News for the Smith College Community //February 28, 2002
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In the Middle of the Night In the dead of night on the Smith campus, when houses fall still as their inhabitants slumber, when interior lights are dim and shadows loom, when strange noises echo from darkened corners, what terrifying things lurk? Well, that depends on whom you ask. Many students report that they've heard suspicious rustlings on the path that runs beside Paradise Pond and the Mill River. Others say they've seen ominous shadows in the parking lot on Green Street. Some have received phone calls from someone now known as the Whispering Woman, whose late-night prank calls have creeped out sleepy students for years. Students say paranormal experiences abound at Smith. When a Web site was set up last year, at www.geocities.com/smithghost, for Smithies to share their ghost stories, there was no shortage of tales by spooked students of hauntings in houses and academic buildings, from Park House and Sessions to Theater 14. Given students' wariness, you might think that those who work the night shift for the Department of Public Safety and Physical Plant would find cleaning and patrolling Smith's dark campus and deserted buildings to be a spooky pastime. But it's not, they say. "It's not creepy," insists Bill McGrath, a custodian with the Physical Plant who works from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. McGrath's job involves cleaning "the pool area, the shower rooms, the squash courts and the outside part," he explains. His job is solitary, he admits. "I don't really see anyone, and I'd rather see a few people." Still, neither McGrath nor Tan Chan, a fellow custodian in Ainsworth Gym, says they have encountered anything out of the ordinary during their lonely nighttime shifts. "I work over there all night, but I've never really seen anything unusual," says McGrath. Strange things sometimes happen to Public Safety officers during their night shifts, but they have nothing to do with ghosts or the like, says Bill Gorman, an officer with Public Safety. "I've heard the stories, but I think they're all kind of hokey," says Gorman, who has worked the night shift for eight years. His work, he notes, is "not different when there's a full moon or anything. But it is different when there's a full keg." The pace of the night shift varies for Public Safety officers, Gorman says, depending on what's happening around campus. "It's the unexpected, really," he says. "Any night of the week, any of those 3,000 people [on campus] might need attention." Public Safety stays particularly busy on Friday and Saturday nights, Gorman reports, when the campus buzzes with parties and visitors. "Basically the students are good, but what comes on to the campus [as visitors], that's the main part that causes trouble," he explains, "people from downtown or ex-boyfriends that want to cause some trouble." It's not exactly the stuff of ghost
tales (though Smith students may have their share of horror stories
about ex-lovers). But thanks to the steady work and calm vigilance
of Gorman and his fellow night shift workers, the only things
that keep most students awake at night are their wild imaginations
-- and perhaps the Whispering Woman. WITI Invent Center Assists Tech Careers As career opportunities in engineering and technology have expanded in recent years, Smith's faculty and staff have worked to develop new ways of helping students and alumnae find employment in those fields. One example of the recent initiatives at the college is Smith's WITI Invent Center, a collaboration between Smith and Women in Technology International (WITI). The Invent Center, which opened last October, provides internships and mentoring programs, leadership assessment, training and coaching, and actual work experience for undergraduates interested in technology. It also offers resources and connections for faculty, alumnae and entrepreneurs. "Women are dramatically underrepresented in technology and in new business ventures," said WITI founder Carolyn Leighton at the Invent Center's opening last fall. "Together, WITI and Smith can bring considerable resources to bear on the obstacles, such as isolation and lack of mentoring, that so often derail women's interest or advancement in technology endeavors." Leighton founded WITI a decade ago to provide resources and services to women in technology. The first and only organization dedicated to advancing women through technology, WITI provides "inspiration, education, conferences, online services, publications and an exceptional network of worldwide resources," according to the WITI Web site. With the help of the Invent Center, all those resources and opportunities are available at Smith. Located in Tilly Hall, the center is "a beautiful suite with a huge conference room, a research room with six Dell PCs, and we've got interview rooms that will also be used with the Career Development Office," describes Nancy Hellman, the Invent Center's consulting director. In her position, Hellman helps to "not only get the center up and running physically, but make sure everything works, get signage, hire the staff and then design programming