Humanities & Society

This year’s Thurtene Carnival is reaching out to more student groups and the community during pre-events as well as the joy-filled festival itself. Although the fair doesn’t officially kick off until Friday, April 15, organizers are holding several community and fundraising activities during Spirit Week March 27- April 2 to help raise money for this year’s charity, the Belle Center, which helps disabled children with mainstream integration.

The Chabad on Campus-Rohr Center for Jewish Life at Washington University in St. Louis will dedicate its new facility at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, March 27, in memory of benefactor Barry H. Levites.

Ray Suarez, author and senior correspondent for PBS’ The NewsHour, will present “The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31, in Graham Chapel on the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis. This is a rescheduled event, originally set for Jan. 31.

The federal financial bailouts of the last few years received tremendous publicity, but multiple sources of “hidden bailouts” eluded notice, says Cheryl D. Block, JD, law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Some hidden sources of federal financial rescue include new, expanded tax credits, the more liberal IRS interpretation of regulations, and “off-off budget” bailouts by quasi-governmental agencies such as the Federal Reserve Bank, according to research by Block.  

Julian Bond, one of the nation’s most respected civil rights leaders, will deliver the keynote address for the Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship 20th Anniversary Conference and Alumni Reunion March 31- April 1 at Washington University in St. Louis. Bond’s address, titled “Post Racial America: Fact or Fiction?” will be at 11 a.m. Friday, April 1, in Graham Chapel. It is free and open to the public.

R. Marie Griffith, PhD, the John A. Bartlett Professor at Harvard University, has been named director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics, announced Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. Griffith, whose appointment takes place July 1, is known as a pioneer in the study of modern evangelical women.

Workers who have limited rights and are exposed to significant hazards and injuries might sound like something out of a Victorian novel, but it’s a reality for paid domestic service employees who perform tasks such as cleaning, cooking, childcare and care of the elderly. “Domestic employees face a variety of workplace hazards when working in clients’ homes, including exposure to harmful cleaning chemicals, verbal and physical abuse and injuries caused by lifting and moving clients with limited mobility,” says Peggie Smith, JD, employment law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.

Planning to fill out a tournament bracket during this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament? Be careful. The games might not be as enjoyable if there’s a wager on the line, says a researcher at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

A Cannes Film Festival-winning science fiction film from Kenya, Pumzi (Air), is one of the highlights of the sixth annual African Film Festival Friday, March 25, through Sunday, March 27 at Washington University in St. Louis. This year’s eight films, all of which will be shown in Brown Hall, Room 100, focus on themes of immigration and personal responsibility.

Bridging St. Louis and Shanghai and expanding the scope of WUSTL’s academic programs far beyond the Danforth Campus, a new study abroad program is being launched at Fudan University. Aimed at examining Chinese language, culture and society, and the role of China in global and historical contexts, the comprehensive educational program is scheduled to begin in fall 2011.