2003 Spring Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention Spring The newsletter of the Honors Program at Westminster College 2003 Honors Students Learn How the World Views Americans On March 7th in the faculty lounge on the second floor of Foster Hall, Honors students became a little more aware of the vast world around them. Three faculty members shared their thoughts on the United States and how our country is perceived throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia. Prof. Richard Badenhausen, director of the Honors Program, brought up the statistic that said it all: of the 10 percent of Americans who own passports, only 7 percent of them have traveled abroad, which leads to a nationwide ignorance of other cultures. All three of the speakers suggested that the world sees the United States and its people in both positive and negative lights. Librarian Hildy Benham, who was born in Germany and became a U.S. citizen in 1968, has seen the view of the United States from both her home country and the Arab world, including the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Aruba. She spoke of Germany’s positive perceptions of the United States by first saying that we were viewed as flexible, patriotic, open, frank, optimistic, and easygoing. Germans see our “self-reliance and independence as desirable,” she said. Business professor Kelvin Willoughby, originally from Australia and a United States citizen for the past two years, offered insight from all around the world, from France to Korea. Kelvin made it clear that many other countries view Americans negatively, but mostly because of political and media influences. The irony, he found, was that “individual Americans have a lot to offer.” Fatima Mujcinovic, assistant professor of English, noticed the same discrepancy from growing up and living in Bosnia. Through the influence of media, Fatima explained, America is seen as a “cool and hip place where everyone is rich and looks great.” In the political arena, the United States was also seen as a liberator to the Bosnians when its government sent food during the relief process. Throughout the discussion, the three speakers focused Honors students listen attentively to the speakers as they enjoy pizza and soft drinks. Fatima Mujcinovic, Kelvin Willoughby, and Hildy Benham discuss with Westminster Students how their native cultures view the U.S. on why the United States was viewed by most nations in a negative light. Hildy talked about the fact that Americans are seen as being superficial, and unreliable in personal relationships. She also said that citizens overseas feel the United States has squandered the world’s natural resources without seeing the bigger picture. When it comes to politics, the perception of Americans is of a country marked by arrogance and power. Kelvin agreed that when he visited France, both the Americans and the English were not to be trusted. In Korea, Americans in business emphasized making money over building personal relationships, which is seen as crude behavior. He also mentioned that in the Philippines, while the people embraced our culture after we liberated them from colonial power, the United States is viewed as engaging in the third phase of colonial control, and they hate our exploitation, arrogance, and insensitivity. The actions overseas of the United States government and its media fuel some of these skewed perceptions of Americans to the world. Kelvin explained how Americans are perceived in Australia through the media. “American television programs are seen as silly, superficial, and lacking in subtlety and sophistication,” he said. Kelvin was, however, quick to point out that he saw American individuals as profound and inspiring. Additionally, Fatima explained that other nations witness American actions in the political arena and sense that Americans do not think the rules apply to them, and that we are self-serving in international affairs. The panelists agreed that Americans have a lot to learn about the world around them. As Fatima said, “The world knows America in a superficial way, Americans do not know the world.” From these outside perspectives, students were able to understand that the media within the United States focuses more on itself than on prominent and pertinent stories outside the United continued on page 2 News Lunch With Gandhi: A Lesson on International Conflict On Friday April 4, 2003, Westminster Honors students had the unique opportunity to sit down for lunch in the Howa boardroom with Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, before he delivered this year’s Kim T. Adamson Lecture in International Studies. Gandhi is an eminent journalist, scholar, politician, biographer, and historian who has written widely on terrorism, Indian-Pakistani relations, globalization, human rights, conflict resolution, and Indian independence. Gandhi engaged in informal conversation with students while the group enjoyed a free meal courtesy of the Honors Program. During lunch students discussed ideas about religion and violence, the Palestine-Israel situation, the India-Pakistan situation, and the current war on Iraq with this expert on international conflicts such as these. After the meal, Gandhi made a few informal