News for the Smith College Community //February 12, 1998

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1998 Smith College Medalists Span Three Generations, Four Realms of Achievement Many distinguished Smith alumnae-behavioral scientists, editors, architects, theatrical designers, community volunteers, chefs, professors -- have been honored with Smith College Medals since 1962, when the awards were first presented. They are given annually during Rally Day ceremonies to those who, "in the judgment of the trustees, convey the true purpose of a liberal arts education in service to their communities or to the college."   At this year's Rally Day exercises, to be held at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18, in John M. Greene Hall, the medal recipients will be Charity Cannon Willard A.M. '36, Margaret Lang Bauman '60, Pamela Gundersen Miller '60 and Wendy Kaminer '71.   Charity Willard, who received her undergraduate degree from Hiram College, earned her A.M. in French from Smith at a time when women were not encouraged to pursue advanced degrees. Later she strongly resisted a deeply ingrained convention by becoming one of the first faculty wives at West Point to have a professional career of her own. Over the course of nearly 60 years she established an international reputation as a prolific and devoted scholar and the foremost authority on Europe's first woman of letters, the medieval French writer Christine de Pizan. Now in her 80s, Willard continues to lecture and write. Her latest book, her second in three years, is in press.   Willard credits Smith with having enabled her to first encounter Christine de Pizan and for having provided a great preparation for further graduate work at Harvard University and for life as an army wife.   Margaret Bauman, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and a pediatric neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, is internationally recognized for her clinical expertise in pediatric neurology, particularly that involving autism and Rett's syndrome, a progressive neurologic disorder that only affects girls. In addition to her research and clinical work, she has committed herself to working with and educating parents of physically and mentally handicapped children and to advocating appropriate service on their behalf.   While at Smith, Bauman lived in Sessions House and was a member of Life Guards and the Premedical Society. She reports that her sports were field hockey and figure skating and that she earned money by working in the library, in the Sessions kitchen and as a baby sitter.   Since moving to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1970, Pamela Miller has worked tirelessly, creatively and successfully as both a volunteer and a public servant to bring lasting civic improvements to her adopted community. In 1993 she was elected mayor of Lexington. Under her leadership that city of 240,000 has benefited by the addition of major arts and cultural programming and facilities, the continuing renaissance of a downtown commercial district, improvements in the quality of life and basic government service, new programs for inner-city youth and protection for the area's widely renowned environmental beauty.   A resident of Lamont House except while she was abroad during her junior year, Miller was involved in Electoral Board, the SGA and French Club. Her sports were tennis, squash and weekend skiing.   Wendy Kaminer, who will give the Rally Day address, is a writer on social issues who has been called a pioneer in feminist thought. A fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Public Policy since 1987, Kaminer is the author of several books, including I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional and A Fearful Freedom, which have been hailed as landmarks of contemporary social commentary. Her articles in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic and The New York Times have prompted spirited discussion on everything from the death penalty to First Amendment rights. She is currently president of the National Coalition Against Censorship and a commentator on NPR's "Morning Edition."   Kaminer lived in Jordan House for three years and in Duckett for her senior year. She majored in English and minored in religion, writing her thesis on William Faulkner. She reports that she spent her spare time "playing bridge and volleyball and smoking."   The Smith College Medal, designed in 1988 by Elliot Offner, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and printer to the college, depicts the Grécourt Gates and includes the college motto, To Virtue, Knowledge, a phrase from the King James Bible rendering of 2 Peter 1:5: "and besides this, given diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge."   