Lowell House News Volume 32, Issue 28 Monday, April 20 * Last HIGH TABLE of the season, 6:30pm Dining Hall (sorry, no interhouse this evening) * CIAO! Italian Table, 6:00-7:00pm, Dining Hall Tuesday, April 21 * Housing Office Hours, 3:00-5:00pm, A-22 Wednesday, April 22 *** Earth Day: wear green! *** * Return to Harvard Day: alumni come to lunch * No SCR lunch and meeting today * Chinese Table, 5:30-6:30pm, Dining Hall * Fellowships Meeting for SCR, 6:00-9:00pm, JCR * Physics table, 9:00-10:00pm, Dining Hall Thursday, April 23 * Lowell's Eco-Month Green Celebration – more information to come * HOUSING LOTTERY (for rising juniors and seniors), beginning at 1:15pm in the JCR * You are warmly invited to Tea, 5:00pm, Masters' Residence * Recession-Era Global Health Forum, 7:30-8:30pm, Sever 113 Friday, April 24 * Watercolor Painting Class, 4:00-6:00pm, Art Room * French Table, 5:30-6:30pm, Dining Hall Sunday, April 26 * "Etiquette: The Care and Feeding of Faculty, TFs and Other People Who Can Help You", 8:00-9:30pm, Library Monday, April 27 * CIAO! Italian Table, 6:00-7:00pm, Dining Hall Tuesday, April 28 * Housing Office Hours, 3:00-5:00pm, A-22 Wednesday, April 29 * Chinese Table, 5:30-6:30pm, Dining Hall * Physics table, 9:00-10:00pm, Dining Hall Thursday, April 30 * You are warmly invited to Tea, 5:00pm, Masters' Residence Friday, May 1 (Reading period begins) ARTS FIRST WEEKEND *ANNUAL MAY DAY WALTZ 6:00am Weeks Bridge * Last day undergrads would ordinarily be granted a Leave of Absence *Bells Exhibition and Arts Show in the Tower Room, open 10:00am–5:00pm * Watercolor Painting Class, 4:00-6:00pm, Art Room *Lowell House Poemical Society May Day Reading, Kevin McGrath, 6-9pm, SCR. * French Table, 5:30-6:30pm, Dining Hall Saturday, May 2 ARTS FIRST WEEKEND * Bells Exhibition and Arts Show in the Tower Room, open 10:00am-5:00pm Sunday, May 3 ARTS FIRST WEEKEND * Bells Exhibition and Arts Show in the Tower Room, open 10:00am-5:00pm * Freshman Brunch in Lowell House, 11:30am-1:00pm * Bells Concert, 1:00pm, Courtyard and Bell Tower * Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, 2:00pm rehearsal, 3:00pm performance, Courtyard ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE RESIDENT DEAN * Ryan Spoering, Allston Burr Resident Dean Room A-22, 5-2283 (lo-abrd@fas.harvard.edu) As your Resident Dean, I am here to help you with all kinds of academic and personal matters, and to connect you to Harvard's many resources. Please come to me with questions and concerns of any kind--in addition to my advising and administrative roles I also help Lowell House students manage personal struggles, illness and anything else you may encounter on your way to your degree. - TENTATIVE FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE. The tentative final exam schedule has been posted online at www.registrar.fas.harvard.edu. - FINAL EXAM EXCEPTIONS. Everyone is expected to plan to be on campus for the entire final exam period. Exceptions to normally scheduled exams are approved for students with religious conflicts, who can apply to move their exam by 24 hours. The form for this request can be found on the Registrar's website. All other requests to move exam times or locations must go through the Administrative Board. Please check the tentative exam schedule and contact me soon with any questions! - OFFICE HOURS THIS WEEK. I will have walk-in office hours this week from 11:00am-noon Mon, Tues, 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 was wondering when was the last day that juniors have to leave their rooms in the house. I heard that it was the 24th of May but I was wondering if one could stay longer for Commencement without having to work for the House. If not, is Commencement the only excuse to stay in the room? Signed, A Homeless Problem Dear Homeless, I have never before heard commencement termed "an excuse". That’s interesting. Underclass students who wish to work for us during Commencement are valued highly. Those of you who sign up to be in the trenches may stay in the House after move-out, albeit NOT in your current rooms (lest you start glamorizing this option). Perhaps the allure of 'effortless Commencement work' can be summed up in three words: move _ out _ twice. Yes, these lucky