remarks to two dozen students, which were followed by a Q&A session. Gandhi began by telling a story about his grandfather, who, he added with a smile, “many of you may have heard of.” Because of his family’s political importance in India, Gandhi spent his young days living the easy life and enjoying his family’s resources. When it was time to go to college he decided to study economics because it sounded like it would be the “least demanding” course of study. He continued on this easy road until he was rather undemocratically selected for an internship to work on a newspaper in Scotland. While he was in Scotland, Gandhi had time to reflect upon his role in the world, and he began to care about larger events. Leaving India was a learning experience, which launched his journalistic career; that, in turn, became a springboard for future academic progress. Gandhi commented that as he has been studying India-Pakistan friendship and Hindu-Muslim friendship his most important skill has been to learn how to see things from both perspectives. He said as a Hindu he was carrying a lot of misinformation, half-information, and prejudices about the Muslim people, and he had to really understand the Muslim way of living before he could identify trends of peace and violence in this relationship. Tristan Glenn discusses the war on Iraq with Gandhi over a lunch of chicken, pasta, and quiche. In the Q&A session, students asked Gandhi about the difference between pacifism and nonviolence, to which Gandhi responded that he does not advocate pacifism, which means being sentimental or airy, but he advocates nonviolence, which requires struggle and defiance, but in a nonviolent way. Students also questioned Gandhi about international conflicts in Israel, Iraq, and Kashmir, and what the U.S. role should be in these conflicts. Gandhi wholeheartedly believes it is the U.S.’s responsibility as a world power to step in to intervene in violent conflicts such as these, but he stressed several times that the U.S. must intervene consistently. “If we intervene to save the Iraqis, we should also intervene in Pakistan and Rwanda,” he suggested. The problem with the U.S.’s current strategy, according to Gandhi, is that we don’t have consistent principled formulations about when to intervene, and we do not present our (inconsistent) principles to the world in a convincing manner. Gandhi ended the discussion with a few comments praising America and with a few suggestions for change. He said that one of the most amazing things about America is that everyone, including a foreign visitor, is encouraged to express his opinions. Even now, when some people argue that Americans are losing that freedom of expression, Gandhi still believes this country will not turn on the values it was founded on -- this is merely a test. Gandhi also said that America is so diverse that it is like the “world in miniature” but we need to learn how to lead the world better. Ultimately he would like to see President Bush be held to his statements of love and equality and said that Bush embodies the contradictions of our country, for he has “valiant principles combined with a kind of ignorance of the world.” -Pepper Hayes Honors Students Learn How the World Views Americans, continued States. As Kelvin mentioned, Americans choose not to write about other countries, mostly because this news does not affect Americans directly. We are left uneducated about other cultures and peoples, which in turn fuels the perceptions of other nations that we are self-centered and self-serving. page 2 Although many negative stereotypes exist surrounding the United States, one positive aspect of Americans was also universal. All three speakers agreed that there is a spirit of individualism in the United States that is seen as honorable. And while many nations may think the worst of all Americans often encountering our country through the media and politics, all three mentioned that their opinions coming to the United States were changed when they met the individuals of this country. -Teresa Elias News Congratulations, Graduates! Honors Students Receiving Honors Degree Graduation in May 2003 Joshua Ball Bulgaria: Trouble During Transition; advisor: John Watkins Katie Bradshaw Civil War; advisor: Susan Cottler Christian Gordon A New Kind of Science; advisor: Richard Wellman Brooke Goudie Political Effects of Pope John Paul II; advisor: Chuck Tripp Whitney Johnson Estate Taxes; advisor: Jean Beaulieu Audrey Maynard Technical Editing & Writing; advisor: Bridget Newell Marisa Bedell History, Feminism, and Anna Karenina; advisor: Georgiana Donavin Graduation in December 2003 Dillon George Self-Actualization in the Workplace; advisor: Paul Presson Ashley Jorgensen Senior Project in Sociology; advisor: Gretchen Siegler Candice Nyman High School Counseling; advisor: Barbara Smith This Curious Place Called Nevada: Students Attend WRHC Conference The Western Regional Honors Conference in Reno, Nevada proved to be a success for Westminster College in more ways than one. Not only did attendees Dr. Richard Badenhausen, Dr. Michael Popich, Heather Brown, Brooke Goudie, Alisha Panunzio, and Lauren Stephan expand their minds but some also were lucky enough to expand their pocketbooks in the