Monks to make sacred mandala at Randolph College

Seven Buddhist monks from India will share the sacred, healing art of colorful sand painting at Randolph College this month.

During the week of October 24, the monks will create a Medicine Buddha sand mandala in Houston Memorial Chapel at Randolph College. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the chapel will be open so members of the Randolph community and the general public can watch the sacred art.

During the week, the monks will live in a residence hall on campus, said Suzanne Bessenger, the religious studies professor who invited the monks.

“It’s an opportunity for students to interact with a culture and lifestyle that isn’t all that accessible to them in the United States,” said Bessenger.

The monks are from Tashikyl, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Dehra Dun, India. A Buddhist cultural center in Indiana is hosting them for a tour of the United States.

From September through November, they are traveling the country to share their culture and their religion through workshops and demonstration programs.

Bessenger learned through a friend that the monks had about a week-long gap in their schedule. She worked with other groups in the college to invite the monks.

She asked the monks to demonstrate the mandala, a sacred Tibetan Buddhist art form that creates a beautiful five-foot square painting from colorful sand. Specifically, they will create a Medicine Buddha mandala, which promises healing.

The opening ceremony will be held Monday, October 24, at 12:40 p.m. The monks will consecrate the chapel using chanting and the music from sacred horns. Then they will begin the exacting task of forming the detailed artwork with millions of grains of sand.

Mandala Demonstration at Randolph College

Opening Ceremony: Monday, Oct. 24, 2011, 12:40 p.m.
Closing Ceremony: Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, 3 p.m.
Open for public viewing 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. daily.
Location: Houston Memorial Chapel

When they complete the artwork, they will hold a closing ceremony at 3 p.m. Friday, October 28. They consecrate the mandala and then dismantle it—symbolizing the impermanence of all that exists. They will sweep up the colorful sand and pour it into the James River, allowing the healing energy to be carried through water to the rest of the world.

However, they will save out some sand from the mandala made at Randolph College so they can carry it and its healing energy the following week when they participate in the Aids Walk in Washington, D.C.

Randolph College’s current quality enhancement plan is titled “Bridges Not Walls,” emphasizing the College’s ability to build bridges between cultures and help students develop intercultural competency. Bessenger said the monks mandala demonstration is a great opportunity for the College to practice its “Bridges Not Walls” ideals.

Richard Dawkins visits Randolph College, speaks about 'magic' of science

Richard Dawkins spent the day Wednesday at Randolph College, about five years after his last visit. In between media interviews about his new book, The Magic of Reality: How We Know What is Really True, he took time between media interviews to visit with students and faculty members.

In a reception Wednesday afternoon, students had a chance to visit one-on-one with the acclaimed evolutionary biologist. They asked him questions and had him sign copies of his books.

In a speech before an audience of about 800 Wednesday night, Dawkins walked through some chapters of his book. He also demonstrated some features in an iPad app that was made for the book.

Here are some of the topics he touched on:

Does evolution depend on luck?

Dawkins said evolution has created many biological advantages as species advanced. If evolution were driven by random luck, such advances would seldom emerge.

“All those things would not come by shear random luck,” he said. “Anyone who tells you that living things come about as a result of random luck is talking pure nonsense.”

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution involves non-random natural selection, he said. Because the development of species is spread out over millions of generations, “in each generation the amount of luck required is not particularly large.”

Are we alone in the universe?

Dawkins said no one knows whether there is life on other worlds, but he believes there is.

“I think that life is in fact common in the universe,” he said. However, “it is possible that the islands of life in the universe are so spread out, so few and far between, that they may actually never come together.”

He challenged the audience to think about the implications of believing that only earth has life: that would mean that the evolution of life would have to be “quite stupefying unlikely” and would make our existence seem more like the result of random chance.

Can science explain everything?

“What I don’t want to do is give the impression that science thinks it knows everything and can be confident that all things are laid out before us,” he said. “There are things that even the best science cannot explain.”

But that is cause to continue study and research, he said. “We shouldn’t rest until we’ve improved our science, until it can provide an explanation.”

Q&A

After the speech, Dawkins answered questions from numerous audience members. The topics of questions included the fate of dinosaurs, artificial intelligence, the development of human consciousness, politics, religion, and extraterrestrial life.

Pumpkin Parade 2011

Randolph College students, families, staff, and faculty joined together during Family Weekend and Homecoming for one of the College's most popular traditions, Pumpkin Parade. The week prior to the event, sophomores carve special pumpkins for their designated seniors. The seniors then parade across campus on a lit path to the steps of Moore. There, they sing and chant with their sister class. Per tradition, Randolph College President John E. Klein made a special appearance to sing "We are the Evens, "a parody of "We are the Champions" by Queen. Klein was joined by Terry Bodine, interim dean of Students, Mike Quinn, vice president for constituent relations, Wes Fugate, executive assistant to the president, and Heather Garnett, alumnae/alumni director.

