Lowell House News Volume 31, Issue 8 Monday 29 October 2007 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter Format Guide: Announcements from Advising Tutors will always follow the Ask Beth column each week. Announcements regarding *Events* and Attractions will always be in the last section. Please remember to scroll down to that last section for event announcements and details if you are looking for them. If youÕd like to place an announcement in the newsletter, email your ÔblurbÕ to lohonews@fas.harvard.edu by Saturday noon to make the Monday newsletter. ----------------------------------------------------------------- CALENDAR Monday, October 29 * SEVENTH MONDAY: Last day to withdraw from a Fall course * Last day March degrees for 2008 can file degree application * Economics Table with Professor Jeffrey Miron, 12:00-2:00 pm, Small Dining Room * HIGH TABLE, 6:00 pm, Masters' Residence, 6:30pm Dining Hall * Premedical Advising Office Hours: Drop by or e-mail lohomed@fas.harvard.edu to sign up in advance, 6:00-9:00 pm, Dining Hall * HoCo Meeting, 10:00-11:30 pm, JCR Tuesday, October 30 * Physics table, 7:30-8:30 pm, Dining Hall * Pumpkin-Carving Contest, 10:00 pm-12:00 am, JCR Wednesday, October 31 * Spanish Table, 6:30-7:30 pm, Dining Hall * Lowell Chemistry Tables, 9:00-11:00 pm, Dining Hall * Web Design Class, 9:00-10:30 pm, Coolidge Room Thursday, November 1 * Masters' Tea, 5:00 pm, Masters' Residence * SCR Drinks and Meeting, 6:00 pm, Masters' Residence * General Career and International Development Advising Table, 7:00-10:00 pm, Dining Hall * R.L. Stein, 10:00 pm-12:00 am, Grille Friday, November 2 * Greek Reading Group, 10:00-11:30 am, SCR ****TOGA*** 10pm - 2am, Dining Hall Saturday, November 3 * Scenes Concert: Famous Opera Arias, JCR, 8:00-10:00 pm, Lowell Opera Society Sunday, November 4 * Lowell Library Milk & Cookies Story Time, 10:00-11:00 pm, Library Monday, November 5 * HIGH TABLE, 6:00 pm, Masters' Residence, 6:30pm Dining Hall * Premedical Advising Office Hours: Drop by or e-mail lohomed@fas.harvard.edu to sign up in advance, 6:00-9:00 pm, Dining Hall * HoCo Meeting, 10:00-11:30 pm, JCR Tuesday, November 6 * Physics table, 7:30-8:30 pm, Dining Hall Wednesday, November 7 * Spanish Table, 6:30-7:30 pm, Dining Hall * Lowell Chemistry Tables, 9:00-11:00 pm, Dining Hall * Web Design Class, 9:00-10:30 pm, Coolidge Room Thursday, November 8 * Masters' Tea, 5:00 pm, Masters' Residence * SCR Drinks and Meeting, 6:00 pm, Masters' Residence * TRIVIA NIGHT, JCR, 8:00pm-9:30pm Friday, November 9 * Greek Reading Group, 10:00-11:30 am, SCR * Dining Hall closed 8:00pm - 11:00pm for orchestra rehearsal Saturday, November 10 * Vissi D'arte Orchestra Concert, Dining Hall, 8:00pm - 11:00pm Sunday, November 11 * Lowell Library Milk & Cookies Lewin Musicale, 10:00-11:00 pm, Library *********************************************************** FROM THE RESIDENT DEAN *Ryan Spoering, Allston Burr Resident Dean Room A-22, 5-2283 (lo-abrd@fas.harvard.edu) - DELAYED UPDATES? If you have filed add/drop forms with the House Office but the changes have not yet appeared on your record, don't panic--this is a busy time at 20 Garden St and it may take a little while. Let me know if there are any discrepancies and I can help you correct any errors that may have occurred. - BUREAU PEER TUTORING. Feeling a little lost in a class? Consider hiring a peer tutor through the Bureau of Study Counsel. Tutors are paid with a subsidy and the cost is very reasonable. Interested in tutoring other students taking a class that you loved? Sign up as a tutor! For more information, see the Bureau website: http://bsc.harvard.edu/tutor.html - OFFICE HOURS THIS WEEK. I will have walk-in office hours this week from 11-noon on Mon, Tue, Wed, and Fri. For other times, please contact Kit in the House Office (A-22, 5-2283, lowell@fas) to set up an appointment with me. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASK BETH, the HOUSE ADMINISTRATOR *Beth Terry, A-22, 5-2283 (lo-admin@fas.harvard.edu) Dear Beth: I have a question about firedoor etiquette. The folks on the other side of ours seem to have a different lifestyle from my roommate and me (not to mention different ideas of what is "good" music). What's the appropriate way to handle a situation in which our friends next door are blasting 80s electronica and we'd really just like it quiet enough to think on our side? Signed, Not Listing My Entry Dear Not Listing: Blast back the antithetical equivalent, such as early Nirvana (perhaps laced with a Bach organ fugue). That will create a balance of aural stimulation. Seriously, perhaps it's time to mention this disruptive habit in a note or conversation with your neighbors. Tell them that while you like the pulsating and relentless sound of a good synthesizer as much as anyone, it's starting to interfere with your ability to punctuate any sentence you write. Explain