Smith Draws Media Inquiries in Furor Over
New Hughes Poems
- The recent publication of Birthday Letters, a new collection of poems
by Ted Hughes, has enabled Susan Van Dyne of the women's studies program
and the English Language and Literature Department to claim and generously
exceed her 15-minute lifetime allotment of fame. In the book, Hughes--
Britain's poet laureate and the husband of the late poet Sylvia Plath-writes
for the first time of their troubled marriage. During the past few weeks
reporters from The New York Times, People, the Voice of America, The Chronicle
of Higher Education, the Associated Press, U.S. News and World Report and
even a high-end Boston radio talk show, "The Connection" (heard
locally on WTTT), have relentlessly pursued Van Dyne, a Plath scholar,
seeking her take on Birthday Letters.A Van Dyne appearance on the The News
Hour with Jim Lehrer is also scheduled for late this week.
-
- "Although it's a bit daunting to go on the air every time I pick
up the phone, I'm glad to be a part of this conversation and I think it's
ultimately a good thing for poetry to get this kind of coverage,"
says Van Dyne.
-
- While Plath's work is not by any means the sole focus of Van Dyne's
writing and teaching, she has written extensively about the poet and her
work. Van Dyne's Revising Life: Sylvia Plath's Ariel Poems, published by
the University of North Carolina Press in 1993, examines 25 of the Ariel
poems written at the end of Plath's life and reveals the startling complexity
of their evolution from first draft to final form.
-
- Plath committed suicide in 1963, soon after Hughes left her for another
woman. Until the publication of Birthday Letters last month, he had remained
largely silent about their relationship. According to a New York Times
story, the book's publication "was kept a deep secret in the notoriously
leaky publishing world because The Times of London, which bought serial
rights from the British publisher, wanted to protect its investment and
be the first to publish the news."
-
- A subsequent New York Times story concluded that "judging from
the early response, [the Hughes book] seems unlikely to quell the insatiable
interest in the author's doomed marriage to Plath, whose suicide at the
age of 30 turned her into a tragic feminist icon and cast him, in the eyes
of many, as the executioner." The Times quoted Van Dyne as saying,
"If he really wanted peace, he wouldn't have published this. I think
it's going to stir everything up all over again." Later in the same
article, Van Dyne said "the poems speak to me about how he needs to
understand Plath's death. These poems are the fiction that Hughes as a
survivor has needed to create over the last 35 years."
-
- Now that she has had more time to read over the Hughes poems, Van Dyne
has concluded that they are "remarkable, not so much for what they
can tell us about who Plath 'really was' as for the literary contest they
represent. Hughes' poems continue the dialogue begun when Plath composed
some of her Ariel poems on the reverse of poems she'd typed for him. In
Birthday Letters, Hughes takes titles from Plath's poems for his own and
tries to reappropriate some of her most famous lines and images. He seems
quite intent on having the last word on Plath, not only as a woman but
as a poet."
-
- There are, of course, a number of Smith connections with Plath. She
graduated from the college in 1955 and returned here in 1957 to teach for
a year. Materials from her Smith years are in the archives. The theatre
department's historical clothing collection contains a Plath prom dress
and Girl Scout uniform. The Sylvia Plath Collection in the Mortimer Rare
Book Room is the repository for a large collection of material -- drafts
of the Ariel poems, and some journals, letters, artwork and realia, including
Plath's typewriter. The photographs in the Plath collection have been almost
as popular as Van Dyne has been with the press in recent weeks: a romantic
shot of Plath and Hughes on their Paris honeymoon appears in the February
2 New Yorker, and other photographs have appeared or may appear in Newsweek
and Vogue.
-
- In a related development, Karen Kukil, assistant curator of rare books,
got her timing just right when she decided to teach a course about Plath
during Interterm. "It's something I've always wanted to do,"
she says. "It's so unusual to be able to trace the creative process
[through the various drafts of the Ariel poems in the Plath collection]."
The students found it quite eerie to be doing their edits of Plath's Ariel
poems and typing their own poems on Plath's typewriter just as the uproar
about Hughes' book surfaced.
-
- For those who want a firsthand look at some Plath memorabilia, Meg
Chilton '00, who works in the Rare Book Room and took the Interterm Plath
course, has created a photo exhibition, "Faces and Spaces of Sylvia
Plath," which will be on display in the first floor hallway of Neilson
Library through the end of February. Also on display will be all the clippings
that have given Van Dyne and the Plath collection their 15-plus minutes
of fame.
-
CCP to Review New Diversity Statement
- This month the diversity statement subgroup, a subcommittee of the
Campus Climate Working Group (CCWG), will submit its proposed text for
a new Smith College diversity statement to the Committee on Community Policy
(CCP). Last April the newly formed subgroup sent an early draft of the
statement to more than 80 student organizations and to various faculty
and administrative committees -- "all in all, to at least 200 group
and individual recipients," says group member Ay Ling Han, staff psychologist,
health services. "We received unanimous support for our efforts, as
well as many helpful suggestions regarding the content of the statement."
