From President Beilock

Letters

The Barnard Effect

I read Kira Goldenberg’s article, “The Barnard Effect” [Winter 2020], with great interest and pride. As a Barnard anthropology major (1973) and Columbia anthropology Ph.D. (1980), I’m happy to claim my lineage and the work of Boas, Mead, Benedict, and other pioneers to debunk myths about race and immigrants. Anthropology’s work in the 1920s continues to be relevant and critical in the 2020s. As the owner of an independent bookstore for the past 25 years (The BookMark in Neptune Beach, Florida), I’m enjoying selling Charles King’s Gods of the Upper Air. Thanks, Kira, for your great article. And always: thanks, Barnard! —Rona (Mazer) Brinlee ’73

As a writer and an admirer of Zora Neale Hurston, I was delighted to find her featured in “The Barnard Effect.” Curious about the source and context of the pull-out quotation (“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”), I Googled and got multiple hits with the words attributed not to Zora Neale Hurston but to Maya Angelou! Thanks to my research skills (developed and honed at Barnard, of course!), I finally found the original quote. It is indeed Zora’s, from her 1942 autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, in the section where she wrote about her writing process. Zora’s exact wording has some subtle differences that any writer will appreciate: “There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you.” Earlier in the volume, Zora recorded some fascinating comments about her experience at Barnard — but I leave it to interested alums to read her book for themselves. —Bonnie Tocher Clause ’64

The Last Word

I felt deeply understood when I read Eve-Lynn Siegel Gardner’s article, “Reclaiming ‘Opinionated Woman’” [Winter 2020]. I serve on a local board. In December, I voted against a program advanced by our board chair, Louise, whom I greatly admire. After the meeting had been adjourned, I heard Louise lament that I had shared multiple opinions before the vote. I paused to breathe. I approached her and said, “While I affirm that you feel upset because I rejected the program, please respect that I value the chance to contribute to this board.” Louise apologized. “I appreciate that you said that,” she said, looking impressed. “No colleague has ever told me when I mistreated her.” We looked at each other and were free, somehow. I thought about the first place I had seen someone stand up against a person trying to silence her. The place was Barnard. “Thanks,” I said, not just to Louise. —Leah Metcalf ’14

Inclusion?

I was incredulous when I read that Barnard had appointed a vice president of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” [“Forward Momentum,” Winter 2020]. For years, Barnard has been working toward its stated goal of an inclusive student body, and the makeup of the incoming class certainly reflects success in reaching that goal. What is the VP going to do all day? Her hiring points to what I find so laughable about Barnard: It has reliably pledged allegiance to all the clichés that have circulated around academia during the past 40 years — “diversity, equity, and inclusion” being one of the latest. Notice the use of the odd contemporary locution “identify as women of color” in the breakdown of the incoming class. Seriously, could someone with white skin and blue eyes “identify” as a woman of color and be accepted by Barnard as such? [In another article,] Professor Jordan-Young’s research

on testosterone [“The Truth About ‘T’ ”] shows that “it affects bones, brain, heart, blood vessels, skin, hair, and more.” Would she or anyone on the faculty dare say blocking or administering testosterone for gender reassignment could have deleterious effects on multiple body organs? Really now — I should think a college of the stature Barnard aims for would be able to set its own goals and do some independent thinking now and then. —Carol Crystle ’62

Leaning Out

Merri Rosenberg’s article, “Leaning Out” [Winter 2020], was incredibly forthright and perceptive and resonated with my own “retirement” experience. She nailed the mind games that so many of us are haunted by as we weigh the desire to step away and smell the proverbial roses against the societal (and personal) pressure to maintain a good pace on the professional treadmill. In my case, the pull of being present for my grandkids who live out of town and my mom who has health issues was a powerful force (welcome to the sandwich generation!). After much consternation, I decided to walk away from a career that had long defined me. I knew I didn’t want to look back and wish I had spent more time caring for family, and/or enjoying life and having new adventures. As Merri states in her article, there is no road map as to how to off-ramp and still feel relevant. I continue to ponder what I want to do when I grow up, and while I have some wistful moments, I have no regrets. —Lisa Phillips Davis ’76

It is reassuring to know that, once again, a smart, accomplished Barnard woman is expressing something I was dimly aware of but not yet fully conscious of. I love Merri Rosenberg’s explanation of her choice in lifting up the next generation of women leaders and helping them step into powerful roles in her article “Leaning Out.” Her generosity of spirit is so apparent and a quality sorely needed in this day and age.

Howard Dean spoke at my husband’s Yale reunion a few years ago and said that part of what needed to happen was for our age group (classes of 1971 and 1972) to step back and assist the next generation to take over because they had fresh thoughts about places where we have been stuck, especially politically. I had heard this partly as “older men need to step back and let younger men step up,” but if we are also assisting women to step up, we’ve got a way better chance! A friend of mine from years ago did her dissertation on the role of older women in succession planning for philanthropic and cultural institutions and found that the mentoring and historical memory that we represent are also crucial to the organizations we continue to serve.

Thanks to Merri and Barnard Magazine for helping bring all these thoughts together for me through your writing, thinking, and examples! In the endless self-promotion and “go for it” attitude of social media, it’s refreshing to have this image of “leaning out” presented as the legitimate and valuable choice that it is. —Ginny Bales ’72

Correction

Famed American humorist Mark Twain once wrote that “the report of my death was an exaggeration.” After our unfortunate blunder in the Class Notes of the Winter 2020 issue, Barbara Guinee Bates ’47 let us know that she is alive and well at 94 years of age, swims 20 laps three times a week, and enjoys traveling to Florida. We very much regret the error.

EDITORIAL

EDITOR Nicole Anderson ’12JRN

ART DIRECTOR David Hopson COPY EDITOR Molly Frances

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Lisa Buonaiuto WRITER Veronica Suchodolski ’19 STUDENT INTERNS Brigid Cromwell ’22, Solby Lim ’22, Isabella Pechaty ’23, Stefani Shoreibah ’21, Danielle Slepyan ’22

ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION OF BARNARD COLLEGE

PRESIDENT & ALUMNAE TRUSTEE Jyoti Menon ’01

ALUMNAE RELATIONS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Karen A. Sendler

COMMUNICATIONS

VICE PRESIDENT Gabrielle Simpson

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT Jennifer Goddard

DEVELOPMENT

VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNAE RELATIONS Lisa Yeh

PRESIDENT, BARNARD COLLEGE

Sian Leah Beilock

Spring 2020, Vol. CIX, No. 1 Barnard Magazine (USPS 875-280, ISSN 1071-6513) is published quarterly by the Communications Department of Barnard College.

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