AcaMedia: Current Issue


News for the Smith College Community //March 26, 1998

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Envisioning Our Future--Status Report

Promoting Science Literacy
The following report, the first of two on academic life, is one of a series of AcaMedia updates on the progress of proposals and projects that have emerged from Smith's self-study.

"As the nation moves into an increasingly technological era, it becomes ever more important for the 'non-science,' college-educated public to achieve a degree of science literacy that will allow it to participate in debates about scientific issues that affect society, to experience the richness and excitement of understanding the natural world, and to use scientific processes and quantitative thinking in decision-making."
--Envisioning Our Future

Women in Science and Technology
Some of the most exciting and potentially far-reaching initiatives to surface in Envisioning Our Future, the report of the self-study steering committee, are proposals to expand the Environmental Science Program and to create an engineering program. Discussions of these initiatives appear in the report's first section, called "Women in Science and Technology." These initiatives, along with other recommendations, represent the steering committee's vision of why and how Smith should enhance its effort to prepare women for new opportunities in the sciences.

The goal of the Environmental Science Program is to work toward a greater emphasis on policy while at the same time promoting interdisciplinary, collaborative student/faculty research that will enrich a student's classroom experience, says Tom Litwin, the program's director. "Hands-on field study dealing with real environmental issues, which in effect are society's issues, help students understand and experience the problem-solving and policy-making process."

The Environmental Science Program received a boost last fall in the form of a $225,000 grant from The Charles E. Culpeper Foundation to support an interdisciplinary ecosystem management project engaging students and faculty in research in a tropical marine system in the Bahamas and Belize. This work is an extension of the ongoing research of Allen Curran of the geology department and Paulette Peckol of biological sciences. The new undertaking joined a local research project already under way involving the Mill River Watershed that was funded by $15,000 grant from The Krusos Foundation. The Bahamas/Belize/Mill River research provides opportunities for field work, policy-development, team problem-solving, and community-based learning. "The liberal arts context allows us to combine cutting-edge science and pedagogy," says Litwin.

Also in the spirit of recommendations for an increased international focus in the 2020 report, the Environmental Science Program is using the international arena as an extension of Smith's classrooms. In January, a small group of students went with faculty members on an environmental science expedition to Costa Rica. This semester they are doing four-credit special studies based on their interdisciplinary, collaborative Interterm field study.

Engineering
The second area that offers particular promise for enriching Smith's science curriculum in the near term is engineering. To determine the role that Smith should play in educating students who are interested in pursuing careers in engineering, the college has invited a team of engineering faculty members and deans from engineering programs at such institutions as Dartmouth, Swarthmore and Rensselear Polytechnic Institute to visit the campus later this semester. The team will gather information for a report that will assist the college in shaping an engineering initiative. In the meantime, four Smith sophomores are preparing to spend their junior year at Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering as part of a pilot project being designed by Smith and Dartmouth.

Science Classroom Upgrades
Both environmental science and engineering are expected to benefit from a space analysis of Clark Science Center (CSC) classrooms and McConnell Hall now in progress. William Wilson Associates, a firm with particular expertise in science facility planning, is meeting with members of all science center departments and programs to gather ideas and identify needs for space allocation and renovation in CSC classrooms and McConnell Hall. Because much of this space is not currently configured to support significant curricular revisions that have already taken place or are projected to occur, such renovations have been considered important for some time. However, as Tom Litwin, this time wearing his "director of Clark Science Center" hat, cautions: the current space analysis project is, at the moment, "a planning project, not a construction project." There are expectations, however, that the reconfigured space will feature both a scientific visualization laboratory and a spatial analysis laboratory containing a geographical information system and aerial and satellite interpretation equipment.

History of Science Program
In other programmatic developments emerging from the self-study, the History of the Sciences Program, described in the college's course catalogue as a program "that stands at the intersection of many disciplines and cultures: scientific, technological, humanistic and social," has received a substantial one-time financial allotment to update and augment its library holdings and develop new courses. The program's director, Marjorie Senechal, Louise Wolff Kahn Professor of Mathematics, has been encouraged, for the next few years, to shift her teaching and service substantially from mathematics to the history of science program.

Computer Literacy
In the area of quantitative skills and computer literacy, there were a number of developments during Interterm this year -- one intended and several serendipitous. Joseph O'Rourke, professor of computer science, offered a two-credit course about the Internet that filled to its capacity of 20 quickly and left dozens of students on the wait list. And four other noncredit computer technology courses turned up as part of the rejuvenated Interterm program. Tim Maciel, interim associate dean of the college, reports that these courses also were very popular, with an average enrollment 25-30. The enthusiastic response to Interterm computer courses this year bodes well for the success of the steering committee's suggestion that every student should achieve quantitative and computer literacy within her first two years at Smith.

Educational Technology
And finally, in an area that spans all academic disciplines, not merely the sciences, President Simmons has received the recommendations of the visiting committee, called for in the steering committee report, that had been asked to evaluate the present state of Smith's educational technology and provide a blueprint for its future. The review group cited many strengths in the current system, including the impressive number of computer-equipped classrooms, a ratio of students to computers unparalleled in higher education and a faculty that is heavily involved in and excited about the use of technology in teaching and research.

Its report also suggested a number of modifications, including improvements in information technology support to various campus constituencies and changes to its governance structure. The report provides significant guidance for the college about how to direct its future efforts and resources in the area of educational technology so that priorities for change can be established and acted upon. Once a decision is reached about which recommendations are to be implemented, the college can move closer to its goal of improving the infrastructure that supports teaching and learning at Smith.

Next week's report will focus on the humanities, arts and social sciences and on programs bridging the liberal arts and the world of work.

Summer Program Helps Women Managers Gain On-the-Job Confidence and More

As Linda Rinearson prepared to attend three weeks of training and development at the Smith Management Program (SMP) here two summers ago, she had no idea what to expect. After 26 years in management with GTE, she had confidence in her ability to oversee employees and develop and implement ideas, and she couldn't imagine what SMP could offer her. In fact, it wasn't until after she completed the first of two summer sessions with the program that she realized what she had gained.

