Campus Connections

Issue Date: February 12, 2007

News and Notices

Read the 2005-06 Annual Report online!

The Lewis & Clark College Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors 2005-06 , “Patterns of Convergence,” is now available online. Features include a report from President Hochstettler, stories that exemplify the successes in each of our three schools, an explanation of the impact gifts have on our ability to provide outstanding educational experiences, and the Honor Roll of Donors, which lists those who have contributed to our cause.

If you haven’t received and would like a print copy of the Annual Report, contact Tamar Hare at ext. 7928 or tamarh@lclark.edu.

Report on media bias exemplifies faculty and student collaborative research

Do the media have a liberal bias? According to a new study by Robert Eisinger, associate professor and chair of political science, the notion that major U.S. newspapers have an ideological labeling bias is grossly exaggerated.

The study, titled “What Media Bias?: Conservative and Liberal Labeling in Major U.S. Newspapers” (Press/Politics, volume 12, issue 1, winter 2007), examines the labeling of prominent politicians in major U.S. newspapers over the last 14 years. The report finds that some labeling does occur, but that it hardly represents an attempt by journalists to malign conservatives or liberals.

Coauthored with Lewis & Clark graduates Loring Veenstra ’06 and John Koehn ’04, the report exemplifies collaborative faculty and student research at a professional level. Veenstra was a Pamplin Fellow and double major in political science and economics. Koehn majored in political science.

“We analyzed newspaper articles qualitatively, seeking to comprehend and explain if any patterns exist, and if so, why,” said Eisinger. “We conclude that among major newspapers, some disproportionate labeling of conservatives exists but that this labeling pattern does not necessarily constitute an implicit or explicit bias.”

The report suggests that the labeling pattern can be explained by the rise of conservatives in Congress following the 1994 election, the increased conservative tenor in Congress over the past fifteen years, and the increased pejorative use of the word liberal. These factors accounts for the labeling – but do not constitute “media bias.”

“The term media bias is so commonplace that it has become banal. Media bias, especially labeling bias, is easy to claim but difficult to measure. We studied labeling with ideological tags – for example, the liberal Senator Kennedy, or the conservative Senator Brownback. We found that labeling exists, but not in a way that denotes bias. While the intent of some labeling may be to better inform the reader, most appears as sloppy journalism, muddying issues with ideological tags that contribute dubious value. News consumers are being fed labels, even when we do not appear to be demanding them. Labeling bias is neither left nor right, but it is wrong.”

Rise in physics majors among top in nation

According to statistics gathered by the American Institute of Physics, there has been a steady increase in the number of physics bachelor of arts degrees awarded in the United States since the late 1990s. Based on a comparison of degrees from 1997-99 and 2002-04, Lewis & Clark’s physics department ranks in the top 30 in the United States in the percentage increase in the number of degrees awarded.

According to Michael Broide, associate professor of physics and department chair, the increase in physics majors can be attributed to key factors such as community building and creating a supportive environment for students, rewards for students for the hard work of being a physics major, and an expertly staffed machine and electronics shop. He also cites the John S. Rogers endowed summer research program in which students work with faculty and then go on to present their work at regional and national meetings and coauthor articles with faculty in peer-reviewed journals.

Lewis & Clark student Erik Gerwick ’07 says there is a growing number of physics majors because of the faculty’s willingness to help students. He adds, “the physics department really epitomizes the essence of a liberal arts education: learning for the process and in order to see the world in a new way.”

IT offers spring classes

Information Technology offers ongoing computer training courses. During the next two weeks, these classes are available: Thunderbird E-mail, Advanced Trillium, Introduction to Photoshop (2-part), Working with PDF Files, and Filemaker Pro Databases (3-part). For more information, contact IT at ext. 7020.

People News

Published, presented, honors, and achievements

Faculty and staff serve as ambassadors for the College through their publications, presentations, awards, grants, and other accomplishments. Highlights include:

Bill Chin, professor of legal analysis and writing, was appointed by Governor Kulongoski to a three-year term on the Oregon Commission on Asian Affairs.

In October, Jens Mache, associate professor of computer science, presented a tutorial titled, “Hands-On Grid Computing With Globus Toolkit 4,” at the Eighth Annual Northwestern Regional Conference of the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges at Eastern Washington University. His paper was published in the Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, volume 22, issue 2.

More listings of faculty and staff achievements can be found in our online pressroom.

Events

Black History Month Speaker Series

To celebrate Black History Month, Lewis & Clark is hosting a lecture series featuring nationally renowned leaders. All events in the speaker series are free and open to the public.

February 13, 7 p.m.
Council Chamber, Templeton Student Center
Robin D.G. Kelley: Lauded by Cornel West as “the preeminent historian of black popular culture writing today,” Kelley presents “A Joyful Noise: Radical Spirituality and Modern Jazz.” A professor at the University of Southern California, he has authored numerous books, including “Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class” and “Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination.” He has served as a professor at Columbia University and was chair of the History Department and professor of history and Africana studies at New York University. Kelley is currently working on a biography of legendary jazz musician Thelonious Monk.

