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The College may trade some athletic fields for an 80-room inn as part of a plan to revitalize the village of Swathmore. Photo by George Widman. |
The impetus for developing an inn came out of a report from the borough's Revitalization Task Force last year. The report was influenced by a 1998 talk on urban decay by Chris Leinberger '72, real estate analyst and former member of the Board of Managers, to College and town residents.
Leinberger's speech apparently led to a rumor among local residents that the College was trying to mastermind the revitalization effort, a perception that Maurice Eldridge '61, vice president for college and community relations and executive assistant to the president, worked to dispel while serving as a member of the task force. "A lot of my time and effort was spent making clear that the College had no agenda we wanted to impose and that we would be willing to collaborate to the extent we could," Eldridge says. "I think that succeeded."
Indeed, College and borough officials say that the proposed inn, to be built west of Chester Road, would benefit both town and gown constituencies of the borough. "From the College's perspective, not being able to provide space for families and alumni is bad," says Larry Schall '75, vice president for facilities and services.
Construction of an inn is linked to the larger goal of revitalizing the borough's business district, which has suffered a serious decline during the past 50 years and will continue this downward trend unless something is done to stop it, according to Schall: "Unless everyone is continually pro-active about it, I think the Ville will decline and face greater pressure."
According to those close to the project, making Swarthmore's downtown more economically healthy is essential both for the borough itself and for the College. "What's good for the town is what's good for the College, and what's good for the College is what's good for the town," says borough council member Anne Seidman.
Neither the College nor the town would actually build or operate the inn. Rather, the College would lease land to a developer who would construct and run the inn. The College would have control over the design of the building, however, and the town would have input into the building's size and appearance.
Preliminary plans for the inn call for a 3-story structure with approximately 80 rooms, a restaurant seating up to 200 people, and conference space. A separate but adjacent building would have retail space for the College bookstore and a café. A multilevel parking garage with approximately 220 spaces would be built next to the hotel, and another 60 or so spaces on grade would be provided. The south entrance to the College would be renovated completely and substantial roadwork done to create a smooth-er traffic flow and to minimize the impact of additional vehicles.
According to Schall, "to help the developer and the College conceptualize the footprint of what the inn would be like," this initial design was created by Haverford Hotel Group, a developer that the College selected this spring after a nine-month search. "We sought someone who wanted to do the project, who was able to do it financially, and who had a vision similar to ours," he says. If the project continues to move forward, Schall says the College would begin serious conversations with the developer about the proposed development.
Excluding the parking garage and road rehabilitation, the hotel would cost slightly more than $10 million and would be paid for by the developer. It has not been determined who would pay for other components, but Schall says some state and federal grants might be available for the roadwork and that the College could decide to cover part of the project.
Plans for an inn face several hurdles before they can be made a reality. First, because the College would lose the use of several acres of institutionally zoned property if it were to lease that land for an inn, the borough must agree to rezone some College property for institutional use that is currently zoned for only residential use. Moreover, for an inn to be economically feasible, residents would have to vote to change the borough's liquor laws, which currently do not allow businesses to sell alcohol. Finally, the College would have to reach an agreement with its developer on exactly how the project would be carried out.
How likely are we to see an inn built in Swarthmore? College and borough officials say it's too early to tell; there are too many variables involved. But Schall says, "As long as we're having conversations about it, as long as it's progressing and people maintain their good will, it could happen."
--Sonia Scherr '01
Editor's Note: Scherr, in-depth editor of The Phoenix, recently re-ceived second place in the Reporter of the Year awards from the Associated College Press.
Stacey Wagaman '01 knew that starting a campus group--Swarthmore's first Native American Student Association (NASA)--in her senior year would absorb a huge chunk of her time and energy. What the political science major and co-captain of the tennis team did not anticipate was the controversy she was about to spark with her choice of an opening celebration: Casino Night.
Wagaman, who is Eastern Band Cherokee, says she first discussed starting NASA with Visiting Instructor in English Literature and Minority Scholar in Residence Michelle Hermann, whom she met during Hermann's Native American autobiography class (see "Native Voices," March 2000 Bulletin). "I felt no Native American voice on campus," Wagaman says. "When you don't even have 10 Native American students, you need a chance to talk about what that means."
