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News for the Smith College Community //April 2, 1998

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Envisioning Our Future--Status Report

The Humanities, Arts and Sciences -- and Bridges to the World of Work

This report, the second of two on academic issues raised in the college's recent self-study, focuses on the liberal arts broadly and on programs bridging the liberal arts and the world of work.

"While the Steering Committee believes that the college should seek to maintain the breadth of its curriculum, we also think it is imperative that the curriculum have focus, that it build specific skills, that it connect the liberal arts to the world beyond the college and that it remain flexible enough to integrate emerging disciplines and new ways of producing knowledge."
---Self-Study Steering Committee Report

Smith's strengths in the humanities, arts and sciences are widely known and well documented. Endorsements of the college's programs in these areas come in all shapes and sizes -- ranging from the board's recent approval for major renovation and expansion of the fine arts center to support for the poetry program, whose series of readings this year has drawn record audiences. A long-awaited renovation of the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts, expected to address both structural and programmatic issues, is undergoing the approvals necessary to transform the proposal into a reality. Also taking shape are a number of other initiatives in the liberal arts that make connections across the disciplines.

Poetry Program
Poetry and Smith have a long and powerful connection, most notably -- and recently -- through the college's association with Sylvia Plath. The college's new poetry program, the vision of Lecturer in English Ann Boutelle and one of the first initiatives to emerge from the self-study process, is keeping that connection vigorously alive for current students, chiefly through a series of readings by distinguished poets. The program received a significant boost in November, when the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation awarded the college a $10,000 grant to support the inclusion of minority poets in the program's activities. Under the direction of Grace Hazard Conkling Writer-in-Residence Elizabeth Alexander, herself a noted poet, this year's readings opened with Irish feminist poet Eavan Boland, who enthralled a capacity crowd in Wright Hall auditorium. Other visitors included Alaskan poet John Haines, African-American poet and activist Sonia Sanchez, and Asian-American poet Li-Young Lee.

Career Planning
A resonant theme of the self-study report was the need to strengthen connections between the intellectual and the practical aspects of the liberal arts. One of the first signs that the college is prepared to do this is a dramatic renovation of the Career Development Office (CDO), scheduled for this summer, designed to significantly heighten campuswide focus on internships.

"The teachable moment with regard to careers used to be a student's senior year," observes Barbara Reinhold, CDO director, whose office will coordinate the stepped-up program. "Now we have the chance -- and the responsibility -- to make that moment come much earlier, and more often."

Internships are not new to Smith. More than half of Smith students experience some sort of internship as undergraduates. More than $560,000 in funding provides internships and assistantships through the STRIDE and leadership programs and through academic areas such as the Clark Science Center. For more than a decade, students have been able to apply to the Summer Internship Funding Program (SIFP) to cover the expenses of nonpaying internship experiences.

What is new -- and probably unique -- to Smith is the prospect of eventually guaranteeing at least one significant, academically linked, funded internship for every student. The college will take a significant step in that direction this summer, when a combination of one-time funds, grant monies and individual gifts will enable the CDO to expand its SIFP from 70 to nearly 100 grants and the maximum stipend from $1,000 to $1,900. Initial student interest has been overwhelming: more than 160 applications have been received to date, with a third round of applications still to come.

Kahn Liberal Arts Institute
In the fall of 1996, the largest gift in the college's history provided a resounding endorsement to Smith's commitment to fostering connections among the disciplines. The Louise B. and Edmund J. Kahn Liberal Arts Institute, which recognizes alumna Louise Kahn's dedication to the college's liberal arts tradition, has been established to bring Smith faculty members and students together with visiting scholars, public figures, critics, writers, performers and scientists. Louise Wolff Kahn Professor of Mathematics Marjorie Senechal, who was appointed founding director of the institute in December, is working with a faculty advisory committee to develop a framework that will enable visiting fellows, Smith faculty members and students to work together in a setting of intense collaboration on projects that will include events and activities for the entire Smith community.

First-Year Seminars
One of the first and most important connections a Smith student must make is to the expected level of discourse and inquiry and to the faculty who sustain the college's tradition of academic rigor. This fall, a pilot program of 11 First-Year Seminars will help the class of '02 do just that. According to Dean of Faculty John Connolly, some 190 first-year students are expected to take the courses, whose topics range from "American Cities in Crisis" to "Environmental Issues on Campus." The seminars will enroll 16 students (20 if team-taught) and will emphasize public speaking as well as writing and/or quantitative reasoning. Connolly notes that the first-year seminars are a four-year experiment and that a subcommittee of the Committee on Academic Policy will conduct ongoing evaluations of the program.

Latin Honor Requirements
This year's Commencement ceremony will mark an important milestone not only for the class of 1998 but for the college's curriculum. Those students graduating with Latin Honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) will be the first to have done so under a set of requirements that John Connolly described, following their approval in 1993, as "the first substantive change in curricular requirements since 1970." While Smith's current curriculum remains "open," enabling students to choose classes without fulfilling distribution requirements, those students who hope to be eligible for Latin graduation honors must complete at least one course in each of seven academic disciplines. The requirement is designed to underscore the importance of breadth in a liberal arts education.

Sophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection (SSC) is an important point of connection between outside scholars and Smith. The Self-Study Steering Committee recommended increased support and visibility for the collection, a goal endorsed by the college's Committee on Planning and Resources. Recent grants to the collection are allowing students to connect scholarship to activism while linking the resources of the collection to contemporary projects. Support from the college has augmented a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, enabling the SSC to launch what director Sherrill Redmon refers to as "the 'Agents of Social Change' Project." The project, scheduled for completion in 1999, will catalogue and make available the papers of six 20th-century social activists: Dorothy Kenyon, Jessie Lloyd O'Connor, Mary Kaufman, Constance Baker Motley, Frances Fox Piven and Gloria Steinem. Also to be processed are the records of the Women's Action Alliance, a national antisexism advocacy group, and the national Congress of Neighborhood Women, a grassroots organization in urban communities. When completed, an exhibit from the project will be mounted at the college, with an electronic version on the SSC's new web site (www.smith.
edu/libraries/ssc).

