|
  Admitting Success
Colby folks have nearly run out
of adjectives to describe this year's recruiting success, which resulted in an
incoming first-year class of 540 students.
A higher-than-expected return on offers of admission produced the larger class,
according to Dean of Admissions Parker Beverage. The College bases its
admission figure on historical "yield" patterns--the number of students from
all of those accepted who actually choose Colby--which normally produces an
incoming class at or near the target, Beverage says. This year, the yield from
the accepted pool was higher than anticipated.
The large class size was driven by an applicant pool of more than 4,200
students--an all-time high--from which 38 percent were admitted. Coming on the
heels of a 20 percent increase a year ago, this year's 24 percent increase in
applications also resulted in a strong academic profile for the incoming class.
"The academic strength and diversity of the applicant pool increased," Beverage
said. This allowed Colby greater selectivity, making the Class of 1999 "among
the strongest and most interesting ever at Colby."
A record 464 students applied for early decision, which requires them to
select Colby as their first choice school early in the recruiting process. That
figure demonstrates Colby's growing desirability among peer schools, says
Beverage. "What it means is that those students identified something
distinctive about Colby that set it apart from the other schools they were
considering. Colby was at the top of their lists."
The explosive recruiting year may be attributed to several factors, including
the College's academic cachet, Beverage says. "Our ability to enroll such a
large and exciting class this year reflects well the strength of Colby as an
institution," he said. "It also reflects the spirit of this campus community,
the hard work of admissions and financial aid people working together with
Colby students, faculty, staff, trustees and alumni."
Beverage notes that the Class of 1999 includes 50 students of color--another
all-time high--selected from an applicant pool of more than 300.
The class also is the most geographically diverse in Colby history, Beverage
says. Forty-six percent of the incoming students are from outside New England,
and 45 states and 20 foreign countries are represented.
A Real Beer Bash
Tobacco, liquor and glamor advertising--"quick, cumulative and for the most
part unconscious"--promotes powerfully addictive drugs and creates unreasonable
expectations of body image, particularly for women, said writer, lecturer and
filmmaker Jean Kilbourne at a Spotlight Event on September 14.
Kilbourne, whose slide presentation "Advertising and Addictions" drew an
overflow audience, has done extensive research on alcohol-related problems and
the effects of addiction on women, minorities and young people. She blasted
tobacco companies for targeting children with campaigns aimed at "recruiting"
new smokers to replace the 3,000 who quit or die every day. "When you see an
adult smoker, you are looking at an addicted child who has grown up," Kilbourne
said.
Students laughed when Kilbourne skewered a cigarette advertisement that
featured attractive young people smoking and the headline "Alive With
Pleasure." "I guess it beats `Dead With Cancer' as a slogan," she said.
Kilbourne also had harsh words for advertisers that idealize the female form in
ways she says lead women to pursue an unrealistic goal of "the perfect body and
the perfect face." She drew applause when she criticized a campus poster
promoting the Colby social event "Screw Your Roommate" that depicted
voluptuous, faceless women and referred to a student photo directory as the
"meat book." "I think this is offensive to both men and women," Kilbourne said.
"You might want to think about what kind of place you want Colby to be."
The day after Kilbourne's presentation, the Student Association, which
authorized the poster, apologized in an open letter to the Colby community. "We
did not have any intent to propagate . . . the objectification
of women," the letter said.
Olympic Races
Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta and co-chair of the 1996 U.S. Olympic
Committee, wasn't always a household name in Georgia. There was a time when he
was afraid even to drive through the state. "I saw a sign that said, `Welcome
to Georgia,' and I knew that didn't mean me," Young recalled in a speech at the
Ralph J. Bunche Symposium on October 1. "The only time I slowed down in Georgia
was when I saw a rat crossing the road. I slowed down because I figured the rat
had more rights than blacks in Georgia."
Ironically, said the former congressman and ambassador to the United Nations,
the town of Stone Mountain--once a Ku Klux Klan stronghold-- now is welcoming
athletes of all colors for the Olympics. "The Olympics have rallied the
community. Things have really changed," said Young, who believes the
Olympics-generated economic boom has broken down racial barriers in Georgia.
In his introductory remarks, Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professor of
History Robert Weisbrot stressed the similarities between Bunche and Young,
including how they "both taught in tough times for African Americans
and . . . showed how courage can overcome fear and mistrust."
Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1950 for his successful negotiations in the Middle
East following the war for Israeli independence, Bunche participated with Young
and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Freedom March from Selma to Montgomery,
Ala. Bunche, who Young said inspired him, endured hardship as a young man--the
early death of his mother, an alcoholic father and poverty. "All the symbols of
the poor today were present for Ralph Bunche," Young said. "But he overcame
them."
According to Young, Bunche's accomplishments resulted from his pre-civil rights
upbringing and unselfishness. "Part of the secret of Ralph, which he learned in
the deep South, was [that] if he could solve the problems of the white folks,
[his] problems would be solved," he said. "[He] was not afraid to let others
take the credit, and when you're not afraid to let others take the credit, a
lot more work can be accomplished. That's the kind of man he was."
In addition to the symposium, which commemorates Bunche's accomplishments and
ideals, Colby annually provides scholarships to students of color in his name.
Bunche, who died in 1971 and whose son Ralph Jr. graduated from Colby in 1965,
gave the 1952 commencement address at Colby.
Network News
All student rooms in Mary Low, Foss, Woodman, Averill, Coburn, East and
West Quads, Johnson and most of Roberts Row have been hard wired to the
College's computer network. This allows students access to the College's
mainframe computer and World Wide Web without using a modem. Approximately 55 percent of all residence hall rooms on campus have been hard wired with the
remainder scheduled to be equipped by next fall.
Ice Guy
Jim Tortorella, last season's assistant, has been named head men's ice
hockey coach following the resignation of Scott Borek, who accepted the head
coaching job at Lake Superior State University in Michigan. A two-time State of
Maine Coach of the Year at Cony High School in Augusta, Tortorella was an
assistant coach at the University of New Hampshire before coming to Colby.
He graduated in 1981 from the University of Maine, where he was a standout
player for the Black Bears.
|
Silver Memories
As the world marked the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II and
Colby remembered its 60 sons who were killed in the war's battles, alumni and
friends gathered this summer to recall the conflict that still influences their
lives.
The 27 people who attended the Alumni Association's Alumni College program,
"The World War II Years," talked of newspaper headlines, war bonds and
rationing stamps; of loved ones going off to fight--those who came home and
those who didn't. They also recalled attending classes on the brand new
Mayflower Hill campus.
Participants ranging from the Class of 1939 to the Class of 1994 attended seven
sessions taught by Colby professors from July 29 to August 3.
|
|
The Reviews Are In
Colby placed in the top 20 in five categories of the 1996 edition of the
Princeton Review Student Access Guide, which rates the top 309 colleges
in the nation based on student surveys. Colby, which was rated number one in
the Happy Students category a year ago, was ranked seventh this year. The
College also ranked seventh among colleges with "most beautiful campuses" and
tenth for "best quality of life." Colby was ranked 18th for "professors who
make themselves available" and also 18th for "great food."
U.S. News & World Report's annual guide America's Best
Colleges ranked Colby 19th among national liberal arts colleges, up from
23rd a year ago. Colby has consistently ranked in the top 25 of the magazine's
survey.
|
|
Periscope | Table of Contents | A Woman's Place
|
|