Web Address: www.grinnell.edu/
Contact: Dann Hayes, director of media relations, 641/269-4834 or [email protected].
The Winter Season and More/Story ideas and contacts from Grinnell College
1. KENNETH SHORTAssistant Professor of Psychology641-269-4549
o Seasonal depressionDepression is a dark side of the winter season. Statistics indicate that the number of suicides rise during the winter months. Some believe winter depression is directly linked to the hormone Melatonin, a hormone that produces lightening of the skin, and to staying indoors because it is cold. What's the best way to combat this depression cycle?
o Stress and anxietyStress, anxiety, and the holiday season. By controlling stress you can improve your health and your outlook on life. How can you control your stress?
2. LESLEY WRIGHTDirector, Faulconer GalleryBucksbaum Center for the Arts641-269-4642
o The Winter blues getting you down? Some researchers suggest that a big part of the winter blues is sitting inside all day because of the cold. One way to stop the blues is by visiting a museum.
3. JANET ALEXANDERDirector of International Student Services, Student Affairs641-269-3703
o Ramadan and what it meansGrinnell College has more Muslim students than ever before, as do many other colleges and universities in Iowa. During Ramadan -- a month beginning Monday, November 25 and ending Thursday, January 18 -- students observing Ramadan fast (abstain from drinking or eating anything) from sunrise to sundown. What is Ramadan? What is the purpose of the fast? How do colleges and universities adapt to changing student populations? (eg. This year, Grinnell College Dining Service has begun offering halal meat to students who observe Islamic dietary practices.)
o International student contributions to the United States. Educating foreign students is the 6th largest export in the United States, and the fifth largest in Iowa (Figures by state and institution/locale). But what are the less quantifiable contributions of international students to our society?
o HolidaysInternational students are often on campus during winter holiday breaks. Some observe Christmas and others do not. Some have never seen snow! What do they think of snow?
4. MICHAEL SIMSInterim Dean of Student Affairs641-269-3703
o Origins of KWANZAKWANZA, a time of celebration for the African American community. What is it? What does it celebrate?
5. JEAN KETTERAssociate Professor of Education641-269-4871JEANNE JANSONInstructor in Education641-269-4547
o Christmas program at Meskwaki SettlementFour students from Grinnell College are assisting teachers in the Sac and Fox School at the Meskwaki Settlement, northeast of Grinnell, to devise a Christmas Program for the students to perform. With no teachers specializing in the arts, administrators on the Settlement asked Grinnell College education students to help develop the program.
o Assist in developing education on Standing Rock Lakota Sioux ReservationThe Grinnell College education department has a standing invitation for students to visit the Standing Rock Lakota Sioux Reservation and take part in their education system during the month of January. Two Grinnell College students will travel to South Dakota and participate in the Little Eagle Day School elementary program, sleeping in sleeping bags on the gym floor. The school has no arts program, so the students may find themselves developing fine arts classes.
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