Visual Communications
Building upon the success of initiatives such as the Center for Foreign Languages and Cultures (CFLAC), the college is taking forward the self-study's mandate to fully explore the possibilities of educational technology in the humanities. One example is a plan to create a Visual Communications Resource Center, a staging area for the development of model courses using imagery from the fine arts, film, advertising, television and computer science and design. Funded by a $300,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation and spearheaded by faculty in the department of art and in CFLAC, the center is intended to help students gain visual literacy and to speed the infusion of visual teaching methods and course materials throughout the arts and sciences. Over the next two years, the grant is expected to support staffing and equipment as well as a series of faculty workshops and curriculum activities beginning this summer and internships for students interested in careers in visual communications.

'Sisyphus' to Roll Out Weekend Conference

A Saturday-night costume ball featuring homemade fantastic and science-fictional costumes promises to be one of the highlights -- and most visually stimulating parts -- of 5-Con Six, a three-day conference organized by the Smith Science Fiction and Fantasy Society (SSFFS, pronounced "Sisyphus") that will take place Friday night through Sunday in Seelye Hall.

Prior to the 9 p.m. ball, participants will have opportunities to create their own garb at "Costume and Chaos" workshops, says SSFFS President Kara Savoia, a conference co-chair. Come Saturday night at the ball, prizes will be awarded to those donning the best, the sexiest and the funniest costumes.

"It's one of the high points of the conference, certainly," says Savoia, who will be sporting a blue dragon costume she recently made. "The ball does have a fantasy feel to it."

Costume ball aside, 5-Con Six will offer an array of panels, workshops, lectures, videos, and sci-fi and fantasy goods for sale to attendees -- not to mention unlimited discourse on all things science fiction and fantasy.

"Five-Con Six is a chance for people to talk about things that they don't usually get a chance to talk about," says Savoia. "Depending on what you're in the mood for at the time, you can wander around and have great conversations on things like what's going on in [Fox Television's] The X-Files, or wasn't it great that William Shatner [who portrayed Capt. James Kirk in the long-running Star Trek] finally died."

Or conference-goers can attend one of 27 panels running through the weekend with titles like "Mama, Don't Let Your Child Become a Freelancer!" about the pitfalls of writing fiction in the 1990s, or "What Are You Laughing At?" about humor's place in fiction, "The 10 Most Disgusting Things in the Universe," and "Is Science Fiction Really Getting Boring?"

There'll be sword-fighting and ancient dance demonstrations, trading in science fiction and fantasy memorabilia, an art show selling works by conference participants, endless showings of animé (Japanese animation films) and workshops on how to create and develop fictional worlds, characters and civilizations and how to make pouches.

Guest speakers at the conference will be Esther Friesner, author of The Psalms of Herod and Magic by Design, and Debra Doyle and James Macdonald, authors of The Mageworlds: The Price of the Stars. Also attending will be UMass professor of biochemistry and molecular biology Anne Simon, an occasional scientific programming advisor for The X-Files, and science fiction writers Gayle Greeno and Allen Steele.

Five-Con Six is open to the public. Check-in is at 6 p.m. Friday, on the first floor of Seelye. Tickets for admission to all three days of the conference cost $10 at the door. For information, call Savoia at extension 7543 or conference co-chair Katherine Buffington at extension 7352, or see the conference's Web page at www.smith.edu/ssffs/5con/.

Web Site Links Art and Technology

It's like taking a walk through one of the most exclusive, well-stocked art museums in the world, except it's right here on campus -- and instead of walking, you click and scroll.

The Web page designed for Art History 100 includes a wide selection of miniaturized, "thumbnail" images of fine art by the masters, from Bruegel to Rembrandt to Delacroix, that would likely be coveted by the best art museums.

The Web site, accessible through the art department's site at www.smith.edu/art, gives students in the introductory art history course -- and anyone with Internet capability -- an opportunity to examine pieces of art that are studied in class. Works of art from the period being studied in a particular week are scanned onto the Web site. The electronic images give students a general familiarity with the art studied in class, says Giovanna Fessenden '99J, who, with art department technology analyst Daniel Bridgman, helped design and maintains the site. "The site is meant to be used as an aide, a helper," she says. "It should be used for comparing and contrasting."

One click brings the viewer images of art from Northern Europe by artists like Jan van Eyck, Hieronymous Bosch and Pieter Bruegel, all of whom were discussed in an early-in-the-semester lecture. Another click will bring up images of classics by Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Vermeer, Rosso Fiorentino and Rembrandt van Rijn. Other pages show pictures of Islamic architecture from the Samanids of ancient Uzbekistan or the Mamluks of 13th-century Egypt. Aztec architecture and art from the United States color the screen on other pages. The list goes on -- 25 Web pages of art in all, enough to keep an art lover busy for, well, an entire semester. "Basically, the entire course is on the Web," says Fessenden.

After viewing the thumbnail images on the ARH 100 page, students can analyze the works of art in more detail on one of three more-powerful computer systems in Hillyer Hall and the Museum of Art that display the images in higher resolution, Fessenden says.

The idea of putting thumbnail images of art on the Web came to Bridgman last summer when he decided that it would be helpful to students if they could access the class subject pieces from their own computers, he says. "This puts the visual archive in students' hands," says Bridgman. "It's been quite a big hit."

Bridgman says he plans to build similar archives of on-line art images for other art department classes. And Fessenden is working on a collection of student art works that will be available for viewing on-line, she says. Students interested in submitting art to her project should e-mail Fessenden at gfessend@cs.smith.edu.

The ARH 100 Web page is part of a project aimed at converting a portion of the art department's 300,000 slide images to digital form for on-line availability, says Bridgman. The project, which he estimates will have converted 2,000 art images by August, is supported in part by funds from a larger grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Office of the Dean for Academic Development.

