So Proud of CWRU

The first week in October, during Homecoming Weekend, CWRU dedicated the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center inside Thwing, the student center on campus. It was so great to hear CWRU President, Barbara Snyder, speak at the event (see video below), and reiterate the support she gave in her official statement:

Every single member of our community is important, and each of us should strive to ensure our actions convey that message. Tolerance and respect are essential to our mission. We value the contributions of every student, staff and faculty member, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, political persuasion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Our classrooms, laboratories, residence halls, and other settings should be free of discrimination, to be sure, but that is not enough. We must recognize that we are fortunate to study and work in an environment where it is understood that our differences add to the richness of our learning. It is only from a wide array of experiences and insights that we together can achieve deeper appreciation and awareness of some of the greatest societal challenges of our time.

Back in the late 80s, one of the successes I was most proud of as a member of undergraduate student government (USG) was convincing the university administration to expand the non-discrimination policy to include on the basis of sexual orientation. We held a post-card drive: USG printed cards and made them available all over campus. Anyone on campus could sign the card (requesting the change) and drop it in campus mail to be delivered to the university President, Ag Pytte. This ploy got his attention, and a group of us were invited to meet with him to discuss the pros and cons. To us, as undergrads, the financial risk (that is, the risk the university could be sued), seemed negligible compared to the importance of being inclusive. He eventually agreed, and the University Board of Trustees approved a new non-discrimination policy. It has changed and improved in the last 20 years (I'll post it below the video); it's amazing to see CWRU truly embracing diversity and inclusiveness.



Non-Discrimination Policy Statement

Case Western Reserve University does not discriminate in recruitment, employment, or policy administration on the basis of race, religion, age, sex, color, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, or status as a disabled veteran or other protected veteran under U.S. federal law. In addition, the university expects all employees, students, vendors, and associates to comply with the policy of non-discrimination. The university intends to maintain an environment free of sexual harassment and will not tolerate any form of harassment of its employees, faculty, or students. Retaliation against persons raising concerns about discrimination, sexual harassment or harassment of any kind is prohibited and will constitute separate grounds for disciplinary action up to and including discharge or expulsion from the university.

Reading for the Record

Our local school district, including T's school and his class, are joining the fun for Reading for the Record today. A volunteer will visit his ESE class and read The Snowy Day aloud to the kids.

from amazon.com:

The Snowy Day, a 1963 Caldecott Medal winner, is the simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night. Keats's illustrations, using cut-outs, watercolors, and collage, are strikingly beautiful in their understated color and composition. The tranquil story mirrors the calm presence of the paintings, and both exude the silence of a freshly snow-covered landscape. The little boy celebrates the snow-draped city with a day of humble adventures--experimenting with footprints, knocking snow from a tree, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day. Awakening to a winter wonderland is an ageless, ever-magical experience, and one made nearly visceral by Keats's gentle tribute.

The book is notable not only for its lovely artwork and tone, but also for its importance as a trailblazer. According to Horn Book magazine, The Snowy Day was "the very first full-color picture book to feature a small black hero"--yet another reason to add this classic to your shelves. It's as unique and special as a snowflake.

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record©, presented in partnership with Pearson, is Jumpstart’s world record breaking campaign that brings children and adults together to read the same book, on the same day, in homes and communities all over the world. The campaign also kicks off Jumpstart’s yearlong program, preparing preschool children in low-income neighborhoods for success in school and life.

According to @LeonSchools, every school in the district is participating! In preparation for today, T and I discussed our other favorite snowy books, including Stranger in the Woods and First Snow in the Woods.

Getting Ready for Halloween

Getting ready for Halloween is something we can barely wait for September to end so we can begin! Here are some of our decorations:

The giant ghost. People in the neighborhood often ask if they can take photos with him!

My favorite flag.

We have 2 of these very life-like pumpkins.

T's favorite flag.

Tigger!

Do It Anyway

Here's a new book I'm looking forward to reading when it comes out for kindle on October 12th (it's available in paperback, came out on Sept 7th): Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists by Courtney E. Martin. I'll let the author speak for herself, or if you don't have time to watch the video (it's only 1:17 long), see below it for a quick description.



"In direct opposition to an older generation’s cry that young people are apathetic and disengaged, Do It Anywayreveals a new generation of activism and calls on young people to transcend school-required community service and paper-pushing nonprofit jobs in favor of the kind of work that keeps you up at night because you believe in it so deeply."
 
