The Mary Baldwin College Magazine

40 Pages·1996·3.1 MB·English

by  Mary Baldwin College

*:'
MARY
*
'''
BALDWIN
^-y;.i3i'.'
COLLEGE
MAGAZINE
VOLUMENINE
NUMBERTWO
SPRING 1996
--W*'-i-? Wf*.
Salting the Kill
1
The Greatness of Great Books
In Service to Others
._.
.
President's Message
T.heessenceofmyjobistopreparetor Ihaveidentifiedthetwomostserious
the future of Mary Baldwin College. challenges 1 see in education today. So,
Thatentailsrecognizingthetrendsand whatistobedone?
thechallengesinhighereducation.AsI First,educatorshavetoreasserttheir
do so, two issues emerge that are of rolesinprescribingtheworktobedone
paramountimportance:competenceand andthestandardstobereached.Itisin
character. thestudents'bestinterestsforustotell
The highereducationsystem in the themthattherearecertainthingsthey
United States isthefinest in theworld. need to know and certain skills they
Over450,000internationalstudentshave needtohave. Itisourresponsibilityto
cometostudyatthecollegesanduniver- ourstudents,andtooursociety,tomake
sities here, as I myself came some years sure they acquire the knowledge and
ago. ButtheUnitedStatesstandstolose developthehabitsofmindtheyneedto
itsadvantageintherealmofhigheredu- be successful inthe careers and avoca-
cation, particularly at the baccalaureate tionstheychoose.
level.Becausemanyprimaryandsecond- Second,educatorshavetoregainthe
aryschoolsarenotwhattheyshouldbe, confidence toworkunashamedly to in-
ourstudentsareleftfarbehindtheirpeers still self-discipline, moral character, a
inothercountries inmath,science, lan- sense ofhonor, and ethicalbehavior in
guages,history,geographyandpractically ourstudents.Thedaysofacollegestand-
everyotherfield. inginlocoparentisaregone.Butweshould
Whenstudentscometocollegeunpre- insist upon teaching ethics, developing
pared,professorsmustspendvaluabletime strong character-building co-curricular
andresourcestomakeupthedifference. programs, and maintaining effective
And ourcolleges and universities have, honor and judicial systems such as we
since the '60s and '70s, increasingly havehereatMaryBaldwin.
avoidedtellingstudentswhattheyneedto Individuals can make a difference,
knowandwhattheyneedtodo. and, by extension, small colleges can
Butthependulumis, 1believe,ready makeadifferenceintheworldofhigher
to swing back. I sense, as I talk with education. In fact, I think the exciting
parents and others across the country, newdevelopmentswillincreasinglycome
that people are looking for a renewed out ofsmall colleges and universities if
sense ofdiscipline, more structure, and they have an entrepreneurial and cre-
higherstandards.Studentsarebrightand ativespirit.Wearenotstultifiedbytoo
ambitious;thatisnottheissue.Theissue largeanorganizationalstructure.Wecan
isourwillingnessaseducatorstorequire cometogetherasagroup,becomegalva-
them to reach the level ofcompetence nizedbythechallengesaheadofus,and
theymusthavetosucceedinthefuture. moveforwardmuchmorequicklythana
Just as we can no longer count on biguniversitycan.
studentsknowinghowtowriteorhaving WoodrowWilson,educatoran—dstates-
basicmathematicalunderstanding,wecan man,borninStaun—ton,VA,said and1
also no longercountonstudents under- am paraphrasing "If you give me a
standing their responsibility for honor- choicebetweenapersonwitheducation
ablebehavior.Theissueofcharacterisour and a person with character, I'll choose
secondchallengeaseducators. theonewithcharacter."
1donotmeantosuggestthatallyoung Let'snotmakeitachoice.Let'sgradu-
people are lacking in ethics and stan- atestudentswhohaveboth.
dards,buttosaythatthecriticalmassis
shifting.Theenvironmentinwhichour
youngpeoplelearn isdifferentfromthe Cj-Lub i
one in which many ofus grew up, and
does less to instill in them a sense of CynthiaH.Tyson
honorandintegrity.
FEATURES
6 The Greatness ofGreat Books:
Teaching LiteratureatGoochland
Women's CorrectionalFacility
10 In Serviceto Others
THEMARY BALDWIN
COLLEGEMAGAZINE 14 TheAdult Degree Program:
Our Lady ofThe SecondChance
Vol.9, No.2 Spring1996
18 Salting THE Kiln
Editor:SarahH.O'Connor
ArtDirector;GretchenCarila
AssistantEditor:MichelleHiteMartin
PublicationsAdvisoryBoard: DEPARTMENTS
SaraBethBearss'82,SallyArmstrong
Bingley'60,Dr.BrendaBryant,Dr.Mary
GendemalikCooper,AnnGordonAbbott
Evans'65,JaneG.Komegay'83,Dr.JamesD. 2 Campus News
Lott,LydiaJ.Petersson,ShirleyY.Rawley,
CelesteRhodes,Dr.KathleenStinehart,
Dr.HeatherWilson 3 News Bytes
AssociateEditors:
KathleenKenigByford'68 22 AlumnaeNotes
ElizabethAllanCollins'61
ClaireElizabethGarrison'91ADP
SusanMassieJohnson'67
YvonnePover 26 Chapters in Action
MaryShillingShannon'53
TheMaryBaldwinMagazineispublished 32 Philanthropy
twiceayearbyMaryBaldwinCollege,
OfficeofCollegeRelations,
Staunton,VA24401.
