April 9, 2009
Vol. 13, #12

April

Thursday, April 9, 2009
SpeakingOut! Training
6–8:45 p.m.; First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce St., Boulder

Join us for the second in the spring series of SpeakingOut! trainings to be eligible and maintain your eligibility, to volunteer with the much-sought after Boulder Pride speakers bureau. We currently have more requests for panels to speak on LGBTQIA issues in classrooms throughout Boulder County, so if you have been interested in getting involved, now is the time to do so.
April 9 agenda:
6:00–7:30 p.m. topic (Transgender Issues)
7:30–8:45 p.m. TBA
For more information and to RSVP (kindly requested), email speakingout@boulderpride.org.

Thursday, April 9, 2009
Naropa's MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Thesis Performances—original experimental works by Second-year MFA  students: Never Having Been
Created by Sharoni Siegel and Ensemble
7:30 p.m., Nalanda Studio Theater
$7 general admission; free to seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID

The body's exploration of an ancient Far East legend, the nature of the Journey...and the creatures met along the way.

Friday, April 10, 2009
Naropa's MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Thesis Performances—Original Experimental Works by Second-Year MFA  Students
7:30 p.m., Nalanda Studio Theater
$7 general admission; free to seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID

Never Having Been, Created by Sharoni Siegel and Ensemble

The body's exploration of an ancient Far East legend, the nature of the Journey...and the creatures met along the way.

Softscape, Created by Audrey Jajich

Dances from the desert.

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Naropa's MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Thesis Performances—Original Experimental Works by Second-Year MFA Students: mangyan
created by lisamoyadeva
7:30 p.m., Nalanda Studio Theater
$7 general admission; free to seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID

sifting through phantasms of colonization, an excavation of aboriginal memory.

Monday, April 13, 2009
Students of Color Support Group
12 p.m., El Centro

Join other students in a relaxed and safe space to explore a variety of concerns including the impact of personal, family and cultural issues on one's experience in college. The group will help participants to connect with others of color; get support, affirmation and encouragement; bring concerns and suggestions to the table.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Creating Sustainable Change: Brown Bag Dialogues
Facilitated by Lee Scriggins
12:00–1:30 p.m., El Centro

A discussion and open dialogue on collaboration, ally building, and strategies for effective action in a holistic and inclusive manner. Open to everyone. Bring your lunch.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Study Skills and Self-Care: A Workshop Presented by the Academic Support ProgramOpen to the Naropa undergraduate community
Noon–1 p.m., Lincoln Lecture Hall

This is an informative workshop meant to assist students in preparing term papers, final exams and end-of-semester projects. It will include both self-care and practical skills to provide for health and efficiency during the end-of-semester “rush.” A lunch of pizza and soda is provided. For more information, contact Matt Spurlin at mspurlin@students.naropa.edu or 720-233-4561.

Thursday, April 16, 2009
Diversity Dialogue with Suzanne Benally, Senior Diversity Officer
4:00–5:30 p.m., El Centro

Join Senior Diversity Officer Suzanne Benally and other faculty and staff to discuss diversity at Naropa. What would you like to see happen? Hear about what has been initiated and help shape where things are going.

Thursday, April 16, 2009
BFA 1st Year Repertory Performance: Falling
Directed by Joan Bruemmer; Assistant Direction by Elizabeth Watt
Created in collaboration with the BFA first-year ensemble
8 p.m.; Performing Arts Center
$5 general admission; free for seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID

We soar, we reach, we strive and sometimes we fall. Born out of the myth of Icarus and Daedalus, Falling, is the new theater piece created by the BFA in Performance program.

Friday, April 17, 2009
El Centro Film Series: Songcatcher
12–2 p.m., El Centro

During a visit to Appalachia, a gifted musicologist stumbles upon a musical treasure trove—dozens of Scots-Irish ballads that have been preserved for generations by the local populace and are unknown to the outside world.

Friday, April 17, 2009
Writing & Poetics BA and MFA Student Reading
8 p.m., Performing Arts Center

Please join us for the Writing & Poetics spring student reading, featuring BA and MFA students from the department. Students: look for the email announcement in early April to sign up for this reading in the Writing & Poetics office.

Friday, April 17, 2009
BFA 1st Year Repertory Performance 
Directed by Joan Bruemmer
Time to be announced; Performing Arts Center

Faculty and guest-artist directed work.  

Friday, April 17, 2009
Naropa's MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Thesis Performances—Original Experimental Works by Second-Year MFA Students: Freedom Banquet: Or Making Amends to the Dead
Created by Kathryn Ross
7:30 p.m. (Buffet at 7 p.m.), Nalanda Studio Theater
$7 general admission; free to seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID

Your Children are Not Your Children, they are the Sons and Daughters of Life's Longing for Itself.

