To Serve and to Parent: Karma Roberts

August 17th, 2011 in In This Issue 0 comments

Karma Roberts with SHA Dean Chris Muller.

Karma Roberts has been a member of the BU family since her son, Mark (CGS’06, CAS’08), started his freshman year at Boston University in 2004. She became involved with the Parents Leadership Council (PLC) because she wanted to stay connected and to understand the inner workings of her son’s school. She admits that she was a bit of a “helicopter parent,” but after all, she was sending her son across the country (Karma and her family live in the Bay Area).

The Robertses quickly became ensconced in the BU community, particularly taking to the College of General Studies, where Mark’s sister, Hilary (CGS’10, COM’12), also enrolled, following in her brother’s footsteps. They made a donation to create the Roberts Family Conference Room in the Brendan F. Gilbane Study Lounge at CGS. And Mark and Hilary followed their mother’s example by joining her in contributing to the CGS lobby restoration project. “It is important to teach your children to be philanthropic,” says Karma.

Karma remains loyal to BU. She is still an active PLC member—every summer she flies to Boston to represent the Parents Program at an orientation session; every fall she attends the Parents Leadership Council meeting; and she has hosted several events at her home for CGS and Dean Linda Wells. Karma is a dear friend and a loyal supporter of this institution, and her children will certainly leave their own BU legacies.

–Christy Olson Loring, Associate Director, Parents Program

Tagged Christy Loring, Fall 2011, Karma Roberts, Parents Leadership Council

A Letter from the Chairwoman of the Parents Leadership Council

August 16th, 2011 in In This Issue 0 comments

Dear Fellow Parents,

Welcome to the first edition of the Boston University Parent online! We decided to create an electronic version of our magazine to be environmentally friendly, of course, but also to increase our interaction with the BU parent community in a more timely fashion. So as you settle in to read this publication, I encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions with us, ask questions, and post comments —the Parents Program wants to hear from you! We will be updating the magazine more frequently in an effort to further your involvement in the BU experience. You’ll also receive our monthly e-newsletter, Parent Extra, as well as copies of the University’s award-winning alumni magazine, Bostonia. I hope you will enjoy these enhancements. We’ll begin our journey with a look at BU’s Educational Resource Center . . . a perfect way to start!

Best wishes,

Jeanne Knox
Chairwoman, Parents Leadership Council
Mother of Merrill (COM’06) and Bobby (CGS’08, SAR’10, SPH’12)

2011–2012 Parents Leadership Council

Tagged Fall 2011, Jeanne Knox, Parents Leadership Council

The Thurman Center: Evolving with Students

August 16th, 2011 in Fall 2011, Fall 2011 Features 0 comments

By Rich Barlow
Photo by Vernon Doucette

The Howard Thurman Center hosts a tea party once a week. No, not the kind that draws Sarah Palin devotees; this one is designed for fans of Egyptian chamomile and halawa confections of sesame and sugar. For the less adventuresome, bags of Lipton and Tetley are provided in wood-and-glass cases on the crimson-clothed table. Tea-lovers linger to chat at the table or lounge in the comfortable chairs and sofas in the center’s George Sherman Union basement lounge.

Sipping tea like a country squire isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you think about a place dedicated to cultural programs. Yet the Tea Club lures a cross section of students. Attendees have included Tino Henrik Bratbo (CAS’13), a white New Jerseyan by way of Denmark; African American Kimberly Morton (CAS’11); and Annie Rupani (CGS’09, CAS’11), an olive-skinned Texan of Pakistani ancestry. In the words of Thurman Center Assistant Director Raul Fernandez (COM’00), the year-old club draws a group that’s “diverse without even trying.”

Annie Rupani (CAS’11), recent president of the Thurman Center Tea Club, and Michael Yahudaii (SMG’12) at the club’s weekly gathering. Photo by Cydney Scott

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the center, founded to offer cultural programs that carry on the multicultural, barriers-busting philosophy of the late Marsh Chapel Dean Howard Thurman (Hon.’67). Observing the milestone, the Thurman Center is evolving a new strategy to fulfill that mission. It is morphing beyond what Fernandez says was a place where only students of color came. “From our perspective, we were always for the entire campus,” he says. “But we weren’t reaching the whole campus. We wanted to be something broader.”