"What I have now that I didn't have before is a higher level of confidence, a feeling of being able to reach for more," said Rinearson, manager of GTE's engineering department, from her Needham office. "It's something that I didn't know I was missing."

Besides an increase in her confidence, Rinearson says she also gleaned more-tangible benefits from SMP's Critical Issues program, such as broader knowledge of marketing and international affairs, techniques for team supervision, employee relations and public speaking as well as ways to effectively use the Internet in business management. "It really exceeded my expectations," said Rinearson of the program. "It made me a better manager."

Training better mangers has been the primary objective of SMP since the program's inception in 1980, says Diane Ranaldi, the program's associate director. SMP, which is directed by Gaynelle Weiss, is managed from its offices in Tilly Hall on the east end of campus.

SMP offers two options. It brings between 15 and 20 professional women to campus each July to take part in the three-week critical issues course, the program attended by Rinearson that focuses on simulating management techniques and marketing strategies within class groups and mock management teams. Participants "develop the ability to think strategically and globally, to give and receive critical feedback and to manage successfully in a rapidly changing environment," according to the program's brochure.

The other program run by SMP, the consortium, which was established in 1994, is an educational partnership between Smith College and several Fortune 500 companies like AT&T, Chase Manhattan Corporation, Chubb and Son Inc., Eastman Kodak Company, Metropolitan Life and others. The consortium, which brings between 30 and 50 women to Smith for two weeks each August, is designed to meet the specific training needs of member companies' managers. Each company sends between five and eight women a year to the consortium, says Ranaldi.

Judith King, assistant vice president of learning and development for Chubb and Son Inc., attended the consortium program last summer. She says that by being put to the test through the training program, she was able to substantiate skills she'd suspected she had. "I gained a sense of renewed confidence," she said, echoing Rinearson's assessment. "Having a lot of my own skills being brought to bear gave me confidence."

Companies that have sent employees through SMP report that their managers return with a wider, more informed business perspective and are better able to manage relationships, says Ranaldi. Furthermore, SMP alumnae are typically promoted and chosen for coveted task-force positions within their companies. "With these reports, we'd have to say that the program is hitting the mark," she said.
Participants, who lodge at the Hotel Northampton during the program, take daily classes on the Smith campus on issues such as corporate strategies, global economics, strategic marketing, managing relationships and negotiation, and leadership development, while studying specific cases and working in groups under the guidance of distinguished faculty members like Larry Selden, professor of finance at Columbia University; Vijay Govindarajan, professor of international business at Dartmouth; and Smith economics professors Randall Bartlett and Mahnaz Mahdavi.

Ranaldi says one of the reasons for SMP's success is its all-female learning environment. Similar management training programs exist at other leading educational institutions such as Harvard and Cornell universities. But they're coed, and tend to be male-dominated, Ranaldi said. "The all-female environment is much more comfortable for learning without the male/female competition."

Despite her initial low expectations of Smith's single-sex management training program, Chubb and Son's King says she found the all-women environment to be conducive to personal and professional growth. "This is absolutely a safer environment for learning," she said. "It allowed for more development of the group's skills. There was a lot of commonality." Rinearson agreed. "I felt all the women there wanted me to succeed," she said.

Both King and Rinearson say they will recommend the Smith Management Program to other up-and-coming managers in their respective companies. "Everybody needs something like this," Rinearson said.

Behind the Scenes in Smith's Boiler Room

By Amanda Darling '99

Fran Raymond takes pride in his work. Raymond is the chief engineer in Smith's boiler room and he's telling me about the variable-frequency drives they've recently installed there. The new drives control the fans that suck air from outside, bringing it down into the boiler and keeping the flames from the fuel steady. It's a complex process, but he walks me through it, showing me the boiler, its controls, the monitoring system and the new electronic equipment. The boiler is huge. It's the only one of five that's running today, and the steam it produces will heat the entire campus. Raymond has already shown me the map that traces the route the steam travels in pipes across the campus; purple lines take the steam out, pink lines return cooled water. There's a refreshing common sense to this color-coded system: the blue tank holds this, the yellow pipe carries that, and the grey boiler grumbles complacently behind it all.

It's warm in the boiler room and the air is tinged with a metallic taste. Standing next to the new variable-frequency drives, Raymond boils down decades of technology and experience into a few minutes of explanation. The drives, which are new to the boiler room but not to the campus, are down today -- Raymond is waiting for a technician to arrive. Once the drives are working, Raymond and his boss, Bob Lesko, associate director of physical plant, hope that they will save about $9,000 a year in electrical costs. Along with this expected savings, the college's power supplier, Mass Electric, has provided another valuable reason to upgrade the boiler room's technology. In an effort to reduce energy waste, they have helped pay for the installation of drives used by the boiler room and the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) shop. Physical plant has received over $65,000 in rebates from Mass Electric, representing more than 50 percent of the costs of purchasing and installing this equipment.

As I begin to comprehend the specifics of the drives and their impact, Raymond beams. We've been talking for over an hour and he has shown no signs of frustration with my limited knowledge. As I run out of questions about the drives, our talk turns to Smith. He enjoys working here; he is comfortable with his boss; he appreciates the respect with which he's treated. Raymond likes knowing that he's doing something with a purpose and he wishes more students knew what goes on behind the scenes. "We want people to know that we're here taking care of stuff so you can learn." He looks at me and smiles. "So you can go off and be rocket scientists."

A few days later, Tom McCarthy, John Greene and I are sitting upstairs at the HVAC shop. They're explaining the drives anew, and again I am confused. I can't understand how the pumps and fans that control the heating and air-conditioning worked before the variable-frequency drives were installed. McCarthy explains using an unprecedented number of acronyms in a school already known for its CDO, CAD, ITT and JMG. I must look lost because finally he says, "Listen, it's like driving your car with your foot on the accelerator -- down to the floor -- and you're controlling your speed with your brake." I get it.

