In a new course offered this spring, University of Rochester students will take a closer look at Susan B. Anthony’s life. Taught by Professor Honey Meconi, who also is the director of the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies, Susan B. Anthony and Her World seeks to encompass not only the major political issues that defined Susan B. Anthony’s life, but the physical, material, and cultural world which shaped her work.

Here in Rochester, Susan B. Anthony’s home for many years, we are uniquely positioned to explore her life. Meconi plans to capitalize on this with a number of field trips including visits to Anthony’s gravesite, the Susan B. Anthony Museum and House downtown, and to the Matilda Joslyn Gage House, located in Fayetteville, NY. “I’m always struck by how many students have never visited Anthony’s gravesite or her home, much less other nearby sites for women’s history,” Meconi explains. “Seeing these places really puts historical events in a new light, and I want to make sure that interested U of R students have that experience.”

Expanding upon this physical connection with Susan B. Anthony’s life, Meconi is partnering with the Humanities Project to bring four guest lecturers to Rochester, who will discuss different aspects of the social climate surrounding Susan B. Anthony.

Erika Howard ’13, an English major and women’s studies minor, is excited to be enrolled in the course. “I’ve always been fascinated with Susan B. Anthony and her ties to not only the city of Rochester, but our school as well,” Howard says. “Despite this deep link, however, I’ve never had a chance to study her other than a brief covering of her and other suffragists in the Colloquium of Women’s Studies course.”

By exploring Susan B. Anthony’s world, Meconi hopes her students will gain a more informed viewpoint from which to critically examine today’s social issues. “We are far from living in a post-racial society, alcohol abuse is still widespread (not least on college campuses), and one could well argue that women’s rights have eroded in recent decades,” Meconi says. “Knowing how we got where we are today always puts us in a stronger position in dealing with problems.”

Above all, Meconi hopes to impart a deeper appreciation of the challenges Susan B. Anthony undertook, and the strength it took to overcome them. “In terms of challenges for Anthony, the assumption that women were inferior to men in virtually all respects-a claim supposedly supported by “scientific” evidence-made it difficult for her and her colleagues to be taken seriously.  This meant glacial progress towards suffrage, which only came after her death and the death of her closest friend, Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  Yet neither woman gave up on their quest for equality.  They knew that what they were working for was right.  Their tenacity remains incredibly inspiring.”

Photo provided by the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies

When I was a student at UR, I was a resident assistant, which took up much of my time, and I was involved with the Protestant chapel. One year I was also involved with Amnesty International, which was working on a campaign against sweatshops at the time. This really opened my eyes to issues around globalization, poverty, the consumer economy, and human rights — all issues that I am still thinking about now. I graduated with a degree in English, and completed a Take Five in women and religion. I went on to earn a master’s in education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and began teaching in the New York City public schools as an English teacher, in Manhattan at an all-girls school, and then in the South Bronx.

After I got married, my husband and I saved up, quit our jobs, and took a “gap year.” We backpacked around Asia, Australia/New Zealand, India, and Egypt. We also taught in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal for a month. When we returned to the US, we resettled in the Philadelphia area near my in-laws, and I entered a doctoral program in Urban Education at Temple University. I also taught English 101 at a community college for a few semesters.

UR definitely prepared me to do research, especially the honors English program. My involvement with Amnesty and a religion course I took with Curt Cadorette awakened a passion for social justice. I am still wrestling with the intersection between education (particularly in cities) and “globalization” (a term that means many different things) in my doctoral studies. I was not as prepared to teach in an inner city, but the disconnect between the academy and the “real” world is perhaps what has led me to where I am now. Balancing parenthood with doctoral studies is definitely challenging, but I get a lot of support from my husband and family. I’m home with my nine-month old most of the day, and attend school part time — not much time left for anything else these days!

This fall’s production at Todd Theatre, Ubu Roi, has a large cast, which includes Stella Kammel ’12 (T5) and Lydia Jimenez ’13, playing Mama and Papa Ubu, respectively.  Jimenez is majoring in English with a concentration in theatre, and Kammel also is an English major.  Both have been active in the UR’s theatre community.

“During my four years in the program, I’ve assistant stage managed, assistant directed, acted, worked on the props design and construction and scenic painting crew, and participated in the Theatre in England seminar under Russell Peck,”  says Jimenez. “I am profoundly grateful for the endless opportunities afforded to me by the UR International Theatre Program and English Department.”

