News for the Smith College Community //September 28, 2000
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Excellent Employees to Receive Recognition When Cynthia Furtek, an academic secretary in the Humanities cluster, was first informed that she was one of this year's Employee Excellence Award (EEA) winners, she thought of the people around her. "I feel there are so many employees on campus who are deserving of this award," says Furtek, who provides administrative support for the Afro-American studies and film studies departments as well as the Poetry Center at Smith. Also on her mind were the staff and faculty members with whom she works on a daily basis. "This is a team effort, a team approach," she says of her ability to do a successful job. "This award would not have been possible without the support of fellow staff and faculty." Another EEA winner, Ay Ling Han, a counselor in health services, incorporates concern for others into her everyday work and her extensive service to the Smith community. As a counselor of students at Smith, Han provides support to those who need it. Beyond her job, too, Han contributes time and effort to promoting the harmony of human relations on campus through her membership in groups such as Staff Council, College Council and the Campus Climate Working Group, and by training student interns in multicultural competency, participating in an intercultural communication workshop and providing outreach to students of color. "The meaning of my work has really changed," she says. "These days, there's a really strong emphasis on diversity. I've found it to be very interesting." Furtek and Han are two of 11 Smith employees to receive Employee Excellence Awards this year. The awards, which include an after-tax prize of $1,000, were first announced during the summer. All EEA recipients were nominated for the award by their peers at the college and selected by a program committee from among 70 candidates. Now in its second year, the program received award nominations from 159 employees. Awards were given in the categories of service, teamwork, community and diversity. Furtek and Han received awards for diversity. The EEA winners will be formally recognized during the college's annual Employee Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, October 4, at 2:30 p.m. in Sweeney auditorium, Sage Hall. Also honored at the ceremony will be employees who have worked at the college for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 45 years, as well as those who have a perfect attendance record during the past year. A reception will follow the ceremony in the Mendenhall CPA courtyard (Scott Gym in case of rain). Han says she reacted with "disbelief and surprise" when she learned she had won the award. "Then I was thrilled," she says. "The timing was perfect. I had a car payment [due]." Han says it's gratifying to receive recognition. During the past four to five years, particularly, her services and those of her fellow counselors have been increasingly in demand, and it's become a challenge to meet all the students' requests. Regarding her work, Han says her diverse background has enhanced her ability to relate to students of varying pasts and experiences. "Because I have knowledge of multicultural perspectives, I can understand how they feel," says Han, who, with Chinese ancestry, was born in Holland, lived for years in Indonesia and has resided in several states in the United States. "I feel I can use my experience to inform how to hear what people say." Furtek says she loves the challenge of her job, even when it comes to something as mundane as wrestling an errant piece of paper from the jammed copy machine. "I have my own tool kit," she says. "Sometimes I have to put on a technician's hat. But I enjoy it. I enjoy coming to work. There are endless opportunities for employees to benefit from events on this campus." When it was time to decide how to spend her award money, Furtek again thought of someone else. She put the money in a college savings account for her 4-year-old granddaughter Kennady Furtek. Two Summers in the City By Eunnie Park '01 It was mid-July 1999 in Manhattan, the streets were dripping with humidity and I was late for work. The Backstreet Boys were visiting the Big Apple and traffic had been delayed in the Lincoln Tunnel for half an hour. By the time my bus reached the Port Authority I was still running 30 minutes behind schedule. Hurrying past the giddy, teenaged Backstreet Boys groupies, I made my way to Times Square, where I squeezed into a train that did not seem to have a maximum capacity. At Houston Street, the train spat me out into the magnificent chaos of New York City. I stepped into the concert of crowded traffic, swearing taxi drivers, roaring subway trains and the drilling and banging of heavy machinery and headed straight for my building. Three minutes later I was in the office listening to my boss describe her daily encounter with Monica Lewinsky at a nearby café. It was another typical morning in New York City, where I have spent the past two summers working as an editorial intern at Educational Design, a small publishing company of educational textbooks and test-preparation books, located on Hudson Street. As an editorial intern, I did all kinds of work around the office, from photocopying to proofreading. My job frequently included forming answer keys, writing teachers' guides and responding to letters sent by teachers and students. I worked closely with most of the editors and artists, for whom I always had questions. I first learned about the internship in April 1999 through on-line listings in the CDO. A Smith alumna who worked at Educational Design had contacted the CDO about the paid position. Only a couple weeks after submitting my résumé and writing sample, I was hired. Last spring, my boss again offered me the summer position, this time with a small raise. I happily accepted. The warm and quaint offices at Educational Design make it an ideal place to intern (and present a welcome contrast to the chaotic morning commute). My summers have been rewarding. Although I had no experience in publishing before my internships at Educational Design, my boss often gave me important and challenging projects. I got to know every step of publishing a book, from the author's original manuscript to the crisp, shiny copies from the printer. All in all, my two summers at Educational Design made me develop a fondness for the publishing field and an appreciation for textbooks and test-preparation books. Equally important, working at an office
