Wells and Southern Cayuga High School form partnership to celebrate Take Your Daughter to Work Day

Through the program, students from Southern Cayuga High School spent the day at Wells learning about a wide variety of professional areas represented at the college. Approximately 15 Southern Cayuga students attended, reported Terry Martinez, director of Wells' leadership programs and an organizer of the event.

Students interested in teaching careers observed faculty members. Jeanne Goddard, associate professor of dance; Rosemary Welsh, associate professor of art history; and Bird Stasz, director of elementary education, were among the faculty members who brought a Southern Cayuga student to work.

The visitors also learned about jobs in other parts of the college including the library, career services, student activities, fundraising, and academic administration.

"I appreciate the value of taking an active part in serving our local community," said Martinez. "I am excited the women of the Wells family were eager to reach out to share stories about life options, challenges, and what it takes to succeed in the world of work."

April, 1998

Why Wells? presents an intimate view of college life

Students accepted as members of the Class of 2002 at Wells are invited to visit campus on Saturday, April 18, for the Why Wells? program. Registration begins at 10:00 a.m. in the lobby of Macmillan Hall, and activities are scheduled to conclude at 3:45 p.m.

Participants will meet with professors, learn about student life, experience the beauty of the campus, and discover the opportunities that await them after graduation - all in a daylong program devoted exclusively to their needs and interests.

The Why Wells? program gives students the chance to experience college life with their families and independently. A session for students only, "All You Really Wanted to Know About Student Life," will be offered while other family members can attend, "What Parents Really Want to Know About Sending Their Daughter to Wells."

Sessions will address academic issues of importance; students will be able to examine specific areas of study and styles of teaching. Guests will hear presentations by faculty, participate in discussions, and meet with professors informally.

Included in the program is a presentation by Professor of Chemistry Linda Schwab and Professor of Biology Margaret Flowers about the college's pre-med and pre-vet programs. Associate Professor of Spanish Pilar Greenwood will discuss opportunities for off-campus study. Director of Career Development Services Nancy Karpinski will talk about how to take advantage of the over 1,000 internships offered annually by the college.

Sessions and individual meetings with Wells alumnae are another important part of the day's activities. Alumnae will be present to share memories of Wells and discuss graduate school and careers. Current Wells students will lead tours and answer questions.

The college search process grows more complex with each new year. Why Wells? is an innovative program that emphasizes personal relationships. In a time when the higher education experience can often be impersonal, accepted students and their families are able to join a learning community and discover the essence of the liberal arts.

The Why Wells? program for accepted students is free. For more information, contact 800.952.9355.

April, 1998

Professor will co-edit international journal

The journal was founded in 1961 and presents a detailed and scholarly account of studies made in different cultures and societies. Using an interdisciplinary approach, IJCS publishes work by criminologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists, psychiatrists, and other related social scientists. Topics found in its 36 volumes cover everything from Alienation to Zar cult, representing diverse nations from Australia to Zanzibar.

IJCS is published quarterly, and one issue each year is dedicated to a special topic. Last year's theme, Justice in Controversy: A Comparative Analysis of Injustice and Inequality, was compiled by Pat Lauderdale and Randall Amster of Arizona State University's School of Justice.

The issue presented an outstanding analysis of the alternative ways in which historically marginalized peoples have come to define the concepts of justice and injustice; how such peoples have fared in utilizing various means to attain justice; and the role of discourses surrounding class, race, ethnicity, and gender in shaping conceptions of what is just or unjust.

A resident of Ithaca, New York, Professor Lumumba-Kasongo joined the Wells faculty in 1993. He earned his B.A. from the Université Libre du Congo, his M.A. from Harvard University, and a second master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. At Wells, he teaches Politics of Developing Countries, Old and New Paradigms in World Politics, and Approaches to International Relations, among other courses.

April, 1998

Wells participates in partnership to advance girls

The first lecture will take place on Thursday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the Everson Museum's Hosmer Auditorium. The lecture will feature writer Miriam Grace Monfredo who will present Was It In the Water? Those Fabulous Women of Upstate New York. She is best known for her highly acclaimed Seneca Falls historical mysteries. Ticket prices are $15.00 for adults and $9.00 for those 21 and under.

