Heard a lot about “joining the conversationâ€�? Harry Rowe, Class of 1912, was ahead of that game when he launched the magazine of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ 91 years ago.

In the magazine’s first issue, managing editor Rowe presented the college magazine “with some trepidation.�

He felt that way because, as he wrote, “there is no way of knowing what alumni want� in a magazine until readers see and react to the first one.

So in that first issue, Rowe extended an unpretentious invitation to join the discussion of all things ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. With “suggestion and constructive criticismâ€� in the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ fashion, Rowe knew that the magazine would evolve over time (though he may not have anticipated a yellow cover).

As shown by 91 years of covers, the mag’s look and feel has certainly changed. Yet the reader’s main interest — what’s going on at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ — hasn’t. Which is why, in that first issue, you learned about a guest lecturer who vigorously denounced the Bolshevik Revolution, about a new freshman initiation program in lieu of a ban on “indiscriminate hazing,â€� and why the football team had a tough go of it in 1919.

A new president, Clayton Spencer.

Saying goodbye to Peter Gomes '65.

Alumni and AIDS.

There must have been some magic....

A new angle on Commencement.

Ode to a Hot Dog

In 1938, while on a “splurge� with Wilson House friends at Jimmy’s Diner in downtown Auburn, Muriel Swicker ’42 penned this ode on a napkin about the delights of a 30-cent hotdog.

Swicker, who passed away in 2008, placed the napkin in her freshman-year scrapbook, where we found it recently after the scrapbook was donated to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.

“Ode to a Hotdog,” from a freshman year scrapbook of Muriel Swicker ’42.

Ode to a Hotdog

Oh Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy
Oh, luscious cytoplasm
We sink our teeth
in thy cells walls

Even on thee spread
Shovelfuls of goooo
Oh crispy greasy cloak
Draped upon thy sides.
Yum — My God!

Below, listen to one of Muriel’s ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ chums, Virginia Day Hayden ’42, recite the poem (from memory!) in 2012 at Reunion:

Skull Session

This sketch of a cat skull by Cecelia Christensen, Class of 1919, is displayed in the lobby of Carnegie Science Hall.

Past and present, “students grapple with the spatial component of knowledge,� says Don Dearborn, chair of the biology department. “Transforming something you see, or know to exist, into another form, whether a drawing or a computer image, is a powerful tool for learning.�

Riders Up

Photo courtesy of the Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library.

In the 1930s, riding was among the many offerings of the Women’s Athletic Association. The ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ women’s athletics motto — “a sport for every girl and every girl in a sportâ€� — reflected the national reaction to the era’s professionalized and exclusive sports culture.

Pete’s Prize

Meredith “Pete� Burrill ’25 won the Garcelon Cup for hurdles in 1922. Then Burrill took another leap forward, becoming a world authority on geographic place names.

A new president, Clayton Spencer.

James Parakilas settles at the piano. He begins to play. The notes, composed about 180 years ago, not been played — or heard — by anyone since.

Hearing the music, too, is English professor Lillian Nayder. She rediscovered the music in the archives of Britain’s Royal Academy of Music while researching the life of the composer, Fanny Dickens, elder sister of Charles.

As English professor Lillian Nayder continues researching the Dickens family, she’s finding that Fanny’s got talent. Image courtesy of the Rare Book Department, Free Library of Philadelphia.

Parakilas, the Moody Family Professor of Performing Arts, transcribed the music for piano and brought it back to life.

Parakilas plays on: an anthem for four voices in F major, a single chant in D minor and a canon in F major. None takes longer than one minute to perform. “Fanny’s timing and use of intervals in these pieces is quite sophisticated, and she handles multiple voices in different ranges quite well,� Parakilas tells Nayder.

Today, the pieces are as forgotten as their composer.

Nayder is the author of The Other Dickens: A Life of Catherine Hogarth, a look at Charles’ poor treatment of his estranged wife (Fall 2011 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Magazine). She is now turning to other women in Dickens’ life, as she drafts a historical novel that examines the complex relations among his sisters and sisters-in-law.

As Nayder listens to Parakilas play, she envisions a young woman with considerable musical talent, with her own strong power of expression. She is getting to know her a little better.

A Great IDea

Photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College.

Five former John Kelsey students flash their ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ pedigree — in the form of their ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ student IDs — at a May 19, 2012, event honoring John Kelsey’s retirement as psychology professor and chair of the neuroscience program. The 2010 grads honoring Kelsey are, from left, Rebecca Lange, Lauren Shapiro, Tom Berry, Alexia Zhang and John Bladon.

Academics Facts

“Stimulus from association with a superior mindâ€� is the founding mission of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ honors program.

Seniors didn’t “hand in� their honors theses this year — they uploaded digital versions.

New English course: “Literary Imagination and Neuroscience,� by Sanford Freedman.

Great teachers “kindle fire in another soul because [their] own souls were first aflame,� said President Gray.

Aspiring railroad systems engineer Joanna Moody ’I4 won a Goldwater Scholarship.

Honoring John Cole

Photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College.

John Cole, the Reynolds Professor of History, and daughter Elizabeth acknowledge warm applause at the surprise April 27 reception honoring the conclusion of his teaching career after 45 years on the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ faculty.

Six Professorships Appointed

And a few words about the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ names behind the endowed chairs recently assumed by senior ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ professors.

Marcus Bruce ’77

Marcus Bruce ’77: Benjamin E. Mays Professor of Religious Studies

Mays ’20 is considered the “schoolmaster of the civil rights movement.� Established by trustee emeritus James Orr P’94.

Jane Costlow

Jane Costlow: Clark A. Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies

Griffith ’53 is a Massachusetts cranberry farmer with the Ocean Spray cooperative.

Rebecca Herzig

Rebecca Herzig: Christian A. Johnson Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies

Johnson was a Swedish immigrant turned NYC industrialist who created a philanthropic foundation.

Glen Lawson

Glen Lawson: Charles A. Dana Professor of Chemistry

Dana professorships honor ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ preeminent teacher scholars.