(p)540-887-7009(f)540-887-7360
Editors Note
CopyrightbyMaryBaldwinCollege
Allrightsreserved.
"Sheisawareofandengagedwiththeworldbeyondherselfandherimmediate
CoverDesign:GretchenCarila andprofessionalconcerns. Sheissociallycommitted."Thisisoneofthe "12
PotterybyNanRothwell'92ADP. CharacteristicsoftheWell-EducatedPersonoftheThirdMillennium"listedin
Seestoryonpage18. theMBCcollegecatalogue.Buthowdoesacollegeteachstudentstobesocially
awareandcommitted!
MaryBaldwinCollegedoesnotdiscriminate Thereisnoonesimpleanswer, butcertainlyexampleissignificant. Inthis
onteaedndtuitcoohanentlaibyloansaoaisrlsiApogDirfnosP,gerxcaao(nmlesdoxr,g,caredaapmdgtiuestashotiareotnsdmsti,esuadcnbeoina-ltrciseut)yna,idicrmnuailctiaet-,rs iuBtshpaselutAdeodwiouinflncTtachrDoceemegmrMrauatenreeidytPwyrBooarmgleeradcawnhimefnsohraMossauitgbxa.eyzTeeihnanree"sG,OnouoworwechL.slaAhadsonywdRcooaPfusrsteoshiegserSoaWemmoceoohoandfsdrtubChefheefanwn'a9ocyf1efsp"eortfiihnoentrgsMaaafoduourtoly,tt
oMIrnaqruoiytrhiBeeraslamdcatwiyivnibtieCeosdl,ilreaegncetd,edeSmttopaluDnoetyaomnne,notVfSAptrua2cd4tei4nc0te1ss;,. scotuundtelnetssssisntcuede1n9t7s7,.faAcnuldt,y,asstyafofuacnadnasleueminnateheapreerdseoenpallynianrvroatlivveedsignamtahkeriendghtehreei,r
540-887-7028. communitiesbetterplacestolive.
SarahH.O'Connor
Thispublicationisprintedonrecycledpaper.
Campus News
MBC
Celebrates Black History Month
Theyearwas1889andtheCivilWarwasnotyetatadedmemory.Registeredvotersof 7th CarpenterConference
the Commonwealth ofVirginia elected theirfirst African-American congressman, Focuses onWomen's
JohnMercerLangston,torepresenttheOldDominion. Health Care
Formanyyears,interestingfactslikethiswere
neglectedinAmericanhistoryhooksandpopular "AnUnfinished Revolution:Changesand
culture,whichiswhyDr.CarterGoodwinWood- ChallengesinWomen'sHealthCare"v/ill
son founded the Association for the Study of bethetopicforthe7th MBCCarpenter
NegroLifeandHistoryin 1915.Dr.Woodsonis Health Care Conference to be held on
rememhered by many as the "fatherofmodern campusonApril29.
blackhistoriography."Equallyasimportant.Dr. According to Dr. Steven Mosher,
Woodson is honored as the founder of Black directorofMBC'sCarpenterHealthCare
HistoryMonth. Dr.Woodsonspentmostothis Program,"Thehealthcareofwomenhas
75yearsmakingknowntomainstreamAmerica adisturbinghistoryofneglectandbiasin
thegreatcontributionsofblackAmericans,both the U.S. Although remarkable progress
pastandpresent. hasbeenmadeinrecognizingandaddress-
MBCparticipatedinthenatiimalcelebration ingsomeoftheignoranceandinequities,
TBeelvevSimsiitohn,tBallkacskhEonwtehrotsatinment ovfoluBnltaecekrsHfirsotmorMyBCM'osnMtihnorinityFeWbroumareyn.iSntUundietnyt, ttahrdiodsurbelcsiosnngftehpreresonebcleiesmswuseess,tilhblourpteemtaoitnoo.ffnTeorhtrsooounmglehy
theBlackStudentAllianceandtheBaldwinPro-
gram Board joined forces with the MBC food answPerresseanntderssolfuotriotnhiss."year'sconference
servicestaffandprovided a rich variety of educational, entertaining and cuhnary include five professional women with
eventsforthecelebration. successfulcareersinhealthcareandedu-
Themonth-longculturaleventsatMaryBaldwinincludedfreemovies,music cation:LeslieLaurence,medicaljournalist
anddanceprograms, aSoulFoodbanquet,aswellasspeakerBevSmith,hostof and syndicated columnist; Dr. Carol
the Black Entertainment Wiseman,professorattheJohnsHopkins
Televisiontalkshow"Our SchoolofHygieneandPublicHealth;Dr.
