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< September 2008
November 2008 >


Try 'Um! Yah! Yah!' burritos
OCTOBER 30, 2008 — St. Olaf parent John Shimshock decided he might save money feeding his sons by copying their favorite burritos from a local restaurant. A Star Tribune writer decided the creation was worthy of being named after the St. Olaf fight song.

Volunteer Network to host Halloween fun
OCTOBER 30, 2008 — The St. Olaf College Volunteer Network will host a night of Halloween fun Friday, Oct. 31 that includes games, face painting, cookie decorating, arts and crafts, and trick-or-treating in the residence halls.

New building honors old wood
OCTOBER 30, 2008 — The trees that were removed during the construction of college's new science building have been turned into conference room tables and benches that line the new building's corridors. St. Olaf Cabinetmaker Gregg Menning made the pieces, which feature a beautiful, knotty grain.

Greetings from the Hill
OCTOBER 29, 2008 — "Last week, I had the pleasure of spending two days with the St. Olaf Alumni Board, a group of 18 alumni from across the nation who serve in an advisory role to the Advancement and College Relations Division of the college," says Alumni and Parent Relations Director Nathan Soland '04. "These are amazing people."

Hofrenning to be part of BBC political panel
OCTOBER 29, 2008 — On Saturday St. Olaf Professor of Political Science Dan Hofrenning will participate in a panel discussion of the 2008 presidential campaign produced by the BBC World Service in cooperation with Minnesota Public Radio.

American Brass Quintet to perform at St. Olaf
OCTOBER 28, 2008 — An internationally renowned ensemble that has been hailed as the "high priest of brass" by Newsweek magazine, the American Brass Quintet will perform at St. Olaf Nov. 7 and take part in the college's Band Day Nov. 8.

Annual Choral Festival to be held Nov. 4
OCTOBER 28, 2008 — Nearly 900 vocalists from across the state will descend on St. Olaf Tuesday, Nov. 4 as part of the 106th annual Choral Festival. The daylong event wraps up with a concert that is free and open to the public.

St. Olaf to host Festival of Bands
OCTOBER 28, 2008 — Students from nearly 75 area high schools will gather on campus Nov. 8 for the annual St. Olaf Band Day. The day will end with a concert featuring the St. Olaf Band, Norseman Band and Festival Band.

Hofrenning shares thoughts on Senate race with LA Times
Hofrenning
OCTOBER 27, 2008 — Professor of Political Science Dan Hofrenning tells the Los Angeles Times why Al Franken may have the last laugh in his race against Sen. Norm Coleman. "It's the case of a fairly popular Republican now swimming upstream against the national Democratic wave," Hofrenning says.

A study abroad success story
OCTOBER 24, 2008 — The secret to a successful study abroad experience is to "make it your own," St. Olaf senior Solveig Hagen, who has studied in Chile and four Asian countries, notes in a story on the Minnesota Private Colleges website that highlights the benefits of studying abroad.

St. Olaf student named Atlanta '20 Under 20' leader
OCTOBER 24, 2008 — St. Olaf student Antonio Jennings '11 was recently named a "20 Under 20" leader by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Jennings was recognized for the Each One Reach One project he created to help at-risk young mothers.

Film students get inside look at Coen brothers movie
OCTOBER 23, 2008 — The recent visit to St. Olaf by directors Joel and Ethan Coen and their production crew to film scenes for the movie A Serious Man gave St. Olaf students an opportunity to peer behind the scenes of the movie industry.

'Milton Marathon' reading Saturday
OCTOBER 23, 2008 — St. Olaf Professor of English Richard DuRocher will host the Milton Marathon -- an oral reading event -- Saturday in honor of the 400th anniversary of John Milton's birth in 1608.

Two award-winning filmmakers to visit St. Olaf
OCTOBER 21, 2008 — And this time it's not the Coen brothers -- it's two independent filmmakers whose work has been receiving rave reviews and awards. Chris Eska, director of August Evening and Lance Hammer, director of Ballast, will screen their films on campus Oct. 23 and Oct. 30.

Mozart, Chopin, Strauss ... Merritt?
Merritt
OCTOBER 21, 2008 — The Minnesota Orchestra will premiere a composition by St. Olaf faculty member Justin Merritt tonight as part of its "Future Classics" concert. Listen to the performance live on MPR.

Alumnus to deliver haunting organ performance
Schwandt
OCTOBER 20, 2008 — Organist John Schwandt '94 will accompany the 1929 silent movie version of Phantom of the Opera in a late-night performance this Friday.

Political pundit, media innovator to speak at St. Olaf
Huffington
OCTOBER 17, 2008 — Arianna Huffington, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the popular news and blog site The Huffington Post, will visit campus Oct. 27 to discuss modern politics and the upcoming presidential election.

Sioux City awaits orchestra's arrival
Amundson
OCTOBER 17, 2008 — St. Olaf Orchestra Conductor Steven Amundson faces turnover in his ensemble "almost as high as a fast-food establishment," notes the Sioux City Journal in a story promoting the orchestra's upcoming tour stop there.

