Religion Student Council Report 2012 -­‐ 2013 Submitted by Shelby Hamm Table of Contents Officers..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Fall 2012 Events ................................................................................................................................... 3 Spring 2013 Events.............................................................................................................................. 4 Budget ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Meeting Minutes ................................................................................................................................... 6 August 23, 2012............................................................................................................................................... 6 September 18, 2012....................................................................................................................................... 8 October 19, 2012...........................................................................................................................................10 November 9, 2012 ........................................................................................................................................11 December 7, 2012 ............................................................................................................................................13 January 31, 2013...........................................................................................................................................15 March 14, 2013 ..............................................................................................................................................16 April 4, 2013 ...................................................................................................................................................16 May 25, 2013 ..................................................................................................................................................16 RSC News Letters ................................................................................................................................17 September 13th 2012 ...................................................................................................................................17 October 8th 2012 ...........................................................................................................................................19 November 12, 2012......................................................................................................................................21 December 8, 2012.........................................................................................................................................22 February 11, 2013 ........................................................................................................................................23 February 14, 2013 ........................................................................................................................................25 February 27, 2013 ........................................................................................................................................26 March 4, 2013 – Essay Contest .................................................................................................................26 March 14, 2013 – Town Hall......................................................................................................................27 March 26, 2013 – Essay Contest...............................................................................................................32 April 26, 2013 – Nominations...................................................................................................................32 May 2, 2013 – Elections...............................................................................................................................33 May 7, 2013 – Election Results .................................................................................................................33 May 13, 2013 – End of Year Party............................................................................................................34 May 14, 2013 – End of Year Party............................................................................................................34 2
Officers President:
Shelby Hamm
shelby.hamm@cgu.edu
Vice-President:
Elizabeth Staszak
elizabeth.staszak@cgu.edu
Secretary:
So Lloyd
farm.faun@gmail.com
Treasurer:
Amanda Pumphrey
amandalynnpumphrey@gmail.com
GSC Representative:
Anjeanette LeBoeuf
anjeanette.leboeuf@cgu.edu
GSC Representative:
Seth Clark
seth.clark@cgu.edu
GSC Delegate:
Andrew Bridges
andrew.bridges@cgu.edu
Member:
Teresa Crist
teresa.crist@cgu.edu
Fall 2012 Events Thursday, August 23rd
Officers Retreat Meeting
Thursday, September 13
Tuesday, September 18
th
th
Information Table at GSC Welcome Back BBQ
Meeting
Friday, September 21st
Welcome Back Wine & Cheese Reception
Friday, October 19th
Meeting
Thursday, October 25th
Fall Movie Night
Monday, November 5th
What (Not) To Do/Wear, Co-hosts: AAR/SBL
Friday, November 9
th
Meeting
Thursday, November 15th
Talk: Lori Anne Ferrell “Religion and Transdisciplinarity”
Friday, December 7th
Meeting
Tuesday, December 11th
“Food for Finals” Study Break
Thursday, December 13th
“Food for Finals” Study Break
Tuesday, December 18th
“Food for Finals” Study Break
3
Spring 2013 Events Thursday, January 31st
Meeting
Thursday, February 14th
th
Thursday, February 14
Monday, February 18
th
Town Hall Survey Gift Card Award
Meeting
Sexual Violence in History and Religion Panel
Monday, March 4th
Town Hall
Thursday, March 14th
Meeting
Sunday, March 31st
Essay Contest Deadline
Sunday, April 4th
Essay Contest Evaluation
th
Thursday, April 11
Meeting
Thursday, April 25th
Movie Night
Friday, April 26th
Nominations for Elections Deadline
May 2nd – May 7th
Elections
Tuesday, May 7th
Election Winners Announced
Tuesday, May 14th
End of Year Party
4
Budget Budget Fall 2012
Welcome Back Wine & Cheese
Fall Movie Night
AAR/SBL Events
Fall Final Food Days
Total
Budgeted
175.00
75.00
50.00
100.00
400.00
Spent
-158.91
-55.93
-34.81
-83.56
-333.21
Reserve
+16.09
+19.07
+15.19
+16.44
66.79
Budget Spring 2013
Town Hall Survey Award
Town Hall
Sexual Violence in History and Rel. Panel
Spring Movie Night
Essay Contest
End of Year Party
Student Prizes
Total
Budgeted
Spent
-25.00
-31.55
-76.41
-54.38
-100.00
-206.30
-170.00
-663.64
Reserve
25.00
0
100.00
75.00
100.00
300.00
0
600.00
1,000.00
-996.85
End Total
0
-31.55
+23.59
+20.62
0
+93.70
-170.00
-63.64
+3.15
5
Meeting Minutes August 23, 2012 Minutes taken by S. Lloyd
Meeting Began at 8:01 pm
Attending:
• Shelby Hamm: President
• Amanda Pumphrey: Treasurer
• So Lloyd: Secretary
• Anjeanette LeBoeuf: GSC/RSC Representative
• Seth Clark: RSC/RSC Representative
• Nick Pumphrey: Former RSC president
• Elizabeth Staszak: Vice President (Skyped in)
Budget:
• Not set yet, at least $1000 according to Amanda
Barbecue
• Do we want a separate barbecue for Religion Dept?
• Conclusion: If the RSC is to remain a separate council (within Arts and
Humanities), there should be a welcoming party/BBQ
• The idea is to do something a bit different from a BBQ, like a "wine and cheese"
event
• Current date set: Sept 20th at 4 pm at the SOR library (and outside)
• Budget for the event?
o No more than $200
o $50 for wine through the GSC
Student lounge
• Used as storage during the summer because of reorganizing offices inside the
SOR building. We would all like to see a lounge maintained for the use of
Religion students.
End of the year party for the SOR
• Budget: $200
• No set date yet
Sex Week
• Nick and Amanda informed us that the theme for the Religions in Conversation
Conference this year will be Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality. Elizabeth has
suggested the idea of "sex week" at CGU—programming that will raise
awareness about issues surrounding sexuality, health, LGBTQ issues, gender, etc.
It could be the same week as the conference, or around Valentine's Day, but the
idea is that the two events could complement each other. Allotted $100 .
