Letters

Letters

THE FALL ISSUE

Thank you for putting the roles and services of our fellow alumnae during these months of COVID-19 pandemic in the Fall 2020 issue of Barnard Magazine [“Barnard’s Faces of the Frontlines”]. I am encouraged and inspired by our Barnard alumnae’s involvement and hope these stories will galvanize many to action and move hearts toward compassion.

As one of the emergency medicine physicians here at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, we experienced and confronted situations that we were never trained or prepared for. The courage and fortitude of the human spirit are some of the qualities that carried us through. I am sharing with you two links to articles that I co-authored this year during the height of the COVID pandemic: one in Pediatric Emergency Care (https://tinyurl.com/ ya63jo5l) and a second in AEM Education and Training (https://tinyurl.com/ydy3zytn).

Personally, COVID has hit home. My mom, husband, and daughter are recovering from COVID infection. My son just tested positive. Thank God I have not contracted this virus so that I can care for my COVID clan. Having lived through and witnessed these differing perspectives of COVID, I have come to empathize with the breadth of impact this virus has on humanity. —Shiu-Lin Tsai ’85, M.D.

I looked through the excellent Fall 2020 issue of Barnard Magazine but couldn’t find anything about the striking art on the front cover. Is this a photograph, a painting, a combination of the two? And who is the artist? I thought it was terrific. —Emilie Buchwald ’57

Creative director David Hopson replies: Thanks, Emilie, for your kind message. The piece you mention is a graphite and digital illustration by Daryn Ray, who illustrated the cover and the entire article on Barnard’s frontline workers. Our apologies to Daryn for inadvertently omitting the credit for her beautiful work on the cover.

To the Editor

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

We would love to get your feedback on the Magazine. Please share your thoughts, ideas, or questions with us at magazine@barnard.edu.

EDITORIAL

EDITOR Nicole Anderson ’12JRN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Hopson COPY EDITOR Molly Frances

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Lisa Buonaiuto WRITER Veronica Suchodolski ’19 STUDENT INTERNS Solby Lim ’22, Isabella Pechaty ’23

ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION OF BARNARD COLLEGE

PRESIDENT & ALUMNAE TRUSTEE Amy Veltman ’89

ALUMNAE RELATIONS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Karen A. Sendler

ENROLLMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS Jennifer G. Fondiller ’88, P’19

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS Quenta P. Vettel, APR

DEVELOPMENT

VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNAE RELATIONS Lisa Yeh

PRESIDENT, BARNARD COLLEGE

Sian Leah Beilock

Winter 2021, Vol. CX, No. 1 Barnard Magazine (USPS 875-280, ISSN 1071-6513) is published quarterly by the Communications Department of Barnard College.

Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send change of address form to: Alumnae Records, Barnard College, Box AS, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027-6598

EDITORIAL OFFICE

Vagelos Alumnae Center, Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027-6598 Phone: 212-854-0085 Email: magazine@barnard.edu

Opinions expressed are those of contributors or the editor and do not represent official positions of Barnard College or the Alumnae Association of Barnard College. Letters to the editor (200 words maximum), submissions for Symposium (400 words maximum), and unsolicited articles and/or photographs will be published at the discretion of the editor and will be edited for length and clarity.

The contact information listed in Class Notes is for the exclusive purpose of providing information for the Magazine and may not be used for any other purpose. For alumnae-related inquiries, call Alumnae Relations at 212-854-2005 or email alumnaerelations@barnard.edu.

To change your address, write to: Alumnae Records, Barnard College, Box AS, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027-6598 Phone: 646-745-8344 Email: alumrecords@barnard.edu

From President Sian Leah Beilock

Elevating Wellness

A year ago, when we first launched Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard, a new College-wide initiative focused on health and wellness, I shared with the Barnard community my own wellness ritual: a walk through Riverside Park. Even if brief, it gives me a moment to relax, organize my thoughts, and prepare for the day ahead. As a cognitive scientist, I frequently think about the relationship between the mind and body and how factors such as anxiety and stress can impact performance in ways big and small. This year has been one of historic challenges and has illuminated why it’s so vital to provide resources, tools, and techniques to support the well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and alumnae. Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard was born out of the understanding that the health of our students is essential to their ability to thrive in and out of the classroom. And although this endeavor started prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it laid an important groundwork that has guided our approach to health and safety during this unprecedented time.