"We are delighted that Wells College, one of the pre-eminent women's colleges in the nation, shares our vision of advocating for and meeting the unique needs of girls," said Girls Incorporated Executive Director Sharon W. Alestalo.

"By bringing our author lectures to the Syracuse community, Wells is making it possible for people to hear and meet women whose writings remind us of the special stories of women, including their struggles and accomplishments," she said. "Miriam Grace Monfredo, our first author presenter, inspires a cross-section of women readers as well as high school and college-age females because she masterfully casts fictional heroines in plots that deal with actual historical events and social movements. Fictional heroines such as Glynis Tryon become real to many Monfredo readers."

Wells President Lisa Marsh Ryerson said, "Wells is pleased to join with Girls Incorporated in bringing to Central New York women authors capable of instilling a great appreciation of the triumphs of women and their contributions to social justice, literature, the arts, science, and business. We share Girls Incorporated's goal of bringing women's stories and issues of importance to girls and women more to the forefront in literature, the mass media, and in society as a whole."

Established in Syracuse in 1950, Girls Incorporated today serves 1,800 girls, boys, and family members who live in Onondaga County and surrounding areas. The agency's four core service areas are in youth development, child care, preventive education, and counseling.

Girls-focused programs are central to the agency's vision and mission. Enabling girls to become more media savvy through Girls Re-Cast TV, and encouraging girls to learn about entrepreneurship through Mini Society, are recent cutting-edge programs developed by the Girls Incorporated national organization and implemented in Central New York.

For more information, call 315/364-3260 or e-mail pr@wells.edu

April, 1998

Students lobby for increased higher education funding

The event was organized by the Independent Student Coalition, a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing the higher education public policy interests of more than 300,000 students enrolled at New York State's 109 independent colleges and universities.

The purpose of the advocacy effort was to encourage leaders to raise the maximum Tuition Assistance Program (T.A.P.) award to $5,000 from the current $3,100 level and to increase Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) funding to $24.7 million.

The students met with assembly member Daniel Fessenden, who represents Cayuga County, and three other members of the legislature. They visited the offices of their local legislators and delivered advocacy postcards. They also met with Syracuse newspaper reporter Erik Kriss who was gathering student views on higher education funding.

The students protested against a steady decline in support for those who choose to attend private colleges. According to information from New York's Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities:

• Only a few years ago, New York was #1 among all states - now it is ranked 10th in the amount of the maximum award provided by each state for student assistance.
• Eight years ago, independent college students received 58% of New York's T.A.P. dollars, but that share of the funding has now declined to 40%.
• The governor and legislature have not improved independent college T.A.P. for eight years. In fact, the maximum award has decreased $225.
• When T.A.P. was established in 1974, a maximum award covered 60% of average tuition in independent colleges. That percentage has shrunk to only 25% today.

April, 1998

Wells / Bonaire collaboration showcases marine ecology

The first offering of the new tutorial is scheduled for two weeks in January of 1999, according to Professor of Biology Margaret Flowers and Professor of Chemistry Linda S. Schwab, both of whom pioneered this affiliation for the college. It is offered through the Wells College Biological and Chemical Sciences Department.

The two-credit tutorial, entitled "The Natural and Cultural History of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles," will explore in detail the coral reefs and arid terrestrial environments of Bonaire, an island protectorate of the Netherlands located off the coast of Venezuela.

Professor Flowers said, "Bonaire has pristine coral reefs and a very unusual land environment. All of the surrounding reefs and 20% of the island itself are a national park. Because of this commitment to conservation, it is easy to observe unusual and endangered species like flamingos, sea turtles, and Caribbean parrots in their natural setting."

The island's overwhelming response to the planned tutorial came as a pleasant surprise, reported Professor Schwab. "Everyone we met - officials, scientists, business people, and acquaintances - offered their most enthusiastic support to the project; there were even articles about the tutorial and the college in two of the local papers. Bonaireans are eager to share their natural resources and their cultural history with visitors."

Lily Anne Stewart-De Geus, an official of the Tourism Corporation Bonaire, commented on the affiliation with Wells: "This is without a doubt something tremendous for Bonaire and offers an opportunity for educational exchange."

April, 1998