Monday, February 9
10 a.m.
College Union
Conference Rooms

Your Personal Finances: Facing a Future of Pain or Pride
President Jo Young Switzer opens spring semester with this convocation on the challenges facing young adults in today’s economic situation. She will present ways to make good choices about spending and saving, without damage to credit ratings and peace of mind. Come prepared to think about your money and what you will do with it.

Monday, February 16
10 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium

Nonviolent Sexuality:  Sex, Conflict, Alcohol, and Intimacy
Bob Hall, nominated for Lecturer of the Year by the National Association for Campus Activities and former member of the New York Coalition Against Sexual Assault, will leave you feeling informed and empowered.“It’s about reducing unwilling sexual activity in a hook-up campus culture by openly talking to each other,” Hall says. “Too many students use a silent strategy and simply hope for the best.”

U.S. Policy in Iraq and the Middle East: Challenges for the Obama Administration
Dr. Stephen Zunes is a frequent commentator for NPR, PBS, the BBC, CommonDreams.org, alternet.org and other news sites. He authored the highly-acclaimed Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism, and scores of articles on Middle Eastern politics, U.S. foreign policy, international terrorism, nuclear proliferation, strategic non-violent action, and human rights.

Wednesday, February 25
8 p.m.
Flory Auditorium

Science Center

Thursday, February 26
4 p.m.
Cordier Auditorium

Cinema Series:  Sleeper   (89 minutes)
Miles Monroe (Woody Allen), cryogenically frozen in 1973, is unthawed 200 years later. Society has become a sterile, Big Brother-controlled dystopia, and Miles joins the underground resistance – joined by a pampered rich woman (Diane Keaton). Woody Allen also wrote and directed this sci-fi love story/comedy.

Monday, March 2
10 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium

A Discussion about Energy Resources
Journalist Paul Roberts writes and lectures on the complex interplay of economics, technology, and the natural world. His books include The End of Oil and, most recently, The End of Food. His writings have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and Rolling Stone. Roberts was a finalist for the 1999 National Magazine Award and a 2005 New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Book Award.

Tuesday, March 3

Movie: 8 p.m.
Lahman Room, College Union

Discussion: 10 p.m.
Lahman Room, College Union

Cinema Series: Who Killed the Electric Car   (93 minutes)
It begins with a solemn funeral … for a car. By the end of Chris Paine's documentary, the idea doesn't seem quite so strange. As narrator Martin Sheen notes, "They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline." Paine shows how this unique vehicle came into being and why General Motors reclaimed its once-prized creation. Free popcorn and pop. Discussion follows movie. (These are two separate VIA credit events.)

Wednesday, March 4
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium

The Role of Government in the Future of Energy
This panel discussion on energy and the future role of the government in the matter involves: Brandon Seitz, director of the Indiana Office of Energy and Defense Development; Cary Aubrey, program manager for bioenergy development for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture; and Dave McFadden, executive vice president and assistant professor of political science (environmental politics) at Manchester.

Monday, March 9
10 a.m.
College Union
Conference Rooms

Why the Moon?
Dr. James R. Gaier, MC grad and former chair of our Chemistry Department, has spent nearly half his life studying the moon for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which recently honored him with its Exceptional Achievement Medal. He’ll talk about a NASA survey to answer the question, “Why should we go to the moon?” The answers are not all about science – many are commercial, educational, and infrastructure reasons.

Wednesday, March 11
8 p.m.
Flory Auditorium

Science Center

Thursday, March 12
4 p.m.
Cordier Auditorium

Cinema Series: The Dish   (101 minutes)
In July 1969, all eyes were on the Apollo 11 moon landing – but the world would have watched blank television screens if not for the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia, one of the largest dishes in the world. In this humorous dramatization of the telecast of the space mission starring Sam Neill and Patrick Warburton, the crew deals with high winds and a power failure just before the astronauts step onto the moon.

Musician Tim Grimm, the Kenapocomoco and You
Learn what you can do about pollution of the Kenapocomoco for the $1 million Middle Eel River Watershed Initiative led by Manchester College. Singer-songwriter-hay farmer Tim Grimm will perform and discuss the natural world. Grimm was 2004 Male Artist of the Year of Freeform American Roots DJs.

Wednesday, April 1
4-5 p.m.
Lahman Room, College Union

Creative Writing for the Terrified with Carrie Newcomer
Singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer’s music has won praise in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, and The Wall Street Journal. Using creative writing and discussion, this workshop explores writing with a spiritual current.

Monday, April 13

Convocation
10 a.m.
College Union
Conference Rooms

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar
Grandmaster and author Susan Polgar holds five Olympic gold medals and is one of the strongest female players ever, capturing the Women's World Chess Championships from 1996 to 1999. In 1986, she broke the gender barrier by becoming the first woman in history to compete in the previously men-only World Chess Championship. She also is the first woman to earn the title of Grandmaster.

Wednesday, April 15
8 p.m.
Flory Auditorium

Science Center

Thursday, April 16
4 p.m.
Cordier Auditorium

Cinema Series:  Searching for Bobby Fischer   (110 minutes)
Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomeranc), a typical American boy until he discovers the outdoor matches at Washington Square in New York City, learns speed chess from a hustler (Laurence Fishburne). But Josh's parents hire a renowned chess coach (Ben Kingsley). Josh tires of the coach, the system and chess in general and throws a match, jeopardizing his prospects of winning a national championship.

Friday, April 17
10 a.m.
Wine Recital Hall

Why Inter-Faith and Inter-Civilizational Dialogue is Necessary for World Survival
Popular national and international lecturer Dr. Michael Spath teaches Religious Studies at Indiana University Purdue University, Fort Wayne and has special interests in Islam and Muslim-Christian dialogue, Sufism, Middle East studies, and comparative spirituality. He will address two basic questions: Why is inter-faith dialogue necessary, and how do you do it?

Monday, April 20
10 a.m.
Wine Recital Hall

4th Wave of Feminism: Why Feminism Should Matter to College-age Students
New Yorker Jessica Valenti, founder and executive editor of the blog feministing.com, gives young women a platform to speak out and connect on issues ranging from reproductive rights and stereotypes to male superheroes. She authored Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters and He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know. 

Wednesday, May 6
8 p.m.
Flory Auditorium

Science Center

Thursday, May 7
4 p.m.
Lahman Room, College Union

Cinema Series:  Play Time   (124 minutes)
French comedy master Jacques Tati plays his alter ego, Monsieur Hulot, who has to connect with an American official in Paris, but gets lost in the maze of futuristic architecture filled with the latest technical gadgets. Caught in the tourist invasion, Hulot roams a sterile Paris with a group of American tourists, causing chaos in his usual manner. The 1967 film is famous for its enormous and costly set.