Alumni Newsletter Spring 2008

Interested in contacting a fellow Collins alum? Send an email request to Sarah Eaton, the Alumni Coordinator, at eatons@indiana.edu. With permission, we are happy to share contact information.

Matthew Aubuchon. I was an RA on Cravens 1 for the 1994-1995 school year. After completing my B.S. in Dec. 1996, I eventually went back to graduate school and completed my M.S. in Entomology at Auburn University in 2001. Nine days after that, I moved to Gainesville, FL, for the Ph.D. in Entomology which I finished in 2006. Fortunately, nine days after graduation, I started at a new position in the Fire Ant Research Unit of USDA-ARS facility in Gainesville. Within that time, I married another IU Hoosier named Amanda in 2005. We got married in St. Augustine, FL, which is a beautiful and historic port city.

Kip Baker. My wife and I moved to the beach after our youngest graduated from college and "got off the payroll". During our first year here, we managed to get a SPARC grant for an art installation at Southeast High School in Chocowinity, NC. Since then Leni has worked with students creating silk banners in literally hundreds of schools in North Carolina and worked with the Art 3 students to create the banners simulating the waters of the Pamlico River which is the lifeblood of this community. The title "Fish of Many Waters" comes from the Native American name given to the town, Chocowinity .Other than that, I continue to teach art at the elementary level at a local school and Leni is in the process of setting up a new studio. Given the fun we experienced in combining our artistic efforts, we are looking for new projects on which to work. Life on the beach is fun...

Robert Battistini. I was involved with Collins from '89-'93 as a student of Chris Kearns. The classes that changed my life (I switched from neuropyschopharmacology to literature) were "Woman as Monster" (LLC spring '91) and "Between Image and Reality" (LLC fall '91). Currently, I'm an assistant professor of English, specializing in early American literature, at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. I'll be married to Emily Barron (not a Collins alum, alas), this May.

Allison Cooke. I returned to Bloomington in September 2006 to work in the IU Office of University Communications. My official job title is "web presence data manager" and I handle our website (http://www.newsinfo.iu.edu). I recently became a homeowner and love being back in Bloomington!

Emily Clossin. I currently work for Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis.

Laura Cronk. I teach in The Writing Program at The New School in Manhattan and live in Jersey City, NJ with my husband David Wilson.

Nancy Cunningham (Famulari). I’m a Collins alumnus from 1973-1974. I transferred and received my degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Mike Davis. I lived at Collins from 1977-1982 and from 1984-87. I was Residence Hall President in 1979-80, taught a Q Class in 1981-82, and served as a Resident Fellow from 1980-82 and 1984-87, including work as Assistant Coordinator from 1985-87. The LLC has been a huge part of my education—an education that has enriched my life beyond the learning of the classroom. I hope all continues to go well.

James Ferguson. I moved to Manhattan after graduating in 1988 and have been here, loving this city, ever since. I am an actor/dancer/stripper/librarian. I work part-time in a college library and the rest of my time is shows. I have performed all over the city for 19 years, as well as touring the country, Europe, and Australia. The shows just this past year have ranged from Shakespeare to Burlesque, playing in France (in French), in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, DC, and Portland. Last year I won the first-ever title of Mr. Exotic World (Best Solo Male in Burlesque) at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. Other awards have included a Golden Pastie for "The Performer Most Likely to Get Shut Down by the Law.” Most people know me as Tigger!, especially in the burlesque world. It's better to reach me at www.myspace.com/tiggernyc. I have had the pleasure of working with the likes of Michael Moore, Margaret Cho, Marianne Faithfull, Quentin Crisp, Penny Arcade, and Karen Finley, among others. I have been with my wonderful husband Scott, who is a painter and stylist, for almost six years.

Lindsay Fitch-Alexander (prev. Alexander). I just had my second baby, Matthew, born April 8 on Easter! Big sister Elizabeth is almost 3. I am working part time as a general pediatrician in Linthicum, a suburb of Baltimore. I still miss Bloomington, IU, and the Midwest quite a lot!

Shawn Fitzpatrick. I've taught ESL in Japan for the past 5 and 1/2 years. It turns out, I enjoy it, so I'm about to embark upon a masters in TESL at the University of Illinois. I also now have a 1 year old named Rick.

Valerie (Hirshorn) Frank. My husband Jason and I welcomed twin girls (fraternal), Alexandra Claire and Serena Jane, in January '07. We also have a three-year-old named Ella.

Sara Gilchrist. I am a Collins Alumna from 1992-1994. I'm currently looking for graduate schools in Library Science and working part-time at the Indianapolis Art Center. I'd love to hear from other Collins alumni.

David Goodman. My partner, Gary Krupnick, and I also adopted as infants two children from Vietnam. Andy is 5.5 years old and Nathan is 21 months old. Both children are true joys and enjoy going to preschool at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.

Ellen Goldberg. My most recent accomplishment is getting a full-time job as an Academic Advisor at Harold Washington College in Chicago Illinois, and getting my Master's in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago in December of 2006. I started the full-time gig on August the 7th, 2007 and am thrilled about it. I also teach Spanish at the college level, which I love! QUESTION: I don’t know when you received this email and hence am not sure in what year Ellen got a master’s degree and in what year she startsed at Harold Washington.

Erika Gubrium. I'm working for the American Association for University Professors (a faculty union and advocacy organization) in Berkeley, California, and received my PhD from University of Florida last year.

Candi (Brunk) Harrison. I was chairman of the student advisory group that worked with Don Bell – back in 1971-72 – to create the Living-Learning Center, and I was an RA and Assistant Coordinator there its first two years of existence, so it has a special place in my heart. A link to my blog: http://candioncontent.blogspot.com/

Craig Henry. I lived in Collins from 1976 to 1978. I currently work for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management as the Section Chief of Air Enforcement.

