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April 17, 2026

Collage featuring Kafui Dsirasa, Andrew Evans, Maya Barrett, Angelina Graf, Marie Brancati

2026 DeNardo Lecture - Top left: Dr. Kafui Dzirasa delivering his lecture, "Mapping and Editing Brain Circuits to Prevent Psychiatric Illness." Top right: Andrew Evans (Neuroscience) led the Q&A. Bottom left: Dr. Dzirasa with DeNardo scholars Maya Barrett ’26 (Psychology) and Angelina Graf ’26 (Biochemistry). Bottom right: a standing ovation for Marie Brancati, who stewarded the Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship since its inception in 2008 until her retirement from ��Ĵ�ý earlier this week after over 27 years of exceptional service.

Dear College Faculty and Staff,

Last week was a remarkable testament to the spirit of the College and the University. From the generosity shown during our Day of Giving to the intellectual energy of the DeNardo Lectureship and the welcoming of our future Broncos, the collective impact of all our efforts has set a remarkable tone for the remainder of the academic year.

Our community demonstrated extraordinary generosity during our 24-hour Day of Giving on April 8. I am happy to report that we led the undergraduate academic units in both number of donors and dollars this year, raising more than $165,000 from nearly 450 donors, and completed 5 participation challenges. The results underscore a deep belief in our mission and a commitment to the success of our students.

We were privileged to host Dr. Kafui Dzirasa (Duke University) for the Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship. Dr. Dzirasa’s visit provided a masterclass in the intersection of psychiatry and neuroscience, specifically regarding mapping brain circuits to prevent psychiatric illness. Beyond the complex and fascinating science, Dr. Dzirasa celebrated the community of scholars joining him in his experiments and discoveries. His deeply social approach to science resonated strongly with our students, faculty and staff.

I want to thank everyone who was involved in making Preview Day a success last weekend. Despite the rain, we have received good feedback from attendees - particularly about the level of connection felt with you all. This afternoon, our final Discover��Ĵ�ý event is taking place to help admitted students determine if ��Ĵ�ý and the College is right for them. After that, it’s a waiting game as we inch closer to the May 1 deposit deadline.

We are in National Poetry Month, so this week’s poem is about April, naturally. It is by Ogden Nash, the poet and humorist.

Sincerely,

Daniel

Always Marry an April Girl
By Ogden Nash

Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true —
I love April, I love you.

Highlights

��Ĵ�ý students at an audition workshop, with alumni, and sitting in a theatre in New York Left: Sonya Venugopal & Kalina Venugopal with Emma Fox '27 at the audition workshop; Middle: a networking opportunity with Theatre and Dance alumni working in the Arts in the New York area; Right: waiting for The Outsiders to begin at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

Pauline Locsin (Theatre and Dance) accompanied 10 students on the department's Performing Arts Immersion trip over Spring Break. Students took an acting class at HB Studios, dance classes at STEPS on Broadway, saw three shows, helped prepare lunch for those who are sick and have nowhere else to turn with God's Love We Deliver, and took an audition workshop arranged by Sonya Venugopal '15 (Communication, Theatre Arts) and Kalina Venugopal '17 (Theatre Arts), as well as networking with alumni. Benjamin Gillespie (Theatre and Dance) joined them following his book launch event for Late Stage: Theatrical Perspectives on Age and Aging.

��Ĵ�ý students and faculty at the Paramount Studios in LA Students get to hold an Oscar at their visit to Paramount Studios.

Michael Whalen (Communication) completed the 20th Annual Hollywood Shadowing Program in Los Angeles over Spring Break. Thirty-five students met over 40 alumni and friends of the program at Disney, Hulu, Lionsgate, Amazon, Apple, CAA, UTA, Netflix, and more.

Book cover of Noche oscura del Oeste (Dark Night of the West)

Juan Velasco Moreno (English) was invited by the Benemerita Universidad de Puebla (Mexico) to give a presentation of his book of poetry, Noche oscura del Oeste (Dark Night of the West), for the Festival Internacional de Poesia; he also gave a poetry workshop at the university for students interested in creative writing, March 20-23.

