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ABC News' 20/20 Correspondent Lynn Sherr '63, is the speaker at this year's Commencement, May 28. |
Broadcast journalist, author, and Wellesley alumna Lynn Sherr will address the Class of 1999 at the 121st Commencement exercises May 28. A 1963 graduate with a B.A. in Greek, Sherr received Wellesley's Alumnae Achievement Award in 1988 and now serves on the Board of Trustees. In keeping with tradition, the senior class officers announced the selection of the speaker to their classmates at a dessert reception at the President's House just after Spring Break. An award-winning correspondent with ABC News' 20/20 since 1986, Sherr has covered a range of stories, focusing on invesigative reports, national politics, and women's issues. She also reported regularly on NASA Space Shuttle missions. She provides analysis of all national elections and has served as a floor reporter at Presidential nominating conventions. Before joining 20/20, Sherr was a national correspondent for ABC News, which she joined in 1977. Earlier in her career, she was an on-air correspondent for WCBS-TV and WNET in New York and WETA in Washington, DC. Prior to that, she worked for Conde Nast Publications and the Associated Press. Sherr has received numerous honors for her journalism, including a Peabody for her hour-long special on a treatment for anorexia. Other awards, including an Emmy, were presented by American Women in Radio and Television, Planned Parenthood, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Women's Political Caucus. Sherr's most recent book, Tall Blondes: A Book About Giraffes, was published in 1997. She is also the author of Failure is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words and co-author of Susan B. Anthony Slept Here: A Guide to American Women's Landmarks. To learn more, visit www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Commencement.
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Journalist Lynn Sherr '63 to speak at Commencement, May 28
Munger students to honor marathoner from years past
Two seniors win Watson Fellowships to study abroad
Prompt response limits fire damage to Clapp Library
For 120 years, Wellesley's Students' Aid Society has been here to help
UN Ambassadors, Human Rights Workers at Wellesley Conference, April 16-18
Japanese Department Sponsors Two Cultural Events, April 22 & 27
Celebrate the 100th Birthday of Vladimir Nabokov, April 23 & 24
Beyond the Box II, April 23-25
The Wellesley College Collegium Musicum, April 28
Upcoming HR Workshops
Calendar of Events, 4/5/99-4/19/99
Colleagues in the News
Faculty Spotlight: Alan Schechter
Letter from Eloise McGaw, Director of Human Resources
New faces on campus: Bonnie Weeks
Reminder to employees with May/June graduates
Upcoming HR Workshops
Community Service Award
Pinanski Teaching Prize nominations
Multicultural Achievement Award nominations
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As a competitor in the Boston Marathon many years ago, John Archer never finished first. Instead, "Black Bart" (as he is fondly known within the Wellesley community) chose to run in the middle of the pack, supporting those around him. When he heard the cheers from Wellesley students along Route 135 in front of the College, Black Bart said he was inspired to keep running the long, hard miles ahead.
Now 84, Black Bart no longer runs marathons, but he continues to be an avid supporter. Each year from his home in Milwaukee, he sends a generous check to the Munger House Council to help the students buy oranges and plenty of paper cups for the water they hand to the marathoners as they wheelchair, jog and walk in front of the dorm beginning at about 11:30 a.m. and throughout the afternoon.
This year Munger students are bringing Black Bart back to Wellesley to view the marathon with them, Monday, April 19. He will also be the guest of honor at the Jiggity Jam pre-marathon party Sunday night at Munger. The evening will include the presentation of the first Annual Black Bart (John Archer) Award for Dedication to Munger to be given to the dorm resident who most exemplifies quiet commitment and dedicated service to the community.
The Jiggity Jam is free and open to members of the campus community. For more information, call x4075 or x4960.
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A small fire at the
Margaret Clapp Library, March 24, was quickly doused by town
firefighters whose rapid response limited the extent of the damage.
The blaze broke out at approximately 10 a.m. in the ceiling of the
fourth floor where renovation work was being done, according to
Micheline Jedrey, vice president for information services and college
librarian, who was at the scene.