-
- Using these suggestions, together with some ideas drawn from reading
materials on diversity, "the subgroup arrived at a diversity statement
that we believe communicates a strong and clear commitment to the value
of diversity in excellence," says Han. She notes that the formal approval
process for the statement entails review by and recommendations from CCP,
President Ruth Simmons and the Board of Trustees.
-
- Other than Han, the subgroup members are Kathryn Basham and Jerry Sachs
of the School for Social Work; Mary Catherine Jones '00; Ellen Kaplan,
theatre; and Jen Meyer '99.
-
- The proposed diversity statement:
-
Proposed Smith College Diversity Statement
- Smith College recognizes that the highest standards of intellectual
rigor and academic excellence are fostered by and thrive on the participation
of a diverse group of people who bring together a multiplicity of views
about the world. In this spirit, Smith is unequivocally committed to promoting
a vital, fertile, and diverse college community in an atmosphere of mutual
openness and respect that appreciates commonalities and differences. Such
diversity occurs within and across race, color, creed, class, national
and ethnic heritage, sexual orientation, gender, age, abilities (i.e.,
physical, emotional, and cognitive), and other characteristics. The college's
commitment to a diverse and respectful community and the highest academic
standards informs, sharpens, and broadens our community's capacity for
examination, reflection, and understanding of both self and other. This
commitment paves the way for advancements in and new definitions of knowledge,
innovative collaborations, and exemplary leadership.
Alum Song to Get Rally Day Hearing
- As sure as it's February, it's Rally Day time again. The Rally Day
tradition was initiated in 1876 with a Washington's Birthday dinner of
the "Hardy 14," the entire class of 1879. It later evolved into
a reception that included music and a parody of Gilbert and Sullivan's
H.M.S. Pinafore featuring young George and the cherry tree. In 1886, the
newly founded Smith College Glee Club and "a little dancing"
were also added. According to historical record, the latter was so popular
that in 1893 the whole assembly suddenly broke into the "forbidden"
waltz. The event assumed the name Rally Day rather than Washington's Birthday
in 1906.
-
- Various other changes to the day's events have occurred over the years,
including the introduction of basketball games, song competitions, student
council "stunts" and debates between class teams. Although there
are usually no athletic contests, most of the other traditional features
-- orations, drama, singing and dancing -- are still part of Rally Day
festivities, along with a few innovations that have crept in over time.
-
- This year's Rally Day will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February
18, in John M. Greene Hall. It will include a new musical composition called
"A Smith Alumnae Song," composed by Alice Schultz Valkenburgh
'37 "sometime in the 1970s" -- she says she can't remember exactly
when. Valkenburgh, like many others, is not a big fan of Smith's traditional
alma mater -- she thinks it's hard to sing -- and is delighted that her
song will have an airing in an all-college setting this year. She reports
that she's taught it to the Smith Clubs in all the cities in which she
has lived and always gets her classmates to sing it at Smith reunions.
Indeed, last year, for her 50th reunion, she had a special "fabulous,
embroidered jacket" made with the words of the first line of the song
stitched in sequins on the back.
-
- At Rally Day this year, Valkenburgh's song will get the full treatment:
Jonathan Hirsh, glee club director, is rehearsing it with his group, and
Valkenburgh says she's confident that the audience, with the words and
music before them in the printed program, will have no trouble joining
in. She's sorry she won't be here, wearing her jacket, to join us. (Sing
out, everyone; we'll send Mrs. Valkenburgh a tape.)
-
- This year's celebration will also honor a more recent Rally Day tradition,
one aimed at boosting student attendance: the first students to arrive
at John M. Greene Hall for the ceremonies receive a memento of the occasion,
a small item associated with the theme of the day. This year's memento
-- a replica of the 1998 Rally Day poster in the form of a lapel pin --
will establish a new Rally Day tradition. In the future, a commemorative
Rally Day lapel pin will be issued each year. Who knows? The pins may become
a sought-after emblem of a Smith education as students emerge at the end
of four years, diplomas in one hand and their collections of Rally Day
pins in the other.
-
- In any case, 300 pins will be handed out this year. When they're gone,
they're gone.
- ·
- Watch this space next week for more about Rally Day, including profiles
of the four outstanding alumnae who will receive Smith College Medals,
the opportunities the community will have to meet them, and other events
of the day.
-
Documentary on Irish 'Troubles' to Be Shown Here
- A documentary film that examines the political upheaval in Northern
Ireland from the perspective of two working-class women -- one Protestant,
one Catholic -- will be presented Tuesday, February 17, at 7:30 p.m. in
Seelye 106.
