Recently in Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work Category

Written by Dwight Bachman and Ed Osborn

Willimantic, Conn. --  1,256 undergraduates and 41 graduate students heard the roars and cheers of thousands of their family members and friends as they celebrated their achievements at Eastern Connecticut State University's 123nd  Commencement exercises at the XL Center in Hartford on May 14. 

Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest member of the "Little Rock Nine," gave the Commencement Address, telling the graduates "This is your moment, a time you have been looking forward to and working toward since you first arrived at Eastern.  Celebrate the moment; seize it.  Step out into your future bravely and boldly."  LaNier noted that the graduates were bound to encounter challenges.  Those experiences will be "the greatest teacher in the grand classroom of life. Those challenges will show you who you really are."

The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, AR, in 1957. Due to the segregation policies of Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus and the mob atmosphere in Little Rock at the time, President Dwight Eisenhower ordered 1,000 members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division to Arkansas to provide protection and escort the nine students to class throughout the 1957-58 school year.

Despite the daily military escort, LaNier and her friends were kicked, hit with rocks, threatened, and shunned. Her own home was firebombed.  As the onslaught continued, "the more determined I became to get my diploma."  Today, she has "made peace with my past."
 
LaNier turned to the Class of 2013 and encouraged them to have the same commitment: "Finish whatever goals you have set for yourself.  Find the strength, fortitude and determination to see it through. When you see injustice, how will you respond?  I hope you take the heroic stand." LaNier was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa at the Commencement Exercises.
 

Eastern President Elsa M. Nunez told the graduates, "There is no other country in the world that places its future so firmly in the hands of the people.  You are now the next generation of citizen leaders in our state and in our nation.  . . . The world needs your energy, your enthusiasm, and your skills . . . There is a challenge out there ready for you to conquer, whether it's helping out at your church or synagogue, volunteering at the local senior center, or inventing a new surgical procedure. There is a team somewhere that needs you to complete its mission."

As an example of the contributions Eastern students are making in the world, Nunez cited more than 100,000 hours of volunteer work performed by Eastern students, faculty, and staff each year in local communities, noting that President Barack Obama's had named Eastern to his National Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the third time in four years that past March.At the same time, President Nunez told the graduates to "be yourself and do what makes you happy," and quoted New England bard Henry Thoreau, who wrote: "Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still."

From the Governor's Foot Guard Color Guard in attendance, to the plaintive sound of the bagpipes of the St. Patrick's Pipe Band and the pre-event music of the Thread City Brass Quintet, Eastern's graduation ceremonies were marked by dignity, grace and elegance. Senior Jessica Johnson sang "America the Beautiful," and Senior Class President Thomas Balestracci presented President Núñez with the class gift, a scholarship funded by more than 200 donations from the graduating class. Balestracci encouraged his classmates to continue donating so that the scholarship would grow. "We have all benefited from our experiences here at Eastern. These experiences are the ones that we will keep with us forever as we move on. They will be the ones we will look back upon and realize that they have helped us become who we are today.  We lived up each day like it was our last at Eastern, and now, it really is our last day. We have turned our dreams into reality during our time at this University and we made memories that will last a lifetime."

Yvette Melendez, vice president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, the governing body for the 17 Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, brought greetings on behalf of the Board of Regents.  "Congratulations to each and every one of you for reaching this incredible milestone.  This is one of those moments that will forever be embedded in your memory.  You are at the beginning of a future you have just begun to mold.  You took the first step in that journey by enrolling at Eastern.  You have much to be proud of."  Meléndez urged the graduates to make their contribution to society "in the way that Eastern has taught you.  You have worked exceedingly hard . . . you have learned that regardless of major, you are part of a community."

Nana Owusu-Agyemang of Ghana, West Africa, delivered the Senior Class Address. She thanked the faculty for their support, saying, "During my time here at Eastern, I have met professors that I simply cannot forget -- professors who really care for their students. It will forever strike me how much time professors at Eastern are willing to spend with each student...how much of themselves they give.  It's not just the professors who make Eastern what it is. At Eastern it's not just about imparting knowledge, it's about joining hands to mold each student into a richer person academically and mentally, as well." Owusu-Agyemang closed by quoting the late philosopher Alan Watts, who once said, "The attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be."
"May our truth be a good truth," said Owusu-Agyemang. "May our world be a good world. May our mark be a good mark."

