Spring 1996 | Volume 10, Number 4 | Northampton, Massachusetts

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Alumnae Association and College Pledge Closer Cooperation The Alumnae Association of Smith College (AASC) has approved a new strategic plan and an agreement that will closely coordinate the work of the AASC with that of the college. The new "vision statement" declares, "By the year 2000, the [AASC] will be an all-inclusive, strategically directed, and financially sound organization that: excels in alumnae relations, annual fundraising and student recruitment in support of a college for women; creates and promotes mutually beneficial connections between Smith College and her alumnae; and fosters pride in Smith College." Created after years of discussion and planning, the AASC/college agreement includes these key points: The AASC will continue as an independent, nonprofit corporation. An alumna trustee will continue to serve on the college's board of trustees, and the AASC president will still serve on the board, ex officio. The AASC and the college together will continue developing and implementing a strong alumnae relations program and alumnae participation in fund-raising efforts. Beginning July 1, 1996, all Smith alumnae will be considered part of the AASC, which will cease to be a dues-paying organization. Revenue previously generated from dues will be provided by the college. Life members of the AASC will still receive their benefits. The AASC and the college will develop a comprehensive alumnae communications program, including distributing the Smith Alumnae Quarterly to all alumnae starting with the fall 1996 issue. The Alumnae Fund director will report to Smith's chief advancement officer, and the Alumnae Fund staff will become college employees on July 1, 1996. The AASC will continue to control its own endowment and other sources of revenue, which will support the alumnae relations program. For more information about this agreement, contact Jane Anderson Howard '75, president of the AASC, or Nancy Cook Steeper '59, its executive director. In Small Things Remembered John M. Greene's pocket watch is there, its once-bright gold case worn smooth from years of Greene's checking its accuracy against the College Hall tower clock. Also in the College Archives collection are Sophia Smith's gold and citrine necklace, a "grass cop" badge, a wooden veteran of countless "hoop rolls" and other pieces of Smith's past. The archives staff doesn't seek these artifacts; their first duty is to protect the more than one million paper documents of Smith history-enough to fill 675 filing cabinets-and to collect more. But College Archivist Margery Sly says that occasionally an item appears that she simply can't resist. Sly saved the cupola and copper G-clef-design weathervane that topped recently renovated Pierce Hall, which was originally the music building. Although Sly drew the line at keeping any of the 19th-century slate tiles just replaced on College Hall's roof, the original hands from its tower clock now rest in her office after marking the hours for generations of Smith students. Apparently Sly's predecessors also felt the pull of non-paper treasures, as many adorn the archives' rooms. A wooden hoop shares space with a cross-section of the President's Oak (cut down in 1987), a small leather megaphone from a long-ago Ivy Day parade and a melted light fixture that caused a 1975 library fire. Nearby are collections of silver Smith spoons, Wedgwood plates bearing images of college buildings and a case of brass pins representing student organizations. Playing-card charms dangle from a sterling bracelet that once graced the wrist of a Poker Club member. A painted wooden sign reading "War Relief for the Smith College Unit in France" hangs over a coat rack. The sign came from a Massachusetts antique shop that donated proceeds to Smith's humanitarian aid effort during World War I. It's an attractive decoration, but the sign serves a larger purpose. It and the other artifacts lure potential scholars with a siren's song of history. "When students see the artifacts and want to know the history behind them, we're ready with the letters, diaries, photos and so on," explains Sly. "Artifacts are a good way to introduce history to people." And, although the archives' mission continues to be documenting Smith's history primarily with documents and photographs, other historical objects can't be ignored. In fact, the archives staff work in their biggest artifact: Alumnae Gym. Newsbriefs A possible campus center for Smith returned to the college's front burner after a task force was formed in late fall. President Simmons says the faculty-student-staff group will "review with campus groups the mandate for a campus center to determine what programmatic needs should have the highest priority" and will "allow opponents of the idea to make known their objections." The task force is expected to report its findings to the Committee on Planning and Resources (CP&R) by the end of this academic year. Although the development of some sort of campus center has already been approved by both CP&R and by the board of trustees, there is no clear vision, Simmons suggests, of what-or where-the final facility will be. She wants as many voices as possible to be heard before major decisions are made. Last spring, the Committee on the Education of Women presented its report to then- president Mary Maples Dunn, who left decisions about its recommendations to her successor. President Simmons convened an all-college forum in October to comment on the report. What she termed "the wonderful clatter of difference that is the mark of a community" characterized discussion on topics from intellectual life and coeducation to housing and orientation. Still, there was consistent support for the idea of seminars for first-year students, for keeping a mix of students from all four classes and many backgrounds in campus houses, and for remaining a college for women only. "The world is not equal, and women are in desperate need of empowerment and intellectual support," one speaker said in defense of single-sex education. There was also concern for maintaining supportive cooperation between faculty and students and for sustaining intellectual rigor. Discussion of the report will continue as needed in smaller group settings. President Simmons expects to respond to the report's recommendations no later than the end of spring semester. The August 28 issue of USA Today told the nation that The Princeton Review Student Access Guide to the Best 309 Colleges credited Smith as having the "best dorms." Other "honors," which Smith happily did not receive, included "most red