Essay Contest
• Shelby suggested the idea of having an essay contest for students of the SOR with
awards for first, second, and third place. This could be a way to give some of the
RSC budget back to the students.
6
The contest could be held during March or April. The submission deadline could
be right after spring break.
• 10 page limit, double spaced. Pop culture, but not just contemporary.
• We want to continue the newsletter.
Email Updates
• Possibly twice a month instead of every week?
• Updates should mention events that are relevant to religious studies (CLST,
History)
New student orientation
• On the 29th - Amanda, Anjeanette, Seth, and So will be there representing the
SOR
• We can gather an email list
• Flyers advertising our first event (wine and cheese welcome party)
Fall Movie Night - October 25th
o Pizza and beer
o Budget: $75 max
o Halloween themed? Sci-fi or horror with spiritual or theological themes
Spring Movie Night
• Another movie night some time in the spring? April 10th at 7 pm.
Holi Festival
• Anjeanette suggested Holi festival programming. We discussed the possibility of
"interfaith" Holi festival. No final decision with respect to this idea was reached.
Pagan Conference
• Nick mentioned the upcoming Pagan Conference and call for papers.
• The next meeting will be on Tuesday September 18th at 2 pm.
• So will distribute meeting notes and bimonthly updates via email.
Meeting closed at 8:57.
•
7
September 18, 2012 Minutes taken by Amanda Pumphrey
Meeting Began at 2:10pm
Attending:
• Shelby Hamm – President
• Amanda Pumphrey – Treasurer
• Andrew Bridges – PRT
• Teresa Crist – PRT
• Mason Isom - PRT
• So Lloyd – Secretary
Budget Overview
• Total: $1,000
• $200 Welcome Back Wine & Cheese
• $150 Movie Nights
• $200 End of year Party
• $100 Sex Week
• $100 Essay Contest
• $100 AAR/SBL Events
• $150 Finals Food Days
• Projected: Spend $1000
• Total Amount has been budgeted to be spent
Review and approve old minutes
• Welcome Back Wine & Cheese
• Friday September 21st from 4-6pm will be the RSC Welcome Back Party.
• Budget for event: $200
• Food: Cheese, crackers, veggie trays, fruit trays.
• Drinks: Soda, wine, beer, water, ice (small keg from Dale Brothers)
• Facilities: Tables, chairs
• Other: Plates, utensils
Essay Contest
• Limited to All Religion Students (in and out of course work)
• 10-page limit, double-spaced.
• Religion and Pop culture, but not just contemporary.
• Deadline Friday, March 22nd
• Graded on clarity, creativity, grammar, etc.
• Write up guidelines – In your absence, So you have been nominated to do it!
Religion Announcements
• Email to So to include in the biweekly news letter. To be included in next
newsletter:
• There are religion delegate positions opened on the Graduate Student Council that
religion students can participate in
Fall Movie Night
• Thursday, October 25, 7pm – Suggestions: Zombieland, An exorcist movie, let’s
vote at our next meeting! 
• Truft’s Poetry Award Winner – come at 6pm
• Pizza, Popcorn, and Beer
8
Spring Movie Night
• Wednesday, April 10th, 7pm
• Dr. Mason suggested: Of Gods and Men & Tree of Life as movies
• Each has $75 budget for pizza and beer and popcorn
Sex Week
• Budget $100.
• In conjunction with the 6th Annual Religions and Conversation Conference at
CGU on “Scared Vows, Sacred Bodies: Marriage, Gender and Sexuality in Texts
and Tradition” February 22 and 23
• Sex Week be that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before the conference
End of Year Party
• $200. Date/time to be decided at next meeting
Professional Development with AAR/SBL
• Budget – no more than $100
• Oct 3rd at 7pm in IAC – Presentation Skills Workshop
• Oct. 29th at 4pm in IAC – Mock Presentations
• Nov. 5th at 4pm in IAC – What (Not) To Do/Wear
Next meeting date & time
• Tuesday, October 16th at 4pm – tentative
Town Hall
• So was nominated to take notes at the Town Hall meeting on Monday, September
24th at 7pm and email them out to the Rel. Students with the bi-weekly newsletter
and email minutes to all Religion students
Finals Snacks
• Andrew B. brought up having a snack/chill time during finals so people can hang
out, eat and de-stress with one another – perhaps grilling burgers, pizza, cider
perhaps, etc? So will be grill master
• Fall Semester: Monday, December 10th at 4pm
• Spring Semester: Monday, May 6th at 4pm
Meeting Closed at 3:04pm
9
October 19, 2012 Minutes taken by S. Lloyd
Queer Theory Talk
• Queer theory talk (With Eve Oishi) will be on the next RSC update
Speaker
• Arts and Humanities speaker block (Thursdays at the RSC) has open blocks Nov
15th & Dec 6th
• So Will contact Lori Ann - talk on transdisciplinarity in religious studies
AAR
• Notice to be sent out by Amanda and John
Next Email Update
• Send before November 1st
GSC
• GSC Halloween Party on the 26th, also a haunted walk through the botanical
gardens on the 29th
Finals Snacks
• Possible Event: Free food during finals - the 7th of December a possible date
Next meeting date
• Friday November 9th
Lounge
• Not open yet to students, but when it is we can announce that the books are free
for the taking
Religions in Conversation Conference
• Nov. 2nd Deadline for
10
November 9, 2012 Minutes taken by S. Lloyd
Attending
• All officers, a delegate, as well as PhD students Kirsten Gerdes and Ayat Agah were
present.
CGU Budget
• Shelby went over some points from the 2012-2013 CGU budget (which was
approved), particularly as it applied to religious studies
• Total enrollment went up in CGU, but in the School of Religion it went down by 4
• Religion department still maintains a separate budget despite the institutional
integration
• The School of Religion is spending $30,000 less on administration due to the
integration
• Notably it is also spending less on faculty and adjunct faculty
General
• The new electronic bulletin board system is still in the works but will hopefully go
live in 2013
• Amanda announced that we are currently under our budget
Food for Finals
• We discussed sponsoring the "Food for Finals" events for religion students, and
decided on holding two events during the last week of classes. The first will be on
Tuesday December 11th at noon, and the second will be the following Thursday the
13th at 3:30 pm.