Smith's collaboration with Mass Electric served to provide new equipment for Bass and Sabin-Reed halls, cutting down the inefficiency of the old systems. With the new drives controlling the systems, energy is saved by causing the pumps and fans to work at 60 to 70 percent of their full capacity, rather than at 100 per-cent all the time. As McCarthy points out, they've done "wonders as far as energy costs, noise, controlling the temperature, and equipment life."

The drives aren't a new technology here: the HVAC has been working with them for about ten years, far longer than some other colleges. McCarthy wants to do more than make sure the equipment runs. "We need to do a better job educating the general public," he says to me. "We have a lot to be proud of and we have a lot that we should share with other departments at Smith." As I take my leave, he promises me a complete tour when I return.

Back at my house, I pore over the Smith College departmental diagram on page12 of my phone book. I am searching for the Physical Plant heading. It takes me a couple of seconds to find it; it's in tiny print under "campus operations," sandwiched between the botanical garden and public safety. I find it strange that Physical Plant, with 165 employees who are responsible for the physical state of our entire college, is located directly below the botanical gardens, which has a staff of 15. While I appreciate the moments I've spent in the gardens, the time I've spent talking to Fran, Tom and John has made me see Smith in a new manner. Walking back from the HVAC to my house, I took a closer look at Bass, Wright and Sabin-Reed. From "temples of learning," they had been transformed into mechanical beings, with their pumps, fans, pipes and variable-frequency drives. I liked them the better for it.

Biographers Mull Privacy Issues

Diane Wood Middlebrook's 1991 book Anne Sexton: A Biography, based largely on transcripts of Sexton's therapy sessions, unleashed a furor of questions about privacy and disclosure. Should biographers have unlimited access to subjects' personal documents? Does the reading public have an unrestricted "right to know"? How does a writer's biography help readers to understand the literary work itself?

These and other questions about the moral and ethical responsibilities of the literary biographer will be debated by Middlebrook and other renowned authors at "Literary Biography: Privacy and Disclosure," a symposium to be held at Smith on Thursday and Friday, April 2 and 3.

Middlebrook's lecture, "The Ethics of Disclosure," will be at 4 p.m. on Thursday. A professor at Stanford University, Middlebrook is the author of the forthcoming book Suits Me, a biography of the cross-dressing jazz musician Billy Tipton.

Janna Malamud Smith, a clinical social worker, journalist, and author of Private Matters: In Defense of the Personal Life, will respond to Middlebrook's remarks in an address titled "Thoughts on Privacy." The daughter of Bernard Malamud, Smith is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, Boston Globe, and Los Angeles Times, writing on issues of family, mothering, madness, and celebrity.

On Thursday at 7:30 p.m. the Reverend Patrick H. Samway, author of Walker Percy: A Life and literary editor at the Jesuit publication America, will discuss "The Six Lives of William Faulkner: A Laboratory for Problems of Disclosure and Privacy." Samway, whose research and publications focus on the American South, is now working on the literary letters of Robert Giroux, publisher and editor of T.S. Eliot, Flannery O'Connor and others.

Samway's talk will be followed by a response from poet and critic Paul Mariani, professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of Last Puritan: The Life of Robert Lowell. Mariani's presentation is titled "Reconfiguring Flame: The Art of Biography." His forthcoming biography of Hart Crane will be followed by a biography of Gerard Manley Hopkins.

On Friday at 1:30 p.m., Hermione Lee, author of Virginia Woolf as well as Elizabeth Bowen: An Estimation, Philip Roth and Willa Cather: Double Lives, will present "Virginia Woolf: Secrets of a Writer's Life." Lee's is the annual lecture of the Friends of the Smith College Libraries.

A book-signing and reception will be held at 3 p.m. in Neilson Browsing Room. The symposium will close with a plenary session at 4 p.m. with Lee, Samway, Mariani and Middlebrook, moderated by Smith. Other than the reception and book-signing, events will be held in Wright auditorium. The symposium has been organized by Patricia Skarda and Robert Hosmer of the English department.

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Kudos for Three Smith Dancers

Three Smith people, all from the dance department -- faculty member Roger Blum, former guest artist Jin-Wen Yu and graduate student Kathleen Ridlon -- were among those whose work was honored at the annual American College Dance Festival, held at Boston University in mid-February. Approximately 535 students and faculty members representing 31 colleges attended the festival, which featured more than 50 classes, several concerts, and 45 pieces submitted for professional adjudications. Judged favorably and selected to be repeated in the culminating gala concert were a University of Massachusetts submission, Falling, choreographed by Yu, and While Men Have Raged, choreographed by Blum and performed by Ridlon.

Gown Enables Student to Have a Ball

American Studies major Lori Kauffman '99 spent fall semester this year at the Smithsonian Institution studying a dress made by African-American dressmaker and former slave Elizabeth Keckley for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. In February, Kauffman returned to Washington to share the complexity of her research with an audience of more than 100. As a featured speaker in the conversation series "Looking American" at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Kauffman spoke in conjunction with her former advisor at the Smithsonian, Claudia Brush Kidwell. With the largest turnout thus far in the series, Kauffman and Kidwell used visual aids from the Smithsonian's costume collection during the talk, including Mary Todd Lincoln's inaugural ball gown, made by Keckley. "I spent so long working on it," says Kauffman. "It was great being able to share what I'd learned and to have an outlet for all my research." The enthusiastic crowd made their interest clear to the speakers after the talk. "People asked me where they could get copies of my publications," says Kauffman. "It was such an ego booster."

Gross Efficiency

The following anecdote submitted to Readers' Digest by Debbie Prokopf '99 was published in the "Tales Out of School" section in the March 1998 edition: "I was quizzing my younger sister Mary for a U.S. government test. To help her memorize the names of the Supreme Court justices, I made up a mnemonic device in which the first letter of each word corresponded to a justice's last name: 'Really Gross Boys Stick Toads on Kids' Swing Seats' (Rehnquist, Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter, Thomas, O'Connor, Kennedy, Scalia, Stevens). Months later, I heard that Justice Ginsburg would be receiving an award from Smith College, which I attend. To see if my sister still remembered her justices, I asked, 'Mary, who is Ruth Bader Ginsburg?' 'Gross,' she replied."

