Author Archives: Ann Aubry

No Impact Man to Speak, Campus to Celebrate with No Impact Week

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – “No Impact Man” is coming to Illinois Wesleyan University, and the University is celebrating with a week of the No Impact Experiment.

Author Colin Beavan, known for his blog and book, No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process (Picador, 2009), will address the President’s Convocation at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8, in Westbook Auditorium of Presser Hall (1210 N. Park St., Bloomington). The title of his speech will be “No Impact Man.” The event is free and open to the public.

Beavan gained national attention with his blog, which chronicled a year he and his family attempted to live without negatively impacting the environment. Throughout the year, Beavan, his wife and their daughter, tried to produce no trash, went without electricity, rode in no cars or taxis, ate only locally produced food, and avoided all paper products, including toilet paper. “You have to give Colin Beavan credit,” said The Boston Globe. “The man put his money where his mouth is. A self-proclaimed ‘guilty liberal’ tired of the world’s general ecological decline, he decided to change his life. And in no small way.” A documentary was released in 2009, detailing Beavan’s efforts.

All incoming Illinois Wesleyan students read Beavan’s book for the Summer Reading Program, which is part of “Turning Titan,” the new student orientation program on campus. Students met in discussion groups with faculty and staff to share their impressions of the book and what impact it made on them.

To celebrate Beavan’s visit to campus, the University Wellness Center is encouraging all faculty, staff and students to participate in a “No Impact Experiment” from Sept. 12-19.

IWU, ISU Habitat Group Named Chapter of the Year

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan and Illinois State Universities’ joint student chapter of Habitat for Humanity has been selected for the 2010 Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter of the Year award.

Impressed by the universities’ creative partnership, the selection committee chose to award the chapters jointly, noting that the collaboration of the chapters allows for an increased impact on the community. Through the generous support of State Farm Insurance Company, the chapters will receive $4,500 together to participate in a Collegiate Challenge trip.

“The work you have done to provide simple, decent and affordable housing and spread Habitat for Humanity’s mission is extraordinary and serves as an outstanding example for other chapters,” said Manager of Youth Volunteer Engagement Cody Logsdon in a letter to the chapters.

Nadeau Named to New Endowed Professorship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University’s Professor of Hispanic Studies and Chair of the Hispanic Studies Department Carolyn Nadeau was announced as the inaugural Byron S. Tucci Professor on Friday at the University’s annual Fall Breakfast.

Tucci, a 1966 Illinois Wesleyan graduate with a double major in business administration and economics, has been a long-time supporter of Illinois Wesleyan, serving on the Leadership Giving Board for decades. He is also a member of the Illinois Wesleyan Associates and the IWU Board of Trustees. Tucci established the named professorship as part of the Transforming Lives campaign for Illinois Wesleyan.

“Named professorships honor faculty who have distinguished themselves in terms of teaching, research, and service,” said University President Richard F. Wilson. “Dr. Nadeau certainly exemplifies all that makes an outstanding professor.”

Heaton Named Starkey Award Winner

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University’s Document Delivery and Copyright Coordinator Tony Heaton was named the winner of the University’s Max. L. Starkey Service Award at the Fall Breakfast in the Young Main Lounge of Memorial Center on Friday.

The Starkey Award, established in 2001, is presented to a member of the University staff nominated by his or her peers for extraordinary service to the University. The award is named in honor of the late Max Starkey, a 1957 Illinois Wesleyan graduate who was University comptroller from 1957 to 1996.

In his role at The Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan, Heaton coordinates all print items requested by faculty, staff and students. According to University Librarian Karen Schmidt, Heaton works with as many as 13,000 requests and transactions per year.

In one nomination for the Starkey award, Heaton was described as “instrumental for scholarly activity.” Another cites that the “flawless execution of his duties take away a potential source of daily stress for many of us.”

Wellness Program Offers Life-Enhancing Activities, Services

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In 1990, Missy Smock came to Illinois Wesleyan University with a dream and a promise, to create a wellness program that would provide activities and services that would afford life enhancement opportunities for faculty, staff, immediate family members and retirees of the University. Twenty years later, the program has spread to students, alums and employees of collaborating organizations who desire the holistic philosophy offered by the IWU Wellness Program.

“Wellness goes beyond the physical component, “ said Smock, director of the IWU Wellness Program. “Wellness is about finding different ways to create balance in the many aspects that make up one’s life. There will be peaks and valleys accompanied by the emotional rollercoaster that goes with the highs and lows. So, connecting with resources, social connections among other things, to gain this balance is the key to a more holistic approach to achieving life enhancement.”

Students Urged to Find Their Inner Bookworm at New Student Convocation

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – With laughter and animated conversations marking the beginnings of lifelong friendships, students of the class of 2014 filed into Westbrook Auditorium on Tuesday for the New Student Convocation at Illinois Wesleyan University.

“This is a special place, a place where I know you will feel at home,” said University President Richard F. Wilson of the 620 new students who traveled to Illinois Wesleyan from as far away as Egypt, the Netherlands and China. The Convocation is part of the annual “Turning Titan Week” on campus, orienting new students to Illinois Wesleyan.

President Wilson led students through the annual chant of the University motto, Scientia et Sapientia, which translates roughly as ‘knowledge and wisdom.’ “You must learn to do more than acquire facts and figures,” said Wilson. “You need to learn how to use that knowledge wisely for the benefit of others, and if you are successful, you will find that your life will be forever transformed.”