Voices." All of MBC's Eileen Hoffman,authorandassociatedi-
Black History Month rectorofthe Mt.SinaiWomen's Health
eventswerefreeandopen Program;BettyRedmond,nursemanager
totheentirecommunity. at Virginia's Central Shenandoah Health
The dance group District; and Dr. Carrie Douglass, MBC
Chihamba presented a assistantprofessorofanthropology.Panel
program ofWest African discussionswith the speakers will cover
music,proverbsanddance topicsrangingfrom"Medicine'sAttitude
dtuurreinFgesMtBcCe'lsebarnatniuoanl,Caunld- TCaorwea"rdtoWo"Bmeeinng"aanWdo"mWaonmeinn tCheentMearleed-
ModeledHealthCareSystem."
ftehreeSdoutlheFoModBbCancqouemtmuof-- enceTheisCaarpoennet-edrayHeamlutlhtiC-adriseciCpolnifnearr-y
nity an evening of deli- SoulFoodBanquet conferencesponsoredbyMBC's Health
ciousfood,entertainment CareAdministrationandPreparationfor
and fellowship. MinistryPrograms,whicharebothfunded
Featuredspeaker BevSmith'stelevision andjournalism careerhasspanned 25 bytheE.RhodesandLeonaB.Carpenter
years.ShebeganasPittsburgh'sfirstconsumeraffairsinvestigativereporterin 1971 Foundation. The annual event draws
withWPXI Television. She alsowrote a weeklyconsumeradvice columnforThe capacitycrowdsto thecampusandthe
PittsburghCourier, thenation'soldestAfrican-American newspaper. Herfirst talk workshopsareattended by health care
showwas"Vibration"forKDKATV. professionals and consumers, adminis-
Smithhasreceivedover200accolades,citationsandjournalisticawardsthrough- trators of health care organizations,
outhersuccessfulcareer.Shegarneredthe1990RadioAirCrystalAwardforherlive voluntary health service groups, insur-
radiotownmeeting,"ChildrenKillingChildrenOverDrugs."MayorsofPittsburgh ance professionals, government policy
andJacksonville,NChavedeclaredspecialBevSmithDays, andtheWashington makers and employees, and students,
ChapteroftheNationalAssociation ofNegro Business and Professional Women faculty,andstaff.
namedSmithasthe 1994WomanoftheYear.
Spring1996 • TheMaryBaldwinCollegeMagazine
,
Campus News
United Parcel Service
Awards Scholarships to
MBC
Two Students
NewMBCScholarshipEstablished
Two Mary Baldwin students have been LouisS.andHarriettMiddletonWaldrop
granted UPS Scholarships through the '48ofSalem.VA,haveestablishedaschol-
VirginiaFoundationofIndependentCol- arshipatMaryBaldwin.Beginninginthe
leges(VFIC).TheVFIC,foundedin1952 1996-97 academic year, the Harriett
securesprivate-sectorfinancialsupportof MiddletonWaldropEndowedScholarship
undergraduateeducationforits 15mem- will beawardedtoastudentwhodem-
berindependentcollegesanduniversities onstrates financial need.TheWaldrops
inVirginia. attachedasfewstringsaspossibletothe
JuniorsPatriciaFoleyofVirginiaBeach scholarship,allowingthefundstobedis-
andJenniferThompsonofOakHall,VA, tributedatthediscretionofthecollege.
are two of18students given the awards MBCMagazineWinsPIVAAward
thisyear.EachofthememberVFICcol- The November 1995 issue ofTheMary
legesreceived$2,650inscholarshipfunds. Baldwin Magazinewon anAward ofEx-
SelectionofUPSScholarswasdetermined cellence in the Printing Industry ofVir-
independentlyoneachcampusbasedon ginia(PIVA) 1995statecompetition.This
academicrecordandfinancialneed. yearmarkedPIVA's36thyearofcompe-
"TheUPSEndowmentrepresentsthe tition,and over 1,700 entries were re-
largestnationalcorporateexampleofciti- ceivedfrom65Virginiaprinters.
ztdieeonnnts,.h"i"psTaihfdeorsReoibdneodrletlpaAres.ndmSepaniktveeyhi,itgVphoFesrIsCiebldperuecsfaio--r thJeENjuNnIiFoErRclTasHsOaMndPaSlOsoNreceivedtwoschol- sphiraniscnTgeftiieevd1e9Mnb9ay0tr.hGyTeohBioTashdledisPwMritainhnretMyeasrBgesaaclozodfinwnBdienrtiMihdaamggseeawbPzaeIiteVnenAer
studentstoafforddistinctiveindependent arshipsfromherhighschoolalmamater. anAwardofExcellence.
