Wilson Magazine Fall 2016

OLD AND NEW ODD AND EVEN Wilson’s traditions may have changed over time, but they remain a mainstay of life at the College

Wilson Traditions Stand Strong | A Bold Move Against Segregation LGBT Role Model Michael Martin ’19 | President’s Report volume 89 | FALL 2016 | number 3

Welcome Class of 2020

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 for helping to make Wilson history by pushing enrollment to more than 1,000 students for the first time ever.

To celebrate the Class of 2020, the Wilson Fund is happy to announce a new challenge to support our students ...

LENFEST 2 0/2 0 C H A L L E N G E Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 invites you to join her in a Wilson Fund challenge honoring the Class of 2020 All Wilson Fund gifts made by Dec. 20, 2016, up to $500,000, will be doubled!

Please note that your contribution is for the Lenfest Wilson Today 20/20 Challenge

Support Wilson Students by Supporting the Wilson Fund

volume 89 | FALL 2016 | number 3

FEATURES 14 Being There

By Cathy Mentzer Michael Martin ’19 felt he had no one to turn to during his struggle to come out as gay. Now, he is a mentor and role model for other young LGBT students.

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20 Standing Against Segregation

By Coleen Dee Berry The Creative Montessori School celebrates founder Barbara Rose Spitzer ’57, who made a bold decision in 1968 to integrate the Alabama school.

24 Traditions: Both Odd and Even

By Coleen Dee Berry Wilson’s many school traditions still flourish on campus—some unchanged over the decades, others with a 21stcentury twist, but still cherished by students and alumnae/i.

10 2015-16 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

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32 We Are Family Wilson’s Single Parent Scholar program marks its 20th anniversary of making dreams come true for students and their children.

34 Adventures in Thailand Two Wilson VMT students spend a summer internship helping care for animals in Thailand.

36 Center Circle With nine international students on the roster, the Phoenix men’s soccer team embraces cultural differences.

ALUMNAE/I 40 Alumnae Association President’s letter; giving report; 2017 trips; snapshots from Fall Weekend.

43 Class Notes 61 In Memoriam

DEPARTMENTS 02 Letter from the Editor 03 Wilson News Fall enrollment hits record high; Mellon grant enhances writing instruction; College creates full-time international student/study-abroad position; new members join Board of Trustees; Fulton Center gets new name and focus; College completes construction projects.

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AROUND THE GREEN

08 Alumnae/i News Peace Corps honors Deborah Harding ’61; Mt. Gretna church service held; community visits to the Wilson campus.

ON THE COVER EVENs and ODDs banners, circa 1999.

31 Hidden History

By Leigh Rupinski In the Days of Yore: Bygone Wilson Traditions 32 Viewpoint: Learning Across Difference in a Shared Space

By Julie Raulli, associate professor of sociology 64 Last Word: Stepping Out of the Classroom

By Daniel Glazier ’18

STAFF

WILSON MAGAZINE COMMITTEE Coleen Dee Berry, Managing Editor Mary F. Cramer ’91, Alumnae Association President Amy Ensley, Director of the Hankey Center Marybeth Famulare, Director of Alumnae/i Relations

— letter from the —

editor T

PHOTO BY JAMES BUTTS

Brian Speer Executive Editor Coleen Dee Berry Managing Editor Kendra Tidd Design Cathy Mentzer College Editor Courtney D. Wolfe ’12 Class Notes Coordinator Contributing Writers Coleen Dee Berry, Frances Caroscio, Daniel Glazier ’18, Robin Herring ’07, Cathy Mentzer, Barbara K. Mistick, Julie Raulli, Leigh Rupinski Contributing Photographers Coleen Dee Berry, James Butts, Terry Clark, Fred Field, Beau Gustafson, Greg Holder, Matthew Lester, Cathy Mentzer, Bob Stoler, Kendra Tidd, Courtney D. Wolfe ’12

he 2016-17 academic year is upon us and along with the start of classes, it brings many causes for celebration.

First, the College has a record fall enrollment of 1,098 students, the largest enrollment in Wilson’s 147-year history. The number of new students entering the traditional undergraduate college is the largest incoming class since 1967, as the College continues to grow under the Wilson Today plan.

Then there is the fresh look to the campus. The new academic quad between the Brooks Science Center and the John Stewart Memorial Library is complete. Campus roads and parking lots are repaved and the College now boasts a grand, new main entrance at Park Avenue. Find out more about campus projects and enrollment in the News section.

Lisbeth Sheppard Luka ’69, Alumnae Association Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations and College Editor Camilla Rawleigh, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jeremy Shepherd, Assistant Athletics Director for Athletic Communications Brian Speer, Vice President for Marketing and Communications Kendra Tidd, Graphic Designer Courtney D. Wolfe ’12, Class Notes Coordinator Judy Kreutz Young ’63, Alumnae Association Wilson Magazine is published quarterly by the Office of Marketing and Communications and the Alumnae Association of Wilson College.

Send address changes to: Wilson College Alumnae/i Relations, 1015 Philadelphia Ave., Chambersburg, Pa. 17201-1279, 717-262-2010 or mag@wilson.edu.

Opinions expressed are those of the contributors or the editor and do not represent the official positions of Wilson College or the Alumnae Association of Wilson College.

CONTACT US: Wilson Magazine mag@wilson.edu 717-262-2607 www.wilson.edu/magazine Alumnae Association aawc@wilson.edu 717-262-2010 www.wilson.edu/aawc Office of Alumnae/i Relations alumnae@wilson.edu 717-262-2010 www.wilson.edu/alumnae

Celebration continued in October, as students and alumnae of the Single Parent Scholar program gathered during Family Weekend to commemorate the groundbreaking program’s 20th anniversary. Read how this program—which began as Women with Children—changed lives on page 32.

Wilson Magazine continues to celebrate current students and alumnae/i who strive to make a difference in their communities. Don’t miss the story on page 14 about Michael Martin ’19 and how his personal struggle to come out as gay influenced him to mentor other young LGBT students. In the Alumnae/i News section, read how Deborah Harding ’61 was honored for her efforts to promote the role of women in the Peace Corps. This issue also spotlights Barbara Rose Spitzer ’57, who took a stand against segregation in Birmingham, Ala., when she decided to integrate her Montessori school. Find her story on page 20.

As a new school year begins, so does the cycle of Wilson traditions. Alumnae/i speak of the indelible memories they have of their favorite traditions and will be happy to read, in the feature on page 24, that today’s students still revel in many of the College’s traditions—they’ve just been tweaked a bit along the way.

Hoping the months ahead bring you many reasons for your own celebrations! Read on—and enjoy!

Coleen Dee Berry Managing Editor

You can read Wilson Magazine online at:

www.wilson.edu/wilsonmag Class notes are not published online for privacy reasons.

If you would like to receive a PDF of the class notes, please email Wilson Magazine at mag@wilson.edu.

WILSON NEWS WILSON ENROLLMENT REACHES ALL-TIME HIGH, INCOMING CLASS LARGEST SINCE 1967 T The biggest single enrollment group is the traditional undergraduate college, which has 458 students enrolled— the most since 1973 and a 15 percent increase from fall 2015.

Men represent 16 percent of the traditional undergraduate program and 17 percent of the College’s total enrollment.

The traditional undergraduate enrollment includes 179 new students—including both first-year and transfer students—producing the largest incoming class since 1967. The number of new students is up nearly 8 percent from last year.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome the largest number of students to Wilson in our history,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “All of the planning and work by everyone associated with the College—faculty, staff, the board of trustees and alumnae—are moving us in the right direction. We’re proud that we’ve been able to continue to grow and strengthen not only the institution, but also the wider community.”

The fastest-growing enrollment segment is graduate study, with 350 students enrolled across seven master’s degree programs—a 50 percent increase from two years ago. Wilson’s graduate degree programs include accounting, education, management, humanities, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability.

A total of 290 students are enrolled in the Adult Degree Program—for those who’ve been out of high school for at least four years—which is about the same as last year.

Wilson students come from as far away as California and Florida. They represent 18 states (including Pennsylvania), as well as 16 foreign countries.

Since 2013, Wilson has seen a 48.7 percent increase in traditional undergraduate enrollment, with a 65.8 percent increase overall. The College’s increasing enrollment contrasts with national enrollment trends. Based on the most recent data available, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported a

decline of 1.7 percent in higher education enrollment nationally for 2015, while showing a slight 0.3 percent decrease at four-year, nonprofit private colleges.

College officials credit the initiatives of the Wilson Today plan for the increase in enrollment.

Approved in January 2013, the plan includes a tuition reduction and student loan buyback program, new career-oriented academic programs, campus improvements, coeducation in all programs and improved marketing and retention efforts.

Wilson was honored in the recently released U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guide, which ranks the College fourth in the “best value” category for regional colleges in the North and 13th overall in the same group. U.S. News also ranks Wilson among the top regional colleges for international student enrollment, tied for seventh among regional colleges, with 8 percent of its student body identified as from a country other than the United States.

PHOTO BY FRED FIELD

he College reports an official fall enrollment of 1,098 students across all programs, the most students in the 147-year history of Wilson College and the fourth consecutive year of growth under the Wilson Today plan.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome the largest number of students to Wilson in our history.”

President Barbara K. Mistick Wilson’s value ranking, along with last year’s recognition as a “Tuition Hero” for holding tuition without an increase over the past six years, affirms the school’s commitment to providing an affordable education. In addition, Wilson’s online master’s program in nursing was recently included in an AffordableSchools. net list of 25 top affordable online master’s programs in registered nursing.

— Cathy Mentzer

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WILSON NEWS COLLEGE AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS MELLON GRANT The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation recently awarded the College a $100,000 grant to strengthen writing instruction for students, especially those in their first year. Wilson plans to use the funding to establish the Wilson Writing Academy, a comprehensive system of instruction that will shape students’ writing skills and analytical reasoning capacities—central components of a liberal arts education.

The Mellon Foundation award, which will be distributed over two years, will provide funding for the following four key initiatives conducted under an umbrella group that will integrate writing instruction across the curriculum: increased opportunities for key faculty to teach writing-intensive courses; professional development for all faculty who teach any form of writing that will focus on consistency in methods, means and materials of instruction; integrated textual/digital resources for faculty and students; and development of an expanded writing community that includes faculty members in all disciplines.

These actions will strengthen Wilson’s first-year writing instruction program and bridge the gap between writing foundations courses taken by students in their first months in college and writing-intensive courses in students’ majors, according to Vice President for Academic Affairs Elissa Heil.

Wilson has a writing-intensive curriculum and students enrolling out of high school are typically not prepared for the type and length of writing assignments they encounter in their first year, according to Wilson officials.

PHOTO BY MATTHEW LESTER

TO ENHANCE WRITING INSTRUCTION

Mellon Foundation grant will establish the Wilson Writing Academy to strengthen writing instruction.

Heil will serve as the writing project director. Professor of English Larry Shillock has been named the writing academy administrator.

Plans call for an organizational blueprint to be developed in fall 2016, followed by professional development conducted in spring and summer of 2017. The writing program is to be fully implemented in the 2018-19 academic year. —CM

STUDY-ABROAD, INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES POSITIONS COMBINED Two previously part-time positions—coordinator of study abroad and the director of international student and scholar services—have been combined into one full-time post. Crystal Lantz joined the College before the start of the academic year as director for international scholar services.

Lantz, a former gradCrystal Lantz uate assistant in Messiah College’s intercultural office, replaces Paul Miller in international student services and assumes the duties of expanding the College’s study-abroad program, formerly performed with release time given to a faculty member in the Department of Global Studies. The position falls under two departments: student development and academic affairs.

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In the new position, Lantz will address the needs of both international students on campus and those of students who want to study abroad, as well as accelerate the development of study-abroad partnerships for the College.

“The goal is to increase the number of students that are studying abroad and engaging in global experiences,” Lantz said.

Lantz, a Pennsylvania native, has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Millersville University and a master’s degree in higher education from Messiah College, where she spent the past two years in the intercultural office, assisting with student advising and learning about best practices in study-abroad programs.

An enthusiastic advocate of study

abroad, Lantz herself has benefited from international travel experiences, including participating in a service trip to Peru in 2005 and volunteering at a preschool in Kenya while living with a local family for 10 weeks in 2007. She also co-led a group of Messiah students to Ecuador earlier this year.

In her role with international students, Lantz provides assistance and opportunities for those who come to Wilson to study.

“The goal is to keep them engaged and get them off campus during breaks and holidays when there are no other students here,” Lantz said.

