News for the Smith College Community //February 1, 2001
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Four Exemplars to Claim Smith Medal Four women, all of whom graduated from Smith College in the 1960s and have gone on to lead exemplary lives of professional achievement, will revisit the campus this month to be awarded the Smith College Medal, presented each year on Rally Day. The event, which annually honors distinguished alumnae, students and faculty, will take place on Wednesday, February 21, at 1:30 p.m., in John M. Greene Hall. The 2001 medalists were chosen to receive the award because they have demonstrated, "in their lives and work the true purpose of a liberal arts education." They are Molly Ivins '66, Ann Kaplan '67, Pamela Bowes Davis '68 and Judith Tick '64. Molly Ivins, who is known for her acerbic and refreshingly honest political columns -- most recently at the expense of fellow Texan, President George W. Bush -- will also deliver the Rally Day address. An award-winning journalist, Ivins pens a nationally syndicated column carried in more than 200 newspapers and a column for The Progressive, while contributing regularly to Time, The Nation and Mother Jones. Considered one of the nation's wittiest political pundits, Ivins is also a writer for the American Civil Liberties Union and is active in Amnesty Internation-al's Journalism Network. The author of several books, including the recent Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush, Ivins in 1994 received the National Society of Newspaper Columnists' Lifetime Achievement Award, and has been a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Ann Kaplan, a Smith trustee, is the managing director at Goldman Sachs, one of the country's leading investment banking firms, where she heads a new venture focusing on women and investments. Kaplan, in her professional and extra-vocational lives, is a super-achiever and a champion in promoting the advancement of women of all backgrounds, and is particularly committed to helping Smith women advance in the business world. Kaplan has received numerous awards from the media as well as public, private and nonprofit organizations, including the Women's Economic Roundtable and the Feminist Press. As one of the first women partners at Goldman Sachs, Kaplan has served as a role model, mentor and advocate for policies and programs that support women and minorities there and throughout the financial industry. Her efforts earned her the 1993 Clairol Mentor Award in the field of banking and finance. Kaplan also serves on the board of the New York Chapter of the Girl Scouts and the business board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pamela Bowes Davis, a professor at Case Western Reserve University, is an outstanding leader in the research and treatment of cystic fibrosis. As director of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Center and The Specialized Center of Research on Lung Inflammation, Davis has led research that has resulted in the first new treatment strategies in 30 years for victims of cystic fibrosis and lung damage. Through her gene research, Davis has developed a new approach to facilitating the delivery of normal genes to the correct surface of the lung, where they can reverse defects. In another area, she discovered a mechanism to control the movement of ions through the lung membranes, providing a new therapy to reverse the disease. Driven by her belief that cystic fibrosis can be cured in her lifetime, Davis has taken a creative approach in advancing the treatment of the disease. Her work, which has resulted in three U.S. patents, has significantly improved the lives of those who suffer from cystic fibrosis. Judith Tick, a pioneer in women's history in music, is the Matthews Distinguished University Professor of Music at Northeastern University. Her research and writings of women in music history have established her as a leading musicologist. Tick coedited a 1986 anthology, Women Making Music: The Western Art Tradition 11501950, which has become standard reading in courses about women and music. Her most recent book, Ruth Crawford Seeger: A Composer's Search for American Music, won the Lowens Book Award for distinguished scholarship from the Society for American Music and an ASCAPDeems Taylor Award. Her book American Women Composers Before 1870 explores music as an arena of expressive culture open to women. Tick's article, "Women in Music," appears in the revised edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Rally Day began in 1876 as a celebration of George Washington's birthday. Since then, it has evolved from a social occasion into a daylong college celebration, at which seniors are permitted to wear their caps and gowns for the first time. The Smith College Medal, which was first awarded in 1964, has been presented at Rally Day since 1973. Boys Choir of Harlem to Highlight Celebration February is Black History Month, and Smith will herald the contributions of African Americans while considering the contemporary challenges that confront black America during a monthlong series of events titled "Black Struggle, Black Triumph: A Celebration of Black History." A highlight of the celebration will be a performance by the world-renowned Boys Choir of Harlem on Thursday, February 8, at 7 p.m. in John M. Greene Hall. The choir, which has performed at the White House, the United Nations, and for visits by Pope John Paul III and Nelson Mandela, draws from the dual musical heritage of the European boys choir and the African-American church choir. The choir's repertoire ranges from classical music to jazz, contemporary, gospel, spirituals and specially commissioned works by leading composers. Bringing the Boys Choir of Harlem to Smith was the dream of Stephanie Haynes-Lewis '01. Haynes-Lewis, an Ada Comstock Scholar, is committed to raising awareness of the many dimensions of African-American culture. "During my time at Smith, I've seen jazz, blues, hip-hop and gospel performances, but never African-American performers in a classical venue," explains Haynes-Lewis. "So I began researching what it would take to bring the Boys Choir of Harlem to campus." She then rallied support from a variety of college offices and campus organizations to fund the performance. "Having the Boys Choir of Harlem on campus is a magnificent way to kick off Black History Month," Haynes-Lewis says. "The concert will enrich the Smith community. It also offers us a forum for welcoming people from Springfield and Holyoke to our campus." Tickets for the Boys Choir of Harlem
performance (available at Northampton Box Office, 586-8686; and
B-Side Records, 586-9556) are $15 for the general public and
$5 for college students and senior citizens. Smith College students
with ID and children ages 12 and under will be admitted free
of charge.
