Five Things To Do on Campus Over the Thanksgiving Break

Holidays are quiet times on campus, with offices, Health Services, dining locations and the Campus Center Café all closed for the Thanksgiving recess. 

(The Café reopens Sunday, Nov. 30, from 2 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and some dining locations are open that night for dinner).

Still, intrepid Smithies will find interesting things to do at the college—including some virtual options—during this week’s holiday break. Here are five outside-the-box suggestions for holiday activities:

Catch up on your global reading: The latest issue of Global Impressions, a journal by Smith students and alumnae about intercultural encounters, is posted online. The newest issue of the biannual journal, sponsored by the Lewis Global Studies Center, explores the theme of adaptation “from the physical to the interpersonal, to defining what does or does not make a culture ‘authentic.’”

For more inspiration about off-campus encounters, check out student presentations from this month’s Smith in the World Conference. Abstracts describing how internships, study abroad and community service projects have transformed students’ learning are a window into the type of education that sets Smith apart.

Experience some high culture: Students, faculty and staff have free access to Met Opera on Demand, an online service that delivers unlimited streaming of more than 500 full-length Metropolitan Opera performances. Access is available through the college’s performing arts streaming media Web page which features a number of other digital listening opportunities, dance videos and films.

And for more culture: Visit the refurbished galleries at the Smith College Museum of Art, which offer new themes and new “encounter spaces” that let visitors see objects from the collection in new ways. “Bow Down: Queens in Art,” now on display in the Cunningham Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, presents images of queens by diverse artists including Dürer, Chagall and Warhol. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving but open on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28 and 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 30, from noon to 4 p.m.

Don’t skip the workout: Athletics director Lynn Oberbillig points out that the average American consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. “So come on down to the fitness center on the weekend, or take a walk on the cross-country trails and burn off those calories before your classmates return,” she says. Olin Fitness Center is open Saturday, Nov. 29, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 30, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Volunteer: MANNA Soup Kitchen at St. Edwards Church on Main Street in Northampton welcomes volunteers to help with its eighth annual community Thanksgiving meal from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27. No training is needed beyond basic familiarity with kitchen tasks. To sign up to help with meal preparation, dining hall setup or serving or call Claire at (413) 588-2333.