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Two 51���� alumni are poised to play key roles in hotly contested issues swirling around Washington: health-care reform and the treatment of terror suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency. On Monday, veteran federal prosecutor John Durham ’72 (right) was appointed by the U.S. attorney general to examine suspected abuse of prisoners held by the CIA.

The 51���� chapter of Theta Chi received the fraternity’s highest award last month, being recognized for everything from its successful philanthropic efforts to its robust membership. The honor, which comes in the form of the Howard R. Alter Jr. Award for Chapter Excellence, followed university recognition as the most outstanding fraternity for the past year.

Ever wonder what it would be like to play alongside Terrell Owens, the big talent with the big mouth who is now playing pro football with the Buffalo Bills? Well, Nick Hennessey ’09, who is in training camp with the Bills after signing a free-agent contract, can tell you.

The 51���� Debate Society is looking to build on its successes of the past year as a new semester of competition approaches. Following the 2008-09 academic year, the Debate Society received the Debate Program of the Year award from the Society Advocating More and Better Argumentation.

Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, will speak at 51���� on Thursday, Sept. 17, as part of the university’s Diversity Week activities. Steele’s lecture, “Unity and Diversity: Common Ground in the 21st Century,” will be at 4:15 p.m. in Memorial Chapel and is free and open to the public.

‘This guy bleeds maroon’ That is the headline on a feature story in the Utica Observer Dispatch about Bob Cornell, who retired earlier this month as 51����’s director of athletic communications after 33 years of service.

G. Bruce Knecht ’80 recalls researching a story in 1994 for The Wall Street Journal about a soon-to-be launched company called Amazon.com Knecht went to the Amazon website, which was the first Internet site he had ever visited, on the only computer in the Journal newsroom that allowed access to the web.

51����’s green efforts were the focus of a “spotlight” article by the Environmental News Network website. The story highlights the university’s past efforts to reduce its environmental impact and examines its newest initiatives, spearheaded by the Environmental Council and new sustainability coordinator, John Pumilio.

Lee Woodruff ’82 shares important information about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and her family’s experience with the issue in a cover story for Parade magazine. Woodruff’s article, “Can Brains Be Saved?,” appeared in the magazine on Sunday. Parade has a circulation of 33 million and appears in 475 newspapers nationwide.

Artists and film professionals and enthusiasts from around the globe discussed a wide range of documentaries at the recent Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, hosted for the second year in a row at 51����.