-
- The film, Daughters of the Troubles: Belfast Stories, is narrated by
Anjelica Huston. The screening will be followed by a discussion with one
of the film's cowriters, Emmy Award-winning producer Marcia Rock, director
of broadcast journalism and a professor in the Department of Journalism
at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. Rock's cowriter for
the film was Jack Holland, a widely published Irish poet, journalist and
political commentator.
-
- Daughters interweaves the personal accounts of the two Irish women
with archival footage of "the Troubles" to place their situations
in historical context. The film was made during the 17-month cease-fire
from August 1994 to February 1996.
-
- Its debut on PBS a year ago prompted television critic Walter Goodman
to remark that "among the few appealing side effects of the unending
Irish troubles is the advent of women who have crossed the religious divide
to work together for peace and the binding of their battered communities....
They are more deeply united by class and by sex than they are separated
by religion or by politics."
-
- Producer Rock's interest in matters Irish began inspiring her work
in the 1970s. Her first documentary, The Bronx Irish at the Ramparts, lamented
the disappearance of New York's Irish neighborhoods. Three documentaries
on Ireland and Irish Americans followed, including McSorley's New York,
which received an Emmy Award in 1988. Rock's other documentaries have included
several on New York topics as well as a profile of writer Reynolds Price
and a chronicle of a Cleveland youth choir's trip to China, for which she
also won an Emmy.
-
- The screening is being sponsored by the history department, women's
studies program and the Project on Women and Social Change.
-
Greene Hall Organ Awaits Renovation
- The venerable 88-year-old pipe organ in John M. Greene Hall sustained
extensive damage in late December. Water from a broken water heater was
sucked into the organ's bellows, drenching many leather and cloth parts,
including valves and miniature bellows.
-
- The organ, now valued at more than $700,000, cost $20,000 when built
by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut. A gift to the college
from the class of 1900, it was installed in 1910 in conjunction with the
opening of John M. Greene Hall. It was enlarged in 1915 and modified with
a new console in the 1970s.
-
- Grant Moss, college organist, and others concerned with the future
of the organ are waiting for official word from the college's insurance
company to decide how to proceed. Some undamaged parts of the organ, including
the two-inch-thick, knot-free, 20-foot-high wooden pipes, will not require
replacement. "This kind of virgin timber, as far as I know, is not
available any more," Moss says. The pipes have become well seasoned
in the course of 88 years, "not unlike a Stradivarius or the soundboard
of a beautiful old piano."
-
Wilson 'Mom' Gets '98 Wyandt Gavel
- Susan Steenburgh, a housekeeper in Martha Wilson, received the Elizabeth
B. Wyandt Gavel Award at the January 26 all-college meeting marking the
opening of second semester. Steenburgh, who has worked at Smith since 1988
(in the Smith College Club and student dining halls before moving to Wilson
House), lives in Williamsburg.
-
- Heidi Ho '00, one of the award presenters, said that Steenburgh's contributions
to the well-being of Wilson residents include her ready smile and the accurate
weather forecasts she provides each morning along with her recital of the
All-American Mom's Admonition: "Dress warmly, take care, don't forget
your gloves." Ho added: "Sue knows more than our names, she knows
us -- our hometowns, our majors, our interests, and even our idiosyncrasies,
like my insane need to live in a dust-free environment. She creates a sense
of belonging in the largest house on campus."
-
- The award is presented annually to one of those staff members who have
"given extraordinarily of themselves to the Smith College community
as a whole." Nominations are submitted by students, and the ultimate
recipient is chosen by the Student Government Association cabinet.
-
- The award is named for Elizabeth Wyandt, who became president of the
Smith student body in 1919, the first year after its governance structure
assumed a form essentially like today's. The Wyandt award was established
by the 1984-85 SGA cabinet.
-
- The copresenter of this year's award was Monica Saxena '98.
-
Videos Document Poetry Readings
- The Smith Poetry Center, off and running in its first year of activities,
is developing a lending library of videotapes of its poetry readings. Tapes
of the recent Eavan Boland, John Haines and Denise Duhamel/Maureen Seaton
readings are already available at the reserve desk of the Nonprint Resources
Center. Before the end of the year, videotapes of readings by Sonia Sanchez
(February 5), Grace Hazard Conkling Writer-in-Residence Elizabeth Alexander
(March 5), and Li-Young Lee (April 2) will also be available.
-
- Anyone wishing to sample the work of poets being featured this semester
can do so at Neilson Library. Just ask at the reserve desk for "poetry
center" and "spring '98," which include work by Sanchez,
Alexander and Lee.
-
We're People Who Need PeopleNews
- AcaMedia's PeopleNews has fallen upon one of its intermittent dry spells.
