ANTS Student E-News Tuesday, May 8, 2007

In this message:

NEW

- Paper Recycling: We did it!
- Fall Course Time Change

REVIEW

- Nick Page Power Sing at Convocation - May 17
- Request for Pianist at Reunion Dinner - May 17
- New Resident Representatives Chosen for 2007-2008
- Invitation to Ordination
- Vote in Student Association Elections
- Charles Street AME Church Residency Program
- Graduating Seniors - Join the Alumni/ae Center and Get the News
- Dr. Valerie Dixon opts to not stand for tenure: plans to leave ANTS next year
- COME SING in the 2007 ANTS BACCALAUREATE CHOIR!
- Lodging At UCC General Synod
- Rationale for New Tuition Fee Structure, April 2007
- Darrick Jackson's Farewell Reception - May 9
- Wilson Chapel Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - May 18, 2007

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Paper Recycling: We did it!
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The Spring Paper Drive was a great success. The ANTS community collected enough paper to keep our bin.

Thank-you to everyone who participated, donated paper, emptied boxes, purchased boxes, and wore green

ribbons.
Those of you who will be on campus this summer, please continue to bring in your paper and support the

recycling program.
Thanks again!
The Paper Recycling Group

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Fall Course Time Change
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INTE 747F, Unitarian Universalist Polity, has been changed from Monday afternoons to Monday mornings.

This is in order to resolve the conflict with Thematic Preaching.

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REGISTER NOW - Come to Spring COnvocation! - SPECIAL LOW PRICE For Students, SENIORS free
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Registration DEADLINE: May 10

Spring Convocation and Reunions
May 17, 2007
The keynote speaker at Spring Convocation will be Rev. Liz Walker, award-winning journalist and former

anchor of the WBZ evening news. Following Liz's address, a panel of Andover Newton faculty will discuss

trouble areas around the globe. In the afternoon, enjoy World Music with Nick Page, founder and director

of Mystic Chorale.
Registration has been extended to May 10.
Read Convocation Invitation: http://www.ants.edu/alumni/convocation07_letter.pdf
View Schedule: http://www.ants.edu/alumni/convocation07_schedule.pdf
Download Registration Form: http://www.ants.edu/alumni/convocation07_registration.pdf
Register Online: https://andover1.securesites.com/alumni/conv07_form.htm

SENIORS - COME TO CONVOCATION AS OUR GUESTS
Seniors are invited as our guests, and other students, faculty and staff are invited at the special ANTS

price of $7. Guests and friends are invited to pay $20 for the day.

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Nick Page Power Sing at Convocation - May 17
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Nick Page will do a Power Sing after lunch on May 17th and that is not to be missed!

Nick Page is a composer, conductor, author, and song leader. From 1983 to 1986, Mr. Page was a conductor

with the Chicago Children¹s Choir and he currently directs the Mystic Chorale of Boston as well as

leading sings and workshops throughout the Americas and Europe. He is the author of two books for

teachers and his choral music is published by Boosey & Hawkes and by World Music Press. He has a Music

Education degree from Ithaca College and a Masters in Education from Lesley College. See testimonies on

Nick's homepage. A resume is below.

Nick Page has been surrounded by singing all of his life. Every Saturday night his family would gather

around the fire to sing folk songs, pop songs, spirituals, and rounds---songs in harmony. Nick does not

see these early experiences as being old fashioned or from a distant past, long ago replaced by

television. Instead, he sees these experiences as being necessary for growth, both as an individual and

as a member of society.

Believing that there should be no separation between the talented and the untalented, Nick Page makes

his living as a song leader. He works with children who have an inborn love of singing and he works with

adults, many of whom have lost their love of singing a long time ago. Nick renews the love. He also

works with educators, both classroom teachers and music specialists. The main themes in his teacher

workshops surround the perspectives of multi-cultural and multi-sensory learning, particularly with the

aid of singing.

