Spring Film Series, Part 3 of 6: Treeless Mountain
7pm, John B. Davis Lecture Hall, Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center
March 10 Join us for the second Alumni Film Series named "Hidden Gems and Surprises" happening 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 24-March 31. A small, poetic film made by U.S. – based South Korean filmmaker So Yong Kim tells the story of 6-year-old Jin and her sister, Bin, whose mother dumps them with her alcoholic sister-in-law. Resentful but resourceful, Jin and her sister go into business catching and roasting grasshoppers to sell to other children as snacks. The girls learn that the way to get what they want – what they need – isn't by hoarding, but by letting go. Hidden Gems participants will see four films on campus, discuss the Oscars, and venture out to a local theater together to view a new release. Sign up to see just this film for $5, or all four on-campus screenings for $20. Email Stephen Sporer for more information.
Register online
6pm, The Russia House, 1800 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
Enjoy a beverage and good conversation at the Russia House with Macalester alumni living in the D.C. metro area. Please let Zach Teicher '07 know you plan to attend by emailing him at zteicher@gmail.com.
Professor Mark Davis's Biology Lecture in London
7pm, Christopher Ingold Building, Ramsey Lecture Theater, UCL main campus, London, UK
Professor Mark Davis will be in London for a BBC interview and will present to the region's alumni about his latest book about invasive species, Invasion Biology (Oxford University Press, January 2009). For planning purposes, email Nathan Peters to let him know you will be attending. If you're on Facebook, RSVP for the event here.
Spring Film Series, Part 4 of 6: Field Trip to Uptown Theatre
7pm, Uptown Theatre, 2906 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55408
Join us for the second Alumni Film Series, "Hidden Gems and Surprises," happening 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 24-March 31. For our fourth meeting, we will venture out to the Uptown Theatre in Minneapolis to see The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski first feature in four years (view trailer). An old-school thriller, the film has a very Hitchcock-ian feel, as it slingshots McGregor's "everyman" into a world of political intrigue and deception. As almost all critics have noted, Brosnan's ex-PM is a thinly disguised take on Tony Blair, whose recent testimonial before an British Iraq War inquiry board is adding fuel to the film's subject. Our group will catch the screening at 7 p.m. This outing is not covered by the $20 Spring Film Series fee, so be prepared to pay for your tickets to the theater in advance online or at the door. After the film, we'll migrate to the Independent for discussion and refreshments. Email Stephen Sporer for more information.
Register online for entire Spring Film Series
Alumni Day at the Wildlife Science Center
2:30pm, 5463 West Broadway, Forest Lake, MN
Get ready for spring by doing something wild! Mac alumni, their families, and their dogs are going to the Wildlife Science Center. Dog friendly dogs are welcome for some off-leash fun in a safe and fenced area. It's not necessary to bring a dog to enjoy this fun and educational event. If you bring a child, please make sure that your children stay safe around the dogs. Keep small children near you and do not allow them to run which may cause dogs to chase and nip them. $10 per person payable at the event; ages 4 & up. Cleaning out your garage? Donate items to the WSC! See if your extra items are on the WCS's wish list. Contact Andi Wulff at wulff@macalester.edu or 651-696-6083 with questions or if you plan to attend.
Show others you're planning to attend by RSVPing to our Facebook event
Macalester Concert Choir Concert Performs in New York City
3pm, First Presbyterian Church, 12 West 12th Street, NYC
Join Reverend Dr. Jon Walton '69, senior pastor, and Macalester alumni to hear the Macalester Concert Choir, under direction of Eugene Rogers, perform their last concert of the New York and Delaware tour at The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York. Meet the choir members and enjoy refreshments at a reception immediately following their performance. The choir will head directly from First Church to the airport at 5 p.m., please attend and give them a friendly send-off as they head back to Mac.
Peeps dioramas for the History vs. Classics Peeps Diorama contest are due.
