The millions of readers of James Michener's ['29] books will remember him for his intricately spun tales. And many others will recall his deeply held commitments to civil rights, cultural understanding, and higher education. With his death in October, Michener added to his already generous giving to Swarthmore when he bequeathed the majority of his estate to the College
When news of the bequest became public, President Alfred H. Bloom said: "Swarthmore College is deeply honored by Jim Michener's expression of confidence in his alma mater. The rigorous intellect, intercultural reach, generosity of spirit, and commitment to a just world reflected in his person and work exemplify the deepest purposes of a Swarthmore education, and his remarkable generosity continues to enable the College to realize those purposes.
"His gift emerges from his own belief in the power of fine liberal arts education to create a noble society and inspires us with an even greater sense of responsibility and commitment to that shared mission."
Over the years Michener made gifts to the College total-ing $7 million: an unrestricted gift of $5 million in 1991 and a $2 million no-strings-attached donation in 1984 as repayment "with $1,998,000 interest" for the $2,000 scholarship the College granted him as an incoming freshman in 1925. He went on to graduate with Highest Honors in English literature and history.
"As a boy I lived in dire poverty," Michener once said, "and was rescued by scholarships, fellowships, and the generosity of our nation. I owe a debt to America."
Although no dollar amount is being ascribed to the worth of the bequest until the estate is settled, it includes the rights and royalties to all of Michener's 40 published works.
Photo by DENG-JENG LEE
Harry D. Gotwals, vice president for alumni, development, and public relations, died of an apparent heart attack on Oct. 2. He was 50 years old.
As vice president for more than seven years, Gotwals played a central role in enhancing the College's national and international visibility as a leading institution in higher education. Under his management the College's development program raised more than $140 million.
He worked closely with Swarthmore's Board of Managers and alumni to build a community committed to supporting the excellence of a Swarthmore education over the decades ahead. At the same time, he led the College in recognizing and acting on its responsibilities to the Swarthmore borough and its school system.
"Harry's profound understanding of the critical ingredients of fine liberal arts education, and of what is required to increase public recognition of those ingredients, made him an extraordinary spokesperson for this college and for quality higher education," wrote President Alfred H. Bloom in a message to the campus community. "His remarkable ability to guide others to the kind of contribution from which they would derive their deepest sense of joy and satisfaction, and the pleasure he took in seeing them realize that satisfaction, made him an exceptional fund-raiser."
Gotwals graduated from The Johns Hopkins University in 1969 and received a master's degree there in 1976. He served as a development officer at Johns Hopkins from 1971 to 1976 before joining the Gilman School in Baltimore as assistant headmaster for development. From 1982 to 1985, Gotwals was vice president for development and public relations at Goucher College in Towson, Md. In 1985 he became associate vice president and director of university development at Duke University. He joined the Swarthmore administration in August 1990.
Our neighbors' keepers? ... Is it the responsibility of academic institutions to become involved in helping their neighboring communities? And if so, how do they go about discharging those responsibilities? Those questions were taken up at a conference held at Swarthmore in October that brought officials, professors, and students from Philadelphia-area colleges and universities for two days of discussion. Putting poverty at the core of many of today's societal ills, President Alfred H. Bloom said, "We have to find ways within our educational programs to invest the same energy and urgency in coming to grips with issues of poverty that we have invested in addressing issues of gender equity, multicultural understanding, and environmental concern." Sponsored by the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development, the long-range goal is greater institutional cooperation in undertaking projects that stress school--community partnerships.
Admissions Fellows ... A new program to assist the admissions deans with interviewing prospective students was begun over the summer. A group of eight seniors, called admissions fellows, made it possible to make significant progress toward the office's goal of meeting all requests for on-campus interviews. The fellows for this year are Nancy Benson-Nicol, Rachel Brakke, Manuel Carballo, Connie Cheung, Michanne Haynes, Charlie Mayer, Chris Rockmore, and Tara Zahra.
Bowled Over ... Swarthmore's College Bowl team took home its first tournament title on Nov. 29, winning 13 games and losing only one on the way to victory in Princeton University's Buzzer Fest. The team, Fred Bush '98, Jessica Harbour '99, Ed Cohn '99, and Josh Miller '00, outbuzzed teams that included Johns Hopkins, Pittsburgh, and the University of Pennsylvania. Swarthmore twice defeated Cornell, considered one of the best College Bowl teams in the country and favored to win the tournament.
