THE SUSS-EX CLUB
NEWSLETTER No. 35 November 2015
CHRISTMAS PARTY
12.30 - 2.30pm, Thursday 17 December 2015
The annual buffet lunch for Suss-Ex Club members, their guests, and USPAS former staff will take place on Thursday 17 December, from 12.30 - 2.30pm. (USPAS members will receive a separate invitation via the USPAS Office and should reply to Tracey Llewellyn.)
Please note that there is a new venue for the party this year. It will be held in The Terrace Room, 3rd floor, Bramber House. A lift is situated in the lobby of Bramber House to take you to the 3rd floor.
If you are driving to the University and would like to
collect a parking notice to display in your car, so that you do not have to pay
for and display a parking ticket, please collect the parking notice on your way
in from the Reception desk in Sussex House. You may park in any of the
University car parks.
The cost to Suss-Ex Club members is £7.00 each and includes a buffet lunch, wine, soft drinks and tea or coffee. The closing date for bookings is Thursday 3 December.
Please print and complete the booking form at the end of this Newsletter and return it with a cheque or credit/debit card details to
Sue Bullock, 104 Bonchurch Road, Brighton BN2 3PH.
NB Please do not send card details by email.
Events with a speaker and the option of a meal Suss-Ex has from the start occasionally arranged an event with a speaker and the option of a meal afterwards. Such events have always taken place in the evening, and we wonder whether a different timetable would be as, or more, attractive to members. There are various possibilities: for instance, a talk followed by afternoon tea, or afternoon tea followed by an early evening talk. Others can be imagined. It would be helpful to those arranging such events to have comments from members about their preferences, so please let any member of the steering group (they are listed at the end of the Newsletter) know what you think.
Bremf outing Fifteen Suss-Ex members attended a highlight of this years Brighton Early Music Festival [aka Bremf], La Liberazione di Ruggiero dallIsola di Alcina by Francesca Caccini, the first surviving opera written by a woman. This was imaginatively produced in a style somewhat different from what one might have expected, described below in an abbreviation of the Argus review:
Its rare that an operatic production repeatedly makes the audience laugh out loud. However, this charming production of Francesca Caccinis work is a delightful surprise. The musicians of the Bremf Renaissance Players, conducted by Deborah Roberts, perform sensitively without obstructing the Edwardian seaside-themed set; costume designs range from dignified bathing suits to elaborate lingerie and millinery. Italian dialogue is summed up on placards: an elaborate love duet between hunky sailor Ruggiero and enchantress Alcina is translated as You like?, Yes. This show presents early music in refreshingly accessible style.
One member said I enjoyed the performance tremendously: the singing was good, the production most ingenious, and the atmosphere so committed and friendly. I particularly appreciated the lament of the plants - lovely music. You can see that a woman singer was at the source of the inspiration in fact, the Caccini family were so extraordinary that they transformed the role of female singers at that time.
Next year, Bremfs theme will be Nature and Science: from the earth to the stars. We shall surely find plenty of musical interest there!
Talk by Nick Tucker On Friday 9 October over 30 members and guests heard a stimulating talk by Nick Tucker on British childrens books: a somewhat strange history. While part of the pleasure in the talk was undoubtedly the prompting of memories of ones own childhood, the unexpected or unfamiliar material was perhaps particularly stimulating. Most of the audience stayed after the talk for a buffet supper, and discussion and reminiscence continued until the clearing of tables indicated that it was time to leave.
University policies for retired members The American Sociological Association has now formed a section which is concerned with the position of retired sociologists, and contact with this reveals that there is in the US a range of interesting university policies for possible post-retirement activities. Ohio State, for instance, has what appears to be an official university body, the Ohio State University Retirees Association, which arranges social and academic events, provides opportunities for volunteering in university activities, and has representation on some university bodies. There is also a special fund for the support of emeritus faculty who continue academically active, e.g. by funding conference attendance.
It would be interesting to find out more about the policies of other universities, in this country or elsewhere. Members are invited to send [to j.platt@sussex.ac.uk] short descriptions of policies which they have come across elsewhere, whether or not the policies are novel, to be published in summary and/or detail in future Newsletters.
Obituary We regret to announce the death, on 7 October, of Chris Baxter, one of the Universitys early appointments in French. An obituary will appear in a future Newsletter.
Publications, 2015 Every year Suss-Ex publishes a list of members recent publications (broadly defined). Please let Charles Goldie (c.m.goldie@sussex.ac.uk) or Jennifer Platt (J.Platt@sussex.ac.uk) know of appropriate items appearing in 2015, and any earlier which have not already been reported. A list will appear in a later Newsletter.
Suss-Ex: the website and the Committee
The website
More information about Suss-Ex is available on its webpage at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/suss-ex/. Suss-Ex Club in Google will get you there, as will http://tiny.cc/sussex, or you can find us in the AZ on the Universitys homepage. The website has copies of past Newsletters, and also has a link to http://www.sussex.ac.uk/suss-ex/Obituaries.html, a list of obituaries of deceased colleagues.
The steering committee
Suss-Ex activities are organised by a steering committee, which currently comprises:
Sir Gordon Conway, Chair G.Conway@imperial.ac.uk
Sue Bullock sue.bullock@hotmail.co.uk
Colin Finn colinfinn@btinternet.com
Jackie Fuller jkfuller21@hotmail.com
Charles Goldie c.m.goldie@sussex.ac.uk
Arnold Goldman a.goldman@cowbeech.f9.co.uk
Jennifer Platt J.Platt@sussex.ac.uk
Steve Pavey miniperson2003@yahoo.co.uk
Adrian Peasgood adrian@peasgood.plus.com
David Smith j.d.smith@sussex.ac.uk
Paul Tofts uos@paul-tofts.org.uk
Ideas for the future
We are always seeking ideas for social occasions when we can meet former colleagues. Please let us have your suggestions, or volunteer to join the committee. We meet once a term, when practicable immediately before a Suss-Ex event.
Christmas Party: Thursday 17 December 2015
Booking Details (to be returned not later than 3 December 2015)
Your Details
Name(s)
Home Address .
(Required for credit/debit card bookings)
Telephone . Email address ..
|
Please book .. place/s at £7.00 each Total £
|
Payment Details
I enclose a cheque for £ .. (payable to University of Sussex).
Please charge my debit / credit / Maestro card with £ ..
Card Type (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro etc)
Card number .
Valid from....................to.................... Maestro issue number
Security Code (last 3 numbers on signature strip on reverse of card)
Name on card ..
Signed . .
Please print and return this form with a cheque or credit/debit card details to
Sue Bullock, 104 Bonchurch Road, Brighton BN2 3PH
NB Card details should not be sent by email.