 
Carlotta Walls LaNier made history at age 14 when she enrolled at Central High School as a sophomore. On the first day of school she was surrounded by an angry mob that prevented the nine African American students from entering the building. After two weeks of protests and violence, President Dwight Eisenhower sent U.S. Army troops to Little Rock to protect the "Little Rock Nine" by escorting them to class for a year. Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus closed Little Rock schools for the 1958-59 school year, forcing LaNier to take correspondence courses. In June 1960, she became the first African American female student to graduate from Central High School.
LaNier has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the prestigious Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1958, and the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award, which was bestowed upon the Little Rock Nine in 1999 by President Bill Clinton. She is also the author of "A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice of Little Rock Central High School."

Written by Danielle Couture

Willimantic, CT - - The Willimantic Lion's Club and students from Eastern Connecticut State University's Habitat for Humanity Club formed a partnership for humanity on April 13 to paint several rooms in the homes of senior citizens who live on Lebanon Avenue in Willimantic.

This is the fourth collaboration between these two local organizations. "It was rewarding for all of us to have the opportunity to work together to brighten up the living space of Willimantic senior citizens," said Charles Wynn, chairman of the Partnership for Humanity Willimantic Lions Club and professor of chemistry at Eastern. "It was also a great opportunity for Willimantic Lions to meet a group of Eastern students who have been making a difference in the community, and for those students to learn about the world's largest and most active service organization."

Lions Club International has 1.35 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in 207 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions Clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world.

For information about the Willimantic Lions Club, visit www.willimanticlionsclub.org or www.lionsclub.org or contact Colin Rice, membership director at (860)-456-1111.
 
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian housing ministry. Habitat welcomes all people -- regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or any other difference -- to build simple, decent, affordable houses for those who lack adequate shelter. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 300,000 houses, providing shelter for more than 1.5 million people in over 90 countries around the world. For information about the Habitat for Humanity, visit www.habitat.org.

For information about the Eastern chapter, contact Peter Bachiochi, faculty advisor at (860)-465-4551.

Written by Gabrielle Little

Willimantic, Conn. - Eastern Connecticut State University's School of Arts and Sciences will hold its 13th annual Student Research and Exhibition Conference from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on April 13 in the Science Building. The public is invited. Admission is free.

More than 100 students, supported by more than 50 faculty mentors, will present projects and presentations showcasing nine departments in the School of Arts and Sciences.

From 9:30-11:50 a.m., students will present oral presentations in the Science Building. From 11:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m., poster presentations will be on display in the Science Building Lobby and visual arts exhibits can be viewed in Room 223 of the Student Center. The exhibits will include digital art, prints, paintings, drawings, sculptures and books created by Eastern students.

The projects range from presentations such as "Artificial Structures in Marine Environments: Do Materials Influence the Success of Invasive Species?" by Biology major Sheona Douglas '14 of Bloomfield, to "CIRC DU TAROT: The symbolism of the Major Arcana Through Circus Illustrations" by Communication major Lindsey Ancel '13 of Milford.

Eastern's Jazz Ensemble will close out the ceremony.

Written by Dwight Bachman

     Willimantic, CT - Eastern Connecticut State University has been honored by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the U.S. Department of Education as one of the nation's colleges and universities that are leading the way in bettering their communities through community service and service learning.

     Eastern was one of 609 institutions of higher learning acknowledged on President Obama's "Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll" earlier this month, recognized for their work in serving local communities through volunteer programs and other activities.

     "Community service has been a hallmark at Eastern since our earliest days in the 1890s as the Willimantic State Normal School," said Eastern President Elsa Núñez. "Today, our Center for Community Engagement works closely with our faculty to ensure that the service that our students perform in local communities aligns with their academic programs.  In providing thousands of hours a year of service to dozens of social agencies and nonprofits, Eastern students are demonstrating their social responsibility while learning valuable professional and organizational skills.

     To be recognized by President Obama as a university that exemplifies such service is something that everyone on our campus should be proud of." To better coordinate student service projects in the community, Eastern's Center for Community Engagement (CCE) was launched in September 2009. A full-time director, assistant director, a shared administrative assistant, an AmeriCorps VISTA member and a part-time university assistant staff the center. The center also provides leadership opportunities through federal work-study employment for students.