You can go home again--even though the stay may be brief. This year three young Swarthmore graduates are back on campus teaching in temporary positions: Garikai Campbell '90, Keith Reeves '88, and David Root '90. Both Campbell and Reeves are at Swarthmore as Minority Scholars in Residence; Root is a visiting assistant professor. (View a photograph).
The Minority Scholars in Residence is a program begun in the 1989--90 academic year to provide fellowships for minority scholars in two classifications: Dissertation Fellows (still in the process of completing their dissertations) and Postdoctoral Fellows (in the early stages of establishing academic careers). The goal of the program is to attract outstanding minority scholars into liberal arts teaching. Campbell is here for two years in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Working on completing a Ph.D. from Rutgers University, he's finishing up research for his dissertation this semester and will teach a course in discrete math next semester.
"I really enjoy the small school atmosphere," he says. "What's also attractive is being able to look in on what Professor [Eugene] Klotz is doing with the Math Forum. If I don't end up teaching, I'd like to explore how new forms of technology can be used to help teach math."
Campbell is the son of Mary Schmidt Campbell '69, a member of the Board of Managers since 1988.
Reeves, here for one year, is teaching Race, Ethnicity, and Public Policy in political science with Professor Richard Rubin and will conduct a seminar next semester on Racial Politics, Representation, and Redistricting in America. On leave this semester from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, Reeves finished a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1994.
With his first book, Voting Hopes or Fears: White Voters, Black Candidates, and Racial Politics in America, recently published by the Oxford University Press, Reeves is currently collecting data for his second.
"I'm getting the chance to read and write and test my ideas with the students and have them critique those ideas by trashing them. It's partly why I enjoy being here."
Root handed in his dissertation for a Ph.D. in chemistry at Stanford a few days before coming to campus in late August. He's both lecturing and teaching a lab course in general chemistry; his appointment is for one year.
His plans after this year include either continued teaching at a small college or pursuing postdoctoral research.
"I've enjoyed the teaching, but I've only done research at one place," he says. "It's pretty common to do a post-doc, at least in the sciences, before you finally settle into teaching."
The Venerable Lobsang Samten, leader of the Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia, creates a Kalacakra ("Wheel of Time") mandala as part of a weeklong series of events focusing on the religion, culture, politics, and human rights issues of Tibet. (View a photograph of Lobsang Samten creating the colorful mandala). The Venerable Samten created the intricate sand painting over a five-day period in the lobby of McCabe Library. On the sixth day, the mandala was ritually destroyed and carried in a procession to Crum Creek, where it was returned to the earth. Also included in the week's events were a performance of traditional Buddhist chants and dances by nine Tibetan lamas, a symposium on Tibet today, and several lectures.
$100,000 grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation's Pluralism and Unity Program, received by the College in 1995, has helped spur several diversity projects. In reporting to the Hewlett Foundation, President Alfred H. Bloom wrote that the Pluralism and Unity Program "seized a critical opportunity. It was the moment to move multiculturalism on our campuses--and through them in our society--from a necessary first emphasis on inclusion and on the building of separate strengths toward recognizing commonalities and developing senses of shared purpose." Among the new initiatives undertaken are:
The development of a community approach to instances of hate speech: In the fall of 1996, following broad community discussion, the faculty adopted a policy that defines hate speech as that of a purely harassing nature that is devoid of any basis for protection on the grounds of academic freedom. A first offense is understood to be an opportunity for educational intervention, but a second offense is subject to adjudication by College judicial procedures.
Efforts to ensure that classrooms are places where all students may engage in the learning process with comfort, confidence, and efficacy regardless of their backgrounds and learning styles: As a founding member of the Consortium for a Strong Minority Presence at Liberal Arts Colleges, Swarthmore has used visiting scholar appointments and other innovative strategies to recruit and retain a racially and ethnically diverse faculty. In addition, the Provost's Office has worked vigorously with departments to recruit minority faculty for available positions and has used these appointments to extend the study of issues of diversity within the academic program. The College has successfully sought the help of prominent minority academics at other institutions, such as Columbia University's Manning Marable, in identifying promising minority candidates for faculty appointments at Swarthmore. The responsibilities of the associate provost now include faculty programming on diversity and responding to faculty concerns about these issues.
