Voting Irregularities
I just cast my vote for the candidates for Alumni Trustee and Tyng Administrator. The problem is that I should not have been able to do so. The electronic voting was supposed to have ended last month, otherwise it is hard (impossible?) for the alumni office to know whether or not I also voted by mail.
Since there is no on-line betting market for these elections, it is hard to know who the favorites are. I am hoping that Chris Gootkind ‘81 does not win since he didn’t return an e-mail that I sent him. I am hoping that Lisa Mandl ‘88 does win since a) she is a friend and b) she did such a fine job JAing for my brother’s entry many years ago. The Kane family owes her forevermore.
For the record the candidates are:
Trustee Candidates
Christopher L. Gootkind ‘81
César J. Alvarez ‘84
Valda Clark Christian ‘92
Tyng Candidates
Leslie Scott Pratch ‘84
Lisa A. Mandl ‘88
Anamaria A. Villamarin-Lupin ‘95
Who do you think will win?
Child Care Controversy
I just don’t know what to make of this controversy.
Child Care of the Berkshires Executive Director Anne Nemetz-Carlson has fired Richard Leja, the longtime director of the Williams College Children’s Center, despite protests from some parents and two staff members who quit over the decision.
Leja was fired Friday afternoon. He had been employed by the Child Care of the Berkshires agency for 35 years, including 15 years as director of the day-care center here.
He was unavailable for comment Monday.
“The reasons that Anne Nemetz-Carlson gave for firing him do not resonate with the parents and staff who worked with him day in and day out,” wrote Ronadh Cox, a parent and Williams College professor, in an e-mail from Ireland yesterday. “There was never a more gentle, caring soul, with the best interests of the children firmly at heart. He gave decades of work to CCB. … After that, to summarily fire him in such a demeaning, insulting way was unwarranted.”
After the firing Friday, Nemetz-Carlson, whose office is in North Adams, called North Adams Police at 3:10 p.m. and said she thought that Leja had left her office “irate.” She said she was worried that he might “do harm to the building,” according to the police blotter. No police were dispatched in response to her call.
Strange stuff.
Williamstown resident Edward Gollin, whose daughter is enrolled in kindergarten at the center in the fall, criticized the letter to parents from Nemetz-Carlson.
“We don’t have any faith that review process was thorough,” said Gollin, also an assistant professor at Williams College. “We don’t find her letter convincing or comforting. We also don’t sense that the board of directors is fulfilling any real oversight over this agency.”
Gollin said he placed his daughter at the center based on the recommendations of other parents who love Leja’s leadership style. “Dick was one of the most gentle, kind people you’ll ever know,” he said. “He knew every child in the day care by name, and the children loved him.”
It isn’t clear to me what relationship, if any, the College has with the Williams College Children’s Center, other then name. Does the College subsidize the center? Does it use College property?
There must be a story behind the story here.
A Preview of the Class of 2009
Since this is the season of high school graduations, community newspapers are full of stories about notable graduates and what colleges they’re planning to attend. So… an introduction to the Williams College Class of 2009:
Daniel King, valedictorian, Marshwood [ME] High School.
Amber LaFountain, [Drury High School?], North Adams, MA.
Madelyn Labella, valedictorian, Franklin [RI] High School.
Kyle Whitson, co-valedictorian, West Albany [OR] High School.
Samantha Smith, Concord Academy.
Danielle Zentner, Norwin [PA] High School.
Pierre Meloty-Kapella, Palo Alto [CA] High School.
Brenna Baccaro, salutatorian, Wahconah Regional [MA] High School.
Limp-Wristed Pig Squealing
For those still following the attempt of Williams Trustee Robert Scott ‘68 to force out the CEO of Morgan Stanley, this Michael Lewis article is a must read.
Time Machine
Didn’t I tell you that EphBlog had a time machine? A few months ago I predicted that Thomas Friedman would say this at Commencement:
Like all my friends I enrolled at the University of Minnesota. But unlike many of my friends, or any of my friends, I decided to major in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies. There were not a lot of kids at the University of Minnesota studying Arabic back then. Norwegian, yes; Swedish, yes; Arabic, no. But I loved it; my parents didn’t mind, they could see I enjoyed it. But if I had a dime for every time one of my parents’ friends said to me, “Say Tom, your Dad says you’re studying Arabic, what are you going to do with that?” Well, frankly, it beat the heck out of me.
Turns out that he actually said this:
Like all my friends, I enrolled at the University of Minnesota. But unlike my friends, I decided to major in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies. There were not a lot of kids at the University of Minnesota studying Arabic back then. Norwegian, yes; Swedish, yes; Arabic, no. But I loved it; my parents didn’t mind, they could see I enjoyed it. But if I had a dime for every time one of my parents’ friends said to me, “Say Tom, your Dad says you’re studying Arabic, what are you going to do with that?” Well, frankly, it beat the heck out of me.