Saturday April 18, 2009
Turning Toward Life: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in Uncertain Times
9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Kelly’s Barn, 1320 Sumac Ave., Boulder, CO

Who has not been touched by the perfect storm of global ecological and economic collapse? Many of us react with feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, grief, despair and numbness—and retreat from what is uncomfortable to cling to security. Yet in our deep crisis is a magnificent opportunity—to wholeheartedly turn toward the living world, and together, in community, to nurture the seeds of life-affirming culture and to encourage the flowering gifts of each unique individual. The way we respond to our situation today will shape the world for generations to come. Join us for this experiential and interactive workshop to explore the depth and potential of our times. Suggested Donation:$50 (register by April 15), $70 (at the door). Please contact one of us to register and for more information: Gene: 303-746-3162; genedilworth@gmail.com or Sarah: 303-396-2034;  sarahsunshine@riseup.net.

Gene Dilworth, MA, has been leading groups in nature-based pathways to self-discovery, wholeness, and community for more than twenty years. Founder of the Wild Heart Center, Gene is adjunct faculty in environmental studies and ecopsychology at Naropa University, leads wilderness rites-of-passage, and has trained as a Soulcraft guide with Animas Valley Institute. Sarah Vekasi, MDiv, is an eco-chaplain, a former tree-sitter, direct action activist and monastic, a lover of Restorative Justice and wild spaces. She has trained with Joanna Macy in leading the Work that Reconnects and brings a lifelong love of art, the natural world and community to this work.

Saturday, April 18, 2009
BFA 1st Year Repertory Performance 
Directed by Joan Bruemmer
Time to be announced; Performing Arts Center

Faculty and guest-artist directed work.  

Monday, April 20, 2009
The second annual Cobb Peace Lecture:
“Dead Man Walking—The Journey Continues” delivered by Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ
7 p.m.; Nalanda Events Center

Sister Helen Prejean has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on the death penalty and helping to shape the Catholic church's newly vigorous opposition to state executions. She is a regular interviewee and contributor to national and international publications, and has become a recurring presence on major TV news shows. Sister Helen lives in New Orleans and works with the Death Penalty Discourse Center, the Moratorium Campaign and the Dead Man Walking Play Project.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Rhythm of Resistance: Black South African Music
12:00–2:00 p.m., El Centro

From Zululand roots to Soweto street singing, from the defiant dancing of workers on their day off to all night singing contests, this film captures the panorama of Black South African music during the years of apartheid.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Greenhouse Grand Opening
Noon; PAC

Public presentation by Robert Martin, former National Ombudsman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Chief Public Advocate of National Environmental Public Advocates, a Boulder-based nonprofit organization.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Issues in Education: The Mary Culkin Lecture Series: “Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE)” with Jody Perkins, PIPE & Emotional Beginnings Trainer
6:30–8:30 p.m., Shambhala Hall
Suggested donation: $8 ($5 for Naropa students)
Spanish interpretation will be provided.

The lecture and discussion series is made possible through community collaboration with the Early Childhood Council of Boulder County—Professional Pathways, Naropa University, Boulder County Association for the Education of Young Children and City of Boulder—Children, Youth and Families Division. The series was developed in memory of the late Mary Louise Culkin, who taught in the Early Childhood Education program for many years and helped develop the MA in Contemplative Education. For more information, contact Michael Girodo at 303-546-5288.

Friday, April 24, 2009
Embodied Poetics Project: Projecting the Word into Time and Space
The fourth annual collaboration between The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics and the MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Program
7:30 p.m., Nalanda Studio Theater
$7 general admission; free to seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID

New writing meets a kinesthetically and perceptually intensified arena of physical performance in a series of settings created by Naropa MFA Theater students and faculty.

Saturday, April 25–Sunday, April 26, 2009
Desolate/delight Project: mythology of a species
Directed by Barbara Dilley & Co-created with an ensemble from the MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Program
7:30 p.m., Nalanda Studio Theater
$7 general admission; free to seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID

An evening of spontaneous performance arising from a culture that trains, experiments and dreams together. Surreal – poetic – embodied – and fractal in construction, we offer our deep play for the delight of the world.

May

Friday, May 1, 2009
BFA 2nd Year Final Performance
Directed by Onye Ozuzu
8 p.m.; Performing Arts Center
$5 general admission; free for seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID.

An improvisationally developed exploration into the workings of circularity in human community and its potential to hone both singular and group identity. Artistic director, Onye Ozuzu, will be working with the BFA students in movement techniques, improvisational composition and performance practices to create their version of a work focused on these ideas.

Saturday, May 2, 2009
BFA 2nd Year Final Performance
Directed by Onye Ozuzu
8 p.m.; Performing Arts Center
$5 general admission; free for seniors, students and Naropa community w/ ID.

See description above.

