30 january-

6 february

2006

wellesley celebrates the legacy of martin luther king jr. and rosa parks

A panel discussion, “Connecting the Past Civil Rights Movement to the Movement of Today,” in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, will be presented Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 12:15 pm in Harambee House. The panel will include three local activists: Royal Bolling Jr., former state representative; Mel King, former state representative and past director of the Urban League; and Sarah-Ann Shaw, journalist and board member of the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union.

Bolling has served seven terms in the Massachusetts House. He is program director of the Mandela Computer Learning Center in Roxbury, part of the Lower Roxbury Technology Collaborative. The collaborative joins a group of technology centers within the Lower Roxbury area to work together to “bridge the digital divide.”

King is founder of Tent City, which provides community members free and low-cost access to computer-based information technology. A longtime social activist from Boston’s South End, he recently joined more than a dozen political leaders, ministers and community activists calling for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of nonviolence in an effort to restore peace on Boston’s streets.
‘’ Unfortunately our experience in this place where race and class oppression and exploitation abound, it is members of our families that take the weight,” King was quoted in The Boston Globe. ‘’Therefore, we must set the tone, pace, and direction of the efforts to bring peace to our community.”

Shaw was a news reporter at WBZ-TV for more than 30 years. As a civil rights organizer and human services advocate, she has demonstrated the ability to unite residents and tackle issues confronting Boston and Massachusetts. She has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Action for Boston Community Development Inc. and many other awards including honors from the Boston Women’s Fund, the Abigail Adams Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus and the Women of Courage Award from the Boston Celtics. She continues to work with organizations such as the Girl Scouts, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, the Women’s Union, Ford Hall Forum and the League of Women for Community Service.For more information on the event, call x2133.

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clapp library first floor to undergo renovations

The Margaret Clapp Library will begin further renovations this month, according to Micheline Jedrey, vice president for information services and college librarian.

“In 1997 we began a multi-stage process to renovate the Margaret Clapp Library and have completed three projects – the Knapp Center in 1997, the fourth floor in 1999 and the second floor in 2003,” Jedrey said. “In late January 2006 we expect to begin the next stage of this process – the renovation of the remainder of the first floor.”

For the past few years, the Clapp Library has housed the College Bookstore, beginning with the Pendleton Hall renovation project and continuing through the construction of the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center. Now that the bookstore has moved to its permanent home in the Campus Center, its former space will provide shelving for library collections.

Other improvements include replacement or refurbishment of furniture; carpet replacement; installation of a fire protection system; improved lighting; building system upgrades, including improved heating/ventilation/air conditioning; addition of wireless capabilities; increased number of individual carrels and group study rooms for students; and more. The project will be completed this June. Plans are in place to see that library materials that receive frequent use will remain accessible during the project. For more information, call x2095.

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notable authors

Books by four Wellesley professors were included among The New York Times’ “100 Most Notable Books of the Year” (see www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/books/review/notable-books2005.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5070&en=3495ded550b83c41&ex=1137819600).

Four from the English Department were represented on the listing; the Times honored Star Dust, a collection of poems by Frank Bidart (also nominated for the National Book Award); Natural History: Poems by Dan Chiasson; Towelhead by Alicia Erian, Newhouse visiting professor of creative writing; and An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World by Pankaj Mishra, who has been a visiting writing instructor here twice, including last fall when the book was published.

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cws travels to louisiana for relief efforts

The Center for Work and Service coordinated a trip to Louisiana from Jan.15-21, joining Habitat for Humanity in its hurricane relief efforts in Slidell, La., a town northwest of New Orleans. A group of 20 students and staff were joined along the way by local alumnae. Led by Folly Patterson ’85, Alumnae Career Programs, the group shared its adventures on the blog site http://follypatterson.pingwellesley.com/blog/CWSHabitatProject

Here’s a shortened entry about one relief project:

“The house had hardly been touched since the hurricanes...the debris inside was such that we couldn’t get in from the front door. There was mud everywhere. Twisted in and on top of that was insulation and dry wall that had fallen off the ceiling. The furniture was tossed upside down and toppled over, the refrigerator was on its side, the TV had fallen from the entertainment center it used to sit on. We had a long day ahead of us. First, we had to shovel the mud away from the front door. We shoveled and wheelbarrowed all day long, slipping all over the slimy mud remains. Slowly but surely, we got the furniture out, then the mud, then the remaining plaster and insulation on the walls. It’s a changed house now, and all of us are amazed that we did it!"