Check it out at http://www.doitanywaybook.org/ or on amazon.

Brewfest Tallahassee!

Saturday October 30, I will be supporting the Tallahassee Sunrise Rotary by attending Brewfest Tallahassee. This is a great local charity event held each year at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum. Proceeds benefit Rotary projects (North Florida Rotary Youth Camp and World-wide Polio Eradication) and local organizations HOPE (Housing Opportunities and Personal Empowerment) Community and Leon County Relay for Life.

Last year was my first time attending and I had a great time, saw lots of friends, ate a lot, and tasted all types of beers. It's especially fun to vote for your favorites. I buy the VIP tickets for the early entry, the great food, and the easy access to nice clean bathrooms.

Some of my favorite breweries will be represented, including these:

Here are some pics from the 2009 Brewfest Tallahassee:

The VIP package was definitely the way to go.

Special tastings just for VIPs. 

Ran into lots of people I knew.

This photo is a reminder to me to wear comfortable shoes - there's lots of standing.

The OBP-mobile. Hoping they'll have some of the Coconut Porter this year.

 How about you? Anyone else planning to attend?

Paint It Purple Cupcake Party

Jenn and I had a really good time yesterday kicking off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The fun started Wednesday and Thursday with baking the cupcakes. Then Friday we made frosting and took everything over to the FSU Alpha Chi Omega house at lunch time, where the collegians helped us frost and decorate about 110 cupcakes. It was a great opportunity to talk about DVA Month and Refuge House. When all the work was done, we packed up 7 trays of cupcakes and dropped them off at the Refuge House administrative offices for the staff to enjoy and share with the residents at the domestic violence shelter. We left a couple dozen cupcakes at the house for the sisters to enjoy too. We're so glad to be a part of The Pixel Project's Paint It Purple Cupcake Blog Party!

Kaitlyn making purple ribbons. She did an amazing job!

Ribbons in two colors of purple.

Purple cupcakes with purple sprinkles.

One of the smaller size tins we took to Refuge House.

Three more of the dozen or more collegians who helped - Melissa, Katherine and Amy.

Here is the recipe for my chocolate cupcakes:

Darn Good Chocolate Cupcakes

1 (2-layer) size plain devil's food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix*

1 (4-serving-size) package instant chocolate pudding mix

4 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (optional)*

Line cupcake tins with liners; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Place cake and pudding mixes, eggs, sour cream, water and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer at low speed 1 minute. Stop machine and scrape down sides of the bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium; beat 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping down again if needed. Batter should be thick and well combined. If using chips, fold them in, making sure they are distributed well. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way. 

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool in back 10 minutes, then move cupcakes to wire rack. 

* this time I used a Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil's Food cake mix and left out the chips.

Recipe adapted from The Cake Doctor. 

fresh from the oven

decorated and ready to be shared!

I'll post links to the other Paint It Purple blog posts in the comments, be sure to check them out!! Jenn and I were really excited to recruit some other friends to the party!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Putter

T and I are in love with the Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant. My long-time friend (CWRU Alpha Chi Omega sister) Kathy introduced us to them when Thomas was 5 or 6 (thank you Kath!!) and we're so grateful to the author and illustrator for continuing to produce new titles.

The stories center around Mr. Putter and his cat, Tabby, and their neighbors, Mrs. Teaberry and her good dog, Zeke. Mr. Putter is an older gentleman who has the heart of an eight-year old boy. Mrs. Teaberry's spunk ("Old people can do anything they want," she says in Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn) and her very energetic dog provide adventure at almost every turn. Arthur Howard's illustrations bring the stories to life and add extra charm and humor to already charming humorous tales.

In Mr. Putter and Tabby Make A Wish, we learned that Mr. Putter's birthday is October 2nd, so Happy Birthday to him tomorrow! In his honor, here are our "top three." (There are now 19!!)

The first one we read is still T's favorite. In Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears, Mr. Putter wants to pick pears from his pear tree but can't get up his ladder. His ingenious plan to get them down takes him back to his childhood so well that he forgets all about the pear jelly he was dreaming of... will he get his wish? T still breaks into fits of giggles when he reads this, even though he probably has the whole book memorized!


My personal favorite is Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn, in which Mrs. Teaberry decides she and Mr. Putter should join a band. Let's just say Mr. Putter doesn't have much musical talent, but the important thing is that Mr. Putter tries! And Mrs. Teaberry supports him all the way.