Surely you know of someone whose intriguing story has not been told --
someone who has won an award, published a paper, just returned from a fascinating
internship, or taken up an unusual hobby, project or volunteer job?
-
- If you write a brief PeopleNews item for us, you will automatically
win a prize; longer items will be rewarded with larger prizes and even
bylines. Or submit ideas for stories about your own achievements or those
of others, and we'll do the writing. There are 10 more issues of AcaMedia
before the end of the year. We look forward to hearing from you. Articles
or ideas for articles should be mailed to PeopleNews Contest, AcaMedia,
Garrison Hall, or e-mailed to ashanahan@ais.smith.edu.
-
Correction
- The listings in the January 22 AcaMedia of 1997-98 Student Government
Association members were wrong on two counts: the 2001 class president
is Juliet Christian-Smith (jchristi@mail; box 6792; office 4966; room 303)
and the E&A chair is Kendra Grimes (kgrimes@mail; box 6943; office
4958; room 203).
-
Smith 2020
- Employment Confirmation, 2020-Style
- From time to time this year, AcaMedia is publishing excerpts from the
winning entries from last spring's contest held in conjunction with the
self-study project. Contestants were asked to submit their visions of what
the college might be like in 2020. The following sci-fi appointment letter
was contributed by Mark Carmien, employment specialist in human resources.
Along with a time capsule fashioned by Susan S. Barker, administrative
assistant, Neilson Library, Carmien's letter won second prize in the contest's
faculty and staff division.
-
- April 4, 2020 (intfc - 4/4/20)
-
- Skeigh Johnson
- intfc - skeighjohnson#ntscp
- 4 Kenistetic Pass
- Denver, CO 80210
-
- This letter will officially confirm that you have accepted the full-time
position of Southwestern Area Coordinator in the Office of the Dean of
Students beginning on Monday, July 1, 2020. The normal work schedule for
the position is about 215 hours per month for 12 months per year.
-
- As you know from our previous conversations, 18% of full-time Smith
students (as of this academic year) telecommute to their classes from their
homes in the Southwest region of the country. Your position will serve
as general coordinator for recruitment, enrollment and registration of
students. You will also facilitate the process of teleconferencing between
students in the region and for guest lecturers at the college. In addition
you will oversee a staff of five associates using the Smith Coaching Practices
as a guide (enclosed).
-
- Your total annual compensation rate for fiscal year 2020/2021 will
be $145,000, which has been calculated in the following manner: Wage Rate,
$90,000; Retirement, $15,000; Medical Center Membership, $40,000. It is
the policy of the college to pay salary in monthly installments with bank
deposits made on the 15th of each month. Assuming that all of the necessary
paperwork and interfaces have been completed, your first deposit will be
made on July 15, 2020. You will also qualify for the benefits described
on the enclosed Summary of Benefits chart.
-
- While you are working in Northampton, you will be eligible for housing
in the Smith Housing Center at Chapel Hill, located on west campus overlooking
Paradise Pond. This beautifully restored complex of housing, retail stores
and community centers is accessible either by car (on Route 66) or by high-speed
tram (at the end of Paradise Road next to the Smith Medical Center).
-
- As you may know, the Immigration and Reform Act of 2009 requires all
new employees to verify their identity and employment eligibility via retinal
scanning interface. Please telenet to our web page at the address shown
above using a scanning monitor to confirm your employment eligibility prior
to your first day of work.
-
- When you telenet to our web page to verify your employment eligibility,
you will also be prompted to complete the Personal Data Information screen,
the federal/state/local tax screen and Electronic Deposit screen. Electronic
verification and authorization of this information will be available. You
will also complete your Campus Card information with the image scanning
prompt, and your card will be mailed to you immediately thereafter.
-
- The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that each person entering
the state be certified to be free of the Ebola virus in a communicable
form. You must have an Ebola test performed by a licensed physician or
registered nurse no earlier than 90 days prior to entering the state, and
this test must be documented on the enclosed Form MA53278EB. The completed
form is verified at all airports, bus terminals and highway toll booths.
-
- Shortly after your arrival on campus you will be invited to attend
a New Employee orientation gathering. This program is designed to welcome
new members to the college and to acquaint them with college policies,
procedures, services and benefits. At this gathering there will be about
60 minutes set aside for a conversation reviewing the essays found in the
volume Campus climate 2021 (intfc - smithcollege#cc2021) as well as First
Memoirs (Ruth Simmons, intfc - ruthsimmons#fm). We hope you have a chance
to read these materials and are able to participate in this important conversation.
-
- If you agree to and accept the terms of this appointment, you can verify
your acceptance either by using the electronic verification on the Offer
Letter screen (using the Position Control Number 3352901) or by signing
and returning the enclosed copy of this letter.
