Agnes Scott Alumnae Magazine [1993-1995]

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Collection:: Agnes Scott College, McCain Library collections in the Internet Archive
Title:: Agnes Scott Alumnae Magazine [1993-1995]
Creator:: Agnes Scott College
Publisher:: Agnes Scott College
Date of Original:: 1995
Subject:: Agnes Scott College--Alumni--Periodicals
Agnes Scott College--History
Women's colleges--Georgia--Decatur
Women--Education--Georgia--Decatur
Location:: United States, Georgia, DeKalb County, Decatur, 33.77483, -84.29631
Type:: Text
Format:: application/pdf
text/plain
Description:: Agnes Scott College Alumnae magazine
External Identifiers:
Metadata URL:: https://archive.org/details/agnesscottalumna7071agne
IIIF manifest:: https://iiif.archive.org/iiif/3/agnesscottalumna7071agne/manifest.json
Language:: eng
Holding Institution:: McCain Library
Rights:

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2011 with funding from

LYRASIS IVIembers and Sloan Foundation

http://www.archive.org/details/agnesscottalumna7071agne

NESSCOn

ALUMNAE MAGAiJINE SUMMER 1993

EDITOR'S NOTE

From the life of Bonhoeffer, who died for fcdlh amidst a corrupted culture, the
Agnes Scott community probed its own issues of integrity, justice and sacrifice

A barefoot actor in
/ \ wire-rim glasses
JL JL and tattered
undershirt stands alone on a
darkened Agnes Scott Win-
ter Theatre stage. The set is
stark: bare floor, narrow cot,
a rough wooden chair and
table scattered with books,
paper and pen. Against the
wall hangs a red banner
with black swastika. The
place: cell 92, Tegel Prison
(outside Berlin). Words
revealed the man:

Sleep a little.

Strengt/ien body aiid soul,
headaiid hal^d.

For peopk, houses , spirits aivi hearts are aflame.

Till your day breaks

After blood red nif^t staiyifast. . . .

The writer, Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
knew that there was no sleep in the blood-red night that had
settled over his native Germany by 1944.

In the dark ot the holocaust, each individual wrestled
with life and death issues, with what it meant to act accord-
ing to conscience and to live as a person of faith.

The life and words ot this modem martyr expressed in
the one-act play, "The End, the Beginning ot Life: the Prison
Experiences of Dietrich Bonhoeffer," by David Newton; and
in the documentary film, "The Life and Times ot Dietrich
Bonhoeffer" provided a poignant centerpiece for the "Lives
of Conscience," a symposium sponsored during the spring
semester by the Faith and Learning Committee ot Agnes
Scott's Board of Trustees.

As the character playing Bonhoeffer probed his own mind
and heart, the words stirred members ot the audience to con-
front, to reflect upon and to wrestle with issues of personal
integrity, justice and sacrifice. "What a person knows aca-
demically, what we have experienced and what we decide to
do according to conscience," commented ASC Chaplain
Patti Snyder, "this is where learning and faith intersect."

If the experience provoked those of us in Winter Theatre

to tocus on the responsibili-
ties and consequences of
personal choice, it also
raised provocative questions
about collective responsibil-
iry. Bonhoeffer's particular
concern was for the com-
munity of faith.

As Nazis secured key
positions for themseh'es in
German denominations,
Bonhoeffer asked, point-
blank, w^ill the church
Nazify its gospel or teach
the gospel of Jesus Christ?
He concluded: We saw the
lie raise its head, aiid we did
not honor the truth. When
the state demanded that all church leaders take an oath ot
allegiance to support Hitler, Bonhoeffer would not.

We saw our hi'ethren in direst need, and feared only our oun
death, he lamented, as Hitler tunied the force ot a nation's
self-hatred toward a religious minority. Over and over he
called on the church to take a prophetic stand. But officially,
the church remained silent. "It has not raised its voice on
behalf of the victims," Bonhoeffer grieved and concluded, "It
is guilty."

After 18 months confinement, on April 9, 1945, the 39-
year-old Bonhoeffer was executed just days before he would
have been liberated by advancing American troops.

Following the Lives of Conscience symposium I re-read
from Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison, the poem,
"Night Voices in Tegel."

I am waiting for that midnight,

In whose fearfully streaming brilliance

The evil perish for anguish

And the good overconK with joy. . . .

Holy strength is at work,

Setting right .

CONTENTS

Agnes Scott Alumnae Magazine
Summer 1993 Volume^, Number I

Just Like Us

by Laura Sikes

Pmtraics ofhoniekss women and children, plus an

update on ivays ASC students and staff help give shelter.

Scratching Out A Mind

by Jane Zanca

Studies show that co-education shortchanges grls and women, a

problem since Medieval times.

Apple's Ark

by Celeste Pennington
Antique collector Audrey Apple embarks on a
journey to find the origin of a ivonderful old toy.

A Matter of Degrees

by Mary Alma Durrett

Sacrifice, stamina and self-discovery Iceep the Retun\-to-College

student moving toward that ultimate i

Halfway There

by Celeste Pennington
Estelle Matheu, Class of '95,
has her own prescription for
sophomore slump.

DEPARTMENTS

Lifestyle

Etcetera

< Besneden? Gesneden?

Jane Fonda on campus

Excerpts from graduation

Thatcher on women's
colleges

AGNES SCOTT

Editor; C'ck-^tc Pennington.

Contributing; Editor:

Mav)' Alma Ourrett.

Editorial Assistant:

Audrey Arthur.

Design: Everett Hullum and

Harold Waller.

Student Assistants:

Elizabeth Cherry' '95,

Willa Hendrickson '94,

Helen Nash '93,

Emily Pender '95,

Tonya Smith '93.

Pubhcations Advisory Board:

Jenifer Cooper '86,

Christme Cozzens,

Carey Bowen Craig '62,

Bonnie Brown Johnson '70,

Randy Jones '70,

Helen Nash '93,

Kay Parkerson O'Briant '70,

Edmund Sheehey,

Liicia Howard Sizemore '65.

Copyright 1993, Agnes Scott
College. Published two times a year
by the Office of Publications,
Agnes Scott College, Buttrick Hall,
14f E. College Avenue, Decatur, GA
30030. 404/371-6315. The magazine is
published for alumnae and ft iends of
the College.

Postmaster: Send address changes to
Office of Development and Public
Affairs, Agnes Scott College. Decatur,
GA 30030.

The content of the magazine, reflects
the opinions of the writers and not the
viewpoint oi the College, its tmstees,
or administration.

LIFESTYLE

Hig/ili^ts from the Jives and work of alumnae doing everything from hook
marketing and yoga to ministering in a diverse D.C. congregation

CLEAR'CUT
ENGLISH

Authcrr arid
Seminar Leader Lucie
Barrcrn Eggkston

Lucie Barron Eggleston
'68 remembers well the
grueling weekend she spent
in the Agnes Scott library
outlining a paper on Ham-
let. But the expression that
crosses her face when recall-
ing that assignment is a
smile, not a grimace. The
experience 25 years ago
shaped the business she

owns and manages today,
Letter- Perfect Communica-
tions.

Eggleston tells Fortune
500 employees na-
tionwide to invest
their time in orga-
nizing thoughts
first then the writing
will take care of itself.
"Most people don't think
through a letter or report
before writing it. They
think 'I've got to do this by
the end of the day.' It's a
task to be completed. They
don't think about what the

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Food Bank
Consultant Virginia
Love Dunaway '56

Most Americans
are aware that
programs exist to
feed the needy.
But many may be
unaware of the
complex struc-
tures necessary
to keep the poor
fed adequately
and efficiently.
Virginia Love
Dunaway '65 is a
part of this web.
The ASC history
and political sci-

ence major founded the
Memphis Food Bank and
is now a consultant
j to Second Harvest
National Food Bank
Network.

Dunaway travels
to different food
banks each month
to monitor how ef-
fectively they dis-
tribute donated
goods. She monitors
how the food banks
conduct their business
and their finances, how

written word can do, or
what its results will
be after

their hoards govern and
whether their executive
directors practice sound
leadership. In addition,
she examines how these
banks relate to their
communities and how
they store and distribute
their food. Based on her
findings, she suggests
improvements. Monitor-
ing food banks assures
manufacturers that their
donations are handled
judiciously,
she notes. L.H. Goad

the receiver gets the com-
munication.' "

Tlie English
graduate-former En-
glish teacher and
bank training and
development direc-
tor, has also
authored a book.
What They
Never Told You
in English
101. In her
self-help
guide, the
C^olum-
iiia,
S.C,
,m-
thor
debunks writing
myths and gives readers ba-
sic principles. "A lot of
people were taught what
they shouldn't do."
Eggleston 's focus is on the
positive.
Leisa Hammett-Goad

IN A

VOLATILE

MARKET

Marketing director
Cheryl Carlson '84

Last year,- when the pub-
lishing industry overall
achieved a meager one per-
cent income gain (up from
no gains the previous year).

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SUMMER 1993

revenues at Heinle &
Heinle ot Boston qua-
dmpled, to $20 million.
Heinle & Heinle attributes
its remarkable growth to
successful marketing ven-
tures and to the acquisition
of three publishing houses.

As marketing director
for Heinle & Heinle Pub-
lishers, 30-year-old Cheryl
Carlson '84, is focused and
articulate. In less than fi\'e
years she has developed a
reputation for having the
business sav\7 to market a
company that dominates
leinguage materials publish-
ing among competitors that
include McGraw Hill,
Houghton and Mifflin, and
Holt, Reinhart.

"Publishing is a volatile
industry," says Carlson.
"Funds for books are closely
related to the economy. It
the market is down domes-
tically, it might be up inter-
nationally. So we publish in
a lot of markets."

Carlson's goal is to maxi-
mize revenues for her list of
books. "I'm evaluated on
whether we're growing, and
if I'm within my budget,"
she says. By her own admis-
sion, the past five years
have been marked by tre-
mendous stress, growth and
change.

During her tenure,
Carlson has endured a reor-
ganization in which half the
staff were laid oft and three

companies were acquired.

Acquiring new
companies meant that
"overnight I had twice as
many titles, twice as many
authors, and twice as many
new markets, " says Carlson.

Also, the corporate man-
agement style was radically
altered and new manage-
ment techniques were
introduced. The company
adopted a form of team
management. "This means
basically I have to live and
die by my own decisions.
And when you're making
large financial decisions, it's
initially overwhelming."

As one of the few na-
tive-bom Americans on the
70-person staff, Carlson has
learned how communica-
tion style is connected to
culture. Her supervisor is
Mexican and her editorial
counterparts are Austrian
and Argentinean. Working
on cross-cultural teams

"brings a lot of texture to
what we do," she says. "We
all have different ways of
managing.

"Coming to a decision as
a group, without letting any
one person drive the
agenda, and making the
decision that is best tor all
concerned, has been a real
challenge for me," she ad-
mits. "I'm very independent
and autonomous. I really
prefer working by myself."

Although Carlson had
studied French since kinder-
garten, it was a year abroad
in France that proved the
catalyst for her love of lan-
guages and for her "mission
to see people learn lan-
guages better."

After graduating from
Agnes Scott in 1984,
Carlson worked in Atlanta
for an international consult-
ing firm. She handled CEO
executive searches and re-
searched mergers and acqui-

sitions. Two and a half years
later, Carlson felt she'd
gone as far as she could
without an MBA from
Han-ard Uni\-ersity or the
Wharton School. But, be-
fore plunging into graduate
school, she decided to take
some time oft.

At the encouragement
of Tiz Faison '84, an Agnes
Scott classmate who was
working in Paris, Carlson
headed for France. She
studied language, literature
and art history' at the
Sorbonne.

"Li\-ing in France was
the most wonderful experi-
ence," says Carlson. "I wish
I'd been brave enough to do
it earlier."

With her newly acquired
fluency in French, and her
degree in English and eco-
nomics from Agnes Scott,
Carlson was hired by Heinle
&. Heinle, publishers of lan-
guage materials in French,
German, Italian, Russian
and Spanish.

Headquartered in
Boston's aristocratic Statler
Building, Carlson's inner
sanctum of mahogany pan-
eled walls, art deco furniture
and windows ot leaded glass
offers a breathtaking view of
the city's Public Garden.

Although her office
seems calm, the pace out-
side is frenetic.

"There are lots of dead-
lines, details and a 1,001

LIFESTlTE

LIFESTYLE

priorities yours, your boss's,
your colleagues', your au-
thors', your customers'. And
everyone thinks something
different is important."

As marketing director,
Carlson describes her job as
primarily "number-crunching.
I figure out what kind of story
numbers tell and put it into
words," she explains.

"I prepare monthly, quar-
terly and year-end reports,
write sales forecasts, draft
business plans and plans for
venture capital."

"Cheryl's strength is
managing," believes Heinle
&. Heinle designer Jean
EXivoisin. "She has a high-
pressure job and spends
thousands of dollars. Her
strength is in her ability to
schedule her time and be a
promise-keeper. There's al-
ways the illusion that there
will be more time. But there
never is."

Aside from working on
two management teams for
Spanish/French and Ger-
manAtalian, she writes and

produces promotional

pieces. She also meets with
customers, attends confer-
ences, sets up focus groups
and spends time with new
authors. (Annette Cash,
chair of ASC's Spanish de-
partment, is a new author
for Heinle &. Heinle. Her
book A Cue Si is due out
this spring.)

"Most books are signed
on a prospectus and an out-
line, maybe one chapter,"
she explains. "We sign au-
thors because we're ex-

TWIST AND SHAKE

Yoga lr\stfuctor Ruby
Mae Laney Sewell 39

At 75 Ruby Mae
l\ Laney Sewell '39

young. Over the years she

dancing

workshops in

has taught hula, oriental

New York and California.

says she's past the age of

and folk dancing, too.

"Someone asked me

baring her midriff, but

Sewell was past 50 when

once, 'Ruby, when are

she's not too old to prac-

she learned Yoga's gentle

you ever

going to learn

tice Middle Eastern

stretching movements from

enough?

She chuckles.

dancing, a.k.a. belly

a book loaned by a friend.

"This is my con-

dancing. Neither is she

She fell in love then f

tinuing edu-

too old to teach others

with Hatha Yoga, *^/

C/iV

^ cation."

young and old the

which emphasizes ^ ^
exercise v^^/" '

U -LH

joy of movement, in-
cluding Yoga, her

*ji' GoaA

favorite.

thanmedi- ^ ^^'*M

^^^

The French and psy-
chology graduate began

"Wie -^Ht

'JL

taking dance lessons as a

her skills, ^a^^^^

^^\^

child, took every dance

Sewell fre- ^x//

**-^^tT t^^

course Agnes Scott of-

quently at- */ ^

^ ^^L

fered, and began teach-

tends .^i^^^^^

^mmJB^^

ing dance in her home

Middle Eastern \f^^

^P^B&^

when her children were

tremely interested in their
research. Some might have
a really unique concept."

Until this tall, Carlson
traveled three weeks a
month. But the exhausting
pace began to take its toll.
"It was hard to keep any
normalcy or maintain a per-
sonal life with that kind of
schedule," she says. "It's im-
portant to those of us who
don't have things that root
us, to not pull our roots up
too often."

As demands on her time
and energies grow, she has
set priorities.

Once a week, she works
at home. Her spacious
apartment overlooking Bea-
con Street is a comfortable
retreat drenched with
light from atrium skylights.

She also maintains a bal-
ance in her life through vol-
unteer activities. "You real-
ize there are much bigger
things in life than whether
a book is going to be a week
late," she says. As a member
ot the Junior League of Bos-
ton, Carlson spends one day
a week, and one weekend a
month, working with
homeless kids taking
them ice skating, preparing
dinner for them, helping
them with crafts. "Some-
times it's overwhelming
with 30 kids in a small
room. The noise is outra-
geous. I always have a head-
ache when I leave. But I'm

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SUMMER 1993

surprised how generally
happy the kids are how-
sweet and anxious to please.
And then, there are a few
hell-raisers," she admits
with a laugh.

She traces her motiva-
tion tor volunteering with
homeless children from les-
sons learned at Agnes Scott.

"I was taught that to be a
productive, happy person in
our society, it's important to
take care of yourself and to
love the people around you.

"No matter how busy
you are, it you're too busy to
lend a hand to your friends
and your neighbors or your
town, there's something
wrong."

Learning to put appro-
priate emphasis on her pro-
fessional life and not letting
it overwhelm the rest, says
Carlson, is essential to her
own sense of success.
Carolyn Blunk is a freelance
writer living in Boston, Mass.

TAKEA
BREAK?

Ccnsukant Polly
Brooks Simpson '61

Option 1: Find a job
after high school or
college graduation.

Option 2: Go to college
or graduate school.

But Option 3? What is it?
Polly Brooks Simpson
has all sorts of answers. It's
her business.

The former social worker
and pri\'ate practice thera-
pist now consults with teens
and young adults who need
to fill in that proverbial
year-off.

Simpson is a prime re-
source for students looking
for a great way to delay col-
lege or take a break before
continuing university study
or pursuing graduate work,
or before "entering the real
world" of work.

She helps clients who
wish to live abroad, leam a
foreign language, do a com-
munity service project over-
seas or work on an environ-
mental project.

She gives direction to
students who simply say,
"I'm tired and I don't want
to go to school next year."

Simpson helps her cli-
ents explore their fantasies
and possible career paths,
then she researches and
recommends several options
which may include volun-
teer and internship opportu-
nities.

The payoff for Simpson:
watching transformation
among her clients who gain
confidence and self-esteem
or a new life direction dur-
ing their "sabbaticals."

TTie one problem,
Simpson finds, is that
sometimes she would like
to pursue the intriguing
options that she finds for
her clients. L.H.Goad

DIVERSE
COMMUNION

Pastor Gamett
Foster '64

\\ /hen the Rev.

V V Gamett Foster '64
peers from her pulpit into
her 225-member congrega-
tion she sees diversity
Anglo-Saxons, Africans,
African- Americans ,
Caribbeans. Among them
are high-powered Washing-
ton lobbyists. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency em-
ployees and at least 35 law-
yers. It's a crew, she says and
chuckles. And the chal-
lenge posed by this motley

membership at Takoma Park
Presbyterian Church m
Takoma Park, Md., says
Foster, their spiritual leader
of two years, is to help match
social commitment with
theological understanding.

In her sermons the ASC
English major and Princeton
Theological Seminary gradu-
ate tries to give parishioners
a new lens through which to
view the biblical text and
new ways of seeing life.

"One of my goals," says
Gamett, "is to develop a
community whose life in
the world flows out of
theological understanding."
L.H. Goad

LINDA, AGE 43

I don't want to come back here.

Because you hear crying at night of some of the women and you

know what the children are going through. They realize their dreams

just aren't coming tiiie. I still have lots of dreams.

JUST
LIKE

Photographer Laura
Sikes intended to
take candid photos
of life in the Moreland
Avenue sheker for
women. But she
If ^T^ ^l changed her mind. She decided
I I ^^^^ not to invade that private space.

^L^^J V^l Instead, she posted a sign-up sheet
for portraits and the following Sunday converted a small
dining room into a studio. By the time she had put up
the seamless and turned on the lights, a line of women
many with children ^filled the hallway. She saw
mothers combing their children's hair, women putting
on lipstick and Dorothy styling her wig. "I think of the
result as real intimate," says Sikes who later exhibited
the photos to help Atlanta's homeless. "I learned a lot
from those women, you know." 'W Women and
children are the fastest growing homeless population. In

CLYDE, AGE 81

"I used to stage
dance, tap, Charleston,
alldiat. Ballet.
Well, after a certain
age, I stopped 'cause I
done lived my life
and I know I can't live
nobody else's, so I
stopped that dancing.
I didn't want to die
dancing. I'd rather
die with a prayer Ln
my mouth."

PORTRAITS OF HOMELESS WOMEN BY LAURA SIKES

\;^''

DONNA WITH AMBER, 5, and VIRGINIA, 3

I've been a nurses' aide. A maid. A cook. I'm not afraid to work.

I've tried to get jobs and they tell me, 'I'm sorry we just don't think

you can handle it.' I need a job. I'm in a shelter but I want out.

My goals are to have my children and myself in our own home.

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SUMMER mi

response to that, concerned women like Sikes are get-
ting involved. '<^ "I can't walk out of the door and say
today I am going to end homelessness or world hunger,"
reasons Agnes Scott's assistant publications manager
Mary Alma Durrett. "But I can say I will fix dinner for
these six homeless families at the Trinity shelter." W
Durrett is one of several ASC staff and students whose
lives connect with those of the homeless as they prepare
meals and act as night directors at Trinity, one of
Atlanta's 14 shelters (providing 600 beds) for women
and children. Early one morning as Durrett helped a
young mother bundle up four kids hot with fever, she re-
members worrying. By 7 a.m. they would have to leave
the shelter and head into the cold. "Where do these
women go during the day?" Durrett wonders. "W "The
question that always rolls through my mind is how can I
address the larger issues of homelessness?" W Members
of the Agnes Scott community are dealing with that.
With nine women's organizations (including Atlanta's

DOROTHY,
FORMER
TEXTILE MILL
WORKER AND
MIGRANT
LABORER

"Before I came here, I
was living in my car
and sleeping in the
park. I'd like to have
my own apartment. I
really would. Or just a
little room with a little
hot plate and a shower.
That would be plenty
for me. 1 don't feel
sorry for myself and 1
don't want nobody else
feeling sorry for me."

" i

BECKY WITH ALEX, 2, AND DANIEL, 9 MONTHS

I work on the labor pool. I make $25 for eight hours;

sometimes I can make $15 or $20 for six hours. I'm glad I

got a place to stay. Most people ain't.

They be sleepin' outside in the cold. I have a roof over my head.

I mind my own business and stay out of trouble.

^NES SCOTT MAGAZINE MAY I'W

Junior League and
Women's Chamber of
Commerce) this year they
formed the Women Help-
ing Women Coalition to
build a Habitat for
Humanity house in
Atlanta's Reynoldstown.
'^ For months, ASC
Habitat chapter members
spent off-hours sanding,
nailing, painting and sell-
ing 250 Main tower-shaped
birdfeeders and President
Ruth Schmidt personally
donated $1,000 to raise
$5,000 toward construction
materials. W Then Saturday
after Saturday, volunteers

JEREANDHER

SON, DESMOND

"Tlie hardest thing is
not being able to come
home to a home like
your own private
apartment, and
Desmond and me we
sit down and have din-
ner and talk. I have to
talk to him more to get
him to realize things
will be better again one
day; he's like, every
day, 'Do you think

ill

we 11 move soon

MAKING A
HOUSE A HOME

Agnes Scott joined in
the Walkathon among
Women Helping
Women Coalition
volunteers to raise
money for the
Women's House
entirely funded and
built by women.

found themselves sloughing through mud and
rain to help Mary Brown build a home for her-
self and children Shakeivious, 9, and Johnny 3.
For this Women's House, even the construction
site supervisor was a woman, Habitat s Jeanne
Shorthouse. W Toward the end of a busy Satur-
day in April, Mary Brown in coveralls and large
dangly earrings draped an arm around the sup's
shoulder, squinted at her new house and smiled.
"It's gonna be pretty. I can see teal trim on the
front of the house. Can you see that, Jeannie?"
"ig From the beginning, all workers on the site
have been women, only. Among the 50 in
mauve paint-spattered jeans, boots and billed
caps that day was Pam Ruffin. Since 8 a.m., she
had installed insulation in the attic and crawl
space of the house. "Even though we may not
have experience in building," she said, "women
can do anything." Celeste Penningtxm

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE MAY/W.^

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Written by Jane Zanca
Illustrated hy Ralph Gilbert

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^"-^

SCRATCHING
OUTAMIN0-

Studies show co-education has not served women well. The women's
college advantage may be re-emerging, an idea whose time has come.

T}^ pictures of ill-fated Abelard
with Jus pupil ond lover Hehise
were drawn in the iduminated
initial letter of an ancient manu-
script, Historia Calamitatum.
This is the only medieval depic-
tion of Abelard. The face of ''
Hehise has been scratched out.

HELOISE AND ABELARU. Re-,"
member those tragic figures
of French literature and
medieval history, brought
together as a youthful, bril-
liant student and a renowned logician and
teacher. The tvvo became lovers. And tradi-
tion holds that for the indiscretion, both were
punished: he by castration, she by confine-
ment for life in a monastery, where she rose to

the position ot abbess. Is there not a signifi-
cant hole in the traditional interpretation of
this tragedy?

On the Richter scale of the 12th century', a
scandalous sexual relationship even one
involving clerics or bishops might register
about a two. TTiat translates to a raised eye-
brow, a titter behind one's hand, perhaps a
delay of hierarchical favors.

The education of women now there was
a shocking topic.

Teaching one's daughters in those days was
a private matter, carried out (if at all) in isola-
tion with a tutor or in the cloister of a con-
vent. Either setting sufficed to keep girls from
dipping into the currents of knowledge that
swirled through the 12th century. There was a
rationale for this, of course. Put simply,
women incited lust which men were incapable
of controlling. Therefore men perceived
women as antithetical to the pursuit of
knowledge.

That the union of Heloise and Abelard
began with an attraction to each other's

-:i3S^''

WOMEN'S COLLEGES

THE AMERICAN
SYSTEM OF
EDUCATION:
BREAKING WITH
CENTURIES OF
EXCLUSIONARY
TRADITION

THE 1700s

Settlers leave behind 1 8th
centw-y European traditions
that hold, as Jean Jacques
Rousseau put it, educating
women is important, as it is
relative to men: "To pkase
them, to be useful to them,
to make theinselves loved
and honored by them. . ."

1778

Happily, Rousseau dies .

TO THE
EARLY 1800s

Most teaching occurs at
home. Elementary class-
rooms open to boys and
^rls. (Young women are
wan\ed against reading ro'
mantic novels, believed to
cause overexcitement of
sexual organs and uterine
disease.)

Throughout the 1800s
America races westward.
Insatiable demand for teach-
ers to tame new frontier
contributes to birth a^^d
growth of women's colleges.

1821

Troy Female Seminary
opens . Founder Emma
Hart Willard has radical

minds, a shared excitement about learning
to the 12th century mind, that was not only
impossible, it was unthinkable.

NINE-HUNDRED YEARS LATER, the
world allows Heloise to go to school, but as
with her 12th century counterpart, it may not
take her education too seriously.

That this philosophy survives and that it
has a terrible impact on girls has finally been
documented.

One of the most recent reports, commis-
sioned by the American Association of Uni-
versity Women [AAUW] and compiled by the
Wellesley College Center tor Research on
Women from more than 1 ,000 publications
about girls and education (including hundreds
of research studies), charges that ignoring or
demeaning girls is a tradition central to the
American school system. Teachers pay less
attention to girls than hoys; some tests remain
biased against girls/women; some textbooks
ignore or stereotype women; sexual harass-
ment/stereotyping occurs, both from male
classmates and teachers.

Unfortunately this gender bias begins as
early as kindergarten and has far-reaching ef-
fects on women's self esteem and confidence,
on their work options and earning power. In
its latest analysis of the high school class of
1972, the U.S. Department of Education
found that while these women obtained
higher level educations than men, they had
not come close to achieving parity in the labor
market. Another report noted only seven of
33 major occupations did women earn pay
equal to that of men. Only one percent of top
corporate managers are female. A fomier sur-
geon general called the absence of women in
medical research "scandalous."

Explains Mary Williams-Norton, chair of
the physics department at Ripon College in
Wisconsin, m a Fortune magazine article, "Of-
ten girls' grades are based on low-level learn-
ing like memorization of fact. One reason that
girls don't achieve more later on is that they
don't get praised for independent thought,
creativity and higher order thinking."

For girls and women, co-education has
built fences where bridges to learning and op-
portunity should stand.

Still, for every fence the system builds,
there are Heloises who slip through. TTiey re-
tain a bright-eyed excitement about knowl-
edge, embrace learning as a lifelong lover.

These women create a lifestyle that fulfills
a deep need for growth arid personal mean-

ing whether it is in tending the hearth for a
family or spinning off predictions for the stock
market. Usually they can be spotted by the
trail of dust they raise, kicking up accomplish-
ment after accomplishment throughout
their lives.

WHO ARE THESE WOMEN ? Increasingly,
they are singled out as graduates of women's
colleges, institutions that empower women.
Says Ruth Schmidt, President of Agnes Scott
College, "A woman's college provides the
very environment which will enable women
to succeed."

Indeed, compared to women graduates of
co-ed colleges, graduates of women's colleges
are six times more likely to be on the boards of
Fortune 500 companies or to be named in
Business Week's list of outstanding corporate
women. Surveys by several groups have shown
that women's colleges produce a higher per-
centage of females with degrees in physical
science, life sciences, math, economics and
business. Nearly half of graduates from all-
female schools have advanced degrees. They
are twice as likely to pursue a doctorate.

Gtaduates of women's colleges are also
more likely to make inroads into traditionally
male jobs, and they place in those jobs at the
higher end of the pay scale. After establishing
a career path, median salary for graduates of
women's colleges is typically $8,000 more than
for women from co-ed campuses. Graduates
rarely regret their choice of an all-women's
college: 71 percent of women's college
alumnae say they would choose the same
college again.

This track record is more impressive in
light of how the educational system educates
girls, from the beginning. TTie AAUW notes
that in the traditional classroom, boys are en-
couraged to be ambitious, adventurous, curi-
ous; to ask questions, even to challenge au-
thority. Girls are rewarded for being neat, nice
and well-behaved. They learn not to ask ques-
tions or challenge assumptions. Soon they are
barely seen, much less heard.

Day after day, school year after school year,
the two different messages are reinforced, and
girls begiii to lose faith in themselves.

THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE may be a first
chance, as well as a last chance, to break the
mold of 12 or more years as a second-class citi-
zen. Single-sex colleges, according to author
Alexander Astin (in his analysis of college
environments in Four Ctitical Years), provide

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE St'MMER /!

more positive patterns: "Students become
more academically involved, interact with
faculty' frequently, show large increases in in-
tellectual self-esteem," he writes.

Victor Wilson, assistant dean of students at
Agnes Scott, also notes that this single-sex
college experience challenges the status quo:
"Here I don't see the societal notion to pam-
per women, the 'We'll take care you, little
lady' type of thing. Here, the little lady can
take care of herself."

TTiere are many implications in taking care
of oneself. In the classroom, it rules out the
possibility of receivfng an Agnes Scott educa-
tion as a spectator It means that instructors
will invite or demand participation. "When 1
see a student playing with her hair instead of
answering the question, 1 tell her there is no

right or wrong answer, but 1 want to know
what she thinks," says Donna Sadler, associate
professor of art.

After a lifetime of being ignored, it can be
a shock especially when those infamous
Agnes Scott tirst-term grades come out
to find that the instructor took one's work
seriously.

To foster gender equity really means
"equippmg our graduates so they can compete
in the larger world, and that means not spoon-
feeding them, not giving them special courses
'designed for women,' but gi\'ing them the
kind of courses that equip them to meet the
standards of the larger world," says Richard D.
Parr\', F.E. Callaway Professor or of Philosophy.
"My own \'iew is, my role in the classroom is
to be tough and demanding. Challenging."

t is noted in a re-
cently released
Carnegie Foun-
dation study,
. College: The
Undergraduate Experiei-ice
in America, that in co-
educational settings, men
talk more and what they
say carries more weight. (A consistent finding
in research spanning 20 years is that this kind
of activity begins early: boys call out answers
eight times more frequently than girls in lower
grades.) Patterns of college classroom interac-
tion, with the emergence of leaders and fol-
lowers, are set very early in the term.

"In many classrooms, women are overshad-
owed. Even the brightest women students
often remain silent."

The training to be silent is difficult
to undo.

Although experiences in the Agnes Scott
environment vary, some women remam quiet,
reflects Elizabeth Cherry '95. "In my classes
here, the students are less outspoken than
those in my high school classes," she says. "We
[at Agnes Scott] tend to be more quiet. . . .
When competing with women, I don't want
to win. I would prefer a tie."

It is interesting that Cherry's latter observa-
tion encapsulates another of the AAUW's

findings: girls' approaches to learning are dif-
ferent from boys', and these difterences are
ignored in the traditional classroom. Girls
tend to learn better in groups, says the report,
with the group shaping multiple solutions in-
stead of the one "right" answer that boys tend
to pursue.

Girls tend to identify personally with a sub-
ject, to be careful listeners, to depend on expe-
riential logic behind ideas, notes Nancy Gold-
berger of the Fielding Institute. In classrooms
where adversarial debate reigns, says
Goldberger in a Phi Delta Kappan interview,
girls fall silent.

Comparing teaching experiences at
Harvard University and Agnes Scott College,
Christine Cozzens, assistant professor of En-
glish and director of women's studies, noted
these distinctions, as well, and found them so
unnerving that she never felt she was fully
prepared for class (see following story).

Ginger Patton-Schmitt '89 has taken a
sobering inventory of such distinctions during
her first-year law study at the University of
Georgia Law School: "All first-year law
students take the same curriculum. Only one-
third of law students are female. All of my sub-
stantive courses are taught by men. ... It has
been a much different environment." She and
two past and present classmates, Vanessa Elliot
'92 and Amy Bridwell '92, have compared

approach. She tal<es girb
seriously. To sorrxe parents'
hoTTOT, she emphasizes
mathematics aivi physiology.

1828'

JACKSONIAN

YEARS

Conce|)t ()/ educutum jor all
(White) children emerges
via the move to give the vote
to all (White) men, re-
gardless of property' owner-
ship. Although slavery laws
forbid education, a few Afri-
can-American women con-
duct schools in Louisiaiia,
South Caroliivj, Georgia.

1833

Oberlin founded, first as a
seminary, later as college.
Open to persons of all races
and either sex, Oberlin
takes education of women
seriously.

1834

Wheaton College founded.

1837

Mount Holyoke College
fowvied.

1847

Society of Friends
Established Earlham College.

1849

Overcoming continuous
znsuits and sexual overtures ,
EUzaheth Stone Blackwell
becomes first woman physi-
cian in U.S., graduating at
the head of an otherwise all-
male class.

WOMEN'S COLLEGES

1852

Mills College founded.

1861

Vassar College founded.

THE 1860s

First free high schools for
girls open in Boston and
Philadelphia.

MID' TO
LATETSOOs

Women organize around
shared interests in sewing,
reading, Bible study; discus-
sions soon take up issues of
slavery, temperance,
women's rights, employment
ar\d unionization. This
makes men nervous.

1869

Chatham College founded.

1870

Welksky College founded.

1875

Smith College the first to
be endowed by a woman
opens. Entrar\ce standards
equal those of contemporary
men's colleges; require
Greek ar\d Latin.

1880

Bryn Mawr College
founded.

impressions and believe one professor ha-
rangues women, to see if they can hold up un-
der pressure. "If I had not had my Agnes Scott
College foundation, I could not have held my
own so well," concludes Patton-Schmitt.

President Ruth Schmidt believes that vital
to empowering women is the quality and tim-
ing of the intervention. "The undergraduate
years are a crucial time in women's lives," she
says. "They are deciding with whom they want
to spend their lives, what their careers will
be. Women's colleges provide an opportunity
to step outside of a sexist society during
that period."

President Schmidt points out that, because
the underlying premise of a women's college is
that women are valuable, such colleges have
been tuned in to the changing needs of
women and offer an environment where
women are the discussion leaders, the inno-
vators, the student body leaders, the star
scholars.

Nancy Duggan Childers Lansing '83 be-
lieves that Agnes Scott provides excellent
preparation for effecting needed change. Lan-
sing, director of communications for the Boy
Scouts of America Atlanta Area Council, suc-
cinctly describes her setting as male-domi-
nated. "There have been times in my work
that 1 have had to be very patient in waiting
for gender biases to dissolve," she says. Learn-
ing to be open-minded and forthright and
learning to articulate ideas are among the
most valuable lessons she learned at Agnes
Scott. "If [a woman] is intimidating or defen-
sive, she will never communicate her pur-
pose," warns Lansing.

IN SPITE OF ALL that women's colleges of-
fer, since the 1960s enrollment for many has
languished (with 600 students, Agnes Scott
has been holding its own). Worse, the number
of women's colleges has dropped dramatically,
from 298 in the early 1960s, to 1 10 in 1981 ,
and now, to 84 and counting.

Primarily for financial reasons, many have
opened their enrollment to men, thus relin-
quishing something, if not all, of their unique
identity. How deeply that identity can be
cherished was made clear in May 1990, when
the Board of Trustees at Mills College in Oak-
land, California, besieged by financial woes,
announced that it would admit undergraduate
men. As the trustees soon learned, the danger
of teaching women to lead is that they will.

From May 3-18, students and alumnae shut
down the campus in protest. It was, as the

Mills Quarterly termed it, "A Very Civil Dis-
obedience"; nevertheless, it had teeth. With
wide media coverage, support for the protest
poured in from all over the country. Women
at St. Catherine's College in Minnesota sent a
box containing locks of their hair as a sign of
unity. On May 18th, the Trustees relented.

For similar reasons, Wheaton College
opened its doors to men. President Schmidt
has taken a special interest in the progress of
events there. She explains: "1 taught at Mary
Baldwin in the '50s I didn't catch on to the
real advantages of women's colleges at that
time. It wasn't until the late 60s and early 70s,
the years of the women's movement, that I
became aware. 1 chose Wheaton because 1 felt
that it was possible to incorporate into the
curriculum there, the findings of the new re-
search on women." Wistfully, she adds:
"Wheaton should have downsized a little
and stayed female. ... It isn't the same there
any more."

HAS AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE ever seri-
ously discussed going co-ed? President
Schmidt affirms that the topic was raised at
the time of the centennial celebration, mainly
because the centennial seemed an appropriate
milestone for thoroughly reviewing everything
about the college. She has since "left the door
open" to discussing the topic at other, appro-
priate times, and has always been surprised
that it doesn't come up. "Certainly, we'll be
the last one to go, if they all go," she says.

Now, nearing the turn of another century,
women seem to be looking, once again, at the
value of a women's college education. USA
Today reports that 1993 applications at
Wellesley College are up 1 1 percent, Barnard's
are up 13.7 percent. Smith, 10 percent.
Spelman College in Atlanta enrollment is
holding steady this year, but only after a
thunderous 92 percent increase between 1986
and 1991.

Why this renewed interest in women's
colleges?

In part, it may be that women are reading
between the lines. Studies show that women
are three times as likely to earn a baccalaure-
ate degree in the life sciences, physical sci-
ences and mathematics at a women's college
than at a coeducational institution. The per-
centage of majors in economics, math and the
life sciences is higher in women's colleges than
it is for men at coeducational colleges. (Only
two institutions of any size in the country
have more graduates in physics than does Bryn

ACNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SUMMER IWi

Mawr, according to a spokesperson for the
Women's College Coalition [WCC], Wash-
ington, D.C.)

A surs'ey hy WCC found that a significant
number of women candidates in the 1992

elections were graduates of women's colleges.
It is apparently not lost on women that Hillary
Rodham Clinton likely to become one of
the most forceful women ever on the Ameri-
can political scene is a Wellesley graduate.

..^

* V

acting already on a

key conclusion of
, the AAUW
^ study, which is
that teachers give a

disproportionate
amount of encouragement and attention to
male students and must he made aware of
what that does to girls in the classroom. Once
educators see what they're doing, they become
"like converts," highly motivated to recreate
the system, says the AAUW. In addition to its
carefully nurtured philosophy and active, on-
going discussions of women's issues, Agnes
Scott College has initiated efforts specifically
targeted to teachers. One of these is focus of
the new Master's in the Art of Teaching de-
gree (see iiar^, page 16).

Another is a research program offered
during the summers of 1991 and 1992 for area
high school science teachers and a select
few of their female students. Called SHARP!
Women (for Student Honors Association
Research Program), it links participants with
faculty members and students from Agnes
Scott's own science departments, for the pur-
pose of collaborating on laboratory research.
TTie SHARP! Women program could not be
more timely or more appropriately targeted.
One of the most potent lessons that young
women have internalized from the school sys-
tem is that boys are rewarded for math and
science endeavors, but girls aren't.

The consequent exclusion of half of the
nation's population from these disciplines im-
poses very high human, social and cultural
costs. Individually, young women who avoid
science and math exclude themselves from 75
percent of all science majors.

Says Sue V. Rosser, author of Female

Friendly Science, "These are the majors leading
to many of the higher paying jobs in our tech-
nological society."

Both the Master of Arts in Teaching
[MAT] Secondary English and the
SHARPIWomen program will have to work
quickly, because the United States faces immi-
nent mindpower shortages. Both the Office of
Technology Assessment and the National Sci-
ence Foundation are alarmed at the severe
shortage of American-trained scientists that
the country will face by the late 1990s. That's
just one college generation away. We also face
teacher shortages.

AS WAS TRUE IN HELOISE'S TIME, it is
true in the closing years of the 20th century
that civilization will flourish in proportion to
how well and how thoroughly each indi-
vidual man and woman flourishes. One of
the most poignant anecdotes in A World With-
out Women by David F. Noble reveals how
powerful are the historical and cultural under-
currents that shape individuals and society
today. He describes an illuminated manuscript
of Abelard's autobiographical Historia
Calamitatum , which belonged to Petrarch. "A
portrait of the ill-fated couple was drawn in
the illuminated initial at the first of the text,
providing the only medieval representation of
Abelard," he writes. "The face of Heloise has
been scratched out."

It boggles the mind to contemplate how
many present-day problems might have been
solved centuries ago if the human race
had cherished the intellect and talents of
its women.

For women wanting to do their part, and
contemplating a choice of colleges. President
Schmidt offers a cue from the example set by
African- American colleges; "You will flourish
where you are believed in."

Zanca '83 is a writer for the American Cancer
Society, Atlanta, GA.

1881

Spelnmn College founded.

1889

Agnes Scott fonruied, first
as a semiitary, then as a
women's college.

1901

Sweet Briar College opens .

1919

B}! his oun survey, Frank
H. Gaines, first president of
Agnes Scott College, con-
servatively estimates the
number of current college
women in the United States
at 250,000.

1921

Orie year after women gain
the vote, Gaines asserts that
"All vocations are open to
women."

1921 TO THE
PRESENT

Educated women try to
make Gaines' words
come true.

1960s

Total number of women's
colleges begins to drop
from 298.

1967

Yale and Vassar negotiate a
merger with little opposition
fromVassar women. Look-
ing back on this period, a

WOMEN'S COLLEGES

A CONSPIRACY
"OF IGNORANCE

Culture, laws and tradition have

worked against women's education.

Yet a few enlightened minds have

illuminated the path toward today s success.

<'i;

member ufVassar's last all-
female class notes that the
integrity of the college had
been surrendered fry its em-
ploying a predomimintly
inale faculty with unenlight-
ened perspectives on
women.

1971

An article m the Agites
Scott student Profile reports
that Chatham College de-
clines to admit men . In

To the ears of tLim-of-the-20th-
century women's, Jean Jacques
Rousseau's declaration that
they should be educated for
their roles in relation to men
invokes all the pleasure of a dentist drill. In
the context of his time, however, it was quite
radical to propose that women should be
educated at all.

The message of history seems to be that
girls and women have always had their
noses pressed against the window panes of
education.

According to a new work by David F.
Noble, professor of history at York Univer-
sity, Toronto, this wasn't always so. Noble
confirms what I have always suspected that
in studying history, we look upon a pounding
surf. We see only what is tossed to the surface
by the force of the waves. Because we can't

see the undercurrents, any interpretations we
make of the seascape are distorted by what we
don't know and can't see.

In A World WithoutWomen: The Christian
Clerical Culture of Western ScieiKC, Noble
tosses us into the currents ot women's attempts
to be educated, despite religious traditions,
laws and cultural forces that conspired to en-
force their ignorance.

In early Christianity, says Noble, equality
of women was basic belief that was fostered in
many ways. He cites the existence of double
monasteries as evidence that, throughout
Christian history until the Middle Ages, there
was a serious and durable attempt for men and
woflien to relate as equals and to bond as fel-
low seekers of leartmg. Because the inhabit-
ants ot these monasteries were separated by
sex and committed themselves to celibacy,
they circumvented the usual pitfalls of rela-
tionships between men and women. Thus,
they were set free to relate, to become
friends as did St. Francis and St. Claire
and together, to achieve great things.

What rides atop the waves is that the
double monasteries faltered. In the undercur-
rents, we find that they rose again and again
from time to time, right into the 20th century,
when the Shakers established double monas-
teries in the United States.

Noble believes that the ideal of equality
came under attack when, in the Middle Ages,
the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of
Eden, was reinterpreted. In early Christianity,
loss of the Garden of Eden represented the loss
of free will. In the Middle Ages, a revision of

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE S(lMMERIn

the interpretation cast Eve (and ultimately, all
women) as a t_e_mptress and a distraction from
learning. In this version, Adam was also re-
duced. He became a slave to his lust.

It was at this same time, notes Noble, the
institutions of learning forged an unholy alli-
ance with militarism, creating a rather strange
but nevertheless functional creature: the
learned man with a lust for conquest. Univer-
sity' students (all male, of course) were encour-
aged to be verbally combative in the class-
room and physically rowdy elsewhere.

There was little room for women in the
world that de\'eloped from this alliance.
Lacking education, women were excluded
from nearly everything that had meaning in
their culture.

Nevertheless, Noble indicates that many
girls and women fought for every scrap of
learning they could grasp. If they were so for-
tunate, an enlightened father or uncle might
provide a tutor, usually with the stem admoni-
tion that it was unseemly for women to show
oft what they knew.

Lacking a tutor or other formal education,
women often tapped into vital networks that
they had established among themselves.
Noble provides ample lists to show that there
have been learned and accomplished women
throughout time. His lament is that it was
against this backdrop that the tenets of
Western science were formulated. As he
concludes, the exclusion of women from
science resulted in concepts of science that
were only half-human.

It was this burden of history that was
packed into caskets and trunks and loaded
onto the ships that brought settlers to the
New World. Had there been a Holiday Inn at
Plymouth Rock, the traditions might have
held, but the shores of the new continent were
no place for rigid traditions or fainting ladies.
Women's roles were redefined from day to day,
depending on how many trees had to be
cleared, whether a suitable source of water had
been found, and how many men still survived
after epidemics, raids and injuries.

These upheavals in roles continued into
the settlement of the West. As Lillian
Sclhissel says in Women's Diaries of the West-
ward Journey, "Whether the issue was riding

astride instead of sidesaddle, or wearing trou-
sers when riding or working, or driving teams
of cattle, the frontier continually expanded
the work assigned to women." Sclhissel sug-
gests that it was because of the backbreaking
work that women determined to see their
daughters educated, thus gaining an easier lite.

Tlie frontier presented a uniquely volatile
and at times amorphous situation. In this new
country, geniuses and crackpots had an equal
shot at founding a town or writing the laws.
A lot of ideas that couldn't get off the ground
in the mother country coasted like seagulls in
America. Quaker ladies spoke their minds in
meetings and set out to educate girls and black
people. Men who had been in debtor's prison
in England became ranchers holding grand
stakes. In the midst of all this, the notion of
hiring women to teach the burgeoning popu-
lation of children didn't seem very radical. In
fact, it seemed a great idea, because unedu-
cated women could be paid much less than
men with college degrees.

It soon became evident that the premise of
low salaries for women was going to work, but
the lack of proper education made a very un-
satisfactory teacher. In response to the need
for competent teachers, women's colleges were
bom. Agnes Scott was one of these, though it
was a latecomer, established at the end of a
century that was ablossom with new colleges
for women (see "Time/me"). For its location in
the South, however, it was right on time. In
1921, Frank H. Gaines, first president of
Agnes Scott College, wrote, "Year after year
[Agnes Scott College] has sent out its gradu-
ates to be teachers. For several years it has
been impossible to supply the demand for
its graduates."

Of course, as with the other colleges,
teaching was but one focus at Agnes Scott.
Women graduates, said Gaines, were found "in
all the 'learned professions,' in almost every
sphere of human activity, and more than two-
thirds of them are found in three spheres, the
home, teaching and religious work." Those three
spheres circumscribe a safe and well-defined
world, but it appears that Gaines wanted
a much larger territory for Agnes Scott
women perhaps a whole world, one in
which women would be included. Thus, he
simply declared it so: "All vocations are open
to women." Jane Zanca

another article , Beatie
Diviiie '72 moans, "VChy
is there only one woman
senator out of a total of
one hundred!"

1985

Harvard study shows that
male students domituite
cLx^sroom discmsiom,
hut when insvnictors arc
women, fetnale students talk
three times as much as when
men are teaching.

1989

Though women have beeri
the spine of American
primary and secorvkiry
education for a century aivl
a half, natiomvide only
13.6% of full professors
are women.

1990

Citing fiiiancial difficidties .
the Board of Trustees at
Milk College votes to accept
men and quickly finds that
the danger of teaching
women to lead is that they
will lead. Students arid
alumiiae shut the campus
down and drum up in-
aeased fiiwncial support
from donors. Humbled, the
trustees reverse themselves.

1991

Nationwide, only 12% of
college and university presi-
dents are women.

1993

Tu'eni^i-two years since
Beatie Diiine's plea about
female representation in the
Senate , four female senators
serve on Capitol Hill.

WOMEN'S COLLEGES

Agnes Scott's new MAT
program is designed to assure
student graduates will become
teachers who are role modeb
sensitive to the benefits of
"genderless" education. B31
helping to create a teaching
corps aware of gender stereo-
types, ASC moves the profes-
sion toward an era in which
no one will be able ever again
to scratch out the faces of the
Heloises of the future .

ENLIGHTENING
TEACHERS

Through MAT, ASC provides vital model for teaching.

One irony of the report released by the
American Association of University
Women [AAUW] is that in most
instances, the "chilly" classroom environment
that silences girls has been, in large measure,
created and nurtured by teachers and most
of these teachers have been women. Could
gender-based expectations and behavioral
norms have been so internalized by girls that,
as adults, they repeat and reinforce these pat-
terns?

If this is so, changing the classroom must
begin with enlightening the teacher. Indeed,
this is one of the AAUWs conclusions.

From its founding, Agnes Scott College has
provided a vital model for the concept of
teaching. At the dedication of Agnes Scott
Hall, John Scott, the son of Agnes Irvine
Scott (for whom the college is named), de-
scribed cherished memories that turned en-
tirely on his mother's efforts to educate her
children: "Her early education had awakened
in her the love of the true and the beautiful;
hence, the first of all books to her was the

Bible; and after this, and her devotional
books, she appreciated Shakespeare and
Bums."

In response to nationwide demand in the
late 19th century and throughout the 20th
century, the college has produced its share of
teachers, always regarding the field with re-
spect and demanding the same high standards
of academic and professional performance that
were demanded in other programs. More im-
portant, Agnes Scott has traditionally been
very choosey about who stands at the head of
its classrooms. As writing is emphasized across
the curriculum, the art of teaching has always
been emphasized across all departments.

BECAUSE OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES,
Agnes Scott College is uniquely qualified to
address the deficits described in the AAUW
report. The Master of Arts in Teaching Sec-
ondary English program is just one year old. It
seems unfair to thrust upon this neophyte the
task of changing thousands of years of gender
inequities, but Ruth Bettendorf, Ph.D., associ-
ate dean of the college and director of gradu-
ate studies, feels that the program is ready to
take up the challenge. A sourcebook of infor-
mation on gender bias has been developed for
student use, and Bettendorf anticipates that
faculty will reference it as well.

"Information on gender bias will be incor-
porated into the classroom," she says. "We're
providing information that is sorely needed by
teachers. Our goal is to make them aware of
how their reactions to students affect other
students, male or female. It begins with aware-
ness." The MAT program will make use of the
AAUW's consciousness-raising video, "Short-
changing Girls."

As an instructor of writing in the program,
Christine Cozzens plans to overlap or recreate
teaching techniques that encourage the broad-
est range of student participation possible.

"De-centering the classroom is important,"
she says. "Working together to solve problems
and a collaborative approach are methods that
encourage the skills that girls and women
bring to education." ]ar\e Zanca

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SUMMER 1993

APPLES ARK

Collector/historian Mary Apple '67 traveled to Eastern Europe

to finei the origin of "American" antique arks B}i Celeste Penmngtxm

t an antiques show in Connecticut, Mary' Audrey Mitchell
Apple '67, a collector of American folk art, finally found
it. Noah's ark. It was 13 inches long with a sliding panel

door. Out of its old hull spilled more than 100 hand-carved
and painted wooden animals. For less scholarly collectors, the search might have
ended with the acquisition. But doubts nagged Apple (whose history degree is from
Agnes Scott) as she tried to \'erif^' the ark's origin. ^^;

Camels, birds, giraffes and
aR manner of beast few
larger dvm an inch or two in
/leigfit tumbled out of the
ark Mary Audrey Apple's
toy ark. Her quest for learn-
ing the ark's origin led the
ASC ahimnae on three trips
behind the Iron Curtain.

APPLE'S ARK: A SCHOLAR'S VOYAGE

Apple smiles.
In die world
of American
antiques, her
research stirs
controversy.

Apple's granddau^ter Betsy
doesn't get many opportunities
to play uith the ark's figures .
But the ark itself has become
a symbol of Apple's hopes for
the youngster: "I want her to
be able to interact in other
cultures to speak the lan-
guage, to eat the food, to know
the people and their souls."

Professional curiosity led her to a major
folk art museum in Williamsburg, Va. Among
the authoritative writings on such American
artifacts, she was surprised to find very little
original research: "Basically everyone copied
ever^'one else." After her search at the Abby
Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Apple
laments, "I had no more information." She did
have an educated hunch, however the real
voyage of her child-sized ark might be traced
to Europe.

"It became my goal not to copy what
everyone else had said."
Apple, well-spoken and dressed in a
polished, European-looking suit and hat,
'''- smiles a little mischievously. In the world of
antiques, she admits, "I am very controversial."

Eventually Apple made three trips behind
the Iron Curtain, beginning in Dresden and
then Seiffen, in former East Germany (near
the Czech border), to learn the truth. Her
findings were published in several periodicals
including the December 1991 issue of the slick
Antiques magazine. And if Apple's research
forever changed the way American collectors
perceive their toy arks, the experience also
radically changed her own global view.

"At different times," she notes, "things
happen that turn your life around."

APPLE'S QUEST began in earnest when she

took a sabbatical from her job as head librar-
ian at the lower school of The Westminster
Schools in Atlanta and set out for Eastern
Europe.

After trying unsuccessfully to obtain a visa
she went, alone, to the border of East Ger-
many with her handwritten invitation from
Manfred Bachmann, a high level official in
the communist art world working in Dresden.
On instructions, she approached a particular
guard gate and waited to see "if the political
winds were blowing in the right direction"
so that she might enter the country on a
one-day pass.

Without incident, she crossed the border.

At the appointed time she met with
Bachmann who welcomed her.

"An analogy would be if a fanatic of the
Civil War Battle of Kennesaw Mountain came
to Georgia from Europe to do research." She
laughs. "Bachmann turned out to be this won-
derful, grandfatherly man. He showered me
with books from his collection [he had written
20 books on the subject]."

He also made the
contacts necessary
for her to proceed
with her investiga-
tion. "This is a serious
researcher, do what-
ever she wants," he
instructed colleagues.
That seemed like a fantasy, she says: "I was
under the umbrella of Bachmann 's protection."

Apple freely explored villages and muse-
ums in the toymaking regions of Germany and
Italy and began to draw her own conclusions
about the ark's murky past.

She learned that s a result of a faltering
mid- 19th century economy based on agricul-
ture and coal, the countryside surrounding the
Zschopau and Hora rivers (including the vil-
lages of Seiffen, Olbemhau, Walkirchen,
Grunhainichen, Heidelberg and Hallbach)
emerged as a worldwide center for toy ark pro-
duction and distribution.

Ark-making grew as a cottage industry (de-
scribed as proto-industrialization or outside
the factory system). One group cut the wood.
Another sliced and painted the animals. An-
other painted the arks. Often family members
worked together to produce the animals
even children could sand the figures, glue on
ears, horns and tails. A family of six might
produce six thousand animals a week and
deliver them to the Olbemhau warehouses for
final assembly.

.AGNES SCOTT M.A.G.^ZINE SLfXlMER 1993

Unique to the Erzgebirge region was a
method tor cutting many animals from a
single ring-shaped section of wood, thus
pro\'iding a cheap and ahundant source of
small figures. (Apple learned tliat by 1851,
these "ring-turned" animals were included in
an illustration of Heinrich Hoffman's story,
Koenig Nl^ss1^acker und der drrnc Reinhold, even-
tually the basis for Pyotr lllich Tchaikovsky's
Nutcracker Suite.) This time- and
wood-saving process allowed
wholesalers to assemble and
export thousands of sets of
Erzgebirge arks through the
1 9th and early 20th centuries
along routes to England, Spain,
Russia, Mexico and the United
States.

Thirough catalogs she traced
export of the arks from Germany
"into the United States, into the
nurseries ot children."

With the ark mystery solved, Apple re-
turned home from the sabbatical with plans
for a bicycling tour of Germany. Instead she
contracted encephalitis and suftered some
brain damage. "It took a year to get the
noodles back. That was also a turning point in
my life. . . .

"1 had two choices. I decided to go back to
my history. 1 had the skills, the mind-frame of
the historian."

INTELLECTUAL PURSUITS have re-
mained constant throughout Apple's life jour-
ney, although she chose no straight career or
education paths.

After two years at Scott (at age 19), she
married, moved with husband Jim to Michi-
gan and enrolled for her junior year at Michi-
gan State University. "The education 1 was
getting there did not compare to what 1 had
before. We saved every penny so 1 could re-
turn to Agnes Scott." But education did not
end with an ASC graduation.

"1 have never, never stopped going to
school."

With each of her husband's career moves,
Apple juggled babies (two sons), career and
education: a master's of library sciences from
the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and
a master's in education from Spalding College,
Louisville, with continuing work in German
and Dutch languages and computer science.
She also participated in the 1991 Scholar's
Program at the Winterthur Museum, and now
is studying comparative history of labor, tech-

nology' and industrialization in her home away
from home Heusden, Holland.

Her career has taken some interesting turns,
from parochial school librarian to weaver and
fairy tale teller to librarian at Westminster to
guest curator in the Erzgebirgisches Spielzeug
Museum, a toy museum in Seififen, Germany.

"My generation had these boundaries, mar-
riage and family that we chose and treasured.
We also had this intellectual energy. At Agnes
Scott we were told that you don't have to shut
ofr that energy.

"Tlie Gennans have a word for it:
lehemlustig. Life-love."

THIS LEBENSLUSTIG now
embraces Apple's grandchild
Betsy and a growing circle of
internationals. While in Ger-
many, Apple visited schools
and antique shops collect-
ing acquaintances from an elderly man who
was once a Nazi youth, to children who were
students in the 1 1 English classes she taught
there. "I was always making connections with
schools. 1 was the first American that many of
these kids had known."

Apple's own intercultural experience has
continually pushed the limits of her under-
standing of education. "Even though 1 had my
doubts at first," she admits, "now 1 feel so
strongly about the direction that Agnes Scott
is taking with its emphasis on international
experiences and diversity.

"It was interesting to hear the European
people talk about what is happening now. We
in America have had our share of the pie and
more. We don't understand. There is pressure
from the East to have a piece of this pie. We
can no longer protect our 'Buckhead world.' It
exists only in pockets and it cannot exist much
longer. . . ."

After a brief holiday stay in Atlanta, Apple
returns to the home she has made in Holland.
The opportunities to voyage from continent to
continent and move freely among peoples of
many cultures is a dream she now holds for
little Betsy.

"1 want my granddaughter to be able to go
into a village in Africa or into an Eastern Bloc
country, to be able to interact, to feel at home.
1 want her to be able to walk the streets of
Czechoslovakia, to speak the language, to eat
the food, to know the people and their souls.

"The only chance for my granddaughter to
cope and survive in this world," believes
Apple, "is to have that kind of education."

"My generation
had boundaries and
intellectual energy.
At Agnes Scott
we were told that
you don't have to
shut off diat
energy. The
German word for
it is lebemlnstig.
Life-love."

APPLE'S ARK: A SCHOLAR'S VOYAGE

A MATTER
OF DEGREES

By Mary Alma EXirrett

For almost 20
years now, non-
traditional age
students have
found a niche in
ASC s Return-To-
College Program

For more weekends in 1992 than she'd
hke to count, Karen Reed '95 found
herself at a grocery cash register, key-
ing in the prices while tr\'ing to
ignore the pain of her swollen ankles. Reed,
hell-bent on completing a college degree she
began 15 years ago, will hurdle any obstacle to
achieve her dream.

After two marriages, two divorces, three
children and a five-year stint in the U.S. Air
Force, this fast-talking Lithonia, Ga. native
came home to re-group and pursue the degree
that had eluded her. "1 had given enough time
to marriages," says the 34-year-old Reed. "It
was time to go back to the original plan."

In 1991, Reed enrolled in Agnes Scott's
Retum-To-CoUege (RTC) program.

Designed for women of non-traditional age
(average is 37) who want to earn a college
degree, the RTC program is almost 20 years
old. Most live off-campus and, like Reed, rear
families.

As one of the 100 Agnes Scott RTCs
(ranging in age from 25 to 84 years), Reed is
halfway through the course work for a biology
degree, and moving toward her ultimate goal,
an M.D. "I want to be the physician who
works with the people. The dirt>', the poor, the
messy, the whole bunch."

Reed is focused: she has completed an
extemship in medical technology at Atlanta-
area hospitals and an internship at Grady Hos-
pital. Recently, she has been working as a
pharmacy technician in a federal penitentiary.

Her constant challenge is to manage moth-
ering, studying, participating in an internship
and working 30 hours a week. Reed lives with
her three children and her mother.

REED'S HECTIC SCHEDULE is not unlike
other RTCs, who represent almost 1 7 percent
of Agnes Scott's student body (up from 6 per-
cent just 10 years ago). The average RTC
maintains a 2.9 a grade/point average, has
school-aged (or younger) children, and works
part-time. Many RTCs had started college

after high school, then dropped out to marry,
bear children and/or work. Some have experi-
enced divorce or the loss of a spouse. Some
have adult children. Others care for aging par-
ents or support dependent children.

They handle complex personal responsi-
bilities (and initial anxieties about stepping
back into academia) to become a stable, com-
mitted student population. The RTC reten-
tion rate is higher than that of traditional-age
students, explains Stephanie Balmer, assistant
director of admission, responsible for RTC
recruitment. "Some have wanted to return to
college for 1 5 years and some have to walk
through fire to get through college."