Live Free or Write

A piece by Jackie Mansfield-Marcoux '01 appeared in the Burlington, Vermont, Free Press in January. Mansfield-Marcoux wrote about returning to her hometown in Vermont for the December/January break after having left it in September to come to Smith as a first-year student. It "seemed like a step backward," she said, to go back to home and family routines after being able "to explore the endless possibilities of individuality" at Smith.

Maciel Serves on Two Diversity Panels

Tim Maciel, interim associate dean of the college, was on the speakers' lists at two recent conferences. At the annual conference of the Association of International Education Administrators held in Monterey, California, he served on a panel addressing the topic "International Students as an Internationalization Resource." At the School for International Training's annual diversity conference held at SIT in Brattleboro, Vermont, Maciel spoke on the conference theme "How Can U.S. Educational Institutions Effectively Integrate Domestic and International Diversity?"

Profs Speak Beyond the Grécourt Gates

Three Smith people are taking their talents off campus during April to participate in events sponsored by local organizations.

Helen Horowitz of American Studies and Louis Wilson of Afro-American studies will participate in a series of public forums focusing on the life and times of Sojourner Truth in Northampton, to be held on the four Monday evenings in April. On April 13, Horowitz will appear with Joyce Berkman of the University of Massachusetts and Martha Saxton of Amherst to discuss the women's suffrage movement of the antebellum period and Truth's role in challenging the direction of that movement. On April 20 Wilson, along with Manisha Sinha and Leo Richards of the University of Massachusetts and Susan Tracy of Hampshire College, will look at Sojourner Truth's life and times in the context of slavery, the free black community and the abolitionist movement. The remaining forums will be "Utopianism" on April 6 and "Millenialism" on April 27. All forums will take place in the Damon Education Center, Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge Street, Northampton, at 7:30 p.m.

Helen Krich Chinoy, professor emerita of theatre, will give the inaugural lecture in the Margarita Hopkins Rand Distinguished Lecture Series at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst on April 1 at 4 p.m. in the Rand Theater. Her topic will be "Women in Theater, Then and Now." The UMass theatre department is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its founding.

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Calendar Key

Sources of further information, if any, are shown in parentheses at the end of event descriptions. An asterisk following a listing indicates that the event is open to the public. Admission charges, if any, are listed when known.

Monday 3/30

Résumé/cover letter deadline for the following law offices: Davis, Polk & Wardwell (New York); Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (New York); Goodwin, Procter & Hoar (Boston); Smith & Duggan (Boston); and U.S. Department of Justice (Washington). More information is available in the CDO, Room 20, résumé referral file box.
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., CDO

Hebrew language lunch table.
12:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Language lunch tables.
French
Italian
12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

CDO workshop: "How to Find a Summer Internship."
1:15 p.m., CDO

Lecture: "Betty Goldstein Friedan '42 and Smith College." Daniel Horowitz, Sylvia Dlugasch Bauman, Professor in American Studies. The fourth in a series of five lectures being given during the 199798 academic year by five new chaired professors.
4:30 p.m., Stoddard auditorium*

Meeting: Amnesty International.
4 p.m., Seelye 102*

Meeting: Baha'i Club. Refreshments provided. (Kari, ext. 6362)
4 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

President's open hour for students.
2:30-3:30 p.m., College Hall 20

Presentation of the major for religion. Refreshments provided.
5-6 p.m., Wright common room

Workshop: "Alcohol Awareness." One in a series of weekly student-led workshops. (Heather Jones, ext. 2248)
7-9 p.m., Wright common room

Meeting: Om, the Hindu students organization.
7-8 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Slide lecture: "Body Wars on Campus," a slide presentation and discussion on eating disorders and body image with Dr. Margo Maine of Hartford's Institute of Living, a clinical psychologist who specializes in eating disorders. Sponsored by the athletic department, Committee on Community Policy and Student Task Force on Eating Disorders.
7:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*

Reading by author Carole Lafavor, Lambda Awardnominated mystery writer, from her latest book, Evil Dead Center. Sponsored by the LBTA.
7:30 p.m., Seelye 207

Meeting: Al-Iman, the Smith Muslim students' organization.
8 p.m., Dewey common room

Meeting: Student Labor Action Coalition.
8 p.m., Women's resource center (third floor of Davis)

Sage Hall Concert Series: Russell Sherman, called "one of the best pianists of this or any other century" by The New York Times, performs works by Beethoven, Liszt, Debussy and Schoenberg. Purchase tickets at the Northampton Box Office (586-8686 or 1-800-THE TICK) or at the door: $18; $14 for seniors over 65 and Smith faculty and staff; $16 for Five College students with ID; and $3 for Smith students with ID.
8:00 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall*

Tuesday 3/31

CDO extended hours.
8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Workshop: "Fiscal Fitness: Debt Smart." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
Noon-1 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room

Sigma Xi Luncheon Talk: "Implications of a Large Perturbation in the Global Cycling of Carbon During the Late Cambrian." Bosiljka Glumac, geology. Open to faculty, emeriti and staff.
Noon, College Club lower level

Episcopal-Lutheran Fellowship meets in the parish house parlor.
Noon, St. John's Church, Elm Street

Language lunch tables.
Deutscher Tisch
Korean
12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

Presentation of major for physics. Refreshments provided.
4 p.m., McConnell 201

Lecture: "A Dialogue on Wallace Stevens." Monsignor Charles M. Murphy, author of Wallace Stevens: A Spiritual Poet in a Secular Age, and U.S. Circuit Judge John T. Noonan Jr., Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco. Sponsored by the English department and the Comtemplation and Action Program at Smith College.
4 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*

