Nature and Home IN THE BICENTENNIAL

Each month of the Society of Alumni bicentennial year focuses on a core theme. In October, we’ve taken inspiration from the natural glory that surrounds Williams by encouraging Ephs everywhere to create their own Mountain Day to reinforce the role all of us can play in ensuring a sustainable future. Next month, in honor of Homecoming, we invite you to return “home” to a Society of Alumni that looks forward to the next 200 years, guided by your insights and perspectives. If you plan to be in Williamstown the weekend of Nov. 5-7, join fellow Ephs at the Weston Athletic Complex for some Homecoming fun on Saturday! Alums are also invited to take part in regional telecast events on Nov. 13, organized for the Williams vs. Amherst game.

Upcoming Events

HEAR from Harry Yoon ’93, film editor of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, in this Oct. 21 talk presented by WAAAAN (the Williams Asian & Asian American Alumni Network).
LEARN something new on Oct. 24 with “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Indian Food but Were Afraid to Ask” with Aroop Mukharji ’09 & Auyon Mukharji ’07.
CONNECT on Nov. 9 with other alumni/student veterans and those currently serving at a special online meetup for Ephs with military experience in honor of Veterans Day.
THINK about the role religious faith may play in a post-pandemic world in a Nov. 16 Williams@Work webinar featuring Reverend Gail Henderson-Belsito ’87, Rabbi Rachel Barenblat ’96 and Khurram Ahmed ’03.

And in case you missed it

Try your hand at making grilled honeybuns with Geraldine Shen ’01 and knitting stranded colorwork with Ashley Weeks Cart ’05 in the first two parts of an interactive Back to School series.
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with WAAAAN, Williams Astronomy Lecturer and Observatory Supervisor Kevin Flaherty and SpaceX Operations Engineer Muzhou Lu ’13.
Explore the constant and ever-evolving story of the Society of Alumni in a special program, “Epholution: 200 Years of History, Nostalgia & Memory,” presented by the Archival Committee of the SoA Bicentennial.
Hear from President Maud S. Mandel in conversation with SoA President Kate Boyle Ramsdell ’97 for a Sept. 27 All-Alum Zoomcast reflecting a broad range of campus updates.
Enjoy this conversation on Cleopatra: A Life featuring the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff ’82 and Assistant Prof. of Comparative Literature Amal Eqeiq
Engage with BiGLATA for the third in a series of panels discussing LGBTQ+ life at Williams featuring the experiences of alums from the ’00s and ’10s.
Listen to Mark Tercek ’79 in conversation with Prof. Ralph Bradburd on the ways the private sector is addressing climate change.
Learn why we need to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day in the Purple Valley and beyond, in this Alumni Career Commentary by Native American lawyer and elected official Chris Stearns ’86.

Top photo credit: Berkshirian Images/Brad Wakoff

My Roomie/My Bestie: Kate Stone Lombardi ’78 reflects on 47 years of friendship thanks to the serendipity of first year roommate assignments at Williams.

SAVE THE DATE!

BIGGEST LITTLE COMMUNITY

NOVEMBER 1-15

In celebration of the SoA Bicentennial (200 years of alumni giving back) and this November's theme of "home," we invite you to share how you carry the spirit of Williams by giving back to your (home) community through volunteerism and service. Your logged volunteer hours will multiply your Alumni Fund gift to have an even bigger impact at Williams. The more you volunteer, the bigger the product! Start planning your community service now for November 1 - 15 and watch your inbox for information on how and where to log your hours.

Join the Club

Our next Purple Prose book club selection is The Arbornaut: A Life Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees Above Us by Meg Lowman ’76. Order a copy from your local bookstore and sign up to participate in the conversation around the book.

Help the Virtual Vanguard team shape their next season

Have you listened to The Virtual Vanguard Podcast? Hosted last season by Valerie Oyakhilome ’18 and Michael Berry ’18, this podcast amplifies the voices of the Black Williams College community by providing a platform for the students, faculty, staff and alumni to discuss issues and highlight achievements. We invite you to listen, engage in the conversations and connect with these transformative and meaningful perspectives. Like what you hear or have thoughts? Share your comments and suggestions to help the Virtual Vanguard team shape their next season through the listener feedback survey.

"I FELT LIKE I COULD SUCCEED"

Daniel Rials '22 is the first person in his family to go to college and is part of Williams Firsts on campus. Learn more about Daniel, Williams Firsts, and how you can support this incredible and vibrant community today!

alumni In the News

What are the qualities of a good argument? Anne L’Hommedieu Sanderson ’84, co-director and co-founder of the educational nonprofit ThinkerAnalytix, says argumentation is vital for social change. Her research—assisted by interns Emily Bleiberg ’22 and Blain Solomon ’22—offers some key insights.
Margaret Lawrence ’96, vice president of Wayfair Professional, spoke with Architectural Digest about personalizing service to help furnish businesses quickly and elegantly.
Forbes named Paula Tuffin ’85 one of their 50 Over 50—Investment 2021. As chief compliance officer and general counsel for the homebuyer support service Better, Tuffin works to ensure economic equity for Black communities.

Alumni can catch up with classmates in the most recent issue of Williams People.

News from the college

Gathering for Mountain Day

“This is the largest gathering for Mountain Day in my 30 years,” Outing Club Director Scott Lewis told the dozens of campus community members gathered atop Stony Ledge for a day off from classes to celebrate the wonders of fall and the outdoors in early October. Browse the photos and check out the video to catch the excitement of the day.

Giving Back to the Community

Earlier this month, nine groups of students lent a helping hand to the Berkshire region by cleaning, planting flowers, writing letters, playing with kittens and more. The Fall Great Day of Service was organized by the student-run Lehman Community Engagement with the goal of connecting students to the area. See photos and read more about their good work.

Plans for WCMA

The Williams College Board of Trustees recently voted to move forward with the design phase of a new art museum on the former site of the Williams Inn, at the intersection of Routes 2 and 7. Read more details at WCMA’s News & Press page.

Working for a Better Community

Leticia Haynes ’99, vice president for institutional diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), sent a campus-wide update on efforts to ensure inclusivity and accessibility throughout the Williams community. Provost and Class of 1969 Professor of Economics Dukes Love also sent an overview of Williams’ sustainability achievements and goals.

Faculty News

Math professor Pamela Harris has been named as a fellow to the Association for Women in Mathematics.
Africana studies professor Neil Roberts discusses how the late Charles W. Mills “upended the canon of Western philosophy” on NPR.

For more stories and news about the Williams community, visit Williams Today.

Top photo credit: Bradley Wakoff/Berkshirian Images

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