Kathleen Chopra-McGowan holding a kid goat

On March 21, Cathleen Chopra-McGowan (Religious Studies) gave a talk at St. Martin of Tours Parish in San Jose titled, “Presence and Absence: Women in the Hebrew Bible.” The talk was part of the Markey Center’s ongoing workshop series, Hear Their Voices, Heed Their Wisdom: Women of the Catholic Tradition. The talk was great fun, and the audience included a most unusual member: a baby goat!

Image: Cathleen and her favorite audience member: a 2-day-old baby goat.

2 female students presenting their research at the 2026 Western States Communication Association Annual Conference Karina Martinez and Jocelyn Madrigal presented their research from Chan Thai's Strategic Health Communication Lab at the Western States Communication Association Annual Conference in San Diego, California. March 1, 2026.

In early March, Chan Thai (Communication) attended the Western States Communication Association Annual Conference along with two undergraduate students from her Strategic Health Communication Lab. Karina Martinez '26 (Biology, Neuroscience) and Jocelyn Madrigal '26 (Biology) presented their study titled "Content Analysis of NCI-Designated Cancer Center Websites for Availability of Cancer Type Information and Readability" during a panel session for the Health Communication Division. The study reports on a systematic content analysis of the websites of 73 National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Centers across 33 Cancer Types for availability and readability of content in English and Spanish. The study found that while most Cancer Center websites have information about most of the cancer types, no single Cancer Center had information for all 33 cancer types. For Spanish language information, only 9 Cancer Center websites (12%) had information available in Spanish. Results also revealed that readability scores for English and Spanish information were well above the recommended 5th-6th grade reading levels. The findings have tremendous implications for cancer communication, especially the accessibility of this information for those who have low-literacy and are non-English speakers. The team is currently working on the manuscript to submit for publication.

At the conference, Chan was also elected to serve as the next Chair of the Health Communication Division.

Miah Jeffra presenting at the Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans

Miah Jeffra (English) presented "Adjusting the Aperture: on Ekphrasis" at the Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans over Spring Break. His essay, "(after A Natural History of the Senses)," will be published in the Spring 2026 issue of Black Warrior Review.

Image: Miah presenting at the Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans.

Apara Nanda (English) recently published "Cartographies of Desire: Heterotopias in Chitra Divakaruni’s Sister of My Heart and The Vine of Desire," in South Asian Review, a top tier journal for Literature and Literary Theory.

Abstract: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Sister of My Heart and its sequel, The Vine of Desire, tell the story of two cousins, Anju and Sudha—the former free-spirited and vibrant, the latter submissive and vulnerable. Fairy tales, myth-making, dreams, letters, and assignments create heterotopic spaces that provide disturbing access to the psyche of the two women. These Foucauldian heterotopic worlds seem to reflect lived reality through discursive spaces, though they actually threaten the placid exterior of the linear narrative with disturbing revelations. This paper reads Foucault’s elaborations on heterotopia in both texts to show how Divakaruni uses space to navigate and reveal the intricacies of her characters. Cultural and social differences brought into play by diasporic movements are seminal, as they hark back to a home left behind while the characters struggle to survive and thrive in a new world. Memory haunts the characters, but as Mahmoud Darwish suggests, "every remembering is a [subtle] forgetting." Finally, varied linguistic styles create a rich pastiche as direct authorial narration jousts with literary interventions and individual verbal nuances that betray the characters' inner thoughts.

Blake de Maria (Art and Art History) travelled to Venice, Italy, to work in the prints and drawings collection housed in Ca'Rezzonico. The purpose of her visit was to research and photograph a hand-drawn album of jewelry designs. Dating to the early 18th century, the volume includes the only known illustrations of the items that needed to be fabricated in order to be designated by the state as a certified jeweler. The illustrations will figure prominently in her forthcoming book, Gemstones, Jewelers, and Jewelry in Venice: Facets of Splendor in the Global Renaissance. The book, which will be released in early 2027, examines all aspects of the gem trade in Venice, ranging from the acquisition of gems from Asia and the Americas to their transformation into objects of magnificence and display, as illustrated in the Ca' Rezzonico album.

