The Grécourt Gate welcomes your submissions. To discuss a story idea of interest to the Smith community, contact Barbara Solow at 413-585-2171 or send email to bsolow@smith.edu.
Smith eDigest
The Smith eDigest is sent to all campus email accounts on Tuesday and Thursday each week during the academic year and on Tuesdays during the summer. Items for eDigest are limited to official Smith business and must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the day prior to the next edition’s distribution.
Looking for older stories?
Most news stories dating back to 2011 are available in the new Grécourt Gate, and older stories will appear here over time. If the story you’re looking for is not yet available, please refer to the news archive.
News Archive
51 Years Later, It Needed to Be Said
Writer Ingrid Yollick Alpern ’69 recalls a particularly painful encounter she experienced while on an internship in Washington, D.C. in the late 1960s and says there is no statute of limitations for challenging the hurt caused by antisemitic comments.
- Alumnae News
- December 9, 2019
Breaking Barriers at Sonic Speed
Claudia San Pedro ’91 spent her teen years drinking cherry limeade and eating cheese Tots at her local Sonic drive-in. Now she’s president of the company, leading one of the nation’s most popular—and nostalgic—fast-food franchises back to the future.
- Alumnae News
- December 9, 2019
The Haunting Stories of Highway 20
For years, journalist Noelle Crombie ’92 has chronicled the devastating—and often disregarded—stories of victims of sexual assault. In an award-winning newspaper series, Crombie revealed how the brutal rape of one forgotten survivor could have stopped a serial killer in his tracks—if only the victim had been believed.
- Alumnae News
- December 5, 2019
Form, Function and Landscape Design
After a landscape design internship in Manhattan last summer, Tess Abbot ’20 developed a keen appreciation for Smith’s winding pathways and bucolic gardens. As an aspiring designer, she also considers ways to improve how today’s students interact with Smith’s campus.
- Campus Life
- December 4, 2019
Overflowing Bathtubs and Leaky Boats
Physics professor Nathanael Fortune deftly explains forces of climate change to nonscientists.
- Research & Inquiry
- December 4, 2019
Putting a Face to Hunger
Sibyl Brown ’14 became passionate about food justice while a student at Smith and founded the Smith chapter of the National Food Recovery Network, which continues today. As an alumna, she continues to work for food equity and wants to clarify some misconceptions about who exactly is going hungry in America.
- Alumnae News
- December 3, 2019
Shaping a Contemporary Definition of ‘Home’
What does it mean to live and dine in community? That’s the question being addressed by the Residential Experience Working Group—18 students, faculty and staff whose unofficial charge is to develop, as REWG chair Susan Etheredge ’77 says, “a contemporary definition of home.”
- Campus Life
- November 22, 2019
Mapping Holiday Travel
Whether you’re traveling near or far, Thanksgiving break is right around the corner. And for those wondering where their fellow Smithies are headed for the holiday, there’s a map for that!
- Campus Life
- November 22, 2019
David DeSwert Appointed Vice President
David C. DeSwert has been named the college’s vice president for finance and administration.
- News of Note
- November 20, 2019
Studying Climate Change
In the first semester of Smith's themed Year on Climate Change, relevant course offerings range from contemporary poetry to green energy policy, giving students of all academic backgrounds a chance to engage in learning about climate change and environmental sustainability.
- Sustainability
- November 14, 2019
‘Inclusion is Not a Fixed Point’
Floyd Cheung, Smith’s vice president for equity and inclusion, has announced several new initiatives aimed at ensuring that all students, faculty and staff “can enjoy what Smith is and has to offer.”
- Campus Life
- November 13, 2019
People News, November 2019
Data science awards, published essays and career promotions are among the recent accomplishments of Smith students, faculty, staff and alumnae. Read about them in the latest People News column.
- Research & Inquiry
- November 12, 2019
Immigration and the Food Justice Connection
Gabriella Della Croce ’11 and Andrea Schmid ’17 both work at the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, a collective that helps better the lives of immigrant workers in western Massachusetts.
- Sustainability
- November 8, 2019
The Joy of Translation: Smith’s First Slam
Smith’s first Poetry Translation Slam, which will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. in the Poetry Center, is described as having all the best characteristics of a classic poetry slam: it will be joyful, interactive—even a bit rowdy.
- Research & Inquiry
- November 7, 2019
Experimenting with Geothermal Energy
The drilling of a geothermal test borehole began on campus near the Field House in September. This launched a unique and fascinating learning opportunity for faculty and students across campus and the first phase of a pilot project to establish a potential ground source geothermal heat exchange system for the Field House.
- Sustainability
- November 6, 2019
Exploring Natural Dye-Making Plants on Campus
A summer project by Hannah Asofksy ’21 is the foundation for a new exhibit on dyes on view at the Lyman Plant House. “The Art and Science of Dyeing” explores the world of natural dyes and connects visitors with dye-making plants in the Happy Chace ’28 Garden and the Learning Garden behind Northrop-Gillett.
- Sustainability
- October 31, 2019
Campus Champions: Welcoming New Students
Nearly 100 new Smithies answered a call to nominate people who had made them feel especially welcome during their first weeks on campus. Read about this year's Champions for Smith Students.
- Campus Life
- October 31, 2019
Responding to the October 24, 2019 Hateful Symbols on Campus
On the evening of October 24, 2019, Campus Police responded to multiple reports of swastikas drawn in marker on the walls of Seelye, Bass and Burton halls.
- News of Note
- October 25, 2019
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