located in the heart of Greenwich Village definitely made my
summers more interesting. Sighting celebrities was a common occurrence,
as was coming across photo shoots for magazines and filming for
movies and music videos. And with hundreds of shops, cafés
and restaurants within walking distance, every lunch hour in
the Village had so many possibilities. Although the How to Get a Job Like His Kurt Vonnegut joined the Smith faculty this year as writer-in-residence in the Department of English Language and Literature. Vonnegut, 77, is the acclaimed author of more than 18 books, several of which have been bestsellers, such as the satirical Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions and Cat's Cradle. His first novel was Player Piano, written in 1952, while his most recent work, Bagombo Snuff Box, was published in 1999. As writer-in-residence, Vonnegut will teach two master classes in short story writing this fall. But first, he will present "How to Get a Job Like Mine," a performance with chalk on blackboard, on Thursday, October 5, at 8 p.m. in John M. Greene Hall. He will also hold regular office hours on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in Neilson 403. All students are welcome to drop by, provided they bring a story, essay, play, or something else they have written. "We are honored and delighted to have Kurt Vonnegut here with us at Smith," says Dean Flower, professor of English language and literature. "We feel lucky that he's chosen to live in our community -- and that he wants to get involved with students who are serious and ambitious writers." Vonnegut's first master class will be held on Thursday, October 19, from 3 to 5 p.m. Interested students should present a short story to the English department office, Wright Hall 101, by Friday, September 29. Those selected will read each other's stories in preparation for the seminar-style discussion with Vonnegut. A second master class will be held on Thursday, November 30. The deadline for submitting stories to the English department office for that session is Friday, November 10. Next semester, Vonnegut will offer additional master classes on dates to be announced. Smith Senior Becomes Part of History Last spring, Abigail Matthews '01 held a front-row seat to history in the making. A government major, Matthews had the rare opportunity to spend the semester as an intern in the new Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Parliament, which can be traced to the 12th Century, was dissolved in 1707, when Scotland joined England to form one kingdom. In 1997, the Scottish people voted in a historic referendum to establish a parliament in Edinburgh. The first parlimentary session was held in 1999-2000. Matthews was there. Matthews' Smith experience has been marked by a succession of unique opportunities to participate in government. The summer after her first year, she held a Praxis-funded summer internship in the United States Senate. Matthews, who hails from Iowa City, Iowa, served that summer as an intern for Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a one-time presidential candidate. During her junior year, she participated in the Jean Picker Semester-in-Washington Program, which provides students with an opportunity to study the making and implementation of public policy at the national level. "After the Picker Program, I wanted to study government further," explains Matthews. "I did some research and discovered that the University of Edinburgh was offering a new Scottish Parliamentary Internship program." Matthews enrolled in the program through Beaver College, a liberal arts school outside Philadelphia. She arrived in Edinburgh in January and was assigned to the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Although she officially served as an aide to one specific Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), she says she ultimately worked as an intern for the whole party. As such, she wrote press releases, carried out research, and spent many hours campaigning by telephone and on foot. "I love campaigning," Matthew says, then laughingly describes the Scottish people's reactions to her. "It wasn't uncommon to be asked, 'Are the Tories doing so badly that they have to ship in Americans?'" Matthews also wrote a speech on affirmative action that was delivered in the chamber on International Women's Day. After the first by-election on March 16, she appeared on the BBC network and was mentioned in the Glasgow Herald. Along with Matthews, there were seven other American interns in Edinburgh. She admires how they, along with the staff of parliament, were treated as equals by the MSPs. As for being part of history, Matthews says that fact wasn't given too much thought amid the daily bustle of helping parliament run. But there were moments when the significance would strike her, she says. "Sometimes the interns would be eating lunch together and it would hit us that here we were in Edinburgh," she says, "part of the first Scottish Parliament in more than 300 years. It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience." After the internship ended, Matthews traveled with her family in Europe for a few weeks. She then returned to the Scottish Parliament where she'd been invited to work for the summer. Now, back at Smith as a senior, she says she's preparing to take the LSATs and considering law school. "I'm undecided. I may return to D.C. or to Scotland," Matthews says. Then she smiles. "I feel that I have lots of options -- and, well, that's just great." Sophia Smith in Women's Hall of Fame Sophia Smith became an integral part of American history in 1875, when the women's college that she endowed first opened its doors. Now, 125 years later, the National Women's Hall of Fame is honoring her contributions to women's education. Sophia Smith will