that will meet our objectives to provide professional development and retention of women in technology, and to provide experiences for women who will be beginning technology careers," she says. Hellman started "by developing an advisory council of 20 women in the area," she says, "who are either in small businesses that they have started or small businesses that they are partnering, and three women who are from [larger] corporations, and we've met twice to help design the goals of the Invent Center." The center's goals are in line with those of WITI and of Smith, Hellman says: helping women succeed professionally and intellectually. "It's a natural progression for Smith to collaborate with WITI to help advance women and encourage students to pioneer and lead in technology-based endeavors," said former president Ruth Simmons when the partnership was first announced last year. Among the opportunities offered by the center to the Smith community is Toolbox, a series of speakers and panel presentations designed to teach students more about jobs in technology. The first presentation, which featured a panel of engineers, was held in early February. It focused on the question "What Do Engineers Do and Where Do Engineers Work?" On Friday, March 8, the second series installment, "Job Savvy: What Do Corporations Expect, and How Do You Prepare?" will take place at 11:45 a.m. in the engineering building, room 201. Vivian Dixon, the diversity consultant for Capital One Financial Corporation, and Jane Sommer, the associate director of Smith's Career Development Office, will speak. The final installment, on April 12, will focus on "balancing your career and personal life," Hellman says. "We will have panelists talk about what they have experienced in attempting to advance their careers while also trying to keep their sanity and maintain a personal life." The Toolbox presentations are open to all Smith and Five College students. As the Invent Center grows, new programming will be added, says Hellman. "We'll be going on to look at entrepreneurial efforts in the fall, because a lot of students think they might want to own their own businesses," she explains. Engineering and technology-related job listings are already available to students, thanks to a collaboration between WITI and the Career Development Office, and a mentor network is in the works as well. Through all its programs, services and presentations, the mission of the Invent Center is always to assist students in pursuing their career goals. "We're here to provide counseling and a space for students to work," Hellman notes. But in its resources and general support, the Invent Center provides much more. Riding Is In Their Blood For many students, the only reason to venture to the college's horse stables, located at the extreme southwest reaches of campus, is to find a parking space during snow emergencies (when street parking is prohibited). But for Sue Payne, coach of the Smith equestrian team, the stables -- or more formally, the Equestrian Center -- are more than an alternate parking lot. Foremost, the stables serve as home to Payne's 24 horses and training grounds for 26 student equestrian competitors. Then there are the 75 horseback riding enthusiasts who take lessons each week there. Snow-day automobile traffic notwithstanding, the stables are a busy place. It's decidedly the equestrian team that is most familiar with that end of campus. Smith's team trains there throughout the spring riding season as one of 15 competing teams in their regional division of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). UMass, Mount Holyoke and Williams colleges also have teams in the division. And though each rider competes for individual ribbons, they are always aware that they are part of a team. "What I enjoy most about the riding team is how supportive everyone is," says Chloe Diamond '02, a veteran equestrian team member. "At competitions, everyone [on the team] cheers on our riders and helps in any way they can." "We are all competing for the same side," notes Christy Mackenzie '05, a new member of the equestrian team, "and that's something that doesn't happen a whole lot in other equestrian competition." Payne, who has worked at the stables for 28 years and coached the equestrian team for 20, enjoys consistent success with her teams and riders. Smith's equestrian team often places riders in regional and national championship competition. In 2000, Lee Negendank '02 placed sixth in the Intercollegiate Nationals and has qualified again for this year's national competition. Coach Payne maintains high expectations for her entire team. "We have good chances this year," she says, "especially since a lot of returning students are back. It's very stiff competition." Add to that the unique feature of intercollegiate riding that requires the host college team to provide the horses in competition. Team riders therefore cannot warm up with the horse with which they will compete. As a result, the competition "often comes down to the luck of the draw because the riders don't know the horses," explains Payne. "There's a lot of rolling of the dice in this game." For now, the dice seem to be rolling in Smith's