Final month of convo includes anime, Rhee and Everest

With only a month before the end of classes, those seniors on the lookout for their final convocation credits are running out of days to get them. For those last-minute procrastinators and the go-getters who want to complete their requirements before their last semester, here is a list of April lectures and events that include every category students may or may not need.

Fri., April 5 Anime and the Green Movement

Some things go together like peanut butter and jelly. Others take more explanation. This Friday, learn about the connection between anime and the green movement in Japan by discussing how the genre has helped raise awareness of environmental issues. Come listen to Dr. Cynthia Bisson give a brief lecture about the topic, followed by a showing of “Origins: Spirits of the Past”. A discussion will also be held after the film.

Location: Leu Center for Visual Arts, Room 117 Time: 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Category: Culture and Arts

Sat., April 6 A Day on the Front Porch

The Hillside community will host a community cookout Saturday in honor of Front Porch Ministries, an organization meant to foster a growing sense of community outreach in a “backyard society”. The organization began in 2004 when one Nashville family moved to East Nashville and purposefully decided to move their inwardly-focused lifestyles to the front porch of their home in one of the poorest sections of Nashville. Students are encouraged to spend the afternoon with neighborhood kids and to take a chance to “see the need in our neighborhood and to actually do something about it.” Contact Emily Lynd at Emily.lynd@pop.belmont.edu for more information by noon on April 5.

Location: Off-campus Time: Noon-4 p.m. Category: Community Service

Monday, April 8 The Charter School Movement National charter school advocate and former Washington, D.C. schools superintendent Michelle Rhee will speak about the national charter school movement on campus on Mon., April 8. Rhee, now the president of education reform organization StudentsFirst, is a major proponent of using standardized test scores as accountability measures for students and faculty. Her work, which led to cover stories from TIME and Newsweek, has drawn mixed reactions about the effectiveness of accountability testing.

Location: McWhorter Hall, Room 102 Time: 10-10:50 a.m. Category: Academic Lecture

Tuesday, April 16 Of Mountains, Monks & Milk Tea: a Lumos Student Traveler Film and Presentation

Belmont alumna and Lumos Award recipient Shirah Foy will return to campus through a film and presentation about her time in Nepal. During her time there last summer, Foy taught English to monks and sherpas in the Himalayas and trekked 3,000 feet to the Mount Everest Base Camp to do so. At the April 16 convo, students will see footage of Foy’s journey and find more information about the Lumos Travelers Award Program.

Location: Beaman A&B Time: 4-5:30 p.m. Category: Personal/Professional Growth

April 18 and 23 Ethics and World Religions Presentations

Students with major Christian Faith Development deficits will have a chance to earn nearly half of their required credits in a combined four-and-a-half hours through Ethics and World Religions presentations. Four separate presentations are scheduled on Thurs, April 18 and Tues, April 23 which will show the connections students made with communities through the class. Set days before the end of classes, the events are the last chances students have this semester to receive faith development credit until the fall.

Location: Beaman A&B Time: 9:30-10:40 a.m. and 11 a.m.-12:10 p.m. Category: Christian Faith Development

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