Hi everyone!

As I sit here writing to you, I have just come back from watching the opening performance of Godspell, presented by Siena’s own Creative Arts students and members of Stage III.  I walked into this performance not quite knowing a lot about the premise of the play, but in a way I’m glad I did, because no amount of research could have prepared me for the amazing performance that took place in the Beaudoin Theater here tonight.

I could go on and on about how amazing the cast was, how well the music was performed, how great the set looked, but there was one major aspect of this performance that stood out to me.  Looking through the program that was handed out at the door, I immediately noticed that everyone who had some kind of a role in this project worked as a team. Professors weren’t separated to positions of higher authority, students were able to have significant roles behind the scenes, and actors were brought in from all over the area, including Audrey Carlton, who graduated Siena in 2014.  It really was incredible to have the privilege to see everyone’s efforts come together in one overall show and you could really see the dynamic that the cast had with one another on stage.  The entire performance ran smoothly and perfectly and I know that there were a few tears in the audience when Siena senior Matt Tenorio (who played Jesus) brought us through the final death scene!

If you have the chance this weekend, you really should try to see Godspell! Admission is completely free and on a first come first serve basis and the talent presented by the entire cast and crew is really something that cannot be accurately described in words.  The cast will be performing Friday, September 30th at 8:00pm, Saturday, October 1st at 8:00pm, and Sunday, October 2nd at 2:00pm.

Again, thanks for reading and don’t be afraid to leave a comment!

Julia

Student Intern, School of Liberal Arts 

Good morning, Saints!

In recent news, Professor Carla Sofka of Siena’s Social Work Department was interviewed by the Times Union in relation to the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Professor Sofka teaches the Death and Dying class here on campus and according to the article, has students that were only three of four at the time of the attacks.  In her interview, she offers a very interesting perspective on the variety of different responses that she has encountered with regards to the anniversary of this terrible tragedy.

“There is a whole spectrum of responses to 9/11, and it’s far less direct for those who didn’t have a loved one who died or were very young when it happened.  I’ve also spoken with victims’ families who hated the term anniversary because the memory is so painful.  They prefer to call it a date of remembrance.  The way we view the event continues to evolve after 15 years.”

The terror attacks of 9/11 were some of the most tragic and horrendous attacks on American soil and even after 15 long years, the mere thought of what happened is still very difficult to deal with.  However, people have dealt with this in a wide variety of different ways and that is what Professor Sofka teaches her students in the Death and Dying class.  She challenges them to look at death and dying and tragedy from every angle so that they will be able to truly see how humans cope, even years and years after losing someone.

Here is the link to the article and the article was written by Times Union reporter Paul Grondahl.

http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-local/article/A-soldier-Muslim-and-mother-of-a-son-killed-in-9215235.php

Have a great day!

Julia Lowney, Student Intern

Hi everyone!

In case you weren’t aware, today was Constitution Day and I had the privilege of attending the keynote speech given by Dr. Vincent M. Bonventre, one of Albany Law’s most esteemed educators.  Dr. Len Cutler of our own Political Science Department provided the introductory speech and spoke very highly of Dr. Bonventre, particularly of his teaching methods.  Dr. Bonventre had actually taught the Civil Liberties course two years ago when Dr. Cutler was away on sabbatical and students RAVED about Dr. Bonventre and the ways in which he was able to truly challenge them to think critically.

Dr. Bonvetre elaborated specifically on his elementary school education in his presentation, which was mainly a Catholic upbringing.  He spent 9 years with Catholic charities and to this day, has an enormous sense of respect for the Sisters of Mercy, whom he served with.  It was from them that he was educated in the area of social justice, one of the main concerns that students and faculty at Siena College live by.  Throughout his speech about religious liberty and whether it’s considered to be a fundamental right or a nuisance (his research concluded that religious liberty was both), he gave several instances in which his passion for social justice appeared within his professional career.  Social justice is something that everyone here at Siena considers to be very important and it truly was very inspiring to see firsthand how being educated in social justice can really affect a person’s future in such a positive way.

Did you guys see Professor Bonventre’s speech? What did you think? Let me know!

Julia Lowney

Student Intern

Hello everyone!

You have successfully reached the official blog of the Siena College Liberal Arts office, congratulations! My name is Julia Lowney and I am the new student intern for the Liberal Arts office this semester, so I will primarily be the one who will be posting. I’ll be writing various articles about events occurring on campus and about new and interesting topics going through our wonderful School of Liberal Arts. If you have any questions or suggestions about what you would like to see written about here on bLAb, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or to send me an e-mail.

Thanks for reading!

Julia Lowney jh20lown@siena.edu