Vassar Today

Newsworthy Notes

Collen Cohen poses in front of a computer screen
Collen Cohen poses in front of a computer screen

Professor of Anthropology and Women's Studies Colleen Cohen was named by Ski magazine as one of the top 100 ski instructors in North America for 2003. Cohen coaches weekend clinics for adult women at Hunter Mountain, just a short distance away from Vassar. She started skiing as an adult, about 25 years ago, largely so that she could ski with her children. "I am a Mexican-American from Los Angeles, and skiing was not part of my youth experience," she said. During one of her sabbatical years, she decided to take her recreational skiing to the next level and participated in a Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) certification course. "As a feminist anthropologist I was very interested in the gendered aspects of the sport." Cohen is currently working toward her Master Teacher Certification in Special Populations, specializing in teaching children, women, and seniors. "The thing I like most about teaching skiing is sharing my passion for the sport, and giving people the technical skills and mental confidence to enjoy more of the mountain. What I love most about skiing myself is being outdoors, and challenging myself physically and mentally."

Responding to changes in New York State law, recommendations from Vassar's Drug Education Committee, and feedback from members of the college community, Vassar has put in place new restrictions on smoking on campus. Smoking is no longer allowed inside any residence hall, including individual student rooms. There is no smoking within 25 feet of all entrances to campus facilities. And to the dismay of some and the pleasure of others, Matthew's Mug is now on the list of smoke-free campus venues.

Dr. Beth Rogowski Jordan '86 spoke on campus this winter, at a lecture sponsored by the student-run Vassar Women's Center. As the first medical director of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Jordan is working to organize the March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC, taking place on Sunday, April 25. Jordan recalled participating in the first March for Women's Lives when she was a senior at Vassar. "I felt moved and hooked by something after the March," she said. "Through participating in the grassroots politics of the 1986 March, I (for the first time) saw and felt the power of individuals banding together making a statement and working for change."

A new student group, the Moderate Independent Conservative Alliance (MICA), was established on campus with the goal of "[educating] the Vassar community regarding political beliefs that may not be in line with the campus norm," according to Harrison Kell '05, the group's vice president. MICA is currently awaiting authorization by the Vassar Student Association, which Kell said is expected during the Spring 2004 semester. The group currently has 15 to 20 participating members. "We are a forum for dissenting voices on campus," Kell said, "for those who possess political opinions that are not widely shared and are sometimes even derided...In the coming years, I hope MICA will endure and continue to expand, bringing with it a newfound sense of political diversity at Vassar."

 

Samuel L. Jackson smiles for a picture
Samuel L. Jackson smiles for a picture

Honored box-office star and stage actor Samuel L. Jackson (pictured above) will deliver the commencement address at Vassar's 140th commencement exercises (May 23, 2004). Jackson's performance in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) earned him an Oscar nomination for his character Jules Winnfield. He was the only actor ever awarded the Best Supporting Performance Award at the Cannes Film Festival, for his role in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever in 1991. For Jackie Brown, his second film with director Quentin Tarantino, he received both a Golden Globe nomination and the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival. On stage, Jackson originated roles in two August Wilson plays that premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre (The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running). Jackson grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and received a degree in dramatic arts from Morehouse College. In the 1970s he performed with Morgan Freeman in the pioneering Negro Ensemble Company.

Vassar is now home to a rare collection of Albert Einstein's papers, inscribed books, and photographs. Much of the collection relates to Einstein's correspondence with his close friend and estate executor Otto Nathan (who taught at Vassar and Princeton University). Also included is some of Einstein's correspondence with Sigmund Freud, Louis Brandeis, and Felix Frankfurter. The letters reveal Einstein's concerns regarding the rise of fascism, the fate of Jews in Europe, and the risks of nuclear armament. James Challey, director of Vassar's multidisciplinary program in Science, Technology, and Society said, "These papers will make it possible to study in detail the interaction of science and society in the crucial period around World War II." The Morris and Adele Bergreen Albert Einstein Collection will be open to the public through Vassar's Special Collections department, and the library will hold a formal exhibition in late 2004 or early 2005.

 

A stack of books containing some of Einstein's papers
A stack of books containing some of Einstein's papers

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified Vassar last semester that, based on the results of an inspection in March 2002, the college had not properly identified certain hazardous wastes, had improperly stored and labeled certain hazardous wastes in laboratories and art studios, and had not kept certain records for two fuel storage tanks on campus. While many aspects of compliance with Federal law on hazardous materials and air quality were found to be in good order, the EPA cited specific violations that are similar to those identified elsewhere as part of a current EPA enforcement program on college and university campuses. Vassar has responded promptly to all of the issues raised in the inspection and is working cooperatively with the EPA to resolve the matter.

To support compliance efforts across the campus and improve health and safety for students, faculty and staff, the college in 2001 created the position of a campus-wide Director of Environmental Health and Safety, currently held by Michael Spath, whose background includes a masters degree in environmental management and extensive work experience in environmental health and safety. Vassar has also implemented central tracking practices for hazardous materials and instituted regular training programs to ensure that students and employees are aware of compliance standards. Betsy Eismeier, vice president for finance and administration, said that the EPA has responded favorably to Vassar's commitment of resources toward achieving the goal of improved environmental quality. "The EPA inspection was a useful exercise," she said, "painful, but useful — for raising the bar and everyone's consciousness, and for helping us realize how we could achieve something to which we are all committed."

The Russian Studies Department organized more than two weeks of music, art, lectures, and films last semester, as Vassar joined the worldwide celebration of St. Petersburg's tercentennial. An exhibit of contemporary works of art by St. Petersburg artists, a performance by Vassar music faculty (with Georgy Firtich, president of the St. Petersburg Contemporary Music Association), and a Russian Avante-Garde film screening were among the highlights of the celebration. The AAVC Travel Program also participated in celebrating the city's tercentennial with a trip to St. Petersburg in September 2003. This cruise along the waterways between Moscow and St. Petersburg was accompanied by Assistant Professor of Russian Dan Ungurianu.

Students in Alison McMahan's media studies course "Virtual Reality: Myths, Texts, History and Practice" made use of a program called Second Life, which allows students to create 3D worlds to examine how virtual spaces are constructed, and the identities that people create for themselves in those spaces. Second Life was developed by Linden Lab (www.lindenlab.com), a San Francisco-based company started by Hunter Walk '95

Photo credits: Books: Simon Craven '05: Samuel L. Jackson: Courtesy of Photofest