Nassau notes
International Service Award to be presented
Princeton junior Tashfin Samiul Huq and the Princeton University Language Project will receive this year’s International Service Award, which is presented annually by the Davis International Center to a student or student group in recognition of cross-cultural humanitarian endeavors.
The award will be presented at a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 12, in 243 Frist Campus Center. The ceremony is open to the public.
Huq, an ecology and evolutionary biology major and a native of Bangladesh, will be honored for co-establishing the nongovernmental organization Combating AIDS and Protecting Environment Society. The organization is part of a national movement in Bangladesh to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among the urban and rural poor. The society also tries to educate the poor on sanitation, food nutrition and health maintenance through free camps.
The Princeton University Language Project is a student-led organization that offers free translation services to civic engagement organizations worldwide. It has provided services for nonprofit organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and Safe Kids Worldwide, an international organization dedicated to preventing childhood injury. Founded three years ago, the language project now has more than 300 student members.
The awards will be presented by Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson and philanthropist Kathryn Davis.
Service planned for Wheeler
A memorial service for John Wheeler, the Joseph Henry Professor of Physics Emeritus, is set for 10 a.m. Monday, May 12, at the University Chapel.
Wheeler, a legend in physics who served as a member of the Princeton faculty from 1938 to 1976, died April 13 at age 96. A full obituary ran in the April 21 issue of the Princeton Weekly Bulletin.
The family has requested that gifts be made to Princeton University, the University of Texas-Austin for the John Archibald Wheeler Graduate Fellowship or to Johns Hopkins University.
Conference explores issues of 'Moral Conflict and the Free Society'
Scholars will explore questions about how free societies generate and deal with profound and divisive moral questions in a conference scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, May 12-13, in 219 Burr Hall.
The conference, titled “Moral Conflict and the Free Society,” will run from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. May 12 and 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 13.
The conference theme is inspired by the 150th anniversary of the famed debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in their 1858 campaign for the U.S. Senate — a seminal example of citizens in a free society grappling with deep moral divisions and their social and political consequences.
The conference will include scholars from a variety of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities speaking on issues such as the crisis of slavery in the American republic, the subsequent quest for racial justice, continuing controversies over abortion and biomedical issues, the basis of human rights, and the question of humanitarian intervention in the affairs of other nations.
The James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton and the Association for the Study of Free Institutions at the University of Nebraska-Omaha are sponsoring the conference. For a schedule and list of participants, visit web.princeton.edu/sites/jmadison/calendar/spring08.html.
Angelique Kidjo (photo: Courtesy of McCarter Theatre Center)
Queen of Afropop, Angelique Kidjo, coming to McCarter
Known as the queen of Afropop, Angelique Kidjo will bring her high-energy, expressive performance to the McCarter Theatre Center at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 15.
The native of Benin, who won the 2008 Grammy Award for best contemporary world album, explores the relationships between diverse musical cultures with her blend of funk, salsa, Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba and gospel music. For ticket information, call the McCarter box office at 258-2787 or visit www.mcarter.org.
Lavender, Pan-African, Latino graduation ceremonies set
Graduating students will be honored at the annual Lavender and Pan-African graduation ceremonies, as well as a new event for Latino graduates, in May and June.
The seventh annual Lavender Graduation, sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Center, will begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in the Maclean House courtyard. The ceremony celebrates the achievements of graduating undergraduate and graduate students and of faculty and staff who support the LGBT community. The event will include an awards ceremony and remarks by graduating students.
The Lavender Graduation, which is open to the public, is co-sponsored by the Fund for Reunion, Princeton’s LGBT alumni group. A reception will follow. For more information, visit www.princeton.edu/lgbt/events/lavgrad.htm.
The third annual Pan-African Graduation, which celebrates the achievements of graduates from the African diaspora, will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 1, in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall.
The event, inaugurated by students, reflects on the unique cultural experiences of students from Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States. Keynote speaker Robert Rivers, a 1953 Princeton alumnus and former University trustee, will speak on the theme of “Sankofa,” a West African custom that means “going forward while looking backward.” The ceremony also will include a presentation of kente stoles to graduates as well as musical and religious elements drawn from different Pan-African traditions.
The Pan-African Graduation is open to the public. Those interested in attending should RSVP by Friday, May 9, to caf@princeton.edu.
The new Latino Graduation ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. June 1 in the Chancellor Green Rotunda. The keynote speaker is José Huizar, a Princeton trustee and 1994 graduate alumnus who is the first Latino immigrant to serve as a member of the Los Angeles City Council. The event also will include a dinner, a mariachi performance and remarks from graduating students. It is open to members of the University community. For more information, e-mail caucus@princeton.edu or accion@princeton.edu by Thursday, May 15.
(photo: Shelly Redfern)
Take Our Children to Work day
Children of employees in the Graduate School visited the “Big Figures” bronze sculptures in front of the Princeton University Art Museum as part of a campus tour on Take Our Children to Work Day on Thursday, April 24. The children also received a tour of the prehistoric specimens in Guyot Hall, looked for tigers across the campus, learned more about engineering through Lego demonstrations and ventured to the top of Cleveland Tower at the Graduate College.
Wristbands needed for Reunions
All alumni and University representatives once again will be required to have wristbands that identify them as participants in Reunions activities, which this year fall on May 29-31.
The wristbands will allow them to enter Reunions sites in the evening and to obtain refreshments. Wristbands are not required for daytime activities, including the alumni-faculty forums and the P-rade.
Faculty and staff members may apply for a wristband for themselves and one additional wristband for a guest. The wristbands are not transferable, and applicants and guests must be 21 years of age or older. The single fee to cover all three evenings is $30 per person, payable by check (no cash) to the Alumni Council.
Those who would like to attend must complete an application and submit it by Monday, May 19, to Lydia Osborne, Alumni Council, Maclean House. Applications are available at www.alumni.princeton.edu/main/goinback/reunions/reunions_2008/staffwristbands or at the reception desk in Maclean House. After May 19, the single fee will increase to $40 per person.
Faculty and staff members and their guests may pick up their wristbands in person between 7 and 11 p.m. May 29-31 in the parlor of Maclean House (enter at the front of the house). Identification in the form of a University ID card and valid driver’s license with photo will be required for pickup.
Faculty, staff blood drive set
The American Red Cross Spring Faculty and Staff Blood Drive is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 8, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, May 9, in Multipurpose Rooms A and B of the Frist Campus Center.
The drive is by appointment only, and times are available every 15 minutes. The blood donation takes only eight to 10 minutes, but the appointment lasts about 45 minutes.
To schedule a time, register online at www.pleasegiveblood.org or call Employee Health Services at 258-5035.
Nassau Swim Club membership is open
The Nassau Swim Club, located on lower Springdale Road, is accepting members for the 2008 season.
The club gives priority to University faculty, staff and students; members of the Institute for Advanced Study; and staff of the Princeton University Press.
The season runs from late May through early September at the small, family-oriented club. For more information and to download an application, visit www.nassauswimclub.org or call 430-4747.