colleges,whicharegenerallysmaller,resi- Princess Anne High School in Virginia
dentialandundergraduateinnature."The Beach. PhiBetaKappaSponsorsLecture
UPSFoundationisthecharitablearmof Jennifer Thompson has not yet de- TheMBCChapterofPhiBetaKappapre-
UnitedParcelService,theworld'slargest claredamajor. Sheservesasco-chairof sentedDr.HenryAbrahamfromtheUni-
packagedistributioncompany. theBaldwinBoosters,anorganizationthat versityofVirginiaas its 1995-96 associ-
admiPnaitsrtirciaatiFoonl.eySihsemasjeorrveisngasinphreeasildtehnctaroef pcorlolmeoget'essAsdcmhiososlisopinriOtvaenrdniagsshitstPsrwoigtrhamtsh.e ailtteecedtlutrehec,etu"crAaermBpIenunsFcehabnrduHaaprpyrp,eislDeyrn.FtiAelbdlerdha:ihsRaepmfublvleiicsc--
tions on the Nomination andAppoint-
mentsofU.S.SupremeCourtJustices."
Loyalty Fund Scholarship Winners Carpenter Health Care Program
ReceivesNewScholarship
ThisyeartheADPLoyaltyFundScholarshipCommittee VirginiaHealth Services, Inc.ofNewport
awardedfive$1,000scholarshipstothefollowingADP News,Virginia,hasestablishedanewschol-
students:JudyBlakey,KathleenDubovsky,JewelGrove, arshipatMBCforHealthCareAdministra-
JamieStanfillandDeniseWilliams. taidomninimsatjroartsioni.ntEearcehstyeedarinfolrotnhge-tneerxmtcfaoruer
TobeeligibleforaLoyaltyFundscholarship,applicants years, a rising seniorwill be selected to
mustbedegree-seekingstudentsingoodstanding,have receivethemerit-based$1,000scholarship.
completed 15ormoresemesterhoursofgradedworkinADP, Thefirstawardwillbepresentedduringthe
andhaveaGPAofatleast3.5.Winnersareselectedbecause fall 1996semesterbyMBCalumnaWendy
oftheiracademicachievementsandtheirservicetothe Klich-Satchell'92,vicepresidentofopera-
program,thecollege,andthecommunity. tionsforVirginiaHealthServices.
NewDegreetobeOffered
BLUESTOCKINGS FORSALE MaryBaldwinfacultyrecentlyvotedtoes-
ThereareseveralbackcopiesoftheMBCyearbookTheB/uestock/ngavailableforpurchaseat$l5 ftaabcluilsthyaalsboaacphpelroorveodfnsecwienmcaejodresgrineem.usTihce,
each,pluspostage.Copiesareavailablefortheyears 1958, I960, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1969, appliedmathematicsandbiochemistry.
1978, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993and 1994.Ifyouv/ouldliketopurchaseabackissueofthe
MBCyearbook,pleasecalltheMBCBluestockingOfficeat540-887-8504.
TheMaryBaldwinCollegeMagazine • Spring1996
Campus News
On Wednesday,January 17, Dr. Virginia RoysterFrancisco '64, professoroftheatre, andherdaughter,
SarahAshton Francisco '97, traveled t() the SupremeCourt tohearthearguments m United States v. the
CommonwealthotVirginia, et al., alsoknownas "theVMlcase." Motheranddaughter, alumnaand
curreritjunior,facidtymemberandstudent, thepairhadtheseobservationsabout theirexperience.
GINNY: 1triedtostayaway!There'sa However,by7:30weheardrumorsofanother prisinglysmall,butstillmiposing.Massive
lottodoatMaryBaldwinatthebeginning linearoundthecomerofthebuilding. columnslinedthesidesofthemainaisleand
ofasemester,andthisonewasbehindbefore At the otherside ofthe building, the seatingarea.Lessimportantaudiencemem-
weopened,delayedthreedaysbythebliz- line wasalready long. Acourtpoliceman bers,includingus,satinchairsbetweenand
:ardof'96.But1hadbeenamemberofthe was handing out numbered cards. Mom behind the columns. Ticket-holding and
VWIL Planning Committee, and the day andIreceivednumbers45and46andfelt more important audience memberssat on
before the courtdate, I knew 1 had to be lucky,sincetheywereonlyletting50people benches on both sides ofthe main aisle.
there. And I wanted to be there with my intothecourtroomthatday.Wewaitedin "Withinthebar"wasthesectionreserved
daughter,athird-generationMaryBaldwin linealongtwohours.However,mymother, forcertainpressmembers,lawyers,andother
studentwhoembodiesthebluestockingspirit neveronetocomeunprepared,hadbrought VIP's.Thejustices'chairs,nineinall,were
ofindependentandcreativethinkingthat camp stools, and someone else from the arrayedbehindacurvingtable,facingthe
has characterized Mary Baldwin women collegefurnishedbagelsandcoffee.SoIsat courtroom.Behindthemwasdrapedaceil-
since,well,sinceMaryJuliaBaldwin. down,drankmycoffee,atemybagel,and ing-high,darkrose-coloredcurtain.Because
I believe that the daring woman spirit readformyclasses.Itwasprettystrangeto thechairbacksweresohigh,andtheheight
thatmovedMaryJuliaalsobroughtthecol- besittingoutsidetheSupremeCourtread- of the curtain sogreat, thejustices' heads
lege to the Supreme Court. It would have ingMollFlandersonabluecampstoolinmy lookedtiny.
