Pitzer College ranked No. 1 among national colleges in its acceptance of the gay community, according to surveys conducted by The Princeton Review and just published in the 2000 edition of the review’s guidebook, “The Best 331 Colleges.”
According to the annually updated guidebook, which is based on a survey of 59,000 college students, Pitzer surpassed all other colleges in its environment for gays and lesbians. The ranking means that “your students think that people are treated equally, regardless of their sexual orientation; not only students, but also faculty and administrators as well,” said Jeanne Krier, publicist for Random House/Princeton Review books in New York, which publishes the guide.
It was a distinction noted by the press. Bay Windows, a New-England-based weekly newspaper for the gay community, published a story last month reporting that Pitzer was “the nation’s top-ranked college for having a gay-friendly campus.” Bay Windows also reported that fewer than 10 percent of the nation’s colleges made it into the guidebook’s top 20 listings.
The gay ranking is one of 60 lists in the guidebook covering areas from academics to extracurricular activity to campus life.
Pitzer College also ranked high on other prestigious lists in the guidebook: No. 2 among colleges in the degree to which professors make themselves accessible; No. 2 among colleges in which students from different races and classes interact; No. 5 among colleges in which students are politically active; No. 6 among colleges with good town and gown relations; and No. 7 among colleges in which students say they are happy.
Ronald Macaulay, professor of linguistics, took the long way to Pitzer from his native Scotland, through Portugal and Argentina. But he made it, and liked it enough to stay 34 years. “I’m not one of the oldest inhabitants,” he says of his long tenure at the College. “I came in year two.”
Macaulay’s long career as a professor of linguistics, one of the founding faculty members of the linguistics program and former dean of faculty (1980-’86) will be honored next month when a distinguished group of linguists and scholars convenes on campus for a conference in his name. The conference, organized by Carmen Fought, pays tribute to Macaulay’s contributions to the field and will address issues in his own specialties, which include linguistic theory, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, language and education, and Scottish dialects.
After graduating from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Macaulay taught English as a foreign language in Portugal from 1955 to 1960 and in Argentina from 1960 to 1964. It was in Argentina that he learned of a teaching position at Pitzer from founding faculty member Valerie Levy, who was an assistant professor of English. She persuaded Macaulay to apply, and he was hired.
Upon arrival in Claremont, “I didn’t really know what to expect,” he says. “I had no idea what a liberal arts college was before I came here. The emphasis on teaching and concern for students was something new to me… It took a little while to adapt.”
But he adapted quite well, and eventually earned a Ph.D. from UCLA in 1971. He became a full professor of linguistics in 1973. His several publications include the recent books “Locating Dialect in Discourse: The Language of Honest Men and Bonnie Lasses in Ayr” (Oxford University Press, 1991), “The Social Art: Language and Its Uses” (Oxford University Press, 1994), and “Standards and Variation in Urban Speech” (John Benjamins, 1997).
“I really liked Pitzer from the start,” he says. “It was the atmosphere, the way the college is horizontally organized, rather than hierarchically… and in those days, of course, all the faculty was new and rank was not important.”
Faculty and Staff News
Noon today is the entry deadline for the Scary Movie Contest being sponsored by the Staff Recognition Work Group. The prize is a "spooktacular" evening at Knott's “Scary” Farm-two tickets for Oct. 30, a $70 value. The contest is open to all members of the Pitzer staff. To enter, submit a list of your top-10 scary movies to Angel Jauregui. The results will be tabulated and the staff member with the most movies from their list in the final top 10 will win. In the event of a tie, the qualifiers will be given five trivia questions, ranging in difficulty, from various horror movies.
The winner will be notified by Oct. 19.
Check out the new Staff Orchard web site at http://pzadm.pitzer.edu/~staff/.
inMEDIAte Future, a weeklong media event featuring internationally known artists and independent filmmakers, takes place Oct. 25 through Oct. 29. The series focuses on the future of independent media arts in the United States. The series will feature lectures, performances, film screenings and music by B. Ruby Rich, Miranda July, Craig Baldwin, and Shu Lea Cheang. The series is part of a visitor-in-residence program made possible by a grant from the E. L. Wiegand Foundation to advance the understanding of the media and their role in society. Also participating in this program are Claremont consortium members Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pomona and Scripps colleges and the Claremont Graduate University.