favor. The equestrian team is ranked third this year in its 15-team division. The team's rivalries with riders at Mount Holyoke and UMass are so heated that often only one or two points divide the teams' scores in competition. The equestrian team will continue competing through the spring. As usual, the highlight of the season will be the regional show on April 6, hosted annually by the Smith team. After this season, six team riders will graduate. But if they're like past team members, their graduation will not mean the end of their riding days. Smith's equestrian team members typically continue in the sport as horse owners, equestrian teachers or competitors in the alumnae division of the IHSA, Payne explains. After all, "If you're a rider," as Payne puts it, "it's in your blood." SIKOS Schtick: Act on Impulse Exams. Papers. Labs. Daily homework problems. In the mixture of assignments and responsibilities swirling around the Smith campus, fun is sometimes hard to come by. Fortunately, for those times, there's a small group of students on campus who make it their mission to reintroduce the college to the carefree side of life-the side that acts on impulse, without regard to proper etiquette and social appropriateness. It's eight women who collectively refer to themselves as SIKOS, or the Smith Improv and Komedy Organization of Smith. "In life you are conditioned to act and think a certain way, a way that is generally known as being 'acceptable behavior,'" says SIKOS member Roya Millard '02. "However, at one point or another, you have reactions to things that you really want to say or do, but just can't. The SIKOS is based on saying and doing the first thing that comes to mind, which is usually the thing that is not acceptable behavior." The SIKOS' performances, like those of other comedy improv troupes, are centered around "a series of games, commonly known as 'theatresports,'" Millard explains. "We do what is called short form spot improv, which simply means that the scenes are short, only a few minutes in length, and that it is all improvised on the spot based on suggestions from the audience. If you are at all familiar with the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway, that's what we do. The shows are entirely improvised, and even when we do multiple shows consisting of the same games, the outcomes are always different. We rarely get the same variables, or have the same reactions to the variables, twice." It's a challenge, admits SIKOS member Claire Wheeler '04. But, she adds, "I love that challenge. It forces you to keep on your feet and also to listen to the other people in the group." SIKOS meets for rehearsal twice a week, to the confusion of some. "People are constantly asking me, 'If it's all improv, why do you have to rehearse?'" explains Maile Shoul '02. "I compare improv theater to improv jazz. To play improvised music, a musician can't just sit down with other musicians and play whatever she wants. To make it sound good, they have to learn how to be in synch with each other, what makes good music, how to watch each other for rhythm changes, how to share the stage. Although improv seems to be free-form theater, only by keeping certain rules in mind (i.e., listening to each other, working on characters, having goal-oriented scenes) can improv theater be good theater." No director or president heads up the student-run SIKOS. Instead, "rehearsals are often run by two people who put together a plan of what performance aspects they would like to focus attention on," Millard explains. "Otherwise, whoever is most vocal or into whatever it is we are doing-whether it be planning a show or coming up with ideas for auditions or advertisements-acts as a leader and keeps everyone else focused. We make decisions as a group and everyone has an equal say in things." "We work very hard at making sure that we are an ensemble, a team," echoes Shoule, "and that everyone has equal involvement in what goes on. This democratic structure can make organization an extra challenge, but it is essential to keeping SIKOS fun and fair for everyone involved." The SIKOS usually give their own performances
at the beginning of the semester and around the holidays, and
they also do shows whenever an organization hires them to perform.
But recognition isn't the only (or even most important) benefit of belonging to SIKOS. "We can all get together and make total fools out of ourselves and be as goofy and dorky as we want," says Millard, "and enjoy it without worrying about what people will think, because it's all taken in good fun." Who wouldn't want to watch a group
of eight students having that kind of fun? After attending the
SIKOS' Winter Weekend performance at Gardiner House, Emily Razzanno
'02 gave this review: "Laughter is the best medicine, and
the SIKOS are the perfect prescription." ScoreBoard Track and field February 22: Open New England Tournament: 29th place out of 32 Swimming and diving February 22-24: NEWMAC Championship: 5th place out of 10 Skiing February 24: ECSC Regional Championship Sources of further information, if any, are indicated in parentheses. Notices should be submitted by mail, by e-mail eweld@smith.edu) or by fax (extension 2171).