After the Rally Day exercises, members of the Smith community will have several opportunities to greet the medalists. There will be a panel presentation by the medal recipients in Seelye 106 at 3 p.m.; small group conversations with the individual medalists in Seelye 101, 106, 109 and 110 at 3:30 p.m.; and a reception in Seelye 207 at 4 p.m.   President Simmons Responds to Kids' Questions Via Web "What's your goal in life?" "What's your favorite book?" "How do you feel about being a great-great-granddaughter of slaves?" "Was it hard becoming president of Smith?"   Those were just some of the questions submitted to President Ruth J. Simmons from students across the country last Friday, when she was the subject of a World Wide Web chat session coordinated by Women of NASA, a group of National Aeronautics and Space Administration employees. For an hour, from about noon to 1 p.m., Simmons sat at her computer and came up with thoughtful and provocative answers to more than 50 questions covering a wide range of subjects.   "My goal in life is to be helpful to other people," she wrote to a middle school class. "I hope you will also have that goal." As her favorite book, Simmons listed Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. And to high schoolers in Montgomery, Alabama, she wrote, "My great-great- grandparents, who were slaves, were of course in bondage against their will. However, they made the best of their circumstances and made a way for their children and grandchildren to live and have pride in who they are. So I am proud of what my forebears accomplished in spite of their hardships."   The online chat was one in a series of dialogues, "The Women of NASA Present Women of the World." They enable students, parents and school groups to ask questions of "the nation's most successful females in a wide range of professions, offering young women anywhere opportunities and experiences to gain insight into their own future choices," according to the Women of NASA Web site. Women of NASA was first developed to encourage young women to pursue careers in math, science and technology.   President Simmons was asked to participate because she is one of the nation's leading professionals in the field of higher education, said Tish Krieg, manager of the chat project. "We select four people a year -- one for each quarter -- to represent different professions," Krieg explained. Past chats have featured U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein in the politics category; Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, in the homemaker category; and CNN "Newsday" anchor Sonia Ruseler, in journalism.   Simmons said she agreed to participate in the chat "because it involved young people in elementary, middle and high school. I enjoyed it very much," she added, "and I thought there were some very good questions. I'd do it again."   You can check out President Simmons' Web chat in its entirety, or observe future Women of NASA chats in progress, by visiting http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/women and clicking on chats.   Wilder House Wins $400 Unity Prize The women of Wilder House won the House-to-House Unity and Campus Climate Contest held in early December. It sought creative ways to improve social life among houses and across the campus.   The contest carried a $400 prize earmarked for some form of house improvement or social activity. "The Wilder House proposal did just what we hoped," says Tim Maciel, interim associate dean of the college. "It suggested new ways for students to deepen and broaden the richness of their Smith experience by connecting with students outside their own houses."   Staff members from the Office of the Dean of the College judged the submitted proposals on the basis of their clarity, creativity and feasibility. The Wilder proposal excelled in all three categories, Maciel says. It included ideas for a variety of activities organized around the concept of paired or "sister" houses, including intramural sports, tea socials, volunteer service projects (in which sister houses would collaborate with S.O.S. on service projects such as reading programs, campus clean-ups and food drives), mocktail parties, art projects (in which houses "would design and implement a mural or banner celebrating the hidden diversity within their houses") and joint house fellows, who would "create a connection between the administration and students."   According to the Wilder proposal, "our sister-house program would use social and team-building activities to break down stereotypes between houses to find the greater diversity of our campus. This project would provide an opportunity for Smith women to get together and share their common experiences."   