The decision to play card games and bingo--albeit without the actual exchange of money--was deliberate. "We wanted to get people to come and have fun," Wagaman says. "But we also wanted to put a spin on something and say, 'Hey, you might not know as much about Indian gaming as you think you do.'"
Because the College's Intercultural Center (IC) houses NASA and served as the October event's venue, Assistant Dean of the College and Director of the IC Anna Maria Cobo sent the campuswide e-mail that announced Casino Night. Although some responses were positive, others were not. According to Cobo, a typical example of the latter likened the event to the Hispanic Organization for Latino Awareness staging a "border-jumping and California grape-picking workshop" and to Swarthmore Queer Union, which represents gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, holding a "promiscuous gay bar night."
"It saddens me that people were not more open-minded and did not attend the NASA Casino Night before condemning it," Cobo says. "It's OK to be curious and to ask questions, but it's also important to listen to the students and learn about the educational aspects of their program."
Those aspects included a history of tribal gaming and a fact sheet that addressed many of the myths surrounding it. Wagaman had prepared these materials before the event was announced and presented them to the almost 30 students that ultimately attended. "Casinos are a big part of native culture," she says. "They are representative of tribal sovereignty and how tribes relate to mainstream society."
Raising awareness of these and other indigenous issues is just what Wagaman hopes NASA will do, and she says the group's organizational meetings are open so that everyone on campus can have a place to discuss them. "We are a support group in some ways, but there's an education component to our group as well," she says. "We could have a closed group, but we decided to open it up to increase our outreach."
Wagaman is sanguine about the reaction to NASA's inaugural event. "I feel like some people imposed their stereotypes on our group," she says. "But that's why we're here. Now we know what we're up against."
--Alisa Giardinelli
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Elena Bonner and her late husband Andrei Sakharov (in photo on wall) led the fight against Soviet human rights abuses in the '70s and '80s. Photo courtesy of Elena Bonner. |
Speaking in Russian as an interpreter struggled to keep up, Bonner instructed the audience in her opening remarks to "please address your questions to today's situation in Russia, not to the past." Yet she spent most of her speech recounting just that. Her parents were arrested when she was 14, her father executed, and her mother imprisoned for 17 years.
But what Bonner seemed to want students to understand was the nature of the dissident movement, led mainly by writers like herself, and particularly by Sakharov, a renowned physicist and opponent of Soviet human rights abuses. The movement began as an underground protest, she explained, evolving into an increasingly vocal and international one in the '70s and '80s. Like many dissidents, Sakharov and Bonner were punished by the Soviet government for speaking out, banished in the early 1980s to Gorky, and cut off from all means of contact with the outside world.
"It was these two decades of dissent in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe that brought about change," Bonner said. "The end came without blood or violence, even with some promise and hope for the future. Unfortunately, that hope has been not much realized in these countries.
"In Russia, there has been what I would call a zigzag of history," she continued. "How can a country that suffered so much during World War II be unable to put over an antiwar movement? How can a country that survived the Gulag elect as president a man brought up within that very system?" She suggested that "the 'new' Mikhail Gorbachev, who has experienced a great deal since he was ousted, may have been a better president."
As evidence of her country's zigzag, she offered the reinstatement of constitutional order, the struggle with terrorism, and the continuing war in Afghanistan. "It is very hard to find myself trying to explain things when I see that I can't even explain them to myself," she said. "For me, personally, losing my father, and also my mother for a long period, the hardest thing was not these events but the constant all-embracing official life. In today's Russia, I'm … distressed by the constant official life all over again."
She stressed, however, that al-though true democracy has yet to be realized in Russia, the battle to which she and her husband devoted their lives was not in vain. "I think the dissident movement achieved its goals," she said. "People became free of the inertia of fear, more engaged in the civic life of the country. You have to remember that the dissident movement never set itself a political goal. For most of the dissidents, it was a way of living in accordance with one's own conscience."
She ended with an appeal to the students. "Inviolability and self-determination are not in accord with each other, so we have to choose," she said. "It remains the largest, most profound question for you and your grandchildren: Will it be altruism or greed?"
Students and faculty rose in a standing ovation, and Bonner waved them back down--but couldn't help smiling.