Concert for Homeless Route 66 Reconstruction Adopt-a-Planter Program Smith Summer Employment Staff Art On Display Prison Book Project Pitching and Catching Clinic MCAS Tutors Needed Have-a-Heart Food Drive Annual Softball Clinic Open Batting Cage Faculty and Staff American Studies in Japan Students Student Teaching Applications Spring Break Housing Poetry Center Jobs Drop Course Deadline Student Opinions Count 2002-03 Alumnae Scholarships WITI Student Board Summer Grants Deadline Textbook Returns Student Schedules Be a Gold Key Guide Study Abroad Deadline Madeleine Now Available Free Counseling Sessions Study Skills Workshops Peer Writing Assistance |
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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. Items for this section must be submitted on Event Service Request Forms.
Lectures/Symposia Lecture "Landscape: Works on Land/Works on Mind." Joseph Volpe, landscape architecture, UMass. Part of LSS 100: Issues in Landscape Studies. 2:40 p.m., Wright Auditorium* Biological sciences colloquium "Reproductive Skew and Population Differentiation in Pond-Breeding Amphibians." Kelly Zamudio, Cornell University. Refreshments will precede the talk in McConnell foyer. 4:30 p.m., McConnell B05 Lecture "An Aesthetic of Conflict: The Subject of Collectivity." Ranu Samantrai, cultural studies, Claremont Graduate University, will look to the black British feminist movement to consider the role of conflict in the creation of a radically democratic political community. Part of the Kahn Institute project "Other Europes/Europe's Others." Sponsors: women's studies; comparative literature. 4:30 p.m., Stoddard Auditorium* Lecture "The Translator as Invisible Writer." Krishna Winston, German studies, Wesleyan University; recipient of the 2001 Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator Prize awarded by the German government. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 106* Lecture "What's to Be Done with 'The Tale of Genji?'" Royall Tyler, Australian National University. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 201* Panel "In Honor of the Writer's Mind." Pearl Cleage, author, will lead a discussion among her master class participants. 4:30 p.m., Hatfield 105* Lecture "Abraham, Our Common Father?" Jon Levenson, Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies, Harvard Divinity School. The biblical figure of Abraham is often described as the common father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and therefore a resource upon whom these three traditions might draw to mitigate the oppositions among them. Part of the Kahn Institute project "Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Ancient and Modern Worlds." 7:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room* Meetings/Workshops Informational meeting Smith TV. 4 p.m., Media Services, Alumnae Gym CDO internship panel Students who had social activism internships last summer will discuss aspects of their internships. Sponsor: CDO. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 207 Workshop MassPIRG intern class. 4:45 p.m., Seelye 310 Meeting Smith Democrats. 6:30 p.m., Davis Downstairs Lounge Meeting Smith Alliance for Low Income Students. Discuss plans for the semester and provide support for students interested in class issues. 7:30 p.m., Hopkins House Meeting Smith Labor Action Coalition. 9 p.m., Women's Resource Center, Davis Center Religious Life Service "Invitation to Silence." Take time for reflection, renewal and respite in the quiet of the chapel. Candles available. All welcome. Noon-1 p.m., Chapel* Other Events/Activities Reception Opening of the Staff Visions art exhibit. (See Notice, page 1.) 4 p.m., Third Floor, Neilson* Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Kickboxing class Noncredit, for students. Show up any time. 7:30-8:20 p.m., Ainsworth Gym Tuesday, March 5 Lectures/Symposia Lecture "Entrepreneurship: Working to Improve the World." Lunch provided. Sponsor: Women and Financial Independence (www.smith.edu/wfi). Noon, Neilson Browsing Room Lecture "Seeing and Knowing in Structural Biology." Carolyn Cohen, Neilson Professor. Second in the lecture series on structural biology and the liberal arts. 5 p.m., McConnell Auditorium* Lecture "From the Writer's Mind." Pearl Cleage, author of What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, and writer in residence. 7 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room* Lecture "Black Britain from the Color Bar to Post-Colonial Melancholia." Pat Gilroy, African-American studies and sociology, Yale University. Part of the Kahn Institute project "Other Europes/Europe's Others." 7:30 p.m., Chapel* Meetings/Workshops Meeting Keystone. 4 p.m., Wright Common Room Quit Smoking support group Drop in for support or inspiration to quit. For other quit-smoking resources, call health services, ext. 2824, or consult www.smith.edu/health/smokefree. 4:15 p.m., Women's Resource Center, Davis Center Praxis informational meeting for sophomores and juniors. Learn how to get a $2,000 Praxis stipend to help with expenses related to a summer internship. Guidelines, application instructions and information on finding internships will be presented. Sponsor: CDO. 4:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room Meeting Amnesty International.
