A sampling of media clippings about Lawrence University, its faculty, students, and alumni from Fall 2000 and Winter 2001. For more clippings, check out the Lawrence in the News index page.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
March 7, 2001
Headline: Age isn't bad while visiting old places
Byline: Dennis Mccann
Excerpt: I was driving through the Fox Valley last week, alone but for Paul Simon on the CD player voicing every boomer's lament. I grew up thinking anyone born in the last century was really old and, well, guess what? Yeah, gray can make you blue if you let it, or you can go for a ride and come home feeling young as a pup again, if you stop at the right places. I found my way to Greenville, west of Appleton, and a roadhouse called Greenville Station, where a brass plaque above the bar read: "On this site in 1897 nothing happened." But nothing could be further from the truth. In 1897 -- when the president was named McKinley and the Spanish-American War was still two years off --the working man's hotel that is now a restaurant and bar was built. Having eaten lunch I needed to walk it off, so I headed for Appleton. I wandered through Lawrence University, which is about as old as it gets, older even then statehood since founder Amos Lawrence wrote his first check for the new college in 1847. Handsome Main Hall, with its stately dome and tall white pillars, was built in 1853, which means its own sesquicentennial is coming up soon. Lawrence has old neighbors, too (even if its students looked to be about 14, but maybe that was just me). From the campus bluff I could look down on the cream-brick apartments carved out of paper mills built in the 1880s. I stopped to browse at Conkey's Bookstore, in business since 1896 (you should live so long, Barnes and Noble), and round the corner and across the bridge passed the Vulcan Street plant where the nation's first hydroelectric power was produced in 1882. Speaking of light, it was getting dark, so I headed in the general direction of home, feeling younger than when I had left.
Chicago Daily Herald, Chicago
March 4, 2001
Sunday Edition
Excerpt: Lindsay Wells has been awarded a $ 10,000 Lawrence University Trustee Scholarship, the highest award given to incoming students for outstanding academic achievement and renewable on an annual basis. Wells, a senior at Wheaton Warrenville South High School, is a National Merit Semifinalist and a member of the French and Spanish National Honors Society.
Minnesota Monthly magazine, Minneapolis
March 2001
Section: Midwest Traveler
Headline: Off to camp. Adult summer camps deliver more than just a getaway
Byline: Lynette Lamb
Excerpt: "There's a lot of excitement about learning or making something on vacation, rather than just going somewhere to be entertained." Apparently a lot of people can relate to this philosophy of vacationing, if the Upper Midwest's wealth of educational travel opportunities is any indication. "Educational travel gets your juices flowing. It's a different kind of enjoyment from a regular vacation--more fulfilling. You're doing something that keeps you centered." In removing themselves from the 9-to-5 grind not just to rest but to learn, adult students are giving themselves a great gift. Among the "places to write home from:" Bjorklunden Seminars, Lawrence University, Baileys Harbor, Wisc. Weeklong classes in literature, history, art, and music, as well as Elderhostel classes on related subjects, are given on a 425-acre estate on the short of Lake Michigan in Door County, Wisc.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
February 17, 2001
Headline: Utility executive picked to lead health
Byline: Richard P. Jones
Excerpt: Phyllis Dube, a utility executive for nearly two decades, said Friday that as Gov. Scott McCallum's pick for health and family services secretary, she would listen to all and strive to help those most in need. Dube succeeds Joe Leean as secretary of the Department of Health and Family Services. McCallum also announced Friday that Richard Chandler, state budget director for Thompson the last 14 years, would succeed Cate Zeuske as secretary of the Department of Revenue. With the announcement, the new governor completed his major cabinet appointments. Richard Chandler--Age: 48; Education: Undergraduate degree, Lawrence University; law degree, University of Chicago; Career: Legislative assistant for former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson and former U.S. Rep. Robert Kasten; practiced law in Milwaukee; state budget director, 1987-2001.
USA TODAY, Arlington, Virginia
February 15, 2001
Headline: All-USA College Academic Team
Background on the listing: Lawrence University senior Heidi Busse
was cited by USA TODAY as the newspaper announced its 2001 All-USA
College Academic Team. Busse was one of 100 students honored from among
682 nominations from colleges and universities across the country,
earning honorable mention recognition. Students are selected on the
basis of their grades, activities, leadership and how they use their
intellectual skills outside the classroom. "We honor these students for
their academic excellence, as well as their willingness to put those
talents to use in their communities and throughout the world," said USA
TODAY editor Karen Jurgensen in announcing this year's recipients. An
environmental studies major with a 3.82 grade point average, Busse was
named a Wriston Scholar as a freshman and is a finalist for a Watson
Fellowship this spring. In 1999, she was named a Volvo Scholar after an
off-campus study program at the Biosphere 2 Center in Arizona. The
scholarship was in recognition of her commitment to increasing knowledge
and awareness of environmental issues. Active in Greenfire, Lawrence's
student environmental organization, she led efforts to establish a "test
plot" on campus to measure the effectiveness of organic weed-killers.
Last spring, Busse organized an alternative spring break trip, leading
seven students to Perryville, Ark., for a week of volunteer work at the
1,200-acre Heifer Ranch, the outreach center for Heifer Project
International. Lawrence was one of only two Wisconsin colleges
represented on this year's All-USA College Academic Team.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
February 14, 2001
Headline: Oscar contender's life in arts nurtured early
Byline: Damien Jaques, Journal Sentinel theater critic
Excerpt: When Doris and Bob Simonson were raising their four children on the family's pig farm in Eagle, they required the kids to stage a show before they could open their presents on Christmas morning. That, the music lessons all the children received and the other exposure to the arts the Simonsons gave their offspring paid another dividend Tuesday when a short documentary film directed and co- produced by son Eric was nominated for an Academy Award. The Oscar nomination joins a Tony Award nomination Eric received in 1993 for a Broadway production he directed. The Oscar-nominated documentary, "On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom," is about the nine-man South African a cappella singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which rose to international prominence with its backing of singer Paul Simon on his hit "Graceland" album. Simonson has worked extensively with the singers in two theater productions he has directed, "The Song of Jacob Zulu," for which he received the Tony nomination, and "Nomathemba," a blending of American musical theater with South African folktale and musical style. The 40-year-old Simonson is a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton. He directed and designed sets for the Waukesha Civic Theatre early in his career and was involved with a Madison improvisational theater troupe, The Ark, before moving to Chicago 18 years ago to join the Windy City's flourishing theater community. Although he moved to Chicago an actor, his career gradually gravitated toward directing, and at the Steppenwolf Theatre he demonstrated a particular talent for nurturing and shaping new work.
The Times Online, Minden, Ontario
February 12, 2001
Headline: Concert will feature outstanding pianist
Excerpt: A performer known for his astonishing technique and precise articulation, pianist Michael Injac Kim will be the featured artist in the first performance in the Haliburton Highlands Concert Series. The Calgary Herald has described Kim as "one of Canada's finest pianists, who continues to receive critcial acclaim across Canada and the United States." A native of Canada, Dr. Kim began piano studies at the age of 11. By 15 he made his debut with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos. A recipient of countless awards, he was silver medallist in the 1992 Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow, and was a prize winner at the 1993 Leeds and the 1993 Ivo Pogorelich International Piano Competitions. Dr. Kim held the Vladimir Horowitz Scholarship while studying at the Julliard School, which awarded him a Doctor of Music Arts degree. Michael has enjoyed a dynamic and diverse musical career. Since 1996 he has been on the faculty of the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin. He is also on the summer faculties of the Henifetz International Music Institute in Annapolis, Maryland and the International School of Musical Arts of Canada.
Insight on the News, Washington, DC
National weekly newsmagazine published by
the Washington Times Corporation
February 5, 2001
Fair Comment Section
Headline: Blacks and Latinos: The next racial divide
Byline: Jerald E. Podair
Attribution: Jerald E. Podair is assistant professor history at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. He is completing a book on race relations in New York City during the 1960s.
Excerpt: Increasingly, everyday interactions between Latinos and blacks across the United States have become weighted with the same kinds of misunderstanding, recrimination and animosity that have poisoned those between black and white citizens. It is possible, in fact, that repairing the growing breach between blacks and Latinos will be the defining challenge of 21st century American race relations. Our future may be determined as much by the way in which we mediate the rifts between these two "out" groups as those involving minorities and a shrinking white "majority." By 2005, according to most census estimates, Latinos will overtake blacks numerically and become the largest nonwhite group in the nation, comprising 13 percent of the population. But are Latinos really "nonwhite"? As far as many African-Americans are concerned, Latinos are white, and they may have a point. And, complain African-Americans, whites have decided to let Latinos in the club, while continuing to exclude them. White Americans, they argue, feel less threatened by Latinos and more comfortable with them. While the United States has a long and shameful tradition of anti-Hispanic bias, it does not compare to the legacy of slavery, caste and legalized apartheid that scars the African-American historical experience. The extent to which Latinos in the United States can be considered--or consider themselves--white may, of course, be overstated. But as economic, political and cultural ties continue to grow between whites and Latinos, one can only imagine what the accompanying rise in Latino-black friction will mean for American race relations in the coming century.
Chicago Tribune, Chicago
February 1, 2001
Excerpt: James "Jim" Johnson, 85, a Chicago banker who helped companies like Frito-Lay and Texas Instruments get their start, died Sunday, Jan. 28, in Evanston after suffering from Parkinson's disease. Mr. Johnson attended Waupaca High School and Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. He put himself through college with a job shoveling coal and received a partial scholarship that allowed him to be tutored by the president of the university.
Chicago Tribune, Chicago
January 26, 2001
Sports headline: Division III math
Byline: Alan Sutton, Tribune Staff Writer
Excerpt: There's a lot of focus on Division I women's basketball when it comes to recruiting, but coach Amy Proctor of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., points out the majority of opportunities to play are at Division III schools. Proctor has found scouting in the Chicago area has off for the Vikings. Proctor's team has four women--Ashley Cargle of St. Scholastica, Michele Catalano of Resurrection, Rachel Goldfarb of New Trier and Kristen Heitman of Regina. "If you love the game and you're willing to accept a role, we have a spot for you," said Proctor, who said she recruits a lot on "personality." Cargle has made an impact. The 6-1 freshman has started only four games but leads the Vikings in rebounding. Proctor can't offer an athletic scholarship, but most Lawrence students--there are about 1,200 undergraduates--receive some financial aid to help with the estimated cost of more than $28,000 per school year.
CSMonitor.com, Boston
The Christian Science Monitor Online
January 2001
Section: George W. Bush: The first 100 days. Issues that will set the tone
Headline: Election reform
The disputed election that ultimately put George W. Bush in the White House has prompted calls for election reform across the country. From amending the Constitution to chad-proofing ballots, election reform may be a first task for Congress and state legislatures alike. Some proposals aim to work out kinks in the system. Other suggestions, such as abolishing the Electoral College, reopen some of the toughest issues the Founding Fathers debated when they drafted the Constitution. Historically, efforts to change the electoral college system have met with little success.