The College has 31 international students from 16 different nations this year. Of those, 15 are returning students and 16 are new students, according to Lantz. In addition, two other countries are represented by the College’s two Fulbright Scholars, who serve as teaching assistants. —CM

WILSON WELCOMES TWO NEW MEMBERS TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dr. Nirmal Joshi serves as chief medical officer of the Pinnacle Health System in Harrisburg, Pa. During his tenure as CMO, he has overseen the development of many new clinical programs and rebuilt many others, such as the hospitalist and neurology programs. He is also a practicing internist with a special interest in the close connection between the mind and body.

After completing medical schooling in India, Joshi finished his residency training in internal medicine at the Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Dr. Nirmal Joshi Md., followed by fellowship training in infectious diseases at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He then served nine years as a professor in the department of medicine at Hershey Medical Center.

In 2000, Joshi helped start a new healthcare system in New Delhi, India, through Harvard Medical International, and served as its medical director and chief operating officer. He returned to the United States in 2002 as director of the internal medical residency program at Pinnacle Health, and has served there in numerous leadership roles over the last 12 years.

Joshi has led research on the effect of culture-specific education on diabetes care in minorities and has published extensively in medical literature. He is actively involved in community service and has been awarded the Outstanding Community Service award

by Asian Indian Americans of Central Pennsylvania and the Living Legacy Contributor Award sponsored by Highmark-Blue Shield.

Joshi also has a keen interest in music and film and has written and

directed two digital feature films: Mere Apne in Hindi and Hippocratic Oath in English. He has also published a nonfiction book entitled Five Drops of Estrogen that pays tribute to womanhood, specifically the five women in his life.

Sarah R. Wilson ’10, who grew up in Chambersburg, graduated from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. While at Wilson, she received the College’s Fine Arts Prize and the Margaret Strode Haines Award. She received a master’s degree from Penn State Harrisburg and chose as her master’s thesis the life of Wilson alumna Margaret Criswell Disert ’20. She is now working on her doctoral dissertation at Penn State Harrisburg.

Since graduating from Wilson College, Wilson has returned first to do volunteer work at the Hankey Center and then to work as the center’s interim archivist in 2013. She has also served as program coordinator for Sarah R. Wilson ’10 the Chambersburg Council for the Arts from 2008 to 2010 and as the council’s interim director in 2010. She has also worked as a teaching assistant in American studies at Penn State Harrisburg.

Wilson has been a member of the Alumnae Association of Wilson College board of directors since 2013, and will serve as an alumnae trustee on the Board of Trustees. She is active in the AAWC’s Aunt Sarah program and was reunion chair for her class for the 2015 reunion. She also served as a member of the community advisory board for public radio station WITF-FM in 2014. —Coleen Dee Berry

PHOTO BY MATTHEW LESTER

WILSON HOSTS ‘PEOPLE, PLACE, PLATES’ FUNDRAISER The Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies and Franklin County Historical Society co-hosted the second annual “People, Place, Plates” farm-to-table fundraiser on Sept.

24 at the Fulton Farm. More than 100 alumnae/i, faculty, staff and community residents attended to celebrate the Cumberland Valley’s rich agricultural heritage by enjoying a locally sourced dinner. Music was provided by the band Don’t Look Down.

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WILSON NEWS CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS COMPLETED OVER SUMMER The newly widened campus A number of construction roads and upgraded parking lots projects were completed over the are being accompanied by imsummer and early fall, including proved sidewalks and additional road, parking, sidewalk, signage lighting for pedestrian safety. and lighting improvements; renOther construction projects ovations or updates to several include: Alumnae House, which buildings; and ongoing work at has been painted; Jensen Dining the library.

Hall, where new grills, stoves and One of the most obvious imventilation hoods were installed, provements was the creation air conditioning was added and of a new, main entrance located the serving area was expanded; opposite Park Avenue, and the and John Stewart Memorial Lipaving and widening of campus brary, where work on the campus roads. The improved Park Avenue entrance, which now in- The College’s new entrance at Park Avenue with the academic quad. store and café got under way in mid-August and is expected to cludes a left-turn lane for exiting In August, the Hankey Center parking lot be completed and opened in mid-October. the campus, is part of the Streetscape and Pedestrian Safety Initiative—a joint project was expanded, paved and lined. In September, Finally, in Rosenkrans, improvements were the lot behind Rosenkrans Hall was reconfig- made to the plumbing, electrical and HVAC with the Borough of Chambersburg.

The widened campus loop road circling ured and paved. Several faculty/staff parking systems. The inside of the residence hall was the main green now carries two-way traffic spaces were added along Lenfest Drive (cam- painted and new windows were installed, and Gall Way—the road from the three- pus loop road). The net effect of the expanding bathrooms were renovated and made handway intersection near the library and Lortz parking areas, countered by the loss of spaces icap-accessible, and new washing machines, Hall—has been widened to just past the between Brooks and the library in what is now dryers and vending machines were installed.

—CM the quad, is a gain of 47 parking spots.

Hankey Center.

FULTON CENTER NAME CHANGE REFLECTS BROADER SHIFT The Fulton Center for Sustainable Living recently became the Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies, a subtle but important shift that reflects an effort to more purposefully integrate the center and its resources—including the USDA-certified organic Fulton Farm— with the academic curriculum.

Some of the steps toward making the FCSS an academic center include the development of a food studies minor and a restructuring of short-term internships to create a two-year apprenticeship program for those seriously exploring a career in sustainable agriculture.

The College is also considering offering a nine-credit certification program in sustainable food, according to FCSS Director Chris Mayer, who said the certification would include an internship, a course in agroecology and a course from a menu of other classes in areas such as nutrition, business or sociology. “It could be tailored to students’ needs,” she said, adding that the program could be a fit for students interested in business, sociology and global studies.

In addition, a new partnership between Wilson and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute—made possible by a gift from Susan Breakefield Fulton ’61—will strengthen the link between academics and the stewardship values of FCSS, Mayer said.

The new direction of the FCSS reflects a longstanding goal of integrating the academic curriculum with the center and more

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closely connecting it to the campus community—a goal that has not been fully realized. The program additions and changes are aimed at helping the Fulton Center reach its full potential.

“It starts with perceptions,” said Mayer. “Just changing ‘living’ to ‘studies’ puts the center at the heart of academics in people’s minds.”

When the Fulton Center was founded in 1994 as the Center for Environmental Education and Sustainable Living, its creators envisioned its mission to include caring for the land, preserving history and natural resources, and pursuing the new movement of environmental sustainability. In addition to promoting earth-friendly practices such as sustainable food and energy production, the FCSS provides oversight of the farm and its popular CSA (community-supported agriculture) subscription program, as well as the Robyn Van En Center, a CSA information resource. More recently, the center has hosted student research projects in food safety and water quality monitoring done in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The food studies minor is on track to be offered next fall. It would include studies in the sciences and humanities and would require an internship at the farm. It could appeal to students interested in a variety of fields, from farming and food science to healthcare and social work, according to Mayer. “Our goal is to make it appealing across many disciplines.” —CM

NEWS

IN BRIEF

PROFESSOR TAKES EARTHWATCH TRIP John Elia, associate professor of philosophy and head of the Humanities Division, participated in Earthwatch’s “Restoring Sierra Meadows” research expedition held Sept. 26 to Oct. 1. Earthwatch, an international environmental charity, encourages worldwide scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and Associate Professor of Philosophy action necessary for a sustainJohn Elia conducting field work during Earthwatch project. able environment.

The expedition visited the high Sierra Mountains in California’s Floristic Province to help scientists quantify and describe the health of the meadows, as well as to collect data on trees and other plant life, groundwater levels and streambank stability. The meadows, an important source of water for California, are increasingly impacted by human recreation, grazing and climate change.

The research field trip “gives me an opportunity to experiment with field work,” Elia said, “integrating my experiences as a scholar and teacher of environmental ethics with hands-on learning about climate change and habitat studies in the Sierras—one of the most culturally and environmentally significant ecosystems in the United States.”

Elia, recipient of the 2016 Joan M. Thuebel ‘52 Earthwatch Prize, plans to discuss his experiences on campus and in the greater Chambersburg community.

LENFEST 20/20 CHALLENGE LAUNCHES

Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 has once again affirmed her confidence in the direction of the College by pledging $500,000 toward a matching challenge to the Wilson Fund.

The new Lenfest Wilson Today 20/20 Challenge kicked off in October in honor of the incoming Class of 2020.

The challenge, which runs until Dec. 20, will double any Wilson Fund gift made, up to $500,000.

Those interested in the 20/20 Challenge can make their gift online at wilson.edu/makeagift; call the advancement office at 717-262-2010 by Dec. 20; or send a check, which must be dated during that time period. Please note in the memo portion that this is for the Lenfest Wilson Today 20/20 Challenge.

SARAH’S CUPBOARD OPENS ON CAMPUS

TIP PROGRAM ADDS CERTIFICATION The Pennsylvania Department of Education has approved the Teacher Intern Program (TIP) for certification in business, information and technology for Pre-K-12.

The certification prepares students to teach computer skills-based courses, as well as business-related courses such as accounting, entrepreneurship, marketing and finance. TIP will begin offering the new certification courses in the spring 2017 semester.

NURSING PROGRAM RECEIVES PRE-ACCREDITATION STATUS The College’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in nursing now hold pre-accreditation status from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA). The CNEA held a campus visit in September as part of the accreditation process. A final accreditation decision is expected early in the spring 2017 semester.

Sarah’s Cupboard, a campus food pantry for Wilson students experiencing food insecurity, opened on Sept. 30.

Keion Adams ’19 is the student leader for the pantry, which is located in Lenfest Commons. Oversight will be provided

by Helen Carnell Eden Chaplain Emily Morgan. Pictured at the opening (from left): Morgan, Dean of Students Mary Beth Williams and Adams ’19.

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ALUMNAE/I NEWS AWARD FOR PEACE CORPS WOMEN

NAMED IN HONOR OF DEBORAH HARDING’61

PHOTO BY EMMA JACKSON

image of the Peace Corps.”

Throughout her long career with One of those she helped was Lathe Peace Corps and other interverne Dees Webb, one of the founders national organizations, Deborah of the Women of Peace Corps Legacy.

Harding ’61 never lost her passion for Harding “opened doors for me” for helping other women attain leaderboth a posting in Africa and a staff job ship roles. at the Peace Corps, she said.

As the Peace Corps marked its “When we decided that we wanted 55th anniversary this September, it to have an award recognizing the concelebrated another milestone at the tributions that Peace Corps women annual Peace Corps Connect confermake, we decided it had to be named ence—the winner of the first Deborah Deborah Harding ’61 addresses annual Peace Corps after Debbie as a tribute to her genHarding Women of Achievement Connect Conference in September. erosity of spirit and for all the doors Award was announced. torate in linguistics, specializing in the Bantu she has opened throughout the years to help The award bearing Harding’s name is other women get ahead,” Webb said. languages of sub-Saharan Africa. She was sponsored by the nonprofit organization At the ceremony, the award was prehired by the Peace Corps to develop training Women of Peace Corps Legacy and is sented by Liberian President Ellen Johnson materials for African languages and spent the first Peace Corps award dedicated to Sirleaf, Harding’s longtime friend and many years in Africa, teaching volunteers honoring female volunteers and staff. Sara Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who has been to speak them. When she returned to the Goodkind, a University of Pittsburgh assoa vocal advocate for girls’ and women’s ciate professor of social work who began the United States in 1974, she joined the senior empowerment, as well as for their crucial staff of the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C. Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) program role in peacebuilding. Upon her election “That’s when I realized that the Peace when she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Corps was out of sync with a changing society to the Liberian presidency in 2005, Sirleaf Romania, is the first recipient of the award. made girls’ education a priority and Harding brought on by the women’s movement. AlGoodkind’s GLOW program now exists in more than 60 countries, empowering young most all the overseas staff were men. Women was there to help. She formed the Liberian women and addressing their unique social and health needs.

“I’m thrilled, not only by the honor of having it named for me, but more importantly, that the contributions of Peace Corps women will become part of the Peace Corps narrative,” Harding said.

Deborah Harding ’61 Three years ago, several women who have worked in Peace Corps management formed Education Trust and through her fundraisvolunteers were restricted from working in the Legacy group and undertook a documening efforts, the trust was able raise money most jobs, except for education and health,” tary about the “early women” of the Peace to build 26 schools in Liberia and eight full Corps. Harding, who was featured in the film, said Harding, who went on to become the libraries in rural schools, and provide the executive director of the National Women’s served in the Peace Corps from 1962 until Political Caucus. “There was little conscious- funds for 10,000 scholarships for girls.

1979. In 1980, she became the first executive “Debbie has always supported people, director of the newly established Peace Corps ness that this needed to be fixed.” projects and works of merit,” Webb said.

So Harding said she went about making Institute, and worked there until 1983.