"I have known RTCs who were nurses,
who worked 24 hours on the weekend so that
they are free to study and attend classes during
the week," notes Kathy Monturo '92 of
Lilbum, an RTC graduate who conducted a
senior-year independent study of the "Effects
of Returning to College on Non-Traditional
Age Women."

"When they get here, these women are
very focused," continues Monturo, a soft-spo-
ken Brooklyn, N.Y., native who moved At-
lanta in 1979. "They know what they want,
they just don't always know how to get it.
Some adult students must limit the hours they
work and that limits their financial resources."
Others give up the paycheck.

Monturo discovered that demands of study
affect relationships with parents, spouse, chil-
dren and friends. "One major question for the
adult learner is whether the time, eftort and
sacrifice are going to pay off. Truly, the older
student comes to the classroom with more
than just a burning desire to learn."

Florence Hardney-Hinds, a December '92
graduate, agrees. "I had to decide on a field of
study that was marketable. I asked myself what
I could do. I had always been a volunteer,
teaching adults to read, organizing projects for
Jamila's [her daughter] school." Teaching
emerged, the natural choice.

An easygoing 45-year-old, Hardney-Hinds

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SLIMMER !<)"

enrolled in ASC's fledgling Master of Arts in
Teaching program and also student teaches in
DeKalb County's Open Campus, an acceler-
ated high school program for special students.

Her own return to college (she first en-
rolled in the mid-1960s) was nudged by her
daughter's move into adolescence. "I had been
very devoted to her and realized that I might
[be trying] to live a life I hadn't had, through
her. I didn't want to be consumed by that."

REALIZING A LIFELONG DREAM is how
Sandi Harsh, a junior English major and secre-

tary ot ASC's annual fund office, describes her
return to college. "The program seemed to be
tailor-made for me." Harsh began a degree at
the University of South Carolina after high
school, but dropped out to marry. She traveled
with her husband and two daughters to Ken-
tucky and eventually moved to Atlanta, her
husband's home, where she became a success-
ful real estate agent. Yet her desire to return to
the classroom persisted. NX/hen the Atlanta
real estate market bottomed out, she says,
"That really made me think this was the best
time to pursue my education."

To be an in RTC stiuknt,
Karen Reed must maintain a
disciplined life: every Tuesday
and Thursday morning after
seeing her children off to school,
Reed walks or catches a ride to
the bus stop, then transfers to a
hAARTA train at Avol^dale to
reach the Decatur station.
From there she walks to cam-
pus. She's careful iiot to sched-
ule classes before 9:25 a.m.
and she tries to finish her studies
before returning home to help
the children with theirs. On
Monday, Wednesday and Fri-
day, she works at the pharmacy
from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

THE RETURN-TO-COLLEGE PROGRAM

This quick self'pi)rtrait by
Susan Buckley '93 became an
affirmation oj her new career
direction. A 50'y ear-old RTC
student and Phi Beta Kappa
who ran on ASC's cross
country track team, Buckley
hopes to pursue an advanced
degree in psychology and a
career in art therapy.

Starting over was not easy. "At 18 I didn't
have any anxiety about going away to school
but 1 did when 1 came here," confesses the
47-year-old Harsh. "1 was concerned that I
had forgotten what 1 learned before or that I
had so few prerequisite courses that I might
not be able to make it. The first couple of
', semesters can be overwhelming."

This is not an isolated experience, ac-
cording to Margaret Shirley '81, a counse-
V, lor for ASC since 1987 and one of the first
L RTC students in 1974- "RTCs and tradi-
tional students are more alike than they
are different, but part of the RTCs diffi-
culty is in learning how to be a student
again."

Shirley, who returned to the class-
room after years of working as a book-
keeper, observes, "Self-esteem may be
low and the students may be saying,
We're not sure we can do this.' "

Some have problems with concen-
tration, writing papers or gleaning
the most important information,
writes Anne Bianchi in her Smart Choices , A
Woman's Guide to Returning to School. "Add to
that . . . statistics that show women in general
to be lacking in math skills, and the picture
becomes fairly bleak." But Bianchi points out
that non-traditional-aged women also bring to
the classroom "many years' experience facing
and overcoming problems. They have a will to
succeed that, in most cases, has enabled them
to move from problem to solution in the
shortest amount of time. . . . On average [it
takes] only six weeks to boost their school
skills to a point of functionality. Even in
math."

Says Shirley, "That's the most wonderful
thing about Agnes Scott you gain selt-es-
teem. You find that you have a voice of your
own. 1 see that within the women I have got-
ten to know they are personally powerful."

The discovery can be exciting yet over-
whelming: with new consciousness may come
a flood of new questions, new dilemmas. De-
mands can grow unwieldy, leaving her feeling
fragmented and isolated. One RTC verbalized
her angst in a bulletin board note: "I've gradu-
ally dropped activities and people from my
life. Choral Guild was the first to go Mary
Ann's friendship with it. I gave up aerobics for
the three hours per week it gave me for read-
ing and research. My marriage was the next
casualty, my exit accompanied by the loss of
daily contact with my children. Then my
church my feminist awareness was growing

work of friends it included. Finally, in an effort
to finish college by my 50th birthday, I left my
job last June and with it my income."

Reordering priorities may become the con-
stant in an RTCs life. "It's a day-to-day, mo-
ment-to-moment process," says Monturo.
"You have to make judgments all the time.
You say this is something 1 can do; this is
something my husband can do; or this is some-
thing we're just not going to he able to do."

For Susan Buckley, 50, the College has of-
fered an opportunity for discovery. Disillu-
sioned with her nursing career, she came to
ASC in 1988 at a friend's suggestion. As a pas-
toral assistant at her parish church, she had an
interest in earning a degree in Bible and reli-
gion. Then she took a studio arts class with
Terry McGehee, chair of the art department.
It was a eureka experience. All Buckley could
think was, "Wow! This is where 1 need to be."

A LIVELY DISCUSSION ofOthelb in Peggy
TTiompson's English class draws comments
from RTC Karen Reed. "Othello is proud and
regal and black. He is everything that a man
should be," obser\-es Reed with predictable
confidence. "He's not a snake," she continues,
comparing him to the unscrupulous lago. Her
street-wise candor draws laughter.

"Overall 1 think my Agnes Scott experi-
ence would be worse without the RTCs," says
Willa Hendrickson '94, a 21 -year-old biology
major. "They come at things from a whole
different perspective than we do. They have a
lot of real-life experience to add."

Agrees Assistant Dean of Students, Victor
Wilson, "It would be a totally different campus
without them."

And their numbers are likely to increase.
The national "birth dearth" of 18- to 21 -year-
olds, the in-migration of Latinos and Asian-
Americans over the past 30 years and the
growing "older population" continues to im-
pact American college campuses.

U.S. Department of Education figures indi-
cate that of the 13.6 million students in col-
lege and professional schools in 1990, two-
fifths were over the age of 25 and 60 percent
of them were women. By 2000, nationwide,
half of all students will be adults over 25.

SHEER SIZE of the non-traditional-age learn-
ing pool and the cost factor will probably
affect future recruitment. The older student is
less expensive to attract and to retain. Agnes
Scott spends an estimated $400 to recruit an
RTC, substantially lower than recruiting an 18

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SLMMER 199.;

year old, notes ASC admission's Stephanie
Balmer. And the a\'erage need-based financial
aid package tor an RTC in fall 1991 ($4,310),
was $800 less than the a\'erage for traditional-
age students.

"Financial aid was caicial for me," says
Melanie Pavich-Lindsay, 41, a December 1992
history' graduate who wants to pursue a doctor-
ate. She worked part time at Rich's Depart-
ment Store and helped raise her husband's son
from a previous marriage during her five se-
mesters at ASC. "Sometimes I looked at the
traditional-age students and en\'ied their less
complicated li\'es. I wish 1 had recognized at
their age how important education is."
Monturo agrees, "One problem that you have
to deal with when you discover this in mid-life
is that learning is addictive. You want to learn
everything. NXTien you look through an [aca-
demic] catalog. It's like being in Tiffany's and
saying I want to have one of these and these
and these."

Monturo laughs at her zeal. One morning
she had driven halfway to campus before real-
izing that she was wearing only a slip and
blouse. "I went home to finishing dressing but
was praying that I wouldn't have a wreck or
get stopped along the way."

A RECURRING COMPLAINT among
RTCs is that they do not teel they are an inte-

gral part of the campus coinmunity. Most live
oft campus (although residence hall life is an
option for RTCs). Obser\'es Victor Wilson,
assistant dean of students, "When student
groups want to meet on Sunday, it's hard tor
an RTC from Douglasville to drive in." The
situation produces a kind of schizophrenia in
RTCs. Assimilating "just takes awhile."
Stresses Admission's Cooper: "We want them
to ha\'e the total college experience."

Ruth Wiles came
to ASC with the
same idea.

She arrived in her
late 50s, during "one of
the lowest ebbs of my
life. ... 1 couldn't get
stable work." The politi-
cal science major (who
began drawing Social
Security last year) has
immersed herself in
campus lite. In February,
Wiles joined other
sophomores who received class rings during a
formal ceremony. In the audience were Wile's
1 1 -member contingent of children and grand-
children. "The whole family is very support-
ive," says the Memphis native. "1 bet they'll be
here for my graduation. They want to see me
get through."

RTC

The ins and out's of Agnes Scott's Retum-To'CoUege program

Application process: High school tran-
scripts, previous college transcripts and appli-
cation forms must be submitted with two
recommendations. Entrance interview in lieu
of SAT or ACT scores.

Financial Aid: RTCs must take at least six
semester hours of course work to qualify for
financial aid and may apply for financial aid
(grants or loans), including the Middle In-
come Assistance Program ($3,000 grant) it
income is between $20,000 and $60,000.

Orientation: Tailor-made for the non-tra-
ditional age group. Students are assigned "Big
Sisters" to help them through the first days.

Personal counseling: Counselors help
with a variety of scholastic and personal
problems. An RTC support group

meets weekly.

Focus groups: Approximately 1 2 students
meet weekly for the first seven weeks of the
fall semester to help cope with college life.

Retum-To-CoUege Student Organiza-
tion: a primary support and information
group.

RTC Lounge: In this Alston Student
Center lounge with comfortable furnishings
and desks, RTC congregate to study, talk
and sometimes sleep.

Transfer credit: A student must earn a
minimum of 60 semester hours at Agnes
Scott toward the 124 semester hours re-
quired to receive a degree from ASC.

Timetable: Eight years to complete a de-
gree if an RTC begins as a first-year student.

A role in Blcickfnars Spoon
Ri\'er Anthology is just one
way RTC student Ruth Wiles
has involved herself in ASC
life she's also served as vice
president of the Retum-To'
College Stiuient Organization
aivi as one of two RTC repre-
sentatives in the Student Gov-
ernment Association. In Janu-
ary she traveled to Washington
to participate in a "Women arid
Public Pohcy" seminar.

THE RETURN-TO-COLLEGE PROGRAM

Cell biobgy lab offers, valuable hands-on experience to sophomores Estelk Matheu (right) ard Ayanna Whitfield.

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE Sl'MMER/*.

tresstul
is how
Estelle
Matheu

THE ODESSEY OF DISCOVERY

W'nttcn lyy CcL'stc /\'n)in\tjt()
-'hotogwipJicd lyy Munihi Ni7<or'e

HALFWAf
THERE

level science
courses. That
means she's not
only learning the
theory' ot cellular
stnictiire and Rinc-
tion, but also she's
moving into the
realm of critical
thinking and more
challenging labora-
tory work.

Cell fractioni-
zation. Gel electro-
phoresis. DNA
restriction map-
ping. Photomicro-
scopy. Spectro-
photometry. For
three hours a week,
she and the other

students separate
molecules on the
basis ot si:e and
charge, or photo-
graph cells through
cameras mounted
on microscopes or
cut the DNA with
enzymes, then pin-
point the cuts.
"TTiis is all valu-
able hands-on
experience 1 am
not doing this tor
them," notes John
Pilger, chair ot the
biology depart-
ment. "That's one
of the benefits of
being in a smaller
college."

CoTt

# Biology major Maiheu with deparancnt cluur John Pilgcr.

THE CLASS OF '95

In this and
any future
upper level
courses,
Matheu must be-
gin to integrate
what she's learned
in chemistry and
biology during the
previous semesters
as she digs for new
information.

"Traditionally,"
Pilger notes, "a
student will per-
form a lab exercise
that is 'cookbook.'
They follow the
steps, one by one.
We want our stu-
dents to be more

investigative.

"We want the
students to act
more like scientists."

If the course-
work is challeng-
ing, so is the de-
partment grading
scale which starts
at 93 for an A
(rather than 90);
84-93 is a B.
Matheu says her
grade point average
does not always
reflect what she
knows. And, she
admits, "I don't
think I would have
learned so much if
I hadn't had to

work so hard."

This spring she
met with Pilger to
declare her major.
While still inter-
ested in medical
school, Matheu
a member of
GreenPeace is
also looking into
ecological and ma-
rine biolog\'.

For students
with career inter-
ests in ecology, bio-
technology and
gene engineering,
Pilger believes
the department is
positioned parti-
cularly well.

More than a
decade ago, other
biology depart-
ments focused on
cellular and mo-
lecular biology at
the expense of
organismal and
field biologies.

"We were more
traditional. We
didn't fluctuate
with the trends,"
says Pilger. "But we
have kept our eye
to the future of
national biological
education. I think
we can be proud of
the fact we have
continued to value

laboratory and
field experiences as
well as theoretical
background."

This spring,
Matheu became
one of 49 (includ-
ing 10 who gradu-
ated) biology ma-
jors at the College.
With that number,
the biology depart-
ment is second to
psychology for the
department with
the most majors.

Nineteen from
the Class of '95
declared biology
majors. Half are
minority students.

A quick party in the residence hall among ASC friends or fast food ivith Georgia Tech senicy)- Christopher Coleman fill Matheu s shrinking social life .

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SUMMER 1993

1 ^trikini; a

it." She was study-

Saturday.' Or 'I can

^^^^ liahincc.

ing world religions

see ytiu this week-

^AIOHK

during the stanilofi

end tor an hour or

V^>' with a kill

i^etween govern-

.so. But 1 have to

acadL'iiiic Kiad,

ment troops and

study.' He really

Matheu, like al-

Da\'id Koresh of

encourages me.

most a third of the

the Branch

We pu.sh each

students at Agnes

L\i\'idian cult in

other to do well."

Scott, is in the

Waco, Texas. She

Matheu 's from

work/study pro-

:elt that cour.se

Houston, ("ole-

gram. Ten hours a

gave her insights.

man's from Baxter

week she assists

'Religion is a pow-

Springs, Kansas.

with lihrary

erful thing. Wlien

They met at an

circulation/refer-

you understand

ASC dance and

ence tasks.

that, you have a

since have grown

For more than a

sense ot what rules

in one another's

year, she's also been

a person's life."

company. "With

seeing lanky Chris-

But no matter

other people I've

topher Coleman, a

aow hard she's

dated, the relation-

senior engineering

tried to make time

ship got to the

major at Georgia

for academics,

point that it was

Tech. "We go to

work and social

just me and that

museums. Ice skat-

life, the balance

other person. Chris

ing. We went to

-las been weighteel

and I don't date

the ballet Giselle.

toward study.

other people. But

We see plays. Chris

Week nights,

we are not just

hadn't experienced

ler contact with

bound to each

much of this be-

Coleman may be a

other. We go out.

fore. So we are

phone call during

often gt) in groups,

learning. Expand-

study break. "Both

with friends. We

ing our horizons."

ot us respect each

just have fun being

For academic

other's time. If I

ourselves.

balance, this se-

-lave an exam, he

"Together, we

mester Matheu

<nows I need to

have seen time go

offset science

study. There have

by. It seems like we

courses/labs with

^een weeks when 1

just turned around

classes in world

will tell him, 'I

and already, it's

religions and art

can't see you until

been a year."

history. She is

drawn to art.

P^ktj

Aesthetically

>^5!E

"bombarded" is the

Id '52^

way she describes

^^k|g2^^H

feeling. "Because of

^^^^^HH

this class, when I

^^^^^Hy|d

go to museums I

P^^^^^^H

know more what to

Hfl^^^^^?

^^^^^^B

look for in art and

---^'^^^^^r i^

how to interpret

^toa^^^^^^^_^

i -< -'^

o\0^/>

Working in the lihrary with Kelly Holton '94.

'CoTt

THE CLASS OF '95

t the close
of each

balloons bob up

and down Agnes
Scott residence
hall walls, waiting
to he popped. Each
represents a final.

Among the bal-
loons taped to the
the walls outside
her room on third

floor, Rebekah
Scott Hall, five
belong to Estelle
Matheu.

Customarily she
locks herself in the
room with a
squeeze bottle of
water and studies
for finals, non-stop.
Later to stay
awake, she's down-
ing Coca Cola.
Sugar and adrena-

line kick in and if
necessary, Matheu
continues studying
straight through
until morning.

Last semester
she had fewer
finals, spaced out
and interrupted
with Christmas
celebrations and
one late-night
tromp to the
Alumnae Garden

to throw a newly
engaged friend in
the pool.

This semester,
memorizing facts
for history, she
says, provided
"kind of a break"
from very compre-
hensive science
finals. But her fi-
nals had to be
scheduled one
right after another.

"Why didn't soine one tell me it would be like this!" moans Matheu.

Matheu's
cure for
sophomore
slump is
"Don't give
up." That
kind of
determination
sees her
through
finals. For
five back-to-
back exams,
she studies
72 hours,
non-stop.

She closes her eyes.
"Why didn't some-
body tell me it
would be like this?
I pulled three all
nighters, in a row."

She grins. "Talk
about sophomore
slump."

That phrase has
had a special ring
for generations of
Agnes Scott stu-
dents. "Histori-

cally," says Mollie
Merrick '59, associ-
ate dean of stu-
dents, "sophomores
have experienced a
let-down from the
excitement of that
first year. They feel
the pressure to
declare majors.
While those
decisions are
not irrevers-
ible, they do

IllEGAl MU8I0
IN THE AREA

Locked in her room, she begins the finds marathon.

AGNES SCOTT MAG.AZINE SLTvlMER |Wi

have conse-
quences, like caus-
ing a student to
take more time to
gtaduate."

Emily Pender,
one ot Matheu's
contemporaries,
describes it this
way: "About the
time you have de-
clared a major and
you believe this is
what you want to

do with your life,
you take a higher-
than-lOO-level
course. TTien you
suddenly realize
you really know
nothing about this
subject and think
you are not going
to make it."

The first year is
so new that stu-
dents are ready to
jump in, academi-

cally and socially,
notes director of
recruitment Jenifer
Cooper. "In the
sophomore year
students see three
years ahead. By
the junior year,
they begin to see
the light at the
end ot the tunnel.
And they hit
their stride, aca-
demically."

Estellc Matheu
stoically followed
her ouTi prescrip-
tion tor getting
through sopho-
more slump. "You
can't give up. For
one exam. For one
quiz. You can't say,
'I'm tired. I'm not
going to study.' You
just don't have
time. If you do
that, you just have

to work that much
h.irder."

During finals, as
the fragrances of
spring evenings
and sounds ot mu-
sic from car stereos
wafted through the
window, Matheu
went the distance
with her marathon
of study. "I had
to." She sighs. "1
still had balloons

out in the hall."

It she has a
regret this year, it's
that she may not
have done as well
as she could have.
"I really kned all
my classes. Rut 1
found myselt cram-
ming. 1 just wish 1
could have taken
each class sepa-
rately so I could get
the most out ot it."

As Matheu packs , roommate Kathy Durkeepops her finals balloon. "The education here is superior," says Matheu. "So it's all worth it.

THE CLASS OF '95

ETCETERA

A potpourri of opinions, news, notes and quotes and cvdturd lessons-
from the Agnes Scott College campus and from around the world.

BESNEDEN?

GESNEDEN?

Language and other
cross-cultural lessons
by Kimberk Swaak '90

One day, after visiting
museums and mailing
pretty postcards to friends
and family back in the
United States, I discovered
that my vacation was over.
It was time to make TTie
Netherlands home.

That day started with a
hang: I got lost in
Amsterdam and drove for
two hours before mustering
up the courage to ask, quite
timidly in English, for direc-
tions.

I knew then how power-
less one feels without
language.

Even in a country as
small as Holland, where
American culture has
made its mark with CNN
television newscasts, with
American movies in local
theaters and Americans to
befriend I discovered the
worth of a thin Dutch
dictionary.

More often than not, my
cross-cultural experiences
became lessons in humility.

A normal trip for grocer-
ies took three hours, time

enough to look up English
translations for words on
Dutch signs and food labels.
(I'll remember that, the
next time I'm tempted to
subtract 20 IQ points from
anyone who speaks broken
English.)

Besneden, gesneden
what's the difference? TTiose
words I got mixed up at the
bakery only to discover I'd
ordered circumcised bread.

A harder lesson came as
I sought employment,
wanted work that was intel-
lectually stimulating and
fulfilling something not
requiring command of the
national language. Hmmm.

Another (but never
final) lesson came
in understand-
ing how my
own identity
is tied to lan-
guage: even
witty, gregari-
ous person-
alities
change
when con-
versation is
reduced to a
struggle with
basic vocabulary
and grammar. At times,
trying to adjust to a new
culture, its customs and idi

oms left me frustrated and
wondering who 1 was and
why I had come here.

Perhaps I could have
lived in The Netherlands
without ever learning the
language.

But the week I arrived
here with my Dutch hus-
band, I decided to begin
language lessons.

After a year ot intense
study, I teel confident
enough to speak Dutch.

1 have a job. 1 am
making it in another
culture. ^.

I have begun to understand
the world from another
viewpoint.

And yes, I now distin-
guish besneden from
gesneden.

Still, when walk into the
bakery to order a loaf of
bread, the proprietor always
manages to greet me with
this knowing smile.

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE SLDHMER /W3

TWO gkia:^ g: :ts: .ovi, education

NationsBank Executive Veronica Biggins lauds parents of graduates

A'V Zhenmy

[et me say this: These

moment," encouraged

VV daughters were

young women owe a

Biggins, Corporate

horn, my father told

great debt to you. You've

Community Relations

me there were two

Executive with

things I should give

^^^V^^^^^^^^H

NationsBank.

them: love and educa-

^^B '^^' ' "^^^^^^^^^1

"You've done right

tion. These are the

^E .* '^"^^1

by your daughters.

two greatest gifts any

You've loved them

parent can bestow

and you've educated

upon a child, he said,

^H^^-^^H

them."

so give them gener-

^^^k ,9^^|

Biggins, an alumna

ously and without re-

^^^k^^H

of Spelman College,

gard to self," Veronica

recently was named by

Biggins told families of

made real sacrifices to

President Bill Clinton

graduating Agnes

see your daughters get to

to serve as one of six

Scott seniors during

this day.

on the U.S. delegation

the 1993 com-

"This morning

to the 37th Session of

mencement address

breathe in deeply and

the Commission on

in May.

open your hearts to the

the Status of Women

"To all parents here,

pride and joy of the

in the United Nations.

JANE FONDA
SPEAKS OUT

RTCs urged to turn
their crises into life-long
opportunities for growth

A iter renewing
X V acquaintances during
her 25th class reunion at
Emma Willard, a girls school
in New York, Jane Fonda
says, "It seemed our lives
had turned out different
from what we'd expected. It

seemes we all became the
men we were supposed to
have married."

Fonda, millionaire pro-
ducer of the top grossing
video of all time: jane Fonda
Wbrks Out, and twice Acad-
emy Award winning movie
star, was at Agnes Scott in
April at the invitation of
Retum-to-CoUege students
at an hour-long convocation.

"At Emma Willard," says
Fonda, "we could be as

strong and bright and ath-
letic and active as we
wanted to be."

In a booming voice, she
touched on her volunteer
work with the Atlanta
Project, the powerful effect
of women networking with
women, the trauma of di-
vorce, and a life of learning.

"The main opportunities
for growth," said Fonda,
"are the lows and the crises
of life."

MARGARET
THATCHER
ADVISES
DISSENT

Student eiicouragcd to
fight for all'fcniale college,
dina nmter to a number
of world leaders

When Somer\iik^
College, one of two
all-female colleges at
Oxford University in
England, considered allow-
ing men to enroll, alumna
Margaret Thatcher encour-
aged student dissent.

According to a story in
the Washington Post, the
former Prime Minister
wrote a letter to Joanne
Baker, a 19-year-old student
at Somer\'ille. In it,
Tliatcher said, "I believe
that women who want a
good academic qualification
should be able to choose an
all-woman college."

Somerville is the alma
mater of four former Prime
Ministers: Indira Gandhi of
India, Golda Meir of Israel,
Sirimawi Bandaranaike of
Sri Lanka and Thatcher.

If men do move into the
architectural hodge-podge
of buildings around
Somerville's as planned,
St. Hilda's will be the only
one of Oxford's 26 under-
graduate colleges reserved
for women.

Agnes Scott College
Decatur, Georgia 30030

Nonprofit Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Decatur, GA 30030

Permit No. 469

II.II.mII II...II...II.IIm...I.I.I.I.I

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THE OORKY BOYS
IMHAT 65TALL JHE^ ATTBN-
PO YOU HON. Mf^. JAeP5R
MEAN, ISN'T FAIR ABOUT
AL^X ? L5TTIN6 TH5 GIRLS

ANeUIERQUe^lON5.

by Garry Trudeau

rnvBaiSHOuu?

HAV^A UTTLB

TALK WITH H5R.

MOM, SHB'U-
N5V5RCALL
0NY0U.'55NP
PAPT7Y.

With studies showing
gender bias in co-ed
classrooms, the women's
college education may be
re-emerging as an idea
whose time has come.
Story, page 14.

O Printed on recycled paper

ALUMNAE MAGAZINE WINTER 1994

f'afc^

<^'

A Woman's Image

Exploring Women's Studies at ASC

EDITOR'S NOTE

Changing landscapes: it is important not to step in the wet concrete or he
entangled by the web of computer cables either literally or figuratively

Years ago a magazine
assignment took me
to snowy, treeless
plains around Nome,
Alaska. My subject, a wiry
fellow named Bill Webb,
was putting together a team
ot huskies to compete in the
Iditarod race from Anchor-
age to Nome. He invited m\
husband and me to join him
for his first dogsled ride that
season as Webb began
hooking up his team, he
told us to put our full weight
on the sled brake. These
dogs were bred, trained and
ready to run.

After experiencing a
delightful no, exhilarat-
ing ride through Nome's
frozen wilderness, I was sur-
prised to learn later that
Webb and his dogs never got a good start in the Iditarod.
The problem seemed to be the wooded country around
Anchorage. His normally hardworking team careened,
snipped, fought wildly and finally balked. They simply
couldn't get beyond the trees.

That image kept coming to mind as I finalized content
for this magazine. In one way or another, most articles
reflect Agnes Scott's own changing landscapes.

Faculty, students and staff mumble and grouse as they
leap trenches, test wet concrete and tiptoe around barriers
or upended brick walkways in a literal landscape disrupted
by installation of fiber optic cables in a computer network
that will forever alter how we access information and how
we communicate. "Plugging into the Future" (page 26)
reminds us that as we focus on progress, the pain of stub-
bing toes on loose bricks quickly ebbs.

Some changes are heartfelt.

In early January, former ASC Vice President for
Development and Public Affairs Bonnie Brown Johnson
'70 assumed new responsibilities as executive director for
development and assistant dean of the Emory School of
Medicine. We in publications already miss her humor,
strength and wise rapport. It was Johnson's idea to pursue
an article on women and philanthropy (page 20). Both
she and President Ruth Schmidt (who will retire June 30)

are models of charitable
giving.

Women's roles women's
awareness change con-
stantly. Writer Mary Alma
Durrett helps us understand
the impact of Women's
Studies at Agnes Scott and
other institutions as they
reshape the ways the world
views women . . . and how
women view themselves
("A Woman's Image,"
page 6) .

Over the past two de-
cades, undergraduate insti-
tutions in this country have
changed significantly. Out
lit greater diversity grow
complex and often highly
charged issues related to
language and culture, race
and faith. Administration
and faculty find themselves under scrutiny from the out-
side, with performance defined and evaluated according to
corporate models. Students shoulder increased responsibil-
ity for life-forming matters from academic direction to
morality and faith. In an increasingly violent society,
institutions seek to protect their own. Their economies
reflect the effects of an unpredictable national economy.
In its spring issue, the Alumnae Magazine will examine
some of these trends and their effects on the College.

The constant challenge for Agnes Scott's community is
to consider and clearly define its purpose, then to main-
tain its hearing as it moves through ever-changing land-
scapes. During senior investiture tor the class of 1994,
Christine Cozzens, director of Women's Studies at Agnes
Scott, described the beauty and frustration of such work as
a perpetual wrangle between tradition and change: "That
struggle tests the value of anything we think or do, and
the sparks that fly upward ignite our creativity and our
purpose."

CONTENTS

Agnes Scott Alumnae Magazine

Winter 1 994 Volume^, Number 2
9f

DEPARTMENTS

A Woman's Image

hy Mary Alma Durrett

For the first time, women are taking control of the way
w,'07Tie7'i are portrayed in American culture
Wo77re)i's Studies pro^^ams are helping to set the agenda

The Power of Giving

by Celeste Pennington
New studies are proving the old
admonition that "it is more blessed to
give than to receive" is not
only true, but underrated. There's
also a matter of influence . . .

Mother Tongue,
Father Tongue

Written by Emily Style

The differences in the way women and men use

language is significant and revealing

The Gift

by Jane A. Zanca '83
You don't know the significance of
a gift until it's received and even
then you may not know for years.

Plugging into the Future

by Sheryl S. Jackson

The new information technology

project will link ASC computers

across the campus and around the world.

Lifestyle & Update

Classic

32 36

Etcetera Feedback

AGNES SCOTT

Editor: Celeste Pennington.
Contributing Editor:
Mary Alma Durrett.
Editorial Assistant;

Audrey Arthur

Design: Everett HuUum and

Harold Waller.

Student Assistants:

Elizabeth Cherry '95

WiUa Hendrickson '94

Teresa Kelly '94

Emily Pender '95

Vicki Vitelli '97

Publications Advisory

Board: Jenifer Cooper '86

Christine Cozzens

Carey Bowen Craig '62

Sandi Harsh '95

WiUa Hendrickson '94

Bonnie Brown Johnson '70

Randy Jones '70

Kay Parkerson O'Briant '70

Edmund Sheehey

Lucia Howard Sizemore '65

Copyright 1994, Agnes Scott
College. Published two times a year
by the Office of Publications,
Agnes Scott College, Buttrick Hall,
141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, GA
30030, 404/371-6315. The magazine
is published for alumnae and friends
of the College.

Postmaster; Send address changes to
Office of Development and Public
Affairs, Agnes Scott College,
Decatur, GA 30030.
The content of the magazine, reflects
the opinions of the writers and not
the viewpoint of the College, its
trustees, or administration.

CONTENTS

LIFESTYLE

Religion in the South, reading the Presidents' mail, taking the high road in
Haiti, healing through art and achieving academic success at home.

THE NEW

SCHOOL

HOUSE

Home School Teacher
Linda Maloy Ozier '72

Linda Ozier dreamed of
one day starting her
own school. But never in
her wildest dreams did the
Boston resident imagine
that her first pupil would
graduate from high school
and take Harvard course
work, all by age 15 1/2.

But that's just what the
oldest of her two home-
schooled children
has done.

By spring this son,
Owen, will have com-
pleted his high school cur-
riculum in two years. The
boy's education has in-
cluded part home-school-
ing, part advanced high
school courses and classes
at Harvard Extension,
Harvard University's com-
munity college program.
Upon graduation he hopes

Home'School teacher Lindci L):icr wah sun Owtn, at Harvard.

to attend Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.

Her other pupil,
younger son Drew, is also
accomplished, answering
college Scholastic Apti-
tude Test [SAT] questions
by age nine.

The boys are following
models for accelerated
learning set by their par-
ents. Their mom skipped
her senior year of high
school and at age 16 en-
rolled in Georgia Institute
of Technology majoring
in math. Ozier was 17
when she transferred to
Agnes Scott.

IN THE
WHITE
HOUSE
MAIL ROOM

Volunteer Elise
Gibson '29

Ford. Carter. Reagan.
Bush. For more than
two decades, Elise Gibson
worked in the White
House and, among other
things, read these Presi-
dents' mail.

The ASC graduate was
one of many volunteers
in the White House

Greetings Office.

Her duties included
addressing special greetings
from the President to folks
celebrating their 50th
wedding anniversaries and
100th birthdays. Some-
times she opened the First
Lady's and the children's
letters.

But her favorite assign-
ment was to work along-
side United States postal
employees in the White
House mail room. There,
after each piece of mail
had been slit open and
X-rayed ensuring none
contained bombs Gibson
read and sorted mail from
the "hinterlands, telling
the president what was
wrong with the country."

Gibson recently left
Washington to return to
the hometown named for
her ancestors Gibson,
N.C., population 500
where she plays a little
bridge, reads and volun-
teers for the local church
and literary council.

The ASC math major
taught public school math
in North Carolina for 13
years and pursued graduate
work at the University of
North Carolina.

She interrupted her

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WNTER 1994

LIFESTYLE

studies during World War
II when she was offered a
job with the National
Security Agency in
Washington.

Until her retirement in
the mid-1960s, Gibson
worked as mathematician,
analyst, trainer and per-
sonnel staff member at
NSA. But she insists that
she has worked harder as
a White House volunteer
than she did as an em-
ployee of the NSA.

In addition to White
House duties, she taught
adult literacy, served as a
church deaconess and
was secretary and trea-
surer for Washington's
ASC alumnae club for
many years.

REMEDY
FOR BITTER
MEMORIES

Art Therapist Frances
E. Anderson '63

Clay in hand is a win-
dow to the soul."
The words belong to a sur-
vivor of childhood incest.
Working through the me-
dium of clay, this woman
has dared to reflect on her
own wounded life.

"This engages the
senses especially the

WHERE KIDS
COUNT

holes large enough to swallow tires
the tours proved as treacherous as
Seward was adept.

Child Care Publicist

It was the Republic of Haiti's quickly

Elizabeth Seward '91

escalating political tensions and vio-

For a year Seward lived with no running

lence that made necessary the abrupt

water, no electricity and sporadic tele-

departures of Seward and other mission-

phone service and she loved it.

aries recently. The ASC economics ma-

As director ot public relations tor the

jor felt heartbroken to have to leave the

International Child Care Hospital in

tiny country in the West Indies two

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Seward's

years before the end of her

duties included

assignment.

driving busloads ^S **
of United 'V*

f^^^- It's returning to
,1^^ 'tfS^^ life iri the United

States and Ca- ^TQggf:^!^/^ f

naHian vi'iirnrs; /' f ^~~^^,,^' ^' " "Ovl^ a roiinrry with

cross country to v^^ n^^^ '^ * i>^ -^l/HIj everything"

z see evidence ot J^^

1 the organization's

*|^ J^ adjustment for

g successful fight against

Seward. She re-

1 childhood diseases in a country

members fondly that

where infant mortality is 106/1000

despite extreme poverty, Haitians met

(compared to 9/1000 in the United

her with a smile or hearty laugh. "They

States). With no driving laws and pot

always looked for a better day."

eyes and the sense of
touch," explains the
woman's art therapist,
Frances Anderson, who
chose clay as her medium
when she earned art and
psychology degrees from
Agnes Scott and master's
and doctoral degrees from
Indiana University.

According to Ander-
son, one out of four
women and one out of six
men are sexually molested

as children.

Over the years Ander-
son became fascinated
with how working in clay
seemed to become a
channel for the traumatic
emotions that most incest
survivors have learned
to block.

During art therapy
sessions, she found survi-
vors can mold messages
about their rage, their
sense of healing and

recovery. "It becomes a
direct conduit to the inner
selt," says Anderson, a dis-
tinguished professor in art
at Illinois State University
and a pioneer in a profes-
sion now three decades
old.

The Louisville, Ky.,
native has compared the
outcomes of incest survi-
vors in art therapy with
those in engaged in tradi-
tional talk therapy.

LIFESTYLE

Repeatedly
the findings
have confirmed
Anderson's hypoth-
esis, as summed up by a
woman who had under-
gone 20 years of counsel-
ing prior to art therapy:
Never before, she told
Anderson, had she come
so far in healing.

The ASC graduate has
created a video tape of
her findings, "Courage/
Together We Heal Art
Therapy with Incest Sur-
vivors," which documents
her art therapy program,
portrays the power of art
versus verbal therapy and
highlights the widespread
problem of incest.

Anderson admits she
has a strong sense ot mis-
sion regarding people who
have experienced incest.
She also has a need to
"make a contribution to
society" which she
describes as "a core family
value. As an art major at
Agnes Scott, 1 asked
myself, how do you con-
tribute to society? Of
course, the art you create
is a contribution. But be-
ing an artist can be seen as
an inward-looking process.
With art therapy, I'm
involved in art and I'm
helping society."

Another form of

Anderson's professional
contribution: she has used
art to teach disabled chil-
dren in public schools.
"Art is intrinsically
motivating," believes
Anderson, who has de-
signed special programs
after discovering how art
enhances the self-esteem
and motivational levels of
these children.

The work led her to
Illinois State, which boasts
the country's fifth largest
special education program.
Her graduate and doctoral
students learn from two
textbooks she has
authored (including Art
for All Children Ap-
proaches to Art Therapy
with Disabled Children,
now in its second
edition).

As a result,
Anderson has created
a series called "People
Pots." Small, painted
three-dimensional fig-
ures groups of child-
like people and ani-
mals interacting and
climbing in and out of
rough clay bowls. Many
of the sculptured clay

figures are
^ connected
" with one
another a

metaphor,
says Anderson, for
what occurs in the art
therapy sessions.

%/ People Pots are currently on
exhibit at galleries in Peoria and
New Harmony, 111., and will be
shown at Notre Dame College in
Belmont, California, next fall.

FAITH AND
DOUBT IN
SOUTHERN
FICTION

Author Susan
Ketchin 70

Any lover of Southern
X JL fiction knows the
essential ingredients of the
genre: food, family, race
and religion. Ketchin has
blended her lifelong pas-
sion for that literature and

her fascination with the
"powerful influence ot the
South 's peculiar brand of
religion" in a book. The
Christ-Haunted Landscape:
Faith and Doubt in Southern
Fiction (University Press of
Mississippi).

A recipient of a Coo-
lidge Research Collo-
quium Fellowship,
Ketchin narrowed a wide
field of contemporary
Southern authors to a
"biblical 12." Her book
includes interviews, repre-
sentative excerpts from
their works and critical
commentary on the liter-
ary imagination of each
writer including Will
Campbell, Lee Smith,
Reynolds Price, Allan
Gurganus and Ketchin's
husband, Clyde Edgerton.

She interviewed blacks,
whites. Catholics, Bap-
tists, Methodists and

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE W7NTER 1994

;jX HABB15 PHOTO FROM THE

CST-HAUNIE0 WNDSOVPE

fAnHANDDOUSTINSOUTHEWF

discovered the novelists to
be "deeply spiritual people
who had a love/hate rela-
tionship" with their reli-
gious upbringings. "I had
no idea of the depth, sin-
cerity and anguish of these
writers," says Ketchin,
who jokingly describes
herself as a recovering
Calvinist.

Ketchin has been
steeped in literature since
her ASC graduation. She
taught sixth grade and
high school English and
earned a master's in
English from the Univer-
sity of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill where, she
says, her famous author
husband met her. Ketchin
also taught at North
Carolina State University,
was an editor at Algon-
quin Books and has edited
fiction for Southern Expo-
sure magazine since 1988.

As a team, husband and
wife write and perform
folk music. The couple has
released two albums. Their
most successful tune,
(named by Ketchin): "A
Quiche Woman in a
Barbecue Town."

When not performing,
Ketchin, Edgerton and
their 11 -year-old daugh-
ter live in Durham, N.C.

Author Leisa Hammett-
Goad is a freelance writer in
Nashville, Tenn.

UPDATE

k'ciiiiL'Ll\ Center mtem Tracy Peavy hopes to become jidl-time .

Tracking ASC interns in the tough job market.

FROM
INTERN TO
EMPLOYEE

In September, Tracy
Peavy '93 was part ot
the stage crew tor the
annual Open House for
45,000 children and
parents at The John F.
Kennedy Center tor the
Performing Arts in Wash-
ington, D.C. just one of
her tasks as an intern with
the National Symphony
Orchestra [NSO],

Peavy, a flutist and
music major at Agnes
Scott, learned about the
internship after stopping
by the office ot Career
Planning and Placement
[CP&P] to inquire about a
possible internship with
the Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra. Instead, Laurie
Nichols, assistant director
of CP&P, steered Peavy to
The Kennedy Center.

For three months,
Peavy will work in Perfor-
mance Plus in the NSO,
an education arm of the
program. "One of my
goals," Peavy admits, "is to
get a job here."

Also in Washington,
D.C, this year was Laura
Barlament '93, a summer
intern copy editor in the

Money section at USA
Today, coordinated
through the Dow Jones
Newspaper Fund Scholar-
ship Program. After com-
pleting graduate study in
Germany, she may follow
up an offer from Gannett
Communications to work
on their newspapers.

Many recent graduates,
including Karen Anderson
'90, Kristin Lemmerman
'92, Emily Perry '92 and
Suzanne Sturdivant '91,
have successfully turned
internships into full-time
employment.

Anderson has moved
quickly through party
ranks after a post-gradua-
tion internship at the
Georgia Democratic head-
quarters in Atlanta. Dur-
ing the Presidential cam-
paign, she was a political
director of the Democratic
Party of Georgia. Since

May she has been in the
White House, one of two
liaisons between the
Democratic National
Committee's Political De-
partment and the White
House Office of Political
Affairs, working directly
with a special assistant to
the President responsible
for 24 Eastern states.

Perry is a financial
analyst with the Federal
Reserve Bank in Atlanta
after serving an internship
there.

In March '92,
Sturdivant served as an
intern in the political unit
of Cable News Network
[CNN] in Atlanta, and
now works as an editorial
assistant and writer there.

Lemmerman, an intern
at CNN's Futurewatch and
then Network Earth, is
now a public information
assistant at CNN.

LIFESTYLE & UPDATE

A WOMAN'S
IMAGE

For the first time, women are taking control of the way women are portrayed in
American culture Women's Studies programs are helping to set the agenda

Written by Mary Alma Durrett

Photographs o/ASC Faculty by the Author

^L flawless, chestnut-haired child
/ ^ of six stares out from the ad
^^^^^ with a faint turn of a smile. In
JL. JL.her arms, crossed in front of her
hare chest, she holds a collection of pear-
shaped Halston perfume bottles. The sen-
sual overtone is clear and goes beyond the
now-routine message of most American ad-
vertising, that women must be young and
thin. In this case, the little girl becomes the
ideal of feminine beauty and sensuality, ex-
plains educator Jean Kilbourne in her 1987
video "Still Killing Us Softly: Advertising's
Image of Women."

Even more disturbing are the statistics
that follow the images: 25 percent of re-
ported rape victims are under 18, one in
four little girls (and at least one in 10 little
boys) has been sexually molested in child-
hood. "Images like the one in this ad con-
tribute to the problem," stresses the re-
searcher, "by creating a climate in which
it is increasingly acceptable for children
to be looked upon in this way."

Kilhourne's video and sobering find-
ings are commonly used in ASC psy-
chology and Women's Studies classes to
serve as catalysts for discussion.

SO WHO SHAPES the images of women
today? How have women been perceived
throughout history? What aspects of women
have been ignored? What perspectives and
accomplishments, left out? How can women
be more fully represented? These are the
sorts of questions pondered in Agnes Scott's
Women's Studies program and in the 600
other similar programs nationwide.

"Women's Studies seeks to place women
in the curriculum in every respect," explains

Christine Cozzens, assistant professor of
English and director of ASC's Women's
Studies program. "It's not just recognizing
the Harriet Tubmans and Sojourner Truths
but in bringing to light the perspectives,
problems and creativity of women to in-
clude them in every sense."

Nationally, women's studies courses be-
gan to surface some 20 years ago as a natural
outgrowth of the women's movement. On
the academic front, women were no longer
tolerating the omission of women from the
canons of academic research and learning.

Photographs

By Nancy Marshall

Photographs accompanying this
article are by Nancy Marshall, an
Atlanta photographer whose works
were included in a Fall 1993 exhibit at
Agnes Scott. Marshall uses an 8-by- 10-
inch view camera with a portrait lens
that softens images. She hand tints her
photos with gold, platnium and palla-
dium to accomplish a dream-like qual-
ity. Marshall's daughter and her friends
are her primary subjects.

Recent exhibits of Marshall's works
include Jackson Fine Arts Gallery and
Georgia State University in Atlanta;
Macon (Ga.) Museum; and McNeese
State University in Lake Charles, La.
She is a teaching affiliate in photogra-
phy in the art history department of
Emory University and is past director of
Atlanta's Nexus Photography Gallery.

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER 1994

Here, feminist scholarship cook shape.

Explains Bari Watkins, a contributor to
the book Theories ofWomen's Studies: "What
distinguishes feminists from other scholars
is their commitment to a movement tor so-
cial change, and their conviction that
women have been excluded, devalued and
injured by many aspects of human society,
including the traditional academic disci-
plines.

"Feminists have also found that they
must challenge the institutional arrange-
ment of the university," continues Watkins.
"The models and paradigms ot existing
scholarship did not simply leave women
out; they did not permit satisfactory' expla-
nations of women's experiences. It was
therefore necessary to transform and recon-
struct traditional ideas and methods in or-
der to include women."

While the women inside academe began
the search for their lost histories, women
outside began to push for recognition and
equal status.

TO WITNESS THE CHANGING VIEW
of women in the decade from 1960 to 1970
one needed look no further than television.
The happy homemaking (and occasionally
dancing) wife/mother Laura Petrie, por-
trayed by Mary Tyler Moore on "The Dick
Van Dyke Show" in 1961, was replaced by
the independent-minded, single Mary
Richards on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
in 1971. Laura Petrie smoothed out the
ripples so that husband Rob did not alienate
his boss or lose his client or get a demotion.
A decade later, Mary Richards was a woman
at loggerheads with her boss over pay or
authority or their portrayal of women.

These sorts of societal shifts helped spur
Women's Studies programs. The first pro-
grams emerged at larger institutions the
"grandmother" of them all was University of
California at Berkeley then cropped up
later at smaller institutions such as Smith
College. "Formal studies came much more
lately to women's colleges," observes ASC
Women Studies Director Cozzens.
"Women's colleges may have been ahead of
others, originally, because they were teach-
ing women and thought that women's per-
spectives were being addressed." But
women's colleges often continued the more
traditional, male-centered canon.

AT AGNES SCOTT, a kernel of interest in

WOMEN'S STUDIES DIRECTOR CHRISTINE COZZENS

women's studies sprang up in the mid-
1970s. Gail Cabisius, associate professor of
classical languages and literatures, taught
the first course at ASC in 1976 "Women
in Antiquity," dealing with the lives of
women in ancient Greece and Rome. She
had taught the course at Boston University
and remembers when she offered to teach it
at Agnes Scott, the former department
chair seemed "a little reluctant to put it on
the schedule." Within a year, the College
scheduled both Cabisius' course and a
woman-centered psychology course. A year
later, "Women in Antiquity" boasted an
enrollment of more than 40. "That was the
very beginning," says Cabisius. "We were
developing a brand new field."

Among those joining Cabisius to shape
the Agnes Scott Women's Studies program
were Caroline Dillman in sociology, Kathy
Kennedy in history', Sally MacEwen in clas-
sical languages and literatures, Ayse Garden
in psychology, Beth Mackie in Bible and
religion, Linda Hubert in English, Rosemary
Cunningham in economics and Cathy
Scott in political science. Formally, the fac-
ulty accepted Women's Studies [WS] as a
program in 1987; Mackie served as its first
director. "Getting a separate listing in the
catalog was a victory," remembers Cabisius.

The number of WS courses has grown to
20, yet some question the College's commit-
ment to the program the director must
split her time between directing the Writ-
ing Workshop and the WS Program. "The
administration wants to have Women's
Studies but doesn't want to spend any
money on it," observes Cabisius.

In the university structure, explains
Dean of the College Sarah Blanshei, "you
might find Women's Studies as a depart-
ment but 1 don't think any small liberal arts
school has a separate department." To crit-
ics who question whether Women's Studies
should be a part of the liberal arts at all,
Blanshei answers: "Women's Studies is the

Perhaps because
women were
teaching and
thought women's
perspectives were
being addressed,
"formal Women's
Studies programs
came much more
lately to women's
colleges."

A WOMAN'S IMAGE

In Martha Rees'
class on women,
health and society,
students profile a
doctor as an
"Anglo shaman"
wealthy, white,
male, all-knowing.
In the culture, say
students, doctors
are "holy men."

offspring of the liberal arts." The move to
take a fresh look at history "came not out of
a political movement" but from an histori-
cal standpoint firom the realization that
there was more history. "As part of the de-
velopment of liberal arts, we were taking a
newer approach to history. A new social
history was emerging. Women's Studies
came out of this. I think you will find that
those classes are well enrolled."

Of the 573 students currently enrolled at
Agnes Scott, 1 7 percent have taken or are
taking a Women's Studies course. Today
those courses range from "Women, Health
and Society" to "Female Identity and the
Making of Theatre."

"These classes are charged the way no
other classes are charged," observes
Cozzens.

In "Women, Health and Society," Soci-
ology/Anthropology Assistant Professor
Martha Rees uses Our Bodies, Ourselves,
The Woman in the Body and Medical Anthro-
pology in Ecological Perspectives as class texts.
Ever>' student is required to interview a
woman from another culture about her life.
Each student leads a discussion on a topic
ranging from body image to religion, trances
and mental illness.

During a class last semester, Rees' stu-
dents gather around a table to discuss
health practitioners in the Western world.
In previous classes, students explored West-
em attitudes toward women's puberty and
Rees had asked about students' "first bra
experience." This time she asks if students
remember their first visit to the doctor. "1

remember stepping on a big, old, rusty nail
and 1 had to go to the doctor to clean it and
get a shot," volunteers a student. "The doc-
tor got mad at me for being scared and my
mother got mad at me, too." An interna-
tional student tells about biting her attend-
ing physician as he was preparing her for a
tonsillectomy. He left her tonsils in. Rees
also asks students about their first visits to
the gynecologist, and the group intones a
collective "ugh." The student's profile of a
doctor takes shape as an Anglo shaman
wealthy, white, male and all-knowing.
"They are holy men."

After the lively discussion, a senior says,
"This is one of the only classes I really look
forward to going to."

SINCE THE ASC PROGRAM began five
years ago, nearly 260 students have taken a
WS course. Now they may pursue either
minors or self-directed majors in Women's
Studies. Karen McNay '92, one of two ASC
graduates who hold degrees in Women's
Studies, hopes to use her specialized knowl-
edge in a career in immigration law with a
focus on women. "There was a real empha-
sis on feminist critical thinking," says
McNay of her courses at ASC, which she
thinks will be a life-long benefit.

The Agnes Scott WS program is driven
largely by faculty and student interest, says
Cozzens. "Some of the most fruitful research
here has been in Women's Studies." In a
recent Women's Studies 100 course, stu-
dents produced a variety of essays about
women's service organizations in the At-

Women's Studies for Alumnae

"Today was one of the most invigorating
days I've spent in a long time. It re-
minded me of how I felt as a student at
Agnes Scott: the passion and intensity of
all involved."

This was the response from one of 50
Agnes Scott alumnae and friends who
gathered last year for a Women's Studies
seminar for alumnae. Speakers included
Michele Gillespie, ASC assistant profes-
sor of history'; Kent Leslie, a fellow from
the Institute of Women's Studies at
Emory University; and Tma Pippin, ASC
assistant professor of Bible and religion.

The success of this program "took us
by surprise," admits Christine Cozzens,
assistant professor of English and director
of ASC's Women's Studies Program.
Younger alumnae were targeted as most
likely to attend. But "older ones were also
enthusiastic. Many have lived through
experiences we talked about."

Lucia Sizemore '65, director of alum-
nae affairs, says the idea for the seminar
came from a survey of alumnae. The
seminar was so well received that a fol-
low-up, "Women's Creativity," was held
recently. ^M.A. Durrett

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER 199')

lanta area. In her essay on the National
Black Women's Health Project, Malikah
Berry '95 writes, "Visiting the project vali-
dated feelings and thoughts that heing an
African-American woman was much more
than being bom female and black. Vital
Signs [the newspaper of the NBWHP] was
of particular interest to me now because of
my goal to start Nandi, the African- Ameri-
can student newspaper on Agnes Scott's
campus. Vital Signs' unique voice is neces-
sary for healing black women all over the
world as is Nandi necessary for healing the
black women on this campus."

Other topics run the gamut from "Girls
Scouts: Not Just Cookies" to "The Women's
Basketball Coaches Association." In ad-
vanced level courses, students have ex-
plored on a scholarly level a range of sub-
jects from the life of a slave mistress to les-
bian ethics.

Even though classes at ASC are well at-
tended and students are engaged in class
discussions, Cozzens says WS remains on
the academic periphery', nationally.
Women's Studies programs fall when bud-
gets are cut. "At Agnes Scott," says
Cozzens, "our curriculum has grown over
the years and more and more faculty [hired
in other departments] have Women's Stud-
ies backgrounds. It's what's hot out there
right now."

ASST. PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH CHRISTOPHER AMES

Bringing information about women into
the courses has depended on the level of
interest or commitment of individual pro-
fessors. There is no institutional mandate to
include women in every course.

A quick scan of titles in the College
bookstore hints at what's being taught:
Lucy: Beginnings of Humankind in anthro-
pology; Soviet Women, Victorian Women in
England, France and the United States, A His-
tory of Their Own, and Black Women Aboli-
tionists in history; Engendering Democracy in
political science; and Women In Love, The

Girls of Slender Means, }anc Eyre, Orlando
and Wide Sargasso Sea in se\'eral English
courses.

To redress a one-sided curriculum, "We
have a two-pronged approach," explains
ASC Associate Professor of English Chris-
topher Ames. "We look at the canon, the
great books, asking new questions, such as,
'What do they say about women in their
time?' and we look to new sources col-
lected works of women, diaries, letters, nov-
els and ask, 'Is there a women's tradition
that has been ignored or overlooked?' It's
hard to believe that there was a time when
we didn't ask these questions."

Cathy Scott, associate professor and
chair of political science concurs. In her PS
103 course, Bananas, Beaches and Bases:
Making Fe?7iinist Setise oj International Politics
is the primer. "We look at the ways women
have been excluded from politics and the
ways women's roles are affected by interna-
tional politics. It's a revelation to ask these
sorts of questions," says Scott. "I try to ad-
dress them in every class. It makes the
classes much more interesting."

In natural sciences, the approach is being
modified as well. For the past two years, the
biology department has been studying its
programs, says John Pilger, associate profes-
sor and chair. As a result they are develop-
ing a new curriculum which will be imple-
mented in 1995-96. It will reflect both
changes in classes offered and, says Pilger,
changes in "the way we organize classes, to
include all that we know about feminist
pedagogy."

AN EMERGING EMPHASIS is to teach
science in a female-friendly manner.
"Women don't like to he distanced from the
data; they like to have more contact with
the subject. Women approach problems dif-
ferently; they form different hypotheses,
often devise different experiments,' " ex-
plains Pilger. The department intends to
build a support system to help the young
woman scientist establish a sense of confi-
dence in her knowledge and work that will
carry her into graduate study and into her
profession.

Helping women students overcome low
self-esteem in certain academic fields is an-
other challenge being addressed by ASC
Mathematics Chair Larry Riddle who tries
to counter stereotypical attitudes formed
during high school concerning gender-re-

"We look at the
books, asking new
questions: 'What
do they say about
women in their
time?' 'Is there a
women's tradition
that has been
overlooked?' It's
hard to believe
there was a time
when we didn't ask
these questions."

A WOMAN'S IMAGE

lated aptitudes in math. "A lot of our stu-
dents report that they don't teel prepared
for calculus even though their grades might
reflect that they are capahle."

As women and women's issues receive
greater attention, in the broader academic
community there continues a national de-
bate over whether Women's Studies ought
to be a separate discipline, or whether
women's contributions should be a compo-
nent of every course, fully integrated
throughout the curriculum.

From the autonomous approach to
women's studies, argue some, grows an "in-
tellectual ghetto." Eventually, say others, an
integrationist approach could transform the
prevailing curriculum so that women's stud-
ies as a separate discipline were no longer

necessary. Others question both the content
and the approach to women's studies, and
they wonder which brand ot feminism or
feminist theory should be advanced. Wendy
Kaminer's article "Feminism's Identity Cri-
sis," in the October The Atlantic Monthly,
addresses this issue. "A majority of Ameri-

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ART LX1NNA SADLER

The Artist Within

Young Artemisia Gentileschi was a
creative woman of promise living in
17th-century Rome. Under her father's
tutelage, she mastered the rudiments of
drawing; then began advanced instruc-
tion from Agostino Tassi.

Although Tassi and Arte-
misia were chaperoned, she
accused him of raping her
and stealing some of her
father's paintings. In a trial
that followed, Artemisia was
subjected to cross examina-
tion under torture; Tassi
maintained his innocence.

Tassi spent a few months
in jail for the theft, but was
acquitted of the rape charge.
Artemisia fled Rome. She was later cred-
ited with bringing the style of Michel-
angelo Merisia da Caravaggio (dramatic
representations of humans, brightly lit
against dark backgrounds) to Florence,
Genoa and Naples.

By age 23, Artemisia had joined the
Academy in Florence.

Women Artists: An Illustrated History
describes Artemisia as "The quintessen-
tial female painter of the Baroque era."
The portraitist's reputation eventually
rested on a group of religious paintings
heroines of the Old Testament in
which she depicts biblical characters with

great drama and emotion. Among them is
]udith Beheading Hob/ernes (below) in
which a maid servant restrains a writhing
Holofemes while Judith, elbow locked
and jaw set, bears down on a blade that

severs Holofemes' head from
his body. What adds to the
drama of the work, points out
Donna Sadler, associate pro-
fessor of art at Agnes Scott, is
that the face of Judith is
drawn in Artemisia's likeness.
Perhaps the artist's frustra-
tions over the alleged rape
and subsequent trial moti-
vated her to project her own
image into the work and cast
herself in a role of power.
In her courses, Sadler discusses the
general lack of texts offering examples of
women artists. A sparse 19 women are
among the 2,300 artists in H.W. Jansen's
History of Art.

In her classes, Sadler not only discusses
women artists' abilities, but also addresses
society's expectations and treatment of
women. She believes inclusion of artists
such as Artemisia Gentileschi "is a way to
redress the imbalance."

This spring Sadler focuses on women
artists in "The Rise of the Woman Artist,"
a Women's Studies art course.

M.A. Durrett

"In my courses,
I talk about the
absence of
examples of
women painters."
Only 19 women
are included
among the 2,300
artists in the
History of Art text.

A WOMAN'S IMAGE

}

can women agree that feminism has altered
their Hves for the hetter . . . But the same
polls suggest that a majority of women hesi-
tate to associate themsel\-es with the move-
ment." Some puzzle o\-er which, in a long
list ot often vying factions, to support:
Poststructural feminism, political feminism,
different-voice feminism, pacifist feminism,
lesbian feminism, careerist feminism, liberal
feminism, anti-porn feminism, eco-femi-
nism and womanism. . . .

"FEMINISM HAS NEVER been a tranquil
movement, or a cheerfully anarchic one,"
continues Kaminer. "It has been plagued by
bitter civil wars over conflicting ideas."

An article in a recent Mother Jones, also
calls into question the quality of many WS
classes, accusing professors of "coddling and
counseling" the so-called oppressed, rather
than requiring of students the mastery of
objectively conveyed subject matter. In the
article "Off Course," writer Karen Lehrman
notes, "Most of the courses are designed not
merely to study women, but also to improve
the lives of women, both individual stu-
dents and women in general. Professors of-
ten consider a pedagogy that nurtures voice
just as, if not more, important than the cur-
riculum. In many classes, discussions alter-
nate between the personal and the political,
with mere pit stops at the academic."

ASC senior Mary Wohlfeil of Charles-

ton, S.C., expressed her own disappoint-
ment over a recent Women's Studies/history
course in which members of the grtiup
"seemed to reinterpret history for their own
convenience. Too many times I think
people take these specialized courses with-
out having taken the basic courses. I
thought there was too much emphasis on
feelings and not enough on logic." She also
expressed dismay that the student who in-
troduced a differing point of view in class
was looked upon as if she "hadn't 'seen the
light.' There wasn't much respect tor the
other side." But Wohlfeil admits her re-
sponse to the class was atypical. "A lot of
students like Women's Studies because
classes are more informal and there's not
the academic pressure felt in other classes."

How women study and what women
study, believes Cozzens, is central to
Agnes Scott's Women's Studies. These is-
sues are also critical to a woman's sense of
value and self-understanding.

It could be that one goal of women's
studies to attain gender-balanced curricu-
lum will put the program out of business,
admits Cozzens. "But since I don't see that
happening in the next century, we don't
really have to worry about that. The best
scenario is to have both [autonomous and
integration approaches] working together,
side by side. We have to continue to ask
'Are both genders fully represented?' "

Women's Studies Booklist

If you are interested in learning more
about Women's Studies' theories or
topics, you may want to consider, in
addition to books mentioned in this
article, some that Agnes Scott students
are currently reading:

After Patriarchy: Feminist Transforma-
tions of the World Religions, edited by
Paul Cooey, William R. Eakin, Jay B.
McDaniel, Orbis Books, Maryknoll,
N.Y., 1992.

A History of Their Own, Vols. 1 & U,
Bonnie Anderson, Judith P. Zinsser,
Harper Perennial, 1988.

Becoming Visable, Women in European
History, edited by Bridenthal/Koonz/
Stuard, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston,
Dallas, Palo Alto, 1987.

Engendering Democracy , Anne Phillips,
Pennsylvania State University Press,
University Park, Pa., 1991.
Feminist Research Methods, edited by
Joyce McCarl Nielsen, Westview
Press, Boulder, San Francisco, 1990.
Gender Issues in the Teaching of
English, edited by Nancy Mellin
McCracken and Bruce C. Appleby,
Boynton/Cook Publishers, Ports-
mouth, N.H., 1992.
Southern Women, edited by Caroline
Dillman, Hemisphere Publishing, New
York, 1988.