Presentation of the major for geology. Refreshments provided.
4:15 p.m., Burton 110

Résumé critique by a peer adviser.
4:30-6 p.m. and 8-9 p.m., CDO

Lecture: "Contemporary Writers of Europe: Before and After 1989." Paul Michael Lützeler, director of the Center for Contemporary German Literature and director of the European Studies Program at Washington University.
5 p.m., Seelye 106

Lecture: "Rethinking the Relevance of Imported Models." René Lemarchand, visiting professor in the Gwendolen Carter African Studies Program. Second of three lectures in the series "Making Democracy Safe for Africa."
5-6:30 p.m. Seelye 201*

Five-Con staff meeting: Planning for April's Five College Science Fiction Convention.
7 p.m., Bass 210

SGA senate meeting, including a student open forum at 7:15 p.m.
7 p.m., Seelye 201*

CDO workshop: "Job Search for Seniors."
7 p.m., CDO

Workshop: "On the Horizon: Planning for a Secure and Happy Retirement-Session II." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
7-9 p.m., Ainsworth classroom

Forum: "Political Perspectives on Zionism's Claim to Jerusalem and the West Bank," a talk by Donna Divine, government department, Smith College, and author of Politics and Society in Ottoman Palestine; and "Jerusalem and Ramallah: Current Observations from Being There," by Max Pepper, M.D., adjunct professor, UMass School of Public Health and visiting professor, Bir Zeit University School of Public Health. Part of the series "Oslo Unravels: What Future for Middle East Peace?"
7:30 p.m., Seelye 101*

Discussion: "Spirituality and the Self: Is Spirituality Essentially Personal?" Second of three discussions in the "Puzzling Out Spirituality" series that accompanies a display of puzzle pieces in Seelye basement. This open forum includes students, faculty and staff. All invited, refreshments served. (Ext. 2753).
7:30-9 p.m., Morris House

CDO workshop: "How to Prepare for a Successful Interview."
8 p.m., CDO

Film: L.A. Confidential. Sponsored by Rec Council
9 p.m., Wright auditorium

Wednesday 4/1

Workshop: "Diversity Certificate Program-- Level II, Session I." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
9 a.m.noon, Wright common room

Hillel at Noon. Discussion and veggie luncheon. "Women and the Talmud." Elizabeth Alexander Shanks, Jewish Studies Program.
Noon, Dawes House Kosher Kitchen

Religious activity: Discussion and reflection for Catholic Adas.
Noon-1 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Meeting of Coalition for Children. Special guest Deborah Sosland-Edelman '80 will talk about a program that benefits children in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Lunch provided. Newcomers welcome.
Noon, Dewey common room*

CDO information meeting: "Breaking Into Broadcasting" (lunchtime conversation). Dan Elias, co-anchor for local NBC affiliate WWLP-TV (Channel 22) in Springfield, and local resident, will speak about careers in broadcasting and his experiences in the field, and offer valuable job-search tips to those interested in television or radio careers. Feel free to bring a lunch.
Noon-1:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room

Language lunch tables.
Chinese
Spanish and Portuguese
12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

Lacrosse vs. Wheaton
1 p.m., athletic fields*

CDO information meeting: "Gearing Up for the Teaching Job Search." Public school administrators from Massachusetts and Connecticut schools will discuss their hiring needs, give profiles of their schools and meet informally with teacher candidates. Sponsored by New England Association for Employment in Education, of which Smith is a member.
3:15-6 p.m., Marsh Memorial Building, Springfield College

Film: The Tin Drum (1979, Germany). Volker Schlondorff, director. Based on the novel by Günter Grass. A boy resolves to stop growing at the age of three when the Nazis come to power. Film preceded by a brief introduction.
3:55-6 p.m., Seelye 106*

Office of Institutional Diversity open hour, with Carmen Santana-Melgoza.
4-5 p.m., College Hall 31

Faculty meeting. Tea will be served at 3:45 p.m.
4:10 p.m., Alumnae House conference room

Workshop: "Make the Best of Your Stress" drop-in group. A let-your-hair-down, kick-your-heels-up look at stress with Lisa Werkmeister Rozas, Health Services.
4:30-5:45 p.m., Wright common room

Mandatory meeting for Open Campus overnight hosts. Have you signed up already? Are you interested in hosting? Find out what you need to know to be a host.
7 p.m., Dewey common room

Religious activity: Buddhist service and discussion.
7:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Panel discussion: Pesticides Disclosure Act Debate. Sponsored by MassPIRG.
7:30 p.m., Seelye 110*

Thursday 4/2

College Preview Day helps high school students sample college classes and campus life at Smith and meet current students, professors and admission office staff. (Reservations, ext. 2612)
9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Workshop: "Diversity Certificate Program-Level I, Session II." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
9 a.m.-noon, Dewey common room

Lecture: "E.R. Dashkova: An 18th-Century Woman of Letters." Alexander Woronzoff-Dashkoff, Russian language and literature department. One of the Liberal Arts Luncheon Series. Open to faculty, emeriti and staff.
Noon, College Club lower level

CDO workshop: "How to Prepare for a Successful Interview."
12:10-12:55 p.m., CDO

Lecture: "Neuropeptide Y, Feeding and Function: A Perspective from the Biotech Industry." Mary Walker, Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corp. Part of the Neuroscience Program Colloquium Series.
12:15 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*

Language lunch tables.
Japanese
Russian
12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

Workshop: "Customer Service Certificate Program -- Session II." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
1:30-4 p.m., Dewey common room

Video Presentation: "Am I a Crook? Copyright Issues on the Internet." For faculty and administrators, a telecast on how to tell whether material from the Internet is copyrighted, what materials may be lawfully used in on-line applications and other aspects of copyright and the Internet. Sponsored by Smith College Libraries and Five Colleges Inc. Open free of charge to faculty and staff of the Five Colleges.
2:30-4 p.m., Seelye 109