“She has had a lasting impact on so many sure that women were able to compete Harding’s talent with language was her people throughout the years and throughfor all jobs, both at home and abroad, as entree into the Peace Corps. After graduatvolunteers and staff. “Let’s just say it helped out the world, and we hope this award will ing from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in a lot of women and the overall programs and be a lasting honor.” —Coleen Dee Berry German, Harding went on to obtain a doc-

“I’m thrilled, ... that the contributions of Peace Corps women will become part of the Peace Corps narrative.”

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MT. GRETNA CHURCH SERVICE The annual Wilson College Church Service was held Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Mt. Gretna Playhouse in Mt. Gretna, Pa. Music was provided by the Eaken Trio, and Wilson’s Helen Carnell Eden chaplain, the Rev. Emily Morgan, gave the message.

Following the service, attendees joined Nancy Adams Besch ’48 for a luncheon at her summer home.

First row (from left): Christina Cressler Morrow ‘68, Katelyn Wingerd ‘16 and Betty MacLaughlin ‘67.

Second row (from left): Pamela Francis Kiehl ‘66, Nancy Adams Besch ‘48, Sarah Flowers ‘60 and the Rev. Emily Morgan.

Third row (from left): Diane Besch Gombocz ’87, Jennifer Campbell and Anne Pearce Lehman ‘49.

COMMUNITY CAMPUS VISITS Below: Members of the Rotary Club of Chambersburg had lunch in the atrium of the Harry R. Brooks Complex before touring the newly renovated John Stewart Memorial Library on Aug. 4.

During lunch, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Camilla Rawleigh discussed enrollment growth, new programs and construction projects at the College.

Above: Residents of Chambersburg’s Menno Haven retirement community toured the Harry R. Brooks Complex, John Stewart Memorial Library and the Stickworks art installation on the campus green on Aug. 10.

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PRESIDENT PHOTO BY RYAN SMITH

W

hen I ask people about the College nowadays, they often say something like “Wilson is really on the move,” but they are often hard-pressed to explain how.

Change in higher education is often unseen or gradual, making it hard to always understand and embrace efforts as they happen. Wilson is perpetually evolving and moving toward what’s next, but in 2015-16, we were fortunate to see the College change in some very perceptible ways, allowing our community to both celebrate today and build toward tomorrow.

Before I look back, I want to share a bit of history. When we welcomed the Class of 2020 this fall, we also welcomed the largest total enrollment in the history of Wilson College. Between the traditional undergraduate, graduate and Adult Degree programs, our enrollment stands at 1,098, with our largest growth occurring in graduate studies. As you read the rest of this report, you will see how all the efforts of many people helped us achieve this mark.

The 2015-16 year began on a high note as the College received recognition for the Wilson Today value plan. U.S. News ranked Wilson fifth on its Best Value list for colleges in the North (we have since moved up to fourth on the list) and the College was named a Tuition Hero for holding tuition without an increase for six years—including the tuition reduction of fall 2014. This was tremendous affirmation of Wilson’s commitment to value and affordability.

Last fall, we also received word that the Fulton Farm had been ranked among the best college farms in the country. CollegeRanker.

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com listed the farm 24th on its list of 40 Best College Farms—ahead of both Penn State and Ohio State—and CollegeValuesOnline.com published its list of the Top 30 Sustainable College-Run Farms, rating Wilson’s farm 19th.

The evolution of the farm and the Fulton Center for Sustainable Living in the life of the College continued this year. The center recently announced a name change to the Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies (FCSS) as activities are integrated more closely with the academic program. The internship program has changed and a new minor in food systems is under review.

Kudos go to Wilson’s child care center, which was awarded a threestar rating by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s Keystone Stars program. The staff’s hard work has made the program the only child care center in the area to achieve a rating above two stars.

Nursing has quickly become a signature program at the College and the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA) recently granted the program pre-accreditation status. As faculty and staff, led by Associate Professor of Nursing Carolyn Hart, prepared for a fall 2016 site visit by the CNEA, we received word that the online master of nursing had been named to the list of Top 25 Most Affordable Online Master’s of Nursing Degrees by AffordableSchools.net. Nursing received one more point of recognition when Hart was named the Top Nurse in Chambersburg by the International Nurses Association.

The FCSS and nursing program also led the way in helping build partnerships that have an impact on the College and our regional community. Wilson entered into an agreement with Widener University for graduates of Wilson’s Master of Nursing program to gain advanced

PHOTO BY RYAN SMITH

2015-16 REPORT OF THE

PHOTO BY TERRY CLARK

PHOTO BY TERRY CLARK PHOTO BY FREDFIELD

Clockwise, from left: student volunteers at Fulton Farm, nursing student, new main entrance, Family Weekend visitors explore A Walk on the Wild Side sculpture.

entry into Widener’s online nurse practitioner program. Nurse practitioners are in high demand and online programs are limited, so Wilson graduates will have a real advantage.

The FCSS connected with Volvo Construction Equipment to accept Volvo’s pre-kitchen waste, which will be composted and used on our farm fields. This agreement between a college and private industry appears to be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania. FCSS Director Chris Mayer estimates that between the Wilson dining hall waste and Volvo, the farm will produce approximately 7.8 tons of compost annually.

Last fall, the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation reaffirmed its partnership with Wilson by contributing $530,000 toward scholarships. Scholarships are so vital to Wilson students and partners like Stabler, who have provided more than $3.45 million in scholarships since 2009, are critical in supporting the institution’s commitment to value and affordability. While Stabler has been with us for a while, organizations like the Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) are welcome new partners. TERF contributed $10,000 to provide scholarships to four students with equine-related majors.

One of Wilson’s most important partners is our alumnae/alumni.

Whether through volunteer work or contributions to the Wilson Fund, the College’s road to financial stability cannot be navigated without the support we receive from them. This year, we saw the impact alumnae and alumni can have when Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 provided a $500,000 matching challenge for the Wilson Fund. Over a three-day period, 578 donors gave a total of $382,7777, which—when matched— brought in a total of $882,777 and led to the Wilson Fund surpassing its goal with a total of $1.35 million. Wilson Fund donations have the most direct impact on our students and the institution, from adding

to scholarships to increasing the alumnae/i donor participation rate, which in turn improves our rankings.

The physical shape of campus changed this year as well, which provided opportunities to step back and celebrate some significant achievements with our community. There was no better way to kick it off than the Celebrate Wilson Weekend, held in October 2015. The weekend embodied much of the spirit and vitality that the Wilson community exhibits when we work together. Fundraising for the John Stewart Memorial Library produced largest single project effort ever at Wilson, raising $12.2 million from 766 donors. The renovated library and new learning commons, which was honored with the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce “Best Renovation of the Year” award, is magnificent. Students, faculty and staff love the new facility and it has quickly become the center of life at Wilson.

The rededication brought more than 200 students, alumnae and alumni, trustees, staff, faculty, local officials and friends of the College to campus. That same weekend, we celebrated the completion of internationally acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty’s Stickworks sculpture—aptly named “A Walk on the Wild Side”—and the return of fall Family Weekend. It was an amazing event that brought people from all corners of the Wilson community together.

While that felt like an end to many, it was really just a midpoint.

Much campus work was still underway or in planning stages. Over the next 11 months, we would see a number of construction/renovation projects come to fruition: the library plaza, academic quad, renovations to Rosenkrans Hall, completion of the streetscape and pedestrian safety initiative, upgrades to Jensen Dining Hall and the reconfiguration and improvement of parking lots at the College.

But, perhaps the most significant and symbolic project—at least to

fall 2016 11

PHOTO BY FRED FIELD

PHOTO BY CATHY MENTZER

From left: Common Hour lecture, the rededication of the John Stewart Memorial Library. Opposite page: Kyla Martin ’17 in front of the Capitol Building.

me—was the completion of the College’s new main entrance at Park Avenue. This project ties together much of the physical change we have seen on campus and addresses many of the early projects identified in the Campus Enhancement Plan, providing a sense of closure to this phase of work.

Visitors to campus now arrive at a spacious, attractive entrance with flanking stone walls emblazoned with “Wilson College.” They pass through the entrance with a view of the academic quad; then curl left between Alumnae House and Warfield Hall to drive around the green, where they are able to view many of the College’s historic structures.

The project has already received rave reviews from visitors and I must admit, there have been times in the evening when I have driven over to see the entrance walls lit up at night.

I think it’s important to share a number of other changes, as well.

As the Women with Children program prepared to celebrate its 20th anniversary this fall, the program expanded its opportunities to include single fathers and adopted the name Single Parent Scholar Program to reflect the change.

A new lecture series called the Common Hour began in fall 2015—a result of the work of Associate Professor of Religion David True, who sought initially to expand the offerings of the Orr Forum and partnered with Professor of Environmental Studies Edward Wells to bring about the first Common Hour lecture series addressing two topics: climate

change and notions of the apocalypse. The series featured an exhibition of the work of artist Alejandro Durán in the library’s new Cooley Gallery and lectures by Nobel Prize winner Richard B. Alley and Orr Scholar Matthew Avery Sutton of Washington State University.

During the past academic year, faculty completed the considerable work of putting a new governance structure in place. The creation of a faculty senate streamlines administrative processes and frees some faculty members to focus even more on teaching. The process was thoughtful and considered, requiring a tremendous amount of work by Elissa Heil, vice president for academic affairs, and faculty members.

Service to the community has long been a tradition at Wilson. This year, Brie Burdge ’16 transitioned from Wilson student to staff member via a new AmeriCorps/Vista position at the College, helping to run the migrant tutoring program. This is the first step in a plan to expand community service opportunities for students. It will be exciting to see this program take root and grow.

We know how amazing our students can be, but this year the rest of the world got to witness it firsthand. Wilson got its first Newman Civic Fellow when Michael Martin ’19 received the award given by Campus Compact to recognize community-involved student leaders. His work advocating for LGBT issues and gay youth—including involvement with Wilson’s Student Athlete Mentor (SAM) program—earned him the honor.

WILSON BY THE NUMBERS

19% INCREASE

12 wilson magazine

# 4 U.S. NEWS B EST

VALUE

5% increase

L S T U DENT

I N T ER N A TI

1098

1397

total applications

NA

S :

FALL 2016 ENROLLMENT

O

APPLication

6.5% OF TOTAL STUDENT BODY

+7% 176 IN TOTAL INCREASE IN NEW STUDENTS

WILSON COLLEGE

2015-16 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS EXPENSES

STUDENT TUITION/FEES..........66.3% PRIVATE GIFTS........................ 11.7% GOVERNMENT GRANTS............. 0.9% INTEREST & DIVIDENDS............ 1.1% INTEREST RECEIVED FROM TRUSTS HELD BY OTHERS..........2.2% OTHER SOURCES....................... 1.9% AUXILIARY REVENUE.............. 15.9%

INSTRUCTIONAL.....................16.3% ACADEMIC SUPPORT.............. 17.5% STUDENT SERVICES................. 13.1% INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT.......20.0% AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES..........8.2% FINANCIAL AID....................... 18.1% INFRASTRUCTURE/ DEFERRED MAINTENANCE........6.8%

ENDOWMENT VALUE $47,351,535

16 fiscal year

Kyla Martin ’17 was recently awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award for young people given by Congress to recognize dedicated service to community. Martin (no relation to Michael) co-founded Angels at Work, a charity in her hometown of Paxinos, Pa., that organizes food and clothing drives for needy people. She also started an equine therapy program called Hooves Helping Hearts. Before being awarded the gold medal, Martin had received the silver and bronze medals from Congress, as well.

So many people help make Wilson a great small college, and that work isn’t always readily seen. This past year gave everyone a rare opportunity to see the tangible fruits of our labor and to celebrate. It may not always be so evident, but Wilson College is constantly moving toward tomorrow. W

REVENUE

$56,020,994

15 14

$60,305,877

13

$60,028,291 $57,180,278

12

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 in millions

This fall,

36%

of traditional students are first generation

34

MAJORS

: 11 1 STUDENT: FACULTY RATIO

NUMBER OF DONORS TO THE

2015-16 WILSON FUND

1176

WILSON FUND INCREASE TOTAL GIVING $1,351,068 OF MORE THAN 24% fall 2016 13

Being 14 wilson magazine

By Cathy Mentzer

Once convinced he was alone, Michael Martin ’19 has become a role model and mentor for others.

There More than 20,000 people follow Michael Martin on Instagram and another 2,000plus have friended him on Facebook.

The admittedly shy student-athlete from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia has been featured in articles in Time magazine, USA Today, the Daily Mail, CNN, Huffington Post, MTV and other national and international media outlets.

Why? Because he did the unthinkable.

fall 2016 15

While still in high school, Martin came out publicly through Outsports, a national sports news website focusing on gay athletes. His first-person article went viral, launching him as a role model and mentor for other young LGBT people—especially athletes—struggling with their identity and how to come out to family and friends.