Watch future issues of AcaMedia for more information about Black History Month at Smith. Celebrating Girls/Women in Sports A visit to campus by Olympic softball pitcher Danielle Henderson, a UMass alumna and gold medal winner, will be one of the highlights of a week-long celebration at Smith of National Girls and Women in Sport Day. Though the national holiday is Wednesday, February 7, Smith plans to make it an extended week of celebrating the accomplishments of girls and women in sports, with commemorative events scheduled daily from February 3 through 11. It all starts this Saturday, February 3, when Smith students are invited to attend a day full of athletic events, including a track and field meet at 11 a.m. at the athletic fields, and a swimming and diving competition at 1 p.m. at the Ainsworth pool. At each event, students will receive a "passport" that can be redeemed for prizes at the 2 p.m. basketball game in Ainsworth gym, between Smith and Babson. On Sunday, February 4, third- through fifth-grade girls are invited to attend Smith's Youth Day clinics from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Indoor Track and Tennis (ITT) facility. At the end of the clinics, Henderson will make her first campus appearance when she speaks to the aspiring athletes. At 7 p.m. in Wright Hall Auditorium, Henderson will address the college about her experience in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, her debut in which she helped the U.S. Softball Team repeat as gold medalists. Henderson will answer audience questions following her talk. The celebration continues on Monday, February 5, with an all-college intramural dodgeball game at 9 p.m. in Scott and Ainsworth gyms. On Tuesday, February 6, local women athletes will be honored by the athletic department during halftime of the Smith versus Clark basketball game in Ainsworth Gym. More sports clinics will follow on Wednesday, February 7. On Thursday, February 8, Smith athletes will display their other talents by singing their favorite tunes during "Jock-a-pella," an a cappella event like no other, at 8 p.m. in the chapel. The week of events will conclude with the Northampton Girls' Suburban Basketball Tournament from Friday, February 9, through Sunday, February 11, in which local fifth- through eighth-graders will compete. The tournaments will take place in Ainsworth and Scott gyms. National Girls and Women in Sport Day was started in 1987 by the Women's Sports Foundation to honor Olympic volleyball legend Flo Hyman, who died the previous year. A ceremony is held on Capitol Hill each year marking the holiday, and celebrations are held across the United States and internationally. For more information about Smith's Girls and Women in Sport Week, consult the Smith athletics Web site, www.smith.edu/athletics/home. New Mascot: I Say 'Smith,' You Say 'Rocks' Last December 7, Ann Golladay '01 showed up at Ainsworth Gym for a basketball game, sporting a blue bonnet and apron, a yellow t-shirt, and a huge "SC" sewn onto her skirt. At halftime she stood nervously before the crowd of fans and chanted in rhythm, "I say 'Smith,' you say 'Rocks,' I say 'Pio-,' you say '-neers!'" The audience played along, following her "Smith" with a loud "Rocks," her "Pio-" with "-neers." It was a game between Smith and Trinity. Golladay, dressed in her "pioneer" outfit, was one of several students auditioning to become a real Smith College pioneer-the first official human mascot of Smith Athletics. For her efforts and her authentic costume, Golladay was selected by the audience to assume that role. Until this year, when Katie Winger '01, senior class president, volunteered on a temporary basis, Smith never had a human representative of its mascot, the pioneer, says Lyn Oberbillig, director of athletics. Though the college's sporting events have not been without audience enthusiasm, the athletic department wanted someone to lead cheers at every game, explains Oberbillig. So to create excitement at games ("lead cheers, get everyone having a good time, get people fired up about Smith," Oberbillig says), the department sought the best pioneer mascot. Golladay says she auditioned for the job because she wanted to become part of the spirited and enthusiastic sporting events at Smith. "I've done a lot of random sports like cro-quet, badminton and ice hockey, and none are fan-oriented," she notes. "It's cool to be a part of the fan scene. It sounded like a really cool idea." Golladay went to the audition with no idea what to expect, she says. Even as the first official mascot, she doesn't yet have a "defined role," she explains. "I have to go to games and cheer for them. It should be fun. I will set the precedent for whatever a Smith mascot does." A unicorn had been Smith's school mascot until the early 1980s, when it was changed to a pioneer, says Oberbillig, "not only because Smith is in the Pioneer Valley, but because as a women's college, Smith is a pioneer at the forefront of creating education for women." Eventually, Oberbillig says the athletic department hopes to invest in a pioneer mascot costume, hire a permanent mascot (Golladay and Winger will graduate in May), and possibly organize a "spirit club," a playful team of cheerleaders that will support the home team with such antics as reading newspapers as the opposing team is announced. For now, though, watch for Golladay in her pioneer garb, leading cheers on the sidelines of Smith sporting events. And when she says "Smith," you