casino. Brooke Goudie represented Westminster’s Honors Program with a paper on “Kurt Cobain as a Grass Roots Hero.” She examined the grunge music icon’s link to Generation X in addition to addressing the specific characteristics that make up a pop culture hero. Students representing colleges and universities from all over the western states also discussed interesting topics ranging from strategies to improve Honors programs to learning patterns in bilingual children to the history of bagpipes. Keeping in tune with the convention theme, BYU students even presented two sessions on the different aspects of gambling. The conference spanned three days and gave students and professors an excellent opportunity to meet Honors peers from 9 different states, brainstorm and plan ideas for our program, and certainly have a lot of fun. Activities included a towel toga reception by the swimming pool, dinner at a peculiar Basque restaurant as well as at a very delicious one, sumptuous room service one morning, and, of course, gambling! After all, it was Reno. Dr. Popich won $1200 dollars with a royal flush and a student who wishes to remain unnamed also scored $175. Increased critical thinking skills, just another of the many benefits of Westminster’s Honors program, allowed for the realworld application of theoretical learning. For those of us that were under 21, the arcade provided sufficient action with Dance Dance Revolution! Finally, Dr. Badenhausen was considered a lucky man by one overly friendly airport attendant to have “three such lovely ladies by his side.” He explained, naturally, that they were his students. The students, on the other hand, were the ones who in fact felt lucky to attend such an enjoyable conference. -Lauren Stephan Parent Contributions to Student Honors Council Fund The Westminster College Student Honors Council would like to thank the following parents of Honors Students who have made contributions in the past academic year to the Student Honors Council Fund, which supports student-initiated programs like retreats, visiting speakers, and socials. Contributions to the fund, which should be sent care of the Honors Program, can be made at any time during the year. Those in excess of $100 are acknowledged on the Parents’ Honors Roll plaque, which hangs in the office of the Honors Program Director. David & Joan Dallof Joan D. Glenn Kristine C. Harper Keith & Marie Hayes Chuck & Bonnie Owens Bill & Linda Panunzio Timothy W. Stephan Dennis & Paulette Welch page 3 People Student News & Notes After Ashley Evans graduates in May, she will spend the summer in Rock Springs. She is getting married in August, but after the honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, it’s off to the University of Michigan for grad school in social work. She will also be interning with a child life specialist to prepare for a career in Child Life. ghg Pepper Hayes was recently a winner in the Key Bank Diversity Lecture Series student contest for essays on diversity in popular culture. Her winning essay was titled, “The Chosen One: an Examination of Diversity and Empowerment in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” ghg Aaron Galvas is completing an internship with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance company and working toward certifications in investment, retirement, and estate planning. Postgraduation plans for Aaron include returning home to Alaska for at least a year for some career experience in management and finance. ghg This summer Brooke Goudie will travel to South America before attending the University of Arizona in Tucson in the fall, where she has accepted a full ride scholarship to a double Masters program in Public Administration and Latin American Studies. Brooke was also recently also engaged to be married. ghg This semester Lauren Stephan has been volunteering at the children’s center once a week where she works with preschool age kids that have emotional problems. ghg Sydney Stringham presented a paper in March at the annual meeting of the National Council on Undergraduate Research. ghg Becca Welch recently returned from the American Chemical Society National conference in New Orleans, Louisiana where she and Linda Quintero presented a poster on Westminster’s student affiliate chapter of ACS during an undergraduate poster session. page 4 Marie Tueller Student Profile Marie Tueller is a 21 year old Junior majoring in Clinical Psychology. She was born in Egypt, and has lived all over the world in places such as Jordan, Kuwait, England, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Marie found out about Westminster from a cousin who recently graduated; she ultimately chose this college for a few important reasons. First, having never lived in the U.S. before, she wanted the support and help in adjusting to the culture from relatives who live nearby. Secondly, she wanted a small school with small class sizes, and Westminster was a great fit. The Honors program appealed to Marie because of the open, discussion-oriented classes, and because she felt that the program would benefit her by bypassing information already covered in her AP courses from high school. Her favorite aspect of the Honors program is interacting with “intelligent and