Kammel has also been heavily involved on campus.  She’s been cast in various plays at Todd Theatre and is member of the campus student theatre company, TOOP (The Opposite of People).  She also is a member of the Masters Swim Club (not to be confused with the Bachelors Swim Club).

Both students have favorite (and memorable) moments and roles.  For Kammel, one was the playing the role of Mitzi in An Absolute Turkey, a flamboyant bawdy Swiss-German woman.  “She was crazy!” exclaims Kammel.  “She had to wield an axe, and was required to impale it in a square board where [the props makers] had painted a Swiss cross.”

Luckily, Kammel hit the mark, bull’s-eye, every single performance.  “I love stage fright,” she says. “That’s the closest I’ve gotten to it here.”

Kammel also is a fan of accents and remembers diligently practicing her German accent during auditions, hoping to get the French sound out of it.  The character of Mitzi was particularly easy to understand, so rather than having to figure out the character, she was able to play with moments and go beyond what she would have been able to do otherwise.  On top of that, Nigel Maister, artistic director of the UR International Theatre Program, was directing. Kammel said she finds him “a lot of fun to work with.”

Jimenez notes that assistant directing Adding Machine: A Musical and closely watching professional actors in more than 25 plays in England has greatly informed her acting.  “I’ve gained an audible and visible understanding of directions and acting notes.  I take a bit of time to process and internalize, and when I’m given a direction, I initially understand it theoretically,” she explains. “Watching actors in rehearsal from the other side of the table in Adding Machine allowed me to see why things don’t work—I was able to hear when they were not being spontaneous in their continually downwardly inflected lines, and see how the actor’s gestures when performed devoid of impulse ‘look only like moves.’”

One might wonder where such a great passion for theatre might originate, and Jimenez explains that there are a lot of reasons why theatre is so important to her and why she is interested in it.  “For one, the theatre is one of the few venues I know of where wholehearted and uninterrupted storytelling can happen nowadays.  I can’t remember the last time I was able to tell a story without a listener being distracted by a text message or other media device.  In the theatre, listeners commit undivided attention to the actors, and actors communicate without disturbance.  It’s refreshing,” she says.

Jimenez also notes that she is “always moved and astonished to witness the enlivening of words on a page: on the actor’s side as they internalizes and vocalizes the text, and on the production side by the lighting, staging, sound and, often, video added to the text in production—all of the aspects that are not present in the little black marks on the page, but that the actors, director and designers conceive.”

Jimenez says that working under visiting guest artist Peter Karapetkov has taught her that these concepts are limitless.  “We are leaps and bounds now from where we were at our first table reading of the show.  Peter continuously changed the blocking, motivations and through-lines of the characters throughout the entire rehearsal process, up until the day before opening, and even slightly after the first performance,” she explains. “Some approaches worked better than others, and even though the constant reworking was frustrating and uncomfortable at times, these limitless interpretations are a celebration of textual ambiguity.”

In Ubu Roi, Kammel’s character, Ma Ubu, was difficult because it was the first time she’s had to sing, which was at first terrifying to her, but has subsequently become a really fun and exciting experience.  Furthermore, because she likes to have the audience like her, it’s very tough with this character, which is quite unsympathetic.  “I don’t like her [Ma Ubu] … well, I do like her, but I wouldn’t want to have lunch with her,” she says.

Kammel also remarks that there are many times in Ubu Roi when there isn’t a specific action the actors are required to perform and so they can just improvise with the space on stage, allowing new things to come out every show.  Additionally, everyone sings and is crazy at the end “which is a lot of fun and super exciting.”  As an added benefit, she gets to eat a lot of chocolate in the show; five pieces a night, and sometimes even six!

“Todd is so much fun and I’ve learned so much being part of the International Theatre Program,” Kammel says. “I feel like it’s not under-appreciated, but also not as well known as it deserves to be.  It should be a real source of pride on campus because everyone puts so much work into it, and at the end the productions are so beautiful. Come see the show! Go Todd!”