Spring Film Series, Part 5 of 6: City of Men
7pm, John B. Davis Lecture Hall, Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center
Join us for the second Alumni Film Series named "Hidden Gems and Surprises" happening 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 24-March 31. A Brazilian gang story from the same people who brought us the intense and frightening City of God, City of Men follows the friendship of Ace and Wallace, 18-year-olds living amid the squalor and danger of a Rio de Janeiro favela, keeping their jobs, staying out of the drug wars and, in the case of Ace, trying to raise his baby son. Energetic and occasionally inspired, the film deepens the case that there's a vital new essence to Brazilian cinema. Hidden Gems participants will see four films on campus, discuss the Oscars, and venture out to a local theater together to view a new release. Sign up to see just this film for $5, or all four on-campus screenings for $20. Email Stephen Sporer for more information.
Register online
EnviroThursday - Sustainable Landscapes Perception
12pm, Olin-Rice Science Center 250
Speaker: Fred Rozumalski, Registered Landscape Architect with Barr Engineering
It's been said that perception is reality - this is certainly evident when lakeshore property owners perceive native plant communities to be unattractive and messy, or when a severely degraded narrowleaf cattail monoculture wetlands are seen as pristine and beautiful. Native plant communities set within residential or public landscapes are often destroyed because they do not meet people's aesthetic of neatness.
We are conditioned to identify property owners of neat and tidy landscapes as good people who care about their property and the community. In our culture landscape neatness reflects directly on the integrity of the property owner. But these very practices of creating landscape neatness - mowing, fertilizing, applying pesticides and watering - often result in the degradation of the very property for which the owner is (unconsciously) trying to portray good stewardship.
By incorporating the aesthetic of neatness into lakeshore restorations, designers and restorationists enable property owners to take pride in the creation of diverse, ecologically sound landscapes while preserving the perception of personal integrity and good stewardship. Incorporating 'cues to care' such as clean, mown edges, blooming ildflowers, attractive fences and high quality materials into lakeshore landscapes provides a level of neatness to satisfy our neatness aesthetic and preserve the native landscape.
Fred Rozumalski has co-authored a book on Landscaping for Wildlife and Water Quality. He is a member of the Board for the Minnesota Project, an organization that focuses on the sustainable production and equitable distribution of energy and food across Minnesota.
Refreshments provided.
San Francisco Alumni Discuss Happy by Alex Lemon '00
6:30pm, Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., San Francisco
Meet with Bay area alumni at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Alex Lemon's acclaimed memoir, Happy, then hear the Mac alumnus discuss his book at 7:30 p.m. Contact Rachel Bunkers-Harmes '08 with questions and to RSVP.
M Clubbers Unite for Men's and Women's Tennis
12pm, Macalester Tennis Courts
Cheer on the Scots men's and women's tennis teams as they take on Bethel. Women's matches begin at noon and men's matches begin at 3 p.m.
An Evening of Jazz with Geri Allen
8pm, Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center & Gallery
The Macalester Concert Choir and the Mac Jazz Big Band collaborate in a joint concert with the internationally known and award-winning jazz pianist, composer and arranger, Geri Allen. Allen will conduct several master classes and rehearsals; culminating in a final performance with both the choir and jazz band. Standard jazz charts, music of Geri Allen, and an excerpt from Mary Lou Williams' Mary Lou's Mass will be performed.
Spring Film Series, Part 6 of 6: Adventureland
7pm, John B. Davis Lecture Hall, Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center
Join us for the second Alumni Film Series named "Hidden Gems and Surprises" happening 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 24-March 31. Greg Mottola's semi-autobiographical comedy Adventureland (view trailer) follows college graduate James who is forced to take a job at a crumbling amusement park while his plans for a summer trek across Europe implode. He ponders his future and falls for arcade girl Em. Instead of dispatching its hero on a rowdy European jaunt to become a man, Adventureland presents the more realistic notion that growing up can sometimes happen when you least expect it. This is the last of the six-part Alumni Spring Film Series. Sign up to see just this film for $5, or all four on-campus screenings for $20. Email Stephen Sporer for more information.
