Briefs

Charity auction: The master's of management in hospitality Class of 2005 invites the Cornell and local community to its 2003 Gangster's Ball and Auction this Saturday, Nov. 22, in the Statler Ballroom. Proceeds benefit the area charities First Book, which distributes books to area low-income children; City Harvest, based in New York City, the largest food rescue and distribution program in the world; and the Mary Jo Fink Memorial Scholarship Fund, which supports need-based scholarships for international students at Cornell. This year's event, which has a Roaring '20s gangster theme, promises to be a fabulous party, organizers say, providing School of Hotel Administration students with practical experience while generating money for a worthy cause. Tickets are $5 and cover hors d'oeuvres, pasta and dessert, swing dance lessons, live music, entry into the costume contest, grab bags and door prizes. The auctioned items include stays at some of the world's most luxurious hotels, such as the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C., and the Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla., a fishing trip on the St. Lawrence River and dinner for two at such elegant restaurants as Montrachet and the Tribeca Grill in New York City. The silent auction will start at 9 a.m., Saturday, and the main event is at 7 p.m. For more information, stop by the ticket tables in the Statler Hall atrium today, Nov. 20, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., or Friday, Nov. 21, noon-3:30 p.m., or at the gate during the event. For further information, contact Beatrice Robbins at bfr5@cornell.edu or http://www.instruct.sha.cornell.edu/mmhauction/index.htm.

Gender inequality talk: Writer, teacher and public speaker Allan Johnson will give a presentation, "Unraveling the Gender Knot," from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 21, in the auditorium of Martha Van Rensselaer Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at 9:15 a.m. "The 'gender knot' refers both to the complexity of gender inequality and to the difficulty people have talking about it without getting bogged down in dynamics of defensive denial," says Johnson. "My work has to do with articulating ways of thinking about issues of privilege that can help get us past the paralysis we're stuck in." Johnson, who has almost 30 years of college teaching experience, is the author of these and other books:Privilege, Power, and Difference (McGraw-Hill, 2001), The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology:A User's Guide to Sociological Language (Blackwell Publishers, 2000), The Forest and the Trees:Sociology as Life, Practice, and Promise (Temple University Press, 1997) and The Gender Knot:Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy (Temple University Press, 1997). His interests focus on issues of privilege, oppression and social inequality. Johnson's talk is co-sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension Diversity Catalyst Team and the College of Human Ecology.

Shoemobile: The Department of Environmental Health and Safety has announced that Red Wing Shoes will be on campus with its shoemobile Friday, Nov. 21. The shoemobile, which provides a large selection of safety shoes, will be at the Environmental Health and Safety Building, 201 Palm Road (east of Cornell Orchards, off Route 366), from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Employees going to the shoemobile may do so on work time, with supervisory approval. Those eligible to receive department reimbursement for safety shoes should use their procurement card when purchasing shoes. The maximum monetary amount allowed by the department should be kept in mind. Purchase prices above departmental allowances can be paid by the employee with cash, personal credit card or check. Questions should be referred to Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) at 255-8200 or by contacting the EH&S personnel at the shoemobile. The shoemobile is a service provided by EH&S.