Classy.
The problem with having famous speakers is that they don’t really care much about Williams. To them it is just another college, another spring morning in an academic gown, another glad-handing College president, another honor. Who even has enough wall space for all the plaques? A few years from now, Friedman won’t remember the differences between this year’s speech at Williams, last years at Washington U or the year before’s at Yale. He’ll have done another half dozen schools, telling each of them about his friends growing up in Minnesota.
None of this is Friedman’s fault. If you are a famous speaker who accepts many awards, you have little choice but to reuse material. Indeed, Friedman is a classier act than Halberstam since he at least changes things a fair amount from year to year.
The lack of class in this case is Williams, and specifically the members of the Honorary Degrees Committee. Why do they insist on honoring people who they know will not return the compliment by honoring Williams with a speech unique to the occasion? It is a weird sort of inferiority complex whereby Williams bestows degrees on people — just for being especially famous/accomplished — who don’t really care about what makes Williams special.
Deep Eph
The Eph connection to the recent revelation that W. Mark Felt was Deep Throat is Jeb Magruder ‘56, father (I think) of Whitney Magruder ‘82.
Magruder’s involvement in Watergate began on March 20, 1972, when he attended a meeting with former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell and G. Gordon Liddy at the headquarters of the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP), two blocks from the White House.
At the time, Magruder, a former special White House assistant to Richard Nixon, was deputy director of CRP, and Mitchell was its director.
One topic of discussion was Liddy’s plan to bug the telephone of Democratic Party National Chairman Larry O’Brien — in his office at the Watergate apartment complex overlooking the Potomac River. Magruder acquiesced in the operation after vetting it with his old boss H.R. Haldeman, Nixon’s White House chief of staff.
But the plan was badly bungled. The six inept Watergate burglars were caught by the police during their second forced entry into the building on June 17, 1972. Along with Liddy, they were subsequently convicted of burglary and sentenced to long prison terms.
After first coming under pressure from Haldeman to take the Fifth Amendment, Magruder began cooperating with federal prosecutors. In May 1974, he pleaded guilty for his role in the burglary and served seven months of a prison sentence that could have stretched to 10 years.
By the way, the alumni directory lists Magruder as class of 1956, but I thought that he was 1958, as indicated here. Even Wikipedia does not seem to know.
Thanks, Pop
Lest it get lost in the comments on Friday’s thread, Jeff Zeeman’s reference to a New York Times article by Ben Stein deserves its own post.
My father entered Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., in September 1931. The United States was entering the downswing of a small uptick at the beginning of what would be the worst industrial depression in history.
My father had an unemployed father (a former skilled tool-and-die maker) and a mother who worked as a sales clerk at a department store in Schenectady, N.Y. He had no money, no financial reserves, no social connections.
He told me of many jobs while he was at Williams, but one stays in my memory a dozen times a day, especially when I am working by traveling through a dismal, endless security line or waiting in a line to check into a hotel or noticing that my bed in my new hotel has a ripped sheet and is next to a noisy air-conditioner.
My father had a job thanks to a kindly man named Taylor Ostrander at a fraternity called Sigma Psi. My father’s job was to wash dishes in the basement of the frat house as the other boys finished their lunches and dinners. (One of the boys, Richard Helms, went on to be director of the C.I.A., but that’s another story.) He toiled down there at a huge sink, with steam rising and detergent getting on his unimaginably soft hands. He wore a stocking cap to keep his already curly hair from going crazy.
It was the 1930’s, and Jews weren’t allowed in any fraternity at Williams. Many years later, maybe in the 1980’s, by which time my father had become a major economist and public policy discussant, I asked him if he felt angry about having to wash dishes to pay his way through school in a fraternity that didn’t admit Jews. “Not at all,” he said. “I didn’t have the luxury of feeling aggrieved. I was just grateful to have a job so I could go to one of the best schools in the country.”
Stein has written other articles about his father’s experience at Williams, the most famous of which concerned his father’s 50th (?) reunion. That article was re-printed in the Alumni Review, but I can’t find a copy anywhere.
Then I spoke to about 500 widows, widowers, mothers, fathers, fiancées of men who had been killed in the war on terror. They were totally devoted to one another and to helping one another through their grueling losses. They were probably the most spiritually fit, unselfish human beings I have ever met. One showed me the contents of his son’s wallet when his son was killed. A dollar bill still had a blood stain on it. The father cried when he showed it to me. Be grateful that the armed forces of this country have such brave families.