Expert opinion: Lawrence D. Longley
Audio clips of Lawrence University Professor of Government Lawrence Longley addressing key questions posed to him on electoral reform: Is more uniformity in the voting process desirable? What about states' rights to set their own standards? Might the electoral college be abolished? Why should the U.S. keep the electoral college? What impact could continuing efforts to count Florida ballots have? What incentive does George W. Bush have to push for reform? What's the legacy of the electoral college after the 2000 election?
[The expert opinion Web page contained a full bio of Professor Longley and a direct link to the Lawrence University web site.]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
January 23, 2001
Headline: Murray appointed dean of conservatory
Byline: Tom Strini
Excerpt: Kathleen Murray has been appointed dean of the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. Murray, an associate professor of music at Lawrence, has served as acting dean of the conservatory since September 1999. Murray, who came to Lawrence in 1986, is the first woman to head the conservatory. She holds a bachelor of music degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and a doctorate in piano performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University. She is an active chamber musician and recitalist and recently was named associate editor of Keyboard Companion magazine.
WITI-TV, TV 6 Wake Up News at 5:30 .a.m., Milwaukee
January 22, 2001
Weather with Scott Steele
Teased Segment: Extreme Trivia. A radio station at Lawrence University in Green Bay is holding a 50 hour trivia contest.
(There was supposed to be a video tape of the contest and a report by Reggie Akey but there were technical difficulties)
Katrillion.com, Fort Lee, New Jersey
["The first news organization to successfully provide the largest combination of daily news and information targeted to male and female teenagers."]
January 22, 2001
Headline: Blues clues
Byline: Stacy Morgan
Excerpt: Everyone feels blue sometimes. What's not normal is when feeling down in the dumps interferes with everyday functioning. You can't eat, you can't sleep, and you sometimes think about killing yourself. Those are symptoms of clinical depression. Katrillion spoke to clinical psychologist Dr. Gerry Metalsky [Lawrence University Associate Professor of Psychology] to find out more about depression. What's the difference between just feeling sad and true depression? "There's a difference between the kind of depressed mood we all experience on occasion -- feeling down, sad, blue -- that's just a normal part of living. It differs from depression or clinical depression. It's a recurring disorder if not treated, and really creates big time problems in peoples' lives. With clinical depression it's not going to be just feeling bummed out, there are going to be a lot of other symptoms as well." Are teens more likely to develop depression? "It used to be thought that there was no such thing as childhood depression. But [depression] rates usually start to climb in adolescence as well as suicide. Adolescence is when you see the rates for girls go up as well."
Boston Herald, Boston
January 21, 2001
Sunday Edition
Headline: Bush bears boomer cross: Must guide conflicted generation
Byline: Tom Mashberg
Excerpt: America's second baby boomer president took office yesterday much the way the first did eight years ago: a minority leader with a muddled mandate, a man embodying the heartfelt aspirations of half the nation and the cynical doubts of much of the rest. George W. Bush, as with Bill Clinton before him, represents his nation's most conflicted generation. Born after World War II, weaned on the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the culture wars, and now in power in nearly every nook and cranny of national life -- from politics to economics to the entertainment-information-media continuum -- the boomers rule the land, baggage and all. For Bush, as was the case for Clinton, there is the aggravating, ambiguous and unappetizing presidential task of bestowing purpose, and perhaps even dignity, on America's most spoiled and self-centered generation. So what hope does Bush have to avoid becoming just another Clinton? A man who too often exemplified and exaggerated his generations flaws; who wanted to be a "we" president but, many feel, ended up a "me" president. Who divided where he sought to unite. Jerald Podair, professor of history at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., has a bit more hope: "I would suggest Bush take himself less seriously than Clinton, who interpreted every Republican political attack in deeply personal terms," he said. And, in a bit of pop psychology so appropriate to the boomer age, Podair added: "Much of Clinton's attitude may stem from his less-than-secure childhood; Bush's patrician upbringing might permit him to let political warfare slide more gracefully off his back."
Illinois Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Illinois
January 21, 2001
Headline: Unique art exhibit show fragmented lives
Excerpt: "Surveying Desire VII: Reconnaissance," an installation by Carol Emmons, will be on display through February 24 in Safety-Kleen Gallery One. Emmons is creating his unique, site-specific installation especially for Gallery One. Emmons views the age in which we live as disturbing, inundated as people are fragmented information that clamors and competes for their attention in a world that embraces obsolesence. "In her works, memory, the personal ad, the romance novel with its nostalgic longing for the chivalric knight, and even the tone of timeless authority in academic texts collapse past and future," writes Frank Lewis, director of the Wriston Art Center Galleries at Lawrence University, in the show booklet. "All such passages construct a longed-for ideal from the fragments of lived experience. The actual cleaved and parsed, remade into an idealized whole. So, too, do Emmons' installations."
WHBQ-TV, Fox 13 News at 9 p.m., Memphis, Tennessee
January 21, 2001
Excerpt: There is a fifty hour trivia marathon occurring in Milwaukee at a radio station. It is sponsored by Lawrence University.
Visual: The Lawrence University Radio station is doing the contest.
Visual: Teams are all over the country
Interview: Team member, calls places for answers
Interview: Players
KTTV-TV, Fox 11 News at 10 a.m., Los Angeles, California
January 21, 2001
Teaser: There is a new game show that is sweeping away the nation
Excerpt: There is a new game started by a radio station at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. You have to play for 3 days non-stop to win.
Visual: Trivia Master tee shirt
Wisconsin State Journal, Madison
January 21, 2001
Headline: Well-suited. A Madison writer has found his literary niche
Byline: Tom Alesia
Excerpt: As critics' accolades pile as high as late-autumn leaves for Dwight Allen's first book "The Green Suit," the soft-spoken Madison writer finds that literary success sometimes can be a buffet of humble pie. Released last September by prestigious publisher Algonquin Books, the witty and sharply observed "Green Suit" has not shouldered its way onto any best-seller lists yet. In a state unusually crowded with book-writing stars, such as Jacquelyn Mitchard, Jane Hamilton, Lorrie Moore and The Onion staff, it's easy to forget how difficult it is for a newcomer to attract readers without being sprinkled by Oprah's magic dust. Nine of the 11 stories in "Green Suit" were printed in publications, ranging from "New Stories of the South: The Year's Best, 1997" to "The New England Review." As a result, is "Green Suit" a short-story collection or a novel? "It's not described as a novel on the book jacket, but the implication is that it can be read as a novel," Allen says. "It's hard to get a first book of short stories into bookstores." A 1974 Lawrence University graduate, Allen attended the University of Iowa's well-regarded fiction-writing master's degree program. Through much of the 1980s, he worked at The New Yorker ("I even checked poetry for factual accuracy"). Allen began freelance writing, but in 1994 he concentrated on fictional short stories. "Green Suit" has received rave reviews from the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, New Yorker and Los Angeles Times. Allen is writing a second book and doing freelance pieces, such as a book review for the Louisville Courier-Journal.
WTMJ-TV, The Weekend Report, Milwaukee
January 20, 2001
Visual: Washington, DC.
Voice over: A graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton sang the national anthem.
The Columbian, Vancouver, Washington
January 17, 2001
Headline: Inaugural follies. Oddball happenings have gone hand-in-hand with rehearsed speeches and well-planned events
Byline: Angela Allen, Columbian staff writer
Excerpt: Rare and first moments, pomp, people and symbolism make inaugurations worth paying attention to. But the unexpected sideshows on these usually chilly inaugural days make them all the more memorable. When Lincoln took his oath in 1861, he was "smuggled" into the Capitol in a shawl. Assassination worries plagued his handlers so they tried to make the long-legged leader look like an old woman. Another Lincoln-related story focuses on Andrew Johnson, who took his oath in the Senate chamber with Lincoln in attendance. (In those days, the vice-president swore his oath in a separate ceremony in the Senate.) "Johnson was an insecure man from humble roots," says Jerald Podair, an assistant professor of history at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., "and he was so overwhelmed by the idea of becoming VP that he drank some whiskey to fortify himself. Unfortunately, he was not a man who held his liquor well, and became roaring drunk, much to the mortification of the president and everyone else in attendance." Then he made a further fool of himself, Podair says. "Johnson concluded his rambling, maudlin inauguration address by picking up the Bible on which he had taken the oath of office and loudly and wetly kissed it. Amazingly, Lincoln went outside and delivered one of the great speeches of all time with his 'malice toward none' second inaugural address. Johnson however, never regained the respect of those who saw his performance that day, all the more unfortunate because a little over a month later, he became president."
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
January 15, 2001
Headline: Wisconsin companies look for solid ground after tech shakeout
Byline: Arlen Boardman, The Post-Crescent
Excerpt: The dot-coms and their lack of earnings have fallen out of favor, and the so-called safe, old economy companies are seeing their shareholder value move up. Caught in the middle is the Fox Cities' most prominent high-tech company, Plexus Corp. Its stock has dropped from $81 a share in early September to $22 last month. Plexus provides an example of the stock market's quirkiness. The company boasts strong sales and earnings, but has not seen those factors translated into an appropriate stock price. On the flip-side of the coin is International Paper, the world's biggest paper company and parent of operations in Kaukauna, Menasha and De Pere. The company has seen its stock rebound from an early 2000 decline. It dropped to about $26 by October until it revived and now is at about $40. Regardless of how stock prices are doing, these companies, and many like them, are bracing for a slower first half of 2001 before the economy can respond to interest rate cuts and other stimuli. The paper industry's problems are more structural than episodic, said Corry Azzi, professor of economics at Lawrence University. "For paper, it's more of an excess (production) capacity problem than it is an inventory problem," he said. That is different than the auto industry's problem of slowing sales, growing inventories and layoffs. For the whole economy, Azzi echoed what many economists feel -- that a recession is unlikely. He expects the economy to slow, not to reverse course. The slowdown will be shorter than the 1990-91 shallow dip and less severe than the 1980-82 recession, he predicted. "There's no reason to believe it will become a recession," he said.
[The story was also picked up by CNNfn in New York on January 17]
Wisconsin State Journal, Madison
January 14, 2001
Headline: Group rides to the rescue when scales of justice fail. The Wisconsin Innocence Project is fighting to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. Their next victory could happen Tuesday
Byline: Anita Clark
Excerpt: The plea came in a handwritten letter, single spaced, on three pages of notebook paper. "You're my only hope," it concluded. The writer was Christopher Ochoa. It was June 1999, and he was serving a life sentence for rape and murder in the state prison in Huntsville, Texas. Two days from now, he is expected to be exonerated and released from a Texas courtroom. His anticipated freedom will be a joyous victory for the students and professors of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, a class at the UW-Madison Law School that investigates cases in which someone may have been wrongfully convicted. Most of their cases involve DNA evidence that can pinpoint identity from minuscule samples of blood or semen. Ochoa's case involved not only DNA evidence that still existed, but also a persistent confession from the real killer, a television station's investigation and a prosecutor willing to take another look. It also involved three energetic UW law students who tackled the case. A friend of Ochoa learned of the Wisconsin Innocence Project. Ochoa wrote his letter, and law student Wendy Seffrood started to investigate. Fellow students Brian VanDenzen [Lawrence University Class of 1999] and Cory Tennison also worked on the case. The Wisconsin Innocence Project is modeled after Barry Scheck's Innocence Project at Cardozo Law School in New York City. Law students learn more than legal skills in the program. "The importance of this is we get to deal with real issues and real people, and we see that the law cannot be divorced from real stories," VanDenzen said. He's thinking of going into sports law. Seffrood, who did cancer research before entering law school, plans to be a patent lawyer. Tennison wants to be a prosecutor. "We realize this is a once-in-a-lifetime case," VanDenzen said.
Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington, DC
January 12, 2001
Headline: In the tattoo parlor; a scholar's pursuit gets under her skin
Byline: Zoe Ingalls
Excerpt: Judith Sarnecki was in line at a Dairy Queen three years ago when inspiration struck. Ahead of her was a young man with an elaborate tattoo across his shoulders and upper back. Its intricate lines and whorls were like fine, decorative ironwork. She began wondering "how tattoos have morphed from an anchor on Popeye's arm to this kind of really delicate artwork." From that chance encounter came a whole new line of scholarly inquiry for the associate professor of French at Lawrence University, who wrote her dissertation on Marquerite Yourcenar, a 20th-century novelist. In the three years since she stood in line for a bag of popcorn, she has conducted research, written articles, and delivered scholarly papers on "Tattooed Women," "Tattoos as/in Narrative," and "Trauma and Tattoo." Despite a surge of interest in tattoos and tattooing in recent years, especially among rock stars, movie stars, and middle-class teenagers, it is still young as a subject for scholarship, the professor says. She is studying tattoos in terms of narrative--how they figure into films and novels, for example, as well as how they themselves can become symbols for a story. Ms. Sarnecki is also interested in exploring connections between tattoos and physical or emotional trauma. She posits the idea that the pain of receiving a tattoo allows some people to, in a sense, replay their trauma in a manageable, controlled way. By doing so, they come to terms with it.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
January 7, 2001
Sunday Edition
Headline: Some impressive classical sounds have musical links to Milwaukee
Byline: Tom Strini
Excerpt: Four recent CD releases show off the city's talent.
Classical guitarist Michael Nicolella, "Push," (Gale Recordings)--Michael Nicolella taught at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and Lawrence University from 1991-'95, while his wife, painter Ann Gale, taught at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. The great discovery here is a new level of intensity. This engaging, intriguing, wide-ranging music makes me glad that Nicolella has strayed from the beaten path. The command and flair that he brings to it affirms what I thought when I first heard him, 10 years ago: Michael Nicolella could become one of the very best.
Soprano Patrice Michaels, with pianist Rebecca Rollins, "Clearings in the Sky" (Cedille)--Rich-voiced Patrice Michaels, who teaches at Lawrence University and performed in Milwaukee often in the early '90s as Patrice Michaels Bedi, has been churning out albums for Chicago's Cedille label for several years. The latest focuses on composer Lili Boulanger. Songs by Faure, Ravel, Debussy, Messiaen and Honegger -- all stylistic soul mates of Boulanger to one extent or another-- are interspersed with 18 of her songs, including "Clairieres dans le ciel," a substantial cycle. Michaels wraps her voice luxuriously, but never overbearingly, around each of these little gems. A gorgeous, steady vibrato embodies delicacy and vulnerability, and the rise and fall of her dynamics echo the undulating quality of most of these melodies.
Beloit Daily News, Beloit, Wisconsin
January 2, 2001
Headline: Madison painter featured in upcoming Monroe art exhibit
Excerpt: A new exhibit, titled "Everyday Use" by Madison artist Helen Klebesadel, will be featured in the Monroe Arts Center Frehner Gallery. Based on traditional patterns, the paintings in the watercolor exhibit are a salute to the early days of quiltmaking. Klebesadel's artwork represents a celebration of women from the past who created fine needlework and yet were never recognized for their expertise or talent. Klebesadel is an artist who views her artwork as a part of a larger Women's Studies movement. Klebesadel is the current director of the Women's Studies Consortium of the University of Wisconsin System, a position she started in September after teaching studio art and gender studies at Lawrence University in Appleton since 1990. Klebesadel is the past president of the Women's Caucus for Art and part of the Varo Registry of Women Artists.
CNNfn.com, New York, New York
December 28, 2000
Headline: Wisconsin professor wants to bring mental health services to online masses
Excerpt: The stigma of mental illness often leaves sufferers embarassed and lonely. However, the Web and its anonymity provide an outlet for them to speak their minds and reach out to others with similiar problems. Gerry Metalsky, a Lawrence University associate professor of psychology who operates the Anxiety, Stress and Depression Center in Appleton, sees the Internet as a burgeoning tool in therapy. "Online there is an abundance of support groups," he said. Everyone from Weight Watchers to depression clinics and eating disorder help groups to churches offer an online area so visitors can say what's on their minds. "They find it extremely comfortable and helpful to talk," Metalsky said. Metalsky serves as associate editor of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. After seeing his work, an Internet company asked him to assist in planning an "e-therapy" Web portal. "The goal is to try to bring mental health services to the masses," he said. "Often, people without insurance or enough money forego treatment," he said. The Internet already provides a resource for content, researching symptoms, diagnoses, and drugs, according to Metalsky. But it lacks interaction with certified professionals. "Broadband and Web cams will bring the therapists office to wherever you are," he said. "It's here now, but it's a bit expensive." In the meantime, the Web can serve as a bridge between the online and real medical worlds. If someone believes he or she has a mental health problem, but is too scared to talk to someone face-to-face, the Web can build his or her confidence, according to Metalsky. Metalsky suggests making Internet use a part of a person's life--without depending on it. "The hard part is incorporating technology without doing harm," he said.
Glen Ellyn Press, Elmhurst, Illinois
December 28, 2000
Headline: Glen Ellyn's Blacconeri performs in Lawrence University's
'Messiah'
Excerpt: Monica Blacconeri, a 1998 graduate of Glenbard High School, was one of 15 soloists to perform in Lawrence University's Dec. 8 sold-out production of Georg Friedrich Handel's holiday masterpiece, "Messiah." Blacconeri, a mezzo soprano, was selected by audition to sing the recitative "Then shall the eyes of the blind" and the air "He shall feed his flock." Founded in 1847, Lawrence University and its associated conservatory of music, has produced seven Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked among the country's best liberal arts colleges.
Miami Herald, Miami, Florida
December 22, 2000
Headline: Former President Bush eschews talk of a dynasty
Byline: Maria Recio, Herald Washington Bureau
Excerpt: When George Bush lost the presidency to Bill Clinton in 1992, his son felt the pain. When George W. Bush won the presidency eight years later, beating Clinton's vice president, his father felt the pride. The intertwining plots have cast a hint of myth over the election outcome: The first-born son wins back power, surrounds himself with much of Dad's old team and promises the same kind of kinder-gentler, compassionate conservative governance. Political dynasty watchers have been fascinated with the theme of the son, the Texas governor, vindicating the father, the defeated president from Texas. "This is true revenge, family-style," said Jerald Podair, assistant professor of history at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. But former President Bush recently denied that revenge drove his son--or him. Still, the son's victory may have been especially satisfying to his mother, Barbara, the sharp-tongued family matriarch who was much quicker than Bush Sr. to express displeasure with criticism coming from Vice President's Al Gore's camp.
[The article was disseminated nationally by Knight Ridder and ran in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on December 24, under the headline: "Politics not a Bush dynasty--yet. Family denies son's recent win is form of payback for dad's loss." It also appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer, Scranton Times (Scranton, Pennsylvania) and other papers.]
Star Tribune, Minneapolis
December 18, 2000
Headline: Student's work helps bring justice to inmate. The work of a future lawyer from St. Paul brought forth DNA evidence that a Texan was wrongly convicted of murder
Byline: Richard Meryhew
Excerpt: For the past three months, Cory Tennison, 22, and two classmates have worked the phones, pored over records and interviewed sources in hopes of freeing Chris Ochoa, 34, who has been imprisoned for the 1988 murder of 20-year-old Nancy DePriest in Austin, Texas. When word came two months ago that the DNA testing they had successfully fought for clears Ochoa of the crime, it made prime-time TV news and put the work of Tennison and his law-school colleagues in the national spotlight. Tennison, several classmates and the directors of the school's two- year-old Innocence Project, which is representing Ochoa, plan to travel to Huntsville, Texas, in the next few weeks to greet him upon his release. A friend surfing the Internet told Ochoa about the Innocence Project, a nonprofit research group that has worked on about 40 cases since starting in September 1998. In June 1999, Ochoa wrote to the project directors, John Pray and Keith Findley. Pray assigned the case to Wendy Seffrood, a third-year law student who wrote the Travis County district attorney's office, crime labs, hospitals and police departments asking that DNA in the case be preserved and tested. Seffrood worked the case until May. In September, Brian VanDenzen [Lawrence University Class of 1999], a Madison native who is a second-year law student, picked it up.
Investor's Business Daily, Los Angeles
December 18, 2000
Headline: Electoral College has critics fuming, but don't count on big changes soon
Byline: Daniel J. Murphy
Excerpt: Critics say it's (the Electoral College) anti-democratic and an 18th century anachronism. Sen.-elect Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., wasted no time in calling for its destruction barely after finishing her victory speech. She was later joined in that call by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. The Electoral College's foes don't like its design. Each state is assigned electors based on the number of members it has in the House of Representatives, plus two, equalling the size of the House and Senate combined. That gives voters in small states slightly more of a say in the election than voters in bigger states. The winner-take-all nature of the state race means that no matter how close the race, the apparent winner gets all the state's votes. This year it all boiled down to Florida. "It's unreasonable that a small number of voters in any one state should have such magnified importance," said Lawrence University professor Lawrence Longley, who has worked to get rid of the current system.
Boston Herald, Boston
December 17, 2000
Headline: Bush's blend: Observers expect best of Clinton, Reagan
Byline: Tom Mashberg
Excerpt: George W. Bush's presidency will likely resemble an amalgam of two recent administrations--those of Ronald Reagan and, of all people, Bill Clinton--historians and White House experts predict. In Reagan, the 43rd president-in-waiting has a role model for his honeyed preachments about "the promise of America." In Clinton, he has a politically wily predecessor who was at his best when he positioned himself astraddle the capital's partisan political poles. Says Jerald Podair, professor of history at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., "Under Bush, the political style of the White House won't change much from that of Clinton. Bush and Clinton share a lot of the 'charming bad boy' persona that is the subject of so many country music songs. As with Clinton, Bush will be one of the least ideologically-drive presidents of our time." Bush emulates Reagan not just in his tendency to leave the nitty-gritty of government to his subordinates, but in his preference for invoking overarching themes like "compassionate conservatism" or "reconciliation and unity," experts say. "I think he will be able to be the George W. Bush that he originally wanted to be before visiting Bob Jones University," said Podair, "A 'compassionate conservative' who acknowledges political reality and works for consensus. The political right might not like it very much, but they do not matter."