Pluralism and unity programs beyond the classroom, including:
*A series of race and ethnicity study groups, begun by an interracial group of students in 1995, has been expanded by the new student organization Diversity Umbrella into "Dialogues," a more extensive dormitory-based discussion series facilitated by trained student leaders. Diversity Umbrella also publishes Ourstory, a journal of intercultural understanding.
*In 1996 and 1997, the Dean's Office sponsored a Winter Cultural Institute during the January break. Workshops on the social and political dynamics of race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, and sexual orientation were attended by 28 students and 10 members of the faculty and staff in 1997. The institute will continue in 1998.
*A student-run, credit-bearing interdisciplinary course called Race, Ethnicity, and the College Experience was first offered in fall 1996 under the auspices of the Program in Education. It included several public lectures and will be repeated in spring 1998, supervised by members of the Department of English Literature.
*Grants to students were made for the production of a film called "Voices of Color," for a women's retreat to bring white women and women of color together in dialogue, and for Harambe, a popular springtime festival celebrating diversity in the community.
Paul Mangelsdorf '49, the Morris L. Clothier Professor Emeritus of Physics, once observed that "when I first came here as a student, people had to go off campus for sex, for alcohol, and for chamber music." A half-century later there is plentiful chamber music, and the College is no longer in loco parentis as regards the romantic lives of its students. But alcohol remains an issue, both at Swarthmore and throughout higher education. In September, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, there were five alcohol-related deaths on American college campuses. What are Swarthmore's policies on alcohol? To find out, we had a conversation with Associate Dean Tedd Goundie.
Is alcohol a problem at Swarthmore?
"Alcohol does cause problems at Swarthmore. It plays a role in virtually all of the vandalism we see, and in most other types of misconduct--including sexual misconduct and the rare fistfight. But the degree of the problem is not as serious as at many other schools. It's pretty clear that young people don't choose to come to Swarthmore to party."
But alcohol is served at campus parties almost every weekend. How are these parties regulated?
"Every party requires a permit from the Student Activities Committee (SAC). The application must be signed by two responsible 21-year-old hosts, who must be in attendance for the entire party. It is then signed by the student activities coordinator in the Dean's Office. All hosts are required to provide nonalcoholic beverages and food, and they are made aware of the laws that prohibit underage drinking."
The legal drinking age in Pennsylvania is 21. Does the College enforce this?
"Our standards of conduct state that possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by those under 21 is a violation of College policy that may result in specific disciplinary action. By signing a party application, our party hosts take responsibility for compliance. But no, the deans and the public safety officers do not go around to parties seeking to catch underage drinkers. We are more interested in responsible behavior than in being a police force, though if an underage student who is drunk comes to our attention through misconduct, we will impose sanctions."
How does the College encourage such responsible drinking?
"One way is through our system of Party Associates, or PAs. Two or more trained PAs attend every party. They help check IDs at the door to assure that only Swarthmore students or their guests are admitted, they monitor the serving of alcohol and assist the hosts in preventing excessive drinking, and they make sure that other party guidelines are being followed--including shutting the party down when it's supposed to be over."
Are SAC funds used for alcohol?
"If SAC funds are requested, the money cannot be used for the purchase of alcohol but must go to entertainment, food, nonalcoholic beverages, decorations, etc. We heard rumors of abuse of this system, students turning in false receipts for sodas when they were actually buying beer, so SAC no longer takes receipts from any store that also sells alcohol."
So who pays for the beer?
"The students must purchase it themselves. At private, non--SAC-funded parties, students often collect a fee for entry but never sell beer by the drink. This is one instance in which we go against the College's usual policy of having events free and open to all, but we can't be in the business of purchasing alcohol for students."
What about private parties?
"Private parties still need a permit, and they still have PAs assigned to them. The difference is that because the entire campus isn't invited, no SAC funds are made available. A party is defined as a gathering of 10 or more people or any gathering where alcohol is served from a common source, such as a keg, so even a small get-together at a frat house is regulated under the College's guidelines."
Have you had particular problems with Swarthmore's fraternities?
"No. In a lot of ways, the fraternities have been better about controlling parties because they have something at stake--their houses."