• We decided on coffee, tea, pizza, fruit, granola bars, and cookies as possible
refreshment items
• We discusses the possibility of having Pomona cater this, but did not make a final
decision
Constitution
• We went over the changes to the constitution that Shelby had made
• Namely, the new constitution proposes that the RSC shift from 8 to 10 representatives
• The required number for a quorum will go up three people
• Shelby added section 5, which mandates a retreat to orient new RSC members
• We discusses Facebook as our primary media platform, but we discussed the
possibility of reviving the website for the RSC. This was considered a good idea
worth pursuing —a blogging template was suggested to facilitate ease of use
(templates like Wordpress to not require HTML knowledge but have a lot of
plasticity in their structure)
• The new constitution calls for a representative from CLU (formerly CST). We
decided that this rep should have the ability to vote—thus, serve more than just a
delegate function.
• Positions to be voted on include: the President, technology officer, treasurer, and the
constitutional officer
• There will be 2 GSC Representatives
• The remaining members will be on a volunteer basis, but the other 6 officials will
ultimately approve/ratify the membership of volunteers (through a vote?)
• (Please note that the Constitution has now been distributed to the RSC members for
11
review)
• Once approved, it will be sent to the religion student body
School Politics and the Role of the RSC
• The desire and possible benefit of having the RSC as a more politically active body
was suggested and discussed
• We brought up the recent controversy over Dr. Mavani not being granted tenure.
Shelby informed us that the provost was planning to write a response back to the
students' letter of concern.
• Kirsten brought up student concerns over politics between faculty members that often
inadvertently affect students in a negative way. We had a fruitful discussion about the
need to bring this general concern to the faculty. We concluded that in order to open a
dialogue with the chair, dean, and faculty, we would propose a meeting between the
RSC and faculty. This could possibly happen at the beginning of next semester. It was
decided that a meeting was favorable as opposed to a letter.
• Even though the RSC did not attach its name to the letter about Dr. Mavani, there
seemed to be consensus at the meeting that moving toward being a more purposeful
mouthpiece for student concerns was desirable.
Next Meeting
• The next RSC meeting will be held on December 7th at 1 pm instead of noon this time
(in the Religion Student Lounge).
12
December 7, 2012
Minutes taken by S. Lloyd
Attending:
• All officers present: Shelby, Elizabeth, So, Anjeanette, Seth, Amanda, plus
Andrew, Teresa, and Kirsten
Finals Food Study Breaks
• We figured out the budget for the study break events—there is $100 available,
allowing each event $33
• We decided to not have pizza, but rather smaller snacks like popcorn, pretzels,
hummus, chips, and granola bars
• There will be an additional (3rd) study break on Tuesday the 18th at 6 pm. So and
Elizabeth will be in charge of setting up and being there. On Tuesday the 11th,
Andrew can set up and Teresa can be there after 12 pm.
o Coffee potentially from Hagelbarger's
o We discussed making a drop box account (at dropbox.com) for the RSC
o (Additional announcement/update: Shelby will be shopping for these
events this coming Monday at 4 pm, leaving from the SoR. Meet us there if
you are interested in helping!)
Review of New Constitution
• Possible CLU reps: Johnes, Amelia… others?
• John suggested that we add that AAR and SBL reps chose their own successors
(John and Amanda)
• Because since it is a paid position selection is subject to administrative approval.
• We passed the new constitution, all in favor
• Shelby and So will send ratified constitution to all students (sent)
The RSC & faculty "Town Hall"
• Should it be called something else?
• Idea of sending survey to students asking what issues they would like discussed
• The survey should be sent out the first day or two of school next semester when
everyone isn't busy yet!
• We will have an incentive for the survey—a gift card to Amazon - value of $25?
Student Concerns
• We discussed with Kirsten further concerns about lack of community in the
department, and the purpose of the RSC to students
• RSC ideally should be seen as an intermediary between students and faculty/admin
• It's a good idea to follow the GSC town hall model, that includes a panel of faculty
taking questions. Open dialogue.
• Shelby said there would be another town hall in February.
• We discussed the need to target a student survey more… i.e. ask specifically
students to ask or ponder issues surrounding the merging of the schools
• Some possible issues to discuss/examples:
o CLU creating programs to compete with CGU programs (religion)
o The institutional merging/realignment
o Apathy of students
o CGU and CLU relationship
o Faculty politics
13
Hagelburger’s Renovation
• Shelby brought up the future remodeling of Hagel's. There is a committee being set
up. If you would like to be added to it, please email Shelby!
New School Name
• Finally, the School has decided on an official name: "Arts and Humanities"
Amazon Prime
• Cool reminder: Sign up for Amazon Prime with your CGU email and it's free for a
(thanks Kirsten!)
14
January 31, 2013 Minutes taken by S. Lloyd
Meeting Began at 12:10 pm
Town Hall Meeting and Survey
• We first discussed sending out a survey using Qualtrics to assess what
questions should be featured at a Town Hall Meeting between select faculty of
Arts and Humanities and Religion students.
• These are some of the questions we came up with:
o Who do you want on a panel?
o What day and time is best for you?
o Immediate concerns?
o What does restructuring (A&H) mean or implicate for you?
o Do you have any additional comments?
• Shelby will send us a list of similar questions to approve before we send them
out
• We have budgeted $25 for the Amazon gift card that will serve as a prize for
one of the students who participates in a survey
• We estimate the first week of March for the Town Hall meeting
• There will be snacks served - we are allotting $25
Essay Contest
• The essay contest will have a grand prize of $100. The theme is: Religion,
Pop Culture, and Mythology
• The essays will be due at the end of March, after Spring Break
Miscellaneous
• There will also be a spring movie night sometime in April
• We want to look into possibly filming the "Town Hall Meeting"
Sex/Gender Awareness Programming
• "Sex Week" should include programming between the 18th and 20th of Feb the half week before the Religions in Conversation Conference.
• There is a $100 budget for Sex Week
• We might be narrowing this programming down to one or two days
o Our current idea is to organize a panel on Sexual Violence in
History and Religion
o Current ideas for Panelists include Gina Messina-Dysert, Joshua
Hammack (PhD student History), and Ebony Williams (director of
the QRC), and possibly So. Liz will contact Gina and Lisa
Maldonaldo and So will contact Josh and Ebony.