Fairview Heights Journal, Belleville, Illinois
December 13, 2000
Headline: Education Briefs
Excerpt: Brad Behrmann, a sophomore at Lawrence University in Wisconsin, appeared in four recent performances of the school's production of Frank Loesser's "The Most Happy Fella," a musical comedy about an aging Italian vineyard owner's love for a young waitress and the complications that arise from a long-distance marriage proposal. Behrmann played the role of Pasquale, a member of the vineyard owner's household.
[The news brief also appeared in the St. Charles Journal (St. Charles, Missouri), Granite City Journal (Granite City, Illinois), East St. Louis Journal (Cahokia, Illinois), Clarion Journal (Columbia, Illinois), and other local papers.]
Insight on the News, Washington, DC
National weekly newsmagazine published by
the Washington Times Corporation
December 11, 2000
Headline: Why Al Gore is no Richard Nixon
Byline: Timothy W. Maier
Excerpt: As is the case this year, in 1960 Americans went to bed thinking one candidate won and awoke to discover the race wasn't quite over. But the stakes never were higher for the country than in 1960 with the presidency undecided at the height of the Cold War. In Nixon's memoirs, he explained his decision not to contest the election: "A presidential recount would require up to half a year, during which time the legitimacy of Kennedy's election would be in question. The effect could be a devastating situation. And what if I demanded a recount and it turned out that despite the vote fraud Kennedy had still won? Charges of 'sore loser' would follow me through history and remove any possibility of a further political career." That he made his decision with the best interests of the country in mind may have helped him win the presidency eight years later. But as far as the mass media are concerned, there apparently is a double standard. "'No good deed goes unpunished' certainly applies to that arch-villain of the national media, Richard Nixon, especially in view of his responsible, principled handling of the fraud issue in the 1960 presidential election," says historian Jerald E. Podair of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. "Despite evidence of ballot tampering in Illinois and Texas, he refused to demand a recount, wishing to avoid a damaging constitutional crisis. In contrast, Gore has gone immediately to the courts for relief, and through his campaign chairman, William Daley--ironically, the son of the man who may have stolen the 1960 election for Nixon's opponent, John Kennedy--has threatened to tie up the electoral system unless he has his way. As far as I know, Nixon received no credit in the media for his forbearance; I'm sure that Gore, if he accepts defeat, will get plenty."
Capital Times, Madison
December 7, 2000
Headline: Yule gift is 1 week early, 12 years late. UW students help reverse conviction
Byline: Jason Shepard
Excerpt: The 34-year-old Ochoa is set to be freed from the Texas prison system during the week of Dec. 18, said Cory Tennison, 22, a University of Wisconsin Law School student helping to overturn Ochoa's murder conviction. Ochoa has served 12 years of a life sentence for the murder of Nancy DePriest, an Austin Pizza Hut employee who was raped and murdered in 1988. Ochoa was convicted of murder after he confessed and implicated his roommate, Richard Danziger. The tests were done after students from UW's Wisconsin Innocence Project got involved in the case. The project, modeled after Barry Scheck's Innocence Project at Cardozo Law School, took Ochoa's case 1 1/2 years ago after Ochoa wrote them a letter maintaining his innocence. Students Wendy Seffrood and Brian VanDenzen [Lawrence University Class of 1999], along with Tennison, worked on the case under the supervision of Professors John Pray and Keith Findley.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
December 5, 2000
Headline: Waukesha cellist wins top scholarship prize
Byline: Tom Strini
Excerpt: Cellist Jonathan Ruck, of Waukesha, won the $2,500 top prize of the annual Harold A. Levin Scholarship Competition. The competition, administered by the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee, is open to music majors at area colleges and to Milwaukee-area students majoring in music elsewhere. Ruck is a senior at Indiana University. Clarinetist Anna Najoom, of Muskego, a senior at Lawrence University, took the $1,500 second prize. Third place and $1,000 went to violist Wendy Richman, Whitefish Bay, a senior at Oberlin College.
The New York Times, New York
December 3, 2000
Sunday Edition
Headline: Florida face-off
Byline: Janny Scott
Excerpt: Among the myriad facts the presidential election drama has brought home, from obscure points of constitutional law to the categorization of chads, one truth about human nature stands out: No matter how far Americans think they have come in the ways they size people up, they still judge a book by its cover--and a woman by her foundation. Appearance rules. That simple truth has animated the hazing of Katherine Harris, Florida's conservative Republican secretary of state, whose generous makeup and frosty mien have become a national joke. Many feminists and Republicans profess to be shocked. But the only surprise lies in the fact that the mugging of Ms. Harris has taken place in the broad light of day. "Interestingly, the way that Republican Hillary haters perceive Hillary is very much the way a lot of liberals who are very partisan are perceiving Katherine Harris," said Peter Glick, a social psychologist and professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. "They're doing something very similar, which is seeing them as overly ambitious and willing to step on other people."
[The article was disseminated nationally by The New York Times News Service and appeared in the December 5 edition of the Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) under the headline "For Quick Impressions, Appearance Says It All - Almost." It was picked up by the Sunday News (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), the Eastside Journal (Bellevue, Washington), and the Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee), among other newspapers.]
Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Michigan
November 25, 2000
Headline: From Court TV to clairvoyance
Subheading: Prescient professor
Excerpt: Political scientist Lawrence Longley was being whimsical when, in a serious book on the Electoral College, he included an opening chapter titled "The Election of 2000 Is Not Quite Decided: A Fantasy." Written in late spring 1999, it foresaw a three-way presidential race marked by "a general lack of enthusiasm" for the prime candidates, Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and a series of events resulting in one man getting the most popular votes, the other the most electoral, but nobody getting a majority of the latter. The mess winds up in a Senate deadlocked at 50-50 between the Democrats and Republicans. "It's like novelists who look around and say they found a more improbable story line in the daily newspaper," said Longley, a
Lawrence University professor.
Cox News Service
November 24, 2000
Headline: Mexico's president-elect Fox announces "social justice" cabinet
Byline: Susan Ferriss
Excerpt: Taking a step closer to a new era in Mexico, president-elect Vicente Fox announced the "social justice" round of his cabinet appointments Friday, including a binational University of Texas professor to lead a new office of migrant affairs. Fox's special advisor on migrant affairs is Juan Hernandez, 45, whose " super advisor" position was designed to improve the fate of millions of Mexican migrants who seek jobs in the United States. "Mexico will never forget its absent children," said Hernandez, a University of Texas at Dallas professor who has been on leave assisting Fox first in the campaign and now on his transition. Hernandez, a dual national who speaks flawless English and Spanish, is the director of the University of Texas at Dallas' Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies. Hernandez's mother is from Texas and his father is from Fox's home state, Guanajuato, where he grew up and began to attend college. He also attended Lawrence University in Wisconsin and Texas Christian University. He has taught at Texas Christian as well as California State University, Long Beach and the University of Texas at Dallas. He has written seven books and been a consultant to international corporations, including Honda, Toyota and Texas Instruments. When Fox became governor of Guanajuato, he asked Hernandez in 1996 to serve as an advisor in the United States and representative of the Guanajuato Trade Office in Dallas.
[The wire story was published in the Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune on November 25]
Chicago Tribune, Chicago
November 24, 2000
Front page
Headline: Florida court denies latest Gore bid. Legal tangles could create wild scenarios
Byline: James Warren, Washington Bureau
Excerpt: Political scientist Lawrence Longley was just being whimsical when in a very serious book on the Electoral College he included an opening chapter, "The Election of 2000 Is Not Quite Decided: A Fantasy." Written in late spring of 1999, it foresaw a three-way presidential race marked by "a general lack of enthusiasm" for the prime candidates, Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and a weird series of events resulting in one man getting the most popular votes, the other the most electoral, but nobody getting a majority of the latter. The mess winds up in a Senate deadlocked at 50-50 between the Democrats and Republicans. Unable to decide on a vice president, and thus a tie-breaking vote, the third in the line of succession, namely House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Yorkville, Ill., would automatically become the commander in chief. "It's like novelists who look around and say they found a improbable story line in the daily newspaper," said Longley, a Lawrence University professor who is teaching in the Netherlands this semester and co-wrote the "Electoral College Primer 2000" with journalist Neal Pierce. The story line can be outlined in a newspaper these days, especially given the suggestions this week by several prominent Republicans, including former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, that the Bush camp could ignore the courts and ultimately appeal to the Legislature to settle the state's disputed vote. The Florida Republican leader said flatly that the GOP-controlled body "may have to step in and select those electors."
[The story also ran in the November 26 Sunday edition of the Grand Forks Herald and the November 25 edition of the Daily Herald (Provo, Utah) under the headline "Book Foresaw Contested Election." It was picked up by the Wisconsin State Journal, which ran it on November 25 under the headline "Worse than Impeachment? An Electoral Fracas," and the November 25 edition of the Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) under the heading "Book Forecast Scenario of Contested Presidential Election."]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Milwaukee
November 21, 2000
Headline: Scholarship finalists to compete Saturday
Byline: Tom Strini
Excerpt: The finalists in the Civic Music Association's Harold A. Levin Scholarship Competition are clarinetist Kyra Krenitsky, New Berlin, Indiana University; clarinetist Anna Najoom, Muskego, Lawrence University; soprano Chantel Richardson, Brookfield, Lawrence University; violist Wendy Richman, Whitefish Bay, Oberlin Conservatory; cellist Jonathan Ruck, Waukesha, Indiana University; soprano Michelle Seipel, Appleton, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee; pianist Jorge Luis Uzcategui, Milwaukee, UWM; soprano Erin York, Greenfield, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The competition is open to collegiate music majors who come from the Milwaukee area or attend college here.
Boston Herald, Boston
November 18, 2000
Headline: Lingering rancor awaits winner of White House
Byline: Tom Mashberg
Excerpt: A wise man once said: "Be careful what you wish for. You might get it." That warning ought to be preying on the minds of George W. Bush and Al Gore as they joust for the White House across the electoral swamplands of Florida. If U.S. history is any guide, winning the presidency under a cloud -- or, in this case, a blizzard of chads -- is not a glad tiding. "The 'winner' in this election meltdown will hardly merit that term," said Jerald Podair, history professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. "With an embittered opposition and a skeptical public, he'll have no mandate and, quite likely, zero credibility."
Wisconsin State Journal, Madison
November 16, 2000
Headline: This week at the Barrymore
Excerpt: Considered one of the finest undergraduate jazz ensembles in the country, the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble will perform at the Barrymore at 7 p.m. on Sunday. A dessert reception will follow the performance. The ensemble, who have performed with Dave Brubeck, Charlie Haden and Diana Krall, recently won the collegiate division for Best Jazz Big Band, selected by Down Beat magazine. Their Sunday night program will feature "Haitian Fight Song" by Charlie Mingus, "Take It All" and "Signal Fires" by Fred Sturm as well as Billy Strayhorn's "Take the A Train."