open-minded” classmates. You can find Marie around campus as the President of the Gay and Lesbian Pride Club (which was recently named Club of the Year) as well as in meetings of Students for Choice. She also volunteers regularly for the Utah AIDS Foundation and the Utah Federation for Youth. Additionally, Marie works in the Arts and Sciences main office and also as a counselor at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for teenagers. In her spare time, if she has any, Marie enjoys reading books and The New Yorker, and “watching obscure independent foreign films or sampling Indian and Mediterranean restaurants around the city.” -Teresa Elias Faculty Profile Bridget Newell Professor Bridget Newell grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in philosophy from Miami University, with her Ph.D. in philosophy from Temple University. Bridget came to Utah at first to teach philosophy at the University of Utah. She applied for a parttime communications position at Westminster a few years later, in 1996, hoping to share her experience as a freelance writer as well as her knowledge of professional and technical writing. She is relatively new to the Honors Program. This semester, she is finishing up teaching “Communicating Gender,” and next spring she will team teach “Science, Power, and Diversity” with Bonnie Baxter. What Bridget enjoys most about the Westminster community are the students, faculty, and staff. She describes the people as “smart, interesting, fun and motivated” and, as far as the students go, she especially enjoys “the questions, ideas, and enthusiasm” they bring into the classroom. Like most professors in the Honors Program, Bridget is interested in helping students expand their ideas, and to “elaborate, justify, or provide reasons for their views.” She expects high quality work as she helps students “develop and become more aware of their intellectual abilities and to experience the confidence that comes from knowing what they are capable of achieving intellectually.” When she’s not busy writing, reading, or teaching, Bridget likes to be active in outdoor activities like running and biking. Additionally, she is a big sports fan, so she likes to watch sports, especially football, and also enjoys the “creativity and challenge of sewing.” -Teresa Elias Student Honors Council Hello Honors Students! The end of the academic year has arrived, and soon school will be over. The Student Honors Council wanted to thank those of you who actively participated in the Honors Program. Of course, the Honors curriculum is the most important part of the program, but we also think that our unity as a body of students is also of prime importance. When Dr. Badenhausen arrived two years ago, he suggested an active SHC for this very purpose. As most of the students who have elected to come to Westminster College have concluded, atmosphere and environment are important parts of a college education. This is clearly much more than strolling through a beautiful campus; it involves the community of students with whom one associates. It is our hope that the Honors Program has been conducive to acquiring a quality education, and we hope that you have taken the time to be an active individual in this program. We also hope that we have furthered our mission to make the Honors Program a coherent entity within that program, both through our involvement and input on the Honors Council, where many exciting decisions are being made about the program, and in organizing activities for the benefit of the Honors students. Finally, we hope that many of you elect to remain and/or become active in the Student Honors Council, and use it as a means of taking full advantage of Westminster. Thank you for a splendid year! The SHC Presidency Meet the 2003-04 SHC Officers Co-Chair Nicki Blair Junior, Philosophy and Psychology Thanks to all of you for placing your trust in me! I am looking forward to bringing all that I have to offer to the program. Please know that I am ready and willing to hear from you, whatever you want to share . . . send it my way! In order for me to be the most effective leader I will need all of your input. Thanks for you time, your vote, and your patience! Co-Chair Ali Owens Senior, Philosophy I am hoping to give back to a program that has taught me much. The classes have become my foundations and connectors; the knowledge from each weaves its way in and out of another. As a Co-Chair, I hope to spin those connections into even more directions. We will do great things together. Treasurer Secretary Mary Dirks Sophomore, Business Marketing “There is more room at the top than there is at the bottom. Strive for the best,” is my motto for success. I look forward to serving with my fellow officers who are amazingly talented and energetic, and I know we will diligently work to give depth to the Honors Program that goes beyond time spent in a classroom. Lauren Stephan Freshman, Psychology As treasurer, I hope to help in continuing the success of the honors council that I have seen so far in my experience at Westminster. I think that we can try to make it the best year yet! Ask the Council: Q: What is the Student Honors Council and what do they do? A: The Student Honors Council is an organization