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SMITH IN THE NEWS
SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE "It's important to keep up with
budgeting, because Mom and Dad won't always be there." "For lower income women and lower
wealth women, it's really not cost efficient for corporations
to respond to this need [for new investment products aimed at
women]. There are some workshops and seminars that are provided
by commercial banks or financial services companies here and
there, but not systematically." "College is the first time [students]
are independent and have to start thinking about their finances.
Any kind of mandatory course won't work. You have to make it
appealing to them and do it in small increments." "The best way to attract students
to quantitative skills-math-is to base it on something that relates
to people's everyday lives: finance. We don't just want to have
a program to raise financial awareness. We want to give students
tools they can use. They're really learning math, but it's in
the context of life."
PRESIDENT CHRIST IN THE NEWS "I think students are increasingly
aware that they might have more than one career, that they might
need expertise in a variety of areas. They have a very savvy
eye out to what's going to pay the rent." "I think it's important that I
get to know my students as students. I want to get to know these
women in the classroom; that will tell me a lot about them and
what they want to accomplish here." "There is never a day when I don't
think about Chang-Lin [Tien]. He was simply a wonderful man.
He was a great mentor to me he rallied to support me in
my career. He was very responsive to the kinds of problems that
women have in a university and to the discrimination women face."
INNOVATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION "Smith College in Northampton,
Massachusetts, is one of the few colleges that has remained all
female. A further claim to distinction is its recent establishment
of an engineering school. Now Smith is coming up with ideas to
get more girls into engineering, the latest being a "toy
challenge" it's sponsoring with astronaut Sally Ride," "People don't realize what engineering
is, but when we bring it to the context of toys, people realize
that it affects them." "As the new century unfolds, the
engineering profession is uniquely poised to redefine a liberal
education. Thoughtfully considered, engineering education can
develop in our students a fundamental and visceral view of the
unity of knowledge and the ability to use this knowledge for
socially responsible and reasoned judgment."
LINES FOR THE RESTROOMS "[Another museum's artist-designed
restrooms] became so popular that people would just pop into
them as they went through the museum and so they were hardly
ever used anymore by the visitors because they were a little
afraid to be caught in a private moment, but I think these rooms
will be really, really popular once when the museum re-opens."
WHAT IS SMITH COLLEGE? "When you're sitting at home watching
[Jeopardy], you can shout out the answers, and you don't have
to compete against anybody. Here, you have to factor in the buzzers
and Alex Trebek's reading." "I honestly did not think I was
going to win." "I do have a sense of accomplishment
now that I have reached one of my goals in life already."
STUDENT VOICES IN THE NEWS "My own family is wonderful, but
it's a pleasure to be part of someone else's for a day. I think
[the alumnae tradition of inviting 'stray' students into their
homes] is a really great program, because a lot of students are
alone on the holiday and they're usually unacknowledged."
ADVOCATING FOR PEACE IN SUDAN "Eric Reeves, an English professor
at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., and a leader of the anti-Talisman
protests, called the company 'part and parcel of massive, scorched-earth
warfare.' Not only has oil revenue helped the Muslim government
make war on animist and Christian insurgents in the south, Mr.
Reeves said, but Talisman permitted its sites to be used by helicopter
gunships attacking civilians." "There is no need to wait to seek
a United Nations Security Council resolution to impose an arms
embargo on the government of Sudan. Such a resolution should
be sought immediately, since we know all too well how the Khartoum
regime relentlessly uses oil-funded weapons against civilians
in southern Sudan." "We have here an extraordinary
example of grassroots activism forcing a Fortune 500 company
to withdraw from an extremely lucrative venture, because that
venture is immoral."
ANALYZING THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS "Baseball is going to be on the
hot seat if they turn down a financially viable African American.
Other things being equal, baseball would, I believe, feel pressured
to give the nod to an African-American owner." "Baseball as an industry means
different things to different owners." "There is more of a premium on
success because if the Knicks are successful, they get a double
hit. They get a hit through Knicks revenue, and they also get
a hit through Cablevision revenue." "Money that goes to a baseball
team tends to go to wealthy players and wealthy owners." "Given the attacks of Sept. 11
and the present economic doldrums, it's easy to welcome the idea
of new construction in Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs
as a lift to both the spirit of the city and its balance sheet.
But what we really need to consider is what condition the city's
soul and economy are likely to be in seven years from now, when
construction for the Games will have to begin." "It's quite difficult to succeed
with a convention center at this point. The industry is way overexpanded
and everyone's trying to find a new niche."
EXAMINING THE LEGACY OF TITLE IX "The athletics arms race is alive
and well. Athletic departments are run by people who do not have
to answer to stockholders and do not face the financial discipline
of the marketplace. The consequence is endemic waste."
FACULTY AND STAFF VOICES IN THE NEWS "The women we attract are interested
in pursuing excellence in whatever they'll be doing, even if
it means making sacrifices, personally and financially." "Gift annuities are very appealing
to women, especially to older women." "[Sept. 11] was really a collective
trauma for the nation. People experienced horrible images and
terrible fears and anxieties. I think a lot of people ultimately
are going to play with that. Jung would say it's very analogous
to fairy tales, where we project our most primitive, basic fears
being killed, being eaten, being kidnapped and by
creating a narrative we can master it, put it in a safer place." "We teach all of the basics, and
then some."
ALUMNAE OF NOTE "I have enormous respect for people
who are struggling. They deserve to be treated as we would treat
anybody else, because they are us." "She didn't suffer fools gladly." "The decision to quit teaching
was a big one. I wasn't sure what I would do next. It was a bit
of a risk." |
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