Posted by Elizabeth Hopkins
Skidmore Unplugged, an annual three-week long competition to reduce energy usage in the College's dorms, took place from Monday, Feb. 11 to Monday, March 4. This year, the Sustainability Office, in conjunction with the S-Rep program and numerous clubs on campus, hosted a number of events to spur Skidmore's competitive spirit and alter the overall organization of the event. The ultimate winner of the competition was Wilmarth Hall, which recorded a 9% decrease in electricity use.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, Skidmore students and faculty gathered at the Surrey Williamson Inn to hear selections of poetry and prose read to members of the College community at the Megan Rogers Annual Festival. Professors and students participated in this celebration of literature.
Celebrated feminist, author, social justice activist, and editor Gloria Steinem visited Skidmore College to deliver the keynote speech on Thursday, Feb. 21. She gave a personal lecture that focused primarily on social change and the need for reforming contemporary heteronormative and sexist ways of thinking, particularly in Western society.
The Tang Museum at Skidmore College hosted We the People, a series of events focusing on topics ranging from "Slow Democracy" to corporations to the U.S. Constitution. The spring semester's series of events opened on January 24 and closed on April 4.
Students organized and planned Social Justice Month, which took place during the month of April. Among the events that student coordinators hosted were a series of films covering a wide range of social justice topics, a fair trade market, and a talk from a North Korean defector.
April was also Autism Awareness Month. Psychology Professor Rachel Mann Rosan and students of Skidmore College arranged an event-filled calendar to raise awareness. A number of professors visited and gave enlightening lectures on autism from psychological, scientific and social perspectives. Students also organized a film screening of Temple Grandin, three different panels featuring parents of children with autism, and the Second Annual Autism Awareness Informational Fair, which was hosted by Saratoga Bridges, the Parent Network of the Capital Region, and the Skidmore Psychology Department and presented by Wilcenski & Pleat, PLLC.
Ashley Reynolds '14 was named a 2013 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities dedicated to fostering civic and social responsibility. Reynolds was among 180 students nationally to receive the award, which recognizes college students for their efforts to explore social issues and work toward positive change. Reynolds has helped at a number of agencies, including the Saratoga Center for the Family, the Center for Hope, Shelters of Saratoga, and has participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. In addition, Reynolds extended her work abroad to Thailand where she worked with the agency Grandma Cares.
Samuel Schultz '13 won the $20,000 first prize in the third annual Kenneth A. Frierich Business Plan Competition. The competition funds students with winning business proposals to implement their plans. Schultz will start a business that helps parents in China connect with summer camps in the United States. His business, Summer Destinations, will be located in Beijing.