Art History 100 is a year-long lecture course required of all art majors. The course is taught by all 10 of the department's art historians, including Craig Felton, chair of the art department, as well as some art instructors from other institutions. ARH 100 is open to all students.

New Documentary on the ACLU Will Premiere Here

In the new public television film The ACLU -- A History, George Bush calls Michael Dukakis a card-carrying member of the American Civil Liberties Union; Ronald Reagan claims he wears the ACLU's indictment like a badge of honor; and Oliver North thanks the ACLU for helping get his conviction overturned on the basis of a technicality -- the U.S. Constitution. Oliver North likes the ACLU?

North's praise is just one of the many surprises in this upbeat and often humorous survey of the organization. Filmmakers Larry Hott and Diane Garey say that the ACLU "molded our national ideal of liberty and shaped what we call the American way of life."

The ACLU, founded in 1920 by Roger Baldwin, has always been a lightning rod for controversy. The organization's history reads like a case study of freedom of expression and minority rights in the 20th century. The Hott/Garey film shows the full range of ACLU activities. "The ACLU got the reputation as leftists when they defended labor activists in the 1930s," say Garey, "but they've also defended plenty of right-wing speakers over the years."

The world premiere of the one-hour ACLU film will be held in Wright auditorium on Sunday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a discussion with the Hott and Garey. The showing is sponsored by Florentine Films/ Hott Productions and the Smith American studies program and is open free to the public.

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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.

Late Addition

Sunday, April 5
Gospel Choir Concert: The Smith College and Pioneer Valley gospel choirs offer a hand-clappin' concert, guaranteed to make you smile. Admission: $3, $8.
3-5:30 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall*

Monday 4/6

Lecture: "La España de las Autonomias: Organización de Territorio y Desigualdades Regionales." Bartolomé Valle Buenestado. Sponsored by the Spanish department.
9 a.m., Neilson Browsing Room*

Workshop: "Managing Change: Dealing with Uncertainty." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
10 a.m.-noon, Dewey common room

Hebrew language lunch table.
12:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Language lunch tables.
French
Italian
12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

CDO workshop: "How to Find a Summer Internship."
1:15 p.m., CDO

Meeting: Amnesty International.
4 p.m., Seelye 102*

Meeting: Baha'i Club. Refreshments provided. (Kari, ext. 6362)
4 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Slide lecture: "The Holocaust as Vicarious Past: Art Spiegelman's Maus and David Levinthal's Mein Kampf." James Young, UMass professor of English and Judaic Studies, explores the ways Spiegelman's comic-art Maus and Levinthal's Mein Kampf photographs measure the distance between the Holocaust as it happened and these artists' vicarious memories of it. Sponsored by the Smith College Jewish Studies Program.
4:15 p.m., Seelye 106*

Lecture: "The Generation of Caliban: Caribbean Readings of Shakespeare's Tempest." Jonathan Goldberg, Johns Hopkins University. Sponsored by the Comparative Literature Program.
4:15 p.m., Seelye 201*

Mandatory meeting of the class of 2001.
4:30 p.m., Wright auditorium

Lecture: Naz Mohamed, professor, Amherst College, will talk on Islamic art, architecture and other aspects of Islam. Sponsored by Al-Iman.
5 p.m., Wright common room*

Student Labor Action Coalition open informational meeting for all interested in learning about or getting involved with SLAC's campaign for labor rights.
6 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

Film: Nueva Yol, a comedy-drama in Spanish with English subtitles, about an immigrant from Santo Domingo who comes to New York looking for the American Dream. Part of the Latino/Latin America Film Festival by Nosotras.
7 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*

Religious service: Join Amherst Hillel at a healing service with Rabbi Camille Angel of Congregation Rodeph Sholom, New York, in song, meditation, candle-lighting and prayer. A service for the spiritual sustenance of souls.
7 p.m., Chapin Lounge, Amherst College*

Lecture: "Addio a Anna Maria Ortese." Professor Monica Farnetti, Istituto di Italianistica, Universita' di Firenze, Italia. A critical reading of works by the recently deceased Italian writer. Sponsored by the Italian department.
7 p.m., Seelye 207

Meeting: Om, the Hindu students' organization.
7-8 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Lecture: "Sojourner Truth's Northampton: Utopianism." Christopher Clark, University of Warwick, England; Mario DePillis, Professor Emeritus, UMass; and Paul Gaffney, Florence historian and professor at Landmark College, will discuss the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, a utopian community, in the context of 1840s reform movements. Sponsored by Historic Northampton, the Smith College American Studies Program and the theatre department.
7:30 p.m., Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge Street*

Meeting: Al-Iman, the Smith Muslim students' organization.
8 p.m., Dewey common room*

Meeting: Student Labor Action Coalition.
8 p.m., Women's Resource Center (third floor of Davis)

Tuesday 4/7

Résumé/cover letter deadline for positions with Sanford C. Bernstein, a private financial firm. Available positions include financial advisor associate, associate portfolio manager, pension advisor associate, client service associate, pension administrator, junior performance analyst, and various MIS positions. The company will be on campus April 14. A Smith alumna sits on its board of trustees.
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., CDO

CDO extended hours.
8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Sigma Xi Luncheon Talk: "Initial Steps Across the Catwalk: Light-Scattering Studies of Biological Systems." Nalini Easwar, physics department. Open to faculty, emeriti and staff.
Noon, College Club lower level

Episcopal-Lutheran Fellowship meets in the parish house parlor.
Noon, St. John's Church, Elm Street

Language lunch tables.
Deutscher Tisch
Korean
12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

Concert: Music in the Noon Hour. Dana Maiben, violin; Alice Robbins, cello; Monika Jakuc, fortepiano. Beethoven, Trio in C-Minor, Op.1, No. 3.
12:30 p.m., Sage Recital Hall*

Workshop: "Understanding Yourself and Others-The Personal Profile System." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
1:30-3:30 p.m. Dewey common room