• The panel could be a lunch panel on President's day provided campus is open
that day
• Liz will moderate.
• IAC library or Burkle, pizza and salad is a food possibility
Next meeting will be on Thursday the 14th (Valentine's Day) at 10 AM in the Religion
Student Lounge
15
March 14, 2013 Minutes taken by Shelby Hamm
Meeting Began at 10:05 am
Reviewed the Budget
• On track with carry over.
• Whatever is left from the carry over can go toward the retreat.
Movie Night
• Movie: Cloud Atlas
• April 25th at 7pm in the IAC
Scheduled the End of Year Party
Essay Contest
• Next Meeting: Meet at Anjeanette’s house at 7pm to evaluate the essays.
• Prizes: $50, $25, & $25 as prizes to top three essays.
April 4, 2013 Minutes taken by Shelby Hamm
Meeting Began at 7:10pm
Established Rubric for Evaluation
• Rubric based on: typos, grammar, creativity, flow, and argument.
Read the Essays
• Number of Submissions: 7
Winners
• First Place – Rachel Steenblik
• Second Place – Nick Pumphrey
• Third Place – Sean Butler
Next Meeting
• Officer Handoff Meeting
May 25, 2013 Minutes taken by Shelby Hamm
Meeting Discussion via Email
Keep Next Year
• Newsletters, Welcome Back Party, Essay Contest, using Qualtrics for
elections, Town Hall, and writing a report for the year.
Change Next Year
• More steady news letters, sponsor more talks by faculty, sponsor more panels
by students, Survey Religion students and present to faculty each semester,
get a website, tackle more advocacy projects, produce a RSC Student
Handbook, and change the lounge codes every year.
Reserve Funds
• Purchased gift cards for next year’s awards that will be kept by the Arts &
Humanities office until next semester.
16
RSC News Letters September 13th 2012 Greetings religionists of CGU!
On behalf of the Religion Student Council I want to welcome you all back this fall,
extending a special welcome to new students. Below you'll find some upcoming events of
interest to students of the School of Religion that will get our year off to a fine start!
Religion Student Council Officers for 2012-2013:
• Shelby Hamm, President (General)
• Liz'beth Statska, Vice-President (HCRNA)
• Amanda Pumphrey, Treasurer (WSR)
• So Sinopoulos Lloyd, Secretary (HCRNA)
• Anjeanette LeBoeuf (WSR) & Seth Clark (CCS), Representatives to the Graduate
Student Council
Wine & Cheese Welcome Back Party:
We (The Religion Student Council) will be holding a "wine and cheese" welcome back
party on Friday September 21st from 4-6 pm behind the Arts, Humanities, and
Religion building. To clarify, this is the former "School of Religion" building at 831 N.
Dartmouth Ave. Hope to see you all there! There will be non-alcoholic beverages
available.
Religious Studies Fall Reception:
There's more socializing for religion students to be had over at Pomona on Thursday the
20th, where there will be a consortium-wide Fall reception for the inter-collegiate
Religious Studies undergraduate program. This program includes the five Claremont
Colleges, and as you may be aware, graduate students are able to enroll in most of their
course offerings. This reception will be Thursday, Sept 20th from 4:15-6 pm at Stanley
Patio on the Pomona campus. There will be pizza and food from Panda Express.
Questions for this event should be directed to ajacobs@scrippscollege.edu
Catholic/Mormon Dialogue on Women’s Ordination:
On Wednesday of that week (Sept 19th), don't forget that there is a panel discussion at
7pm in the Board of Trustees Room (in Harper Hall) on women's ordination from
Catholic and Mormon perspectives. Presiding will be Dr. Gina Messina-Dysert. Come at
6pm for the reception so you can hang out before the discussion! Please know that there
is also a facebook page for this event where you can view more details.
Facebook:
In case you are not aware, the RSC does have a Facebook page that you can "like" which
is a convenient place to keep track of announcements, news, etc. It is listed as "Religion
Student Council" and can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/40493631622/
17
Student Lounge:
Just a word about the former Religion Student lounge (the small building located in the
back yard of the Arts, Humanities, and Religion building)—it is currently being used as a
temporary storage area because of the reorganizing of the AHR Building that took place
over the summer. But the plan is that you will be able to use it once again as a study
lounge and alternative to the library. We will keep you updated on when it becomes
available.
Moral Origins: The Evolution of Virtue, Altruism, and Shame:
Finally, there is a lecture on September 30th at Caltech that you may be interested in
"Moral Origins: The Evolution of Virtue, Altruism, and Shame " by Dr. Christopher
Boehm. It is part of Skeptic Magazine's (founded by Dr. Shermer, adjunct faculty at
CGU) special lecture series and there are quite often lectures relevant to or by scholars of
religious studies. You will find more information here.
See you all on campus and best wishes for a good start to the semester. We would like to
welcome your comments and ideas as well as news or relevant events you want us to
share—please don't hesitate to contact us at rsc@cgu.edu or contact me directly at
sophia.lloyd@cgu.edu. I'm particularly interested in hearing about lectures you think
might be of interest to your fellow students.
Sincerely,
The RSC
18
October 8th 2012 Greetings fellow Religion students,
I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the onset of some cooler weather. We want to
notify you of some upcoming events and deadlines that might be of interest. Also please
note that the next Religion Student Council meeting will be on October 19th at noon
at the Graduate Student Council house. All religion students are welcome! We're also
planning a Fall movie night on October 25th at the SOR—mark your calendars if you're
interested and we'll fill you in on the details soon.
Call for Papers for WECSOR - Deadline Extended!
The 2013 AAR Western Region Annual Conference, on March 9 to 11th 2013, Arizona
State University, has extended their call for papers to October 15th.
From their website: "For this year's conference theme we take a cue from the 2008 AAR
publication, "The Religion Major and Liberal Education." That white paper tied its vision
of a robust future for religious studies to the recognition on many fronts that religion is
"an inescapable part" of public life around the globe. How do we in the discipline of
religious studies represent that public dimension of religion?"
More information can be found here.
CGU's "Religions in Conversation" Conference: Proposals on topics involving
Sexuality, Gender, and Marriage within Religious Studies are encouraged.