Lynne Lewis

Lynne Lewis: Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics

Campbell ’27 rose from clerk to VP at a local bank. His first gift was $100 in 1954.

Erica Rand

Erica Rand: Whitehouse Professor of Art and Visual Culture and Women and Gender Studies

David Whitehouse ’36 was an executive with Container Corp. in Caracas, Venezuela.

What’s Your Major?

An accounting of all academic majors for the Class of 2011:

134 Humanities Majors

Art and Visual Culture 28
Chinese 4
East Asian Studies 4
English 32
French 11
German 2
Japanese 3
Music 7
Philosophy 10
Religious Studies 4
Rhetoric 8
Russian 2
Spanish 10
Theater 9

210 Social Sciences Majors

Anthropology 13
Economics 50
History 34
Politics 44
Psychology 47
Sociology 22

70 Natural Sciences Majors

Biology 24
Chemistry 12
Geology 7
Mathematics 19
Physics 8

83 Interdisciplinary Majors

African American Studies 1
American Cultural Studies 7
Biological Chemistry 21
Classical and Medieval Studies 4
Environmental Studies 27
Interdisciplinary Self-Designed 6
Women and Gender Studies 10
Neuroscience 7

In spring 1981, Professor of Sociology George Fetter took 27 students to China to observe a country in transition. Looking at these photos, taken by trip participant Steve Stone ’83, you can see how reforms under Deng Xiaoping were steering the country toward world economic power.

People’s diplomacy: John Vivian ’81 invites children to blow bubbles as their elders watch. Photograph by Steve Stone '83.

When ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students arrived in China in 1981, billboard adver-tising of TVs, clothes and the like was a fairly new phenomenon. The rise of the consumer had begun. Photograph by Steve Stone '83.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ student and Chinese youths play basketball in 1981. While here the Americans overall seem taller than their counterparts, socioeconomic development since then has meant the average height of an urban Chinese male has increased by nearly three inches. Photograph by Steve Stone '83.

Long an economy focused on heavy industry, China's reforms under Deng Xiaoping by 1981 were slowly steering China toward becoming a capitalist and consumer economy. Photograph by Steve Stone '83.

Some things don't change: Red flags still fly over Tiananmen Square today as they did in 1981. Photograph by Steve Stone '83.

You see, for example, billboards offering consumer products, like electronics and clothing, for the first time.

Stone kept his Ektachrome slides safe through the years, digitizing them recently and sharing them with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Magazine as the trip’s 30th anniversary got him thinking about the experience.

Another student on that landmark Short Term was Paul Marks ’83, and he was back on campus last fall for the dedication of Hedge and Roger Williams halls as new academic centers.

Marks is now CEO of the global aerospace technology firm Argosy International Inc., based in Shanghai. He’s done business in China since 1988, and at the dedication he spoke about that transformational trip with Professor Fetter.

In 1981, Paul Marks ’83 listens to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ guide, Mr. Xu. (Photograph by Steve Stone ’83)

Back in ’81, most Chinese citizens still had good reason to blend in with the crowd — politically, socially and even sartorially, by wearing bland clothing. The nation was wary after Mao’s brutal Cultural Revolution, which had ended in 1976.

The lingering feeling was that “you didn’t want to be identified as the next possible target if the political winds changed again,� says Margaret Maurer-Fazio, the college’s Stangle Professor of Applied Economics and an expert on China.

Paul Marks, here talking with students during a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Career Development Center lunch during his visit in October 2011, has done business in China since 1988. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

If the winds shifted one way, “you wouldn’t want to be accused of being a bourgeois capitalist ‘roader,’� she says. If the wind shifted the other way, “you wouldn’t want to be accused of clinging to feudal Chinese culture.�

So the adults in these photos are wearing mostly unremarkable, drab clothing.

But look at the young children in a traditional classroom: They’re wearing bright orange, blue and rose-color sweaters. A little boy and girl watching a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ student blow bubbles wear bold red and blue coats.

Like the billboards, it’s a sign of what’s to come.

“In traditional Chinese society, many people would consider themselves lucky to get one new set of clothing each year, on the Chinese New Year,� says Maurer-Fazio, who studies the dramatic impact that economic liberalization has had on China’s labor markets. “And in Mao’s day, the economy was focused on heavy industry, and consumer goods were in short supply.�

In the newly colorful clothing of these children, she says, “you see today’s modern, consumer society.�

“I watched peasants hoe fields adjacent to the runways. The only peasants nearby today are landscapers for the villas by the airport.�

Thirty-one years ago, when Fetter and his students landed at the Beijing Capital Airport to begin their Short Term, the airport wasn’t today’s glorious, gargantuan Norman Foster–designed facility. It was a simpler airport “and a simpler China,� Marks recalled during his address last fall.

“I watched peasants hoe fields adjacent to the runways. The only peasants nearby today are landscapers for the villas by the airport.�

Between Marks and Mike Bonney ’80, chairman of the Board of Trustees, there were jokes aplenty at the dedication ceremony about the Roger Williams’ former identity as a funkadelic dorm, where beer flowed like, well, beer.

As Marks quipped to his friend Liz Drolet ’84, “The contractors handled the remedial aspects of both asbestos removal and beer odor in a technically proficient manner.� The Bill and Hedge, he noted more soberly, are now enlightened by intellect rather than soaked with beer. “Now that’s progress,� Marks notes.

Roger Williams is home to the college’s language programs and Off Campus Study Office, while Hedge houses religious studies, philosophy and environmental studies.

Marks himself was an unenlightened student early in his ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ career. Then came the 1981 Short Term trip to China. It was the second in two years led by Fetter, who once said of his first trip that it was the product of “four years of negotiations and a lifetime of yearning.â€�

In fact, that first visit was notable enough that Sen. Ed Muskie ’36 spoke about it on the Senate floor. “It is a tribute to Professor Fetter’s commitment to educating American students about a culture so distant but so important in today’s world.�

Children in a classroom wear brightly colored sweaters, a sign of new socioeconomic forces at play. (Photograph by Steve Stone ’83)

Richard Nixon had made his historic visit back in 1972, but it was a trend toward people’s diplomacy — nongovernmental exchanges such as those by Fetter and his students — that did much of the real work of normalizing relations between the U.S. and China through the 1970s and into the ’80s.