“I was just tired of hiding, and that was the easiest outlet

and that makes me happy.”

Last spring, Martin was named Wilson’s first Newman Civic Fellow, an award given by Campus Compact to recognize community-involved student leaders. His work advocating for LGBT issues and gay youth, including involvement with Wilson’s Student Athlete Mentor (SAM) program, earned him the honor.

“When I was trying to come out, no one was there for me. I had to seek out the help—and you shouldn’t have to seek it. I feel like I’m there for people now, and that makes me happy.” to project my voice to the world,” said Martin ’19, an environmental sustainability and business management major from the small town of Martinsburg, one hour’s drive south of Chambersburg on Interstate 81. “If I had to do it over again, I would 100 percent do it over again.”

Although coming out in such a public way took no small amount of courage, there was a finality about it that appealed to Martin. He knew there would be no going back. “It was like, click a button, publish, everyone knows now,” he said.

Since his story went viral, Martin—an all-state soccer goalie in high school who plays soccer and volleyball for Wilson—has become a full-blown hero to young LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) athletes around the world. Correspondence with some of them through emails led to him personally mentoring some of the young people.

“When I was trying to come out, no one was there for me,” Martin said. “I had to seek out the help—and you shouldn’t have to seek it. I feel like I’m there for people now,

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“When I read through the qualifications (for the Newman award), I thought of him because of his work on the field, off the field, in the public arena, in the political arena,” said Vice President for Student Development Mary Beth Williams, who chaired the nominating committee. “At such a young age, he walks the talk.

You don’t meet a lot of young college students who do that. I would take about 20 of him.”

As a Newman Civic Fellow, Martin will represent Wilson in a national group of student leaders assembled by Campus Compact, a group of 1,100 colleges and universities that focuses on civic engagement.

The one-year Newman fellowship will provide opportunities for the fellows to connect and network with one another, as well as offering training and resources to help fellows develop strategies and hone their abilities to achieve social change through activities like civic learning, collaboration and consensus building, according to CC Program Coordinator Michaela Grenier.

Martin has been invited to the first convening of Newman Civic Fellows in November in Boston, where he will be able

to meet with other Newman whose reaction surprised Civic Fellows. his son. “He was like, ‘Bud, Before Martin came I don’t care. I don’t want to out through Outsports, he change you. Why would I was struggling with how to want to change you?’” tell others and gain their said Martin. acceptance. His mother In the article, Martin had found out about two described dancing years earlier after reading with another boy at a a Christmas card he had homecoming dance at a received from a boy he different high school in fall met on Facebook. She 2014. Although the two had trouble accepting it, were noticed, word about according to Martin, who what happened did not said he and his mother kept reach Martin’s family and Martin and his parents, Andrew and Pamela Martin, on the day he it a secret from his father he felt he needed to make signed to play soccer for Wilson. and brother. “She was more of a statement, which devastated. She said she failed as a parent,” said Martin. he did in the Dec. 16, 2014, Outsports article.

Martin was left to try to cope on his own. More than a Reaction was swift. “It was the most viral thing we’ve year later, he was still seeking help with how to come out to done in our 16 years of telling coming out stories,” Buzinski

“[My dad] was like, ‘Bud, I don’t care. I don’t want to change you. Why would I want to change you?’” his father, brother and friends while reinforcing his identity said. “I think it has about 72,000 Facebook shares, which with his mother. Out of desperation, he sent an email to is astonishing. It was our most-read story that year, even Outsports co-founder and editor Jim Buzinski. though it went out in December.”

“In August of 2014, I just got an email out of the blue from Martin was staggered by the response. “I got so many Michael saying he’s in high school, he’s an athlete, he’s scared emails—it just flooded,” he said. “Then radio stations were and he doesn’t know anybody else who’s gay,” said Buzinski. trying to call me, wanting me to go on the air.” He was “We started a regular email correspondence, just about surprised at the number of emails he got from people in himself and his life and how he felt as a young gay man.” other countries, as well as the fact that about half were from After that first contact, older men “saying I could “We had 98 emails after never do that—I’m glad that,” Martin said, smiling. times are changing.”

“He was telling me, ‘You’re Martin subsequently not alone, there are plenty wrote two more articles of other (gay) athletes, that for Outsports—the widely sort of thing.” publicized story of his own The coming-out article high school prom, which he was Buzinski’s suggestion, attended with a boyfriend; according to Martin, who and last spring, when he liked the idea. Buzinski recounted how a straight insisted that the article had Wilson soccer player, Kosta to be OK’d by a parent, so Zois of Australia, texted Martin joins his teammates in fall 2015 before the inaugural game of the Martin turned to his father, him after reading about

Wilson men’s soccer team.

fall 2016 17

Martin’s story to tell him, “You’re a true inspiration my friend.”

Although he isn’t completely comfortable with it, Martin has gotten used to the spotlight, especially on social media.

“It feels good that people actually want to follow your life and that they interested in your journey,” said Martin. “(But) those people don’t know the real me. They only know my story.”

dining hall food and of course, athletics—which is a big part of his identity, according to those who know him.

On the soccer team, Martin is part of what he and Davis describe as a brotherhood. However, being gay and being part of any athletic team has its awkward moments due to lingering homophobia in men’s sports in general. On the

“It feels good that people actually want to follow your life and that they are interested in your journey. (But) those people don’t know the real me. They only know my story.”

While Martin is active on the Wilson campus, he has a small circle of friends, according to his roommate, sophomore Zach Zerr, who plays on the volleyball team with Martin. “There’s just nothing he’s not involved in on campus, it seems like,” Zerr said. “I think his reputation on campus is, he’s a sweet guy. He’s really nice to everyone and everyone loves him because Michael’s not mean to anyone. You never see Michael being a jerk.”

Martin has a lot of interests: athletics, environmental issues, LGBT advocacy and politics. One of his greatest passions—soccer—led him to Wilson, after he was recruited by the team’s persistent head coach, Caleb Davis, to play goalie for the team’s inaugural season. Initially, Martin was skeptical because his sights were set on a large school. All it took was a visit to campus for him to realize that Wilson was the place for him.

“I loved the buildings. I loved the farm. I talked to (Professor of Environmental Studies) Ed Wells and it was good from there,” said Martin.

“Now I love Wilson. I love that it’s growing, too, because it’s a great school. Here, everyone’s close with each other.”

Martin especially loves Wilson’s traditions, his professors, the small class sizes,

18 wilson magazine

soccer team, other players sometimes use a derogatory term for gay men that bothers Martin, according to Zerr, who is straight. “That word really hurts Mike,” he said.

But Martin is accepted and liked by his teammates, according to Davis. “Everybody knows that Mike’s gay but at the same time, we preach family on the soccer team, and all the guys on the team look at Mike as a brother,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what your sexual orientation is. They’re going to have your back.”

Overall, Martin says the Wilson community has been very supportive of him. “He’s very passionate and open with his story, and students, faculty and staff are all just drawn to him,” said Williams. “Coming to college is this whole developmental process of becoming who you are, and for him to be so open and fearless with who he is, is encouraging to the men and women who will come after him.”

Martin is a mentor at Wilson through the SAM program, which he was elected vice president of this fall. The athletics department program provides in-depth training with assistance from the counseling center on helping other students with any problem they have adjusting to college life.

“He’s has a very caring

Left, Martin is presented with his Newman Civic Fellow award by Pennsylvania State Sen. Rich Alloway and Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. Right, Martin with West Virginia Del. Stephen Skinner, the first openly gay person elected to the state legislature.

“I never had the help and now I have the opportunity to help people—and I absolutely love it.”

Left, Martin with roommate and friend Zach Zerr ’19. Above, Martin awaits a corner kick while manning goal for the Wilson Phoenix men’s soccer team.

personality,” Davis said of Martin. “I think with some of the struggles he’s gone through, he wants to reach out.”

Martin has embraced the role. “I never had the help and now I have the opportunity to help people—and I absolutely love it,” said Martin, whose parents and brother now accept that he is gay and support him fully.

In addition to inspiring young people, Martin’s story resonated with gay West Virginia lawmaker Stephen Skinner of the 67th District, who wrote to congratulate him after his coming out article and subsequently hired Martin over the summer as a legislative intern. “I learned so much about politics,” said Martin, who now counts the political arena among his potential post-college interests.

“I’m a quiet person, but certain issues get me fired up,” said Martin, who is especially concerned about environmental issues, in addition to gay rights and the upcoming U.S. presidential election. “He’s always talking about politics. I mean, nonstop,” Zerr said. “Sometimes we have to tell him, no more politics.”

Whether Martin pursues his interests in the environment and business (he says he hopes to open a restaurant franchise one day that uses only sustainable, local food), environmental law and policy (he is interested in Wilson’s relationship with Vermont Law School) or politics, he will most likely have an impact, wherever he lands.

“It’s a cliché to say that he’s making a difference, but Michael’s making a difference,” said Buzinkski. “He’s going to be somebody to keep an eye on.” W

fall 2016 19

Barbara Rose Spitzer ’57 founded the first, integrated private school in Birmingham

by Coleen Dee Berry

I

SEGREGATION

Standing Against n 1968, Barbara Rose Spitzer ’57 raised eyebrows in Birmingham, Ala., when she opened a Montessori school for 18 preschoolers in a church basement. Two years later, with close to 100 children enrolled in her Creative Montessori School, Spitzer decided an even bolder move was needed. “I wanted my school to be integrated,” she said.

At that time, although Alabama public schools had been forced to integrate by federal court order, no integrated private school existed in Birmingham.

All-white private schools operated as an escape hatch for parents unwilling to send their children to the desegregated public schools.

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fall 2016 21

PHOTO BY BEAU GUSTAFSON

Spitzer’s decision was not popular. Birmingham was still confronting the legacy of its infamous, brutal civil rights clashes.

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his landmark Letter from a Birmingham Jail in 1963 after he was arrested in the city during a protest of segregated downtown businesses. In September 1963, the bombing of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church

by Ku Klux Klan members, which killed four young girls and injured 23 other congregants, horrified the nation.

With the help of Richard Arrington Jr., a family friend who would go on to become Birmingham’s first African-American mayor, Spitzer attended black churches to speak about the Montessori Method. In the fall of 1970, she began enrolling African-American children, making Creative Montessori the first private school in Birmingham to be integrated.

Residents had been skeptical enough about welcoming a Montessori school to the city. “A lot of people thought I must be a communist!” Spitzer said with a laugh. “And when I integrated the school, a lot of the parents did not like it at all. My first African-American students were two young girls, and I remember one white parent coming up to me and saying, very disapprovingly, ‘We didn’t realize you were going to have so many!’”

College in Massachusetts and then got a job at Sloan Kettering’s Walker Laboratory in Rye, N.Y., where she met her husband.

When he received a job offer from the University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Center, they relocated to the city with their two young daughters.

Culture shock ensued. “I felt as if I had moved to foreign country,” Spitzer said. “When you went to a place like the liquor store, there was an entrance for whites and an entrance for blacks, and then you met at the same counter in front. It was totally ridiculous. Life there was very different; many things were shocking to me.”

Spitzer was also not happy with the quality of preschool education available to her children. While living in New York, she had encountered Montessori schools, and she decided to personally solve the preschool dilemma. She traveled back to New York to

It was not easy, but Spitzer was undaunted. “Well, I just thought it was right thing to do. I grew up in Philadelphia, around blacks, Asians, whites, whatever, and I believed everyone needed to have the exposure to a good education.”

Now, 48 years after Spitzer held that first class in a church basement, the Creative Montessori School has christened a newly renovated school campus in her honor. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Barbara Rose Spitzer campus was held Sept. 1, and Spitzer was there to welcome students, parents and guests.

Current Creative Montessori Executive Director Greg Smith said it was a fitting honor for the school’s founder. “I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for her to come here and start not only a Montessori school, but an integrated school— an integrated school that was her choice, not imposed by a (court) decision,” he said. “It was a powerful move on her part, a revolutionary decision. It was only natural that we name the campus after her, to honor her work and her vision.”

“Barbara is not just the founder of Creative Montessori, she is the foundation of the school,” said Brooke Coleman, a member of the school’s board of directors.

“She is truly committed to the Montessori Method. You can’t be an authentic Montessori school if you don’t care about the inclusion of every single child. That’s the legacy of her drive to integrate the school: our continuing commitment to diversity.”

Spitzer did not start out with a desire to teach. She decided to attend Wilson because her favorite teacher in high school—who instilled in her a lifelong love of Latin—had gone to Wilson and had always spoken highly of her time there. For a while, Spitzer thought of majoring in Latin, but ended up with a biology degree.

After graduation, she dreamed of a job in medical research.