of Honors students within the Westminster community. The group’s activities and meetings are open to all Honors students. The purpose of the organization may best be described as a forum for Honors student concerns, as well as a means to develop fraternity and understanding among the students. The council is composed of all Honors students, and each year the students choose officers from among them. The officers, including two co-chairs, a secretary, and a treasurer, organize activities and forums. The two co-chairs also sit on the faculty Honors Council as voting members, and are responsible for presenting the students’ issues to the faculty involved in the Honors Program. An active SHC is also one of the basic characteristics of a fully developed Honors Program, according to the National Collegiate Honors Council. Student activities have included hiking, a movie night with food, and other social events. This organization is fairly new, but we are excited to generate excitement and enthusiasm among some of Westminster’s most talented students. If you would like more information about the SHC, or if you have any concerns you think need to be addressed by the Honors Program, please contact an officer. The new officers are listed in this edition of the newsletter. -Stewart Anderson page 5 Perspectives Should Honors students receive special benefits? faculty response student response Richard Badenhausen Director of the Honors Program Marisa Bedell senior, majoring in English Honors Programs around the country have a history of offering Honors students special privileges or benefits, though this has been most prevalent at state universities, where the primary original motivation for creating an Honors Program was usually to reproduce a small, liberal arts learning environment within schools that enroll between 10,000-30,000 students. Those benefits tend to take the form of early registration privileges, honors dorms, dedicated honors lounges, and access to special resources like reserved computers. At a school like Westminster, however, where that small school environment predominates across all programs, the rationale behind Honors benefits is a little less clearly defined. At large state universities, benefits are sometimes used to attract students to Honors, whereas at Westminster, students are usually motivated enough on their own to want to enroll in Honors, so benefits might serve a different purpose. I prefer not to think of the issue of Honors benefits within the “carrot and stick” paradigm but instead talk about “enhancements” to the program that might make a student’s Honors education more meaningful. So the new initiatives we have introduced over the last two years—the Student Honors Council, Honors writing awards, funding to travel to academic conferences, meetings with visiting scholars, support for field research and attendance at cultural events, to name a few—have tended to reinforce or supplement the learning that is taking place in the classroom. Nevertheless, they are benefits that are available specifically to Honors students. Two proposals that I have been working on recently are funding for competitive summer research grants that would be available to support Honors students who would like to work on academic projects over the summer rather than flip burgers and funding for a renewable academic scholarship for an entering high-achieving Honors student who shows promise of excelling in academics, research, and leadership. Hopefully, we can add these programs in the future and continue to find new ways not only to attract Westminster’s best and brightest to Honors but to enhance their educational experience once they join us. Having said that, I still believe that the greatest “benefit” the Honors Program provides is it ability to put Honors students in touch with talented, committed Honors faculty and with other interesting, bright, inquisitive students in challenging and rewarding seminar settings. Some colleges offer Honors students special benefits like priority registration, scholarships, book stipends, and allHonors dorm floors (some with 24hour quiet hours), or an Honors study lounge. I think that Honors students special benefits sound like a good idea but I do not know how plausible they are. I think that an Honors study lounge would be so great, particularly for study groups and other get togethers. The library conference rooms are occupied almost all the time and finding a quiet space where people can discuss is tricky. I also know that Dr. Badenhausen is putting together an Honors library. I also think this would be very useful. At Westminster I think that these two benefits would be the most advantageous. In a school as small as Westminster it is not practical to have all-Honors floors in the dorms; there are not enough Honors students living on campus to fill up more than two floors and what are the chances that we would all want to live together? From what I have heard it’s difficult to live with the same people you have classes with. Priority registration does not seem logical to me. Most of the classes that I have fought for are Honors classes. If all the Honors students get to register early for the Honors classes, then seniors would be fighting freshman