Marks’ parents initially objected to his going to China. Up to that point, “my academic performance was not stellar,� Marks said. A long trip to China looked like a boondoggle.

But Fetter had faith in Marks even though there was little obvious reason for it (which is the whole point of faith, anyway). He called Marks’ parents, promising that the experience would change the course of their son’s life.

It did. “Everything was different and amazing,� Marks recalled. During five weeks in Beijing and other cities, “I became hooked on China. I wanted to understand this chaotic, totally different world.� Marks had grown up in New York City, where the music of the city was honking horns and emergency sirens. Beijing was a “city of bicycle bells — not the Beijing of today.�

In cities and villages in 1981, bicycles were still the dominant mode of transportation. Beijing was “a city of bicycle bells,â€� Marks recalls, “not the Beijing of today.â€� (Photograph by Steve Stone ’83)

Marks returned to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ eager to learn Chinese, but ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ didn’t have a Chinese language program. What the college had, as noted in the 1981 Catalog, was a “Self-Instructional Program in Less Commonly Taught Languages.â€�

In practice, the “program� was a black book in French professor and foreign-language chair Dick Williamson’s office, which he would flip through to find someone able or willing to teach a language not offered in the curriculum of French, German, Russian and Spanish.

Marks’ first instructor was the wife of a Taiwanese dentist in town. She tried to teach him Mandarin, “and I tried to teach her how to teach.� Marks was soon joined by CJ May ’80 as the college’s first students of Mandarin.

For Marks, the late Williamson’s help, along with Fetter’s and history professor Ernest Muller’s, represented the college’s can-do spirit. It’s also “typical,� Marks says. “Professors go beyond the call of duty to find opportun-ities for their students to engage, explore and find themselves.�

Today, Marks says he’s encouraged by strides in Chinese instruction and Asian-focused academic programs and opportunities at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. “You can be quite proud — I am quite proud — to see where the college’s journey has arrived.â€�

Back in 1981, the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ group’s official guide, Mr. Xu, told Marks that foreigners never learn their language. Marks rose to the challenge, betting the guide five bucks that he could indeed learn Mandarin.

“Mr. Xu owes me five bucks. Or 31.7 RMB.�

On a Sunday afternoon in December, the Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building had become a bustling event venue, as ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ leaders sat onstage before hundreds of students, faculty and staff who had put aside studies, holiday errands and football games to meet their next president. Clayton Spencer was backstage, listening for her name — her cue to come forward.

Interim President Nancy Cable welcomed the throng, followed by Presidential Search Committee co-chair Michael Chu ’80.

And when trustee chair Mike Bonney ’80 wound up his introduction with the simple words, “Welcome, Clayton Spencer,� she stepped from behind the curtain, smiling, grasping the pages of her speech and ready to greet a crowd eager to know more. A little choked up, she began a new relationship with her new college.

She surveyed the gathering and spoke her first word as president-elect of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College. “Wow!â€�

From her formative upbringing as the daughter of a college president to her innovative policy work at Harvard, Clayton Spencer’s rise as a U.S. higher education leader culminates in her wow debut as president-elect of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ — and her avowed commitment to leading ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ toward a stronger marriage of excellence and opportunity.

Made for the job

Ava Clayton Spencer was born in December 1954 to Samuel and Ava Spencer in Concord, N.C.

“I grew up as the daughter of a college president. I used to sneak across campus to watch commencements as a kid,� she recalls. “Dinner conversation was about the issues facing the college.�

Previously president of Mary Baldwin College, Sam Spencer began his 15-year tenure as president of Davidson College in 1968. By then, those dinnertime topics included the Vietnam War, civil rights, coeducation (Davidson was still all male) and fraternities.

That wasn’t all: in the city of Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County, the landmark busing case Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education was heading to the Supreme Court.

“Because we were in a small town in North Carolina, guests of the college would stay with us or have a meal. I was a teenager by then, and I’d gone from listening to the adults from a window seat in the living room, to wanting a seat at the table and attending the various talks and lectures at the college. I soaked up everything.�

Fatherly advice

“What I learned from my father,� Clayton Spencer says, “and what I’ve learned and relearned throughout life, is that whatever you’re doing, you have to be authentically you.� Samuel Reid Spencer Jr. served as president of Davidson College, his alma mater, from 1968 to 1983.

The road to the presidency

Spencer studied history and German at Williams College, making her the second ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ president to have a bachelor’s from there, after T. Hedley Reynolds, Williams ’42. She then read theology at Oxford University and earned a master’s in the study of religion at Harvard.

She is the first to have a law degree, from Yale.

Of her decision to not seek a doctorate in religion, she says that she “wanted a life that combined ideas and action, and therefore landed at Yale for law school. I was able to do the kind of conceptual thinking I love, while staying engaged in the facts on the ground. That dialectic, between ideas and facts on the ground, has informed my life ever since.�

Power from dialectical poles

“The field of religion fundamentally deals intellectually and morally with contradictions. How do you stay optimistic when you know that you’re going to die, when you know that bad things are going to happen to good people?

“Religion takes on these contradictions, placing you between the poles of the contradiction and making you think dynamically about finding a way forward. Dialectical thinking is how I move through practical problems. It’s the furniture of my mind.�

A lesson from Ted Kennedy

Speaking of “poles of contradiction,� Spencer tells a story about working on Capitol Hill for the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, as chief education counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, which Kennedy chaired.

“I first met the senator when we were trying to pass direct lending for student loans, moving from a guarantee-agency system to funding directly from the federal government to colleges. I wrote a memo about how we were going to move 100 percent to direct lending in one fell swoop.