Symposium: "Literary Biography: Privacy and Disclosure." 4 p.m. lecture, "The Ethics of Disclosure" by Diane Wood Middlebrook; followed by "Thoughts on Privacy" by Janna Malamud Smith. 7:30 p.m. lecture, "The Six Lives of William Faulkner: A Laboratory for Problems of Disclosure and Privacy" by Rev. Patrick H. Samway, S.J.; followed by "Reconfi-guring Flame: The Art of Biography" by Paul Mariani. Sponsored by Committee on Community Policy lecture sub-committee, the Friends of the Libraries, English and religion departments and the chapel. (See story, page 4.) (Ext. 2903)
4 p.m., Wright auditorium*

Conference: Quake Con. Quake -- Battle to the Death. Come one, come all, master or novice. Prizes and food available. Check out lots of other great games and music. Absolutely free. Sponsored by the Computer Club. (palinkas@grendel.cs.smith.
edu)
4-9 p.m., McConnell 104

Thursday 4/2 -- continued

Tennis vs. Brandeis
4 p.m., Tennis Courts*

Lecture: "Venantius Fortunatus, Gregory of Tours, and the Image of the Bishop in Merovingian Gaul." Michael Roberts, Robert Rich Professor of Latin, Wesleyan University. Sponsored by the Department of Classical Languages and the Seminar on Late Antiquity.
4:15 p.m., Wright common room*

Presentation of the major for East Asian languages and literature.
4:30 p.m., Hatfield 205

CDO workshop: "How to Write an Effective Résumé."
4:30 p.m., CDO

Religious activity: Beit Midrash. Study Jewish texts and ideas with Rabbi Edward Feld. Pizza served.
6 p.m., Appleton 106, Amherst College

CDO workshop: "Using the Internet to Search for Jobs and Internships."
6:30 p.m., Seelye B03

Lecture: "U.S.-Africa Policy in the Next Millennium." Mahfoud Bennoune, professor at the University of Algiers, Algeria, and Mariam Hussein, founder of the Dr. Ismail Human Rights Organization and the Center for Human Rights, Mogadishu, Somalia.
7 p.m., Seelye 201*

Poetry reading by acclaimed Asian-American poet Li-Young Lee, from his works. This is the final reading of the year presented by the Poetry Center at Smith College.
7:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*

Animé showing: Subtitled Japanese animation will be shown and discussed. All are welcome.
7:30-10:30 p.m. Bass 210

Discussion: "How Do You Express Yourself Spritually Within Smith's Rigorous Academic Environment?" Last of three discussions in the "Puzzling Out Spirituality" series that accompanies a display of puzzle pieces in Seelye basement. This open forum includes students, faculty and staff. Refreshments. (Ext. 2753)
7:30-9 p.m., Cutter/Ziskind

Spring Dance Concert. Tickets: $6/$4 students, seniors and children. Reservations: 585-2787, Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m.
8 p.m., Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre*

Film: L.A. Confidential. Sponsored by Rec Council
9 p.m., Stoddard auditorium

Friday 4/3

Gallery talk: John Davis, art department, on 19th-century American landscape paintings in the Hammer collection.
12:30 p.m., Museum of Art*

Résumé critique by a peer adviser.
1-2 p.m., CDO

Auditions for the Five College Department of Dance for advanced dance-technique classes as follows: 1-2 p.m., jazz; 2-3 p.m., ballet; 3-4 p.m., modern.
1-4 p.m., Scott dance studio

Symposium: "Literary Biography: Privacy and Disclosure." 1:30 p.m. lecture, "Virginia Woolf: Secrets of a Writer's Life," by Hermione Lee (annual lecture of the Friends of the Smith College Libraries); "Afterword," by Diane Wood Middlebrook in Wright auditorium. 3 p.m. reception and book-signing in the Neilson Browsing Room. 4 p.m. Plenary session with Hermione Lee, Rev. Patrick H. Samway, S.J., Paul Mariani and Diane Wood Middlebrook. Moderator: Janna Malamud Smith. Sponsored by the Committee on Community Policy lecture subcommittee, Friends of the Smith College Libraries, English and religion departments and the Chapel. (See story, page 4.) (Ext. 2903)
1:30 p.m., at indicated sites*

5 CON: The Five College Area Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention. This annual convention rotates among the Five Colleges. 5-Con encompasses everything from comic books to animé, Star Wars to The X-files, medieval history to future speculation; includes panel discussions, workshops, fencing demonstrations, gaming, a costume ball, a dealer's room, an art show and more. Guests of honor will be Esther Friesner, author of The Psalms of Herod and Magic by Design; Debra Doyle and James Macdonald, co-authors of The Mageworlds: The Price of the Stars.Also in attendance: Gayle Greeno, author of The Ghatti's Tale: Allen Steele, author of All-American Alien Boy; and Dr. Anne Simon, scientific programming advisor for The X-Files. Tickets are $10 at the door for the whole weekend. (Kara Savoia, ext. 7543, or Katherine Buffington, ext. 7352)
4 p.m.-midnight, Seelye Hall

Lecture: "Eastern European Dreams and Realities," by Slavenka Drakulic, a renowned writer, feminist, sociologist, journalist and author of How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed, Cafe Europa and three novels. Sponsored by the government department and CCP.
4:30 p.m., Seelye 106*

Meeting: Science Fiction and Fantasy Club.
4:30 p.m., Seelye 208

Religious service: Shabbat Eve Services.
5:30 p.m., Dewey common room

Religious activity: Friday-night Bible study, sponsored by the Smith Koinonia Fellowship. (Ext. 6369)
6 p.m., Seelye 106*

Religious activity: Shabbat Eve Dinner.
7 p.m., Dawes House Kosher Kitchen

Religious activity: Smith Christian Fellowship, a chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA.
7 p.m., Dewey common room

Spring Dance Concert. Tickets: $6/$4 students, seniors and children. Reservations: extension 2787, MondayFriday, 1-4 p.m.
8 p.m., Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre*