Register online
7pm, At the home of Alison McIntosh '01
Enjoy a lively discussion of the book In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin, select as Publisher Week's Top 10 books for 2009, with Portland-area alumni. Eight interconnected stories explore a cutthroat feudal society and its complicated network of patronage, a micro-society servants, families, and opportunists surrounding wealthy patron K.K. Harouni. E-mail Alison McIntosh '01 at alison_mcintosh@hotmail.com to RSVP and for directions to her home.
Visit Danniyal Mueenuddin's website
Macalester Goes to the Minnesota Roller Girls Championship Bout
5pm, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul
Join Macalester alumni in the stands and on the track for the Minnesota Roller Girls 2010 Championship Bout. Cheer on our five alumni who are involved in this action-packed sport: Honeydew Felon '97, Madame De Stompadour '08, Rizzo '96, Umpire Strikes Back '95, and RockIt Boy '96. The Macalester College Pipe Band will perform. Join us for pre-bout gathering and cash bar happy hour from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at O'Gara's, Brewpub Room, 164 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, then take the Shamrock shuttle from O’Gara’s to the Roy Wilkins for the 7:30 p.m. bout (a free ride for O’Gara’s patrons.) If you prefer to meet us at Roy Wilkins, plan to be seated by 7:15 p.m. $10 per ticket, limit four per order. Contact Andi Wulff at wulff@macalester.edu with questions.
Register online
D.C. Alumni Happy Hour with the Geography Department
6pm, Open City, 2331 Calvert St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Meet up with Macalester alumni, faculty, and staff attending the annual meeting of the American Geographers Conference for a happy hour. Come and congratulate Professor David Lanegran '63 for receiving the AAG's Gilbert Grosvenor Honors for Geographic Education award. Light appetizers provided. Cash bar. Email Abby Tofte '09, abbytofte@gmail.com, for more information. To help us keep an accurate count, please register to attend.
Register to attend online
Visit Open City's website
More about the AAG Annual Meeting
Songs of Love, Hope, and Faith featuring Igor Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms"
8pm, Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center & Gallery
The Macalester Combined Choirs unite with the Festival Chorale (faculty, staff and community members) to sing Stravinsky's hauntingly impassioned Symphony of Psalms, featuring pianists Mark Mazullo, chair of the Music Department and professor, and piano proficiency coordinator Claudia Chen. In addition, the Macalester Concert Choir will perform selections by Brahms, Matthew Harris, a new composition by professor Carleton Macy, and Antonio Vivaldi's Magnificat with soprano soloist Rabihah Davis. All faculty, staff and community members interested in singing in this performance should contact Eugene Rogers at 651-696-6804 or erogers2@macalester.edu.
Great Scots Trip: Springtime in the Heartland
Explore the history and geography of the Minnesota Iowa border country with David Lanegran '63, John S. Holl Professor and chair of Macalester's Geography Department. April 25-27, $385 per person. Bus tour departs from Weyerhaeuser Hall on the Macalester Street side. Email Carol Polk for more information.
Download brochure and registration form
Join D.C.-area Macalester alumni to participate in Hands on D.C., an area-wide work day dedicated to improving the District's public schools. Further details to be announced. Contact Rachel Firgens '07 for more information.
Visit Hands-On D.C. website
Annual James Wallace Society Dinner
6pm, Alexander G. Hill Ballroom, Kagin Commons
By invite only for those who have made a commitment to Macalester's future through an estate provision or life income gift. The James Wallace Society honors those whose gifts of future support will help to ensure Macalester's continued excellence. Social begins at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Invitations will be sent in April. Not a member yet? Contact Christine Solso, director of planned giving, solso@macalester.edu. She'll answer all of your questions—and make sure you get your invitation to this special dinner!