Smith Quarterly

Smith Quarterly

The Tastemaker

New York Times food writer Florence Fabricant ’58 has helped define how America eats

  • Smith Quarterly
  • October 15, 2024
Smith Quarterly

Going Places

Smith’s new playbook for career development

  • Smith Quarterly
  • October 15, 2024
Smith Quarterly

Lights, Values, Action

Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer ’94 has turned Amherst Cinema into a hub for community connection.

  • Smith Quarterly
  • October 15, 2024
“Gen Z and millennials are not making informed voting decisions. Most of us get our news from social media—and a lot of that is filled with fake news, but we don’t trust traditional news outlets. Forty percent of Gen Z and millennials report they don’t even complete their ballots.”
Arabia Simeon ’19; see “Swipe Right for Civic Engagement“ for the full story.
Smith Quarterly

The Power of Women Voters

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake ’75 shares election insights

  • Smith Quarterly
  • October 11, 2024
“Career readiness is an amplification of the liberal arts because it prepares students with a sense of agency and agility to be creative, to adapt, and to engage in meaningful work in an increasingly complex world.”
President Sarah Willie-LeBreton; see “Going Places” for the full story.

Scene

A group of students joyfully jumping in the air with their arms lifted above their head

A Joyful Welcome

How do you welcome an extraordinary new class of Smithies to campus? Residents of Gardiner House—“Knights in Shining Gardiner”—did it with a lively dance as new students arrived for orientation. This year’s 645 entering students were chosen from one of the largest applicant pools in Smith’s history. Among them are novelists, human rights advocates, singers, songwriters, a trapeze artist, and an award-winning scientist. About 16% of the class of 2028 are international students, 17% are first-generation college students, and 34% are domestic students of color. Sixty-four percent of new Smithies receive financial aid from the college, including startup grants for high-need students. The campus community rolled out the Smith-style red carpet with everything from book groups and trivia contests to ghost tours. —Barbara Solow

Photo by Jessica Scranton.

Her Next Chapter

Lizzy Tucker ’28 is joined by her parents, Belinda Redden and Jeffrey Tucker, on August 29—move-in day for entering first-year students. Lizzy had arrived at Smith four days earlier to participate in the Bridge preorientation program for students committed to creating and maintaining culturally inclusive communities, but her parents returned to Northampton from their home in Rochester, New York, to take part in central check-in and family orientation. Looking back on this photo, which was taken after President Sarah Willie-LeBreton’s welcome assembly, Belinda says, “We were both feeling immense pride and joy, as our daughter was thrilled to be a Smithie and so very eager to embark on this next phase of learning and life as a college student. Smith is a great fit for her, and her excitement was wonderful to witness.” —Christina Barber-Just

Photo by Jessica Scranton.

Art in the Moment

Moroccan artist Younes Rahmoun captures the essence of everyday moments in his sculptures and installations. A multisite exhibition, Younes Rahmoun: Here, Now, opened recently at Smith and features a stunning range of Rahmoun’s works. Pieces are displayed at the Smith College Museum of Art, Lyman Plant House, the banks of Paradise Pond, and the Ada and Archibald MacLeish Field Station in Whately, Massachusetts (where the artist is shown here). At the opening reception, Smith President Sarah Willie-LeBreton praised Rahmoun’s commitment to “incorporating nature into your vision and using art to build community.” This exhibition marks Rahmoun’s first solo show in North America and will be on view at Smith through July 2025. —Barbara Solow

Photo by Jessica Scranton.

Data Point

12,686

Pounds of leftover food recovered from college dining locations and distributed to local homeless shelters during the 2023–24 academic year by Smith's student-led Food Rescue Network.

Favorites: Smithie Stuff We Love

For more Smithie stuff we love this fall, check out the full list. 

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Nonfiction

Since 2003, Melissa Naulin ’97 has worked in the curator’s office of the White House. “My office cares for the furnishings in both the public rooms and the private quarters of the White House,” she says. “Whenever a new first family moves in, we make them feel at home as quickly as possible by hanging art they like and ensuring their living quarters are comfortable.” Naulin co-wrote Furnishing the White House: The Decorative Arts Collection (2023), which offers 420 pages of stunning photography and captivating tales about navigating shifting tastes and expectations for the presidential abode. By Megan Tkacy.