say "Rocks." A New Web Site for Old Languages The ability to fluently speak a foreign language will soon be just a Web site away thanks to the Five College Foreign Language Resource Center. The center, a division of Five Colleges, Inc., has been awarded a two-year grant of $228,528 from the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE). The grant will support the expansion of two Web-based resources created by the center. The grant-funded project will build on the center's pioneering efforts to use the Web to disseminate video/audio/text materials for teaching 15 uncommonly taught languages. The center's Web site, called LangMedia I (at http://langmedia. fivecolleges.edu) offers course information on everyday Czech, Modern Greek, Hindi and Swahili. For the new project LangMedia II, the center will develop country-specific materials for more commonly taught languages, such as French and Spanish. These materials will be framed in the context of the different cultures where the languages are spoken today, including those in Senegal, Canada, France, Central America, Latin America and Spain. According to Elizabeth Mazzocco, who directs the center and is a professor of Italian at UMass, LangMedia II will provide a free, easily accessible video/audio/text site that meets the needs of a wide range of constituencies, including students, military personnel, travelers and lifelong learners. "It has the potential to make a major contribution to language learning and the potential to fill a real void in language-learning resources available to people in the United States today," she says. While numerous Web sites are dedicated to foreign language acquisition, none offer a ready resource for acquiring regional and national variations of languages such as French and Spanish, notes Mazzocco. "What the project aims to do," she says, "is provide a practical response to the pressing need for technologically based, culturally specific foreign language materials produced by foreign language professionals." Because the materials on LangMedia II will not be tied to a specific text or linguistic level, they can serve as either an introductory tool or a refresher for language learners at every level. By employing many of the same practices as those proven to be successful with the less commonly taught languages in LangMedia I, the center is in a unique position to develop and maintain the new archive. Since the center was established in the late 1980s to assist faculty in incorporating new technologies into their teaching of languages, center personnel have gained valuable experience, developing the Five College Foreign Language Laserdisc series as well as its more recent LangMedia site. Equally important, the center is able to draw on a large community of native speakers from among the five area campuses. The center works with a select group of undergraduate and graduate students from other countries, training them to be videographers. When they return home for summer or winter vacations, the students use their cameras to record conversations around the dinner table, in the market, in cafés and bazaars. The resulting footage, edited by Mazzocco and her staff, will appear on the LangMedia II site. "What you will see and hear captures authentic scenes of interaction and speechmaking. It is not the product of a professional soundstage; indeed, for our purposes, it is better because it is authentic," says Mazzocco. The edited video and audio segments are later paired with target language materials developed by professional language teachers. FIPSE, the grant-making branch of the U.S. Department of Education, will support approximately two-thirds of the cost of the project over the next two years. The additional third, totaling $116,946, will be provided by the five colleges and by Five Colleges, Inc. Smith Receives Awards from CASE For the third straight year, Smith's Office of Advancement has been awarded the Circle of Excellence Award for educational fundraising from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), an international association of education professionals, of which Smith is an institutional member Meanwhile, the Smith Alumnae Quarterly won from CASE a gold medal in the category of college and university general interest magazines and a silver medal for periodical special issues. In addition, the invitation package for "Transformations," the October weekend celebration of the Ada Comstock Scholars Program's silver anniversary, garnered, fittingly, a silver medal from CASE. Smith's advancement team received its Circle of Excellence Award for overall performance following its third straight year of raising a substantial amount of funds toward the college's goals. For each of the past three years, the numbers of donors and amount of money raised have increased. The award, which was given this year to 78 institutions worldwide from among more than 1,200 candidates, is based on the following criteria: a consistent growth in total support; an evaluation of the factors that contributed to the support growth trend; the breadth of program areas and pattern of growth in each area; the pattern of growth in alumnae donations; the impact on total support of the 12 largest gifts; the total support in relation to the alumnae base; and the type of institution. Other schools to have won awards in Smith's category of private liberal arts institutions were Amherst, Middlebury, Wellesley, and Oberlin colleges and Lawrence University.