As you may know, CGU's Sixth Annual Religions in Conversation Conference will be
held here on Feb 22nd and 23rd, 2013. The title and theme of this year's conference is
"Sacred Vows, Sacred Bodies: Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality in Text and Tradition".
The deadline for submissions is November 2, 2012. Proposals should be no more than
200 words (along with a brief description of who you are) and should be sent to Nick
Pumphrey at religion.events@cgu.edu. The CFP should have been sent out to everyone,
but you may refer to it on the Religion Student Council's Facebook page. If you are
interested in moderating, you may direct inquiries to the above address as well.
Caroline Walker Bynum at the Getty
The medievalist Caroline Walker Bynum is speaking at the Getty this Thursday, October
11th at 7 pm. Bynum has done groundbreaking work on women's piety and questions of
the body in medieval Christian devotion. Her books include Holy Feast, Holy Fast: The
Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women and Fragmentation and Redemption:
Essays on Gender and the Human Body in Medieval Religion, which won the 1992
Lionel Trilling Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion (AAR). Her lecture is
titled: "Is Anthropomorphism the Basis of Religion? Some Observations Suggested
by Late Medieval Devotional Objects." In this talk Bynum will weigh in on the current
discourse on the incursion of cognitivism and evolutionary psychology in religious
studies.
Excerpted from the Getty's website: "Caroline Walker Bynum, professor emerita of
19
Western medieval history at the Institute for Advanced Study, questions theories that
religion resides in a human need to see the world as anthropomorphic, thus challenging
the conception both of the holy and of objects such theories imply."
Reservations are (free but) encouraged. Please find more information here:
http://www.getty.edu/museum/programs/lectures/bynum_lecture.html
Upcoming Conference This Week: Motherhood in the 21st Century
This conference may be of interest to anyone involved in Women's/Gender Studies in
religion.
It will be held this coming Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9am-4pm in the Albrecht Auditorium
in Stauffer Hall. (This is on the CGU campus on the corner of 10th and Dartmouth)
Description: "What does “motherhood” mean in the 21st Century? Images of June
Cleaver do not represent the typical mother today. Instead women are balancing
motherhood with career, activism, and a host of other activities. In addition, mothers are
dealing with critical issues impacting themselves and their children as a result of our
changing society. This conference will address the growing and changing role of
motherhood and will offer expert testimony about the many issues facing mothers in the
21st century. Areas that will addressed include the complex role of motherhood today,
motherhood and depression, the necessity of preserving the living history of mothers, and
violence against mothers."
Cost: $20 Donation to the Women’s Council at CGU and includes lunch Admission
waived if you bring your own lunch!
FMI and to register, visit: http://cguwomenscouncil.com/motherhood-in-the-21stcentury/
Thank you all for your time, and have a great week!
~The RSC
20
November 12, 2012 Greetings Religion Students!
We have just a few announcements for the upcoming weeks.
AAR/SBL Conferences
First off, if you are going to AAR/SBL, please note that CGU will be holding a reception
on Monday (Nov. 19) from 9 to 11 pm, at the Hilton Chicago, Wilford A (third floor).
Religion Student Lounge Open & Free Books
Second, the religion student lounge is now open for students. The code to get in is 2 & 4
(together) and then 3. The numbers stand for the order of the keys on the keypad from top
to bottom. There are a large number of used books on religion and/or theology in the
lounge that are free for the taking. Please feel free to take them.
Thursdays at the HRC Lecture: Professor Lori Anne Ferrell
This Thursday the 15th, Lori Anne Ferrell will give a lecture entitled "Religion and
Transdisciplinarity: A Singular View" as part of the HRC lecture series. Refreshments
and snacks will be provided. Note that the lecture will be held in the IAC Library in the
(former) School of Religion building at 4 pm.
Dr. Ferrell is Professor of Early Modern History and Literature, but her work intersects
with religious studies through church history and especially history of the Bible in the
early modern period. She is the author of The Bible and The People, a history of the
English bible that stretches back to the pre-Gutenberg era. Please join us for what will
surely be a fun talk and celebrate the new face of Arts and Humanities at CGU!
Food For Finals
Just something to keep in mind: The Religion Student Council will be sponsoring two
nights of pizza, coffee, and tea in the student lounge during finals week. The dates are the
11th and the 13th of December (Tuesday and Thursday) at noon on Tuesday and 3:30 pm
on Thursday. We will remind everyone again when the semester is drawing to a close, so
stay tuned.
Hope you all have a good week,
The RSC
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December 8, 2012 Greetings Students!
I hope your semester is wrapping up neatly (well, okay, at least with relatively few tears).
To help you out, the RSC has planned three Food/Drink for Finals events that will be in
the Religion Student Lounge. They will not go much beyond 2 hours in length each since
we don't want to take up too much space at the Lounge for those who want to actually
study.
"Study Break” dates and times:
Tuesday the 11th at 12 pm
Thursday the 13th from 3:30 - 5:30 pm
Tuesday the 18th at 6 pm. (This one is during the reading period the following week)
The last event will include alcoholic refreshments of some sort.
Come by for a break and snack while you're on campus (because we know you will be!)
New Constitution Ratified
Yesterday at the last Religion Student Council Meeting of the semester, we approved an
updated version of the RSC Constitution. We encourage you to review it and offer your
feedback or any comments. Briefly, some "highlights" of the updated Constitution
include:
• A shift from 8 to 10 members on the RSC (including one from each concentration
in the Religion Department) and some redefinition of officer roles/titles.
• A mandated retreat to orient new members
• A representative from CLU with the ability to vote
Next Meeting
The next RSC meeting will be on February 1st at 1 pm in the Religion Student Lounge.
All enrolled Religion students are invited to attend.
Reminder: The code to get into the Religion Student Lounge is 2 & 4 (together) and then
3.
Until then, Good luck with finals and Have a great winter break!
Sincerely,
The RSC
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February 11, 2013 Greetings Religion Students,
Welcome back from winter break, and if this is your first semester, welcome to CGU!