been very easy for the faculty, staff, and dresscoat! GINNY: Iwasprettyimpressedbythe
studentmembersoftheplanningcommittee Whenwefinallymadeitinside,wewere companyMaryBaldwinCollegewaskeep-
todesignaleadershipprogramthatimitated requiredtoleaveallpersonalitemsinacoat ing, and proud that our voice was being
everyfeatureofVMl,fromtheratlinetothe room:overcoats,bags,umbrellas,everything heardintheSupremeCourtoftheUnited
barracks to the uniform. We could have except purses. I was allowed to keep my States.Ibelieveonethingwithallmyheart
skippedtheresearch,omittedthethinking blazer,butnotpermittedtotakeitoffonce and mind: ourprogram isbetterformost
abouteducationalissues,andeliminatedthe inside. And no one except the press and womenthanacoedVMlwouldbe.It'snot
debate about the construction ofthe very members ofthe barcould bring in writing "separate butequal,"especiallynot inthe
bestprogramwecouldconceive.Butformost materials. old sense ofthe civil rights era, inwhich
women, such a program would have been GINNY: Writingisessentialtomypro- "separatebutequal"meant"separateandby
unsoundeducationallyandwouldthushave cessoflistening,afactwhichthecourt'sstaff nomeansequal."Plannedbyeducatorswith
betrayedourmorethan150yearheritageof didnottakeintoaccount.Ushersevenpa- decades ofexperience in women's educa-
servicetowomen'seducation. trolledtheaislesthroughouttheproceedings, tion,ourprogramisseparateandbetter.No
SARAH:Wearrivedatthecourtaround preventingnote-taking by a professorwho buts. VWIL demands that every student
6:45 a.m. tostand in lineforticketsatthe might just have happened to find writing learn leadership by leading, in civilian as
imposinggoldfrontdoorofthecourtbuilding. materialsinherpurse. wellasinmilitarycontexts.
Withuswasalawstudentwhotoldustheclerk SARAH:Thefirstthingthatstruckme SARAH: Theargumentswereheardby
ofthecourthadinstructedhertowaitthere. aboutthecourtroomwasitssize.Itwassur- onlyeightjustices;JusticeClarenceThomas
Spring1996 • TheMaryBaldwinCollegeM.^g.-kzine
Campus News
hadreoiseJtunnselfbecausehehasasonat; AsCommonwealdiandVMI.LikeBender,, chosetopursue,fascinating.Theexperience
WQ. Eachsidewasalloaredthirortninutes hewas.intmdatedwithquestionsonlysen- wasnotonlyanexcitingforayintothehighest
oaliv.andlikeJustLceswerepennaiitedeO'mcer- tences iotO'hispreparedaigujHient. Inbe- workingsoftheAmericanjusticesystem,but
nipcaianymoEnenc.Theanomeytajmthe tweenthequestions,Olson tried tomake alsogavemenewinsightsintothecaseandthe
JusticeEtepanmanir,EteputrSdlieiEtJirGeiieiial clearthatVWlLstEoiesoppoitivetmethod varieddynamicsitencompasses-
FaulBoidler,w^ablemdeliveronlyafew doesnotiimplythatwomencamnothandle GINNY:1don'tknowanyonewhobe-
senBancescOiis|HLt^aiii©ulaurgiuiiiiteEiitfoeiotenite: theadversativemethod,andthatsingle-sex lievesthatwomencan'tmakeitatVMI,a
justicesbegantgrThrtgcjiBesEKHisatbtmri-Toe educationiisavaluableoptionwhichshould positionwhichwasattributedtousincourt
BsuesaaoEeseodunnigBeanoes^sUMiseweirec bepieserved. that day. And no matter what the court
soictsciuiiiiif',dbeoonijiaiaEwreifahiesc^"VMI Pssonalf,Iw^awedbfthepioceediogs. ultnaaatetydecides,IdobelievethattheVWIL
andVWILeducaQous,grwCTnrwnneinirsufipoit Tharewasalo11didnotundeistand,andtfiings progtaraprovidesunparaReledopportunities
fooacpsfnw^aeB-esessieudgfbec-asQexoneidjuAcaer^ieocat,i^DmfdAiVsMcaTsse nmeayosvewdestoe'qaubilcektloy^kceheatp1twhaeisrswuirtpsriasbeodutthtehaettmoart- fooprpoyrotuunnigtiweosmwehnicwhhaoreaswpoirrethtyoolfeatdheersshuipp,-
aaviQsaiivieEffieoMidlfi^eooicaooflL alLIfoundthejustices'reactions,theques- portoftheCommonwealthandthecourt
AnjomefTheodoieB.Olsonaigaedfax tionstheychoseto-ask,andtheissuesthey preciselybecausetheyareunique.
