctor and start a family.
“I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t communicate with each other, and they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other.”
Dr. Martin Luther Kig, Jr.
October 15, 1962, Cornell College
Celebrating the Fruits of Tu B’Shevat
The Cornell College Hillel will be observing “the New Year of the Trees” February 2 and 3, marking the emergence of Spring. This holiday is celebrated by eating fruits like grapes, olives, dates, figs and pomegranates or by eating a fruit which one has not yet eaten during the entire winter season. It is also customary for some people to eat carob or to eat 15 different kinds of fruit to observe the 15th of Shevat. At this time of year the Jewish National Fund raises money to plant tens of thousands of trees in Israel. (Donations may be directed to a Hillel member.) This holiday is an opportunity for both Jews and Gentiles to celebrate the promise of Spring and to enjoy the healthful benefits of adding fruits to their daily meals.
What’s Up??
Jan. 29 Stoner House Study Table 8:00 p.m.
Jan. 30 Stoner House Study Table 8:00 p.m.
Feb. 2 Chinese/Korean New Year Party 6:00 p.m. Stoner House
Feb. 6 BACO Game Show 11:15 a.m. Orange Carpet
Feb. 8 Lasana O. Hotep 6:30 p.m. Hedges
Feb. 9 Student Leaders Meeting 11:30 a.m. Harlan DR
Feb. 12 OLA Balloon Bouquet Sales 11:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. OC
Feb.13 OLA Balloon Bouquet Sales 11:00 a.m. OC
BACO Presents: Cornell Soul Train 5:30 p.m. OC
Feb. 16 Council on Multiculturalism 11:45 a.m. Harlan DR
Theatre Production “The Meeting” 6:30 p.m. Ratt
Feb. 17 Author Shireen Dodson TBA
EOTW International Dinner 6:00 p.m. Hills Bank
Feb. 21 BACO Forum: “Ask Dr. Know-It-All” 6:00 p.m. Hedges
Fun facts we bet you didn’t know!
· John Ringling (McGregor) started the Ringling Brothers Circus.
· The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa is the world’s largest, averaging 471 miles.
· Jay Berwanger (Dubuque) won the first Heisman Trophy in 1935, playing halfback for the University of Chicago Maroons.
· Iowa boasts the World’s Largest Truck Stop (Walcott).
· Cornell and Coe Colleges participate in the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi.
· Floyd Angell (Muscatine) created the Maid-Rite sandwich.
· George Nissen (Cedar Rapids) invented the trampoline.
· Jesse James robbed his first train southwest of Adair, Iowa.
· Wallace H. Carothers (Burlington) invented nylon.
· The (fictitious) birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk is Riverside.
· Cornell College is the first school in the nation to have its entire campus listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
· Fashion designer Roy Halston was born in Des Moines.
· Famous Iowans include John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Tom Arnold, Grant Wood, Buffalo Bill Cody, Herbert Hoover, Ashton Kucher, Elijah Wood, George Gallup, and Kurt Warner.
Cultural Connection is a monthly newsletter focusing on students, programs and services supported by the Office of Intercultural Life.
Questions, comments or guest columns may be submitted to Box 2604.
You may also contact the office if you wish to be added or dropped from the mailing list.
CulturalConnection
January 2007
Cornell Celebrates MLK Day
Cornell College celebrated the MLK holiday on January 15 with a full day of events to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the tradition that began last year, the Black Awareness Cultural Organization invited three people to share their own dreams reflecting the spirit of Dr. King’s famous address. Nakyda Dean spoke eloquently of her hope that her own, and future generations, would strive to reverse the negative stereotypes and low expectations of young African Americans today. Andrea Arzuaga shared her experience as the daughter of a bi-racial couple and the challenges she and her parents have faced. James Thindwa, executive director for Jobs with Justice, observed that Dr. King’s involvement with civil rights paved the way for the environmental movement and wage/benefit reform.
These remarks were followed by a reading of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech from Cornell students Claudia Pineda, Emmett Joseph, Heather Roberts, Jeanna Kadlec, Justin Valenstein, Monique Portwood and Josh Youngblood.
At 3:30 p.m. Project for Civic Engagement and Soc/Antrho sponsored the film “Waging a Living” in Hedges Conference Room, with a discussion facilitated by Mary Olson and James Thindwa.
The annual candlelight vigil began at 5:30 with about 20 bundled-up participants, led by acting chaplain, Stephanie Haskins. A visit to the former site of the MLK tree and to the current tree and monument concluded with a prayer for peace and understanding.
Following the vigil, about 30 people gathered for dinner and James Thindwa’s lecture, “The Struggle for a Living Wage and Workers’ Rights Under Corporate Globalization.” Mr. Thindwa has spent his entire career as an organizer and advocate for workers’ rights. The Chicago-based Jobs with Justice actively seeks to improve wages and benefits for non-union workers. JWJ was recently successful in obtaining an increase in wages and the addition of health care for janitorial workers in Chicago. Mr. Thindwa described the insidious methods used by Wal-Mart to establish stores in urban areas through the aggressive solicitation of African American clergy. This contrasts sharply with Wal-Mart’s competitor, Costco, whose business practices demonstrate a far greater degree of integrity and concern for their employees.