Jacqueline Terry performs during Saturday evening's presentation of The Vagina Monologues, hosted by People Are Not Their Sex (PANTS), GMC's gender studies club. The event was part of a global Vday to end violence against women and girls. All donations went to the Rutland Women's Shelter. Photo by Emma Buckley '10 GMC Appoints New Director of Athletics Green Mountain College is pleased to welcome Marybeth S. Lennox as the College's new athletic director. She will take up her duties in early March. "Marybeth is a seasoned professional who brings a rare blend of coaching and administrative experience to the College," said Green Mountain College President Paul Fonteyn. "We're very pleased we could lure her back north to continue our proud athletic traditions here at GMC." more... Author of Best Selling World Without Us Named MSES Scholar in Residence Green Mountain College is please to announce that Alan Weisman, author of the recent New York Times bestseller The World Without Us, is the 2009 Scholar in Residence for the MSES program. Weisman's most recent book, The World Without Us, poses a puzzling question: What would the earth look like devoid of humans? A cadre of experts - from engineers, atmospheric scientists and art conservators to zoologists, oil refiners and religious leaders - weigh in on that question in a narrative that "ultimately drives toward a radical but persuasive solution that doesn't depend on our demise." Since its publication in 2007 The World Without Us has been translated into 30 languages. It was named the Best Nonfiction Book of 2007 by both Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in non-fiction. Weisman will be on campus for the 2009 fall residency. He will give a public talk as well as meet with students and participate in activities and field trips. Climate, Energy and Communities: A Community Conversation with Climate Scientist Dr. Alan Betts This spring, Green Mountain College will produce a plan to meet its obligation under the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment to become climate neutral. The Campus Sustainability Council (CSC), which will be leading this effort, is inviting all members of the GMC community to be involved in the process. To that end, CSC is hosting a community conversation with Vermont’s leading carbon researcher Dr. Alan Betts on Wednesday, February 25 from 3-5 p.m. in the Gorge. Dr. Betts will provide an overview of the latest science on climate change and discuss what climate neutrality means for an organization like GMC. Community members will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide input on this important topic. Dr. Betts is the founder of the Atmospheric Research in Pittsford, a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union, and past-president of the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering. He is a frequent speaker on climate change issues around the state, serving on two of the working groups of the Governor’s Climate Change Commission. As one of the original signatories of the President’s Climate Commitment in 2007, GMC is committed to reducing greenhouse gases on campus and integrating sustainability into the curriculum. At the time of the singing, GMC had already made significant progress towards the latter goal through its Environmental Liberal Arts (ELA) program. Last year, GMC published its greenhouse gas inventory and took steps to reduce its carbon footprint by moving ahead with plans for a new wood-fired plant which will use local, sustainable resources for heating the campus. An associated co-generation component will produce 20% of the College’s electricity, bringing GMC several steps closer to the goal of climate neutrality. Final Black History Month Event this Week The final event in a series celebrating Black History Month is a presentation from Prof. John Nassivera and student Shawn Henry titled "Germany's Black Holocaust 1890-1945." It has been rescheduled to Wednesday, February 25 at 7 p.m. in the East Room. GMC Students to Lobby for Action on Global Warming At the end of February, tens of thousands of college students from across the country will descend on Washington D.C. to demand bold action on global warming and clean energy. Seventy plus GMC students plan to be among the crowds gathered for Powershift 2009, a student conference from February 27 - March 2. Students will be networking with politicians and attending training sessions from leaders including Al Gore, Van Jones, Kofi Annan and Vandana Shiva. It costs about $100 to send one student to the conference, including travel and lodging, or about $7,000 to send 70 students. Members of the GMC community are invited to sponsor one or more students or to make donations to the cause. Contact Christina-Alexa Liakos, Club Activism Coordinator, for more information or to make a contribution. China Legal Researcher to Host Lecture at GMC Today, a legal researcher from Peking University will visit GMC for a lecture focused on China and Tibet. The talk by Zhang Siyu, titled "Environmental Issues in China and Tibet and the Role of the Environmental NGO," is at 4:30 p.m. in Terrace 124. The event is sponsored by GMC's pre-law program and the Green Mountain College Speaker's Bureau. Concordia Professor to Open Exhibit at Feick Arts