Twenty Years Recogmzmg Leadership
of
StudentsnamedtoMBCsOmicron Delta
Kappacirdethisyearinclude;
SENIORS
KristieLeeBowmanofStaunton,VA
ArlaneCaimpofCharlottesville.VA
EmilyE.HancockofWhisperingPines,NC
EmilyHopeJohnson ofHickory.NC
SummerKingofLexington,VA
CarrieAnn LamyofVirginiaBeach,VA
Lauren Logan ofVirginiaBeach,VA
DianeMarieLowryofMechanicsville,VA
ChrissieMacEwenofSumter,SC
JenniferAnnePontzofLancaster,PA
LisaD.TanseyofHanover,MD
AnnaVazquezofKnoxvflle.TN
SandyD.WilliamsofNewportNews.VA
KristenAliaWingofCliftonForge,VA
MBC's Omicron DeltaKappacircle JUNIORS
ChristineBelledinofYardley,PA
Exactly20'yearsago,mi91bjMaryBaldwinCoflegebecamethefiistwotnaa'scol- SuzannaFieldsofAbingdonW.VVA
lieindienationtoreceiveacircleofOfflaicronDeltaKappa.Thatyearthecollege Hizabeth KimeofVienna,
inauguratedbothitsfiistfemalepiesidencofthe20thcenturyandtheLaurelCircle KatherineLavin ofPinckney,Ml
ofOniicionDeltaKappa(ODK). Suzannah MeyerofWilliamsburg,VA
ODKisanationalhonorsocietytiiatlecognizesleadeiship,serviceandscholar- JenniferRaganofPasadena,MD
ship.Thefivelequirementslorindividualmembershipateexemplarycharacter,re- BethSilverman ofRichmond,VA
sponsiblecommunityandcollegeleadeishipandservice,superiorscholarship,genu-
inefellowship,anddevotiontodemocraticprinciples.Junio-rsandseniorswhorank STAFF
intheupper35percentofdieirclassareeligible,aswellasfacultyandadministrators Rev.PatriciaHunt,cotlegechaplain
whohaveshownoutstandingserviceandachievedhighdistinctionintheirfields.
OmicnmDeltaKapp&recogtiizesleadershipinathletics,academics,commtmi-
cationskills,serviceactivities,andcreativeandpeiformingarts.
11SEitbsxBmbsskCkSsiMS.iih-jsxssB• Spring1996
The
Greatness
of Great Books:
Teaching Literature at Goocliland
Women's Correctional Facility.
BsDr. AshtonD. Tnce
Thestudent—swereclearlynothappyastheyfiledintotheclassroom. I hadanticipatedthattheywouldfindthe
—assignment thefirst25pagesofFaulkner'sTheSoundandtheFury,theparttoldhyamentallyretardednarrator
achallenge.
Myopeningployotaskingittherewereanyquestionsmetwithnoresponse.1posedatewofmyownquestions,
whichwereagainmetbysilence.Finally,oneofthestudentsonthebackrowwhowasusuallyquietinclassraised
herhand,clearedherthroatandsaid,"Thisisconsideredagreatbook?"
"Yes,"Ianswered.
Shewaitedafewheartbeatsandthensaid,"Well,givemealistotothergreatbookssothat1canavoidthem.
Therewaslaughter."Itdoesn'tmakesense.Ican'tfollowit,"shecontinued.
Othersagreedwithhertovaryingdegrees.
Shestoodandpickedupherhooksasifshewereleaving.Thensheputherbooksdownanddrewinherbreath
withagasp."ButwhenBenjiegoesdowntothefence,waitingforhissistertocomehome,andyouknowshenever
will..."Twotearsfellfromhereyes."Itjustbrokemyheart."
Shesatdownandcrossedherarmsinfrontofher."Iguessthat'swhyit'sagreatbook,"shesaid,almostangrily.
"Partially,"Isaid.
M,
.ost of the students in this class incommunications,infiveyears. ing, or algebra or geometry or foreign
droppedoutofhighschool.Otherthings Nationwide,westillhavea12percent languagesorlaboratoryscience.Itdoesn't
besides books were important to them highschooldrop-outrate.Manyofthese involve readingofwhole texts, likeThe
when they were 15 or 16. Now, after individualswilleventuallyneedaccessto SoundandTheFury. Itdoesn'tteachstu-
passing the GED (General Educational highereducationtosucceedinliteandto dentshowtohaveclassroomdiscussions.
Development)examinations,theyaretry- supporttheirchildren,financiallyandedu- During the first four years of the
ingcollege work through Mary Baldwin cationally.TheGEDprovidesameansof Goochland Program, we did well com-
College's Goochland Program, and it is getting into higher education for those paredtootherprogramswithhighnum-
rough going. This is the sixth year that without a regular high school diploma. bersofGEDstudents. More thanhalfof
MBC has been offering courses at the Everyyearnearly400,000individualspass theGEDholderssurvivedthefirstsemes-
VirginiaCorrectionalCenterforWomen thetest.Halfofthemsaytheyaretaking ter. But I thought we could do better.