Director Katherine Kennedy agrees: “Our programs have always been inclusive.” The center fashioned new events to make itself a hub where students of all races and ethnicities engage in shared passions that aren’t particular to any one group. That might be tea. Or it might be the center’s Book Club or its Culture Shock blog for aspiring writers, both launched within the past few years. Walk in on these activities, Fernandez says, and you see “a little bit of a Times Square. The most diverse events that we’ve had here have been events that had nothing to do with what you look like. Book Club—all you’ve got to do is be able to read. Tea Club—obviously, you like tea. If you don’t like tea, you can still show up. I’ll serve some coffee.”

More events have meant more attendance, which increased from about 6,000 visits in 2007 to more than 21,000 last year.

Fernandez argues that the emphasis on cross-cultural activities keeps faith with the philosophy of the center’s namesake. In 1944, Thurman cofounded the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco, America’s first integrated, nondenominational congregation, drawn together by a common spirituality that knew no racial or creedal distinctions. “His intent was to connect people,” says Fernandez. “He said there was something called common ground, and if people can find that, whatever it is—some people find common ground around bad movies, or anime—then they can understand one another better.”

Photo by Vernon Doucette

Thurman unwittingly forecast the attitudes of many 21st-century BU students, who either don’t identify themselves primarily by race or ethnicity or else are more interested in comparing notes with peers of different backgrounds. “I personally don’t identify myself by my culture,” says Jennifer Gilbert (CAS’13), who is Jewish. She attends synagogue, but does so to sing and to please her family rather than out of conviction. “I identify myself more by my experiences. You don’t choose your culture. Your experiences are something you shape about yourself.”

“My identity’s still a work in progress,” says Bratbo. “I don’t really identify by my culture or demographics. If anything, I identify with the Howard Thurman Center,” as a student ambassador, or volunteer.

Both Bratbo and Gilbert are part of the nation’s white racial majority, and race can be more crucial to minorities. But Morton and Alexandria “Sandy” Ocasio-Cortez (CAS’11), for whom ancestry is a point of pride and essential to their sense of self, also value the chance to mingle with others from different backgrounds.

“I am black Baptist. That’s not something I’ve lost at the Thurman Center,” says Morton. “Raul’s correct; this center used to be very visited by students of color, and it still is. You find that common ground—which for all of us is tea—and we might have a conversation and I’ll say, ‘Oh, Tino, you’re from Denmark, that’s interesting,’ and talk about Danish culture. It’s still a cultural center, but it’s definitely more than that.”

Ocasio-Cortez, also an ambassador, stresses her Hispanic identity and Puerto Rican family. But Thurman’s writings urge readers “to act in accordance with your passion,” she says. “Some people are passionate about their cultural heritage, but some are passionate about other things that happen to have a cultural breadth—tea being one of them.”

“One of the things that allows people to expand who they are is to identify with other people’s passions. I identify with my cultural community, but I’ve learned a lot from Tino’s passion for literature.” (Did we mention the Thurman Center has a Book Club?)

You’ll still see racially or ethnically focused groups meeting at the center, from Alianza Latina to the Russian American Cultural Club. Cultural identity is especially important to students of color, says Kennedy—hence the center’s affiliated cultural groups. But “we work to make sure that is not all they focus on, by encouraging them to find that comfort zone” through other center activities.

Besides, says Fernandez, there’s only so much the Thurman Center can do to help cultural groups express themselves: “I can’t tell somebody what it means to be Russian.”  ■

This story was adapted with permission from BU Today.

Tagged African American, diversity, Fall 2011, Howard Thurman, Howard Thurman Center, Katherine Kennedy, multiculturalism, Raul Fernandez

BU’s Faculty-in-Residence program puts professors where the students are.

August 16th, 2011 in Fall 2011, Fall 2011 Features 4 comments

By Vicky Waltz
Photos by Kalman Zabarsky

Back in the ’70s, when Karen Jacobs was a student at BU, she didn’t live on campus. Then she decided to make up for lost time. When Jacobs moved to Boston from the suburbs seven years ago, she didn’t buy a fancy brownstone on Commonwealth Avenue. Instead, she settled in Warren Towers—one of the largest residence halls in the country, lodging about 1,800 freshmen. Last year, she relocated to the more luxurious Student Village II, better known as StuVi2, but her neighbors are still kids aged 18 to 22. The 60-year-old Jacobs doesn’t sweat the generation gap, though. “The students keep me young,” she says, laughing. “How else would I stay up-to-date on the latest music?”