Morning Call, Allentown, Pennsylvania
November 15, 2000
Headline: Congress could tinker with Electoral College
Byline: Jeff Miller, Washington Bureau
Excerpt: No matter who wins the White House, Congress just might take another look at whether the Electoral College is the best way of picking a president. Debate over the Electoral College is typically confined to a small circle of political scientists and historians. But the tight race between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore is reviving old concerns. Bush could win with 270 electoral votes despite losing the popular vote, the first time that's happened since 1888. In another 22 elections, a shift of just a few votes in key states would have led to electoral deadlock or denied the popular vote winner the election, according to "The Electoral College Primer 2000" by journalist Neal R. Peirce and Lawrence University professor Lawrence D. Longley.
Fox Newswire, Fox News Channel
November 14, 2000
Headline: Electors will pick president. Florida or no Florida
Byline: Adrienne Mand
Excerpt: If Florida's election results get mired in court challenges past this week, and neither Al Gore nor George W. Bush concedes defeat, various bizarre scenarios could determine the nation's next president. Two possible outcomes would see either Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., or Senate President Pro Tempore Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., as the new commander-in-chief. But those are both long shots. In a more plausible situation, the Electoral College could simply vote on Dec. 18 without Florida, thus handing victory to Gore. Even that remains very unlikely, experts say, though there are no clear answers. "We're all in unprecedented territory here," said Lawrence D. Longley, professor of government at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. If the electors split their votes so Bush and Gore both have 269, the decision would go to the incoming Congress. In the event of a stalemate in the House, Speaker Hastert would assume the presidency under the law of succession. In a book Longley co-authored questioning the usefulness of the electoral college, The Electoral College Primer 2000, the first chapter outlines an election "fantasy" where this actually occurs. But he doesn't believe the scenarios will unwind to that point. "We have to wait and see what the vote tallies," Longley explains. "Obviously, patience is needed."
Boston Herald, Boston
November 8, 2000
Headline: New president will give office a personal touch
Byline: Tom Mashberg
Excerpt: Whether by mandate or meager margin, whoever becomes
president-elect today has an opportunity to mold the institution of the
presidency in his own personal image for at least four years. Experts
agree that Gov. George W. Bush (R-Texas) and Vice President Al Gore Jr.
(D-Tenn.) - if their political pasts and personal preferences are, in
fact, prologue - would preside over the nation's highest office far
differently from each other or from Bill Clinton. As their campaigns
showed, Gore is far more intellectual, Bush far more intuitive when it
comes to politics and decision-making. Gore sponges up policy details
and weighs them in his head like a cross between an actuary and a
college professor. Bush governs by feel and consensus, behaving more
like a coach and minister. "Under Bush, the general tone of the White
House should not change that much from Clinton, style-wise," said Jerald
Podair, assistant professor of history at Lawrence University in
Appleton, Wis. "Both Bush and Clinton share a lot of the 'charming bad
boy' persona that is the subject of so many country music songs." As for
Gore, Podair said, "He has no personal style to speak of. But the
class-conscious and ideological tone that he has adopted suggests that
he will use labor and other interest groups to create a New Deal-style
coalition that will help keep Democrats in power."
Wall Street Journal, New York
November 7, 2000
Headline: U.S. again faces the electoral 'loaded pistol' -- in presidential race, great deal turns on constitutional oddity
Byline: Phil Kuntz
Excerpt: "Every four years," Estes Kefauver once said, "the Electoral College is a loaded pistol aimed at our system of government. Its continued existence is a game of Russian roulette." The Electoral College outcome rarely comes close to matching the popular vote. Each elector is expected to vote for his or her party's candidate and, in many states, is required to do so by law or pledge. But the Constitution doesn't say they have to, so it is doubtful such requirements could be enforced. For this reason, the parties pick loyalists -- "political hacks and fat cats," in the words of "The Electoral College Primer 2000," by Lawrence Longley [Professor of Government, Lawrence University] and Neal Peirce, two critics of the process. In most states, the winner of the popular vote gets all the electoral votes; two states -- Maine since 1972 and Nebraska since 1992 -- allow for a split electoral vote if somebody carries a congressional district without carrying the whole state. But that hasn't happened yet. In close contests, one candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election. Messrs. Longley and Pierce cite mathematical models suggesting that in close contests, there is a 50% chance the popular winner will lose. The Electoral College could correct such an anomaly -- if some electors switched sides. Since 1948, seven electors have voted against voters' wishes, but none altered the outcome. In a close election such as this year's, though, the temptation to make history might be great if the electoral result on Dec. 18 would otherwise thwart the popular vote of Nov. 7.
Boston Herald, Boston
November 5, 2000
Sunday Edition
Headline: Turning point or historical footnote? Fate of next presidency up in the air
Byline: Tom Mashberg
Excerpt: Every presidential election matters, at the very least in terms of patronage, spoils and social studies quizzes. But on the grander scale of its historical weightiness, of its undiluted millennial heft, few contests have so divided historians as the Election 2000 tilt between Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush. Depending on which scholar is asked, the battle is either a transcendent moment in national history--or an event with about as much magnitude and memorability as the 1888 crowd-pleaser between Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland. "This election ranks near the top in terms of historical importance," said Darrell M. West, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University in Providence. But Jerald Podair, professor of history at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., sees it otherwise. "At the risk of sounding sacrilegious," he said, "I think this is one of the less important presidential elections in our nation's history." "We do not face a stark choice between men with sharply differing political philosophies" he said. "The nation is not in the midst of a profound political or economic crisis, and we are at peace. In 100 years, I think this election will merely be remembered for its intense closeness."
Boston Herald, Boston
November 5, 2000
Sunday Edition
Headline: For fortunate sons of political dynasties, winning means
everything
Byline: Tom Mashberg
Excerpt: In theory, American abhor political dynasties. Merit, not lienage, is the honored path to power. The truth is far different, as Election 2000 shows. Both presidential candidates are political heirs, and as such both follow in a long line of American presidential hopefuls with strong hereditary ties to higher office. Presidential scholars and others agree that there are unique pressures placed on the sons of successful politicians when they step into the "family business." They must prove they have earned the mantle independent of name recognition, yet must demonstrate fealty to their political heritage. Scholars say Gore and Bush have deep personal motivations to win the presidency, especially in terms of family vindication. "What's distinctive about the familial aspects of this presidential race is the idea of revenge," said Jerald Podair, an assistant history professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. "George W.'s father was humiliated by Clinton-Gore in 1992," he said. "Gore Sr. was repudiated in his re-election race for Senate in 1970 because he was out of step with his conservative constituents over Vietnam and civil rights." "In both cases, the sons believe their fathers were defeated by inferiors. This election presents the chance to exact revenge in a truly Biblical or Shakespearean sense."
Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington, DC
November 3, 2000
The Chronicle Review
Headline: Deconstruct this: Halloween. From boo to benign
Excerpt: It's that time of year, when front yards are transformed into
graveyards, children stockpile sweets, and grown men and women don masks
and costumes and take to the streets. Halloween is now the
second-biggest retail season after Christmas. What explains its
popularity? Edmund M. Kern, associate professor of history at
Lawrence University: Halloween is a form of what scholars would
call the carnivalesque. Mardi Gras or Carnival would be other examples.
In other words, it's like a period preceding Lent, when normal rules of
decorum and behavior don't apply. With the end of summer, I think that
Halloween is a good opportunity for adults to engage in some of that
behavior. It's a lot of fun to dress up, it's a lot of fun to decorate
the house. It's just seen as harmless fun by a vast majority of the
population. The demonic aspects of Halloween are simply discounted. Even
if people are practicing Christians, they understand Halloween in a
different context. Vampires, goblins, and witches are not seen as
demonically inspired. In fact, some of the most devout Christians in my
neighborhood have the most elaborately decorated houses.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
November 3, 2000
Headline: Bitter rivalry has seen it all. Ripon, Lawrence provide
fireworks
Byline: Art Kabelowsky
Excerpt: The relationship has been contentious and snippy, mean and
nasty, even physically violent. Yet here they go again, ready to romp in
the crisp autumn afternoon air for the 100th time. The football teams
from Ripon College and Lawrence College have been going steady,
on and off, since 1893. The series is tied, 46-46-7, although Ripon has
outscored Lawrence in the series, 1,468-1,405. Twenty-five games have
been decided by seven points or less. Over the years, the rivalry has
produced blowouts and nail-biters, high jinks and hooliganism,
friendships and memories. More than half a dozen times, the schools
vowed never to play each other again. Some of the rivalry's most
memorable moments: The score of the 1901 game was disputed until 1966,
when an account of the game (Lawrence 23, Ripon 6) was found in the
Appleton Evening Crescent: "Under ordinary circumstances (it) would have
been anywhere up to 60-0. Twice, Lawrence men who had got clear away for
a run down a clear field were tackled by spectators." In 1905, Ripon
lobbied to shorten the game because it knew it had no chance to win. The
outcome was so certain that the Vikings' Coach Deacon opted to skip the
game in order to scout Marquette. Lawrence agreed to shorten the halves
by 10 minutes to 25. But only 15 minutes into the second half, with
Lawrence holding a 59-0 lead, Ripon's players walked off the field,
claiming they had to make an early train home. In 1907, the fighting
that surrounded the game was so bad that Lawrence President Samuel
Plantz declared a four-year moratorium to the series. They couldn't
wait, though, resuming the series in 1910. In an attempt to curtail the
campus raids, the teams began playing for a trophy called "The Old Paint
Bucket" in the 1950s. The bucket has since disappeared, but was replaced
in 1988 by the Doehling-Heselton Memorial Trophy, commemorating 25 years
of rivalry between Carl Doehling (Ripon coach from 1924-'55) and Bernie
Heselton (Lawrence coach from 1938-'64).
Worth Magazine
November 3, 2000
Headline: Chair-itable giving
Byline: Sharon McDonnell
Excerpt: There are many ways for donors to support education, but one of the most rewarding is by endowing a professorship at a university or college. Such an endowment can create a permanent legacy in the donor's name, or memorialize some other individual, such as a relative of the donor. And it's an opportunity to make a real difference in strengthening--even launching--a department or program at the school. "For a college or university, such gifts not only bolster the [the school's overall] endowment, but also enhance the prestige of an academic program and provide recognition to outstanding faculty members," says Gregory A. Volk, vice president of development at Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The Phoenix, Cambridge, Minnesota
November 2000
Headline: Debt and depression: Can't have one without the other?
Byline: Amy R.
Excerpt: For me, it's a chicken-or-the-egg kind of question: which comes first, the depression or the debt? Years of depressive tendencies combined with a continually increasing dependence on credit and spending as an attempt to alleviate depression led, as it does for many people, to a crisis. In my case, it came in the form of my husband learning the truth about the many credit cards I had in my name only, with a total debt burden of over $35,000. Researchers are now beginning to study the theory that compulsive spending and debting may be linked to depression. Gerald Metalsky, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Lawrence University, who specializes in studies on depression, believes there is a link. "Although there has not been much empirical research published in the area, based on my clinical experience, I believe depression and compulsive spending are linked, he says. I also believe the relationship is bi-directional, or reciprocal. In other words, depression can lead to compulsive spending and compulsive spending spending can lead to depression." "Rather than helping someone to cope with depression, spending becomes a problem in and of itself. The depressed person loses control of the spending, developing a dependency on the spending as a means of dealing with the depression. The 'hole' can get so big that people do not see how they possibly can get themselves out from under. There's a growing sense of hopelessness, utter futility, followed by a worsening depression, in some cases to the point of suicide."