Party: Radical Debutante Ball. Cutting-edge elegance. Everyone is cordially invited to come over and get down. Sponsored by the LBTA.
9 p.m., Davis Ballroom

Saturday 4/4

5 CON: The Five-College Area Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention. See Friday, 4 p.m., for details.
8 a.m.-midnight, Seelye Hall

Symposium: "Changing Work in the Industrial Revolution." Chris Clark, University of Warwick, UK; Daryl Hafter, Eastern Michigan State University; and Leonard Rosenband, University of Utah. The relationship between technological change and changing patterns of industrial work in the decades around 1800 and the paper industry of pre-Revolutionary France. A discussion with the symposium participants will follow the presentations; coffee will be served. Sponsored by the Program in the History of the Sciences and the Department of History at Smith College. (Ext. 1723)
9 a.m.-noon, Wright auditorium*

Softball vs. Babson
Noon, athletic fields*

Concert: Rec Council a cappella concert. Part of the Smith Spring Weekend festivities.
1-4 p.m. John M. Greene Hall*

Special event: Sixth Annual Smith College Campus School Scholarship Auction. Friends welcome. Suggested donation: $12. Events include Kids' Night Out, a live auction, balloon auction, silent auction, cash wine and beer bar, full dinner and desert. RSVP by March 25, 585-2325 or ecurtis@ais.smith.edu. See Campus School web site (www.smith.edu/sccs) for preview of auction items. Kids' Night Out is open to kids in kindergartengrade 8, for swimming, sports and games from 5:45-10 p.m. Cost: $12 for first child, $7 for each additional child. RSVP by April 2, 585-2722 .
6 p.m., Scott gym*

Film: Criss Cross (1948). Directed by Robert Siodmak. Burt Lancaster is entangled in crime by his double-crossing ex-wife and her gangster lover. Part of the Motion Picture Committee's Film Noir series.
8 p.m., Wright auditorium*

Spring Dance Concert. Tickets: $6/$4 students, seniors and children. Reservations: extension 2787, Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m.
8 p.m., Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre*

Saturday Night Fever: Boogie Nights-Disco Inferno. Spring Weekend Party/Ball. Music, food and dancing. Open to Smith students and their guests. $10 per ticket, two-ticket limit per student.
9 p.m., Davis ballroom

Film: Memories of Underdevelopment (Cuba, 1968). Directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea. Modernist stylization shapes this entertaining portrait of a womanizing intellectual's alienation in post-revolution Cuba. The most famous Cinema Novo film, it is particularly interesting in the candor of its socialist self-criticism. Part of the Motion Picture Committee's Auteur Film series.
10 p.m., Wright auditorium*

Sunday, 4/5

5 CON: The Five-College Area Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention. See Friday, 4 p.m., for details.
8 a.m., Seelye Hall

Religious activity: Quaker (Friends) discussion group. Meeting for worship begins at 11 a.m.
9:30 a.m., Bass 210*

Religious service: Morning worship for Palm Sunday with Holy Communion, the Rev. Richard Unsworth preaching. Coffee hour follows in Bodman Lounge. All welcome.
10:30 a.m., Chapel*

CDO open hours.
1-4 p.m., CDO

CDO workshop: "How to Find a Summer Internship."
1:30 p.m., CDO

Film: Criss Cross (1948). See Saturday, 8 p.m.
2 p.m., Wright auditorium*

Lecture: "Contemplation in Action: An Intellectual Perspective." Patrick Samway, S.J., literary editor of America and author of Walker Percy: A Life. A segment of the Faith and the Arts series sponsored b the Contemplation and Action Program of the Catholic Chaplaincy at Smith College.
2 p.m., Chapel*

CDO workshop: "How to Write an Effective Résumé."
2:30 p.m., CDO

Opening talk and reception for "Kate Millett, Sculptor: The First 38 Years." (See "Ongoing Events.")
3-5 p.m., Northampton Center for the Arts

Authors' reading: Margaret Lloyd and Arlene Rodriguez. Part of the Gallery of Readers Series.
4 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*

Film: Memories of Underdevelopment (Cuba, 1968). See Saturday, 10 p.m.
4 p.m., Stoddard auditorium*

General meeting: Association of Smith Pagans.
4-5:15 p.m., Gillet House*

Religious service: Roman Catholic mass with Fr. Patrick Samway, S.J., celebrant, and Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain. A supper will follow. All welcome.
4:30 p.m., Chapel*

Meeting: Feminists of Smith Unite.
7 p.m., Women's Resource Center (Davis third floor)

Film: The A.C.L.U.: A History. A world premiere hosted by Florentine Films/Hott Productions and the American Studies Program. Followed by a discussion with the filmmakers, Larry Hott and Diane Garey. The film is sponsored by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, Floyd and Delores Jones Foundation, Playboy Foundation, Open Society Institute and the Illinois Council for the Humanities. (268-7934)
7:30 p.m., Wright auditorium*

Ongoing Events

Art exhibition: "Sandy Skoglund: Reality Under Siege," the first retrospective exhibition of the work of the photographer, sculptor, and installation artist. Call extension 2760 for museum hours. Through May 24.
Museum of Art*

Curio exhibition: "The Visionary Cabinet," curiosities created by Marjorie Senechal's History of Science 112a class. Through May 1.
McConnell Hall west stairwell*

Photography exhibition from the School for Field Studies. Alumnae of the SFS Environmental Field Studies Abroad Programs in Kenya, B.W.I., Baja (Mexico), Pacific Northwest Canada, Costa Rica and Australia are represented. Eleven Smith students are in SFS programs this spring. Sponsored by the Environmental Science Program.
McConnell foyer

Art exhibition: "Puzzling Out Spirituality," featuring the spirituality puzzle pieces hung in each of the houses in the fall. Come see what Smith women have said about their spiritual lives, and join this campus dialogue by offering your comments in the space provided. Sponsored by the Chapel Representatives. Through April 3. (Ext. 2753)
Seelye basement

