Evening of Ives

You are cordially invited to an Evening of Ives, Valparaiso University Theatre Department’s last production of the year, directed by VU senior theatre major Caroline Crafton.  Two comedies by David Ives will be performed: The Philadelphia and English Made Simple. Production time is 35 minutes, in case you’re cramped for time. The Performances will take place this Friday (May 1st) and Saturday (May 2nd) at 8 pm in the Studio Theater. Admission is free.  Don’t miss out!

A Brief History of the Solar System (and Why Pluto Got “Demoted”)

A talk by Dr. Adam Rengstorf, Purdue University Calumet

Friday, May 1, 7:30 pm in Neils Science Center 224

Many of us remember memorizing in elementary school an acronym for the names of the nine planets (My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas). For better or worse, this listing is no longer the case. With the formal definition of a planet by the International Astronomical Union in August of 2006, Earth is now one of eight planets in our solar system, with Pluto reclassified.  I will present a brief overview of the solar system with an eye towards how and when the planets were discovered, when and why planets have been demoted (yes, it’s happened more than once), and the necessity and appropriateness of the official IAU definition.

8:30-9:30 Telescope viewing at VU Observatory ( or Planetarium show in NSC if cloudy)

BSFA Student Exhibition

Brauer Museum of Art

Opening Reception

BSFA Student Exhibition

featuring Renee Brozo, Adam Hager and Patrick Lay

Friday, April 24, 2009 7 pm

Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Flyer: BSFA Opening Reception

For the Bible Tells Me So

Neils Science Center, room 234, 8 pm.–TONIGHT! (Wed, 4/22)

In connection with National Day of Silence, there will be a screening and discussion of the film “For the Bible Tells Me So,” sponsored by Alliance.

The movie is an exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S., and how the Bible has been used in the debate over homosexuality. This discussion will be tied in with the recent campus workshop on sexual orientation and will also explore new issues within this overall topic.

Literary Masked Ball

Saturday April 25th, 2009, 7 pm - 11 pm

Valparaiso University, Harre Union Ballrooms B&C

Hosted by Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society, Kappa Phi Chapter

Come enjoy a night of literary fun, experience new works of literature you may not have known about before (or re-experience old favorites), eat a meal with others, and learn a ballroom dance! This will be a night of food, fun, and literary surprises.  We plan to have literary themed tables, toasts, and scenes re-enacted from different literary works. Purchase a ticket for $11 at the Union Info desk, dress in semi-formal attire (formal highly encouraged!), wear a mask, and show up at 7 pm on Sat. April 25th!

This event is open to students, faculty, staff, administration, and the Valparaiso community.  We look forward to seeing you there.  For more information, please feel free to contact Katelyn.Power@valpo.edu or our chapter president, Jenna.Johnson@valpo.edu.

Come at 6 pm for a free ballroom dance lesson!

Law Day

Thursday, April 16, 12:30-4:00 pm

Huegli Hall, Lumina Room

12:45-1:30: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Social Justice

1:45-2:15: Breakout sessions

•    The Law School Admissions Time-Line

•    Surviving the First-Year of Law School

2:30-3:30: Legal Practitioners Panel on Career Paths in the Law

Panel includes a US Federal Judge, a JAG Corps Attorney, a Public Defender, and a Civil Litigator

Networking Reception to Follow

Sponsored by: Prelaw Society, Office of Graduate Studies, and
College of Arts and Sciences

Flyer: Law Day

Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica

A talk by Dr. John P. Wefel (VU ‘66), Louisiana State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Friday, April 17, 7:30 pm in Neils Science Center 234

Antarctica is the “continent of science.”  While best known for the early explorers (e.g., Scott) who traveled there to cross the continent and reach the South Pole, modern day explorers are more likely to wear white lab coats and be studying a wide variety of scientific questions, including those in astronomy and astrophysics.  Antarctic facilities include telescopes, neutron monitors, in-ice detectors for high-energy neutrinos, and balloon launch infrastructure for high altitude investigations.  The last, in particular, offer some of the best means to study cosmic rays, cosmic microwave background radiation, and cosmic infrared radiation.   Highlights from several of these investigations will be discussed along with the living and working conditions on the frozen continent.

8:30-9:30 Telescope viewing at VU Observatory ( or Planetarium show in NSC if cloudy)

9:30-10:30 Remote telescopic viewing through the SARA telescope in Arizona (NSC 234)

Flyer: Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica

Black Violin

Free Concert Performance by Black Violin, brought to you by Union Board!

Black Violin is a male duo who play classical violins along with their DJ who mixes some of the most recent and fun music around. Together, they bring a sound that has never been heard before. This is a once in a lifetime experience to see two genres of music collide in the best way.

Tickets are free to all VU Students, Faculty and Staff with Valpo ID and are available at the Welcome Desk of the Harre Union.

The event starts at 9 pm, Thursday April 23 and takes place in the Ballroom.

You do not want to miss out on this upbeat concert!

Published in:Union Board, Music, Upcoming 5th Hour Events |on April 13th, 2009 |No Comments »

The Great Lakes Water Wars

A presentation by Peter Annin,

Author of The Great Lakes Water Wars

April 21, 2009

7:00pm

Valparaiso University

Neils Science Center 234

A veteran conflict and environmental journalist, Peter Annin spent more than a decade reporting on a wide variety of issues for Newsweek.  He has spent many years writing about the environment, including droughts in the Southwest, hurricanes in the Southeast, wind power on the Great Plains, forest fires in the mountain West, recovery efforts on the Great Lakes, and the causes and consequences of the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico.

Since January 2000 Annin has worked as Associate Director of the Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources, a nonpartisan national nonprofit that organizes educational fellowships for mid-career environmental journalists. (www.ijnr.org) In September 2006 he published his first book, The Great Lakes Water Wars, which has been called the definitive work on the Great Lakes water diversion controversy (www.greatlakeswaterwars.com). In 2007 the book received the Great Lakes Book Award for nonfiction.

Peter will give a general summary of the water diversion controversies found in The Great Lakes Water Wars, and close the gap between the end of the book and the current status of the Great Lakes Compact.  Issues specifically relevant to Indiana and Valparaiso will also be addressed.

There will be a book sale and signing immediately following the presentation.

Flyer: The Great Lakes Water Wars

Greener Pastures: A New Era of Environmental Policy?

The Conversations Project will be hosting an event on environmental justice.

Greener Pastures: A New Era of Environmental Policy?

The event will take place on Tuesday, April 7th, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Christopher Center Community Room.  Panelists will discuss U.S. environmental policy in connection the movement towards international environmental regulation including the Kyoto accords.  Panelists will share their views on policy options on the national level as well as their experiences regarding the effects of environmental regulation on Indiana.

The panel will include: Dana Dobosz, a second-year law student and a former Park Ranger at the Indiana Dunes; Marty Irwin, director of Indiana’s Center for Coal Technology Research; and Kim Ferraro, a graduate of the Valparaiso University School of Law and the Executive Director of the Legal Environmental Aid Foundation of Northwest Indiana.  The discussion will be moderated by two second-year law students; Nathan Vis and Joshua (J.J.) Hermes.  J.J. is also the leader of the Valparaiso’s Environmental Law Society.