Cosmo Girl, New York
November 2000
Section: College U! Everything the brochures don't tell you!
Headline: Eight amazing colleges
Byline: Stephanie Booth
Excerpt: High-profile Ivies like Harvard are the blockbuster movies of the college world: tons of buzz. But lots of other schools can also give you the college experience of a lifetime! Here are some great ones!
Take note! Lawrence University, Appleton, WI.
Cool facts: Lawrence is the only nationally recognized liberal arts college with a music conservatory exclusively for undergrads. The school even has its own recording studios.
Student scoop: "I spend three hours a night practicing, another three on homework. It sounds like a lot, but it's what I want to do," says Sarah, 21, a senior from Denver, Colorado.
Wisconsin State Journal, Madison
October 31, 2000
Headline: Letterwinners club
Excerpt: Lawrence University senior Adam LaVoy (Oregon, Wis.), the Midwest Conference men's basketball player of the year last season, has been named an honorable mention Division III All-American by Street and Smith's magazine. He is a 6-foot-4 forward who averaged 22.7 points per game last season for the Vikings (13-11).
Newsweek Magazine
October 30, 2000
Headline: Campus tours 1.0. Before heading out on the traditional whirlwind tour of colleges, more and more high schoolers are checking out the ivy-covered halls on the Web
Byline: Bret Begun
Excerpt: Studies show that 94 percent of high school seniors have
Internet access. The Net is one of the most pervasive--if not the most
pervasive--tools for college information. Nearly all schools have Web
sites; they offer course descriptions, information about the student
population, application deadlines and costs. But many colleges are doing
more, offering "virtual tours" as a preview to the inevitable college
visit. Designing virtual tours presents some very real problems.
Admissions officers have to look at new interactive technologies and
ask: do students and parents benefit from them? "It's a tricky balance
between what's useful and what's more than useful," says Blythe Butler,
senior assistant dean of admissions at Lewis and Clark College in
Portland, Ore. Adds Michael Thorp, director of admissions at Lawrence
University, in Appleton, Wis.: "Students want good content that's
easy to navigate--not bells and whistles."
Star Tribune, Minneapolis
October 29, 2000
Headline: Teachers make 1920s a fun learning project for Oshkosh students. Artists, economics and history buffs helped organize workshops on decade
Excerpt: For a decade noted for the start of the Great Depression, woman's suffrage and oppressive discrimination, learning about the 1920s has never been more fun. Hundreds of students from Oshkosh West and North high schools studied a range of complex social topics last week as part of "The Great Gatsby and the Roaring 20s," a project that took North music teacher Geri Grine nearly seven months to complete. Workshops ranged in subject from women earning the right to vote to the Harlem Renaissance to Freudian psychoanalysis and Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. During one session on the birth of jazz and the birth of the blues, recording artists Janet Planet, Tom Theabo and Lawrence University instructor John Harmon asked students to write their own blues lyrics and discover how the genre influenced modern music. "None of the music you enjoy today would exist without the precedence and the antecedence of the blues culture," Harmon said. He played the piano and Theabo the electric guitar as Planet sang the music of Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and Thomas (Fats) Waller. Students' eyes brightened and smiles slowly spread across their face as Theabo's fingers slid down the neck of his electric guitar as Planet sang Smith's driving, angry ballad "Mr. Rich Man."
Houston Chronicle, Houston, Texas
October 29, 2000
Headline: On, Wisconsin! -- where votes are gold
Byline: Cragg Hines
Excerpt: Brookfield, Wis. -- I've come to this leafy Milwaukee suburb
looking for Karen and Kevin. I'm certain they live somewhere nearby. Or
some place just like this. True, they're a fictional couple, put-upon
voters in Harry Shearer's sweetly subversive new one-act play,
"Twilight's Last Gleaming.'' The idea is that negative campaign ads and
tactics have so turned off the rest of the electorate across the country
that only Karen and Kevin, who subsist most of the time in the glow of
old movies from a cable channel, are likely to vote. More and more
potential voters are turned off, although neither the ads nor the
campaigns this year have been especially negative until the last few
days. Even the current close-run nature of the presidential campaign,
the tightest in 40 years, may not jog more than about half the eligible
voters to the polls. Democratic dreams of the tight race generating a
flood of voters are likely to be just that - dreams. This election may
not come down to one couple, but it could come down to a single state.
And Wisconsin could be it. The state is now witnessing a pitched battle
for its 11 electoral votes, a fight into which Democratic and Republican
campaigns have poured inordinate amounts of candidate time and
television dollars - just like the attention focused on Karen and Kevin.
Both sides are fixating on the state's Fox Valley that runs between
Green Bay and Appleton, where deer may outnumber voters. Really only a
speck of folks have been bombarded with more presidential ads than all
but eight of the nation's media markets. And a backlash could be setting
in. These people have been blitzed, "and I don't think they like it,"
said William Hixon of Lawrence University in Appleton. "We're
having Indian summer, and they're enjoying that," not the candidate
barrage on television.
Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
October 28, 2000
Headline: People of faith disagree over Halloween rites
Byline: Selwyn Crawford
Excerpt: Many believe that the Celtic origins of the day, along with its
more contemporary traditions, are shrouded in darkness and evil and
should be avoided by those who believe in good and righteousness.
Others, however, say that Halloween -- now second only to Christmas in
terms of consumer dollars spent on its observance -- is simply a day of
fun and laughter to be enjoyed by all and that the time many Christians
spend trying to play down or ignore it isn't worth it. Dr. Edmund Kern,
a professor of history at Lawrence University in Wisconsin and a
Halloween expert, said that while the day is still mostly centered on
children, more adults have begun celebrating it in the last 20 years.
That's partly a result of restrictions placed on celebrations during the
1980s and '90s, he said. For instance, some religious schools eliminated
all recognition of the day, and some public schools limited student
festivities. And some municipalities, prompted by rampant rumors of
tainted and razor blade-laden candy, reduced the number of hours when
children could trick-or-treat. "I think you still see Halloween parties
for children as a replacement for trick-or-treating, but as children's
activities were curtailed, adults have also become more involved in
creating activities," Dr. Kern said. "And they've also increased their
own celebrations." Dr. Kern believes that Halloween will likely remain a
holiday that not everyone agrees upon. "We'll continue to see
trick-or-treating, and we'll continue to see alternative activities," he
said. "Halloween has a long history of what scholars call carnivalesque
activities. I think the idea still persists that the holiday is just a
bunch of harmless fun for kids, and provides an opportunity for some
healthy rebellion by adults."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
October 23, 2000
Headline: Two pals on a roll with Milwaukee Shakes
Byline: Damien Jaques, Journal Sentinel theater critic
Excerpt: John Maclay and Chris Abele acted together in a production of
Harold Pinter's "Betrayal" at Lawrence University almost 10 years
ago. "If you wanted to see two 19-year-old guys do Harold Pinter, we
were the guys," Maclay now recalls with a grin. That theatrical
partnership was nothing compared with what the two friends are now
doing. They are about to launch the Milwaukee Shakespeare Company, the
city's newest theater group, with a production of "Macbeth" that opens
Friday in the Off-Broadway Theatre. Maclay is serving as the company's
artistic director and will play Macduff in the debut production. Abele,
a businessman who is emerging as an important philanthropist for the
Milwaukee arts community, is the troupe's executive director. Milwaukee
Shakes will use mostly non-union actors in its productions, which means
its casts will be generally younger and less experienced than the acting
company employed by the American Players Theatre, for example. But the
new troupe will emphasize Shakespeare's text, according to Maclay, and
its actors will be given coaching on speaking verse and understanding
the text.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
October 22, 2000
Sunday Editorial Section
Headline: Here's how it works and why it works
Byline: Lawrence D. Longley
Caption: Lawrence D. Longley is a professor of government at Lawrence University in Appleton and a national authority on the Electoral College. He currently is in the Netherlands on a Fulbright fellowship.
Excerpt: The Electoral College is a remarkable political institution
serving as a crucial mechanism for transforming popular votes cast for
the President into electoral votes which actually elect the President.
Some have criticized the electoral college as an institution that
operates with noteworthy inequality favoring some interests and hurting
others. In addition, when deadlocked, it forces a resort to
extraordinarily awkward contingency procedures. Others have argued that
the electoral college preserves the two party system, maintains
federalism, diminishes electoral fraud, confers advantages on important
regions or voting blocs, and generally works adequately. Substantial
efforts have been made in recent years to reform or abolish the American
electoral college, especially following the close and uncertain
Presidential elections of 1968 and 1976. The first of these "hairbreadth
elections" resulted in a constitutional amendment to abolish the
electoral college being overwhelmingly passed by the House of
Representatives in 1969, only to be filibustered to death in the U.S.
Senate in 1970. Similar constitutional proposals were debated by the
Senate once again following the close 1976 election, during the period
of 1977 to 1979, prior to failing in that chamber in July of 1979 for
want of the necessary two-thirds vote necessary for a Constitutional
amendment. In the 1990s, electoral college reform proposals were once
again before Congress and were the subject of national televised U.S.
Senate Hearings in 1992. The politics of electoral college reform are
kindled by close U.S. presidential elections which demonstrate the
problems of the electoral college as a means of electing the President.
Should the 2000 or subsequent presidential elections prove to be
uncertain in outcome or determined by the special characteristics of the
electoral college, that institution will become once again a major
target of reform. Until that time, the electoral college will continue
as an important aspect of American politics, shaping and determining the
election of the U.S. President.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
October 20, 2000
Headline: TV ad spending is tight race in state. Bush, Gore and parties pour money into campaigns here
Byline: Dave Umhoefer
Excerpt: Spending on TV ads this week and last week in major Wisconsin media markets on behalf of Bush and Democratic rival Al Gore was a virtual tie, in part because Gore and Democrats have shifted money to Wisconsin from other states. Both campaigns have benefited from party-sponsored ads paid for through large, unrestricted "soft money" donations. Both candidates have been near-constant presences on local TV news in Wisconsin because they or their top surrogates have made many visits to the state. That could spur interest in the election and in the candidates' ads--or cause overlooked viewers to tune out. Ads are targeted at politically interested and partisan people, which are the least likely people to be influenced. Getting those people to vote is another purpose of TV ads, but their effectiveness remains to be seen. In the Fox Valley, "it's not at all clear these ads are exciting people," said Lawrence University professor William Hixon.
New York Times, New York, New York
October 16, 2000
Headline: An enclave of undecideds stays a campaign battleground in a swing state
Byline: R.W. Apple, Jr.