AS I told them, we could do without Hollywood for a century. We could not do without them and their sacrifice for a week. Gratitude. As my pal Phil DeMuth says, it’s the only totally reliable get-rich-quick scheme. Gratitude. Losing the luxury of feeling aggrieved when, if you look closely, you have an opportunity. My father washed dishes at the Sigma Psi house so that he could build an education and a life for the family he did not even have yet.
At my house, I always insist on doing the dishes, and I feel a thrill of gratitude for what washing a dish can do with every swipe of the sponge. Wiping away the selfishness of the moment, building a life for my son. The zen of dishwashing. The zen of gratitude. The zen of riches. Thanks, Pop.
I did the dishes myself last night, as my father did after so many week-end meals during my youth. Indeed, he still does the dishes when we visit my parents in the house in which I grew up.
Thanks to Eph fathers everywhere.
Money from Babies
Eric Smith ‘99 is stealing money from babies, or at least younger Ephs.
I have started playing online poker - this weekend was for real money (albeit very low amounts of real money).
I was playing several tables at the same time and on one of them I noticed that the person “sitting” immediately to my right had “eph” in their username.
I asked them if that had to do with a college and they said it might. I said I went to Williams, class of 1999, and this person responded that they were class of ‘07 there now.
Perhaps this is another benefit of anchor housing? At least I understand why Eric is too busy to solve our trackback spam problem here at EphBlog. [Not a problem for him since you delete it all. -- ed. I know, I know.]
Guh?
pageofguh seems to be an Eph, but I have no idea who he is. Pointers appreciated. It is time for us to update and expand our Eph Blogroll.
They’ve Replaced the Stars and the Moon
The college recently replaced its Spitz A3P planetarium with a Zeiss Skymaster. Apparently the planets and moon no longer worked in the old one, so as Professor Pasachoff noted, “…we were unable to demonstrate many of the important astronomical phenomena.”
Yup, missing the planets and moon does sort of cramp your style. But not necessarily. As a Teaching Assistant in Astronomy, I used to give the planetarium shows, and one day I had to give one without any stars….
Flat Land
I have already used my time machine to predict what Commencement speaker Tom Friedman will say on Sunday. Those interested in Friedman’s policy opinions can read this summary of his latest book.
There are at least four problems with Friedman as Commencement Speaker. First, it would be nice if the College aimed for a greater diversity in its speakers. When was the last time a conservative/Republican spoke? Probably 1996, and that speaker needed to win the Presidency first. Second, as noted above, Friedman will almost certainly repeat entire sections of Commencement speeches that he has given in the past. Special to Williams it will not be. Third, is it just me, or is Friedman one of the least impressive three-time Pulitzer award winners around? The reviews of his book (here and here — hat tip to Crooked Timber — are devastating. I don’t so much disagree with Friedman as find his observations trite, his stories boring and self-centered.
Fourth, and most importantly, Friedman does not care about Williams. This is just another stop on his non-stop book tour, another feather his cap. Why should potential applicants think that Williams is special, if we don’t act like it is, if we play the same get-the-most-famous-speaker-that-you-can Commencement game that other schools play?
Williams would be much better served by celebrating the lives and achievements of Ephs. It will mean much more to them and much more to us.
In the Genes
The PC explanation for why Jews make up 3% of the US population but 10% or more of the students at places like Williams is that Jewish culture values educational achievement. That is undoubtedly true, but the New York Times has an article today suggesting a different hypothesis.
A team of scientists at the University of Utah has proposed that the unusual pattern of genetic diseases seen among Jews of central or northern European origin, or Ashkenazim, is the result of natural selection for enhanced intellectual ability.
The selective force was the restriction of Ashkenazim in medieval Europe to occupations that required more than usual mental agility, the researchers say in a paper that has been accepted by the Journal of Biosocial Science, published by Cambridge University Press in England.
You can read the study itself here and more commentary here.
Topics like this are probably too controversial for graduation week-end, but I can’t resist noting, in the context of the College’s Diversity Initiatives, that one of the reasons that some groups are “underrepresented” at Williams is that, pari passu, other groups at Williams are overrepresented. Want to increase diversity — meaning to make the percentages from various groups equal to the percentages in the applicant pool — at Williams? Don’t let in so many Jews.
Purple Cow
I was browsing in a bookstore when this book caught my eye. If the author is correct that the purple cow is the key to all marketing, then Williams should be well positioned to continue to attract applicants in record numbers. I am no marketing guru, but I’m confident, at least, that our mascot beats the hell out of the “Lord Jeff.”