"I've never seen anyone else who can capture the enthusiasm of a crowd and make them all into joyful,

expressive, energized singers like Nick can." Lee Kessalman, composer

"Nick uses his knowledge of the cultural context of the music to take the students on a musical journey

they long to travel again and again." Tim Sharp, Miami Children¹s Choir

"Nick Page is an American Icon, a song leader and choral composer dedicated to world music and music

education for all." Dr. Doreen Rao

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Request for Pianist at Reunion Dinner - May 17
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We are looking for a pianist for dinner music for the alum dinner on May 17. There will be a

Kurtzweiler keyboard - we're looking for nice background music. Appropriate material appreciation will

be shown...
Please contact Priscilla Deck at 617-964-1100 ext. 209 or pdeck@ants.edu.

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New Resident Representatives Chosen for 2007-2008
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Congratulations to the students who were selected to serve in the role of Resident Representative during

the 2007-2008 academic year!

Herrick House: Kurt and Jen Walker (new)
Farwell Hall: Andy Edwards (new) and Chandra Bellamy (returning)
Kendall Hall: Cass Poulos (returning)
Fuller Hall: Len and Carol Hayward (returning)
Appleton-Chase: Liz Miller (new)

Nancy Nienhuis
Dean of Students and Community Life

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Invitation to Ordination
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The First Parish Church Unitarian Universalist, Bridgewater and the
First Universalist Society in Franklin request the honor of your presence at
the ordination of Joanne Marie Giannino into the Unitarian Universalist
Ministry
Sunday, June 10, 2007 3:00 p.m. at The First Parish Church Unitarian
Universalist, Bridgewater, 50 School Street, Bridgewater, MA 02324.
Reception to follow. Spouses/partners and children are invited to attend.
Childcare will be available. Clergy, religious educators and seminarians
are invited to gather and robe at 2:30 p.m. Please R.S.V.P. on or before May
20 at 508-528-5348 or fusf@verizon.net.

Directions to First Parish Bridgewater: 50 School Street, Bridgewater, MA
508-697-2525. Take Rte. 24 to Exit 15 (Rte. 104) and at end of exit ramp
turn toward Bridgewater and follow Rte. 104 to the town Common. (Or take
Rte. 18 or 28 to the Common.) At the south end of the Common turn east
(right) onto School St. Church is on the left just past the Fire Station and
the Hunt School.
Turn left into parking lot.

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Vote in Student Association Elections
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Student Association Elections are in progress from Friday, May 4 to Thursday, May 10. Vote online now!
Vote:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=572613809702

To learn more about the candidates, visit the Student Association campus group in Connect:
https://connect.ants.edu/ics/Campus_Life/Campus_Groups/Student_Association/

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Charles Street AME Church Residency Program
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The Charles Street AME Church Residency Program seeks applicants for a 2 year, salaried position

beginning Sept. 1, 2007. Applications are due by May 25, 2007 (copies of the application are available

in the box on my door). the program is designed to enhance the experience of Itinerant Elders in

preparation for the pastoral ministry within the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

For more information please contact the Program Director, Rev. Viola P. Morris-Buchanan, at

vmbuchanan@csame.org or at 617-427-8077, ext. 1.

Nancy Nienhuis
Dean of Students and Community Life

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Graduating Seniors - Join the Alumni/ae Center and Get the News
—---------------------------------------------------------------
Find your classmates and friends and gain access to ATLAS in our Alumni/ae Center, a password-restricted

membership area for ANTS alumni/ae only.
Join the Alumni/ae Center: https://andover1.securesites.com/alumni/registration.htm

Sign up for the Andover Newton E-news newsletter to receive monthly notices about Andover Newton news

and events. (The next newsletter will be sent in late summer or early fall.)
Subscribe to Andover Newton E-news: http://www.ants.edu/alumnews/index.htm

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Dr. Valerie Dixon opts to not stand for tenure: plans to leave ANTS next year.
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In recent months Dr. Valerie Dixon, Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics, shared with Dean Herzog and

her faculty colleagues her decision not to stand for tenure. This significant moment in the long

standing traditions of academia involves a great deal of reflection for any scholar. In the midst of

preparing for her schedule tenure review, Dr. Dixon, who is a well known womanist scholar and social

activist, decided that the road of tenured teaching was not consistent with her plans for herself and

her beliefs about the future of academia. In addition, this juncture affords her a chance to pursue some

doctoral teaching possibilities in a non-seminary setting, something that has been a growing interest

for some time.

