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Archived Bulletins

DARING TO DREAM

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CAMPUS NEWS MAY - OCTOBER 2002

Blood Drive at Ashesi
Alma Ohene-Opare
September 28th, 2002
Give a pint today, save a life someday.

Fifteen students, faculty and staff of Ashesi put smiles on many faces as they boldly made themselves available to donate a pint of blood each to the Korle-Bu Blood Bank. All participants were screened for weight, blood pressure and hemoglobin level to assure that they could give blood; all donated blood would be tested later for purity and usability. Most blood donors expressed some initial trepidation, but found that the experience of making a difference in the life of another person was well worth the effort and expressed a desire to make more blood donations in the future.

Salsa Makes a Hit at Ashesi
Mavis Simons
August 5th, 2002
Students, faculty and staff were treated to a wonderful demonstration of salsa dancing during the second term.  The class was led by an instructor named Mr. Lumo, together with one of his students. Mr. Lumo had no problems getting everyone to participate in the beginner class of salsa, which is a very sensual, fun feeling dance with a fusion of many of the world's musical styles, with roots in jazz and African music. "I enjoy dancing very much and salsa affords me the opportunity to add new exciting dance moves mostly because it is very expressive," commented Ashesi student Seyram Ahiabor. Fellow student Alma Ohene-Opare had a more intellectual view. "When I heard we would learn salsa, I sighed and said to myself, 'Finally I get to learn something!'" The first few steps were a bit tricky but eventually we all got the hang of it and we've been loving salsa ever since.

Ashesi Day
Regina Agyare
July 27th, 2002
On the 27th of July, Ashesi University held its first open house, named "Ashesi Day".  This event was almost entirely organized and run by students at Ashesi.  Ashesi day provided an opportunity to show Ashesi to prospective students.  The day featured campus tours, a presentation by Mr Dzunu, Associate Director of Admissions, a documentary film on life at Ashesi, and a lecture by Professor Ofori-Dankwa, a learned man who we were fortunate to have in our presence. The topic of Professor Ofori Dankwa's lecture was "Creating your Legacy and Destiny." This was a very powerful and motivating presentation. He is a master orator.  His voice echoed throughout the four corners of the room, and he gained full participation from both students and parents.  His message I believe left quite an impact on all those who heard it. After the lecture, lunch was served.  In the spirit of merriment people ate and talked, and Ashesi students interacted with parents and students.  Ashesi Day was a big success.  It was very exciting to hear the Headmistress of St Roses Secondary School express keen interest in Ashesi.  Similarly, prospective students expressed a strong desire to come to Ashesi, and one parent, Mr Tandoh was so impressed with our home-made documentary that he said, "It would be wise to get sponsorship and have parts of the documentary shown on National Television."

Prof. Ray Hopkins Speaks at Ashesi
Steven Kofi Ocloo
July 19th, 2002
Professor Raymond Hopkins, Richter Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College and member of Ashesi University's academic advisory council, gave a lecture on the Ashesi campus entitled "Why September 11: Perspectives on a National Crisis" on Friday, July 19th, 2002. He was the inaugural speaker in Ashesi's lecture series.  In his lecture, Prof. Hopkins shared his views about causes of the September 11th attacks and what should have been done by the United States government after the tragedy. He discussed the need for the United States to strive to become a benign power in world politics, in order to avoid future attacks against the US at home or its overseas interests. In Prof. Hopkins' opinion, factors that contributed to the attack include poverty, globalization, lack of active US participation overseas, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The lecture lasted for just over one hour, after which guests engaged in a very active and intense debate with Prof. Hopkins.

Parliamentary Select Committee Visits Ashesi
Linda Young-Ribeiro
July 17th, 2002
This morning, a large bus drove into the parking lot of Ashesi's campus. In it were thirteen men and women from Ghana's House of Parliament who were on a mission to visit the various private universities to ascertain the achievements and the challenges confronting us. And so, that day we welcomed the Parliamentary Select Committee on Tertiary Education to Ashesi.  During the visit, the parliamentary committee learned about Ashesi's history, mission and status, as well as Ashesi's liberal arts approach to education.  In a very wide-ranging dialogue, we discussed Ashesi's links with schools in the US, faculty staffing, admissions, financial aid and equity. We especially emphasized Ashesi's goal of achieving gender balance in our student population.  We also discussed issues surrounding current legislation governing tertiary institutions.  After a tour of the campus, members of the parliamentary committee expressed their appreciation for what they saw, particularly Ashesi's extensive use of technology throughout the teaching and learning process.  At the end of the visit, Hon. Adusei-Sarkodie, Chairperson of the committee expressed his hopes for a continuing dialogue with Ashesi, including a possible visit to parliament by representatives from Ashesi.  We at Ashesi were delighted to host members of parliament, and we see this as another step in the development of a healthy and fruitful relationship with the government of Ghana.

Bridging the Gap Between Western Culture and African Civilization
Steven Kofi Ocloo
June 28th, 2002
Ashesi University hosted Reggie Osei, popular Hip-Life artist, and his manager and former Black Panther Party field officer, Duruba Bin Wahad as guest speakers to talk about "Bridging the Gap Between Western Culture and Black Civilization."  This popular event was organized by The Club.   Reggie Rockstone spoke about how he uses his music to reach out to the average Ghanaian man on the street.  He raps like the rappers in the West, but in local Ghanaian dialects so that Ghanaians can better appreciate his message.  He spoke about the importance of keeping our indigenous culture while learning about western thoughts and ideals which may not all be bad.   Duruba Bin Wahad described the civil rights period in America, how the black people struggled to attain their civil liberties, and how he ended up spending about 20 years of his life in prison due to his activist role in the civil rights movement.   After question and answer time, Duruba Bin Wahad and Reggie Rockstone took pictures with Ashesi students and also signed their autographs for interested students.

Fire Fighting and Prevention Drill
Isaac Tuggun
June 27th, 2002
Personnel of the fire service held a special seminar on fire fighting and prevention at Ashesi University .  Members of the Ashesi community were taken through the nature of fire, its characteristics, detection, prevention, control, use of fire sensors,  and what to do immediately in case of fire outbreak.  We are the first line of defense in case of fire. However, as an officer of Ghana National Fire Service told us at the end of the drill, "As soon as the personnel of the fire service arrive to either take over the fight of the fire or to start fighting it, you have finished your job."

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