Elizabethtown College students, it is time to get up and get involved haven’t you heard? October is National Arts and Humanities Month. Jean-Paul Benowitz, assistant director of academic advising and adjunct professor of history, with the help of career services, has set up a month of events to inspire the students of Etown. Don’t be silly, these events are not just for students who major or minor in liberal Art and Humanities. Students of all studies and faculty are invited.
National Arts and Humanities Month began last week on Wednesday. To start off the month, career services began with a “Meaningful Life Work, Careers, and the Liberal Arts,” a panel presentation featuring campus and local community members engaged in meaningful life work and hold careers in the arts and humanities according to the E-town website of events. Through this event, career services hope students get a better feel to the opportunities Elizabethtown College offers. “I believe [this event] will benefit students because at a liberal arts school many people don’t know what their careers will be after they leave school, myself included. The panels can help students get inspired about where they want to take their liberal arts majors,” sophmore-year, Nina Wheeler said.
First –year student, Alyssa Vasaturo went to the panel and shared her excitement. “I am very excited to go to the event because I felt it would be a good opportunity to explore various careers others have entered with a liberal arts degree,” Vasaturo said, after the panel, “I benefitted from going to the panel because for one I learned a lot but also, I was introduced to two of the women on the panel and was able to talk to them about internships.” One main important point she took from the panel was you have to start at the bottom doing work which may not be suited to your liking, in order to get to the top.
On Sunday of last week and Monday, there was a “Night on Broadway” concert by the BA Music Club. Students participating in the show were able to experience a different perspective of music. “The show was very fun to get involved in,” Sophmore, Alex Ochs said. “It was a different feel, more diverse and upbeat from the classics.”
Alex Ochs will also be singing in the Student Solo Recital on Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m. on Monday in Zug Recital Hall, also an event of the National Art and Humanities Month. Students of Elizabethtown College will be performing individually, a solo piece they have been working on to students, faculty, and the community. “It is nice to go to events such as these, required or not, I enjoy going to them to see students perform a variety of classical music especially when performances are free to the campus and community to go see,” Junior year Carissa Pietsch said.
The National Arts and Humanities Month does not end there, there are more to see. Events you should look forward to are the four events based on inspirational Louis May Alcott’s works of literature. “Alcott’s Pen, Prose, Men, and Martyrs: Louis May Alcott’s Civil War Saga,” is on Oct. 29, 10 a.m., Saturday by Benowitz in High Library. Benowitz will be talking about Alcott’s poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, literature that was largely influenced by the Civil War and the men in her life. On Tuesday, Nov. 1, 3:30 p.m., in Brinser Lecture Room, Steinman Hall, Dr. Kimberly VanEsveld Adams, associate professor of English and Megan Fitzgerald, an area Alcott scholar, talk about Alcott’s thrillers. .Following these events are two more on Alcott’s work on Nov. 10, Leffler Chapel and Performance Center at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday Nov. 15, 7:45 p.m. in Bucher Meetinghouse.
Elizabethtown College encourages students to get active, engage, and explore the upcoming events in hopes of expanding student’s curiosity to research, internships, and study abroad. “We hope through these events, the students of Elizabethtown grow more awareness of the opportunities, to engage in the Arts and Humanities.” Benowitz said.
For further information about National Arts and Humanities Month, contact Jean- Paul Benowitz or visit the Elizabethtown College website at http://www.etown.edu/newsandevents/211-2012/2011-10-12-Humanties.aspx.