Will return next week. Sources of further information, if any, are indicated in parentheses. Notices should be submitted by mail, by e-mail eweld@smith.edu) or by fax (extension 2171). Collegewide Honorary Degree Nominations New Transfer and Visiting Students Faculty & Staff Have a Heart Food Drive New HR Brochure Students Spielberg Fellowships in Prague Faculty Teaching Awards Make-up Examinations Gold Key Guides SSEP Summer Jobs Beinecke Memorial Scholarship Study-Abroad Deadlines International Study Meetings Reunion Help Wanted |
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Sources of further information, if any, are shown in parentheses at the end of event descriptions. An asterisk following a listing indicates that the event is open to the public. Admission charges, if any, are listed when known. Items for this section must be submitted on Event Service Request Forms. Sunday, February 4 Lectures/Symposia Monday, February 5 Lectures/Symposia Lecture "Utopian Landscapes, from Andre Thouin to Thomas Jefferson." Michel Conan, director of studies in landscape architecture, Dumbarton Oaks. Second in the series "Issues in Landscape Studies" (LSS 100). Sponsors: departments of art, comparative literature, English, environmental sciences and policy, landscape studies, and biology; and the Botanic Garden. 2:40-4 p.m., Wright auditorium* Biosciences Student Research Symposium. Undergraduates, master's and doctoral degree candidates in biological sciences, biochemistry, neuroscience, environmental science and policy, marine science, and chemistry will present their research. 4-5:30 p.m., McConnell foyer Performing Arts/Films Film Bent Familia (1997, Tunisia). Nouri Bouzid, director. First in the third annual Africa Film Series, featuring films of North Africa. Sponsors: government and Afro-American studies departments, Kahn Liberal Arts Institute, Five College African Studies Council. 8 p.m., Seelye 106* Meetings/Workshops Other Events/Activities President's open hours First come, first served. 4-5 p.m., College Hall 20 Reception Service Organizations of Smith (S.O.S.) invites students to a welcome reception. Learn about local volunteer opportunities, meet S.O.S. student board members and talk with current volunteers. 4:30 p.m., Dewey common room Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Intramural dodgeball games All invited. Part of Smith's Girls and Women in Sport Week. 9 p.m., Scott and Ainsworth gyms Tuesday, February 6 Lectures/Symposia Open colloquium Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, cellist and Auschwitz survivor, will discuss her book Inherit the Truth. Part of the Kahn Institute's project "Anatomy of Exile." 4 p.m., Kahn colloquium room, Neilson Library Meetings/Workshops Study-abroad meeting Meet with a representative of the Center for Education Abroad, Beaver College, regarding programs in the U.K. or Australia. 4 p.m., Clark Hall conference room SGA Senate meeting Open forum. All students welcome. 7:15 p.m., Seelye 201 CDO informational meeting Shady Hill School, an independent, coeducational day school in Cambridge, will discuss its teacher training course. 7:30 p.m., Seelye 207 Workshop L'Atelier, a theatre workshop conducted in French by Florent Masse. 7:30 p.m., T-209 Mendenhall CPA Religious Life Meeting Newman Association. Other Events/Activities Language lunch table German. 12:15 p.m., Duckett Special Dining Room B Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Basketball vs. Clark. Local women athletes will be honored during halftime. 7 p.m., Ainsworth gym* Wednesday, February 7 Lectures/Symposia Lecture "Prelude to a Concert: Music from the Ashes." Adrian Sunshine, music director of the London Chamber Players, will discuss the music of Jewish musicians imprisoned in The Reisenstadt and, eventually, murdered. 8 p.m., Alumnae House living room* Meetings/Workshops CDO informational meeting Linkage, a human resources consulting firm, will present information about entry-level positions and careers. 7:30 p.m., Wright common room Religious Life Buddhist service and discussion. 7:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, chapel ECC Bible study Bring questions, frustrations and curiosities. 10 p.m., Bodman Lounge, chapel Other Events/Activities Classics lunch Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Squash vs. Wesleyan. 7 p.m., Ainsworth squash courts*
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Thursday, February 8 Lectures/Symposia Annual Dickinson Lecture "Cooperative
Games, Voting Power, and the Supreme Court." Paul Edelman,
professor of mathematics and law, Vanderbilt University. Sponsor:
Department of Mathematics. Preceded by refreshments at 4 p.m.