Veronica Hites. I lived in Collins Cravens in the fall of 1986. I received a BA in Geography in 1991 and a BS in Science Education in 1994 from IUB. I currently work in the office of the Executive Director for Academic Support, in Maxwell Hall. I’ve lived in Bloomington since I was 10 years old (BHSS grad).

Colin Jorgenson. After graduation, I moved to Chico, California, where I am currently working at a CBS/NBC/CW affiliate updating their website and helping out in the commercial productions department.

I figured I'd take this job and hang out for a while, obtain residency, and go to one the many California State Universities/Universities of California for a student affairs program. Right now, it's between San Francisco State, Long Beach State, and the University of Southern California.

I am currently applying for a residence-life position at California State University-Chico. It's a live-in, 11 month contractual position that would assist in the management of a Collins-sized residence center. I figure I can try it out for the duration of the contract and see if this is really the direction I want to take in my life.

As I was preparing my resume, I found that a lot of my student-life experiences came from Collins. Collins is an excellent program, and gave me the best experience possible as an undergraduate. I think this position would be an amazing opportunity for me to pass that knowledge and experience on to others.

Kelly S. Kuglitsch. I'm currently an Employee Benefits Attorney in Milwaukee.

Michael Martone. My new book is called “Double-wide” and has been published by IU Press. I also have a new book coming out in January called “Racing in Place”. I wanted to let you know that my book “Michael Martone,” a memoir made up of contributor's notes, has one story set in Collins--I have plenty of stories to tell about Collins. I was there to start Dancing Star, by the way.

Emily Meyers. I created Eyes of the World Media Group (www.eyesoftheworldmediagroup.com) as a way to use social entrepreneurship and media to impact the maximum number of hearts and minds. And I've been producing and directing educational, promotional, and advocacy videos to achieve that goal. I also serve as the Executive Director of Meaningful Media (www.meaningfulmedia.org), a non-profit network providing resources to inspire and empower others committed to improving our world through media. Before starting Eyes of the World and Meaningful Media, I worked as a strategic and financial consultant for Fortune 100 companies such as General Electric and Countrywide Financial. After college I went on to get an MBA from Indiana University and am now part of the Producers Program at UCLA.

Melissa Mills. Right now I am in my third year of a Masters degree at Western Michigan. My program of study is counselor education: community counseling with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. I should be done at the end of April 2008.

Wendy Nakashini. I am a former resident of the LLC, having lived in Smith in 1972 and in Collins in 1973. I have been living and working in Japan for the past twenty-three years after earning a doctorate in 18th-century English literature at Edinburgh University. I am a tenured member of the “Language and Culture” Department of Shikoku Gakuin University, located on the island of Kagawa.

My most recent publications include an autobiographical piece called "Home Thoughts" published in "Heartlands" magazine and another called "Filming the Foreigner" in the most recent issue of "The Kyoto Journal.” There is also an autobiographical essay called "From Tomatoes Ripe to Oranges Sweet: from Indiana to Kagawa" included in a book published a year or so ago called "Black Earth, Ivory Tower" edited by Zachary Jacks.

As for memories, I believe that Rudolf Nureyev visited MRC in 1972 or 1973. Some of us were ignorant of his greatness; I distinctly recall one boy baring his chest and asking Nureyev to autograph it! I also remember lively food fights staged between swimmers, with their blonde hair tinted green by pool chlorine, and the "artists" -- the opera singers, violinists, pianists -- who also occupied the dormitory. Wonderful days.

Thomas Payne. I am serving as Interim CEO of CHA Health in Lexington, Kentucky, which is now a subsidiary of Humana.

Rick Shafer. About my family: Daniel, who was born during my tenure as a Complex Coordinator of Collins, will be 11 in September. He is doing very well in school and has an active social life. His true love is music, and he spent a year singing with the Grammy award-winning Michigan State University Children’s Choir. He also has a passion for baseball and basketball, which he had satisfied by playing trying out for and being selected to play on to competitive travel teams.

Thomas, who was born during our time at Ferris State University, just turned eight. He is a brilliant student, particularly when it comes to math and anything related to numbers. His true love is sports, however, with a clear leaning toward soccer first, and baseball second. Thomas recently was selected to play for Okemos’ (MI) Capital Area Soccer League team, which will traverse around the mid-Michigan area during the course of the next academic year.

Diane is now the full-time director of Christian education for children at People’s Church here in East Lansing Michigan, where I also serve as an Elder. Diane devotes the vast majority of her time to the Church, volunteering at our sons’ school, and traveling with the family to Daniel and Thomas’ various activities. Likewise, I spend a significant portion of time at the boys “events” and volunteer significant time with our church. However, I’ve been extremely fortunate this summer and I was able to travel to Rome on behalf of Michigan State University, played in a 40 and over in baseball league, and managed to get in a significant amount of golf.

Andrew Shapiro. I have been accepted into the Higher Education graduate program at Loyola-Chicago for fall of 2008.

Owen Sutkowski. I have just started a job as a Residence Coordinator at Queens University of Charlotte, while I am working on my Master’s degree in Communications.

Derich Wittliff. I lived at Collins from 1982 - 1983, and soon after moved to Los Angeles. I am currently Senior Creative Director of Marketing for Yahoo! Inc, and have a long career in the design and branding industry. I've taught a few classes, and given seminars over the years, but have never gone back to Indiana University. I graduated with a BA in Comparative Literature and have been working ever since. I have directed commercials, have done some acting, and much more.

Laura Zemen. I am a Collins Alumna of 79-80. I am now a tenured Associate Professor of Social Work at Southern Illinois University.