Because the winning entry is both creative and doable, the Office of the Dean of the College hopes to implement the suggestions next fall, Maciel says. Advice from head residents, who would help establish the program, will be critical to its success, he adds.   The winning proposal was submitted by Wilder residents Vanessa Elston, HONS; Maurie Eshleman, HR; Mara Green, vice president; Emily Martinez, S.O.S. representative; Gabriella de Ocampo 'O1; Jessica Rowe '99; and Katrina von Hollen, president.   Lanning Fountain Makes a Comeback As of today the Lanning Fountain consists of a fountain base in which an upside-down, bright yellow garbage barrel rests where a statue once stood. Scrap wood and building supplies are scattered about. But soon -- this spring, in fact -- the ornamental fountain and its surrounding walkways wending through the Botanical Garden between Wright and Burton halls and Lyman Plant House will be restored to their former beauty.   According to a sign in front of the fountain, the area is being spruced up in several ways. For one thing, "Several large trees were removed from behind the fountain which were seriously hazardous due to flawed architecture and extreme stress fractures caused by last year's storms. Sadly, there was no way to salvage these trees and they had to be removed. They will be replaced with shade trees in the upcoming spring." (Botanic Garden Director Kim Tripp assures us that "there will be tall shade trees like there used to be. The intent will be to create a leafy glade around the fountain.")   The sign also notes that "for many years, Lanning Fountain has not been used as a working fountain." The project, however, will repair the waterworks and several cracks in the base and pool so that the fountain can run again, according to Charles Conant, Physical Plant project manager. "Actually, we've got a lot of the work done already," he says. Physical Plant has done much of the restoration of the masonry and limestone basin as well as of the plumbing, drainage and electrical systems.   Perhaps most importantly, the project will repair and restore the fountain's centerpiece, a bronze replica of a fountain statue in Florence's Pitti Palace by sculptor Jean Gautherin. Conant says the statue, titled "Marguerite," will be in place, freshly restored and polished to its original bronze gleam, by Commencement in May.   The Lanning Fountain is a memorial to Mary Lanning '12, who died during her sophomore year here. It was donated to the college by her father, W.H. Lanning of Hastings, Nebraska, who in 1910 also endowed a scholarship fund named for his daughter. Given each year to a Smith sophomore, the scholarship -- worth $2,500 this year -- usually goes to a student from west of the Mississippi.   Applications Top the 3,000 Mark Having seen this year's applications climb over the 3,000 mark early in February -- a number surpassed only twice before, for the classes entering in the falls of 1995 and 1996 -- the folks in the admission office are approaching with notable good spirits the review and evaluation labors they now face. Last year the college received 2,996 first-year applications. As of February 9, this year's total was 3,068.   Although it is too soon to determine much about the applicant pool, Director of Admission Nanci Tessier is able to report that applicants come from more than 1,500 high schools representing all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and from 200 high schools abroad.   Admission staff started reading folders during the first week in February and will continue until mid-March, when they will determine the final shape and size (likely to be about 625) of the class of 2002.   The House Community Adviser Program 1. Smith currently has 17 HCAs.   2. We're in houses all over campus: Albright, Chapin, Comstock, Cutter, Emerson, Gardiner, Haven/Wesley, Jordan, Lamont, Morrow, Park, Parsons Annex, Talbot, Tyler, Wilder, Wilson and Ziskind.   3. Five of us are sophomores, six are juniors and six are seniors; we come from different parts of the U.S. and from other countries, too.   4. While applying, we had to complete written applications and undergo two-on-one interviews with an area coordinator and an HCA.   5. We came back to Smith two weeks early this summer to receive the same intensive residence-life training given head residents.   6. We are responsible for putting together one community service project each semester, as well as three other programs to build house community.   7. Each of us works closely with our head resident and house president to enforce college policy and keep the house happy and healthy.   