Presentation of the major Religion. 5 p.m., Dewey Common Room SGA Senate meeting Open forum. All students welcome. 7:15 p.m., Seelye 201 Religious Life Episcopal Fellowship meets for worship, friendship and fun. Eucharist, fellowship and light lunch provided. Students, faculty, staff and friends are welcome. Noon, St. John's Episcopal Church Living Room* ECC Bible study Student-led discussion of topics raised by the Sunday morning worship community. Snacks provided. All welcome. 10 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel Other Events/Activities Religion lunch table Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom CDO open hours for library research and browsing. Peer advisers available. 7-9 p.m., CDO Aerobics class Noncredit, for students. Show up any time. 7:30-8:20 p.m., ESS Fitness Studio Wednesday, March 6 Lectures/Symposia Performing Arts/Films Meetings/Workshops Meeting Fulbright Scholars Program. Presented by a representative from the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars Fulbright Scholars Program. Faculty and staff from the Five Colleges and area higher education institutions are welcome. 3:30 p.m., Wright Common Room Meeting Smith TV, to discuss new programming. 7 p.m., Media Services, Alumnae Gym Meeting MassPIRG. 7 p.m., Seelye 310 PowerPoint for Students This workshop will cover the basics of Microsoft PowerPoint, as well as more advanced features, such as animation and working with images. Enrollment limited. To register, send email to ldecarol@email.smith.edu. 7 p.m., Seelye B4 Religious Life Service "Invitation to Silence." See 3/4 listing. Noon-1 p.m., Chapel* Catholic Adas gathering and informal discussion/reflection. Lunch served. All welcome. Noon, Bodman Lounge, Chapel Buddhist meditation and discussion. 7:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel ECC Bible study Student-led discussion of topics raised by the Sunday morning worship community. Snacks provided. All welcome. 10 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel Other Events/Activities Classics lunch Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Senior Appreciation Program tea. Members of the class of 2002 are invited to the Alumnae House to take a break from classes and learn more about the Senior Appreciation Program. 4 p.m., Alumnae House Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Social events coordinator dinner 5:45 p.m., Duckett Special Dining Room C Kickboxing class Noncredit, for students. Show up any time. 7:30-8:20 p.m., ESS Fitness Studio |
Thursday, March 7 Lectures/Symposia Lecture "Entrepreneurship: Working to Improve the World." Andrea Silbert, CEO of the Center for Women and Enterprise, will talk about her experiences starting a business development center for women. Lunch provided. Sponsor: Women and Financial Independence (www.smith.edu/wfi). Noon, Neilson Browsing Room Community Ed Luncheon "Public Health in the Pioneer Valley." Dalila Balfour of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health will speak about immigrant experiences with health care, language barriers and community work. Sponsor: S.O.S. Fund Drive, "Language, Culture and Health Care: Communicating Across the Barriers." Noon-1 p.m., Seelye 207 Lecture "Public Art and the American Civic Imagination." Casey N. Blake, history, and American studies program director at Columbia University. 5 p.m., Seelye 208* Performing Arts/Films Theatre Hot 'n' Throbbing. See 3/6 listing. 8 p.m., Hallie Flanagan Studio, Mendenhall CPA* Coffeehouse Jittery's Live presents Lori McKenna. Grab your friends, some coffee and a good seat-you won't want to miss this! 9 p.m., First Floor, Davis Center Meetings/Workshops Meeting MassPIRG. All
welcome. Religious Life Hillel talk Anita Diamant, author of The Red Tent, which was the Booksense Book of the Year in 2001, and Good Harbor, as well as other books and articles on contemporary Jewish practice. 4 p.m., Seelye 207* Reception for the "Harold P. McGrath Collection of Contemporary Book Arts in the Connecticut River Valley" exhibition in the Book Arts Gallery on the third floor of Neilson. 4-6 p.m., Book Arts Gallery* Drop-in stress reduction and relaxation class with Hayat Nancy Abuza. Refresh body, mind and spirit. Open to Five College students, staff and faculty. Sponsor: Office of the Chaplains. 4:30-5:30 p.m., Wright Common Room* Meeting Newman Association.