February 26, 7 p.m.
Agnes Flanagan Chapel
Kwame Anthony Appiah: Appiah, Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, will give a talk titled “Cosmopolitanism.” An internationally known scholar, Appiah has also taught at Harvard, Duke, Cornell, and Yale. He has published widely in the area of African and African American literary and cultural studies. Appiah is the author of books including, “In My Father’s House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture,” and the critically acclaimed, “Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers.” He has also written three novels and coedited “Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience” with Henry Louis Gates Jr.

February 28, 6 p.m.
Smith Hall, Albany Quadrangle
Jamie Washington: A nationally known speaker, consultant, and diversity leadership trainer, Washington will lead a workshop titled “We’re All in This Together: Coalition Building Across Difference.” He founded the Washington Consulting Group, a multicultural organizational development firm based in Baltimore, and now serves as the group’s president. He was an educator and administrator in higher education for over 18 years. His honors include a mayoral citation as one of Baltimore’s Men of the Year, the 2001 American College Personnel Association Diamond Honoree award for significant contributions to higher education and student affairs work, and a 2002 Voices of Inclusion Award for his work in the area of social justice education.

For more information, call ext. 7051.

Poet Marianne Boruch

This spring’s Poetry on Palatine Hill series will begin with nationally acclaimed poet Marianne Boruch. Boruch will read from her work on Tuesday, February 13, at 7 p.m., in Frank Manor House, Armstrong Lounge. The reading is free and open to the public.

Boruch is a professor or English at Purdue University, where she has taught since 1987 and has directed the master of fine arts program since it was created in 1987. She is the author of five volumes of poetry and two books of essays on poetry. Her work has been published in such places as the New Yorker, the Nation, Iowa Review, and the Georgia Review, and has been widely anthologized. Boruch’s many awards include Pushcart prizes and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.

For more information go to www.lclark.edu/dept/english/specialevents.html or call ext. 7405.

Vietnam veteran dispels peace movement myths

Professor Jerry Lembcke has argued for years against the popular idea that during the Vietnam War members of the peace movement and members of the military were all antagonists. Lembcke, a Vietnam War veteran and now a professor of sociology at Holy College, was one of tens of thousands of veterans who participated in the peace movement. Lembcke will discuss how and why this history of solidarity has disappeared from public memory and the consequences of that disappearance on today’s peace movement. His lecture, “Spat-Upon Veterans: An Old Myth and Some New Stories” takes place on Thursday, February 15, at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, Templeton Student Center, and is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit http://www.lclark. edu/~econ/Events. htm.

Alexander String Quartet residency and performance

The Alexander String Quartet is one of the world’s premier ensembles. This month, Lewis & Clark will host the quartet for a three-day residency, which includes lectures, master classes, and informal performances. The quartet will perform a concert open to the public on Friday, February 16, at 8 p.m., in Agnes Flanagan Chapel.

Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Shostakovich, the quartet has also established itself as an important advocate of new music. The Lewis & Clark concert program will include Beethoven’s String Quartet no. 6 in B-flat major, op. 18, no. 6, and String Quartet no. 15 in A Minor, op. 132, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Wayne Peterson’s String Quartet no. 3 “Pop Sweet.” The quartet’s players include Zakarias Grafilo, violin; Frederick Lifsitz, violin; Paul Yarbrough, viola; and Sandy Wilson, cello.

Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors, and $5 for students, available through TicketsWest (800-992-8499). For group ticket sales, call extension 7200.

Intellectual Property Distinguished Visitor

Lewis & Clark Law School will host the Honorable Raymond C. Clevenger III as its eighth annual Distinguished Intellectual Property Visitor. Clevenger’s talk, “Only Questions, No Answers,” takes place on Tuesday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the student lounge of the Legal Research Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Clevenger received his bachelor of arts degree and master of arts degree from Yale University, and he graduated from Yale Law School in 1966. He was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice White, and then went into private practice at Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering from 1967 to 1990. He was nominated to the federal circuit by President George Bush on January 24, 1990. On February 1, 2006, he assumed the status of senior judge.

The Intellectual Property Visitor program, sponsored by Mentor Graphics Foundation, brings a nationally prominent scholar to the law school each year to teach classes and to present a free public lecture. Clevenger will visit the law school February 19 through February 23.

For more information, call ext. 6756.

PILP auction themed “For a Better World”

The 17th annual Public Interest Law Project (PILP) auction takes place on Saturday, February 24, at 6 p.m. at the law school. The benefit event, titled “For a Better World,” raises funds to help support public interest work each summer by law students. Last year’s auction raised more than $89,000 and funded 18 stipends.

Through the summer program, students gain valuable experience while providing public interest organizations with much–needed legal assistance. After the stipends are awarded, the remaining funds are allocated to the Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which helps public interest lawyers repay law school loans after graduation. Last year, students worked with organizations such as Oregon Natural Desert Association, Columbia Riverkeeper, Earth Island Institute, and Juvenile Rights Project.

The annual event, donning a Wild West theme this year, begins with a silent auction at 6 p.m. followed by a live auction at 8. Past auction items included a sailing trip to the San Juan Islands, Portland Trail Blazer tickets, and a guided mountaineering trip. The benefit takes place in the law school’s student lounge. Admission is $15 and includes refreshments.

PILP is currently accepting auction item donations and donations directly to the summer stipend program or Loan Repayment Assistance Program. For more information about donating or attending, call the PILP office at ext. 6782 or visit www.lclark.edu/org/pilp.

Upcoming

Visit the campus Web calendar for events coming up in February and March.