The Artist Lecture Series and Student Symposium committee met April 12 to review a collection of themes submitted by the public through Facebook and an email survey.
The committee reviewed the ideas, and then moved quickly through the parliamentary procedure of approving themes for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 academic years, said Lauren Hohbein, ALS student chair.
The themes selected were Creative Life and Food.
While specific angles for these themes haven’t been developed, the 2012-2013 theme Fear is well under way and will has undergone restructuring.
“We’re moving along really well,” Hohbein said.
Previously, the ALS committee had utilized a structure with one evening speaker, then a day off of school for three more speakers to present. The fall symposium will instead consist of activities throughout the week, and will tie into readings selected for the first-year seminar courses for freshmen.
The Fear symposium will run Oct. 8 through Oct. 12. Activities are tentatively scheduled as follows:
Monday: Movie screening
Tuesday: Panel of professors to discuss fear in their respective fields
Wednesday: Kickoff, first lecture in the evening
Thursday: No school, with breakout sessions and lectures throughout the day
Friday: Movie screening
The theme Fear is meant to be a positive interpretation of the emotion.
“We want students to see that fear isn’t just negative,” Hohbein said.
Lecture topics include translating fear into success and how to reduce stress.
Breakout activities have been added to help students immerse themselves in the ALS experience and to build a better connection with the speakers.
First-year students will also be introduced to the theme earlier in the semester by reading two novels over the summer.
The readings each semester, in conjunction with ALS, is just one of the ways HC hopes to provide first-year students with a unified experience through the pilot program. Plans to incorporate the theme in other educational and social events are also being planned, Frombgen said.
Professors and ALS committee members have high hopes for the changes. Hohbein is hopeful that first-year students will “open up” more to the ALS experience.
