Colgate Announces 2024–25 Commons Co-Directors Contributing Writer Fri, 04/19/2024 - 13:07 Colgate University Residential Commons will welcome new co-directors at the beginning of the 2024–25 academic year. Through the Residential Commons, first-year students enjoy a robust, engaging living-learning community from their first days on campus. They encounter co-directors and fellow commons members who form a living-learning community that respects and builds on tradition and exposes students to an intellectually rich residential experience. “I want to thank both our incoming and outgoing co-directors for their service to Colgate,” says Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II. “The Residential Commons play a vital and dynamic role in residential life at the University, due in large part to the dedication of these individuals, who commit themselves to ensuring that our students are received into a welcoming residential and academic community on day one.” Brown Commons David McCabe, Richard J. and Joan Head Chair in philosophy, will join Laura Festine, director of university grants and sponsored research, in Brown Commons. McCabe will serve as the co-director, a position held this year by Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Frank Frey, who served as the co-director of Hancock Commons during the 2021–2023 academic years. McCabe earned his BA from Williams College and his PhD from Northwestern University. He arrived at Colgate in 1994 as an assistant professor of philosophy. During his three decades on campus, he has served as chair of philosophy, director of the Lampert Institute, university professor in the Core Curriculum, and director of the Division of Arts and Humanities. In the philosophy department, he teaches courses in aesthetics, ethics, and political philosophy. His research centers on political philosophy and the ethics of political action. Ciccone Commons Senior Lecturer in French Mahadevi Ramakrishnan and Associate Dean of Admission Erin Milin will co-direct Ciccone Commons. They succeed Jessica Graybill, professor of Russian and Eurasian studies, and Carolyn Strobel-Larson, director of entrepreneurship and innovation. A 2022 recipient of the Balmuth Award, Ramakrishnan earned her BA in history at the University of Madras, India. She received her MA and doctor of arts in foreign languages and literatures from Syracuse University. She is a founding member of the Colgate Contingent Faculty Council and a member of the Core Transition Team — having taught Core 180C: Core French Caribbean.  Ramakrishnan has been an adviser to the French Club for nearly two decades. As associate dean, Milin serves as campus visit coordinator and leads the Campus Visit Team, and she manages recruitment and application review for prospective students from Alaska, New York (central N.Y. and North Country), Oregon, and Texas (Austin, Houston, San Antonio). Outside the admission office, she has served as a Living Learning Workshop facilitator and a member of the Community Reads Selection Committee. Mabel Dart Colegrove Commons Lou Kaminski, assistant dean of student conduct, will step in for Director of Outdoor Education Heidi Riley as a co-director in Mabel Dart Colegrove Commons. He will work alongside Professor of Biology Engda Hagos. Kaminski arrived at Colgate in April of 2023 from Paul Smith’s College, where he was director of student life and housing. To his work in the Dean of the College division, he brings experience in mediation, coaching and feedback, performance management, and effective management practices. Kaminski is also an ultramarathon runner. Hancock Commons Professor Beth Parks will take over for University Librarian Courtney Young in Hancock Commons, joining Lyosha Gorshkov, director of LGBTQ+ Initiatives, who joined the commons last year. Parks received her bachelor’s degree in physics with a certificate in theater and dance from Princeton University. She earned her masters and PhD in physics at the University of California at Berkeley. Since arriving at Colgate in 1997, she has taught courses across the physics curriculum, including classes on quantum mechanics and renewable energy. She has also served as a visiting professor and Fulbright scholar at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Mbarara, Uganda. Parks is currently the editor of the American Journal of Physics. The Commons Spirit Ciccone Commons opened in 2015, and the University inaugurated Hancock Commons in 2016. Colegrove and Brown Commons welcomed their first students in 2017. The completion of the Residential Commons at Colgate is a key initiative within the Third-Century Plan, which foresees a fifth commons and the creation of Fox Hall as an eventual replacement for Gatehouse. “The Residential Commons, through their intellectual engagement and community-building, represent the distinctive way in which Colgate pursues residential liberal arts education,” says Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing. “I thank our co-directors for going above and beyond in their efforts to ensure the success of this program — and for the students who find home and community there.”Campus Life Residential Life News and Updates Faculty & Staff

