Alzak Amlani, PhD, is a professor of Integral Counseling Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He has been a practicing psychologist in San Francisco and Palo Alto since 1995.  His research and studies included diet and psychospiritual development, diversity work, Jungian psychology, object relations, aikido practice, and ecopsychology. He recently presented at the Queer Bodies Conference sponsored by CIIS, on, "Liberating the Queer Body: Familial and Cultural Constraints for South Asian and Middle-Eastern Americans."  He has also published on queer experiences in Trikone Magazine and Queer Dharma. Sponsored by Queers and Allies of Faith. 

The Search Committee for the Director of Counseling Center and Student Health Services will be conducting on campus interviews between 4/25 and 5/2. We are privileged to introduce to the Oberlin College campus community three higher education professionals who each convey distinctive, but inclusive visions of how health and wellness support educational excellence. We invite your active participation in the interview process that will help us to identify an exceptional Director. Student Leaders are invited to interview the applicants (listed in order of campus visits) at the following dates and times:

Dr. John Harshbarger: 4/25, 9-10 am, Sky Bar

Dr. James Linsin: 4/30, 9-10 am,  Sky Bar

Dr. Richard Pazol: 5/2, 9-10 am,  Sky Bar

All students are invited to participate in open forums with the candidates the following dates and times:

Dr. John Harshbarger: 4/25, 4:30-5:30 pm, Wilder 101

Dr. James Linsin: 4/30, 4:30-5:30 pm, Wilder 101

Dr. Richard Pazol: 5/2, 4:30-5:30 pm, King 123 

Thursday, 4/26, 2 pm, Craig Lecture Hall (please enter through back door)

Jacob Bender, director of the film "Out of Cordoba," will lecture on "Representations of Averroes (Ibn Rushd) in Western Christian Art" in the course "Introduction to Muslim Cultures and Civilizations." This lecture is open to the public. 

Thursday, 4/26, 7:30 pm, King 306

Director Jacob Bender will screen and discuss his film "Out of Cordoba: Averroes and Maimonides in Their Time and Ours" which explores some of the most vexing issues of our time: Is there a "clash of civilizations" between Western and Muslim civilizations? Are Jews and Muslims incapable of peaceful coexistence? Does religious faith lead inevitably to xenophobia and violence? Sponsored by the Mead Swing Lectureship Committee, the History Department, La Casa Hispánica, Cinema Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Comparative Muslim Cultures and Civilizations.

Saturday, 4/28, 8 pm, First Church in Oberlin UCC

The First Church in Oberlin, UCC, will host the jazz group The Oikos Ensemble for a Sacred Side of Jazz concert. The nationally acclaimed Oîkos Ensemble will offer a creative look at the spiritual roots of jazz music. The concert is free and open to the public. This event is co-sponsored and financially supported by the First United Methodist Church in Oberlin. 

Saturday, 4/28, 6 pm, First Church in Oberlin UCC

Guest Speaker John Gates, "Guatemalan Returned Refugee Communities Today"

All proceeds suport scholarships, teachers, and projects in the Guatemalan communities of Santa Elena and Copal AA. Tickets: $10 Individual, $25 Family (2 adults and 2 children under 12) available 4/20 at Ben Franklin or First Church.

Sunday, 4/29, 8-11 pm, The 'Sco

Chauvinist lyrics cramping your style? Come dance to a different beat! The R-E-S-P-E-C-T Dance is a time to have fun and dance without being bombarded with negative images of women. Many events on campus play music with lyrics that are disrespectful to women and promote unhealthy gender attitudes. Celebrate having fun and respecting everyone! Sponsored by Ecumenical Christians of Oberlin (ECO).

Friday, 5/4, 7 pm, West Lecture Hall

Jim Forest is the author of numerous books and a contributor to many publications. He also serves as International Secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship and is associate editor of its journal and website, In Communion. His books include "The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life," "Ladder of the Beatitudes," "Praying with Icons," "Living with Wisdom: A Biography of Thomas Merton," and "All Is Grace: A Biography of Dorothy Day." He is also the author of several children's books. His photographs have been widely published. Sponsored by Oberlin Orthodox Christian Fellowship.

5/7-29, Mudd Library (third floor) 

Sam Williams, a senior Latin American Studies and Hispanic Studies major, is presenting as a senior capstone project an exhibit on The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli: Indigenous Imagery in the Murals of Mexico City and Los Angeles. It will look at the images of these two Aztec gods in murals from the Mexican Mural Movement in Mexico City (1920-60), the Chicano Movement in L.A. (~1970-90) and in contemporary L.A., the role of indigenous imagery in these movements generally, and why these two gods appeared so frequently, based on their importance to Aztec culture and cosmology.

Sunday, 5/27, 1:30 pm, Warner Concert Hall

All are welcome at this multifaith spiritual celebration with music, prayers, inspirational readings and an address to give thanks for, inspire, and bless the Class of 2012. This year's address will be given by Daisy Kahn, Executive Director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which was a major partner in the effort to build a mosque and interfaith center near Ground Zero in New York City. ASMA is also engaged in domestic and international programs to promote Muslim women's and youth empowerment and leadership and to deepen the discourse of progressive Islam. Sponsored by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Commencement/Reunion Weekend Committee.