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Anne E. Lacsamana, assistant professor of women's studies, presented a paper titled "Empire on Trial: The Subic Rape Case and the Struggle for Philippine Women's Liberation" at the annual "How Class Works Works" conference held June 5-8 at SUNY-Stony Brook. Her paper examines the 2005 gang rape of a Filipino woman by four U.S. Marines. The Subic Rape Case, as it is widely known, is exceptional because it marks the first time a member of the U.S. military had ever been tried, convicted, and sentenced on Philippine soil. Although the case is currently under appeal, Lacsamana argues that the landmark verdict is the result of decades of organizing around militarized violence by members of the multi-sectoral Philippine nationalist feminist movement.

On June 6 as part of Reunions '08, Doug Chapman '58, the Fraser Riverkeeper in Vancouver, Canada, and Bob Boyle, who helped found the Riverkeeper movement, discussed their roles in the environmental movement to a Kennedy Auditorium packed with alumni. Boyle spoke about the path to establishing the Hudson River Fisherman's Association, an environmental group that protected the quality of the Hudson River and later grew to the larger Waterkeeper Alliance, a collection of conservation groups which now protect around 200 bodies of water worldwide. Chapman spoke about his role as an environmental prosecutor and the legal battles for environmental issues in the present day. 

David DeSantis '88, broker and owner of Tuft, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby's International Realty recounted the recent ups and downs of the American housing market in the Alumni College Free Fall or Recovery: The American Housing Market. He described his own home buying process during the irrational exuberance of the early decade. "There were seven offers on the house. I paid $100,000 over asking price, and I had to write a check on the spot, no questions asked," he recalled. Only a few years later, the subprime mortgage crisis would contribute to a housing market meltdown and quash such excessive optimism.

"A Nature Walk in the Root Glen," an Alumni College led by Professor of Biology Ernest Williams, was far more than a nature lesson. Williams' fascinating hour-long tour touched on many areas of study including geology, history and math as well as biology. Reflective of the glen's frequent community usage, the Utica Tramp and Trail Club and a Kirkland Art Center painting class were also enjoying the Root Glen. Several members of those groups joined alumni for the informative tour.

In 1999, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded Hamilton a grant to assess student learning in a liberal arts setting. At the time of the initial award, Hamilton's proposal read, "The public deserves greater accountability, and we are prepared to demonstrate the effectiveness of our educational program to students, current and prospective parents, alumni and higher education opinion leaders." 

Last summer Hamilton alumna Jenney Stringer '08 was awarded a Levitt Community Service Fellowship to create and facilitate a community garden in Utica for refugees living in public housing. Stringer recently penned an opinion piece for the Utica Observer-Dispatch thanking the many organizations that contributed to the project's success.

Dan Nye '88, CEO of the Internet professional networking site LinkedIn, appeared in a live interview on FoxBusiness.com (6/10/08). In the interview, filmed on Stanford University's Palo Alto, Calif., campus, Nye noted that he is a graduate of Hamilton College. Nye said LinkedIn currently has 23 million members, 1.2 million new members sign on each month and it is the largest professional network. "On LinkedIn people are exchanging knowledge, advice and opportunities and everybody is trying to help each other be the best they can be at what they do. The focus is on productivity," Nye explained "and giving the information and tools to be a more effective participant in this knowledge economy."

Associate Professor of English Naomi Guttman's book of poetry, Wet Apples, White Blood, shared the best book of poetry award with The Origin of the Milky Way by Barbara Louise Ungar at the Adirondack Center for Writing's (ACW) third annual Adirondack Literary Awards. The awards were announced at Blue Mountain Center in Blue Mountain Lake on June 8. The Adirondack Literary Awards celebrate and acknowledge the books that were written by Adirondack authors or published in the region in the previous year. There were 37 entries this year. Wet Apples, White Blood was published by McGill-Queen's University Press in 2007.

Levitt Center Associate Director of Community Research Judith Owens-Manley presented a workshop at the 2008 Summit on Political Engagement and Bonner Summer Leadership Institute that explored the themes of political and civic engagement.

Record heat and humidity for Central New York in early June didn't stop 1,289 alumni and guests from participating in Hamilton's Reunions '08, held on June 5-8. Alumni were able to reconnect with former classmates at activities ranging from the annual parade and cookout to class dinners, arts events and for the athletically inclined, a bicycle ride through the Mohawk Valley, the Long Run and the annual Winton Tolles golf tournament. Many of this year's 16 Alumni Colleges featured alumni talking about an area of their expertise or interest.