Are students educated about the health and behavioral consequences of alcohol abuse?
"We do alcohol education workshops for all first-year students, facilitated by our resident assistants. The focus is on three points: We try to make people feel it's fine if they choose not to drink--and we hear over and over that Swarthmore is not a place where kids feel pressured to drink. We talk about the party culture here and the health risks of alcohol abuse. And then we try to educate about the secondary effects of drinking. We emphasize that it's not OK to come out of your room Sunday morning to a pool of vomit in the hall, and it's not OK for someone to be obnoxious or abusive just because he or she is drunk. This helps students be assertive and say, 'I don't have to put up with this.' We tell them how to handle these situations--not to confront the drunk when he or she is drunk but to say something the next day, such as, 'Your behavior was ridiculous.'"
Should colleges ban all drinking on their campuses?
"It is not realistic and could not be enforced. Drinking would go underground. People would hide in their rooms in small groups and drink for the express purpose of getting drunk. Or it would tempt people to drive off campus to drink. In an ideal world, we wouldn't want people under 21 to drink, but given the reality that it's going to happen, what we focus on is eliminating abuses, supporting those who choose not to drink, and making sure that if they do, it's an informed decision, and they do it responsibly."
Lupe Jimenez '00 operates a parabolic microphone to pick up the sounds of migrating birds as her classmates visually scan the sky. All ornithology laboratory work is done outdoors, a big draw for students who want to study biology in the field. A shaft of light from a 1,500-watt halogen spotlight on the roof of the Martin Biological Laboratory pierces the autumn night sky. Instantly millions of tiny particles dance in the light. "Pollen," says Timothy Williams '64, professor of biology. Not the object of his class's hunt.
Lying on their backs, some using binoculars or telescopes, students are actually searching for migrating birds as part of Williams' field ornithology course. With luck they may see a number of warblers or thrushes on their way to South or Central America, or yellow-rumped warblers or flickers flying to the southern United States.
The giant spotlight replaces a smaller unit, in which Wil-liams says the birds appeared only as brief streaks as they flew through the light. With the larger beam, "we can follow them for two or three seconds and actually see these songbirds as they flap their wings."
Equally important for use in the lab is ORNITHAR, one of only a few bird-watching radar systems in existence, which covers a one-kilometer area over the campus for tracking low-altitude birds. "We're the only undergraduate institution in the world that is regularly using this high-tech radar equipment," Williams says.
The class is popular among students who want to see biology in the field and who have the opportunity every other weekend to make trips ranging from the New Jersey shore to the Pennsylvania mountains. "And this class is taught 'vertically': We study everything from molecular and cell biology to conservation, ecology, and animal behavior. It's de-signed so that students have to think across disciplinary lines."
In the spring students are given the option of taking a course attachment to learn to identify birds by their calls. "Most professionals who do bird counts do it by sound," says Williams. "It takes a second to hear a bird and identify it, but it might take 10 minutes to find the bird and identify it visually."
Williams is aided in his classes by his wife and longtime research collaborator, Janet. Their research on migration has been going on for nearly 30 years. Along with their students in the early 1970s, they were the first to show--by tracking their flight with radar--that tiny endangered songbirds, called neotropical migrants, fly nonstop from North America to South America and the Caribbean. Radar, sound recording, and light beams are the three components for observing nocturnal bird migration.
And, he adds, the reason for studying migration at night runs counter to what most of us were brought up to believe. About 90 percent of all species do fly after dark.
The field hockey team capped off its most successful season ever with a victory in the ECAC mid-Atlantic region championship game. The top-seeded Garnet hosted the two-day tournament, in which they outscored their opponents 7-1. Senior captain Danielle Duffy paced Swarthmore with three goals and one assist, including two goals in the 4-1 win over William Patterson College, and was named tournament MVP. The Garnet finished the season with a school-best mark of 19-2 and their third consecutive Centennial Conference (CC) championship. Swarthmore fielded a prolific offense that outscored opponents 99-13 and featured the CC's three leading scorers. Duffy led the way with 29 goals and 23 assists for 81 points; junior Holly Baker scored 17 goals and 15 assists for 49 points; and junior Lurah Hess added 19 goals and three assists for 41 points--all career bests.