Dr. Dixon will remain a full and active member of the Andover Newton faculty and community for the next

academic year. She has reached an agreement with the Dean to conclude her employment here in June of

2008. Since her announcement to the faculty Dr. Dixon has been an active participant in the search for

new ethics faculty at Andover Newton and her voice helped shape the choices we have so proudly presented

to our community in recent days.

Valerie has been a well-known presence in our community and, when the time is appropriate, we will find

a way to honor her for her many contributions to this community, and we will have an opportunity to wish

her well. Happily, she will be with us for another year so we can to benefit from her presence in our

midst.

Nick Carter

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COME SING in the 2007 ANTS BACCALAUREATE CHOIR!
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Come one, come all, and be part of the first ANTS Community Service in Wilson Chapel, this year's

Baccalaureate service on Friday evening, May 18, at 7:00pm. We'll gather in Wilson at 6:00pm sharp (one

hour before the service begins), and learn the song we'll sing in the service.

Bring your friends! All are welcome to sing: students, staff, friends, and enemies!

Questions? Contact Professor Matthew Myer Boulton: mboulton@ants.edu

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Lodging At UCC General Synod
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UCC 26th General Synod

Hartford, CT

June 22-26, 2007

General Synod – Limited Alternative Lodging

There are a limited number of beds available at host homes in the Hartford Area for seminary students

who are unable to afford the cost of hotel lodging. Reservations must be made in advance and will not

be accepted after June 1. A Request for Home Accommodations Form is available by contacting Char

Corbett, Co-Moderator of ANTS UCC Student Fellowship by email at charcorbett@snet.net. Dates, the

number of beds, room sharing, allergies and special needs must be indicated. Breakfast at these homes

will be provided and you must secure your own transportation. Volunteers are also still needed for a

variety of Synod tasks and can also be indicated on the form. If you have other needs, questions or

concerns, please let Char know.

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Rationale for New Tuition Fee Structure, April 2007
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Download PDF letter: http://www.ants.edu/student/forms/RationaleTuition0708.pdf

Dear ANTS Students,

Beginning next year we will be implementing a multi-tiered tuition structure based on the number of

courses you're taking. We wanted to let you know about this new scale and explain why we are moving in

this direction.

As you know, there are a number of services that support student life at ANTS, all of which come at a

cost. Faculty, staff, the library, cafeteria, building infrastructure and upkeep, IT resources, and

more all come at a cost. Regardless of whether you take 1 class or 8 over a given year, all of these

resources need to be in place for each of you. Each tuition credit hour you pay provides a partial

offset of these costs, although tuition does not cover the full cost of running the school. Up until

now we have split these costs evenly across all students, even though those of you who pay more tuition

in a given semester are actually contributing more to these costs than are those who take fewer classes.

We feel that it is unjust to ask those of you who pay more tuition to continue to cover a

disproportionate portion of these costs.

In order to address this concern we are moving to a multi-tiered tuition structure. The more courses

you take, the lower your cost per credit hour. In fact, for the first time in recent history those of

you who are full-time (24+ credits/year) will pay no increase in tuition at all next year, even though

our operating costs have risen. We have elected to give you a 4% discount. Those of you who take 21-23

credits will face the standard 4% increase in tuition, or $450/credit hour. If you take 15-20 credits

over the course of a year your tuition will be $500/credit hour, and if you take 0-14 credits your

tuition will be $550/credit hour. The total credits for courses you take; fall, winter, spring, and

summer, will be added together to get these totals.

