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College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter
                  Volume 3, Number 12, December 2015
The Portuguese Experience

On December 4th, senior Jessica Rodrigues Martin signed off as intern for 97.3 WJFD. She joined WJFD, the nation's biggest Portuguese radio station, in September and continued working with them throughout the fall semester. With her Portuguese background, Martin grew up always listening to 97.3 WJFD. "Getting the opportunity to do my internship there is a great experience," the senior Portuguese major said. "I learned a lot more about how it all works."
 
During her four months with the station, Martin completed many challenging tasks. She translated announcements from English to Portuguese, shortened Portuguese announcements, helped record commercials, and chose songs to attract a younger audience. These tasks were made easier because of her studies. "Being a Portuguese major, we learn how to research, translate articles, and write papers in Portuguese," Martin said. "Getting to practice and bring what I have learned as a Portuguese major to the station is great." 
 
Martin's internship provided her with new experiences and new lessons. And it helped her recognize that her hard work is really paying off. "This experience made me realize that all the work I did over the years helped me," Martin said. "Because of my hard work, I was more prepared to translate, write scripts, and speak the language at WJFD." 
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Dr. Len Travers: Historical Detective

While writing his most recent book, Dr. Len Travers transformed into a history-loving Sherlock Holmes. The History professor, who describes himself as an early Americanist, just published his fourth book in November. Hodges' Scout: A Lost Patrol of the French and Indian War, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, tells the untold story of fifty American soldiers who set off to explore an area near Lake George, New York during the French and Indian war. The men, from local areas like Dartmouth, Andover, and Yarmouthport, were ambushed by French and native soldiers, and only a few returned. "The localness of this untold story got my curiosity," Travers said. "It was possible to recover these lost lives and weave it into a story that was worth telling."
 
In order to tell this story, Travers spent several years scouring the archives. He spent a lot of time in Boston, Providence, and New York trying to piece together what happened. Most of the story comes from local records, probates, and deeds. Throughout the research process, Travers found himself sympathizing with the men and their stories. It was important for him to be honest about what was fact and what was being interpreted. "If you're willing to dig deeply, documents can tell us stories," Travers said. "I tried to get my reader to see the story as it unfolded to me."
 
Travers wants his detective work and his research to resonate with his students. "It's fun to wrestle with contradictory documents," Travers said. "I want to inspire my students to use their historical imaginations." And Travers would like his work to teach his students an untold lesson. "I want them to see that there is a link between historical research and critical thinking," he said. "It's the process of looking at the information we get every day and making sense of it."
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The Boivin Center - Yesterday and Today

In 1985, Dr. Omer E. Boivin donated $100,000 for the creation of The Boivin Center for French Language and Culture. As a life-long student of the French language and culture, Boivin believed that UMass Dartmouth represented the best opportunity to keep the language alive, and to educate area residents about the culture and history of France. And according to Dr. Mel Yoken, the center's director, the goal has not changed. "The goal of the center is to continue to propagate the French language and culture in Southeastern New England," Yoken said.
 
When it comes to keeping the French language and culture alive, the Boivin Center has been the "crème de la crème" for thirty years. The center, built around Dr. Boivin's desire to educate, offers a number of scholarships to students who study French. It also helps professors with their French research. "My parents and I knew Laurette and Omer Boivin very well," recalls Dr. Yoken. "I would state modestly that they would have been proud of our activities over the years, and delighted in the fact that we have encouraged the study of French at all levels of education, done research on the Franco-Americans of the region, and donated scholarships to worthy candidates." 

As the center celebrates it's 30th anniversary, it continues to provide dynamic cultural programming to the UMass Dartmouth community and the local community. In Fall 2015, the center featured Kate Betts, an award-winning magazine editor and author of My Paris Dream: An Education in Style, Slang, and Seduction in the Great City on the Seine, on October 15th. And a month later the center announced a reunion concert, which spotlighted two French Canadian performers, Josée Vachon and Lucie Therrien. 
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