--Cathleen McCarthy
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Professor of Chemistry Photo by Deng-Jeng Lee |
Pasternack is being recognized for his work in the relatively new field of "supramolecular chemistry," which examines the behavior and properties of arrays of molecules--in this case, those that form on biopolymer templates such as proteins and DNA. Pasternack will accept the honor in April.
Conversations
about Kwanzaa, a celebration of the African heritage of African
Americans, are not new at Swarthmore. Opportunities to learn and talk
about the seven-day festival's development and significance have
occurred in December for the last several years.
But when faculty and staff members joined students earlier this month for this year's discussion, it was more than a traditional chance to explore this aspect of African-American culture. It also helped mark 30 years of the Black Cultural Center (BCC)--part of a yearlong series of events celebrating the anniversary of one of Swarthmore's most successful student organizations.
An open house at the BCC kicked off the celebration this fall. Lectures will continue throughout the spring semester with special activities planned for Black Alumni Weekend in March.
Kwanzaa is a joyous time, but it was not joy that created the BCC. After President Courtney Smith's death in 1969 during the occupation of the Admissions Office by black students, tension and grief on campus were palpable. James Michener '29 and the William J. Cooper Foundation were among those who gave money to the College specifically to improve relations on campus. The 1970 conversion of Robinson House, a women's dorm, to the BCC was perhaps the most tangible result. Popularly known as "The House," the BCC has remained the hub of African-American student life ever since, changing from a hangout with fishnets on the ceiling and stereo blasting to a space that can hold meetings as easily as parties.
According to Assistant Dean of the College and Director of the BCC Timothy Sams, there are several hundred black cultural centers at colleges and universities around the country. Although many share common goals of encouraging their students to be leaders, Sams says Swarthmore's BCC offers its students something unique: "None of our peer institutions tells their students that they have a huge responsibility to be not just the smartest but also committed to the black community and the larger world. We have a clear directive from the administration to promote ethical intelligence, so we direct their talent and intellect back to the community in order for them to become highly constructive members of society."
Sams wants the students he advises to see themselves as part of a unique political and social tradition and to be comfortable with it. Achieving that goal is the BCC's challenge for the next 30 years and beyond--and keeping the party going.
--Alisa Giardinelli
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Photo by Karen Mauch |
It's the creation of Patrick Dougherty, a North Carolina- based artist who has spent the last dozen years traveling the world, weaving site-specific sculptures from saplings and branches. The Art Department and the Scott Arboretum joined forces to invite Dougherty here, supported by a Cooper Foundation grant.
For three weeks in September, the College community had the opportunity to watch art in progress. Some even lent a hand. Dougherty proved one of the most accessible artists ever to preside over a 50-foot tree fort. He even paused frequently to allow about 400 visiting school children to climb around inside his sculpture.
Sept. 15
We find Patrick Dougherty presiding over piles of saplings scattered around the lawn outside Trotter Hall. He's difficult to distinguish from the legions of jeans-clad volunteers sifting through the piles, stripping branches. "The help I've been getting from the Scott Arboretum staff has been unbelievable. We collected all this material in two days from Tyler Arboretum," he says. "We had 23 people working on it at one point. It's very unusual to have this much help. There is a kind of esprit de corps here." About 150 people turned out for his opening lecture--"mainly gardeners," Dougherty says.
This particular site was chosen partly because it's visible from Trotter, Parrish, and Kohlberg halls as well as McCabe Library. "You have to be careful of your long view," he says, pointing to the traffic circle between Parrish and McCabe. "The Scott Arboretum staff suggested this American linden tree because it might have to come out. It has a lot of problems." Indeed, the tree has lost major branches and appears to have oozing wounds--but it should last at least as long as the sculpture, which has a 1-year life expectancy.
He pulls out a preliminary sketch of stacked oblong forms. "I like the contrast of smaller branches against larger ones and the idea of putting natural-looking forms back on a tree. The tree itself is alive and growing, which will affect the sculpture. It will look considerably different in the winter than in the summer."
Sept. 18
The first pod is up and resembles a 20-foot hornet's nest, which appears to lean casually against the tree but is actually anchored in a 40-inch hole. The artist perches on scaffolding, weaving branches into place while an assistant does the same inside the pod. Somehow Dougherty manages to form graceful swirling lines from sturdy branches.
