Back to Contents | RU Magazine | Back Issues | E-mail the Editor | Subscriptions | Alumni Association | RU Homepage ince the opening of school last fall, when returning students discovered eight rows of corn growing in front of Lucas Hall, corn has been a presence on campus. Throughout the 1996-97 academic year, RU has celebrated the Year of Corn and Culture. The concept of a university-wide academic theme - especially the theme of Corn and Culture - is so unusual that The Chronicle of Higher Education featured RU's plans in its November edition. The idea for the Year of Corn and Culture began as a way of celebrating two gifts - Selu Conservancy, named by Cherokee/Appalachian poet Marilou Awiakta for the mythical Cherokee corn mother, and a collection of art created by the Mexican Huichol Indians, whose dependence on corn for survival is expressed in their colorful yarn paintings. When the Appalachian Regional Studies Center invited the rest of the university to participate in the Corn and Culture celebration, many faculty quickly recognized the usefulness of corn as a means of exploring subjects ranging from economics, ecology and nutrition to art and literature. The location of RU in Appalachia, where corn was both a real and a symbolic staple for Native Americans and early European settlers, made the theme even more appropriate. The Honors Program, the Scholarly Lecture Series and other departments and programs across campus adopted the theme. Most members of the university community are aware of it and many have been intimately involved through class or individual projects. Each person has a slightly different perspective on the Year of Corn and Culture. Corn and Culture in Context Students examined the social, economic and religious significance of corn and found tangible links between modern and ancient American cultures. By Kathie Dickenson Selu: A Slice of Paradise Selu Conservancy provides a rich variety of academic and recreational opportunities with the opening of the new retreat center. By Rob Tucker Huichol Magic An RU graduate shares her fascination with the unique art of the Huichol Indians. By Kathy Hensley Back to Contents | RU Magazine | Back Issues | E-mail the Editor | Subscriptions | Alumni Association | RU Homepage