Thursday, May 7, 2009
Transitions Celebration for President Tom Coburn and Leigh Berry
4–6 p.m.; Performing Arts Center and the Naropa Green

Faculty, staff and students are invited to a late afternoon transitions celebration for Thomas Coburn and Leigh Berry. Refirst-year studentsts provided. More information coming soon.

Friday, May 8, 2009
Writing & Poetics: BA Graduation Reading
Noon; Shambhala Hall

Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of the department’s BA Writing & Literature graduates.

Friday, May 8, 2009
Writing & Poetics: MFA Graduation Student Reading
8 p.m.; Performing Arts Center

Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of the department’s BA Writing & Poetics graduates.

Saturday, May 9, 2009
Commencement
3 p.m.; Macky Auditorium, University of Colorado
Commencement Speaker: William Ury

Naropa University President Thomas B. Coburn will host a luncheon outside the Macky Auditorium, beginning at 1 p.m. This event is open to all graduating students and their guests. A reception with light refirst-year studentsts will follow the commencement ceremony.

Ongoing Events

Monday–Friday
Fresh Start Morning Sitting Group
Arapahoe Campus: 8:15–8:45 a.m.
Nalanda Campus: 8:15–9:00 a.m.

Many of you have requested more opportunities to practice together as a community on a regular basis, not just on Community Practice Day or in particular classes. These opportunities are core to the embodiment of contemplative education at Naropa. Paramita Campus is in the process of determining the availability of staff and faculty to umdze for group morning sitting. If you are interested, please contact Jackie Ashley at jackie@naropa.edu. Group sitting means there will be a time- keeper (umdze) that will begin and end the session; however, you are always welcome to come earlier and stay later.

Mondays, 12:00–1:20 p.m.
Community Yoga
Shambhala Hall

The students in the Yoga Teacher Training concentration will be offering free yoga classes for the Naropa community. Please bring a yoga mat (some are available for use in the closet). 

Mondays, 3–4 p.m.
LGBTQIA sitting group
Shrine Room, Lincoln Building

Come, get in touch with your buddha nature! Interested, but not a good time for you? Email sluther@naropa.edu to suggest alternative time, or to volunteer to be an umdze.

Mondays, 3– 6 p.m.
Japanese Tea, “Open hearth” Tea Ceremony
Led by Michael Ricci
Teahouse, 2130 Arapahoe Ave.

Mondays, 5:15–6:30 p.m.
Zen Group
Led by the Great Mountain Zen Group and Gerry Wick Sensei 
Arapahoe Campus Meditation Hall

Zazen sitting and instruction: 5:15–5:50 p.m.
Walking meditation: 5:50–6:00 p.m.
Zazen sitting and Chant of Four Vows: 6–6:30 p.m.

Tuesdays, 1:30–2:50
Community Yoga
Shambhala Hall

The students in the Yoga Teacher Training concentration will be offering free yoga classes for the Naropa community on the Arapahoe campus. Please bring a yoga mat (some are available for use in the closet). 

Tuesdays, 12–1:00 p.m.
Community Qigong Classes
Offered by Maureen O’Connor
Lincoln Lecture Hall (Once the weather is WARM, we will be directly south of the Café, past the parking lot, on the grassy area of the CU Campus)

Please join us for free practice sessions of Qigong (pronounced Chi Gong) and related energy work. Anyone is welcome to join at any time, no experience necessary. This is strictly for fun and exercise. Qigong is an ancient Chinese healing movement art related to acupuncture, acupressure, and the Taoist philosophy. It’s best to wear loose fitting clothing and flat-soled shoes or plan to go barefoot. (When inside you may want thick cotton or wool socks—outside you will need flat-soled shoes.) Please eat a small amount of food prior to coming to class—energy work on an empty stomach is not recommended. Free (donations appreciated, but not expected).

Tuesdays, January 20–April 28, 2009, 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Naropa Counseling Center Presents a Weekly Group Workshop
"Explore Psychological Balance through Yoga”
With Louis Carlino, RYT, third-year Somatic Counseling Psychology student
Dojo Room (Room 9180), Nalanda Campus

Forty-five minutes of Yoga followed by group sharing/discussion. For more information, email Louis at existentia@msn.com or call him at 303-815-0898.

Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m.
Insight Meditation- Vipassana, A Buddhist Meditation tradition of Southeast Asia
Led by David Chernikoff, a faculty member of Naropa University
Unitarian Universalist Church, 5001 Pennsylvania. For more information, please see www.insightcolorado.org.

Wednesdays, 9:00–10:20 a.m.
Community Yoga
Shambhala Hall

The students in the Yoga Teacher Training concentration will be offering free yoga classes for the Naropa community on the Arapahoe campus. Please bring a yoga mat (some are available for use in the closet). 

