Less than a year away!

Last weekend, Kirse, Amy, and I attended the 15-year reunion for the Class of 1993.

Kirse traveled more than 6,000 miles round-trip, found round-the-clock child care for the three children she left behind, and helped Amy take care of her baby here, when it turned out Amy had to travel without her husband. She also took the time to visit every single class headquarters and attend a constant stream of events, while also investigating almost every venue on campus as a potential site for our headquarters, dinners, or other gatherings.

Amy traveled from several hours away by car with her 9-month-old, Sam, who was an absolute sweetheart about his first trip away from his dad--and his home. [Photo, right: Naomi, Susan Bullivant (who started class of '94, but graduated '93), and Elizabeth Solaka '93 at the Saturday night class dinner.]

The whole thing was exhausting for all of us and I'm tremendously grateful to Kirse and Amy for the sacrifices they are making in service to our class. I knew they would do a terrific job, but in true Smithie style, they are overachieving already.

Kirse will be sending me a blog to post sometime in the next week or so--her first one!--and hopefully I'll have some photos to post as well. We were so busy, we hardly took any photos, but Elizabeth Solaka '93 snapped quite a few and will share them with us soon. [Below, photo from Elizabeth Solaka of the Alumnae Parade on Saturday morning.]

Highlights of reunion for me were getting to spend time in my old house, Cushing (there's some new, hideous wallpaper downstairs, and the dining room is much-improved--they have fountain soda!); Illumination Night; seeing friends; eating in Smith houses; exploring campus; and sipping champagne late at night with my best friends from the Class of '93.

If you have friends from other classes, they are welcome to come to reunion, by the way. They would march with the 1776 group in the alumnae parade (if they wanted) and can attend events, such as the all-reunion dinner on Thursday night.

If you or your friends are thinking of coming to reunion and don't want to register and/or stay on campus, it's important to make other arrangements at least six months in advance. The Hotel Northampton and other venues fill up very quickly for that weekend.

As always, if you have photos to share of your life now or reunions past, or from our undergrad years, please post them at our Flickr page (link to the right) or send to me to post at our blog.

Please also spread the word about our blog and make sure your contact information is up-to-date at the alumnae house.

Hope you all are well!

[Illumination Night photo by Elizabeth Solaka, '93]

Are There Too Many Women in IT?

A contributor to another site run by my parent company, Jupitermedia, wrote this opinion piece about women in IT fields. I'd love it if any of you who disagree with his position--or could offer him some insight about your experience in IT--would drop him a line.

The column is at: http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/career/article.php/11067_3746501_1.

To reach him, click on his byline.

Young Smithie profiled on NPR

This is the story my friend Amy was helping with when she recorded commencement last weekend.

WFCR, NPR News & Music for Western New England, May 23, 2008
Remarkable graduates: Allison Bellew
Thousands of students graduate from the region's colleges this spring; many of them have accomplished more than you might expect. Today WFCR begins a series on some of these remarkable graduates with the story of Smith graduate Allison Bellew '08, who spent most of her childhood between foster homes.

Scary Numbers

The Smith College Board of Trustees has approved a comprehensive fee of $48,108 for the 2008-2009 school year, reflecting an overall increase of 5.5 percent over the 2007-08 comprehensive fee. That fee includes tuition ($35,810), room and board ($12,050) and a student activities fee ($248).

Even so, the college received 3,771 first-year applications, a 13 percent increase over last year's numbers.

Source: NewsSmith

Planning Update

I traveled to Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA earlier this month and spent a week with Kirse.

In addition to a grueling hike, we also got to do some reunion planning. Thanks to everyone who completed the online survey!

Tonight, Kirse is traveling via a red-eye flight to Bradley airport. AmyO, Reunion Co-Chair, will pick her up tomorrow morning and then the three of us will spend the next few days observing the 15-year reunion of the Class of 1993.

We are still looking for volunteers to fill a variety of positions. If you're interested in helping--even in some small way like manning our headquarters for a couple of hours--please let us know!

The list of classmates who are planning to attend reunion is growing. Click the link to the right to see the list. To add your name, drop me or Kirse an e-mail at smithreunion1994@gmail.com.

The Diploma Circle

My friend Amy (Wellesley, '94) attended commencement on Sunday. It was her first Smith commencement and she was there in her capacity as a reporter. Newsweek is profiling one member of the Smith class of 2008 because she and her sister spent their middle school and high school years in foster care, but this year, are both graduating from college. Amy was there recording the event for the story.

Yesterday, she and I got to talking about our shared experience as Smith/Wellesley alumnae, about the "Smith experience," and how we get all goosebumpy and tingly when we see the older classes parade in on Ivy Day or witness special traditions, such as the diploma circle.