8. HCAs love talking about their jobs and are happy to answer any questions you have. (Just ask; we're all in the phone directory.)   9. The HCA program is only a few years old and it grows every year, so get involved!   10. HCA applications are available in the student affairs office and are due February 27.   -Prepared by Gardiner House HCA Sarah Emond '99 Back to top of page Smith Physicists Going Places Three outstanding students in the physics department recently received good news regarding their postgraduate plans.   Physics/astronomy major Antonella Romano '97 was awarded a prestigious graduate fellowship from the National Physical Science Consortium. It will cover all expenses for six years of doctorate studies at a graduate school of her choice, a stipend for her, and two 12-week summer appointments at research institutions during her postgraduate tenure. Romano says she hopes to attend Cornell University to study particle physics, but she has also applied to University of California at Berkeley and Brown University.   Though Romano graduated last May, in recognition of her achievements and engagement in research she was awarded a "pregrad fellowship" that has allowed her to remain here another year. She has been spending that time conducting research related to nuclear structure experiments at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California -- where the accelerator, at two miles long, is the largest such device in the world. A number of Smith physics students and faculty have participated in the center's experiments.   Physics professor Piotr Decowski, who worked with Romano for about a year and a half when she was an undergraduate, says he's not surprised that Romano received such a competitive fellowship. "She's a very strong student," Decowski said. "She's very bright. I could see how much she developed in the time I worked with her. Now she's very much able to do research on her own."   The estimated value of Romano's fellowship totals between $156,000 and $200,000, depending on the cost of the school she attends. She was one of 15 students who this year were awarded one of the fellowships, which were created to involve more women in the physical sciences.   Physics major Katie Miller '98 has been offered a National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory fellowship that, if accepted, will allow her to attend graduate school at Michigan State University after she graduates from Smith. And last week Miller was offered the College of Natural Sciences Graduate Fellowship from Michigan State University. "It's looking pretty likely that I'll go to Michigan State," said Miller. "I was really happy when I found out about it." Miller says she'll study nuclear physics in graduate school. She'll decide for certain by April whether to accept the fellowships and head to East Lansing.   And physics major Melissa Wessels AC was recently informed that she is invited to interview for the Ph.D. program at Europe's largest nuclear physics center, CERN in Geneva. She has been accepted at the University of Wisconsin for graduate study. Through UW's affiliation with CER, Wessels would go to Geneva for doctoral studies in physics. She is currently hard at work on an honors thesis for which she's building a laser cooling trap, a device used to freeze atoms, thereby slowing them down so that their quantum behavior can be studied more closely. Back to top of page 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 2/16 CDO résumé and cover-letter deadline: Smith College Internships in the Public Interest. Applications available at the CDO reception desk and internship room. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., CDO   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   President's open hour for students. 4-5 p.m., College Hall 20   Meeting: Om, the Hindu students organization. All welcome. 7-8 p.m., Bodman Lounge   Lecture: "Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition." Rabbi Rebecca Alpert considers how Judaism can become more accepting of gay and lesbian relations and what new understandings of Torah such a change would imply. She uses her knowledge of Jewish texts to reinterpret parts of the Torah long seen as being critical of homosexuality. 7 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*   CDO information meeting: Deloitte & Touche (Boston). 7 p.m., Seelye 105   Workshop: "AWARE." One of a series of weekly student-led workshops presented by organizations campus-wide. (Heather Jones, ext. 2248) 7-9 p.m., Wright common room   CDO information meeting: Independent Educational Services (private school placement agency). 7:30 p.m., Dewey Common Room   Information meeting: National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Eliza Eddy from the school will describe its programs. (Ext. 4904) 7:30 p.m., Seelye 107   Tuesday 2/17 CDO extended hours. 