2012 Claiming Williams event
10:45am-Noon
Working @ Williams 5 to 2: Who are We?
It is easy to get caught up in our own lives and take no notice of the people who surround us everyday. The Williams College facilities staff is a group of people we often overlook even though they play an integral part in our lives. They clean our personal and public spaces, repair our buildings, and shovel snow off our walkways – just to name a few of the many jobs they do for us.
Yet we hardly ever say “thank you”, or take the time to get to know them on a personal basis. What are their hobbies? What are their lives like outside of Williams? Do they have families that they are working to support? We simply forget that there are some staff members at Williams whose day reaches far beyond our purple bubble, back into their communities, their homes, and often times other jobs.
The facilities staff is an integral part of our community. We sometimes fail to appreciate their service and often take it for granted. Have you ever wondered what a typical day is in the life of a Facilities staff member, both here and outside of Williams? If so, please join us in welcoming a panel of Facilities staff as we finally give these important members of our community a voice in Claiming Williams. The panel talk and Q & A will be followed by a lunchtime dialogue in the Luetkemeyer Lounge.
Paresky Performance Space
Not my Life: Human Trafficking at Home and Abroad
The Women of Color Coalition and the Center for Community Engagement present a series of clips from a ground-breaking new documentary about global slavery called Not My Life, followed by a lunch discussion on how these issues resonate on campus.
The UN estimates that about 2.5 million people per year are involved in forced labor as a result of trafficking. Not My Life, is spreading awareness of this global issue and pressuring governments to take action with the help of fourteen organizations. After viewing the clips from this documentary we will host a lunch discussion about the issues raised, how they resonate with issues on campus (with particular attention to women’s health regarding sexual violence), and what we can do as a community to improve campus culture. The Women of Color Coalition will also present the opportunities available through NGO’s tackling global slavery to sponsor a survivor of forced labor or human trafficking.
Griffin 3
Dialogue at the Museum: Exploring Race, Representation, and Community in African Americans and the American Scene
Using the museum’s exhibition, African Americans and the American Scene, 1929-1945, as a springboard for discussion, we will look at issues of race, class, ethnicity, and gender through the lens of visual and performing arts. Connecting the past to the present, we will consider how these issues persist today and in our experiences at Williams. We encourage participants to attend the related afternoon session Meet Me at the Savoy. Space is limited; first come, first serve.
Williams College Museum of Art
EphVoices: Perspectives on Playing in Purple
For many students at Williams, involvement in athletics plays an integral role in their involvement with the community both on and off campus, in their daily interactions with fellow Ephs both on and off the field, and in helping to shape their entire Williams experiences. Diversity – and difference more broadly – are often present in sports in important and unexpected ways, and it is often the case that athletic participation can help people figure out how to deal with their own differences, and perhaps more powerfully, the differences of others. Come to Brooks Rogers Auditorium at 10:45am on Claiming Williams Day to hear a panel of students, coaches, and faculty share their stories about how being a member of the Eph athletic community has affected and improved their respective Williams experiences – and helped them to “claim” Williams.
Speakers include:
Lisa Melendy (Athletic Director)
Noah Sandstrom (Psych Professor and Chair of Athletics Committee)
Aaron Kelton (Head Football Coach)
Grace Rehnquist (Junior on Women’s Basketball team)
Qadir Forbes (Freshman on Football team)
Chris Lee (Sophomore on Men’s Cross Country team)
Maya Harakawa (Senior on Women’s Track team)
Desiree Daring (Junior on Women’s Track team)
Ernest Higginbotham (Sophomore on Men’s Lacrosse team)
Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall
Williams Firsts: Trailblazing Ephs of Color
In the year 2012, it may be quite surprising to some that we have only recently selected our first black president. However, our young nation is continuing to produce pioneers daily. Williams College has always taken bold steps toward diversity and has welcomed newcomers in all kinds of arenas. At “Williams Firsts: Trailblazing Ephs of Color,” we will have the privilege of hearing from some notable firsts on campus – former students and faculty who were firsts in athletics, academics, and administration. Come listen to these awe-inspiring pioneers tell their stories of breaking barriers in such a prestigious, well-respected institution like Williams and be a part of the conversation as audience members will be able to share their experiences as “firsts” as well!
Participants include: Beverly Williams, Health Services; Bilal Ansari, Muslim Chaplain and Associate Coordinator of Community Engagement; and Mike Reed ’75, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity.
Goodrich Hall
Speaking Advice for Faculty and Staff Educators
Speaking Advice: What faculty and staff educators can learn from students in “Navigating Williams”
What can faculty and staff educators can learn from the advice that juniors and seniors would share with first year students? Join in viewing “Navigating Williams” and a discussion on the possible implications for advising and mentoring students. This video project emanated from a research project, conducted four years ago with many first generation students, that was aimed at understanding some of the challenges they face in striving to succeed at Williams. The initial research project culminated in a video called, “Experiencing Williams.” “Navigating Williams” was initially targeted for first-generation students, but may impart strategies that are beneficial to all first year, as well as other, students.
Facilitated by Bernie Rhie, Molly Magavern, and Gail Newman.
Faculty House Lounge