We also talked about the frequently felt feeling of failure that comes with believing we have never quite lived up to the expectation of greatness that comes with a Smith or Wellesley degree. One struggles to feel that one isn't a total loser if one hasn't cured cancer, or published a best seller, or made a lot of money. Now a Wellesley alumna is running for President for crying out loud! Talk about raising the bar. :-)

After the talk, I sent Amy the link to the letter I sent to our class on the 13th anniversary of our commencement, addressing some of these feelings. I'm sharing her response with you all because I love so much her articulation of the meaning of the diploma circle.

Here's what she said after reading my letter:

>>This piece is brilliant and beautiful. And, I love the diploma circle’s role in it. It was something I first heard about on Saturday night and knew I wanted to record. While I was there with my mic in everyone’s way, new graduates grumbled about the chaos. Someone said, ‘why can’t they just organize this’ while others complained the circle wasn’t being widened enough or that people with diplomas in hand weren’t leaving. There was much consternation and little celebration, though moments after receiving someone else’s diploma during the ceremony, the student I was recording actually said, “I love that we get someone else’s diploma.”

I was wondering about the value and meaning of the circle, beyond tying legions of Smith alumnae to each other in one final act of tradition. I came up with this: in the chaos that is graduation weekend, there is little stopping—stopping the noise, the energy, the flow of all things. In that circle, the actual act of graduating is prolonged, for some more than for others, and no one has the power to change the time it takes to find her diploma. There’s something lovely in that. And, of course, it’s yet another part of The Smith Experience that is impossible to translate."

We won't be reuning on commencement weekend this time, so we can't witness the Diploma Circle this time around, but I think that the return to campus and the tradition of reunion is another very special part of the Smith Experience, another link in the chain that connects us. I hope you'll join us.

Smith Alumna is Superdelegate

While I'm supporting the other Democractic candidate and therefore disappointed in this news, I still thought it was exciting to read that a Smithie is a superdelegate: Lauren Wolfe '05, who is now a student at Detroit Mercy Law School, will be casting her superdelegate vote for Barack Obama.

I should probably mention that Kirse is drinking the Obama Kool-Aid, so she'll be happy.

Details below.

THE CAPITAL TIMES, WI, May 14, 2008
Obama snags another Wisconsin superdelegate
On the basis of a poll posted on YouTube.com that asked young people to tell them to commit either to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, Smith alumna Lauren Wolfe, College Democrats of America (CDA) president and Awais Khaleel, CDA vice president -- say in their capacity as superdelegates they will vote for Obama at this summer's Democratic National Convention.

Women Battle "Macho" Culture in Science and Tech Professions

This article from last Thursday's NEW YORK TIMES, discusses a study by the Center for Work-Life Policy to be published in the June issue of the Harvard Business Review, which paints a portrait of a macho culture in the science, engineering, and technical professions, where women are outsiders, and where those who do enter are likely to eventually leave.

Engineering has risen to become the fifth most popular major among Smithies. Smith is the first and only U.S. college to offer an all-women's engineering program.

The new Ford building, the location and size of which I strongly opposed, has struggled to find funding and is not yet completed. It is the first building on campus named after a corporation. It will be the largest building in the entire city of Northampton. It will be the permanent home of the Smith engineering program, as well as home to other sciences.

Perhaps if it does help women to obtain a stronger and more permanent foothold in engineering and the sciences, it will have been worth the terrible price Northampton and the Smith campus have paid for its construction.

Related post:

An Open Letter to Girls Considering a Career in IT

Smith adopts SAT-optional admission policy

According to an e-mail I received from the college on Friday, Smith will make the submission of SAT scores an optional part of the admission process starting with the class entering in the fall of 2009.

I haven't been able to track down a press release to that effect yet, but will include the link when I find it.

Naomi on NPR Affiliate (Santa Fe)

The local Santa Fe NPR affiliate, KSFR, aired an interview with me today. You can listen to it at:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/ksfr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1279570

My segment comes at the 14:00 minute mark.

The subject is the potential health risks associated with Wi-Fi. Hopefully, I didn't make too big a fool of myself...

An Open Letter to Girls Considering a Career in IT

I don't know if the author of this piece is a Smithie, but she exudes a Smithie spirit. This opinion piece was published today by one of my colleagues at Jupitermedia. If you have a career in IT, have friends that do, or you have some other career that combines geekdom and creativity, this is worth a read. (It's also relatively short.)

Enjoy.

An Open Letter to Girls Considering a Career in IT

Support a Classmate and a Worthy Cause

Erinn McGurn writes:

>>Dear Naomi,

With Spring comes much exciting news on SCALEAfrica's progress.