Résumé critique by a peer adviser.
4:30-6 p.m. and 8-9 p.m., CDO

Meeting: Preregistration for EDC 345/346. Students planning to practice-teach at the elementary or secondary level or wishing to learn more about teacher certification should attend.
5 p.m., Gill Hall library

Religious service: Roman Catholic Service of Reconciliation.
5 p.m., Chapel*

Film/discussion: Eyes of the Rainbow. A documentary and discussion with director Gloria Rolando on a former Black Panther and Black Liberation Army leader who escaped to Cuba 20 years ago. Reception will follow in Seelye 207.
5 p.m., Seelye 201*

SGA senate meeting, including a student open forum at 7:15 p.m.
7 p.m., Seelye 201

CDO workshop: "Job Search for Seniors."
7 p.m., CDO

Special event: S.O.S. will host Project Square, to knit and crochet blankets for the needy at Jessie's House. Refreshments and a movie provided. No experience necessary. (Sara, ext. 5631; Cindy, ext. 6187)
7-9 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Film: When the Mountains Tremble. A documentary describing the struggle of the Indian peasantry in Guatemala against state and foreign oppression. Narrated by Nobel Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu. Part of the Latino/Latin America Film Festival by Nosotras.
7 p.m., Seelye 106*

Lecture: "Hot Topics in Marine Sciences and Museum Education: The Jason Project." Amy O'Neal '94 from the Mystic Aquarium Education Department will give a brief overview of aquarium careers and education, with emphasis on the Jason Project. Dinner with speaker at 6 p.m. in Duckett. Sponsored by the Five College Marine Program. (RSVP, ext. 3799)
7-9 p.m., Sabin-Reed 204

CDO workshop: "How to Prepare for a Successful Interview."
8 p.m., CDO

Film: To be announced. Sponsored by Rec Council.
9 p.m., Stoddard auditorium

Wednesday 4/8

Film/discussion: Oggun: An Eternal Presence. A documentary and discussion with director Gloria Rolando on Afro-Cuban religion and the life of Lazaro Ros, a prominent Cuban Yoruba singer.
11 a.m., Hillyer 117

Women's Health Fair for students, staff and faculty. Health Services will offer exhibits, screenings, and stress-reduction activities, including a noon talk by Donna DeLuca, "Making Exercise Happen in Your Life," and a 1 p.m. talk by Rosalie Constantilous, R.N., "The Health Benefits of Exercise for Women." In addition, there will be blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, mini-massages (2-4 p.m.), demonstrations on proper use of exercise machines and an introduction/mini-class on tai chi (11:30 a.m.noon). Register for door prizes from local businesses.
11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room

Hillel at Noon. "Non-Jewish Perspectives of Israel," a discussion and veggie luncheon with Pat Skarda, English department, and Karl Donfried, religion department.
Noon, Dawes House Kosher Kitchen

Religious activity: Discussion and reflection for Catholic Adas.
Noon-1 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Workshop: "Lunch and Learn Video-Office Ergonomics." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
Noon-1 p.m., Dewey common room

Language lunch tables.
Chinese
Spanish and Portuguese
12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

Lecture: "Art and Nature in Goethe's Faust." Jane Brown, professor of German, University of Washington, Seattle.
2:40 p.m., Seelye 201*

Mandatory ISA orientation meeting for all students preparing to study abroad next year on an Independent Study Abroad Program.
4:15-6 p.m., Stoddard auditorium

Office of Institutional Diversity open hour, with Carmen Santana-Melgoza.
45 p.m., College Hall 31

Lecture: "A Woman's Path: Stepping Stones to Success." A multimedia presentation by Jo Giese, author of A Woman's Path. Inspiring stories of different women's journeys to different kinds of success.
4:30-6 p.m., Seelye 201*

Workshop: "Make the Best of Your Stress" drop-in group. A let-your-hair-down, kick-your-heels-up look at stress with Lisa Werkmeister Rozas, Health Services.
4:30-5:45 p.m., Wright common room

Special event: The Not Ready For Bedtime Players, an improv theatre group from UMass, will perform 20 short, student-written vignettes exploring student health concerns, specifically those surrounding sexuality, such as communication, safer-sex practices, sexual assault issues, homophobia, alcohol and drug use and sexual decision-making. In honor of Women's Wellness Week. Sponsored by UMass Health Education, the Smith Peer Sexuality Educators and Smith Health Services. (Jen, ext. 4607; Connie, ext. 2824)
8 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room

Film: Romero. A drama featuring Raul Julia as Monsignor Oscar Arnuldo Romero of El Salvador, an archbishop who made the ultimate sacrifice in a passionate stand against social injustice and oppression. Part of the Latino/Latin America Film Festival by Nosotras.
7 p.m., Dewey common room*

Religious activity: Buddhist service and discussion.
7:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

CDO information meeting: Greenfield Ameri-Corps GAP Youth Program. Open to all classes.
7:30 p.m., Seelye 207

MassPIRG weekly meeting.
7:30 p.m., Seelye 107

Film: Underground (France/Serbia, 1997). Directed by Emir Kusturica. Hailed as a controversial yet visionary masterpiece, Underground is the national epic of a now nonexistent nation, tracing the history of Yugoslavia through three wars. Introduction by Ivan Vejvoda, government department.
8 p.m., Wright auditorium*

Thursday 4/9

CDO extended hours.
8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Lecture: "Learning in a Cultural Context." Kimberly Coleman, Mendenhall Fellow, Department of Psychology. One of the Liberal Arts Luncheon Series. Open to faculty, emeriti and staff.
Noon, College Club lower level

CDO workshop: "How to Prepare for a Successful Interview."
12:10-12:55 p.m., CDO

Language lunch tables.
Japanese
Russian
12:15 p.m., Duckett House Special Dining Room

Workshop: "Sexual Harassment: All Staff." Registration required. Part of the Human Resources Training and Development Workshop Series.
1:30-:30 p.m. Neilson Browsing Room

