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Two new faculty members Gerardo Acerenza, Italian and French Studies, joined St. Jerome's in July. Born in Potenza, in southern Italy, Acerenza first learned about French Canada in a dictation exercise in primary school. "I hadn't known before that there were people in North America who spoke French," he recalls. That spark of interest led to studies in French-Canadian literature at Potenza's Basilicata University and, in 1996, to the University of Montreal, where he wrote his doctoral thesis on the language of Jacques Ferron, a leading figure in Quebecois letters. Acerenza's special focus is on the relationship between linguistics and literature. He is currently exploring the role of French dictionaries in French-Canadian literature and organizing a "Colloque St. Jerome's--Dictionnaires et litterature canadienne-francaise," to be held at St. Jerome's in November 2004. This year he teaches three Italian and two French language courses. While living in Montreal didn't take much adjustment--"It's a very European city"-- Kitchener-Waterloo is quite different. But he is settling in and getting to know the area. Also new on campus is Bruno Tremblay, Philosophy. Born in Chicoutimi, Quebec, he attended Laval University for doctoral studies in philosophy. Why that discipline? "I hated specialization. I would have liked to study mathematics, physics, literature--but couldn't do all that. I decided to go into philosophy because it is the broadest discipline of all." The explanation also applies to his focus on medieval philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus, whose interests ranged almost everywhere. "I am currently doing research on Albertus' and Boethius' logical treatises, and intend to do so for a few more years," he says. His interests also include informal logic, Greek philosophy, and philosophy of science. In his first year he will teach Introduction to Philosophy (fall and winter), Ethical Theory, and Philosophy in Literature. Tremblay comes to Waterloo from Quebec City, where he taught at Laval and at the College of Sainte-Foy. Before that he taught at the University of Victoria and at Lester B. Pearson College in British Columbia. Coming to St. Jerome's allows him to learn more about a system that links a small college or university with a large one--an English academic tradition that's not seen in Quebec. t Gerardo Acerenza, French and Italian Studies (left) and Bruno Tremblay, Philosophy, are the newest faces at St. Jerome's. Photo: Ron Hewson "The conference was a success, although the meeting was a lot smaller than we anticipated, because of the blackout," Rye reports. Finally, continuing work she began at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), she presented research based on the "School Culture" project at meetings of the Canadian Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association this summer. She is now an affiliated scientist with CAMH and works on this project as a volunteer. Alumni will remember the library's collection of high-quality recordings of Shakespeare's plays, including performances by the likes of Sir Laurence Olivier and Albert Finney, on vinyl albums. Over the summer, library staff have converted these platters to compact discs for the use of a new generation. Pericles, The Tempest, and Romeo and Juliet are already available for loan. In the winter 2003 term, St. Jerome's housed the first group of students from the University of Calabria (Unical) in Italy, as part of the tripartite exchange agreement between St. Jerome's, the University of Waterloo, and Unical. The six Italian students, although a touch homesick at the start, ended up enjoying their stay and their studies. Gabriel Niccoli, Italian Studies, the coordinator for the agreement, says he became their Canadian "father." In the course of their stay the students visited Niagara Falls, took in a basketball game in Toronto, and toured the Elora/St. Jacobs area. "They brought their precious coffee machines from Italy and would often surprise me at the office with specially made espresso--just for the