Smiling person with earbuds and a colorful pillow in the background.

Marie Bertola (Modern Languages and Literatures) co-hosted a Meet & Greet for the Underrepresented Languages Special Interest Group of the California Language Teachers' Association at the association’s annual conference in Sacramento, held February 28–March 1. The interest session highlighted the critical role of advocacy in language education, with a particular emphasis on underrepresented and less commonly taught languages. It brought together educators, high school teachers, and world language program coordinators to engage in conversation about how linguistic and cultural diversity can be more strategically supported within K-16 educational settings. The session underscored the significance of languages not only as academic disciplines but also as vital expressions of cultural identity and as pedagogical frameworks through which global learning and engagement occur. It further emphasized that language proficiency can give access to a wide range of academic and professional trajectories, strengthening students’ capacity to engage effectively across varied cultural, professional and institutional contexts.

Tripp Strawbridge (Modern Languages and Literatures) presented at the 2026 conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) on March 22, in Chicago, Illinois. His presentation, "Different strokes: Relating L2 proficiency development to personality profile and social networks in study abroad," explored the question of why students' experiences are observed to differ so greatly while studying abroad, with regard to both language learning and social network development. Participants were 62 U.S.-based university learners of Spanish who studied abroad in Spain for one semester. Results showed that students' personality profile had a significant effect on their social lives; students who were more extraverted developed less dense social networks, meaning that they spent time with a greater variety of social groups. Students who scored higher on the characteristic "conscientiousness" (organized, thorough, thoughtful) were more successful at meeting "international" contacts (non-Spanish, non-American). Both of these characteristics (extraversion, conscientiousness) were, in turn, beneficial for language learning.

Looking into the Right Window Gallery in San Francisco at an image + text exhibit titled White Paint

Robin Tremblay-McGaw's (English) solo exhibit "WHITE PAINT" opened at the Artists' Television Access Right Window Gallery, 992 Valencia St., San Francisco, on April 3. The work is up through the month of April. The image+text pieces in this show use research and inquiry into the charged names and histories of commercial household paint colors and pigments to explore, among other things, the intersection of race and aesthetics, with particular attention to the rhetoric of white supremacy and racism in everyday cultural productions. Her project centers on a reflective investigation into whiteness, turning the “camera,” linguistic, and textual frameworks on American and other cultural productions and institutions, from her position as a white woman. For more info, see .

Image: Looking into the Right Window Gallery.

Headshots of the Marc Sanders Foundation Philosophy in Media Fellows 2026

Justin Clardy (Philosophy) was recently announced as a 2026 Marc Sanders Foundation Philosophy in Media Fellow. Generously funded by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Princeton University's Center for Human Values and the Department of Philosophy, The Marc Sanders Foundation Philosophy in Media Initiative aims to increase the presence of philosophy in print, audio, and video media by training philosophers to write and produce for the public and by connecting philosophers to editors and commissioners in the media industry. Justin will be developing his podcast "The PAGES Pod" during his time in residence this summer.

Alberto and Ana with a group of FECh members in the audience.

In March, Alberto Ribas-Casasayas (Modern Languages and Literatures) was in Santiago, Chile, presenting the volume Otras iluminaciones: Narrativa, cultura y psicodélicos with his co-editor Ana Luengo, before diverse audiences of students and faculty in three separate presentations at: Universidad Alberto Hurtado, the Jesuit University in Santiago; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, as part of the graduate seminar “Contemporary Literary Criticism,” with two respondents, Environmental Humanities professor Rodrigo Bobadilla and English professor Richard Parker; and, of particular significance, La Federación de Estudiantes de la Universidad de Chile (FECh). Founded in 1906, FECh is the oldest student union in Latin America, and has played a significant role in Chile’s social and political history, such as the overthrow of Carlos Ibáñez’s del Campo’s dictatorship, protests against C. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, and numerous movements in defense of human rights and social justice since 1990.

