The Mac Weekly

Samatar to step down as dean of IGC

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Long-time Macalester professor Ahmed Samatar will be stepping down from his post as Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship next year. Samatar was appointed for a five-year term as IGC dean, which will end in spring of 2011.

President Brian Rosenberg and Provost Kathleen Murray will begin to formulate a search process for new candidates later this semester.

RPC report suggests impacts of expanded student body

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Macalester's Resource and Planning Committee (RPC) presented a new report at the faculty meeting on Tuesday in which they cautioned against moving too quickly to increase the size of the Macalester student body in the next few years.

At the faculty meeting Tuesday, the Resource and Planning Committee (RPC) presented their findings on the impact of a larger student body size.

Chief Investment Officer Craig Aase to retire after 33 years

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Tucked away in a small office on Lincoln Avenue, Macalester's Chief Investment Officer, Craig Aase, will be ending his career only a few hundred feet away from where he arguably got his start. Aase, a 1970 Macalester grad, will be retiring at the end of the year after 33 years of working with the school's finances.

Econ major promises success after college

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A quick scan of the Forbes "Top 10 Most Lucrative College Majors" list, while disappointing to many an ambitious English major, shows that financial success lies in knowing about finances. An economics major came in second on the list, with the median income for zero to five years of experience being $48,100.

SPRING BREAK: Minnesota Style

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

3/13, SATURDAY: Hop on a late afternoon 84 bus toward the 46th Street Station. Transfer to the light rail heading toward downtown Minneapolis and get off at the Warehouse Station and Platform. Head to the cozy yet lively Loon Cafe and sportsbar located at 500 N.

Friendly weight room takeover for Women's History Month

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Women may have a right to bear arms, but many feel self conscious about showing their "guns" in public. The weight training that goes into sculpting arms is a pastime stereotypically reserved for men. But last Monday a group of about twenty women, both students and staff, met in the Deno Fitness Center to stage a weight room takeover as part of Women's History Month (WHM).

Why should you care about Cataldo's 'Signal Flares'?

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

You should care about Cataldo's most recent album Signal Flare because it is a stirring collection of painstakingly crafted, musically diverse folk-pop gems. You should care because each song features uniquely inspired lyrics and moving melodies, and because of the striking inflection of singer Eric Anderson's voice.

Arbitrary suggestions of the week:

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Before the break:
A little too early to make a review, and a little too late for a preview, the Orange Mighty Trio will perform -performed?- at the Janet Wallance Fine Arts Center on Thursday. The Orange Mighty Trio creates instrumental music that combines jazz, classical and American roots music, and their primary influences range from Astor Piazolla and The Kronos Quartet to Darol Anger, John Hartford and Radiohead.

"We cannot stand for this"

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

I spent last summer in Palestine, and while I was there I heard an Israeli professor at Hebrew University describe the human rights situation in Jerusalem. When asked about the one- or two-state solution, she said, "I don't know what the solution is, but we cannot stand for this.

The Conquest and Occupation of Palestine

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Palestine has been officially occupied since 1948. The Israeli state was created out of nothing by the United Nations as an extension of the Zionist movement beginning in the late 19th century, and as compensation for the horrors of the Holocaust. By 1882, European Jews were already moving into Palestine and displacing the indigenous population by establishing their own settlements.

Frag-ments: Don't worry: 'Realism' (and God) is dead.

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

So that Frag-ments does not become a drawn-out exposé on the proposed smoking ban, we embark on something new this week: the article "Humanists and Scientist: A Response to Nelli Thomas," composed by Professor Emeritus Reedy on Feb. 19, 2010. I would like to take the opportunity here to push realism a little closer to absurdity.

Reactions to Brian Rosenberg's seven-year review: Some tough tradeoffs necessary in modern higher education

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Overall, as an '07 graduate who entered Macalester along with President Rosenberg in 2003, it was fascinating to watch him and Macalester grow - sometimes painfully - both during my time at 1600 Grand and since I've left.

After rereading last week's comprehensive and compelling retrospective on Rosenberg's tenure, then, there are really only two additional points that I'd emphasize, and they cut in opposite directions.

Reactions to Brian Rosenberg's seven-year review: Rosenberg tackles difficult issues, stands up for students

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Brian Rosenberg has impressed me time and again with his willingness to take on difficult, important initiatives at Macalester. The IGC and the need-aware financial aid policy are two of the most visible examples of his courage and vision. Others include his efforts to prompt the faculty to develop a new, robust curriculum, his active support for the "into the city" curricular renewal, his commitment to sustainability initiatives on campus, and his prompting important conversations through his famous "Fox and Hedgehog" letter to the faculty.

Reactions to Brian Rosenberg's seven-year review: Decisive leader may be more comfortable off campus

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Brian Rosenberg's first years at Macalester were my last.

I interviewed him when he first arrived; I was editor-in-chief of The Mac Weekly during the debate over need-blind admissions; I probably had more interaction with him than most of my classmates-which, honestly, isn't saying much.

Reactions to Brian Rosenberg's seven-year review: Less quirky Mac still needs support

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The "old school tie" for Macalester Alumni isn't orange and blue neckwear, but rather the intellectual pursuits that we engaged and were supported in while here. In my era, most students' primary allegiances were to individual faculty and academic departments, with the common enemy being the Administration.

The Belfry

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Trying to interview the Belfry was like attempting to capture and pin down a rare bird specimen only to have it struggle and flap its colorful wings. The house, the random objects, and the people that create "The Belfry" resist interpretation. The residents of the Belfry have, over the past two years, included around twenty different Macalester students.