Working Together: Gender Analysis in
Agriculture, edited by Hilary Sims
Feldstein, Susan V. Poats, Kumarian
Press, West Hartford, Conn. 1989.

"It could be said
that the goal
of Women's
Studies to attain
gender-balanced
curriculum is to
put itself out of
business." Since
that isn't likely to
happen anytime
soon, educators
worry about how
best to autonomize
and integrate WS
into curriculum.

A WOMAN'S IMAGE

"^'piijU

H;!;

Im^

..* ;

'^^^1

~'l\-

y/y.*^

ikiv. ^H

fcr

:v:-i

^^^ ^iw

WT?^

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Ml!

MOTHER
TONGUE,
FATHER
TONGUE

Written by Emily Style
Illustrations by Ralph Gilbert

-^'^"^".'.'i^-'^""-.--"

Remember the sky that you were bom under,
know each of the stars' stories...

Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath. You are evidence of
her life and her mother's, and her's...

Remember the earth whose skin you are

Red earth yellow earth white earth brown earth

black earth we are earth...

yemember that all is in motion, is growing...
member that language comes from this.
' Rei^imber the dance that language is, that life is.
Remeii^jer to remember.^

From the poem, 'Re^^^emt^ef," f^ni
Used by permission of the puhli.?h

: Has Some Horses by Joy Harjo. 198^ by Joy Har;o. '
nder's Mouth Press.

^l^j:^:ffMM

hen 1 first encountered this
poem by Native American
Joy Harjo, I began using it
in my high school English
classes to teach about Native American un-
derstanding of the web of connection th;it
sustains our human lives.

Language is very important in that it
helps us acknowledge what grows in our
hearts and what meaning we make of life.

Let's consider, again, what Joy Harjo
says: Remember that all is in motion, and
that it is growing. Remember that language
comes from this. Remember the dance that
language is.

Another writer who has instructed me
on the dance of language is Ursula JLe Giiin.
In the 1986 commencement address at Bryn
Mawr (in Dancing at the Edge of the World,
Grove Press, 1989), she made what I find an
illuminating distinction .^tWeen mother
tongue and father tongyij.; 1 Want to offer
them to you on Found^i:% Day since this
place was named fofethe mother of a
founder.

FATHER TONGUE^'TO Le Guin's view, is
traditional public discou^ and one dialect
of it is speechmaking. It lfe4tures and no
answer is expected or heatiji The audience
is expected to be silent; -''1

Le Gain insists that fatlfer tongue isn't
everybody's native tongue. Furthermore,
using father tongue one can speak of
mother tongue only, and inevitably, tS dis-
tance and distort it. It comes off as inferior ^
because mother tongue is, for example, the
primitive ahs and uhs of telephone conver-
sation, it seems repetitive like the work
sometirhes called "women's work," like do-
ing the dishes and laundry, like the work
ordinary people do, like the common, ordi-
nary dimensions of all our lives.

As you probably already know, all the
founders of this College, the institution es-
tablished for women and named in honor of
a woman, were men. It was not until 1982
that the College would have in Ruth
Schmidt its first woman president, and not
until its centennial year in 1989 that the
College would have its first woman, Betty :
Cameron, as chair of the board of trustees.

It was rare, indeed, in earlier times for
women to have any role iii the public
sphere of society. A woman's sphere was a
domestic one, her talents and poteritial for
fulfillment were to berealized in the home,

Mother tongue
is language
not as mere
speechmaking,
but as relationship.
Its power is not
in addressing or
debating, but

in relating.

as wife and mother. Agnes Irvine Scott was
not the founder, hut a mother of one of the
founders of the College.

The male founders believed that curricu-
lar strength and rigor for women were to be
tempered by the ideals of womanhood char-
acteristic of the times.

As late as 1932, an Agnes Scott biology
professor told students at a major College
ceremony that the "primary career of
woman is in the home, but the responsibil-
ity of training a girl tor practical housekeep-
ing does not lie with the college." In other
words, get educated in father tongue, speak
mother tongue at home and never imagine
an intertwined language useful in both pub-
lic and pri\'ate places.

To further flesh out Le Gum's distinc-
tion, as a way of honoring the founder's
mother, one might conclude that mother
tongue is language not as mere speech-
making, but as relationship. Its power is not
in addressing or debating but in relating;
not in establishing superiority or making
finished speeches, but in evoking
conversation.

MOTHER TONGUE is language always on
the verge of silence and often on the verge
ot song. It is the language stories are told in.

So I want to offer to you, as part of this
quilted speech, some stories to make this

public discourse a dance of mother tongue
and father tongue, a multicultural discourse
that invites you into a conversation with
your own reflections.

First, I would like to retell two brief sto-
ries told by Peggy Mcintosh, who co-directs
the National SEED Project with me. It is
about teaching science. Her own high
school physics teacher introduced that
course by saying in father tongue that
understanding physics is like climbing
Mount Everest: many attempt it, but few
can accomplish such a feat. In contrast,
Peggy's daughter had a physics teacher who
began the course by saying in mother
tongue, that when you were a baby in your
crib, batting around a ball, you were doing
physics; in this course we're going to put
names on some of the physics you have
been doing all of your life.

In the spirit ot Founder's Day, I invite
you to remember the crib you came from
and I hope that you might be open to
learning new names for your ways of being,
then and now.

I am Emily. I'm the daughter of Emily,
who was the daughter of Elizabeth who was
the daughter of Dorothy. Now Dorothy was
an unwed teenager in 1909 v\'hen she was
sent away from her Presbyterian preacher
father's house to give birth to the Elizabeth
who was to become my grandmother. The
midwife who delivered the baby, and whose
name was also Emily, adopted Elizabeth and
raised her for the first years of her life.

And that's as far back as I can name the
female caretakers who are responsible for
my being here, in the tiesh.

I am not a Native American, but a web
of connection has brought me forth.

ONE OF THE REASONS I became a
teacher is because I wanted to "be some-
body" other than my mother who "just" had
seven kids. Now, a history teacher never
stood up in front of class and told me
directly that a "mother" never did anything,
but I learned this from the culture at large,
and from the silences in school. Mothers
were not taught about, but were mentioned
only in relation to the really important
people like the founder of this college, for
instance, whose mother is actually honored
in relation to him.

A couple of years ago, my own Women's
Studies scholarship (and my lived experi-
ence) reached a point at which I had to

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER 1994

re-think my own mother's role in history. 1
put together, belatedly, for myself, tor my
own daughters and for my mother. Mom's
History Book, which documented with
photos and words my mother's \-er\' worthy
"ordinary" life.

All parents/caretakers are one part of the
web of connection that I want school cur-
riculum to stop evading. Historian Sara
Evans taught us years ago, "Having a history
is prerequisite to claiming the right to shape
the future." For me, that has involved some
very intimate homework, taking what 1 like
to call the textbook of my life as seriously as
any other text.

Marilyn Schuster and Susan Van Dyne,
two women who teach at Smith College,
first taught me (also a teacher) that it is just
as important for students to have an
acknowledgements page as part of their
research papers as it is to have a bibliogra-
phy page. In the latter, they remember the
scholarly sources they used; in the former,
they remember the web of connection that
supported them so that they could complete
the project because no one does a research
paper without help from family, friends and
pets, and strangers, too, sometimes.

To be silent about the realities ot our
interdependent lives when we teach and
structure curriculum is to dismiss them,
institutionally, as lesser, inconsequential,
not worth noticing or studying. The fact of
the matter is, to use the words of Peggy
Mcintosh, another woman from whom I've
learned volumes, the lives of us all are sus-
tained by what she calls the "making and
the mending of the daily fabric."

It is not sentimental or inappropriate to
structure attention to this dimension of life
into the school curriculum, to speak mother
tongue in school. In fact, to ignore this
dimension of life is to reproduce within the
school a deeply inaccurate version of what
life is really like. The teaching of father
tongue without mother tongue breeds
barrenness, a monolingual climate, which
cannot create new life in the way that
mother tongue and father tongue, spoken
together, can.

I OFFER ONE MORE STORY from my life
text. This story took place over time, in-
volved change and continuity like culture
itself. It's about my husband's Mom and
Dad. You see, his mother, who is gone now,
was a homey quiltmaker who kept scraps of

material in piles all over her house. When I
married their oldest of tour sons, it was clear
to me that my father-in-law regarded my
mother-in-law's rag piles as a nuisance. (In
the face of so much father tongue spoken in
the house, this dear woman was often found
silently quilting.)

We all lived long enough, thank good-
ness, to watch the curriculum frame ot the
culture change: quilts turned into art and so
eventually Dad proudly drove Mom to
senior citizen fairs where she would display
and sometimes sell her quilts. He even took
photos to document her work.

Time changes and so frames lite in new
ways.

I'd like to conclude with words from
Susan Griffin:

I know J am inade from this earth,
as my mother's hands were made from

this earth
as her dreams came from this earth

and all that I know, I know in this earth

these hands ,

this tongue speaking,

all that I know speaks to me through

this earth
and I long to tell you,
you who are earth too. . .
Listen as we speak to each other
of what we know:
the light is inus.-

As you venture forth into the future, may
you measure your steps so that you under-
stand the rhythm of your own stride; may
you be open to dancing with others, and
may you become skilled in speaking mother
tongue and father tongue, even as you in-
vent sibling tongues tor a globe becoming
more and more conscious of its
mutlicultural nature.

And don't forget to see the world in a
grain of sand in your own shoe as you
savor the privilege and responsibility of
walking paths forged by those who've come
before.

Do your own dance on them, though!

Style co-directs of the National SEED Project
on Inclusive Curriculum, Wellesley College
Center for Research on Women. This excerpt is
from a speech made at ASC in February 1 993 .

- From the book. Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her,
by Susan Griffin. 1978 by Susan Griffin. Reprinted by
arrangement with HarperCollins Publishers.

Time changes
and so frames life
in new ways.
The speech of
mother tongue
and of father
tongue blends
into the sibling
tongues of a
multicultural globe.

MOTHER TONGUE, FATHER TONGUE

New studies are
proving the old
admonition that
"it is more blessed
to give than to
receive" is not
only true, but
underrated. There's
also a matter of
influence . . .

A DAUGHTER of the Rockefellers

i ^ told a gathering on National
^^^^L Philanthropy Day in New
I % York City that when she was

J^ J^ a child her father had her

label three boxes: mine, sai'ings, and ot\\eys.
Each week he gave her a 15 -cent allowance
and she put one nickel in each box. Before
Christmas, she and her father would open
the o^ts box, count the nickels and
thoughtfully select a charity.

As an adult she continues to give one-
third of her income to charity.

"People helping other people has distin-
guished American society," notes Bonnie
Johnson, former ASC vice president for
development and public affairs.

As with the Rockefellers, for many, giv-
ing reflects family values and tradition. Yet
according to preliminary research, there are
distinct gender patterns in giving. For
instance, women who give generally divide
the amount into a number of small gifts;
men give more. In its 1990 report on phi-
lanthropy, the Independent Sector, a non-
profit coalition of groups that encourage

giving, reported that women give 1.8 per-
cent of their income; men give 3.1 percent.

For men, giving often has been wrapped
up in business and business relationships
philanthropy comprises a real investment
with returns that include recognition and
power. "Few women understand the power
equation," says Johnson, now executive
director for development and assistant dean
of Emory University School of Medicine.
"The power of associations with others who
give men understand that."

"We are ceding power," Nicky Newman
Tanner told Wellesley women who did not
want to talk about money during the
college's five-year campaign (which resulted
in Wellesley College raising $167 million, a
record for all liberal arts colleges). The
power of giving often translates into the
power of serving on boards and influencing
the use of funds. Today less than five per-
cent of corporate/foundation giving flows
into programs for women and girls, says
Joan Fawcett, member services director for
the National Network of Women's Funds.

Women are ceding power even as an in-

THE POWER OF GIVING

Written by Celeste Pennington
Illustrations by Ralph Gilbert

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER 1994

creasing number of women are moving into
positions of leadership, according to statis-
tics published by the National Network on
Women as Philanthropists [NNWP].
Women account for 55.2 percent of college
enrollment. By A.D. 2000, 63 percent of
new entrants into the work force will be
women. Already women are assuming
greater responsibility for an array of finan-
cial resources, from earnings to inheritance.
Over the next 20 years, baby boomers will
inherit $8 trillion and, as NNWP re-
minds, "women outlive men by an average
of seven years." So the future of charitable
giving will be in women's hands.

Philanthropy, Donna Shalala, Secretary
of Health and Human Ser\'ices, told women
during her address to the NNWP last year,
is the last frontier of the women's moi'ement.

THE ESSENCE OF PHILANTHROPY is
one-on-one contact, writes Douglas M.
Lawson in his book. Give to Live. More than
half of all American adults men and
women volunteer 20 billion volunteer
hours yearly. It's that personal expression
that Frances Freeborn Pauley '27 recalls
as a youngster accompanying her mother, a
volunteer at the cotton mill day care. "I
remember how terrible the place was, how
dirty," says Pauley. "The experience was so
upsetting to me, I went home and cried."
Pauley never forgot her mother's compas-
sion. Later, she helped establish the school
hot lunch program throughout DeKalb
County. She also helped start the DeKalb
Clinic. "During the Depression, my family
had a hard time, but we had everything we
needed I couldn't stand the fact that chil-
dren didn't have enough."

There is strong evidence that, for both
genders, attitudes toward service and giving
are closely tied to religious belief

Deeds of giving are the very foundation of
the world, admonishes the Torah. The Old
Testament tithe (a plan for offering 10 per-
cent of one's income) is a philanthropic
thread that also runs through both Catholic
and Protestant giving.

It is a part of life that Holly Markwalter
'86, daughter of a Methodist minister, con-
tinues within her own family circle. She is
also motivated by New Testament models ot
sacrificial giving like the widow who gave
two mites, a small offering except in the
sense that it was all she possessed and by
the modem philanthropy of a Christian

friend who feels compelled to give some-
thing to any stranger who asks her help.

ACCORDING TO STUDIES, women
tend to give from the heart to causes that
can make a tangible difference, often to im-
prove life for others. Women also give to
bring about change. In contrast, a man of-
ten gives to preserve a cause or institution
and is usually more receptive than a woman
to have a building or institution named for
him. "Men give for self-glory and football
tickets," jokes Faye Allen Sisk '73, former
executive director of product development
tor HBO &. Co. in Atlanta and now teach-
ing at Mercer University.

Women tend to invest in a cause or orga-
nization only after gaining an understand-
ing of its operation. Notes ASC's Acting
Director of Development Jean Kennedy,
"Women want to know that their money is
used for a good purpose."

Often women donate their time first,
then money. When approached to give,
men are more apt to open the checkbook
and ask, "How much?"

IN THE PAST, women of means often re-
lied on men fathers, brothers, husbands or
other advisors to administer their wealth.

Yet with shifts in the distribution of
wealth, and as more women are managing
their resources, that picture is changing.
Today, 6.5 million women own their own
businesses. Of all executive, administrative
and managerial positions in the U.S. today,
43.6 percent are held by women. Even
though women make only 75 cents for
every dollar earned by men, women now
control 60 percent of America's wealth.

Of the 3.3 million Americans with gross
assets of $500,000 or more in 1986, 41.2
percent were women, according to the IRS
Statistics of Income Bulletin. On the aver-
age these women were 6 percent wealthier
than the men, held slightly more corporate
stock and were considerably less in debt.

As donors, these women are giving to
causes that reflect their range of concerns.
For instance, a retired school teacher re-
cently donated $345,000 to help provide
equal women's/men's basketball programs at
a co-ed institution in the Midwest. A pro-
lific children's author funds a foundation
supporting a variety of children's education
projects; a top fashion model has donated
$70,000 to a hospital to help families of

Women's new
and rising
economic status
has opened doors
of opportunity for
women's

philanthropy. But
will old patterns of
giving (and not
giving) dictate
how women in
years ahead will
spend their money?

THE POWER OF GIVING

"I can't see how

any person can
possibly be happy
without sharing
either her money
or herself."

children with cancer. A businesswoman
donates 50 percent of her gross sales com-
mission to charities; in 1992, that fund
distributed nearly $1 million to grassroots
organizations serving battered women, the
homeless and people with AIDS.

As both donors and fundraisers, accord-
ing to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, women
play substantial roles. Women now account
for 75 percent of the chief development of-
ficers in museums. Fifty-eight percent of the
13,500 members ot the National Society of
Fundraising Executives are women. And
about one-fourth of foundation CEOs/board
members are women.

WOMEN HAVE BEGUN to develop their
own philanthropic networks. Since the
mid-1980s, women have organized more
than 60 funds (mostly financed and directed
by women) to support women's causes; their
assets now exceed $50 million. Nationwide,
the number of funds that provide money for
organizations that educate women concern-
ing charitable giving has exploded.

Since the 1980s, the dollar amount of
grants designated tor programs for women
and girls has increased nearly five-fold, from
$36 million to $184 million. This may also
have implications for the philanthropic or-
ganizational structures themselves, notes
Marsha Shapiro Rose in a paper prepared
tor the 1992 Conference of Association tor
Research on Non-Profit Organizations and
Volunteer Action at Yale University.

Instead of hierarchy and rigid division of
labor found in male-directed organizations,
women may bring a less bureaucratic, more
interactive structures, stressing collective
decision-making/de-centralization of
authority.

MARY REIMER '46 REMEMBERS her
mother hand-wrapping edible food scraps to
give to hungry transients during days of the
Depression. Reimer also remembers donat-
ing food stamps to Agnes Scott to help the
College purchase sugar and meat.

"That," says Reimer, "was a lifetime ago."
Reimer, who later "married a Georgia
Tech man and helped rear six children,"
now volunteers from 8:30 a.m. until noon
each day at the Decatur Emergency Assis-
tance Ministry, which operates a food pan-
try and offers money to people who need
help with utility bills or "other necessities."
For two or three weeks out of the year.

when she gets home from her volunteer
work, Reimer sits down at one corner of her
large dining room table and writes a few
notes to Agnes Scott classmates, encourag-
ing them to give to the College's Annual
Fund. She methodically bundles the notes
and mails them in groups of 20 until she has
ticked off all 117 names in her class.

"Some people say they are on a fixed
income and can't send the College any-
thing. I ask, 'Can you send $5? That will
raise our percentage goal as quickly as will
the $1 million gift.'

"1 can't see how any person can possibly
be happy without sharing either her money
or herself," says Reimer.

IN WOMEN'S PHILANTHROPY, the
newsletter for the NNWP, directors Sondra
Shaw and Martha Taylor encourage women
to begin viewing charitable efforts, espe-
cially giving, as central to life. Like children
and professional achievements, philan-
thropic investment outlives the giver.

It is also an important part of managing
resources. The woman who earns/spends
$2,000 a month throughout adulthood will
have handled and managed more than
$1 million. The person who consistently
gave a simple tithe of those earnings, for
instance, would have given $100,000 over
that same period.

"We are helping women from all walks of
life to learn about financial planning," says
Fawcett of the National Network of
Women's Funds, "from what to put back tor
retirement to how to invest, to finding ways
for giving. Women are care givers. We
think in terms of having money tor grocer-
ies and paying for rent. What do we do with
our discretionary money?

"We need to look at how we use that
money. Giving may require sacrifice: brown
bag lunch once a month or look twice at
that $110 suit we want to buy. Just save
back some money and learn to give.

"Whether the gift is $5 or $10,000, it
will make you feel good to be a giver."

In the final analysis, writes Lawson in
GiVe to Live, the act of giving is an act of
love. Recent studies, he says, show that acts
of charity and devotion to worthy causes
improve physical well-being in the giver
and are key to mental health.

"Instead of the old slogan, 'Give until it
hurts,' " writes Lawson, "it seems we should
say, 'Give until you feel great.' "

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER 1994

For an ASC
Retum-tO'
College
student, two
candlesticks
became a
symbol that
her present
struggle
prepared a
brighter future.

This is a thank-you that is long overdue. Someone I don't know who
bought me a pair of brass candlesticks tor Christmas 1982 during my senior
year at Agnes Scott. That was the year 1 turned the bend on a 12-year
journey toward my college degree. 1 began accumulatmg college credits in 1972, and
by 1977 had completed more than a year's work. In 1980, my marriage came apart,
and consequently my family income shrank to less than half. Against this back-
drop, 1 registered as a Return-to-CoUege student at Agnes Scott. A partial scholarship
answered the question of how to pay the tuition, but how were my two children and 1
to live? 1 didn't know. 1 sold our house. This was the first of three moves during my ^^^^^^^^^^^^

years at college, and each was "downward." '' In my journal 1 noted: The temperature has been 105 for days; we
can open the windows only three inches, then secure them with nails. Our neighbor, Mr. E., believes that his wife is mess-
ing arowid with R. , who lives across the street. Mr. E. went over with a small cannon and blew holes in the walls, roof,
and his own foot. Later we would remember that neighborhood as one of the better ones. But our eyes were
open. We never doubted that our circumstances could be worse. Each move meant letting go of things we
valued. ' Fall 1980: Goodbye oak china cabinet, sofa that I upholstered, lace curtains, antique desk. Two ladies fought

THE GIFT

i^^

One day in fall
1981, 1 checked
my campus mail
box, 612, and in it
found an

envelope
with $60 inside.
I had no idea what
it was for or who
had put it there.

over a bicycle I sold to the highest bidder.
In fall, 1981 and 1982, Agnes Scott's
financial aid increased my scholarships; I
was named a Dana Scholar. Clearly, some-
body believed in me. That was one of the
things that kept me going. The other was
that half my life had been spent typing. If I
didn't keep moving forward, that was what I
had to go back to.

I took student loans, and the annual ar-
rival of those checks was bonanza time.
Dance lessons for my daughter the one
extracurricular activity I could give her in a
decade. For both of the children, the biggest
boom boxes I could find in K-Mart. For me,
pantyhose. The rest: brakes for
the car, emergencies, bills.
In late fall of my senior
year, English professor Pat
Pinka informed me that I had
won a scholarship from the
American Association of
University Women. My
rent was due so I was
amazed at the timing of
this gift. The recipients
were honored with a
beautiful reception at
the home of the Presi-
dent of Spelman Col-
lege. I remember the
candles on the mantle,
the earnest hand-
shakes from a hun-
dred women I did not
know, the surprise of finding
my daughter's school librarian in the crowd
and the fear that someone would spot my
scuffed, run-down shoes.

FROM MY FIRST DAY ON CAMPUS,
personal difficulties were laced with
academic challenges. Early winter 1981, I
met with Seiiiorita Eloise Herbert about my
procrastination in her Spanish classes. She
wanted to know everything. So 1 told her.
She said, "You know, we live inside our-
selves. We must do that." 1 had no idea
what she meant.

The stress I was experiencing was a
visible pox. I could not afford insurance or
health care, so I worried endlessly about
every twinge. Elizabeth Zenn, at the time
chair of the department of classical lan-
guages and literatures, packed me off to her
own ophthalmologist when I feared my

vision was failing. Psychology professor
Miriam Drucker tactfully probed and
reduced the shattered bones of my life:

J am so angry. I should have kept on typing.
This isn't fair to my children. I feel so helpless.

One day in fall 1981, I checked my cam-
pus mail box, 612, and in it found an enve-
lope with $60 inside. 1 had no idea what it
was for or who had put it there. 1 hid it deep
in my wallet for three days. Then I took it
to the grocery store.

Shortly after. Dean Julia Gary asked me
to help her move into a beautiful new
home. She had a wall of bookshelves in the
den. My job was to unpack her books, in-
cluding fragile volumes of Dickens. This is
how I want to live someday, I thought.

IN JANUARY 1982, Senorita Herbert
invited her Spanish students to celebrate
El Dia de los Reyes . She created a tasty
Christmas tree of greenery and boiled
shrimp. On the table were three kings,
whose crowns were candleholders. I tried
not to be nosy, but my eyes wandered from
room to room. Her home was glowing with
warmth and serenity. Someday, 1 told myself.
If not the serenity, at least the wannth. I was
keeping my apartment thermostat at 58
degrees we were always cold.

In spring 1982, I had just begun
Beowulj the center on which my love of
the English language turns when I fell and
shattered my right wrist. This cost $600,
two months in a shoulder-to-fingertips cast,
and several missed classes. On my return to
campus, Margaret Pepperdene who taught
the Beowulf course, summoned me to her
office. I would report to her, regularly, at
such-and-such a time, for one-hour sessions.
In those hours, she delivered the entire lec-
tures that I had missed. Under her shrewd,
watchful eyes, 1 knew what was expected of
me: finish that course.

My notes on Beowulf are scrawly and
unbound, the best I could do with my left
hand. I love those notes and take them out
often to marvel at them.

My scratchy journal entry on May 7,
1982: Aced Beowulf.

Envelopes continued to appear in Box
612. Enough to buy books. Enough to pay
the phone bill. Enough to buy some grocer-
ies and a pair of pantyhose. Sometimes the
handwriting was different. Clearly, my
benefactor preferred to be anonymous.

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WNTER 1994

There was a great kindness embedded in
this arrangement.

Even with the "care packages," each
month seemed harder. At the end ot tall
1982, when I used $6 from
one of the envelopes for a
ticket to a performance ot
Benjamin Britten's "Cer-
emony of Carols," I telt
like a thief. The music
billowed through my
soul, sweeping away
ever^'thing: my own
screeching when the
children ate all the
cookies in three days
the snarling man at
the electric com-
pany; the knowl-
edge that our
power would be
turned off because
our payments were
three months behind.

For in this rose conteined was/Hevene and
eanhe in litel space. Res Miranda.

In the litel space between the final breath
and the rise of applause, it occurred to me
that 1 had read Paradise Lost, had studied
Chaucer and medieval civilization and
Biblical literature and the history ot art.
And I understood every one of the allusions
in the libretto of the "Ceremony ot Carols."

I was rich!

A few days later, an envelope arrived in
the mail at my apartment with $300 in it.
I put the money on the kitchen table and
stared at it. The heat wouldn't be turned
off. We would be warm for Christmas.

TTie next day, after I paid the electric
bill, I took a walk through Stone Mountain
village. In the window of my favorite shop
glimmered a pair of brass candlesticks. I had
just enough left to buy them.

I put them on the table where, the day
before, 1 had stared at the money. I thought
of Senorita Herbert's abundant kindness, of
her kings with candles on their heads.
Finally, her message made sense. With a six-
dollar concert ticket and a college educa-
tion and a pair of brass candlesticks, I was
learning the serenity of living inside myself.

THE WEEK AFTER CHRISTMAS, I
labored at my desk typing a story about
four children trapped in a blizzard that had

taken their power. Grandma placed her
candle ill the window. A layer of frost covered
the pane, except for a warm, moist circle where
the tiny candle flame danced. 1 finished the
story in six days and tore the last ot 1982 off
the calendar with vigor.

The early weeks
of 1983 were
a nightmare.
My son was
assaulted. We
had to move
again, this time
into a house
with a sister
Return-to-
College student,
Sally Stevens.
Among the things
we moved were the
beginnings of a
novel, an indepen-
dent study project
which had to be com-
pleted by June. I broke
down in Dean Marty Kirkland's office. She
hugged me with her voice and promised
that a better day was coming.

Spring 1983: The magnolias are peeking
open, its graduation time.

My mother and brothers drove from
Mississippi and New Orleans to witness my
graduation. I was the first in my family to
have made it. That morning, while I set out
a hasty breakfast, my-brother-the-fireman
taught my son to shave. I remember people
bumping into each other in the hall, rush-
ing to get out of Sally's house on time. I
remember a breeze billowing the last of my
lace curtains, flicking at the brass candle-
sticks that graced the table that day.

They grace it still. Whoever you are,
1 want you to know that this decade of
silence has not been an ungrateful one. 1
have been busy, among other things, paying
it back.

We have our own house now, with a
wall of books and lace at the front door.
Recently I received the check for my first,
soon-to-be published book. The money is
earmarked for renovations to my kitchen
nails and pipes and such but first, I live
inside myself. First, something beautiful for
my table, to go with the brass candlesticks.

Zanca '83 is a writer for the American Cancer
Society, Atlanta, Ga.

-66-

My job was to
unpack her books,
including fragile
volumes of
Dickens. This is
how I want to live
someday, I thought.

PLUGGING
INTO THE
FUTURE

Written hy Sheryl S. Jackson
Photographed by Phillip Spears

BACKHOES and shovels,
loops of wire being dragged
through each and every build-
ing, the fragrance of dozens of freshly
unpacked computers and discarded
cardboard boxes, noisy telephones
and the unflagging work of computing
services staff as they double-checked instal-
lations and made adjustments all added to
the hubbub of students' arrival at Agnes
Scott this fall and spring semesters.

As Director of Computing Services Tom
Maier surveys the scene he says, wryly, "We
are succeeding beyond our wildest night-

The new information technology project will link ASC
computers across the campus and around the world.

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER 199')

mare." He refers to the project's ambitious
timetable: in one year the College will es-
tablish a system that would normally require
three-tO'five years to put in place.

The project, called the Information
Technology' Enhancement Program [ITEP],
will provide a comprehensive computer net-
work throughout the College and will link
this community with institutions and librar-
ies and scholars around the world.

When complete, the technology (includ-
ing upgraded student and staff PC systems,
computerized classroom, Macintosh lab,
library automation system, new administra-
tion system and campus network) will move
with ASC into the 21st century.

"Our students are used to working with
computers in high schools and they expect
the same convenience when they arrive in

our classrooms," President Ruth Schmidt
says. "The ability to communicate elec-
tronically and collaborate with colleagues at
other institutions is also crucial to faculty
members as active scholars."

THE IDEA FOR ITEP grew out of Agnes
Scott's Strategic Plan, 1990-91. In her
follow-up report, Choosing Our Future,
President Schmidt noted the critical need
for technological improvements. During its
January 1993 meeting, the ASC Board of
Trustees unanimously passed a resolution to
provide $5.1 million dollars for the project.

In addition to these funds, the College
received grants, including a $1 million
grant from The Lettie Pate Evans Founda-
tion Inc. and a $75,000 grant from The Tull
Charitable Foundation Inc. of Atlanta.

"Students are
used to working
with computers in
high schools and
they expect the
same convenience
when they arrive
in our classrooms."

INDERGROUHD PR01?'"^TS

Both The Coca-Cola Company and the
IBM Matching Grant Program provided
computer systems to upgrade existing per-
sonal computers around campus.

Already underway are computer up-
grades, installation of specialized labs and
introduction of new software. The project
will be complete in September 1994 when
the network links all computers on campus
and offers access to outside networks.

The most time-consuming aspect
involves wiring each building to provide
necessary links. It is also costly, says
Director of the Physical Plant Elsa Pefia
more than $500,000 to wire the buildings
and another $1.2 million to lay under-
ground cables. To add to the complexity,
Pefia notes that the work is scheduled to
cause minimal disruption to students.

This year's calm has been
disrupted by the roar of earth
moving equipment (above) .
Chair of Mathematics Larry
Riddle demonstrates equip-
ment to Emily Pender '95
in the nevu Macintosh Lab
in Dana Fine Arts (left) .

PLUGGING INTO THE FUTURE: TECHNOLOGY INVADES ASC

Installing state-of-the-art
equipment now will move
the College into the future ,
says Director of Computing
Services Tom Maier.

Because Agnes Scott must compete with
many technologically advanced institutions
fof the same pool of students, ITEP's initial
focus has been academics.

Forty-two student computer stations
located in the academic computer center
and at satellite locations in various build-
ings, including residence halls, have been
upgraded to DEC '486 personal computers
capable of running the latest software.

To meet specialized needs of art students,
eight Macintosh computers with state-of-
the-art graphics and design capabilities
have been installed in the Dana Fine Arts
Building. These computers are capable of
being expanded as new software is released.

The new computerized classroom. The
Interactive Learning Center, contains 22
work stations. The classroom name offers a
clear sense of the benefits of this technology

and reflects changes in teaching as well.

Math/physics major Elizabeth Cherry '95
describes that center as "wonderful."

"Before, we had only one computer, the
image on its monitor was projected on an
AV screen the professor was the one who
entered the information. Now," says Cherry,
"each student is able to have a one-on-one
conversation with the computer and to dis-
cover solutions to problems by herself.

"For instance, in my Differential Equa-
tions course, we plug in the equations and
specifications, then the computer automati-
cally plots the points and draws the graphs.
Having these computers not only helps us
find new solutions to our math problems
but it also breaks the harrier between stu-
dent and computer. That's important be-
cause employers really expect graduates to
have a working knowledge of computers."

ACTIVE STUDENT PARTICIPATION
is what Chair of the Mathematics Depart-
ment Larry Riddle enjoys most about the
new capability. Before, he was limited to a
lecture/demonstration format. Now students
are "able to share ideas and solutions with
classmates since the computers are net-
worked and information can be projected
onto a screen to promote class discussion."

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER I994

Associate Professor of English Christine
Cozzens beheves the ease of moving blocks
of copy or making other adjustments to
manuscripts on the computer should also
help her students produce better work.
"Word processing," says Cozzens, "makes it
much easier to change things you would
like to change but might not if it meant re-
typing or rewriting an entire page."

AS STUDENTS BENEFIT from the aca-
demic application of this technology, so will
Agnes Scott faculty members who now
have personal computers. Once these are
linked to the network, says Maier, it will
"not only help faculty with administrative
activities like writing memos and reports
and developing tests but it will improve
their ability to advise students as they have
convenient and ongoing ac-
cess to student records, class
schedules and grades."

Just as these new tech-
nologies facilitate work.
Dean of the College Sarah
Blanshei, who serves as chair
of the oversight committee
for ITEP and coordinates the
disparate parts of the pro-
gram, acknowledges that
learning to use the technol-
ogy poses distinct challenges.
"Never have we asked any
other generation of teachers
to learn so much, so fast and to embrace a
new way of thinking and doing things," she
notes.

Maier agrees. He emphasizes that the
project requires close teamwork and he
calls the faculty "the driving force" behind
the ITEP success. "That is why we're offer-
ing workshops, individual training and at-
tendance at national conferences to help
faculty members enhance their current
skills and develop new uses for technology."

In support of the academic program,
ITEP will include library automation. As a
first step, the library has reclassified its in-
ventory, moving from an outdated Dewey
Decimal to the Library of Congress system.
The second step will update the system with
an automated check-out /check-in using bar
codes and scanners. Then the database will
list everything in the College library and
that information will be "on-line" so a stu-
dent may search for the book and discover,
immediately, whether it is on the shelf.

"Another benefit," says Maier, "is an im-
proved collection development process. We
will have data about the use of books and
periodicals. This will enable us to add to OLir
collection more effectively."

OTHER UPGRADES in the administrative
computer system include staff computers
with access to software developed for spe-
cific administrative tasks.

"ITEP means that all staff members'
computers will be networked so we will be
able to share information and communicate
by electronic mail," says Manager of
Stewardship Anne Schatz. "We are also
converting all of our current development
files into a new program. Benefactor, which
allows us to expand the amount of informa-
tion we keep on alumnae and friends.

"This will help us keep
more detailed, more cur-
rent records."

Tying the campus'
computers together will be
the third phase, called
Agnes Scott's Local Area
Network (SCOTTLAN),
which carries the new
telecommunications sys-
tem, the computer network
and the capability for cable
television throughout the
campus.

Maier notes two primary
benefits of installing the cable network at
this time. First, new wiring will not only
replace the out-of-date telecommunications
system but will offer additional features such
as Voice Mail for each telephone.

The other benefit involves ASC's par-
ticipation in INTERNET, a world-wide
computer network system accessed through
PeachNet, a statewide network operated by
University System of Georgia. This network
will enable faculty and students to access
information from other schools and librar-
ies. Everyone will have an electronic mail
address making it easy for Agnes Scott fac-
ulty and students to collaborate on projects
with other people at other schools.

If Maier jokes a little about the pressures
inherent in this project, he fully appreciates
its ultimate accomplishment. "Implementa-
tion of ITEP at this time makes it possible
for us to install state-of-the-art equipment
that not only meets today's needs, but also
prepares us for the future."

Benefits of the
new system range
from instant
lookup of library
books to an E-mail
system that
connects faculty
and students with
other schools.

PLUGGING INTO THE FUTURE: TECHNOLOGY INVADES ASC

CLASSIC

For ASC s alumnae gardeners, it's proved "the best work. "

same time, the College
hired a landscape architect
to rework the garden. The
pergola had rotted and he
replaced flower beds with
grass and four dogwoods.
The high standards of
Frances Stukes, Caroline
"Callie" McKinney Clarke
'27 and other alumnae
were offended, briefly,
when the College wrested
control of the garden in
the 1970s. But by 1974, an
alumnae proposal to re-
sume managing the garden
was accepted with mis-
givings. Wrote James
Henderson, vice president
for business affairs: "I'm
delighted we have people
who are interested in
shouldering some responsi-
bility, although I have real
reservations as to how long
this committee will last."
By 1991, committee mem-
bers Nelle Chamlee
Howard, Lewis, Stukes and
a Winthrop College gradu-
ate Louisa Wannamaker,
each had 16 years of con-
tinuous service. Clarke
donated the fountain in
the lily pond to honor her
mother, Claude Candler
McKinney, who "was on
the front steps of the
Decatur Female Institute
as it opened its doors in
1889." Wannamaker's con-

ALUMNAE
GARDEN:
AN EASY
ROW TO HOE

Toward the little foun-
tain nestled between
the hydrangeas marches
Bella Wilson Lewis '34
with toilet brush in hand.

She scrubs away the
algae that have accumu-
lated since the previous
Wednesday when she
joined a handful of others
to work in the Alumnae
Garden. Frances Gilliland
Stukes '24, clad in blue
jeans, waits patiently, then
the two walk over to
Evans Dining Hall.

Stukes recalls when
there was no Alumnae
Garden. During her ASC
years, she spent a lot of

time looking down from
her Inman window onto
Faculty Garden, where
faculty women and wives
maintained plots. "As to
who had the first gleam in
her eye about putting a
formal garden behind
Inman, there's contro-
versy," she says. But by the
late 1920s, the alumnae
"took the garden away"
from the faculty and ex-
cept for a few years have
managed the garden since.
Young Stukes served on
the first Alumnae Garden
committee with chair
Louise Brown Hastings '23
(whose husband's family
owned an Atlanta land-
scaping business). Hastings
had both a "knack" and
the right connections
she gave hundreds of
Hastings' bulbs to ASC.

The lily pond in the
garden was part of a gift
from the Class of '3 1 . Its
landscaping included a
pergola of wooden slats
and brick pillars planted
with rambling roses which
tumbled over its archway.
Stukes remembers a wed-
ding there. Actually, what
she recalls with a laugh, is
the bride's long, delicate
veil picking up twigs and
leaves as it trailed along
the Garden path.

In the 1930s, couples
seeking a bit of privacy
found the garden's kissing
comer, where shrubbery
formed a high screen
around a small bench.

Engagement dunkings
in the pond escalated by
the 1960s as a College
tradition took firm root in
the garden. About that

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER 1994

tribiitions are highly re-
garded, as well: "She's the
best weeder we ever had,"
notes Lewis.

The wonder ot the gar-
den has caught the inter-
est and comments of on-
lookers trom faculty to
Decatur neighbors.

Students who drop by
the Alumnae Garden to
sun or spend a peaceful
moment away from books,
sometimes volunteer to
work side by side with
these gardening experts.

While the Alumnae
Garden committee meets
infrequently now, Stukes
shows up regularly, carry-
ing her basket of garden
tools. Her strong, gloved
hands pull weeds or plant
flowers or coax growth.

Before Alumnae Week-
end, Lewis slipped on wet
leaves and broke her hip.
Now she, Howard and
Wannamaker are "retired."

Lewis admits, "Never
have I done anything in
my whole life that has re-
ceived so much praise
from the casual garden
stroller to faculty, students
and parents. It's no won-
der we work so hard; it's
the best work."

Caroline Bleke '83 is
manager of alumnae pro-
grams, Agnes Scott College.

ETCETERA

Beauty amid Moscow's crumhling infrastructure,
update on the President search, Mexico outreach,
news from several College fronts, and lots of letters

NEW

PARIETAL

RULES

The Board of Trustees
passed new parietal
regulations and accompa-
nying guest regulations in
its January meeting,
responding to students'
desire to have a choice
concerning individual
living arrangements.

Based on a proposal by
the Parietals Committee,
the Residence Hall Asso-
ciation and the Represen-
tative Council, and subse-
quently modified by the
Judicial Committee and
the Student Affairs Com-
mittee of the Board of
Trustees, the new regula-
tions offer three options.
The first option is identi-
cal to policy stated in the
student handbook with
male visitors in the resi-
dence hall rooms until
midnight Sunday through
Thursday and until 2 a.m.
on Friday and Saturday.
The other two options are
set hours for male visitors
until midnight Sunday
through Thursday and all
of the weekend beginning

at 2 p.m. on Friday, and
24-hour visitation, seven
days a week. All current
students have the option
to change current living
arrangements for the re-
mainder of the 1994 spring
semester.

Each upper-class stu-
dent may choose among
the three options during
room sign-ups this spring
for the fall 1 994 semester.
First-year students will not
have 24-hour visitation.

The Board also adopted
a series ot rules for all male
visitors. Among the rules,
males must sign in with
the resident assistant and
must be escorted. They
must use men's restrooms
and abide by Agnes Scott
residence hall policies.

Associate Dean of Stu-
dents Mollie Merrick '57
who worked closely with
the students as they
framed different versions
of the policy says Agnes
Scott has had set parietal
hours for more than a de-
cade. "Parietals have been
on the national scene for
years now and 24-hour
parietals are common
across the country not
universal, but common."

While some colleges
(like Presbyterian in
Clinton, S.C., and
Wesleyan in Macon) do
not have a 24/7 (24-hours
a day, seven days a week)
policy, students in a grow-
ing number of institutions
have pushed for extended
residence hall visitation.
Terry Sichta, director of
housing at Georgia Insti-
tute of Technology, notes
that for 20 years Tech had
limited in-room visitation
policy then about two
years ago Tech involved
students in a vote on the
24/7 option, by dorm. "I
don't know of any Tech
dorms that have gone with
less than 24 hours," says
Sichta. Emory University
also offers a 24/7 option
each year in a dorm by
dorm vote, with most
choosing that option.

This past fall Agnes
Scott student leaders
called for a 24/7 visitation
policy. Instead of taking
the proposal through es-
tablished channels to the
Board of Trustees, they
took the vote to the stu-
dents, by residence hall.
"We knew that every
change to rules in the stu-

CLASSIC & ETCETERA

ETCETERA

dent handbook had to be
approved by the board,"
says Residence Hall Asso-
ciation President Jessica
Lake '94, "but we felt that
we should be the ultimate
decision makers in this
case." After two-thirds of
the residents voted in fa-
vor of the change, student
leaders indicated that resi-
dence halls would no
longer uphold the old pari-
etal regulations. Student
Government President
Missy MuUinaux says for
her it was an issue of
power as much as pari-
etals. "Parietals was some-
thing that students could
rally behind."

For Dean of Students
Cue Hudson, the issue of
parietals was heightened
by immediate concerns for
maintaining trust and a
working relationship be-
tween administration and
students, and also for the
College's traditional
stance on student self-gov-
ernance and the honor
system. Hudson noted that
the honor system is one of
the aspects of life at Agnes
Scott that she values. She
wanted to work to pre-
serve that system, in and
outside classrooms.

Hudson, who took an
informal survey of private
and public institutions.

says that compared to
other southern women's
colleges, Agnes Scott's
parietal policies "started
out as more conservative.
Recently I have thought
we were out of step with
student needs and with
other colleges, and I think
some changes were defi-
nitely needed in college
policy. But 1 was very
grieved for the students to
go around a process that
had not failed them."

Although students
wanted to be the ultimate
decision makers in this
case, Hudson noted that as
dean of students, she is
accountable for what hap-
pens in residence halls.
She said, "You can't have
total power in setting rules
unless you have full
responsibility."

Even as students have
new freedom to choose
how they live, the College
is urged to take a "more
proactive role in providing
an opportunity for discus-
sions about values so that
all students can carefully
work through the life deci-
sions they are making,"
says Trustee Wardie Mar-
tin '59, chair of the
Board's student affairs
committee which finalized
the policy that later was
passed by the Board.

Trustees and others at
Agnes Scott wonder how
the change will affect the
College. Students who
don't want the pressure of
time restrictions on male
visitors say they feel more
relaxed with the new
policy. The student who
chooses not to have a
male guest may at times
welcome the roommate
contract it requires her
full consent to her
roommate's male guest;
the student without a male
guest has priority right to
the room.

To some alumnae, the
change marks the end of
an era. "By allowing men
access to the dorms at all
hours, the women at
Agnes Scott risk altering
the unique character of
the college they attend,"
laments alumna Caroline
Bleke '83. "Male visitation
is fine, in moderation.
Twenty-four hours, seven
days a week the Univer-

sity of Georgia provides
that kind of atmosphere at
a fraction of Agnes Scott's
tuition." Agrees Katie
Pattillo '90, "These stu-
dents may never know
what they are missing in
terms of that bond among
women."

For this reason, and for
reasons of transition from
home to college, restric-
tions on first-year students
is probably a good idea,
thinks Junior Class Presi-
dent Charmaine Minnie-
field '95. "First-year stu-
dents need time to under-
stand how things are done
here, the traditions of the
College, the honor code.
This gives them time."
The policy puts responsi-
bility on upper class stu-
dents, where she believes
it belongs. "I don't feel
that we come to college to
be in a parentally con-
trolled environment. . . .
My support of the 24-hour
policy is not in any way

HOW ASC RATES

As of June 30, 1993, Agnes Scott's endowment had
X Va market value of more than $205 million. The
College received an "AA-" from Standard and Poor's
and an "Aa" rating from Moody's Investor Service.
These ratings place ASC among the elite of U.S.
higher education institutions in terms of credit rating.

Ar;K]Fc;<;rnTTUAr.A7iwp w/iwtfp looj

ETCETERA

supporting premarital
sex aren't we women
enough to tell a man when
it's time to leave ?"

On many levels, the
change in parietals "has
been a very difficult issue,"
admits Director ot Alum-
nae Affairs Lucia Sizemore
'65. "Students today view
their space not just as a
place for sleeping but more
like an apartment. It's
where they have their ste-
reo and television. It's
where they like to spend
time and entertain their
friends.

"All of us are aware
that it's a changing world.
Each generation has dealt
with difficult questions.
For the Class of 1947, it
was whether or not stu-
dents should be allowed to
dance with men.

"We as alumnae need
to trust that today's stu-
dents will be as thorough

and thoughtful in their
adult decisions as we
thought we were in our
day."

SUMMER
ARTS

The buttressed walls of
the Dana Fine Arts
Building will be burgeon-
ing with creative energy
July 18-24, when 15 artist
instructors and their stu-
dents converge for "Sum-
mer Studios at Agnes
Scott College."

This expanded arts pro-
gram (in its second year)
will feature 15 weekend
workshops in visual arts,
music, creative writing,
theatre and expressive
therapy; and six, week-
long studios: monotype,
watercolor, creative book
structures, ceramic sculp-
ture, paint programs and

digital image processing
and photography. The
sessions will be presented
by Frances Anderson '63,
Carol Barton, Amanda
Gable, Valerie Gilbert,
Roy Grant, Anthony
Grooms, Ann Kresge,
Carol Lee Lorenzo, Tom
Love, Michele McNichols,
Kathryn Myers, Mark B.
Perry, Karen Robinson,
Karen Sullivan and Betty
Ann Wylie '63.

The program offers
"serious students a unique
opportunity to immerse
themselves in the creative
process."

Workshop and studio
tuition ranges from $125
to $300; room and board is
$75-$ 195. Some continu-
ing education (CEU)
credit courses are included
in the offerings. Registra-
tion deadline is June 1.

For more information,
contact Myrna L.
Goldberg, director of
special programs, at
(404) 371-6184 [after
March 12, 638-6184].

MOSCOW
SKETCHES

Polluted water pouring
out of hotel faucets,
technical school hallways

dark for lack of lightbulbs,
crumbling city walls and
unkempt campuses are
among the graphic de-
scriptions and sketches
that Elsa Pena, director
of the physical plant at
Agnes Scott, brought back
from Russia and Estonia
this fall. "We thought Rus-
sia would have standards
of maintenance close to
ours," comments Pefia,
"but what we found there
was evidence of deteriora-
tion over a long period of
time. We were shocked."

Pefia was among 15
maintenance supervisors
who visited technical uni-
versities, hospitals and
clinics, a factory, churches,
hotels, an architectural
firm, and the offices of the
mayors of Tallin and St.
Petersburg. They talked
with officials on site, then
followed up the visits with
written evaluations and
reports.

Over and over, the
group was questioned
about the possibility of
U.S. investment. "All the

NEV^ei^^tJ^Tpis^

people know is that it will
take lots of money to fix
things. They see this as a
big mountain. It over-
whelms them. They don't
know where to start."

Russians face difficult
choices, including
whether to use limited re-
sources to restore architec-
turally unique buildings or
repair public facilities and
rebuild crumbling infra-
structures.

At one time the gov-

ernment had a large force
of workers responsible for
making repairs throughout
the country, but since the
quasi-privatization of
property, physical plant
maintenance, says Pefia,
"does not exist."

At a large St. Peters-
burg hotel, Pefia noticed
that the elevator only to
the third floor. "Three
years before, the hotel
caught fire. Rather than
make repairs, they just
closed off the upper floors.
h was unbelievable."

-r- ''5.

COMPUTER
CRAZY IN
MEXICO

The same year Salinas,
a small village in
Oaxaca, in southern
Mexico, got electricity,
ASC Assistant Professor
of Sociology/ Anthropol-
ogy Martha Rees intro-
duced computer technol-
ogy. "They went crazy,"
says Rees.

That was in 1988.
Since then, Rees has been
visiting Oaxaca each sum-
mer to help where she can
and to observe the differ-
ent co-operative groups
who grow food to sell and
who purchase food in mass
quantities to resell.

In the blazing heat of

July 1993, she returned to
her friends in Salinas. "We
reviewed spreadsheets
from last year, and I taught
them about word process-
ing," says Rees, "so they
could document their
community history and
what they are doing in
their co-op groups."

This year Rees took
three students with her.
Ken Sturrock from Geor-
gia State University
"tuned-up" the computers
for the trip and helped
with computers on-site.
The Research Experience
for Undergraduate stu-
dents [REU] program
which promotes women
and minorities to partici-
pate in current research
made it possible for Meg
McDonough '93 and Mimi

ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW

An administrative review committee has been set
J. \. up to examine areas of administrative responsi-
bility and coordinate with the academic review, man-
dated in 1993 by the Board of Trustees, to plan the
most efficient and effective administrative support for
the College and its evolving academic program.

Both academic and administrative reviews will
report regularly to the trustees. Final reports will be
given no later than the May 1995 Trustees' meeting.
This new committee will have six administrative
staff, the officers of the College, two faculty members,
two students and a trustee liaison.

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WNTER 1994

ETCETERA

Saunders '93 to work
alongside Rees in Salinas
and to do research in
other villages in the val-
ley. While in Mexico,
Rees and students stayed
in middle strata urban
houses with dirt floors
and no running hot water.

Others who hear about
Rees' trips realize the
importance of her efforts
and are generously provid-
ing support. After reading
about Rees in December
1992 Main Events, Barbara
Gerland '43 and her hus-
band decided to donate a
computer. Later, after
speaking with Rees about
her work in Mexico,
Carlos Seville of the com-
pany Saw Horse donated
seven computers.

Rees holds in high
regard the people of
Salinas. "Ninety-nine per-
cent of the time, they
know exactly what they
want. They're an
inspiration."
Elizabeth Cherry '95

THE

PRESIDENT

Agnes Scott has begun
L a search to fill its
president's office which
becomes vacant June 30

with the retirement of
Ruth A. Schmidt. The
first woman president, and
the fifth president in the
College's 105-year history,
Schmidt has held the of-
fice since 1982.

Chairing the presiden-
tial search committee is
Clair McLeod MuUer '67,
Atlanta City Council rep-
resentative and a member
of Agnes Scott's Board of
Trustees.

The committee has
held its initial meetings
and plans to enlist the
services of an executive
search consultant by
February.

"We want to be as thor-
ough as possible and
gather as much informa-
tion from as many con-
stituencies as possible,"
notes MuUer. "We do not
want to rush the process
and certainly having an
interim president would
not be ruled out."

Serving with MuUer are
trustees Louise Isaacson
Bernard '46, JoAnn Saw-
yer Delafield '58, Frances
Bailey Graves '63, Douglas
W Oldenburg, Jesse J.
Spikes, WG. Tittle Jr.,
Sara Ector Vagliano '63,
and Joseph Gladden Jr.,
chair of the board (ex-
officio); faculty members
Michael J. Brown, profes-

REPORT FROM SACS

Following the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools (SACS) regular 10-year reaccredi-
tation process, a peer committee submitted its exit
report dealing with Agnes Scott College, its faculty,
staff, resources and students. The visit on January 26
followed a campus self-study.

The written report of the committee with the
recommendations to which the College must re-
spond will be forthcoming. After the exchange of
information necessary in the review process, the
College will receive word concerning accreditation
in a later meeting of the Southern Association.

sot of history; Gail
Cabisius, associate profes-
sor of classical languages
and literatures; and Karen
J. Thompson, assistant
professor of biology; presi-
dent-elect of the ASC
Alumnae Association
Lowrie Alexander Fraser
'56; registrar Mary K.
Owen Jarboe '68; students
Sylvia Martinez '96,
sophomore class president;
and Charmaine Minnie-
field '95, junior class presi-
dent; Lucia H. Sizemore
'65, director of alumnae
affairs; and Lea Ann
Grimes Hudson '76,
special assistant to the
president (ex-officio).

"The committee not
only reflects a desire for
full participation by all.

but represents a composite
microcosm ot the
strengths and diversity of
our community," said
Gladden. "Each member
brings a reserve of experi-
ence, judgment and per-
spective to the task, and
each will make a signifi-
cant contribution to a
most important under-
taking."

According to the
Washington, D.C., -based
Women's College Coali-
tion, Agnes Scott is one of
five women's institutions
(Converse, Randolph-
Macon, Stephens and
Texas Women's Univer-
sity) currently conducting
presidential searches.
Locally, Emory University,
Georgia Tech and DeKalb

ETCETERA

College are also reviewing
candidates for their presi-
dents' offices.

Commenting on the
number of presidential
positions open, MuUer
said: "I do not think that
the current climate will
change the way we con-
duct our search. The aver-
age term of a president is
now five or six years so
there will always be other
searches going on.

"This will be a very
attractive job because ot
our quality, our financial
strength and our location."

If you have nominations or
other suggestions , please
send them to Clair McLeod
Muller, chair, Presidential
Search Committee, ASC,
141 East College Ave.,
Decatur, GA 300^0-3797.

ASC

AFFIRMS

CONVENENT

WITH

SYNOD

A covenant between
^ Agnes Scott Col-
lege and the Synod of the
South Atlantic of the
Presbyterian Church
(USA) has been formal-
ized by the Board of Trust-
ees of the College.
The Synod should

ratify this covenant at its
next meeting in Septem-
ber. The new affiliation
will give Agnes Scott
greater access to potential
students and supporters in
Presbyterian churches in
the three states which
comprise the synod of the
South Atlantic: South
Carolina, Georgia, and
Florida.

Though affiliated with
the Presbyterian Church
since its founding by
Presbyterians in Decatur
in 1889, the College has
had an unclear relation-
ship with the Church in
recent years, given its
reunification and the
reconfiguration of bound-
aries.

The text ot the cov-
enant is based on a state-
ment approved by the
Board in 1989. The addi-
tions to the statement deal
mostly with the responsi-
bilities of the Synod to-
ward Agnes Scott.

The College will con-
tinue its custom of being
financially independent,
not requesting funds from
the Synod. The Board
will continue to be a
totally independent and
self-perpetuating body.

A statement is available to
those who request it. Write
the College for a copy.

FEEDBACK

J* Interesting summer is-
sue of ASC Alumnae
Magazine . Good work you
do. Of interest to me,
especially: Jane Zanca
["Scratching Out a Mind"]
was my "Big Sister" in
1982. But I beg a question:
The article by Mary Alma
Durrett ["A Matter of De-
grees"] and specifically
page 29. Why no mention
of financial aid in the Bo
Ball RTC Scholarship? It's
specifically for RTCs.

Sally Ann Stevens

Portland, OR

1 am completing my
Ph.D. in counseling
psychology and two of my
specialty areas are the
homeless and gender/
women's concerns. I found
the article on homeless-
ness to be written well and
with respect for her sub-
jects. I was also very
pleased to read about the
involvement of ASC with
several homeless shelters,
etc., in the Atlanta area.

My dissertation topic
addresses the main article
of education for women
from a self-efficiency view-
point. Specifically 1 am
researching when the
change occurs in boys' and
girls' self efficiency for
specific academic and life
tasks such as athletics,
close friendships, math,
science, etc. I believe
there is a major shift for
girls to start believing they
are not smart and capable
in school subjects about
the 6 or 7 grades. . . .

I agree wholeheartedly
with the premise set forth
in the article of working

very hard to keep women's
only colleges open and
viable.

Laurel Allegra Kramer
'75

Columbia, MO

In 1 836, Wesleyan Col-
lege was chartered by the
Georgia General Assembly
as the first college in the
world authorized to grant
degrees to women. Mount
Holyoke, which was
founded in 1837, one year
after Wesleyan, was a
female seminary and only
later became a college.
Your time line noted the
founding of Mills College,
Wellesley College, Smith
and several others. I am
very surprised in all your
research you did not come
across Wesleyan.

Kathy A. Bradley

President

Wesleyan College
Alwmvxe Association

Macon, GA

EDITORS NOTE: Presi-
dent Ruth Schmidt notes that
we missed Salem College in
Winston-Salem N.C. ,
founded in 1 772 .

? Unfortunately you have
missed another milestone
in women's educational
history! In 1850, the first
medical school for women
was founded, the Female
Medical College of Penn-
sylvania. The college has
been committed to, and
involved in, educating
women to be physicians,
and preparing them to
serve as researchers, edu-
cators and practitioners in
all parts of the world.

AGNES SCOTT MAGAZINE WINTER / 994

FEEDBACK

The Medical College of
Pennsylvania [MCP] as it
is now called, was the first
and is the only extant
medical school founded
exclusively for the educa-
tion of women physicians.
Now coeducational, MCP
first admitted male medi-
cal students in 1969 (the
last college to go coed).

Deborah S. S tames

Administrative
Coordinator

Office of Faculty Affairs

MCP

Philadelphia, PA

Heartiest congratula-
tions on the Agnes Scott
Alumnae Magazine [Sum-
mer, 1993]! Jane Zanca's
article, "Scratching Out a
Mind," was superb.

It is amazing what a
mindset we men main-
tained over the centuries
regarding the "appropri-
ate" role for women.

The greatest feminist
influence in my life has
been my wife, Ruth, who
completed two years at
Agnes Scott before she
transferred over to Emory
to supervise my last two

undergraduate
years. . . .

When the
Coral Gables
chapter of NOW
staged a sit-in in
my office at the
University of
Miami in the
spring of 1972,
the greatest
ally the
women had
was my Ruth.
Fortunately, I
had already appointed a
Women's Commission
about a year before to ex-
amine the status of women
on our campus. . . .

Jane Zanca's article re-
minded me that it was 40
years ago last week that
the Regents of the Univer-
sity System of Georgia dis-
patched me to Milledge-
ville from Atlanta, where 1
was Assistant Chancellor,
to be president of the
Georgia State College for
Women and "save it as a
women's college."

I was tremendously im-
pressed with the quality of
the education there in
those distant days and
with the enthusiasm of the
young women on the cam-
pus. Yet 1 faced tremen-
dous political and finan-
cial problems.

We had two large resi-
dence halls in the middle
of campus completely va-
cant, and yet the Univer-
sity System institutions in
Statesboro and CarroUton
were having to turn away
students, both men and
women, because of lack of
space. 1 once suggested to
the chairman of the Board

of Regents, Robert Arnold
of Covington, and the
Chancellor, Harmon
Caldwell, that the College
would have to admit men
in order to become politi-
cally and financially
viable. 1 will never forget
Mr. Arnold's retort to that
suggestion, which revealed
the chauvinist view of the
day: "Henry, we must
maintain one woman's
college in the University
System of Georgia, where
we can provide culture
and refinement for the
young women of this state
and where they can eat
supper on white table-
cloths with white nap-
kins!"

1 remember observing
during my years at old
GSCW the advantages
that Ms. Zanca's article
proclaims for women' s
colleges.

Forgive me for having
dictated such a long letter.

Henry King Stanford

President Emeritus

The University of
Georgia and

University of Miami

It's gratifying to know
that my efforts have some
value for others, and that
the message gets conveyed
by other hands. Your ar-
ticle ["Scratching Out a
Mind]" was incisive and
compelling. Right now I'm
working on the compan-
ion volume [to A World
Without Women], The Mas-
culine Millennium, about
the religions/mythologies
informing Western Tech-
nology an equally grim
tale, I'm afraid. (A World

Without Women is in pa-
perback, published by Ox-
ford University Press.)

David T. Noble

North York

Ontario, Canada

Just arrived an abso-
lutely stunning issue of the
Agnes Scott Alumnae
Magazine!

Margot Gayle '31

New York, NY

1 just finished "A Mat-
ter of Degrees" in the
[Summer '93] Alumnae
Magazine and felt com-
pelled to write to tell you
how well it captured the
spirit of the RTC program
as I experienced it. Each
RTC has a different story
to tell and yet each story
carries a common "thirst
for learning" theme that 1
believe binds all of us. 1
"knew" those students you
interviewed even though I
attended from 1983-1989
and their names were dif-
ferent then. Thank you for
putting our spirit into such
eloquent words.

Linda Harris '89
Decatur, GA

Your article on Lucie
Barron Eggleston was so
good! She happens to be a
member of my church,
Eastminster Presbyterian.
Lucie and a few others
went to Africa this
summer to help build a
hospital. Lots of plain
physical work, as well as a
spiritual awakening to re-
alize you can live one day
at a time. . . .