Center The West African country of Niger serves as inspiration for a new exhibit opening at Green Mountain College’s Feick Fine Arts Center March 2. “Balepate” features mixed media imagery from artist Gretchen Beck, chair of the art department at Concordia University in Irvine, Cal. An artist reception will be held March 5 from 4 – 6 p.m. in the Feick Fine Arts Center. It is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. more... Food in Rural China Focus of Upcoming Talk On Friday, February 27, Prof. Ellen Oxfeld, a professor of anthropology from Middlebury College, visits GMC for a talk titled “The Culture of Food in Rural China.” The presentation begins at 4 p.m. in Terrace 124. Oxfeld earned her Ph.D. in social anthropology from Harvard University and has been teaching at Middlebury since 1985. For one year in the mid- 1990s she lived in a small village in China and researched “changes in the Chinese systems of morality, status and honor over the past thirty years.” She is in the process of turning this research into a book, which will “focus on the way people resolve moral dilemmas in different areas of action, such as family, economics, politics, and religion.” Feminist Fair & Art Show Seeking Submissions Clubs, classes and individuals are invited to contribute displays to Green Mountain College’s annual Feminist Fair, to be held on March 19 in Withey Hall. Set-up begins at 10 a.m. and the fair will continue until 2 p.m. Displays on women, gender and sexuality-related topics are welcome. Submissions are also being accepted for an art show focused on gender and sexuality. The show will be on March 20 in the Coffee House, and all media are accepted. Submit art to Miles Cleary by March 14. For more information about the feminist fair or art show contact Miles Cleary or Kate Thomas. FACULTY NOTES Prof. Steve Letendre (management & environmental studies) was a featured expert in a recent episode of Emerging Science, a new series airing on Vermont Public Television that takes a close look at Vermonters at the frontiers of science. The February 17th episode investigated the challenges of continued dependence on gasoline vehicles in the face of climate change and declining oil reserves. Steve spoke about transportation alternatives including electric vehicles and an emerging concept known as “vehicle-to-grid,” then answered viewer questions in an Emerging Science chatroom while the program aired. “I believe we are really at the beginning phase of this transition to electric drive transportation for our vehicles and we’re seeing that today with the hybrid electric vehicles which are very popular here in Vermont,” Steve commented. Research in 2007 by Dr. Richard Watts, research director of the University of Vermont Transportation Center, and Letendre shows that the Vermont electricity grid can handle 50,000 plug-ins without any changes to the existing system. The number rises to more than 100,000 if people recharge the cars at night. Click here to listen to part of Steve’s interview.		Women's Basketball Tuesday, 2/24 vs. Maine Maritime Academy, 5:30 p.m. Men's Basketball Tuesday, 2/24 vs. Johnson State, 7:30 p.m. WEEK AT A GLANCE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23 Zhang Siyu 4:30 p.m., Terrace 124 Tai Chi 5 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio Kayak Pool Session 8 - 9:30 p.m., Waldron Pool TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 Student Conservation Association Information Session 4 - 5 p.m., East Room Meditation 2:30 - 3 p.m., Chapel LEAD Series 6 p.m., Gorge Atrium Open Swim 6 - 8 p.m., Waldron Pool African Dance 7 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Massage Therapy & Reflexology 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio Faculty Colloquium: Prof. Vangie Blust 12 - 1 p.m., Terrace 124 Yoga 12 - 1 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio Resume & Cover Letter Workshop 2 - 3 p.m., Griswold Library Room 2 Dr. Alan Betts 3 p.m., The Gorge Vinyassa Flow Yoga 4 - 5 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio Karate Club 6 - 7 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio Tribal Belly Dance 7 - 8:15 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio Earth Week Planning Meeting 7 p.m., Terrace 124 The Grift 9 p.m., The Gorge THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Morning Yoga 9 - 10 a.m., Bogue Movement Studio Massage Therapy & Reflexology 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio Career Conversation: Amy Stilkey '95 4 - 5 p.m., Booth Lounge Open Swim 6 - 8 p.m., Waldron Pool Mixed Martial Arts 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Prof. Ellen Oxfeld 4 p.m., Terrace 124 Second Annual Kids Art Exhibit Opening 6 p.m., Withey Lobby Open Swim 6 - 8 p.m., Waldron Pool Hot Day at the Zoo 9:30 p.m., The Gorge SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Vinyassa Flow Yoga 12 p.m., Bogue Movement Studio SUNDAY, MARCH 1 Open Swim 6 - 8 p.m., Waldron Pool Robbie Printz 9 p.m., The Gorge If you have news, announcements, or events to publicize in the GMC Journal, please e-mail materials to gmcjournal@greenmtn.edu or send through campus mail to the Communications Office, Richardson House. All materials subject to editorial approval by the College Communications Office.