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.   Sigma Xi Luncheon Talk: "Natural Toxins: Kill and Cure." Adam Hall, research associate in the psychology department. 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   Music in the Noon Hour. Soprano Jane Bryden and pianist Robert Merfeld perform Schubert's "Kosegarten Lieder." 12:30 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall*   Open class meeting: A showing of The Great Irish Famine, a film documentary examining the social, political and economic causes of the 19th-century Irish famine which led to the deaths of more than a million people. Followed by a discussion. 3:10 p.m., Seelye 110   Teresa of Avila Film Series. The third of four screenings sponsored by the Contemplation and Action Program of the Catholic Chaplaincy. 4 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel   Reception for Pamela Gundersen Miller '60, mayor of Lexington, Kentucky. One of this year's Smith College Medalists, Miller has enhanced Lexington's cultural facilities and programming, improved the quality of life of government employees, expanded programs for inner-city youth, and protected the area's environmental beauty. 4:30-5:30 p.m., Alumnae House Conference Room   Forum with Wendy Kaminer '71, writer on social issues and one of this year's Smith College Medalists, who will discuss her work. Those interested in attending should read Kaminer's essays "What Is This Thing Called Rape?" (1993) and "Feminism's Third Wave: What Do Young Women Want?" (1995); copies are available under her name at the Neilson reserve desk. 4:45-5:45 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*   Religious activity: "99-Plus Hebrew Words." Basic Hebrew vocabulary and reading. (Hillel, ext. 2754) 5 p.m., site TBA   SGA senate meeting. 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   Five-Con staff meeting: Planning for the Five College Science Fiction Convention in April. 7 p.m., Bass 210   Film: Daughters of the Troubles: Belfast Stories. A documentary examining the political upheavals in Northern Ireland from the perspective of two working-class women, one Protestant and the other Catholic. Discussion to follow with Emmy Award­winning producer Marcia Rock, director of broadcast journalism and professor at NYU's Department of Journalism and Tisch School of the Arts. Sponsored by the history department, the Women's Studies Program, the Project on Women and Social Change and the Committee on Community Policy. (Ext. 3488) 7:30-9:30 p.m., Seelye 106*   Film: Title to be announced. Sponsored by Rec Council. 9 p.m., Wright auditorium   Wednesday 2/18 Rally Day. See below.   CDO résumé and cover-letter deadlines: U.S. Department of Trade summer internships for sophomores, juniors and seniors; address cover letter to Nancy LeaMond. Wediko Children's Services summer internships. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., CDO   CDO application deadline: Athens College Fellowship. Applications available in CDO. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., CDO   Five College Career Fair: Check the files in CDO room 20 for a list of participating organizations. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., UMass Campus Center   Rally Day Events, Wednesday, February 18 All classes for the day will be suspended. All academic and administrative offices, the libraries, the Center for Foreign Languages and Cultures, the athletic facilities and the IS resource centers will be closed from 1-3 p.m. so that students, faculty and staff can attend convocation at 1:30 p.m.   Student brunches. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., college houses   Faculty and staff brunch, featuring homemade breakfast pastries and danishes, scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, pierogies, a Belgian waffle bar, fresh fruit and more. $5.65/members, $6.65/nonmembers. To reserve a table, call extension 2341 or send an e-mail to scclub@jessie. smith.edu. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., College Club   Convocation: "Smith Women On the Move" is this year's theme. Smith College Medals will be presented to Charity Cannon Willard A.M. '36, scholar; Margaret Lang Bauman '60, physician and medical researcher; Pamela Gundersen Miller '60, public servant; and Wendy Kaminer '71, author and social commentator. The address will be delivered by Wendy Kaminer. Junior and senior teaching awards will be presented, and the winners of the Rally Day banner contests will be announced. Faculty assemble at 1:15 p.m. backstage at John M. Greene Hall; seniors assemble at 1 p.m. in front of Northrop and Gillett houses. 1:30 p.m., John M. Greene Hall*   Medalist panel. 