She received her master’s degree in zoology at Mount Holyoke

22 wilson magazine

Above: Barbara Rose Spitzer ’57 with her young Montessori students in photos dating from the late 1970s (top photo) and when the school was founded in 1968 (bottom photo). On opposite page: Students, teachers, board members and guests line up for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to name the Creative Montessori campus after Spitzer (standing in center of photo).

PHOTO BY BEAU GUSTAFSON

undertake Montessori preschool training, and on receiving her certificate, opened her school. Besides her daughters, many of her first 18 students were children of doctors and researchers at the UAB Medical Center “because the locals were really very mistrustful of what the school was about at first,” Spitzer said.

Spitzer found her calling in the Montessori Method. “It allows students to have a great confidence in themselves; it develops both good self-esteem and a love of learning,” she said. “You use all your senses in Montessori classes. It embraces the joy of learning.”

The Montessori Method, developed in the early 1900s by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori, is a child-centered, hands-on educational approach. Montessori education recognizes that children learn in different ways and accommodates all learning styles. Students are free to learn at their own pace, guided by teachers and an individualized learning plan. Children are grouped and taught in age ranges rather than specific grades.

According to the American Montessori website, students learn to think critically, work collaboratively and act boldly—“not all that different from Wilson’s love of learning goals,” Spitzer said.

“The idea was really very foreign to many people here at that time,” said Smith. “But word of mouth traveled very fast.”

Lula Skowronek was a student at Creative Montessori beginning in 1970, when she was 3 years old. Both her children have since attended and graduated from Creative Montessori and she also has served on the school’s board of directors. “I think one of the things that strikes me the most from my time as a student is how diverse the school really was and the impact it had on shaping my outlook on both race and religion,” Skowronek said.

“Besides African-American children, there were Jewish children, Sikhs, Asians. And when I think about my peers growing up, many of those who weren’t at school with me were still feeling the influence of the previous generation’s prejudices.”

One of her favorite memories of her school days “was when we were allowed to help Barbara in the office, making copies on the ditto machine,” Skowronek said. And every Friday, the students would take their lunches to the nearby botanical gardens “and we’d spend the rest of the day doing our lessons in the garden.”

As the school gained in popularity, Spitzer trained for Montessori elementary education and later for toddler education, and expanded the school to encompass those age groups. Today the school is located on a two-acre campus in the Homewood section of Birmingham, and has more than 225 students enrolled and a waiting list that includes 72 toddlers.

Of all three age groups in her school, Spitzer said she most enjoyed teaching the toddler group. “They are so inquisitive, they just want to keep going and doing,” she said. “They are so lovable and willing to learn.” During in the 1990s, she undertook a special project for the older students—she began teaching Latin to the 10- to 12-year-olds.

Spitzer retired from teaching in 2005, but has remained on the school’s board of trustees. She estimates that “thousands” of children have passed through Creative Montessori’s doors. “A lot come back and visit. I’m a scrapbook person and I’ve kept a scrapbook for each year,” she said, “The graduates come back to look through them and they have a lot of fun remembering things.”

Those scrapbooks came in handy when the school was raising money for the new campus, Coleman said. “Barbara was very active in helping with the campaign. When we had parents of former students in as potential donors, Barbara would have the right scrapbook there, turned to the page with the photos of their children. And she remembered the name of every child in her scrapbooks.”

The school has remained committed to Spitzer’s mission, Smith said. “She has a very strong vision about Montessori education and she was adamant that everyone should have access to that education, regardless of color of your skin, the size of your income or where you lived in Birmingham,” he said. “She is a visionary in that respect. We do let parents know about the history of how the school was founded because we’re very proud of that legacy—and of Barbara.” W

fall 2016 23

TRADI Both Odd ...

24 wilson magazine

TIONS and Even

By Coleen Dee Berry

Themed May Day pageants were the rage in the 1920s and 1930s at Wilson. In this 1924 photo, members of the Queen’s Court are dressed as Roman soldiers.

fall 2016 25

T

raditions create a college’s unique identity and define the student experience. At tradition-rich Wilson, today’s students carry on the College’s celebrations and revel in the distinctive rituals handed down through the generations.

Wilson students no longer dance the minuet on George Washington’s birthday or play Angels and Gremlins for the holidays. However, many of the existing traditions on campus can be traced back not only decades, but as long as a century ago. They’ve just been tweaked a bit along the way.

The century-old rivalry between the odd and even-numbered graduating years remains the foundation for many traditional events. First-year students are still presented with their class colors in a candlelit ceremony that dates back to 1905. Sophomores still carry a homemade daisy chain to graduating seniors waiting by the Conococheague on commencement morning, a ritual first noted in 1909. The alma mater (dating to the early 1920s) is still sung at ceremonies, usually with a hearty shout-out on the last line. But students also engage in a raucous, 24-hour banner-stealing competition—a modern twist on “dummy rush”—and have turned the annual May Day Queen and her court pageant into Spring Fling, which includes a campus carnival and dance.

Traditions make memories, according to Carole Ashbridge ’70. “They help build these unbreakable bonds with your classmates, with the College,” she said. ”You come back here for Reunion and all the memories come rushing back, and many of them have to do with the traditions. It’s all tied up in what makes this a very special place.”

“Traditions are our connection to the College’s legacy and bring the campus community together,” President Barbara Mistick said. “Traditions make indelible memories. It’s amazing how powerful the memories of the traditions are among alumnae when they are back here for Reunion.”

26 wilson magazine

Dinks, class colors and banners have long been a part of Wilson traditions.

From their first day, first-year students are immersed in Wilson traditions. They spend an orientation session becoming familiar with the most popular traditions and even have a first go at Song Wars.

By mid-September, all classes are participating in Sarah Wilson Week, which includes the assignment of Bigs and Littles, banner stealing and a secret ceremony for first-years.

“What is so cool is that we have this great rivalry inside the College. Like, we will all unite in defense of Wilson, but

then we also have this great Odd/Even spirit,” said Nicole Zuleger ’17, class historian and president of the Campus Activity Board (CAB).

One of the first things first-years learn during orientation is whether they are Odds or Evens, which is simple enough— it corresponds to what year they enter the school and their graduating year.

This year is an Evens cycle (enter in 2016, graduate in 2020); but members of this year’s senior class, who graduate in 2017, are Odds. Odds colors are red and

ODDs and EVENs is the best for sure! Fifty-four years out, many of us are still reveling in proclaiming our ODDness and EVENness!

Judy Young ’63

It goes across generations.

Erin Shore ’97

PHOTO BY JAMES BUTTS

Today, the Class of 2020 carries on the traditions during Sarah Wilson Week. black; Evens are green and blue.

In the 1890s, there weren’t any Odds or Evens, but there were Defenders and Invincibles. The two rivals met in battle over a basketball game around Thanksgiving. The Color Ceremony began in 1905, when the seniors, carrying candles, marched from South Hall to present colors to the freshman class waiting by Laird Hall, a tradition that remains part of Sarah Wilson Week.

Another Sarah Wilson Week tradition that dates back to the early 1900s is Bigs and Littles. Littles (first-year students) are assigned Bigs (juniors) who become mentors and big sisters/brothers. In the early 1900s, these assignments were made before the Littles came to campus, and Bigs wrote to their Littles over the summer with advice on how to prepare for college life.

Bigs also present Littles with their

dinks, felt beanie caps in the appropriate Odds or Evens colors—a tradition that dates to the 1940s. The way the Bigs set the cap on their Littles’ heads is how the students must wear their dinks throughout college. “I see some alumnae and staff who were Evens with their dinks, and from the way they are wearing them, I realize it’s like I’m wearing the greatgreat-grand dink of someone, which is pretty cool,” said Kirstin Lehman ’18, who is the CAB traditions chair.

Zuleger’s favorite tradition is Bigs and Littles. She took on six Littles in her junior year, including three little brothers. “If they are having a bad day, you try to take them to Starbucks or do something to lift their spirits. That’s what makes traditions important to me—that they help make Wilson feel like home,” she said. “The bonds created between Bigs and Littles can be awesome. I’m still in touch with my Big two years after graduation, and I hope to stay in touch with my Littles after I graduate.”

Secrets are key part of the Wilson traditions. Odds and Evens each have their own carefully guarded ceremonies, handed down from class to class. “There’s sooo much that goes on that’s secret—but I can’t tell you,” Zuleger said with a smile.

Students pose with Odds and Evens banners at main entrance to Penn Hall, circa 1974.

fall 2016 27

Banner Stealing is awesome—it’s like a cross between capture the flag and a great scavenger hunt. — Daniel Glazier ’18 The ceremony to welcome first-year students during Sarah Wilson Week is one such secret. “Sarah Wilson Week is my favorite because it is shrouded in mystery during your first year,” Lehman said.

“Finding out about so many traditions at once is the greatest way to start college.”

Wilson traditions also have appeal to international students. “I’m a tour guide here and one of the things I like to tell visitors about are all the traditions we have.

It’s what being part of the Wilson community is all about,” said Ghada Tafesh ’16, a graduate student from Gaza. “Traditions let students know that they’re not

just a file or a number in a column when they are here. Traditions offer a way to get to know everyone and to feel that you are welcome at Wilson.”

Tafesh acted as a Big to Cody Dunlap ’18, who is now the Wilson College Government Association president.

“Bigs are important for Littles. They are your role models, they help you navigate the campus, they introduce you to people you probably wouldn’t have met on your own and it becomes your first networking experience,’ Tafesh said. “I was WCGA president when I was Cody’s Big, so I encouraged him to join—and now

he’s the president!”

Dunlap, the first male WCGA president in Wilson’s history, said now that he’s a Big, he hopes to encourage his Littles to become active in student government. “Ghada has been a big help to me.

I can’t imagine my college experience without her,” he said. “The traditions here add a lot of heart to Wilson. Once you start participating in them, you want to experience more.”

As Wilson moves forward in the 21st century, one of the challenges is trying to ensure students outside of the traditional undergraduate program are included in

May Day celebrations, seen below in 1919, have evolved into Spring Fling. While there is still a May Court—with male representatives— the event has become a community celebration. Above left, a dog relay race in 2002 and, right, a children’s bounce obstacle course in 2013.

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Palladium. The less said, the better. Unless you’re an Even.

— Carol Parssinen ’82 Zuleger said. traditions. Members of the Wilson’s traditions may College Traditions Comevolve, but they also enmittee are currently braindure, according to Vice storming how to engage President for Student commuters and Adult DeDevelopment Mary Beth gree Program students in Williams. “Traditions are traditional events—someone of the pillars of the thing students organizing student experience here those events admit is diffiat Wilson, and they are cult. “I have tried to figure grand and cool and fun out how to include the ADP and ever-changing,” she students, but since most of said. “The traditions make them have jobs and famithe students here all differlies, and the traditions hapent and yet all the same.” pen so late at night, a lot of Amy Ensley, director of times it just doesn’t work the Hankey Center—which out,” Zuleger said. houses many of the reThe traditions commit- The Class of 2014 upholds tradition by floating a daisy chain down the cords and artifacts of Wiltee was formed several Conococheague Creek. son’s traditions—says the years ago to examine how Wilson’s decision to expand coeduca- memories,” she said. “Some things won’t powerful bond of traditions connect totion would affect traditions and address be changed—like the alma mater—but day’s students to past and future students. the concern that some traditions would they will be O.K. with the female refer- “Through these rituals, our students fade away. The committee—with student, ences in the alma mater. It’s our history. become part of our heritage,” she said.

“One hundred and forty-seven years from alumnae, staff and faculty representa- No one is about to change that.”

The men on campus have their favor- now, the class historian for the Class of tion—agreed that how traditions might evolve was, as always, ultimately in the ite traditions—“Banner stealing is awe- 2164 will rummage through the archives some!” said Daniel Glazier ’18—and as and find an image of Nicole and Ghada hands of the students.

Mistick said she already sees Wilson’s time goes by, more men participate in and Cody, and she will have a little laugh male students taking part in traditions. more events. There are now men elect- about how silly everything looked back “I don’t think traditions have gender. ed to the May Court, “and I’m hoping this then, and then she’ll go back to her room The guys will have just as much fun and year we get a guy on the Daisy Chain,” to get ready for the White Dinner.” W

fall 2016 29

Do You Know Wilson’s Traditions?

Banner Stealing—This is a modern version of what was once called “dummy rush,” a tradition thought to date to the late 1880s. Each class made a dummy, which was hidden somewhere on campus, and clues were provided for the opposite class. The class who found the other’s dummy first won. The 21st-century version involves Odds and Evens banners for each class. Each banner is hidden with clues to their whereabouts posted in Lenfest Commons. Once a competing class finds and steals a banner, members leave their own clues behind about where to find it next. The back-and-forth stealing can go on into the wee hours of the night.