-
- Sincerely,
-
- Azure Carmien-Lucas
- Facilitator of Workplace Development
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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, February 9
- Reopening of Kaffee Klatsch, S.O.S.'s primary source of funding. Coffee,
tea and pastries for sale, with proceeds benefiting S.O.S. community service
programs. Anyone interested in volunteering should call the S.O.S. office
(ext. 2756), Eva Withers (5525) or Laura Urgier (7504).
- 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Seelye basement
-
- Black inventions exhibit, including a lecture, "What They Never
Taught You in History Class," from 12:15 to 1 p.m. A display highlighting
more than 100 wonderful inventions, from a portable cellular phone to a
multimillion-dollar toy, designed by people of African descent.
- 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Gamut*
-
- Meeting: Campus Climate Working Group.
- 12:15 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room
-
- Language lunch tables.
- French
- Italian
- 12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room
-
- Meeting: Baha'i Club, for anyone interested in planning activities
concerning race unity and equality between men and women. Refreshments
provided. (Kari, ext. 6389)
- 4 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel
-
- Gold Key interest meeting for those curious about becoming guides.
Application forms and interview sign-up sheets will be available. Anyone
interested but unable to attend should contact Jennifer O'Loughlin (ext.
2508; joloughlin@ais.smith.edu).
- 7 p.m., 7 College Lane
-
- CDO Five College information meeting: KPMG Peat Marwick.
- 7 p.m., Mount Holyoke Career Development Center
-
- CDO information meeting: The Advisory Board Company.
- 7:30 p.m., Wright Common Room
-
- CDO information meeting: Chase Manhattan Bank.
- 7:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room
-
Tuesday, February 10
- S.O.S. Recruitment Fair
- Interested in extending your academic interests into the surrounding
community? Come talk to agency representatives about volunteer opportunities.
By volunteering as little as two to four hours a week, you can become a
tutor, case advocate, activist, mentor or companion.
- 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Davis ballroom
-
- Information table: Valentine's Day Loving Carefully. Order latex-grams
to be hand-delivered on Valentine's Day to a friend, lover, or crush (including
anyone who can be reached through Five College mail). Information about
other Loving Carefully Week events will also be available. Sponsored by
the Peer Sexuality Educators.
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m., student mail center
-
- CDO extended hours.
- 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
-
- CDO résumé and cover-letter deadline: J.P. Morgan Investment
Management summer internship opportunities. Submit material to Ken Johnston
at CDO.
- 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., CDO
-
- Sigma Xi Luncheon Talk: "Excuse Me, Do You Speak Calculus?"
David Cohen, professor of mathematics. Open to faculty, emeriti and staff.
- Noon, College Club lower level
-
- Episcopal-Lutheran Fellowship meets in the parish house parlor for
worship, lunch and friendship. All welcome.
- Noon, St. John's Church, Elm Street
-
- Hebrew language lunch table. Pizza provided.
- Noon, Bodman Lounge, Chapel
-
- Language lunch tables.
- Deutscher Tisch
- Korean
- 12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room
-
- President's open hour for students.
- 4-5 p.m., College Hall 20
-
- Teresa of Avila Film Series. The second of four screenings sponsored
by the Contemplation and Action Program of the Catholic Chaplaincy.
- 4 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel
-
- The 40th Annual Katharine Asher Engel Lecture: "Museums, Knowledge,
Power: The Discourse of Display." Helen E. Searing, Alice Pratt Brown
Professor of Art. Sponsored by the Committee on Community Policy. Reception
follows in Wright common room.
- 5 p.m., Wright auditorium*
-
- Religious activity: "99-Plus Hebrew Words." Basic Hebrew
vocabulary and reading. (Hillel, ext. 2754)
- 5 p.m., site TBA
-
- SGA senate meeting. All welcome. The agenda will include organization
budget hearings and a determination of the student activities fee. Agendas
available at the SGA office, Clark Hall.
- 5:30 p.m., Seelye 201
-
- Talk and art-exhibit opening: "The Face of AIDS." Father
James Monroe of St. John's Episcopal Church recounts his experience volunteering
in an AIDS ward in a New York hospital and shares his AIDS-related drawings.
(Also see "AIDS Quilting" in the student notices.)
- 7:15 p.m., Seelye 207
-
- CDO information meeting: Towers Perrin.
- 7:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room
-
- Basketball vs. WPI.
- 7:30 p.m., Ainsworth gym*
-
- Film: Title to be announced. Sponsored by Rec Council.
- 9 p.m., Wright auditorium
-
Wednesday, February 11
- Information table: Valentine's Day Loving Carefully. See Tuesday, 10
a.m.
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m., student mail center
-
- Religious activity: Discussion and reflection for Catholic Adas. Lunch
served. All welcome.
- Noon-1 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel
-
- Hillel at Noon. Discussion and veggie luncheon.