Firefighters threw tarpaulins over the bookshelves in the area of the fire and used dry chemical extinguishers rather than water to limit the damage to the collection, Jedrey said. The College Archives and Special Collections are both housed on the fourth floor, but were not endangered by the fire.
"We are very grateful to Chief David Wagstaff and the Wellesley Fire Department who were very careful with the books. Only about 150 volumes in the language and literature section ended up being damaged," Jedrey said.
The Library reopened the next day, except for the fourth floor which remained closed through the following week. All operations are now back to normal.
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Ambassadors to the United Nations from 11 countries, representatives of human rights groups and non-governmental organizations, and students from 20 U.S. colleges and universities will gather at Wellesley April 16-18 to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.
This first annual International Conference is being sponsored by the Wellesley College Chapters of the U.S. Committee for the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Wellesley is the only college or university in the United States to have student chapters of these international organizations.
"Our aim is to educate college students about important international issues. Having the representatives of those countries who are most directly involved in the search for solutions will make the conference all the more meaningful," stated Leila Toplic '01, president of the Wellesley College student chapters of UNIFEM and UNHCR. Toplic also serves as a special assistant to H.E. Muhamed Sacirbey, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN.
Scheduled panelists include ambassadors to the United Nations from Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Jordan, Sierra Leona, Slovenia, and the former ambassador from Venezuela. Also invited but not yet confirmed are the ambassadors from Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Suriname, and Turkmenistan.
Other special guests will include the President of United Nations Correspondents Association; Bianca Jagger, Human Rights Activist; and representatives from UNHCR, UNIFEM, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
Pre-registration is required. For more information, contact x8510.
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The Makoto Takenaka Jazz Quartet will perform Thursday, April 22 at 8 p.m. in the Jewett Auditorium on the Wellesley College campus. The event is sponsored by the Wellesley College Japanese Department and the Mayling Soong Committee. An associate professor of general education at Berklee College of Music, pianist Makoto Takenaka has a repertoire of more than 1,000 tunes ranging from jazz to classical to folk songs of the world. His creative style integrates jazz fusion into traditional Japanese songs.
The Kikuyuki Dancers, a Japanese Classical Dance Troupe from the Onoe School in Japan, will give a performance Tuesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. in the Jewett Auditorium on the Wellesley College campus. The event is sponsored by the Wellesley College Japanese Department. The Onoe style of Japanese classical dance is characterized by a unique blend of sophisticated turns, elegant posture, and total body control acquired through years of study and commitment to excellence. The Kikuyuki Dancers travel all over the world and are noted for their extensive repertoire, original costumes, precision ensembles, dramatic duets, and exquisite solo presentations. |
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Both events are free and open to the public.
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You're a student. It's midterms. You've broken your reading
glasses and don't have enough money to replace them.
Or imagine this. You've been accepted into a study abroad program in
South Africa but can't pay for the rabies shots and malaria pills you
need before you can even think about leaving the country.
These are just a couple of the unexpected expenses that can crop up during a student's college years. For those on a shoestring budget, such unanticipated bills could be heart-breaking. Fortunately for Wellesley students, there's the Students' Aid Society (SAS).
Founded in 1878 by Pauline Durant, the Society was the sole source of financial aid at Wellesley until the College instituted its own program in the 1930s. Today, the two work together closely to meet students' needs.
With a $12 million endowment, funded primarily by donations of Wellesley alumnae who were helped by Students' Aid during their college years, the society gave $625,000 in financial gifts and loans to students for the 1998-99 year, said Gloria DeWitt, office administrator.
Emergency loans, the most common method of student aid, range from 50 to several hundred dollars. Repayment plans are established at the time of the loan. Loans exceeding $50 require an interview with the Society President for ap-proval. Although students are not limited to the number of times they may borrow while they are at Wellesley, they are only allowed one loan at a time. And there are restrictions. Tuition loans outside of students' financial aid packages are not allowed nor are loans to buy computers.
