Olin College - The Link

Development Video Competition
Have you been stifling your movie making talents? We have a unique opportunity for you to put those talents on display and to win a prize at the same time!

The Student Development Working Group and the Development Office are sponsoring a video competition with the theme of “What Olin Means to Me”. Videos can be produced by a team of no more than five Olin students and can be up to five minutes in length. Entries are due to the Development Office by midnight on May 15th. Videos will be screened by a panel of Olin community members and finalists will have their videos shown in the Auditorium on May 16th at 1 p.m. Audience members will then have the opportunity to select the prize winners.

Mark your Calendars: Alumni Events During Commencement Weekend
Friday, May 18
4:30 – 6:30 p.m.        Fun, Fondue and Fond Memories in the OC Mezzanine
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.        Strategic Planning Meeting with Gill Pratt

Saturday, May 19
The Class of 2006 representatives invite alumni and those who were members of that class to a fun-filled day of activities on the Saturday before the Class of 2007 Commencement Ceremony. Further details will be sent via alumni-2006@lists.olin.edu. The schedule is as follows: 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.        Alumni Association Meeting at Sidney-Pacific Residence
5:00 – 8:00 p.m.        Dinner at The Tavern in the Square
8:00 – 9:30 p.m.        Improv Asylum in the North End

Sunday, May 20
The Class of 2007 Commencement Ceremony will begin at 2:00 p.m. on the Great Lawn. Visit the Commencement website for further details.

Class of 2007 - Change of Address
To graduating seniors - don't forget to notify senders directly of your future address. The list includes family and friends, banks and credit card companies, insurance and state registries, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, etc. You can use your current mail received as a reminder of who to notify. This should allow seamless delivery of your mail to your new location.

You do not have to fill out a change of address form with the Post Office - they would just give it to the mail room. So just provide Olin's mail room with one sheet of address labels. Labels are available in the Avery 5351 format and can be delivered to your mailbox. Please direct any questions to the mail room.

Second Annual Yard Sale
The Residence Life Committee (RLC) is sponsoring a yard sale for all students between the dorms Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The sale will be advertised off-campus, so help seniors minimize shipping costs, find great deals, and get rid of the stuff that you never use.

Perks at Work
The latest list of discounts and benefits for Olin College Employees is out, and can be found here. Contact Patricia Berardi with any questions.

Summer Parking at Olin
Over the summer, facilities will be doing a lot of work on the parking lots, and available parking will be limited at times. Only students who are living on campus will be allowed to park during the summer months. It will not be possible for any student to leave their car here over the summer if they are not living on campus.

If you are living on campus you must email Emily Moscol your car make and model, as well as the license plate number and state, as well as your cell phone number. You must be on the Student Life list of official summer residents of Olin College.

Important Contact Information
In case of an emergency, please contact Public Safety at 781-239-5555. They will best direct your call and can contact the Dean on call if it is after business hours. For general crisis announcements: students, employees and parents should check one or more of three sources: (1) e-mail, (2) the College website, and/or (3) the emergency number, 781-292-2699, which is usually used for weather announcements. Please note the main College number, 781-292-2300 is only answered by an operator during business hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Reminder from IT for the Summer
As the end of the academic year rapidly approaches, many of you are already preparing to leave the general area for the summer. To help minimize computer related issues that you may encounter through the summer, we've outlined a few important items that you should be aware of. Please take some time to read the "End of Semester" announcement on the IT web page and follow the link to the document containing these important reminders. As always, if you have any questions, issues or concerns, please contact the IT Help Desk as soon as possible. Seniors, note the special insructions for graduating students.

Absence Reporting for Exempt Employees
Just a reminder with summer around the corner - please remember to report your summer vacation plans (and any other absences) to John Easland in Financial Services. Attached is an updated form that reflects the change in this reporting from Tricia Benson to John Easland. It is important to keep this information current and accurate since the cost of the unused vacation time is reported on the College's financial statements. Soon after June 30, the College's fiscal year end, we will send all staff and their supervisors a report of earned but unused compensated absences (vacation, sick and comp time) for review and confirmation of outstanding balances. Please send in your information now to make that review smoother. The revised form is also available on the portal in the Financial Services-Purchasing tab.

Contact Information
In case of an emergency, please contact Public Safety at 781-239-5555. Be sure to see further information under News You Can Use.

Congratulate Your Grad and Support the Class of 2008
The Class of 2008 will be selling wildflower bouquets at the 2007 Commencement Ceremony 12:30-2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 20. You will find our designated table outside of the ceremony tent. The flowers will come wrapped and tied with Olin color ribbons. If you wish to reserve a bouquet, please email Anne Itsuno no later than Friday, May 11. Reserved bouquets will cost $13, and we will be collecting payments at the ceremony. For those who did not reserve a bouquet, a limited supply will be available for $15. Cash or check will be accepted. If you will be paying by check, please make it out to: "Olin College," with "Class of 2008" in the memo line. All proceeds will go toward funding senior class events next year. We look forward to seeing you at Commencement!

