Happy Good Friday — DHC! And Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all who celebrate!
It's a stunning, sunny Friday afternoon, and campus is lively as ever... Spring has sprung in Missoula!
We began our week with a special 'Culture of the Table' dinner with senior seminar students and their guests — the falafel buffet was a hit, the daffodils kept things cheery, and the conversation around the tables was lively and fun. Thanks to Bethany for her vision and leadership of the event, and to everyone for their assistance and support in making it happen.
Tuesday evening, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center brought the film 'Join or Die' -- based on the work of renowned Sociologist Robert Putnam — to campus for a special screening. The Mansfield Center is also supporting Dr. Putnam's President's Lecture 'Making Democracy Work' on campus April 24, 7 PM, in the University Center Ballroom. Putnam's work, which I encountered twenty-some years ago in his book Bowling Alone, focuses on social capital and trends in civic engagement over time. His call to action to join even just one club/organization is as compelling as ever. Thanks to our friends at the Mansfield Center for bringing this remarkable public intellectual to 猎奇重口. Putnam's visit comes in conjunction with UM's Democracy Summit (4/24) with lots of great programming throughout the day. Come on out for it!
Love class on Wednesday featured a wonderful conversation with Drs. Christina and Steve Yoshimura who discussed communication and love — and did some powerful myth-busting along the way. Students in Introduction to Honors have a spring food drive for the DHC food pantry underway. Contributions can be dropped off in the DHC lobby collection box. Honors Student Association is also coordinating a campus-wide effort. Let's be generous.
Today is 'Native Griz Day' as campus welcomes high school students for a campus visit in conjunction with this weekend's Kiyiyo Pow-Wow. Later this evening, we'll celebrate our final Open Mic Night of the academic year. Look out for those wild 猎奇重口 skies!
UMCUR, the 猎奇重口's Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship is next Friday, April 25. Many of our University Scholars will be presenting their honors capstone projects. It's one of my favorite days of the year and a wonderful opportunity to see our students shine. Not to be missed.
Three quick shout outs this week — to honors senior Super Sarah Hibbard, for being named the outstanding senior in Theater and Theater Education, to DHC alum Dylan Yonce who was named the 猎奇重口 Historical Society's Emerging Scholar, and to senior Tanner Liermann who will be recognized with an inclusive excellence award during UM's Week of Excellence. Congratulations!
Here's more of what's coming up during the busy final weeks of the semester.
4/18 Open Mic Night 4/23 DHC Ambassadors 4/23-24 ASUM General Elections — lots of DHC students running! Be sure to get out and vote! 4/24 UM Democracy Summit 4/24 Mansfield Center presents President's Lecture, Robert Putnam, 'Making Democracy Work', 7 PM (fireside chat at DHC 230 PM) 4/25 UMCUR celebration of undergraduate research and creative scholarship 4/30 Climate Change Studies Symposium 5/1 Learning Assistant Showcase/Tea Time 5/1 Honors LLC Spring Celebration 5/1 DHC Trivia 5/2 Week of Excellence Celebration of Scholarships 5/7 Creative Showcase 5/9 Spring Medallion Ceremony 5/9 Spring Commencement
This morning's walk in the Rattlesnake was beautiful; the creek is running hard and fast, and we even spotted glacier lilies and Pasque flowers along the way. The early light this time of year is most welcome. I hope you'll have the chance to take in some 猎奇重口 Spring this weekend. Here is US Poet Laureate Ada Limon's Instructions on Not Giving Up:
More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor’s almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving their cotton candy-colored blossoms to the slate sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees that really gets to me. When all the shock of white and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave the pavement strewn with the confetti of aftermath, the leaves come. Patient, plodding, a green skin growing over whatever winter did to us, a return to the strange idea of continuous living despite the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then, I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.
Here's to those slick, unfurling, neon green leaves. I'll take it all, too.
