When the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in a landmark 6-3 decision on June 29, 2023, colleges and universities across the country scrambled for a response. Months later, it is clear that institutions of higher education, including Smith College, are still struggling to find a way to ensure diversity.
Posts tagged as “Features”
For Barbara Kellum, Professor of Art, teaching at Smith College was “love at first sight.” She began teaching at Smith in the mid-1980s following the completion of her PhD at Harvard University. Moving to Cambridge for graduate school was her first experience on the East Coast as a California native, but she hasn’t looked back since, calling it a “revelation” to be here. This year, Kellum has been honored with the Sherrerd Prize for Distinguished Teaching.
When it was first announced that I was going to be the eleventh president, I was invited to campus while Carol Christ was president. There was an event in John M. Green, just like there was for Sarah, and I talked about college access and affordability. I think you might know (because I talk about it frequently) that I’m the first person in my family to go to college. My dad didn’t finish high school — he worked in a factory — and I’m just passionate about this. In order to have people like me on campus, it requires generous financial aid, so that was the one goal I came in knowing that I had.
On March 30, Helen Frank, MHC ’25, attended an annual department tea for the German Studies and Russian and Eurasian Studies departments at Mount Holyoke. Frank was looking forward to seeing classmates within her major that she had not seen that semester.
Tethering Groove, the Mount Holyoke dance department’s senior performance, showcases pieces choreographed by five students and featuring dancers of many backgrounds, even including dancers from other schools. The two-night dance performance garnered an audience from across the Five College Consortium as well — with students from Smith, Mount Holyoke, and UMass in attendance.
For many prospective Smithies, house community is a critical aspect to their college decision. With Smith’s distinct neighborhoods and decades-long house traditions, these established support systems help first-years feel less adrift in this new stage of their lives. But despite being touted as a hallmark of the Smith experience, the traditional house community isn’t available to all students. For residents of Parsons House, it’s what they're trying to build. For residents of Talbot, it’s something they’ll need to fight to preserve.
Due to students only spending four short years at Smith, institutional knowledge from student organizations can be difficult to preserve. As alumni move further into…
On 21 March, poet Franny Choi was welcomed as a reader at the Boutelle Day Poetry Center with a large, vibrant audience as she read her poems of finding love and light in the despair of current events and generational trauma.
Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Scarria '96, has attributed her decision to attend Smith College to the profound impression she experienced upon first driving into the city. After completing her undergraduate studies, Scarria pursued a career in political consulting in San Francisco and later joined the ACLU's national office in New York. While earning her graduate degree at the City University of New York, Scarria resided in Northampton and was a campaign manager for a local City Councilor before being inspired to run for office herself.
“One time I saw a squirrel take a whole molasses cookie up a tree in its mouth. Another time I saw [one with] a whole bagel on a tree branch!” said Noah Good ’23. “They’re built different.” Here at Smith, the squirrels are everywhere, as much a part of the campus setting as the buildings and lawns, and they don’t go unnoticed. I talked to different members of the Smith community about why they think squirrels here are unique.