     Eastern's commitment to service is exemplified by the comprehensive volunteer efforts in area schools by Eastern students. Programs to assist schools with student academic performance, behavior and motivation are widespread and effective in all six schools in the district, as well as in local preschool programs. From 2008-09 to 2011-12 Eastern's Center for Early Childhood Education partnered with two area early learning centers to address early literacy. Over the three-year period ending in the 2011-12 academic year, the project improved the language and early literacy skills of nearly 600 preschool-aged children by providing professional development and literacy coaching to 50 teachers and staff. Thirty-nine Eastern students were involved in this project through academic coursework.

         Eastern students are also engaged in local schools outside of the classroom. Four hundred and forty-nine students volunteered 5,180 hours in long-term volunteering programs in Windham schools through the CCE and student clubs. Including students who participated in academic service-learning, more than 1,000 students contributed more than 60,000 volunteer hours in area schools. Students in the Business Administration Department provide database and website services to area nonprofits, assisting them in providing more effective services. Nonprofits also benefit from students engaged in the Community Grant Service Corps, supported by the Office of Academic Affairs. Students learn how to assist nonprofits with grant research, through use of the University's "Work Hub," an on-campus worksite dedicated to community-campus collaborations. In all, students provided more than 100,000 hours of service to the local community in 2011-12.

      The Puentes al Futuro/Bridges to the Future Mentoring Program demonstrates Eastern's commitment to community service. English Language Learners (ELL) in the Windham Public Schools struggle with assimilation into the school community both socially and academically. The Puentes al Futuro Program assisted ELL students at Windham Middle School (WMS) by integrating in-school tutoring and mentoring with afterschool and summer academic and cultural enrichment with the goal of encouraging students to excel academically and to attend college. The program is a collaborative effort between the Center for Community Engagement (CCE), WMS teachers, family liaisons, and afterschool program staff. WMS students have developed positive mentoring relationships with Eastern volunteers who have committed to continuing their mentoring relationship with the students as they transition to high school.

       Students in the program showed very positive gains in math comprehension, from a mean of 17.8 on the pre-tests to a mean of 54.2 following the instruction. Comprehension remained high at the end of the six-week program, with a mean of 48.7. Students' language arts skills improved as they wrote poetry and performed before families. The project was supported by FWS, AmeriCorps VISTA and a state education grant.

The Collegiate Health Service Corps (CHSC) is a program coordinated by the Center for Community Engagement with a community partner, Eastern Area Health Education Center. The CHSC's mission is to expose undergraduate students to health careers through service learning experiences that promote culturally competent health and disease prevention education to medically underserved communities. Student volunteers participate in three program phases of 25 hours each.
 
     In the past year, nine students contributed 234 hours of service at three elementary schools and one after-school program at a community center in Windham, CT, during the academic year. Students conducted a needs assessment to identify nutrition, public health and wellness topics of interest to the children in each of the programs. They then developed lesson plans with weekly objectives and site-specific activities; 80 lessons were provided at the four sites. Subject areas included nutrition, bullying, staying physically active, hygiene, emergency preparedness and stress and behavior management. Students also worked with a local community garden. Program coordinators at the 4 sites expressed great satisfaction with the program, indicating that the children learned a great deal and the program helped address critical public health issues in the Windham community, which has the highest obesity rate in the state. The AmeriCorps program supported this program.

      Eastern's "Day of Giving," held on the day before Thanksgiving each year, has become one of the University's most highly acclaimed traditions. For six years in a row, more than 450 needy individuals and families have been served a Thanksgiving meal in the University's dining hall. This is a collaborative effort between students, faculty, administrators, contractors and service providers in the community to ensure that people who might otherwise go without a Thanksgiving meal are served with dignity and respect.  More than 100 volunteers from across the campus, including student servers and staff from the University's food service provider, come together to cook, serve, clean up and provide transportation for anyone in the local community who would like to attend.  In addition to the Thanksgiving meal, students work with local grocery stores to gather canned goods -- more than 5,000 items were delivered to soup kitchens and food pantries this past year.  

     In all, Eastern students, faculty and staff donate more than 106,000 hours of time annually to local communities, a value of $2.3 million annually. "Congratulations to Eastern Connecticut State University," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. "Through its work, institutions of higher education are helping improve their local communities and create a new generation of leaders by challenging students to go beyond the traditional college experience and solve local challenges."