in the Math Forum, Burton third floor. Lecture "Effecting Fundamental Social Change: Women's Community Activism in Nepal." Two officers of the Women's Foundation of Nepal, Renu Sharma, secretary general, and Tara Upreti, president, will discuss why the foundation was started, its current programs and goals, and the importance and challenges of community-led development. Part of the Kahn Institute's project "From Local to Global: Community Activism in the New Millennium." 4:30 p.m., Seelye 106* Lecture "The Roman à Clef in Chinese Fiction: How to Create a 'Shadow.'" Jue Chen, visiting fellow at Harvard University. Sponsor: East Asian languages and literature. 4:30 p.m., Wright common room Performing Arts/Films Concert Diane Anderson, honorary professor, Royal Conservatory of Music, Brussels, will perform piano works by Kodály, Tansman, and Bartók. Sponsor: Ernst Wallfisch Memorial Scholarship Fund. 8 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage* Concert The Boys Choir of Harlem, featuring 62 conservatory-trained singers, will perform classical, spiritual, jazz and contemporary works. (See story, page 1.) Tickets (586-8686): $15, general; $5, students and seniors; free for Smith students (with college ID) and children 12 and under. 7 p.m., John M. Greene Hall* Dance The Next Stage. The graduate dance department presents dances by Sukarji Sriman and Kerri Underwood; MFA candidates; Leslie Miller, a former Radio City Rockette; and Sarah Seely and featuring performances by more than 40 Five College students and professional dancers. Tickets (585-ARTS): $7, general; $5, students and seniors. 8 p.m., Theatre 14, Mendenhall CPA* Concert "Jock-a-pella." Smith athletes will sing their favorite songs. Part of Girls and Women in Sport Week. 8 p.m., Chapel Meetings/Workshops Study-abroad information meeting 2 p.m., Clark Hall Religious Life Other Events/Activities Language lunch tables Korean, Russian. 12:15 p.m., Duckett Special Dining Rooms A & B (alternate weekly) Community forum "Civility at Smith College: Real-life Scenarios on Diversity and Respectful Communications at Work," with the Cornell Interactive Theatre Ensemble. 1:30-3 p.m., Theatre 14, Mendenhall Center Friday, February 9 Lectures/Symposia Performing Arts/Films Dance The graduate dance department
presents The Next Stage. See Meetings/Workshops Religious Life Keystone B.I.G. meeting Weekly fellowship meeting of Campus Crusade for Christ. 7 p.m., Bodman Lounge, chapel Other Events/Activities Language lunch table Swahili. 12:15 p.m., Duckett Special Dining Room B Language lunch table Hebrew. 12:15 p.m., Duckett Special Dining Room C Alumnae House tea Gillett and Wilder houses are cordially invited to attend. 4 p.m., Alumnae House living room Saturday, February 10 Performing Arts/Films Other Events/Activities Squash vs. Connecticut College. Squash vs. Bard. 3 p.m., Ainsworth squash courts* Sunday, February 11 Performing Arts/Films Meetings/Workshops Meeting Smith African Students Association. All welcome. 4 p.m., Mwangi basement, Lilly Meeting Feminists of Smith Unite. Religious Life Quaker (Friends) meeting for worship. Preceded by informal discussion at 9:30 a.m. All welcome, child-care available. 11:30 a.m., Bass 203, 204, 210, 211* Roman Catholic Mass Fr. Stephen-Joseph Ross, OCD, celebrant, and Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain. Dinner follows in Bodman Lounge. All welcome. 4:30 p.m., Chapel Intervarsity prayer meeting 9-10 p.m., chapel Exhibitions "The Refugees" Two life-sized sculptures by artist Judith Peck, depicting refugees carrying a child and worldly possessions. Through May 28. For more information, contact the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute, ext. 4292. Neilson Library, third floor* "Biblical Women" An exhibition of story quilts by Lee Porter '60. Using textiles and appliqué and quilting techniques, Porter depicts several scenes of women from the Bible, engaged in activities such as naming children, celebrating victories and mediating disputes. Through March 30. A reception will be held on Friday, February 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Alumnae House Gallery* |