While the pandemic has amplified the importance of health and wellness, we have long been dedicated to building resources that bolster the well-being of our community. For the College, it is a sustained, ongoing commitment. And thanks to the generous gift from the Francine A. LeFrak Foundation, we are excited to be moving forward with the creation of the Francine A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being. In this issue [see page 8], you can read more about the new center, which provides both a centralized hub and an umbrella organization for our many Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard wellness initiatives and supports a 360-degree perspective of personal well-being: physical, mental, and financial. This last pillar, focusing on financial fluency and health, may be a little unexpected, but it is an integral part of well-being that is critical to a woman’s success.

Since the fall, we’ve launched a number of key programs to meet the needs of our students. We set up a skilled Pandemic Response Team that has implemented a comprehensive and data-driven approach to testing, contact tracing, and isolation/ quarantine. These experts are equipped to respond nimbly to changing circumstances, ensuring that our community remains safe, healthy, and informed.

With these protocols in place, we’ve been able to gradually and successfully open up parts of the campus this fall — including research labs and studio and study spaces — to students, staff, and faculty. With the extensive measures we’ve taken, we plan to welcome more students back to campus for the Spring 2021 semester. The College will take all necessary precautions to assure a safe start to the term, including staggered move-ins, COVID-19 health and safety training, and participation in a regular testing program.

Our faculty and staff have worked hard to design a flexible and engaging academic experience for students living on and off campus. Professors will offer courses in a variety of formats, ranging from completely virtual to a combination of virtual/in-person to mostly in-person. It is our priority that students feel comfortable and empowered to do their best work.

In these past few months, as I’ve made my way to my office in Milbank, I’ve been heartened to see some students back on campus studying in the Quad or meeting with faculty in the Diana Center in a socially distanced manner. It is proof of the strength and conviction of the Barnard community that we’ve not only upheld our academic mission but created a safe environment that continues to foster intellectual growth during these challenging times. B

From the Editor

Stepping Up

It is no exaggeration to say that the Winter issue was produced at a unique moment in time. Over the course of several months — from the day we first started brainstorming ideas in early fall to the day we went to press in December — there’s been significant, historic change. This issue stands at the cusp of a new year, and because of this, you’ll find it filled with stories that speak to the critical issues and events of 2020 while looking ahead to 2021. It can be challenging to keep up with the swift pace of the news cycle these days, but as a quarterly publication, that isn’t really our aim. At Barnard, I am fortunate to find myself in a community that values context and seeks out diverse perspectives — and that inspires us at the Magazine to dig a little deeper and cover what is not only current but also enduring. In our feature “Tuned In,” we take a look at the Barnard women, like The Daily’s Theo Balcomb ’09, who’ve launched or contributed to some of today’s most influential podcasts. In this relatively new professional field, these alums found a creative space for storytelling, and along the way, they were aided by the mentorship and collaboration of a number of Barnard women.

In these pages, we address some important but difficult topics, from our nation’s reckoning with race to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our cover story, “Doing the Work,” you’ll read about three alums — Michelle Maldonado ’91, Vernā Myers ’82, and Enola Aird ’76 — who’ve dedicated their lives and careers to building a more equitable, inclusive, and humane society. And we close out the issue with an insightful essay from Dr. Helene Gayle ’76, the president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust, who discusses the urgent need for equity in the face of our current health crisis. As a co-chair of a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee, Dr. Gayle worked with members to create a framework for the equitable allocation of the COVID-19 vaccination. It was a mighty task, but Dr. Gayle stepped up and lent her expertise to bring about meaningful change.

I also want to note an addition to the Magazine. In Noteworthy, we’re introducing a new column: “Passion Project.” It’s a place where we’ll be highlighting your many fascinating interests, hobbies, pastimes, and enterprises. A passion project might very well riff off or even morph into the professional sphere, but at the core, it is something that you do simply because you enjoy it. In our inaugural column, we speak with Leigh Wishner ’97, a coordinator at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, who has spent her career researching, collecting, and writing about costume design and textiles. When the pandemic hit, she launched her Instagram account @PatternPlayUSA, devoted to her love for 20thcentury American textile design. It’s a lively mix of color, pattern, and history. I look forward to featuring your projects — whether newly discovered or lifelong interests — in the Magazine as well.

As we get ready to put this issue to bed, I find myself thinking about the opening photograph for Noteworthy. You can’t miss it. It shows several women dancing joyfully in a celebration that was organized by Black Order of Soul Sisters (BOSS) in 1972. It is one of the many images you can find in the Barnard Archives that was also republished in Robert McCaughey’s new book, A College of Her Own: The History of Barnard. This moment, this dance, is part of Barnard’s history, and I think this is just the right way to kick off 2021.

Nicole Anderson ’12JRN, Editor