A gray-haired man watches for a while and then ventures a joke, asking Dougherty if his oblong hollow form is supposed to be a Firestone tire. Dougherty takes this comparison of his sculpture to a flat tire in good spirits.
At ground level, the work is inspiring conversations about the dung beetle infestation in the forests of Chincoteague State Park, Va., and speculation about camping out inside the pod. Dougherty, it seems, has never slept in one of his sculptures. His workforce is down to two helpers on the sculpture itself and three people pruning the piles of branches. He is working with renewed intensity. Tomorrow, a storm with "hurricane-level winds" is predicted, a Scott Arboretum staffer reports.
Sept. 20
After a torrential downpour, Dougherty and a helper, high above, are weaving the second pod. Dougherty & Co. managed to put the skeleton of pod No. 2 in place between gales and interviews with visiting home-and-garden journalists. So, the sculpture withstood the storm? "It looks that way," he says, "but it was a good test. If there's any structural weakness, it's better to find out now than after I leave."
Oct. 2
Dougherty (right) is gone, leaving behind a four-pod sculpture that tips this way and that, as it meanders the length of the linden tree--which seems to be enjoying its moment of glory. Late in the day, light filters through the sculpture, casting interesting shadows. It seems that Dougherty has built a sort of chimney. Standing inside and looking up, you can see the sky.
--Cathleen McCarthy
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Chester activist Terry Rumsey (right) meets first-year students and Pat James, director of community service learning, to escort them into his hometown. Photo by Cathleen McCarthy |
The walkers consisted of 25 freshmen and 5 upperclassmen who were taking part in the new preorientation program. Led by Pat James, director of community service learning, the program aims to foster an early interest in community service, advocacy, and activism. The students were on their way to hear activists speak in downtown Chester.
Walking to Chester--then riding the SEPTA bus back--was Pat James' idea. "As we walked, I wanted to feel both the connection between the communities and the changes as we pass from one to the next," James said later. "It really brings home how close we are--and how removed at the same time."
Among the walkers was Delonte Gholston '02, a "peer facilitator" for the Chester Road Program and president of the College Democrats. He chatted with other students about the realities of life in Chester, gleaned from hours spent talking to residents about changing their vote to Democrat.
Terry Rumsey, the bearded, energetic director of development for the Chester YWCA and a longtime community organizer in his hometown Ches-ter, met the group as they entered the city and led them to the City Team Ministries, a shelter and community center where he had arranged a panel discussion.
Muhammad Ahmed was the first to speak. A professor of sociology at Delaware County Community College (DCC), Ahmed has been involved in social movements since the 1960s, when he marched with Martin Luther King. Youthful energy and idealism are vital in effecting social change, Ahmed stressed: "I don't see one young person, 25 or less, trying to lead a social movement in Chester right now."
Annette Burton told the story of how she went from being a single welfare mother--she has raised 15 children--to putting herself through college and becoming one of the first black administrators at DCC. Hearing Martin Luther King speak in Chester in the 1960s led to her involvement with the Greater Chester Movement, Project V.O.T.E., and Jobs With Peace.
Rumsey introduced Zulene Mayfield as a "national and international hero in her fight against environmental racism." As a founding member and chairperson of Chester Persons Concerned for Quality of Living, Mayfield is another Chester native and self-taught community leader who has helped push through lawsuits involving toxic incinerators and contaminated soil in Chester. "Politics and pollution are the two things that are killing this city," she said. "We have a multiprong solution, and our catalyst is anger over our situation. You hear all the time: 'If it's that bad, move.' I say, if it's that bad, change it."
Last to speak was Robin Lasersohn '88, who became active in Chester while pursuing a special major in education and social change, met and married Rumsey, and ended up making Chester activism her life's work. "The experience of coming here changed my life," she told students. "I value my education, but I found Swarthmore to be a total ivory tower. It is Theory Land. Chester was an authentic experience. There's a chance here to make a big difference in this community."
Lasersohn ended on a note of caution. "Don't dabble," she warned the students. "When I arrived at Swarthmore in 1984, I was hell-bent on defeating Reagan, so I came to Chester to help register voters for the Democratic Party. After that, I did a little of this and a little of that: tutoring and building and repairing houses. I wanted to try my hand at everything. There is a tendency as a student to try a lot of things, but there are real people on the other side. It's important to remember that this community is not just an experimental playground for young activists. I suggest picking one thing that you're really interested in and committing yourself to it."