Excerpt: The leaves have turned cranberry red and mustard yellow in the Fox River Valley, and people are obsessing as usual about the Packers, the community-owned football team up in Green Bay. But something new has been added to the usual seasonal mix. Appleton, a pleasant city of 85,000 at the northern end of Lake Winnebago, finds itself squarely in the cross-hairs of the 2000 presidential campaign. This is the swing region in one of the handful of swing states in the neck- and-neck battle between Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush of Texas. Though tucked away in a relatively remote corner of the United States, Appleton has had its share of famous citizens. There was Joseph R. McCarthy, the Red-hunting senator whose bust stands in the Outagamie County Courthouse; there was Harry Houdini, the illusionist, who grew up here; and there were two presidents of little lawrence College (now Lawrence University) who moved on to major national educational roles--Henry M. Wriston, who became president of Brown University, and Nathan M. Pusey, who became president of Harvard.
Santa Barbara News-Press, Santa Barbara, California
October 13, 2000
Headline: Pssst! It's Friday the 13th. Knock on wood...don't walk under
ladders...cross your fingers
Byline: Charlotte Boechler
Excerpt: If bad luck comes in threes, then this is your lucky day: It's
Friday the 13th and tonight's a full moon. If you're superstitious, you
might be tempted to sleep the hours away. Or you can change your
perceptions. From avoiding black cats in your path to knocking on wood,
superstitions are commonly portrayed as illogical beliefs that are
manifested in absurd gestures. But a little digging unearths a history
and purpose that's often grounded in logic -- and faith. "Numerous
superstitions are derived from the texts, doctrines and practices of
organized religion," said Edmund M. Kern, associate professor of history
at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. "The unlucky character
of 13 is one such example," he said, "often attributed to the Last
Supper of Jesus, as reported in the Gospel of John 6:70-1. Jesus
informed the assembled apostles that he had chosen 12, but one among
them was a devil. Thus, in a group of 13, one is of an evil nature." The
superstition that if 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one will die
before the year is over might have similarly derived from the Last
Supper. Jesus, one of the 13 who gathered at the table, was crucified
the next day -- Friday -- which might account for why the day is linked
to the number 13.
Wisconsin State Journal, Madison
October 9, 2000
Headline: Reliving old times
Photo caption: Associated Press Audrey Andrews Kaiman, left, and Pat
Potter, both of the Milwaukee- Downer College class of 1950, take a
morning row Saturday with members of the Lawrence Rowing Club on the Fox
River in Appleton. The women were part of a reunion for the college,
which closed in 1964 and merged with Lawrence University.
Milwaukee-Downer College was known for its rowing teams, and this was
the first time in 50 years many of the women had rowed.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
October 9, 2000
Headline: Election 2000. Why the Fox Valley? Bush and Gore treating the region as pivotal. Winner there may take all
Byline: Alan J. Borsuk
Excerpt: What if the whole presidential election came down to how people
voted in the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin? That may sound far-fetched,
but it has become increasingly clear that neither Al Gore nor George W.
Bush wants to find himself the day after the election on the wrong side
of answering that question. They have energetically joined in the Battle
for the Fox, giving residents from Green Bay to Oshkosh front-row seats
for the national campaign in a way that Wisconsinites have rarely
witnessed. The underlying assumptions by both camps are clearly that
Wisconsin is an undecided state -- and that the Fox Valley likely holds
the key to who will win. "It's sort of a swing area within a swing
state," said William Hixon, a government professor at Lawrence
University in Appleton. State Sen. Michael Ellis (R-Neenah) put it
more emphatically: "I would say Bush can't win the presidency if he
doesn't carry the Fox River Valley. It's as simple as that."
The Capital Times, Madison
October 6, 2000
UW students' work likely to help free Texan. DNA tests used in murder case
Byline: Jason Shepard
Excerpt: A Texas man who has spent the past decade in prison after being
convicted of murder may soon be freed by DNA tests and the confession by
another man. Much of the credit will go to the Wisconsin Innocence
Project, which took on the case 1 1/2 years ago after receiving a letter
from the Texas inmate, and three University of Wisconsin Law School
students who worked on the matter. Cory Tennison and Brian VanDenzen, a
Madison native who is also a second-year UW law student, say they are
still a bit numbed by the likelihood that their work on the case will
free Christopher Ochoa, 33, who was convicted in the 1988 rape and
murder of a 20-year-old Austin Pizza Hut employee. In the past two
weeks, preliminary DNA test results showed that physical evidence at the
scene did not come from Ochoa, who is serving a life sentence. And
earlier this week, a television journalist in Austin broadcast an
interview with a prison inmate who admitted to killing Nancy DePriest,
the Pizza Hut employee. Preliminary DNA test results have implicated
that inmate, Achim Josef Marino, and show he was at the crime scene,
according to VanDenzen. The case is expected to draw national attention.
DNA expert Barry Scheck has worked with the Madison law students on the
case, and it comes in the midst of a massive review of 400 criminal
cases that occurred in Austin and Travis County between 1981 and 1996.
Tennison and VanDenzen haven't been to one class in the past week, but
they hope their Law School professors will give them a pass. Standing on
Bascom Hill on the UW-Madison campus, both students said Thursday they
were drawn to the Wisconsin Innocence Project because of the practical
experience it gives with criminal law. "I don't know if I'll ever in my
life be involved in exonerating an innocent man again," Tennison said. A
lot of people think criminal defense attorneys are scumballs, and some
are," said VanDenzen, a graduate of Stoughton High School and of
Lawrence University in Appleton. "But we're looking for justice
and we're looking for the truth." Ironically, while both men have spent
the past months chopping away as defense attorneys, both think they'll
end up on the other side of the legal system.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
October 2, 2000
Headline: Wisconsin professors hope to teach students ethics of business
Byline: Judy Waggoner
Excerpt: Most of tomorrow's business leaders are in college today,
learning -- among other subjects -- business ethics. John Dreher, a
philosophy professor at Lawrence University for more than three
decades presents case studies -- actual business examples. His students
debate the pros and cons involved after looking at the supporting
evidence. "I want to teach ethics down here, where we live, not
pie-in-the-sky ethics," Dreher said. He finds the statistic that more
than 90 percent of Americans lie regularly difficult to believe. "I'm
skeptical of the (survey) methodology and wary of the results," Dreher
said. For one reason, he says to never tell a lie is a very good
principle, but there are exceptions. "I don't think there are any
absolutes in morality," Dreher said. Arithmetic has absolutes, but moral
decisions are judgment calls, he said. Dreher instructs his students to
inform themselves as best they can about the relevant facts before
making a decision.
Family Life Magazine
October 2000
Headline: Tap your child's musical talent
Byline: Liza N. Burby
Excerpt: What's the best way to introduce your child to music lessons--and keep him motivated to continue? Ages 7 to 9 are ideal for starting children on an instrument, says Caroline Brandenberger, artistic director of the Lawrence Arts Academy in Appleton, WI. Music has its own language and mathematical structure, and youngsters who are already reading and mastering similiar concepts in school can pick it up more easily, she explains. The benefits go beyond being able to make music: Lessons have been shown to improve everything from math to social skills. Recognize your child's progress with occasional rewards. But don't force lessons if after a year or more your child is truly not interested in continuing, says Brandenberger. "Even if they don't play an instrument, kids can still enjoy music in their lives," she asserts.
Fishnet: The College Guide @mycollegeguide.org
Section: Read About College
Headline: Ivy eyes: Do you have them? How and why you should forget about a college's name
Byline: Frank Jossi
Excerpt: Give up Cambridge, Massachusetts, for Appleton, Wisconsin? That's just what Montanan Rob Geck did when he turned down the opportunity to attend Harvard. And the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And, for that matter, Boston University. Instead, he decided to enroll at Lawrence University in Appleton. Lawrence is just one of many schools around the country that have managed to attract gifted students bound for "name" schools before they changed tracks. Name institutions continue to tempt the nation's brightest high school students, but many are opting for a more personal and individualized education provided by less rarefied schools. "It's a status industry, and people are very status conscious," says Loren Pope, author of Looking Beyond The Ivy League (Penguin). "What they don't realize is people who are interested in status are fighting the last war, because kids are going into a new world where status won't make a bit of difference. They're all going to be working in careers twenty years from now that don't exist today." Pope contends that a large number of relatively less known schools exist where a student can receive an excellent education as challenging as any the name schools offer. To get beyond the name, Pope suggests looking at whether an institution promotes competitive or collaborative learning and how closely faculty members work with students. At some colleges as many as 30 percent of papers written by professors for conferences and publication are co-authored by undergraduate students. And even though name universities say that professors teach most classes, Pope sees the opposite: "One of my young friends quit an Ivy in disgust and said, 'I'm being taught by students--and some who can't even speak English.'"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
September 26, 2000
Headline: Wild Space taking up residency at Lawrence
Byline: Tom Strini, Journal Sentinel dance critic
Excerpt: Wild Space Dance Company will begin at two-year teaching residency at Lawrence University in Appleton when the fall term begins Thursday. Members of the seven-dancer troupe are serving as instructors in Lawrence's theatre department, teaching a class on "Movement for the Theatre." Wild Space dancers will also lead four annual workshops for students and also perform a major annual concert at Lawrence.
Portland Press Herald, Portland, Maine
September 25, 2000
Headline: Student of the new and different
Byline: Ray Routhier, Press Herald Writer
Excerpt: When Saretta Ramdial graduated from Deering High School two
years ago, she didn't feel quite ready to go to college. Instead, she
went to Australia to help teach aboriginal children. She helped build
wilderness trails in New Zealand. She went to Spain to study Spanish.
She worked in a soup kitchen in Trinidad. She ran domestic-violence
workshops in Costa Rica. Now, with more travel and volunteer experience
than most people get in a lifetime, Ramdial thinks she's ready to face
the challenges of being a freshman at Lawrence University in
Appleton, Wis. Ramdial left Portland on Thursday to start college, two
years later than many of her high school classmates. Friends and
teachers at Deering were somewhat dumbfounded that she, a National Honor
Society student, wasn't going straight to college. But Ramdial was
brought up to appreciate the value of different experiences. "My parents
came from different backgrounds, and they always said you should try
things you're not used to," she said. In high school, Ramdial began
putting that philosophy into action. She volunteered on bottle drives
and carnation sales to raise money for charity. She volunteered at the
American Red Cross one summer, filing and asking people to give blood.
She volunteered at a soup kitchen. Ramdial arrived in Queensland just
weeks after graduating from high school. She helped out in English and
art classes, correcting homework and doing whatever the teachers needed
at an aboriginal school. During her three and a half months there, she
visited rain forests and magnificent beaches. From Australia, Ramdial
went to New Zealand and worked for WWOOF Willing Workers on Organic
Farms. In a muggy South Pacific climate, she picked kiwis, cleaned emu
cages and did trail maintenance at a wilderness park. In January of her
first year of globe-trotting, Ramdial headed for Spain, where she wanted
to attend an intensive three-month Spanish language course. While in
Spain, Ramdial participated in a running of the bulls, though not the
famous one. She stayed in Spain from January through April, then headed
home to Maine. Ramdial spent the summer of 1999 in Trinidad, working in
a soup kitchen and living with her father. Then she spent August through
December in Costa Rica, as a volunteer setting up programs to make
people aware of domestic violence. The Spanish she learned in Spain came
in handy.