troupers will have to move out of their rooms and into a 5th floor double (with someone else) on May 24th or 25th, and out again completely on June 5th. And yes, it’s true, Commencement work is the only excuse for such unadulterated fun. ~Beth Dear Beth: I just read the info on the website; why are the extra senior lunch tickets cash only? It sounds like a racket. Signed, Suspicious Student Dear Suspicious: Au contraire!! The racket you speak of was probably the deafening thunder of a hundred checks bouncing as seniors who wrote checks promptly closed their accounts in preparation for graduation. ~Beth COMMENCEMENT WORKERS NEEDED: Interested in sticking around for Commencement to see the hoopla? Have friends graduating? Need a little extra dough for the summer? Come join us and be a Commencement Worker for Lowell House. $10/per hour. Applications and details at the House Office. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE FELLOWSHIPS TUTORS * Josh Goldman (jdgoldm@fas.harvard.edu) * Courtney Peterson (cmpeters@fas.harvard.edu) * Susanna Mierau (susanna_mierau@post.harvard.edu) * website: http://lowell.harvard.edu/fellowships 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 (relevant 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 INFOSESSIONS (in OCS conference room unless noted) - Marshall and Rhodes Scholarship Preview (for class of 2010) * 04 May, 3:00 PM * 05 May, 3:00 PM * 06 May, 3:00 PM - Fulbright Grants Preview (for class of 2010) * 07 May, 3:00 PM * 08 May, 3:00 PM ATTENTION JUNIORS Some fellowships--particularly the Fulbright grants for teaching, research, or graduate study and the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships--have deadlines very early in the fall semester. In order to submit an application, including letters of recommendation, by the first week of class, it's necessary to think about your proposal and prepare your application over the summer. We recommend starting to think now about these possibilities, attending one of the info meetings listed above, coming to fellowships office hours before you depart for the summer. Susanna, Courtney, and Josh will also be available by email over the summer. FOR MORE INFORMATION: See the Lowell House fellowships website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FROM YOUR PRE-MED ADVISING TUTORS * Ilya Leskov (chair), Marlys Fassett, Benjamin Rapoport, Mary Alexander ** lohomed@fas.harvard.edu. OFFICE HOURS 6:00-8:00pm Sundays in the Dining Hall (drop-in and by appt; signup outside the JCR). PREMED QUESTIONNAIRE I due 5:00pm, April 22! Available at http://www.lowell.harvard.edu/advising/pre-med.php If you haven't started, start now! Email the completed form to lohomed@fas.harvard.edu. When you submit your form, please indicate which of the two committee interview dates you prefer (Sunday April 26 or Sunday May 3). WORKSHOPS FOR CURRENT APPLICANTS Sundays, 7:00-8:00pm in the Small Dining Room - April 19 Choosing Medical Schools - May 10 Writing the Personal Statement - May 17 AMCAS application FAQs 2009-2010 Med School applicants and alumni applicants in particular... If you missed the intro meeting, please come see us at office hours AND email lohomed@fas to declare your intent to apply. N.B. The college-wide deadline to declare your intent (and therefore to receive application advice and a Dean's Letter) is April 30! Forms and Advisor Assignments are always available on our webpage: http://www.lowell.harvard.edu/advising/pre-med.php ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IM SPORTS * HoCo IMs Reps Katrina Welch (kwelch@fas), Joe Lin (jalin@fas), and Brian Kaufman (bkaufman@fas) IM's this week: 4/19 Sunday @ 3pm @ Stadium (field 1): Softball vs. Winthrop 4/20 Monday @ 7:30pm @ Stadium: Flag Football vs. Kirkland 2 4/21 Tuesday @8:30pm @ MAC 1: Volleyball B vs. Mather 4/21 Tuesday @ 9:30pm @ Cumnock Field 1: Soccer 4/22 Wednesday @ 9:30pm @ Stadium (field 2): Softball vs. Kirkland 4/23 Thursday @ 8:30pm @ Stadium: Frisbee 4/23 Thursday @ 8:30pm @ QRAC: Volleyball A vs. 4/24 Friday @ 8:30pm @ Jordan Field: Soccer (if we win Tuesday's game) 4/25 Saturday RIVER RUN!!! 10am - Men, 10:30am Women 4/26 Sunday @ 2pm @ Beren courts: Tennis (team 2) vs. Currier 4/26 Sunday @ 4pm @ Beren