Elizabeth By num
Columbia, SC

ETCETERA

Agnes Scott College
141 E. College Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030

Nonprofit

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Decatur, GA 30030

Permit No. 469

After March 12, anyone and
Lcveryone connected to
Agnes Scott College (who wants
to be connected to the College)
will have three important numbers
to remember 6, 3 and 8.

Those numbers comprise the
new prefix for ALL telephone
numbers to the College. The sub-
sequent four numbers on all lines
will remain the same. For example,
the alumnae office number before
March 12 is 371-6323; the number
after March 12 will be 638-6323.
The telephone number change is a
result of campus-wide networking
project that will link all ASC
phones and computers (see story,
page 26).

ftTndale Estates, GA 30002

'rinted on recycled paper

k'^-

End of an Era

ASC's First Woman
President Retires

EDITOR'S NOTE

Decades since Kwai Sing Chang broke ASC's faculty color harrier,
the College has learned to view diversity as promise , difference as grace

Only three Changs were listen
in the Atlanta telephone
directory when Kwai Sin
Chang, an American of
Chinese ancestry, came in
1956 to teach Bible and philoso-
phy at Agnes Scott. He says he
experienced isolation, not discrimina-
tion in his new hometown. But his anec-
dotes of those early years are peppered wi
moments of "that stereotypical response" to
himself, his young wife Miyoko, of Japanese
ancestry, and their two daughters. With a polite
chuckle, he remembers the confusion of a census
taker who "didn't know how to list the kids."

Chang had done his Ph.D. work at the universities of
Edinburgh and Cambridge and moved freely in academic
circles, both overseas and in the United States. He found it
no different at Agnes Scott College. "I came when Dr.
Wallace Alston was president. Because Alston and I had
known each other at Princeton Theological Semmary we
had been roommates for a year I felt completely at home."

As professor, Chang extended that kind of support and
academic freedom to his students at Agnes Scott. Karen
Green '86, remembers. Chang encouraged her when she
wanted to explore African-American works that he also read
and sometimes discussed in class. "When I chose to write a
paper comparing Jewish and Black church tradition through
music both spoke about being oppressed Dr. Chang said,
'This is excellent, Karen. We need to be sharing this with the
class.' I was reared in the Black church tradition. Kwai
Chang gave me the opportunity to fuse the curriculum with
my experience."

In turn Green who characterized herself as a "38-year-
old African-American Retum-to-College student who would
not be shaken" reached out often to traditional-age stu-
dents. During their formative years, these students had few
mature female African- American role models on campus.
Green empathized that in the midst of trying to discover their
own identities, almost by virtue of their presence, these young
people "were the model African Americans in the dining
hall, on the playing field, in the resident halls, in the student
center." Explains Green, "Often, the 18-22-year-olds are not
savvy enough to know they are carrying that burden. They
just know they are tired and feeling isolated."

Green, a member of the ASC dean of student's staff for
nine years, encouraged students to effect change by working

within the institution and she helped the College
make its philosophical commitment to diversity
supportive on a "day-to-day basis." Says
Green, "I planted many seeds at Agnes
Scott, but I wasn't going to be around for
gathering the harvest."

Today, almost 40 years since a
seminary friendship drew Kwai
Sing Chang to Agnes Scott, the
professor emeritus who broke
the faculty color barrier here can
open the Atlanta telephone book
and find his name listed among more
than 1 20 Changs. He talks about diversity
not in terms of harvest but as pockets of progress.
He would be pleased to learn that in 1990 his former
student Karen Green went on to advise multicultural stu-
dent organizations at another college (and will soon enroll in
Emory's Candler School of Theology).

Green would be pleased to see evidence of her influence
reflected in the first edition of Nandi, a newspaper by and for
African- American students at ASC. It contains an impressive
list of 14 young African- American women who in 1992 held
various elected student offices (including president of Honor
Court, vice president of Student Government Association,
president of the sophomore class and editor of the Silhouette).

Breaking ground through friendship and as mentors,
planting seeds Chang, Alston and Green join a host of
others, including retiring President Ruth Schmidt, who have
helped shape and enlarge Agnes Scott's circle of diversity.
"Different Values" (see page 14), by staff writer Audrey
Arthur, fills in with broad strokes ASC's diversity story that
began nearly 30 years before the landmark Supreme Court
integration decision. Brown vs. Board of Education. A time-
line ("Milestones and Steppingstones in Diversity" pages 24-
25) also compiled by Arthur, juxtaposes the growth of diver-
sity at Agnes Scott with national policies and events.

As Arthur's report makes clear, we have learned to see
ASC and our nation more as a mosaic than as a melting
pot. Like the mosaic, each piece each person is different,
but each makes a most valuable contribution toward creating
the overall image of beauty, grace and promise that is
today's and tomorrow's Agnes Scott College.

CONTENTS

Agnes Scott College Alumnae Magazine
Summer 1994 Volume 71 , Number I

The End of An Era

By Celeste Pennington

Colleagues and friends consider the life

and work of ASC's first uioinan president.

The Beginning of an Era

By Tish McCutchen

This time of transition for the College is

also a time of testing for higher education .

Different
Values

By Audrey Arthur
On the 40th anniversary of
Brown vs . Board of
Education, ASC takes stock.

Tripping the Light Fantastic

By Carole Siracusa

Agnes Scott pirouettes into the future

with a dance minor and a generous gift.

Redressing the Student Body

By Mary Alma Durrett f

Noting some highs and lows of Scottie hemlines j)](S!)
and hairdos, from the Marcelled bob to Spandex.

DEPARTMENTS

Lifestyle

Et Cetera

Feedback

COVER: ASC President Ruth
Schmidt poses hetore the portrait of
Agnes Scott, the College's namesake.

Editor: Celeste Pennington
Contributing Editor:

Mary Alma Durrett
Editorial Assistant:

Audrey Arthur
Design: Everett HuUum

and Harold Waller
Student Assistants:

Elizabeth Cherry '95

WiUa Hendriekson '94

Teresa Kelly '94

Emily Pender '95

Vicki Vitelli '97

Publications Advisory

Board: Jenifer Cooper '86

Christine Cozzens

Carey Bowen Craig '62

Sandi Harsh '95

WiUa Hendriekson '94

Bonnie Brown Johnson '70

Randy Jones '70

Kay Parkerson O'Briant '70

Edmund Sheehey

Lucia Howard Sizemore '65

Copyright 1994, Agnes Scott
College. Published two times a year
by the Office of Publications,
Agnes Scott College, Buttrick Hall,
141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, GA
30030, (404)638-6315. The
magazine is published tor alumnae
and friends of the College.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
Office of Development and Public
Affairs, Agnes Scott College,
Decatur, GA 30030.
The content of the magazine reflects
the opinions of the writers and not
the viewpoint of the College, its
trustees or administration.

LIFESTYLE

From tip-toeing over active volcanoes to walking on coals, from help
for the harassed to hope for a new novel, alumnae ''sail' along

SOME
LIKE IT HOT

Earthwatcher
Evelyn Angeletti '69

Parking a well-oiled body,
lemonade in hand,
under a big beach umbrella
constitutes a dream vacation
to many. For Evelyn
Angeletti, the ideal getaway
is perching atop a volcano,
camera strapped around
her neck.

The Greenville, S.C.,
attorney has spent four vaca-
tions globe-trotting with
British scientists on a mis-
sion to decipher the warning
signs of volcanic eruption.
Through an environmental
research organization called
Earthwatch, Angeletti has
ventured to volcanoes in
Sicily, Costa Rica and
Nicaragua. During these

e.xpeditions she has
peered into the deep, bot-
tomless void ot a volcano;
been within 100 yards of 10-
to 20-foot pieces ot red-hot
tumbling lava; and descend-
ed with gas mask to the
crater floor of a volcano
which housed a boiling,
yellow-green acidic lake.
Earthwatch funds the
work of several volcanolo-
gists and other scientists in
fields ranging from archeol-
ogy to zoology. Tliey are
assisted by teams of graduate
students plus volunteers,

such as Angeletti, who pay
their own way for two-week
work stints.

As South Carolina's vol-
unteer field representative,
Angeletti recruits potential
Earthwatch volunteers,
emphasizing that the only
requirement for the tax-
deductible trips is curiosity.
"Agnes Scott graduates are
extremely well-prepared to
do these things," she says.
"A Scott education encour-
ages a lot of curiosity." On
her first Earthwatch trip
Angeletti helped researchers
study bear populations in
nearby North Carolina
mountains.

Her volunteer work pro-
vides an expression for her
"adjunct profession ot pho-
tography, something more
than just a hobby," she says.
TTie Decatur, Ga., native
frequently has vacationed
solo photographing volca-

noes in New Zealand,

Hawaii and Iceland. Her

work has been exhibited in

museums and galleries in

various states.

Angeletti is currently in

private practice, specializing

in real estate, business and

estate law. Her newfound

knowledge of geology has

proven useful in representing

real estate clients, including

the city ot Green\ille which

she represents on solid waste

issues.

For more information,
write: Earthwatch, P.O. Box
403, Watertown, MA 02272,
or call (617) 926-2200.

HELPLINE
FOR THE
HARASSED

Attorney Juliana
Winters 72

ASC graduate Juliana
Winters has helped
the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) suc-
cessfully address sexual
harassment. As an FAA
senior trial attorney. Winters
serves as a legal adviser to
the organization's Sexual
Harassment Helpline and
has been cited by its south-
em region for her work on
The Sexual Harassment

AONRS SrOTT TOl I FOF ^1 JWMPR IQQ4

LIFESTYLE

Helpline's Adiisor Haridhook.

The 20,000-employee
southern region is the first
F.'V,'\ region to institute such
a program. With one excep-
tion, the 1 5 cases reported to
the Helpline during its first
year were resoK'ed without
litigation.

"Our program is part of a
trend to resoK'e prohlems
before they get to trial. Our

courts are overburdened. If
we can resolve things short
ot litigation, we're obliged as
public ser\ants to do so,"
says the Gainesville, Ga.,
native.

Winters has received
feedback from non-govern-
ment employed peers that
the Helpline is progressive.
"Often, legal departments
have trouble convincing

management not to transfer
or give a se\'erance package
[to a person who has filed a
sexual harassment com-
plaint]," she explains.

With the Helpline, a
worker who believes he or
she has been harassed may
telephone the toll-free num-
ber and tile a complaint with
a trained FAA ad\-isor who
takes the concern to two

le\'els of management. Facts
about the situation are veri-
fied and the employee is
contacted within two days
alter the initial call.

"Sexual harassment is a
drain on the workplace.
Productivity goes down.
Efficiency and effectiveness
are lost among workers
even among those who are
not the victim. Employees

THE FIRE WITHIN

Adventurous retiree Gwen McKee Bays '38

\"\7' Talking on hot coals

ple, can be changed into a

not to look down and con-

enormously in dealing with

VV is a quest most folks

state of power."

stantly repeating the words,

some difficult problems."

would gladly forego. Not

Bays felt open-minded

"cool down, cool down."

The Bayses call Atlanta

Gwen McKee Bays. When

about participating in the

The ASC Greek major

home in summer and

she took early retirement in

NLP seminar, a gift from

still marvels over the expe-

Hilton Head, S.C., their

1981, Bays and her hus-

her son who is an employee

rience. "It's flesh touching

winter residence. In

band both former foreign

of Robbins. However, when

hot coals that can bum

between those two stays

language professors deter-

she saw seminar leaders

you," she puzzles. "The far-

the couple has lived in a

mined this new phase of

dump a wheelbarrow of hot

reaching, profound and

Buddhist house in Berkeley,

their lives would be "an

coals on the ground, Bays

unseen effect this has had

Calif., and spent time at

advennare."

recalls wanting to run.

on my life is the lesson that

Buddhist meditation cen-

Part of that adventure

Instead she crossed the

when faced with difficulties

ters in Virginia.

began when they attended

glowing embers

you can solve whatever is

Bays meditates faithfully

a seminar in Orlando

unscathed being careful

at hand.

and is devoted to Buddhist

taught by Anthony

. f^ .

"It has helped my family

teaching. Combining

Robbins, author of best-

her devotion with

selling Awaken the Giant

y 1 her skills as a retired

Within, and a lead trainer in

'^w professor of French

Neurolinguistic

mw and German, she has

Programming (NLP).

V 'mVl^f i]

f accomplished another

According to Bays, NLP

Xifi' /

\vO ^L^Y^i

. feat that she believes

teaches "attitude is every-

9 J <f ^

vnMassI

r rivals the fire walk:

thing" and a successful fire

fMH ^^^

translating for a Tibetan

walk illustrates how one
can alter one's mental state.

n \1

V^^\^BiK

W^^

lama four volumes of the
Buddhist canons from

r>"^i

"A state of fear, for exam-

^f ^^^^^ ^^^

w.- J

French to English.

'^^^fipi

^^w^ ^

LIFESTYLE

are not able to thrive in an
intimidatint; atmosphere."

Winters finds work with
the Helpline gratifying-

Her other duties include
prosecuting civilians who
carry guns beyond the air-
port checkpoints, airline
captains who deviate from
assigned flying altitudes, plus
violators of no-smoking
regulations, and providing
counsel on the environmen-
tal impact ot airport
development.

Winters is the past presi-
dent of the ASC Alumnae
Association and a former
member of the Board of
Trustees. In May 1994, she
was honored as an outstand-
ing alumna in recognition of
her service to the College.

FAIR

TREATMENT
EQR ALL

Press Secretary
Louisa Parker '89

During a typical work
week, Louisa Parker
may talk with the producers
of "60 Minutes," provide sta-
tistics to PBS "MacNeil/
Lehrer Newshour," pitch a
story idea to the producers of
"The Brokaw Report," fax
demographic charts to The
Washington Post, talk with a
reporter at a Seattle paper
and be interviewed on a
radio talk show.

The interviews, the faxed

information, the leads all
pertain to what has become
an American "crisis": each
year 300,000 to 500,000 ille-
gal immigrants make their

honie in the United States.
As press secretary for the
Federation for American
Immigration Reform
(FAIR), Parker explains that

these numbers are in addi-
tion to the 900,000 legal
immigrants. These annual
population surges, according
to FAIR, affect numerous

A NOVEL MODEL

Author Robyn Perry '84

Scotties soon may find
themselves between
the covers of Robyn Perry's
first novel, Leo's Electric.
The author admits her first
attempt at the great
American novel has much
in common with her alma
mater.

TTie fictitious setting for
her 300-page book is
Margaret Chaser
College, a small,
proper school ,

for women in Atlanta.
Agnes Scott graduates may
also recognize a favorite
Ponce de Leon Avenue
hangout, the Majestic.
After "breaking out of the
gates" of Margaret Chaser
College, the young protag-
onist of the book, Maura,
eventually becomes entan-

.^^^

i^7..^

"v4^ . ^3>.^25fc

gled with a man who owns
a Majestic-like restaurant
called Leo's Electric.

Perry is a native of
small town Bartlesville,
Okla. After graduation
from Agnes Scott she
earned a master's in writing
from New York University
and worked for a publish-
ing company. Then she
moved to Los Angeles,
where she married an inde-
pendent filmmaker.

Currently she is seeking
a publisher for her first
book and, with a tape
recorder, is composing a
children's novel during
long commutes to her cur-
rent "real job" as advertis-
ing representative for

LAN, a computer
magazine.

LIFESTYLE

aspects of American life,
from health-care and natural
resources to education and
employment.

The ASC graduate is
responsible for conveying
the message behind the
Washington, D.C.-based,
nonprofit, member organiza-
tion's goal: to stop illegal
immigration and hold annu-
al legal immigration to the
national historic average of
300,000, which she says
would not add significantly
to U.S. population growth.

Parker keeps a watchful
eye on current e\'ents and
calls reporters to tie those
events to issues of immigra-
tion. During the current
health-care debate, the ASC
classical studies and history
major called reporters' atten-
tion to the dilemma of pro-
viding universal coverage to
a population that, according
to current immigration fig-
ures, is ever-expanding.
When the World Trade
Center was bombed, Parker
led "60 Minutes" to a story
on political asylum.

The Gainesville, Ga.,
native trains and critiques
FAIR colleagues for televi-
sion and radio interviews so
they make their points clear-
ly and succinctly.

She also edits reports and
publications as a part of
fair's mission to educate
U.S. citizens.

ON THE

WINGS OF
A DREAM

Anne Christensen
Pollitzer '61

In September 1992, Anne
Christensen Pollitzer,
husband Rick and their
youngest son set sail in their
42 -foot sailboat Egret.

The first month, the
Egret sailed calmly from
Miami to Key West.

But the adventures began
in late November as they
entered the open sea, headed
for Mexico. Amid an ink-
dark night, the v\'ind hurled
10-foot waves soon Anne
was battling sea sickness and
the anxiety of sailing with a
broken mdder. At midnight
the Egret narrowly missed a
tanker. By dawn the
Pt)llitzers reached the boat of
friends who had radioed
ahead for a rescue boat. The
next night the Pollitzers
i again navigated against a

strong Yucatan cuiTcnt. Rut
by the time they crossed the
Isla Mujeres reef they were
gaily singing tunes of Jimmy
Buffett.

The next six weeks the
Pollitzers docked the Egret
off a small, remote island
near Cancun, ferning to
Yucatan where they studied
local history, enjoyed Mayan
dance, music and art and
toured ancient ruins.

Nine subsequent days
found the family sailing the
rugged coast of Belize and
finally anchoring inside the
Belizean reef for a month.
That, says Anne, was the
idyllic life. Bathing in blaz-
ing red sunsets. Donning
backpacks and Reeboks for
rugged climbs. Enjoying the
serendipity of a rousing sere-
nade by a small Mexican
Navy crew who upon rou-
tinely inspecting their boat
had discovered the Pollitzers'
son's guitar.

The southernmost point
of their sea travel was
Guatemala. The Egret wove

through a coral rect where
they scuba-di\ed, swam with
exotic fish and cut one salt-
water bath short due to a
visit by bull-nosed sharks.

A 300-page log of that
10-nionrh journey accounts
the trip of their dreams
and a welcome antidote to
the world of work. For 20
years, Anne had directed
the Montessori school in
Beaufort., S. C. Rick is a
retired pilot with Eastern
Airlines.

At Agnes Scott, Anne
was a math major who later
joined the Peace Corps,
using her second degree { in
education from Emor^'
University) to teach high
school in Nepal and assist
officials in redesigning
the country's science
curriculum.

Currently she's working
v\ith the board of directors
with the Montessori school
(that she founded), assisting
with its capital campaign
and substitute teaching.
She's also redecorating her
home on St. Helena Island,
southeast of Beaufort.

But she admits, several
months after their return
home, she and her husband
were still not adjusted to
"inside" living.

They wonder, "when are

we going again:

Leisa Hammen-Goad
is a jreeLmce ximter m
Nashville, Tenn. I

THE END
OF AN ERA

By Celeste Pennington

with Tish McCutchen 73 and Carolyn Wynens

After 12 years
as the first
woman president
ofASCRuth
Schmidt is
retiring. She
leaves a legacy
of financial
solvency,
educational
exploration and
"a forever better
institution."

FTER THE RECENT "Hats Off to
Ruth" retirement celebration
honoring Agnes Scott
President Ruth Schmidt, she
told alumnae gathered in
Presser Hall that on more than one occasion
she had been introduced as Agnes Scott.
Laughter rippled through the audience. "I'm
certain," said Schmidt, "that this never hap-
pened to my predecessors."

As the first woman to serve as chief execu-
tive officer of Agnes Scott, Ruth Schmidt
holds a unique place in the history of an insti-
tution named for a woman and founded for the
education of women. Betty Scott Noble '44,
trustee and descendant of College founder
George Washington Scott, thinks Scott would
have valued both the personal commitment
and force of character Ruth Schmidt has
brought to the task.

"George Washington Scott believed not
only in education for women, but in equal
education for women. That was a revolution-
ary idea," says Noble's daughter Betty '71 an
idea articulated now 100 years later, in the life
and work ot Schmidt. Like the founders, she
has acted on the belief that a Christian world
view provides a sound intellectual framework
for investigation of all fields of knowledge.
The younger Noble reflects a moment. "You
have to factor in that Col. Scott li\ed ui a
paternalistic society. But when it comes to
Agnes Scott College having this woman presi-
dent, I think he would have been pleased, very
pleased. Ruth is such a strong person. She has
been a strong leader. For 1 2 years she has
provided an ever-present model for what this
College advocates."

RUTH Schmidt has been an advocate for
women's education. "In my view, Ruth
has been one of the leading advocates for
women's colleges and women's education dur-

ing the last two decades," states Secretary of
Yale University Linda Lorimer. "She has had a
profound influence on the national scene as a
catalyst: for too long women's colleges had
seen each other as competitors rather than as
complementary forces at work. Ruth not only
talked about coUegiality, she was exemplary."

As former president of Randolph Macon
Woman's College, Lorimer worked with
Schmidt on the Women's College Coalition.
From 1986 to 1988, Schmidt served as WCC
chair. She shared counsel with members and
helped them think more ambitiously about
ways to translate the benefits of women's col-
leges to the nation.

"Ruth has long understood the importance
of gender issues in education," notes Marcia
Sharp, a former WCC director of 14 years.
"While provost at Wheaton College [in
Massachusetts], Ruth worked on ways to
create gender-neutral curriculum. She helped
women's colleges focus on this issue and deal
with it collaboratively. She was prescient if
you consider all the attention being paid to
gender issues in education today."

Schmidt's concern for balanced curriculum
was reflected in the 1981 article in The
Chronicle of Higher Education: "If liberal arts
really have to do with human life," Schmidt
noted, "and you haven't looked at half the
human race, you don't know very much about
the human race."

Her concern for equal education for
women is evident in curriculum development
and focus at Agnes Scott, and in those early
skirmishes over matters such as gender-inclu-
sive language. "We had a great debate in some
comers about titles," recalls Mary Alvera
"Bertie" Bond '53, administrative assistant to
the president, "as we determined whether
people would be called chairmen, chairpersons
or chairs."

Bond, who has served as administrative

AHKipt^ t^rriTT rni i cnp > <ii ix/ix/tpp loo^

assistant to thtee ASC presidents, says
Schmidt's contribution has "broadened our
horizons in a lot of ways."

During Schmidt's administration, the
College has developed a number of new pro-
grams including:

\/ an interdisciplinary' Women's Studies
minor

a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Secondary English with emphases on
writing and gender-equity in the classroom

1/ a post-baccalaureate, one-year, pre-med-
ical and allied health program

1/ a Global Awareness program designed
to provide virtually every student an
opportunity for cross-cultural study in less
traveled parts of the world

/ a formal student/faculty exchange pro-
gram with sister Presbyterian-founded
women's institution, Kinjo Gakuin University
in Nagoya, Japan

*^ a Scott Free Year-5 program allowing
ASC graduates to take a full load of
courses, tuition free, the year immediately fol-
lowing graduation.

Schmidt has been instrumental in the
College's move from NAIA (National
Athletic Intercollegiate Assocation) to
NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic
Association] Division III membership, a step
which enables Agnes Scott athletes to com-

pete with women from similar institutions
(where the primary emphasis is on academics
and no athletic scholarships are awarded), uni-
versities like Emory and Washington & Lee.

She has also encouraged the expansion of
the Retum-to-CoUege program tor women
beyond traditional college age.

These all work together for empowering
women, offering opportunities tor students to
step outside the pockets of a sexist society dur-
ing a crucial time in their lives and pursue
their educations.

SINCE Ruth Schmidt arrived at Agnes
Scott in the early '80s, an unstable econo-
my has drained higher education in general
and women's colleges in particular. During
that time, nearly 30 women's colleges have
either closed their doots or become coed insti-
tutions. Wheaton College where Schmidt
served as provost, is now coed. "Wheaton
should have downsized a little and stayed all
female," Schmidt has said. "It isn't the same
there any more."

And Agnes Scott? "Certainly we'll be the
last to go, if they all go," she has insisted.

With that in view, Schmidt has led the
College through difficult economic times with
a strategic plan, strong fund raising and a
string of tough decisions that have actually put
the 105-year-old College on better financial

Rwt/i Sch?7iicit has, worVzd.
to ensure sctdents hive a
"gender -neutral" currieulum .
As the first woman to lead
Agnes Scott College, Schmidt
has "broadened our horizons
in a lot of ways ," says admiri-
istrative assistant Bertie
Bond '53.

AN ERA ENDS ... AN ERA BEGINS

"Wherever you
walk on campus,
you can see exactly
what Ruth has
done. She took a
campus that had
begun to deterio-
rate and made it
into one of the
most beautiful
small colleges in
the United States."

footing than she found it.

A high point was the Centennial
Campaign (1987-1990) which resulted in
donations and bequests of more than $36
million.

Under her administration, the College has
consistently operated within budget and the
endowment has grown from $35.5 million in
1982 to more than $200 million today.

During this same time, Schmidt has over-
seen a $23 million physical improvement
project (renovating eight buildings, construct-
ing two), bringing better spaces for teaching,
athletics, residential life and worship.

The renovation has dramatically enhanced
both the face of the institution and its mfra-
structure, from the re-wiring of the venerable
dorms (one of her most important contribu-
tions according to Dean Hudson: "1 no longer
have to worry about whether I'll get a call in
the middle of the night that a dorm is on
fire") to the creation of the Robert W.
Woodruff Physical Activities Building and
the Gellerstedt Track and Field complex.

"Wherever you walk on campus, you can
see exactly what Ruth has done for Agnes
Scott," says trustee Dorothy HoUoran "Dot"
Addison '43. "She took a campus that we had
let begin to deteriorate and she made it into
one of the most beautiful small college cam-
puses in the United States."

Bond, who has served as administrative

assistant to Wallace Alston, Marvin Perry and
now Ruth Schmidt, would agree. "We look j

better now than I've ever known us, and I've
known us for a long time."

BOND MAKES AT LEAST one Other compari-
son among the three presidents: home
entertaining. For the Alstons and the Perrys it
was often a family affair, with wives managing
the details. "When Ruth has to be in a meet-
ing until a quarter to six and she has a meal
scheduled for 6:15. . . ." Bond pauses.
"Sometimes she's running up the stairs, chang-
ing clothes, while I am at the front door greet-
ing her guests."

Bond and Carolyn Wynens, ASC manager
of community relations and special events, and
Elmira Pierce, custodian 1, have worked out a
system for entertaining 30-40 for baccalaureate
or the alumnae board or trustees. "Usually
these groups are large enough that it has to be
buffet," says Bond. "Afterward they're invited
to a performance in the College Events Series
or a play."

During Schmidt's administration, mutually
beneficial relationships have been developed
on a larger scale, between the College and var-
ious Decatur and Atlanta groups and projects.
For instance, Agnes Scott students have the
opportunity to tutor youngsters m nearby pub-
lic schools. The Atlanta Virtuosi and Theatre
Gael use ASC performance space in exchange

Aowpt; '^rnTT rni i pr:p sr ;mufp lOQd

for working with ASC classes.

These encounters have raised the ASC pro-
tile and strengthened relationships between
"town and gown." Decatur Mayor Elizabeth
Wilson appreciates how the College is reach-
ing into the community and her association
with Schmidt. "As a resident and as mayor, 1
am delighted that Ruth plans to continue to
live m Decatur. 1 am sure I can tind a halt
dozen things tor her to do in the tirst year. She
will be hearing from me."

ON THE WALL OF HER OFFICE, Betty Scott
Noble has a quote from retired faculty
member Margaret Pepperdene describing an
Agnes Scott woman: "She is tough, but
extremely cordial and courteous . . . She is not
a Southern belle. It her integrity is challenged
or if she is treated like a fool, she'll call your
bluff. She's tough inside." That picture
emerges when Noble and other alumnae,
friends and peers describe the one who has
ser\'ed as ASC's first woman president.

Bringing up the hard questions is character-
istic of Schmidt, according to President of
Brenau Universit\' John Burd. At professional
meetings on statewide and national le\'els,
"She asks about state budgets, how they are
spent, how the money can best serve the most
students. She values education. She is a com-
mitted Christian. It is very clear that her per-
sonal value system permeates her whole lite."

Observes trustee Anne Jones, "When she
came here, as she approached difficult deci-
sions, she put Agnes Scott first. Not hcrselt.
She saw what needed to be done and did it. "

Candid advice is what
Otelia Garcia, former presi-
dent ot the Atlanta College
ot .Art and now President ot
Rosemont College, expects
from Schmidt who served on
ACA's board. "It I am torn
about an issue regarding the
institution, 1 know 1 can
pick up the phone and call
Ruth. She will commiserate
with me. But she will also
gi\-e me an answer. Some people ha\e some
embarrassment about acting on principle. She
is a person who believes something to be right
or to be wrong. Absolute integrity is the word
that comes to mind when I think about Ruth.
There is no duplicity. Actions and words
match."

Brenau president Burd believes that the
second woman president of Agnes Scott
College will find a smoother path because of
the work done by Ruth Schmidt. "She did the
groundbreaking. She had to show a woman
can handle this. The path that she paved is
not a yellow brick road. But it is a .solid, red
brick road that will fore\er make Agnes Scott
a better institution."

After l/ic i\( Jiil\ KiUii verdict
inspired race riots in Los
Angeles and Atlanta,
Schmidt joined the ASC com-
munity in a prayer vigil.
Below: Among Schmidt's
most notable achievements is
construction of the Gellerstedt
Track and Field complex,
completed in 1988. The
stress on athletics was part of
the president s emphasis on
a well-rounded education.

AN ERA ENDS ... AN ER.Oi BEGINS

In a time of
transition, Agnes
Scott has an
opportunity to
re-examine "every
square inch of the
way we do things."

THE BEGINNING
OF AN ERA

By Tish McCutchen 73
Photography by Laura Sikes

"Universities must strive to maintain both the appearance
and the reality of high standards and intellectual freedom.
"It is idle to expect that faculty members will never fight
in public and say outrageous things or to hope that the media
will regularly report these quarrels with judicious restraint.
The only feasible defense is to have university leaders strong
enough to make it clear that academic standards and
intellectual freedom will be preserved despite the battles
that periodically erupt on their campuses . "

Derek Bok, former president ot Harvard University, in his final annual report, 1991

FOR Agnes Scott College, looking
toward the future after a period
marked by faculty turmoil, student
malaise and economic challenge,
and punctuated by the retirement
this June of President Ruth Schmidt, the
knowledge that "we are not alone" is reassur-
ing. Former Harvard President Bok's words are
confirmation that institutions (and presidents)
across the country are struggling with compa-
rable problems. But more important, his words
reaffirm the goal set out in Agnes Scott
College's mission statement:

"Agnes Scott College insists upon the high-
est standards of excellence in its faculty, staff
and students, and provides a broad curriculum
designed to develop all aspects of compassion-
ate, inquiring persons. Its rich liberal arts
curriculum seeks to enable women better to
understand themselves and the world in which
they live, and to integrate what they know
into a humane perspective."

For Agnes Scott and comparable institu-
tions, preserving academic standards and intel-
lectual freedom is still paramount despite
severe pressures, external and internal.

Ar.NFS srnTT rni r pr;p v ;umpr 1004

External Pressures

THE EBB AND FLOW within natiiinal and
global economies aftect colleges and
universities directly and indirectly.
Direct results ot general economic belt-tight-
ening are obvious: increased need tor financial
aid to students, fewer philanthriipic sources of
fiinding, increased operational expenses.
Indirect results may not be so readily apparent.
For example, as more students graduate and
enter the workplace, a college degree is no
longer a guarantee of a good job and salary.
More and more students find themseb'es
forced by economic reality to work in environ-
ments far removed from their field of study
(although this has not been an issue with lib-
eral arts students). The apparent lack of quick
connection between one's college studies and
the "real world" is one of the factors leading to
a loss of public confidence in higher education
today. As Lois B. de Fleur, president ot the
State Uni\'ersity of New York at Binghamton,
wrote in the v\'inter 1992 Educational Record:
"We read each day of this country's growing
loss ot confidence in higher education.
Internationally, the United States is losing its
competitive edge, while at home, the social
and economic situations in our cities have
reached crisis proportions. People are asking,

'Where is the return on our imcstment in
higher education.'' 'Why ha\en't universities
led the way with new and compelling
initiatives?' "

Colleges have always been a mirror for
society, and today is no exception. The prolif-
eration ot society's economic problems is
reflected on college campuses. Unix'ersity of
Oregon president Myles Brand refers in the fall
1993 Educational Record to "the ch.mging
social values, personal problems and communi-
ty issues students bring to campus." He adds:
"Especially troublesome is the increased intol-
erance of difference. Bias against those who
do not share one's ethnic, social or cultural
predisposition or .sexual orientation too often
amounts to additional baggage a student car-
ries to campus."

This greater diversity is more exident on
campus than ever before. Generally, this
is partly societal for this generation. For
instance, the fastest-growing college-age group
in the United States is Hispanic, and within a
few years, the majority among high school
graduates will be non-white students.

Next year, tor the first time in years, demo-
graphics indicate that the number of potential
high school and non-traditional-age college
students will increase from the previous year.

Campus Strengths
and Challenges

IN ADDITION TO THE ECONOMIC and societal
pressures shared with other institutions,
Agnes Scott is preparing for a new presi-
dent and a new era.

Schmidt inherited a deficit budget her first
year at Agnes Scott; although her predecessor
had begun renovation, the physical plant was
generally in disrepair. She leaves behind an
institution that is entirely renovated and on
strong tooting, financially. The next president
will inherit a college with many strengths that
have been undergirded during the 1 2 years of
Schmidt's presidency (for more details, see
"The End of an Era," page 6).

Agnes Scott's endowment is healthy, with
a market value of more than $205 million as of
June 1993, reports Vice President for Business

ASC's increasingly diverse student body offers
a learning experience in itself. The opportunity
for interaction with others different from oneself
helps students more effectively make the transi-
tion from campus life to "the real ivorld."

More than ever
before, the campus
reflects society,
both in racial
composition and
in age of students.

AN ERA ENDS ... AN ERA BEGINS

In ASC's tranquil
setting, turmoil
would be unex-
pected. But after
the year- ago
events, many on
campus encourage
a season of
bridge-building.

and Finance Bill Gailey. "When Standard &.
Poor's and Moody's looked at us for credit rat-
ings, they were aware of all that was going on
campus, and we received ratings of 'Aa' [from
Moody's] and 'AA-' [from Standard & Poor's].
That puts us in the elite group of higher edu-
cation institutions," he says.

Schmidt has also invested in programs that
have set the course for Global Awareness,
community diversity and matters of faith with
the establishment of a full-time chaplaincy
and a covenant between the College and the
South Atlantic Synod of the Presbyterian
Church, (USA).

The College has a new master's program
and several innovative academic programs,
including a tuition-free year for students who
would like to enroll in courses immediately
after graduation as well as a one-year post-
graduate pre-medical and allied health studies
programs.

hi terms of its larger community, Agnes
Scott has developed mutually beneficial part-
nerships with several Decatur and Atlanta
organizations. The new president will also be
positioned to take advantage of public opinion
more favorably disposed toward women's col-
lege education.

At the same time, the College has been
dealing with a strained relationship between
the president and the faculty that came to a
head in the Spring of 1993 when Schmidt
vetoed a faculty committee's recommendation
for tenure for an assistant professor. The fac-
ulty response was to vote no confidence in
Schmidt. The Board of Trustees affirmed the
president and called for a full review of the
academic program.

The turmoil last spring produced hurt in a
community torn by different sides of the issue.
While some are still resentful of Schmidt's
tenure decision and other decisions through
the years, others are encouraging bridge-build-
ing among Agnes Scott's various constituen-
cies students, faculty, administration, alum-
nae and trustees.

"Our institutional psyche was skewed by
the events last spring," says Dean of Students
Cue Hudson, class of '68. "There is a lot of
anxiety about the transition, which is normal.
There is grieving over President Schmidt's
leaving and over the change. But I think peo-
ple are beginning to have the energy to think
about change. We're ready to move forward.
We're beginning to look toward the future."

Linda Hubert '62, chair of the English
department, urges building on the positive
attitudes that exist throughout the Agnes

Scott community. "There is a lot of good will
here," she says. "It just needs to be nourished.
Faculty energy needs to be directed toward
teaching and exciting students. That's what
we do that's distinctive; we invest in our stu-
dents. That kind of tremendous investment is
what has made Agnes Scott different."

The best way for faculty to do what they
do best is currently under consideration by
the Academic Review Committee. Between
November 1993 and May 1995, this group of
six faculty members, three students and three
administrators will be looking at every aspect
of the academic program. (A similarly com-
posed committee will be performing an
administrative review concurrently.) TTie aca-
demic review committee's commission from
the board of trustees is to "re-examine the ele-
ments of the academic program, taking into
account its available existing resources; the
need for an identifiable and distinctive theme
for the program; the need to enhance
strengths and reduce or eliminate weaknesses;
and the preservation of its character as a lib-
eral arts college for women."

Dean of the College Sarah Blanshei says
that such a review is overdue.

"We are struggling with issues here that
were being dealt with 20 or 30 years ago else-
where," she says. Students want to be heard.
"For example, student evaluations of faculty
that's a controversial issue here; we don't
have them. But 85 percent of institutions do
have student evaluations, and many of them
had them 20 years ago."

The suggestion of both the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
accreditation committee and the Board of
Trustees that Agnes Scott ought to look at
"doing less, and doing it better" fewer
majors, and more focus on the programs the
College can present most strongly is unnec-
essarily threatening to faculty, according to
Dean Blanshei. "Through recapturing our
quality, we'll he able to find our market
niche," she believes. "It doesn't necessarily
mean down-sizing, but that's what students
and faculty hear.

"We get criticized for running the College
on a business model, but we have to. We must
be in compliance with federal, state and
regional requirements. There's much more
accountability now than ever before." And
accountability for a college goes beyond
accreditation committees or government
agencies. The College must be accountable to
its "consumers" the parents and students
who pay the ever-rising tuition bills. As the

A *-^vicc cr^rvT'T r^r^i i crM? . c

Chronicle of Higher Education reported in
February 1993, "Educational philosophy can
no longer be discussed without our thinking
ot economics."

Bonnie Johnson 70, now executive direc-
tor ot development and assistant dean ot
Emory University School of Medicine, was
Agnes Scott's vice president ot dex'elopment
for five years. She compares the fight o\'er cur-
riculum depth and breadth to another prob-
lem facing all of America: health-care reform.

"We in America have come to believe that
choice is an inalienable right," she says. "But
in a no-growth era financially, and in an era of
proliferation of different ideas about what our
choices should be, it's just not feasible.

"Just as we may not always be able to
choose our own doctor, we can't always justify
having all the possible choices available in a
college curriculum."

Linda Hubert sees the problem from a his-
torical perspective. "That was in an era of
single-sex education, when there was recogni-
tion that quality education was found at
single-sex institutions. Harvard and Yale were
not available to women. For Agnes Scott, it
was a question of picking among the students
who applied."

Now, she says, Agnes Scott College suffers
from a self-esteem problem.

She cautions against too much introspec-
tion, and against placing students, faculty and
staff in "contrived" situations in order to try to
force a sense of community. "Ideas come natu-
rally in the course of academic life that's part
of the meal on which we thrive. If we can stop
staring at our navels and start staring more
into the faces of our students, then we'll do
better. We have overdosed on introspection."

One solution she proposes is to spend the
money necessary to create programs that will
attract students, and that raises questions of
the budget which will continue as a point of
contention for various constituencies as the
College moves into the next century. Only
with continued careful stewardship ot the
endowment can Agnes Scott hold her own,
cautions vice president Bill Gailey.

Schmidt has indisputably been a good stew-
ard of Agnes Scott's financial assets. That tal-
ent fits the profile of many college and univer-
sity presidents who took office in the 1980s,
according to the Chronicle of Higher
Education, which suggests that more than a
few of the presidents who are resigning, retir-
ing or being replaced now were hired for their
fund-raising skills. Today's college presidents
may have a greater need to communicate well

on campus than to do so away from campus,
says Don Hood, a psychology professor at
Columbia University. "To make deep cuts in
the expense base of a university, you need
knowledge ot the inner workings of the place,
the confidence of the people and the courage
to go out and make decisions before you reach
a consensus," he says.

The Next President

FINL1ING OUT what kind of person should
he Agnes Scott's next president will be a
"great opportunity for us," says Clair
MuUer '68, chair ot the presidential search
committee. "Times have changed, and we need
to he changing also," she says. "We need to he
looking at every single square inch ot the way
we do things.

"This is going to be very much a 'we'
process. We're not just filling the seat ot the
president. We are redefining ourselves."

Before the formal search begins, a series of
focus groups, including all constituencies ot the
College, are being conducted on campus and
across the country by Academic Search
Consultation Service, and academic consulting
firm that will assist the committee in its efforts.
"Before we start looking for a president, we've
got to decide what we want to be," says Muller.

Whoever becomes Agnes Scott's sixth pres-
ident will share a daunting set of challenges
with college and university counterparts across
the country.

Severe financial constraints, curricular bat-
tles and increased demands for accountability
threaten a college's stability these problems
demand a long-term commitment although the
average term of a college or university presi-
dent is only from five to seven years. It will he
interesting to see if Agnes Scott will he like
other colleges or follow the tradition its of
presidents serving until retirement. The high
level of visibility that goes with the job can
place the officeholder at the mercy of public
opinion. The challenges run deep.

As the College nears the 21st century, it
looks for a president with the vision to lead it
onward; the wisdom to look backward from
time to time, in order to keep the College's
bearings; and the strength to be able to deal
with today's problems today.

During Schmidt's tenure, the College has
strengthened its emphasis on science. Recently,
ASC developed a one-year post-graduate pre-
medical and an allied health studies prograyn.

As part of the
presidential
search, ASC is
redefining and
refining itself.
"We've got to
decide what kind
of a college we
want to be."

AN ERA ENDS ... AN ERA BEGINS

A MIRROR OF CAMPUS DIFFERENCES: MALIKAH BERRY '94 (TOP .AND CLOCKWISE) PINKY BALAIS '94, CINDY ACEX'ES 'Oi^ AND PAM PEEL '95,

Anwnc cr-OTT r-ni i cr:c ci jx^k^cd iooa

DIFFERENT
VALUES

By Audrey Arthur

THE MORE DIX'ERSE the consti-
tuency, the more difficult it is to
satisfy everyone," beheves Miriam
Drucker, ASC professor emerita
of psychology'. "The more people
you have, the more they want their needs
met. What pleases one is what another is
opposed to."

An original co-chair of Agnes Scott's
President's Committee on Community
Diversity, Drucker taught at the College for
more than 35 years. In that time the campus
came to grips with integration, then civil
rights and then moved on toward cultural
diversity.

"When 1 came to Agnes Scott the interest
was in whether there would he integration,"
Drucker recalls. "I think most of the adminis-
tration and faculty (Wallace Alston, president,
and C. Benton Kline, dean of faculty) were
delighted to discover that there was nothing
by charter to prevent Agnes Scott from inte-
grating. We didn't need to undo anything."

The impetus for Black/White integration at
Agnes Scott, as well as at other colleges and
universities, can be traced to the Supreme
Court Brown vs. Board of Education decision
that discrimination in schools would not be
tolerated. That was 40 years ago.

The focus, initially, was on the classroom
with questions about which schools would
close or remain open and how to implement
busing and how to handle federal funding tor
schools. For the most part these issues per-
tained to Blacks and Whites. Today the chal-
lenge is more complex as teachers face multi-
cultural, multi-lingual classrooms and as insti-
tutions deal with issues of religious diversity,
racially and ethnically inclusive curricu-
lum, the hiring and retention of culturally
diverse administrative and teaching staffs and

the legalities of it all. Now integration
involves African Americans, Whites,
Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, Native
Americans, Indians. . . .

THE '50s AND '60s WERE PIVOTAL for
America as African Americans
demonstrated with frequent lunch-
counter sit-ins and marches to secure equal
rights. Agnes Scott faced its first decision
related to that movement when in 1961 a
young African-American woman applied for
admission and was denied, according to an
official statement, due to an "incomplete
application." Following its annual meeting in
February 1962, the Board issued another state-
ment: "Applicants deemed best qualified . . .
will be admitted without regard to their race,
color or creed."

In 1965, Gay Johnson McDougall became
the first African American admitted to Agnes
Scott. She soon tired of students coming into
her room, "telling how well they treated their
Negro maids at home," McDougall recently
told the Washington Post. "The times when
people thought they were being nice were
really, you know, just emphasizing how sepa-
rate and apart our realities were." After two
years, McDougall transferred to Bennington
College in Vermont. She holds degrees from
there and Yale Law School and currently
serves as the only American member of the
Independent Electoral Commission, an inter-
national group that will oversee the demo-
cratic reconstruction of South Africa.

A high school classmate of McDougall,
Edna Lowe Swift '7 1 , became the second
African-American woman to enroll at Agnes
Scott her daughter Shanika '94 graduated
from Agnes Scott this spring.

With measured words. Swift recalls her

At Agnes
Scott College,
an appreciation
for diversity
has been a
tradition that
is rapidly
becoming a
way of life.

DIFFERENT VALUES

JOSEPHINE BRADLEY
INSTRUCTOR OF SOCIOLOGY

"We must there-
fore create a
climate within
our community
that goes
beyond simply
acknowledging
our differences
and learn from
one another."

four years at the College, beginning in 1967.
"I think a few of the professors were a bit
out of touch with African Americans. I can
recall a few comments in class that didn't
seem to demonstrate compassion or concern
for African Americans. But I just took
it in stride."

Swift was the first African American to
graduate from Agnes Scott, a fact, she says,
that "wasn't played up. h wasn't a big deal."
She compares her experience to that of her
daughter who arrived at a time when the
College has actively sought diversity among
its students. "Shanika was able to participate

THE BITTER AND THE SWEET

In the early days of integration, schools "for everyone" were mostly for the courageous

UNLIKE THE LITTLE ROCK NiNE who
first integrated an Arkansas high
school in 1957, Josephine Bradley
did not have a support system of peers when
she enrolled as the only African American
in Greensboro, N.C., High.

Years later she gained no national atten-
tion as the first African American to gradu-
ate from an integrated high school in North
Carolina.

What she did recei\-e were the sweet and
bitter fruits of integration from the power
of courage to the trauma of discrimination.

"It I had to do it over again, I'd take
another Black student with me. I never had
the pleasure of looking around and seeing
someone like me," says Bradley, an instruc-
tor of sociology at Agnes Scott since 1992.
"It was ver>' lonely."

Rather than experiencing first-day-of-
school excitement, Bradley remembers her
introduction to Greensboro High as a time
overshadowed by protest and anger. "There
was no physical violence from those gath-
ered, but I could feel the hatred and there
was a lot of verbal protest." To her surprise,
students, rather than their parents, reacted.
Some dropped eggs on her head as she made
her way into the school. Later, students
harassed her as she ate m the cafeteria.

But Bradley recalls three students
Jenny, Monica and Julie bold enough to
step outside that gathering tide of hatred.
They would walk to class and eat lunch
with her. "Doing what they did, I think,
instilled in them a sense of sisterhood and
Christianity," she says. "Rather than just
talking about it, they lived it out. The cen-
teredness that Christ gives allowed them to
do what they did and feel good about it."

The experience reinforced Bradley's own
spirit ot "patience, tolerance and inner
strength. Even though there were people
who were kind, 1 still had to rely on what 1

took with me. 1 had to sharpen my survival
skills."

Her historical journey began after the
1954 Supreme Court ruling on desegrega-
tion. Brown vs. The Board of Education. As
public school systems across the country
began to integrate, Bradley's mother, father
and maternal grandfather decided to trans-
fer her from the all-Black Dudley High
School to the all- White Greensboro. "The
quality of the education at Dudley was good,
but my parents felt I should not have had to
ride 10 miles to go to school. Then too, my
grandfather felt that school should be for
everyone."

Evaluating efforts to break through the
status quo ot "separate but equal," Bradley
says, "Integration has had limited success.
Even within fully integrated schools, stu-
dents tend to group with those like them-
selves. But 1 can say it has afforded African
Americans the opportunity to come to
places like Agnes Scott. So, educationally
and economically, integration has been
beneficial."

From Greensboro she went on to become
one of two African- American students at
Clark University in Worchester, Mass.; she
earned a bachelor's degree from North
Carolina Central University and later a
master's from Michigan State University. In
December, she expects to complete her doc-
torate at the Institute of Liberal Arts at
Emory University, concentrating on
American and African-American studies.

Bradley's career, first as a counselor in
government work and then as a teacher, has
given her opportunities to move among cul-
turally diverse people. This, along with her
personal struggle for integration, affords her
a perspective that other people can only
speculate about and a riveting message of
tolerance.

Audrey Arthur

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1994

in more thinj^s than I did. She ran cross coun-
try and worked on the yearhook, sang in
Joyful Noise and was a memher of Witkaze
(African- American student group). She telt
more a part ot the campus than 1 did."

More than a decade earlier, in 1956, the
faculty color harrier w'as broken by Kwai Sing
Chang. An assistant professor of Bible and
philosophy of Chinese ancestry, Chang joined
the faculty under the presidency of Alston
with whom he had roomed at Princeton
University. He immediately felt at home. "1
was completely accepted on campus," recalls
Chang. "The only problems I encountered
were in non-academic settings." For instance
when he and his wife went to Sears to buy
pots and pans, the salesperson asked if Chang
were employed in a restaurant. It was a stereo-
typical response. "All in all it was a happy
experience at Agnes Scott," says Chang who
retired after 30 years of teaching at the
College.

With a steadily increasing minority popu-
lation, in the 1970s and 1980s, many U.S.
academic institutions, including Agnes Scott,
began looking to minorities as crucial to
future enrollment.

"The motivation for me [in terms of cul-
tural diversity] is educational, but it we want
the institution to grow we need to find out
where and who the students will be," com-
ments President Ruth Schmidt.

At an ASC convocation in 1991, Schmidt
noted the College's commitment: "Diversity is
desirable and essential to a rich and stimulat-
ing intellectual community, but it does take
more effort on everyone's part to learn to live
with and appreciate the contribution of per-
sons and groups quite different from one's
own. We must therefore create a climate
within our community that goes beyond
simply acknowledging our differences and
learn from one another," she stated. "We must
create an environment in which individual
students, faculty and staff feel welcome,
appreciated and understood for who and
what they are."

UNDER Schmidt's guidance, several
programs have developed, both to
help build understanding and to cope
with situations encountered in culturally
diverse college communities. One of the
first was the President's Committee on Com-
munity Diversity. It took shape soon after Cue
Hudson '68, dean of students, and Jenifer
Cooper '86, director of admission, attended a
diversity seminar at Swarthmore College in

1985. They telt Agnes Scott needed to acti\-e-
ly address dix'ersity issues.

"The conference was an eye opener," recalls
Hudson. "It made us ask 'Are we meeting the
needs ot our African-American students?' It
made us realize we didn't ha\e an ongoing sen-
sitivity training tor faculty and staff. We were
just not talking about the differences between
being African American, Hispanic, Asian
American, etc."

"The Committee on Community Diversity
was designed to be inclusive
because we have all types ot
people on campus," explains
Schmidt. Reflecting the
character of the College, the
committee set out to make
recommendations and to lay
the groundwcirk for non-con -
fronti\'e means to deal with
issues surrounding diversity.
Since its inception in 1986,
the committee has passed a
resolution concerning the
need for faculty to hire more African-
American members. It has brought influential,
racially diverse speakers to campus. The com-
mittee has also sponsored workshops including
Racism Free Zone (RFZ) and the National
Coalition Building Institute (NCBl).

The goal of RFZ, a non-profit organization
based in Baltimore, is to encourage individuals
and groups to "take the responsibility to elimi-
nate racism," says RFZ founder and executive
director Bahati Ansari who helped organize
the first chapter at Agnes Scott. Under the
wing of RFZ, in 1991 a diverse group of stu-
dents, faculty and staff banded together to deal
with racial tensions on campus. That fall dur-
ing a convocation, RFZ members stepped for-
ward to declare the Agnes Scott campus a
"racism free zone" and almost 400 members of
the community joined them by signing an RFZ
statement (see page 20). Although that effort
gained good support, later evaluations of RFZ
effectiveness have been mixed.

A more recent (and some believe the most
successful) effort is NCBl. The organization
addresses discrimination related to visible dif-
ferences like race, class, gender, age and physi-
cal handicaps as well less visible differences
like sexual orientation and religion. TTie NCBl
premise is that all have experienced some form
of discrimination.

Associate Professor of Biology John Pilger is
a founding member of Agnes Scott's chapter of
NCBl. He has trained several of Agnes Scott's
staff, faculty and students in facilitation tech-

HEATHER A, GOOCjE '97 {left)
AMANDA LOCKHART '97

"Each race or
group doesn't
face just one type
of racism, but
several different
kinds. All
people have
stories to tell."

DIFFERENT VALUES

AYANNA WHITFIELD '95

"Over the past
decade, Agnes
Scott has been
opening up all
kinds of new
perspectives
that reflect the
changing interests
and needs of
our society."

niques and the philosophy of NCBI. "Each
race or group doesn't face just one type of
racism, but several different kinds. All people
have stories to tell." During NCBI workshops,
participants move in and out of groups and
subgroups to explore and confront the dis-
crimination in their own and others' lives. A
Catholic male feels isolated on the campus of
a Presbyterian-related college for women. A
young African- American student vents anger
at race/gender bias she encounters in a class
led by a white male and she laments the
color-difference discrimination she finds off-
campus among peers in her own racial group.
Explains Pilger, "By understanding these many
facets of our own diversity and by understand-
ing how we hurt people, we can begin to learn
to build bridges. The NCBI philosophy is to
be pro-active, rather than reactive."

Pilger says that NCBI recognizes both indi-
vidual racism and institutional racism. Rather
than attack either, he says that NCBI tries to
bring a sense of wholeness and healing to the
individual, so eventually "we can bring heal-
ing to the institution." Being involved in
NCBI has heightened Pilger's awareness ot
diversity at Agnes Scott and it has "opened up
communication. People miss the opportunity
for friendships of all kinds because of barriers."

WHILE THE FIRST African American
was admitted to Agnes Scott in
the 1960s, other minorities
Asian, Cuban, Portuguese had attended the
College as early as the 1920s. Philrey Kim
Choi from Korea became the first Asian stu-
dent to earn a degree at the College in 1926.
But for decades, diversity here and in institu-
tions around the country, was on a small
scale. However, the idea for greater diversity
was on the minds of many including Priscilla
Often '73 who wrote an editorial in the stu-
dent newspaper. The Profile: "I feel that Scott
must take the initiative; we must seek after
these students. If minority students will not
come to us, then we must go to them. We
must encourage these students even more
than others who apply."

By 1978 Agnes Scott's minority student
population consisted of 1 2 African
Americans, four Asian Americans, 10
Hispanic and 25 international students.

By 1988 these numbers had increased to 36
African Americans, eight Asian Americans,
two Native Americans, 1 1 Hispanics and 1 7
internationals.

In 1992 the College's total undergraduate
student enrollment was 605 with 75.6 percent

White; 17.6 percent minorities and 5.3 per-
cent internationals (457 Whites; 77 African
Americans; 1 1 Asian American/Pacific
Islanders; 17 Hispanics; 32 internationals;
two Native Americans and nine, race
unspecified).

Generally, those percentages compare
well against other small private colleges in
the South and across the country. Shorter
College in Rome, Ga., for instance, has a
total enrollment of 773 students with an 1 1
percent minority. Southwestern College in
Winfield, Kan., has 747 students with 14

PINKY BALAIS M

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1994

percent minority.

Observes Dean of the College Sarah
Blanshei, "We have a higher percentage of
minority students than other colleges our size
because we've evidenced a strong commit-
ment to diversity in the last 10 to 12 years
with our faculty hiring and our curriculum."
In 1982 only 19 courses in the College's cur-
riculum concentrated on diverse cultures. In
1993 students could choose from 56 courses
that included Latin American and Caribbean
Civilizations and Culture, African Diaspora,
Native Peoples of the Americas, Asian World

to Modern Times and the Psychology of
Cross-Cultural Contact.

"Over the past decade we haxe been open-
ing up all kinds of new perspectives that
reflect the changing interests and needs ot our
society, with study and with international
experiences in Latin America, Japan and
Africa," says Blanshei.

Another evidence of the College's com-
mitment to diversity is its work to increase
the Hispanic presence. In 1991 a $163,000
Knight Foundation challenge grant was
awarded, reqLiiring that the College provide

TWINS KEISHA AND KREISHA SHROPSHIRE '96

LAURA SPICZKA '96

DIFFERENT VALUES

KARINA HERNANDEZ
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
ADMISSION

"Higher education
has to cease being
a European-
American para-
digm in terms of
policies and pro-
grams. These need
to be re-oriented."

matching funds. The grant is a three-year,
three-told project (recruitment, retention and
special programs for cultural awareness/train-
ing). With money from this grant, each year
Karina Hernandez, assistant director of admis-
sion, travels five weeks to states with large
concentrations of Hispanics to recruit stu-
dents. At the onset, the goal was to enroll 1 5
Hispanic students per
year. However, for
1992-93, the College
admitted seven. "The
College did not realize
how hard it is to recruit
15," says Hernandez.
"It's difficult partly
because Hispanic fami-
lies like their sons and
daughters to stay close
to home." Some also
have the misconception
that education in a
small, private colleges is
unaffordahle. To help
retain those Hispanic
women who enroll
and to aid in the transi-
tion to college the
office of the dean of stu-
dents has established a
mentor program invoK--
ing professionals from
Atlanta's Hispanic com-
munity.

ETAINING
MINORITIES is
paramount to

Racism Free Zone''
Declaration, 1991

We believe the racism that exists
in our society also exists on
our campus and is hurting
everyone here. In order to establish a safe
and taisting environment that recognizes
the worth of all individuals and the value
of their differences we will;

Recognize that no one who is privi-
leged by our society is free from racism.

No longer remain silent or tolerate
racist remarks or actions in ourselves or in
others. In taking responsibility for them
we will reach past blame and guilt toward
dialogue.

No longer be threatened by confronta-
tion. We will he receptive to others when
they help us recognize the pain we cause
them and the injustice we condone.

Strive to create an atmosphere con-
ducive to the advancement and fulfill-
ment of all people on this campus.

Establish a Racism Free Zone of trust
and goodwill to stop the abuse of power
that is the heart of racism.

maintaining a culturally diverse environment,
says Darlene York, visiting assistant professor
at Agnes Scott. York, a White American, has
studied cross-cultural conflict, culture shock
and methods to train people who work with
members of different cultures.

She notes that although a number of
minorities attend predominantly European-
American colleges, graduation rates among
these groups are often low. A report released
in March by the American Council on
Education indicated that 56 percent White
students obtained bachelor's degrees, com-
pared with 32 percent of the African
Americans, 41 percent Hispanics and 30 per-
cent Native Americans. However, Asian
Americans outstripped all groups with 63 per-
cent graduates.

To increase retention of minority students,
York suggests, "Higher education has to cease

being a European-American paradigm in
terms of policies and programs. These need to
be re-oriented. Study what makes historically
Black colleges tick because African-American
students are graduating from these schools.
We also need to look at ways racism occurs
through student/faculty interactions and
peer/peer interactions.

"One of the things
my colleagues fail to do
is take the time to
examine cultural differ-
ences. Because a person
who is in the minority
comes on our 'turf,' we
assume she is willing to
become desensitized/
deculturized. True, as a
part of college you
grow and change; but
that does not include
complete cultural dis-
tancing," says York.

Another concern for
administrators today is
hiring and retaining
minority faculty. The
minority faculty at
Agnes Scott stands at
nine; two Africans, two
African Americans,
one Asian and four
Hispanics. In 1992
there were four minori-
ty members. Ten years
ago there were two.

Harry Wistrand, an
associate professor of
biology at ASC for more than 20 years, con-
cedes the faculty was partially responsible for
these low numbers. "We were dragging our
heels in hiring minority faculty. There was a
gulf on campus few middle managers were
Black and with the lack of Black faculty, the
dean and the president put pressure on the
faculty to diversify."

In response, in May 1988, the faculty
passed a resolution: We, the Faculty of Agnes
Scott College, recognize the importance of
having a diverse faculty in an academic envi-
ronment. . . . The addition of minority faculty
members, particularly Black faculty members,
will not only foster that appreciation but will
also aid in recruiting and retaining minority
students. We believe, therefore, that we must
dedicate ourselves to exploring every opportu-
nity to recruit faculty from all minority
groups, especially Blacks.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SL/MMER )<394

Wistrand adds, "I don't think we were
afraid to hire we were afraid to tire. It they
[minority faculty] didn't work out, there was a
fear of backlash. My attitude has been that you
don't hire the most qualified, but rather you
hire a qualified person who fills the role who
fits the niche."

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Vincent
Anigbogu, a native of Nigeria, has been in a
number of academic settings where he was the
only minority faculty. Through one-on-one
relationships, he tries to promote understand-
ing and to diminish stereotypes. "No one can

PRIYA SIVANESAN '97

see the whole picture," he says. "But with
cultural diversity you can see the world
through the lens of another culture and that
can only be beneficial."

And he admits, "The willingness to be cul-
turally diverse is an individual journey. It
doesn't come immediately for all."

AS CULTURAL DIVERSITY increases on
campuses, often tensions escalate.
According to a Justice Department
report, in the last five years racial incidents on
college campuses have increased 50 percent.
At Georgia State University in 1992, African-
American students protested against racially
derogatory messages scrawled on a campus
garbage can. Last year at the University of
California at Los Angeles, Hispanic students
erupted both in riots and peaceful protests
after the administration decided not to turn
the Chicano-studies program into a full-
fledged department. Last February at
Claremont College in California, 100
African- American students forced the closing
of administrative offices to demand the col-
lege hire more minority faculty members.

Gladys Brown, director of human relations
at University of Maryland at College Park
(UMCP) has studied the causes and results of
such conflicts. She believes the problems are
exacerbated by tough economic times and the
dramatic shift in the ethnic make-up of stu-
dent populations. "We also find more com-
plaints involve things professors say in the
classroom which are not illegal, but stupid.
Our solution is to say to faculty this is an aca-
demic institution and you are smart and edu-
cated. Act on what you know but keep an
open mind that this is a life-long process of
learning."

Brown coordinates a task force, sponsored
by the Anti-Defamation League and UMCP,
which put together a conference "Bigotry 202:
Developing a Pro- Active Campus Approach,"
providing college administrators with
resources, expertise and ideas for policy to
help their institutions deal with difficult issues
surrounding diversity and bigotry.