     The CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school's commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

Written by Dwight Bachman

                                                  Parade in Hartford                                                   

     Willimantic, Conn: -- Eastern Connecticut State University and the Windham Textile and History Museum will present, "The Latino Migration Exhibit," beginning March 22 and running through Dec. 8. The exhibition is being presented at the textile museum, which is located at 411 Main St. in Willimantic. Museum hours are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

     The exhibition is a multi-media documentation of the cultural, religious, political and economic life of Latinos in Willimantic, the result of almost two years of collaboration between the museum's board of directors and Eastern faculty and staff.  The Latino Migration Exhibit is part of a series of ethnic exhibitions by the Windham Textile and History Museum to document the histories of immigration to Windham and Willimantic. The exhibit also acknowledges and celebrates the significant contributions that immigrants from Europe, Canada, and Latin America have made to the development and growth of the region since the 19th century.

   Customs officials conduct their standard inspection of new arrivals from Puerto Rico.

     On April 13 from 2-5 p.m., a public reception will take place in the textile museum as part of the exhibit, and on April 19 at 7 p.m., Norma Boujouen will give a keynote address on Latino migration to Willimantic.

Recruitment of Puerto Rican workers was facilitated by their citizenship status and the rapid expansion of commercial air traffic routes connecting Puerto Rico to the United States.

     Latinos in Willimantic are mostly of Puerto Rican heritage. "While the emphasis is mostly on Puerto Ricans because they still constitute the largest Latino sub-group in the town, through this multi-media presentation, we have also illustrated the recent history of immigration from Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic," said Ricardo Pérez, associate professor of anthropology at Eastern and guest curator. "We wanted to create a better representation of the changing landscape of Latino immigration to the town, which mirrors current trends in Latino immigration to other parts of the United States."

      "I am very pleased that our faculty and staff are part of this wonderful exhibit featuring the life of Latinos in Willimantic," said Eastern President Elsa Núñez, "and we are proud of the faculty members who have curated the exhibit. I think patrons and visitors of the Textile Museum will be impressed by the breadth of culture and history on display.  I encourage our entire community to visit the exhibit over the coming months."

Working conditions were difficult at the Hartford Poultry Company's (HPC) chicken processing plant, with tens of thousands of chickens processed daily. Puerto Ricans, largely from the western town of San Sebastían, were recruited and flown to the United States to work in the HPC plant in Willimantic as early as 1958.

     The Puerto Rican community of Willimantic has its origins in the numerous workers who were recruited during the mid-1950s to work in such industries as poultry, meat packaging, and cotton and textiles, which provided steady employment to a large number of people in eastern Connecticut.

    "The main purpose of this exhibit is to celebrate the historical, economic and cultural contributions of a very dynamic and diverse Latino community," said Arroyo. "This exhibit about the history of Puerto Rican migration to Willimantic will contribute significantly to educate the general population by focusing on the positive contributions that Puerto Ricans have made to Willimantic's history and economy."

Willimantic students in the Puentes al Futuro program receive cultural and enrichment activities as well as academic support in the summer and after-school during the school year.

     "Though the exhibit room is not large, it is filled to the rafters with an impressive display of the culture and history of Latinos," said Jamie Eves, executive director at the mill museum. "We have secured historical documents and materials that will be displayed during the exhibit. We also have identified and selected members from Puerto Rican families that first migrated to town for interviews about the history and development of the Puerto Rican community and other Latino groups since the mid-20th century."

     The exhibit focuses on four themes: labor migration, culture, religion and politics.  Eves, who is also a part-time lecturer in Eastern's History Department, provides the historical background to the economic significance of labor migration to Willimantic's economy. Interviews are conducted with Felipe Silva, a man who worked in both the Hartford Poultry Company chicken processing plant and the American Thread Company, and Maria Rivera, a woman who worked at the chicken processing facility.

                                  Mexico Festival:  Cinco de Mayo celebration.

     While the cultural focus of the exhibit is on Puerto Ricans, it also includes information on Mexicans and Mexican celebrations such as Cinco de Mayo. Interviewees on the exhibit's videos include Leonor Vásquez, who organized the Puerto Rican Awareness Week in 1987; Sofía Cortez-Gómez, who chaired Colectivo Mestizal, a cultural group dedicated to promoting Latino American and Caribbean culture in eastern Connecticut; Leticia Rodríguez, who volunteers to organize the Cinco de Mayo Festival; and Luis Díaz, a retired schoolteacher who talked about the historical significance of race and ethnicity in understanding Puerto Rican culture.

