Patricia Gagliardo, a well-known police-accredited clairvoyant medium, will present "Voices From Beyond" on Sept. 26. The lecture is free and will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Room 308 of the Darrin Communications Center.

The series will continue with Piri Thomas, a poet-writer who will perform his own prose and poetry in celebration of Latino Heritage Month on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Shelnutt Gallery of the Rensselaer Union.

Joel Goldman, HIV educator and spokesperson, will speak on "Sex Under the Influence," an interactive program focused on empowering people to make better choices about their personal lives. His talk will be held Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. in Sage 3303.

The last speaker of the semester is Carl Brashear, the first African-American to become a Master Diver in the Navy despite incredible odds and the racial tensions of the times. His story was turned into a major motion picture titled Men of Honor, starring Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. Brashear will speak at 7:30 pm. on Nov. 5 in Room 308 the Darrin Communications Center.

Mo Rocca will kick off the spring semester in "Making It Up as I Go Along: Satire in an Absurd World," on Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 308 of the Darrin Communications Center. Rocca, a senior political correspondent for The Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart, is best known for his wild tongue-in-cheek news reports.

The last show of the series is "The Story of Latina Magazine: Business Plan for a Dream," featuring Christy Haubegger, renowned as a leading business figure and opinion maker on Latino issues throughout the nation. Her talk is March 4 at 7:30 pm. in Room 308 of the Darrin Communications Center. 9/23/02

Kagan Art Featured at Rice Gallery
Recent shadow sculpture by Professor Larry Kagan will be on exhibit through Nov. 17, as part of a three-person show at The Rice Gallery at the Albany Institute of History and Art, located at 125 Washington Ave., Albany. Kagan says that the three pieces "were built at a time when Palestinians were blowing themselves and others up on a regular basis, and are in some way a meditation on what it is like to be talking to someone and seeing him disintegrate before your very eyes." There will be an artists' reception on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. 9/16/02

Rensselaer at Hartford To Welcome New VP and Dean Oct. 10
To honor Alan Eckbreth's appointment as vice president and dean of the Rensselaer at Hartford campus, President Jackson will host an in-house reception there Thursday, Oct. 10, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Hartford faculty and staff are cordially invited to stop in for some refreshments and to meet their new leader in the Seminar Hall area of the facility at 275 Windsor Street. In addition, President Jackson will introduce Eckbreth, who began his tenure at Hartford Sept. 3, to the city's business, educational, and political communities at a separate event later that evening. 9/16/02

Fall Fest Slated for Oct. 5
The Office of the First Year Experience will help to celebrate the autumn season by hosting Rensselaer's annual Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 1 to 7 p.m. on Eighth Street at the Approach. The outdoor "communiversity" event will feature music, food, and activities for students, faculty, staff, and the city of Troy. Alex Torres, Hair of the Dog, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, the Persuasions, and WRPI will provide the day's soundtrack and street performers promise to tickle even the most stressed doctoral candidate's funny bone.

Various local merchants and community organizations will have booths offering refreshments and more. And area elementary and middle-school students will be hard at work on their gumdrop projects for "ZOOM into Engineering," a program sponsored by the Junior Museum, public television station WGBH, and Rensselaer that is aimed at getting kids excited about careers in engineering.
For more information, contact the Office of the First Year Experience at ext. 6864. 9/16/02