In Brief

This year's Student Orientation Program for the College features a brand-new format.

There will be just one session instead of three and all parents will have the opportunity to attend parent orientation, which will be on Sunday, August 27, and Monday, August 28.

Orientation for all new students begins on Saturday, August 26, and continues through Monday, September 4.

Highlights of Orientation Week include move-in activities on August 26; Play Fair (also known as "the world's largest icebreaker"); a job fair for on-campus employment; faculty advising sessions; fall course registration; evening social activities, including a night at Frontier Field; a transfer orientation program; and Wilson Day (for details on Wilson Day, see the news brief below).

The College's Class of 2004 numbers 950 and they were chosen from more than 10,000 applicants. About half of the class comes from New York State, with the proportion of students from the South, Midwest, and West on the rise. About a quarter of those who opted to report their ethnic status are members of minority groups and 6 percent are children of University alumni.

For more information about Orientation Week contact the Orientation Office, x5-4414 (275-4414).

Volunteer for Wilson Day

On Friday, September 1, the Wilson Day community service program will mark its 12th year.

Through Wilson Day, the University recognizes the importance of service and uses the day's events to help freshmen bond with each other, their college, and the Rochester community. During their college years, most Rochester undergraduates are involved in community service projects. This year's theme, "The Many Faces of Service," will emphasize the ways people can serve their community, the personal interaction community service provides, and an appreciation for the diversity of the community.

Sophomores, juniors, seniors, and transfer students who would like to volunteer for Wilson Day should call the Dean of Students Office, x5-8732 (275-8732) or e-mail Jason Espinosa, Wilson Day 2000 coordinator, at je002g@mail.rochester.edu.

Enjoy theater in Stratford

The English department will once again sponsor a trip to Stratford, Ontario, from Friday, September 22, to Sunday, September 24, to see five theater productions: Shakespeare's Hamlet and As You Like It; Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest; Euripides's Medea; and Fiddler on the Roof, by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, based on a book by Joseph Stein. The fee of $125 includes transportation, two nights' housing, and tickets to the plays. Contact the English department, x5-4092 (275-4092), for more information.

Gain advice online

Students can now post their personal concerns or questions anonymously online at Counseling & Mental Health Services' Web site: www.rochester.edu/CMHS. From dating troubles to feeling depressed, students can obtain expert advice from a CMHS psychologist. Some of these questions and responses will be posted anonymously in the student newspaper Campus Times for the benefit of other students who might have the same concerns.

In addition, watch for a new commercial on ResTV that features the counseling services offered by CMHS.

Race honors Susan B. Anthony

The first annual Susan B. Anthony Legacy Race will take place on Sunday, September 24, at 10 a.m. The 3.5-mile race (which can be run or walked) will begin at the Susan B. Anthony House, 17 Madison St., and end outside of Strong Auditorium on the River Campus.

The event commemorates Anthony's fight to win women admission to the University, a fight she helped win 100 years ago this September. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Anthony Center for Women's Leadership and the Susan B. Anthony House.

Student registration is $10. For more information or to register, call the Anthony Center, x5-8799 (275-8799).

Be a Strong friend

The Friends of Strong, the volunteer department at Strong Memorial Hospital, has many placement opportunities for students. Anyone interested must be available for one semester and complete a three- to four-hour shift each week. For more information call x5-2420 (275-2420).

Learn about community research

On Friday, September 15 (time and place TBD), the Department of Anthropology and the Rochester Center for Ethnographic Studies will present an introduction to community research. Topics covered will include support for community research in anthropology courses and independent studies, past student experiences in conducting community research, and how to find a topic and a site for a community research project. All interested students are welcome and encouraged to attend.

For additional information contact Ro Ferreri, Department of Anthropology, 440 Lattimore Hall, x5-8614 (275-8614), or e-mail anthro@mail.rochester.edu.

Celebrate Caribbean culture

A carnival will be held in celebration of Caribbean culture on Saturday, September 23, noon-5 p.m., on the Wilson Commons lawn. Festivities include live music, dancing, food, and vendors selling African and Caribbean crafts. This event is sponsored by the Black Students' Union and is supported by Students' Association funding.

For more information contact LaFleur Stephens, BSU president, via e-mail at ls003h@mail.rochester.edu, or Brenda Myrthil, Student Activities Office advisor of BSU, x5-9390 (275-9390).

Want to go Greek?

Greek societies have been part of student life at the University since its inception 150 years ago. Now, approximately 22 percent of the undergraduate population are affiliated with one of the 28 national sororities and fraternities represented on campus.

Involvement in a Greek organization provides an array of opportunities, including study programs, academic recognition, community service, social activities, and individual and group development.

For more information on how to get involved, contact the Office of Greek Affairs in the Department of Residential Life, x5-3167 (275-3167) or via e-mail at greek@reslife.rochester.edu.

Discover sign language

Rochester is one of the few universities to offer a degree in American Sign Language (ASL), and it does so in a city with one of the country's largest concentrations of deaf and hard-of-hearing residents.

The ASL Program offers classes in ASL as a language, the literature and culture of the American deaf community, the linguistics and psycholinguistics of signed and spoken languages, and classes in teaching ASL as a second language. In addition, it offers instruction in a second sign language: Japanese Sign Language. Seven sections of introductory-level ASL classes are offered in the fall semester. ASL faculty are affiliated with the University's Sign Language Research Center, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and the Department of Linguistics.

The ASL Program also presents a biweekly "ASL Forum"open to interested students, featuring lectures and theatrical presentations on a variety of topics related to deafness and ASL.

For more information call x3-5165 (273-5165), log on to www.asl.rochester.edu, or visit the office at 116 Lattimore Hall.

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