The new design for Pitzer’s official Web site is up and running (www.pitzer.edu). The new, streamlined graphic design affects the top three or four levels of the official administrative Web site. Other pages will be rebuilt in the coming year, as time permits. As promised, the public information office can provide templates of the new design for offices that are planning to create new pages or that wish to update their existing pages at levels below those. These templates are for anyone who wishes to incorporate the new design into their own pages. With the help of the office of information technology, Webmaster Nina Ellerman Mason has made every effort to troubleshoot the new design for ease of navigability, as well as to fix any internal links or other problems. But she may have missed some, and if you find any, please let public information know so that they can take care of them. In addition, some of the text may need updating. If you see portions of your pages that need to be updated or edited, please notify Nina or Patrick Lee at x18219. The public information office thanks the Pitzer community for its forbearance and patience as it makes this change.
Yusef Omawale '95 has joined the Pitzer staff as interim coordinator for community-based education. Yusef majored in sociology at Pitzer. He holds a master’s degree in education, with a specialty in community studies and research, from Claremont Graduate University, where he was program director of the community learning network before joining Pitzer's staff. Yusef will be working with the dean of faculty's office and with the director of the Center for California Cultural and Social Issues to help students study and work in community-based settings. He also will provide ongoing guidance to projects that are community based. He will work with Pitzer faculty members to provide technical, pedagogical and logistical support for community-based internships. In addition, he will have leadership responsibility for the Trustee Community Scholars. Yusef's office is in the Bernard core. Please drop by and make him feel welcome.
The admission office hosts Decemberfest, a luncheon and program for high school guidance counselors from across the nation, on Nov. 9. This prestigious program allows the admission and financial aid staff to illustrate the special qualities and programs Pitzer offers to prospective students. About 50 counselors are expected to attend.
Pitzer's annual fall On Campus Day takes place Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Invitations will be sent to prospective students.
The recent student senate elections yielded the following results: Elected--Michael Martinez, secretary; Bennie Mackey II, freshmen representative; Kristine Halverson, New Resources representative; James Merchant, academic standards; and Reena Mathew, judicial council. Appointed--Jessie Rebert, external studies; Siobhan Acosta and Stefanie Contract, academic events; Yuisa Gimeno and Reena Mathew, research and awards; Nicole Dubois, academic planning; Destry Levi, IRC; Erin Hayne, aesthetics; Gabriel Garcia and Nicole Dubois, judicial council; Autumm Beard, curriculum; and Devon Kaiser and Geoff Dennis, trustee student life.
A dinner for students, faculty and alumni in the sciences has been postponed until Nov. 16. The event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Founders Room of McConnell Center. If you would like to attend, please RSVP (with meal card number, if applicable) by Nov. 15 to Grace at x18130 or grace_byun@pitzer.edu.
Deadline for the next issue of the Other Side is Wednesday. Submissions can be deposited in a special envelope in the mailroom or the Other Side box in the student offices on the second floor of Gold Student Center. They also can be e-mailed to Otherside@pitzer.edu or campus-mailed to Pitzer Box No. 823. For more information, contact the Other Side at x77093.
Want to keep up with feminist issues and events at The Claremont Colleges? Subscribe to a five-college, student-run listserv that sends out updates on women's, progressive and feminist events in and around Claremont. To subscribe, send a message to emarshall@pomona.edu with a short message saying you would like to be added to the list and containing the address to which you would like the message sent.
Want a kick-ass workout that's high-energy, low-impact, explosive, exciting, motivating and fun? Try kick-box aerobics on Monday, Wednesday or Friday in the fitness room of Gold Student Center. Cost is $2 per class. For more information, call Alan Lesselyong at x76192 or e-mail alan_lesselyong@pitzer.edu.
Health Education Outreach offers free and anonymous HIV testing every other Tuesday by appointment from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To make an appointment, call x73602.
Week of Oct. 11
MONDAY
Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer plays against Blackburn (Illinois) at home at 4 p.m.
Kate Bornstein presents “Y2kate: Gender Virus 2000 Transgender Edutainment for the New Millennium” at 7:30 p.m. in Balch Auditorium, Scripps.
TUESDAY
The Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies presents the Sojourner Truth Lecture, "An Evening with Octavia Butler," at 8 p.m. in Broad Center. Octavia Butler, an African American woman, is a Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning science fiction writer and MacArthur Fellow. Her most recent novel, “Parable of the Talents,” was published in 1998 by Seven Stories Press. The Sojourner Truth Lecture was established in 1983 to honor the achievements and contributions of outstanding African American women in the United States. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments and book signing follow the lecture. For more information, contact IDBS at x73070 or http://www.cuc.claremont.edu/idbs/.
WEDNESDAY
Pomona-Pitzer men’s soccer plays Cal Lutheran at home, 4 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer men’s water polo plays Chaminade at home, 7 p.m.
