Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, was quoted in a February 17 Saint Paul Pioneer Press article titled “Media wary of Drudge sex ‘report’ ” about the media’s reaction to a posting on drudgereport.com of an alleged affair between John Kerry and an intern. “I don’t think there’s any question the media has been more circumspect about this one,” says Steve Schier.

As part of the ongoing exhibition “Kettles,” the Carleton College Art Gallery will host a Japanese tea ceremony demonstration at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Mitsuo Oyabu, a disciple of the centuries-old Sohen school of tea, and Paula Arai, assistant professor of religion at Carleton, will perform the demonstration. The event is free and open to the public.

Valerie Jensen ’79 was featured in a February 16 Minnesota Lawyer “Attorneys of the Year” article titled “Valerie Jensen: Working Toward Making The State’s Bar More Diverse.” The article highlighted her efforts to bring diversity to the the state legal community as vice-president of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers and William Mitchell College of Law’s associate dean for multicultural affairs. “We’re not just focused on students of color. We’re really focused on true multiculturalism…,” Jensen said. Jensen majored in political science and African/African-American studies at Carleton.

Gregory Hewett, assistant professor of English, will have a poem,”Thoughts on Rimbaud,” in the upcoming issue of The North American Review.

Dan O’Brien, author of “Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch,” will speak at Carleton College at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the Gould Library Athenaeum. The title of his talk is “Ranching and Writing in the Black Hills.” The event is free and open to the public.

Helen Tesfay ’02 was mentioned in a February 15 Minneapolis Star Tribune article titled “African artists in Minnesota explore their reality.” Tesfay has two pieces in the African art section of the “Immigrant Status” exhibit at Intermedia Arts. Tesfay majored in studio art at Carleton.

World-renowned conductor Philip Brunelle will direct the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers in a guest artist concert on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3:30 p.m. in the Carleton Concert Hall. A highlight of the concert will be a humorous suite of music conceived by Garrieson Keillor that will be narrated by Carleton President Robert A. Oden Jr. The event is free and open to the public.

Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, was quoted in a February 14 Saint Paul Pioneer Press article titled “Pawlenty’s trip to Iraq: Bush queries governors about life and attitudes in Baghdad.” Schier comments that the trip was mostly a public relations maneuver. “The administration is trying to get around national press coverage and present a more favorable view of the Iraq situation,” Schier said.

Saturday’s ice carving competition brought more than 30 aspiring ice sculptors out to the Chapel lawn to chisel, scrape, crack and gouge blocks of ice to reveal their masterpieces.

Award-winning investigative reporter and documentary producer David Helvarg will present a convocation titled “Blue Frontier: Saving America’s Living Seas” at 10:50 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 at Carleton’s Skinner Memorial Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.