Ubu Roi runs through Saturday, Oct. 20, in Todd Theatre on the University of Rochester’s River Campus. Tickets are $7 for UR students; $10 for UR alumni, faculty and staff, and for seniors (55 and over); and $13 for the general public. Tickets may be purchased up to an hour before each performance at the box office. They also are available online at rochester.edu/theatre or by calling 585.275.4088.

In the Photo: Stella Kammel and Lydia Jimenez performing in Ubu Roi. Photo by J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester.

Students at the University of Rochester will have the opportunity to learn from Italian actor and translator Mario Pirovano during a workshop on “The Art of Storytelling.”   The workshop, which is from noon to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10,  in Drama House, features a two-hour segment in English from noon to 2 p.m. and one-hour segment in Italian from 2 to 3 p.m.  Pirovano aims to show the audience how “to conquer scenic space,” “use the body to support the voice,” and “show how one can tell a story without scenes, music, videos, or costumes.”

Pirovano also will host a showing of Francis, the Holy Jester (1997), a play by Nobel Prize Winner in Literature and renowned Italian playwright, Dario Fo, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, in the sanctuary of the Interfaith Chapel.  Pirovano, a long time disciple, collaborator, and artistic heir of Fo’s, translated his masterpiece “Lu santu jullare Francesco” (1999) into English as “Francis, the Holy Jester.”  Wednesday’s performance will be the first time the play is performed for an American audience. The event is free and open to the public and includes refreshments and a book signing in the lobby following the performance.

According to Donatella Stocchi-Perucchio, associate professor of Italian and organizer of Pirovano’s appearance at the U of R, the event “serves the aims of the Humanities Project as a point of intersection of several disciplines, departments, and programs, including Italian language and literature, medieval studies, religion, theater, music, and translation studies.”

She also hopes to “attract students of the Italian language towards theater as a powerful tool for language and culture acquisition.”

The event is sponsored by the Humanities Project, University of Rochester, and co-sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, the MLC Italian Program, the Department of History, the Cluster on Pre-Modern Studies, the J. H. Newman Chair in Roman Catholic Studies, The Drama House, The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures of the Rochester Institute of Technology, and an anonymous donor.

Read the poems

“Opus Postumous”

“By the Same Author”

Listen to the poems

Listen to the Poetry magazine podcast

Listen to Professor Longenbach read his poem “Cruise” for Slate

Name:

What resources did you use on campus that you recommend current students use?

I would recommend that students take advantage of the greater Rochester community and procure an internship for credit. My internship with Archer provided me with a window into the real world of marketing and advertising. If at all possible, try to get an on-campus job that relates to your field of interest. I must say that my position with RED not only helped me develop leadership and professional skills, but also gave me the perfect outlet for showcasing my creativity. For the record: I have brought up both of these examples during post-graduate interviews.

What did you do immediately after graduation? How did you decide to take that path?

Immediately following graduation, I wrote scores upon scores of cover letters, cold-called just about every advertising/marketing human resources department under the sun, and networked like nobody’s business. I signed up for marketing conferences, the ad club, and even passed out my business card on the subway. My best decision yet was to enroll in an advertising class at a Boston agency (which little did I know, would lead to my big break) and start compiling a body of work to shop around to employers.

For some reason, I thought I was going to land my dream job one week out of college. So when things didn’t turn out that way, I put myself in the best possible position to make it happen.

What do you do now and why did you choose this career?

Now, I am a copywriter for a flash sale website (essentially my dream job). I spend my day-to-day writing copy for our upcoming sales, concepting posts for the blog, researching trends, and being inspired by magazines, newspapers, and tumblr.

I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. Here’s a job that has me writing everyday, researching trends, and pitching new ideas. What’s not to love?

Where would you like to be in five years?

I want to be writing and in Manhattan. Right now, I am not sure if that means continuing down the path of fashion copywriting or branching out into something more editorial (magazines or newspapers). I am not sure if I can manage to make it happen five years from now, but my dream is to write for the NY Times’ Style section.

What advice do you have for current students?

Firstly, make sure to enjoy your college years to the fullest. Second, landing your first job will not be as glamorous as you imagined. It’s a process and it can take time. Do whatever you can to connect with people in your industry, whether that means attending conferences, happy hours, or informational interviews. Since I was looking to break into the creative sphere, I found myself throwing out the rulebook and applying to jobs through more creative means (like writing poems or sending boxes of candy to prospective employers). Consider getting a part-time job while looking for your “real” job. It makes you feel more productive and allows you to earn some money in the mean time. And make sure to look into professional development classes in your area because you never know who you’ll meet (that’s how I got my job now).

