Focus the Nation

January 30, 2008

Saint Martin's University will be participating in Focus the Nation, a national campaign dedicated to bringing communities together through the help of colleges and universities to find solutions to global climate change. On Wednesday, Jan. 30, SMU will join The Evergreen State College, South Puget Sound Community College and Centralia College in presenting an afternoon of events focused on climate-change and sustainability issues. That evening, the four institutions will sponsor a community forum at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Olympia. The forum, entitled "Creating a Climate of Change: A Community Forum on Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest," will engage state and local government officials, scientific experts and members of the community in a conversation on ways to address climate change locally.

The tentative schedule for Jan. 30 is as follows:

• 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Spangler Hall): Lunch session for students, with joint presentation by Mary Jo Hartman, Assistant Professor of Biology; Aaron Coby, Assistant Professor of Biology; and Jim Thomas, Director of Adult Faith Formation for Catholic Social Teaching and Family Life, Archdiocese of Seattle.
   
• 1:15 – 3:00 p.m. (Spangler Hall): Presentation and discussion with Dr. Hartman, Dr. Coby and Mr. Thomas for faculty, staff and students.
   
• After 3:00 p.m.: Vans will be available to transport students, staff and faculty to Evergreen State College to take part in TESC's afternoon sessions. The vans will then take SMU folks to the Washington Center for the evening event, where Dr. Hartman, Dr. Coby and SMU's Chemistry and Biology Clubs will be offering tabletop presentations.

For more information about the local event, click here. To learn more about the national Focus the Nation effort, click here. For more details about SMU's involvement, contact Susan Leyster, Director of Campus Ministry, at leysters@stmartin.edu or 360-438-4581.