As the talks ended, the young activists rose, surrounded the older ones, and engaged in animated conversation--until the No. 109 bus arrived to take them back up Chester Road.
--Cathleen McCarthy
The Garnet Tide football team defeated Washington & Lee 16-6 on Nov. 11 to finish the season with a 4-5 record, their best since 1995.
Eight players were named to the Centennial Conference All-Conference team in November, including offensive lineman Matt Rapoza '03 and running back Ken Clark '03, who both made first-team offense. Clark closed the season with a school-record total of 1,053 yards, making him the first Garnet running back to cross the 1,000-yard plateau.
"The offensive line did a great job this year. They really came together as a unit and gave me some good holes to run through," says Clark, a psychology major. "The team has been a work-in-progress since Coach [Pete] Alvanos came in, and this year we turned the corner."
Second-team picks for the All-Conference team were Rob Castellucci '01, Tony Hillery '01, Joe Corso '02, and Blake Atkins '02; Justin Pagliei '02 received an honorable mention.
The team's first win of the season, against Oberlin, was followed by three losses. Then, on Sept. 23, the Garnet beat Gettysburg, Swarthmore's first Centennial Conference victory in five years. In the key play of that game, punter Jared Passmore '04 faked a punt and passed to Rich Andres '03, who ran the 51-yard touchdown, giving the team a permanent lead.
Two weeks later, the team delighted the Homecoming crowd by winning against Franklin & Marshall, 29-21. Clark scored three touchdowns and carried the ball 52 times for 317 yards during that game, setting school records for rushing attempts and yardage.
In the final game and victory against Washington & Lee, Clark squeezed past the 1,000-yard record with the help of a 54-yard runfor the first touchdown, and Castellucci intercepted a pass, setting up his own 23-yard field goal for a final score of 16-6.
--Cathleen McCarthy
Marc Jeuland '01 earned All-Centennial honors, placing second at the Centennial Conference (CC) men's cross-country championships. Jeuland also earned Regional All-American honors with a 4th place at the Mid-East Regionals that qualified him for a trip to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships. Jeuland placed 62nd at nationals, running the 8k in 26:05.9. Sam Evans '01 finished 13th at the CC championship and 19th at the Mid-East Regional earning All-Region honors.
Joko Agunloye '01 became the second woman in CC history to repeat as conference champion when she won the women's cross-country championship in a course record time of 18:56.20. She also became the first woman to earn All-Conference honors all four years and placed third at the Mid-East Regional, earning a trip to the Nationals in Spokane, Wash. At the NCAA championships, Agunloye placed 56th. Maria Elena Young '04 earned All-Mid-East Regional and first team All-Freshman honors with a 22nd-place finish at regionals.
The women's field hockey team reached the postseason for the third time in four years with an appearance in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Championships. Kristen English '01 was named CC Player of the Year. With six goals and three assists for 15 points, English was named first-team Regional All-American and second-team Division III All-American. Kim Cariello '02 led the Garnet in scoring with a career high of 12 goals and 5 assists and was named second-team All-CC. Katie Tarr '02 scored 6 goals and had 13 defensive saves, earning first-team All-CC honors. She was also named second-team regional All-American. Defender Katie Vivalo '01 earned second-team all-CC honors.
The men's soccer team struggled to a 3-12 record under new head coach Don Norton, losing four games in overtime.
Elizabeth Fortier '03 led the women's soccer team in scoring with six goals and seven assists. Heather Marandola '01 contributed two goals and one assist, receiving an All-CC honorable mention.
Anjani Reddy '04 of the women's tennis team won the 2000 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southeastern Singles Championship and placed fifth at the Rolex National Small College Championships.
--Mark Duzenski
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Fall 2000 Intercollegiate Sport |
Overall Record |
Centennial Conference |
Mid-East Regional |
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Men's cross-country |
0-3 |
6th |
15th |
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Women's |
4-0 |
4th |
6th |
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Field hockey |
14-7 |
7-2 |
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Football |
4-5 |
2-5 |
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Men's soccer |
3-12 |
0-9 |
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Women's soccer |
4-12 |
1-9 |
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Volleyball |
9-18 |
3-7 |
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Swarthmore College. Copyright 2000