A clinical professor of occupational therapy in Sargent College, Jacobs is one of 13 faculty members who make up BU’s Faculty-in-Residence (FIR) program. Designed to deepen the impact of teaching and research, FIR allows students and faculty to interact on an informal, day-to-day basis outside the classroom. “Students, particularly freshmen, are often intimidated by the concept of ‘The Professor,’” Jacobs says. “The Faculty-in-Residence program helps to demystify us.” Besides that, the program creates a warm, inviting environment for students. Jacobs (below, right) keeps her door open whenever she’s home and encourages students to drop by for homemade cookies and conversation. “I think students appreciate having an adult around,” she says.

Research on student retention and academic success indicates that faculty-student interaction outside the classroom leads to a higher rate of student achievement, says Jacobs. “Programs like this put more role models in the residence halls.” “I am constantly amazed at how easy it is to develop relationships with these students and at how long they last across their collegiate experiences and beyond,” says Bryan Stone, associate dean at the School of Theology and Warren Towers resident. “There’s a ‘specialness’ to being able to see students outside the classroom, where they live, eat, and mix with one another, and to having some influence—sometimes small, sometimes bigger—in their lives,” adds Ed Downes, an associate professor of mass communication in the College of Communication, who lives at 10 Buick Street.

To take part in the program, which provides a rent-free living space and partial meal plan, professors are required to offer evening “open hours” and attend RA meetings. Jacobs holds a weekly “Test Kitchen,” teaching the culinarily-challenged how to prepare dishes other than ramen noodles.

“I think it’s important that students have some life skills before they graduate,” she says. “I want them to know how to cook, and more importantly, cook healthily.” They make potato latkes for Passover and fried samosas for Diwali. After dinner, she and the students often play board games. In keeping with her efforts to encourage healthy habits, Jacobs introduced a new activity last semester: sunrise yoga to help relieve stress and boost concentration. She even arranged for a masseuse to give students free massages during finals week.

Other faculty members host Monday Night Football parties, community service excursions, and fishing trips to Gloucester.

Diane Meuser, an associate professor of math and statistics in the College of Arts & Sciences who has participated in the program for more than 30 years, takes her students on annual hikes to New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock and organizes bike rides to Concord and Lincoln. She also hosts homemade ice cream parties in her apartment, with such flavors as avocado, lemon meringue pie, and chocolate truffle.

“I like living on campus and being right in the middle of things,” she says. “It would be boring to live in the suburbs.”

Jacobs’s residents pitch in to help with some of her research projects, most notably one that determines the proper ergonomics for using a laptop computer. Partially conducted in Warren Towers, the study offers suggestions on how students can modify their laptops to function as desktop computer workstations. “Because laptop computers are so portable, students often use them on their beds and at tables,” she says. “As a result, some users are developing health problems like wrist, neck, shoulder, head, and back pain.” She is currently expanding the study to include information about iPads and iPhones.

But Jacobs doesn’t see her residents as research subjects. “The students and I, we’re a family,” she says. And she means that quite literally. “My son was a freshman during my first year at Warren Towers,” she recalls, “and I introduced him to a young woman on my floor. They fell in love, got married, and now I have a grandchild.”  ■

Tagged cooking, Diane Meuser, Ed Downes, Faculty in Residence, Fall 2011, Karen Jacobs, life skills, residences, StuViII, Vicky Waltz

B-Line Buzz: Students Making Music

August 15th, 2011 in In This Issue 0 comments

Outlets abound at BU for students who want to play music, regardless of their major. More than 400 students, representing nearly all of BU’s schools and colleges and ranging from beginners to old hands, perform in big bands and jazz combos, marching and pep bands, chamber music and concert ensembles, and a classical orchestra.

Under the direction of College of Fine Arts faculty and other veteran musician-teachers, the young musicians focus on developing their ability, practicing for just one or two big concerts per semester. That way, students nourish and hone their musicality while managing their academic course loads.

Here are just a few of the many performance opportunities at BU:

Tagged BU Bands, Chamber Music Society, Fall 2011, Jazz Combo, Marching Band on Ice

Stumbling over Statistics?

August 10th, 2011 in Fall 2011, Fall 2011 Features 6 comments

At BU, there’s a resource center for students who are confounded by chemistry, hysterical over history, or otherwise in need of an academic assist.

By Mariana Ramirez Navarrete (COM’13)

It’s the night before your first final exam and maybe you haven’t started studying yet. You have a paper due, a lab report, and you still want to go to the gym, catch dinner with friends, and watch the latest episode of Glee. You’re stressed; you’re worried; and you don’t want to leave your room in the freezing weather.