Step-Sing and Song Wars (began 1905)—These are friendly competitions between Odd and Even classes, where students sing and shout traditional chants toward one another. Once, classes gathered on the steps of South Hall to sing, but now the songs often take place on the main green (or in the dining hall).

bell to cancel one day of classes in spring to allow students to enjoy a day off before finals start.

Senior Night (began May 1980)—At the end of the school year, students choose a day to decorate their professors’ classrooms. Some attempt to prevent faculty members from reaching their classrooms by barricading office doors and using various mental challenges—and maybe a water gun fight.

Spring Fling/May Day (began 1902)—This annual ritual is based on the medieval May Day celebration of spring that is historically popular at many women’s colleges. The May Queen would process through campus, followed by her court. Now the elected members of the May Court, both male and female, preside over an afternoon carnival on the campus green, followed by an evening dance.

Thanksgiving Dinner—Students gather in Jensen Dining Hall on the Thursday before Thanksgiving break, to be served a turkey dinner with all the trimmings (each table receives its own turkey to carve) and are waited on by staff and faculty members.

Daisy Chain (first mentioned in 1909)—Sophomores craft a chain of daisies and present the chain to the graduating class on commencement morning. The daisy chain is then placed in the Conococheague and must float away intact, or else it supposedly means bad luck for the graduating class. Members of the junior class enter the water to ensure that it floats away unbroken.

White Dinner (began 1914)—Seniors wear white to a formal dinner composed primarily of white foods to raise money for a local charity. When this event began, all the students wore white, not just seniors. Today’s legend has it that if you are not a senior and you wear white to the dinner, you risk getting something spilled on you!

Shhhh! The Candle Club—Members of this secret club are responsible for keeping up morale on campus, and often leave messages on banners hung outside Lenfest Commons. New members are selected by outgoing Candle Club members and are inducted in a secret ceremony.

The Blessing of the Animals (began 1994)—Malinda Triller Doran ’96 suggested the idea when she was a student and the college chaplain agreed to hold the service if Malinda would promise to attend chapel service every week for a whole semester. Students, faculty and staff gather each spring with their pets and college animals on the green for a short service and blessing.

“Aunt Sarah”—Alumnae/i take on “nieces” and nephews” each year and provide them with letters of encouragement, snacks and other small gifts to keep their spirits up. Once, the identity of the Aunt Sarahs remained secret until graduation, but today it’s common for the students to know their Aunt Sarah by name and correspond by email and/or phone texts. Last school year there were 155 pairings. W

Muhibbah Dinner (began mid-1980s)—Muhibbah is a Malaysian word meaning “unity among nations.” The student club of the same name sponsors an international dinner/performance each year. At this spring event, students showcase food from their home countries and perform poetry, music and dances unique to their countries.

FavoriteTraditions

Easter Egg Hunt—This relatively modern tradition takes place at night on the campus green. The plastic eggs contain candy, as well as coupons for prizes ranging from gift cards and coffee cups to a big-ticket item, such as a flat-screen TV. Dean’s Day (first held Nov. 10, 1950)—This much-loved tradition began as President’s Day. College President Paul “Prexy” Swain Havens spontaneously gave students the day off on Nov. 10, 1950, and the ensuing unplanned days off were referred to as “Prexy’s Day.” Now the dean of the faculty rings the Edgar

30 wilson magazine

A survey this fall on Wilson’s Facebook page asked alumnae/i to name their favorite traditions. Alums from every decade since the 1940s responded!

Thanks to those who participated.

THE TOP FAVORITES WERE: Odds and Evens White Dinner Bigs and Littles Sarah Wilson Week

— hidden —

history

IN THE DAYS OF YORE: BYGONE WILSON TRADITIONS

By Leigh Rupinski

I

prom became a two-day affair n the College’s early years, stuwith dances on both Friday and dents caught the train (from Saturday nights. campus, naturally) for a day-long The 1956 “Greenwich to picnic, danced the night away Broadway”-themed dance was in Laird Hall serenaded by a live an elaborate affair of “subway orchestra, and watched George stops” around campus. The and Martha Washington take a “subway” began Friday night at spin around the dining hall.

“Greenwich” (Laird Hall) for All three of these traditions dancing and picked up again have now faded from campus, but Saturday afternoon at the at one time, each one played as “Metropole” (Laird again) for important a role in the student jazz. It continued through a New experience at Wilson as Senior York City-themed tour around Night and Dean’s Day does for campus at the “Brass Rail” today’s students.

(Alumnae House), “Schrafft’s” Begun in 1888, the All-College Wilson students pose during a 1925 celebration of George Wash(South Hall) and “Sardi’s” Picnic was a traditional fall ington’s birthday.

(Riddle), before finishing up getaway for students, faculty with another formal dance on and staff. It was also called Mont Broadway (again, Laird).

Alto Day or Caledonia Day because the picnic typically occurred at Washington’s Birthday, also called the Martha Washington Ball one of the nearby parks. Originally, students took the Cumberland or the Minuet of 1776, was held around the same time of the year as Valley Railroad’s specially designated branch train line straight from the prom.

Wilson students dressed up as either George or Martha campus to Mont Alto. In 1913, the Mont Alto State park closed to the Washington and performed period dances in the dining hall, which public, so the event was switched to Caledonia. After 1951, the picnic was suitably decorated with an enormous American flag, Washington’s rotated between Caledonia and the reopened Mont Alto State Park, picture and soft candlelight.

Six seniors chose the junior dancers they as well as Pine Grove Furnace and Cowan’s Gap state parks. wanted for partners prior to the evening’s festivities.

No matter the location, the activities remained the same: a The 1899 Pharetra literary magazine describes “such an array of picnic, followed by a student-faculty softball game, hiking, singing, antique finery and powdered hair and rosy cheeks as is never seen skits and, in later years, organized group sports such as volleyball elsewhere outside of fairyland.”

Ladies wore elaborate brocade or dodgeball. Of course, no picnic would be complete without gowns, while the “gentlemen” wore knee breeches.

According to the speeches from Wilson’s president and the presidents of each class.

1942 Conococheague yearbook, the dancing itself was composed of In the winter, Wilson held a Junior-Senior Promenade, or “prom” “deep curtsies, intricate turns, the flash of swords, [and] low bows,” for short, which provided an opportunity for Wilson’s all-female all to the tune of a minuet. student population to socialize with the men at nearby colleges, Wilson’s traditions are unique and integral parts of the Wilson such as Gettysburg, Franklin & Marshall, and the Naval Academy. experience.

For more information on any of Wilson’s traditions, The first prom was held in 1905. Juniors and seniors attended, whether extinct or ongoing, please contact the C. Elizabeth Boyd while the freshmen and sophomore classes were responsible for ’33 Archives at hankeycenter@wilson.edu or 717-262-2049. W decorating Wilson’s gymnasium. Prom lasted from early evening until the live orchestra played its final song at 1 a.m. In 1928, the

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WE ARE FAMILY Single Parent Scholar program celebrates 20th anniversary

By Coleen Dee Berry

F

or the past 20 years, the Single Parent Scholar Program at Wilson has made dreams come true.

choreographer in the San Francisco Bay area and co-founder of the Deep Root Dance Collective.

Ligmie Preval ’09 dreamed of working for a high-tech company like Google, but her attempt to change careers meant juggling parenthood, a job and taking community college classes. Enrolling at Wilson in what was then called the Women with Children program and living on campus with her daughter, Sunaii, “was the easiest and fastest way for me to get my degree. I could go to school full time (and) have more time to spend with my daughter, all with a great support system there in place on campus.”

“Over the years, the Single Parent Scholar program has helped open the door for college education—first to single mothers and now to single fathers as well—whether they are 18, 38 or 48,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “That’s why this program is so special—it is giving students the opportunity to achieve their dreams.”

After graduating with a degree in computer science, Preval went on to work in software development as a human factor engineer at athenahealth, an electronic health records company in Massachusetts.

In 1996, the Women with Children program began with two single mothers and their children. Last spring, 18 mothers and 19 children were enrolled in the recently expanded and re-christened Single Parent Scholar program, which is open to single parents of both sexes.

Nicole Zvarik ’03 enrolled in Wilson’s program with her daughter, Savannah, in 1999. “When I came to Wilson, I felt a sense of freedom and support that I had never experienced before,” she said.

“Although single parenting while in college was challenging, I found my life work while I was there—my passion for dance.”

The program grew out of Wilson President Emerita Gwen Jensen’s passion to address barriers to access to education for women in poverty. “I was very concerned about single mothers and the difficulty they faced getting into college,” Jensen said.

“What I didn’t realize at the time was that the program at Wilson would also have a tremendous impact on the children—that it would change their lives also.”

Zvarik graduated with a degree in dance and sociology and now is an independent

Jensen credited then-Dean of Students Kathy Houghton with getting the program

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off the ground, and praised Sylvia Field of the Eden Hall Foundation with obtaining the grant that allowed Wilson to renovate Prentis Hall for family life on campus. The program continues to receive support from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation and generous donations from alumnae/i, including class gifts, according to Katie Kough, the current program director.

“Wilson made a very courageous decision to start this program 20 years ago,” Kough said. “Of course it was the right thing to do, but it was also a difficult thing to do from a logistical standpoint, especially for a small college.”

“It’s an incredibly unique program,” said Sherri Sadowski, Wilson’s director of residence life. “The students in the program have their own community. They are very protective of each other. That’s why I like the common rooms they have at Wilson—they share kitchens and play space— because it helps create that community.”

Single parent scholars are treated as traditional undergraduate students, with all campus courses, events and programs open to them—even study-abroad.

Stephanie Marshall ’17 spent last spring semester studying in Berlin with her two children, Brettney, 11, and Logan, 9. “Liv-

PHOTOS BY MATTHEW LESTER

AROUND THE GREEN

From left: Single Parent Scholars Johanna Romain Rizwah ’14, Stephanie Marshall ’17 and Nicole Brown ’16 with their children in a Prentis Hall common area; Single Parent Scholars Karalee Nichols ’16 and Amadea Clement ’16; and Breana Park ’17 shares a meal with son Aiden (left) in Jensen Dining Hall.

The Single Parent Scholar program has helped open the door for college education—first to single mothers and now to single fathers as well … giving students the opportunity to achieve their dreams.

ing and studying in Berlin has been an amazing experience for me and my children,” Marshall said. “As a history major with a particular interest in the lives of women and children under the Nazi regime, the ability to explore and conduct research at former forced labor camps and in the archives and libraries of various museums here is beyond words.”

At the time it was first formed, Wilson’s Women with Children program was one of the first such programs in the nation. Today, according to Kough, only eight other colleges nationally have similar undergraduate residential programs for single parents.

Children, as well as their parents, benefit from living on campus, Mistick said. “Living at a college while their parent goes to school has an enormous impact on the children. The experience encourages them to follow in their parent’s footsteps and achieve a college education. So the program not only helps single parents, it impacts the next generation as well.”

— Barbara K. Mistick, Wilson President When Keshie Mansouri ’10 enrolled in Women with Children, her daughter, Vanessa Whitfield, was 15, one of the oldest children ever accepted in the program.

“I have to be honest, at first I was miserable,” Whitfield said. “I had left friends and basketball behind. When I matured a bit and realized I was going to be here a while, I got more involved, made friends and came to appreciate what a unique opportunity I had.”

Whitfield majored in sports management and starred on the Phoenix women’s basketball team, where she scored more than 1,000 points. After graduation, Whitfield ’14 landed a job coaching seventh-grade girls’ basketball in Waynesboro, Pa., and a year later was recruited

by Wilson to become an admissions counselor. At college fairs, she can talk about the Single Parent Scholar program from a personal standpoint.

When Whitfield graduated from Chambersburg Area Senior High School (the same year her mom graduated), Wilson was her first choice for college. “I had bonded with several professors when I was here,” she said. “I liked Wilson’s no-distractions environment and I already had friends here.”

“For me, being in the program helped me realize the feeling of togetherness, of belonging. We were all like a big family. I still am friends with people in the program— some of them my mom’s friends— still see them and talk to them,” Whitfield said. “The bonds we made are lifetime bonds, something that I’ll have forever, and that makes my heart smile.” W

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AROUND THE GREEN

Clockwise from top left: Lindsey McCauslin ’16 monitors an anesthetized tiger; Jordan Massey ’16 holds a lamb; MacCauslin and Massey with staff at the Chiang Mai Night Safari; taking in the sights in Thailand; riding elephants through the safari park.

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ADVENTURES

IN THAILAND

Wilson VMT Students Complete Internships Abroad

By Robin Herring ’07

W

ilson veterinary medical technology (VMT) majors Jordan Massey ’16 and Lindsay McCauslin ’16 spent their summer internships in Thailand, monitoring tigers and leopards during surgery, swimming with elephants, and caring for creatures ranging from porcupines and camels to nyala deer.