tape" (Hampton University) and "top party school" (University of Rhode Island). Rally Day festivities on February 21 launched a year-long celebration in honor of the 200th anniversary of Sophia Smith's birth. Our founding mother was born August 27, 1796. Quentin Quesnell, Roe/Straut Professor in the Humanities, discussed new research on Sophia Smith's role in founding the college. Rally Day medals were awarded to Natalie Zemon Davis '49, historian and writer; Liebe Sokol Diamond '51, orthopedic surgeon and teacher; Joyce H. Poole '79, elephant conservationist and researcher; and Elizabeth K. Stage '72, mathematics and science curriculum reformer and executive director of the California Science Project. Care for a little Chaucer with your chili? Some Byron with your bagel, perhaps? The English department's "Literature at Lunch" series delivered a literary feast for the ears throughout fall semester. Conceived as an enjoyable way to fit more literature into the already over-booked lives of the college community, the series featured professors reading works by Chaucer, Evelyn Waugh, Angela Carter and Byron so listeners could digest ideas along with their brown-bag lunches. Mary B. Reutener '70, Smith's director of college relations, announced in December that she would leave her post. Reutener worked for eight years in Smith's office of admission, then served from 1982 to 1984 as project coordinator and special assistant to the president for communications programs. She joined Smith's college relations staff in 1986, serving as associate director before being named director of college relations in 1992. The recipient of an A.B. in psychology from Smith, Reutener also is a graduate of the Smith Management Program. Students in 10 campus houses now have access to CyberSmith--a computer network that lets them connect from their own dorm rooms to campus computers and the worldwide Internet. All students already have access to these services in campus computing centers, and every house is expected to be wired for CyberSmith by fall 1997. People News: C. John Burk, professor of biological sciences, has been awarded the distinction of Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.... Associate Professor of Economics Deborah Haas-Wilson was one of only 12 researchers selected as recipients of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research for 1994. Her research, conducted with a colleague at Carnegie Mellon University, examines antitrust policy in the context of the trend toward horizontally and vertically integrated networks of health-care providers.... Twenty women were selected as Junior Phi Beta Kappa members by the Smith chapter in November. These students were the highest academic achievers at the end of their junior year who also took at least one course in each of the college's three academic divisions. A Smith student team was among the five front-runners at an annual collegiate computing competition sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery. The team of Elizabeth Lovance '97, Anna Lysyanskaya '97 and Dianna Xu '96-all computer science majors-answered correctly four of seven problems. Through a new program, Hunger Cents, Smith is donating 10 cents for each meal missed by each student on days adjacent to major school vacations. This reduces wasted food, which allows the college to donate dollars to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. All students must do is complete a form and sign on the line when they decline to dine. On the International Day Without Art in December, students used black cloth to cover all campus sculptures created by artists 40 years old or older. This symbolized the creativity lost to the world because of AIDS, whose victims die at an average age of 40. Inside the Museum of Art, the point was made with black cards that covered labels on works by artists at least 40 years old. The Mendenhall Fellowship Program brings to campus promising scholars of color who are completing their doctoral work. This year's fellows are Rosanne M. Adderley, a history Ph.D. candidate from the University of Pennsylvania, and Carla O'Connor, an education Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago. Adderley's research focuses on "The New Negroes from Africa," an analysis of culture and community among liberated Africans in the 19th-century Caribbean. O'Connor's dissertation explores "Self-Efficacy, Perception of Opportunity and Academic Achievement" among low-income African-American students. Cable News Network's Beijing Bureau Chief Mike Chinoy is spending his year's leave of absence teaching and giving special presentations at Smith. Chinoy is sharing reflections on two decades of covering major news stories, including the hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise liner; civil conflicts in Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Chad; and China's Tiananmen Square uprising. If you miss him on campus, you can read all about it in Chinoy's forthcoming book on his uncommon career and the international events that shaped it. Smith students--as well as members of the broader Five College community--were invited to receive a hands-on introduction to non-Western music last semester as Margaret Sarkissian, assistant professor of music, established the Smith Gamelan. A sort of percussion orchestra that originated in Java, the gamelan features gongs and a collection of other instruments. Some look like kettles suspended on stands; others are made up of tuned keys resembling xylophones or vibraphones. "The gamelan is a very democratic group," Sarkissian says. "Some instruments are perfect for people with little or no musical experience, while others are challenging for people with more advanced skills." After rehearsing weekly during the fall, the ensemble performed to a full house in Sage Recital Hall in December. Here, Ann Shaffer '98 (foreground) plays the bonang panerus during a rehearsal. Five College students took to the streets October 26 as part of the national Young Women's Day of Action. Smith women formed nearly the entire front row of the Amherst march. Volunteers registered voters in Northampton and held campus workshops and information sessions to raise awareness about women's issues. Activists on close to 200 campuses nationwide spoke out on issues such as education, reproductive freedom, jobs, child care, lesbian rights, and ethnic and racial justice. Many of Smith's activities targeted violence against women. Constance French '87 has joined the college staff as director of major gifts, while Sandra Doucett has been named director of corporation and foundation relations.

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