Taking part in the effort were Katie Ellison ’06; Jayne Lew DS ’08, Alumnae Association; Lindsey Boylan ’06; Stephanie Melton ’09; Megan Briggs ’09; Cristin Bates ’08; Karen Doherty, resident director, Dower; Erin Herzeelle ’03, Internships and Service Learning; Emily Whipp ’06; Ellie Gammons, Alumnae Career Programs; Leah Lyman ’06; Dawoun Jyung ’07; Samira Vachani ’08; Christine Yow ’07; Joyce Hahn ’06; and Helin Jung, Residence Life. Joining them at the site were President Diana Chapman Walsh ’66; Joanne Murray ’81, CWS executive director; Michelle Lepore, associate dean of students; and local alumnae. The volunteers are pictured above, outside the home they rehabbed.

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multifaith living creates model of sharing

This fall Wellesley launched its Multifaith Living and Learning Community (MLLC), with 11 students who share life on a floor in Beebe Hall. Their faiths include Siddha Yoga, Jewish, Bahá’í, Catholic, Unitarian-Universalist, Hindu, Seventh Day Adventist and Protestant Christian. “People of all faiths are welcome,” said Camille Inducil ’06, a Catholic. “We are not imposing our views on others but increasing awareness.”

The group has sponsored a Sukkot dinner on the chapel lawn, cooked by Jessica Bell ’06, who is Jewish. “Not only did we learn about the holiday of Sukkot but we shared our own traditions,” said Deborah Cady, the MLLC advisor and Wellesley’s Catholic chaplain. “It raised a variety of issues beyond a simple meal together.”

MLCC students plan to reach out to the rest of campus with special events. “This is a great opportunity to see the person behind their faith,” noted Katy Walline ’08, a member of the Bahá’í Student Association.

According to Victor Kazanjian, dean of religious and spiritual life, the MLLC is an outgrowth of the Transformation Project, which sets goals for religious pluralism in higher education. “We have established a model for other colleges and universities and created a team of students and religious leaders,” he said. For more on the MLLC, go to www.wellesley.edu/RelLife/multi_faith/team.html.

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don't miss: upstage theatre presents a musical of fairy tales

The theatrical event Into the Woods will be presented by Upstage Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 pm; Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 pm; Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 and 8 pm; and Sunday, Feb. 5, at 7 pm on Barstow Stage in Alumnae Hall. Written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, the play is directed by Christiana Molldrem ’06, who says it is the only musical planned for Wellesley theatre this year. A Tony Award winner for best score and best musical in 1989, Into the Woods tells the intricate tale of multiple fairy-tale characters crossing paths in the woods. “It has beautiful messages and music that can lighten your spirit and make you think,” Molldrem said, “and it’s suitable for children.”

The play succeeds in not merely resolving the characters’ dilemmas but also in exploring what happens after happily ever after. “Into the Woods is a fantastic show,” Molldrem said. “It is a show of intelligence, wit, difficulty and fantasy, and I am very eager to make this show come to life with as much power and fantasy as possible.” Admission is free to Wellesley, MIT and Olin students, $5 for Wellesley faculty and staff and other students and $10 for others. For more information, call x2220.

colleagues in the news

latrese adkins ’93, post-doctoral fellow, has been featured in a program on Martin Luther King Jr. and the day set aside to honor him, by WCVB-TV’s “CityLine.” Adkins has returned to Wellesley through a Consortium for a Strong Minority Presence post-doctoral fellowship. “CityLine” is an award-winning urban news and feature magazine program that explores an array of compelling subjects. Adkins joined Professor Martha Davis of Northeastern University School of Law to discuss how far we have come since the 1960s and speculating on what Martin Luther King Jr. would think about the future of civil rights law under the current Supreme Court.

kate durso has been named assistant director of Student Activities. She received a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio in college student personnel and a B.A. in women’s studies and social thought and analysis from Washington University in St. Louis. “She brings to campus many great ideas about student leadership and activities,” said Kris Niendorf, director of residential and campus life. “Many of you may know Kate as the current resident director in Claflin Hall.”

mary lefkowitz, classical studies emerita, has been interviewed by the South Florida Sun Sentinel for a story, “African American Community Raises Issue of Color at King Tut Protest.” The article explored reasons behind a demonstration outside the exhibit Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. She also has written a review, “Divine Revelations,” that has been published in the winter 2005-2006 issue of the Claremont Review of Books in which she discusses Malcom Bull’s The Mirror of the Gods: How Renaissance Artists Rediscovered the Pagan Gods (Oxford University Press).

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calendar

monday january 30

classes begin.

meditation. 7-8:15 pm, meditation room, lower chapel. Sponsor: Buddhist Community. Info: x2793.

german table. 8-9 pm, Stone living room. Info: x1685.

bahá’í gathering. 8:30 pm, Freeman living room. Info: x4188.