courts: Tennis (team 1) - if we win the match on 4/18 GO LOWELL!!! ~Your IM Reps Katrina Welch, Brian Kaufman, and Joe Lin (jalin@fas) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A message from the Green Team… April is Eco-Month in Lowell House! This week: Monday April 20th: MEATLESS MONDAY! Wednesday April 22nd: EARTH DAY! WEAR GREEN! Thursday April 23rd: Lowell's Veggie Cook-off and Green Celebration Green Fact of the Week: Lowellians could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 1-2 tons of CO2 for each day of meatless eating. * The relative impacts of different animal foods are roughly: - Beef and pork: 8.5 - U.S. average blend of meats in the diet: 6.4 - Fish: 4.8 - Milk and eggs: 4.3 - Poultry: 3.4 These numbers are in tons of excess CO2 emitted per year, compared to a plant-based diet, if you ate a typical caloric intake of nothing but that kind of animal food. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS *USEFUL TIPS ON INTERACTING WITH STAFF Not sure how to ask for a letter of recommendation? Fearful of office hours? Think faculty might bite? Then plan to attend "Etiquette: The Care and Feeding of Faculty, TFs and Other People Who Can Help You" -- a panel discussion aimed at helping you overcome the anxiety often associated with approaching the important people in your academic and professional life. Come hear people with experience share their best practices for building productive relationships with professors and TFs (and asking for their help). Sunday, April 26th 8:00pm - 9:30pm Lowell House Library Appetizers from the Hong Kong Restaurant will be served. Brought to you by the Sophomore Advising Program *The Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association Presents: A CATERED DINNER WITH RAJ CHETTY Tuesday, April 28th, 6-7:30 PM, Dunster Junior Common Room Come to a catered dinner with Rising Star Economics Professor Raj Chetty! Chetty, who received his PhD in economics from Harvard in 2003, became an assistant professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley at age twenty-three and an associate professor at age twenty-seven. He recently became one of the youngest tenured professors in Harvard history. He has done ground-breaking research on the theoretical and empirical issues in the design of tax and social insurance programs. Attendance is limited, so *** RSVP to dbrenner@fas.harvard.edu with your Harvard HUDS number. You can locate the number on the back, bottom right-hand corner of your ID: "CC - ######### (16 digits) *** * RECESSION-ERA GLOBAL HEALTH FORUM Keeping Global Health Strong as Economies Slide. Thursday 4/23, 7:30pm, Sever 113. Free Mike’s Pastries Cannolis! Come meet the Director of Doctors Without Borders and PBH Visiting Fellow Nicholas de Torrente! He and Howard Zucker, Former Assistant Director-General of the WHO, will discuss the impact of the global financial crisis on the health of the world’s poorest citizens. * CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT The Chamber Singers of the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum presents Versa est in luctum Death and remembrance in the Renaissance Friday, April 24, 8:00pm First Church Cambridge, 11 Garden Street The Chamber Singers of the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum are proud to present Versa est in Luctum, a concert of sacred vocal music from the late Renaissance. Featuring works by Josquin, Ockeghem, Victoria, and Lassus, the program provides a look at the ways in which composers across Europe communicated themes of death and remembrance. The concert will take place on Friday, April 24th at 8pm at First Church Cambridge, 11 Garden Street. Tickets may be purchased through the Harvard Box Office website ( http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~tickets), at (617-496-2222), at the door, or from any Chamber Singer, and are $10 in advance or $14 at the door for adults, and $5/$7 for students. This year's student conductor is senior Michael Schachter, assisted by junior Rachel Carpentier. For more information about the group, including audio samples and CD information, please visit our website at www.hrcm.net/cs.htm. Questions may be directed to manager Claire Shepro at ChamberSingers@hrcm.net.