Author: Deb Parker

LuAnn Oros, community consultant on hunger and homelessness in the Community Service Office, will lead a discussion about the challenges homeless individuals face during extreme temperatures. This open forum will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, in the Danforth University Center Millstone Visitors Center on the first floor.

‘Give Thanks Give Back,’ WUSTL’s annual holiday gift drive in support of the 100 Neediest Cases, is under way. Members of the university community are encouraged to consider adopting an area family in need. The drive runs through Wednesday, Nov. 16.

A Locks of Love hair donation and haircut event will be held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, in the Danforth University Center Fun Room. Donate 10 inches of hair to receive a free professional haircut or get a professional cut for a $20 donation. Appointments are recommended for those with a tight schedule; walk-in appointments are accepted based on availability. To sign up for an appointment, visit wulol.wustl.edu.

“A ‘Science of Religions,’ So-Called”: The 19th-century Promises and Perils of a New Human Science” is the focus of the Nov. 14 Witherspoon Memorial Lecture in Religion and Science at Washington University in St. Louis. Leigh Eric Schmidt, PhD, the Edward Mallinckrodt University Professor, will deliver the lecture at 4 p.m. in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge.

To increase appreciation of global diversity, a new program funds a weeklong study abroad program for staff and faculty. The program is open to all employees. Selected applicants will visit one of two WUSTL Overseas Programs locations: Shanghai, China, or Paris, France. Applications are due by Dec. 1.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and his wife, Risa Zwerling Wrighton, honorary event chair, and other faculty and staff members take the stage to lead students in “The Dancellor” during the Nov. 5 Dance Marathon of St. Louis in the Athletic Complex. A record number of student dancers — nearly 1,400 — participated in this year’s space-themed event, which raised $150,000 for Children’s Miracle Network.

Washington University in St. Louis recently was named one of the top producers of U.S. Fulbright students, based on outcomes of the 2011-2012 competition. The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, recently announced the complete list of top-producing colleges and universities in the Oct. 24 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education. 

The Etiquette Dinner Program helps students prepare for interviews and life on the job with a quick primer on fine dining, professional dress and business protocol. The Nov. 16 program is open to all students, but pre-registration is required by Nov. 9.

A Nov. 8 panel discussion will focus on immigration challenges and potential solutions. Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay, D-Mo., will serve as keynote speaker during the forum. To foster dialogue, representatives of both political parties — as well as those who advocate for immigrants’ rights and those with experience in enforcement agencies — will participate.

A university-wide blood drive will be held Wednesday, Nov. 9, at eight different locations and at a variety of times to accommodate busy schedules. In addition, collection will take place Thursday, Nov. 10, at the School of Medicine. All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in this effort to replenish the region’s blood supply. Appointments are strongly encouraged.