to them that when your TF handed you back a paper in which he counted exactly seventy-five commas, fifty-one dashes (but merely three periods) it became clear to you that full-volume Ultra-Trance strains your nervous system beyond its capacity (Émaybe assume some sort of facial tick for effect). If they still don't quiet their noise, talk to your Resident Tutor, who can run interference. ~Beth ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE FELLOWSHIPS TUTORS * Josh Goldman (jdgoldm@fas.harvard.edu) * Courtney Peterson (cmpeters@fas.harvard.edu) LOWELL FELLOWSHIPS MAILING LIST Want to know what fellowships are out there? Want to know about them before the deadlines appear in the newsletter? Want more information on the fellowships listed below? Subscribe to the fellowships mailing list to get notices about once every week or two of upcoming deadlines and things to think about (important info for sophomores, juniors, and seniors!). To subscribe, go to http://lists.hcs.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/lowell-fellowships . OFFICE HOURS We hold office hours on Sunday evenings in the dining hall, during which we'd be happy to discuss your plans and look over your application essays. To visit us during office hours, you need to sign up at least one day in advance on the sign-up sheet next to the fellowships bulletin board, right next to the entrance to the JCR. If you have specific questions, please email us at any time. * * * UPCOMING FELLOWSHIPS * * * FOR GRADUATE STUDY ABROAD: - 05 November: Harlech Scholarship. Funds one year of study at Oxford. - 05 November: Ecole Normale Superieure Fellowship, Tower Fellowship, Williams-Lodge Scholarship to the Sorbonne. Funds one year of study in France. ENS and Williams-Lodge fellowships fund study at ENS and the Sorbonne, respectively; the Tower Fellowship is for any university in France. You can get the common application by emailing cgs@fas. - 13 November: Eben Fiske Studentship at Trinity College Cambridge. Funds multi-year advanced degrees. - 15 November: Paul Williams Scholarship to Emmanuel College. Funds one year at Cambridge University in international government and public affairs (very broadly construed). - 27 November: Harvard-Cambridge Scholarships. Funds one year at Cambridge University. - 03 December: Mackenzie King Harvard Scholarship. Partial support for study in Canada. - 05 December: Knox/Henry/von Clemm Scholarships (common application). Funds one year of study at various universities in the U.K. - 13 December: Herchel Smith Harvard Scholarship. Funds one year at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University in experimental natural sciences, computer science, or mathematics. FOR GRADUATE STUDY AND/OR OTHER POSTGRADUATE ACTIVITIES: - 01-09 November (depending on field): NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Funds 3 years of graduate study in any field of science or engineering, including economics, psychology, and history of science. - 01 November: Soros Fellowship. Stipend + tuition grant for graduate study of any kind (including law & medicine). Must be a naturalized citizen, have a green card, or be the children of naturalized citizens. - 02 November: Hertz Fellowship. Funds 5 years of graduate study in the applied physical sciences. - 07 November: Carnegie Fellowship. Provides a one-year fellowship at the Carnegie Institute for International Peace. - 07 December: Harvard-China Scholarships. Funds a year of study or research at one of 80 universities in the PRC. FOR UNDERGRADUATES: - 30 October: Goldwater Scholarship. Prize for outstanding sophomores or juniors in science/math/engineering. Also comes with funding toward your remaining undergraduate years. - 01 November: Truman Scholarship. Money for senior year of college and graduate school (and prestige). Open to juniors who plan to go into government or public service (generally construed). - 11 December: Beincke Scholarship. $2,000 for senior year and $30,000 for graduate study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Subscribe to the fellowships mailing list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM YOUR HEALTH & WELLNESS TUTORS * Felicity Aulino (aulino@fas.harvard.edu, 3-3001) * Amanda Kowalski (akowalsk@mit.edu, 3-2969) This week's wellness tip is about eating to live. Food is our fuel. Nevertheless, sometimes stress, body image, the need for control, and a host of complicated motives and issues can alter our relationship with food and lead us to eat too much or to eat hardly anything at all. When such a pattern develops, it can become entrenched and suddenly we might realize we feel powerless to change it. So again, this week's wellness tip is about how we CAN have a healthy relationship with food, we CAN change unhealthy patterns even in the midst of a hectic Harvard life Ð in fact, honestly assessing our eating concerns and