“I was called in to meet with the senator. He sat in his well-worn leather armchair. And he said, ‘Clayton, I’ve read your memo. It’s a really smart memo. Why don’t you take a walk with me down the hall?’

“He took me to the office of Jim Jeffords, then a Republican senator from Vermont before he went independent. Jeffords was the swing vote on the committee. He said, ‘Jim, my new education staffer here thinks this direct-lending thing is going to go through, no problem, at the markup next week. Can you tell her how many votes you have on the Republican side?’

“Jeffords said, ‘Well, Ted, I’ve got one or two on my side, but you ought to be more worried about your side. You don’t have a majority of the Democrats yet.’

“The senator walked me back, and he said, ‘We’ll give it several weeks, we’ll work it and then we’ll get this done.’ That was how I was introduced to getting things done on Capitol Hill: It takes more than smart memos to win the day.�

The ideal persuader

“The Senate is a culture of persuasion, as is a college campus,� Spencer says.

“Sen. Kennedy cared passionately about ideals, but he knew that ideals were sterile unless you could somehow put them into action. He was one of the most productive legislators in U.S. history because he knew when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.�

Given Kennedy’s stature and power, Spencer, in effect, was chief education counsel for not just the committee but “the entire Senate and the country,� says Nick Littlefield, former Kennedy chief of staff.

“Clayton was a leader. She could master the substance of any issue; she could build the bipartisan alliances to get the initiative passed; and she could communicate the objective and details of the initiative in a charismatically persuasive way.

“She was one of the most respected staff directors I’ve ever known.�

Getting things done

Spencer joined Harvard in February 1997 as a consultant for federal policy issues. The following year, she was appointed associate vice president for higher education policy reporting to the President, and in 2005 she rose to the new position of vice president for policy.

Working directly with four different Harvard presidents, Spencer became known for her collaborative approach, effectiveness in getting things done and passionate commitment to access and affordability.

Of her involvement in various university-wide initiatives, from a task force on the advancement and support of women in academic life to the role of the arts and international strategy, Spencer is especially proud of her part in three projects at Harvard:

• The merger of Harvard and Radcliffe College and the subsequent transformation of Radcliffe into an institute for advanced study;

• The redesign and dramatic expansion of Harvard’s financial aid program;

• The creation of the Crimson Summer Academy for academically talented high school students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.

“I learned a great deal by observing a variety of leadership styles,� she says. “The most basic lesson is this: Effective leadership is based on persuasion, not on hierarchy or on one’s position on an organizational chart. Leadership is most effective when you bring cooperative work to bear on solving hard problems.

“I believe this is one of the most fun things to do in life. You take on a hard problem, get the best thinkers around the table, invite the great ideas and then move toward actual, concrete outcomes. In my experience, achieving a unity of ideas and action will motivate the entire community and propel an institution forward.�

Turning crimson

Her highly effective yet low-key style caught the attention of The Harvard Crimson, which in 2008 published a profile headlined “Right-Hand Woman.�

“…[C]olleagues say she studiously avoids imperiousness,â€� wrote Clifford Marks, now a reporter for the National Journal. “Fellow trustees of Williams College, on whose board she has served for five years, say that Spencer is an exceedingly modest ‘coalition-builder,’ experienced in organizing support in the ego-dominated halls of both Washington and Cambridge. ‘It’s not Clayton’s style to hold herself out as “I know more than you do,â€�’ said Williams trustee Michael Keating. ‘She’s very careful to say, “Based on what I know, I have this point of view.â€�’â€�

The Gomes connection

Spencer says she was “very privileged� to work at Harvard with the late Rev. Peter Gomes ’65 in his role as the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church.

“Peter had such rich and contradictory gifts, and you saw them all in a dynamic blend that was enormously powerful.

“I was introduced to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in part through Peter’s love for the college. Peter wrote in one of his later books, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, that Jesus ‘wants us to live in the full implications of our human gifts.’ That’s a pretty interesting way to encapsulate the essence of the liberal arts, and the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ experience as well.

“Clearly that’s a lesson he took very seriously and deeply.�

Coming to the party

“In the course catalog, you describe yourselves as a community of people who love ‘ideas, artistic expression, good talk and great books.’ Who wouldn’t want to be at that party?

“When I read the presidential prospectus, I was blown away by ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. It was love at first sight. Any college that leads its mission statement with an affirmation of the ‘emancipating potential of the liberal arts’ is a place I want to be.

“Then there’s the fact that from your earliest beginnings, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ welcomed women and African Americans into the full standing of the scholarly community, at a time when that simply wasn’t done. I love a place that does what is right, rather than what is expected.

“Another quality that comes through loud and clear is the lack of pretension, that sense of being down to earth, having an authentic way of moving through the world. And that suits me to a T.�

Adding to the allure is the college’s place in the state of Maine and the city of Lewiston. “I find this state fascinating and I respect its reserve — the fact that it’s hard to crack.�

What’s fun?

“Movies — all kinds. Solving hard problems with smart people. Basketball. Arugula salads. Being a mom [daughter Ava Carter is a Harvard junior; son Will Carter is working on Wall Street with a degree from NYU]. Good friends. Catching up with James Reese, a 10th-grade classmate!�

Not what we have, but what we do

“One of the legacies of the 2008 financial crisis is that we can no longer, in our society, equate wealth with excellence in higher education. But ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ knew that long ago: ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ was founded on the idea that it’s less about what we have and much more about what we do. That is tremendously appealing to me.

“The important thing for us now is to make sure that ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is delivering on the liberal arts model as much as we say we are, and to make sure that the value added in this experience is worth the price.â€�

Win, at some cost

“I am simple-minded. My view is that in athletics, as in everything else, it’s not worth doing unless you do it with the same commitment to rigor and excellence that you apply in other fields.�

Take cake, forget humble pie

“I know ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is famous for being humble, but I hope now that the college can step up and claim its excellence and rigor. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is doing important work in shaping a direction for the liberal arts in this new century. You see it in the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, in the general education curriculum, and in the ongoing commitment both to individual and collaborative work for theses and capstone projects.

