All News

Cindy Tower, an installation sculpture and performance artist as well as a painter, orchestrated a human chain of draftspeople in the art department on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Tower gave a brief presentation on drawing as performance and then began drawing with attendees.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Ashleigh Smythe spent one week in January on the southern Caribbean island of Tobago (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) collecting marine nematodes. Her work was sponsored by the Buccoo Reef Trust, a non-profit agency whose goal is to promote research and education about Caribbean coral reefs and marine habitats.

On January 19, cell phone networks throughout D.C. got closer and closer to overload as thousands made last ditch efforts to snag inauguration tickets, and millions contacted friends and acquaintances to get in on celebration plans. While few were lucky enough to find tickets, at least a dozen current Hamilton students and many alumni from around the country flocked to the capital to see President Obama sworn in on Tuesday.

At first, the streets of Washington were not particularly crowded. When I stepped outside into the brisk, gray dawn at 7 a.m., there were only a few bikers and small clumps of people hurrying to Metro stations. My roommate and I had decided to rise early to try and beat the crowd to the National Mall. The night before, there were rumors of vast throngs and endless waiting, despite the predicted snow. We shared gloves, socks and directions in what we expected to be an adventure.

The build-up to this inauguration is like nothing I've seen as a lifelong resident of Washington, D.C. Security had been steadily ratcheting up since New Years, as 42,000 cops prepared to hit the streets to control the crowds. The traffic around Friday last week became unbearable, as millions of people swarmed into the city. Traveling anywhere in the city became more difficult then wading through a crowd at a Jonas Brothers' concert. In the week leading up to the big event, there was a huge run on stores selling warm clothes and hand warmers. Yuppies were waiting in lines at Hudson Trail Outfitters for long johns like they were trying to buy a Nintendo Wii.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, several Hamilton students - some participating in the Hamilton Washington D.C. program and others lured by the historic nature of the occasion – witnessed portions of the inauguration ceremony and parade. Linked here are their stories and photographs of enthusiastic but frustrated crowds buoyed by a spirit of hope and of thrilling moments that mark a unique transition for our nation. More ...

Hamilton College is hosting the "Friends" exhibit, a memorial to young people whose lives have been lost to automobile accidents involving drunk drivers, from Jan. 20 through Feb. 20, in the Blood Fitness Center Juice Bar. It is free and open to the public. The exhibit is sponsored by Hamilton's Athletics Department. 

Assistant Professor of Art Rebecca Murtaugh is currently showing her work titled "To Mark a Significant Space in the Living Room" in the exhibition "Paperworks" at the University of West Florida Gallery. The show was curated by artist Molly Smith and explores the art of paper. It highlights 24 artworks and artists from the United States, Croatia, New Zealand and Poland. The show opened on Jan. 15 and runs until Feb. 6.

Associate Professor of Theatre Mark Cryer will stage a performance of Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith at Cazenovia College on Friday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Catherine E. Cummings Theatre. Two sold-out shows were performed at Hamilton on Jan. 19 and 20 to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Robert Simon, the Marjorie and Robert W. McEwen Professor of Philosophy, was elected board vice president for the Forum for the Scholarly Study of Intercollegiate Athletics in Higher Education. The election took place at the recent convention of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Washington, D.C.