actively working on them can help us to know ourselves and empower us to be the people we want to be, starting NOW. There are small steps you can take right now to begin the process of self-discovery and self-actualization. Here is a list of resources/ideas. See what fits and try them out. 1. At the Bureau of Study Counsel here on Linden Street, we have full access to professionals who have special expertise in eating concerns. It really is a great system Ð here's how it works: You check out the counselor bios on the BSC website, see which person appeals most to you and then just call and make an appointment. It is very low key: nice homey offices, relaxed setting, a simple space to talk things out and get some feedback. Your appointment will remain completely OFF THE RECORD Ð and there are so many things happening At the Bureau that there is no shame in going in. You can check them out here: http://bsc.harvard.edu 2. At UHS, there are clinical nutritionists on staff who can help you devise a plan of eating appropriate to your study and exercise habits, show you models of healthy portion sizes, help you plan meals, etc. You sometimes need to get a referral from your doctor to see a nutritionist. However, if necessary, you can call specialty clinics, tell them you are having some eating concerns and ask to go ahead and make an appointment directly. Check them out: http://huhs.harvard.edu - see "nutrition" under "clinical services and departments" 3. If you want to talk with folks close to your age about any sort of eating concern and perhaps get hooked in to a network of people trying to figure out similar issues, we have a great student group on campus called ECHO Ð Eating Concerns Hotline Outreach. Here's their blurb: Eating Concerns Hotline and Outreach (ECHO) http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~echo/ Phone: 617-495-8200 Hotline Hours: Every night, 8 pm to 8 am Drop-in Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 8 pm to 11pm Location: Quincy House, F-entry Basement Eating Concerns Hotline and Outreach (ECHO) is committed to addressing the serious issue of problems with food, from anorexia and bulimia to body image. Echo recognizes how silence can contribute to isolation. The hotline is staffed every night. You can talk about anything you feel is relevant. 4. There is a 12-step group, modeled after that of Alcoholics Anonymous, that may be of some service: Overeaters Anonymous. You can search around their material and find meetings around Cambridge and Boston: http://www.oa.org You can find out more about what OA can do by reading the book, "Hello, My Name is Caroline." This book was written by a former Harvard undergraduate, explaining her process of overcoming an eating disorder while here in Cambridge. 5. Similarly, there is a fantastic woman named Charlotte Kasl who has written some great books, particularly about women and food addiction. She developed a 16-step program that expands the 12-step group work. Check that out here: http://www.charlottekasl.com/16steps.html 6. Finally, explore on your own. Take a moment to browse in a bookstore for books that speak to you. Search around the Internet for links to address how you are feeling. Talk to a friend. Write in a journal. Find the next right step. Eating concerns can be a cosmic irony Ð you may be going through dark and difficult times, but you can emerge from such a place with a stronger sense of self as a powerful and healthy being in the world. Take the first right step Ð YOU ARE WORTH IT! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM YOUR PRE-MED ADVISING TUTORS * Benjamin Rapoport (chair), Marlys Fassett, Ilya Leskov and Mary Alexander * lohomed@fas.harvard.edu. The Premedical Tutors will be holding weekly office hours in the Dining Hall this year on Monday evenings from 6-9pm. We will post sign-up sheets Monday at breakfast by the checker's desk in the dining hall, and students can also sign up for 15-minute time slots by e-mailing lohomed@fas.harvard.edu. To be added to the Lowell Premed Mailing List, please send an email to lohomed@fas.harvard with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line. In the body of the email, include your name, graduation year, likely concentration, phone number, and email. If you were on the mailing list last year there's no need to re-subscribe. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM YOUR CAREER AND PRE-BUSINESS ADVISING TUTORS * Russell Miles (rmiles@oxfamamerica.org, 3-2990) * Christopher Laconi (claconi@mba2009.hbs.edu) * Matthew Tambiah (tambiah@post.harvard.edu) Wanting to discuss your career path? Have interests in business or other options? Need help with resumes, interviews, cover letters, deciding on what to do with your life? Make an appointment with your resident Career and Pre-Business Advising Tutor, Russell Miles, by email, phone or drop by J-11 (Weekdays 6.00pm-10.00pm; Weekends 10.00am- 10.00pm.) Russell will be holding an advising table on Thursday 1 November in the Dining Hall at the Table on the Stage between 7.30 and 10.00pm. For an appointment in a half hour time slot, please e-mail Russell with your preferred time and a brief outline of what you would like to discuss. Alternatively, you could just drop by on the night if he looks free. Russell is creating an e-mail list in order to send out messages about key dates and events. Please contact him if you are interested to have your name on this mailing list Ð rmiles@oxfamamerica.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM YOUR RESIDENT INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISER * Russell Miles (rmiles@oxfamamerica.org, 3-2990) Interested in international relations, international aid and development? Want to discuss international issues raised in class? Need help thinking about research paper topics? Want to meet and talk with people working in the development or humanitarian sector? Interested in an international career Ð public service, government or private sector, or simply wanting to travel to other regions of the world? Come and talk with me about all these questions. I will be holding an advising table on Thursday 1 November in the dining hall at the Table on the Stage between 7.30 and 10.00pm. For an appointment in a half hour time slot, please e-mail me with your preferred time and a brief outline of what you would like to discuss. Alternatively, you could just drop by on the night if I look free. I am creating an e-mail list in order to send out messages about key dates and events. Please contact me if you are interested to have your name on this mailing list - rmiles@oxfamamerica.org KEY EVENTS THIS WEEK: - WEISSMAN INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM HOUSE INFORMATION SESSION Thursday, November 1, 6:30-8:00pm, Eliot House. Tuesday, November 6, 7:00-8:30pm. Leverett House, JCR Wednesday, November 7, 6:30-8:00pm. Pforzheimer House, Hastings Room Interested in pursuing an international internship abroad? Have you developed an overseas internship and need funding? The Weissman Program < http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/students/global/weissman/weissman.htm > provides financial support for overseas internships in any Professional area arranged and proposed by Harvard College sophomores and juniors. - HOST (HARVARD OVERSEAS SCHOOLS TEACHING) PROGRAM INFORMATION SESSION Friday, November 2, 4:00-5:00pm, OCS Conference Room Would you like a teaching internship abroad for next year? HOST has helped place between 12 and 25 Harvard students in International schools annually for the past few years. Come learn about this Harvard-designed program that brings together graduating seniors and school heads. For more information on the program see < http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/students/careers/education/host.htm > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS LOWELL HOUSE OPERA SCENES Lost in the woods...making sudden marriage plans...sisters Fighting bitterly...who's the fairest of them all? Come and watch members of the Lowell House Opera's first UNDERGRADUATE OPERA WORKSHOP perform dramatic and comic scenes from four famous operas: Hansel and Gretel, The Elixir of Love, The Secret Marriage, and Cinderella. The performers will sing in English, and narrators will introduce each scene. One performance only, Lowell House Junior Common Room, Saturday, November 3rd, 2007, 8:00 pm. Free admission. DIA DE MUERTOS (DAY OF THE DEAD) AT PEABODY The Peabody Museum, in partnership with the Mexican Consulate General, is holding a fiesta for Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) on Friday 2 November: 4-6pm Family Event Ð featuring the Dancing Chickens of Ventura Fabian (thatÕs got to be seen to be believed!) 7:30-10pm Fiesta Ð with music, altars, performances, food and drink. Tickets are required for the Fiesta Ð call 617-495-2269, or email linardos@fas.harvard.edu CALLING PIANISTS Pianist Sebastian Berwerk (Ôone of the most sought-after pianists for classical and contemporary music and a specialist in piano performance incorporating live electronicsÕ) will be holding a free lecture-demonstration and concert. Monday 5 November at 4pm, John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Music Building ÔThe Extended PianoÕ lecture-demonstration. A discussion and demonstration of using new techniques in reading, playing and interacting with computers required in playing new music for piano. Monday 5 November at 8pm, John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, Music Building ÔNew Music for Piano and ElectronicsÕ, featuring the music of Luigi Nono, Per Bloland, Braine Kane, Johannes Kreidler, Hans Tutschku and James Saunders. For more information, call 617-496-6013 or see www.music.fas.harvard.edu/calendar.html