Tom Plante (Psychology), along with recent ��Ĵ�ý graduate Bella Gustavel ’25 (Psychology), published the journal article "" in Pastoral Psychology.

Abstract: The notion that life is sacred and should be treated as such is an increasingly important perspective and virtue in a rapidly challenging, violent, and divisive world. Yet, there are few high-quality, cost-effective, relevant, and easy-to-use assessment instruments currently available to measure this construct. This paper introduces the new Santa Clara Sacredness Scale, a brief and free to use questionnaire that assesses an individual’s perspective on sacredness. The 10-item scale was administered to a diverse group of 334 persons from the general public recruited through a snowball sampling methodology, along with several other measures to assess reliability, validity, and utility. Information regarding the scale along with preliminary psychometric data is presented. Implications for future research and use are discussed as well.

Justin Boren delivering the 2026 WSCA Presidential Address

Justin P. Boren (Communication) delivered the Presidential Address at the 96th annual Western States Communication Association's convention in San Diego, California. Justin was the President of the association for the prior year and served as the primary program planner of the 95th annual convention last year in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His speech, "," was just published in the Western Journal of Communication. He is now serving as the association's Immediate Past President.

Image: Justin delivering the WSCA Presidential Address.

Anna Sampaio (Ethnic Studies) recently published "Resistance and Transformation: REP as a Model of Radical Community in Political Science," in the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics as part of their special issue edited by Natalie Masuoka and Benjamin Gonzalez entitled, "." The essay reflects on her term as President and Co-President of the section and a co-founder of the Journal.

Anna's work in Political Science was also included in the - a multi-year project that seeks to amplify the scholarship and contributions of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to the profession and investigate the history of race and racism in the political science profession through recorded oral history interviews. Her to the series was presented publicly at the 2026 Western Political Science Association Meetings in San Diego, California.

��Ĵ�ý students and faculty at the 2026 USITT conference in Long Beach, CA Top left: Heather's workshop; center: Gia Gonnella '26 (Psychology, Theatre Arts), Audrey Thomson '26 (Theatre Arts), Imogen McAlexander '29 (Mechanical Engineering), Kiernan Doty '29 (Engineering undeclared), Ximena Melgoza '27 (Theatre Arts), Will Patmore '27 (Computer Science and Engineering), Emi Vanegas '27 (Accounting and Information Systems), Isaac Garcia-Velasquez '27 (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Sydney Gorin '27 (Psychology), Christian Barnard '26 (Political Science, Theatre Arts); right: tabling at the Expo. Bottom left: the group with Derek Duarte (furthest right), center and right: Katie presenting her poster and with her juried exhibit.

Heather Kenyon and Katie Dowse, along with Erik Sunderman, Steven Fetter and Naomi Arnst (all Theatre and Dance), took 10 students to the annual United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) conference in Long Beach, California, a national gathering of approximately 6,500 theatre design and technology professionals and the largest conference of its kind in the United States. Faculty, staff, and students engaged in professional development through hands-on labs, panel discussions, and special topic sessions. Eight of the ten students attended for the first time, gaining exposure to national networks and emerging practices, while also representing ��Ĵ�ý by tabling at the conference and connecting with alumni, including emeritus faculty member Derek Duarte.

Heather led the hands-on lab “Making a Model Staircase.” Katie presented two posters: “Is it Worth It? Cost Effective 3D Printing on Fabric for Theatre” and “Three Approaches to Gender Illusion: Costuming Gender in Twelfth Night, Tootsie, and Golden Girls Live!” Her costume designs for Maine State Theatre’s Tootsie were also selected for the juried Design Expo 2026 Exhibition.