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tuesday january 31

islamic new year.

discussion. “Connecting the Past Civil Rights Movement to the Movement of Today.” Speakers: Royal Bolling Jr., former state rep; Mel King, founder of Tent City and past director of Urban League; and Sarah-Ann Shaw, journalist. 12:15 pm, Harambee House. (See story, above.) Info: x2133.

discussion. “Halaqa/Study Circle.” 6:45-8:30 pm, lower chapel. Info: nkhalil@wellesley.edu.

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wednesday february 1

cws workshop. “Finding an Internship.” 12:30 pm, PNW 212. Info: x2352.

russian table. 12:30-1:30 pm, FND 416. Info: x3549.

forum. “Sleep Symposium.” Speaker: Richard Millman, Brown University School of Medicine and director, Sleep Disorders Center of Lifespan Hospitals of R.I. 1-2 pm, open panel for students, Tishman Commons. Sponsor: Health Services. Info: x2810.

community meeting. 6-7 pm, lower chapel. Sponsor: Unitarian Universalist. Info: x3484.

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thursday february 2

groundhog day.

imbolc. Pagan tradition.

cws workshop. “Stipends.” 12:30 pm, Library Lecture Room. Info: x2352.

arabic table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Tower Court private dining hall. Info: x2916.

french table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Bates private dining hall. Info: x2403.

italian table. 5:30-6:45 pm, Tower Court private dining hall. Info: x2616.

upstage theatre. Into the Woods. Director: Christiana Molldrem ’06. 7 pm, Barstow Stage, Alumnae Hall. Cost: Wellesley/MIT/Olin students, free; Wellesley faculty/staff: $5; others, $10. (See story, page 4.) Info: x2220.

worship service. 7 pm, lower chapel. Sponsor: Protestant Christian Chaplaincy. Info: x2655.

meeting. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. 7-9:30 pm, BIL 100. Info: wivcfmail@wellesley.edu.

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friday february 3

lecture. “Queer Asian-American Invisibility.” Speaker: Rebecca Sawyer, activist. 12:30-1:30 pm, PNE 225A. Sponsor: Asian Alliance. Info: WAAmail@wellesley.edu.

prayer/discussion. Muslim communal (Jummah). 12:30-2:30 pm, lower chapel. Info: x2656.

cws workshop. “Exploring Career Options: Finding Your Place in the Business World.” 4:30-9 pm, McAfee private dining room. RSVP required: x2355.

shabbat service. 5:30-6:30 pm, BIL 300. Info: x2685.

bible study. 7 pm, Wang Campus Center 413. Sponsor: Asian Baptist Student Koinonia. Info: x1831.

upstage theatre. Into the Woods. Director: Christiana Molldrem ’06. 8 pm, Barstow Stage, Alumnae Hall. Cost: Wellesley/MIT/Olin students, free; Wellesley faculty/staff: $5; others, $10. Info: x2220.

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saturday february 4

basketball vs. Springfield College. 2 pm. Info: x2003.

upstage theatre. Into the Woods. Director: Christiana Molldrem ’06. 2 pm and 8 pm, Barstow Stage, Alumnae Hall. Cost: Wellesley/MIT/Olin students, free; Wellesley faculty/staff: $5; others, $10. Info: x2220.

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sunday february 5

worship service. 11:15 am, Houghton Chapel. Sponsor: Protestant Christian Chaplaincy. Info: x2655.

catholic mass. 4 pm, Houghton Chapel. Sponsor: Newman Catholic Ministry. Info: x2688.
meeting. Darshana. 5 pm, meditation room, lower chapel. Sponsor: Hindu Community. Info: x2794.

upstage theatre. Into the Woods. Director: Christiana Molldrem ’06. 7 pm, Barstow Stage, Alumnae Hall. Cost: Wellesley/MIT/Olin students, free; Wellesley faculty/staff: $5; others, $10. Info: x2220.

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monday february 6

cws workshop. “Stipends.” 12:30 pm, Academic Council Room. Info: x2352.

japanese table. 12:30-1:20 pm, Tower Court private dining hall. Info: x7922.

meeting. College Government Senate. 6 pm, Academic Council Room. Info: cgpresident@wellesley.edu.

cws workshop. “Alumnae/Student Mock Interviews.” 6-8 pm, GRH 441. Info: x2352.

meditation. 7-8:15 pm, lower chapel. Sponsor: Buddhist Community. Info: x2793.

german table. 8-9 pm, Stone living room. Info: x1685.

bahá’í gathering. 8:30 pm, Freeman living room. Info: x4188.

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ongoing

exhibit. The Poet and the Illustrator. Clapp Library, fourth floor, through Jan. 31. Info: x2129.

book sale. Clapp Library reading room. Donations: 50 cents to $4. Info: x2894.

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