Lacrosse vs. Amherst
4 p.m., Athletic Fields*

Lecture: "The Language of the Retina." Markus Meister, Department of Biology, Harvard University. Part of the Neuroscience Program Colloquium Series.
4:30 p.m., McConnell B05*

CDO workshop: "How to Write an Effective Résumé."
4:30 p.m., CDO

Thursday 4/9 -- continued

Lecture: "Gardens as Art: A Philosophical Exploration." Stephanie Ross '71, professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Sponsored by the Department of Philosophy.
4:30 p.m., Dewey common room*

Religious service: Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper with Fr. Peter E. Fink, S.J., and Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain.
5:15 p.m., Chapel*

Religious activity: Beit Midrash. Study Jewish texts and ideas with Rabbi Edward Feld. Pizza served.
6 p.m., Appleton 106, Amherst College

CDO workshop: "Using the Internet to Search for Jobs and Internships."
6:30 p.m., Seelye B03

Special event: "Ingres: The Death of Leonardo and 'Troubador-Style' Painting," a seminar by Carol Solomon Kiefer, adjunct professor of art, McGill University, Montréal. Part of the series "Art, Culture and Society in the 19th Century: Selected Works of French Art." Enrollment limited. Free for Smith students and Museum friends; others, $5 per session. Registration to Smith College Museum of Art.
7-8 p.m., Museum of Art*

Film: Chico Mendez. Raul Julia in his last film, as the Brazilian environmentalist who fights against destruction of the environment by developers. Part of the Latino/Latin America Film Festival by Nosotras.
7 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room*

Lecture: "American Policy: Its Cruel Impact on People in Developing Countries." Sister Helene O'Sullivan, M.M., President, Maryknoll Sisters, Maryknoll, New York. The final lecture in a series sponsored by the American Studies Program offering critiques of American society from explicitly religious perspectives.
7:30-9 p.m., Seelye 201*

Outing Club meeting to outline the Moon Trip and Acadia Trip. Mandatory for anyone planning to participate in either trip.
7:30 p.m., Stoddard auditorium

Information meeting: Institute for Central American Development Studies will discuss semester programs in environmental studies, women's studies, public health, education, human rights, wildlife conservation, language training. Sponsored by the Five College Marine Program.
7:30-9 p.m., Franklin Patterson Hall 108, Hampshire College*

Animé: Subtitled Japanese animation will be shown and discussed. All welcome.
7:3010:30 p.m. Bass 210

Concert: The Lydian String Quartet, with guest artist Philipp Naegele, violist, will perform works of Mozart, Harbison, Ives and Crawford. The Washington Post writes that the quartet "revealed a fire that makes all timeless music forever contemporary." Tickets: $18; $14, seniors over 65 and Smith faculty and staff; $6, Smith students with ID. Purchase tickets at the Northampton Box Office (586-8686 or 1-800-THE TICK) or at the door: Part of the Sage Hall Concert Series. (Ext. 3164)
8 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall*

Film: To be announced. Sponsored by Rec Council
9 p.m., Stoddard auditorium

Religious service: Maundy Thursday Service of the Lord's Supper and Tenebrae with the Rev. Richard Unsworth.
9:30 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel

Friday 4/10

Religious service: Ecumenical Watch Service. The Chapel joins Northampton churches. Transportation is available; call the Chapel at ext. 2753 for information.
Noon-3 p.m., Christ United Methodist Church, 271 Rocky Hill Road

Résumé critique by a peer adviser.
1-2 p.m., CDO

Softball vs. Mt. Holyoke
3:30 p.m., athletic fields*

Lecture: "Steroid Regulation of Development in 'Drosophila.'" Craig Woodward, professor of biology, Mt. Holyoke College. Part of the Colloquium in Biological Sciences and Biochemistry Program.
4-6 p.m., McConnell B05*

Meeting: Science Fiction and Fantasy Society.
4:30 p.m., Seelye 208

Nosotras general meeting.
4:30 p.m., Unity House, Bedford Terrace

Religious service: Good Friday Service, Liturgy of the Word, Venerations of the Cross and Holy Communion with Fr. Peter E. Fink, S.J., and Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain.
5:15 p.m., Chapel*

Religious activity: Friday-night Bible study, sponsored by the Smith Koinonia Fellowship. (Ext. 6369)
6 p.m., Seelye 106

Special event: "Eat Drink Smith Women." Join the Asian Students Association in a food- and fun-filled evening. Roll sushi, wrap wonton and sing your favorite tunes with us. Karaoke provided by Cloud Nine Productions. Part of Asian Awareness Week. Admission: $4 Smith, $5 general.
6-10 p.m., Davis ballroom*

Religious service: First Night Smith/Amherst Seder. Sponsored by Smith/Amherst Hillel. $15, free to Smith/Amherst students. (RSVP, ext. 2754)
6:30 p.m., Lewis-Sebring Dining Hall, Amherst College*

Something On A Friday presents an evening of Native American arts. Leonard Four Hawks will describe the art of jewelry making, Patricia Willis will demonstrate how to make a "dream catcher" and Ivana Perley will tell stories passed down by her grandfather. The film Pow Wow Highway will follow the presentations. Food will be prepared and served by Jerry McClain. Sponsored by the Office of Minority Affairs and the Native American Women of Smith.
7 p.m., Unity House, Bedford Terrace

Film: The Official Story. A Chilean general's wife wonders whether her adopted daughter is the offspring of a political prisoner. Set during the dark years under Pinochet, when people were kidnapped and disappeared and their children were "adopted" by military families. Part of the Latino/Latin America Film Festival by Nosotras.
7 p.m., Seelye 201*

Religious activity: Smith Christian Fellowship, a chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA.
7 p.m., Dewey common room

Film: Sorry, Wrong Number (1947). Suspense thriller directed by Anatole Litvak. Barbara Stanwyck plays a neurotic, bedridden woman who discovers she is marked for murder. Burt Lancaster also stars. Part of the Motion Picture Committee's Film Noir series.
8 p.m., Stoddard auditorium*

Dance performance: "Talaash: The Quest for the Best." The East Coast Inter-Collegiate Dance Exposition by Five College students. Sponsored by South Asian Students of the Five Colleges. Free. (Ext. 6482)
8 p.m., Buckley Auditorium, Amherst College*

Saturday 4/11

South Asian Convention. See box below.