Even though the Society is extremely generous, it wants to help instill a sense of values and responsibility in those they serve, said Society President Anne Morgan. Although she's been in her position for less than a year, Morgan is no stranger to the College. A graduate of the Class of 1957, she served as Executive Director of the Alumnae Association for many years.
Morgan said one of her primary goals as President is to increase campus awareness of the Society, its good works and its policies. If a student defaults on a short-term loan, for example, she is barred from borrowing for the rest of her college career. The money for emergency loans is kept in a revolving account.
As soon as the funds are returned, they are available for other students to use. This is explained to the students when they borrow from SAS and motivates them to pay their loans back as soon as they are able. The sense of camaraderie that SAS instills in students helps make what could be an awkward circumstance, a more positive experience.
"The students learn it is okay to ask for help," said Morgan. "We are teaching them to be more assertive. And we try to make things less bureaucratic."
The circumstances for loans vary greatly, from the replacement of lost glasses to plane fare to attend a relative's funeral to registration fees to attend a professional conference. The Society came to the aid of a student whose ATM card wouldn't work because her homeland had been ravaged by a hurricane. Regardless of the circumstances, all students are guaranteed confidentiality.
The Society does not limit itself to lending only money. Through its Clothes Closet, SAS offers suits, coats, sweaters, and shoes, and encourages students to return items if they no longer need them or to contribute any clothes they may have outgrown. A lending library of English and foreign language diction-aries is available on a first come, first serve basis. These dictionaries may be kept until students graduate or no longer study the language.
The Society makes every effort to let students know it is out there and ready to help. The summer before she arrives on campus, each first-year student on financial aid (approximately two-thirds of each class) receives a letter introducing the Society and inviting her to pick up a 'Welcome to Wellesley' package during orientation.
The care package consists of a metal waste- basket, a notebook, and $75 in credit at the College bookstore toward the purchase of textbooks. International students on financial aid are provided with linens as well. While the Clothes Closet is not officially open during orientation, the door is left ajar so students may glimpse the treasures within and return to browse and borrow later.
Situated in the basement of Green Hall around the corner from El Table, SAS office is easy to miss unless you're looking for the yellow signs pointing the way.
"I think our current location is the best yet because we are near El Table, Schneider and the Library&emdash;places that students frequent," said DeWitt, who has worked for the SAS since 1968. Even if SAS may not be the right office for the student to approach, "We can point them to whom they should talk and give them confidence," she continued.
Even though many students are helped by SAS, there are many who are not aware of the range of services it offers. Morgan would like to encourage faculty and staff to recommend students to visit the Society if they find a student in need. "We are delighted to have faculty and staff call us and make the connection," she said. And once a student is helped by SAS, she often develops a lifelong commitment to giving back to the organization.
The Society's biggest promotional effort is its annual Breakfast during Reunion Weekend. The event includes a speech by College President Diana Chapman Walsh, a presentation to a student recipient, and a special guest speaker who this year will be Jessica Shlasko DS '98, the new executive director of the Alumnae Association.
Letters from donors, especially alumnae who have known the kindness of SAS, prove that the purpose behind the Society's founding is still very much intact. Or, in the words of Gloria Dewitt, "The people have changed, but the spirit remains the same."
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Jennifer Lorenz '99 and Rebecca Padnos '99 have been awarded the prestigious Watson Fellowship for a year of independent study abroad. Each Watson Fellow receives a stipend of $22,000.
The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program was established in 1968 to provide exceptional college graduates the opportunity for a focused and disciplined year of international study and travel. Thirty-four Wellesley students have been named Watson Fellows since 1981 when Wellesley began participating in the program.