Study abroad and international internships offer Wilson students some of the most exciting and challenging experiences of their college years. This summer, Hong Nguyen ’18 of Vietnam spent a month-long internship in Singapore for Google and Daniel Glazier ’18, Vanessa Lybarger ’17 and Cierra Valentine ’18 studied abroad through the Bahrom International Program in South Korea.

Massey’s and McCauslin’s internship in Thailand was not their first “once-in-a-lifetime” experience since they have studied abroad three times. McCauslin’s first experience was in Spain during her senior year in high school. Massey’s first study abroad was at Wilson, when she traveled to Belize for a January-Term tropical ecology course.

In 2015, the two friends decided to pursue a second study abroad together and traveled to South Africa to work with EcoLife’s “Vets in the Wild” program. After that trip, Massey and McCauslin, now seniors, had one last requirement for graduation: an internship. Through the resources of a company called World Endeavors, they chose a study program at the animal hospital for the Chiang Mai Night Safari in Thailand.

While in Thailand, Massey and McCauslin lived with a host family and their 4-year-old daughter. “The culture in Thailand is very different compared to the U.S.,” said Massey.

“While Americans are always in a hurry, Thai people are generally more relaxed and easygoing.” Customs they soon adopted included removing their shoes before entering a home or a Buddhist temple, shopping

for fresh food in markets daily instead on a weekly basis and pitching into a work week that might stretch to six days instead of five.

Working in Thailand is very different from the typical American job experience, according to the students. “In Thailand, the work days are very laid back, but we still got a lot of work done,” McCauslin said. “In the safari, we often made a lot of our (own) supplies. …At our internship site, Jordan and I spent time making darts for the blow dart apparatus by hand.”

While working at the safari animal hospital, Massey and McCauslin applied many of the skills they learned in Wilson’s VMT classes. They administered drugs, placed IV catheters, performed lab work, took radiographs, monitored anesthesia while animals underwent surgery, and transported animals to and from surgery.

“My most memorable moment at the safari, besides riding the elephants, was placing an IV catheter in a white tiger,” Massey said. McCauslin credits her Wilson lab techniques class experience with helping her to perform lab work on the animals on her own.

Now back in the U.S. with their degrees completed, both Massey and McCauslin plan to sit for the Veterinary Technician National Examination to become certified veterinary technicians. Their Wilson professors made a huge impact on the students’ college careers and their decision to study abroad in their field, according to both students. “Tammy Ege (assistant professor of VMT) was one of my biggest influences throughout my schooling,” said McCauslin.

“She was always eager and available to

answer any questions I had. During surgery class, she instilled a confidence in me that I didn’t even know I had.”

Massey credited her VMT professors and other VMT students for having the biggest influence on her. “Freya Burnett (VMT program director and professor) was always supportive and excited for our adventures.

Lindsay always agreed to my crazy ideas!”

The two friends encourage more Wilson students to study abroad and take on international internships. “Studying abroad gives you the opportunity to learn the culture of another country, as well as learn the way veterinary medicine, or any career, is done in that culture,” said Massey.

Internships and study abroad also

Studying abroad gives you the opportunity to learn the culture of another country.

— Jordan Massey ’16 create moments of a lifetime, such as the day Massey and McCauslin swam with elephants. “Getting to spend the day with those gentle giants was one of the happiest experiences of my life,” McCauslin said.

“We rode to a watering hole on the other side of the safari, where we got to spend some time swimming with our elephants.

When we rode back to the elephant's enclosure, we once again swam with them in their exhibits. After that we played a short game of soccer with them and fed them grass and bananas. It was a day I will never forget.” W Robin Herring ’07 works in the Office of Finance and Administration and serves as an adjunct instructor in communications.

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CENTER

CIRCLE Wilson's Men's Soccer Team Helps International Students Feel at Home

By Frances Caroscio

E

ven before soccer entered the landscape at Wilson as a men’s varsity sport, the game brought students together on campus.

Bassil Andijani ’18, an international student from Saudi Arabia, and Jessie Smith ’18, an international student from Jamaica, helped organize campus pick-up soccer games prior to the 2015-16 school year. They met up every week or so to play in the field house, with some members of the women’s soccer team joining in occasionally. To organize the indoor games, “We would just text everyone,” Smith said.

them from their home country. “We all play football and it’s the one thing we have in common,” Perry said. “It’s such a big culture thing for us in England. It’s our lifestyle, pretty much.”

dition may have been foreign for some of the international students, but as Andijani explained, “It was a great experience and most importantly, we got a chance to gather as a family and eat.”

The blending of players from different cultures also creates a team with varied styles of play, according to the team’s head coach, Caleb Davis. “It’s really cool to take players from all over the world—plus Maryland, New Jersey, New York—and put them together

The team also fosters male friendships on a campus that remains more than 80 percent women. “If I need help with things for school, I can ask them,” Andijani said of his teammates, underscoring how the team offers a support network.

The soccer team plays a big role in the international students’ American experiences. Members often eat dinner, study, play video games and watch soccer games together. Davis will bring pizza to the student center — Kevin Lysaght ’19 when the players watch televised soccer games. When they watch big matches, many of them root on the field,” he said. The team plays as a for different teams. “They trash talk if their unit because members established strong favorite teams are different. It’s almost like bonds through the common thread of their brothers picking on each other,” Davis said. love of soccer, according to Davis. “No one knew each other and they clicked,” he said.

Although the soccer team is tightly knit, its

It's the easiest way to connect, off the field, on the field—no matter what happens, we're all together.

So when soccer became a men’s varsity sport last year, Andijani, Smith and several others from the campus pick-up games joined the team. In its inaugural year, seven of the 18 students on the men’s soccer team were international students. This year’s roster has grown to 23 players, nine of whom are international. With players from seven different countries—including England, Ghana, Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Spain and the U.S.—the team embraces a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

“It’s not like it’s just the American culture.

You get a lot of different cultures from other places” on the team, said Dan Perry ’20, a first-year student from London. Soccer provides a common bond for the players, and for the international students, the game is something familiar that they bring with

36 wilson magazine

Kevin Lysaght ’19 of Toms River, N.J., has been a part of Wilson men’s soccer team since its inception. The coaches have stressed the family dynamic since day one, he said. “It’s the easiest way to connect, off the field, on the field—no matter what happens, we’re all together.”

members bring their sense of family out into the larger Wilson community. “We hang out with the women’s soccer team—they come play indoors with us,” said Lysaght. “We hang out with the softball team…It helps us get together, but then again, everyone gets together here. The entire school is family oriented.” W

Last year, Davis had the team over to his house for Thanksgiving dinner and he cooked all of the traditional fare. The tra-

Frances Caroscio is the athletics communications intern at Wilson.

AROUND THE GREEN

With players from seven different countries—including England, Ghana, Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Spain and the U.S.—the men’s soccer team embraces a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

PHOENIX SPORTS WRAP Wilson College athletics launched the 2016 fall season with strong performances on the field by field hockey and men’s soccer. The athletics department also welcomed a new team to campus with the addition of women’s volleyball.

The 2015-16 WOMEN’S SOCCER team has received two prestigious sportsmanship awards. This fall, the team received the North Eastern Atlantic Conference’s (NEAC) Sportsmanship Award. The Phoenix were also one of eight teams nationwide awarded the National Soccer Coaches Association’s (NSCAA) Platinum Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award earlier this year. The 2015-16 season was a tough one for the Phoenix, whose small team roster was plagued by injuries. “We are very proud of our women’s soccer team for earning this honor,” said Lori Frey, athletics director.

“To go out and compete each week, knowing the challenges that lie ahead, shows the tremendous amount of integrity each member of the team possesses.”

season last year. The team closed the season with a 3-2 victory over SUNY Cobleskill. Raihan Azim ’20 was the team’s top scorer with 11 goals.

The FIELD HOCKEY team clinched a playoff spot in the North Atlantic Conference West Division Tournament Championship after the team went 7-9 in regular season and earned a secondplace finish in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC).

The Phoenix fell to Wells College in the division championship round. Team members Megan Sterling ’17, Miranda Long ’18 and Lauren Moss ’19 were named as 2016 Field Hockey AllConference selections by the NEAC. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL made its debut on Sept. 9 with a

match against Penn State Mont Alto. The team won a set in the match and showed promise for a strong future under first-year head coach Gretchen Hand. The team faced an ambitious and challenging 21-game schedule this fall. MEN’S VOLLEYBALL will return in the spring.

The MEN’S SOCCER team finished its second season with a 6-9-2 record, an improvement over its inaugural three-win

fall 2016 37

—

viewpoint —

LEARNING ACROSS DIFFERENCE IN A SHARED PLACE

By Julie Raulli, associate professor of sociology

I

recently watched Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing again. It seemed like the summer for it: hot, racially charged, violent. Lee’s 1989 film about the interactions that take place between people of different racial and ethnic groups on a steamy summer day in pre-gentrified Brooklyn seems like it could have been plucked from yesterday’s headlines. Neighborhood residents exchange insults based on familiar stereotypes, but—as Lee hints—what holds this neighborhood together is a shared history of common place. Although the day ends tragically—a young black man from the neighborhood is killed by white police officers in the midst of a racial riot—my takeaway from the film includes a glimmer of hope. In spite of the fear and anger that fuels the day’s events, what remains at the end of the movie are relationships based on years of living and working in the same neighborhood, of sharing a common place. This, for me, holds the seeds of change.

Growing up in one of the most racially segregated cities in the country, I also learned familiar stereotypes of groups different from my own. Chicago in the 1960s and ’70s was racially divided by neighborhood, schools and occupations, and today’s news demonstrates it continues to suffer from institutionalized racism.

I was fortunate to attend a Catholic high school with some racial diversity (although not in the faculty or administrative positions), and my experience of that place deeply challenged the racial and ethnic stereotypes that circulated in the city—and my house. When I heard someone speak disparagingly about blacks or Latinos, I thought of my classmates and how those comments in no way represented the people that I knew and cared about. My educational experience trumped those everyday stereotypes.

Today I am privileged to teach courses at Wilson that analyze systemic racism, sexism and heterosexism. I do this while also trying to create an environment in which students can consider and share their commonly held stereotypes of socially subordinated groups. It’s the latter that’s the harder part of my job. Even though we are all living in a society where stereotypes and institutionalized inequalities exist, we want to feel personally

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immune to them—or, at the very least, not make others aware of what we’ve thought or experienced.

In truth, the best learning that takes place in my classes is when the students are doing the teaching, when they disclose the stereotypes they unwittingly have learned or, sadly, the discrimination they have suffered. I, too, learn from my students, and am deeply grateful when they choose to make themselves vulnerable in the classroom.

They create the “teachable moments” and everyone in the room, including me, is forever changed by it.

One such moment that is clearly etched in my mind occurred during spring 2008 in my Race, Class and Gender course. It was an election year, and we spent some time in class analyzing Barak Obama’s “race speech” in Philadelphia. Our discussion of the now-historic speech took place within our broader examination of systemic racism in the United States, so students understood the challenges and risks of such a public disclosure of issues related to personal identity. It was

In truth, the best learning that takes place in my classes is when the students are doing the teaching, when they disclose the stereotypes they unwittingly have learned or, sadly, the discrimination they have suffered.

in the midst of these class conversations that one of my students, an African-American single mother raising a young son, exploded with rage. Through tears and anger, appropriate for her depth of feeling, she explained her fear and frustration in raising a young black boy in America. The students and I listened, stunned by the outburst, but understanding and honoring it. We appreciated her honesty and empathized with her deeply. I still picture this student when I hear news stories of black parents who must tell their children, especially their sons, to acquiesce to police power and hope for constitutional protection. I believe students in that class may think of this young black mother at times like this, too.

In my view, this is the strength and the promise of calls for “diversity in education.” When Wilson chose the path of coeducation, the College elected to create a more inclusive environment by allowing men to live on campus. But the move has also generated a much more racially and ethnically diverse student body, including an increase in international students who come to study with us. This is beneficial for everyone on campus and makes interactions inside and outside of the classroom richer and more complex. In a time when the United States seems more divided than ever and political discourse includes cries to keep or kick people out of the country, the chance to share both place and experience across differences is invaluable. Educational institutions are uniquely situated to create the shared space where people not only learn to communicate across differences, but also where they can come to understand and appreciate differences in race, ethnicity, class, culture, religion, gender and nationality.

This past spring in my Race, Class and Gender course, I incorporated a short assignment based on the National Public Radio series, “Race Card Project.” Like the series, students had to sum up their experience of race in just six words. Perhaps more than any other, our class discussion of this exercise gave us all deeper insights into one another’s experience of the world. I hope it is part of my students’ takeaway that remains with them long after the course is over. I hope it is what students remember when they hear familiar stereotypes about the groups to which their classmates belong, and that they can say that they know someone for whom that stereotype does not apply. Of course, I hope that they confront the stereotype with information on institutional discrimination they learned in class. But what is most important to me is that they remember one another, and that they could speak and understand each other across their differences in this shared place. W

Wilson Race Card Project Exercise Students in Julie Raulli’s Race, Class and Gender course were asked to sum their experience with race in six words—here are their responses:

Pigeonholed, blonde haired, blue eyed, snob.