Riding: Regionals
8:30 a.m., Riding stables/rings*

Track and field: Smith Pioneer Invitational
10 a.m., athletic fields*

Lacrosse vs. Wheaton.
1 p.m., athletic fields*

Films: Border Brujo, 3 p.m.; Fresas y Chocolate, 5 p.m.; Tacones Lejanos (Far Away Heels), 7 p.m. Part of the Latino/Latin America Film Festival by Nosotras.
3 p.m., Seelye 201

Religious service: Second Night: Smith Women's Seder. Free for Smith/Amherst students. Sponsored by Smith/Amherst Hillel. (RSVP, ext. 2754)
6:30 p.m., Field House

Films: The Smith College Film Collective presents "Double-Feature Mo-vie Night." Movies to be announced. (moyama@sophia.smith.edu)
7 p.m., Seelye 106*

Religious service: Easter Vigil, including Liturgy of the Eucharist, with Fr. Peter E. Fink, S.J., and Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain.
8 p.m., Chapel*

Film: Charaluta (India, 1964). Directed by Satyajit Ray. Reportedly Ray's favorite among his own works, this visually beautiful film set in Victorian India portrays a subtle romantic triangle. Part of the Motion Picture Committee's Auteur Film series.
8 p.m., Stoddard auditorium*

Concert: Ayako Takamori '00, piano, performs works by Bach, Schubert, Bartók and Schoenberg.
8 p.m., Sage Recital Hall*

Sunday 4/12

Religious service: The chapel joins the Northampton First Churches for Sunrise Easter Service. All welcome.
6 a.m., Field House*

Religious service: Easter Mass of the Resurrection with Fr. Peter E. Fink, S.J., and Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain.
9 a.m., Chapel*

Religious activity: Quaker (Friends) discussion group. Meeting for worship begins at 11 a.m.
9:30 a.m., Bass 210*

Religious service: Ecumenical Christian Church Service of Celebration and Communion for Easter Sunday with the Rev. Richard Unsworth preaching. Coffee hour to follow. All welcome.
10:30 a.m., Chapel*

Film: Sorry, Wrong Number (1947). See Friday, 8 p.m.
2 p.m., Wright auditorium*

Concert: Music for an Easter Sunday Afternoon. Works by Beethoven, with Philipp Naegele, violin; Matthias Naegele, cello; and Alissa Leiser, piano.
2 p.m., Museum of Art*

Film: Charaluta (India, 1964). See Saturday, 8 p.m.
4 p.m., Stoddard auditorium*

Concert: Senior recital. Ann Shaffer, viola de gamba. Music by Bach, Marais, Simpson, and Ortiz.
4 -5:30 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall*

General meeting: Association of Smith Pagans.
4-5:15 p.m., Gillet House*

Meeting: Feminists of Smith Unite.
7 p.m., Women's Resource Center (Davis third floor)

Ongoing Events

Art exhibition: "Kate Millett, Sculptor: The First 38 Years." Opens April 5. A collaborative project of its curator, the Fine Arts Gallery of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the Sohia Smith Collection and the Northampton Center for the Arts. Sponsored by the Women's Studies and American Studies Programs, the Project on Women and Social Change, Smith Feminists Unite and the LBTA. Through May 2. (Ext. 2970 or 586-7282)
Northampton Center for the Arts*

Art exhibition: "Sandy Skoglund: Reality Under Siege," the first retrospective exhibition of the work of the photographer, sculptor and installation artist. Call ext. 2760 for museum hours. Through May 24.
Museum of Art*

Memorial exhibit: "Margaret Storrs Grierson: 29 June 1900-12 December 1997." Artifacts, photographs and papers from the life of the long-time college archivist and founder of the Sophia Smith Collection. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sophia Smith Collection

Curio exhibition: "The Visionary Cabinet," curiosities created by Marjorie Senechal's History of Science 112a class. Through May 1.
McConnell Hall west stairwell*

Photography exhibition from the School for Field Studies. Alumnae of the SFS Environmental Field Studies Abroad Programs in Kenya, B.W.I., Baja (Mexico), Pacific Northwest Canada, Costa Rica and Australia are represented. Eleven Smith students are in SFS programs this spring. Sponsored by the Environmental Science Program.
McConnell foyer

"Jagriti, an Awakening": the South Asian Convention

Saturday, April 11
Presented by South Asian Students of the Five Colleges. Thoughtful debate and engaging discourse on vital issues confronting South Asian people. Lectures are free and open to the public.

Opening Ceremony and Keynote Address by John Kerry, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.
9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m., Sweeney Concert Hall

Recess (10:45 a.m.-11 a.m.)

Session I: Panels (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
"Political-Economic Regional Cooperation," Sweeney Concert Hall
"Media Portrayal of South Asians," Wright auditorium

Lunch Break (12:30-3:30 p.m.)

Session II: Discourses (2:15-3:30 p.m.)
"South Asian Brain Drain," Wright auditorium
"American Born Desi," Stoddard auditorium
"Affirmative Action," McConnell auditorium

Session III: Discourses (3:45-5 p.m.)
"Arranged Marriage," Wright auditorium
"Interracial and Interfaith Dating," Stoddard auditorium
"Tradition vs. Queer Life," McConnell auditorium

Celebration: "SANGRAHA...Be Our Guest!" South Asian music and cuisine. $20 admission
8 p.m.-1 a.m., Hotel Ramada, West Springfield

Panelists include inspiring professionals, authors and organization leaders. Visit our web-site: www.smith.edu/~rcaliste. Contact jagriti@hotmail.com or Nadia Latif at 582-3228.

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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, April 8, for issue 26 (which will include April 20-26 calendar listings) and by 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 15, for issue 27 (April 27-May 9 calendar listings). Late information cannot be accepted.