Mulberg is the sports director and a talk show host for WRUR, and a sportswriter for the Campus Times. This fall he interned for a local sports radio show, and he has secured another related internship for this summer.

“Doing an internship gives you a taste of whether this is really something you want to do,” he says.

Working with Rochester radio host John DiTullio on 1280 WHTK this fall, Mulberg arranged weekly guests and managed the Twitter page during the show.

“I’d interact with fans,” he said. Mulberg would get the opportunity for on-air experience when DiTullio would turn to him and ask “What’s going on on Twitter, Nate?’”

He gained less tangible work experience when the station experienced a round of layoffs. Seeing first- hand the effect on the work environment and on his coworkers “was a valuable lesson,” he said.

Mulberg advises his peers to start looking for internships early, “There are so many opportunities, you just have to put in the work to find them.”

He says he used a network of professors and coaches including English Professor Curt Smith, Head Baseball Coach Joe Reina, and Head Golf Coach Dan Wesley to connect with DiTullio.

Once he’d made contact, he sent a résumé and then shadowed DiTullio for a day before being offered the internship.

Mulberg credits his Gwen M. Greene Career and Internship Center Counselor Dale Leyburn with helping him focus his goals and write his résumé.

Mulberg says he is looking forward to interning at Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia this summer, where he will interview professional players in the area and write articles for the website.

“It’s fun,” he says of the field. “It might not be the most lucrative, but you can make a living doing what you love.”

Article courtesy of the Gwen M. Greene Career and Internship Center and was originally published in the Career & Internship Digest.

When and how did you choose your major?

Had I been allowed to take an engineering class without having to have declared it my major, I would have probably been an engineer. I’m kind of a strange candidate because I double-majored, minored, and got a certificate (Anthropology, English Communications, Economics, and International Relations). I basically majored in the Social Sciences.  I chose Anthropology because I took Professor Robert Foster’s Culture and Consumption class my freshman year and found Anthropology to be the most intellectually stimulating.

What activities were you involved in as a student and what did you gain from them?

I founded UR Consulting Group (URCG) and I was an active member of the Creative Arts Club (CAC). Both of these were great opportunities to meet and work with a diverse range of students. I learned a lot about myself and gained experience, good friends, and some amazing opportunities.  A great example of merging those experiences was planning and implementing the marketing for the Art Awake 2010.

What resources did you use on campus that you recommend current students use?

Definitely take full advantage of the Career Center, but, really, all of the resources at the school, including your fellow students. If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, visit the Center for Entrepreneurship and have a conversation with Bob Tobin who is an amazing resource. Have conversations with your professors outside the classroom. Try everything at least once if you can. And go to the library more. You will miss Rush Rhees- I guarantee it.

What did you do immediately after graduation? How did you decide to take that path?

Immediately after graduation, I interned at Ogilvy and Mather in LA while working with mentors to cement my plans to participate in the Kauffman Entrepreneurial Year (KEY) Program during the 2009-2010 year. I decided I wanted to get a taste of starting my own business and this was the safest way to do that and learn more about business, entrepreneurship, and myself. I met more amazing people in that year than I could have hoped and that experience was one of the best of my academic and professional careers.

Where would you like to be in five years?

In five years, I would like to be a) living abroad, b) in business school, or c) running my own business, or any combination of the three. Check back in 2016!

How are you still connected with the University?

I participate in a lot of Alumni Career Center events.  I love talking to current students about their career goals and passions. I also stay connected with UR Consulting Group. Feel free to reach out!

What advice do you have for current students?

Decide what you want and do it.  Tell everyone you know about what you want to achieve and you will be surprised how many people will want to help you make that happen.  And remember, where ever you go, there you are, so enjoy it.

Name: Emily Brandon
Age: 29
Occupation: Senior Editor, U.S. News & World Report
Education: B.A. Brain and Cognitive Science and B.A. in English, University of Rochester, 2004.
Current city/state of residence Menlo Park, CA
Family: Married, 3-year-old daughter

When and how did you choose your major?

I came to UR wanting to become a science writer. I double majored in Brain and Cognitive Science and English so that I would have a background in both science and journalism.