“To my mind, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is poised to be a leader in transforming the liberal arts for today’s world.â€�

Knowledge and wisdom

“Given the welter of information and stimuli that confront people today, it is important to give students a framework of values and knowledge that can lead to wisdom that will guide them in life.�

Obligation to democracy

“Education is the key to the American dream. Ideally, it provides individual opportunity to talented students, whatever their backgrounds, and creates the educated citizenry that is essential to a healthy democracy and civil society. Unless higher education marries excellence and opportunity, it is not doing its job. It’s an old-fashioned idea, but it’s never been more important than it is today.�

Passion and tools

“I think we need the courage of our convictions about the liberal arts experience. It’s not the right option for everyone, but at its best, it teaches young people to harmonize their passions with rigorous intellectual training and to take a sense of creativity and possibility out into the world to serve purposes larger than themselves.�

“Is Lewiston going foody?� is what classical and medieval studies professor Margaret Imber posted on Facebook after a Japanese restaurant opened in the former Ames department store space in the Lewiston Mall.

The special board at Marché, a short walk from campus at 40 Lisbon St. Photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College.

Over the generations, landmark eateries like Gene’s, Steckino’s, The Warehouse and No Tomatoes have defined local dining. We thought it time to offer a refresher course.

So here are a few current downtown scenes from photographer Phyllis Graber Jensen. The featured restaurants are Fuel, Marché and Mother India, all on Lisbon Street; Fishbones American Grill, two streets down, closer to the Androscoggin, on Lincoln Street; the Bread Shack, in Auburn; and an old friend, Luiggi’s Pizzeria, where the pizzas are famously “all made with meat unless ordered otherwise.�

As adventurous restaurateurs treat chowhounds to cuisines from French to Greek to Indian, these are good days to have an appetite in the Twin Cities — so much so that Mikey Pasek ’12 launched College Night in Town, an evening of gourmandise and other downtown attractions for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and other area college students during Short Term.

The map below offers directions to all the eateries featured above and during last spring’s College Night in Town, plus a newcomer, , at 180 Lisbon St.

Lewiston Facts

The Carnegie greenhouse helps grow seedlings for the local Lots to Gardens urban agriculture program.

One hundred and fourteen alumni live in Lewiston; another I07 live in Auburn.

Of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ place names, Garcelon Field and Mount David carry the oldest Lewiston names.

Lewiston-Auburn sent five first-year students to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in 2011–12.

Catherine Elliott ’12 is a ceramicist who creates bowls that are both beautiful and usable. She forms her vessels on a kick wheel, one at a time.

A double major in studio art and politics, Elliott witnessed different approaches to ceramics work during the winter of 2011, when she lived and worked with an organization of potters in China. Case in point: The “Dragon Kiln,� a giant installation that she photographed on a hill just outside of Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China.

The “Dragon Kilnâ€� is a giant installation that Catherine Elliott ’12 photographed on a hill just outside of Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China.

Elliott’s photograph above, as well as the two below, were included in the 2012 Barlow Off-Campus Study Photography Exhibition. This photo also depicts the kiln’s tenders, who, she explains, “spend hours crouched at the side of the kiln, feeding the flames.� (Perhaps the proximity to the heat has something to do with their choice of watermelon as refreshment.)

Winning Smile

The child nearest photographer Jenna Burke ‘13 in the photo is Emmanuel — “a favorite of mine and a star on the soccer field,� says Burke, who met Emmanuel and his playmates during her stay in Rhotia, Tanzania, with a fall 2011 School for Field Studies program that also took her to Kenya.

The child nearest photographer Jenna Burke ’13 in the photo above is Emmanuel — “a favorite of mine and a star on the soccer field,� says Burke, who met Emmanuel and his playmates during her stay in Rhotia, Tanzania, with a fall 2011 School for Field Studies program that also took her to Kenya. The program incorporated community service that entailed frequent sessions volunteering in primary schools. The sessions weren’t all work, as the visitors often went
“just to play with the kids,� Burke says.

Keyless Entry

Visiting Paris during the winter 2011 semester under the auspices of the Center for University Programs Abroad, photographer Olivia DaDalt ‘12 was captivated by this scene (below).

Olivia DaDalt ‘12 photographed this scene at the Pont de l’Archevêché, one of at least three Parisian bridges where romantic couples like to attach so-called love locks.

The Pont de l’Archevêché is one of at least three Parisian bridges where romantic couples like to attach so-called love locks, or love padlocks, to symbolize their undying love. Writing their names on the locks, the lovers fix them to the bridge fencing and toss the keys into the Seine. (Perhaps more jaded couples favor combination locks.) In the background of DaDalt’s image is Notre Dame Cathedral.

World Facts

The first ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ student to pursue abroad study headed to Tokyo in 1956–57.

An alumni career tip for success in the work world: “Have a bias towards saying yes.�

Sixty percent of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students will study abroad during their college time.

Joining an honored tradition, Sen. Ed Muskie ’36 once read George Washington’s inaugural speech on the Senate floor.

Major Destinations

Study-abroad countries attracting the most ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students in 2010–11:

Italy 33
United Kingdom 31
Denmark 28
France 24
Spain 16
Australia 11
Chile 11
Argentina 10
South Africa 9
Greece 8

Source: Off-Campus Study Program 2011 Annual Report. The lists represent JSA and JYA students who studied abroad in 2010-11.

World Quote

“Italy is perennially the top destination for [for off-campus study] for its appeal to art majors, quality programs, no requirement for prior language study, central Europe location and appeal to parents.� — Steve Sawyer, director of Off-Campus Study

Tuned In to Spencer

Viewers in 17 countries watched the livestream of the announcement of Clayton Spencer as president-elect in December 2012. Photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College.

Viewers in 17 countries watched the webcast of the announcement of President-elect Clayton Spencer:

• Burundi
• Canada
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• India
• Israel
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• Peru
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

Thank you, Elaine Tuttle Hansen, for a most informative final interview (“Alive to Change, Fall 2011) and for giving ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ your best as our seventh president. The college has come into the next century able to cope, adapt and adjust while staying firm for what matters most: love of learning, embrace of diversity and the ability to cope, and as an institution, adding majors when relevant.