February is a big month for Religious-studies related events, not least of which is our
Sixth Annual Religions in Conversation Conference. This year's theme is Gender,
Marriage, and Sexuality. The Conference will be held on Friday and Saturday Feb 22
and 23rd. Don't forget to register! Admission to the Conference as well as the Brownlee
Lecture are free. You may register by following the Eventbrite link at the bottom of
CGU's webpage here.
We also still need volunteers, so if you're interested please contact either the Religion
Student Council (by responding to this email) or contact the volunteer coordinator
Anjeanette (anjeanette.leboeuf@cgu.edu) directly. Thank you!
Here are the upcoming events, in order:
Tuesday, February 12—Islamic Studies Candidate Jon Armajani Presents his Job
Talk 4:00 pm in the Board of Trustees Room
Weds, February 14th—Next Religion Student Council Meeting
In the Religion Student Lounge (little white renovated garage building behind the Arts
and Humanities Building, a.k.a. the former School of Religion/IAC Building) at 10:00
AM.
Monday, February 18th (President's Day)—A luncheon panel organized by the
Religion Student Council on "Sexual Violence in History, Religion, and Memory" is
being planned for the afternoon between 1:00 and 3:00 pm. Details forthcoming, please
stay tuned!
Wednesday, February 20—Spring Coptic Lecture
Dr. Caroline Schroeder of University of the Pacific will talk about "Breaking Rules and
Telling Tales: Children and Childhood in the Earliest Monasteries." The lecture will be
held in Burkle Building, Room 12 (1021 N. Dartmouth Avenue) 4:00 pm Social and
Refreshments, 4:15 pm Lecture
Brownlee Lecture—Thursday, Feb 21
We are really excited about the Brownlee Memorial Lecture this year that will kick off
the conference. On Thursday, Feb 21, Dr. Ken Stone will be joining us from Chicago
Theological Seminary. His talk is on "Gender, Animal, Sacrifice: The Daughter of
Jephthah and the Hermeneutics of 'Carnophallogocentrism'"
The lecture will be at 7:00 pm in the Board of Trustees Room in Harper Hall (150 E. 10th
Street). Dinner will precede the Lecture at 5:30 pm. Please register for the lecture here.
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Religions in Conversation Conference
Conference panels will begin Friday morning, and registration will be between 8:00 and
8:45 in the Burkle building near Burkle 16. Coffee, tea, and bagels will be available
during registration. Hope to see you there!
Mormon author Joanna Brooks will be delivering the Key Note Lecture that will close the
Conference on Saturday (4:30-5:30 pm).
Any questions, please feel free to contact us by responding to this email. Have a good
month!
Best,
The RSC
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February 14, 2013 Greetings Religion Students,
Please know that the Religion Student Council has organized a panel and discussion for
this Monday February 18th from 1:00–2:30 pm.
"Sexual Violence in History, Religion, and Cultural Memory"
Where: Academic Computing Building, Room 214 (Building is on College Ave by the
gate and water fountain, right across from Harper Hall, 214 is upstairs)
When: 1:00–2:30 pm
Pizza and beverages will be provided—there will be vegetarian options!
The panel will explore several different issues related to the ways in which sexual
violence becomes entrenched in different social and civic institutions such as the church,
the military, and the family.
We are delighted to have as our panelists, some of whom you may know!
•
•
•
Gina Messina-Dysert, Ph.D., feminist theologian and activist, talking on "Rape
Culture in the Catholic Church"
Ebony Williams, MA, MFA, Program Coordinator at the Queer Resource Center
of the Claremont Colleges, will talk on "My body, Your body, God’s Body:
Toward an Understanding of Transgenerational Sexual Violence in the Family."
Joshua Hammack, graduate student in CGU's History department, lecturer, and
Marine Corps Vet, will talk about "Rape, War, and Military Culture: What's
Missing in the Scholarship"
This promises to be an exciting discussion. Please join us, and tell others who might be
interested!
Best,
The RSC
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February 27, 2013 The Religion Student Council Town Hall will be held Monday, March 4 at 1:30 pm in
Albrecht Auditorium. Come for a Q&A session with Dean Tammi Schneider, Professor
Anselm Min, Professor Patrick Mason, and Religion Program Coordinator, Susan
Hampson. Refreshments will be served. For questions, please contact Shelby Hamm
(shelby.hamm@cgu.edu).
Shelby Hamm
Graduate Student Council President
Religion Student Council President
Religious Studies MA Student
March 4, 2013 – Essay Contest Dear Students,
As a way to return some of our funds directly to students, we are holding an essay
contest this month. The winner will be awarded $50 and the 2nd and 3rd places $25.
The deadline is the last day of the month, March 31st.
Your essay can be about anything related to "Religion, Pop Culture, and Myth," and
should be no more than 10 pages (double spaced, 12 point font). Please note that there is
no required page number, this is merely the maximum limit. This is meant to be for fun
and so there are very few specifications, but just know that winning an essay contest is
something you can put on a resume/CV.
You can submit these to the address from which you received this email, belonging to the
Religion Student Council. Please remember to not include your name on the title page or
in the headers, we'll know who sent what based on your emails.
Also remember that there is a Town Hall for Religion Students today in Albrecht
Auditorium at 1:30 pm. If you have concerns about the School of Arts and Humanities,
school or inter-collegiate politics, changed policies, concerns about your degree program,
or anything else, please come to voice them or just to listen.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Have a good month!
The RSC
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March 14, 2013 – Town Hall The RSC believes that regular meetings with the school will help the school share
information that is important to students so that we have a more comprehensive
understanding of the contexts in which we work and study as graduate students. While the
Town Hall meeting was not heavily attended, the students who came and those who emailed
their questions raised concerns and issues that set up a constructive dialogue that we share
with you in the notes below. Where there are action items as an outcome of the discussion,
these are indicated in red.
•
•
•
Panelists:
o Dr. Schneider, Dr. Mason, Dr. Min, & Susan Hampson
Moderator:
o Shelby Hamm
Agenda
o 1:35pm – Welcome
o 1:40pm – Prewritten Questions
o 2:20pm – Audience Questions
o 3:00pm – Adjourn
Prewritten Questions:
In the past, faculty and administration sought students’ input during the process of the
split between CGU & CST, but it seems that in the current period of transition,
students are being told what will happen with little to no input offered to them even
though we are directly affected by the changes. Can there be more transparency
regarding restructuring of current programs beyond the collapse of the School of
Religion into the School of Arts & Humanities?
