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Hamilton's annual Adler Conference, "Building a Community of Respect," will take place on Friday, Feb. 11, in the Annex. The conference will begin at noon with a served lunch and will continue to 4 p.m. The Adler Conference is an opportunity for the entire community to come together and have candid and meaningful discussions on important issues that affect everyone in the Hamilton community.  The conference will generate dialogues regarding respect in our community. Topics that will be discussed will be respect for people and property, how and if communication occurs among different groups, and ways to build a respectful community.

Hamilton's Faculty Lecture Series will feature Associate Dean of the Faculty and Associate Professor of Philosophy Kirk Pillow on Friday, Feb. 11 at 4:10 p.m. in the Red Pit at KJ. Pillow's talk is titled “Lens Flare in the Age of Digital Production.”

Black Student Union is planning several events in celebration of Black History Month. Events include a film screening, a play, community service and Black Empowerment Day.

Christopher Johnstone, a professor in the Communication Arts & Sciences Department at Pennsylvania University lectured at Hamilton on February 4. He gave a multimedia lecture on "Oral Communication in Classical Contexts."

Professor of English Vincent Odamtten was interviewed for a Syracuse Post-Standard feature article (2/7/05) about African American literature. Odamtten said he believes the success of crossover black artists helped pave the way for African American writers. "I suspect it is, in part, a reflection of some of the other developments that have happened in other creative genres, like the music and the musicians getting themselves involved in different kinds of activities," Odamtten says. "People are sort of seeing the license to experiment, to try new things. Where you have a rap artist going into film, it sort of affirms the possibility that perhaps you can do whatever you like," he said. Odamtten teaches African American literature.

Visiting Instructor of Sociology Daryl "Dee" Britton was interviewed for a Utica Observer-Dispatch series (1/30/05) on how Herthum Heights, a suburban Utica neighborhood, has evolved since the 1950s. Britton said with two working parents in a household now common, many communities are seeing a decline in neighborhood participation. Working, coupled with driving kids to after-school activities, consumes a lot of a family's time, she said. The article quoted Britton: "In all actuality, parents are working typically nine- to 10-hour days, by the time you add the commuting time in," she said. "It's not at all surprising that you don't have people volunteering to be working in volunteer associations or neighborhood groups." Britton teaches the seminar "Sociology of Place" at Hamilton.

Native American author and journalist Doug George will give a lecture, "Love, Land, and Legends Among the Iroquois," on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 4:30 p.m. in the Red Pit.  George is an award-winning author and journalist from the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. He will present a contemporary Haudenosaunee perspective on conservatism, land claims, sovereignty, and the spiritual tradition of the Gaiwiio (The Good Mind). Joining him will be his wife, national musical recording artist Joanne Shenandoah, who is a descendant of the indigenous co-founder of Hamilton College, Skenandoa. The lecture, which is sponsored by the Religious Studies Department, is free and open to the public.

Kathy Gaca, associate professor of classics at Vanderbilt University, delivered the Winslow Classics Lecture on Feb. 3 on the topic of "Eros and Fornication in Ancient Greek Society." Professor Gaca, author of The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics, and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity, discussed the emergence of sexuality morality in the early Christian church under the apostle Paul and its relation to both Greek polytheism and philosophy.

Club Water Rock, a Christian Night Club at Hamilton College, will feature special performances and a tribute to Black History in its program on Friday, February 4, from 7-10 p.m in the Fillius Events Barn.  The evening will include music, food, capoeira, dance, and open mic. There will be a special appearance by Bruce Bowen, former bassist for Alice Cooper, Chubby Checker, and The Grass Roots.

Two long-time Hamilton professors have been appointed to newly endowed chairs. Professor of English Margaret Thickstun has been named to the Elizabeth J. McCormack Professorship, and Professor of Sociology Daniel Chambliss has been appointed to the Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professorship. The announcement was made by David Paris, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the faculty.