Jennifer Lorenz is majoring in anthropology and plans to use her Watson Fellowship to study mother-daughter relationships and mother-loss among the Fulani, Kanuri, and Sorko peoples of Niger and Mali in West Africa. During her junior year, she studied at the Université Abdou Monmouni of Niamey, the capital of Niger. While in Niger, Lorenz participated in an internship on camel care and riding with a Tuareg professor. She also worked as an assistant to an English teacher in Niamey and as a doctor's assistant at the National Hospital of Niamey.
At Wellesley, Lorenz, whose mother died of breast cancer four and a half years ago, founded a motherless daughters support group. After completing her fellowship, Lorenz plans to work in international development.
Rebecca Padnos, a psychology major with a minor in English, plans to study the art of weaving in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru.
At Wellesley, Padnos has been a member of the sailing team and is an officer of the Zeta Alpha literary society. This year, she lives in Cervantes, the Spanish house. Padnos studied at Dartmouth College during her junior year and last winter taught English and geography to seventh graders in a rural village in Zimbabwe. Upon completion of her fellowship, she plans to attend graduate school in education and to teach English to middle school students.
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In February, Political Science Professor Alan Schechter traveled to Senegal, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and South Africa as the new chairman of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. During the trip, Schechter met with political leaders, university presidents, and current and former Fulbright scholars to discuss ways to improve the United States-based program. The Fulbright program, according to Schechter, aims to recruit "the future leaders of the world" in order to "create mutual understanding [between countries] through the exchange of highly talented individuals." One of the board's top priorities is to invest the program's resources in potential places of future conflict.
This visit to Africa, the first in more than 10 years by a member of the Fulbright board, marks a new period of growth and direction for the program. Schechter said the trip generated many ideas for strengthening the program, but lack of funding continues to be a major challenge. Five year ago, Congress cut the program's budget by 25 percent, from $126 million to $92 million. In response, board members must fund-raise aggressively in order to expand the Fulbright program in creative ways. The board is seeking contributions from multinational corporations and cost-sharing efforts from U.S. universities in the form of housing and tuition for Fulbright scholars.
Schechter said one of the board's goals is to establish Fulbright programs in Russia and the newly independent states in that region as well as to expand the current 30-person program in China. Combined, these initiatives will cost approximately $10 million. Schechter believes the new programs should be funded by Congress because they are a worthy long-term investment.
"It's very important that we have more understanding of China, Russia and newly-independent states, Africa, and Muslim countries," Schechter explained. "If Americans are going to get more sensitized to the problems in the world, more Americans are going to have to go abroad."
Although there are new developments in the Fulbright program, Schechter remains concerned about the financial and, in particular, political implications of the program. Some countries are worried about possible "brain drain," when Fulbright recipients choose to stay in the US instead of returning to their home country. Perhaps the greatest concern the Fulbright board has, however, is the impending integration of the Fulbright program into the U.S. State Department this October. Although the government refers to the Fulbright program as the exemplar of American educational efforts, the board wishes to maintain the program's validity through separation of education from politics.
"We don't want to be perceived as agents of American foreign policy," says Schechter. He asserts that the board will "be alert to the problems that will exist from the reorganization of the Fulbright program."
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Please extend a warm welcome to
Bonnie Weeks, the new Director of Environmental Health and Safety,
when you spot her around campus. A Certified Industrial Hygienist,
one of her first priorities since coming to Wellesley in mid-March
has been to conduct an assessment audit of the College's
environmental health and safety programs.
Prior to joining Wellesley, Weeks was a senior associate at Environmental Health and Engineering Inc., in Newton. Previously, she worked as an industrial hy-gienist at Brig-ham and Women's Hospital where she managed a comprehensive industrial hygiene and safety program and was responsible for ensuring compliance with federal and state safety guidelines.
Weeks holds a B.A. in agriculture from the University of Connecticut, and an M.S. in Environmental Health from the University of Massachusetts. Professionally, Weeks has been recognized by her colleagues in the American Academy of Industrial Hygiene, having been elected Vice President in 1995 and President in 1997. She continues to serve this organization as a member of the Joint Industrial Hygiene Ethics Education Committee and as an author of many articles for professional journals.