St. Olaf Chapel Choir to present vespers service Sunday
OCTOBER 16, 2008 — The St. Olaf Chapel Choir, conducted by Christopher Aspaas '95, will team with guest artists the Elements of Sound ensemble, conducted by St. Olaf faculty member Dione Peterson, to present the vespers theme "Thy holy wings."

St. Olaf Orchestra to perform home concert Monday
OCTOBER 16, 2008 — The St. Olaf Orchestra will conclude its fall tour through the Midwest and East Central United States with a home concert Oct. 20 that will feature the works of Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvorak and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

St. Olaf sophomore named Minnesota Collegiate Composer of the Year
Scriven
OCTOBER 15, 2008 — The Minnesota Music Educators Association recently named Stanford Scriven '11 the Minnesota Collegiate Composer of the Year. He earned the honor for his choral composition titled "Lines to an Indian Air," which takes its name and text from a poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Marino on boxing in the Financial Times
Marino
OCTOBER 14, 2008 — "The financial fettle of boxing has always depended on the ability of fighters such as Muhammad Ali and Oscar De La Hoya to attract crossover fans," writes St. Olaf faculty member Gordon Marino in the Financial Times.

St. Olaf Lyric Theatre to present Cosi Fan Tutte
OCTOBER 14, 2008 — The St. Olaf Music Department's Lyric Theatre will present its first show of the season Oct. 23-25 -- an opera rife with temptation, deception, a devious friend and a saucy maid.

St. Olaf awarded $800,000 faculty grant
OCTOBER 10, 2008 — A Mellon grant will enable the college to hire new faculty members in advance of pending retirements. "The new colleagues ... will add breadth to the college's academic offerings and provide an opportunity to increase the diversity of our faculty," says President David R. Anderson '74.

Stop stealing the sheets!
OCTOBER 9, 2008 — University of Minnesota Professor of Family Social Science Paul Rosenblatt will visit campus Oct. 24 to discuss his research and book examining the complexities of couple bed sharing -- from sheet stealing to spooning to tossing and turning. Audience members will be able to ask questions throughout his presentation.

Author, mathematician to present lecture, book signing
Suri
OCTOBER 9, 2008 — Manil Suri will visit St. Olaf Oct. 21 to discuss his new book, The Age of Shiva, and talk about how the fundamental ideas from mathematics can be used to compose a symphony, create an image or even write a piece of fiction.

St. Olaf gets 'Serious'
OCTOBER 9, 2008 — Later this month filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen will spend a day at St. Olaf filming scenes for their new movie, A Serious Man.

American Boychoir to perform with St. Olaf Choir
OCTOBER 9, 2008 — St. Olaf will host two world-renowned choirs Oct. 30, when the American Boychoir joins the St. Olaf Choir in concert. The American Boychoir will also sing during chapel Oct. 31.

St. Olaf to host 'Making it in the Arts' conference Oct. 18
Brunelle
OCTOBER 8, 2008 — "Young people from all fields need to understand something about entrepreneurship," says keynote speaker Philip Brunelle. "Developing something comes with risk, and this isn't a topic that's taught in the classroom." The day-long conference will take place Saturday, Oct. 18.

Seeking social innovation
Dees
OCTOBER 8, 2008 — A new program at St. Olaf encourages students to find creative ways to address social problems. "We desperately need innovative solutions to social problems, and programs like this plant the seeds for entrepreneurship," says Duke University Professor Greg Dees, who visited campus to help kick off the program.

Student coach achieves national success with speech team
Doyle
OCTOBER 6, 2008 — James Doyle '10 is one of the youngest people ever to coach high school students to first-place finishes in a national speech competition. He accomplished this feat by leading the same team he was a member of just a few years ago.

Software provides new way to prepare for job, grad school interviews
OCTOBER 6, 2008 — A new software program called InterviewStream enables students to record themselves responding to interview questions and review their answers to find areas that need improvement. "The program is great for relieving that initial anxiety that comes with a formal interview," says Betsy Volkman '09.

'Muslims in Europe' lecture Thursday
OCTOBER 6, 2008 — Chris Soper, professor of political science at Pepperdine University, will present his lecture, "Muslims in Europe: Singing God's Song in a Strange Land" in Regents Hall.

Hofrenning appears on Almanac's PoliSci panel
Hofrenning
OCTOBER 3, 2008 — St. Olaf Associate Professor of Political Science Dan Hofrenning made one of his regular appearances on Twin Cities Public Television's Almanac show recently to talk about the election.

Regents Hall dedication promises festive atmosphere
OCTOBER 3, 2008 — St. Olaf will dedicate its newest building during a ceremony on Oct. 4. The festivities will include a variety of events and programs -- from a NASA exhibit to a St. Olaf Band performance.

Piano students will tour through Texas
OCTOBER 3, 2008 — A group of gifted piano students leave Oct. 10 for a five-day tour through Texas. A preview concert will be held Oct. 6 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Northfield and a home concert will be held Oct. 9 in the Christiansen Hall of Music Urness Recital Hall.

Prominent educator to address increasing participation in math, sciences
Hrabowski
OCTOBER 2, 2008 — Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will deliver the plenary address for the dedication of Regents Hall. His lecture, titled "Liberal Education and Science for the 21st Century," will focus on the participation and performance of underrepresented populations in the field of science and math education.