Wednesdays, 1:30-5:30 p.m.
Naropa Healing Group
On the Sycamore green if it is nice, Goldfarb or in the Student Lounge in inclement weather

The Healing Group and all interested, certified healers will gather to offer healings to the community. Light and local refirst-year studentsts will be offered. Modalities one might expect are reiki, spiritual healings, massage, zero-balancing, and whatever else our healing community brings to the table. Contact jurchek@students.naropa.edu for more information.

Wednesdays, 6–7:30 p.m.
Zen Peace-Makers Meditation Group, samatha-vipashyana, pranayama, metta and tonglen meditation practices
Led by Sensei Fleet Maull
Paramita Meditation Hall

Thursdays, 1–2 p.m.
Riding the Energy of Emotions
With Acharya Dale Asrael
Paramita Meditation Hall

Thursdays, 6–7:30 p.m.
Paramita Community Yoga Class
Virya classroom
Taught by Thiago Leao, one of Naropa's stellar yoga teacher training grads.
Suggested Donation: $3.

Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Nyinthun, Sitting and Walking Meditation and Guided Bodywork Practice
and/or Dharma Talk
Led by the members of Dhyanasangha and the Dharma Ocean Foundation
Sitting and Walking Meditation Saturdays 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Guided Bodywork Practice and/or Dharma Talk Saturdays 12 p.m.–1 p.m.
Arapahoe Campus Meditation Hall  

First Sunday of the Month, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Group Sitting and Walking Meditation
Led by Phil Karl
Arapahoe Campus Meditation Hall

Every other Friday, 5–7 p.m.
Vimalakirti Cult, A full group reading of the Second Turning popular text
Arapahoe Meditation Hall

Resources

Drop-in Counseling Center
Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
Snow Lion Building (entrance on the East side)

Need some support? Having a hard time adjusting? Wondering about community resources? Just want to talk? Drop by the Naropa Counseling Center. For more information or to set up an appointment, call 303-245-4697.

Career Services
Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and by appointment

Career Services is a free service for Naropa students and alumni and can assist you in making meaningful and positive academic and career decisions. The process of career development and planning can be difficult, and they are here to help you:

• Explore your interests, values, skills, and talents
• Identify potential academic and career paths
• Develop internship and job search strategies
• Plan your graduate school or other educational application process
• Learn how to write effective cover letters and resumes
• Prepare for the interview process
• Assist you if you have any other concerns, questions or need information about your career

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call 303-245-4863 or email ssteward@naropa.edu.

Naropa Writing Center
Sycamore Hall across from the student lounge
Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
303-245-4606; nwc@naropa.edu

The NWC is open for the spring semester. The NWC offers a respectful, collaborative environment for all writers. We can assist you with essays, scholarship applications, cover letters, creative work, theses and more. Come in at any stage of the writing process from brainstorming and organization to revising and documenting sources. Appointments are available on the hour and half-hour, for 25 or 50 minutes. Citation workshops will be offered this semester. Location, dates and times will be announced as soon as they are available.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer work with Moving to End Sexual Assault

Rape Crisis Hotline
For more information, or a volunteer application, please check out our website, call 303/443-0400 x102 or email Julie Washnock at julie@movingtoendsexualassault.org. Training dates are listed below.

Men's Prevention Education Program
For more information, a training schedule and a volunteer application, please check out our website, call 303-443-0400 x103 and ask for Marti Hopper or email her at marti@movingtoendsexualassault.org.

Visit MESA for more information on required training dates, job descriptions and application forms.

Service-Learning Opportunities with Prison Dharma Network

Prison Dharma Network (PDN), an international interfaith network founded by Naropa adjunct faculty member Fleet Maull is always in need of service-learning participants for its various programs working with prisoners and youth at risk in the Boulder area. PDN is also in need of people to respond to prisoner's book and information requests, as well as teach yoga and meditation at the Boulder County Jail. We support thousands of prisoners in the practice of all forms of the contemplative path: meditation, yoga, centering prayer, chi kung, etc. Please contact Sarah Gurganus at pdn2@indra.com or visit Prison Dharma Network for more information.

Volunteer Work with Shambhala Prison Community

The Shambhala Prison Community works in about sixty prisons nationwide and is looking for dedicated practitioners of meditation to work with prisoners who are themselves practicing meditation and studying the Dharma. Current need also involves volunteers who can assist with shipping literature from our libraries to prisoners. If you are interested in this extraordinarily rewarding work, we would be delighted to discuss with you the possibilities of your becoming a volunteer.

To find out more about how you can help ease the suffering of the incarcerated, email the Shambhala Prison Community at prison@indra.com, or call 303-544-5923. Please identify your interest in volunteering in the subject line.

Student Discounts

Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Student Discount
An hour before any performance, students can purchase tickets at DCPA for only $10.

Eco Pass Xtra
Use your Eco Pass and receive discounts at restaurants, stores and more.