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Employees with graduating students are reminded that health and dental coverage under their Harvard Pilgrim Health Care HMO or PPO and Delta Dental will terminate on September 30, 1999.
Employees who cover student dependents under their College health insurance, however, must notify the Human Resources Office - Benefits, in writing, of upcoming graduations in order that the provisions of COBRA may be instituted. COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act) provides that employees' covered dependents may continue to be covered by the group health plan at 102 percent of the group premium for a specified period of time. This can provide substantial savings to the dependent who upon graduation does not have employer-provided health insurance and who would otherwise be required to pay the more expensive non-group rates for continued insurance coverage. You are required to notify the Benefits Office within 60 days of the qualifying event, in this case the graduation date, in order to be eligible for COBRA continuation coverage. Your dependent will not be eligible for COBRA after that time.
Employees should be aware that any dependent charges incurred and paid by the health plan after September 30 for graduates (or after the time that a dependent ceases to be a full-time student if not graduating), must be repaid to the health plan.
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Marjorie Agosín, Spanish, read from her works, Dear Anne Frank and Always from Somewhere Else: A Memoir of My Jewish Father, at Schoenhof's Foreign Books bookstore in Harvard Square on April 8 in an event honoring writers of Spanish and English works.
Adrienne Asch, Biological Sciences, was the inaugural speaker for the newly established University Distinguished Lecture Series at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. She delivered a lecture titled "Tampering with Nature: Dilemmas of the New Modes of Reproduction."
Paul A. Cohen, History, gave the keynote ad-dress at the annual meeting of the Indiana Historical Association on March 6. The fol-lowing week, at the Association for Asian Studies meetings in Boston, there was a round-table discussion of his latest book, History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth.
Tom Cushman, Sociology, spoke on public radio's WBUR news magazine Hear and Now, March 30, talking about the ongoing crisis in Kosovo. He is co-editor of This Time We Knew: Western Responses to Genocide in Bosnia (New York and London: New York University Press, 1996).
Anne Higonnet, Art, also spoke on WBUR as a guest on The Connection, March 24, on the topic of the relationship between art and the perceptions and reality of childhood.
A website created in part by Marion R. Just, Political Science, was nominated for a 1999 Webby Award. Dubbed the "Oscars of the Internet" by the San Francisco Chronicle, the "Webbies" honor the best sites on the World Wide Web. Just's site, Web White & Blue (www.webwhiteblue.org), is an online public service campaign designed to promote and provide fast, easy access to valuable information on the 1998 elections.
Last summer, Michele Respaut, French, and Adrienne Asch, Biological Sciences, participated in a two-week seminar at Brown University sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The program, Text and Teachers, aims to promote cooperative high school and college courses. As a result, the Wellesley colleagues are co-teaching a literature and medicine course this year at Needham High School and Saint Paul's School.
Liz Stein, associate editor of Wellesley magazine, wrote and read a short commentary about winter and the first day of spring that was aired on WBUR, March 22, as part of Morning Edition. It was Stein's first radio commentary; she hopes to write more in the future.
Editors note:
For information on new publications by faculty members, please see
the library webpage at
www.wellesley.edu/Library/facp-new.html.
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Beyond the Box II:Wellesley students, faculty and staff are invited to join more than two dozen in-stititutions in a weekend conference of workshops and programs aimed at broadening understanding of multi-culturalism. Through student panels and social activities, the conference will provide a forum for members of the community to learn about each other's experiences. The conference is sponsored by the Multicultural Council. For registration information, call (781) 283-4258.
LECTURE: Speaker: Howard Zinn, Boston University, author of A People's History of the United States. 3:30 pm, Science Center 277.
THEATRE: "Caminando en Mi Vida" written and directed by Maura Marquez '99. 6 - 7 pm, second performance on Saturday, 2 - 3 pm, Alumnae Hall Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre. Info: x2000.
FILM: "Follow Me Home" followed by discussion with director Peter Bratt. 8 pm, Science Center 277.