3-3:30 p.m., Seelye 106   Individual conversations with the Smith College Medalists. Opportunities for face-to-face discussions with each of this year's medalists. 3:30-4 p.m. Seelye 101, 106, 109, 110   Reception for the Smith College Medalists (following the individual conversations). 4 p.m., Seelye 207   Rally Day Show. 7:30 p.m., John M. Greene Hall   Rally Day Party. Following the show, Davis ballroom Thursday 2/19 CDO extended hours. 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.   Lecture: "U.S. Aid Policies In Africa: The 'Rathole' Revisited." Rene Lemarchand, the government department's Gwendolen M. Carter Visiting Professor. One of the Liberal Arts Luncheon Series. Open to faculty, emeriti and staff. Noon, College Club lower level   Language lunch tables. Japanese Russian 12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room   Religious activity: Centering prayer with Chaplain Elizabeth Carr. All welcome. 5-6 p.m., Chapel   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   Lecture: "Why We Should Say No to NATO Expansion." Karina Wood, coordinator, No to NATO Expansion Speakers Tour, and former national nuclear disarmament coordinator, Peace Action Education Fund. Sponsored by the government department, PAWSS and Citizens for Participation in Political Action. 4 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*   Information meeting for the housing lottery. 4-5 p.m., Seelye 301   Auditions for student choreography for the Spring Dance Concert. (Ext. 3232) 7 p.m., Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre, Mendenhall CPA   General meeting: Smith College Sailing Club. No sailing experience necessary. 7 p.m., Davis ballroom   CDO information meeting: J.P. Morgan Investment Management summer internships. 7 p.m., Alumnae House Music seminar: "Music from Betye Saar's 'Ancestral Spirit Chair.'" William Wittig, professor of music, and John Van Buskirk, pianist and associate professor of music. The third in the four-part interdisciplinary series, "Jazz, Plants, Costumes and Conservation." Enrollment limited. Free for Smith students and museum friends; others $5. Register at the museum. 7-8 p.m., Museum of Art*   Film: Dona Flor e seus dois maridos. Presented by the Spanish and Portuguese Department. In Portuguese, with subtitles. 7:30 p.m., Seelye 201   Film: Anime (Japanese animation) with subtitles. All welcome. (Katherine, ext. 7352) 7:30 p.m., Bass 210   CDO information meeting: MIT Lincoln Labs. 7:30 p.m., Seelye 202   Discussion: An overview of the Baha'i faith with Nat Rutstein. Race unity will also be discussed in honor of Black History Month. Refreshments will be served. (Kari, ext. 6389) 7:30 p.m., Dewey common room   Film: Title to be announced. Sponsored by Rec Council. 9 p.m., Stoddard auditorium Friday 2/20 CDO résumé and cover-letter deadline: J.P. Morgan Marketing Division summer internship opportunities. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., CDO   CDO information meeting: Radcliffe Publishing Course. Feel free to bring a lunch. Sign up in advance at CDO. 12:15 p.m., CDO   Lecture: "The Path to a Scientific Career: A Woman's Perspective." Cynthia McIntyre, the second black woman to receive a doctorate in physics from MIT, talks about her journeys, the founding of the National Black Physics Students Conference and the mentors she has had. Sponsored by the Union of Underrepresented Science Students. 4 p.m., Seelye 201   Biological Sciences and Biochemistry Colloquium: "Madagascar, A Paradise in Peril." Laurie R. Godfrey, professor of anthropology, UMass-Amherst. Reception in McConnell foyer at 4 p.m. Sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences and the Biochemistry Program. 4:30 p.m., McConnell B05*   Meeting: Science Fiction and Fantasy Club. All welcome. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 208   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. 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. All welcome. 6:30 p.m., Dewey common room   Sage Hall Concert Series: Works by Mozart, Janácek and Beethoven, performed by the Skampa String Quartet, called by The Strad "one of the best young quartets around." Purchase tickets at the Northampton Box Office (150 Main St.; 586-8686), 1-800-THE TICK or at the door. Tickets: $18, general; $14, seniors over 65 and Smith faculty and staff; $6, Smith students with ID. (Ext. 3164) 8 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall*   Film: Kiss Me Deadly (1955). Directed by Robert Aldrich. A hip Mike Hammer detective story. Part of the Motion Picture Committee's Film Noir Series. 