The Fall issue was my favorite. Of course, it has Peter Gomes ’65 and Jim Carignan ’61 in it, but maybe it also has to do with my 50th Reunion this year. I sent the article “Career Intentions� to my grandson, a senior at Roger Williams University; he came with me to our 40th Reunion a decade ago. Maybe I’ll bring my 7-year-old granddaughter this year!

Sharon Fowler Kenrick ’62

South Sutton, N.H.

Living Proof

We’ve all heard tales of seeing one’s own obituary in the newspaper. Well, you’ve done it for me — almost.

Author and world traveler Dorothy Stetson Conlon ’50 has her face painted by a shaman in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador in 2009.

After traveling in the South Pacific for five-plus weeks (Cook Islands, Tahiti, Marquesas), I’m finally reading the accumulated mail, including the Fall 2011 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Magazine. At my age, 84, I usually check out the obits first. Sure enough, there’s an obituary for my brother-in-law Weston Attwood Cate ’43. The last sentence reads, “His sister-in-law was the late Dorothy Stetson Conlon ’50.â€�

Wow!

Perhaps someone would be good enough to send me the details of my death so I could run an obit in the local paper, tell my lawyer and notify my beneficiaries — including ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College. Then I could continue my life of travel and adventure and writing under a pseudonym.

I would like to applaud ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ on its route to multi-cultural engagement, as described in the Fall issue. As someone who has lived and traveled much of her life internationally, I can attest to the importance of exposing young people to a culture beyond their own. Keep it up, and expand the connection.

Dorothy Stetson Conlon ’50
Sarasota, Fla.

A lifelong traveler and the author of At Home in the World: Memoirs of a Traveling Woman, Dorothy has a new memoir, Born with Wings: Experiencing Life in Exotic Lands, available through Amazon. Her website is dorothyconlon.com. — Editor

Finished Well

Just finished reading thoroughly the Fall issue of the magazine. Very good job. Much improved and worth reading.

Rob Wilson ’51
Santa Fe, N.M.

We hope the redesign keeps the improvement going. — Editor

Nighty Night!

As mayor of Lewiston, I want to commend ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students Mikey Pasek ‘12 and Megan Murphy ‘13 for organizing “College Night in Townâ€� on May 9. Due to their positive interaction with the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, Lyceum Gallery and municipal departments, the event was an overwhelming success.

The Lewiston and Auburn downtowns were filled with hundreds of college students throughout the evening — visiting restaurants, enjoying more than 30 musical performances and networking. Indeed, students from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, Kaplan University, University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College and Central Maine Community College seemed to have a very enjoyable time experiencing what Lewiston and Auburn have to offer.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ies and fellow Lewiston-Auburn college students gather at the Courthouse Plaza on Lisbon Street for an a cappella performance that concluded “College Night in Townâ€� in May. Photograph by event co-organizer Mikey Pasek ‘12.

It was a great event to strengthen the community-college connection, and it is my understanding that future events will occur. I certainly hope so, as “College Night in Town� stirred up great energy and enthusiasm about downtown hot spots in the Twin Cities.

In closing, I extend best wishes to all ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students and their families. I am very proud of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ presence here in the community, and it’s nice to know that students like Mikey and Megan are excited about interacting with the community at large.

Robert E. Macdonald
Lewiston

Word Up

Can you stick with real words in the magazine? “Embiggen� (“Meet Hedge and Roger Williams,� Fall 2011) is a made-up word that adds nothing to the language since the concept it represents already has numerous options. Don’t add to the linguistics confusion.

Dan Isaac ’77
Yarmouth, Maine

Danes Deserve No Disdain

I must take issue with Charles W. Radcliffe ’50’s letter in the Fall issue of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Magazine. Mr. Radcliffe’s characterization of the Danes during World War II is simplistic and unhistorical. While it is mostly correct to say that when the Nazis first occupied Denmark, in 1940, there was “only a murmur of resistance from the Danish population,â€� there was a sensible reason for this behavior. Geographically and militarily it would have been foolish to resist openly the German troops. Only needless bloodshed and death would have resulted. Believe it or not, there are times when “the better part of valor is discretion.â€�

However, almost from the start a resistance movement grew. Publication of illegal underground newspapers became among the most extensive in occupied Europe. Sabotage raids against industrial sites began in 1942; in the first three months alone of 1943 the Danish Resistance
carried out 120 raids.

But clearly the bravest, most heroic and humane Danish resistance to the Nazi rule was the rescue
of the Danish Jews in October 1943 after the Germans decided to arrest all the Jews the country. At first the Danes, at risk of their own arrests, provided safe houses for their Jewish neighbors. Later in October the Danes smuggled most of their Jewish countrymen and -women to neutral Sweden. Out of approximately 8,000 Danish Jews, 7,220 got to Sweden. This operation was the largest mass rescue action of the war.

While Mr. Radcliffe champions “America’s competitive spirit,� as especially manifested on Garcelon Field, he should also realize that competitiveness has many faces. During World War II, the Danes chose subtlety, subterfuge and, most important of all, humanity as their competitive face.

Long after the war, Adolf Eichmann lamented about Denmark, “That small country caused us more difficulties than anything else.� The Danes must have been doing something right.

Frederik L. Rusch ’62
New York, N.Y.

Vinny Vincent, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ campus mail supervisor, shows off the May 1987 issue of Canoe magazine that arrived at the college on April 13, 2012, a quarter-century after publication. It’s addressed to Andy Gooding ‘89, a sophomore in 1987.

Gregg “Vinnie” Vincent, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ campus mail supervisor, shows off the May 1987 issue of Canoe magazine that arrived from the USPS at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ on April 13, 2012.

Of course, the first thing Vincent did when the aged magazine arrived at the Chase Hall mailroom was to email Gooding to let him know.