Agnes Scott has not been immune to race-
related differences. As violence broke out in
the streets of Los Angeles and in Atlanta over
the initial Rodney King decision (not to con-
vict the L.A. policemen who beat King),
racial tensions also erupted here with students
writing racial epithets on a sheet posted on
the bulletin board in the Alston student cen-
ter. In the fall of 1991, Black and White stu-
dents alike protested with posters and mes-

Some believe
increasing racial
tensions on
campuses are
exacerbated by
tough economic
times and the
dramatic shift in
the ethnic make-
up of student
populations.

DIFFERENT VALUES

ELIZABETH CHERRY' '95

As retired
professor Miriam
Drucker points
out, in issues of
diversity, what
pleases one is
often opposed
by another.

sages scrawled on sidewalks the administra-
tive withdrawal of African-American senior
Tara Somerville. In a formal statement to the
community, the College indicated that the
action was not racially motivated but taken to
safeguard the community against threats made
by Somerville. The case is still in litigation.

"Problems on college campuses are a sign
of the times," says Victor Wilson, Agnes
Scott's first African- American assistant dean
of students. "It used to be 'un-chic' to say any-
thing racist. Now, it's getting to the point
that people like David Duke are looked up
to." Since coming to Agnes Scott in 1992
Wilson has worked on several cultural diversi-
ty projects including the introduction of a
multi-cultural component to Orientation
Weekend for first-year students. The compo-
nent touches on stereotypes of various cul-
tures and poses questions about how students
deal with discrimination. After the multi-cul-
tural workshop last August, responses from
students in the Class of '97 included:

"I feel fortunate to be in an ethnically
diverse school."

"The problem with being politically cor-
rect is that it keeps a person from learning
about controversial subjects."

"Is calling people 'Black,' insulting to
them now?"

"Everyone 1 meet has things to teach me."

IRONICALLY IT MAY SEEM, tensions arise in
institutions officially seeking cultural
diversity when policy denies minority stu-
dents the option of being separate. Supporters
of the Harambee House at Brown University
(a residence hall set aside for African
Americans) say it promotes cultural awareness
and identity. Its detractors call it separatism.

That debate could occur daily in dining
halls at almost any college or university
Asians tend to sit with Asians, African
Americans with African Americans, Whites
with Whites.

According to a study from the University
of Michigan, students from every ethnic sec-
tor are less likely to mingle with those of
other ethnic groups when their own group
represents a significant percentage of the pop-
ulation. Nearly 69 percent of Asian-American
and 78 percent Mexican-American students
dined with someone of a different ethnic
group, compared with 55 percent of African-
American students and only 21 percent
White students. Says Bing Wei of China,
ASC instructor of physical education, "We
simply feel more comfortable with those

speaking our own language." Yet Pinky
Balais '94, who is Filipino and Spanish,
counters, "I don't like it. I'm tired of letters
in The Profile about the lack of cultural
diversity. The problem is obvious students
haven't changed their consciousness on this
campus. They talk about it, they preach
about it, but don't actually do it. The dining
hall is a prime example."

As Miriam Drucker would point out, in
issues of diversity, what pleases one is often
opposed by another.

For Kahni Tang '96, issues of cultural

OSJHA ANDERSON '96 ANL:) CLAIRE LAYE '94
SINGING "LOLLYTOODUM"

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER ISP-I

diversity at Agnes Scott should liLU-e gotten
beyond Black and White. Ptiya Sivanesan '97,
a native ot Madtas, India, expresses suq^rise
that "people at Agnes Scott are so accepting ot
different views and ideas. Maybe they don't
.share the same beliefs as I do, but they accept
me." Malikah Berry '94, founder of Nandi, the
African-American student newspaper, says she
was deeply disturbed by what happened to
Tara Sommerville. "I'd sum up Agnes Scott's
efforts at cultural di\-ersity as bittersweet. It's
been a hard road."

Dean Hudson, who works day in and day
out with students, and has struggled with com-

plicated relationships growing out ot a small
and an increasingly complex population, says,
frankly, "It I had to grade Agnes Scott com-
pared to of other colleges and unixcrsities 1
would give us a strong C+, because we are talk-
ing about diversity. There is no college or uni-
versity that would honestly rate itself an A.
We all have to impro\'e our grade. We at
Agnes Scott are doing that with NCBI tech-
niques and Racism Free Zone."

What it boils down to, she believes, is that
"we need to listen to each other respectfully.
We need to learn from the oppression we have
all experienced and we need to learn to trust."

THE WAY OF NONVIOLENCE

Two generatiofis oj Bashirs are committed to "help people learn to get along. "

TOGETHER, LAYLI MILLER BaSHIR '93
and her mother have volunteered at
the Martin Luther King Jr. Center
for Nonviolent Social Change: Bashir, a
facilitator, has trained others to understand
and use King's methods ot nonviolent con-
flict resolution. Her mother is a representa-
tive for Coretta Scott King and a consultant
to the Center's multi-cultural education
projects.

At workshops and seminars for college
students at the King Center, Bashir has
taught King's six principles of nonviolence:

nonviolence is a way of life for coura-
geous people;

nonviolence seeks to win friendship
and understanding;

nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice
and not people;

nonviolence holds that suffering can
educate and transform;

nonviolence chooses love, not hate;

nonviolence believes that the universe
is on the side of justice.

During the workshops Bashir has
noticed a marked difference between the
reactions of her own and her mother's peers
as they confronted issues surrounding diver-
sity. "My mother's generation was involved
in the civil rights movement. They had a
vision and they were fighting for that. My
generation thinks it's tried integration and
the process is too painful. We are backing
off and going back to our own groups where
we are comfortable."

Bashir, however, has not backed off.

While a student at Agnes Scott, she was
a vocal advocate for racial harmony.

Charmaine Minniefield '95 recalls an inci-
dent during an intercollegiate non-violence
seminar (held shortly before the trial ot Los
Angeles police officers charged with the
beating of Rodney King), that illustrates
Bashir's assurance. "A lot of students arrived
at the seminar with preconceived notions of
nonviolence, that it basically was not work-
ing. The conference provided an opportuni-
ty for them to vent their frustrations. Layli
was leading a seminar and she got a lot of
negative feedback because she was white
and the students felt she could not relate.
But Layli never backed down. She kept pre-
senting the message ot nonviolence and told
of her personal experiences. She was a
woman giving her testimony and no one
could dispute that."

To help open campus avenues for insti-
gating change, she participated on the
President's Committee on Community
Diversity, in CHIMO, an organization for
international students, and she served as a
trainer on the National Coalition Building
Institute (NCBI). "I think in many ways
Agnes Scott tried sincerely to promote cul-
tural diversity. But the College could per-
haps focus more on everybody's needs to
address this issue and not just point fingers.
I think NCBI is a wonderful step toward
this. It does not focus the blame of prejudice
on anyone, and that elevates the discussion
to solution."

Now at American University, Bashir is
working on a master's in international rela-
tions and a juris doctor in international law.
Armed with both degrees, Bashir hopes to
"help people to get along." Audrey Arthur

TRACICORUM DUNN
FIFTH YEAR STUDENT
WITH SON GREGORY, 2 DAYS

"My mother's
generation was
involved in civil
rights. They had a
vision. My genera-
tion thinks it's
tried integration
and the process is
too painful. We
are backing off
and going back to
our own groups."

DIFFERENT VALUES

MILESTONES (AND STEPPING

9 1 ASC's YWCA chapter
w^ J. sponsors forum to dis-
cuss race issues with
SpelmanfMorehouse students.

O '2 Three ASC students
^^ attend Southern
Student-Faculty Conference
in Atlanta marking "first time
white and colored students
have planned and ccndwaed
such a meeting for the consid-
eration of mutual problems of
both local and international
importance." l/ll/H
Agonistic.

^ASC
'hires first
minority faculty
member, Kwai
Sing Chang,
assistant profes-
sor of Bible arvi
phibsophy.

j^M

p ^

63;

^ ^Nine African-
^ I American students
integrate all-white high
school in Little Rock,
Arkansas

ASC students donate part
of the Junior Jaunt proceeds
to Natiorud Scholarship
Furid for Negro Students.

About
200,000
gather in

Washington, D.C.,
to support African-
American demands
for equal rights.
Martin Luther King
Jr. shares his
dream: "I have a
dream that my four
little children will one day
live in a nation where they
will not be judged by the
color of their skin but by the
content of their character. . .
one day right there in
Alabama, little black boys
and little black girls will be
able to join hands with little
white boys and white girls
and walk together as sisters
and brothers."

/T '^Thurgood Marshall
\J I named first African-
American U.S. Supreme
Court Justice.

/T Q Assassins kill Martin
vJO Luther King Jr. and
Robert F. Kennedy.

26 31 33 41 42 52 53 54 56 57 61 62 64 65 66 6'

A ^ US confines
I ^Japanese- Americans
on Pacific Coast to intern-
ment camps during WW II.

[T '^ Passage of the U.S.
..J ^Immigration and
Naturalization Act
removes last racial and eth-
nic barriers to immigration.

^ ^ Student Chor

w/^Jee Goh Chow

'54

of Singapore chairs

ASC World Affairs

Committee.

M Brown vs.
Board of
Education prohibits
segregation of public
schools.

/T 1 First African-American
\J L student applies to ASC.
Acceptance denied due to
"incomplete application."

ASC facidty (97 percent) signs
statement urging public schools to
remain open despite the Georgia
governor's threat to close schools if
U.S. government forces desegrega-
tion 426 ASC students issue
similar statement.

I ASC

enrolls
Trina Lopez
Perez '44
of Cuba.

/T O University of
vJ^ Mississippi enrolls
first African-American
student, James Meredith.

ASC Board of Trustees
issue statement that
student applicant consider-
ations will be based on
academic qualifications
without regard to race.

/T /f ASC Christian
\J I Association declares:
"It is our conviction that as
Christian students we are
compelled to encourage and to
work for understanding
and acceptance of indi-
viduals of all races . "
///2/64 Profile.

Omnibus Civil Rights
bill bans discrimina-
tion in voting, jobs
and public accommo-
dations.

/T/rT/iree "special
\J\J students" arrive at
ASC from Peru,
Denmark and El Salvador.

U.S. /India Women's
College Exchange Program
brings from India visiting
professor Aley Thomas.

' Aleida
Martinez
joins ASC Spanish
department.

'^^'^^C students form
/ k) Students for Black
Au^areness (SB A). Name later
changed to Witkaze.

AfiNRS sroTT rni i fcf 9i mmfr iodj

5TONES) DM DIVERSITY

^ /^Ayse llgai Garden '66
/ \Joj Turkey, retim\s to
ASC as psychology professor.

Q 1 \V. Bur/ette
Oi Carter '82.
African

American , first
ASC sttident
Truman Scholar.

n yj ASC hires first
( / I African American
faculty member Carolyn
Deriard.

'Students elect African-
American Mia Puckett
as president of ASC Honor
Court.

3 71 72 75 76 81 84 85^^61

r\ /^.ASC begins summer
y \jord Scholars Teachers
Vroffam to recruit minority
high school students jor careers
in teaching.

r\ 1 Administrative with-
y drawal of African-
American
student Tara
Sommerville .

ASC receives
Knight
Foundation
grant to
increase
Hispanic stu-
dent presence
on campus and
to develop
Hispanic pro-
gramming.

91 92 93 94

861

' President Schmidt
'institutes President's

Committee on Community

Diversity .

ASC hires Africari American
Karen Green '86, director of
student activities ar\d housing.

88:

) ASC faculty pledges
no recruit minority
members .

89{

kASC Student
Government
Association (SO A) approves
designated CHIMO seat.

ASC names
Joyce Essien,
M.D., first
African-
American
member of its
Board of
Trustees.

To promote
Hispanic
awareness at
ASC, students
organize
Espin'tu Latino

f 9i

Students
elect

SGA denies seat to Students
for Black Awareness (SBA) .
With encouragement from
President's office and faculty,
SGA later approves SBA seat.

gn Fifty-

j7 Z^ two peo

pie killed in
Los Angeles riots after jury
acquits white policemen
accused of beating African-
American Rodney King.

A/rican-American
' '~ Charmaine

Minniefield '95,
class president
(and continue to
re-elect her

she serves as class bresident aR

four years)

Kinjo Gakuin
University in
Japan and ASC
establish exchange
program.

DIFFERENT VALUES

TRIPPING
THE LIGHT
FANTASTIC

By Carole Siracusa
Photography hy Bill Denison
Illustrations by Ralph Gilbert

Agnes Scott is
enhancing its
dance facilities
and has added
a minor in a
discipline where in
grace and beauty
balance "the
college's rigorous
academic
demands."

'Tou

CAN
HAVE
IT all"

That's what a mentor told Mar>-Un
Darling when she began developing a
dance program at Agnes Scott College.
That idea guided Darling, now chair of theatre
and dance, during her more than 20 years as
head of the program. That same idea she tries
to instill in each of her students.

With a new minor in dance at Agnes Scott
and with the more recent establishment of the
Martha Wilson Kessler Dance Fund, having it
all will be even more possible for the students
and the College. The accumulated gift of
almost $400,000, donated by Martha Kessler
'69 and her husband Richard, will enable
Agnes Scott to add a new dance studio and
greatly enhance its dance facilities. It also will
bring nationally- and internationally known
professional dancers and choreographers to
the campus.

At the dedication of the new dance studio
during Alumnae Weekend, Martha Kessler,
who began studying dance at age five, remem-
bers that dance at Agnes Scott brought bal-
ance to "the rigors of the academic demands."
She also expressed pleasure that ASC dance
had led to fulfilling careers for classmates.

Ar:wp; ^irrvrr roi r pnp cf tkaxapp ioqj

DANCE: TRIPPING THE LIGHT FANTASTIC

"It will be like
bringing New
York and Europe
to Agnes Scott.
The Kessler gift
will move our
students from
regional dance
to international
ways of thinking."

With humor, Richard Kessler said at age five
he had also had a brush with dance tap
dance and he hoped that their gift would be
used to further Agnes Scott dancers and
dance in its many forms.

The gift will equip the main studio for per-
formances by adding a lighting and sound sys-
tem, a new marley floor (a rubberized mat)
and motorized shades. The gift will be used to
purchase instructional equipment including a
video recording system, tapedecks and CD
players, pilates machines to help dancers build
strength and flexibility and two new studio
pianos. It will provide live accompaniment for
every class.

The gift also provides $100,000 to be allo-
cated to the College's endowment to provide
residencies by visiting artists, ballet and mod-
em dance accompanists, commissions of
choreographic works and student internships
for the ne.xt five years. As a result of the gift.

students have already enjoyed changes in the
dance program last fall with the residence of
New York choreographer Jane Comfort who
has worked with Merce Cunningham, Maggie
Black and Janet Panetta. She set a new dance
for Agnes Scott's Studio Dance Theatre titled
"Pretty Is as Pretty Does." The gift also provid-
ed a four-week residency for two of the four
artistic directors of Pilobolus to adapt a piece
for the Studio Dance Theatre.

Darling, professor of dance, theatre and
physical education, is especially pleased that
the gift will allow Agnes Scott dance to
attract outstanding artists to campus. "It will
be like bringing New York and Europe and
Australia to Agnes Scott. People speak differ-
ent languages through dance," she explains.
"The gift will help move our students from
regional dance into national and international
ways of thinking. The Kessler money will do
wonders, more than wonders."

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1994

"But if

YOU
LOVE

dance"

STARTING IN 1971 WITH A GROUP of SIX
Students who had concentrated on mod-
ern dance, Darling has deliberately
shaped Agnes Scott's program to embrace a
variety of dance forms. "Agnes Scott's program
is very diverse and rich for its size," acknowl-
edges Sally Radell, director of the dance
program at Emory University. "Marylin is an
inspiring leader and she brings wonderful

opportunities to her students."

Today, Agnes Scott's Studio Dance
Theatre features 25 students who perform
modem, jazz, ballet, tap, forms of Baroque and
Renaissance dance. In April, for instance,
Pilobolus set a piece, "Duet," tor physics major
Kara Moore '96 and political science major
Vicki Sturdivant '97. Pilobolus dancer Jude
Woodcock worked with them on basic steps
and movement. Then they rehearsed with
artistic director Robby Bamett from 4:45 p.m.
to 9 p.m. daily for more than a week, working
on the "mood and feel of the piece."

"This was not your traditional dancing, a
tendu here, a jete, there," says Moore." It was
mostly partnering. It took a lot of physical
strength we didn't know we had. At first we
said, 'We can't do that lift.' It was an intense,
unbelievable experience. It gave me a whole
new outlook on what dancing is." She laughs.
"I am completely inspired to go off and
dance."

The program brings that kind of experience
to many students. "We give dancers a wide
range of styles, whereas some companies only
do ballet," explains Darling. "We do it all, and
I think we do it all very well."

In many ways the program reflects the
breadth and intensity of Darling's own experi-
ence. She has studied with many of the out-
standing dancers and choreographers of the
last half of this century, from Martha Graham,
Alvin Ailey, Bob Fosse, Jose Limon Alwin
Nickolais of New York to David Roche and
Vlaria de Baroncelli at Florida State
University. "She has tremendous drive to
explore dance m all its art forms, and her
choreography is extremely well rounded,"
comments alumna Mary MacKinnon '85, an
Atlanta choreographer. Agrees Joanne Lee,
director of the Chastain School of the Atlanta
Ballet: "Her knowledge of all forms of dance is
her greatest strength."

Moore, whose career dreams may now
include dancing on Broadway, says, "If you are
serious about academics, but you love dance,
Marylin is the best. She knows so much."

Already, the Agnes Scott program has
produced dance students with strong academic
credentials who have gone on to perform
professionally with Erik Hawkins, Alvin
Ailey, Bella Lewitsky and other well-respected
companies.

The Agnes Scott Studio Dance Theatre is
a dance company housed on a college campus
(to be distinguished from the more commonly
formed college student dance groups). For
more than a decade, student performances

The Agnes
Scott program
has produced
dance students
with strong
academic
credentials who
have gone on
to perform
professionally.

DANCE: TRIPPING THE LIGHT FANTASTIC

"At Agnes Scott,
we've always
taken a holistic
approach to
education. Dance
is a wonderful
bringing together
of the mind,
body and
creative aspect."

have been framed by professional choreogra-
phers. Since 1978, visiting artists have taught
master classes here. And now the Kessler gift
will enable the College to engage such artists
for whole semesters at a time.

This, says Darlmg, "makes a dancer a better
dancer, and the better the dancer, the better
the program." Having a dance major at Agnes
Scott would attract an even greater number
of students who would pursue careers in dance.
But right now the College is concentrating
on the new minor and progressing one step
at a time.

"At Agnes Scott, we've always taken a
holistic approach to education, emphasizing
the cognitive, spiritual, physical and social
aspects of learning. Dance is a wonderful
bringing together of the mind, body and cre-
ative aspect," says Dean of the College Sarah
Blanshei. "The minor in dance was a coming
of age for Agnes Scott's dance program. With
the minor and the establishment of the addi-
tional studio, we will have a program that
not only is enriched in its own right, but
also is a significant enrichment of our fine
arts program."

With pleasure. Darling points out, that no
matter what their majors or career choices,

Agnes Scott dancers "never stop dancing."

Meda Stamper '87, an employee of The
Coca-Cola Company, regularly performs in
community theatre and musicals.

Sarah Campbell '81 was a junior biology
major mulling over career paths when Darling
hooked her up with a dance therapist to study
dance movement. Today Campbell has a mas-
ter's degree in dance mo\'ement therapy and
works at the Moses Cone Memorial Hospital
in North Carolina. Darling, says Campbell, "is
very powerful as a mentor and a motivator."

MacKinnon experienced that. "When I
first joined the company, 1 never thought 1
would choreograph." Yet Darling recognized
MacKinnon's potential and urged her to
choreograph several pieces while at Agnes
Scott. MacKinnon slowly discovered that she
enjoyed the creative aspect of dance more
than the performance. Today she does free-
lance choreography.

"It's unusual for a dancer to come from a
liberal arts college, but 1 have students who
can dance professionally and later pursue
other careers. For instance, one young woman
who was a professional dancer is now a
lawyer," says Darling.

She smiles. "You see, you can do it all."

ACNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1994

REDRESSING
THE STUDENT
BODY

A History in
Hairdos and
Hemlines

By Mary Alma Durrett

'"^H^'

.-^^

4^s

,f>-

*,%

Ah fashion!
German
economist
Werner Sombart
called it "capitalism's
favorite child."

Every mother is fond of tossing out fashion
axioms to her daughters before sending them
off into the difficult world of dress. You
remember: "You will not leave this house
without the proper foundations . . . without
creaming your elbows . . . without painting
those toenails, girls, if you're going to wear
sandals. . . . Avoid horizontal stripes. . . .
Remember, no white shoes after Labor Day."

Every mother has them. Every mother

REDRESSING THE STUDENT BODY

The truth is,
the crisply-
dressed, well-
heeled Hottentot
of old has been
replaced by a
new Scottie
with casual
inclinations.

hopes her daughters will retain a few.

In the world of today's young fashion
adventurer, these maxims are likely met with a
yawn, or perhaps a more \'ehement gesture.
TTie truth is, the crisply dressed, well-heeled
Hottentot ot old has been replaced by a new
Scottie whose casual mclinations tend toward
dusty Dr. Marten battle boots over pretty
pumps. She is a fashion soldier ot this genera-
tion Agnes X we'll call her. She, not unlike
the late comedian Gilda Radner, bases much
of her fashion taste on "what doesn't itch."
Agnes X personifies the confluence of social,
economic and ethnic change.

Her cache of togs no longer hears the wears
of a century ago corsets (a hobbling device
of the first order) and floor-length skirts, or of
50 years ago pullover pastel sweaters, plaid
skirts, pearls, ankle socks and saddle oxfords.
Comfort rules the '90s Scottie who crosses
campus in high-top Chuck Taylor sneakers,
cut-offs, a T-shirt (not unlike her '60s-era
mother) and a hall cap with the bill flipped to
the back or treks about the Quad in plaid
boxer-style shorts and running shoes. Her hair
(if anything is done to it at all) may be pulled
back in a ponytail or secured with a wide
sweat band. On alternate days, Agnes X may
don a thigh-high spandex skirt (a hobbling
device of the highest otder) or a long, tie-dyed
(bolder than ever) sarong or tights and an
oversized blouse and toss back her head-
ful of cascading curls or comrows or
crimped locks. Occasionally she might
wear heels. On rarer

occasions she even wears makeup.

There are days when students break out in
preppy chino skirts and cotton sweaters or
crisp khaki pants and dirty bucks. But those of
today's world of fashion experimentation grew
up accepting underwear as outerwear: TTianks
a lot. Madonna.

From her part to bet heart, Agnes X may
also hear a dozen pierces for earrings, noserings
and other decorations. Her gauzy dark rumpled
dress brushes low against her tattooed ankle
(yes, tattooed) and she is likely footed in
Birkenstocks. Through dress and ornamenta-
tion, she enunciates the angst and interests of
an age. Grunge rules!

"There's the mainstream kind of fashion
that's not markedly different from generation
to generation," says Vicki Vitelli '97 of
Florence, Ala., whose cranberry -on-brunette
shoulder-length locks hint at her fashion lean-
ings. "I think a trademark of today is subver-
siveness. Fashion today challenges traditional
beauty standards. Anything that's against the
norm makes us question traditional \alues. I
think that's a good thing, whether it means
questioning gender stereotypes or fashion."

The fashion "whys," naturally, are among
the many questions that emerge in healthy
youthful debate. Why is one thing pretty and
another not? Do we have to define beauty the
same way our mothers did?

"My guiding clothing philosophy is (com-
ing from a small conserx'ative southern town
and being a raging liberal at heart), I want to
be as big a freak as humanly possible during
my college years," says Vitelli. "I'll settle down
later and drive the Volvo."

Contrast that with the "white bread"
world into which MoUie Merrick '57, asso-
ciate dean of students, arrived as an ASC
student in 1953. "We were wearing those
Villager blouses with Peter Pan collars and
dainty flower patterns." To Miami-native
Merrick's surprise, classmates were also wear-
ing socks with their shoes. "There was homo-
geneity. This was the way you dressed and
ever^'body did it. Ever>'hody was in sync."

For years, dress was one of many aspects of
student life dictated in loco parentis by the
College; dresses were the standard. "The
College assumed authority over student dress
as part of its efforts to graduate accomplished
and proper young ladies," explained Lee
Sayrs '69 and Associate Professor of English
Christine S. Cozzens in their book, A Full and
Rich Measure.

Varying notions ot "appropriate dress" or
"beauty" have been, through the history of the

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1994

College, exactly that varied.

Mayhe Coco Chanel said it best: "Fashion
is made to become unfashionable."

The earliest Silhouettes capture the whims
ot student fashion. In those first years students
cut hour-glass figures in late-Victorian corset-
ed garb, despite specific instruction in the
College catalog that "dress ot schoolgirls be
simple and inexpensive." Within a few years
(the 1910s), the look moved toward man-
tailored ensembles (better for bicycling you
know) with Scotties wearing classic Gibson-
girl hairstyles, swept up off the shoulder and
rolled or folded with ratting into a bun. Their
skirts were floor-length; blouses, high-necked,
often accented by a tie or bow. On their feet
they wore tight-fitting, laced or buttoned,
ankle-high boots.

By 1925, nearly every Scottie had a varia-
tion of bobbed hair: Egyptian, mannish.
Marcelled, windblown, the Charleston or
faun. Skirts, likewise, were shortened a dozen
inches; white hose dominated and shoes fea-
tured modem, slender, high heels. Mainstays
on the athletic field and in the gymnasium:
bloomers and middle blouses.

he twenties
fostered a
"Beauties"
oto section in the
yearbook judged by
some outside, objec-
tive highly visible

writer or artist or group of cadets from West
Point. In 1946, Hollywood photographer
Paul Hesse chose the beauties, a majority of
whom sported shoulder-length, wavy, war-
time hairdos.

In 1951, Princeton University's Student
Body President Richard W. Murphy was
charged with the task. He lamented: ". . .you
have an unusually good-looking crop of girls;
and my selections have to be made on the
basis of pictures and not the girls themselves."
After three days of poring over photos of 20
Scotties, Murphy chose Mary Beth Robinson
(Stuart) '53 with her tiny pearl choker and
"Love That Red" lip color, to top the beauties
list. "We just wore what other Southern girls
were wearing at the time," says Stuart, who

remembers sewing
many of the skirts
that she brought to
College. "I look at
what they're wearing
on campus today an^l
it's just a hoot. We
weren't really dressing
like anyt>ne as they
seem to do today. Of
course Lana Turner did
stand out and I guess I
thought my hair did kind
of look like hers. 1 relished
that."

By 1969, the "beauties"
section of the Silhouette
had gone the way of the
hula hoop, hut a good
amount of attention was
still paid to dress. The
ASC Lecture
Committee and ushers
retained their standard
black dress and pearls
as a "uniform" at guest
lectures.

"Of course there
was that whole con-
tingent who wore stuff ovet
their pajamas to class,"
notes Bonnie B. Johnson
'70, executive director for
development and assistant
dean of Emory University
School of Medicine, one of
eight students who served on
Representative Council's
Special Commission on Rules
and Policies (SCRAP) in
1969. "Our focus was on the
'non-negotiahles.' It was a
kind of stripping down and
rebuilding the rules on that
foundation. We dealt with
smoking, drinking, drugs, sign
outs. Dress was one of those
things that was evolutionary,
the changes had already begun
to emerge." But SCRAP
clinched the decision to nix
dresses as required garb.
Good-bye fish-net hose; hello
bell bottoms!

Until 1970, shorts and slacks
were anathema in Buttrick, the
galleries of Dana, Agnes Scott Hall (e.xcept to
sign in and out of the Dean of Students'

>./

fe-Sal

REDRESSING THE STUDENT BODY

Nowadays,

the advice

Mary Beth

Robinson

Stuart's

mother

sent her away

with: "Pretty is as

pretty does,"

would probably

fall on deaf ears.

office), the library, and in faculty and adminis-
trative oftices, classes and science/art labs. For
about halt the students the "mane attraction"
was long, straight "Cher" hair the other half
rolled and teased their hair into astronaut hel-
met-like styles. They could only appear in pub-
lic en curlers covered with a scarf
on Friday night or Saturdays in the
lower Evans Dming Hall. "Rolling
ban- was definitely an issue peculiar
to Agnes Scott," says Merrick, "and
an issue in the rewiring of the build-
ings because we wanted to have
enough electrical power for dryers
and electric rollers."

With the SCRAP landmark deci-
sions, the dress code itself moved from
maxi to mini a single paragraph: "Each stu-
dent is urge[d] to dress neatly and appropriately
for all occasions. Responsible consideration for
faculty and staff members, administrative offi-
cials, other students, and tor campus visitors is
expected." Cutoffs, here we come! "Students
are much more casual now," concludes
Merrick. The student of the '90s, she believes,
has "other things to worry about economic
concerns, social issues, what goes on in dating
situations, career choices, mobility."

Choices do make the "clothes thing" seem a
bit insignificant. And trying on a new "look,"
whether grunge or prep or funk, has got to fit
today's youthful pocketbook already drained by
college costs. So contemporary clothes are not
just saying the wearers are the picture of con-
vention or that they hate what mainstream
America wears; they're also saying, this outfit
is pulled together tor $10.

Or some may be speaking a very subtle lan-
guage to a small group of people perhaps
even one. Explain Joanne B. Eicher and Mary
Ellen Roach-Higgins in Dress and Gender, ". . .
some of the information that is transmitted

from person to person by dress is not easily
translatable into words." With a single article
of clothing or a piece of jewelry or a tattoo, a
young woman may be propelling herself along
the road toward her own personal psycho-sexu-
al destiny, hoping along the way to attract
some interested party. When she dons an off-
white chemise, she may be simultaneously ask-
ing "who am 1.'" and saying "this is who 1 am."

"Beauty is a very personal, outward expres-
sion of yourself," acknowledges Vitelli, who
emphasizes her looks with a pierced nose.
"Attractiveness is power." Many of today's
authorities would agree. Like Valerie Steele, in
her Fashion and Eroticism: "The concept of
beauty is sexual in origin, and the changing
ideal of beauty apparently reflects shifting atti-
tudes toward sexual expression. At the deepest
level, the meaning of clothing in general and
fashion in particular is also erotic."

Eros, who according to Bidfinch's Mythology,
"issued trom the egg of Night," has always
lived in the clothes closet. What Eros present-
ed for wearing has depended on who was
standing at the closet door and at what time
she arrived. Vitelli's loose and flowing garb
bears a striking resemblance to that ot her
favorite period of costume the Italian
Renaissance. "It managed to be breezy and
bohemian but sort of formal."

Vitelli and her cohort of Scotties are cut-
ting their feminine and feminist teeth on such
tomes as Backlash and The Beauty Myth, not
Dress for Success or The Official Preppy
Handbook.

Nowadays, the advice that Mary Beth
Robinson Stuart's mother sent her away with:
"Pretty is as pretty does," would probably fall
on deaf ears. Either that, or become a tattoo
forever etched on her . . . arm.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1994

ET CETERA

A new garden, outstanding alumnae, Fulhright scholars, culture shock
for Japanese, high marks from Princeton Review and other campus news

RENEWING
THE SECRET
GARDEN

On a sketch oi the small
terrace attached to the
back of the McCain Library
is a quote from John Milton:
"Beholding the bright coun-
tenance of truth in the quiet
and still air of delightful
studies." It captures the orig-
inal intent of the library
architects and the more
recent hcipe of a generous
alumna who wished to cre-
ate such a space on campus.

Spring l'-)94 marks the
restoration, and April 20
(during Alumnae Weekend
festivities) the dedication
and renaming of the
enchanting and secluded
Secret Garden.

Designated originally as
the outdoor Reading
Terrace when McCain
Library opened in
1936, the

<C3IZ.rf' An illustration of the original

/ library Reading Terrace doesn't hint

^^^^^ at its later popularity (inset photo) .

area complete with weather-
proof chairs and tables with
umbrellas. Eventually the
furniture deteriorated and
was discarded and the garden
fell into disuse.

The Class of 1979 reno-
vated the garden as its gift to
the College, using the exper-
tise of Charles Bell,
father of Glenda
Bell Chastain 79
and owner of the
Atlanta Garden
Center. When
renovation
was com-
plete, crape
myrtles,
azaleas and hollies
adorned the garden, border-
ing the walls.

Fifteen seasons later, the
garden was once more in
need of attention. A mem-
ber of the Class of 1944
decided to create a secret
garden to help celebrate her
class's 50th reunion.
Perennials, wild flowers,
flowering trees and spring
bulbs now decorate the area
with winding borders.

A garden seat has been
added near the entrance (at
the base of the stone steps
leading up from the third
floor of the library).

An opening in the wall

facing the Alston Campus
Center will be constructed
this summer.

As its gift to the College,
the Class of 1994 has donat-
ed a birdhouse for the Secret

Garden.

Sara Pilger
director of commimicatii m.s

TOP
ALUMNAE

Virginia Milner Carter,
Virginia Love
Dunaway, Susan Elizabeth
Coltrane Lowance and
Juliana McKinley Winters
were recently named out-
standing alumnae by the
Agnes Scott College
Alumnae Association. Both
Carter '40 and Lowrance '55
received awards recognizing
distinguished careers. Carter
founded A.L. Williams and
Company which grew and
merged with Primerica
Financial Services in 1989.
Lowance is director of the
program for senior execu-
tives at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
Dunaway '56, founder of
the Memphis Food Bank,
received the award for dis-
tinguished community ser-
vice. Winters '72, a law7er
who has served Agnes Scott

ET CETERA

as president of the alumnae
association and who helped
establish the ASC
"Distinguished Centennial
Lecturer," received the
award for distinguished ser-
vice to the College.

The alumnae association
presented the awards during
the Alumnae Weekend in
late April. Newly elected
officers for the Alumnae
Association Board of
Directors are: Lowrie
Alexander Fraser '56, presi-
dent; Vemita Bowden
Lockhart 76, vice president
for alumnae advancement;
Liz Steele Forman '81, vice
president for chapter
advancement.

FULBRIGHT
SCHOLARS IN
GERMANY

Laura Barlament '93 is a
Fulbright Scholar com-
pleting a study of German
literature at the University
of Constance in late sum-
mer ^Jennifer Jenkins '94
will be a Fulbright Scholar
leaving the United States in
August to conduct field stud-
ies in European politics in
Frankfurt.

Barlament's Fulbright has
allowed her to continue an
undergraduate project begun
at Agnes Scott, exploring
the changing roles of women
characters in Dr. Faustus, the

magician of German legend
who entered a compact with
the devil. Her research at
Agnes Scott covered a
period from the beginning
of the Dr. Faustus legend
through the 19th century
the Fulbright entails research
through the 20th century.

Jenkins, an international
relations major/German
minor, will conduct field
studies, including interviews
with Germans from east and
west Germany regarding the
effects of reunification.

Jenkins is especially inter-
ested in being in Frankfurt,
the heart of liberal politics in
Europe, during the German
national elections in
October, and in observing
the impact of the elections
on the conservative govern-
ment of German Chancellor
Helmut Kohl.

Jenkins and Barlament
join a number of Agnes
Scott alumnae including
Nancy Duvall Hargrove '63
(who has had a total of four
Fulbrights, studying in
Sweden 1992, Belgium

1984-85 and France, 1967-
77 and 1963-64) and
Priscilla Shepherd Taylor '53
(London, 1953-54)
honored with Fulbrights
since the scholarships
began in 1947-

LANGUAGE-

ACROSS'THE'

CURRICULUM

Any student having
completed four semes-
ters of a language may now
add to her language skills by
enrolling in Language Across
the Curriculum (LAC) study.

Through the LAC pilot
in 1992, for example, a stu-
dent of German enrolled in
European history 1914-45
could participate in an addi-
tional hour of class each
week with discussions about
the material, conducted m
German with authentic
German texts. A discipline
faculty member teams up
with a language faculty
member to teach the added
language component.

Thiis spring semester.

DEPOSITS, RETENTION UP

Admission reports 143 new students have made
deposits by May 30, up from last year (124) and
significantly ahead of two years ago (116). Student
retention is also up. Although fewer students are eligible
to return in the Fall 1994 compared with 1993, eligible
students who have re-registered is up 4.8 percent.

LAC courses combined
French study with Medieval
Art as well as Spanish with
Native Peoples of the
Americas.

Proposed for the 1994-95
school year are French with
the History of Art II,
German with Europe since
1945 and Spanish with
Women in Latin America.

The goal of LAC is to
enrich the study of various
disciplines by allowing stu-
dents and faculty the oppor-
tunity to study original texts
in foreign languages and also
to exercise language skills
beyond foreign language
classrooms.

The program is supported
by a three-year, $152,000
National Endowment for the
Humanities grant.

CULTURE
SHOCK FOR
JAPANESE

When interviewed in
the 1994 Kmjo
Gakuin College catalog
about their 1992 exchange
experience at Agnes Scott,
Japanese women noted the
homey atmosphere of ASC
and the importance of strong
English skills.

Two students, Tomoko
Yokoi and Asako Shimada,
also commented on the
importance of being able to
hold their own in class dis-

AONRS SrOTT mil FOR . SHMMFR igg4

SENIOR
CAMPAIGN
SETS
RECORD

Senieirs pledged
$7,700 to Agnes
Scott Annual Fund
over the next fi\'e years
representing 59 percent
participation, according
to Molly Dohm, assis-
tant director of the
annual fund and coordi-
nator of this year's
senior class campaign.
These pledges surpass
the previous record
high set in 1990 for 46
percent participation
and $6,900.

cussions. "American students
present their opinion as well
as listen to others. 1 felt this
sort of attitude is lacking
among the Japanse and this
was a culture shock for me,"
said Yokoi.

"American students were
certainly more aware of
social matters. They are
strongly interested in politics
and economics and they
know well about their coun-
try, culture and society.
They probably read newspa-
pers well," said Shimada.

In a statement conclud-
ing the interview, Yokoi
warned prospective Kinjo
exchange students about the
need to develop strong
English language skills before

studying at Agnes Scott. "If
you consider studying abroad
just an amusing experience
or a way of learning English,
you will be in trouble after
getting there."

Kinjo Gakuin is a host
institution to Agnes Scott
Global Awareness students
every two years and has regu-
lar Japanese student and fac-
ulty exchange programs with
the College.

HIGH MARKS
FOR ASC

The Princeton Review:
The Best 286 Colleges
ranked Agnes Scott num-
ber one for the beauty of
its campus and dormitories,
number two for professors
who "bring material to
life" and third for "best
quality of life." ASC
ranked in the top 20 in 14
categories including fifth
and tenth, respectively, for
good town and gown rela-
tions and for smoothness
of its operation.

The Princeton Review
surveys 40 independent
college counselors and
rankings from both US
News & World Report and
Money magazines, then it
surveys nearly 40,000 stu-
dents who respond to 61
categories of questions
ranging from academics
to operations.

FEEDBACK

I have just received the
Winter 1994 issue of the
magazine and want to com-
mend you and yotir staff on
continuing to publish a won-
derful magazine.

1 found
every arti-
cle interest-
ing, timely
and support-
ive of women
and their con-
tinued devel-
opment and
honoring of
themselves.

I was dis-
turbed, however, by a part of
one article, "The Power of
Giving" where it appears to
admonish women tor not
giving more. 1 believe it said
the history between the
sexes shows women "divide
the amount into a number of
small gifts; men give more."
. . . Unfortunately it is not
also stated that women may
give in smaller amounts
because they have less dis-
cretionary funds available as
a result of making 60 percent
of what men are paid for
comparable jobs.

While 1 agree with the
authors that making a con-
sistent and habitual effort of
giving helps make a dent in
our impoverished world, and
I also agree that money is
power and women need to
find ways to alter that m the
current market (as Betty
Freidan's newest book
addresses), I disagree with

the tone of this article, set by
comparing women and men's
giving. Doing this highlights
a man's way of giving and
devalues a woman's way of
giving that is not
always monetary.
Women do give
generously of
their time, their
talents and
their knowl-
edge in
numerous
volunteer
projects
which have
made this world a better
place. ... I would like to
have seen the honoring of
this style and then a pitch to
add the monetary gift as well.

I am on my internship
this year after six years of
doctoral education. 1 have
depleted my savings, 1 am
not eligible for loans and 1
am grossing $15,000 this year
with no job secured for
August at this time. There-
fore, shaming women and
me into gi\'ing more [money]
does two things: One, giving
would rob me of using that
money for necessary items
such as food, education and
small pleasures to nourish my
heart so that 1 could contin-
ue giving in the ways 1 am
able to give right now (see
"The Gift" also in the winter
issue); and second, it
decreases the satisfaction of
what 1 do give.

Laurel Allegm Kramer '79
DeSoto, ILL

Agnes Scott College
HIE. College Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030

Nonprofit

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Decatur, GA 30030

Permit No. 469

DQNTFORGET
AEWE,

April 28-30, 1995

rJx:-'

r^ ^

^ ^\ J^

.-"* -^i'^

RACHEL BRAUN '96 AND KARA IvIOORE '96

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The Ruth Schmidt era ends . . . the
College charts a new course for the
21st century. Among the certainities
is the need to encourage diversity.
And the need to incorporate aesthet-
ics the arts and athletics into the
world of academics: we illustrate that
with a report on the new emphasis on
dance at ASC. There's also our look
at the one ever-changing certainty of
campus life: hemlines and hairdos.
And a final note among the issue's
final notes: Despite this period of
transition, ASC still ranks among the
nation's best educational institutions:
The Princeton Ktvievj lists the Agnes
Scott number two for professors who
"bring material to life," number three
for "quality of life" and number one
for beauty of campus and dorms. To a
century of Scotties, that's no surprise.

NAE MAGAZINE FALL 1994

SOS'.

^g^r-

^He

5!^

EDITOR'S NOTE

fc-T.?.- rtHT:

The signs of academic trust: Agnes Scott's honor code has become the
cornerstone of the entire structure of campus life.

''hile chatting with prospec-
tive students and parents in
Houston about Agnes Scott's
non-proctored and self-scheduled
exams, take-home tests and general
atmosphere of trust, associate professor
of English Christine Cozzens noted a
response akin to shock: "Their jaws
dropped. They began to talk about how
their high schools were under siege."
Increased cheating, thett and violence
in high schools in Houston and
around the country and the moral
malaise in higher education today, seem
to he focusing public interest on ways to
wed education with character-building,
moral reason, promise-keeping and
general honesty.

What contributes to the viability of the nearly 90-year-
old Agnes Scott honor code has been analyzed recently by
Todd Robert Holcomb and reported in his case studies of
honor systems at six institutions (Agnes Scott, The
Citadel, Davidson, Longwood, the University of Virginia
and Vanderbilt). Holcomb notes good success at both The
Citadel and Agnes Scott. He cites student-to-faculty ratio
(8-1), students housed on campus, and institutional/
student support of the code as contributing factors here.

Perhaps more central to the issue, through the years
Agnes Scott has purposefully built the honor code into its
academic life. This is not something that occurs with the
"wave of a wand," insists a long-time staff member.
Applicants sign the code as part of the admission process.
As a class, first-year students sign a parchment copy of the
code that is later posted in Buttrick Hall. Each student
writes and signs the pledge on each paper or exam for
which she receives credit. The honor code, according to
the student handbook, is the cornerstone of the entire
structure of Agnes Scott life.

Peer influence is the other key. It is students who over-
see the honor system, from reporting code violations to
making subsequent investigations, to meting out discipline
which is "pretty amazing, if you think about it," says Bertie
Bond '53. As a student she served on the executive com-
mittee in a function parallel to today's student member of
honor court. She knows it is a tough, soul-searching
process. "I vividly remember my first case involving a stu-
dent who was caught cheating. We voted to send the stu-

dent home. I worried about whether she
should have had a second chance."
Suspension or dismissal is heart-rending
for a student who violates the code.
During her years as administrative assis-
tant to the president, Bond has observed
many anxious parents awaiting an honor
court verdict. "I have seen a lot
of tears."

While students think unreported
academic infractions are rare, the Agnes
Scott honor code also calls tor its high
standard of behavior as a way of life.
This distinguishes the Agnes Scott
honor system, and is the point at which
the system is most vulnerable. Student
critics cite everything from unreported,
underage drinking in residence halls to
misdemeanors. "If you leave your Mick's Oreo Cheesecake
in the refrigerator," explains one, "you have to attach a
sign, 'Do not eat or you're dead.'"

To underline community commitment to the honor
code, this fall the Class of 1998 signed their copy during
orientation in a ceremony attended by parents. In a gesture
of support. Interim President Sally Mahoney added her sig-
nature. While the honor code does not create a perfect
world, Mahoney later reasoned, it "creates an environment
of support for that aspiration."

In her honor court convocation address in late
September, Agnes Scott Chaplain Paige McRight '68 reit-
erated the value of the College honor system in a world
crying for relationships ot trust. As example she noted the
recent transfer of power in Haiti. "The U.S. 82nd
Airborne is in Haiti holding the military accountable to
live out its pledge, but holding off an armed conflict
because the pledge that has been given. A system of honor,
a community built on trust, is always a mixed bag, a fragile
creature dependent on the keeping of promises. Such a
community, I believe, is the environment that best pro-
motes life and growth for individuals and tor the world. At
Agnes Scott, we have a system for learning how to make it
happen and as we are shaped by that system in our years
here, we become people equipped to share that system as a
way of life."

^-^^

CONTENTS

Agnes Scott College Alumnae Magazine
Fall 1994 Volume 71 , Number 2

The Science of Life

By John Pilger and Christine Cozzens

In retrospect, the life and legacy of distinguished

ASC professor/scientist: Mary Stuart MacDougall.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT,
AND IT ISN'T
A 30KE .

Stopping the Nightmare

By Jane Zanca

Illustrations by Mac Evans

Sexual harassment is fact of life for many women entering

the ii'oric force. But, say ASC experts, there are ways ii'omen

can handle sexual advances with dignity and coolness.

Cultural Immersion

By Celeste Pennington

Photos by Paul Obregon

Two alumnae form the core of an artists colony

working and living on a shoestring in Mexico.

Hire Education

By Mary Alma Durrett

Photos by Gary Meek and Mar>' Alma Durrett

ASC's Office of Career Planning arid Counseling helps

graduates make the transition into "the real world."

COVER: Mar>- Jordan '94, a TV
reporter in Dothan, Ala., found
hard work, preparation and time-
ly tips from ASC's career coun-
selors helped her land just the job
she wanted. PHOTO BY GARY MEEK

Fifty Years Ago-A Remembrance

By Marybeth Little Weston Lohdell

In half a century, a lot has changed at Agnes Scott College,

but the basics have remained the same.

DEPARTMENTS
2

Lifestyle

On Campus

Classic

Et Cetera

Feedback

Editor: Celeste Pennington
Contributing Editor:

Mary Alma Durrett
Editorial Assistant:

Audrey Arthur
Design: Everett Hullum

and Harold Waller
Student Assistants:

Rolanda Daniel '98

Jennifer Odom '98

Leigh Anne Russell '97

Samantha Stavely '97

Ashley Wright '96
Photo Archivist:

Willa Hendnckson '94

Publications Advisory

Board: Christine Cozzens

Bill Galley

Ellen Fort Grissett '77

Sandi Harsh '95

Tish McCutchen '73

Kay Parkerson O'Briant '70

Emily Pender '95

Sara Pilger

Edmund Sheehey

Lucia Howard Sizemore '65

Copyright 1994, Agnes Scott
College. Published for alumnae and
friends twice a year by the Oflice of
Publications, Agnes Score College,
Buttrick Hall, 141 E. College
Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030,
(404) 638-6315. Postmaster:
Send address changes to Office of
Development and Public .affairs,
Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA
30030. The content of the magazine
reflecrs the opinions ot the writers
and not rhe viewpomt of the College,
its trustees or administration.

LIFESTYLE

A true kids' teacher, the molecular structure of patents, caring for the
people of other cultures and a job that puts out fires literally.

THE DANCE
OF LEARNING

School Teacher
Ellen Grmmm '62

Inspired hy music she was
playing for her class
from the "Sleeping
Beaut^'" ballet, elementary
school teacher Ellen
Granum '62 began twirling
around the room like a
ballerina. In the midst of
the dance, she says, "One
shy little girl got out of her
seat, pulled on my skirt,
looked up at me and said,
'Is you a child?'

"The music makes me
want to dance," said
Granum. "So we all began
to dance like ballerinas. I
loved opening the chil-
dren's eyes and their expe-
riences to a dilferent per-
ception of adults and the
world around them."
Granum's strategy
hasn't changed much since
the mid-'60s, when she
began teaching the chil-
dren at Center Hill
Elementary School, the
first integrated school in
Atlanta. TTiere, changes in
the school system and in
the neighborhood weren't
easy adjustments for any of
the teaching staff. But

Granum arrived, a "young
idealist, full of energy and
wanting to change things."

Later, stimulated by the
issue of the "culturally
deprived child," Granum
earned a master's degree at
Bank Street College of
Education in New York,
highly regarded for its
innovative and creative
approaches to teaching.

For the last seven years,
Granum has taught at the
National Presbyterian
School, a small, Washing-
ton, D.C., school that
enrolls 200 children in
nursery through grade six.

Situated in a low stone
building on Nebraska
Avenue across from the
Japanese embassy, National
Presbyterian is a private

Elementai-y school teacher
Ellen Granum: A mission to
reclaim the soul of teaching.

school. Students include
children of diplomats,
congressmen and women,
corporate executives, doc-
tors and lawyers. Tuition
ranges from $8,000 to
$10,000 annually. Each
year, only 20 percent of
those who apply are
accepted. It is a competi-
tive situation, she admits.
"Psirents get ver^' uptight
about it. They think if
their children go to a cer-
tain school, they'll be
fixed for life."

Students are screened
primarily during a 45-
minute session of interac-
tion with other children.
Teachers and administra-
tors observe a child's

language devel-
opment and
perception of
surroundings.
Granum, who
has taught in
both settings,
admits that
teaching in a
private
school does
not insulate
her from
problems like child
neglect. "Parents, out of
ignorance of what young
children need, abandon
them to nannies and au
pairs. It's very sad.
Children become neglect-
ed in a situation where
you would not expect it."
In the classroom, these
students often seem more
needy and demanding. "A
child will be half asleep,
because their routines are
unsuper\''ised," says
Granum. "Or a child will
come to school perennial-
ly late, because the parent
is rushing and wants to
drop the child on the way
to work."

On this particular day,
rays of light filter through
a rain forest canopy as
kindergartners reach
toward the huge tree in

LIFESTYLE

the center of the classroom.
Vines, gigantic leaves,
flowers and parrots cover
the ceiling. Butterflies
dance in the mist while the
peculiar music ot chatter-
ing monkeys mingles with
the notes of songbirds. The
children focus their atten-
tion on a 6-foot hoa con-
strictor (made of felt and
stuffed with tissue) that
Granum twists around the
limbs of the tree.

"Teaching is as much
theatre as it is training,"
says Granum who has
taught early childhood edu-
cation for 1 7 years. "I've
often felt that I was as
much an actress as
a teacher."

A nurturing, imagina-
tive woman, Granum
creates a place where chil-
dren feel confident and free
to learn. "You make it a
place that children want to
be. You want them to
come in and say, 'WOW!
What's this?' "

Children respond to
having their environment
turned into the place
you're trying to teach,"
Granum explains. "The
way you project the infor-
mation and present it, is as
important as the informa-
tion itself You want to
capture the child's imagi-
nation and interest."

When teaching about
marine life, Granum created

an ocean realm, hanging
paper streamers from the
ceiling so that the child
moving through the room
felt like a swimmer. Huge
sea creatures hung from
the walls and ceiling. The
children dissected a real
squid and wrote their
names from the "ink of the
squid" and sang songs
about the ocean.

"I love building on the
excitement of something
the children are interested
in," she explains. "To see a
child's eyes sparkle, and
know the children are
really excited about some-
thing, is very rewarding,
very rewarding."

Recently, Granum, 53,
has taken a sabbatical. "It's
very tiring at my age
bending over little tables,"
she admits. "Buttoning,
zipping and picking up,
and teaching the children
to do it as well. As much
as 1 love kindergartners, 1
don't have the energy
anymore."

She serves on a com-
mittee to determine admis-
sion for the following year,
judges science fairs, and on
occasion substitutes in one
of several private acade-
mies. It's just one more
way for Granum to ensure
involvement in her
passion of education.
Carolyn Blunk is a freelance
writer in the Boston area.

A PATENTED
CAREER

Molecular biophysicist
Jasemine Chambers 77

For more than a decade,
molecular biophysicist
Jasemine Choy Chambers
'77 worked in laboratories
from EXike University to
the National Institutes of
Health, cloning antigens
linked with auto-immune
diseases and identifying
genes that could one day
revolutionize medicine and
drug development. Part of
her research involved
cloning genes from strands
of DN A in an effort to find
clues to diseases such as
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's
and multiple sclerosis.

In 1989, Chambers left
her laboratory work for a
post as a patent examiner
for the U.S. Patent and
Trademark office in
Arlington, Va. Discoveries
in gene sequencing and
molecular biophysics during
the 1980s had fueled phe-
nomenal growth in the
number of biotech firnis
seeking new ways to halt
deadly or debilitating dis-
eases and a "gold rush"
among major drug compa-
nies seeking exclusive rights
to their discoveries.

Weekly, Chambers
reviews an average of 6 to
10 patent applications. Her
job includes literature

searches to "see if the
invention has been
described by others" and
ultimately, her judgment of
the validity of each patent
application claim. (A
patent grants exclusive
rights for a period of 1 7
years which excludes others
from making, using or sell-
ing a drug or invention
without permission or
licensing agreements.)

"It's very interesting
work because 1 get to look
at the scientific data before
it's published," explains
Chambers. "1 get to read
about science at the
cutting edge."

Chambers specializes in
patents involving transgenic
animals. Recently she
approved patents to
Harvard University tor a
"mouse that's a model for
studying prostate cancer,
and to NIH for a rabbit
infected with HIV, useful in
monitoring and developing
a treatment for AIDS."

Five years ago, when
Chambers began at the
patent office, she was
among 45 scientists special-
izing in biotechnology.
Today, with the flood
of patent applications
steadily rising, her division
has grown to include
175 examiners in a
patent office employing
1,500 examiners.

Zarolyn Blunk

LlFESTlTE

LIFESTYLE

FLICKERING
IMAGES

CARE'S Kathy
Doherty '67

Climbing among the
volcanic shards out-
side Goma, Zaire, Kathy
Reynolds Doherty '67, pub-
lic relations manager for
CARE, came across the
peaceful form of a child. It
took a few moments for
her to reconcile her first
impression that he was
sleeping, with the reality.
Once again she was staring
into the face of death.

"Tliis was a healthy
looking boy, about to
bloom into adulthood," she
reflects. "It broke my heart
to see he was not alive. I
stood there awhile, just to
be certain."

It was the "casualness of
death" that struck Doherty
in July during her second
trip to African refugee
camps where CARE is

KATHY DOHERIY PHOTO

Scenes of starvation and deprivation are common for ASC alurmuie Kathy Doherty (below, right)
with Country Director for CARE Somalia, David Neff. Doherty travels the globe for the
international hunger relief agency CARE.

helping those who escaped
civil war-torn Rwanda.
(Earlier, in May she was
with 330,000 Rwandans
who had fled their country
to neighboring Tanzania,
in the largest refugee camp
in the world.)

Among images still
moving through her mind
are Zaire's dazzling land-
scapes with grassy hills and

JAMES MITCHEU PHOTO, ABC

sharply rising cloud-cov-
ered peaks juxtaposed with
the river of displaced and
dying people. She found
frail, orphaned babies
"that looked like ancient
people," tents crowded
with cholera patients and
a road leading north
toward Uganda, "bodies
piled up along the side."
Temporary camps of
Rwandans dressed in rags
and "dying, right and left"
she contrasted with a "city
of satellite dishes" quickly
set up at the airport where
hundreds of writers, pho-
tographers and camera
crews from the major U.S.
and international networks
and news services had con-
verged to gather and trans-
mit their reports. "It was
an intersection of two cul-
tures," says Doherty.

"Camera generators, high
tech equipment on one
side people scrounging
for firewood on the other."

Much of Doherty's
work is at these intersec-
tions, helping members of
the international media
report on crises among the
53 countries where CARE
is already at work. From
care's national head-
quarters in Atlanta, she
also trains CARE workers
in media relations and
coordinates coverages.
Relationship-building is
how she describes the
work which may include
lining up an interview for
the BBC one moment,
answering questions for
Reuters Ltd., news service
or providing leads to The
New York Times or mem-
bers of the media in

Ai~;vicc cr'i-^TT r^t-\i i cr'-C m ta

LIFESTYLE

Europe, Canada or Africa.
Her first overseas expe-
rience with CARE was in
Somalia, December 1993.
Her job was to accompany
CBS's John McWethy as
he worked on a piece deal-
ing with United Nations
peacekeeping. They flew
to projects in Somalia and
Mozambique where CARE
provides food security and
is retraining soldiers for
other work.

Sometimes Doherty can
track the results of their
work, as in Somalia.
"CARE was instrumental
in bringing pictures of the
victims of the famine to
the United States. That
resulted in an outpouring
of aid," notes Doherty.
"Once 220 were dying in
Somalia every day. That
number dropped to
20, once Americans
responded.

"Americans" Doherty
says, "made a difference."

CARE has been mak-
ing a difference since
1946, and Doherty will
help bring focus to the
celebration of the
organization's 50th year
celebration.

"We started with small
CARE packages after
World War 11," says
Doherty. "Today CARE is
big and its 'packages' are in
the form of emergency
relief with huge supplies of

food, health care and
equipment." For instance,
in Haiti, CARE feeds
660,000 people, six days
a week, regardless of who
happens to be in power.
"The U. S. State Depart-
ment evacuated all depen-
dents in Haiti, but CARE
doesn't evacuate. When
things get rough, we keep
doing what we are doing."

Doherty, the daughter
of a minister, majored in
English at Agnes Scott,
took some journalism
courses at Georgia State,
then turned a varied career
(newspaper experience in
the '80s, press secretary in
three political campaigns
and later work with
international contacts
for Ketchum Public
Relations, organizing
the Ramses II exhibit
for the Mint Museum in
Charlotte, N. C.) into a
job that she says "feeds
my soul."

The need she encoun-
ters through her work can
be haunting.

Like the two children,
maybe aged five and six,
she saw waiting alongside
a road in Zaire: "I drove
back and forth along this
road, three times. Each
time I found these two lit-
tle children just sitting.
Not knowing what to do.
Totally alone."

Celeste Pennington

SOME LIKE
IT HOT

Firefighter Adele
Clements '88

After driving all night
from Florida, Adele
Clements '88 remembers
much of her Agnes Scott
College graduation cere-
mony as a blur. She had to
be nudged by a friend when
her name v\as announced
for the Suzanne Goodman
Elson Award for 1988. In
disbelief she made her way
to the stage amid cheering
and a shower of cham-
pagne. Her peers had voted
her undergraduate who
reflects "those qualities of
kindness, decency and
integrity

Scott experience e\en
more meaningful for her
fellow students."

Four months later, in
September, Clements
found herself in a world
starkly different from the
one she had left at
College. As a new fire-
fighter for the City of
Decatur, working out of a
firehouse across the street
from her alma mater,
Clements found those
qualities of character
recognized by her peers
being put to the test.
While fire fighting school
had prepared Clements for
the physical rigors, she still
shudders as she describes
her first day at
work: the
scotching sum-
mer afternoon
when she
walked into

which com
bined with
an unusu-
al intel-
lectual
curiosity
on her
part would
make the Agnes Scott

LIFESTYLE

discover the body of a dead
woman. The odor
"I could not get out of my
system for days," says
Clements. "It really did
affect me. ... I was very
saddened that this woman
was discovered because of
the stench and not because
anyone missed her." The
same day after dinner,
Clements found herself in
the middle of a shoot-out
in the south side projects.
While competently han-
dling the situation the
nervous, excited crowd, the
hysterical mother, the
wounded teenage son,
bullets flying up the hill
Clements had only one
other thought: that
"this was not in my job
description."

As the second woman
to work at the Decatur Fire
Department, Clements
discovered that many
challenges were just as
unexpected.

While she knew that
rookies go through a rite of
passage with some initial
harassment, throughout her
training she had the confi-
dence of her commander.
Bob Stills. Yet Clements
soon learned that few of
the firemen shared his con-
fidence. "They were skepti-
cal," she admits, then says
with a smile, "They also
thought that if I came from
'that woman's college,' I

must be a leftist feminist,
and they wanted to see
how far they could push
me." Commander Stills
acknowledges that
Clements had to tough it
out with the men. She
slept in the same barrack-
like dorm rooms. She com-
plained about the "girlie
magazines" left around the
station and she has stood
her ground when some sug-
gested that women might
be better suited to secretar-
ial tasks or kitchen duties.

Stills compares working
out the new relationships
among fire personnel to
learning to relate as sib-
lings "there are differ-
ences, but they get along."

Getting along is neces-
sary to the teamwork
required to fight fires.
Clements vividly recalls
her first fire assignment at
a construction site burning
in the middle of the night.

After the fire was extin-
guished, the crew was over-
hauling, checking for
remaining hot spots, when
an eight-foot wall col-
lapsed on Clements. She
suffered no injuries but had
to be pulled out. Her peers
seemed surprised that she
was ready to go right back
to overhauling some
seemed more shaken by
the incident than she was
and took her back to the
truck to rest. Her feeling

was that if she had been a
man "they would not have
pampered me so much."

After six years, Clements
has seen some change in
attitudes and acceptance as
part of the team. For one,
the department has finally
banned the girlie magazines
from the fire house. And
while some co-workers still
hold the belief that a fire
station is no place for a
woman, says Clements with
a shrug, "We agree to dis-
agree. That's one of the
most important things I
learned at ASC not to
blur the lines of difference,
but to respect and learn
from them. We all don't
have to be alike to get
along. We can learn from
everyone to make ourselves
better."

While working full time,
Clements has one contin-
ued her education she
has one master's degree
and is currently working
on a second.

She looks back at her
ASC education and experi-
ences as favorably shaping
her identity as a woman,
providing many strong role
models and encouraging
her independence and
sense of self.

Clements believes that
the college atmosphere,
vibrant with debate, not
only made her fearless to
voice her opinions but also

open to respecting other
people's ideas and values.