     The exhibit was installed by Roxanne Deojay, interim director of the Akus Gallery at Eastern and Art Professor Imna Arroyo, a well-known Puerto Rican artist whose work critically explores issues about culture and identity. The exhibition will showcase Latino artifacts, music, festivals, lectures, traditions, paintings, printmaking, sculpture and video kiosks, with images reproduced electronically.

Admission for adults is $7; students and seniors are $5; and tickets for members of groups are $4. Museum members and Kids Club members are admitted free of charge. Guided tours take place on Sunday at 2 p.m.

     For more information on the "Latino Migration Exhibit," contact Perez at perezr@easternct.edu ; (860) 465-0191.

Written by Christopher J. Herman

Willimantic, Conn: -- Members of the Social Work Club at Eastern Connecticut State
University are hosting, "Dating Without Hating: Taking a Stand Against Dating Violence," a series of workshops on April 9-10 designed to raise public awareness on dating violence, as well as policies and services available to protect students from dating violence. The initiative, supervised by Sociology Professor Thomas Broffman, aims to reach victims and also provide friends of victims and batterers with tools of intervention when they see red flags for dating violence.
 
The initiative, with support from Eastern's Women's Center, hopes to engage student clubs and raise public awareness in activities taking place in residence halls and sporting events. In addition to teaching Eastern students what constitutes dating violence, the group's specific objectives include teaching the warning signs of dating violence;  teaching bystanders what to do to help a victim; and because the group believes dating violence can only be ended if both men and women work together, encouraging men to attend the workshops.
 
The initiative cites the dating violence tragedy that occurred when Yeardley Love, a 22-year-old, fun-loving and ambitious lacrosse player for the University of Virginia was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend.

On April 9, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, an information table with educational literature will be set up in the Student Center. A trivia game featuring multiple choice questions on dating violence statistics and healthy versus unhealthy relationships will enable students of directly engage in a discussion on dating violence.

On April 10 at 3 p.m., Duane de Four, public speaker, educator and blogger from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will discuss healthy relationships, dating violence and bystander intervention during University Hour in the Betty R. Tipton room.

Also on April 10, from 5- 6 p.m. de Four will lead a session on dating violence for male students only. From 7 to 8 p.m., de Four will lead a third and final session, "Standing up for Love," providing his perspective on the tragic Yeardley Love incident.
 
 Research indicates dating that violence occurs in one out of five college dating relationships; 58 percent of students do not know how to help a friend who is a victim to partner violence; 40 percent of victims are under age 18, while 80 percent of victims are under 30 years of age; individuals between the ages of 20 and 24 are the most at-risk population for partner violence; 440 men were killed due to a violent relationship in 2000; in 2010, 1,017 women were killed by their intimate partner in the United States; and last year, nearly 2,400 women and children stayed in Connecticut domestic violence shelters because they were in serious physical danger.

Written by Danielle Couture

Left to right, Leslie Bueno, Mary-Beth Bailey, Stacei Browne, Stacie Greeno, President Elsa Nunez, Christine Lillis and Sociology Professor Thomas Broffman.

Willimantic, CT - - Thomas Broffman, assistant professor of social work, and five students in the Social Work program are coordinating a gambling awareness campaign during the spring semester to educate the Eastern Connecticut State University community on the warning signs and issues of problem gambling. The campaign is sponsored by the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.
 
 The campaign consists of several events that run into April. The campaign's first event welcomed Joe Turbessi, author of "Into the Muck," to Eastern on Feb. 21. Turbessi discussed how his experiences with gambling led to problems in his social and financial life, and how he eventually recovered.
 
 Eastern residence halls have events planned for the month of March to spread awareness and inform students on the effects of gambling. According to the Connecticut Council on problem gambling, the rate of gambling on college campuses is twice that of the general population. The campaign team wants to bring this message to where students live. They are concerned with the severity of the punishment and the lack of follow-up provided for those who are caught gambling in residence halls.
 
The next event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on April 4 in the Paul E. Johnson Room of the J. Eugene Smith Library, where a panel of six recovering gamblers will speak to Eastern students about their experiences and inform the community of support programs being offered.

For more information on Gambling Awareness Semester at Eastern, contact Thomas Broffman at (860) 465-0298 or broffmant@easternct.edu.

Written by Gabrielle Little

Willimantic, CT - Eastern Connecticut State University will host the 36th annual College Bowl at 7 p. m. on March 18 in the Student Center Theatre. The public is invited. Admission is free. Timothy Swanson, associate professor of physics, will host the show.