Sources of further information, if any, are indicated last in parentheses.

Blue-Pencil Alert
All calendar items and notices submitted to AcaMedia are subject to editing for clarity, brevity and style. Almost none see print exactly as originally written.

Smith-Wide

Event-Scheduling During Exam Periods
All members of the Smith College community should remember that events are not to be scheduled during the preexamination study and formal examination periods. No events during those periods will be announced in AcaMedia.

Open Campus
The Office of Admission has invited admitted applicants (potential transfers or members of the class of 2002) to visit Smith for Open Campus, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 21 and 22. They will explore many aspects of campus life through contact with students, faculty and staff. Most of them will be making their final decisions on which college to attend. Please take the time during this busy week to welcome them and answer their questions. Approximately 325 applicants and 225 parents are expected. Residence and Dining Services will make every effort to accommodate applicants in the houses. Current students are encouraged to invite these Smith guests to meals on the days immediately before and after Open Campus. (Joyce L. Rauch, ext. 2523; jrauch@ais.smith.edu)

Coed Softball
Smith is once again forming a coed team to compete in the Northampton Recreation Department Softball League. The Smith team, which won the league championship two years ago, plays in the C division, so great ability and years of experience are not required. Women are especially needed to fill out the 20-person roster. Practices begin in late April; the 16-game season runs from early May to early August. Games are played weekday evenings and Sundays. (Jim Montgomery, ext. 2921; jmontgom@library.smith.edu)

Reunion Weekends
Smith College and the Alumnae Association are this year continuing the tradition of presenting two reunion weekends in May. Both will include the traditional Alumnae Parade, Service of Remembrance, class dinners, Illumination, Fun Run and more.

The first weekend will accommodate the second, 10th, 25th, 50th, 65th, 70th, 75th and 80th reunions. It will begin Thursday, May 14, with houses opening at 3 p.m., and conclude Sunday, May 17, with Commencement. The Alumnae Scholar Lecture opens Friday, May 15, at 9 a.m. with coffee, pastries, registration and a book sale at the Gamut.

The second weekend will accommodate the fifth, 15th, 20th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th, 55th, and 60th reunions. It will begin Thursday, May 21, with houses opening at 3 p.m., and conclude Sunday, May 24. Alumnae College opens Friday, May 22, at 8 a.m. with registration in Wright auditorium.

The Alumnae Association would like to congratulate the class of 1998 on its upcoming Commencement. We look forward to seeing you at your second-year reunion in 2000.

Faculty & Staff

Save the Date
Thursday, April 23, will be Take Our Daughters to Work Day, a national event for girls between the ages of nine and 15. It was created a number of years ago by The Ms. Foundation for Women as a means of encouraging girls to have high career aspirations. Smith's program for this year is now being planned. Watch for details in next week's AcaMedia.

Students

Discovery Weekend
Between April 18 and 20 the Office of Admission will bring exceptional African-American, Native American and Latina high school girls to campus for the sixth annual Discovery Weekend. These talented students have been accepted in the class of 2002, and we hope Discovery will help convince them to enroll here in the fall. Discovery '98 will feature workshops and seminars, and participants will be encouraged to attend various social and cultural events on campus. (Mentha Hynes, ext. 2500)

Parking Lottery
The class of 1999 parking lottery for the 1998-99 school year will take place in two parts. No stickers will be issued until the conclusion of the second part in the fall. The two-part structure should give students who draw numbers this spring a better idea of their chances of getting a parking sticker in the fall. Class of '99 members who plan to be away during the fall semester but wish to be considered for a spring sticker should draw in the first part of the lottery this spring; those with low enough numbers will be issued a sticker for second semester only.

There are 160 stickers available; each costs $150 for the year.

Rising seniors wishing to draw this spring should attend the lottery on Wednesday, April 15, at 4:15 p.m. in Seelye 106. They must present their current car registration, ID and license in order to draw.

One resident in each Friedman apartment can be issued a sticker for her own car; apartment members must decide among themselves who will receive it. The chosen student should come to the Office of Student Affairs and present her car registration and a note, signed by all of her apartment mates, granting her the sticker. This can be done either now or in the fall. (Other seniors living in Friedman may enter the regular lottery.)

John Hancock Interviews
John Hancock Financial Services and John Hancock Signature Services will be on campus April 20 to interview for full-time positions in Boston. Résumés and cover letters are due at CDO on April 13.

CDO City Fair
Be sure to mark Sunday, April 19, on your calendar for the Career Development Office Annual City Fair, to be held 1-3:30 p.m. in Davis ballroom.

Fox-Boorstein Fellowship
The Department of Government is holding the annual competition for the Fox-Boorstein International Internship Fellowship. Made possible by the bequest of Pauline Fox-Boorstein '20 and the generosity of members of her family, the fellowship -- which provides stipends of between $500 and $1,000-- is intended to support Smith students working at summer internships in governmental or nongovernmental, profit or nonprofit international organizations.

All students are invited to submit applications to Lea Ahlen at the social sciences office (Wright Hall 15). Include a letter describing employment plans for the summer and the extent of other financial support. Also include a transcript and the names of two faculty references (no letters of recommendation are required). Application deadline: Friday, April 17.

Brown Fellowship
The Department of Government is holding the annual competition for the Leanna Brown '56 Fellowship. Made possible by the generosity of Brown's father, Harold Young, the fellowship -- which provides stipends of between $500 and $1,000-is intended to support Smith students working at summer internships in state or local government or in government or nongovernment organizations focused on issues of particular concern to women.

All students are invited to submit applications to Lea Ahlen at the social sciences office (Wright Hall 15). Include a letter describing employment plans for the summer and the extent of other financial support. Also include a transcript and the names of two faculty references (no letters of recommendation are required). Application deadline: Friday, April 17.