She also looks back with
a sense of nostalgia.
Although she studied
racism and world hunger
and was involved in com-
munity-based projects like
Habitat for Humanity,
as a student, Clements
remained unaware of those
who lived just blocks from
campus. "At ASC we
never saw the worst of
society the poverty and
hopelessness that can
lead kids to shoot each
other over a pair of
basketball shoes."

She has lost some of
the idealisrn of her student
years. "ASC encouraged
me to make a difference,
but this job has taught me
just how difficult it can be
to do so."

Yet that occasion for
making a difference sus-
tains her: "Out of every ten
rescue calls we get nine
might be nothing, but then
there is that one person,
one family, that needs and
appreciates our help."

When asked why she
ever picked this job, she
laughs and says, "They pay
me to climb roofs! Can you
believe it? That's what got
me into the most trouble
at ASC."

Monika hlikore is a

freelance writer/

photographer in Atlanta

AnMCQ QnnTT r^ni i cnc d; r iqqa

THE SCIENCE
OF LIFE

By John F. Pilger and Christine S. Cozzens

At work on her dissertation at
the Marine Biological
Laboratory' at Woods Hole,
Mass., in December of 1922,
the young biologist Mary'
Stuart MacDougall feared she had reached a
dead end. The problems suggested by her
dissertation director at Columbia University
had already been solved, and even her cul-
tures of protozoa microscopic, single-celled
life forms had died. Accepting what
appeared to be her fate, she wrote President
Frank Gaines to say that she simply
could not do research and
would be back to resume
her teaching duties at
Agnes Scott College
in February.

While packing
to leave the
MBL,

MacDougall
rediscovered
her micro-
scope slides of
abnormal pro-
tozoan cultures
that she had
almost discarded
months before.
Now armed with a
better understanding
of genetics and cell
biology gained through
courses taken at the MBL, she
looked at the slides once again and
noticed something new. By morning, a tri-
umphant MacDougall had outlined her dis-
sertation on chromosome behavior in proto-
zoa. From this moment, the words of Louis
Pasteur, "Fortune favors the prepared mind,"
would drive her research and provide mean-
ing for her teaching.

Mary Stuart MacDougall brought a com-
prehensive scientific imagination, intellec-
tual rigor and a sense of the thrill of discov-

ery to her research and to her teaching at
Agnes Scott, where she was a member ot
the faculty and chair of the biology depart-
ment from 1919 to 1952. With two doctor-
ates, a Guggenheim Fellowship, 14 pub-
lished papers, significant contributions to
malaria research and a major textbook to
her credit during those years, she also
defended the value of science at a time
when the humanities dominated the liberal
arts curriculum.

MacDougall challenged the assumption
that the study of science held only

practical value and that it was
devoid ot cultural worth:
'the highest service ot
Science to mankind
has been in the
emancipation of
the mind, in
freeing men
from the
bondage of
superstition,
and in help-
ing man to
know himself.
The message
of science has
ever been the
message of intel-
ectual enlighten-
ment and liberty
To know the truth,
and the truth shall make
you free.'"
For MacDougall, the study of science
underlay all great intellectual achievement:
"Science has so enlarged the mental hori-
zon," she wrote, "that the imagination may
take a bolder flight." That soaring imagina-
tion made faith possible: "The mystery of
life means more to the biologist than any-
one else that marvel of a bit of proto-
plasm, a single celled animal, self-sustaining,
repairing and perpetuating, presents a sub-

ASC biology
professor Mary
MacDougall
challenged the
assumption that
the study of
science held only
practical value and
that it was devoid
of cultural worth.
Her legacy endures
at Agnes Scott.

THE SCIENCE OF LIFE

BUT FOR A TWIST OF FATE, MACDOUGALL MIGHT HAVE

BEEN A HISTORY MAJOR. BECAUSE OF HER MORNING JOB,

SHE RECALLED, "l COULD ONLY TAKE THE SCIENCE

COURSES SCHEDULE IN THE AFTERNOON."

Autographed copies
of classic biology texts
and a microscope are
among the items in Agnes
Scott's MacDougall collection.
(Art Lassek Photos)

ject for wonderment beside which the seven
wonders of the world are foolishness."
Bom in 1882 in Laurinhurg, N.C.,
MacDougall lost both parents when she was
a teenager, and to help support younger
brothers and sisters, worked as secretary for
a local civic leader who encouraged her to
attend college at North Carolina College for
Women and later at Randolph-Macon
Woman's College. An
M.A. from the University
of Chicago and several
teaching positions pre-
pared the young scholar
for the duties she would
take up at Agnes Scott.
According to Margaret
W. Rossiter's Women
Scientists in America,
until the 1950s women's
colleges with their surprisingly
substantial endowments, their "almost
feminist commitment to excellence in wom-
en's higher education," and their enthusias-
tic students were the primary employers of
women in science. Agnes Scott was deter-
mined to prepare students for the best grad-
uate and professional programs in the coun-

try', and MacDougall's commitment to
research suited this vision.

A permanent job with demanding
teaching responsibilities only increased
MacDougall's desire for further education.
The MBL, where she completed her disser-
tation research, had been founded in part to
educate women in science. The presence of
so many other women scientists in courses
and laboratories must have inspired young
researchers like MacDougall, who regularly
brought Agnes Scott students with her
when, summer after summer, she returned
to Woods Hole to teach and carry out
her research.

Beginning with her dissertation,
MacDougall investigated the cell biology of
the protozoan, Chilodon Uncinatus Strand
1926 (protozoa whose locomotion is mediat-
ed by cilia or hair-like appendages).

Although she performed basic studies on
the cultures and morphology' of subcellular
structures, her more important contribution
was a description of chromosome behavior
during maturation. MacDougall was the first
to induce sustained mutations in protozoan
cultures (1929) using ultraviolet (UV) radi-
ation. Today, we hear often of the power ot

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

MACDOUGALL CONSIDERED THE WORLD-FAMOUS

CELL BIOLOGIST DR. E.B. WILSON, WHOM SHE MET

WHILE DOING GR^ADUATE WORK AT COLUMBIA

UNIVERSITY, TO BE "HER GREATEST TEACHER."

UV light in sunburn indices, SPF numbers
on sunscreens, and precautions to reduce
the risk of cancer.

Though relatively new in this country,
protozoology was already well
entrenched in Europe, and the labo-
ratories of several prominent scientists were
within MacDougall's reach for study, if only
she could get there. In 1931, she won one of
the first Guggenheim Fellowships in science
awarded to women a group that included
Nobel laureate Barbara McClintock which
took MacDougall to the Kaiser Wilhelm
Institut fur Biologie in Berlin. The allure of
the great city and the welcome she received
at many laboratories and marine stations of
Europe captured her imagination and influ-
enced her science for years to come.

In his popular book. Of Scientists and
Salamanders, Stanford University biologist
Victor Twitty remembered meeting
MacDougall in Berlin:

"Professor Mary Stuart MacDougall . . .
complained to me one day that as in
unescorted woman she was unable to
explore Berlin's celebrated nightlife, and
frankly proposed that she subsidize an

evening's tour of some of the better known
spots under my guidance. ... I had feared
that Dr. MacDougall might disapprove of
what we would encounter; instead, she
enjoyed the evening immensely and could
not have been less abashed. Her most mem-
orable reaction came after surveying with
objective detachment a group of well-
endowed young women posing in their
full epidermal glory: 'Humph, I've seen
lots prettier girls in the swimming poo
at Agnes Scott College.'"

During her European sojourn,
MacDougall went as far as the Soviet
Union. On another occasion, her
sense of adventure took her to a
rally where Hitler spoke. She com-
mented that he sounded like "one of
those queer radio evangelists."

In 1936, MacDougall earned a
Science Docteur at the Universite de
Montpelier complete with a dissertation
in French and became one of the few
women of that era to hold two doctoral
degrees. But Agnes Scott students remem-
bered Miss Mac, as she was affectionately
known, as much more than an accom-
plished researcher. In the labs of Lowry Hall

MacDougall's
explorations in
Europe in the early
1930s captured her
imagination and
influenced her
science for years
to come.

THE SCIENCE OF LIFE

MACDOUGALL MET DR. ROBERT HEGNER AT THE COLD SPRING HARBOR

LABORATORY AND TAUGHT WITH HIM IN THE MEDICAL ZOOLOGY COURSE AT JOHNS

HOPKINS UNIVERSITY. THIS ASSOCIATION LED TO THE CO-AUTHORSHIP OF

THEIR TEXTBOOK, BIOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF LIFE.

Microscope accessories box
with condenser lens, below,
and box of microscope stage
components, right.

or on the sunny porch of her home at
Ansley Cottage where she grew begonias,
cyclamen and "everything from holly to
hawthorn" MacDougall loved to tell sto-
ries of the scientists she had known. "She
made it sound like it might be fun to be a
biologist," recalled Betty Fountain Edwards
Gray '35.

As if to rouse her students' curiosity, she
put her own research table in the teaching
laboratory; years later, students who went
on to careers in science wrote of her inspir-
ing example.

Though she filled her weekdays with
teaching and her weekends with research,
MacDougall would regularly invite
colleagues to listen to her fine col-
lection of classical recordings in her
book-lined rooms at Ansley
Cottage. Her essays and speeches
sparkled with quotations from poets and
philosophers, some of which she read in the
original French or German. She collected
rare editions of fairy tales, and according to
Margaret Bland Sewell '20, "while urging on
pupils an increasing interest in amoebae . . .
took time out to read my poems and to
encourage me in continuing to write."

Impatient with people who didn't value
the life of the mind as she did and some-
thing of an autocrat, MacDougall could
be intimidating. A student who had strug-
gled through an embryology course remem-
bered Miss Mac saying, "You will never be a
great scientist the only thing you can do
for Agnes Scott is marry a wealthy man and
leave the money to Agnes Scott for a new
science building." In the letter describing
this incident, the student apologized to her
former teacher for falling short of her expec-
tations once again by marrying "an average
income dermatologist."

At academic processions, the five-foot
eight-inch tall MacDougall "cut quite a fig-
ure" in her crimson and ermine European-
style regalia. She had adversaries on cam-
pus including the equally formidable
English professor Emma May Laney. As one
colleague reported, when Miss Mac wanted
something to go her way, "she would simply
write a letter to the president of the college
and the thing would be done."

A complex woman who set high stan-
dards for herself and others. Miss Mac influ-
enced generations of Agnes Scott students.
Eleanor Newman Hutchens '40 recalled.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

MACDOUGALL WORKED IN THE LABORATORY OF DR. MAX HARTMANN

WHILE AT THE KAISER WILHELM INSTITUTE IN 1932. THERE SHE LEARNED

VALUABLE PROTOZOAN CULTURE TECHNIQUES. THE SCIENTISTS AT THE

INSTITUTE SCATTERED WHEN HILTLER CAME TO POWER.

"She was a highly unusual personality: con-
stantly annoyed by small things . . . chroni-
cally indignant about larger ones, and yet
sociable and on the whole good-natured."
Alluding to the two sisters mentioned in the
Bible, MacDougall said of herself, "My name
is Mary but it should have been Martha,
for I am careful and troubled about
many things."

MacDougall finally achieved the broad
recognition that her contributions had so
long deserved. In 1943, The Atlanta journal
honored her with their Woman of the Year
in Education award. Miss Mac created a
lasting memento of this honor by rooting
the sprigs entwined in her celebratory cor-
sage. Descendants of those plants still thrive
in the gardens of her friends and near the
main entrance to Campbell Hall.

The nominating letter for this award
described her as "modest and unassuming,
with a quiet determination ... a very quiet
lady who never seeks publicity." Colleagues,
students and friends who knew Miss Mac
tell instead of a proud woman who relished
recognition of her accomplishments and of
her leadership within the faculty and profes-
sional organizations such as the Association

of Southeastern Biologists. A woman of
such intellectual stature and reputation
must have posed something of a puzzle to
the male college presidents and educators
who chose her for the honor.

Spurred on by the increased need for
trained medical personnel during the war, in
1943 MacDougall published her celebrated
college-level textbook. Biology: The Science
of Life, though her co-author Robert Hegner
died while the hook was in final draft, leav-
ing her to finish it. An immediate success,
the book was adopted by more than 90
institutions. Balancing taxonomic survey
with founding biological principles, the text
also included chapter-opening quota-
tions that reaffirm the link between
the humanities and science.

"She was a
highly unusual
personality:
constantly
annoyed by small
things . . . chroni-
cally indignant
about larger ones,
and yet sociable
and on the whole
good-natured."

uring the war,
MacDougall
returned to

research on malaria as a

government consultant.

Because of her earlier

experience, she was assigned the

task of describing the life history of

two prominent malarial forms. Her studies

THE SCIENCE OF LIFE

One student of
MacDougall wrote
years later: "Your
making us dig out
the facts for our-
selves in lab has
been invaluable
training for work
in adult life."

made valuable contributions to the epidemi-
ology of the disease at a time when
American forces were fighting in malaria-
infested areas of the world.

For years, MacDougall had planned the
new science building that Agnes Scott
intended to build when peace came. In
the late 1940s when that project was finally
under way, she would haunt the building
site, notebook in hand. "Campbell Hall was
her dream," recalled Professor Emerita Jo
Bridgman '27: "She put a lot of pressure on
the architects to get things the way she
thought they should be." The dedication of

the new building with the latest in labora-
tory facilities finally took place in 1951, just
one year before Miss Mac retired.

Upon her retirement, former students
and colleagues wrote of her influence and
example. "I have long since forgotten the
facts learned in courses taken at Scott,"
wrote Louise Capen Baker '27, "but 1 think
your making us dig out the facts for our-
selves in lab has been invaluable training for
work in adult life." Letters from colleagues
thanked MacDougall for friendships that
had lasted many years. President McCain
told her, "1 am very grateful for your friend-
ship. . . . No one in my long years has

THE LEAP INTO SCIENCE

Science study/research remains an ASC priority
By Mary L. Lee

GARY MEEK PHOTO

When Theresa Hoenes '94 enrolled
at Agnes Scott College four years
ago, one thing was certain: she
would major in French. Yet today she wears a
white lab coat and works at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in
Atlanta.

"This sort of job was the furthest thing
from my mind," says Hoenes who graduated
last May with a bachelor of arts in biology.
Now she's engaged in AIDS research at the
CDC, with the formidable task of doing
DNA sequencing on HIV-1, the virus that
causes AIDS.

She and other researchers are looking
back at case studies on the transmission of
the virus, trying to determine how it
evolved and how it entered this country.

Although she never intended to make
the leap into science, Hoenes was influ-
enced by the quality of courses offered at
Agnes Scott and by faculty who encouraged
her. She says she almost couldn't help her-
self after the first biology course with
Associate Professor of Biology Harry
Wistrand, who has been with Agnes Scott
for 20 years. "1 loved it, so I thought, I'll just
take the next course to see how it is," she
says. "I did really well, so that made me
decide to stick with it."

One of the youngest professional staff

Alumnae like Theresa Hoenes, an AIDS
researcher at the CDC in Atlanta, are spiritual
descendants of Professor Mary MacDougall.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

shown more real devotion to [the College's]
high standards or worked more earnestly for
them." In a revealing comment to her long-
time adversary, Emma May Laney wrote, "1
am full of admiration at your achievement,
and realize fully how much you will he
missed at Agnes Scott. Giants like you . . .
are not often found among the women
of a faculty."

A fall in 1949 had left MacDougall with
a badly broken hip, and during her last
years, though she was not as active as she
had been, friends remember her as cheerful
and alert. She continued to exchange letters
with students scientists, missionaries.

housewives, and poets scattered across the
country and around the world. When Miss
Mac died in 1972, she was buried in Laurin-
burg in the crimson regalia remembered by
so many generations of ASC students.

In 1936 MacDougall wrote, "Science
increases the richness and resources of the
inner life, it offers ballast, making tor steadi-
ness and poise and broad sympathy." Mary
Stuart MacDougall had all ot these gifts and
generously shared them during the course of
a life of science.

John Pilger is associate professor ami chair

of biology and Christina Cozzens is

associate professor of English.

members at the CDC, Hoenes, 22, found
she was well-prepared for the transition
from the college lab to the high tech CDC
environment. And those at the CDC have
told her so.

"She has very good basic training from
her undergraduate courses," says Chi-Cheng
Luo, a molecular environmentalist and one
of Hoenes' supervisors. Her background, he
says, is more solid than that of most young
people with whom he has worked.

Faculty members credit Hoenes for her
success. Both Wistrand and Martha W.
Rees, assistant professor of anthropology,
describe her as dedicated and enterprising.
Wistrand regarded her accomplishment so
highly that he enlisted her as his research
assistant in molecular biology, localizing
genes on chromosomes of several different
kinds of fruit flies.

Hoenes attributes her good progress to
the quality of faculty at Agnes Scott and to
the opportunities for lab work, intriguing
research and close contact with professors
who were ready to listen and advise.

"I would talk to professors about what
they thought, how they got to where they
were," she says. "Professors have so much
more knowledge than what you see in the
clcissroom. Going to them and talking is so
much better than staring at a textbook."

One person she would talk to was Rees.
Although her main field is anthropology,
Rees had emphasized the convergence of
biology and anthropology in her classes and
that interested Hoenes in conversations
after hours. Hoenes also credits Rees with
helping her focus on what she really wanted

to do with her life. She was paying atten-
tion when Rees delivered her favorite mes-
sage in the human origins course: Young
women don't have to go on feeling alienat-
ed from science.

Hoenes became interested in the study of
plants because professor of biology Sandra
Bowden was.

And of course, Hoenes credits Wistrand
with capturing her interest during that first
biology class. He teaches students how to
learn and encourages them to ask questions.
By the time students take Wistrand's molec-
ular genetics, the emphasis is on indepen-
dent thinking and collegial and collabora-
tive problem solving. Even the lab manual
he uses in that course emphasizes the impor-
tance of creative thought. It departs from
the traditional "cookbook" approach,
which tells students what to do at each step.
Instead, it is a manual of lab techniques that
can be put into practice, an approach that
encourages students to think for themselves
rather than merely follow cut-and-dried
procedure.

Already, Hoenes has turned that training
in creative thinking to her advantage at the
CDC as she has figured out how to run a
sequencing and purification machine that
nobody else had time or inclination to
master. Now Hoenes is setting it up so it
can be used in research.

Characteristically modest about any
achievements in school or out, Hoenes says,
"Agnes Scott provided the opportunity. 1
just took advantage of it."

Mary L. Lee is a freelance
uniter living in Atlanta

ASC's Theresa
Hoenes didn't
plan to become
a scientist. Her
interest was
developed by
Agnes Scott's
quality faculty
and courses.

THE SCIENCE OF LIFE

STOPPING

THE

NIGHTMARE

Sexual harassment has become
altogether too common in the workplace,
as ASC graduates are discovering.
The College is taking steps to help.

By Jane A. Zanca
Illustrations by Mac Evans

It's the middle ot August, you're 22,
fresh out of Agnes Scott College, and
you're winding up the first week on
your first real job. Your boss is smiling.
Here it comes, the "well done!" you've
been earning all week. He leans over, cups
your face in his hands, and kisses you right
on the mouth.

You wake up screaming.

Just another pre-graduation nightmare?
Maybe. The fact is that nearly a third of all
sexual harassment is targeted at women 18
to 24 years ot age. And in a straw poll of 14
alumnae who were selected by specified
career and location from the Agnes Scott
College directory, it became clear that sexu-
al harassment has happened to Agnes Scott
women in many settings. Only four said
they had never experienced or observed
sexual harassment.

For recent graduates, identification of
harassment is vital, according to Amy
Schmidt, director of the Office of Career
Planning and Counseling. "During the first
year or so, they might have difficulty decid-
ing whether what they're experiencing is
sexual harassment or not." To help clarify
the problem and some strategies for putting
a stop to it, Schmidt produces a senior-year
"Last Five Weeks Program" at Agnes Scott
that includes guest lectures on office politics
and sexual harassment in graduate school
and career settings.

By definition, harassment involves
unwelcome sexual advances, verbal or physi-
cal (see box, page 15) and extends to con-
duct that creates an intimidating, hostile or
offensive working environment.

_14

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FAIL 1994

WHAT STME BIG DEAL,
CAN'T YOU TAKE A JOKE?

/*Sif'*^^'^'''?'*-*^*-v5PiP(

ESfesS

Since Anita Hill accused then-Supreme
Court candidate Clarence Thomas of sexual
harassment, the issue has sharply focused.

Wellesley College Center for Research
on Women has a Sexual Harassment in
Schools Project headed hy Nan Stein. She
has received complaints of sexual harass-
ment among adolescents in inner city-urhan
and rich suburban schools.

Public outrage was clearly expressed in a
California jury's recent award of $7.1 mil-
lion in punitive damages to a former law
secretary who experienced repeated inci-
dents of sexual harassment during her three-
months employment in the world's largest
law firm, Baker & McKenzie.

From day to day, women ponder how
they, their co-workers or their daughters
should deal with harassment.

Martha Langelan, author ot a land-
mark book, Back Off! How to
Confront and Stop Sexual Harass-
ment and Harassers , proposes that sexual
harassment must be dealt with swiftly by
direct confrontation that should name the
offensive behavior, without preface or apol-
ogy. A demand for the offending behavior
to cease should be reinforced by eye contact
and an 1-mean-business stance. This need
not be elaborate or shrill: She describes one
woman on a crowded bus who, realizing that
a man was taking advantage of the crush to

So you'll know it
when you encounter it

The U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission defines
sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual
advances, requests for sexual favors, and
other verbal or physical conduct of a
sexual nature. The harassment must
carry the implication that submission is
explicitly or implicitly a term or condi-
tion of an individual's employment, and
that one's submission or rejection of
such conduct will become the basis for
employment decisions. Sexual harass
ment also occurs when such conduct
has "the purpose or effect of unrea-
sonably interfering with an indivi-
ual's work performance or creating
an intimidating, hostile or
offensive work environment."

STOPPING THE NIGHTMARE

-I^t.. ......*..*.. ..J.

paw her derriere, reached around, grabbed
his arm, held it high, and said loudly, "What
was this hand doing on my ass?"

Harriet King '64, vice provost for academic
affairs at Emory Law School in Atlanta,
believes confrontation is ideal but not always
possible. "It depends on your personality and
the situation," she says. Kim Lamkin Drew
'90, a public relations specialist who has
used confrontation effectively, concurs. At
trade shows, she says, "Most of the women
are exhibitors the men call them 'booth
bimbos' and their job is to draw men in
and hand out trinkets.

"These men talk to me as if I were a
12-year-old," she continues. "I usually say,
calmly, 'Why'd you say that to me?' Then I
move into my demonstration of the techni-
cal equipment." This, she reports, usually
leaves potential harassers tongue-tied.

As with battering and rape, sexual
harassment is not about sex. "It's
about power," says King. "It's a
reminder that you're in a world where you're
really not wanted." King finds that women
of all ages are harassed; however, younger
women may be openly propositioned, while
older women endure things like crude jokes.

That harassment is related to issues of
power (as is sexual discrimination) is
especially evident in the double-barreled
approach that some harassers
aim at African American
women. Civil Rights
activist Fanny Lou Hamer told of
a white man lifting her dress while she stood
in a voter registration line. Author Langelan
notes that companies harboring sexual
harassment tend to tolerate racism, as well.
Even so, it's a problem made trickier by
some harassers' responses to the recent blitz
of media attention. Some are dressing up
their bad behavior in strange camouflages.
King describes one: "Colleagues will say to
me, 'This is a sexist joke and since I know
you won't mind it, I'll tell it.' "

A sure-fire sign that you have been
harassed, according to Langelan, is a sense
of danger. In recollections shared by polled
alumnae, danger and embarrassment lin-
gered, years after the events. Most who
acknowledged being harassed were anxious
that identities not be mentioned. Asked
why, one recent graduate replied, "Because I
feel so ineffective .... You think no one
will believe you or might ask what you are
doing to encourage it."

That fear has a familiar ring to Cornelia
Wallace '31, who never experienced harass-
ment but observed plenty. "In bygone years,
if a woman went to another employer and
mentioned that [sexual harassment] was the
reason she left [her previous job], they didn't
want to hire her. She was viewed as a trou-
blemaker," she says. A survey of 9,000
women by Working Woman magazine survey
belies the survival of this type of double
jeopardy: 25 percent of women who experi-
enced sexual harassment were fired or forced
to quit their jobs, whether they reported the
harassment or not. No wonder women are
angry. To whom might they report harass-
ment? The Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission the very agency that
Clarence Thomas once directed?

The Anita Hill saga in 1991 certainly
amplified the dilemma. When Hill blew the
whistle on Thomas, she became a target for
searing scorn, much of it from women. A
U.S. News and World Report survey at the
time of the hearings showed that just 20
percent of respondents believed Hill and
only eight percent thought the Senate
Judiciary Committee's treatment of her was
unfair. Sixty-nine percent of men believed
Thomas and only 24 percent of women
believed Hill.

It's maddening but true: More than half of
the women who report harassment find
that nothing happens to the one who
harasses. Indeed, Clarence Thomas got a
Supreme appointment. But Hill has blown
the lid off a kettle of pent-up rage. By 1992,
the percentage of women who believed Hill
doubled, and the percentage of men who
believed Thomas dropped to 44 percent.
"The Anita Hill hearings served a great pur-
pose. They brought the whole topic of sexu-
al harassment into polite circles of conversa-
tion," explains Juliana Winters '72, a senior
trial attorney with the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) who serves as a legal
adviser to the FAA Harassment Helpline.

King agrees. "The climate has changed a
lot," she says. Businesses have snapped to
attention and are scrambling to set policies.
New employees now may hear a statement
of such policies at orientation. One of
Drew's employers requires all employees to
sign a statement that they understand the
firm's strict policy and will abide by it, or
risk immediate dismissal. A recent Agnes
Scott graduate says that her employer "set
up special counselors that employees go to

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

for counseling on how to deal with situa-
tions, first by confronting the person. It it
doesn't stop, you go to the counselor to plan
the next action, which may lead to discipli-
nary action." This young woman is currently
working with such a counselor to confront a
co-worker's unwanted sexual advances that
had progressed to physical contact.

Unfortunately, many companies are giv-
ing impressive lip service while below the
gumline, harassment flourishes. Drew sug-
gests sniffing out harassment halitosis during
job interviews by inquiring, in a non-threat-
ening manner, about the company's policy.
She says, "If the employer says, 'Oh, that
would never happen here,' it should raise
your suspicions."

According to Langelan, there are three
types of harassers. Predators harass as a
sexual pastime. Dominators harass to boost
their egos (for some, she says, this is a trial
run for more aggressive behaviors, including
rape). Strategists harass in a cold, calculated
attempt to assert territory.

Strategists don't just want to humiliate,
they want to humiliate and undermine in a
crowded elevator, or before an auditorium
full of colleagues and their target is the
woman on the rise. While some studies have
shown that women with low self-esteem and
pink-collar jobs are likely victims, the survey
by Working Women magazine found that the
higher a woman rises, the more likely she is
to be harassed.

In these hard-bitten times of corporate
downsizing and restructuring, strategic
harassment has been elevated to a high art.
And it sometimes comes from the most
amazing places, including from other
women. One pushing-fifty alumna, whose
achievements were threatening to her
female boss, was floored when the boss
insinuated that there was hanky-panky
going on between the alumna and a
28-year-oId male co-worker.

Whatever the type and source of
harassment, experts advise keep-
ing a written account of harass-
ment, even if a law suit seems unlikely at
the time. The date, place, the exact words
used or description of the offending behav-
ior, and names of witnesses should be noted.
These notes will help an uncertain victim
recognize, after three or four notations, that
there is indeed harassment. The written
record is especially important if harassment
is a pattern of institutionalized behavior that

is coming from several difterent directions.
The log is essential it harassment escalates
and a formal challenge becomes necessary.
Author Langelan suggests that network-
ing in school, on the job, in the neighbor-
hood builds a powerful challenge to
harassment. For one thing, victims who feel
they have been singled out learn otherwise
by hearing others' stories. For another, there
is nothing that intimidates a harasser like
the thought of having "15 angry women
on his case."

It's a strategy especially suited to Agnes
Scott women. As former Return-to-CoUege
student Lyn Smith Deardorft '84 observes,
Agnes Scott alumnae do not go naked into
the world: "We take our friendships, culture,
nurturing and caring with us into the
workplace." A number of poll respondents
reinforced this. They mentioned mentoring
their daughters and other women on
dealing with sexual harassment, even when
in despair about their own situations.
Lynne Wilkins Fulmer '67 volunteers with
a program that provides encouragement
for harassment victims to take legal
action and a coach to see them through
the process.

As studies and hearings plumb the depths
of harassment, it's become clear that it
begins much earlier than previously
thought. Stein who heads the Wellesley sex-
ual harassment project notes that children
may not choose certain activities or classes
because of harassment. In a New York
Times column she said harassment poisons
the environment and reinforces the idea
that school is not a safe or just place.
Discipline is a critical part of the solution,
according to Stein. "Many high school boys
we've interviewed said no one ever told
them that they couldn't act like this. Their
behavior had been accepted throughout
grade school and middle school."

In this decade of challenges to sexual
harassment, at least one schoolgirl and her
mother have been publicly ridiculed since
calling attention to the harassment that girls
endure in schools, from little boys who are
simply modeling their behavior on what
they see and what goes unchallenged.
There's a message in this for Scottie home-
makers who thank their lucky stars that
they're not in the middle of this corporate
mess. Guess what. Moms and Grandmoms.
You're our best hope.
Jane Zanca '83 is a writer for the American
Cancer Society in Atlanta.

w^^y don't w

WORK PURIMG
REGULAR HOURS
AT THE OFFICE?

STOPPING THE NIGHTMARE

A CULTURAL
IMMERSION

Thirteen accomplished women artists join photographer Pinky
Bass '58 on a pilgrimage to Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico

By Celeste Pennington
Photography by Paul Ohregon

Thin, sharp palm fronds stick up,
bright green against a brilliant sky.
Worshipers mostly women and
children walk across the dusty plain
toward the 16th century Santiago Monasterio
de Cuilapan for the blessing of the palms.
"When we sing, it gives us joy even if we
don't sing very well," a young woman
explains in Speinish. She joins others along
ancient stone walls.

A priest sprinkles the crowd with holy

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

Over a pcrind oj six months, women artists dip
into another culture as during the Blessing of
the Palms at the ancient Monasterio de Cuilapan
(left) then produce works culminating in an
exhibit, "Bi'locacions" at a local gallery. Alumna
Kitty Couch (below) suspends her sculpture of a
dog made from pdpier mache; photographer Bass's
mixed media reinterprets the sacred iiruxge.

water. "The two Americans with palms.
They are believers," an old man says and
gestures toward two women in their midst.
The women are fine art photographers
from Alabama, on sabbatical in Mexico's
southernmost state of Oaxaca [wah HAH
kah]. Marion McCall "Pinky" Bass '58, a
Bible major at Agnes Scott and former
Presbyterian missionary to Mexico, is
the organizer; with her is McLeod Turner
of Mobile.

"I'm looking for things not of this world,"
says Bass, equipped with a tape recorder and
camera to collect the milagros of the moment.

This Palm Sunday she and Turner have
broken away from the group of primarily
Southeastern artists painters, potters, sculp-
tors to be a part of the pre-Easter obser-
vance. "A month to direct myself in a place
like this offers such an opportunity for
growth," says Turner. "To be around so many
artists has been wonderful."

"To be around so
many artists has
been wonderful."

A CULTURAL IMMERSION

"With pencil in
hand, the image
I produce is
basically up to
me. But I can't
orchestrate
photography.
My manner of
working is not to
preconceive.
So it always
comes out a
surprise. Always."

For each of the dozen artists, the pil-
grimage to Oaxaca whether for a
few weeks or several months offers
the opportunity to live simply, to immerse
oneself in another culture and to take time
to retreat, to reflect, to work.

Among the six gathered through the Holy
Week is Agnes Scott alumna Clara Rountree
"Kitty" Couch '43, a North Carolina ceramic
sculptor and Bass's frequent collaborator. On
this trip. Couch connects with Enedina
Enriquez-Lopez, a native potter. As the two
women work in clay. Couch has learned con-
versational Spanish.

Constance J. Thalken (her photos will be
on exhibit at the ASC Dana Gallery
through December 9) has a BFA from Yale
and teaches photography at Georgia State
University. Equipped with a Spanish dictio-
nary and an old Mamiya press camera
each day she catches a taxi or bus and sets
out to photograph a different site.

Bass, who often photographs with home-
made pinhole cameras (she built a two-story
pinhole camera for the Atlanta Arts Festival
one year), moves back and forth from shoot-
ing and developing film to printing in the
darkroom set up in her quarters at the Hotel
Xandu. For her, the art of photography is

full of unorthodox choices and surprise.

From a roll of film, she may select the
frame accidentally thrown out of focus. She
has used a slide projector as an enlarger
she has sewn together her photographic
images. On one print she may pour Clorox.
She may select the frame with multiple
exposures for another. "I get bored" she
explains, "if 1 don't try new things."

A self-described mystic, Bass is constantly
pushing her boundaries. "With pencil in
hand, the image 1 produce is basically up to
me," she explains, "but 1 can't orchestrate
this." Working with black-and-white film
and 32x40-inch paper, her images are emo-
tionally charged, haunting often unexpect-
ed, even to Bass. "My manner of working is
not to preconceive. So it always comes out a
surprise. Always.

"When my work is very personal and
when it transcends me this is my goal."

Each artist finds different expression.
Alumna Couch and Oaxaca area artist
Enedina Enriquez-Lopez (above) talk arid
joke in Spanish as they shift pottery shards
and prepare to fire pottery in an earthen kiln
at Enriquez home in Santa Maria de Atzompa;
at right, ahamta Bass sifts through a stack of
oversized prints .

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

21_

A CULTURAL IMMERSION

"I came here
to find to
rediscover my
voice. I live in
both worlds."

With dust trailing, the Chevy
Blazer bumps along roads that
connect the barrios. Bass, with
a van-load of artists in tow, may cut a swath
through a dry river bed that divides one tiny
community from another or, like today,
nose the vehicle up a narrow, winding road
toward prehistoric ruins.

First, she has stopped to pay respects to
native friends and to pick up twice mayor
of nearby Santiago Suchilquitongo, Vidal
Cruz Vasquez.

When the uphill trail fades into a foot
path, Bass parks, and the silver-haired
Vasquez leads to the excavation site of
steep, white pyramid-like structures. Aztec
Indians may have founded Oaxaca, but
Zapotec and Mixtec Indians were here when
European Christians arrived, Vasquez
explains. On the site of worship and burial
of an earlier civilization, Vasquez's own
generation has planted a cross.

Mexico, with its striking layer-on-layer of
culture, folkways and religion, affords the

Vidal Cruz Vasquez (above) , recounts how he
helped a German archeologist remove wheel'
harrow after wheelbarrow of rocks to excavate
a portion of the pyramid-like ruins outside
Oaxaca. As Bass and Vdsquz chat in Spanish
(right), Couch examines pieces of pottery she
finds near the site. Couch travels extensively,
having served as an artist-in-residence in Italy
and studied pottery -making in India and Nepal.
"Why not experience those other worlds?"

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

artists an interesting context both tor
examining matters of taith and for making
inward journeys.

After the loss of several loved ones,
Couch is learning how people in different
cultures view death and is expressing that in
her art. Earlier, Couch spent three months
at the University of Cuenca in Ecuador,
teaching ceramics and studying native cus-
toms related to aging and death.

Bass, whose work is introspective and
self-revealing, keeps detailed journals and

encourages the other artists to do the same.
Mornings, they gather to talk about their
dreams, each other's work, grants, books, a
cure for turista or ingredients tor toco sopa.
Evenings are also loosely structured for time
to share meals and interact.

Bi-locacions, the artists have named the
culminating exhibit of their work here. "I
came here to find to rediscover my
voice," says Bass who lived in Mexico from
1962-66 and returns frequently to Oaxaca.
"I live in both worlds,"

A CULTURAL IMMERSION

"My whole object
is to pursue my
photography" she
says. "I've got all
these negatives.
What I want to do
now is go home
and print. . . ."

A tew small jars of paint still stand
in a box outside the kitchen
door inside, negatives dangle
from a clothespin in the kitchen-studio-
living room at the Hotel Xandu two garlic
cloves hang above the sink where Bass
pours a coffee pot of boiling water to rinse
the breakfast dishes and then makes an
iodine-water solution for soaking small,
ripe tomatoes.

Behind the hotel, in a space populated
with bedsprings and a pomegranate tree,

Couch builds a fire in the bottom of a rusted
oil drum-tumed-kiln, spreads the ashes
around, then sets pottery inside. "Hear that
draft going?" she asks as the sound of the fire
crackles and grows to a soft roar. She gathers
more wood to build a second fire on top of
the plates. "1 can do this because these
pieces have already been fired." Otherwise,
she says, grinning, "they would blow up." As
Couch stirs the flame, she talks about how
smoke from the fire will penetrate the clay,
giving it a softer, dark patina.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

This is among the last of their projects
in just a few days, Couch, Bass and the
final group of artists will pack up their
belongings and head back to the
United States.

On Maundy Thursday, the group drives
into the provincial capital, the City of
Oaxaca, for a meal. Then with the pre-
Easter throng, they move slowly from cen-
turies-old cathedral to cathedral and on into
Zocalo, the stylish central plaza.

For six months, Bass has had the hectic

pleasure of providing a place for a dozen
other artists to share ideas and work
and the opportunity to resume life in her
other world.

Now she is eager to finish the work only
begun here. "My whole object is to pursue
my photography" she says. "I've got all these
negatives. NX'Tiat I want to do now is go
home and print. . . .

"The camera transforms," explains Bass.
"When I took photography, it was, 'Oh, this
is what I had been looking for all my life.' "

The art of living simply and
the joy of native hospitality
draw Bass and Couch back to
Oaxaca. "If you wake up and
you hear music, if you can't
go to sleep, follow the music,"
advises Bass . "Wherever you
find music, you will find a
party. And even though you
are a stranger, the people
will invite you in , and treat
you as a special guest. "

A CULTURAL IMMERSION

HIRE EDUCATION

By Mary Alma Durrett

When Mary
Jordan graduated
from ASC in May,
she was one of
1.2 million college
students looking
for a job. How
she found one is
the result of self-
motivation and
assistance from the
college's Office of
Career Planning
and Counseling.

This September, with video camera in
tow, Mary Jordan '94 found herself
jetting toward one of the biggest
national stories of the year: the shift in
power in Haiti and America sending troops
there. Just a tew months earlier she had
been knee-deep (literally) in one of the
most dramatic regional stories of 1994
the muddy overflow of the Flint and
Chattahoochee rivers in south Georgia and
Alabama. Both times, she was right where
she wanted to be, riding the crest of a break-
ing news wave.

One of 1.2 million students graduating
with bachelor's degrees in 1993-94, this
Tallahassee native began working for a CBS
affiliate station in Dothan, Ala., before the
ink on her diploma was two days old.
Parlaying her English literature degree and
good looks into a news reporting slot for
WTVY-TV, Jordan saw an aggressive job
hunt and years of preparation pay off.

By all accounts, Jordan seemed to know
instinctively how to shape a career plan and
pursue a job. Carolyn Wynens, manager of
community relations and special events,
who oversaw Jordan at work one summer,
says that very early in her first year, Jordan
"just wowed us with desire and spunk. She
brought by a sort of marketing plan of what
she could do for us. We were amused and
delighted by it and eventually she went to
work for us. She was just as young and just
as wide eyed as the typical student but the
difference was in her focus."

With a predetermined interest in public
relations and past work experience in the
field, "she seemed to have incredible clarity
of purpose."

While her purpose shifted slightly when
she was exposed to news reporting, her drive
suffered none tor the shift. After an intern-
ship at CNN in Atlanta, she pursued an
exchange semester in journalism at
American University in Washington, D.C.,
(covering the White House), then a news

reporting internship at Channel 5 in
Atlanta. In addition to garnering work
experience in her field of interest, she
sought help from people in the profession,
both alumnae and non-alumnae, and
worked after hours to gain extra skills and to
edit her own promotional video. The result:
a job secured before graduation.

Jordan was indeed a natural. She used
the Office of Career Planning and
Counseling occasionally for resource
materials and served on its student Career
Advisory Board, but for the most part,
was self-motivated.

Most students need a hit more assis-
tance in getting their career
motors running. Many are unsure
of selecting a major, let alone a career, so
they go through the "soul searching" process
with tests and interest assessments before
they can identify and narrow the field of
options. For these students, career planning
offers the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,
Strong Campbell Interest Inventory and
SIGI-Plus computer program, all tools for
determining interest or identifying specific
jobs that match interest.

For seniors, the options are many. At the
beginning of each year, CP&C sends each
senior a Job Choices magazine, produced by
the College Placement Council, which
relays up-to-date information about the job
market. They also receive a calendar of
workshops and recruitment visits available
through CP&C, a sample resume, and a
"Senior Time Line" of what should be done
by what time. Before graduation, CP&C
offers seniors these opportunities:

September and October: Initial dis-
cussions with the career counselors and
numerous resume writing and interviewing
skills workshops.

November: Mock interviews on video
taped and evaluated by the CP&.C staff.

December: Begin to organize for job

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

GARY MEEK PHOTO

search and start networking with friends,
family and professionals.

January: Time for extemships, to
research companies and to begin writing
cover letters for the Resume Recruitment
Program.

FEBRUARY: Sign-ups for on-campus
interviews with potential employers.

March: CP&C encourages students to
apply for numerous job positions.

April: "The Last Five Weeks" series of
evening workshops prepares the soon-to-be
graduates for apartment- or house-hunting,
establishing credit, office or graduate school
politics, confronting sexual harassment, cre-
ating a professional image through dress, and
saying good-bye to friends.

Holly Demuth '95 from Kingsport, Tenn.,
has followed career planning's advice since
her earliest college days. She remembers
entering Agnes Scott with intentions of pur-
suing math but becoming disillusioned. Once
the math moved away from numbers toward
the more theoretical aspects, she says, "I kind
of lost interest. But I enjoyed the practical
applications of math within chemistry.
Advisers helped me select chemistry as my
major. I began going to career planning after
taking a Myers-Briggs test. Staff there helped
me find out who I am and what I wanted in

general. They helped me put in concrete
terms what was important to me."

Amy Schmidt, director of CPSiC
since 1986, says "Not ever>' student
is ready to deal with certain issues at
the same time." Many first-year students are
wcirking through homesickness others
bring more difficult problems from home
(insecurity, abuse, eating disorders, etc.) that
need to be confronted before tackling career-
related questions.

The desire to address the students' needs
more holistically and to increase use of the
services (286 students used the career coun-
seling office in 1993-94, 101 students
required the services of the personal coun-
selor) lead to the consolidation of personal
and career counseling areas this past year.
With the consolidation came a formal name
change from career planning and placement
to career planning and counseling. "What's
fairly neat about our arrangement is that
although we are unified, geographically we
remain separate," says Schmidt who directs
both areas.

With services from the two offices, ASC
students should be able to attain "the general
wellness model of personal development and
growth" for which Schmidt and her staff
encourage students to strive. As a result of
consolidation, career and personal counsel-
ing areas will be working collaboratively.
One of the first such projects: an eight-week
series of self-esteem sessions conducted by
Margaret Shirley '81, the personal counselor,
and CP&C Assistant Director Kathy King.
"There's a lot that we would like to do that
would take multiple sessions," King points
out, "but it's difficult to get a commitment
to that."

Getting students in significant numbers to
come to workshops remains a challenge. Low
attendance can be "discouraging," admits
King, but she and Schmidt and the Student
Career Advisory Board are constantly trying
out new ways to bring students in, through
innovative programming and scheduling. "1
want to try to [target] programs more directly
to student organizations."

"I'm really not sure why students don't
use [the center] more," says Demuth. "1 think
for many people coming face-to-face with
the future can be very frightening."

Some students think they need a detailed
plan for the future, before engaging the help
of career planning. Yet CP&C has resources
for students at various stages of inquiry.

Finding a ioh takes
p[anning and
determinatioii.

English liicrature major
Mary ]ordan '94 (left, on
assignment in Conyers,
Ga.,) parlayed aggressive job
huntir\g arid years of prepa-
ration to shape a career in
television news reporting.
She now works for WTVY-
TV, an Alabama station.

HIRE EDUCATION

MARY AIMA DURREn PHOTO

Career Advisory Board
Members 1994-95

Carrie Mastromarino '96,

chair
Annette Dumford '95
Keri Randolph '97
Jackie Reynolds '96
Leigh Feagin '97
Margie Weir '98
Rohin Penr '96
Akeley David '97
Becky Wilson '97
Amanda Daws '98
Sasha Mandic '97
Tomekia Strickland '97

MAT student Aunee Turner, right, xvith Kathy King, assistant director of Career Planning aivd
Counseling, who directs a resume-writing workshop in the career library.

including a career library with 800 books,
periodicals and tapes.

Many students, she acknowledges, are at
the "I don't have any idea what I want to do
stage." Often, Schmidt will recommend that
these students should sample fields of inter-
est through internships, extemships or
shadow experiential programs.

This past year, 43 students participated in
46 internships in the Atlanta metropolitan
area lasting from a few weeks to a full semes-
ter. Twenty-three students participated in
week-long extemships (75 percent of which
were sponsored by alumnae of the College).
Twelve students took advantage of 14 one-
day experiences "shadowing" professionals.
Schmidt recommends these programs as
ways of trying different careers. Recalls
Demuth: "I followed two pharmacists in my
hometown of Kingsport. One pharmacist
was in a hospital and one was in a [free-
standing] pharmacy. By the end ot the expe-
rience, she says, "1 realized I didn't want to
'lick, stick and count.' That profession had
seemed very appealing to me, hut I found
that it required a gross amount of education
for the work performed from day to day."

Often short-term work experiences afford
students' learning as much about what they
do not want to do as what they want to do.

At Agnes Scott, experiential programs
are enhanced by alumnae involvement.
CP&C has a database of 1 ,800 alumnae who
serve as resource people for students shop-
ping the job market. Now in the planning
stages is a Sophomore Mentoring Program

to connect each sophomore with an alum-
nae mentor in a matching field of interest.

Convincing students that career
planning is important and fun
remains a constant challenge to
Schmidt. In one effort to accomplish that,
during orientation CP&C served as host
site for a focus group session using the
SIGI-Plus computer software program. Yet
statistical findings in career planning should
be enough to sway the doubtful. The 1995
job Choices magazine reported a recent sur-
vey of liberal arts graduates showing that
students who used a college career center
received more job offers, received their
offers earlier, and received higher starting
salary offers than those who did not use
the center.

Demuth does not view the role of career
planning as a "job placement agency."
Agrees Jordan, "It's up to the student to go
beyond what they learn in CP&C and fight
for the position they want."

She took the advice of ABC television
correspondent Sam Donaldson, who said,
"When everyone else was at home sleeping,
I was in the news room working." When
she returned from her Washington semester
she was admittedly "obsessed with getting a
job." She landed an internship with
WAGA-TV in Atlanta and often worked
as late as 3 or 4 a.m. to get experience.

Jordan and others agree with Schmidt's
most basic admonition: "You can't expect
somebody else to lay out a path for you."

AONF.S SmTTCni I Fr.p FAM IQQ4

THE CP&C STAFF

ASC's Office of Career Planning and Counseling offers Scotties
guidance and support in the quest for jobs after graduation.

The counseling services of Agnes
Scott College, overseen by the Office
of the Dean of Students, were recent-
ly reorganized. Career counseling, personal
advising and multicultural counseling are
now unified under Career Planning &
Counseling but are housed in
two locations.

"We wanted career plan-
ning to be right in the middle
of everything; we wanted
people to trip over us,"
comments Amy Schmidt,
director of career planning and
counseling.

So the decision was made
to keep that office on the first
floor of Agnes Scott Hall.
"There was also a need for the
personal counseling offices to
be off the beaten path."

In addition, personal counseling needed
more space for group sessions, discrete access
to the counselors, an office for the newly-
named advisor for multicultural affairs,
Karen Green '86, and an office for volunteer
activities with the College Chaplain, the
Rev. Paige M. McRight '68, who is also
affiliated with CP&C. So the Center for
Counseling and Multicultural Affairs (per-
sonal counseling), was created this fall and
is on the first floor of Winship Residence
Hall. Margaret Shirley '81, the personal
counselor, notes, "We wanted to legitimize
counseling here and this was a move to
do that."

Members of the CP&C staff include:

Amy Schmidt: Director, career planning
and counseling, since 1986. Received master's
degree in college student personnel adminis-
tration and counseling and guidance from
Indiana University in 1978. Her undergrad-
uate degree in English and psychology was
from Centre College in Danville, Ky. Before
coming to Agnes Scott, she served six years
as one of two career counselors for Memphis
State University and for two years as assis-
tant director of career planning for Indiana
University. Her office is in Main.

Kathy King: Assistant director since

March. Having come from Old Dominion
University in Norfolk, Va., King served as
student services specialist and career coun-
selor in career services before moving to the
Atlanta area. She received her master's
degree in community/agency counseling in
1992 from Old Dominion and
her B.S. in education in 1976
from West Chester University
of Pennsylvania. Her office is
in Main.

Margaret Shirley '81:
Personal counselor since 1987.
Received her master's degree
in counseling from Georgia
State University and her
undergraduate degree in psy-
chology from Agnes Scott.
Her office is in Winship.

Paige M. McRight '68:
The Julia Thompson Smith Chaplain of the
College since August. McRight is affiliated
with CP&C and splits her time between the
Center for Counseling and Multicultural
Affairs in Winship. An ordained
Presbyterian minister, McRight was most
recently associate pastor of First Presbyterian
Church in St. Petersburg, Fla. She received
her M.Div. from Princeton Theological
Seminary in 1971. Her bachelor's degree is
in Bible. Her office, across from the chapel,
is on the upper level of Alston Center.

Karen Green '86: Advisor for multicul-
tural affairs at ASC since August. Green is
employed part-time and is working on a
master's of divinity degree at the Candler
School of Theology at Emory. She returned
to Agnes Scott after serving as director of
multi-cultural affairs at Hamilton College in
Hamilton, N.Y., for four years. Previously,
Green served as director of student activities
and housing at Agnes Scott after receiving
her bachelor's degree from ASC. Her office
is in Winship.

Misty DumaS: Secretary since July

1 993 . Dumas came to Decatur from Eureka,
Calif She received an associate degree in
police science from the College of the
Redwoods in 1985. Dumas has an office
in Main.

A Summary
of Career
Planning Services

t/ Individual Career
Counseling

i/ Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator

t/ SIGI-PIus computer
program

t/ Strong-Campbell

Interest Inventory

v^ Career Advisory Board
(all student members)

^ Career Workshops

^ Convocations featuring
career-related
speakers

^ Alumnae database for
networking and men-
tors (1,800 names)

^ New student orientation
Prospective students
assist admission office

t/ Extern, intern, shadow
experiential programs
Career library (800
resources)

"The Last Five Weeks"
Series

HIRE EDUCATION

J^%

FIFTY YEARS AGO- i
A REMEMBRANCE

To reach Agnes Scott,
some of us traveled by
train from far away Mother
and I hoarded in west
Texas and the trains were
crowded with young men in
uniform . It was a dressy occa-
sion; we wore high heels arid
hats . As students registered
for fall term, we did not guess
that many historians would
designate 1944 as the must
pivotal year of the century .

A half century later, the more things change, the more they remain the same.
By Marybeth Little Weston Lobdell

e arrived on campus the
tall of 1944 wearing high
heels and shiny rayon
stockings silk and
nylon had gone to war.
We wore hats. Ladies dressed up when trav-
eling, and we were ladies, or tried to he. To
reach campus, we traveled by trolley from
downtown Atlanta or by family car using
saved-up gas coupons and threadbare tires.
Some of us traveled by train from tar away
Mother and 1 boarded in west Texas, and
the trains were crowded with young men
in uniform.

As we began fall classes. Allied troops
entered Germany and the Nazis were bomb-
ing London with V-2 rockets. In October,
the biggest naval engagement in history, the
Battle for Leyte Gulf in the Pacific theater,
proved a great victory over the Japanese.
Russia moved into Hungary and Yugoslavia.

And in November, President Franklin
Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term, with
Harry Truman as his vice president.

World War II was being fought on all
sides of the world. Brothers and high school
beaus were at boot camp or in submarines,
ships, planes ... or on bloody battlefields.
Unlike the women who shared some of their
hardships or worked in factories, we were
privileged teenagers headed for a beautiful
shelter in the midst of the storm. Our col-
lege, Agnes Scott, took women students
seriously and exclusively and we liked
that. It also had some limitations and rules
that seemed, even then, quaint and a tad
eccentric. College women today would find
most of the social customs tyrannical.

Registering for the 1944-45 first year, we
did not guess that many historians would
designate this as the most pivotal year of the
century. The Allies would overthrow Nazi

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

Germany and imperial Japan; lines would
he drawn between the Soviets and the
West that would remain frozen almost 50
years, and the discovery of the horrors of
the Holocaust and the aftermath of
Hiroshima would haunt the world's dreams
and faith in humanity for generations.

But for most of us at college that year,
the first-year memories and snapshots seem
unbelievably innocent and cocooned.

In 1944, most first-year students were
16 or 17 years old; high schools in
the South then had only three years.
Many of my classmates had been the vale-
dictorian or salutatorian of their high
school classes. Many had been elected
best citizen or best Latin class student or
best something.

Each of us arri\'ed with big hea\'y trunks
packed with cardigan sweaters, short skirts,
saddle-shoes and at least one glamorous
evening gown even if we didn't know any-
one in town (I didn't). We would dine for-
mally one night a month on campus, and
we hoped to be asked to a big-band dance
at then all-male Georgia Tech or Emory
University. If we got a nod only from the
Cotillion Club on campus, we could still
put on a long dress, tromp over to a
Victorian parlor in Main, and wistfully
practice our dancing skills with each other.

Even if male partners were scarce, 1944
music was too good to be missed. Cole
Porter gave us "Don't Fence Me In."
Harry James played Duke Ellington's "I'm
Beginning to See the Light." Jerome Kern
and Johnny Mercer (from Savannah) wrote
"Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive." Judy
Garland sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas," and because my name was
Mary Little, friends penned that on my
Christmas cards.

To go dancing, or out on any date any-
where, we had to sign forms in the Dean's
office. The questions included the boy's
who-what-when-where-why, and how we
could he reached the kind of query I would
later inflict on my own children for their
good and my peace of mind. Agnes Scott
expected us home and safe in our beds early.
The dorm was a citadel no male could
enter except the first and last day of
school, to carry luggage. Dean Carrie
Scandrett would chat in her office with the
young men and tell them to take good care
of us, and then she'd wink. She had a win-
some smile and a permanent blink, and our
befuddled dates swore they didn't know
whether she was flirting or telling them to
have a real good time with us, wink, wink.

In the dormitory, we had one phone for a
floor of 24 girls with ears perked for every
call. (We called ourseK-es girls then, and

I'm o)i the left, with my
roommate, Nancy Greer
Alexander, and Navy man
Allen Reagen and his buddy .
To go dancing, or on any
date anywhere, we had to
sigri forms that asked the
boy's who'what'when-
where , and how we could
be reached. Agnes Scott
expected us safe in our beds
early . The dorm was a
citadel no male could enter.

A RaiEMBRANCE

Pleated skirt, cardigan,
pearls if not typical
dress, not unusual either. And
the times seemed so peaceful.
We were isolated from war.
Yet it touched us, too. Much
was rationed. But love was
not. And in some ways the
intensity and poignancy of our
letter writing and dating were
magnified by the urgency of

sometimes still do.)

An urgent call came the first week to a
student who had a friend at Emory. "Can
you line up some girls to come over to the
fraternity house to help with Rush?" Oh,
we rushed to get there, the biggest snag
being that to go anywhere we had to have
a senior chaperone. That meant scaring up
a wet-behind-the-ears date for an old maid
senior, assuming we could scare up a will-
ing senior. Many of them, like some of the
tirst-year students, were worrying about or
grieving over boyfriends or husbands in
the war.

The quaint rule about senior chaperones
had a nice side effect. It quickly acquainted
us with upperclass students who showed us
the ropes. In no time, we had learned what
some women didn't see until the '70s femi-
nist revolution: women have a talent for
helping friends, and men friends come and
go but female friendships are steadfast.

Our lights-out curfew on week nights
was 10:45 p.m. Most of us spent five or six
hours a day studying at the library, and in
our brief evenings we combined homework
and beauty routines as best we could. Some
girls would sit in almost yoga position in
our wide dormitory hall, book in lap, fin-
gers clenched in front of the bosom,
pulling, never wasting a moment trying to
change an A cup to a B while changing a
B grade to an A. Others would stand while
reading, gently bumping the wall, hoping
to expand the mind while reducing the
derriere. The dorm's stately architecture
held together while we tried to re-do
our own.

We talked after turning off the lights,
often of love, often of race and religion,
sometimes of war. Because we were an all-
girls school, we learned what we could
about "the real world" by reading and by
imagination and discussion. I remember
intense conversations in the dating parlors,
only a few steps from the Dean's office, all
doors open. We learned to sympathize with
the plight of literary lovers separated by
custom and decree Romeo and Juliet,
Tristan and Isolde, even Bottom's ludicrous
Pyramus and Thisbe.

We were an all-white school, as well,
not by rule but because no one of another
race had yet applied, and no one had been
recruited. Many of us had known "colored
people" we respected as children, but
grownup interracial friendships were rare.
Our era preceded even Driving Miss Daisy ,

but we were sensitive to injustice and scorn-
ful of some parents' attitudes.

1 think of other mental snapshots: The
day-students who were such good orga-
nizers of their own time and of class poli-
tics some were scholarship students with
jobs, and some were to be Atlanta debu-
tantes. Bright autumn days when the tennis
and field hockey players made us all long to
be athletes. Dormitory ironing boards,
always in use, for pressing blouses and dress-
es and even veils for the hats we wore on
Sundays. We did not need a chaperone to
go to church and see some of Atlanta and
have a long lunch. Southern food was not
called soul food then, but that's what we
liked at Mammy's Shanty and Aunt Fanny's
Cabin. The greatest preacher we heard was
the handsome Scotsman Peter Marshall,
who was made even more famous by his
Agnes Scott wife, Catherine Marshall, in
her book, A Man Called Peter.

We went to operas and concerts. The
first live symphony I ever heard was in the
old auditorium with wooden floors where
the Atlanta Symphony played. I did not
realize then that the orchestra was also in its
first year. I remember my blush when a
Tech boy lightly put his hand on mine at
the end of the first movement, for I had
clapped, alone, not knowing I should wait
until all that glory was at an end. He was
gallant and told me later it had given him a
good excuse.

The year 1944 produced no little excite-

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FAIL 1994

ment in literature: T. S. Eliot's Four
Quartets; W. Somerset Maugham's The
Razor's Edge a popular book and later a
movie; Tennessee Williams' The Glass
Menagerie and Georgian Lillian Smith's
Strange Fruit images of southern lite new to
the rest of the country, and even to most ot
us. Faculty members sometimes talked with
us about what they were reading and what
we might enjoy come summer. Their con-
cern for us during the pressures of exam
week had brought about a dated but endear-
ing tradition: tea at the Candler building,
complete with pretty teacups and polite
conversation with faculty members. In the
midst of the squalor of exam week, it was
encouraging to know they still considered us
part of their community of scholars.

Of course, there were rumors that all
was not pure innocence in this
Adamless Eden. It was whispered
that some students had enjoyed forbidden
puffs of cigarettes at the nearby Decatur
depot. The only place Agnes Scott students
could smoke was in a private home, but cig-
arettes were in short supply and were, in
fact, considered thoughtful hostess gifts.
Meat, cheese, canned goods, gasoline, even
shoes were rationed. Wages, salaries and
prices were frozen in 1943 to forestall infla-
tion. We were fnigal in everything except,
as I recall, splashing on perfumes: Prince
Matchabelli and Wind Song. Somehow they
just didn't linger like our mothers' pre-war
French perfume.

Love is not rationed in wartime, and in
some ways the intensity and poignancy of
our letter writing and dating were magnified
by the urgency of war. No one knew when
this war would end. No one knew who
would live beyond 18 or 19. One girl con-
fided at a late night talkfest (we never called
them anything so indelicate as a bull-ses-
sion) that yes, she had gone to "first base,
and second base" with a boy gasp but
"of course not to third."

Most of us thought in our heart of hearts
that we were the only ones who liked to be
kissed; friends and writers did not confess
much then. The college offered a non-credit
Marriage Class, but it was limited to those
the college thought would need it seniors,
and underclasswomen if they were engaged.
Our senior lecturer was a married doctor of
medicine, pregnant, clearly a good example.
(I never heard the word lesbian in college
though if asked, we knew Sappho was a poet

who lived on an island called Lesbos. A 12-
year-old grandchild today probably knows
more than we did.)

We haunted the mailroom tor letters,
but as our first year wore on, we began to see
that some of our old hometown throbs did-
n't spell too well, or more important, could-
n't understand what was so splendid about
such things as our cherished honor system.
It seemed so clear to us that we would cheat
ourselves and friends of a true education if
we cheated on a test or paper or helped a
buddy cheat. Learning was for the rest of
our lives. 1 was even disappointed in a
Texas beau who tailed to fathom my excite-
ment in "heaven in a wildtlower, eternity
in an hour."

But by then, we were dazzled by the
new company we kept Sophocles, Plato,
Shakespeare, Newton, Bach, Moliere,
Darwin, Dickinson, Freud and our frequent
campus visitor, poet Robert Frost. Even for
first-year students, the emphasis was on
the eternal.

In that amazing year, it was not the pro-
fessors who were isolated; it was we who
wore blinders because of our youth and
our backgrounds. Yet I am truly thankful
now for that place of quietness, despite our
insular self-absorption. 1 am glad the profes-
sors did not drop everything to teach cur-
rent events. In hindsight 1 think our alum-
nae were made strong by an old-fashioned
liberal arts education, serious theological
searchings, examination of conscience about
politics and race, and long discussions not
just about men but about humankind. We
each had a seemingly impractical but, in
fact, powerfijl preparation for a life ahead
full of surprises and hard questions, some-
times unanswerable.

We were lucky in the company we
kept schoolmates who cared and played
fair, professors who respected our academic
honor and work, and the great men and
women whose words and music we read and
heard, whose paintings and experiments and
decisions we pondered.