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship All welcome. 8-9:30 p.m., Wright Common Room Unitarian Universalists meeting Open to Five College students and faculty who want to talk, play games and have fun together. 8:30 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel Other Events/Activities Language lunch tables Korean, Russian. Noon, Duckett Special Dining Rooms A, B (alternate weekly) Glee Club lunch table Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Step intervals class Noncredit, for students. Show up any time. 7:30-8:20 p.m., ESS Fitness Studio Friday, March 8 Lectures/Symposia Biology/Biochemistry/Neuroscience lunchbag A departmental seminar for students and faculty. 12:10-1:10 p.m., Burton 101 Performing Arts/Films Musical Theatre "A Little Night of Broadway." A musical revue to raise September 11 relief funds for New York City. Donations accepted. 8 p.m., Wright Auditorium* Meetings/Workshops Meeting Smith Science Fiction and Fantasy Society. Animé, gaming, sci-fi, fantasy and people who like sci-fi people. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 208 Religious Life Muslim services Congregational pra-yer preceded by lunch. Noon, Chapel Shabbat Services Dinner follows in the Kosher kitchen, Dawes. 5:30 p.m., Dewey Common Room. Other Events/Activities Language lunch table Hebrew. Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Alumnae Association tea Cushing and Comstock houses are cordially invited to attend. 4 p.m., Alumnae House Living Room Saturday, March 9 Lectures/Symposia Performing Arts/Films Musical Theatre "A Little Night of Broadway," See 3/8 listing. 8 p.m., Wright Auditorium* Other Events/Activities Film The Vision. A documentary about Shri Nirmala Devi, who was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and worked with Mohandes Gandhi. Join us for an evening of music, meditation and munchies. Sponsors: Office of the Chaplains; Sahaja Yoga Collective of Massachusetts. For more information, contact Frieda Friedman, 584-1700. 7 p.m., Chapel* Sunday, March 10 Meetings/Workshops Meeting Smith African Students Association. All welcome. 4 p.m., Mwangi Basement, Lilly Meeting Feminists of
Smith Unite. Religious Life Quaker (Friends) meeting for worship. Preceded by informal discussion at 9:30 a.m. All welcome, childcare available. 11 a.m., Bass 203, 204* Roman catholic Mass Fr. Dan Liston and Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain. Dinner follows in Bodman Lounge. All welcome. 4:30 p.m., Chapel Other Events/Activities Exhibitions Staff Visions The annual exhibition, featuring art work by 33 staff members in media including photography, oil, watercolor, pastel, pencil, porcelain, paper, jewelry and mixed. An opening reception will take place on Monday, March 4, at 4 p.m. in the gallery. A gallery talk by participating artists will take place on Wednesday, March 13, at noon. Runs March 4 through 29. Book Arts Gallery, Third Floor, Neilson Library* Charles E. Skaggs Collection
An exhibition of books and book covers designed by book designer
and calligrapher Charles E. Skaggs. Through March 31. Mortimer
Rare Book Room Entrance, Neilson Library* A Space Odyssey 2001 An exhibition of photographic art by Anne Ross '55, featuring her newest digital images that explore the inner work of dream landscapes and surreal places. Exhibit hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Extended through April 5. Alumnae House Gallery* |