Hunger Clean-Up
Teams of Smith students are organizing to take part in the 14th Annual Hunger Clean-Up, an April 11 community service workathon sponsored by MassPIRG and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. Over the past 13 years clean-ups have engaged more than 85,000 volunteers and raised more than $1 million. This year Smith students will join with other community volunteers in support of local homeless shelters. Until April 11 the Smith volunteers will be seeking financial sponsorship for their participation from faculty, staff and other students. If you wish to contribute and have not been contacted, call Bethany Gracia, ext. 6229.

Final Examinations
Information on scheduled and self-scheduled final exams is posted in the houses and on bulletin boards in Clark Science Center, Seelye and Wright halls and the registrar's office. Students should check this schedule carefully and immediately report any conflicts to the registrar. Examinations cannot be repeated. Students who miss exams through carelessness will be failed.

Self-scheduled exams will be distributed at the posted centers during three periods (9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.) on May 5, 6 and 7, and during two periods (9 a.m. and 2 p.m.) on May 9. College IDs will be required at the centers. Please note that there will be no examination period on Friday evening.

Students who wish to work distributing exams should sign up in the financial aid office.

Fall Registration
Advising and registration for the fall 1998 semester are scheduled for April 6-17. Registration materials were placed in student mailboxes April 3. Students and advisers should meet during the week of April 6. Students must submit registration forms to the registrar's office on assigned days during the week of April 13 (see the instructions in the registration packet to determine your class's assigned day). Any student who did not receive a packet but expects to be in residence for the fall semester should report to the registrar's office.

Jordan Prize Deadline
The deadline for submitting application materials for the Barbara Jordan Prize has been extended to April 20. The prize was established in 1989 to encourage African-American women to undertake careers in law and public policy, after the example of Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (19361996). Students and alumnae can complete if they have applied for admission to a law school or a graduate program in public policy. Prize funds may be used to help prepare for admission (e.g., for LSAT coaching, application costs, internships, travel to interviews) or they can be applied toward repaying academic loans or held for later use to help meet the costs of tuition and books. Applicants should submit (1) evidence that they have been or are likely to be accepted into a school of law or a graduate program of public policy; (2) a statement of professional intentions and career plans; (3) some description of how they would use the prize money. Applications will be reviewed by former recipients of the prize or by other alumnae active in law or public policy. All materials must be submitted by April 20 to Sue Briggs in the Office of the Dean of the College (College Hall 21).

SOAR Prize and Summer Stipend
Applications for the SOAR Prize and the SOAR Summer Stipend Grant, both sponsored by the Smith chapter of the Society Organized Against Racism, are available at the Office of Minority Affairs (College Hall 24). Completed applications for the prize are due back at the office by 4 p.m. Friday, April 10; those for the stipend are due by 4 p.m. Friday, April 17. (Marjorie Richardson, ext. 4945)

Archaeological Fund
The Ruth H. Gold '49 Fund for Archaeological Fieldwork in Israel has been established through the generosity of Jennifer Levy '76 and Dr. Matthew Gold in honor of their mother, Ruth H. Gold '49. It is intended to help fund two students with archaeology minors who would like to do fieldwork in Israel this summer. Stipend: $1,900. For applications, contact Lucy Greenburg at CDO (ext. 2570; lgreenburg@ais.
smith.edu).

Minnesota Stipend
The Minnesota Smith Club is generously offering a stipend of $1,900 to assist a student who will intern this summer in Minnesota. For applications, contact Lucy Greenburg at CDO (ext. 2570; lgreenburg@ais.
smith.edu).

S.O.S. Fund Drive
April 8 is the last day of the S.O.S. "Illiteracy Among Adults and Children" Fund Drive. All money raised will be donated to organizations promoting literacy in western Massachusetts. Donations can be made to S.O.S. house reps or at the S.O.S. office. Prizes will be given to the houses and individuals making the largest donations. (S.O.S., ext. 2756)

Commencement/Reunion Tent Space
The Alumnae Association will provide at no charge tent space to student groups wishing to sell fund-raising items during Commencement and the reunions. Groups are responsible for storage, staffing, adding applicable sales tax, exchanging denominations, and arranging for their own housing. (Only seniors, registered Five College students and Commencement workers will be provided with Smith housing after May 9.) The sales tent will be on the lawn in front of the Alumnae House. The best times to sell are Thursday afternoons, Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday afternoons. To register, call Connie Hanks at ext. 2079.

AMS Preregistration
Sign-up sheets for preregistering in the following fall 1998 courses will be available April 6 in the American studies office (Wright Hall 12): AMS 120a, "Scribbling Women"; AMS 220a, "Colloquium: New England Material Culture, 1860-1940"; AMS 221a, "Colloquium: Italian-American Experience"; and AMS 350a, "Seminar: Writing About American Society" (for which applicants must provide a writing sample). These courses are limited in enrollment and some only allow registration by permission of the instructor.

Faculty Teaching Evaluations
Faculty teaching evaluations will be administered Monday-Thursday, April 27-30, in Wright auditorium foyer. All students are advised to check their campus mailboxes during the week of April 13 for evaluation information. Students are required to complete these evaluations; SGA will issue $25 fines for unexcused noncompliance. Students are asked to enter their data according to this schedule: first-years, Monday, April 27; sophomores and Ada Comstock Scholars, Tuesday, April 28; juniors and Ada Comstock Scholars, Wednesday, April 29; seniors, Thursday, April 30. Data may be entered on each of these days between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Students who are off campus on their assigned day may complete their evaluations on another scheduled day. Evaluations cannot be completed after April 30.

Summer Head Resident
Applications for the position of summer head resident are available in the Office of Student Affairs (College Hall 24). The woman selected for the position will work in Sessions Complex throughout the summer period and be given room, board and a small weekly stipend. Preference will be given to applicants with head-resident experience. Application deadline: April 24. (Randy Shannon, ext. 4940)

Smith Jobs
Receptionist, advancement. Application reviews begin immediately.
Ombudsperson. Application reviews begin April 10.

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AcaMedia staff: Ann Shanahan, editor; Cathy Brooks, layout; John Sippel, notices; Mary Stanton, cale