for required classes, such as classes that are only offered every other year. Honors scholarships are a very good idea, but to some extent there are already Honors scholarships. I think that all the Honors students, along with many other students, have the Dean’s scholarship. Many students at Westminster would argue that all the scholarships are academic based scholarships and giving Honors students special scholarships would be tipping a scale that is already in the favor of students who typically get good grades. The same argument goes for the book stipend idea. If Honors students get special stipends for their books, then why shouldn’t the math and science majors who spend the most money on books also get a stipend? One of the special benefits I would like to see for Honors students at Westminster is the opportunity to study abroad. If Honors students were given a scholarship or even allowed to use existing scholarships to study abroad, the Honors program would be greatly enhanced. Three current Honors students that I know, and probably more, have used their own money to study abroad. There is definitely an interest in studying abroad and I think that if Honors students are interested in it, the Honors Program should attempt to help students realize this desire. page 6 Academia Gender Revealed in Men’s and Women’s Face Wash by Kate Bradshaw In “Communicating Gender,” an Honors seminar taught by Dr. Bridget Newell, Honors students are learning a new way of analysis which reveals gender messages in daily communication. In this essay, Kate Bradshaw applies this thought process to explore messages about gender communicated by Nivea’s facial washes “Nivea for Men” and “Nivea Visage” for women. In their article “Cosmetics: A Clinique Case Study,” Pat Kirkham becomes increasingly smaller and thinner with each phrase down the and Alex Weller examine men’s and women’s Clinique toiletries in an package. The men’s packaging seems to reinforce the stereotype of men attempt to understand the gendering of these products. The study being ‘bold’ and ‘aggressive.’ Reflecting on the choice of font and color focuses on the ways in which the products are coded to be “male” or for the word ‘men’ in the title, it is bold and aggressive, and carries an “female,” and the impact this has on consumer behavior and human impact beyond the actual word itself. It seems to say, “this is what I relationships. In an attempt to ascertain am, a MEN’s product.” In contrast, the validity of their conclusions, this pathe font on the women’s product is The men’s product has been “Vitamin per will examine the gendering by Nivea in a demure gray that does not draw Enriched” which makes it scientific to wash attention to itself. The women’s of facial washes. It will follow the outline one’s face, instead of feminine. established by Kirkham and Weller disfont seems frail, passive, and unascussing such factors as appeals to binary suming. oppositions in the packaging and presentation of the product, the The actual language on each package is quite interesting as well. The impact this has on the consumer, and what this may represent about word ‘visage’ in the title of the women’s product is a play on an archaic human relationships. expression for someone’s countenance or face. By using this old fashThe products chosen for this project are “Nivea for Men” and “Nivea ioned term to express the idea of face wash, Nivea is trying to make Visage.” Facial wash is not an area of toiletries where men are tradi- the product appear classy. The choice of words on the women’s prodtionally seen as the dominant consumer group. Given this fact, Nivea uct: “gentle,” “balanced,” and “health” invokes feelings of purity and made a particular point of designating the men’s product as “for men,” cleanliness. Even the identification of the “Nivea Visage” as “Gentle while also relying on the traditional view of the women as savvy shop- Cleansing Cream” plays on these ideas. pers in leaving women to decide for themselves which product was In contrast to the feeling portrayed by the women’s product, the “for women.” men’s product seems to use action words like “Double Action Face One of the first subjects discussed by Kirkham and Weller is the Wash,” and “Vitamin Enriched.” Kirkham and Weller also note this importance of package color in coding the gender of the product. emphasis on “business language” and words that “emphasize speed “Those for men are mostly packaged in gray bottles and tubes with and convenience” and cite science in Clinique men’s products as well. the occasional muted blue.” Indeed, the packaging of the “Nivea for All the words on the men’s product seem to reinforce that purchasing Men” facial wash is a muted blue tube, reinforcing their findings. The this product is a rational choice because it is a two in one (Double “Nivea Visage” packaging also follows the pattern described in the Action) face wash. It has been “Vitamin Enriched” which makes it article. “Those for women are often packaged in transparent bottles scientific to wash one’s face, instead of feminine. through which one sees a range of pastel and soft colours, particularly On the back of both products, the language continues to reinforce pink, blue, cream, and yellow.” The