The North Los Angeles/Ventura alumni chapter holds a wine tasting, "Drink Inexpensive, but not Cheap,” at the Woodland Hills Wine Co., 22622 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, Calif., from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $20 per person. Call the alumni office for more information, x18130.
THURSDAY
Professor Jim Hoste delivers the first of three talks on knot theory, 7 p.m. in Broad Hall 207. Subsequent talks take place on Nov. 11 and Dec. 2. The talks are independent lectures aimed at non-specialists.
FRIDAY
Directed independent study forms (half course) are due in the registrar's office.
Fall break begins after last class.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s volleyball plays Cal Lutheran at home, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer at Master’s, 1 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer men’s soccer at Colorado College, 3:30 p.m.
The San Diego alumni chapter screens "My Best Friend's Wedding" on Pacific Beach, at the corner of Tourmaline and La Jolla boulevards, 6 p.m. Free. For more information, call the alumni office at x18130.
SUNDAY
Week of Oct. 18
MONDAY
The Washington, D.C., alumni chapter hosts a “Moroccan Dinner with Professor Mita Banerjee,” the Marrakesh Restaurant, 617 New York Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 7:30 p.m. Cost is $25.00 per person. Call the alumni office for more information, x18130.
TUESDAY
Pomona-Pitzer women’s volleyball plays Whittier at home, 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Pomona-Pitzer men’s soccer at Occidental College, 4 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer at Occidental College, 4 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer men’s water polo plays Redlands at home, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY
Tyler Stovall, professor of history at UC Santa Cruz, discusses “Love, Labor and Race: Colonial Men and White Women in France During World War I” at 11 a.m. in Carnegie 107, Pomona.
PAct presents a special faculty-student Fireside Chat with readings by guest lecturer Primus St. John at 9 p.m. in the Marquis Library, Mead Hall. Refreshments will be provided.
FRIDAY
Final day to drop courses without a recorded grade.
Credit/no credit forms are due in the registrar's office.
Final day to add half courses for second half of semester.
Concentration/educational objective forms for first-semester juniors are due in the registrar's office.
The Friday noon concert series presents a performance of cabaret songs with Mary Beth Haag (soprano) and Gayle Blankenburg (piano), both of the Scripps, Pomona and CGU faculty, at 12:15 p.m. in Balch Auditorium, Scripps.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s volleyball at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Pomona-Pitzer men’s water polo against La Verne at home, 11 a.m.
Pomona-Pitzer men’s soccer against Whittier at home, 11 a.m.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer against Whittier at home, 4 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s volleyball against La Verne at home, 7:30 p.m.
The Pomona College Orchestra, directed by Gregory Magie, performs at 8 p.m. in Bridges Hall of Music, Pomona.
SUNDAY
The Pomona College Orchestra, directed by Gregory Magie, performs at 3 p.m. in Bridges Hall of Music, Pomona.
This week’s PAct Sunday Night Movies support Alcohol Awareness Week. They are shown at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. in Avery Auditorium.
Comings and Goings
Opportunities and Announcements
Coming Up
Gamelan Sekar Jaya, the Bay-Area ensemble known for its stunning performances of Balinese gamelan music and dance, will offer a free lecture and performance, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Carolyn Lyon Garden, Pomona. Lunch will be provided free of charge.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s volleyball plays Caltech at home, 7:30 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer plays Cal Lutheran at home, 2 p.m.
CMC's new president, Pamela Gann, discusses "Globalization in the Year 2000" at this week's I-Place lunch and conversation. Food will be served at 11:45 p.m. The program begins at 12:15 p.m. in McKenna Auditorium, CMC. Admission is a meal card or $4 at the door. For more information, call x18344.
Pomona-Pitzer men’s water polo convergence: University of Redlands, Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at home, TBA.
Pomona-Pitzer football at Whittier, 1 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer men’s soccer at Coe College, 1 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s volleyball plays Grinnell at home, 7:30 p.m.
Weight Watchers meets for 13 weeks on Tuesdays starting at noon in Room 107 of the Hahn Building at Pomona. Cost is $116.35 prepaid with no registration fee. As of today, the current Weight Watchers group has lost a total of 242 pounds! For more information, call Deidra Kornfeld at x18118.
Fall break ends at 8 a.m.
Last day to sign up for PAct’s Saturday trip to Disneyland, $39. For more information, call x74176.
Degree verification forms for February graduates are due in the registrar's office.
PAct takes a trip to Disneyland, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., $39.00. Prior sign-up at Gold Student Center required by 5 p.m., Oct. 21. For more information, call x74176.
Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer plays UC Santa Cruz at home, 1 p.m.