The College Bowl is a single elimination competition that consists of teams representing various academic majors on campus. The Biology team and Mathematics team are this year's finalists. In the semi-final matches, The Biology team beat the History Department Team, and The Mathematics Team beat the team of Biochemistry majors.

The winning team will be presented with a "traveling plaque," for display by the winning department for one year. The plaque was made by a member of the first winning team in 1977 and has been presented to winning teams for the past 35 years.

For more information about the show, contact Zosia Carlquist at (860) 465-4317 or carlquistz@easternct.edu, or Timothy Swanson at (860) 465-5217or swanson@easternct.edu.

Written by Nana Owusu-Agyemang

Willimantic, Conn. ¬¬- Eastern Connecticut State University will host the chamber music theatre group Core Ensemble for a theatrical performance of the production, "Tres Vidas" (Three Lives) at 7 p. m. on Nov. 1 in Shafer Auditorium. The public is invited. Admission is free. Shafer Auditorium is in Shafer Hall, located at Valley and High Streets in Willimantic.

The Core Ensemble includes Tahirah Whittington on cello; Cyrus von Hochstetter on piano; and Michael Parola on percussion, accompanied by actress Roseanne Almanzar.

"Tres Vidas" celebrates the lives of three legendary Latin American women: Mexican painter Frida Kahlo; Salvadoran peasant activist Rufina Amaya; and Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni. The play involves music ranging from traditional Mexican folk and Argentine tango songs sung in Spanish to instrumental works by composers such as Astor Piazzolla and Osvaldo Golijov. Almanzar, who will portray the three legendary Latinas, portrays multiple characters while interacting with the onstage musical trio of cello, piano and percussion.

With storylines including Frida Kahlo's dramatic and passionate relationship with painter Diego Rivera, Rufina Amaya's survival of the massacre at El Mozote and Alfonsina Storni's lifelong challenges as Argentina's first great feminist poet, "Tres Vidas" presents dramatic situations, timeless in their emotional appeal and connection to audiences across all gender and ethnic spectrums.

Written by Chilean poet/writer Marjorie Agosin, "Tres Vidas" offers powerful portrayals of each woman, and includes the singing of traditional Mexican folk songs, as well as Argentinean popular and tango songs made famous by Mercedes Sosa and Carlos Gardel. Additional music by Astor Piazzolla, Orlando Garcia, Pablo Ortiz, Alice Gomez, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Michael DeMurga and Osvaldo Golijov round out the musical score.

The Core Ensemble has toured in Australia, England, Russia, Ukraine, the Caribbean and across the United States. "Tres Vidas" will tour the United States during Hispanic Heritage Month, performing in California, Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Illinois, Connecticut and Maine. It receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts;  State of Florida; the U.S. State Department; Florida State Division of Cultural Affairs; A.D. Henderson Foundation; the Florida Humanities Council; and the Palm Beach County Cultural Council.

For more information, please call Ricardo Perez at (860) 465-0191 or e-mail perezr@easternct.edu.

Written by Rebecca Holdridge

Willimantic, Conn. Eastern Connecticut State University will hold an open house for prospective students from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 14. During the open house, potential students will learn about the benefits of Eastern's liberal arts education and can also tour the campus.
 
 From noon to 4 p.m. an academic, athletic and activities fair will be held in Geissler Gymnasium, where faculty, staff and coaches will discuss a wide range of opportunities for students who enroll at Eastern. At 1:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. in Room 104 of the Science Building, the Admissions Office will offer guidance on the admissions process. For Spanish-speaking students, a concurrent session will be held at 1:15 p.m. in Room 115 of the Student Center.

At 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Student Center Theatre, Eastern's Housing Office will discuss what is expected of students who live on campus. At 12:30 p.m. in the Betty R. Tipton Room of the Student Center, Eastern President Elsa Núñez will share her vision for Eastern.

At 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. in Room 219 of the Student Center, Political Science Professor Bill Salka will discuss the University Honors Program. The Financial Aid Office will hold information sessions at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Betty R. Tipton Room. At 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. in Room 110 of Webb Hall, the Department of Education faculty will discuss Eastern's Teacher Education Program, including how to apply and why the program is unique.

 Campus tours of the Child and Family Development Resource Center, the J. Eugene Smith Library, the Science Building, and other facilities will be provided throughout the afternoon.