Mar

State of Illusion Exhibition

Mar. 9-Apr. 22, M-F, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Edward M. Dowd Art and Art History Bldg

Influenced by the toys and cartoons from their childhoods, artists Yvonne Escalante and Lauren O’Connor-Korb each revisit the role these items had, and continue to have, in developing lasting points of view and engrained social constructs. Through this exhibition, Escalante and O’Connor-Korb create a space where viewers can experience sculpture that extends a playful invitation to peer behind the curtain and reconsider these systems of meaning.

Apr

Taking the Stage: 50 Years Ago at the Mayer

Apr 8-June 15 | Norman F. Martin, S.J. Reading Room, Learning Commons 3rd Floor

Taking the Stage: 50 Years Ago at the Mayer celebrates the 50th anniversary of ��Ĵ�ý’s Louis B. Mayer Theatre by telling the story of the building’s construction, its opening night and some of the first performances that graced its stage. Since the groundbreaking in 1975 and the inaugural production of A Man for All Seasons, Mayer Theatre has hosted hundreds of plays, dance performances, and annual events, adding to ��Ĵ�ý’s distinguished history of excellence in performing arts.

Apr

The Odyssey Homer-athon

April 16 and 17, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Alameda Mall

Join Classics and Premodern Studies for a marathon reading of The Odyssey outside at the Library Arcade.

Apr

Nicholas Whittaker: “Black Moon: A Phenomenology for the Negro Witch”

3:30-5 p.m. | St. Clare Room

Nicholas Whittaker has written about movies, books, blackness, and love for publications including the New York Times, the LA Review of Books, and The Point. In this talk, Whittaker works alongside the film Cette Maison (2022) to develop an account of the value of black horror cinema: not what it is, but why it is (or, rather, should be).

Apr

Tim Miller’s A Body In the O

7 p.m. | Fess Parker Studio Theatre

Jumping off from a day in 1984 when Miller climbed up inside of the “O” of the Hollywood sign and imagined the performance space of his dreams, A Body in the O traces decades of artistic and political gay life in the U.S.

4-6 p.m. Performance creation workshop open to students, faculty and staff.

Apr

tUrn week

April 20-26 All Day | Various locations, on & off campus

Monday, April 20 — Indigenous & international perspectives

Tuesday, April 21 — Planting seeds, harvesting climate justice

Wednesday, April 22 — Waste not, want not

Thursday, April 23 — Afghanistan, art, energy, & activism

Friday, April 24 — Forest fires & fueling fortitude

Saturday, April 25 — Castlerock park

Connect with tUrn partners and in the curriculum

More info

Accessibility Compliance

Apr

Creating Accessible Documents (Virtual)

10:30 a.m.-Noon | Zoom

You can provide equal access to all students through leveling up your digital accessibility knowledge. In this workshop, we will cover best practices in creating accessible materials in Word, PowerPoint, and Google Apps. You will also learn how to use the accessibility checkers built into these tools.

Apr

Grackle 101: Google Docs Accessibility Made Simple

1:30-2:30 p.m. | Zoom

Learn how to use Grackle, the accessibility suite for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Transform “inaccessible” files into compliant, screen-reader-friendly PDFs and documents with just a few clicks.

Apr

Making Your Camino Course Accessible (Virtual)

2-3:30 p.m. | Zoom

Get to know the tools ��Ĵ�ý provides to faculty to support accessibility for all students. In this workshop, you will get hands-on experience using Camino’s accessibility tools: UDOIT and Convert. You will also learn good practices for creating accessible learning content in Camino (text formatting, videos, images, and link descriptions).

Apr

Accessibility Implementation Hour (Virtual)

1-2 p.m. | Zoom

Have follow-up questions from one of our digital accessibility workshops? Just want to have some extra time to discuss something you are working on? Come meet with a member of the Instructional Technology team to get support with digital accessibility. Repeats weekly through May 28.

Accessibility Resources

Apr

Music@Noon – Music for Earth Day

Noon | Music Recital Hall

Featuring Vox Balanae (Voice of the Whale) by George Crumb.
Ray Furuta, flute; Gianna Abondolo, cello; Teresa McCollough, piano.