8 p.m., Wright auditorium* Saturday 2/21 Storytelling Program for Children: "Voyages Afar: Japan," for children ages 4-7 accompanied by an adult. Participants will hear stories, view selected artworks and create their own art. Enrollment is limited and preregistration is required. Reserved places will be held until 10 minutes before the program begins. (Ext. 2760) 10:30 a.m., Museum of Art*   Workshop: "Dreamspeak: A Discussion of and Introduction to the Language of Dreams." Maryknoll Sister Jean Pruitt M.M., graphic artist, photographer, writer and founder of an art center and a refugee services center in Tanzania. Sponsored by of the Contemplation and Action Program of the Catholic Chaplaincy of Smith. 2-4 p.m., Bodman Lounge   Dinner theatre: "Murder at the Mardi Gras." A buffet heaped high with great Cajun cuisine will be served as Drew Hawley and company perform a murder mystery. Dinner will be preceded by a social hour 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 College Club 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. 6 p.m., College Club   EKTA Cultural Show. The South Asian Students Association presents its annual celebration of traditional and modern dances, music and food of the South Asian nations. Admission: $3. 6 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall*   Five College Choral Festival. Featuring the premiere of a new work by Ann Kearns. (Ext. 3150) 7:30 p.m., John M. Greene Hall*   EKTA Dinner and Party. Featuring traditional and modern music and food of the South Asian nations. Dinner : 9-10 p.m.; food prices vary. Party: 10 p.m.-1 a.m.. Admission: $1. 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Gamut*   Film: Red Pomegranates (Ukraine, 1969). Directed by Sergei Paradzhanov. The most boldly experimental Soviet film since the 1920s. A gorgeous evocation of the flatness of Byzantine icons. 8 p.m., Wright auditorium* Sunday 2/22 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: Service of worship with guest preacher William Sloane Coffin Jr. Music by the Voices of Faith gospel choir of Mount Holyoke College. All welcome. 10:30 a.m., Chapel   CDO open hours. 1-4 p.m., CDO   Film: Kiss Me Deadly (1955). See Friday, 8 p.m. 2 p.m., Wright auditorium*   Film: Red Pomegranates (Ukraine, 1969). See Saturday, 8 p.m. 4 p.m., Wright auditorium*   General meeting: Association of Smith Pagans. All welcome. 4-5:15 p.m., Gillet House   Open discussion: "The Death of the Heart in the Life of the Mind: An Exploration of Moral Development in the Modern University." With the Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr. 4:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*   Religious service: Roman Catholic Mass in Spanish/English with Fr. Juan Garcia, celebrant and Dr. Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain. A supper will follow. 4:30 p.m., Chapel   Meeting: Feminists of Smith Unite. 7 p.m., Women's Resource Center (Davis third floor)   Author's reading: "What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day." Pearl Cleage, playwright, novelist and performance artist, whose recent works include Bourbon at the Border and Blues for an Alabama Sky. Cleage was playwright in residence at Smith in January 1994 and the keynote speaker for the 1996 Otelia Cromwell Day. 7:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room* 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." 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: "Love Makes a Family: Living in Lesbian and Gay Families: A Photograph-Text Exhibit." Opens February 15. Photographs and interviews with families of diverse racial, cultural, religious and economic backgrounds with lesbian or gay parents, grandparents or youth. The work of writers Pam Brown and Peggy Gillespie and photographer Gigi Kaeser, the exhibit was created to "open the hearts and minds of people of all ages and contribute to dismantling the destructive power of homophobia." Sponsored by the BSA, LBTA and Family Ties/Love Makes a Family. Through February 27. Seelye basement Upcoming Event Jewish studies symposium: "Text and Content: Reading Women into Rabbinic Literature" will be held Sunday, March 1, 2­5 p.m. in Seelye 202. Three cutting-edge scholars will consider how a study of women in rabbinic literature can modify the ways in which these important sacred texts help define Judaism. Back to top of page 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 18, for issue 20 (which will include March 2­8 calendar listings) and by 4 p.m., Wednesday, February 25, for issue 21 (March 9­22 calendar listings). Late information cannot be accepted.   Sources of further information, if any, are indicated last in parentheses. Smith-Wide 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, Monday-Friday; 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.   