Daily Diversions

Daily Diversions is a regularly updated page with suggestions and recommendations from the Swarthmore community to help ease the burden of physical distancing.

"Black Coffee" performed by Swarthmore College Jazz Ensemble

Take a nap - Sue Ruff ’60
Get to know your professors. Go see them during office hours. Build these relationships.” - Kerstin Rowe ’93
Think critically and learn from any errors or missteps. Hold no grudges; make lifelong friends.Pursue your passions. Work to live. - Isaac Stanley ’73
I learned many years after graduating that we always *DO* know what we are doing in life. We're just not always able to articulate it. We don't need to be rewarded, or even recognized to do what we do in following our own path. No one need agree with our path in the light. - Alicia Higham '88
Study what you love. Set aside time to not study. - Donald Marritz '67
It's good to be focused in your education, but for heaven's sake, have fun! Besides, balance between work and play ultimately makes you more effective. - Laila Patricia Brady, '80, Double Major, Music and Sociolinguistics
You’re in college now. No one else can tell you what courses to take. So listen to yourself. Trust your inclinations. - Donna Jo Napoli
No walking alone at night, be safe. No drugs. No alcohol. Call your parents. Keep in regular contact with siblings. - Luz Montenegro
Use well thy freedom. - Jane Lang '67
Take time to enjoy and savor it all - even the difficult/unpleasant parts. It will go by in a flash, and it's a truly unique time in life!” - Susan Smythe
Four years goes by quickly. Try new things! Audition for a play, try a new sport. You'll appreciate this later! - Patricia Cohen
Once you get your syllabi, make a calendar of due dates and exams for the whole semester. - Jennifer Martin ’75
Take it all in. It’s the most important way station of your life -Marlie Bendiksen '59
Stay open to all of "change" -both It's joyous adventure and discomfort- while cultivating self-awareness, authenticity, kindness and generosity. - Cynthia Beseler ’88
If you’re nervous to do it, do it! Radio show? A capella? Ultimate? Skinny dip in the Crum? No regrets. - Caitlin Koerber ’08
Part of your educational experience at Swarthmore is getting to know your fellow students. You have much to learn from them, and they may become life-long friends. -Dr. Nancy Holland '72
Try at least one thing you expect to be terrible at and one thing no one back home would expect. - Emlen Metz ’09
Do not drink if you get mono. - Paula Bennett
Your path through Swarthmore will be non-linear: when you face hardships (personal or academic), don't hesitate to reach out for support! -Amy Cheng Vollmer
Enjoy every moment of your wonderful experience being a Swarthmore student. - Carol Buchser ’67

In honor of Women's History Month, we asked our Instagram community to name an inspiring Swarthmore woman. Here's a selection of the answers we received:

Lisa Albert '81
Diane Anderson
Nancy Awad ’20
Deborah Bacharach ’88
Amanda Bayer
Karen Borbee
Nancy Buiza
Sara Hiebert Burch '79
Mary Schmidt Campbell '69, H'09
Stella Christie
Barbara Stubbs Cochran ’67
Betsy Cohen '20
Karin Colby
Catherine Crouch
Janet Smith Dickerson H'92
Allison Dorsey
Frances Edwards
Susan Elliott ’86
Gail Engmann ’14
Sandra Moore Faber '66, H'86
Sharon Fiedler
Elizabeth Friend
Farha Ghannam
Alisa Giardinelli
Carol Gilligan '58, H'85
Ruth Wilson Gilmore '72
Amy Graves
Cheryl Grood
Dagmar Hamilton ’55
Dima Hanna
Rachel Head
Deborah How ’89
Catherine Hsu
Constance T. Hungerford
Erika Janifer '04
Grace Kolosek
Hillary Kunins ’85
Jane Lang ’67
Grace Ledbetter
Roseann Liu
Tamsin Lorraine
Bakirathi Mani
Jen Marks-Gold
Alex Marsh '20
Barbara Weber Mather ’65
Lisa Meeden
Rachel Ann Merz
Mutabar Mills
Lucretia Mott
Carol Nackenoff
Andrea Packard ’85
Aria Parikh '20
Sangina Patnaik
Alice Paul, Class of 1905
Jennifer Pfluger
Dawn Porter ’84
Ann Renninger
Emily Paddon Rhoads
Micheline Rice-Maximin
Kathryn Riley '10
Shire Samuels-Shragg ’20
Ellen Schall '69
Lynne Steuerle Schofield ’99
Anne Schuchat ’80, H’05
Maxine Frank Singer ’52, H’78
Kathy Siwicki
Hillary Smith
Marcella Nunez Smith ’96
Valerie Smith
Lisa Smulyan '76
Kim Strand
Krista Thomason
Martha Townsend
Satchel Tsai '23
Eva Travers
Amy Cheng Vollmer
Hannah Watkins ’21
Amy Vedder Weber ’73
Helen Magill White, Class of 1873
Sarah Willie-LeBreton
Carina Yervasi
Andrea Young ’76

Last week, we asked members of the Swarthmore community and followers of the College’s Instagram account to share their favorite Swarthmore performances.

Showing of Night of the Living Dead
Marian McPartland with the Swarthmore Orchestra
Funk the Patriarchy
Third Coast Percussion
Yerba Buena
Bootsie Barnes Trio
Marcel Khalifé and Mahmoud Darwish
Killer Mike
Nirvana
Vampire Weekend
Childish Gambino
Dave Matthews Band
Third Coast Percussion
Odetta
Philadanco
The Manhattan Project performing Endgame
Funk-a-Saurus Rex’s First Show: Mary Lyons Halloween Party, 1990
Funk-a-Saurus Rex’s The Last Funk: Upper Tarble, April 9, 1993
Henry Steele Commager
Peter and David Schickele
Doc Watson performing with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys
Jefferson Airplane
Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
Pete Seeger
Randy Scruggs
The Allman Brothers Band
The Fantasticks
P.D.Q Bach and the Swarthmore Symphony Orchestra
Third Coast Percussion
Alex Shaw ’00’s Mandinga Experiment
Consciência Negra: A Legacy of Black Consciousness in Black
Vertigogo improv shows
NPPR Tiny Desk
The Rhythm ’N Motion shows
Welcome White People

Recently, we asked you what are you cooking during this time? Here are your responses.

Italian wedding soup
Oatmeal
Ikea’s recipe for Swedish meatballs
Challah bread
Banana bread
Palestinian food
Red velvet cake
Avocado brownies
Cookies
The Rory (Donny’s special burger)
Beignets
Ratatouille
All kinds of noodles
Hot pockets
Nepali dishes: momos, rajma, paneer, and kheer
Lots of Vietnamese food
Ghanaian jollof
Korean food
Vegan dumplings
Vegetarian recipes
Chicken and rice
Pakoras
Ginger-molasses cookies
Pizza
Recipes from Alison Roman’s Nothing Fancy cookbook

What's Your Daily View?

We asked people to show us their view as your working, studying, and learning — whether that's your workspace or what you can see out the window.

Katie Clark, Center for Innovation and Leadership

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Streaming, Listening, and Reading Recommendations

Members of the Communications Office and followers of the College's Instagram account shared their streaming, listening, and reading recommendations. Send your suggestions to communications@swarthmore.edu.