- Noon, Dawes House Kosher Kitchen
-
- Language lunch tables.
- Chinese
- Spanish and Portuguese
- 12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room
-
- Film: Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1971). Directed by Vittorio de
Sica. Based on the novel of the same name by Giorgio Bassani. Set in Italy
in 1938, when Mussolini's anti-Semitic edicts began to isolate Jews from
their communities.
- 4:10 p.m., Seelye 106*
-
- Religious activity: Buddhist service and discussion.
- 7:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel
|
Thursday, February 12
- CDO extended hours.
- 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
-
- Language lunch tables.
- Japanese
- Russian
- 12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room
-
- CDO informational meeting: Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine.
- 12:15 p.m., CDO
-
- Open meeting with Dean Mahoney and student affairs staff to discuss
the new residence coordinator position in the houses.
- 5 p.m., Seelye 106
-
- Religious activity: Centering prayer with Chaplain Elizabeth Carr.
- 5-6 p.m., Chapel
-
- Informational meeting: Smithsonian Internship Program in American Studies.
AMS administers a fall-semester program for Smith seniors and juniors at
the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In addition to American
studies majors, students majoring in art, history, sociology, anthropology,
religion and economics are especially encouraged to apply. Sophomores and
juniors interested in exploring any aspect of American culture are eligible.
The program provides a full semester of credit.
- 5-6 p.m., Seelye 207
-
- Lecture: "Fullerenes: How Do You Make a Soccer Ball from a Bunch
of Frisbees?" Nancy Goroff, Department of Chemistry, State University
of New York at Stony Brook.
- 5-6 p.m., McConnell B15
-
- Religious activity: Beit Midrash. Study Jewish texts and ideas with
Rabbi Edward Feld. Pizza served. Smith students welcome.
- 6 p.m., Appleton 106, Amherst College
-
- Botany seminar: "Plants in Unexpected Places: A Tonaical Excursion
Through the Art Museum." C. John Burk, professor of biological sciences.
Enrollment limited. Free for Smith students and museum friends; others
$5. Register at the museum.
- 7-8 p.m., Museum of Art*
-
- Lecture: "Going Native, Telling Tales: Captivities and Collaborations
in an Age of Empire." Linda Colley, Yale University. Sponsored by
the departments of English and history.
- 8 p.m., Seelye 201*
-
- Film: Title to be announced. Sponsored by Rec Council.
- 9 p.m., Stoddard auditorium
-
Friday, February 13
- Panel discussion: "Mentoring Across Boundaries." With panelists
Brenda Allen and Faye Crosby of the psychology department and Stacy Blake
of the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. Refreshments
at 4:15 p.m. in McConnell foyer.
- 4:45 p.m., McConnell B15
-
- Religious service: Shabbat Eve service.
- 5:30 p.m., Dewey common room
-
- Religious activity: Friday Night Bible Study. Sponsored by the Smith
Koinonia Fellowship. All welcome.
- 7 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
-
- Theater: 1969 Terminal 1996.By Susan Yankowitz, directed by Joe Chaikin.
The Open Theater's famous 1969 mediation on mortality. The cast includes
some veterans of the original cast, including Smith artist-in residence
Paul Zimet. Tickets: $5 general; $3 students and seniors. (Ext. 2787)
- 8 p.m., Theatre 14, Mendenhall CPA*
-
- Film: Out of the Past (1947). Director Jacques Tourneur's film noir
gem. Part of the Motion Picture Committee's Film Noir Series.
- 8 p.m., Wright auditorium*
-
Saturday, February 14
- Track and field: the Smith "Last Chance" Invitational
- 10 a.m., ITT, Ainsworth*
-
- Basketball vs. Wellesley.
- 7 p.m., Ainsworth gym*
-
- Theater: 1969 Terminal 1996. See Friday, 8 p.m.
- 8 p.m., Theatre 14, Mendenhall CPA*
-
- Film: L'eclisse (1962). Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Alienation
Italian-style, in a rarely screened classic. Part of the Motion Picture
Committee's Film Noir Series.
- 8 p.m., Wright auditorium*
-
- Valentine's Drag Ball. Rock your world: come party in drag.
- 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Davis ballroom
-
Sunday, February 15
- Religious activity: Quaker (Friends) discussion group. Meeting for
worship begins at 11 a.m. Child care available.
- 9:30 a.m., Bass 210
-
- Religious service: The Ecumenical Christian Church joins the Black
Student Alliance for a festive service of worship, including a guest preach-er
and music by the All People's Gospel Choir. All welcome.
- 10:30 a.m., Chapel*
-
- CDO open hours.
- 1-4 p.m., CDO
-
- Film: Out of the Past (1947). See Friday, 8 p.m.
- 2 p.m., Wright auditorium*
-
- Film: L'eclisse (1962). See Saturday, 8 p.m.