We are making great strides with our goal to restore the Chiutika Basic School in Mfuwe, Zambia. Construction is progressing rapidly and we are aiming to complete the new four classroom block by the end of June 2008. Next, we will fully furnish the classrooms and move onto new teacher housing and sanitation facilities. The local community is overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement at the prospect of a functioning school.

We are also delighted to report that SCALEAfrica recently received 501(c)(3) non-profit organization status. As a result, all donations are now tax deductible.

Since founding SCALEAfrica almost a year ago, we have raised over $65,000 towards our goal of $150,000 to fully rehabilitate the school. We are deeply appreciative of all the support received to date.

We now face a critical funding need of $35,000 to complete final construction of the building and fully furnish the classrooms. Please consider making a repeat or first time donation now. As always, donations are applied entirely towards direct costs on the ground.

Please visit our website, www.scaleafrica.org, to make an easy donation and for all the latest news and image galleries. The pictures tell the true story of the remarkable impact your help is having on this improvised community.
Deepest thanks for all your support.

Warm wishes,
Erinn McGurn & Guy Baron
www.scaleafrica.org

Wanted: Nominating Committee Chair

My dearest classmates,

According to the AASC, each Class President is supposed to appoint a Nominating Committee Chair who is responsible for recruiting a slate of officers who will be presented and voted on at our class meeting at Reunion.

These newly elected executive class officers will serve for the next five years and will plan the next reunion.

Want to plan the 20th reunion? Think you know someone who'd be great at it? Drop me a line and let me know you're interested. I'm looking for a Nominating Committee Chair who can select a committee of three or four members and then put together a strong slate of candidates at the next reunion.

Ideally, the Nominating Committee Chair will be comfortable contacting and interviewing potential candidates, and can present a slate that offers opportunities to those who have not yet served as elected officers in the past. Finding people who understand the level of commitment, duration of the term of service, and who can enjoy working together is a must. The Treasurer should be someone with money management skills, the Secretary should be very reliable, and the VP should, ideally, have some event planning experience and be in touch with a good number of classmates. An organized President who can communicate well and help everyone to accomplish their goals is also helpful. Having at least one officer who is local to Western Mass is also a bonus.

If you have any questions about any of the positions, please let me know.

If you'd like to be Nominating Committee Chair, sit on the committee, or run for office, please let me know. Write to me at graychase at gmail.com or call me at 413.527.7806.

Thanks!

Naomi

Volunteering at Reunion: House Reps

House reps begin their job during the January before reunion. If you've kept in great touch with your class of '94 housemates--or would like to re-connect with them--being a House Rep could be the job for you. If you'd like to share the job with a friend, that's okay, too.

If you volunteer to be a house rep, your Reunion Chairs (Kirse and Amy) will provide you with contact information for each housemate. You'll then call or e-mail them and encourage them to come to reunion.

To volunteer as a House Rep, drop Kirse an e-mail at smithreunion1994 at gmail.com. Even though your duties won't start until January, it's a big help to AmyO and Kirse if they can line them all up ahead of time so sign up now!

Child Care at Reunion

Many of you have expressed an interest in child care during reunion. I received an e-mail today from the AASC regarding child care for this year's All Reunion Weekend. It should be the same next year, for ours.

In a nutshell, there is safe, professional, well-planned, and super-affordable child care available on campus (five hours for $20 per child including food!) on Friday and Saturday evenings only. The hours are 5-10 p.m. Children over three years of age are welcome.

The full e-mail is below. (Remember, this is for this year's reunion, so don't call yet to reserve your spot.)

>>Children's Conference Care Inc., will once again provide professional childcare for children age 3 and up, from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evening of All Reunion Weekend. We're thrilled to host it in Unity House - which most of you will remember as Hampshire House - close to the Alumnae House on Bedford Terrace. The space is beautifully renovated and ideal for this activity. There is one large room for arts and crafts activities, and two other large spaces that are comfortable and cozy for reading or playing board games. CCCI plans to use one for a quiet space, where children can wind down later in the evening while watching a video.

The Gill Hall Campus School playground is nearby and safely accessible from Unity House. It has a wonderful, large play structure and basketball court, and outdoor time will be built into the schedule (weather permitting). Dinner and snacks will be provided.

Teachers are professional and carefully selected. Most are elementary school teachers and fully certified.

The cost is $20 per child, per 5-hour session. Walk-ins will be accepted if space is available. CCCI accepts cash, check or credit card (Visa, MC or American Express).