Staff Council Food Drive During February the Staff Council Activities Committee is sponsoring a food drive for the Northampton Survival Center. Marked containers for donations have been placed in more than a dozen campus buildings, including Neilson and Hillyer. Nonperishable food items are urgently needed. During fiscal 1996-97 the Survival Center distributed an average of 24,414 pounds of food per month to some 625 households or 1,498 individuals per month. Nearly 35 percent of those served were under the age of 13. Please help fill the box nearest you with nonperishable items such as powdered milk, fruit juice or canned fruit, peanut butter, water-packed tuna, hearty soup, pasta, tomato sauce, canned vegetables, macaroni and cheese, canned beans (baked or kidney) and rice. The Staff Council Activities Committee thanks you in advance for your support.   Davis Cup Fundraiser The Smith College Tennis Team will hold its 11th Annual International Davis Cup Fundraiser on Saturday and Sunday, February 21 and 22. The $35 entry fee includes a dinner at the field house at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 20. On Saturday the competition will run 1-8 p.m.; on Sunday it will run noon-5 p.m. Registration will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday, before the dinner. Teams of four will be selected randomly (not according to ability) and prizes will be drawn. Each tournament round will consist of men's, women's and mixed doubles. Pick up information and registration forms outside Christine Davis' office in the ITT. Entry deadline: 5 p.m. February 16. (Christine Davis, ext. 2716) Faculty & Staff Mellon Foundation Grants Smith faculty are invited to submit through the Smith College Museum of Art proposals for Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grants for the development of courses using the museum's collections. Support includes faculty stipends, student assistance funds and supplemental course funds. Courses may be in any discipline and be either "full" (involving the museum most of the semester) or "partial" (involving the museum in one-quarter to one-half of the class sessions). An information meeting will be held at the museum Monday, February 23, at 4:15 p.m.; proposals are due Tuesday, March 31. Faculty must consult with museum staff before applying. (Nancy Rich, ext. 2773; nrich@ais.smith.edu)   Chronicle Editor Sought The Council Chronicle, the quarterly newsletter of the college's Staff Council, is seeking a volunteer editor. She or he need not be a Staff Council member but will be required to report to the council at two monthly meetings. The job entails identifying issues and people to cover in each edition; locating possible contributors and encouraging their submissions; editing and rewriting copy; meeting deadlines; working with the copy editor, designer and production coordinator; and being a diplomatic but persistent liaison with senior staff. Experienced assistance is provided. Anyone interested in the position should contact any Staff Council member. Students SGA Election Sign-Ups Sign-ups for the SGA spring election will begin Monday, February 16, in the SGA office in Clark Hall, and continue through February 22 during regular office hours. (Elections and Appointments Committee, ext. 4958; SGA office, ext. 4950)   Payment Plans for Southeast Asians In response to the financial crisis in Southeast Asia, Smith College is offering several modified tuition payment plans to students from South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. International students who are citizens and residents of those countries should make an appointment with Tony Symanski (College Hall 4; ext. 2200) to discuss their financial situation and, if necessary, set up an extended payment plan.   Federal Loan Deadline Students applying for a subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan or for a Federal Parent Loan for the 1997-98 academic year must do so by March 1 in order to ensure that approved payments can be applied to applicants' tuition accounts by the last day of classes. (Ext. 2530; st_loans@ais.smith.edu)   Orientation Help Want to be part of orientation? Consider joining the planning and implementation team for the fall 1998 orientation for first-years. We're looking for 10 students to volunteer energy, time and ideas. Watch for details on a upcoming informational/organizational meeting. (Merry Farnum, ext. 4904)   Israel Study Stipends The Office for International Study (now on the third floor of Clark Hall) has applications for the Sylvia Josephs Berger '24 Endowed Fund to support student projects in Israel. Funds may be used for intensive summer language programs, internships and independent projects. Application deadline: April 6.   Denis Johnston Prize Entries are