- 4 p.m., Wright auditorium*
-
- General meeting: Association of Smith Pagans. All welcome.
- 4-5:15 p.m., Gillett House
-
- Religious service: Roman Catholic Mass. A supper will follow.
- 4:30 p.m., Chapel
-
- Meeting: Feminists of Smith Unite.
- 7 p.m., Women's Resource Center (Davis third floor)
-
- Faculty recital: French songs of the 19th and 20th centuries, performed
by soprano Karen Smith Emerson and UMass pianist Nadine Shank. (Ext. 3150)
- 8 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall*
Ongoing Events
- Art exhibition: "A Dozen Roses." Artist and staff member
Patricia Czepiel Hayes '84, inspired by the Sophia Smith rose cultivated
to honor the founder of Smith College, has created 12 "Sophia Rose"
paintings. Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., through March 27.
- Alumnae House Gallery
-
- Art exhibition: "Berenice Abbott's New York." A selection
of Abbott photographs, many made between 1935 and 1939 for the WPA Federal
Arts Project. Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 1-4 p.m.; Thursday,
1-5 p.m. Through March 28. (Ext. 2770)
- Museum of Art Print Room
-
- Art exhibition: "The Face of AIDS." Drawings by Father James
Monroe of St. John's Episcopal Church. February 9-14.
- Seelye first floor hallway
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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, February 11, for issue 19 (which
will include February 23-March 1 calendar listings) and by 4 p.m., Wednesday,
February 18, for issue 20 (March 28 calendar listings). Late information
cannot be accepted.
Smith-Wide
- The 40th Annual Katharine Asher Engel Lecture
- The 40th Annual Katharine Asher Engel Lecture, "Museums, Knowledge,
Power: The Discourse of Display," will be presented by Helen E. Searing,
Alice Pratt Brown Professor of Art, at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 10,
in Wright auditorium. The Engel lectureship is granted annually to a Smith
College faculty member who has made a significant contribution in her or
his field. The lecture is open to the public and sponsored by the Smith
College Committee on Community Policy.
-
- College Summer Employment
- Between February 3 and March 6 the Office of Human Resources will accept
applications for summer employment at Smith College. Applicants must either
be Smith students returning to school in the fall or high school or college
students who will return full-time to school in the fall and who are dependents
of current Smith employees. All applicants must be at least 16 years old
as of June 15, 1998.
-
- Most positions entail custodial, grounds, maintenance and kitchen duties
in RADS, physical plant, rentals or the botanic garden. All positions are
full-time, MondayFriday; various shifts are available. Applicants
must be able to work from mid-June through the end of August. Workers are
also needed just prior to and during Commencement and alumnae reunion weekends,
and some work is available through the first week of September. Hourly
rates for these positions will be $6 for first-time employees and $6.40
for those who have worked previous summers at Smith.
-
- Applications are available at the human resources office, at the reception
desks at Neilson Library and physical plant, and at the Smith College Club
and the RADS main office. Completed applications must be submitted to the
human resources office by 4:30 p.m., March 6. Applications received after
that date will be held on a waiting list and reviewed if openings still
exist.
-
- Have a Heart Month
- The Activities Committee of Staff Council has organized a February
food drive for the Northampton Survival Center. Boxes with lists of desired
nonperishable foods will be placed in many buildings on campus. Make a
difference: help feed a family in need by placing your contribution in
one of the boxes. (Mary Stanton, ext. 2162; mstanton@colrel.smith.edu)
-
- Aerobics Instructor Certification
- On March 28 and 29 Smith will host an AFFA Aerobics Instructor Certification
Workshop and exam. Smith students and employees are eligible for a 25 percent
discount on the workshop fee of $99 and the exam fee of $250. (Rosalie
Constantilos, 268-7138)
- Five College Calendar Deadline
- Entries for the March Five College Calendar must be received in writing
by February 16. Please send all entries to Mary Stanton in Garrison Hall
(mstanton@colrel.smith.edu).
Faculty & Staff
- Faculty Meeting
- The sixth regular meeting of the faculty for 1997-98 will be held in
the Alumnae House on Wednesday, February 25, at 4:10 p.m. Anyone with business
for the meeting should notify Scott Bradbury in writing no later than Wednesday,
February 18. Material to be included in the mailing with the agenda must
be camera-ready and submitted to College Hall 27 by Monday, February 16.
-
- College Club Special Events
- The Smith College Club is offering two special events this month:
- -- On Wednesday, February 18, club members can begin their Rally Day
at a celebratory brunch featuring homemade breakfast pastries and danishes,
scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, pierogies, a Belgian waffle bar, fresh fruit
and more. Brunch will be served from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The price will
be $5.65 for members, and no à la carte will be available. To reserve
a table, call extension 2341 or send an e-mail to scclub@jessie.