The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
September 24, 2000
Sunday Edition
Headline: Ohio: On the front line candidates know the state
is a key to the presidency
Byline: James Drew Blade, Columbus Bureau Chief
Excerpt: Ohio has maintained its status as a bellweather state - voting
on the winning side in every presidential election since 1964. And
although a shift in U.S. population has reduced Ohio's number of
electoral votes from 25 to 21 since 1960, the Buckeye state remains a
key battleground because it's up for grabs. The formula for presidential
victory in Ohio has not changed much over the past four decades:
Republicans maintain the strongholds of Cincinnati and Columbus and
Democrats shore up their ethnic, union bases in Cleveland, Toledo,
eastern Ohio, and Dayton. This year's race is expected to follow the
pattern of past close presidential elections in Ohio, with the outcome
determined by the 5 to 6 per cent of likely voters who have not chosen
between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush. In this year's
hotly contested presidential race, Vice President Gore and Texas Gov.
George W. Bush have crisscrossed Ohio, hoping to avoid the bitter taste
Mr. Kennedy had in 1960 and the heartbreak Mr. Ford felt in 1976. If
5,559 votes in Ohio and 3,687 votes in Hawaii had shifted from Mr.Carter
to Mr. Ford, the Republicans would have won the 270 electoral votes to
keep control of the White House, said Lawrence Longley, a professor of
government at Lawrence University.
The Business Journal of Milwaukee, Milwaukee
September 18, 2000
Editorial: Patient rights must be balanced with rising health care costs
Byline: Merton Finkler
Caption: Merton Finkler is a professor of economics at Lawrence University in Appleton and principal at Innovative Health Associates, a Menasha-based independent health care consulting group.
Excerpt: In his June 23 guest column to The Business Journal representing the views of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin, Dr. Ayaz Samadani asked federal and state legislators to support proposals for an expanded patient's bill of rights. Such bills increase patient choice of physicians and separate health care decisions from their economic consequences. In a crowded world with limited resources, all rights are accompanied with responsibilities. Samadani did not address how these patient's rights should be balanced against the increased costs of medical care arising from these expanded benefits or whether these benefits are the best use of limited health care resources. Most studies judge our national health care system as the most expensive in the world, and Americans as the most aggressive consumers of medical care resources. Despite such extensive resource use, however, the high U.S. rates of infant mortality, heart disease and cancer, as well as our relatively short life expectancies, indicate that our health care investments perform poorly in comparison with those of other industrialized countries. We accept a bad bargain if employers or governments pay virtually the entire bill for health care without sharing the cost and responsibility with those who demand the services. Current proposals for a patient's bill of rights will increase both the use of health care services and the administrative cost of determining coverage without contributing much to address such public health concerns as the burdens of chronic illness.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
September 17, 2000
Sunday Edition
Headline: Electoral vote battle being played out in swing states. System forces campaigns to target groups in political hot spots, ignore others
Byline: Craig Gilbert
Excerpt: If you like the fact that Wisconsin matters in this election, that it's a presidential battleground, that you're being wooed mightily with ads and visits from Al Gore and George W. Bush, you can thank one of the great quirks of our political system. It's called the Electoral College. It makes the race for the White House a contest over individual states, not the popular vote. And as un-American as it sounds, it makes some voters more important than others. If you live in a "swing" state, where the race is close, your vote is being hotly pursued this fall. Since the spring of 1999, Gore and Bush spent 19 days in Missouri, 28 days in Michigan, 31 in Ohio, and 32 in Pennsylvania, according to a tally kept by the Hotline political wire. These are the hottest of hot spots. Unfair? Some people think so. As Lawrence University professor Larry Longley complains in "The Electoral College Primer," presidential candidates are unfailingly "articulate about the problems of Pennsylvania's coal fields." Their campaigns cater to the battleground states and their special interests; other parts of the country are "ignored." Candidates perform political triage, and in a close race, the urgency behind this Darwinian targeting is even greater. One person, one vote? Forget it. In the handbook on the subject he co-wrote with Neal Peirce, Longley lays out a long list of objections. At the top is that one person does not equal one vote. Each state gets one electoral vote per U.S. House member; that formula ties voting power to population. But the states also get one electoral vote per U.S. senator; that formula doesn't. The objections don't end there. The number of House seats each state has is based on census data, which is often out of date. That data reflects population, not election turnout. As a result, the number of electoral votes a state wields has nothing to do with the number of voters it actually sends to the polls on Election Day. But the real rub is this: All but two states award their electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis. The candidate with the most popular votes in a state, no matter how small the margin, gets all the electoral votes. And it brings us to the most familiar objection to the system: the prospect of a candidate winning the most popular votes, but losing the Electoral College, and therefore the presidency. It has happened twice already (1876 and 1888) and has come close to happening several other times. In a tight election like this one, the issue looms again. Longley, a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, argues that such an outcome could create a crisis of confidence in the winner's legitimacy.
American Profile Supplement
Appearing in the Palmyra (Missouri) Spectator; Gillespie (Illinois) Area News; Devils Lake (North Dakota) Journal; and the Wapakoneta (Ohio) Daily News, among others
September 10-14, 2000
Headline: Midwest tidbits. Did you know...
Excerpt: Wisconsin -- The world's largest-running trivia contest is aired on WLFM, the radio station at Lawrence University in Appleton, each January. For the last 35 years, the station has broadcast 50 consecutive hours of trivia questions.
Chroncile of Higher Education, Washington, DC
September 8, 2000
Headline: Faced with enrollment crunch, many colleges shut the back door. Flagship public universities are forced to phase out second-tier
admissions
Byline: Leo Reisberg
Excerpt: Jill Bryant applied to one college last year, Ohio State University in Columbus. But with a C average in high school and an ACT score of 17 our of a possible 36, she failed to impress the admissions office. While the university did suggest that she enroll at a community college or one of its smaller, branch campuses, it also offered her a slot at Columbus--but not until the spring of 2000. The vacancies for the fall and winter had already been filled by more-qualified students. Many public colleges have adopted variants on backdoor admissions over the last 30 years, as enrollments climbed and the application process became more competitive. It didn't hurt that the back door also permitted some institutions to admit mediocre students without counting them in the all-important freshman profile, making their standards seem tougher than they were. But if rising demand motivated colleges to keep their back door open, it's now becoming the force that edges them shut. A number of second-chance policies have been discontinued in the last decade. Steven T. Syverson, who served as the National Association for College Admission Counseling's vice president for admissions practices from 1988 to 1991, applauds colleges for trying to remain accessible at a time when some are becoming as elitist as the top private institutions. But he notes that not all college officials have altruistic intentions. "Many institutions set admissions policies with an active eye toward controlling or manipulating their freshman-class profile because of the perceived impact of that profile on the rankings," says Mr. Syverson, now the dean of admissions and financial aid at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. "One of the strategies employed by some institutions was to admit their weaker candidates to a summer program with the commitment that they could enroll as regular students in the fall if they were successful during the summer. In the fall, though, the student was counted as a "returning" student rather than a new freshman, and was, therefore, excluded from the freshman-class profile, thereby eliminating someone with lower test scores or academic performance from the reported profile." That gerrymandering continues today.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
September 8, 2000
Headline: State college preview
Byline: Art Kabelowsky
Excerpt: Lawrence could be a team to watch this year. The Vikings started out 0-6 under coach Dave Brown but finished by winning three of their final four. Brown's pass-minded offensive game plan could lead to some surprises if it takes root early. On offense, a transition from a rush-oriented attack to a passing game took time to develop last year but when it did, the Vikings were able to build their weekly average to 237 yards passing per game (337 overall). Quarterback Steve Wesley returns after posting a quarterback rating of 118.0 last year. On defense, there's a star in the making in the middle of the Vikings' defense. Jeff Divjak enjoyed one of the finest freshman seasons
in Midwest Conference history last year, leading the conference with 157 tackles (an average of 17.4 per game). The defense ranked fourth in the conference.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee
September 6, 2000
Headline: Marquette again makes U.S. News 'best values' list
Byline: Sharif Durhams
Excerpt: Marquette University and two Wisconsin liberal arts colleges were listed as "best values" nationally in the annual ranking by U.S. News & World Report magazine, although students who borrow to get through Marquette carry some of the highest debt loads in the nation. Marquette ranked 38th on a 50-campus list of national universities. U.S. News cited other Wisconsin schools as best buys. On its list of 35 national liberal arts universities was Lawrence University in Appleton, which ranked 19th, and Beloit College, 27th.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas
September 3, 2000
Sunday Edition
Headline: Fort Worth native a key in Fox win. Juan Hernandez's ability in two cultures was crucial
Byline: Rebeca Rodriguez, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Excerpt: A few days before he helped to engineer one of the greatest political upsets in modern history, Fort Worth's Juan Hernandez ran out of money to keep his cellphone working. The phone had been Hernandez's lifeline in Mexico as he and underdog presidential candidate Vicente Fox traveled the country in a battle against the longest-ruling political party in the world, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. But the effort had been expensive, and with Election Day looming, the campaign was broke. Hernandez couldn't buy airtime to make calls. He was able to receive them, however. The day after the polls closed and it became clear that Fox had won, the phone sprang to life. "From the same phone, I'm receiving phone calls from the king of Spain, from George Bush, Al Gore, Bill Clinton. It was hilarious!" Hernandez said. Fox's campaign may have run out of money, but it never lost its heart. A back-to-the-people effort largely scripted by Hernandez. Fox's presidential bid started slowly, three years ago, with little more than a dream. Back then, Hernandez couldn't even give away a copy of a book he had edited about the candidate's political philosophy. But as the campaign gained speed, Hernandez did, too. His job was to arrange all of Fox's appointments, and they crisscrossed the country three times in search of support. Hernandez's family moved to Guanajuato when he was a baby, and he returned to the United States in 1973 to attend Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. After graduating, he moved back to Fort Worth, where he received a master's degree and a doctorate both in English and in Spanish letters and culture from Texas Christian University.
Madison Capital Times, Madison
September 1, 2000
Headline: UW ranks 35th on annual list of top universities
Byline: Associated Press
Excerpt: Princeton University tops this year's U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of the nation's universities, followed quickly by its Ivy League brethren Harvard and Yale, which were tied for No. 2. The University of Wisconsin-Madison hit the list at 35, slipping one spot from last year. Lawrence University in Appleton was listed as the nation's 42nd best liberal arts college, with Beloit College 47th in that category.
aMagazine: Inside Asian America, New York, New York
August/September 2000
Headline: The 50 best colleges for Asian Americans: Our rankings
of the top universities and liberal arts schools
Byline: Anita Chan and Dina Gan
Excerpt: While college campuses across the country got to take a summer
break, aMedia was hard at work conducting its second-ever survey
about which among them are the best colleges for Asian Americans. We
developed a survey that sought to explore the social, academic, administrative
and financial factors that prospective Asian American college students might
find helpful in deciding where to spend their undergraduate years. We scored
schools based on 10 different factors in several broad categories, awarding
bonus points to schools that indicated exceptional support for Asian
American students, such as Asian American-specific scholarships or campus
housing. Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis.,
was ranked 14 in a listing of the top 25 liberal arts colleges. 52 liberal arts colleges were ranked in all.