News Article

Gonzaga University will focus on the themes of food and agriculture during the 2007-2008 academic year with lectures, films and an art exhibit among events planned to reflect the chosen theme. All events are free and open to the public.

This will be the second year that the University’s Thematic Planning Committee has chosen a cohesive theme for Gonzaga’s campus events. Last year, the committee chose the theme titled, “The Other Side of War.” This year’s theme is based on relevance to students, regardless of personal experiences and differences. Food is an ideal topic because everyone eats. Also, many people are bombarded in American culture with daily choices and advice on what and how to eat, from fast food to organic meals to the fad diet du jour, while many other people worldwide struggle to find enough to eat.

In addition to the Thematic Planning Committee, contributors to the events include Sodexho Food Services, GU Forum, the environmental studies program, Jundt Art Museum, and Catholicism for a New Millennium series. All hope to teach Zags the importance of inquiry through an examination of personal eating habits and choices.

Food-related Events for 2007 Fall Semester:

• Film Screening and Discussion: “Broken Limbs: Apples, Agriculture and the New American Farmer”: a documentary film about Wenatchee, Wash., from 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 26, in the Jepson Center’s Wolff Auditorium. Sponsored by GU Forum.
• Lecture: “Theology, Ethics and Agriculture,” by Mark Graham of Villanova University, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 1, location TBA. Sponsored by Catholicism for a New Millennium.
• Lecture: “Safe Food and Fertilizer,” by Patty Martin , director of Safe Food and Fertilizer, at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 12, in Jepson Center’s Wolff Auditorium. Sponsored by the GU environmental studies program, GU College of Arts and Sciences, and Safe Food and Fertilizer.
• Lecture: “The Post-Industrial Eater: Aligning Ethical Values and Food Choices,” by Ellen Maccarone , GU assistant professor of philosophy, 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Jepson Center Wolff Auditorium. Sponsored by GU Forum.
• Art Exhibition: “Food for Thought”: features prints from the Gonzaga University Permanent Collection and private collectors, from Nov. 30-March 8, 2008 in the Jundt Art Museum Arcade Gallery.

Gonzaga will focus on food in several other ways. The new student orientation team has worked with Sodexho, the primary food provider on campus, to integrate the topic into Orientation Weekend, and the incoming freshman class was required to read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” by Michael Pollan, before starting fall semester. The bestseller takes a critical look at the food chain, as well as different eating options. The book is being used in several freshman classes to teach students to think critically. “Charter,” Gonzaga’s journal of scholarship and opinion, will use “Food” as the theme for its fall issue.

For more information about Gonzaga University’s theme and related events, contact Pat McCormick, Gonzaga professor of religious studies, at (509) 323-6715 or via e-mail.