(Published Saturday, June 23, 2007)

OSU hosts NEH Berber North Africa institute

A summer institute devoted to “Berber North Africa: The Hidden Mediterranean Culture” kicks off Monday at Oregon State University.

The institute, which will bring together internationally recognized Berber scholars and 20 faculty members from U.S. campuses, is made possible by a $170,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The institute’s codirectors are Nabil Boudraa, assistant professor of French and Francophone studies at OSU, and Joseph Krause, professor of French and department chair at OSU.

Six of the visiting faculty members also will help lead the session: Michael Peyron, visiting professor of Berber culture and history at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco; Tassadit Yacine, professor of anthropology and North American studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, in Paris; David Crawford, assistant professor of anthropology at Fairfield University, Connecticut; Abderrahmane Lakhsass, professor of North African studies at Mohammed-V University, in Rabat, Morocco; Kamal Salhi, professor of French and Francophone studies at the University of Leeds, England; and Helene Hagan, a North African anthropologist whose work focuses on the Berber cultures of her native land, Morocco.

Many of the institute events are open to the public. A complete schedule of events is at: http://oregonstate.edu/nehberber/daily_schedule.html

For more information, contact the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at OSU, 541-737-3935.

Subdivision denied near cemetery, another approved

The Corvallis Planning Commission voted to approve one proposed subdivision near Oak Lawn Memorial Park cemetery, but denied plans for another during its Wednesday night meeting.

Brooklane Heights, near Brooklane Drive, was denied because there wasn’t a mix of housing and lot sizes, concerns with minimizing grading on the sloped property, design problems with a water-detention facility and other issues, said Fred Towne, city Planning Division manager.

The applicant for that property wanted to create a 42-lot subdivision on 26 acres.

Nearby Oakmont Addition, which would create a 24-lot subdivision on 11 acres, was approved, with a minor change to a condition of approval, Towne said.

During the meeting, another hearing was held on Cascade Crest, another subdivision near the cemetery where 10 lots could be built on 3 acres.

The public record was held open until Wednesday, and the Planning Commission will deliberate during its July 18 meeting.

Brown bag concert series starts Monday at City Hall

“Music with the Mayor … and friends,” a brown-bag concert series, starts at 12:30 p.m. Monday at the City Hall plaza, at Madison Avenue and Fifth Street.

The series continues on the last Monday of every month through September.

Playing for the first concert is the Camarata String Quartet, a group of high school students who will perform classical music, said Mayor Charlie Tomlinson.

“We’re going to try and have some fun here this summer,” he said. “A little music.”

And Skip Volkmann, the official Corvallis sidewalk storyteller, will recite “Casey at the Bat,” in honor of the Oregon State University Beaver baseball team.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunches, and there will be free popcorn at the series.

On July 23, Matt Neely & Hillbilly Swing are scheduled to perform, followed by Three Fingered Jacked on Aug. 27 and Split String Extranauts on Sept. 24.

Gazette-Times