Students were welcomed by Dean of Students Kathy Cavins-Tull, the Student Senate Vice President Erick Henderson, the Young Alumni Committee Chair Justine Robinson, and Associate Dean of the Faculty Irving Epstein, who let students know what makes Illinois Wesleyan stand out. “Our uniqueness lies in our campus mission, devoted to fostering a spirit of inquiry, yet also includes our commitment to diversity, social justice and environmental sustainability,” said Epstein.

No Impact Man Comes to Campus

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – What is one person’s impact on the environment? Illinois Wesleyan University students will find out when they celebrate the book No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process by Colin Beavan. The IWU community will hear Beavan speak and have the opportunity to take part in their own environmental experiment.

As part of the celebration, Beavan will address students, faculty, staff and community members at the President’s Convocation Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. in Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall (1210 N. Park St., Bloomington). Beavan will discuss his self-reflective book, which originated from his hope to live an environmentally friendly life in the heart of New York City.

The book was selected as part of the IWU Summer Reading Program, which will require all first-year students to read the same book. As part of Turning Titan Orientation, which runs from Tuesday, Aug. 17 to Sunday, Aug. 22, the students will participate in shared intellectual conversations about No Impact Man with the Illinois Wesleyan community.

The weeklong orientation is aimed to help incoming students become acquainted to the campus, allowing them to meet with their first-year advisors, select classes and learn more about life at the University.

No Impact Week

Once students become familiar with the concepts in No Impact Man, they will be challenged to live environmentally friendly for one week. Beginning Sunday, Sept. 12, all students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in the No Impact Experiment hosted by the Wellness Program, the GREENetwork and the Office of Residential Life.

Student Wins Community Partnership Grant

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University senior Kristy Hosack is the recipient of the Community Partnership grant from the University’s Action Resource Center (ARC) and State Farm Insurance®.

ARC Coordinator Deborah Halperin announced the grant recipient Wednesday at Beckman Auditorium of The Ames Library during the wrap-up of the ARC Community Partnership Program with State Farm. “ARC students create collaborations within the community. They fill in the gaps,” said Halperin, who works to connect Illinois Wesleyan students with area not-for-profit organizations.

Through the partnership program, Hosack, a Spanish and history double major from Bloomington, worked this summer with State Farm’s public affairs department and volunteered for the Hispanic Families Work Group and Western Avenue Community Center. Part of the internship program required students to write an application for the ARC grant. Hosack plans to use the $500 grant funded by State Farm to support outreach efforts for Illinois Wesleyan’s “Radio Latino” program on the campus radio station, WESN 88.1. “This is one of only two Spanish-speaking programs in Bloomington-Normal,” said Hosack. “It is a way to reach an audience where language differences might make them unreachable. Radio Latino offers music and a feeling of community, and a way to connect to people about services and resources in the community.”

With the ARC Community Partnership Program, 10 Illinois Wesleyan students are chosen to work two internships in the summer – splitting their week between State Farm Insurance Companies and an area not-for-profit organization in town.

“We don’t think of this as an internship program, State Farm thinks of it as a leadership program,” said Alex Cardona, who works with State Farm’s Community Relations. “They are not only meeting this community’s needs, but gaining an understanding of the needs of every community.”

Alumna Receives Colby Award

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Nancy Brown Bicket, Class of 1967 was one of three alumnae that received the Colby Award from Sigma Kappa Sorority during their 84th National Convention held July 7 in Orlando, Fla.

According to the organization’s announcement, Bicket of Bloomington, who spent her career with State Farm Insurance providing leadership in the development of several ground-breaking technologies, was recognized for her achievements in the field of information systems and technology.

The Colby Award is named in honor of Colby College where Sigma Kappa was founded in 1874. The award, the highest honor given by the national sorority, is presented at each national convention to nationally-known alumnae in recognition of their career achievements.

Professors Seek Beauty, Truth in Translated Works

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The great works of literature can be called more than a collection of masterfully crafted words. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is more than a rhythmic story about a dour prince. Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is more than the well-written tale of a suicidal woman. Great writing can convey the culture, dreams, norms and challenges of a society, but making sure the message is clear can depend upon the right translation.

How can a reader find a “good” translation of literature? Several Illinois Wesleyan University faculty members recently weighed in on the subject of translations.

“Translation is a work of art,” said Marina Balina, the Isaac Funk Professor of Russian Studies. “It is more than choosing the right words. It’s an art form that definitely requires the soul of the artist.” Balina worked with Professor of English Emeritus James McGowan on the translations of poems by German poet Wolfgang Borchert. “Translation is like a sculpture, basically shaping up the material like it was clay, and then refining it,” agreed McGowan, who is known for his translations of the French poet Charles Baudelaire. “Just because the words are similar from one language to another, it does not mean the meaning is similar.”

The art of translation may begin with finding the English equivalent, but it then requires going a step beyond, said Balina. “You can build from a beautiful sentence that is close to what the writer is saying, but the cultural barrier remains,” she said. “A translator can be blinded by his or her own knowledge of literature and culture.” Balina remembered reading sonnets of Shakespeare in English for the first time. “I thought, ‘This was not the Shakespeare I have read in Russian translation’,” she said. “I read writers in Soviet Russia, who were translating because they could not get their own work published because of the harsh censorship by government. They have used the art of translation to convey their own frustration and ideals through Shakespeare’s works.”

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