The Department of English kicked off this semester's lecture series Thursday with a reading by a new member of the Colgate community, author Patrick O'Keeffe.

O'Keeffe, assistant professor of creative writing, won the prestigious Story Prize in 2005 for his collection of novellas, The Hill Road.

"The Hill Road is a glorious work one would wish everyone to read. What a pleasure to see so many students and faculty, so many members of our community at this reading," Jane Pinchin, Thomas A. Bartlett Chair and Professor of English, said in the standing-room-only Ho Reading Room.

The Colgate rugby football club today departed New York City for a nine-day trip to Ireland.

It is the club's second tour of Ireland - its maiden voyage was in 2004.

Since then, the club has enjoyed tremendous success, making the "Elite Eight" in the Northeast Rugby Union in 2004 and again last fall in 2007, where it finished first in their division and was runner-up in the New York State Rugby Conference.