The 2008-2009 Year of the Citizencan be summarized through its two main goals. First, a commitment to pursuing an intellectual inquiry into the concepts of citizenship and civic engagement. Three fundamental questions were explored and the conversation proceeded throughout the year:
- Who is a citizen?
- What are the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship?
- And, is it important to engage your fellow citizens in the political community?
The second goal assumed that the answer to the last question was yes and focused on the subsequent question: how can citizens engage their communities productively?
Through a variety of activities during the year, students recognized that the skills they learn here at Lynchburg College can also be used to engage their communities in a productive manner. While we devoted time and resources to helping students prepare to vote last November, the focus of the entire year was much broader and suggested to students that voting is only one of many important ways they can engage their community.
Highlights for the spring semester included:
1/26 - 4/27 The spring speakers for Senior Symposium. Hall Campus Center Ballroom, 12 to 12:50 p.m.
2/11 Film and Discussion
One Night, One Voice: An advocacy night to end violence against women in Darfur. LC's Chapter of Stand: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition will show the nationwide premier of a Save Darfur Coalition-produced short film titled, "Violence Against Women and the Darfur Genocide." Following the showing, participants will take part in a live-streamed panel discussion featuring celebrity and expert voices on gender-based violence. Hopwood Hall, Room 11, 7:30 p.m.
2/11 Film and Forum
Wise County Open Forum and Movie: Sludge. Stemming from the Wise County Hiking Trip, Alliance for Energy Awareness (AFEA) is having an open forum about their experience and will show the movie Sludge, which documents the Oct. 11, 2000 Martin County coal waste spill 30 times larger than the Exxon Valdez spill. Pizza will be served. Dining Room, Burton Student Center, 8 p.m.
2/12 "Let Freedom Ring"
Moses Greenfair, A re-enactment of one of Dr. King's greatest speeches. Sponsored by Lynchburg College's Black Student Association. Hall Campus Center Ballroom, 6 p.m.
2/17 Faculty Lecture Series
"To Forgive is Divine: Felon Disenfranchisement and Evangelicalism."Dr. Kenneth Wagner, assistant professor of sociology and criminology, Lynchburg College. Reception following. Sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs. Daura Gallery, Dillard Fine Arts Center, 4 p.m.
2/19 Year of the Citizen Faculty Lecture
"Art and the Civic Imagination,"Dr. Chidsey Dickson, Assistant Professor of English, Schewel Hall 232, 4 p.m.
2/22-24 "Congress to Campus" Program
The Honorable Ken Hechler (D-W. Va., 1959-1977) and the Honorable Ron Sarasin (R-Conn., 1973-1979) will be on campus to meet with students, faculty, and staff in classes and scheduled programs. They will deliver a public address focusing on the importance of citizenship on Monday, February 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Sydnor Performance Hall in Schewel Hall (free and open to the public). For more information about LC's "Congress to Campus"program, contact Dr. Tim Meinke (meinke@lynchburg.edu). For more information about the national "Congress to Campus" program, visit http://www.usafmc.org/default.asp?pagenumber=8
2/26 Year of the Citizen Faculty/Staff Lecture
"Peace Corps: The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love," Shannon Brennan, Director of Media Relations, Schewel Hall 232, 4 p.m.
3/2Jennie Cutler Shumate Lecture on Christian Ministry
"The Ministry of Trust and the Trust in Ministry," Dr. Martin Marty, Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago; columnist, The Christian Century. Snidow Chapel, 7:30 p.m.
3/3 John M. Turner Lecture in the Humanities
"James Madison's Political Philosophy: Angels, Philosophers, and Machines,"Dr. Richard Matthews, chair, Department of Political Science, Lehigh University. Sydnor Performance Hall, Elliot & Rosel Schewel Hall, 8 p.m.
3/6-8Black Theatre Ensemble of Lynchburg Production of
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange (1975).
Twenty poems performed by a cast of nine nameless women, each known only by a color, dealing with love, abandonment, rape, and abortion. Cost: $10 (LC ID, no charge). Information: 434/544-8330. Sponsored by Multicultural, Access and Commuter Services (MACS) and Black Theatre Ensemble of Lynchburg. Hopwood Hall Auditorium. March 6-7, 8 p.m.; March 8, 3 p.m.
3/26 Ida Wise East Memorial Lecture
"International Citizenship: Appreciating Self and Others in a Multicultural World," Dr. Robert Eldridge '90, associate professor, Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP); director, U.S.-Japan Alliance Affairs Division, Center for International Security Studies and Policy (CISSP), Osaka University. Hopwood Hall Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
4/9 Year of the Citizen Faculty/Staff Lecture
“The Silver Tsunami,” Denise Scruggs, director of the Beard Center on Aging. The population in the United States is rapidly aging. By 2030, the number of Americans aged 65 and older will be over 71 million, which is more than double what it is now. Many are calling this new phenomenon a “silver tsunami.” What will this mean to you? How will it influence your life, your retirement, and the lives of your family members? We will discuss national and local statistics and the impact this population shift will have on our personal lifestyles, workplaces, local governments, and public health programs. Schewel Hall 215, 4 p.m.
4/20-5/15 Daura Gallery Exhibition
"20th Anniversary: The Fall of the Berlin Wall,""Ikonen Einer Grenzanlage/Icons of a Border Installation." A reflection of the photographic search for traces of the Berlin Wall in today's Berlin; designed and implemented by students of the University of Paderborn, Germany, and circulated by the Goethe-Institut Chicago. Exhibition and affiliated programs at Lynchburg College coordinated by students in the Museums in the Public Dimension course. Opening reception, April 23, 4 p.m. Daura Gallery, Dillard Fine Arts Center.
4/25 Year of the Citizen End of the Year Celebration: "Political Leader, Environmental Steward, Good Neighbor"
Daylong celebration of citizenship and service. Activities include speakers, College Lake cleanup, music and activities in the Dell. Contact Vince Milone (milone@lynchburg.edu) for more information.
4/26 Select Sunday in the Daura Gallery
"A West German's Perspective of the Cold War,"Dr. Georg Schwarzmann, assistant professor of German and Spanish, Lynchburg College. Daura Gallery, Dillard Fine Arts Center, 2 p.m.