In fact, Gooding remains a subscriber to the mag, renamed Canoe & Kayak.

In the ‘80s, Gooding used to canoe the Androscoggin “when it was still yellow and foamy.� He now works at Marshall University, is married to Grace Tallman Gooding ‘89 and canoes various West Virginia lakes and rivers in one of his three canoes or his kayak. “For the serious canoeist, they’re like our golf clubs.�

Literary Entertainment

The College Store’s annual Non-required Reading List is an eclectic compilation befitting its source: ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ people near and far. As we await this year’s list, here are some faculty-suggested titles from last year.

Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success by Matthew Syed

Suggested by Helen Boucher, associate professor of psychology: “A book about the success of elite athletes. How do they perform at what seem to be otherworldly levels? How do they squelch self-doubt and why do they sometimes choke under pressure?�

Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by S. Bear Bergman and Kate Bornstein

Suggested by Erica Rand, Whitehouse Professor of Art and Visual Culture and Women and Gender Studies: “There are more people to learn from than Chaz Bono.”

The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleson

Suggested by Michael Murray, Charles Franklin Phillips Professor of Economics: “Languorous, compelling story of a Missouri farm family in its early 20th-century beginnings and late 20th-century adulthood.�

Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life by Karen Maezen Miller

Suggested by Bonnie Shulman, professor of mathematics: “What it means to be aware within our daily routines. Here is an ordinary woman, finding happiness and wisdom at the bottom of a laundry basket, and love in the kitchen sink.�

Your Lyin’ Pies

Julia Ofman ’15 evoked the familiar ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ theme of being torn between two Commons loves for the Dining Services Valentine’s Day poem contest:

It’s Wednesday night, about 5:30 p.m.
Commons is buzzing.
After a very filling meal of noodles, beer tips, and “California Blend,�

I’m on my way to dessert.
I’ve earned it.

But then, just as I pass the softserve machine
I see you. My Commons crush.
My heart stops, dead.
You’re going to the same place I am, that island of delight —
the dessert bar — but you’re coming from the Euro Station side.
Your eyes are fixed on something, but it isn’t me.

I follow your gaze to try and locate the object of your affection, your lust.
It’s Tollhouse Pie.

My pace quickens as I try to reach the table at the same time you do,
to stage a “coincidental� wordless exchange between us,
until I realize something far more serious is going on here.
There’s only one slice left.

I speed walk the last foot to get to the pie tray,
and without even glancing at you I scoop it up.
After it is securely in my possession, I look at you.
My eyes, gleaming with victory,
meet your crestfallen and pieless ones.

I have no regret.

The Case of the Repentant Burglar

At 6:08 a.m. on Dec. 20, 2010, a custodian noticed that the Crosley flat-screen TV in Frye Street Union was gone.

After a few calls around campus, to see if it had been borrowed or was being replaced, Campus Safety and Security logged the incident as a theft.

By summer, the case was still open but getting cold.

Then the college got a call from a man in Minnesota. Apparently he was working through his addiction program. “He wanted to make amends — clean out the closet, come clean,� recalls Mike Voisine, an officer with Campus Security and Safety.

The man admitted stealing the 42-inch TV for drug money during a cross-country drug and alcohol binge that ended in Maine. He said he had no connection to the college but wanted to pay back his crime. Voisine says the thief probably found a propped-open door to get inside.

After checking with the Lewiston police to make sure they weren’t involved in the situation, Voisine and his security boss, Tom Carey ‘73, agreed to accept restitution. “And we received the full value, $1,249, from him and his parents,� Voisine says. “Highly, highly unusual,� Voisine adds.

The college will not pursue criminal charges. “He came to us with a problem and a solution,â€� Voisine explains. “ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is still a place where if you ask for some help, you’re going to get it.â€�

 (Getting a) Life After Thesis

From thesis veterans, a few pieces of advice (above) posted on the “Thesis Board of Lore� in the Peer Writing Center in Ladd. Also seen in the center was a whiteboard featuring the following suggested PTSDs, or “Post-Thesis-Submission Doings�:

1. Burn the final draft

2. Eat lunch for an extended period of time (i.e., taco bar)

3. Pop champagne!

4. Spend at least 24 hours out of Ladd

5. Have a spa day

6. Go to the Goose — with adviser!

Mind your money, says Monthe Kofos ’11

A trending topic in psychology is self-control: how and when it works, and why it sometimes doesn’t.

A recently published psychology study, based on a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ senior thesis, suggests that thinking about money can boost self-control.

Having money on the brain helps self-control, according to a study co-authored by Monthe Kofos ’11 and Associate Professor of Psychology Helen Boucher.

The study appears online in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. It’s co-authored by Associate Professor of Psychology Helen Boucher and psychology major Monthe Kofos ’11, based on his thesis research with Boucher last year.

Who are the big names in self-control research?

Roy Baumeister and Kathleen Vohs are two. He lectured at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in 2009 — I’ll never forget his talk about self-control and the concept of free will. Vohs is an expert in the psychology of money.

How does a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ psych major go about developing thesis ideas?

In our research methods class, Michael Sargent encouraged us to design projects that bridge and connect already established ideas. The idea is to form new platforms that future research can expand upon. When Helen Boucher explained that there was this out-of-the-box idea that she wanted to try with me, I jumped at the chance.

Where did you get the specific idea to test money and self-control?

Helen and I arrived at the final thesis idea by looking at Baumeister’s and Vohs’ work as well as some other papers.

Vohs, in fact, actually told me that she was a bit disappointed that she didn’t come up with the research idea herself!

How did you test money’s effect on self-control?

We divided about five dozen students into a control group and test group. The test subjects first completed an editing task to deplete their self-control. This is called “ego depletion.�

They had to read a dense art history paper and cross out every “e� that was not adjacent to, or two letters away from, another vowel. Then they were exposed to money- related words. That “primed� their minds with money.

From prior research, we knew that the idea of money evokes feelings of strength or efficacy. What we learned is that money also counteracts the ego-depletion effect. It does this by reducing the difficulty of and the effort exerted on maintaining self-control.