Apr

Truth-Telling in Dangerous Times as an Act of Solidarity: The Rising Stakes of Ethical Journalism

1-2 p.m. | Lucas 107

In 2026, journalism has quickly arrived at an ethical crossroads of regularly needing to decide whether to restate official claims or challenge them with on-the-ground reporting. By deciding to prioritize the reality of what is happening on-the-ground, journalism displays solidarity in action: an ethical commitment to people’s basic dignity that translates into deciding if a topic is newsworthy, how to verify claims, how to interact with sources, how to structure stories, and how to assess impact. Join the Journalism and Media Ethics program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics for a conversation with former Markkula Center staff member Anita Varma, Ph.D., who has written a groundbreaking new book called Solidarity in Journalism: How Ethical Reporting Fights for Social Justice. Co-sponsored by the Departments of Communication and Anthropology.

Faculty Development

Apr

CAFE Hacking the Publication Process

Noon-1 p.m. | Varsi Hall 222

Getting your research published can be a daunting task, especially if you’re still in the earlier stages of your career or if your work is engaging with a new field or disciplinary perspective. This CAFE features an expert panel of editors, who will give a behind-the-scenes view of publishing in their disciplinary areas and share some tips and tricks to ‘hack’ the publication process.

Apr

Faculty Advising: Basics & Best Practices

2-3:30 p.m. | Varsi Hall 222

From faculty advising to college belonging: workshop for faculty advisors to learn strategies for supporting student academic planning.

Also on , 2-3:30 p.m.

Apr

Beyond the Major: Advising About the Core and More

11 a.m.-Noon | Varsi Hall 222

Advising students means attending to more than just their major.

May

First Fridays Shut Up & Write

9 a.m.-Noon | Varsi Hall 222

Writing Retreat – Quiet Time to Write & Recharge

Got IT Questions or Issues?

Stop by the virtual IT drop-in sessions with Charles Deleon! These sessions are designed to provide faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences a friendly and casual setting for addressing general IT questions and concerns. Feel free to drop in and out at any time during the scheduled session, whether you have a quick question, need assistance with something and don't know where to start, or simply want to learn more about our IT resources.

Biweekly. Next sessions: Friday, Apr. 24, and May 8, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

link

Apr

Faculty Recital: Nancy Wait-Kromm

7:30 p.m. | Music Recital Hall

A festive evening of solo and ensemble singing, including selections from the Brahms Liebeslieder Wálzer, Mendelssohn Two Part Songs, PDQ Bach’s Liebeslieder Polkas and others.

Apr

Bay Area Undergraduate Art History Research Symposium

1-4:30 p.m. | de Saisset Museum

This annual event—founded in 2010 by ��Ĵ�ý, University of San Francisco, Dominican University of California, and Saint Mary’s College of California—showcases the work of art history students. Since then, it has grown to encompass much of the Northern California region and includes up to12 participating institutions. Reception to follow.

Apr

Restoration of Sight with a Photovoltaic Substitute for the Lost Photoreceptors

4-5 p.m. | SCDI 1308

Join the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics for an exciting talk by Stanford Professor Daniel Palanker, who will describe his ground-breaking biophysics R&D work that enables people with severe retinal degenerative disease to functionally see again!

Apr

Music@Noon – Romantic Gestures

Noon | Music Recital Hall

Featuring the music of Bohuslav Martinů and Sergei Rachmaninov
Evan Kahn, cello; Amy Zanrosso, piano.

Apr

Until Divorce Do Us Part?: The 18th-Century Divorce Plot and Women’s Testimony in Literature

12:10 - 1:15 p.m. | Learning Commons 129

The 18th-century marriage plot is associated with novels, like Jane Austen’s. There is also a lesser-known “divorce plot” in 18th-century literature. In their divorce trials, 18th-century wives had few avenues to testify in court, and consequently, published literature to tell their stories in the court of public opinion. Kirstyn Leuner (English) will present this latest installment of the Brown Bag in the Humanities.

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