COFFEEHOUSE. 10:30 - 11:30 pm
DINNER: International Theme. 5:30 - 6:30 pm
CULTURAL SHOW. 7 - 9 pm
MULTIFAITH SERVICE: "Beyond Tolerance." 9 - 10:30 am
LECTURE. Speaker: Rebecca Walker, editor of Ms. Magazine, founder of Third Wave Direct Action Corporation.
10:45 am, Jewett Arts Center Auditorium.
Sponsor: The Multicultural Council. Info: (781) 283-4258 or (781) 283-4905.
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Celebrate the
100th BirthdayPRESENTATION: "Nabokov-Lepidopterist: Butterfly Walk."
Speaker: Charles Remington, Yale University. 12:30 pm, Collins Cinema.DISCUSSION: "Mister Nabokov: Remembered by Wellesley Students Past and Present" and "A Nabokovian Paperchase: Nabokov's Wellesleyan Papers and Artifacts." 3 pm, Collins Cinema and 4 pm, Library Entrance.
LECTURE: "Nabokov's Russian Lolita: Self-Translation as Self-Interpretation." Speaker: Alexander Dolinin, University of Wisconsin-Madison. 5 pm, Founders 120.
FILM: "Lolita" directed by Adrian Lyne. Speaker: Stephen Schiff, screenwriter. 1:30 pm, Collins Cinema.
DISCUSSION: "Lolita in Print and on Screen." Speakers: Stephen Schiff, screenwriter; Alexander Dolinin, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ellen Pifer, University of Maryland; Adam Weiner, Russian. 4 pm, Collins Cinema.
The Celebration is sponsored by: Edwards Fund, Davis Fund for Russian Area Studies. Info: (781) 283-2419.
Campus Award Nominations Due
Nominations for the 1999 Multicultural Achievement Awards are due to Carlos Ramos, Spanish, by April 16. The Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD) recognizes individual and group efforts at combating prejudice of all kinds and fostering tolerance on our campus. CARD is looking for candidates who have shown an ability to work with groups across constituencies and to promote cross-cultural understanding at Wellesley. All faculty, students, and staff are eligible. Recipients of the 1999 awards will be announced in May and at Commencement.
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Just a reminder that applications for the 1999 Community Service Awards are due to the Center for Work and Service (CWS) by April 16. The awards recognize students, faculty, and staff who have made significant volunteer service contributions performed either on or off campus.
Individuals may nominate others or themselves. Award recipients will be recognized May 4 at the Student Leadership and Service Reception at the President's House.
For an application, either stop by CWS at 441 Green Hall, or call x2357.
Nominations for the Anna and Samuel Pinanski Teaching Prize are due to the Office of the President by noon on Friday, April 23. The Pinanski Prize is awarded annually to members of the Wellesley College faculty to honor fine teaching. The Prize may be awarded to as many as three members of the faculty each year, preferably one in each of the College's three academic areas: the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. The selection will be made by the President in consultation with the Pinanski Prize Committee. The recipients will be announced at Commencement.
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Editor-in-Chief: Mary Ann Hill, mhill@wellesley.edu
Managing Editor: Betsy Lawson, elawson@wellesley.edu
Editorial Staff: Eileen Devine
Editorial Interns: Sasha Pfau '99
Maren Swanson '02
Pel-Hsin (Michelle) Tsai '00
The Illuminator is the published monthly during the academic year by Wellesley College's Office for Public Information, a division of Resources and Public Affairs, 230 Green Hall, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481. Issues are published the first week of every month during the academic year, except for combined issues in September/October and January/February. Special Family Editions are also published.
Please submit editorial content to the above listed mailing address or e-mail: elawson@wellesley.edu
[ Return to Public Information home page ]
Betsy Lawson elawson@wellesley.edu
Sasha Pfau apfau@wellesley.edu
Office for Public Information
Date created: April 13, 1999
Last updated: April 15, 1999
Page expires: April, 2000