1. CGU would love to have more transparency. Unfortunately, CLU/CST are
independent institutions and as such have no obligation for sharing their progress.
2. Most sharing that does take place happens at the higher administrative level; the
President of CGU meets with the President/Provost of CST.
3. There will be a meeting in a few weeks involving Dean Schneider and the Provost, so
there will be an opportunity for further updates.
4. A note from Dr. Min: Students should be consulted in these processes, because it is
students’ futures at stake. However, at the moment there really is no discernible
viable plan for restructure within the Department.
What changes have occurred because of realignment for instance, what is the school’s
new name, will the website change to reflect these changes, and will Religion students
start following the Arts & Humanities procedures?
1. We are now officially “The Department of Religion within the School of Arts and
Humanities.”
2. The website will be changed. The University as a whole is in the process of
revamping the university’s website as well. New hire Mandy Gonzales
(Communications) is in charge of revamping internally.
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3. Procedurally, much is remaining as is within Religion. One example of a changed
area is in the adoption of SAH policy regarding language exams being provided on
set days rather than scheduled individually. In general, faculty still retain autonomy
of policies and procedures, so changes will be made at their discretion.
4. There have been benefits from the realignment, including additional staff (yay Lisa
Flores Griffith and Susan Hampson!) as well as access for religion students to SAH
research grant moneys.
What are you doing to increase the number of transdisciplinary courses, specifically
ones that relate to religious studies?
1. There was an external review committee who came in to look specifically at the
Transdisciplinary Program and its efficacy. The program is now being reshaped and
reviewed, and it is unclear now what its status will be in the future. It might be that
transdisciplinary work is continued through research grants across departments.
a. A number of T-Courses will continue because they’re wonderful courses.
b. New courses are not being currently explored because there is a doubt as to
their continued requirement in the future.
2. GSC created a Transdisciplinary Committee for students and faculty interaction on
further development of T-Courses.
a. Student input has already improved T-course success.
3. What about T-Courses more specific to Department of Religion?
a. If T-courses are continued, yes, there will certainly be an effort to incorporate
religion into the offered courses.
b. If Transdisciplinary work continues through research grants, then also yes –
these projects will certainly incorporate religion.
How are you planning to help students prepare for their careers like developing
teaching skills, career counseling, professional development, TA, RA, and work-study
positions?
1. The relationship between student and advisor determines a lot of career development.
In the university more broadly, there are programs (like the Career Center, Writing
Center, and GSC) that have opportunities for career development, so the department
does not need to be redundant.
2. Unfortunately, the fact is that there are not enough TAships to go around at CGU.
There was some help in the form of the McGuire Fund for TAships in the 5Cs.
3. What about faculty research grants as sources of funding for RA/TA positions? To
what extent are we pursuing this?
a. The point of revising the T-course Program was in part to get faculty involved
in acquiring further cross-disciplinary research grants that would be
transformed into opportunities for students. Lori-Anne Ferrell and Patricia
Easton are currently working on this.
b. There is also the Digital Humanities Project with USC, which would be
another opportunity for students to gain access to research funds.
c. Rebecca in the Office of Advancement is also working with faculty to find
more research fund opportunities.
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4. Research in the Humanities functions very differently from research in the hard or
social sciences. Publication is usually single author, and that single author usually
likes to be involved personally in all the research.
How is the process of hiring a new Islamic Studies Professor progressing and how will
the new hire affect the Islamic Studies program?
1. There were 65 applications for the position and the Department brought 4 in for
interviews. One withdrew. As of 5pm (March 04), all the information collected from
the interview process goes to the Provost, who ultimately makes the hire. The
Faculty work is finished at this point.
2. If the hire is successful, then everything should come to fruition by the end of March.
3. Whoever is hired will, of course, bring a new dynamic to the table, but there should
not be any overt departmental changes as a result of the new hire.
What is the financial situation of the department; for instance, did the realignment
really save the department money and what is that status of student fellowship funding?
1. With realignment came changes in finances in the entire University. In general,
budgets are proposed, it goes to administration, they call for a certain number of FTEs
and then the budget is approved and the department job is to stay within the Budget.
So far, the Department of Religion is doing a great job.
2. Board of Trustees meets next Friday and Saturday for next year’s budget.
3. There have been several cost benefits from the reorganization, from small things like
paper, savings in staff, and access to new funds (Freedman $) for religion students,
who did not have access before the merger.
4. As for Fellowships, they are tied to individual programs. There are many Councils
funding certain fellowships (Robert Millet Fellowship, Mormon Studies, Islamic
Studies Council, Coptic Studies, and the Coptic Online Encyclopedia.) The SAH will
MAINTAIN the Council Structure. There is a board meeting on March 13.
5. Combining schools gave us wiggle room as far as budgets are concerned. Larger
entities get more money. There has also been some departmental balancing so that
everyone gets the same amount of money across the board.
6. There has been a university-wide increase of one million dollars for student
fellowships.
7. What about aid for students after coursework is completed?
a. External RAships, TAships.
b. Carolyn S. Ludwig, who reads German Language Exams, recently gave
(through her husband) a $30,000 endowment for amping up German studies.
c. We are working on it.
d. Once a student is ABD, they qualify for external grants, and every PhD
student should be applying, with the help and advice of their advisor.
What effort is being made to bring coherence to the department’s different programs
and strengthen the relationships between faculty and students of the different
programs?
1. Religion is a subject and not a methodology. Thus the specializations/programs
within the department are somewhat detached, because there is no overarching
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methodology to link them. But we try to reach across the different silos to give
students knowledge across all programs, and thus tie together the department as a
whole.
2. Coherence has been an issue for the department, and we are always looking for new
coherence.
3. Any student suggestions and/or opinions are welcome. Email Patrick Mason, Chair
of Dept.
Open Floor Questions
What will we do without Dr. Mavani as regards current student advising and projects?
1. All candidates interviewed have full expectations of working with students on
ongoing topics.
Will the name change affect our credentials upon graduation?