See the show at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3p7K9BNQzE&feature=email

Randolph College presents Reasons to be Pretty

Reasons to be Pretty
performance at Randolph College

Performance dates:
7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 - Free preview for Randolph Community
7:30 p.m. Oct. 6-8 & 10-11; 2 p.m. Oct. 9 - Public evening performances

Location:
Lab Theatre, Room 203 in Harold G. Leggett Building

Tickets: $10 (general admission), $8 (Randolph employees), $5 (students)

WildCat Theatre returns to the stage this week to prod audiences to think about a tough question about life and love.

“What if you knew the person who you were going to be with forever didn’t think you were pretty?” said Mace Archer, chair of the theatre department at Randolph College. “The more you think about it, that would be tough, waking up next to that person every day.”

That’s the issue tackled by Reasons to be Pretty, a contemporary play by Neil Labute. The play revolves around Greg and Steph, a young couple in love. Greg tells a friend that Steph is not as pretty as the new girl in the office. When Steph learns about his comment, “it throws their relationship into chaos,” Archer said.

The play has only four characters, which Archer said is unique among other theatrical productions at Randolph College and in the Lynchburg community. The cast and crew have had about five weeks to memorize and rehearse the two-hour show.

Reasons to be Pretty was on Broadway three years ago, and the production rights were released only about a year ago. The College jumped at the chance to produce a contemporary show. “We want our students to be up with the times and familiar with what’s going on in theatre right now,” Archer said.

The show marks the debut of new seating in the Lab Theatre. This summer, the College replaced the hard wooden bleachers with moveable risers with soft, padded chairs.

The play is directed by Hiawatha Johnson Jr., a Randolph College theatre professor.

Greg and Steph are played by Tom Heynan ’15 and Sonja Cirilo ’15. Kent and Carly, the other couple in the play, are portrayed by Matt Cornpropst ’14 and Rebekah Baumgartner ’12.

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte Visits Randolph College

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte visited Randolph College's campus Thursday, September 29 where he received a tour and spent time with students. Randolph Trustee Don Giles also joined Congressman Goodlatte on campus. During Congressman Goodlatte's tour of campus, he was able to view the newly renovated library and Academic Resources Center. He was also able to see the progress that has been made on Randolph's $6 million Student Center renovation.

Goodlatte began his tenth term representing the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia in 2011.

Fun Run returns for Homecoming

An old tradition is returning to Randolph College for Homecoming.

Saturday morning, runners will compete in the 3K Fun Run, dashing up and down hills all around campus. The running will start at 10:30 a.m. on the track. There will be refreshments, awards, and door prizes. Don't miss out! (Pre-registration is not required.)

The run was started in the 1970s when Tom Michalik, a former physics professor, mapped out a run that took in "every hill on campus," said Peter Sheldon, a physics professor who organized the Fun Run this year. The original campus 3K was called the "Billy Goat Run."

When Sheldon joined the College faculty in the late 1990s, the college had not held the race for some time. But Michalik gave Sheldon a copy of the map showing the route. Sheldon, who also serves as assistant coach for the cross country teams, resurrected the race as a Family Weekend tradition.

For the past several years, the Virginia 10 Miler 4 Miler races have been held on Family Weekend, so the College opted to participate in those races rather than hold its own. This year, Sheldon was asked to revive the race again.

"It's supposed to be a fun run around campus," Sheldon said. "It's as fun as running up every hill on campus can be."

Take a look at the Fun Run course on the USA Track & Field Web site.

Randolph community plans to pick apples for charity during Family Weekend / Homecoming

Many of the activities planned for Homecoming and Family Weekend are fun, but some members of the Randolph College community will take some time for service, too.

A group of students plans to pick apples at an orchard at Gross' Orchard near Bedford, Virginia. The apples will be donated to the Society of St. Andrew, a nonprofit group that distributes food to people in need.

By Wednesday afternoon, about 30 students had signed up to help with the project. Families who are visiting the College for Homecoming or Family Weekend are welcome to help as well.

Here is a map to Gross' Orchard. Click here for directions, too.

Two shuttles will transport students to the orchard, about 30 miles from campus. The first shuttle will leave front campus at 8:30 a.m. and return at 11:30 a.m.

The second shuttle will leave at 9:30 a.m. and return at 12:30 p.m.

Students who would like to ride a shuttle should contact Jen Brestel in the office of alumnae and alumni.