- smith.edu.
- -- On Saturday, February 21, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., club members and
nonmembers may attend a Mardis Gras Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. A buffet
heaped high with great Cajun cuisine will be featured during the performance
by Drew Hawley and company. The dinner will be preceded by a social from
6 to 7:15 p.m. featuring live jazz music, a cash bar and some Cajun specials.
The price for the evening is $21 for members and $25 for nonmembers. Reservations
should be made by Tuesday, February 17, by calling extension 2341 or e-mailing
to scclub@jessie.smith.edu. Walk-ins will be accepted if seats are available.
|
Students
- President's Open Hours
- President Simmons will hold open hours for students 4-5 p.m., Tuesday,
February 10, and 4-5 p.m., Monday, February 16, in the Office of the President,
College Hall 20. Open hours enable students to chat informally and individually
with the president. No appointments are necessary. Visitors are seen in
the order of their arrival.
-
- AIDS Quilting
- Six years ago, Smith and other Pioneer Valley colleges participated
in the national Names Quilt Project. The quilts made at Smith, including
one done in memory of faculty member Arthur Parsons, are on display this
week in Seelye Hall. Students can now add to that collection by taking
part in the Beyond the Names program. On Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. in Seelye
207, Father James Monroe of St. John's Episcopal Church will present his
"Face of AIDS" talk (see calendar). After the talk, quilting
materials will be available. Students are encouraged to design their own
squares expressing how they feel about HIV/AIDS. A new quilt made up of
these squares will be assembled by the Peer Sexuality Educators, who have
joined with the Smith AIDS Education Committee to sponsor the event.
-
- Summer SMP Internships
- Résumés and cover letters are being accepted for academic-
and program-assistant positions for the 1998 Smith Management Programs.
The assistants will have a wide variety of responsibilities before, during,
and after these residential, executive-education programs for women managers
and professionals. Specific duties will include preparing preprogram mailings
and educational and classroom materials; setting up classrooms; assisting
faculty and staff; and handling front-desk tasks, hotel coordination, and
van service. Dates of employment are June 22-August 28. Assistants will
receive a $3,750 stipend for the 10-week internship, and lunches during
the five weeks the programs are in session. If you have related experience,
a desire to work hard, and a valid driver's license, pick up a job description
at the SMP office at Tilly Hall. Application deadline: February 20.
-
- Fine Arts Funding
- Applications for arts project funding are available from the Fine Arts
Council of Smith in College Hall 24. The council usually funds project
costs of up to $300. (Funding beyond that level must be unanimously approved
by the council members.) The council distributes funds to student groups
and individuals to support various kinds of performances, including dance,
festivals and concerts, all of which must be available and free to Smith
students. The council also supports an annual Art Search to encourage original
student artwork, and funds projects by individual students which result
in performances, screenings or exhibitions for Smith students.
-
- Athens College Fellowship
- Applications are now being accepted at CDO for a teaching fellowship
at Athens College, a private, coeducational elementary and secondary school
in Athens, Greece. Teachers spend about 30 hours per week in program activities
and are given apartments, lunches and a stipend. Applications and information
sheets are available at the front desk of the CDO. Application deadline:
Feb. 18. Finalists will be briefly interviewed February 24.
-
- HCA Applications
- Applications for positions as house community advisers (HCAs) are now
available in the student affairs office. HCA information meetings will
be held Monday, February 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Seelye 207 and Thursday, February
12, at 7 p.m. in Seelye 207. (Alisa Geller, ext. 2237)
-
- Pap Tests
- Because of the turnaround time on Pap tests, none will be done at the
Health Service between May 2 and the start of classes in September. Senior
physicals should also be scheduled for dates prior to May 2.
-
- Peer Adviser Positions
- CDO is accepting applications for peer advisers for 1998-99. Advisers
must spend 10 hours this semester training to give library tours, offer
library assistance and run workshops on résumé writing, interviewing
skills, job-search strategy and internships. The job entails a weekly commitment
of four to eight hours. You need not be eligible for work study to apply.
Applications from Adas and the classes of '00 and '01 are welcome. Pick
up application forms at the CDO front desk and apply by February 27.
-
- Phonathon Job
- Like to talk on the phone? Want more women to be able to come to Smith?
Earn $6.50 an hour participating in the Alumnae Fund phonathon to help
us raise money for scholarships. You must be able to work at least five
shifts (primarily in the evenings) between April 5 and April 30. Stop by
the Alumnae House for an application, or call Mary at extension 2044 and
leave your name and box number. Application deadline: Friday, March 6.
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AcaMedia staff: Sally Rubenstone, editor; Cathy
Brooks, layout; Ann Shanahan, contributing writer; John Sippel, copy editor;
Mary Stanton, calendar/notices
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:
February 5, 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.
Smith College Notice
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