We all know that life as a Terrier isn’t always easy, but we sometimes make it more difficult for ourselves with poor study habits and procrastination. Luckily, there are some professionals on campus who are more than happy to help students correct those mistakes and take some of the stress out of achieving academic success.

“Adults that you are,” Glenn Wrigley tells me, “you need to take responsibility for yourselves and find the help you need to succeed.”

Glenn Wrigley, director, overlooks the site of the new home of the Educational Resource Center at Boston University. Photo by Cydney Scott

Wrigley is the director of the Educational Resource Center at Boston University (ERC). A one-stop shop for students seeking to boost their grades, the ERC offers free tutoring, writing assistance, skill workshops, and other academic lifelines.

As a junior in the College of Communication, I’m embarrassed to admit that, while I was aware of the ERC’s existence, until recently I had not taken advantage of the tools it provides. Looking back now, I’m sure I could have made things much easier for myself if I had sought aid when I first felt the workload getting out of hand. Especially when I realized how much harder college really is than high school, and that my studying techniques had to change accordingly.

“Students often get to BU and they hit the ground running,” says Wrigley. “They’re not used to seeing C’s, and they feel comfortable with their studying methods. It’s not until after that first test or paper comes back that they look for help.”

The ERC is always ready with that help, offering a range of services, from individual tutoring sessions and writing labs, to foreign-language group talks and workshops in time management. There’s even a prep course to give students a head start on handling those dreaded organic chemistry assignments. And in addition to professional assistance, the ERC also features a peer-mentoring program, in which top-notch, faculty-recommended upperclassmen provide the individualized support many students need to succeed in a specific class or subject. Located on the fourth floor of the George Sherman Union, the ERC is every Terrier’s go-to resource when a class seems too much to handle.

Of course, the center’s staff can only point a student in the right direction. Wrigley says it’s critical that both parents and students know that in the end, each student is responsible for his or her own success: “Students need to get connected to faculty and administrators on campus. The quicker they can do that, the more likely they’ll be successful.”

Originally intended as a peer-mentoring center, the ERC has certainly evolved over its twenty-year history, adding services designed to aid students across their various academic endeavors. “The center soon took a prominent role among the student body,” said Wrigley. “We try very hard to get our message across to students, especially new students.”

Along with stressing the importance of personal responsibility, Wrigley maintains that the role of parents in a college student’s academic life should be minimal. Parents should educate themselves about the resources available on campus, but the decision to utilize those tools has to be the student’s. “Never call and make an appointment for your student,” Wrigley says. “That’s not the kind of help they need.”

Parents can help, however, by encouraging their students to talk to the people at the ERC about their academic careers. “That way, they can’t use the ‘No one ever told me’ excuse,” Wrigley points out. Urge students to work with the center staff to design a strong and effective studying method. After all, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when facing a full slate of rigorous courses, and the ERC can bolster students as they navigate their schedules of papers, presentations, take-home quizzes, and looming midterms and finals.

Whether it’s through assisting students in improving their writing styles and techniques, or by offering them the opportunity to sit in on a foreign-language conversation led by a native speaker, the ERC is sure to supply your child with targeted, practical help. The important step is walking through the center’s doors—that’s the way toward better academic performance.  ■

Tagged Educational Resource Center, Fall 2011, Glenn Wrigley, Mariana Ramirez, study skills, tutoring, writing assistance

A year in the life of BU’s popular Dean of Students.

August 9th, 2011 in Fall 2011, Fall 2011 Features 5 comments

By Corinne Steinbrenner (COM’06)
Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

Who’s the guy with the infectious enthusiasm and the purple bow tie? Any student on campus can tell you, that’s Dean Elmore.

As Dean of Students, Kenneth Elmore aims to ensure that Boston University is more than an institution of higher education—that it’s also a supportive and vibrant community. It’s a responsibility Elmore takes seriously and fulfills with his own beboppin’ brand of gusto. While overseeing offices such as Orientation, Residence Life, Disability Services, Student Activities, and Judicial Affairs (yes, discipline is sometimes necessary), Elmore makes time to get out among BU students, hear their concerns, and share their energy. Here, he walks us through a typical academic year in his very busy campus life.

SEPTEMBER Kicking off the year at the head of the Matriculation parade Photo by Vernon Doucette “Matriculation is this wonderful time of the year when we officially welcome new students into the Boston University community. I get the honor of starting at one end of campus—Danielsen Hall—and walking up to Agganis Arena where the Matriculation ceremony takes place, with students meeting me along the way.” “The first week of class, I’m giving a lot of ‘welcome back’ speeches. I try to pop in at hordes of events. There are lots of meetings, and the campus really comes alive during that first week.”