be one of 19 distinguished American women to be inducted into the Hall of Fame during 2000 Honors Weekend, a ceremony that will take place October 6 and 7. The National Women's Hall of Fame, founded in 1969, is the oldest national institution dedicated to recognizing and honoring in perpetuity the significant achievements of individual American women. The Hall of Fame is located in Seneca Falls, New York, the site of the first Women's Rights Convention in 1848. As of October, 176 women will have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. All honorees were selected by a national panel of judges for their contributions to the arts, athletics, business, education, government, humanities, philanthropy and science. Inductees who will be in attendance at the event include Janet Reno, the first female attorney general of the United States; Faye Glenn Abdellah, a noted nurse researcher in the field of coronary care; Bishop Leontine Kelly, United Methodist Church, the first African-American female to be elected bishop in the United States; and retired Major General Jeanne Holm USAF, the first woman in the history of the U.S. armed forces to achieve the rank of major general. Other inductees being honored posthumously include Mary Barrett Dyer, hanged in 1660 for defying Puritan church authorities in the name of religious freedom; Frances Willard, founder of the World Woman's Christian Temperance Union; Mary Walker, M.D., the Civil War field surgeon who was the first woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor; and Annie Dodge Wauneka, the first woman elected to the Navajo Tribal Council. During 2000 Honors Weekend, Smith President Ruth J. Simmons will host a reception in Seneca Falls in honor of Sophia Smith's induction. Sponsored by the Alumnae Association, the reception is being offered to Smith College alumnae and their guests at no charge. For biographies of all the inductees, visit the National Women's Hall of Fame Web site at www.greatwomen.org. Correction It was incorrectly reported in last
week's AcaMedia ("Hello GroupWise, Goodbye Sophia")
that use of the Sophia server will be discontinued at Smith.
While the Pine e-mail system, which operates on Sophia, will
be discontinued, accessibility to the Sophia server will remain
after the implementation of GroupWise. "Sophia will continue
to serve the needs of campus users who run applications on a
Unix server," emphasizes Herb Nickles, director of Information
Technology Systems. Tennis Volleyball Soccer Field Hockey
Cross Country
Up Close & Personnel New Hires Departures 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).
Commuting surveys Campus Center GroupWise Reminder January 2001 Interterm Shuttle Service Fine Arts Center Addresses Faculty & Staff Employee Recognition Ceremony Denim Day 2000 Out to Lunch Bosch Fellowship Deadline Students Drop Course Deadline Peer Writing Assistance Textbook Returns Mountain Day Print Workshop Amnesty International Rotary Scholarships Health Services Study Abroad Fair |
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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. Monday, October 2 Lectures/Symposia Biological Sciences Colloquium "Phylogeny and Evolution of Alternative Genetic Systems in Insects." Ben Normark, assistant professor, Department of Entomology, UMass. Reception precedes lecture at 4 p.m. in McConnell foyer. 4:30 p.m., McConnell B05* Lecture "Ida B. Wells." Paula Giddings, renowned historian, Duke University, author of the award-winning When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America and a forthcoming biography of Ida B. Wells. 7:30 p.m., Stoddard auditorium* Meetings/Workshops Pre-law information session "What You Need to Know to Apply (or not) to Law School." Alice Hearst, government, and Jane Sommer, CDO. 4:30-5:30 p.m., CDO library Campus Center update The architectural firm of Weiss/Manfredi will present an update on the design for the new campus center (see notice). 5 p.m., Wright auditorium Other Events/Activities President's open hours First come, first served. 4-5 p.m., College Hall 20 Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels welcome. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Tuesday, October 3 Lectures/Symposia Lecture by Walton Ford, watercolor artist. 5 p.m., Bell Hall Lecture "Culinary Light on the Italian Renaissance (Not Early Modern)." Phyllis Pray Bober, Leslie Clark Professor Emeritus in the Humanities, Bryn Mawr College, and this semester's Ruth and Clarence Kennedy Professor in Renaissance Studies at Smith. Reception follows. 7:30 p.m., Wright auditorium* Lecture "Adaptation, Collaboration and Creative Invention in Screenwriting in Hollywood." Screenwriter Michael Love will explore the creative labyrinth of screenwriting in Hollywood: collaborations with other writers and producers, adaptation from novels and other material, structural conventions and innovations, development and production. 7:30 p.m., Seelye 106* Performing Arts/Films Meetings/Workshops Informational meeting for faculty members interested in organizing a short-term Kahn Institute project for 2000-01 or 2001-02, or a long-term project for 2002-03. 5 p.m., Kahn Institute lounge, Neilson third floor Informational meeting held by the School for Field Studies about environmental field studies in Africa, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Turks and Caicos Islands, and about Smith-approved study-abroad programs. Pizza and beverages served. 5:30 p.m., Engineering Building 102 Amnesty International meeting Join others in advocating for human rights. 7 p.m., Gamut Employer recruiting workshop will explain job search programs offered by the CDO and introduce E-Access, the CDO on-line recruiting system. This workshop, which is required for students who wish to take part in fall recruiting, will be offered once more on Thursday, October 12, at 12:30 p.m. 7 p.m., CDO group room Informational session Chase Manhattan Bank. Representatives of the investment banking division will present an overview of career opportunities. 7 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room Workshop Basic Web
design. Learn how to create and publish a Web page at Smith.