“Shameful that your hair is covered.”

My whiteness is a relentless question.

“You’re not from here, are you?”

Black father, white mother: choose one.

Basketball player, interracial lover, single mother.

Why worry about it, White girl?

“I’m just some pale white chick.”

Black, how is you doing this? “…for a White girl.” Too White.

Resting bitch face with no establishments.

White privilege, racist, poor, debt, fat.

Raised in Chicago required complicating race.

fall 2016 39

ASSOCIATION NEWS

“I came back this year with questions and reservations on every level. Those were addressed. From trustees, President Mistick and most of all students and staff, I experienced consistent energy, optimism and vitality. All served to reassure me that Wilson is thriving. I have recommitted. Thank you to all.”

— Kathy Seitz Bortner ’71 “I congratulate the Reunion Committee and Wilson College on giving us a grand and meaningful weekend. I came away with such good feelings about my Wilson community and the fate of the College. Thank you.”

—Member of the Class of 1966

T

hese are just a couple of the comments received from those who attended our 2016 Reunion Weekend. The remarks validate what we have been saying—come back to campus and see for yourself the energy and excitement that exists. There are a lot of great things going on.

We held our Fall Weekend at the end of September. The revised Alumnae Association Volunteer Handbook was distributed. It will be sent to class officers who have confirmed their current position and will also be available online. The class officer/ class representative descriptions contained in the handbook are a shared understanding between the Alumnae Association, the College and class officers. Feedback from current officers and general alumnae/i was, and will continue to be, considered in any revisions.

Highlights from our Fall Weekend: an overview of the College’s nursing and health sciences program, information on how students choose and conduct a research project, a student networking reception, participation in a Paint Nite (everyone painted a daisy) and advance planning for the 2017 reunions.

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Sarah’s Cupboard, a Wilson College food pantry, recently opened on campus. The association is proud to announce that we donated the first $500 to stock the pantry, which will provide emergency food to current students and offer information resources for assistance through other programs.

The association also made an in-kind donation to the “People, Place and Plates” fundraiser for the Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies held on Sept.

24. Tours of the Fulton Farm were available during the event, which also featured a locally sourced dinner.

For the AAWC’s annual gift to the College, we will be donating four picnic tables for use on campus. Students and staff alike will enjoy these for years to come.

We have many opportunities for you to volunteer your time, talent and treasure. Please check out AAWC@wilson.edu.

Also, the monthly e-News is a fountain of information.

Thank you for all that you do…..

Mary F. Cramer ’91 President , Alumnae Association of Wilson College Marybeth Famulare Director of Alumnae/i Relations

FALL WEEKEND ROUNDUP

RAFFLE WINNER Pamela Cochrane Tisdale ’68 was the winner of the AAWC Fall Weekend raffle. The raffle raised $712 for the association’s Silver Lining Fund, which provides money to students in times of crisis or financial emergencies.

DONOR RECOGNITION REPORT CORRECTIONS Page 14 under Grants and Sponsored Research The U.S. Department of Agriculture entry should read: $50,050 to support Watershed Research and Food Safety at Wilson College.

Mary Jane Fischer ’69 is a member of the Founder’s Circle on page 32.

Tisdale will enjoy the use of a two-bedroom condo at the Port Royal Plantation on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina during the week of Thanksgiving. Lisbeth Sheppard Luka ’69 and husband Paul generously donated the week at the condo for the fundraiser.

PAINT NITE

Ring-It-Forward Ceremony The Ring-It-Forward program was established by the Alumnae Association to match donated rings with current students and, on occasion, active alumnae. These donors “ring it forward” to a new generation of Wilson alumnae. The Fall Weekend ceremony matched Elsie “Penny” Love Novak ’65 with Katelin Mowen ’18.

One of the featured events at Fall Weekend, held Sept. 23 to 25, was Paint Nite, and what better flower for Wilson alumnae/i and students to paint than a daisy? Paint Nite participants show off their finished paintings.

Pictured, from left: Carole Stoehr Ashbridge ’70, Mary F. Cramer ’91, ring recipient Katelin Mowen ’18 and Katelin’s mother, Susan Mowen ’97. Katelin Mowen is holding a photo of Wilson ring donor Elsie “Penny” Love Novak ’65, who could not be present for the ceremony.

Save the Date for Reunion Weekend 2017!

For classes ending in 2 and 7

REUNION 2017—JUNE 2-4 fall 2016 41

ASSOCIATION NEWS AAWC Gifts: Fiscal Year 2015-2016 (includes financial giving and gifts in kind) Franklin County Club Scholarship Ruth Sanford Alpaugh ‘61 Cynthia Fink Barber ’73 Grace Rogers Brown ’54 Mary Cramer ’91 Jessika Glass Dockery ’15 Bruce Foreman Edna “Denise” Sites ‘48 and Bruce Foreman Maxine Lesher Gindlesperger ’98 Patricia Markle Keffer ’96 Janice St. Clair Kohler ’57 Betty Jane Weller Lee ’57 Anne Pearce Lehman ’49 Laureen Lutz ‘08 Gretchen Mackey ’69 Betty Keefer MacLaughlin ’67 Gloria Massa ’47 Mary Lingle McGough ’10 Lori Loreman Tosten ’01 Carol Zehosky ’15 Garage Sales Kathryn Gogolin Ewens ’68 Mary Jane Fischer ’69 Rita Handwerk Fisk ‘64 Jane Bellis Heintzelman ’65 Grace Venable Jenchura ’70 Shirley Funk Mason ’64 Marjorie Musil ’61 Billie Pananes Rorres ’64 Betty Lou Leedom Thompson ’60 Margaret Zarfos ’68 Reunion 2016 Raffle Jane Appleyard ‘66 Carole Stoehr Ashbridge ’70 Cynthia Fink Barber ’73 Patricia Bennett ’68 Sue Ann Morin Cook ’81 Amber Allen Coon ’06 Mary Cramer ’91 Lynne DiStasio ’74 Marybeth Famulare Kendal Hopkins ‘80 Karen McMullen Freeman ’76 Judith Coen Grove ’74 Lisa Havilland ’04 Margee Grimes Iddings ’61 Patricia Markle Keffer ’96 Lisbeth Sheppard Luka ’69

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Laureen Lutz ‘08 Mary Jane Bare Mallonee ’66 Deborah Douie Merritt ’76 Jacqueline Elder Murren ’69 Martha Estep O’Brien ’65 Nancy Henderson Schultz ’81 Judith Stratton Stamper ’66 Silver Lining Fund Ruth Sanford Alpaugh ’61 Jane Appleyard ’66 Cynthia Fink Barber ’73 Patricia Barker ’66 Nancy Calahan Beckley ’66 Patricia Bennett ’68 Carolyn Bogart ‘66 Patricia Clough ’95 Patricia Dischinger ’66 Lynne DiStasio ’74 Marybeth Famulare Barbara Davey Fitzgerald ’56 Susan Breakefield Fulton ’61 Judith Coen Grove ’74 Jenifer Jennings Hagy ’56 Peggy Kauffman Hyde ’64 Jan Johnson ‘61 Patricia Layden Jerabek ’61 Pamela Francis Kiehl ’66 Susan Pfeiffer Lane ’66 Karin Lund ‘76 Jeanne Myers Madison ‘66 Mary Jane Bare Mallonee ’66 Lynn Negus ’61 Susan Pascoe Noreen ’76 Martha Estep O’Brien ’65 Carol Parssinen ’82 Robin Ray ‘81 Susan Ross ’66 Barbara Pacifico Schweitzer ’66 Judith Milliken Sweet ’66 Joan Thuebel ’52 Wilson College Government Association Bethana Adams Youngdahl ’66 Unrestricted Donations Samantha Ainuddin ’94 Leslie Hickland Hanks ’70 Lisa Havilland ’04 Diana Otto Hollada ’07 Patricia Markle Keffer ’96 Heather Murphy

AAWC trips for 2017 The 2017 itinerary for AAWC trips will include: April 23-May 1 Riverboat Cruise: Southern Grandeur

Seven nights aboard the elegant American Queen from Memphis to New Orleans and one pre-cruise night in Memphis. New: Distinguished Lecture Series. Contact: GO NEXT, www.gonext.com or 800-842-9023.

Sept. 27-Oct. 5 Alumnae/i Campus Abroad in Italy: Sorrento

Seven nights in first-class Hotel Plaza Sorrento. Tour five UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Greek ruins in Paestum, Herculaneum and Pompeii (optional extra—hydrofoil tour to the Isle of Capri). Includes most meals, wine, tips and motor coach transportation. Early booking by April 16 saves $250.

Contact: AHI Travel, www.wilson.ahitravel.com or 800-323-7373.

Oct. 14-22 Village Life in France: Languedoc, the REAL South of France

Seven nights in the 16th-century Chateau Des Ducs De Joyeuse at the foothills of the Pyrenees. Cruise the 17th-century Canal du Midi (a UNESCO World Heritage site); tour Rennes-le-Chateau; take a walking tour of Carcassonne; take a day excursion to the coastal town of Collioure (inspiration to Matisse and Picasso). Contact: GOHAGAN, www.gohagantravel.com or 800-922-3088.

July 1-8 The Great Parks of California: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon

Experience storybook scenery and living history. Eight nights include national parks and San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Carmel and Monterey. Contact: ORBRIDGE, www.wilson.orbridge.com or 866-639-0079.

For more information, visit: www.wilson.edu/alumnae-tours-and-travel

— last —

word

Stepping Out of the Classroom

By Daniel Glazier'18 “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

- St. Augustine

A

sk your average college student starting their junior year—“How did you spend your summer?”—and you expect to hear the usual: working, hanging out with friends and of course, partying. Likely a combination of all three.

But my summer vacation was one for the record books—or at least one that I probably won’t be able to beat anytime soon. This summer I truly traveled “around the world,” but unlike Jules Verne, I did it in only 68 days.

Between June 14 and Aug. 21, I visited four countries and three continents, and made countless memories. I got as close to living a lifetime in one summer as one can get.

The catalyst for my summer was my Wilson study abroad with the Bahrom International Program (BIP) at Seoul Women’s University in South Korea. During this amazing one-month program, I was immersed in Korean history and culture, and I was able to visit numerous Korean landmarks—most notably Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Demilitarized Zone. Between the field trips and lectures, the BIP was the most enriching educational experience I have had thus far.

But before I arrived in Korea, I started my summer in Vietnam with my close friend, Hong Nguyen ’18, taking in some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. I was later joined by Cierra Valentine ’18 and Vanessa Lybarger ’17 in South Korea for the

Bahrom program. At the end of BIP, I took advantage of my route back home and spent several days in California, touring San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. I completed my summer with a father-son trip to Germany and Switzerland before returning to Wilson.

Seeing the world has always been important to me. Those special travel moments are when you start to grow in understanding of yourself and those around you. Going abroad allows you to meet people outside your comfort zone.

It widens your worldview, enabling you to see things from other people’s perspectives— cultural, social, religious and political. The experience can be quite humbling, but it’s worth the effort. Forget the rat race of acquiring material possessions. Life should be about the human experience, the ups, the downs, the twists and the turns—and how embracing our differences can bring us closer.

While formal education does have huge benefits in the world we live in, I believe that some of the best learning moments come when you step out of the classroom. Wilson provided me with the opportunity to have some of those moments this summer while studying in Korea and also inspired me—through a friendship made on campus—to travel to Vietnam. So seize those opportunities to take that step outside the classroom and prepare for a life-expanding experience! W

Above: Daniel Glazier ’18, Cierra Valentine ’18 and Vanessa Lybarger ’17, center, try their hand at tae kwon do while at the Bahrom International Program in Korea. Below: Daniel’s photo of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

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one spirit REUNION 2017—JUNE 2-4

For her name is Alma Mater, And we’ll ever stand as one, Firmly pledged to love and honor, Till the sands of life are run.

Bertha Peifer, Class of 1921 Virginia Mayer Zacharias, Class of 1920

www.wilson.edu/reunion Contact the Office of Alumnae/i Relations at 717-262-2010 or alumnae@wilson.edu

1015 Philadelphia Ave. Chambersburg, PA 17201-1279

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Greencastle, PA Permit No. 10

PHOTO BY GREG HOLDER

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Wilson’s Single Parent Scholar Program celebrates its 20th anniversary of helping to make dreams come true for students and their children. Page 32.