Aside from the justice issue described above there are a number of other items we took into

consideration as we made this decision:

- We want to continue to support part-time students. Unlike many of our peer institutions who require

degree candidates to be full-time (in part because their costs per student go down when they do) we feel

it is important to continue to have part-time students at ANTS. We appreciate what you contribute to

this community.

- We want to raise the level of financial aid available to students. By making these adjustments we

will be able to increase the amount we can discount your cost of attending ANTS. While we offered the

equivalent of a 22% discount last year to those with greatest financial need, this year we are

increasing that discount to 30%.

- We are concerned about student debt. We know from our own and national data that student indebtedness

can make the difference between someone staying in ministry or leaving because they cannot pay back

loans. We also know that students who move through seminary more quickly leave with less debt. We want

you to have less debt.

- Church bodies have expressed concern to us about the length of time students are taking to complete

their studies. We hope this change provides motivation for you to move through your ANTS work more

quickly.

- We asked you! In a recent survey on course load many of you indicated that if we made it less

expensive to take more courses you would probably elect to take more classes.

As we begin to provide a tuition structure that is fairer across students, we are also working to insure

that our course offering match your schedules. We are trying to increase the number of times required

courses are offered as well as adjusting the scheduling of these courses in order to make it easier for

you to move smoothly toward your goal of graduation. At the same time, we still welcome those of you

who want to take your time as you journey through seminary. And for those of you who are seniors, who

have pursued your degrees full-time and have very few classes left to take next year, please contact me

to discuss what we'll do for you in light of this new schedule. Let me know if you have any questions.

Take good care,

Nancy Nienhuis
Dean of Students and Community Life
Faculty of Theology

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Darrick Jackson's Farewell Reception - May 9
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Dear friends and colleagues,

Please set aside Wednesday, May 9 from 3-4:30 as a time to thank Darrick and wish him well as he leaves

to begin his new position as the Assistant Director of Youth Ministries at the Unitarian Universalist

Association. Be sure to congratulate him on obtaining his Master of Divinity degree as well! We will

have desserts and beverages in the MEETINGHOUSE. All faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend

this event. If you find you are unable to attend, please make it a point to stop by the

Admissions/Recruitment Office (before May 16, his last day!) to express your personal appreciation for

the contributions Darrick has made to the Admissions/Recruitment Office, Student Services in general,

and the larger campus community.

So put the date on your calendar and come and join us as we bless Darrick on his way to a new adventure!
Thanks so much,
Peg

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Wilson Chapel Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - May 18, 2007
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Friday, May 18, 2007
12:00 - 12:45 PM Lunch on the Quad
1:00 P.M. Dedication fo Wilson Chapel
2:00 PM Tours of the new chapel, cake and punch

On May 18, 2007, ANTS will be hosting the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Dedication for the New Wilson

Chapel. The Quad will be covered by a large tent insuring the celebration will occur rain or shine ( of

course we expect a beautiful day).

A light lunch will be served from 12:00-12:45 and the Ceremony will begin at 1PM and should conclude by

2PM.

If you are coming to lunch, PLEASE RSVP to Evan Page so that we can order enough food and drinks for all

attending (Trustees, Faculty and Staff do not have to RSVP since we have included you in our numbers).

Since classes will be ended, we do need to know the number of Students, Alumnae/i,Guests and Friends who

will be attending. The tent will accommodate up to 600 individuals.

After the Ceremony, cake and punch will be available as well as tours of the New Chapel. Please join us

!

RSVP to Evan PAge
E-Mail: epage@ants.edu
Phone: 617-964-1100 ext. 201

More info: http://www.ants.edu/community/events/2007/051807chapel.htm
Photos of Chapel:

http://www.ants.edu/photos/construction2006/index.htm

ANTS E-news
Karen Brockney and Jason Bachand
enews@ants.edu