Register at www.wag.smith.edu/workshop.html. Sponsor: Web and
Graphics Center. SGA Senate meeting Open forum. All students welcome. 7:15 p.m., Seelye 201 French theater workshop L'Atelier, a weekly acting workshop conducted in French by Florent Masse. 7:30 p.m., Mendenhall CPA T-209 Religious Life Newman Association
meeting Other Events/Activities Study abroad fair Representatives available from Smith-approved study-abroad programs around the world. Noon3 p.m., Davis Ballroom Soccer vs. WPI. 4:15 p.m., athletic field* Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels welcome. 4-5:15 p.m., Davis Ballroom CDO open hours for library research and browsing. Peer advisers available. 7-9 p.m., CDO Wednesday, October 4 Lectures/Symposia Poetry reading Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African-American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize. Booksigning follows. 7:30 p.m., Wright auditorium* Meetings/Workshops Transfer Lunch Open to all new transfers. Lively conversation and an opportunity to meet the dean of the sophomore and junior classes and other transfers. Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Informational session "Pizza for Entrepreneurial Types." Come lunch with Susan Elliott '58 and hear how she started her own company, System Services Enterprises Inc. Advance registration required; call Eric Saczawa, ext. 2579, or e-mail esaczawa@smith.edu by October 2. 12:15 p.m., Wright common room Informational meeting Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Meet Admissions Director Emily McDiarmid and learn about master's and doctoral programs. Refreshments served. 4:15 p.m., Engineering Building 102 CDO open house for first years. Meet CDO personnel, enjoy light refreshments and learn about resources and services. 4:30 p.m., CDO, Drew Hall Informational meeting on Teach for America, an organization that places teachers in America's under-resourced urban and rural public schools for two-year appointments. 7:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room Religious Life Buddhist service and discussion. 7:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, chapel ECC Bible study "What Is It to Be Human?" Bring questions, frustrations and curiosities. 10 p.m., Bodman Lounge, chapel Other Events/Activities Language lunch tables Spanish, Portuguese. 12:15 p.m., Duckett Special Dining Room Language lunch tables Classical languages. 12:15 p.m., Duckett Special Dining Room C Employee Recognition Ceremony will honor Employee Excellence Award winners and longtime Smith employees. Reception follows in the Mendenhall CPA courtyard (Scott Gym in case of rain). 2:30 p.m., Sweeney auditorium, Sage Hall Special event Visiting poet Gwendolyn Brooks will meet informally with students. Packets of her poems are available in advance from Cindy Furtek in the Poetry Center Office, 130 Wright Hall. 3:30 p.m., Wright common room Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels welcome. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom |
Thursday, October 5 Lectures/Symposia Neilson Lecture "Performances of Perception." Thomas M. Greene, Frederick Clifford Ford Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature, Yale University, will deliver the first of four lectures in a series titled "Calling from Diffusion: Hermeneutics of the Promenade," which will examine the nature of the promenade poem as it is practiced by contemporary poets and as it has developed over six centuries. Greene's lecture will feature the poems Beach Glass by Amy Clampitt, and Corson's Inlet by A. R. Ammons. Reception follows. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 201* Lecture "How to Get a Job Like Mine," a performance with chalk on blackboard, by Kurt Vonnegut, Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the Department of English (see story, page 4.) 8 p.m., John M. Greene Hall* Lecture "Ecology and Colonial Power: The Regional Politics of Famine in Rwanda, 1922-1930." David Newbury, Department of History, University of North Carolina. Second of three lectures in the series "Famine, Death and Historical Knowledge -- A Lecture Series on Modern Africa." 8 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room* Performing Arts/Films Meetings/Workshops Meeting Association of Low-Income Students. All welcome. 7:30 p.m., Fussers, Talbot Religious Life Other Events/Activities Language lunch tables Korean, Russian. 12:15 p.m., Duckett Special Dining Room Soccer vs. Trinity. 4:15 p.m., athletic field* Star Party 8 p.m.,