(VCCW)atGoochlandCourthouse,Vir- theexaminationtopursuecollegework. When I became thedirectorofthepro-
ginia.Theprogramoffers 10-16courses But when they get to college, most fail. gram,Idecidedtodevelopashortcourse
peryear, supplementedbylearningcon- Morethanfouroutoffivedropoutwithin on how to read texts and write about
tracts with individual professors. Sixty- a year, usually during the first semester. them.WereadTheOdyssey,TheRedBadge
eightstudentsare enrolled this year. A The GED was designed to prepare stu- ofCourage, and acollection ofJapanese
full-timestudentcanearnaB.A. inpsy- dentsforwork,notforcollege.GEDprepa- traditionalfairytales.Thestudentswrote
chology/sociology,withapossibleminor rationincludes little instructioninwrit- manyshortpapers,whichimprovedover
Spring1996 • TheMaryBaldwinCollegeMagazine
hottestitemontheeducationalhorizon
thesedays.Inhighereducationmanyare
unsureiftherearegreatbooks,andifthere
are,wearesometimesatalosstoname
them.WhenIbegantodevelopthethree-
coursesequence,Iapproachedtheselec-
tionofbookswithagreatdealoftrepida-
tion.IknewIwantedthefirstcoursetobe
about the ancient and medieval world,
the second course about contemporary
America,andthethirdabouthowmath-
ematicsandsciencehelp us understand
individualsandsociety.
Ilikethemetaphorofthejourneyfor
education,somostofthebooksIchose
havethethemeofajourney.Thethresh-
old texts for the three courses are The
Odyssey, HticMebenyFinn, andWatson
andCrick'sTlieDoMbfeHeKx.Thecapstone
textsareMacbeth,ToniMorrison'sSida
andStephenJ.Gould'scritiqueofintelli-
gence testing. The Mismeasure ofMan.
Thejourneysinthefirstcoursehavemuch
todowithmale-femalerelationshipsand
moral oumeys,sometimesreUgious,some-
j
timessecular.Inthesecondcourse,the
emphasisisonourcollectivejourneysto
fashionAmericaoutofdiverseelements.
the semester, and by the end we were scene when the poet tells the story of Thethirdcourseconsistsofjourneysto
ha\Tngsignificantclassroomdiscussions. Orestesafterdinner.Isuggestedthatthis arriveatanunderstandingoftruththrough
X'ly favorite moment came when a wastheGreeks'HardCopy. theuseoflogicandthescientificmethod.
student, exasperated over keeping all "Darrm.Ididn'tknowIwassupposed Notallstudentswilljoinenthusiasti-
thecharactersstraightinTheOdyssey, toenjoythis."Shethoughttoramoment callyineachofthesejoumeys.Onewoman
suggested that the translators change andsaid, "Well, Icangetintothat." (I suggestedthatsheprobablywouldhave
thenamestoBillandBobandYvonne receivedanotefromthisstudentatthe votedforSocrates'death"justtoshuthim
andSheila. endofthecoursesayingthatsheheard up;" another found Chaucer's "Miller's
1saidthatTheBobbeseydidn'tsoundso Homer had written another book, and Tale" just an extended dirty joke; and
goodtome. couldIgetheracopyofittoreadover manywantedtosmacksomesenseintoJ.
"Thosegodsandgoddesses,"shekept Christmas.) AlfredPnifrock.
on,"it'sjustasoapopera.It'sUkeJackie —ButthegreatthingaboutGreatBooks
Collins. 1 don't see why we're reading is well,they'regreat.Theycangetto
thisincollege." hithatclassweretainedthreeoutof you in so many ways: plot, characters,
likeIJaagcrkeieedCtohlaltinitsw.a"sThsiosapisopaersao,apbuotpneorta fstoiulrldGoEbDetstteur,desnotws.eBbuutilIttahtohurgehet-wseemceosutledr itdheearse,awrreitoitnhge.rsIftoonmeaikteemyoleuakveeespyoonu.cYolodu,
whichpeoplehavelikedforalmostthree sequenceofGreatBookscoursesforGED canwanttothrowTheSoundanddieFitry
thousand years." 1 rem^inded her or the students-GreatBookscoursesarenotthe acrossthelOominfrustration,butthen
!HEM^YBAiJP^imSCOILH^M^C-^illKt • SfRIS'G1996
TheGreatnessofGreal Books.
youwanttoknowwhathappenstoBenjle. schiiol-agedchildren.Nationally,oneout
YoucanheannoyedwithJim'sandHuck's of80 children in public schools has an
superstitions, but when they rise to the incarceratedparent.Suchchildrenaresix
heightsofheroism,youareseducedbythe timesmorelikelytorunafoulofthelaw
plot.YoucanbedisdainfulofPenelope's thanotherchildren.Asadevelopmental THE
andPrufrock'spassivitybutbedazzledat psychologist,Iamfocusedonthosechil-
thebeautyofthewriting. dren.Iwanttofindoutwhether,ifmom GREAT BOOKS
completesherGEDand thencompletes COURSE
two or three semesters ofcollege work,
thesekidshavebrighterfutures.