College students still need, 1 believe, the
chance to prepare for their own turbulent
times by losing themselves in the timeless.

Despite our difference in dress and deco-
rum, and certainly in dance music, students
today have made the same fortunate choice
in Agnes Scott that we did.

Marybeth Little Weston Lobdell '49
lives in New York City .

Our alumnae were
made strong by
an old-fashioned
liberal arts educa-
tion, serious theo-
logical searchings,
examination of
conscience about
politics and race,
and long discus-
sions about
humankind. We
had an impractical
but, in fact, pow-
erful preparation
for a life ahead full
of surprises and
hard questions.

A REMEMBRANCE

ON CAMPUS

Computers now link ASC with the world . . . and with new possihilities .

MARY AIMA DURREH PHOTO

From a computer ter-
minal in Australia,
he types via Internet
to his girlfriend at Agnes
Scott: I don't want to be
apart like this Willa. I want
to be with you to stay!

She responds: I want to
be with you. . . .

If this sounds like mod-
em romance, it is. Two
years ago, Willa Hendrick-
son '94, now a Scott-Free
Year 5 student, and
EXincan Mclntyre, a
psychology major at the
Australian National
University in Canberra,
met through a computer
game with an international
mix of players on Internet,
the world's largest com-
puter network. Internet
enables computers of all
kinds including thou-
sands from universities,
corporations and govern-
ment offices around the
globe to communicate
with one another).

Hendrickson kept "run-
ning into" Mclntyre as
they played on Internet.
Over a period of months,
the two developed a rela-
tionship separated by thou-
sands of miles but connect-
ed by technology.

By this past fall, when
Agnes Scott's Information
Technology Enhancement

Program (ITEP) got on line
with Internet, Hendrickson
could pick up her long-dis-
tance computer communi-
cation at Agnes Scott. As it
turned out, the prelude to
Mclntyre's telephone pro-
posal of marriage was via
the computer.

Students like these are
finding that with ITEP, the
campus bulletins can be
read by E-mail (set up for
private messages), and on-
line database searches to
remote locations can be
conducted (a grant from the
National Science
Foundation pays the fee for
ASC's unlimited use of
Internet).

According to Tom
Maier, director of informa-
tion technology services,
virtually all staff and fac-
ulty and about 40 percent of
the students are using the
computer network. Students
not yet linked to the net-
work in their residence hall
rooms are in a "period of
discovery," says Maier.

"Students wanted to see
the value of E-mail, the
electronic access to library
systems and other Internet
resources. Now that they've
seen the benefits they want
to get connected."

Kim Wright '95, the stu-
dent representative on the

Students, suijj andjaculty are using the campus' new
Information Technology Enhancement Program (ITEP), but
few have used it more successfully than Willa Hendrickson and
Duncan Mclntyre of Australia. The pair met and fell in love
communicating over Internet, the international computer linkup.

telecommunications com-
mittee for ITEP, agrees.
"Students wanted cable
television and liked the
idea of voice mail. But a lot
of students didn't under-
stand the Internet and its
capability."

Students are using
Internet for study and fun.

Hendrickson's long-
distance romance began
one evening when she and
Mclntyre both logged on to
a M.U.D. (Multi-User
Domain) game. They con-
tinued to correspond, first
by computer, then by letter.

Since then, Hendrick-
son and Mclntyre have vis-
ited during summer and
holiday breaks.

Faculty members also
are corresponding around
the globe. Larry Riddle,

chair of the mathematics
department, recently put
out a network search for
the author of an unpub-
lished article. Within one
day he had a reply. On
campus, students have used
the network to pass ques-
tions to Riddle about
homework. "The network
is most useful to promote
more interaction between
students and teacher. We
can have a discussion group
for a class and students
don't necessarily have to
call me, but instead can use
the computer," Riddle says.

Plans for ITEP involve
the electronic transfer of
information such as tran-
scripts. However, this will
not occur until security
issues have been resolved.
Hardware and software

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE FALL 1994

CLASSIC

security methods now pro-
tect the flow of informa-
tion to and from campus.
Access to individual ac-
counts requires a password.

Other plans for 1995
include an upgrade to a
higher Internet connection
speed. Maier says the
upgrade is needed because
the network is changing
from text-based informa-
tion to graphics, video and
sound. "Video can be used
in teleconferencing and
distance education.
Students would be able
to attend lectures at other
campuses to see the pro-
fessor and ask questions.
But the quality of image
and sound on computer is
not on par with TV yet."

Also on the drawing
board is the ASC Faculty
Development Center that
will house four computers

equipped to develop multi-
media applications for
instruction.

ASC-TV, the campus
television system, began
operation in late fall. In
addition to cable stations,
10 channels are set aside
for satellite campus pro-
gramming. The campus
channels air taped videos
and a bulletin board for
community events.

In the meantime, Agnes
Scott's Willa Hendrickson
and Duncan Mclntyre plan
a December wedding in
Atlanta. After she com-
pletes her degree, she will
join him in Australia.

And Internet?

Hendrickson says it will
continue to link them with
friends in the States and
with her father at his com-
puter in Atlanta.

Audrey Arthur

PLUG IN TO AGNES SCOTT

Not only can Agnes Scott receive information by
network, it can also provide information.
Alumnae interested in finding out the latest ASC
news or who have questions regarding the College can
access Agnes Scott E-mail at the following Internet
address: ASCNews@ASC.scottlan.edu.

On the same E-mail address, alumnae may receive
the ASC Fact Sheet, updated four times a year, by send-
ing their E-mail address to Sara Pilger, director of com-
munications. "This is in response to alumnae's request
to increase the amount and frequency of news from the
College," says Pilger. "Alumnae want to use the
College's updated technology and this a good match."

Farewell to an old campus beauty.

On a campus
known for trees,
the Presser
Dogwood stands out. For
more than a century* the
elegant old dogwood has
graced its comer of Agnes
Scott. Each spring, its mul-
tiple trunks and graceful
limbs loft a canopy of
white blossoms above the
walkway at the west end of
Presser Quadrangle.

Many know the tree
and know its name. But no
one seems to know
whether it was a planting
or the coincidence of a
wooded countryside.
Whether benign or pur-
poseful, it grew undis-
turbed and at some point
became a backyard tree for
a house that once faced
McDonough Street.

In 1940, houses along
the street were razed to
make way tor the construc-
tion of Presser Hall and
the old dogwood was to be
cut down. In battles of
beauty versus utility, often
beauty is sacrificed espe-
cially when money is
involved. It would cost
$10,000, a significant sum
even today, to change the
plans, relocate the building
and save the tree. Yet
that happened.

"It was a remarkable

decision," says Victoria
Lambert, manager of cam-
pus ser\'ices, "remarkable
that it happened. That
kind of decision needs to
he made today more than
ever, and it's even less
likely." To make that same
decision today would cost
$106,000.

No records note who
made the decision in 1940,
of the thinking and argu-
ments that went into it.
But whoe\'er did left a
legacy that has lasted
50 years, and unknowingly
created an icon that for
many symbolizes the heart
of the ASC campus.
"It's one of those things
that becomes a cultural
symbol without the insti-
tution even knowing it,"
says Terry McGehee, pro-
fessor of art. "The shape of
the tree, with its location,
has a presence that's
significant beyond the
tree itself."

Next spring, a self-
guided tour ot trees
on the Agnes Scott cam-
pus will be published. The
Presser Dogwood will not
be among them. "Each
year its leaves are a little
bit smaller, a little less
dense," laments Lambert.
"There is a lichen growing

ON CAMPUS AND CLASSIC

CLASSIC

on it that indicates decay.
This year, the leaves are
turning and falling much
sooner than they should.
It's slowly dying."

Since Lambert first
noticed the tree was trou-
bled in 1989, she and her
staff have worked to keep
the dogwood alive. A pro-
fessional tree service has
injected it with insecti-
cides and fungicides,
pruned deadwood, applied
soil conditioner and fertil-
izer. During times of
drought, student gardeners
have aerated the soil
around its base and
watered it copiously.
Lambert estimates over the
past five years, the College
has spent $1,500 trying to
keep it alive.

It is a tremendously
large tree for its species.
And old. The severe
weather of the past several
years too much water
this year, too little last
has taken its toll. It no
longer has the reserves to
regain its former vigor.

"What's happening to
the Presser Dogwood
happens to trees all around
us," she says. "It has
reached the end of
it's life."

Next year, in February,
on the third Friday, Arbor
Day will be celebrated on
the Agnes Scott campus.
Lambert hopes to make it

The ci^in^ Presser Diigunutd, ip'ciemg the amipii.s jor >0 years, jaees the jiUe iif itll /ii'iiii^' things.

an occasion to celebrate
the Presser Dogwood. "It
will be a chance for the
campus community to say
good-bye," she says.

A new tree will be
planted nearby. Lambert is
undecided whether it will
he another dogwood.
"We've planted hundreds
of trees in the past few
years," she says. "It will be
interesting to see it any of
them develop the interest
the Presser Dogwood has,
though I doubt any will."
Sometime after that, the
old tree will be cut down.

Wliat will happen to
the wood from the Presser
Dogwood is anyone's guess.
Lambert hopes someone
will have a grand idea and
create something of lasting
remembrance.

Terry McGehee is work-
ing toward that end. The
base of the tree and other
large portions could be
stored tor a year and slowly
air dried. Then she would
determine how much of
the wood is good, how
much is rotten, where it
splits. Some could be used
by students for sculpting
and woodcarving. And
McGehee could turn the
rest of it into something of
a remembrance.

For McGehee, memo-
ries of working with wood
date back to childhood.
Last summer while inspect-
ing a tree downed in
Colorado, she found in the
middle of it an old saw dat-
ing from the mid- 1800s.
While she doubts anything
will be found in the Presser

Dogwood, she says no
one knows.

Certainly trees, living
alongside us on a scale so
different from our own,
embody whole histories.
And occasionally only
occasionally one like the
Presser Dogwood grows
around us, becomes part
of our history, and we a
part ot it.

Bill Bangham is a writer in
the Atlanta area

EDITOR'S NOTE: J/ 70M
have remembrances
thoughts, feelings, anecdotes,
maybe photographs of the
Presser Dogwood that could
be incorporated into the
celebration on Arbor Day
please send them to:
Victcrria Lambert
Campus Services
Agnes Scott College
Decatur, GA 30030.

AnwRt; cr^oTT noT i cric cat i loo^

ET CETERA

Enrollment steady, cops on hikes, historic preservation, faculty giidng,
magazines praise ASC, a death in the family and other campus news

FAMILY
TIES: THE '98
STUDENTS

Hopping in the family
plane to head to a
deserted island for a week-
end of camping and fishing
is a normal part of life for
Jamie Bloomfield, Class of
'98. Of course, Bloomfield
spent the first 1 7 years of
her life in Anchorage,
Alaska, and says all of her
friends' families used air-

planes to travel around the
state. "Planes and boats
were the only way to get to
many areas," she explains.

Since the family plane
was a float plane, able to
land on water, Bloomfield
says her favorite place to
visit was an island in the
middle of a river. "It was
far away from anything and
was sunounded by beautiful
mountains."

Bloomfield, who came
to Agnes Scott from

Growing up in Alasl<a
afforded Jamie Bloomfield '98
opportunities most ASC
students don't experience.

Lexington, Ky., is one of
209 new students enrolled

TO: ALL ALUMNAE

FROM: The Presidential Search Committee

Clair McLeod MuUer '67, Chairperson

In our last progress report, the Presidential Search Committee informed you that
we were inviting to the campus those people who we believed would fill most
closely the current needs of Agnes Scott. We were very pleased to announce that
three individuals accepted our invitation to visit the campus.

Each of these visitors spent two and a half days on campus during November,
meeting in small and large groups with various constituencies of the Agnes Scott
community so that they could learn more about the College.

Members of the search committee have referred repeatedly to the priorities which
were developed at the begirming of the search after wide consultation with the ASC
community. We have taken the time necessary for careful review of candidates and
for discussion of the views of members of the committee as we worked toward con-
sensus at every point. Agnes Scott deserves no less. As a result, we presented our
finalists to the campus community with enthusiasm and confidence.

Immediately following these visits, the search committee will meet again to devel-
op our recommendation to the Board of Trustees according to the committee's initial
charge. Very soon we hope to announce the new President of Agnes Scott College.

at Agnes Scott this fall.
She chose Agnes Scott
over other schools because
she feels more comfortable
with smaller classes. She is
on the Agnes Scott soccer
team and plans to try out
for tennis in the spring.

While none of the other
new students noted spend-
ing summers and weekends
flying over Alaska, the list
of their accomplishments
and diverse experiences is
impressive.

They come from 23 dif-
ferent states, Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, Greece,
the Netherlands and the
Ukraine.

The 153 first-year
students represent the very
best from high schools
around the country. Sixty-
three percent graduated in
the top 20 percent of their

ETCETERA

ET CETERA

class with 43 percent
reaching the top 10 per-
cent. Oi the students who
were graded on a four-point
scale, the average GPA
was 3.42.

Twenty-six are Retum-
to-CoUege (RTC) students
whose ages range from 24
to 65 years the average
age, 38.

Thirty-three percent
of the new students have
family or friends who are
Agnes Scott alumnae one
mother, two grandmothers,
one great-grandmother,
one sister, two cousins and
one great-aunt. One RTC
joins her daughter, already
an Agnes Scott student.
Sheryl Jackson is a freelancer
Imng in the Atlanta area

PEDAL

POWER

PATROLS

With a slight change
in uniform (shorts)
and the purchase of appro-
priate (two-wheel) equip-
ment, the Agnes Scott
College Police Department
inaugurated a bicycle patrol
program this summer with
four of the 1 1 ASC officers
trained for this duty.

The patrol serves during
daylight hours only and
is in addition to the
previous level of vehicle
and foot patrols.

Police Chief Rus Drew

explains that the hike
patrol allows the ASC
police to cover more terri-
tory and to respond more
quickly in certain emergen-
cies. On day one of the
patrol, for instance, bicycle
officers were on the scene
to back up an arrest of a
suspected felon on College
Avenue, then days later
were essential in the appre-
hension of a drug offender.
"We have more contact
with the public in one hour
on the bikes than we nor-
mally have in a full eight-

FIRST^YEAR ENROLLMENT UP

The fall 1994 enrollment reflected an 11 percent
increase in first-year students (153 compared with
138 last year) and a steady level, overall.

A total of 594 students are enrolled, with 472 repre-
senting the traditional undergraduate population. The
remainder include Retum-to-CoUege, Master of Arts in
Teaching, post-baccalaureate, and Year-5 students.

Stephanie Balmer, acting director of admission,
notes that this level of enrollment offers students the
advantage of a favorable teacher-student ratio (1 to 7),
and class size (the average, 13).

hour shift," says Drew.
"Bike cops," he says, "are

Officers Curtii Parrott and Dana Patterson patroling ASC campus.

more noticeable."

Campus people and
neighbors alike note their
efforts. Harry Wistrand,
biology professor and Avery
Street neighbor, appreciates
the "increased visibility and
interaction" that he
believes "enhance the
College and the surround-
ing community."

Emory University,
DeKalb County and the
City of Decatur have also
recently begun bike patrol
programs.

Sara Pilger is director of
ASC communications.

ASC MAKES

NATIONAL

DIRECTORY

Already, the admission
office has received
3,100 inquiries from
students who have read
about Agnes Scott College
in two editions of Private

Colleges & Universities.

The directories pub-
lished in February 1994
include a two-page feature/
photo spread on Agnes
Scott and are distributed to
students who take their
PSAT or PACTs. One edi-
tion focuses on students in
the Southeast region; the
other edition is distributed
nationwide.

While a strong response
was expected from the
Southeast, a number of
inquiries have come from
the national edition.

Inquiries from Georgia
totaled 249. A breakdown
of responses from students
in states which normally
don't generate a large num-
ber of inquiries shows 418
from Texas, 108 from
Wisconsin, 107 from
Michigan and 103 from
California.

These inquiries could
result in new students by
die fall of 1995. At that
time, Stephanie Balmer,
acting director of admis-
sion, says she and her staff
will carefully check the
enrollment to learn how
many of these 3,100
become ASC students.

"As we follow up on
these inquiries, we will
evaluate each high school
student's needs carefully to
make sure we recruit stu-
dents who will gain the
most from a private college

education," says

Balmer. "We / Ooll,

know that the / '"fS"'" .,,

more personal- ' - ' '""

ized attention

the student gets during

the recruitment period, the

more likely she will be to

enroll."

Students enrolled this
fall received bet\veen 1 2 to
20 contacts from Agnes
Scott students, staff and
alumnae. Sheryl Jackson

MAGAZINES
RANK ASC
FIRST RATE

A gnes Scott College was
\.one of the two high-
est nationally ranked wom-
en's colleges in the South,
according to the Sept. 26
issue of U.S. News &
World Report. It was also
ranked 55 th among the top
100 colleges and universi-
ties which deliver the high-
est-quality education for

COVER PHOTOS USED BmRMlSSlON

the tuitions they charge,
according to a recent
Money magazine special
issue. Money Guide.

U.S. hlews ranked
Agnes Scott and Sweet
Briar College in Virginia as
tier-rwo schools among
national liberal arts col-
leges. Agnes Scott ranked
above Sweet Briar in six of
the 10 categories. U.S.
News differentiates
between national and
regional schools based on
the classification of the
Carnegie Foundation and
are determined each year
by student selectivity.

TO ERR IS HUMAN?

A computer spell check avoids some human error.
But it's not perfect. In this issue, for instance, spell
check suggested changing Chair of the Biology Depart-
ment John Pilger to Pilfer and Pinky Bass '58 to
Pinkeye.

In the spring issue (page 6), spell check (and the edi-
tor) read right over a reference to Mary Alverta "Bertie"
Bond '53 as Alvera. An alumna caught a second error:
In Editor's Note, professor emeritus Kwai Sing Chang
was roommate of Dean C. Benton Kline Jr. at Princeton
Theological Seminary, not of Dr. Wallace Alston.

ET CETERA

(acuity and financial
resources, graduation rates
and alumnae satisfaction
reflected in giving levels.
U.S. News noted that
the College's percentage
ot tirst-year students
within the top 10 percent
ot their high school
class 60 percent is
second only to Birming-
ham Southern's 67 percent
within the same category.
Agnes Scott continues
to climb the list in Money
magazine's special issue,
from number 86 four years
ago to last year's ranking of
65. The 1995 edition of
the guide also lists the top
buys within several other
categories. Agnes Scott
appeared number 1 8 in a
list of the 20 best values
among small schools with
traditional liberal arts pro-
grams and number 4 of the
top 10 values in a women's
college education.

In creating its rankings
each year. Money examines
16 key factors that measure
education quality' in rela-
tion to tuition. Included
were entrance exam results,
high school class rank and
GPA, faculty and library
resources, budgets for stu-
dent services and instruc-
tion, retention and gradua-
tion rates, advanced study,
student loan default ratios
and business success of
graduates. Sara Pilger

ON CAMPUS AND CLASSIC

ET CETERA

CANDLER ST
CELEBRATION

Visitors to the
Woodnift Quadrangle
on Oct. 9 were transported
back in time to an old-
fashioned small-town
holiday celebration.

Jugglers, music, ice
cream, Cokes and speeches
helped guests commemo-
rate the inclusion of
the campus and South
Candler Street in the
National Register of
Historic Places.

According to
Leslie Sharp,
national register
specialist in the
Office of Historic
Preservation, the
district was
awarded its place
in the register in
recognition of its
"representative
examples of late
19th and early 20th centu-
ry styles of domestic archi-
tecture, its variety of houses
and the academic Gothic
Revival architecture on
the Agnes Scott College
campus which was designed
by locally prominent
architects."

TTie National Register is
the official list of historic
buildings, structures, sites,
objects and districts worthy
of preservation.

To be listed in the

National Register, a prop-
erty must be at least 50
years old; it must have sig-
nificant history in terms of
architecture, landscape or
engineering; it must be
associated with events,
developments and people
important in the past.

Because inclusion in the
register recognizes a proper-
ty for historical as well as
architectural significance,
Agnes Scott's contribu-
tion figured largely in the
application approval.
"The original appli-
cation was initiated by
the South Candler
Neighbors
Association but
Agnes Scott soon
joined with the
group, providing
information from our
archives and finan-
cial support," notes
Carolyn Wynens,
manager of communi-
ty relations and special
events for Agnes Scott.
TTie historic district is
defined as the Agnes Scott
campus plus the first seven
blocks of South Candler
Street (heading south from
East College Avenue) plus
small portions of East Davis
and East Hancock streets.
The logo designed for
the neighborhood will
appear on building mark-
ers, street signs and district
"boundary" signs. TTie logo

also appeared on a com-
memorative Coca-Cola
bottle which was available
at the celebration.

Sheryl Jackson

LIFE IS
FRAGILE

We need to take spe-
cial care to support
one another in the difficult
times," said Agnes Scott
Interim President Sally
Mahoney at a Sept. 26
memorial service which
marked the death of ASC
student Stephanie
Rothstein '97.

Rothstein, a native of
St. Cloud, Ha., was killed
in an automobile accident
near Lake City, Fla., on
Sept. 23; two other ASC
students, Hillary Spencer
'97 of Pensacola, Fla., and
Jennifer Phillips '98 of
Gainesville, Fla., were seri-
ously injured in the wreck.

ASC Chaplain the Rev.
Paige McRight '68 had

worked with Rothstein in a
focus group with first-year
students. She noted that
Rothstein had been
involved in Habitat for
Humanity projects at home
and at ASC, and had
worked on a mission project
for her home church, St.
Cloud Presbyterian.

Rothstein also served as
a point guard on the ASC
basketball team in 1993-94;
1 2 of her teammates trav-
eled with their coaches to
St. Cloud for Rothestein's
funeral. An AT&T scholar-
ship fund has been estab-
lished in Rothstein's name
at ASC and another at St.
Cloud Presbyterian.

At the Sept. 26 memori-
al, McRight offered words
of solace to the campus
community. "Death shakes
us profoundly," she said.
"When we care about peo-
ple we share their pain and
we realize how fragile life is
for all of us."

Mary Alma Durrett

Stephanie Rothstein '97 (front row, right), a member of the
basketball team, died recently in an auto accident in Florida.

Interim President Sally Mahoney greets Yoko Saijo, language assistant, during a community-
wide reception in the Agnes Scott College Gazebo this fall.

A TIME
TO COME
TOGETHER

In her first campus address to
students, ASC interim
President Sally Mahoney
spoke of directions and
decisions . Here are excerpts
from her speech:

I am still largely observ-
ing and listening.
Nevertheless, there are
aspects of Agnes Scott that
resonate with my own
experience, making me
think that as a community
we can come together, lay-
ing creative foundations for
transition to permanent
College leadership. And
that the leadership I bring
to the College during this
interim will support the
building of intellectual and

social community. . . .

If we wait for perfection
to celebrate our lives, we'll
never party. I was glad to
know about movies on the
quad last year and ot "ice
breakers" and roller skating
as part of leadership devel-
opment last week. . .

Our obligation here is to
live within our means and
to improve through
prudent use of available
resources. The planning
exercises in which we
engage through shared,
largely faculty-led gover-
nance with student and
staff participation, involve
opportunities for sharpen-
ing focus, for improving
service support through
collaboration and new
modes of working together.

I don't know yet how it
is the faculty and the staff

celebrate important mile-
stones, like the tenuring of
colleagues, or the receipt ot
professional awards or
scholarly prizes that some-
times find note in our
College publications or
national press. I do know
that those who welcomed
me at the Gazebo last
Friday seemed to enjoy the
fellowship of the morning.

I look forward to explor-
ing with all of you the rich
diversity of Agnes Scott
College. . . It is important
to refuse to be type-cast or
to succumb to type-casting
others.

I'll be looking this year
for opportunities to cele-
brate accomplishments, to
express appreciation, and
to see the President's
House as a place of
hospitality.

FEEDBACK

Congratulations on the
tine summer AluiTuiae
Miigayne! 1 appreciate
your feature about
President Ruth Schmidt.
It gives important intor-
mation and fine pictures.
In your Editor's Note, you
mention a paper written
by Karen Green '86. I
would like to read her
comparison of Jewish and
Black church traditions
through music. Would it
be possible to get a copy
of her paper?

Gladys Cotton
Sweat '54

Naples, Fla.

After reading the
"Different Values" article
in the Summer 1994 issue
ot the Agnes Scott
Alumnae Maga::ine, we
thought you might be
interested in the enclosed
article on cultural diversi-
ty in historic preservation
[Cultural Diversity: A
Movement of Statewide
Efforts in the South, The
]oumal of the National
Trust for Historic
Preservation, September-
October 1993]. Perhaps
the most important fact
about the article is that it
is written by two Agnes
Scott graduates [Susan
Kidd '78, director,
Southern Regional Office,
National Trust for
Historic Preservation, and
Susan Wall '81, informa-
tion coordinator]!

The Alumnae Magazine
looks great. Keep up the
good work and let us
know if we can ever assist
you in any way.

Susan Kidd '78

Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Susan Wall '81

Charleston, S.C.

Agnes Scott College
141 E. College Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030

THERESA HOENES '94 AND A CENT

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The legacy of a professor/scientist: Mary Stuart MacDougall's life
continues to influence students like Hoenes (above) . A retro-
spective of MacDougall's career is one of two journeys into the
past we feature as "bookends" to an issue whose content ranges
from career opportunities to sexual harassment in the workplace
we take a look (so to speak) at both, as well as offering a
photo-essay on ASC graduates who are working in an artists'
colony in Mexico the project is a true "cultural immersion."
And, finally, Marybeth Little Weston Lobdell '48 takes us back a
half century for a visit to the College in 1944. Hers is an era
of pleated skirts, cardigans, pearls and prayers for peace:
different, yet not so different at all, from today's ASC campus.

Blackfriars'
Search for Signs
of Intelligent Life

Child Violence

Mother's Mink

i I

EDITOR'S NOTE

Through its connections , Agnes Scott links learning with life , the campus
with the world beyond. That may he its ultimate measure of effectiveness .

GARY MEEK PHOTO

I tudent laughter rang out on
. the Quad one April day in
hetween the gentle shower ot
cherry tree petals and the full bloom
of dogwoods. For an hour or so stu-
dents spontaneously romped, then
lingered in our halcyon spring.

It was one of many beautiful days
at Agnes Scott that stir in me a
sense of poignancy as I cross the
grassy threshold of campus. During
the hour-long drive home tuned
into National Public Radio 1 am
more aware of the leap into a less
perfect world: the Bolshoi ballerinas
on strike in Russia and neighbor
Mexico in the throes of economic
crisis; Rwandan Hutus massacred by
Tutsi countrymen and a bomb blast
in Oklahoma City in late April killed more than 160
adults and children.

The days when I pause at the brink of less tranquil
prospects, words from English poet William Wordsworth
remind that it is recollections of life's beautiful landscapes
that serve to refresh and inspire, perhaps to lighten that
burden of the mystery of "all this unintelligible world."

It's the connections we make with the world beyond our
boundaries that offer a clear measure of the instituticm.

Traditionally Agnes Scott students have developed
connections through volunteer work, through cultural
exchanges and global experiences in places like South
Africa and Soviet Georgia, through internships and
extemships.

Enriched pedagogical and curricular learning with
experiential learning are vital to academia says Dean of
the College Sarah Blanshei. She notes that the College
will soon take that tradition a step further as it develops a
new network of relationships, beginning with the Atlanta
Semester (loosely patterned after American University's
Washington Semester) and an overarching program of
Women, Leadership and Social Change. "A lot of institu-
tions work with individual aspects of this, like writing
across the curriculum or study abroad. But we are taking a
holistic approach ot connectedness throughout the institu-
tion," says Blanshei.

The Atlanta Semester will consist of a four-hour semi-

AGNES
SCOTT

C O L L E G E

nar; a two-hour speaker's forum
(open to the College and featuring
leaders and faculty from across the
country); a three-hour research pro-
ject; and a four-hour, supervised
internship with a community orga-
ni-ation (such as The Carter
Center) or with a community ser-
\-ice branch of business or
corporation. The program will
combine academic research and
scholarship and bring that to bear
on the community, explains
Blanshei. As students explore how
learning interconnects, they will
also form bonds throughout the
city. "The theoretical and the
experiential are a two-way street.
What happens during the

experience can change theory and theory can inform

experience."

Virtual travel by computer through time and space makes
it as easy for students at Agnes Scott to network with
scholars across the Atlantic Ocean as in Atlanta. Today's
communications technology actually makes ours a world
with myriad landscapes and few boundaries.

That was demonstrated so powerfully in late April,
when television transmitted the indelible image of a life-
less child cradled in the arms of an Oklahoma rescue
worker. Days later as I lamented the bombing deaths of 19
children. National Public Radio reported that five
infants/children die each day (almost 2,000 a year) at the
hands of parents or caretakers. What happens to children,
believes law professor Lucy Schow McGough '62, is "the
most important sociological issue" facing our nation.
McGough is one of many alumnae several featured in
this magazine ("A Prayer for Children," page 18) who
stand as strong, articulate advocates for children,
especially children in crisis. Interviews for that story
remind me that the ultimate measure of this institution is
how it prepares its graduates to cross the threshold of cam-
pus, to combine learning with life and work in the worlds
beyond Agnes Scott.

Jj4:^C^/i-c<r^'^y^^

CONTENTS

Agnes Scott College Alumnae Magazine
Summer 1995, Volume 71 , Number 3

Is It Soup or Is It Art?

By Mary Alma Durrett
Photos hy Marilyn Suriani
Bhckfriars cook up their own
ivitty concoction of The Search
for Signs ot Intelligent
Life in the Universe.

Mother's Mink

By Christine Cozzens

Illustration by Ralph Gilbert

What do you do with a fur coat that you'll never

wear, but that holds a priceless memory?

A Prayer for
Children

By Celeste Pennington
At a time when violence
threatens to rob the
nation's youngsters of their
innocence, Agnes Scott
alumnae and students
work to bring hope into
the chaos.

Teaching
Nonviolence in a
Violent World

By Plamthodathil S. Jacob
The practice of nonviolence
can be costly; it is a path for
the courageous and committed.

^^ ASC World Wide
Web Connections

COVER AND ABOVE: Osjha Anderson stars
as Tnjdy, the hag lady, in Blackfriars winter
production. She will compete in the Miss Georgia
Pageant in June, photos by marilw suriani

By Audrey Arthur

Illustration by Richard Hicks

ASC students now have access to the sights and

sounds of places around the world and beyond.

A Liji^styk Kj
Nccdlin' People
. . . sec pa^e S2

DEPARTMENTS

On Campii.s
32

Lifestyle

Classic

Letters

Givino Alumna

Editor: Celeste Pennington
Contributing Editor:

Mary Alma nutrctt
Editorial Assistant:

Audrey Arthur
Design: Evetett Hulluni
Student Assistants:

Rolanda Daniel '98

Jennitet Odom '98

Leigh Anne Russell '97

Samantha Stavely '97

Ashley Wtight '96
Photo Archivist:

Wdla Hendrickson '94

Publications Advisory

Board; Christine Cozzens

Bill Gailey

Ellen Fott Gfissett '77

Sandi Harsh '95

Tish McCutchen '73

Kay Patkerson O'Briant '70

Emily Pender '95

Sara Pilger

Edmund Sheehey

Lucia Howard Sizemore '65

Copyright 1995, Agnes Scott
College. Published for alumnae and
friends twice a year hy the Office of
Puhlications, Agnes Scott College,
Buttrick Hall, 141 E, College
Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030.
(404) 638-6315. Postmaster: Send
address changes to Office of Develop-
ment and Public Affairs, Agnes Scott
College, Decatur, GA 30030. The
content of the magazine reflects the
opinions of the writers and not the
viewpoint of the College, its trustees
or administration.

ON CAMPUS

ASC intern at The Carter Center, answers to questions about old
posture pictures, Olympics on campus, CD-ROM award and more.

AMU'S

GLOBAL

AWARENESS

As Nigeria is faced
with an increasingly
defiant military govern-
ment, Ngozi Amu '95, an
intern at The Carter
Center, talks frequently
to the U.S. State Depart-
ment, scans daily updates
and monitors hotspots
throughout Africa: Nigeria,
Ghana and Kenya.

Amu assists Ahuma
Adodoadji, acting director
of the African Gover-
nance Program at The
Carter Center in Atlanta.
Among her duties are
briefings about Africa for
former President Jimmy
Carter, who is preparing
for a visit to Africa.

"Amu reads and
quickly summarizes situa-
tions," notes Adodoadji.
"She is a good writer and
because of her Nigerian
heritage, she understands
the factors involved
there."

Agrees Amu: "As a
person of two nationali-
ties, Swedish and
Nigerian, 1 have always
felt a need to contribute
to cultural understanding
and communication

Carter Center intern Nfj^uzi Amu '95 of Swederi blends an
international outlook with a strong joeus on human rights.

between peoples ot
different nations."

Amu grew up in
Gotenborg, a port city
wedged between Denmark
and Norway along
Sweden's Gold Coast. Her
father is a Nigerian busi-
nessman; her mother is
Swedish.

She is fluent in three
languages, and will gradu-
ate from Agnes Scott this
spring with a double major
in International Relations
and French. She aspires to
a career in international
diplomacy and law.

She participated in the
Global Awareness Program
during the winter of 1993,

visiting in South Africa
and Botswana where she
lived with a black African
family and gained insight
into the life and culture.

She has also studied in
France at the Sorbonne
and the University of
La Rochelle.

"1 am particularly
interested in democracy
and human rights issues,"
says Amu. "I'd like to
work with the educational
development of African
children, and to affect
policy and promote cul-
tural diversity and under-
standing."

Carol)!?! Blunk is a
freelance writer.

POSTURE
PHOTOS

A scandal of sorts
erupted when a 1994
article in The New York
Times Magazine disclosed
that hatches of nude pos-
ture photos from Northeast
colleges had been released
for research and were at the
Smithsonian Institution.

That disclosure prompted
pointed questions from one
or two ASC alumnae who
remember posture photos
taken when they were
first-year students.

A tradition among
many private colleges from
the 1930s through 1970,
posture photos were
designed to help students
identify and correct spinal
problems such as scoliosis.
At least that was the pur-
pose at ASC, says Kate
McKemie, physical educa-
tion instructor with the
College from 1956 to 1988
who took posture photos.
"We checked for postural
curves and did find some
atypical postures, and stu-
dents were counseled on
measures to improve."

Lucia Sizemore '65,
director of alumnae affairs,
remembers that the Agnes
Scott photos were taken as

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

privately and tastefully as
possible, with students
dressed in underwear. She
also remembers that stu-
dents disliked the practice
enough to feature skits
about posture photos dur-
ing Black Cat high -jinx.

Even though the ASC
physical education
department quit mak-
ing posture photos in
the late 1960s,
McKemie says ques-
tions about posture
photos continue to
circulate during
class reunions
with at least one
or two alumnae fret-
ting, "Where are my '
posture pictures?"

That question has
been put to rest for
those whose photos ended
up at the Smithsonian.
Recently, under the

watchful eyes of Yale
University officials, the
Smithsonian burned its
posture pictures.
For the record, McKemie
does admit that those
Agnes Scott posture pic-
tures she took, as well as
older posture photos that
she located in the base-
ment ot Presser
Hall, were burned
more than two
decades ago.
McKemie will
probably con-
tinue to bedev-
il inquiring
alumnae with
her mischie-
vous reply: "1
burned every-
one's posture
picture . . . except
yours."

Teresa Kelly '94
MAT student

ASC CULTURAL OLYMPIAD

Agnes Scott will host
the kick-off event for
the Cultural Olympiad's
Olympic Summer Festival
on June 2-9, as part of the
100th anniversary celebra-
tion of the 1996 Olympic
Games in Atlanta.

The multidisciplinary
summer festival, scheduled
for June 2-Aug. 3, will
feature more than 25
exhibits and 200 perfor-
mances in 30 venues.

The Conference on
Southern Literature,
hosted by the College,
will include discussions by
European scholars of
Southern literature and
public readings by a num-
ber of major and up-and-
coming Southern authors.
The conference will
include a book fair.

Agnes Scott's size and
location also make it a
desirable site for housing

key Olympic Games per-
sonnel and for sports train-
ing. From early July
through the Olympic
Games, teams in synchro-
nized swimming, N'ollcyball
and soccer will practice in
the ASC sports complex.

A delegation ot Irish
dignitaries will be housed
in the Anna Young
Alumnae Hiuise. The Irish
selected Decatur as a base
ot operations during the
Olympics.

The College also is
negotiatiing with the
Atlanta Olympic Orga-
nizing Committee
(ACOG) for additional
Olympic-related activity.

The Paralympic organi-
zation has also expressed
serious interest in using
the campus in August after
the Olympic Games.

Normally during the
summer break, Agnes
Scott facilities are used tor
camps, conferences and
meetings. The Olympic
Games participation will

interrupt that schedule
and delay the College's
1996 fall .semester, which
will begin iii September
rather than late August.

Agnes Scott's participa-
lion uill benefil the
College both in name
recognition and as a "val-
ued institutional partner
with the Olympics," adds
t;,irolyn Wynens, manager
ot community relations
and special events.

Audrey Arthur

GIRL'S

EDUCATION
ADVERTISING
CAMPAIGN

The Women's College
Coalition and the
Advertising Council, Inc.,
have joined forces to pro-
mote "Expect the Best from
a Girl," a public service
campaign on behalf ot girls'
and wtimen's achievements
in education. Designed to
encourage girls to acquire

ON CAMPUS

the skills and competencies
necessary to succeed in
today's world, the cam-
paign began with television
advertisements in mid-
August.

The Women's College
Coalition (ASC is a mem-
ber) estimates the cam-
paign will generate $25
million a year in tree public
service time and ad space.

Targeting parents ot
fifth- through ninth-grade
girls, this 15-year campaign
encourages parents to
become advocates for their
daughters at school. The
ads also appeal to teachers,

who can help empower
girls, and to the girls them-
selves, who will be making
choices that aftect their
lives.

As the first-ever gender-
specific campaign, the ads
recognize that under-
achievement in girls and
women is a national prob-
lem. Girls who under-
achieve in school (often
influenced by gender bias)
may experience low levels
of achievement throughout
their lives and careers.

The campaign begins
with television ads; print
ads will follow in the fall.

ANNUAL FUND DONORS UP

As Agnes Scott prepares to welcome Mary Brown
Bullock '66 as its seventh president, "the best gift
the College can give her is a fully funded annual oper-
ating budget," believes Adelia P. Huffines, director ot
major gifts. "TTie best indication of support her fellow
alumnae can give is to generously participate in the
Annual Fund campaign."

The number of donors is up for the 1994-95 cam-
paign compared to this time last year, but the total
dollars are down.

As of late March, 2,119 donors had given a total
of $722,982 to all funds. "With roughly two months
remaining in the College's fiscal year, we need assis-
tance in reaching our important goal of $1.2 million,"
continues Huffines.

Former Agnes Scott College Director of
Development jean Kennedy recently joined Brenau
University as director of alumnae affairs.

Sarah Cave, a Wake Forest graduate associated
with the ASC development office since 1994, was
recently named acting directcir of the Annual Fund.

HABITAT HOME BODIES

Eleven members of the class of '97 worked during
Spring Break at the headquarters of Habitat for
Humanity in Americus, Ga., a nonprofit Christian organi-
zation that provides howing for the poor. The Americus
headquarters builds 60 to 80 houses per year, compared to
the 15 to 18 built by affiliate volunteers. Volunteers began
each day with a group devotional. During the week, stu-
dents split into workgroups and helped with roofing, paint-
ing, laying plywood or tile for floors and hanging sheetrock.
Chaplain Paige McRight led the devotion Thursday morn-
ing, and all volunteers were honored in a firud service with
thank-you mementos. Samantha Stavely '97

CD'ROM "ONE
OF THE BEST"

Atter a New York edu-
cation/media consul-
tant browsed through
Agnes Scott's interactive
multimedia recruitment
presentation on compact
disk (CD), he typed back a
note on the Internet: I
have seen CDs from other
institutions and this is one
of the best in the country.
The ASC CD, which
recently won the top
national CASE competi-
tion award for interactive

multimedia presentation,
was made for prospective
students and parents.
Pop the CD into a
computer with a CD-
ROM port, and get an
introduction to Agnes
Scott (music,
sound.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SLWMER 1995

ON CAMPUS

dazzling still and mo\ing
pictures, animated graph-
ics and type, to literally
place the College on the
map). Then access infor-
mation on more than 30
topics or questions about
the College from acade-
mics to residence halls,
from alumnae to financial
aid and application dead-
lines. Among the ques-
tions the CD answers is,
"Why choose a liberal arts
college.'"

For instance, select the
residence halls option and
take a visual walk through
a real student room via
sound and images from a
hand-held video camera.

The CD's fine audio
and visual details often
surprise students. But
technical gimmickry is not
what pushes this product
to the cutting edge. Com- .
munication does. The pro-
gram is easy to interface;

it's truly multimcxlia (not
just a slide-show on com-
puter); and it dovetails
with, but does not repeat
verbatim, information in
ASC's printed admission
recruitment pieces.

"We wanted to take
this a step further than
any college CD programs
we had seen," notes
Jenifer Cooper of Melia
Design Group in Atlanta
who wiirked with the
College to produce the
program. "We wanted it
to be fun and visually
exciting."

A \-iewer who explores
ever^' menu option spends
about an hour learning
about Agnes Scott.

Donald Sharkus, father
of Virginia applicant
Astrid Sharkus, has used
the College's multimedia
CD. "What 1 saw con-

firmed my expectations ot
Agnes Scott" which he
had gleaned from sources
such as the Princeton
Rei'ieu' and the Fiske
Guide to Colleges. "You
can accomplish m an
interactive CD things you
cannot in a video"
he says.

"The first VX CDs, for
Macintosh computers,
were distributed by admis-
sion staff during the tall
1994 travel season,"
reports Stephanie Balmer,
director of admission.
"More high schools than
we had predicted had the
technology to use com-
pact disk." Questionnaire
responses indicated an
overwhelming interest;
even rural schools have
the technological capabil-
ities because they receive
grants for computers that

include c;n-ROMs.

Now the College
admission office has
moved into phase two,
mailing 1,500 additional
copies ot the CDs tor use
on either Macintosh or
IBM computers to
prospective students who
request the program and
to guidance counselors.

Portions ot the program
also are being used to cre-
ate "Agnes Scott on the
World Wide Web," via
the Internet (see page 30),
and being included in
multimedia programs pro-
duced by several college
guidebook companies.
Alumnae interested in
obtaining a copy of the
CD to share with a prospec-
tive student or school guid-
ance office may contact the
ASC Office of AcJmi.ssion
at 1-800-868-8602.

THIRD CONSECUTIVE FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR

For the third successive year, an Agnes
Scott senior has been awarded a
Fulbright Scholarship. Katie Stromberg of
Erwin, Term., will continue her ASC
independent study at Martin Luther
University in Halle, Gemiany.

With an interdisciplinary major in
art history and German, Stromberg '95
has studied sculpture of the cathedral in
Naumberg, Germany, and 20th century
texts written about the sculpture. She is
interested in furthering her investigation

of sculpture in the 13th-century cathedral
in Naumburg, near Halle, by attending
seminars and researching general German
history and theory of art.

Both Halle and Naumburg are located
in what was previously East Germany.

Stromberg follows ASC Fulbright
Scholars Jennifer Jenkins '94, who is
studying European politics in Frankftirt,
Germany, and Laura Barlament '93, who
in\'estigated German literature at the
University of Constance in 1993-94. asc

ON CAMPUS

IS IT SOUP
OR IS IT ART?

By Mary Alma Durrett
Photos by Marilyn Suriani

The Blackfriars
cook up a witty
theatrical
production that
feeds the soul.

On opening night. Director
N.J. Stanley offers final
words of encour-
agement and
advice in the
Green Room.

''Fifteen minutes to places."

The smell of hair spray perfumes the air.
Jennie Alhritton '97 of Paducah,
Kentucky, digs through a small green
chest and offers an actor advice, "I really don't
think you need hlack lipstick." A dozen young
women huddle hefore a long, lighted mirror,
putting the finishing touches on makeup and
costumes. The miracle of wigs and aerosol
color transforms shades of hlonde and hrown
hair to black and red. With greasepaint, colle-
giate women are transmogrified into house-
wives, hookers and homeless bag ladies. It is a
scene further colored by long-stemmed roses
from fathers and boyfriends, the language of
the night and the energy of youth. Various
show tunes rise up from their tender lungs.
Assistant stage manager Erica Lent '98 appears
at the dressing room doorway to announce the
impending opening of the Blackfriars' produc-
tion. The group's anxiety and volume take a
measurable leap.

"Chloe, I can hear you out front."

A stage hand admonishes the acting
troupe and Chloe Sehr '98 of San
Francisco who's readying herself for
her part as a 15 -year-old performance artist
to he quiet. It appears that their weeks of work
in Winter Theatre and the creative publicity
are paying off. The house has twice as many

people as it had for opening night of the previ-
ous play. The Visit.

It's opening night for The Search for Signs of
Intelligent Life in the Unii'erse by Jane Wagner.
The play scrutinizes life in much the same way
the character Trudy scrutinizes a can of
Cambell's soup and an Andy Warhol painting
of a can of Campbell's soup.

Backstage, Lucree van den Huevel '98
and Christina Rinaldi '98 carefully tag and
place props on tables in the wings. Lent
crouches at the curtain's edge with a dim
flashlight reviewing the prompt book. Brook
Partner '98 tiptoes behind the stage with her
shoes in her hand, mouthing the lines of
character Kate, a bored socialite.

"Ten minutes to places"

Converging in the Green Room, the
group offers a collective "thank you"
to the barker at the door. At the cen-
ter of the room is a big basket of Hershey's
Hugs and Kisses with a note of support to the
cast and crew from director, N.J. Stanley.

All actors are preparing for their entrances
many dip into the chocolate for good luck.
Costumed students are scattered about. Some
pace, some stare silently, some read, some in
headsets listen to music. Others discuss school,
the O.J. Simpson trial, family members in the
audience. 'They came all the way from
Asheville?"

Upstairs in the booth, beneath the cool
blue glow of a few tiny lamps, Jennifer
Parker '97 and Emily Pender '95 stand ready
tor the lighting cues; Alicia Quirk (an
exchange student from Mills College), the
sound designer, sits alert at the controls,
headset firmly clamped down over her ears.
They mumble to one another in low voices.

Out front, in the lobby of Dana Fine
Arts, is a line at the box office that pleases
house manager Cecelia Heit '97. Blackfriars
used e-mail and voice-mail messages from
characters in the play to invite attendance.
Fliers with such teasers as "What is Reality?

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

Chloe Sehr '98 is transformed
into 15-year'uld Af^nus.

Emily Pender '95 (left) and Wendy Wheles

Trudy knows," paper the residence halls and
cafeteria. Two-for-one ticket coupons were
passed out to strategic campus offices.

Osjha Anderson '96, who plays the lead,
hops into the Green Rot)m covered in Post-
it notes. The actors are amused and their
volume level again rises. Stanley offers
Anderson a few final words of critique.
"Let's see your hands. The dirt is good. Let's
see the back. Good."

Dudley Sanders, associate professor and
scene designer, gives the group a final
"shush!" As if preparing for a marathon,
Anderson shakes out her legs and quietly
paces.

"Places."

Stanley gives Anderson a hug and sends
her to the curtained edge of the stage
wing. The Green Room grows silent. In
unison the group leans toward the electronic
speaker that pipes in sound
from

sound from the stage.

From the booth above

the audience, assistant

director and stage manager

Wendy Wheless '95 gives the verbal go-ahead.

"Start the show."

Trudy comes to lite as the centerpiece in
Wagner's feminist production, The
Search for Signs. From out ot the dark-
ness the aging bag lady shuffles on to the stage,
her "negotiable" hair juts Medusa-like toward
the spotlights.

Here we are, standing on the corner

of Walk, Don't Walk.

You look away from me, try in' not

to catch my eye, but you didn't turn fast

enough, did you?. . . Look at me. . .

I'm not just talking to myself,

J'm talking to you, too.

Scratching, pointing, pontificating, she
turns her contorted mug toward the audi-
ence and dispenses kernels of Truth from
the yellow Post-it note files that decorate
her recycled frock.

It's my belief we all, at one time
or another, secretly ask ourselves the ques-
tion, "Am I crazy?" In my case, the
answer came back: A resounding YES!

The character Trudy, a former marketing

ASC's version
of The Search for
Signs of Intelligent
Life in the Universe
departed from
actress Lily
Tomiin's one-
woman Broadway
performance by
using 14 different
artists to flesh
out an array of
characters.

IS IT SOUP OR IS IT ART!

Trudy: "They
find it hard to
grasp some things
that come easy to
us. ... I show
'em this can of
Campbell's tomato
soup, then I show
'em a picture of
Andy Warhol's
painting of a can of
Campbell's tomato
soup. 'This is soup.
This is art.' "

OSJHA ANDERSON '96 IS
THE BAG LADY TRUDY.

Agnus: "No
matter how much
contempt I have
for society, it's
nothing compared
with the contempt
society has for

CHLOE SEHR '98 SPEWS THE
ANGST OF AGNUS, THE TEENAGE
PERFORMANCE ARTIST

-T r-f-ii I PHF <;i ;mmfr 1995

Lyn: "(Edic] thinks
Marge and I are
too middle-ofthe- \
road, and maybe ^
we are. But I have
marched and rallied
till I'm bleary -eyed.'

JENNIFER NETTLES '97 PLAYS EVERYWOMAN IN LYN.

I V

Jennie Albritton '97
helps Brook Partner '98 pre-
pare for her rok as Kate.

"Search for Signs
is a perfect case
in point with no
traditional begin-
ning, middle or
end. It's very
open-ended.
There's revelation
but not necessarily
resolution."

whi: who skidded off the edge of reality
some time in the late '70s, is the smelly, dis-
heveled, off-kilter personification of human
weakness and optimism. She's a roving para-
dox, if you will, with the ability' to "tune
in" to other people's lives
through her self-described
mental "dial switching."
Trudy's talent also affords her
the privilege of ushering a con-
tingent of "space chums"
through the theatrical parade
route of life.

Immediately, laughter rises
from the audience. Relieved, a
thespian in the Green Room pro-
nounces: "It's a good crowd." On
this opening night, Nov. 2, the
crowd tails in love with Trudy. It
IS a polished performance from a
young woman who two months ear-
lier hadn't the slightest notion she
would be accepting the lead role.
"J. always jokes that she cast me
because of my hair," says Anderson, a
native ot Glenn\ille, Ga., in a pre-
production interview. Trudy was the
"last role in the entire play that 1
thought she would cast me for. It is so oppo-
site to my own character. I'm normally real
contained."

I refuse to be irttimidated by reality

anymore. After all, what is reality anyway?

Nothin but a collective hunch.

Trudy is far from contained. She mo\'es
across the stage, sweeps through the audi-
ence, up into the balcony, talking and ges-
turing non-stop. During the play she allows
her space chums and the audience to peek
in on the li\'es of 13 other characters who
run the gamut from a frustrated housewife to
a narcissistic jock to an anguished teenager.

"Superficially, all the characters are
stereotypical," comments Stanley. "The
challenge is to tlesh them out and make
them complex."

The hwrian mind is kind of like

a pifiata. When it breaks open, there' re

a lot of siaprises iriside .

The streets of New York City are Trudy's
stage. Anderson won the role through
her ability to convey the strengths and
weaknesses of humanity. Director Stanley,
assistant professor of theatre since 1993, says
for Trudy and all the other roles, she was look-

ing for the stage presence and energy to "fill
the stage." In Trudy's case, the character must
fill the theatre. Stanley's ability to recognize
potential in these actors is intuition honed by
experience. She's directed 26 plays including
Search, has a Ph.D. in theatre from Indiana
University- and has worked in theatre since
before her undergraduate days at Louisiana
State University. Stanley asks Blackfriars to
submit to the same sort of auditions as "real
world" actors.

"The first night of auditions, I require a
prepared monologue. I prefer that it not be
from the play we will produce. This is stan-
dard procedure in professional theatre," says
the director. For Search, auditions began in
September, just days after the students
returned to campus. "The second night
invoh-es cold readings. 1 assign people a
scene (1 chose 15 from Search for Signs) and
usually ha\'e them read two or three parts. 1
always see e\-eryone twice."

Once cast, the 14 actors all of whom
have prior theatrical experience ^begin
long rehearsals squeezed in between classes,
study, club meetings and occasional eating
and sleeping. In less than six weeks, the
troupe must move from choppy distinct per-
formances of 14 separate characters, to a
fluid, theatrical soup.

The multi-actor approach to Search
(chosen in order to in\'olve many student
actors) is a marked departure from Lily
Tomlin's Broadway \'ersion, performed as a
one-woman show. Although play publishers
could not confirm it, Stanley believes that
Blackfriars is mounting the first such ren-
dering. The risk is that segmenting the play
could undermine a central message the
"connectedness" of the universe which
Trudy artfully interprets; "E\-ery particle
affects every other particle everywhere."

"Conceptually, Tomlin performed with
no props and very little scenery; this
allowed Lily, by the transformation of her
body and face, to just stand there. We had
to create sequences, opportunities for peo-
ple to come off and on stage," notes the
director. The script had no instructions for
blocking movement around the stage. "1
was starting with a completely clean slate.
It was scary at first, making all these choices
and watching it all gel."

M_\ space chums think

t7i\ unique hookup with himianity

could be evolution's awkward attempt

to jump-start itself up again.

ACNES SCOTT COLLEGE SLTklMER 1995

Risky, too, was the play selection, full of
adult language. In the afterword to the
printed version of Search, critic Marilyn
French hails the piece as "the first work 1
know that simply takes it as a given that a
mass audience will accept feminist attitudes,
that proceeds on the assumption these atti-
tudes are shared and that, therefore, does
not lecture, hector or even underline." Says
Stanley: "I don't like plays that simply
entertain. The writuig [in Search] is witty
and intelligent. It's spiritual in a uni\ersal
sense. In a very optimistic way, Trudy cele-
brates humanity."

If evolution was worth its salt,

by now it should've evolved into something

better than survival of the fittest . . .

1 think a better idea would be

survival of the wittiest . . . That way,

the creatures that didn't survive

could' ve died laughing.

Search is the kind of work Stanley and
others have in mind for the theatre and
dance department. "We are trying to create
a justifiable vision now (as we go through
our academic review). There are two driving
forces: to increase commitment to address-
ing the contributions of women in theatre
by producing plays that focus cin women's
lives and are written by women, and in the
realm of curriculum, to ftirther explore
women theatre artists and their innova-
tions," says director Stanley.

Stanley's "Female Identity and the
Making of Theatre" class studies feminist
theory in terms of "how it has expanded our
understanding of how theatre works.
Women, especially in the last 20 years, have
been creating new forms of theatre. Women
writers have disregarded traditional play
(climactic) structure, creating new kinds of
structure. Search for Signs is a perfect case in
point with no traditional beginning, middle
or end. It's very open-ended. There's revela-
tion but not necessarily resolution."

Performance art as it has come to be
known in the past 20 years is "the place for
women to control their own work to speak
their own words with their own voices. A
lot of it is autobiographical."

Chloe Sehr, as character Agnus, demon-
strates the form on stage. Appearing against
a red backdrop at the definitely declasse Un
Club, Agnus, a 15-year-old, writhes tie-died
and chain-draped on the floor. In pseudo-
exhibitionist style, the woman-child trashes

her father, her grandparents, all of society
and its social conventions.

J'?7i gettirig my act

together and I'm

throwing it in your face!

Misunderstood and starving for atten-
tion, Agnus is angry with the world.
She telephones her problems to a
radio "shrink": ". . . the court gave me to my
dad. He's a gene-splicer, a bio-husine.ssman at
this research lab of misapplied science, where
he's working on some new bio-form he thinks
he'll be able to patent. He doesn't get that 1
am a new bio-form."
Personifying the angst of
her age, Agnus spews:

No matter how much

contempt 1 have for

society, it's nothing

compared to the contempt

society has for me.

"Clearly, we had to
have someone in the part
with enough 'oomph' to
deliver that performance," notes Stanley.
"Fortunately Chloe wanted Agnus and she
got Agnus." Sehr was one of the actors who
developed the character herself, choreo-
graphing her own Un Club performance.
"Young actors get caught up on the idea
that they're a vessel and I'm supposed to fill
them," explains Stanley. "In the real world,
the actor begins the process first" and brings
the character interpretation to the stage.
With Search for Signs, some students did,
some didn't.

Dealing with a cast virtually the same age
(average age: 20) presents unique challenges
for the director as does the rehearsal sched-
ule. Nearly every actor runs through her
lines and movement separate from any other
(with a couple of exceptions) until roLighly a
week before the plays opens. Since most of
the character performances are monologue
vignettes, Stanley feels this approach will
allow one-on-one direction with every cast
member.

For major characters this proves benefi-
cial. In her earliest rehearsals, young
Anderson plays Trudy as a palsied grand-
mother who speaks in a falsetto. "I've got to
work on the voice," admits Anderson in a
moment of frustration during a mid-October
run through.

"You've a lot of things to keep up with,"

Ashley Seaman '95 applies
makeup as she and Lisa
Hayes '98 (right) become the
characters Edie and Marge.

IS IT SOUP OR IS IT ART.'

Director Stanley watches
Osjha Anderson '96 apply
finishing touches to her makeup.

consoles Stanley, who offers direction on
timing, movement and vocal range. "Right
now, virtually none of your movements
have motivation. Trudy as a true eccentric
can do anything just hecause she feels like
it. We're going to do some exercises."

Stanley climhs from the darkness of the
empty "house" that night and joins Ander-
son on the lighted rehearsal stage.

"Imagine that the
body is not a straight
line held together hy a
spine," she gestures
erectly. "It's a rubber
band." She coaxes
Anderson to follow her
through a host of out-
rageous movements
and sounds. They
work in what seems a
chaos on stage: crawl-
ing, stamping, shov-
ing, yelling, pacing.
Anderson becomes Trudy; her delivery
continues with more physical emphasis.

I never could've done stuff like

that when J ivas iri my right mind.

rdbe worried people would think

I was crazy. When 1 think of the fun I

missed, I try not to he hitter.

Stanley's oral instruction continues: "I
want you to think of your face and what you
can do with your face. Think about things
that you've never been able to do with your-
self in conventional theatre slurping, suck-
ing, burping, cooing, growling."

Anderson obliges with a sort of monkey
face contortion adding dabs of twitching
and itching. Yells Stanley from the darkness
of the house, "You may never have this
chance again. You are in this tiny little box
called 'realistic theatre.' You don't have to
be. I release you." Trudy takes her cue.

Never underestimate the power

of the human mind to forget. The other

day, I forgot where I put my house keys

looked everywhere, then 1 remembered

I don't have a house.

Stanley acknowledges Anderson's head-
way at the rehearsal yet pushes her further.
"You're making baby steps. There's no time
for baby steps. We've got to make quantum
leaps. I want Trudy to burst through space."

Anderson tries again, this time making a

new outrageous gesture or turn every time
the director yells "move." It is a break-
through moment.

/ love to do this old joke: I wait for some

music-loving tourist from one of the hotels

on Central Park to go up and ask someone,

"How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" Then 1

runup and yell, "Practice!"

Trudy has arrived, she is completely off
the edge and actor Anderson knows it.
"That felt so much better."

The character is an admitted "stretch" for
Anderson. "I have had little to draw on. I
took MARTA and watched a bag lady. She
was really the first woman street person that
I've seen." Mimicking some of the bag lady's
motions and heeding Stanley's direction,
Anderson moves Trudy toward a true eccen-
tric. "Every night 1 get looser and looser. J.
helped me knock down some inhibitions."

Among the most challenging characters
to create is Lyn, portrayed by Jennifer
Nettles '97 of Douglas, Georgia. Lyn as
Everywoman, dominates the stage in a 45-
minute monologue and ties together many
loose ends that other characters leave hang-
ing. "I feel really connected with Lyn; we
have a lot of the same opinions," notes the
Spanish/sociology-anthropology major,
who's never seen the Lily Tomlin version of
her character. "If I had seen it I would have
thought that's how Lily did it, that's the
right way. The hardest part for me was that
Lyn's age ran from my age to her 40s. I
haven't been through a lot of the things
she's been through."

Yet Nettles has taken Lyn beyond the
director's expectations. "1 think she's made
Lyn a lot more interesting than I remember
Lily's portrayal," observes Stanley. "She did
a lot of preliminary work, defining Lyn's
emotional and psychological state."

Stanley's style as a director is "not to
stroke our egos," offers Ashley Seaman '95,
of Gainesville, Florida. At the same time
the director has succeeded in coaxing the
brazen, lesbian feminist, Edie, out cif the
even-tempered, agreeable Seaman.

"I wasn't sure I could do it," confides the
anthropology/religion major. "I began [gain-
ing insight] by studying feminists and femi-
nist theologians and began to identify with
Edie's anger. She is a separatist, which I
identify with and is happy with herself. But
to call myself a lesbian and have a lover
kind of took my breath away. At first I felt

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

like I was risking Ashley's reputation in
some way. What will people think'"

Yet since Seaman donned the camou-
flage fatigues, rihhed tank shirt, Birken-
stocks and, yes, arm-pit hair, she telt "very
powerful," fully capahle of doing a real live
fight-the-power-style Edie. There's much to
be learned from these characters, stresses
Seaman. "The only person in the play that
becomes jaded is Marge. Even the prosti-
tutes [played by Bayo Gary '98 and Lorie
Summers '98] don't become jaded. For the
most part, there is a sense of optimism
throughout, that there's something just
around the comer. Maybe that is Wagner's
message."

While Seaman and other actors
breathe life into their characters,
theatre associate professor Dudley
Sanders and a handful of students have
designed and constructed the austere set for
Search. Following Stanley's style notes,
Sanders created a space reflecting the "curvi-
linear flow of outer and inner space ... a
streamlined universe where story takes prece-
dence over theatrical effect." To accomplish
this, Sanders built two connected black ramps
that converge against a black backdrop.
Through an elaborate array of lighting
(designed by Sanders) and sound cues (by
Quirk), the audience can leap with the char-
acters through time and space, from the cor-
ner of "Walk and Don't Walk" in New York
City today, to Los Angeles in the sixties, to
Stonehenge, to an Indianapolis International
House of Pancakes, two weeks ago.