Indigenous Maya Band Sak Tzevul Rocks Colgate sliddell@colgate.edu Thu, 04/18/2024 - 11:59 Colgate University recently hosted the Tzotzil Maya rock band Sak Tzevul for a series of events, including a film screening, a talk, and a concert. The band’s visit not only showcased their musical talents but also created space for discussions surrounding Indigenous identity and cultural representation. At the heart of Sak Tzevul’s music is the fusion of tradition and modernity. Their distinctive style, known as Bats’i Rock, is rooted in the rich traditions of the Tzotzil Maya people of Chiapas, Mexico, and emerged as a response to centuries of nationalistic narratives that pitted Indigenous culture against modern progress. Instead of viewing tradition and modernism as conflicting forces, Sak Tzevul celebrates their intersection and the dynamism of Indigenous heritage in a contemporary world. “Sak Tzevul is unique in that they integrate Indigenous language and deep-seated traditions in their music but also look toward a future that is creative and limitless,” said Santiago Juarez, associate professor of anthropology and a key voice in bringing Sak Tzevul to campus. “In their music, the band is constantly borrowing from classical, contemporary, and ceremonial musical influences that one wouldn’t regularly associate with rock — all for the sake of creativity and the celebration of identity,” Juarez said. The events kicked off with panel-style discussions at the Keck Center for Language Study, where Sak Tzevul members engaged with students and organizations in Spanish, with bilingual students aiding in translation. These sessions delved into the challenges faced by Indigenous communities in navigating tradition amidst a rapidly changing global landscape. Just one challenge the band addressed was that of keeping Indigenous languages, such as their native Tzotzil, alive. Sak Tzevul incorporates many different Mayan languages into their songs, both to aid in the preservation and appreciation of these languages as well as strengthen their connection to their cultural heritage. Another issue discussed by the band was the dual judgment that they experienced as a result of not speaking Tzotzil from birth, both from their Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous communities viewing their lack of fluency as a lack of Indigeneity. “When you do not speak a language fluently, you can feel a bit of rejection sometimes,” explained lead singer and guitarist Damian Martinez. “For me, singing in Tzotzil is a way to neutralize that feeling of rejection. It is my way of connecting with my people again and saying very clearly, ‘I am from here, and as much as I can speak it, I am going to sing it.’” A powerful moment in the band’s residency was their presentation on the genre of Bats’i Rock at Lawrence Hall. Here, Sak Tzevul illuminated how their music serves as a means of reclaiming cultural roots while envisioning an Indigenous future for all peoples, not just North Americans. “Sak Tzevul’s music and their message is not just for Mexicans or Latin Americans. It is for everyone globally to think about where they are from and how they connect to the land,” said Juarez. The culmination of Sak Tzevul’s visit was a full-capacity concert at Arts at the Palace Theater. Amidst smoke machines and vibrant purple and green stage lighting, the band delivered a performance that transcended language barriers. From guitar solos to rhythmic beats, every song was infused with energy and celebration. As the lead guitarist Martinez expressed gratitude to the crowd, he threw a fist into the air in classic rock fashion, and the audience erupted in cheers. “Thank you very much, Colgate. Just to have so many of us here in New York together. It is so good!” Reflecting on the concert, Juarez expressed the unexpected emotional impact that seeing the band had on him. “Listening to Sak Tzevul live brought me back to that moment 15 years ago when I first listened to their music and felt a sense of connection to my ancestral roots. Their music has helped and continues to help me to explore Indigeneity, my identity, and how these factors have impacted my family, my culture, and the world at large.”Arts Faculty & Staff Photo by Santiago Juarez

In honor of Colgate’s Bicentennial year, the Picker Art Gallery is hosting a special traveling exhibition, Koolanga Boodja Neh Nidjuuk (Children Looking and Listening on Country), through June 30. The post Repatriation and Reconciliation: The Carrolup Artworks Return to Colgate first appeared on Colgate University News.

Grafters X Change: Branches and Networks brought together Colgate and local community members, eco-artists, and activists to foster creative community resiliency. The post Grafters X Change Builds Community Resiliency first appeared on Colgate University News.