What activities were you involved in as a student and what did you gain from them?

I worked in a science lab for all four years at UR. It was fascinating conducting experiments, helping to get the work published in journals, and eventually seeing the research help to make people’s lives better. I highly recommend getting involved in the scientific research that goes on at UR.

What resources did you use on campus that you recommend current students use?

The Career Center helped me to apply for the Time Inc. Editorial Internship Program. It was an amazing experience to spend a summer in New York city helping to do research for the editors at Parenting Magazine.

What skills, tools, or knowledge from your major have been most useful to you since graduation?

I did an independent study my sophomore year in freelance writing. I wrote articles and a variety of different cover letters and spent a semester pitching them to magazines and newspapers.

What did you do immediately after graduation? How did you decide to take that path?

I took an internship at Consumer Reports magazine. I wanted to get some more experience working at a magazine, which I hoped would lead me to a full time job as a magazine writer.

What advice do you have for current students?

The skills I learned through the Certificate in Management Studies program have been very useful to me in my career. Taking some coursework in statistics, economics, and computer science is likely to be helpful no matter what field you go into.

Why did you choose to attend the University of Rochester?

It was the best school that accepted my application.

When and how did you choose your major?

Senior year – I came in as a Chemistry Major but decided after the first semester of pre-med weed-out classes that if I wanted to feel fulfilled about my college learning experience, it would probably be best to avoid math and science fields (there’s something about a curve that makes a 16% an A that takes the pride of accomplished understanding away). One area I felt extremely weak about was my writing skills. Interestingly, I discovered I was one course away from an English major when I finally felt proficient enough to function in the real world. Twenty-five years later, the majority of my life-time income has resulted from my pen, so to speak. Creating copy is one of my favorite activities and a wonderful artistic outlet. I owe this discovery (and associated career opportunities) to the U of R. I also was one course away from a Political Science major (just found the courses interesting – and the way they were being taught at the time gave me ample opportunity to exercise my math muscles), so graduated with a double major.

What did you do immediately after graduation? How did you decide to take that path?

I headed to Ohio for a promised full-time job riding horses. Figured I’d better get that fever quelled before I was married or burdened with other responsibilities so I didn’t spend the rest of my life regretting not exploring my passion as a career (much to the chagrin of my parents, who helped fund my college education). It lasted three weeks (don’t recall hopping aboard a single horse during that time – but built some muscles wielding a pitch fork). Ultimately (two years later) I found myself back in Rochester working part-time for the Democrat & Chronicle and partnering with a couple of gals well known on the local television media scene with a Public Relations Firm venture. I’ve been mostly writing for a living in one form or another ever since.

What do you do now and why did you choose this career?

I own several companies, including BookConductors®, LLC (a book publishing company focused separately on the equine and entrepreneurial niches), Halcyon Acres® (a horse breeding and training facility) and am in the process of winding down Fulcrum Communications (leveraging inventive marketing solutions for small business and not-for-profits). Primary energy has been devoted to the Horse Sense and Cents™ initiative of late (under the umbrella of BookConductors®) where I’m hoping to combine my writing and horse passions under a single charge. The career path choice is largely the result of introspection with an eye toward where I want to be in 20 years (not risking my neck on young horses nor having my income directly tied to my time).

How are you still connected with the University?

I’ve been on the planning committee for two reunions since the college instituted Meliora Weekend (which is a wonderful initiative that I shout about to all who will listen). It’s wonderful to come back to the campus for these events to gain insight from the fabulous speakers while witnessing the growth of the facilities, plus, of course, catching up with old friends. On the small world front (this had nothing to do with my alumni status at the U of R) I’ve also been a service provider for the Simon School with newspaper/magazine copy writing and other (more confidential) prose for publication and publicity. In fact, I was introduced to Mark Zupan (a gem of a hire in my opinion) while he was still in Arizona preparing to come to New York to assume the helm. The leadership of this University is so different now (much more accessible and enlightened than when I was a student), which bodes well any current and future student.

What advice do you have for current students?

Reach out to the leaders at the college. Joel Seligman, Mark Zupan and others are not only internationally celebrated for their past and current contributions to the world, but humble and accessible. Ten minutes gaining insight from them will change your life. Why not risk a no for the chance of an audience with one that may offer a life changing experience.