If you haven't done so already, we encourage you to contact CCCI at info@childconf.com or by phone at 617.492.6925 for more details. While many of you will want to share Reunion with your children, this will also provide a great opportunity for them to meet other kids in a safe, supervised, fun environment while you enjoy time with your class at dinner.>>

One Smithie's Education Pulled her "Out of the Ghetto"

THE STAR-LEDGER, May 11, 2008
For Giants rookie, mom is judge and jury
New York Giants rookie Jonathan Goff's recent graduation from Vanderbilt University was the culmination of an academic career fostered by his mother, Smith alumna Gwendolyn Tyre '75, whose education pulled her "out of the ghetto" and into the history books as the first African-American law clerk on the Georgia State Supreme Court.

The Class of 2008

On Sunday, May 18th, Smith will host it's 130th commencement. I know, like most of you, I well up and get all goosebumpy and full of emotion when I think about my connection to all those women of years past.

If you'd like to learn a little more about the newest batch up near-alumnae, click here to read some statistics the college has prepared. For instance, the five most popular majors in this graduating class are (in descending order): government; psychology; art (includes art history, art studio, architecture, and urbanism); economics; and engineering.

The oldest Ada Comstock student graduating is 68-years-old.

50 percent of Smith applicants for Fulbright Fellowships were accepted--more than double the national average.

Smithies rule.

A record number of applications for admission were received this year for the class of 2012.

For more Class of 2008 "By the Numbers," click here.

Today's E-mail

Today, we sent out a broadcast e-mail with a quick, but important survey about reunion. If you didn't get it, this means the college does not have your current address--or that your spam filter nabbed it.

To learn how to update your contact info with the college, click here and here.

To read the text of the May Day e-mail we sent out today, click here.

May Day--and Mayday! (Class of '94 Reunion News)

My Dearest Classmates:

Today marks the end of the dreary winter half of the year and means it (finally) really is spring in the northern hemisphere. Hoorah!

It also means we are soon going to be less than one-year away from our 15-year reunion. Since May Day has traditionally been an occasion for celebration--and mayday is a call for help--our VP (who's last name is also May!) has chosen this day to ask you for help in planning our reunion celebration.

To help us find out what you want from reunion--and who is willing to volunteer--we have prepared a short online survey for you to take. You can find the free survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VWfGeg4F9xrmUMJmhgiU1Q_3d_3d.

There are eight questions, two of them are multiple choice, and we expect it should take somewhere between two and five minutes to complete, depending on how much you have to say. (Why put it off? Click on the link now and let us know what you want.)

As always, you can keep up-to-date on reunion planning by visiting our class blog at http://www.graychase.com/Smith94.htm or by e-mailing your reunion co-chairs, Kirse and Amy, at smithreunion1994@gmail.com. We are keeping a running list at the blog of who's planning to come, so drop us a note once you've decided so we can add you to the list.

With warm wishes for spring and many thanks for your help,

Naomi
"Groove is in the Heart"

Naomi Graychase
Alumnae Class President, 1994
graychase@gmail.com

Smith Club of New York Fundraiser

Jennifer Pollock writes that the Smith Club of New York is holding a fundraiser. Proceeds of the benefit go to the Smith College Scholarship Fund. As always, sponsors receive priority seating and pre-show cocktails. Due to the limited number of seats for the screening, tickets will be issued on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Per her e-mail:

This year, we are pleased to present ‘A Walk To Beautiful’, a documentary that follows five astonishing Ethiopian women and girls, shunned and rendered "untouchable" because of fistula, as they embark on a journey to reclaim their lives. This inspirational film won top honors as the Best Feature Documentary of 2007 from the International Documentary Association.

It is also being considered for next year’s Academy Award. The film and its producers have a strong Smith connection, ranging from the Executive Producer, Steven Engel (husband of Heidi Reavis ’81), to members of the able crew who helped produce the movie. For more information please visit: www.walktobeautiful.com.

Please join us at 7:00pm on Tuesday, May 20^th at the Kodak Screening Room (360 W. 31^st Street, Floor 2). The cocktail hour for sponsors will be held from 6:00pm. Please reserve ASAP as tickets are selling out!

· Sponsor tickets are $100
· Friend tickets are $65

(100% of the ticket cost is tax deductible)

Please make checks payable to the Smith College Club of New York and return to:

Smith College of New York
c/o Rora Tanaka
250 W. 89^th Street, #2D
New York, NY 10024

If you prefer to pay by credit card, please use the attached form and email it back to rora@roratanaka.com or fax to (212) 600-1215.

Special thanks to Melanie Jones of Kodak for donating the venue; and to Heidi Reavis (Class of '81) and Steve Engel for allowing us this screening of A Walk To Beautiful.