I think that if any of the entertaining cow sculptures (e.g., “cowctus”) on display in the streets of Chicago a few years ago are still available for sale, Williams should acquire one for the new student center lobby. I know my law school purchased one, and it immediately became the most popular item on campus. Not that anything is likely to top the WCMA eyes, or the legendary Rock Fan, which should have remained a permanent installation.
Unto Where
Regular readers of EphPlanet have noticed that DeWitt Clinton ‘97 is working on a very interesting project in his spare time.
What is the new project? Well, the best way to understand is to read the series of posts that are chronicling its development. But in short, it is a new type of wiki. Or more precisely, it is a new type of wiki service —- a service that provides the functionality that a wiki requires —- and at least one client front-end on top of that service. But really, it is an experiement in transparent application development, something that goes beyond just opening the source code —- it is opening up the whole development process and the thinking that goes into building software. Well, there’s more to it than that, but lets just wait and see what comes next . . .
There is no better way of getting a handle on technological change than to watch a skilled technologist at work, other than to dive into the technology itself. DeWitt, having already chosen Subversion and Perl, clearly knows his technology.
Those who don’t know Subversion from CVS may still want to pay attention to what DeWitt is trying to create. Although the works of Eric Raymond remain the canonical descriptions of open source and decentralized development, it will be interesting to watch such an effort in real time.
Kelley ‘75 Enters Minnesota Governor Race
On Wednesday, Steve Kelley ‘75 announced that he was entering the race for Minnesota Governor. Kelley, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, is a Senator and Majority Whip in the Minnesota Senate. In his third Senate term, Kelley previously served two terms as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He’s aged quite gracefully; you can see his What’s What and a current picture on the Williams ‘75 Web site (www.williams75.org).
Heartless Marcus ‘88
Ken Marcus ‘88 gets a brief mention in an article about down-sizing at the US Office for Civil Rights.
The Denver and Kansas City offices are being closed to help make up for a shortfall of more than $135,000, said Kenneth L. Marcus, the agency’s staff director. Marcus also recommended releasing a total of four staff members from the four remaining field offices, in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and the District, a proposal he withdrew after objections from Capitol Hill.
As always, one of the reasons that student groups at Williams like the Finance Committee of College Council are valuable is that they give students real experience with budgets, priorities, politics and the like. A smart guy like Ken probably only wanted to close down the 4 offices, but also recommended the dismissals so that he could have something to back down on when the complaints came in.
The earlier in life that Ephs learn how to maneuver in these situations, the better off they are.
Firmin ‘38, RIP
John Firmin ‘38 has passed away. He led an interesting life.
Mr. Firmin joined the FBI in the summer of 1941, working in Washington, Oklahoma City, New Jersey, and New York City.
Later in life, he shared with his family stories of his experiences tracking German agents and sympathizers.
One of those stories took place shortly before the United States joined the war, when Mr. Firmin was part of a team assigned to the German consulate. The team planted an agent as the building’s incinerator operator.
Once the war started, the Germans carefully bundled up their confidential papers and took them to be incinerated. Because the papers were so tightly bound, the FBI agent was able to get them out before they burned.
Condolences to all.
CGCL: Summer Session with Fay Vincent ‘60
After Winter Study’s wildly successful experiment in creating a Cross Generational Community of Learning, we at EphBlog have been inundated with requests for a summer session. Well, perhaps “inundated” isn’t exactly the right word, but if we build it, they will come.
So, next week, EphBlog will be running CGCL: Summer Session. This will be a much abbreviated version with discussion focussing on one, perhaps two, articles. The main article — thanks to Whitney Wilson ‘90 for the pointer — will be “No Merit in these Scholarships,” an opinion piece in the Washington Post by Fay Vincent ‘60. (We might also discuss the recent cover story in the Alumni Review by Professor Gordon Winston which, alas, does not seem to be on-line yet.)
Mr. Vincent has kindly agreed to participate in our “class”.
What do we need? Well, as last time, we need a couple of volunteers to serve as discussants. You would need to read Vincent’s article and provide some commentary on it. Discussion would then ensue. Please let me know if you would like to volunteer.
UPDATE: Review editor Amy Lovett was kind enough to provide a copy of Winston’s article. Many thanks. So, we will be using both this article and the Vincent one for our seminar.
5^{2}
Happy Birthday to Sarah Hart ‘02 who, along with hundreds of her classmates, is turning 25 in 2005. In the next 25 years, Sarah hopes to:
* get married
* have babies (2-3)
* develop a career that i love
* raise babies
* spend as much time i can with family and friends, because life is short.
Good goals all. EphBlog has been urging her forward on the first two for a while now. When is that Josh guy going to propose anyway? Babies are much easier to handle when you are in your 20’s than when you are in your 30’s.