On opening night, diminuti\e Quirk
must occasionally rise from her seat in the
control booth and peek o\er the sizable
sound board to see the precise mox'cment on
stage. Strategically, she hits the white-hot
electrical sound button ;;;;it which ush-
ers in Trudy's latest dial-switching experi-
ence. Pender, at the light board, alters the
background color of the stage as a dex'ice for
changing course (time and place) in Lyn'>
lengthy monologue or for moving Agnus
from her grandparents' house to her gig at
the Un Club. With a steady hand, Valerie
Case '98 follows Trudy with a spotlight; she
crisscrosses the stage, climbs stairs, trans-
verses the balcony. Props are sparse and cos-
tumes are off-the-rack sixties, seventies,
eighties styles, so lighting and sound are the
key effects. With 124 light and sound cues,
Stanley jokes, "It's looking like a musical."

Awe, sweet mystery of life,
at last I've found thee.

Trudy belts out a big one, crooner style,
as part of the final farewell to her space
chums and reflects on the many revela-
tions about life that she has found during the
transcontinental travelogue most notably,
the final goose-bump experience that the orig-
inal audience was afforded at the Shubert
Theatre: Trudy ascends the ramp one last
time, hauling her shopping bags and admiring
the stars that swirl around her.

Maybe we should stop trying

to figure out the yneaning of life, sit hack

arid enjoy the mystery of life . . . .ak

Ft^r the most part,
there is a sense of
optimism throu^'h-
out, that there's
something; just
around the corner.

The Behind'the-Scenes Legend of ASC Stage

The primary stage for
Blackfriars' produc-
tions is the Winter
Theatre, housed in the Dana
Fine Arts Building designed
by John Portman. The
theatre was named for
Roberta Powers Winter '27
upon her retirement in 1974-

Winter was a major
force in Agnes Scott's
drama department for 35
years, serving as assistant
professor, then associate
professor, 1939-67, and
ultimately as the Annie

Louise Harrison Waterman
Professor of Speech and
Drama from 1967 until
1974. A demanding and
prolific director, Winter
staged 49 productions dur-
ing her tenure.

Two of her own plays
were published, Bishop
Whipple's Memorial in 1927
and Bridal Chorus: A
Comedy in Three Acts in
1935. Winter received a
degree in mathematics
from ASC, was a member
ofHOSAC (predecessor

to Mortar Board), Phi Beta
Kappa and performed many
male parts as a student in
Blackfriars productions.
She completed her M.A.
and Ed.D. degrees in edu-
cation from New York
University in 1939 and
1953, respectively, and
studied play writing at Yale
University under George
Pierce Baker.

She died in 1991 at the
age of 85, in Berryville, Va.

Winter teaching at ASC .

IS IT SOUP OR IS IT ART.'

MOTHER'S MINK

By Christine S. Cozzens

Illustration by Ralph Gilbert

What do you
do with a fur
coat you could
never wear, yet
is and always
will be a
priceless memory?

In the Cdol shadows of the vault at
I. Magnin's in Northbrook Court, my
mother's mink coat hangs on a rack, its
thick tokls stilk its silken Uning silent.
A smell of cedar tills the airless chamber,
where rows of coats and jackets and stoles
encased in their plastic wrappers await the
flurry of movement that disturbs the vault
each fall when
wraps are ushered
out to eager own-
ers, and again in
late spring, when
the garments are
bundled back into
their numbered
cells. Some
eccentrics slip in
and out at odd
times, their owners
just back from a
trip abroad or
stirred at last to
collect their coats
by the opening of
the opera season
or a holiday invi-
tation. Then, still-
ness and silence
set in once again
in the cold dark
heart of the
swarming shopping mall.

From time to time, when he's in a reflec-
tive and especially cranky mood, my father
calls me up to rehearse a litany of family
business do I know where the stock certifi-
cates are, have we increased our life insur-
ance, have I talked to my brothers and
always ends by asking in exasperation, "And
what am I going to do about that coat.'" as if
it were some nagging relative, forever mak-
ing demands.

We are agreed that we can't sell the coat.
"She would have rather had me give it to a
new girlfriend," Dad says, only half joking.

"You're right," I say, cringing, because had I
been able to do what she wanted me to
do for once we wouldn't be having this
conversation. For I am the oldest, the only
daughter, and mother's mink coat was to
have been mine.

"I'm doing this for you, you know," my
m<"ither said defiantly when she first took me
to the fur salon to
witness a fitting.
In my T-shirt,
Indian print skirt,
and sandals, I was
hardly a candi-
date for black wil-
low mink lined
with mono-
grammed satin,
and we both burst
out laughing at
the thought. Two
years later to the
week, when Mom
was lying in a
hospital bed sur-
rounded by
machinery her
arms so thin and
bruised from IVs
that they had to
give her the mor-
phine in her
thigh the mink coat helped her acknowl-
edge that she was dying. Gulping oxygen
with every word, she pleaded with me in the
private language that families share, "Don't
let your father take the pads off the dining
room table" they had been arguing for
years about how to preserve its inlaid sur-
face, my father claiming that a "natural pati-
na" was the only solution.

A little later, having approached the
abyss, she continued, her voice weak and
muffled by the mask, "I want you to have
my mink coat."

In one of our what-shall-we-do-about-

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

the-coat conversations, I proposed to Dad
that we ofter it for a charity auction at the
hospital where my mother had worked after
the youngest ot us had left home. It was,
after all, the money she earned trom that joh
and the sense of entitlement it gave her that
enabled her finally to achieve her dream of
owning a full-length mink coat. Would an
auction bring in zinything like the coat's real
value, Dad and I asked each other, privately
wondering if people would pay money for a
chance to own a dead woman's coat. ( 1 have
since discovered that "preowned" is the
trade euphemism for this circumstance.)

I remember how shocked I was that
steamy summer day when Mom whispered
the price to me in the salon. "Ten thousand
dollars!"

I gasped.

"Shhhhhhh!" she hissed, looking around
uneasily, embarrassed for me as she had
often been. That was August 1984, ten
months after the mastectomy. Now that
unspeakable sum seems a small price to
have paid for the confidence in the future
that purchasing the coat must have given
her. Or was it a kind of bargain with
fate I can't die as long as I've got so much
invested in life?

For a while. Dad and 1 tried to give the
coat to my sister-in-law, wife of my brother
the brain surgeon. Dad had been to a couple
of hospital parties where all the doctors'
wives were swathed in mink and thought
maybe she secretly aspired to the image. But
she turned us down. Though it would fit her
and she has the delicate looks for it, the
mink coat is too heavy a burden, even for a
daughter-in-law.

"Are you sure you don't want it?" Dad
asks me every now and then, but he doesn't
wait for an answer.

Even if there were enough give in the
seams to make the coat several sizes larger,
I'm afraid I would look like some hairy
behemoth in all that black fur.

say ro iiispc

lisncl

"Where would 1 wear it?" 1
this image.

Atlanta winters can be cold enough tor
fur, but people dress down tor the parties 1
attend, bringing their children and carrying
sloppy casseroles up the driveway from cars
bearing the latest environmental slogans.
No one in the family has ex'er seriously
imagined me wearing mother's mink. 1 am
viewed as a sort of an unglamorous sixties
Jane Fonda harsh, strident, a defender of
trendy radical causes.

"You're always mad at someone," Mom
would say, her voice rising to a pitch ot
frustration, "be nice for a change!"

I try to imagine even one situation in
which 1 could unselfconsciously wear a full-
length black willow mink coat.

Like a coat packed away in storage
awaiting its owner, this story about my
mother's mink lay in my drawer for
almost tour years awaiting an ending. Last
month my sister-in-law told mc, that my
dad's housekeeper told her, that he had
given the coat to his girlfriend, a nice widow
who gardens and paints and thinks every-
thing is man,-elous. In mistaken allegiance
to me, my relatives grumble behind Dad's
back about this arrangement, but as 1 sus-
pect Dad knows, I'm glad that the coat will
be worn and enjoyed by someone who
understands it as a coat and not a burden.
I would like to have been able to wear
my mother's mink coat, to have done that
one small thing for her. Instead, 1 read the
books she kept by her bedside and wrote her
name in P.G. Wodehouse, Jane Austen,
E.F. Benson, Barbara Pym remember the
crossword puzzles she taught me with words
like ogee and adit, and write the story she
would have read with care, about the impor-
tance of a mother's mink coat, asc

Cozzuns, associate professor of English,
teaches writing and directs the Women's
Studies Program at Agnes Scott College.

I would like to
have been able
to wear my
mother's mink
coat, to have

done that one
small thing for
her. Instead, I read
the books she
kept at her bedside
and write a story
she would have
read with care.

MOTHERS MINK

MARK SANDUN PHOTO

A PRAYER FOR
CHILDREN

By Ina Jones Hughs '63

We pray for children

who put chocolate fingers everywhere,

who hke to be tickled,

who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants,

who sneak Popsicles before supper,

who erase holes in math workbooks,

who can never find their shoes.

And we pray for those

who stare at photographers from behind barbed wires,

who've never squeaked across the floor in new sneakers,

who never "counted potatoes,"

who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,

who never go to the circus,

who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children

who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,

who sleep with the dog and bury goldfish,

who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,

who cover themselves with Band-Aids and sing off-key,

who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,

who slurp their soup.

And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

LAURA SIKES PMOIO

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We pra^i for children

who spend all their allowances before Tuesday,

who throw tantrums in the grocery store

and who pick at their food,

who like ghost stories,

who shove dirty clothes under the bed

and never rinse out the tub,

who get visits from the tooth fairy,

who don't like to be kissed in front of the car pool,

who squirm in church and scream in the phone,

whose tears we sometimes laugh at

and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those

whose nightmares come in the daytime,

who will eat anything,

who have never seen a dentist,

who aren't spoiled by anybody,

who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,

who live and move, but have no being.

We pray for children

who want to be carried

and for those who must.

For those we never give up on,

and for those who don't get a chance.

For those we smother,

and for those who will grab the hand of anybody

kind enough to offer.

A PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

LAURA 5IKE5 PHOTO

At a time when
violence threatens to
rob youngsters of their
innocence, Agnes Scott
alumnae and students
are working to bring
hope into the chaos.

By Celeste Pennington

Two Waterton, Connecticut,
day-care employees stopped
to check at the apartment
ot a two-year-old girl who had been
absent for two days and could not be
reached by telephone. At the sound
of her teacher's voice, the toddler
greeted them at the front door. The
little girl was covered with blood. The
body of her slain father was on the
kitchen floor. According to one of
the workers, the child had "thrown a
blanket on her father's body" and had kept vigil through the night, sitting in a pool of blood.

From this tragic scene for one child emerges a disquieting paradox for us all: The child, as
English poet William Wordsworth wrote, is the father of the man. We may derive hope in
the care and love this two-year-old child lavished on her parent, notes Agnes Scott College
Psychology Professor Emeritas Miriam K. Drucker. Yet in a world with too many blood-
stained children, the poetic contradiction may also serve as a warning. Childhood and so
our adult world seems to be losing its protective veil.

At-risk children are on the hearts and minds of a number of Agnes Scott students and
alumnae including Eileen Altman '85 who serves as a youth initiatives coordinator for the
Illinois Council for Prevention of Violence. Describing how violence has turned the child's
world upside down, she says, "In Chicago, we hear about parents who put their kids to bed in
the bathtub to protect them from gunfire. Lying in bed can be dangerous."

Even more unfathomable to Altman and to Milling Kinard '62 who is doing post-doctoral
research on child abuse at the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New
Hampshire, are children at risk in the hands of those who should be their first line of defense:
acquaintances and family members. An astonishing number of youngsters are beaten,
maimed, molested and murdered by parents, relatives or babysitters, writes Ronald Henkoff

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

in Fortune magazine. For huni.lreds ot thousands ot children, not even the woinh provides a
sate haven according to Nelba Chave:, administrator ot Substance Abuse and Mental 1 lealth
Services Administration, who reports that more than ^00,000 children have been exposed to
drugs, in utero.

These at-risk children are no longer the anomaly of one or two inner-city neighborhoixls.
At-risk is the way veteran primary school teacher Ginger Westkind '66 describes roughly one-
third to one-halt of the children in each ot the multi-grade classrooms at Pointe South
Elementary, Clayton County, Georgia, where she serves as a special instructional assistant.
"In the past 20 years we have seen so much change. The family structure has changed. We
have 19-year-old parents bringing to school their tive-year-old children; we ha\e more sin-
gle-parent families and fewer extended families. We see children who have been abused. We
see the effects ot parental drug and alcohol use. We see children with de\'elopniental delays.
Since birth, some children have not had a lot of healthy stimulation the television is a baby
sitter. Then there is the influence ot the media. Kids today have seen .so much
more violence."

For years, professionals like Westlund have warned adults to stem the steady stream of
entertainment violence flowing into the home from TV to pop music to video games. The
effects are evident in the increasing number of incidents ot adolescent violence, observes
Drucker "All you have to do is listen to the news." Backed by longitudinal research, the
American Psychological Association's Commission on Youth and Violence warns, "The
images that populate mass media actually have the longest-lasting impact of all contributors
to violence." Meanwhile, more and more youth and children bring violence into their play-
grounds and school rooms. Each day 6,250 teachers are threatened with injury and 260 are
assaulted. Julie Weisberg, assistant professor of education at Agnes Scott, points out the
number of threats and assaults should be placed in the perspective ot the number ot schools,
nationwide. "Of course," she relents, "those numbers should he zero."

In their increasingly violence-charged world, children and youth are becoming perpetra-
tors of heinous crimes. "Children have always fought," admits Mark Rosenberg, director
of the National Center of Injury Prevention for The Centers for Disease Control, who
notes that today children as young as five have been found carrying guns to school, "but now
fights are more likely to be fatal." Laments an editorial writer for Der Spiegel, a German news-
magazine, "When children, the symbol of innocence, commit the severest of crimes, then
something must be going wrong with society."

At the Tenth Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, Chavez
said, "By kindergarten, this generation of children has had enough."

Chavez and Airman, Westlund and Kinard are among a growing number of profession-
als who know that children suffer because, as Chavez says, adults have not taken action "to
keep the social fabric from unraveling. Some people believe we do not have a prayer."

^^-^Hl

"When children,
the symbol of
innocence,
commit the
severest of crimes,
then something
must be going
wrong with
society."

A PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

The children of
West End "want us
to be a constant in
their lives. All
children need love
and when these
youngsters do not
receive it at home,
they need it even
more from us.
Love is what we
try to provide."

By Ashley Wright '96

Leon, 5, seemed to he doing so well, even though we had ohserved his need for
special attention. Then all of a sudden, it seemed, he was uncontrollable. Over the
next few Saturdays, his behavior grew wild and his attitude progressively worse until
M finally we had to send him home. It was not until later that we learned his moth-
^ cr had started taking drugs again. We felt naive, never suspecting that young
Leon's problems ran deeper than unruly behavior.

Drugs, shootings, rapes and murder are a part of life in Atlanta's West End
government housing. In the midst of that turmoil stands West End Baptist
C'hapel. Every Saturday, children of the community flock there to enjoy lessons
and activities. On those mornings, four of my friends from Agnes Scott and I
come together with students from Georgia Tech and Emory to lead a program
called JAM (Jesus And Me). I have been working with the children for almost a
year, but for two or three years other students have spent Saturdays at West End,
offering songs, Bible stories, crafts and games to about 20 rambunctious children.

The children recognize our cars now and some mornings run out to meet us.
Little boys' faces light up with excitement as Tech guys throw them over their
shoulders. Little girls rim over to us and begin playing beauty parlor with our
hair. Little hands reach out to be held and arms reach up for a hug. The children
remember our absence from the week before, and they want to know why. They
want us to be a constant in their lives, it nothing else is. All children need love
and when these youngsters do not receive it at home, they need it even more
from us. Love is what we try to provide with JAM.

We are not so unrealistic to think that a group of college students could
t hange the world, so we think smaller. If we could change even one child's life
and give some hope for a better future, then we feel we have done our job. Each
Saturday is a challenge. It is easy for us to feel discouraged sometimes, as in the
case of Leon. But when a seven-year-old girl hugs my neck and tells me she loves me,
discouragement just melts away and a good feeling that 1 am doing something positive
for children fills its place.

Ina Jones Hughs '63

A couple of times a week, Ina Jones
Hughs '63 gets requests from a wide
range of people for permission to use her "A
Prayer for Children" (pages 18-19). Last
Christmas, Charles Gibson read it on "Good
Morning, America." Marian Wright Edle-
man, president of the Children's Defense
Fund, often quotes it. The prayer was read
during UNlCEF's World Summit for Child-
ren in 1990. And during a presidential cam-
paign sweep through Tennessee, Hillary
Clinton concluded her speech with it.

The idea for the prayer which Hughs
wrote for a newspaper column in The
Charlotte Observer came to her as she was
preparing Thanksgiving dinner and noted
a public television commercial with a
disadvantaged child.

"It made me think the world is divided
basically between two kinds of children, the
ones who are cared for and the ones
brushed aside."

The prayer is included in A Sense of
Human, a collection of her columns pub-
lished by the Knoxville News-Sentinel, and
lends its title to her latest book, A Prayer for
Chiklren, which she signed at ASC in May.

While Hughs, a 22-year veteran award-
winning newspaper columnist, believes that
"A Prayer for Children" is not her best
work, she feels pleased with the thousands
of permission requests that have poured in.
"The thing that encourages me is that we
have a wide-sweeping concern for children.

"Of course," she acknowledges, "words
are the easy part."

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

LAURA SIKES PHOTO

Ellen Granum '62

As educator Ellen Granum '62 and
parishioners of St. Columha's Episcopal
Church (near American University) consid-
ered ways to make a diftetence in Washing-
ton, D.C., through a project that would
involve helping families, they looked closely
at helping inner-city youth.

One parishioner had served on an "I
Have a Dream" project that began in the
late 1980s with a challenge to a class of sev-
enth graders that they finish high school in
exchange for fully paid college tuition. "If
you offered to pay their tuition, the thinking
went, city kids would study hard," the
Washingtonian magazine summed up expec-
tations. But sponsors quickly discovered that
youngsters needed more: a safe place, full
stomachs, help with homework, encourage-
ment, discipline, hope, "someone getting
involved in their lives."

The parishioners considered mentoring
inner-city youth hut as they fleshed out
details, Granum says they made an adjust-
ment. "We decided to start with children
who had not experienced a lot of failure,
who still had positive feelings about them-
selves and the adults in their lives. We
wanted to work with children before they
had developed a lot of anger. That's why we
decided to start with kindergarten."

After careful study and a year to establish
a partnership with urban Truesdell
Elementary School, St. Columha's initiated
a mentoring program with 60 children in
the school's three kindergarten classes.

Granum, whose expertise is early child-

hood education (see Fall '94 ASC Alumnae
Mag.AZINE, page 2), volunteers as one of two
mentors assigned each day to each of the
three classrooms.

Another component of the program is
developing relationships, family to family.
Every other Saturday, a St. Columha's bus
gathers up Truesdell kmdergartners, their
siblings and parents who connect with vol-
unteer adults and their children at church
for breakfast and lunch, games, music and
three theme-related projects (science, art
and cooking). One Saturday featured fish-
children found out how fish swim, they
made colorful prints with fish and baked
trout-shaped cookies. The program offers an
enriching environment "an alternative to
television," says Granum and it encourages
the parents who want to provide healthy
experiences for their children.

To highlight Saturday programs and to
provide an update on classwork, St.
Columha's also publishes a weekly newslet-
ter for parents, Truesdell Elementary School
Kindergarten News.

"When children have violence in their
lives, they don't learn to tmst," notes
Granum who along with others at St.
Columha's is listening, learning and forming
friendships. "We are treading lightly."

St. Columha's bold commitment is to
mentor these same children for the next 1 2
years through their high school gradua-
tion. The church has also begun a college
trust fund for the children. Says Granum,
"Our purpose is to fill a vacuum with hope."

"We wanted
to work with
children before
they had
developed a lot
of anger. That's
why we decided
to start with
kindergarten."

A PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

"When people
read this story,
they seem to have
a moment of
feeling very safe."

Mami Amall Broach McGee '65

Kids are tough. I am shy. So when I talk
to children, 1 get someone to go with
me someone whose Up does not tremble,"
explains soft-spoken Marni Arnall Broach
McGee '65 of Santa Barbara, California.
That someone is her alter ego, puppet Earl.

Years before the puppet and his friend,
McGee, accepted speaking invitations, she
was absorbed in the solitary task of writing
for children. Between the time McGee sent

/71 her third hi)ok, Forest
Child, ASC ahimna Marni
McGee hm crafted a story
that, hkc all books, "has a life
of its oun and, somehow, [it
seems] more than most."

Reprinted by permissit

1 ol Green Tiger Press

her first manti-
script to
Athenaeum ani.1
received her very
first acceptance
letter 15 years
later from
Athenaeum, she
admits having
developed an
appreciation for
the nuances of
rejection. A form postcard from publishers is
the worst, then a form letter (unless it
includes a hand-scrawled note at the bot-
tom, like "keep on trying" or "send us
more"). "When you get a personal letter of
rejection," says McGee, "you are tempted to
celebrate."

She jokes that her first book. The Quiet
Farmer, published by Athenaeum, took 45
years to write. It is based on experience:
McGee padding behind her grandfather on
his farm in LaGrange, Georgia. "He was a
very gentle man who seemed to give a lov-
ing blessing to the world around him. 1

learned through my grandfather how a per-
son can speak without words."

Her next book, Diego Columbus:
Adventures in the High Seas, published by
Revell, was picked up by the Weekly Reader
Home Book Club and has sold 55,000
copies. This carefully researched historical
fiction for 7- to 13-year olds explores the
relationship between Christopher Columbus
and son Diego. "My premise: if 1 were a 12-
year-old child of Columbus, what would I
want.' To be with my father. But a good
father would have to say, absolutely no.
Diego's mother died in 1485. 1 have a scene
early in the book in which Diego says, '1 will
be with you when you go.' That is historical.
Columbus answers, 'I loved your mother and
I lost her. How could I risk losing you?' "

McGee wrote the first draft of what she
calls her miracle book, Forest Child, in just a
matter of hours. Her writing was an intense
response to learning about children in crisis.

"The words,"
says McGee,
"seemed to flow
from my fingers
as tears had
flowed from my
eyes." Three
weeks after
receiving the
manuscript, her
agent sold
Forest Child to
Green Tiger
Press, a divi-
sion of Simon
& Schuster.
Six weeks

Copyrighl',' Ivy4 .^^j.^^. ^.J^^ f^^^^

printing, the book sold out. "When people
read this story," says McGee, "they seem to
have a moment of feeling very sate."

Forest Child is a mystical story of animals
that help a boy who ventures into the
woods. Late last year, the book provided the
basis for a prcigram for 550 children in
Winston-Salem who listened to the story,
then made themselves masks patterned after
the characters. More recently, a woman
composer set the words to music to be per-
formed in a ballet for children in Houston
this spring. "Books do have a life of their
own," says McGee, "and this one, somehow,
more than most."

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

E. Milling Kinard '62

That abuse and family violence takes
its toll on the child is no question for
E. Milling Kinard, Ph.D., a post-doctoral
research fellow at the Family Research
Laboratory (FRL) at the University of New
Hampshire in Durham, a pioneer in research
on the effects of family violence. Earlier
Kinard conducted a large-scale study ot
behavior and school performance of abused
children at the New England Research
Institute in Watertown, Mass.

Kinard's research includes mother-
teacher assessments of behavior problems in
abused children, assessment ot social support
for abused children and their mothers and
the academic performance in abused
children. "Both mothers and teachers rated
abused children as having more behavioral
problems than non-abused children,"
she says.

From a sample ot 165 abused children
and their mothers and a matched compari-
son group ot 1 69 nonabused children and
their mothers (interviewed twice, with the
inter\'iews coming a year apart), Kinard
tound that abuse significantly predicted
lower achievement test scores.

Abused children were also more likely
than non-abused children to have lower
grades in academic subjects, placement in
special education programs, retention in
grade, more days ot absence and generally
more problems in school.

Kinard points out that resources to serve
abused children are otten limited.

She deplores insufficient or abusive foster
care and the reluctance of the court to
sever abusive parent/child ties in favor of
adoption. "I have often thought that the
system should not let children languish tor
years in foster care waiting for something
good to happen to their families. It parents
are not changing or not meeting the goals, it
is time tor the child to be adopted. The
child needs a family."

Kinard, who has conducted research on
children and abused children for 20 years,
also sees the toll that child abuse research
takes on her large team of research assistants
and interviewers. "They think about these
child abuse cases when they get home," she
reports. "They dream about them.

"I have learned that the research team
needs support. It helps them to talk over
what they are finding."

Eileen Altman '85

Counseling adolescent survivors of gun-
shot injury was among the duties Eileen
Altman '85 had during a year-long intern-
ship at Chicago's Cook County Hospital.

One of those sessions changed Altman.
In the midst of counseling, a young man
said, point blank: "You know 1 am going to
die. 1 know 1 am going to die. Lady, why are
you bothering with me anyway?"

This is evil, Altman remembers thinking.
What have we done as a society so that this
young man has no hope ?

In 1994, after completing her doctorate,
Altman joined the Illinois Council tor the
Prevention of Violence, where she serves as
youth initiatives coordinator and manages
"Peacing It Together," a violence preven-
tion project for Illinois schools.

Altman taps school programs statewide
and helps recommend resources for violence
prevention. She addresses faculty and parent
groups and organizes regional forums for
Youth Violence Prevention.

She also helps draft state legislation that
promotes inter-agency cooperation and gives
"every agency a piece of the pie."

To care tor children at risk, Altman
advises each community to define "what we
can do, together" to curb violence.

The roots of violence are in the home, so
Altman suggests that parents model conflict
resolution and screen media violence and
"stop violence before it starts." Her programs
that teach violence prevention are "really
fun for kids," says Altman, and good tot
adults. "They learn to exercise a different
kind of power."

Eiken Altman fieip.s draji
legislation for violence
prevention. She speaLs
regularly to parent gr<mps ,
urging them to "stop vio-
lence before it starts."

Altman believes
parents are a key
to stopping
violence before it
starts. But many
parents don't
realize they are the
problem, rather
than the solution.

A PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

McGough ranks
what happens
to the next
generation of
children as "the
most important"
social concern.

Law Professor Lucy
McGough found child aitd
family concerns were
'\vhat mattered most."

Lucy Schow McGough '62

housands of children take the witness
stand each day in communities across

the country, drawn into legal controversies
ranging from criminal prosecutions to
dependency/ahuse proceedings.

Otten the court struggles with how
to discern the reliability of children as
witnesses: Is a child more disposed to fantasy
or memory 'fade than an adult? The court
also struggles with certain applications of
the law. The Constitution provides for the
accused to confront the accuser. Is this
effective or is there potential for further
abuse when the accuser is a child?

Lucy Schow McGough '62, a specialist in
family law and Vinson and Elkins Professor
of Law at Louisiana State University, has
explored the vulnerabilities of children in
the American adversarial legal system in
Child Witnesses: Fragile Voices in the
American Legal System, published last year by
Yale University Press.

The book offers a striking transdiscipli-
nary discussion of legal processes and rules
of evidence and of social science's assess-
ment of the developmental skills and poten-
tial reliability of children as witnesses.
McGough notes significant efforts for reform
and proposes statutes like recollection-
recorded videotapes of children's statements
to ensure reliability of the testimony.

McGough ranks what happens to the
next generation of children as "the most
important" social concern. Yet as she accu-
mulated data for Child Witnesses, she began
to realize that issues related to childhood
development were underexplored.

"Women have always led the way in this
area, but it took a while for my generation
to see this as the cutting edge. When I grad-
uated from Agnes Scott, children and family
issues seemed to be more traditional con-
cerns for women," says McGough, "but in
truth, it turned out to be what mattered
most to me."

Child Witnesses has been nominated for
the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the
Gavel Award ot the American Bar Asso-
ciation and The Order of Coif of the
Association ot American Law Schools.
McGough has also written Benchbook for
Louisiana Juvenile Court judges.

Ginger Westlund '66

Ginger Westlund wears a gold pin
formed from the words "Children
First." Children and their ability to learn are
the focus of education at Pointe South
Elementary School, a Georgia School of
Excellence in Riverdale, near Atlanta.

Children First also frames Westlund's
philosophy honed over 20 years in primary
education. "Every child can learn, even a
child with a multitude of problems," insists
Westlund, now a special instructional assis-
tant who identifies at-risk children in the
school's lower grades.

Westlund helped Pointe South set up
multi-age classrooms for children in kinder-
garten through grade two with 10 at-risk
youngsters integrated into each class. All
children are exposed to the concepts only
second graders are expected to master. The
second graders become role models of
behavior and learning for the rest.

Learning-rich is how teachers describe
the environment. "The room is a teacher,"
says Westlund. Children's art and creative
work cover the walls. In different learning
centers are Lego letters for spelling, a com-
puter, saw, hammer, nails and 2x4s, an over-
head projector that the children can oper-
ate, artist easels, blocks, measuring cups and
spoons. Each room also has shelves of books.

"These children are not just reading bor-
ing little stories," notes Pointe South
Principal Judy Robinson. "They are reading
about history and insects and aircraft. They

AGNES SCXHT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

PAUL OeREGON PH,

Her ''Cat'in-thc-Hat' students are the reasons for Ginger Westlund's Children First motto.

study about space, dinosauts, toys a
Georgia Tech student of robotics brought a
robot for them to examine."

Children appear to interact without def-
erence to age. Westlund calls these class-
rooms a true, heterogeneous group: multi-
ethnic, young and old, middle-class and
impoverished, at-risk and gifted.

Westlund's job is not only to identify' all
of the at-risk youngsters, but also to assess
each child's progress.

A crucial component of the Special
Instructional Assistance (SIA) program is
parent education. Teachers at Pointe South
confer with parents on a regular basis. But
Westlund believes that to be effective, the
intervention must reach children before
they enter kindergarten.

An early intervention program in 19
schools in Clayton County teaches parents
of four-year-olds about everything from
nutrition to age-appropriate games, from
toys to reading. "Parents sign a promise that
they will come to these meetings if they
miss without an excuse the child is dropped.
So far, I believe only one child has been
dropped from the program. It is so strong.

we have parents of children who are not at
risk who also want to be part of it."

Children in the early intervention pro-
gram, for instance, keep a nightly reading
log which the parent signs. "We just want to
plant the seed, you need to read to this
child from birth."

Poverty is a primary factor in children at
risk. "We have our eyes open for the child
who is without a coat or who is not fed, for
the child who is being abused," says
Weslund who also notes at-risk children
come from wealthy homes ottering little
interaction between parent and child.

"In my more than 20 years of teaching, I
have seen an increase of learning disabilities
and behavior disorders. We have children
coming in who are emotionally battered,
who seem to act without conscience, who
are hyperactive, who have been affected by
fetal alcohol syndrome and drugs, who are
totally out of control. We in education are
doing what we can to help these children."

Children First is a pin Westlund might
like to stick in every parent's lapel. "We try
to let parents know that they are the most
important teacher in their child's life." as

"Every child can
learn, even a child
with a multitude
of problems,"
believes Westlund.

A PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

In a violent world,
walking the path
of nonviolence
may be costly
as the lives
of Jesus Christ,
Gandhi and
Martin Luther
King Jr. prove. It
is a path for the
courageous and
strong-willed.

TEACHING NONVIOLENCE
IN A VIOLENT WORLD

A Gandhian View

By Plamthodathil S. Jacob

In spite of the rapid progress that human-
kind has made in science and technology,
we are living in a far more violent world.
Through progress, we have sought to control
the material world, but we have failed to con-
trol our inner selves.

Mahatma Gandhi, an apostle of nonvio-
lence (ahimsa), understood that nonviolence
should and could be practiced in a violent
world. He also found that nonviolence
could become a successful political strategy
which he used against the British Empire at
the zenith of its universal power.

The Gandhian concept of nonviolence
requires a gradual process of self-purification
through self-restraint. It is based on
Gandhi's embrace of Truth (satya) as the
ultimate reality and on the practice of absti-
nence from greed and covetousness. He
believed that only through inner control
that thwarts the persistent driving force of
human wants and through an unfailing
commitment to hold to truth (satyagraha)
will the individual grow fit for the practice
of nonviolence.

Gandhi emphasized that nonviolence is
not a characteristic of the weak and it can-
not be accomplished without one's building
a reservoir ot spiritual strength. To practice
nonviolence, he knew, requires inexhaus-
tible inner strength.

A Gandhian view ofters these guidelines
for moving toward a life of nonviolence:

Cultivate the inner strength

Gandhi found that religious faith and
faith in the goodness of humanity gave him
courage and confidence, his own building
blocks of inner strength. Such faith brought
him a calmness, a peacefulness of mind, a
sense of tranquillity.

To cultivate inner strength, one should
set aside a time for meditation and the prac-
tice of sending out mental "love waves"
to individuals, incidents and activity of a
violent nature.

One should practice simple acts of
courage and faith within the family, school
and workplace. At first, such an exercise
may leave one feeling exhausted and weak.

Gandhi also suggested the daily practice
of certain simple tasks associated with self-
discipline. He arose early, read inspiration
material, engaged in meditational prayer and
learned to control his wants. He encouraged
each person to modify and work out little
acts of daily discipline.

Cure the sickness of your own soul
The South Asian concept of God as
Truth, Goodness and Beauty (satyam, sivam
and sundaram) serves as a reminder of the
need for those qualities within every soul.
Violence reflects a lack of those qualities
and confirms a sickness within the soul. The
practice of nonviolence is impossible for a
person with such a sickness.

Violence destroys the inner being and it
destroys the individual, the group and the
environment. Getting rid of violence
restores creation as it was first visualized by
the creator. Purging violence occurs as one
works through daily spiritual exercises.

Strengthen your faith
in the goodness of others

The practice of nonviolence is based on
the assumption that God has placed the
potential for nonviolence in all human
beings, including those who are violent.
Gandhi believed that only those who have
such faith and who make that appeal (even
in a violent world) will have the potential
for awakening the quality in others.

Some appeals for nonviolence may fall on
deaf ears. But even then, one must sustain
the hope and belief that the deaf will learn
the sign language of nonviolence and will be
won over by its message.

Be ready to pay the price

In a violent world, walking the path of

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

ART LASSEK PHOTO

!vS^^

r,,l^ ^^

\^^

^ii^-

VlamxhoixxthA S. Jacob seri'es oi a {)art'ti)Ti(; pro/esior 0/ Bible aiid religion at Ag7'ies "iicoxx College
and visiting professor of philosophy and religion at Emory University.

nonviolence may prove costly; it is a path
for the courageous and strong-willed.
Apostles of nonviolence Jesus Christ,
Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. became
victims of violence. Suffering and setbacks,
even death, may be encountered. Gandhi
visualized that a cadre of volunteers in every
society would, out of conviction, take the
risks. From their selfless service to the cause
would grow the message of nonviolence.

Establish a perfectly balanced mind

An agitated mind is unstable and poten-
tially violent. Gandhi used prayer, fasting,
meditation and holding firmly to truth as a
way to fortify his mind with peacefulness.

The state of the balanced mind must be
like a firm rock, insisting, "I will not be
moved." The Indian philosophical term is
sthithaprajna which in this context may be
translated "unshakable, immovable wis-
dom." The intimidating posture of violence
will be unable to disturb such an outlook.

One must remember that practicing non-
violence in a violent world is no ordinary
task. It requires great soul-force.

Even the person who is not ready to
become an apostle of nonviolence may
wish to participate in nonviolent work.
Here are several things I suggest:

^ Organize a voluntary corps or cell of
nonviolence in your family, neighborhood,
school campus, church or city. Do not
expect to attract a large group. Even two or
three are enough for a good beginning.
Personal interaction is a key, so if you do

find a large number of people interested in
nonviolence, divide them into small groups.
Each group should make every effort to
understand the urgency of the message, the
challenges and opportunities for its practice.
Practicing nonviolence, discipline, self-study
and meditation should be the objective.

t/ Project nonviolence as a viable answer
to violence. Gandhi advised his Christian
friends to practice the directives of the
Sermon on the Mount. He believed that
walking the second mile or turning the other
cheek both teachings of Jesus Christ
offered clear examples of reconciling acts in
a violent world.

*^ Identify specific acts of violence in
your immediate area. The news media cover
the most sensational violent acts but neglect
others. Remember that heinous acts often
build on the ordinary acts of violence.

^ Address existing violence by develop-
ing a suitable program of reconciliation or
peacemaking. Programs begun at local levels
may become state, national even interna-
tional programs of nonviolence.

Leaders in our pluralistic, modem world
have succeeded in reducing the prolifera-
tion of nuclear weapons. Yet persisting
violent practices affect all earthly life, from
insects to plants, animals and humankind. The
acceptance of violence at any level as an ordi-
nary expression of human nature sets the stage
for a wider world of violence.

Beginning with one's inner self, let each
individual become an immovable force for
reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. Ase

The acceptance
of violence at
any level as an
ordinary expres-
sion of human
nature sets the
stage for a wider
world of violence.

A PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

ASC WORLD WIDE
WEB CONNECTIONS

By Audrey Arthur

Illustration by Richard Hicks

ASC students
now have access
to the sounds and
sights of distant
places, thanks to a
College link with
"the Web." And
teachers are weav-
ing the Web into
their curriculum.

Imagine being able to see the Egyptian
pyramids along the banks ot the Nile, or
dropping in on an exhibit at the Louvre
without packing a suitcase.

Virtual travel is now possible at Agnes
Scott, using a new passport, World Wide
Web (WWW or Web).

Through the Web, student users may sit
down at a computer, link up with Internet
a network of computer networks and by
pointing and clicking a pointer on pictures
or text, access not only text but also sounds,
sophisticated graphics and video clips com-
municated by computers in far-flung desti-
nations. Virtual visitors from cyberspace
may drop in on the Agnes Scott campus
Web document as well.

"The Web is the latest way to navigate
the Internet," explains Tom Maier, director
of information technology services. "There
is tremendous potential to use it internally
and externally." Publishing College research
or magazines that include text and graphics,
joining international discussion groups,
observing virtual surgery or exploring the
world's libraries and museums may be done
with the click of a computer mouse.

The Web document is referred to as a
page, and is organized similar to a page
in a book.

Internet Lingo

BBS: Bulletin Board System that offers
a range of goods and services such as
electronic mail, games and live chat.

Flaming: Electronic insults

Lurking: Reading a forum or confer-
ence conversation to be sure your
comments are relevant.

Netsurfer: Person who visits different
areas ot the Internet.

Usenet: Collection of discussion groups
on a specific subject.

Agnes Scott is in the proces of develop-
ing its own Web home page (like a table of
contents), accessed through the campus
network ScottLan. ASC's home page will
provide linkage to information regarding
admission, the Office of Technology
Services, alumnae affairs, public relations
and the McCain Library catalog.

Larry Riddle, associate professor of math-
ematics, and Alberto Sadun, associate pro-
fessor of physics/astronomy, have incorpo-
rated the Web into their curriculum.

Riddle's linear algebra class is compiling
biographies ot female mathematicians that
may be accessed through the menu in the
departmental Web page.

"Usually, only individual faculty mem-
bers read student assignments, but with this
project, thousands of people from all over
the world will read the students' work,"
says Riddle.

"This is a way of promoting women in
mathematics, and letting others, particularly
girls in high school, know about the contri-
butions women have made in mathematics,"
says Riddle who notes that while mathe-
matician biographies are available on the
Web, Agnes Scott's project offers a focus on
the contributions M of women.

Sadun's students are
conducting a
study of ;
astronomy
resources
available
around the
world. The
data and
graphics
gathered
from their
research
will eventu-
ally be placed
on Agnes
Scott's

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SLfMMER 1995

home page.
__j Maier points
/pil out that one
v/\. /v A^W advantage for the

^^^V^^^^ College is that educa-
tional institutions do not pay
for Weh software; there is minimal cost to
install the Weh and the College already
pays a flat tee for access to Internet and has
completed an upgrade that mcreased the
Internet connection speed 30-told.

"We received good support from the
institution and trustees and as a result have

made progress rapidly," he ohserves. "We
were well hehind most institutions in
terms of our technical capabilities. Agnes
Scott is now close to the leading edge, hut,
it's never over. . . . There has to he a
continued commitment to stay current
because hiternet and the Weh are such fast
developing areas."

Those with an Internet account and
access to a browser such as Mosaic or
NetScape may reach Agnes Scott's develop-
ing World Wide Web home page at:

HTTP:www. scottlan.edu asc

The Endeavor Link

Son of ASC s Information Technology Services director questions

From his father's office
in Agnes Scott's
Information Tech-
nology Services, young
Thomas Maier Jr. located
the World Wide Web site
set up for NASA's Space
Shuttle Endeavor mission
in March and submitted a
question for the crew.

Thomas likes to wake
up in time to watch each
space shuttle lift off, so he
asked: "Why is blast off
scheduled for 2 a.m.? That
is well past my bed-time. I
am 9 years old."

Out of curiosity, the
next day Tom Maier, direc-
tor of information techno-
ogy services, checked the
computer for a NASA
response and found nothing.

However, a few days
later the Maier family got a
call NBC-TV wanted an
interview with TTiomas

NASA had chosen his
question, and an astronaut
had answered it, in-flight.
That evening, father and
son went to the ASC office
and Thomas logged onto
the Web. First he checked
NASA's responses to ques-
tions for the day. Next
Thomas selected responses
from the crew where he
found his name in "big let-
ters" along with a digitized
audio clip from space.

Astronaut Tamara Jer-
nigan read Thomas' ques-
tion, then explained that
NASA had decided on an
earlier than normal lift off
to avoid a magnetic field
that would have interfered
with their view of stars and
quasars located near the
edge of the universe.

"Nice . . . and scary," is
how Thomas describes his
idea of being an astronaut

astronaut in space

and exploring the universe

for himself one day.

Interviews with Thomas
were aired on NBC
Nightly News with Tom
Brokaw and on Atlanta's
WSB radio. Unfazed is how
Maier describes his son's
reaction both to the media
attention and his computer
linkup with the Endeavor
crew. On the other hand,
Maier expressed consider-
able pleasure. "I was glad,"
he says, "to see that
Thomas was willing to ask
questions and not to be
reserved about it."

TTiomas first learned
about the change in lift-off
schedule during an open
house at ASC's Bradley
Observatory. The 151^-day
Astro-2 space voyage was
dedicated to astronomy
with the astronauts peering
deep into space.

"Agnes Scott
is now close to
the leading edge
in computer
communications
technology, but,
it's never over. . .

ASC WEB CONNECTIONS

LIFESTYLES

Healers exploring the ancient arts; clergy married to clergy; and
therapeutic horseback riding for youngsters with disabilities

JOURNEYS

TOWARD

HEALING

Acupuncturist Marijke
de Vries '56 and
nurse therapist
Anneke Corhett '63

Sisters, they journeyed
west from the
Netherlands to the United
States and to Agnes
Scott College. Eventually
they settled on opposite
ends of the United States,
where both practice
ancient Eastern medicine.

Graduate school, mar-
riage and then children
followed both Marijke
Schepman de Vries' and
Anneke Schepman
Corbett's graduation.

De Vries '56 was a stay-
at-home mother in New
Jersey for 14 years before
returning to school and
earning a graduate degree
in biochemistry. Then five
years into her new career
as a research chemist, she
broke her neck in a car
crash. Hospitalized tor two
months and unable to
work tor three-and-a-half
more, she visited an
acupuncturist. After one
treatment, she regained
use of the pectoral muscle,
which connects the top of

l<il'lll:itiii|i

Marijke de Vries fauiul a career
acupunenire treatments for pain

the arm to the breast.

Five treatments later,
de Vries felt better but,
she says, "being a scientist
I didn't believe my feel-
ings." Within two years of
the car accident which
crushed the fifth vertebra
in her neck, de Vries was
free of pain, rid ot pills,
done with muscle relaxers
and studying acupuncture.

By the early 1980s, she
was working as a bio-
chemist and volunteering
on weekends as an acu-
puncturist at a physician-
supervised clinic in the
South Bronx. De Vries
says with acupuncture she

in acupuncture after recenin"
resulting from a car ureck.

is able to help dimmish a
patient's obesity and high
blood pressure or to detox
drug addicts.

"I decided maybe the
car accident had to do
with my not choosing to
be a researcher, but getting
into healthcare, which I
had dreamed of since I was
six years old."

After further studies
and a degree in acupunc-
ture, de Vries moved to
Albuquerque where she
has a private practice. Her
patients "run the gamut"
from women who are able
to avoid hysterectomies
to people relieved of

migraines, to homeless
recovering drug addicts at
the half-way house.

De Vries explains that
detoxification via acu-
puncture is simple to per-
form and more effective
than the usual treatments.
Up to 75 percent of the
patients who receive the
acupuncture administered
via five needles in their
ear, do not relapse.

"Acupuncture is a
medium that sends energy
to the organs to strengthen
them," she says. It comple-
ments Western medicine.
"As long as we've termed
it alternative medicine, we
put an either/or perspec-
tive on things. I wouldn't
he here if not for western
medicine," she says refer-
ring to her near-fatal car
crash.

Anneke Schepman
Corhett '63 agrees with
her sister and borrows
from Eastern and Western
medical thought in her
work as a registered nurse
and massage therapist.
Whereas deVries practices
the Chinese art of acu-
puncture, Corhett uses the
Japanese version: Shiatsu,
a massage technique per-
formed without needles.

A single parent ot two

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER /99-(

LIFESTYLE

children, she became a
nurse 10 years ago as "a
step out of a lower wage
scale." Inspired by her sis-
ter, she began studying
Chinese medicine where
she lives in North Hamp-
ton, Mass. Later, she
switched to the Japanense
art. After three years of
study and a degree, she
opened a part-time Shiatsu
practice and continues
part time as a nurse.

Recently she wrote a
grant proposal to practice
the technique at the hos-
pital, where she is a
favorite of coworkers.
"Hospitals are so stressful;
people get headaches. I
work with a lot ot nurses
who appreciate that a five-
minute back rub can alle-
viate stress symptoms."

Corhett takes pride that
amid nursing routines she
can comfort a distressed
cancer patient or ease the
muscle tension ot a person
recovering from surgery.

"1 find Shiatsu incredi-
bly gratifying. It's an art as
well as a science," she says.
"It's poetic. I have pictures
in my mind of what will
happen to the part ot the
body I am working on."
The ASC art major whose
medium was sculpture
admits, "Shiatsu fulfills
me in a way art fulfilled
but in a richer more
experiential way."

CLERGY

MARRIED

CLERGY

Ministers Mary Boyd
Sugg Click '73, Dusty
Kenyan Fiedler '70
and Ann Fitzgerald
Aichinger '85

Two-career couples typ-
ically juggle work
schedules, extra-curricular
activities and day care.
Three Scotties have added
another dynamic to the
modem marriage. Mary
Boyd "Tig" Sugg Click '73,
Dusty Kenyon Fiedler '70
and Ann Fitzgerald
Aichinger '85 are ministers
married to ministers.

All three Presbyterian
clergy note advantages and
disadvantages to their
marriages' shared profes-
sion. "We both had to
wrestle with it before we
married," says Ann
Aichinger of her relation-
ship with husband Frank, a
church pastor in Fort
Myers, Fla. "What did it
mean for our lives, tor the
future, for our future chil-
dren? How do two people
discern God's calling?"

Aichinger attended
Princeton Seminary and
was a minister for two-
and-a-half years then
began further graduate
work at Columbia
Seminary where she met
her future husband.

Seminary is a breeding
ground tor romance,
she jests.

Their tirst try at a
same-profession mar-
riage found them each
with a church
Aichinger with a 65-
mile commute. She
characterizes the
arrangement as "extra
stress." More compati-
ble, they've found, is her
position as a youth min-
istry consultant with a
Presbytery ot the sur-
rounding 250-mile
region that includes 40
churches. She is also a
parish associate at her
husband's church. She
says the honorary title
recognizes her as "Rev.
Ann Aichinger," a min-
ister also versus being
"the preacher's wife."

The couple ccintinu-
ally reflects on their
dual calling, mindtul
that one spouse's min-
istry doesn't take prece-
dence over the other's.
Give and take on a daily
basis means, among
other things, Frank
cooks dinner on days
when Aichinger comes
home only to leave
again for a nighttime
meeting. On other
nights, she wears the
chefs hat.

"We protect our-
selves. We need time for

rctrohmcnr. We go to the
beach e\'ery Friday to be
with each other m nature,
to have solitude and be in
the presence of God."

Click met her husband,
Jay, at Richmond's Union
Theological Seminary. He
is pastor of a church in
Springtield, Va.; she is
interim pastor with a pos-
sible permanent position.

Click used to think
their same-career marriage
was unusual, but learned
that other couples holding
full-time jobs have the
same demands ot carpool-
ing, meeting children's
schedules, et cetera. "It is
as unique as two lawyers or
two doctors married to
each other which is still
rare," she admits.

"What is diffetent is
night meetings when you
have children. There must
be someone covering
home base." Click worked
part time when her chil-
dren, now 10 and 12, were
younger.

"The advantage of our
both being ministers is
that we can share on a
meaningful level what
each other's going
through. The joys and
frustrations. We can be
more understanding."

It's easier to balance
home life, she has found,
when one spouse has a
smaller church and the

LIFESTYLE

other, a larger one. They
both encourage their con-
gregations to have lots of
meals. The more meals,
the more their congrega-
tions will see the entire
Click family and
neither minister will have
to cook.

Clemmons Presbyterian
Church, Clemmons, N.C.,
is the second church that
Fiedler and husband Bob
have served as co-pastors.
Both work part time, or
as she explains, two-
thirds time.

After seminary both
served different churches
and decided against the
arrangement. When their
second child was bom,
they moved to another
church and became co-
pastors. Working as a
team, life became a little
simpler when, for exam-
ple, a child became sick
on Saturday night. And
the "relentless return of
the Sunday" is a little less
relentless since they alter-
nate preaching each week.

In addition to sharing
ministerial duties, the
Fiedlers are "equally par-
enting" their children,
ages 10 and 13. Both min-
isters work at their church
in the mornings, hiring
childcare during summer
mornings. Each parent
takes turns meeting their
children when the school

The Rev. Mary Sugg Click:
The advantage of husband
and wife "both being minis-
ters is that we can share
on a meaningjul level."

bus arrives and spending
the afternoon at home.
"I'm grateful my hus-
band was willing to do this
equally," says Fiedler. " It
says a lot."

HORSE

SENSE

Riding therapist Irene
Knox Brock '68

Irene Knox Brock has two
passions: horses and chil-
dren. As a dedicated volun-
teer, she fulfills her need
for both.

Brock teaches thera-
peutic riding to children
with disabilities. Seventy
percent of her juvenile
pupils she also teaches
adults once a week are
confined to wheelchairs,
many due to multiple scle-

rosis, cerebral palsy or
head injury. "Children in
wheelchairs have no sense
of freedom or mobility,"
she explains. "This thera-
py opens a whole world of
sensations to them."

Often students, includ-
ing adults, begin riding
"like a sack of potatoes."
Gradually posture changes
as riding exercises the stu-
dent's trunk. Unlike tradi-
tional physical therapy,
the therapeutic riding
works all ot the muscles.

During a typical ses-
sion, the student is helped
up on the horse with a
walker on either side, and
four volunteers assisting.
The walking motion of
the horse moves the pupil
from side to side, back-
ward and forward. In the
process of reaching for the
reins or stroking the
horse's mane, the student
also bends at the waist and
stretches both call and
foot muscles.

Other exercises include
two children atop horses
tossing a ball to one
another or performing a
number of movements
designed to strengthen
hand and eye coordina-
tion. Children are also
taught colors. "It's tactile,
mental and emotional
stimulation. It's physical
and fun," says Brock. "You
would not believe the

number of things we come
up with in using the
horses. We look so stupid
out there," jokes Brock,
who breeds and trains
championship horses.

Many children with
disabilities never learned
to crawl, which many edu-
cators believe is essential
for developing language.
Brock, a psychology major
at Agnes Scott who taught
at the University of
Virginia in Charlottes-
ville, participated in an
experimental program in
which researchers discov-
ered a horse could be
trained to walk a four-beat
gait in the same pattern
an infant learns to crawl.

Often physicians warn
parents that children who
cannot crawl will never
talk. To her pleasure.
Brock has heard some of
these same children in rid-
ing therapy excitedly say a
horse's name as his or her
first word.

Brock lives in Roanoke,
Va., with husband Tom, a
General Electric Company
vice president. His job
transfers (every tour years)
have enabled her to assist
the National TTierapeutic
Riding Association and
other similar programs in
several Eastern cities, uc

Leisa Hammet-Goad is

a freelance writer based in
ISlashville, Tenn.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER /995

CLASSIC

eUi!^5K

The Presser dogwood is alive and well . . . at least in alumnae memories.

I read with a pang the
article in the tall
Alumnae Magazine
about the Presser Dogwood
and its nearing end. One of
my fondest memories of my
time at Agnes Scott is
borne by that tree.

The spring day had
been hot, and the concert
of medieval music by the
New York Pro Musica
scheduled for the evening
promised to be well-
attended. In the days
before air conditioning in
Presser Hall (this was, I
think, in the spring of
1968 or 1969), all that
could be done was to open
the windows of Gaines
Auditorium and hope for
a breeze. Nine hundred
warm bodies on a warm
evening were going to get
warm indeed!

My friends Elizabeth
Jones 71 and Tricia
Johnston 72 and 1 were
determined to get the best
seats we could for the con-
cert, so we arrived about
6:30. The windows were
open already, but the
breeze was barely there,
high above our heads, on
the first or second row.
People came in. The room
grew warmer. The concert
began with its timeless
music and we forgot the

This spring, a neiv dugivuud is planted near the aging Presser Dogwooc

heat, for a while. By inter-
mission time, it was nearly
miserable. We looked at
the windows, dark now
after the late twilight of
spring, and saw the dog-
wood blossoms nodding
slightly in the barely-mov-
ing air. The tree!

Abandoning our pre-
cious seats, we went out-
side into the cooling air
and climbed up into the
dogwood's branches. We
couldn't climb high
enough to see the stage,
but we found perches and
settled in. The second half
of the concert was a dream
of time suspended: music
hundreds of years old, the
strong arms of the old tree,
the quadrangle's lamplight
filtered through the big
white flowers, the com-

panionship of close
friends.

I'm not sure life offers
much that is sweeter. I
shall miss the old tree.

The Rev. Mollie
Douglas Pollitt 70

Clarksville, Ga.

Poetic Inspiration

It occurred to me that it
might be of interest to
you for Arbor Day that the
Presser dogwood inspired
the imagery in two love
poems I wrote as an
English and music student.
As a West Texas girl, I
was overwhelmed by the
beauty of our campus in
the spring.

"... a highlight [of my
working life] was being
garden editor of House &

Garden, a career that may
have grown out of my first
dazzling spring in Georgia,
1945. The Presser dog-
wood seemed big to us
even then.

Marybeth Little

Weston Lobdell, '48

Armonk, N.Y.

A Resting Place

I remember the first time I
read about how the tree
was saved from being cut
down. My admiration for
Agnes Scott College
immediately soared higher!
There were times espe-
cially during exam week
when our brains were so
tired! My roommate,
Wendy Boatwright, and I
would climb up in that
tree and just rest.

35_

CLASSIC

It really helped.

Once I was "stir crazy"
from sitting in a room
and memorizing lines
of Shakespeare for
Dr. George Hayes' class.
But it helped my nerves to
go sit in the tree.

One night Wendy and I
found out that one of our
favorite upperclassmen was
out walking with her date
and heading in the direc-
tion of the tree. So we ran
and got up in there just in
time to see him kiss her!
She found out ahout it,
and of course she was furi-
ous with us!

After 1 graduated and
got married, 1 lived in
Atlanta for two years.
When spring came 1 knew
1 had to go see the tree. So
we packed a picnic lunch
and took our little boy and
a quilt, and we had a
wonderful afternoon beside
the tree.

Many years later and
many miles away 1 still
remembered it, almost as a
friend that 1 missed seeing.
So 1 took a picture of it to
an artist friend and asked
her to do a watercolor for
me. She chose to paint a
branch rather than the
whole tree. It's lovely,
and it hangs in my living
room today.

Emily Parker
McGuirt, '60

Camden, S.C.

LETTERS

Pros and cons of harassment; 50th remembered again.

Several lines in the
story, "Stopping the
Nightmare," [Fall 1994
Agnes Scott Alumnae
Magazine] epitomize why
I continue to exclude
Agnes Scott College from
any financial gifts. Speci-
fically, on page 1 6 the
author [Jane Zanca]
asserts:

"It's maddening hut
true: More than half of the
women who report harass-
ment find that nothing
happens to the one who
harasses.

Indeed, Clarence
Thomas got a Supreme
appointment."

This suggests that accu-
sation of harassment is
equivalent to guilt. Such a
notion while certainly
acceptable in today's
trendy feminist circles
does not belong in a publi-
cation of a college that
prides itself on a high level
of scholarship. Moreover,
it suggests that Clarence
Thomas, rather than
Anita Hill, lied. Beyond a
public opinion poll, Ms.
Zanca offers no evidence
for such a claim.

Ms. Zanca tailed to
point out that Ms. Hill
profited greatly from her
accusation. Prior to the
accusation, she was an
unknown law professor at
a third-rate law school; her
scholarship was, at best,
mediocre. Since the accu-
sation, however, she has
been nominated for an
endowed chair, secured a
lucrative book contract
and is being well compen-
sated on the lecture cir-

cuit. 1 guess this part of
the accusation didn't fit
into Zanca's story, did it?

I wish that some of the
funds 1 contribute to reli-
gious, educational and
charitable organizations
could go to Agnes Scott.
However, the fact that
things like the above crop
up regularly in the alum-
nae publications makes me
wonder whether the
College has strayed from
its commitment to schol-
arship. 1 hope this changes
with the new president.
Should I hold my breath?

Siisan Smith
Van Cott '67

Selma, InA.

1 read with great inter-
est and empathy Jane
Zanca's article on sexual
harassment. During the 20
years 1 spent in corporate
America, 1 have run the
gamut of being told out-
right that if 1 wanted the
order 1 would have to
"work tor it" to having one
member of my board of
directors tell another
director that my picture
was in the paper on Page
8B only to discover a local
nightclub's ad. . . .

But the most provoca-
tive statement came from
my then- 10-year-old son.
As 1 was explaining why it
was important for boys to
handle a household, my
son, the product ot an
emancipated man and
woman, boldly stated that
he didn't need to know
about cooking and clean-
ing, "that's why you have
a wife!"

ASC graduates/mothers
of today and tomorrow
should not assume that
their liberated attitudes
toward the role of women
in modern society will nat-
urally develop in your
chauvinist-by-nature male
offspring. As in all aspects
ot developing humanity in
human beings, the training
must begin at home early
and be reinforced often.

Thanks for a terrific
magazine!

Jamie Osgood
Shepard '74

Panama City, Fla.

Congratulations on
another fine issue. I loved
your handsome layout for
my article, "Fifty Years
Ago A Remembrance"
[Fall 1994, pages 30-33].

Alas, a couple of print
mistakes slipped in. My
foommate was Nancy
Geer, not Greer, and our
graduation year was '48
not '49. . . .

Marybeth Weston
Lobdell '48

Armonk, NY

I just finished reading
the new magazine and 1
am still sniffling. 1 truly
enjoyed Marybeth Lob-
dell's touching piece on
1944 and the article on
the Presser Dogwood
(sigh). Adele Clements'
views on life as a Decatur
firefighter and the details
of Mary Jordan's white-hot
career track were very well
conveyed also.

Congratulations!
Andrea Swilley '90
Loganville, Ga.

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE SUMMER 1995

GIVING ALUMNA

"I had such a great experience at ASC, 1 want to give something back."

Laura B>7iHt7i '81 : Agitcs Scott prepared her both jor her job and for being a mother and wife.

LAURA BYNUM '81

Home: Atlanta, Ga.

Age: 36

Occupation: Vice President, NationsBanc Capital

Markets Group
Husband: James Jordan Bynum III, architect, Nix, Mann

and Associates
Hobbies: Strolling with daughter Hays, age 1

One of the
youngest charter
memhers ot the
Frances Winship Walters
Society, Laura Bynum is
an Annual Fund contribu-
tor at the Tower Circle
level, a former Annual
Fund chair, a past Alum-
nae Board member, and a
"perpetual" class chair.
Ever since graduating from

Agnes Scott with a degree
in psychology, Laura has
given to the College.

"Working as a class
chair, 1 learned how
important it is to give,"
says Laura. "At first I gave
just $5 or $10 or $15 I
thought at least that will
help the College pay for
postage or electricity or
something." As Laura has

matured and advanced
through the ranks at
NationsBanc Capital
Markets Group (a sub-
sidiary of NationsBank),
she has increased her
giving. "When you have a
baby, and as your life
changes, you think more
about how you want to
take care of things. I'm
sure that has affected
my decision to give to
the College."

Giving to Agnes Scott
continues a relationship
that began when she was a
seventh grader trom
Memphis visiting the
Agnes Scott campus. "My
mother and aunt went to

college here and 1 saw the
relationships they had
made through the College.
1 liked the fact that Agnes
Scott had that to offer as
well as an education. Once
1 saw Agnes Scott, 1 tell in
love with it."

Laura appreciates the
"friends for a lifetime" she
made while at ASC and
the personalized academic
attention that helped
build her self-esteem.
"Agnes Scott prepared me
for what I do in my job
and tor being a mother
and wife. My education
has made me successful
and 1 feel an obligation to
give something back." Ase

Agnes Scott College
141 E. College Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030

Nonprofit

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Decatur, GA 30030

Permit No. 469

BALL GAMES ON THE HOCKEY FIELD ARE A SURE SIGN OF SPRING.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Baseball, the national pastime and sure harbinger of spring may
have let us down on a national level this year, but at Agnes
Scott, pick-up Softball games on the hockey field are still in
evidence. There are other signs of spring and the upcoming
summer, too: enrollment and admission concerns are "On
Campus" and we continue to remember (if not revive) the
Presser Dogwood "Classic." Your "Lifestyles" speak of new life:
alumnae who've changed careers and practice renewal.
We include a report on child violence and ways alumnae and
students are offering hope to its startlingly large number of
victims. And that may be a "spring" message, too.

^^ Printed on recycled paper

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