End-of-Semester Reminders
Oh my, has the semester flown by, and it's time to say goodbye! But before your student leaves Olin for the summer, we have something to share to help you prepare. The Office of Student Life has sent the students a list of departure notes including information on keys, housekeeping and damage, information technology, summer storage and parking, and more. It can also be found on the Parents' Blackboard as the last Announcement and Helpful Hints>Student Info. All students must vacate the dorms by 5 p.m. on Monday, May 21. Please plan accordingly, for Commencement is the weekend prior. The activity times can be found on the Commencement website.

Volunteer Opportunities
If you are interested in supporting Olin through volunteering, there is a new volunteer sign-up page you can submit under Volunteering on both the Parents' and Alumni websites. Take a look at the various opportunities available to you to give back to Olin. We look forward to working with you!

Welcome New PAB Members!
Join the Office of Parent and Alumni Relations in welcoming two new members of the Parent Advisory Board (PAB), Emanuel Towns and Michelle Hogan. They join Dan Kiser and Connie Newell in representing parents of the class of 2010. Also, congratulations to our new officers: Steve Longfield (P'09), Chair; Karl von Reden (P'09), Chair-elect; and Marlene Veldwisch (P'08), Secretary/Treasurer. Their terms will begin on June 1. More information on these and other PAB members can be found once logged onto the Parents' Blackboard.

Community Bulletin Board
Free Product Innovation & Engineering Conference in Boston
The Aberdeen Group is hosting a summit on product innovation and engineering May 23-24, 2007 at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center in Boston. Best of all, they are waiving the $995 registration fee for university professors and students. Register here and use the online promo code ABPPIEFP01. Aberdeen has partnered with Desktop Engineering and Manufacturing Business Technology to host this highly targeted networking conference of professionals responsible for developing/accelerating engineering and innovation strategies that improve efficiencies and increase product profitability. This summit will help Senior-level executives involved in product development and engineering and other professionals impacted by product development performance identify how leading companies are transforming their product innovation processes and technology in the face of increasing complexity and corporate demands for profitable growth. More information, as well as an agenda, can be found here, and any questions can be directed to Tracey Jones at 408-691-1901.

E-Business Management Conference
A three-day conference organized by the eBusiness Management Section of the Scuola Superiore ISUFI - University of Lecce, Italy will be held on July 11-14, 2007, entitled “Perspectives on Technological Entrepreneurship.” Appealing to practitioners, consultants and academics alike, the conference will match theory-driven plenary sessions with discussion and panel sessions. A draft paper or extended abstract is due by May 14. Submissions should be sent via email. For more information please visit their website or view this pamphlet.

Homegrown Coffeehouse
One of the best and most innovative blues duos in the world, with a musical rapport and a wide embrace of styles, from Delta heartache to Chicago drive, Paul Rishell and Annie Raines bring their magical combination of soulful vocals, National steel guitar, and sizzling blues harp to the Homegrown Coffeehouse. Rishell honed his craft in the 1970’s, playing alongside greats such as Son House, Johnny Shines, and Howlin’ Wolf. Raines, hailed as one of the country’s top blues harpists, and one of the few women blues harp players, carries on the tradition of great players Muddy Waters and Little Walter while adding her own soulful drive. Katrin Roush, winner of this year’s open mic competition, will open. PAUL RISHELL & ANNIE RAINES at the Homegrown Coffeehouse, Saturday, May 19, at 8:00 p.m.

The Homegrown Coffeehouse is located at the First Parish Unitarian Church, at the corner of Great Plain and Dedham Avenue in Needham center. There is free parking and wheelchair access. Admission is $15/ $12 students & seniors to benefit the Church. For more information, call 781-444-7478. Visit us at www.uuneedham.org/Coffeehouse for latest concert updates and advance tickets.

Service of Remembrance - Rev. Ann Adams
The Babson/Olin community is invited to celebrate Ann’s life and time with us with a short, simple hymn sing. We’ll lift up our voices to Ann, pulling out those old hymns that Ann loved so much. Touching stories, humorous anecdotes-- Bring them all and share. The service will be held Friday, May 11, 2007 at the Glavin Chapel starting at 7:30 p.m.

KUDOS

Members of the FW Olin SCOPE project presented their prototype device, MindScout, at the IEEE Student Design Competition at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY, on May 5, 2007. The team won 2nd place and $3000 for their presentation and poster exhibition. There were approximately 50 applicants to the competition. Twenty were accepted, 18 attended, and 5 teams were awarded cash prizes. Congratulations to Kristen Dorsey, DJ Gallagher, Alison Lee, Cathy Murphie, Laura Stupin, and Susan Tse.
SonicFoam LLC placed in the top six of forty finalists at the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition May 6, 2007. Congratulations to James Krejcarek, Amy Lee, and Lindsay Redmond.
Allison Bahme has been appointed to Admission Practices Committee of the National Association of College Admission Counseling. This committee educates admission and counseling professionals and their institutions on ethical college admission standards and assists them in fully integrating similar policies and procedures into their practices. Congratulations, Allison!
Andrew Tsang won an honorable mention in the Boston Press Photographer's Association Student Contest. Congratulations to Andrew, and many thanks for the hundreds of photos that he has taken for Olin.