Read the book

Archetypes: Exploring Smith College Special Collections

Victorian Hair Book, Circa Mid–Late 1800s

By Cheryl Dellecese

During the Victorian era (1837–1901), it became popular in England—and later in America—to make jewelry and art from the hair of loved ones as a sentimental, though unusual by today’s standards, homage. Another trend was to paste locks of hair into small books, like the Victorian hair book held in Smith College Special Collections. These books often contained hair from family, friends, and even pets, along with handwritten notes recording when the hair was collected, and significant dates in the owners’ lives, such as weddings and deaths.

This particular book belonged to Ellen Wright Garrison (1840–1931), born to Quaker abolitionist parents in central New York. In 1848, Garrison helped her mother organize the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in the United States. One entry in Garrison’s book is a lock of fiery red hair dated 1860 and labeled “His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales”—Albert Edward at the time. Though little is known about Garrison’s relationship with the prince, she remained a lifelong activist for abolition and women’s rights, and counted Susan B. Anthony among her closest friends.

You Had To Be There

Wearing matching blue T-shirts, class of ’81ers Terri Tierney Clark, left, and Gail Niemitz Fritzinger are longtime travel buddies. Together they’ve explored two European countries and numerous destinations across the United States. Joining them on a recent trip to Peru are Terri’s daughter Hunter, front, and Gail’s daughter Carrie, back. Here, the four sit atop Huayna Picchu, a peak they summited after touring the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu, located 8,000 feet above sea level in a tropical mountain forest. “Getting the shot was a little precarious,” Terri says. “It was one of those one-wrong-step-would-not-be-good situations.” Other highlights of the trip included camping, playing cards, and drinking Peru’s famous coca tea. Terri and Gail hope to embark on more mother-daughter trips soon.

Check Out Class Notes

Puzzle: Ms. Smith Goes to Washington


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Change in Obituary Policy

The Quarterly recently revised its obituary policy. Beginning with the Summer 2024 issue, the magazine will continue publishing a comprehensive “In Memoriam” listing of deceased alums but will no longer print 100-word obituaries. The reasons for this change are addressed here.

Q: Will the names of deceased alums still be listed in the magazine?
A: Yes. The “In Memoriam” listing of deceased alums and faculty members will continue to appear in each issue of the magazine. You can view a recent example of the list in the online version of the magazine. There is also a section of Legacy.com specifically dedicated to obituaries of deceased Smith alums and other members of the Smith community, populated with notices published by a host of major newspapers. 

Q: What’s the reasoning behind eliminating 100-word obituaries?
A: Over the years, many readers, including family members of deceased alums, have expressed concerns about the fairness of the magazine’s obituary policy. They wondered why some alums are memorialized with 100-word obituaries while others are not. Magazine staff did not write these obituaries but instead published submissions from family members and friends of deceased alums. Recent data shows that only 20% of deceased alums—one in five—received an obituary in the magazine. Moreover, individuals were often frustrated by the magazine’s 100-word limit as well as the often long delay in printing obituaries because of our quarterly production schedule. We believe that running the “In Memoriam” list is the most appropriate and equitable way to recognize our deceased alums.

Q: Why is the magazine changing this policy now?
A: With the Summer 2024 issue, the magazine will debut a top-to-bottom redesign. It represents the first time the magazine has been redesigned in decades. Ceasing the publication of 100-word obituaries has been a topic of discussion for some time, but the decision to do so in tandem with the magazine’s redesign felt most appropriate. Celebrating the lives and accomplishments of our alums will continue to be the heart of the magazine’s mission.

Q: Can I still report the death of an alum?
A: Yes. The Smith College Office of Alumnae Relations accepts and fact-checks death notices from family members and friends of deceased alums. To report a death, use our web form or email the records department directly at smithierecords@smith.edu. 

Q: How else can alums honor deceased classmates?
A: Alums are welcome to submit a class note with a short reflection or memory of a deceased classmate or family member for possible inclusion in the magazine. (Please note, full obituaries will not be published in the class notes section.) We encourage class officers to publish classmates’ obituaries on Smith-hosted websites. And alums can find Smithie obituaries on the Smith community page of Legacy.com. Please be assured that the decision to run only the “In Memoriam” listing in the magazine was made after much thoughtful reflection and in the best interest of our readers.