Your paper notes that self-control helps us “achieve [our] goals and live harmoniously with others.� How?

In our lives, success or failure is governed by our ability or inability to set and maintain goals in a demanding world — be it a daily schedule, positively interacting with a friend or aspiring to a better future self (with that killer body!).

Losing our self-control threatens all this. In its most severe form, it significantly limits what we are able to accomplish as a person.

So it’s essential we understand ego depletion and how we can better counteract this threat. Some proven ways to do this are with humor and glucose intake. We suggest using the idea of money.

How did you maintain self-control during thesis?

Working on thesis is horribly stressful, as any ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ie will tell you: all-nighters, traditionally low self-control and lots of 3 a.m. Facebook chats. So I changed my computer background to a stack of money. I had no clue if my experiment was even working, but if something was really going on here, I might as well benefit from it.

Other already-proven ways to maintain self-control are, as I said, humor and glucose intake. I’d go on candy hunts in my dorm for a bit more self-control.

Do you find yourself using these findings now?

Definitely! I am known among my friends as being a busy person, and I constantly push my self-control to the limit each day.

I’m currently working in an inpatient psych ward at the local hospital as a counselor, trying to get into grad school, attempting to maintain all my extracurriculars from college, and striving to keep a healthy body and active social life. Without lots and lots of self-control, I’d fall apart at the seams!

So after realizing that ego depletion does exist, I know I need all the help I can get to fight it.

Any tips?

I keep my paycheck in my pocket at work rather than leaving it in the staff room (so I can touch it when a patient tries my self-control).

I also have a money screen-saver. And, above all, I try to laugh and smile as much as possible.

Life is not a carefree fairytale all the time, and while we might not always be able to change a situation, we can certainly try to make the best of it — using, of course, proven psychological principles!

Quiz Time: Match the Minds

Chosen in the 1930s by a faculty committee headed by President Clifton Daggett Gray, a series of stained glass portraits of great Western minds adorn the Chapel. In the lineup below, who’s who?

Hint: Principia keeps the bod in motion.

Hint: The original Renaissance man.

Hint: Wrote a “river of gold,� says admirer Cicero.

Hint: ’Cause this scientist is radioactive (sadly).

Hint: When in doubt, choose Heaven.

Answers: From top, Isaac Newton; Leonardo da Vinci; Aristotle; Marie Curie; Dante Alighieri.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ From Head to Paw

Clearly, dog Lola (who belongs to photographer Dana Rose Lee ’07 of New York, N.Y.) relates to the world primarily as a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ fan, but what canine breed would she call her own?

A. Chesapeake Bay Retriever
B. Weimaraner
C. Vizsla
D. Bichon Frise

Answer: C. Vizsla

Bring your own pooch up to code with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ gear online at bates.edu/bookstore

March on Lewiston

How strong is your knowledge of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ quirky, cool and colorful past?

The year is 1956. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students get city approval for a parade. Led by a police escort, 150 students and 15 vehicles head down College Street, hang a left on Sabattus Street and return to campus on Central Avenue.

They carry banners, burn a flag and conclude with a water fight between Milliken and Whittier houses. And it takes place between 6:15 and 8 p.m.

So, why the parade? Was it to:

A. Applaud Elvis Presley’s first No. 1 single, “Heartbreak Hotel�?
B. Join the Soviet Union’s May Day celebration?
C. Hail Don Larsen’s World Series perfect game
D. Cheer the first episode of As the World Turns on CBS?
E. Celebrate Tunisian independence from France?

Answer: B. With banners reading “Poor Joe Is Dead� and “Down with the USSR,� the students’ May 2 parade was a sign of the times, mocking the former Soviet Union’s famous annual May Day extravaganza.

By Doug Hubley
Photographs by Phyllis Graber Jensen

In a dance exercise last fall, students paired off and took turns jumping: One member of each pair would lift off as the other touched down.

Taking turns with the jumps proved hardest for an unexpected pair, seniors Shachi Phene and Shlesma Chhetri. “We are so used to getting back in synch with each other, we just could not manage it,� explains Phene.

“Not even once,� adds Chhetri.

Shachi Phene ’12, photographed by Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College.

Phene and Chhetri have choreographed more than 40 dances together at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, and their exploits in South Asian dance, notably the colorful and exuberant genre seen in Bollywood films, have made them campus stars.

A few years ago, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ dancers like Harita Daraneeswaran ’10 got the Bollywood ball bouncing at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, and Chhetri and Phene have made the most of what they inherited, displaying a dedication as energetic and uplifting as the Bollywood spec-tacles they have created.

Shlesma Chhetri, photographed by Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College.

They have not only studied dance but taught it, extending a Bollywood offering in physical education that dates back to 2006. They perform in productions by the Department of Theater and Dance and numerous student-organized events such as International Club coffeehouses and the wildly popular Asia Night variety show.

They even organized a dance club, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Masti — taking on a deep commitment that involves everything from choreography to costuming to wrangling overcommitted fellow students.

Shachi Phene, seen here, and Shlesma Chhetri, below, take part in a faith discussion sponsored by the Multifaith Chaplaincy in 2011. Photograph by Rene Minnis

A sociology major, Chhetri is from Kathmandu, Nepal. Phene, a double major in economics and psychology, was born in India and now lives in Lexington, Mass. Phene was formally trained in classical Indian dance, while Chhetri is largely self-taught.

“We’re coming from different places but we are both equally passionate about what we want to show on the stage,� Phene says.

Photograph by Rene Minnis.

Known for bright, colorful costumes and infectious rhythms that fuse traditional Indian with Western styles, “Bollywood dances, songs and movies are associated with having a good time — joy,� says Phene. “It’s something people of all ages can do together.�

“Even first-timers end up having so much fun with the dance,� Chhetri says.

In that sense, the pair have given back to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ ethos of inclusivity that gave Bollywood fertile ground to grow in. “ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has created an environment where people are very interested in learning about each other,â€� says Chhetri.