2019 LYCOMING COLLEGE LC MAGAZINE SPRING

NOTEWO LYCOMING COLLEGE CELEBRATES UNITY, HONORS THOSE LOST IN PITTSBURGH In light of events that took place this past fall, Lycoming College gathered to show support for those involved in the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh and to celebrate diversity in its own campus community. In support of the Jewish community, students, faculty, and staff gathered on the steps of Wertz Student Center on Oct. 29 for a solemn vigil mourning the victims of the Tree of Life shooting. As each victim’s name was read, those gathered lit candles in remembrance and solidarity. The vigil was followed with a more celebratory demonstration of acceptance and inclusivity at the College’s 8th annual Unity Day on Nov. 2. Students were encouraged to wear Lycoming blue and gold and to sign a banner promoting the College’s commitment to creating an accepting and diverse campus community. The event began with a unity march, followed by a reception in Pennington Lounge. NOTABLE SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS Lycoming College was pleased to welcome 1981 Nobel Prize winner Roald Hoffmann, Ph.D., the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters, Emeritus at Cornell University, to speak as part of the James and Emily Douthat Distinguished Lectureship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Hoffmann’s lecture addressed chemistry’s physiological dimension and its ties to the arts. As a chemist, poet, and playwright, Hoffman has achieved outstanding accomplishments within and beyond his field, embodying Lycoming’s liberal arts tradition. The English department was pleased to welcome Michael Cunningham, one of the most in-demand authors in the United States, to give a reading as part of the Himes/Sweeney Visiting Scholar in Creative Writing series. Cunningham’s 1998 novel “The Hours,” which won the Pulitzer Prize and was the basis for the Academy Award- winning movie of the same title, is widely considered to be a masterpiece, and all publications in his prolific body of work have received the highest critical praise. He is a senior lecturer of creative writing at Yale University. 8 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2019 SPRING MAGAZINE