The South Asian Student Association celebrates 25 years at Smith with a theater production of Family Duty, a play which tells of the struggles of an Indian Muslim family. The free performance is Friday, November 9, at 7 p.m. in the TV Studio, Mendenhall Center, preceded by a free dinner at 6 p.m. in the Gamut. 

Professor of Chemistry Kate Queeney opened the 2012-13 academic year with a convocation address met by cheers and foot stomping from students who filled John M. Greene Hall on September 5. “Every year at this time, as you all suddenly converge on campus, I am struck by how much I’ve missed you,” she told the audience. The traditional academic event is not a staid occasion at Smith. Students often attend dressed in celebratory garb. Referencing the student attire, Queeney quipped, “Look left. Look right. Don’t wear that to an interview.”

Every year, following commencement, new Smith graduates march up to the courtyard of King and Scales houses and form concentric circles, passing diplomas around in an annual ritual called the Diploma Circle. It's not only a tradition; it's a necessity. While Smith graduates process with their houses, the diplomas they receive have been sorted alphabetically for the entire class. So most students will not be handed their own diploma.

Since 1911, the Diploma Circle, typically a 15-minute process, is where each graduate receives her own diploma.