McConnell roof observatory* Friday, October 6 Performing Arts/Films Meetings/Workshops Religious Life ECC Fellowship Music, games and the fun aspect of Christianity. Dinner provided. All welcome. 5-7 p.m., Chapel Shabbat services Dinner follows in the Kosher Kitchen, Dawes. 5:30 p.m., Dewey common room Keystone B.I.G. meeting Weekly fellowship meeting of Campus Crusade for Christ. 7 p.m., Wright common room Other Events/Activities Meeting in New York Women in Consulting Day, sponsored by National Economics Resources Association, Mercer Management Consulting and William H. Mercer. This free event will take place in New York City and will include information on career consulting; 20 openings are available and registration is required at ext. 4328 or 2579. Bus leaves CDO at 7 a.m. Saturday, October 7 Autum recess begins Other Events/Activities Soccer vs. MIT. 1 p.m., athletic field* Tennis vs. Wheaton. 1 p.m., tennis courts* Sunday, October 8 Meetings/Workshops Meeting Feminists of
Smith Unite. Religious Life No Roman Catholic mass during autumn recess. Exhibitions Ada Comstock Scholars Alumnae Art Exhibit Juried artwork featuring an eclectic mix of media, including lithograph, oil, hammered metal and carved plaster. October 628. Forbes Library Gallery, Northampton* "Agents of Social Change: New Resources on 20th-Century Women's Activism." An exhibition of papers from the collections of eight activist women, recently opened by the Sophia Smith Collection. In conjunction with the conference "Agents of Social Change." Runs through December 31. Morgan Gallery, Neilson Library foyer and the Sophia Smith Collection, Alumnae Gym* "Bronze, Steel,
and Stone: Selections from the Nasher Collection," a special
temporary exhibition hosted by the Smith College Museum of Art
and installed on Burton lawn, featuring five sculptures lent
by Raymond D. Nasher in memory of his late wife, Patsy Rabinowitz
Nasher '49. Runs through October 29. Burton lawn* Ada Comstock Scholars Program Turns 25 It was 25 years ago when the Ada Comstock Scholars Program welcomed its first group of undergraduates to Smith. Now with more than 200 students, the program has received national recognition as a premier program for women beyond traditional college age. To celebrate its Silver Anniversary, the Ada Comstock Scholars Program invites its alumnae and the Smith community to a faculty panel and art exhibition (see schedule below) as part of "Transformations," a gala weekend event that will take place October 14 and 15. Watch next week's AcaMedia for an in-depth article about the program and its celebration. Faculty panel Speakers at the keynote event of the weekend celebration will discuss ways in which Ada Comstock scholars on campus have transformed the classroom and Smith College experience for all students and faculty. The panel, which will be moderated by Provost/Dean of the Faculty John Connolly, will include Randall K. Bartlett, professor of economics; William Allan Oram, Helen Means Professor of English Language and Literature; Marjorie Lee Senechal, Louise Wolff Kahn Professor of Mathematics and director of the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute; and Frances Cooper Volkmann, Harold Edward and Elsa Siipola Israel Professor Emerita of Psychology. Saturday, October 14, 1:30-3 p.m., Sage Hall Opening reception for the second annual Ada Comstock Scholars Alumnae Art Exhibit. Sunday, October 15, 2-4 p.m., Forbes Library, 20 West Street The art exhibit, which will be on display at Forbes Library from October 6 through 28, is a juried show that will feature the works of 20 Ada Comstock Program alumnae, representing 12 graduating classes from 1978 through 2000. The range of media includes lithograph, oil, hammered metal, carved plaster, watercolor, and solar etching. For more information about the anniversary, send e-mail to adasilver.smith.edu, or visit the Web site at www.smith.edu/advancement/25celeb.html. |