Art exhibition: "American Landscapes." Lent by Kathleen Hammer '65 and including paintings from the museum's collection; organized by Stefne Lynch '98, special exhibitions intern. Call extension 2760 for museum hours. Through April 5.
Museum of Art*

Art exhibition: "Kate Millett, Scupltor: The First 38 Years." Opens April 5. A collaborative project of its curator, the Fine Arts Gallery of the University of Maryland/Baltimore and the Sohia Smith Collection and the Northampton Center for the Arts. Cosponsored by the Women's Studies and American Studies Programs, the Project on Women and Social Change, Smith Feminists Unite and the Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered Alliance. Through May 2. (Ext. 2970 or 586-7282)
Northampton Center for the Arts*

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Getting Your Word Out in AcaMedia

AcaMedia is the official vehicle for making announcements within the Smith College community. We urge all of our readers to let us know of any Smith-related stories in need of telling, any members of the Smith community in need of recognition, or any college events or notices in need of publicity.

Where to Send Copy
-- Submit copy or ideas for news stories to Ann Shanahan at Garrison Hall (ashanahan@colrel.smith.edu).
-- Submit calendar items to Mary Stanton at Garrison Hall (mstanton@colrel.smith.edu, or fax to extension 2174).
-- Submit notices to John Sippel at Garrison Hall (jsippel@colrel.smith.edu, or fax to extension 2178). Text for notices should not exceed 125 words. If its intended audience is not obvious, please indicate whether your notice applies to the entire Smith community, to faculty and staff only, or to students only.

Deadlines
Copy is due by 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 1, for issue 25 (which will include April 1319 calendar listings) and by 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 8, for issue 26 (April 2026 calendar listings). Late information cannot be accepted.

Sources of further information, if any, are indicated last in parentheses.

Blue-Pencil Alert
All calendar items and notices submitted to AcaMedia are subject to editing for clarity, brevity and style. Almost none see print exactly as originally written.

Smith-Wide

Library Committee Meeting
The Friends of the Libraries executive committee will hold its spring meeting April 3, 8:30 a.m.noon, in the Neilson Library Administative Conference Room.

'Open Campus' Housing
On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 21 and 22, the Office of Admission is sponsoring Open Campus to enable students who have been admitted to Smith to experience campus life. The program clinches the decisions of many students to attend Smith. If you would like to be part of this exciting event by hosting a student overnight, please come by the office to fill out a form.

Students

German Club Trip to Boston
All students interested in German art, language and cuisine are invited to join the German Club on a day trip to Boston, Saturday, April 11. The first stop will be a German art exhibit at the Busch-Reisinger Museum in Cambridge. A German lunch will follow at the historic, internationally acclaimed Jacob Wirth Co. restaurant in downtown Boston. The group will leave campus at 9:30 a.m. and return sometime during the evening. Transportation costs and museum admission are covered. Reservations will be accepted until April 7; to make them or find out more, call Marisa Miller at extension 6251.

Student State House Day
On Wednesday, April 8, college students from across Massachusetts will meet with state legislators in the Great Hall in the State House to thank them for allocating student scholarship money from the state budget. Let's have a solid showing from Smith. To learn more about the bills, allocations or the Gilbert Program (which provides grants to low-income students at private colleges) or to make the trip to Boston, call Amber at 586-4969.

Faculty Teaching Evaluations
Faculty teaching evaluations will be administered MondayThursday, April 2730, in Wright auditorium foyer. All students are advised to check their campus mailboxes during the week of April 13 for evaluation information. Students are required to complete these evaluations; SGA will issue $25 fines for unexcused noncompliance. Students are asked to enter their data according to this schedule: first-years, Monday, April 27; sophomores and Ada Comstock Scholars, Tuesday, April 28; juniors and Ada Comstock Scholars, Wednesday, April 29; seniors, Thursday, April 30. Data may be entered on each of these days between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Students who are off campus on their assigned day may complete their evaluations on another scheduled day. Evaluations cannot be completed after April 30.

Summer Head Resident
Applications for the position of summer head resident will be available as of April 3 in the Office of Student Affairs, College Hall 24. The woman selected for the position will work in Sessions Complex throughout the summer period and be given room, board and a small weekly stipend. Preference will be given to applicants with head-resident experience. Application deadline: April 24. (Randy Shannon, ext. 4940)

Don't Remain Silent
More than half the Smith women who received a Cycles Survey have voiced their opinions. Have you? If not, please complete your survey right away and return it by hand or by mail to the Office of Student Affairs, College Hall 24.

CDO City Fair
The Career Development Office will hold its annual City Fair on Sunday, April 19, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in Davis ballroom. The featured cities will be London; Paris; New York; Chicago; Seattle; Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Denver/Boulder; Washington, D.C.; Houston; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Northampton/Springfield; Philadelphia; and Portland, Oregon. Information will be available on relocation, apartment hunting, useful Internet sites, Smith Clubs, how to find a roommate, and job tips. From 1:20 to 2:30 p.m. in the Women's Resource Center (on the second floor of Davis) a panel of recent Smith alums will describe and answer questions about their experiences after college. (Matt or Shea, ext. 2570)

Job Openings
The following jobs were available at our publication deadline. For complete information, call the job hot line at extension 2278.

Assistant director, Alumnae fund, Advancement. Application reviews begin April 3.
Major gifts officer, Advancement. Application reviews begin April 3.
Director of the alumnae fund and parents' fund, Advancement. Application reviews begin immediately.

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AcaMedia staff: Ann Shanahan, editor; Cathy Brooks, layout; John Sippel, notices; Mary Stanton, calendar; Eric Sean Weld, writer
AcaMedia is published weekly during the academic year by the Office of College Relations for the Smith College community. This version of AcaMedia for the World Wide Web is maintained by the Office of College Relations. Last update: March 26, 1998

Copyright © 1997, Smith College. Portions of this publication may be reproduced with the permission of the Office of College Relations, Garrison Hall, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (413) 585-2170.
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