1. No, absolutely not. You will graduate with a degree in Religion, regardless of
whether it came from the Department of Religion or the School of Religion. The
difference is only administratively.
As far as policy/procedure shift, how can students be made aware of form changes, etc.?
1. Nothing has changed procedurally, with the exception of the language exam
previously discussed. Any further changes will be sent out in student notifications.
2. All forms are universal through CGU. Departmental forms stay the same.
3. There is some enforcement of rules already on the books, which have not been
followed religiously in the past. For example, there is now no registration without an
advising appointment, which was already mandated but not enforced in the past.
4. There is a summer project to prepare a sort of academic checklist for students,
making sure they are up-to-date as regards requirements, requisites, etc.
How will we gather student opinion if we are making changes over the summer?
1. At this point, the Department of Religion is mostly concerned with cleaning our own
house – updating handbook, website, etc. – which are not really areas that require any
further student input. But rest assured, anything NEW which develops will be
consultative.
2. It turned out that there were a lot of procedures that no one really knew about or what
was going on so in this process policies were cleaned up. They have not been
officially recorded yet and once they are clarified they will be sent out to all students,
as far as we know the language exams is the only procedure that has changed at this
time, but this could change.
3. CGU has standard forms and then there are individual dept forms, these will stay the
same and will not be changed within the dept faculty requesting changes.
4. Sometimes things look like policy changes or inconsistencies but this is because we
are trying to enforce rules that were not being previously enforced, we need to go by
the handbook and if that is unclear we will clean up the handbook, make it clear, and
everyone will know the rules and move forward.
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5. Meeting regularly with your advisor will be helpful in this. Students cannot register
without meeting with your advisor.
What about cross-listed 5C classes, especially languages? There has been difficulty in
obtaining permission from professors who seem reluctant to allow graduate students
into the courses.
1. All students are allowed to take classes across the board. If there are issues with
specific faculty, please contact the Chair of the Department and we will see what
further measures need to be taken.
2. All CGU students are eligible to take courses at the 5C’s. Money does not exchange
hands between the schools. Students should be able to take classes across the board.
Specific schools have “rules” CMC has a cap of students in their classes for reasons.
3. The system should be smooth and you should be able to register, you should send the
professor an email and touch base and let them know you are a grad student and
sometimes there is a cap base and it is not just related to CGU.
There has been antipathy against CGU students at CST – where is this discourse of
disrespect happening?
1. I really do not know. I do not know where this type of attitude is coming from, we
have been responsive to their requests and working together at the faculty meetings,
there are rumors and accusations unfortunately. If you are having a problem please
see the Dean or the Chair of the Dept of Religion, we are keeping very careful track
of how many CGU students are taking classes at CST/CLU, it is unclear to me the
source of hostility. (Dean Schneider)
What truth is there to the rumors that the Department of Religion is moving toward
being a MA only program?
1. None. There is a desire to shift the balance between PhD and MA students in
programs that are particularly PhD-heavy, so as to have a more equal distribution of
students, but this in no way means that we will cease to offer PhDs.
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March 26, 2013 – Essay Contest Dear CGU Religion Students,
Just a reminder that we are still accepting submissions for our essay contest.
The deadline is March 31st and we are opening it up to any topic related to religion
(before we had a theme but it didn't garner that many submissions), and there will be a
total of $100 in prize money awarded.
We understand that this is a busy time, so if you want to format any class papers into a
shorter essay that is totally acceptable. The only constraint is it of course shouldn't be
longer than 10 pages, double spaced, 12 point font. There is no minimum, but it should
probably be longer than one page, at least.
Just email them to this address, thanks! We really do want to give you a hundred dollars.
-The Religion Student Council
April 26, 2013 – Nominations Dear Religion Students,
It is getting closer to the end of the spring semester, which means that it is time to begin
selecting the 2013-2014 Religion Student Council Officers. Starting today through
Monday (4/29) at midnight, we will be taking nominations for President, Treasurer,
Technology Officer, Constitution Officer, and two GSC Representatives.
President - Runs meetings, meets with the Chair of Religion, and the Dean
of Arts & Humanities
Treasurer - Manages the budget
Technology Officer - Manages the email and Facebook accounts
Constitutional Officer - Runs elections
GSC Representatives - represents Religion students within the Graduate Student
Council
To nominate someone for one of the positions reply to this email with the person's name
and the position. After all nominations are received we will send out an electronic ballot
on Tuesday via email so you can vote!
Let the nomination process begin!
Sincerely,
The RSC
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May 2, 2013 – Elections Hello Religion Students,
Here is the link to the elections:
https://cgu.us.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_7TBAcihWnVImFEh
You have until Tuesday, May 7th to complete the survey. If you have any questions
please email the RSC.
Thank you!
The RSC
May 7, 2013 – Election Results Dear Religion Students,
Here are the winners of the RSC Officer positions for 2013-014:
President - Shelby Hamm
Constitutional Officer - Anjeanette LeBoeuf
Technology Officer - Amanda Pumphrey
Treasurer - Amanda Pumphrey
GSC Representatives - Shelby Hamm & Sean Butler
Congratulations on your new positions! Elections for the remaining positions will be held
at the beginning of the Fall semester.
Good luck with finals!
The RSC
33
May 13, 2013 – End of Year Party Dear Religion Students,
You are invited to attend the Religion Student Council's "End of the Year" party for all
Religion students and their friends, partners, and families. The event will be tomorrow,
Tuesday, May 14th from 7pm-10pm in the back yard of the Arts and Humanities
building (former School of Religion, 831 N. Dartmouth Ave).
Please note that there will be a class held in the IAC library until 7pm, so be sure to come
no earlier than that so that we do not disrupt the class.
We hope that you can join the RSC in celebrating another successful year at Claremont
Graduate University.
Come enjoy plenty of delicious food, refreshing beverages and good conversation!
We hope to see you all there!
The RSC
May 14, 2013 – End of Year Party Hi all,
Just a final reminder that the end-of-the-year party we are throwing for Religion students,
faculty, and friends will be in four hours at 7 pm tonight! Festivities will go on until 10
pm.
Hope to see you there! Take a break and come on over. The gathering will be in the back
yard of the Arts and Humanities building (831 N. Dartmouth Ave).
Best wishes,
The RSC
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