OCTOBER Hosting academic discussions—and Parents Weekend brunch Photo by Kalman Zabarsky Elmore moderated an October 2010 forum—“Are Americans God’s Chosen People?”—featuring two prominent BU professors, military expert Andrew Bacevich and religion scholar Stephen Prothero. The event drew a large audience and was streamed live on the Web. “I asked to host that. I love conversation. To attract the best and the brightest here, BU has to be a vibrant place that challenges and excites them. And it starts with conversation. Any chance I get to facilitate a conversation with people, I’m in.” October is also the month of Parents Weekend and Elmore’s traditional Jazz Brunch, one of the many music-themed events he hosts throughout the year. “We’ve all got a heartbeat; we’ve all got a rhythm. Music is the kind of thing that brings groups of people together.”

NOVEMBER Tweeting from the stands While rooting on the Terriers, Elmore often sends updates from his smart phone via the social media site Twitter. “Athletics are important, and I’ll tell you why they’re important. They provide venues for the community to come together and sustain itself and reenergize itself. If we get a win, all the better.” “Social media is important, too. I’ve found that it has increased my ability to connect with students face-to-face. Students feel as though they’ve had contact with me, and I think that makes it less intimidating to walk up and ask me a question.”

DECEMBER Hosting “Coffee and Conversation” every Friday, 3 to 5 p.m. Photo by Vernon Doucette “My favorite time of the week is always Friday afternoon. It’s wonderful to have a bunch of students talking at these high levels about concepts and ideas. We’ll get anywhere from 100 to 170 people depending on the issue we throw out on our blog each week. In December we have extra desserts and it’s almost an end-of-the-year party.”

JANUARY Emceeing the University’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Day celebration Photo by Kalman Zabarsky “Big day for us," Elmore says of the remembrance ceremonies that include a sermon at Marsh Chapel, gospel performances, and guest speakers at the George Sherman Union. "Last year we did something really cool. We decided that instead of getting a big-name speaker, we would let the people talk. We had students and faculty. People were just on the edge of their seats at this thing. We caught lightning last year, and I look forward to what we might do thematically this year.”

FEBRUARY Sitting on the selection committee for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Photo by Vernon Doucette “I’ve had the pleasure to read those applications and to think about how we shape the future here at the University. The MLK scholars are people who not only engage in meaningful service in their communities but have thought seriously about their role in changing the world. It’s a real honor to help choose those students who will come here in the name of Dr. King. I think it might be one of the more important things I do.”

MARCH Pitching in during Alternative Spring Break Photo by Vernon Doucette “Spring break is usually the time when my professional organization gets together in conference, but I always leave those conferences early because we’ve got Alternative Spring Break (ASB) going on all around the country. I try to get to an ASB site near my conference site and do a little service with the students, and then we all go out to dinner. Then I head off to my parents’ house in South Carolina. For the last several years my parents have been hosting the ASB trip in Greenville. They have the students over, and I help my mom and dad and my aunts and uncles—the whole family comes out—to do a fish fry and a barbeque and make incredible Southern fare for the students.”

APRIL Judging campus competitions Photo by Vernon Doucette, video by Tom Segale. “I am often called upon to be a judge [for campus competitions]. There are dance competitions. There’s Mister and Miss BU. And last year I got a chance to judge the grand Iron Chef championship, where students come up with recipes. The food was incredible.”

MAY Sending the seniors off with a splash Video by Nicolae Ciorogan “Senior breakfast is always the day after the last day of class. We bring all the seniors into this building, the George Sherman Union. They hear about the fun-filled week that’s coming up for them after exams. The President tells them who is going to get an honorary degree [and] who is going to be the speaker for Commencement. I get to be the emcee for all of that.” “Last year I made a bet that if we got 2,011 members of the Class of 2011 to donate to the Class Gift campaign, then I would put on a tuxedo and jump into the Charles River. I knew that a challenge would get people out.” The students met their fundraising goal during Senior Breakfast, “so I had to make good.”  ■

Tagged Alternative Spring Break, Andrew Bacevich, athletics, Class Gift, Corinne Steinbrenner, Dean Elmore, Disability Services, Fall 2011, Feature Story 2011, Iron Chef, Jazz Brunch, Jr., Judicial Affairs, Kenn Elmore, Martin Luther King, Matriculation parade, Orientation, Parents Weekend, Residence Life, Stephen Prothero, Student Activities