The football team struggled through another winless season (0-10), extending its losing streak to 20 consecutive games. The undermanned squad was outscored 541-54 on the year, suffering through six shutouts. Despite the dismal record, there were some excellent individual efforts on the field. Junior wide receiver Mason Tootell set an NCAA Division III mark for kickoff returns in a game (11) and in a season (48). Tootell also caught a team-high 38 passes for 418 yards, extended his reception streak to 23 consecutive games, and was named second-team all-CC for the second straight year. Running back Joe Aleffi '00 set the Swarthmore mark for most carries in a season, toting the ball 191 times for 410 yards and two touchdowns.
The women's cross country team finished second at the CC championships, snapping their run of three straight third-place finishes. The Garnet was paced by the trio of Jokotade Agunloye '01; Danielle Wall '98, who placed second and third, respectively; and Alissa Parmelee '01, who placed seventh to earn all-CC honors. At the NCAA Division III mideast regional championships, the Garnet finished in ninth place out of 43 squads. Wall led Swarthmore with a 15th-place finish, earning a spot on the all-region team and her first trip to the NCAA championships.
The men's cross country team finished seventh at the CC championships. Freshman Sam Evans just missed all-CC recognition with a 15th-place finish to lead the Garnet. Senior Graham Lucks finished in 28th place, sophomore Jeff Doyon placed 47th, junior Phil Jones finished 49th, and senior Wyn Strodtbeck rounded out the Garnet scorers with a 55th-place finish. At the NCAA mideastern regionals, the Garnet finished in 14th place. Marc Nierman '01 was named to the freshman all-region second team.
The women's soccer team ended its season with a record of 6-14, losing their last five contests. Senior captain Betsy Rosenbaum posted a career-best nine goals to lead the Garnet offense with 18 points. Junior midfielder Diana Hunt also posted a career high with six goals and one assist to finish with 13 points. Senior captain Sarah Jaquette scored four goals and added two assists.
The men's soccer team struggled to find the back of the net this season under first-year head coach Peter Dicce. The Garnet posted a 3-17 record, mustering only 14 goals on the season. Junior captain Mike Schall, junior Scott Samels, and sophomore Marcus Shin all recorded a team-high three goals and one assist for seven points. Schall, a defender, received all-CC second team recognition.
The men's tennis team provided a productive fall, winning both the singles and doubles championships at the Rolex Mid-Atlantic Small College Tournament. Senior Roger Werner captured the singles, and the sophomore doubles team of John Leary and Jon Temin topped Werner and junior Greg Emkey to take the doubles title.
Because the Tarble Pavilion was getting a new wood floor, the volleyball team played the part of road warriors. With all but two games away from the friendly confines of the pavilion, the Garnet struggled to a 4-15 mark. Holly Barton '99 led the squad with 122 kills and 145 digs, and senior Jordan Hay led the team with 252 set assists.
Hood Trophy: Swarthmore trails Haverford 4-2 in the race for the Hood after the fall contests. Swarthmore won field hockey 8-1 and women's cross country, whereas the Fords took men's cross country, men's soccer 5-0, women's soccer 2-0, and volleyball 3-0.
Karl Miran, Swarthmore's head football coach since 1990, has re-signed his coaching position at the request of the College.
The move follows two straight years of losses (0-20) and the defection of seven team members in midseason. At the end of this season, the squad had just 33 players, plus two lacrosse players who had joined the team after the defections.
In a prepared statement, Miran said: "At the conclusion of this season, I looked forward eagerly to the challenge of rebuilding the football program. I have been informed that the administration believes that the process of re-building can go forward better with a new face at the helm. In fairness to the College, I was not asked to step down because we lost. Nonetheless, losing as we have the past two seasons creates problems and perceptions that must be overcome. The College believes that this job can best be done by someone new."
Athletic Director Robert Williams praised Miran for his contribution to Swarthmore athletics: "Karl Miran is a good person and a fine man, and he has worked hard on behalf of our football program and our total athletic program," said Williams. "He has been truly dedicated to the College and its mission."
During his eight years as coach, Miran's teams compiled a 25-51-1 record. He had two winning seasons, going 7-3 in 1990 and 5-3-1 in 1992.
Miran is a tenured faculty member and will retain his teaching position in the Department of Physical Education. He has told the College, however, that he plans to take a sabbatical leave and pursue other coaching opportunities.
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