tube of “Nivea Visage” is trans- traditional gender roles. The “Nivea for Men” tube cites again that this parent with a pink tinted cream showing through. The color of the is a product ‘for men’ that has been “specially formulated” for them packaging of the two products seems to refer to the binary opposi- and “Dermatologically Tested.” The appeal to the binary opposition tions of masculinity and femininity. Soft, pastel colors of the “Nivea that men are rational and scientific is again evidenced on the package. Visage” seem to signal softness and purity, while the muted blue of In contrast, the back of the women’s package makes promises about the “Nivea for Men” appears hard by comparison. To a male con- how skin will feel, discusses the actions of the various ingredients, sumer, new to the toiletry and facial wash market, it might seem more lists results, and beauty advice before also mentioning that it too is comforting to purchase this product if it is associated with a mascu- dermatologist tested. Women are presented as enjoying spending lavline virtue to which he can relate. ish amounts of time pampering themselves, especially when comThe shapes of the package lend to their gendered image. Taller than pared to the men, who can quickly and competently wash with a the “Nivea for Men” tube, the “Nivea Visage” has a lid with rounded “double action face wash.” This reinforcement of the emotional, and edges which gives the women’s product a streamlined, elegant look sometimes irrational, perception of women is paired with a rational that contrasts with the squat, sturdy shape of the men’s product. The view of men who would see it as silly to spend so much time washing shape of the two products reinforce stereotypical gender assumptions one’s face. of viewing women and women’s products as “delicate” and “passive” The “Nivea for Men” and “Nivea Visage” facial washes and the while viewing men and men’s as “sturdy” and “strong.” gendered message the products contain are in line with the findings When examining the fonts used on the tubes, one notices that the of Kirkham and Weller. When marketing the men’s face wash, every “Nivea for Men” product has a font that is wider and taller overall, attempt has to be made to overcome male objections to this ‘femithan that used on “Nivea Visage.” Also, the font used in the title for nine’ realm of this product. The women’s product, especially when the world “Men” is larger than any other font on either product, and is viewed in direct comparison to the men’s, also seems to exhibit a mesalso positioned at a slight slant and in a different font than any other sage that is coded “female.” lettering. In comparison, the Nivea women’s product has a font that page 7 Musings From Your Editors... Looking around the campus, one might not immediately conclude that Westminster College has a diverse atmosphere. But Honors students are known for thinking critically and seeing things that are not readily apparent; in this issue of the Honorable Mention, we are focusing on the opportunities Honors students have to experience diversity on our small yet open-minded campus. The Honors Program sponsored two major events this semester that brought fresh international perspectives on current issues to Honors students. Westminster professors with multi-cultural backgrounds facilitated the “Pizza with Profs” discussion on the way the world views the United States. The lunch with Rajmohan Gandhi gave students an opportunity to learn about international conflicts caused by religious differences and how to address these problems from a platform of nonviolence. Each of these speakers helped students see world events and themselves in a different light, a skill the Honors Program encourages and facilitates. On the People page you will find profiles of members of the Honors Program who incorporate diversity into their daily lives. The closeness of the Honors community allows us to share ideas and experiences that help us to grow and become more understanding of the world around us. We encourage Honors students to get to know one another by discussing what is different among you as well as what you have in common. Not only will this create a community of acceptance within the Honors Program, but it will expand your own understanding of yourself and others. Our Academia selection in this issue is from the “Communicating Gender” course. This piece by Kate Bradshaw discusses messages about diversity in American culture and how, in the case of marketing cosmetics, we sometimes operate on stereotypical assumptions about gender. Breaking down stereotypes is the first step in coming to a real understanding between people, as Rajmohan Gandhi pointed out during his lunch with Honors students. Taking a deeper look into our surroundings reveals numerous opportunities to learn something new from someone new. The Honors Program this semester has given students ample opportunity to learn from the diversity around them, and this has helped them acquire the skills to continue learning through different perspectives for years to come. Peace, Pepper Hayes and Teresa Elias co-editors of Honorable Mention Honors Program Westminster College 1840 S. 1300 E. Salt Lake City, UT 84105 email: [e-mail] [e-mail]