THE HILL NEWS e s t a b l i s h e d i n 1 9 1 1 at s t . l aw r e n c e u n i v e r s i t y
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016
INSIDE:
VOLUME CVI, ISSUE 6
Campus Hidden Gem: SLU Exchange Program with Fisk University By BRENDA WINN NEWS EDITOR
Page 5: Fisk U among SLU’s most overlooked offcampus programs.
CANTON, NY
For the past 24 years, St. Lawrence has been sending students to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee to study for a semester. In 1995, the two universities officially signed an exchange program agreement that is reciprocal. Fisk University students are able to spend the fall semester on the SLU campus and SLU students have the chance to study at Fisk in the spring semes-
ter. The program is very small, as 17 SLU students have taken advantage of this opportunity over the years, while only five Fisk students have come to SLU. Fisk University is a historically black university that has played an important leadership role in minority education ever since its earliest days. The university has produced professors and alumni that have been some of America’s most influential intellectual, artistic, and civic leaders. Some examples of alumni
include W.E.B. DuBois, John W. Work, Thurgood Marshall John Hope Franklin, and Nikki Giovanni. Dr. Mary Jane Smith, faculty advisor for the Fisk program. Said that most SLU students who go to Fisk for a semester want to experience an environment where they are, as minorities, a majority. All but two of the 17 students who have participated have been of color. “Many of the students return to SLU and report how different it felt to not
be a minority,” Dr. Smith said. “For them, it was also really influential to be taught by more professors of colors and have more administrators of color, as well.” Currently, SLU student Alyson Wilson ’17 is studying at Fisk. She said that she has always wanted to participate in an off campus program, and a last minute location change-of-heart landed her in Nashville. Wilson recognizes the many race and diversity issues that CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
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By MARISA TARO GUEST WRITER
n memory of: this Sunday,
March 6 at 1pm in the Gunnison Memorial Chapel, Laurentians and members of the St. Lawrence community gathered to celebrate a former student’s life. That student’s name was Barbara E. Burgmeier, or Barbie for short. Barbie graduated last year and was teaching at a charter school in Tennessee when she was the victim of an unfortunate accident in December. She touched the lives of so many people that we felt it was imperative to celebrate her time here at St. Lawrence. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Kirk Douglas Does it Again: $2 Million Scholarship Endowment By KATIE KULL STAFF WRITER St. Lawrence alum and American film star Kirk Douglas ’39 and his wife, Anne, have recently donated $2 million to student scholarships, as well as to maintain operation of Kirk Douglas Hall. This money will be split evenly, $1 million designated for the Kirk Douglas Scholarship Fund and $1 million for the improvement, repair, maintenance, and operation of Kirk Douglas Hall. University President William L. Fox said, “We are immensely grateful for [the Douglas’s] continued commitment to St. Lawrence.” The Kirk Douglas Scholarship supports students who represent diversity, have financial need, and demonstrate excellence in academic ability, as well as community
leadership. Each year, two students are selected to receive this scholarship. Douglas scholars receive loanfree financial aid and a stipend to allow them to peruse experiential opportunities such as study abroad, internships, and collaborative research they may not have otherwise had to opportunity to peruse. Scholars also receive mentoring and textbooks. Currently, there are six Douglas Scholars coming from California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, and New York. By next semester, there will be eight Douglas Scholars on campus, two from each class, according to St. Lawrence. This fund was first established 16 years ago and expanded again in 2012 with a $5 million gift. It is on track to become the largest endowed scholarship at St. Lawrence. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
SLU Internships and Fellowships Earn Spot as a Princeton Review Top College By ALI PRICE STAFF WRITER In a recent publication by the Princeton Review titled, Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give you the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck, St. Lawrence was raked one of the best 25 colleges for internships in the United States. Students at St. Lawrence and schools across America ranked their respective schools’ internship programs on their accessibility to internship placements. St. Lawrence has exceptional programs which help guide students in the right direction toward landing an internship through alumni connections, online platforms, and university/internship fellowships.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM HARBOR DISCOVERIES CAMPS
Jen Lifsitz ‘17 helping campers perform marine research in Boston.
Career Services supports St. Lawrence students on their internship hunt by offering them with workshops, panels, and their office hours. During office hours, students are able to learn how to prepare for an interview, how to craft a
resume/cover letter, and so much more. SAINTSLink is one of the schools most valuable online internship search engines. It is an online platform which allows to browse hundreds of CONTINUED ON PAGE 10