WhatisMaryBaldwinCollegedoing Wealreadyknowthatalmostallofthe Introductiontothe
in the business ofeducating drop-outs? womenwhohavebeenintheMaryBald- LiberalArts I:TheAncientand
Aren'twe,throughprogramslikethePro- win Program end up getting custody of MedievalWorld
gramfortheExceptionallyGifted(PEG), theirchildren.Ninetypercentstayoutof • TheOdyssey
theVirginiaWomen'sInstituteforLead- troubleforatleastthreeyearsafterleaving • Plato'sdialoguesonthe
ership(VWIL),andtheMastersofArtsin prison.Two-thirdscontinuetheirhigher death ofSocrates
Teaching(MAT),aimingforamorepres- educationontheoutside.Fivewomenin • TheBible(Ruth andJob)
tigiRoeucsesnttuldye,ntIbwoadsy?at a conference at gtrheeesparfotgerralmeavhianvgepreiasronn,edfivbeachhaevleore'asrndeed- •• SHKeoaiumJSQohuoknuionaCghoonu'msePii'llsowBook
Mount Holyoke College on the effec- associate's degrees. Last spring three • TheCanterbury Tales
tivenessofwomen'scolleges. Inpresen- Goochlandstudentswereonthe Dean's • Macbeth
tation after presentation the difference Listandwereinductedintohonorsociet-
betweenwomen'scollegesandcoedcol- ies.Twoformerstudentsin theprogram
legeswasexpoundedupon.Severalspeak- arenowingraduateschool. Introductiontothe
erstalkedaboutitintermsofinclusion. TheCrimeBillof1994endeddirect LiberalArtsII: Modern
Thespeakerwhobestputthisinperspec- federalfundingofprisonprograms.Un- AmericanVoices
tivewasElizabethTidball,whohasbeen likemostothercollegeprisonprograms, • MarkTwain'sHuckleberryFinn
researchingtheexceptionaleffectiveness whichhavefoldedtheirtents,theMary • Toni Morrison'sSula
ofwomen'scollegesfor25years.Shesaid BaldwinProgramcontinueswithgrants • Speeches by
that coeducational colleges stake their fromthe PresbyterianWomen'sThank Lincoln, FrederickDouglass,
reputationsonhighadmissionsstandards, Offering and the American Bar Asso- • aPnodemMsartbyin LutherKing,Jr.
focusingon the beginning point ofthe ciation. In addition, the Great Books Emily Dickinson,T. S. Eliot,
college experience. Women's colleges courseswillcontinue tobeoffered and and Gwendolyn Brooks
staketheirreputationsontheendpoint, evaluatedthroughagrantfromtheFund • Storiesby
the quality ofgraduates. Women's col- fortheImprovementofPost-Secondary FlanneryO'Conner
legesarewillingtotakechanceson"stu- Education (FIPSE) from the U.S. De- ("AGood Man is Hardto
dents ofpromise," to use a phrase that partmentofEducation.TheFIPSEfunds Find,""Parker's Back"), Lee
MaryJuliaBaldwinoftenused.Andifa willalso allowus toofferthesecourses SBmaibtyhV(i"eMwotmh,e"E"clMiepsea"n)d,My
groupofstudentsarenotcompletelypre- ontheStauntoncampusforcollegeper- AliceWalker("1995."
paredforcollege,weofferthemmeansof sonnel and local residents with GEDs "Laurel")
catchingupearlyintheireducation.But who want to make the transition to
we also see to it that the end of their liberalartscolleges.
program of study, they have not only Introductiontothe Liberal
caughtup,buthaveexcelled. ArtsIII: Quantitativeand
Thewomeninthiscourseare incar- Scientific Understandings
ceratedforeveryreasonimaginable:about AnotherthingaboutGreatBooks... • Flatland, by EdwinAbbott
afourtharethereforviolentcrimes,more Onedaylastspring1wasgoingthrough • Euclid'sElements
than a fourth for financial crimes, and thesecuritycheckonenteringtheprison • TheDoubleHelix,
almosthalfaretherefordrugrelatedcrimes. whenoneoftheguardswalkeduptome byJames D.Watson
Wedon'tconsidertheiroffenseswhenwe andaskedme ifIwastheMary Baldwin • bTyheStMeipshmeenasJuaryeGoofuMladn,
admit them to the Mary Baldwin Pro- teacher.IadmittedIwas.
gram:welookfor"studentsofpromise." "Youknow,yourstudentsgottogether mmm
Thisfalltherewere49womeninthe lastnightintheTVroomandwereread- m
program, and these women have 128 ingastoryoutloud.Theywouldn'tletthe [OZ.
continuedonpage21
Spring1996 • TheMaryBaldwinCollegeM.^gazjne