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May 29, 2023

Chestertown Spy

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Eylie Sasajima Wins Washington College’s Sophie Kerr Prize

May 20, 2023 by Washington College News Service Leave a Comment

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Eylie Sasajima ’23 earned the prestigious honor with a portfolio of poems, academic work and creative non-fiction.

The Prize caps a college career that included editing Collegian, Washington College’s student-run literary and art journal; serving as a poetry reader for the College’s national literary magazine, Cherry Tree; and conducting research as an English major on Frank Herbert’s Dune.

During the award ceremony Friday night, Sasajima, from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, read several poems from her prize-winning portfolio, which she said she had curated with a conscious focus on assembling a manuscript, using the process of applying for the Sophie Kerr Prize as an opportunity to not only showcase her diverse writing, but also to strive to make the portfolio overall coalesce as a larger work.

“Poetry is the genre that I really speak best through. My goal for college was always to grow and mature as a poet,” Sasajima said. “I am right now looking at a career in editing and publishing. Something I’m thinking a lot about is putting together manuscripts.”

Sasajima began working as an editorial intern at Alan Squire Publishing of Bethesda during her last semester and will continue working there after graduation. Liz O’Connor, associate professor of English and acting chair of the department, said that is more of a continuation of Sasajima’s literary career than the beginning of it.

With her work for Collegian and Cherry Tree, as well as her scholarly work and writing, Sasajima has shown “substantial engagement in the literary community of Washington College,” according to O’Connor, and the broad approach to literary endeavors shows through in her poetry.

“In Eylie Sasajima’s poetry, the Sophie Kerr Committee recognized a young writer’s promising creative talents guided by critical acumen as an editor and intellectual engagement with the issues interrogated in the writing. In explorations of climate change, identity, gender, and power, Sasajima deftly translates between the ecologies of the self and the larger communities of our natural and social environments,” O’Connor said. “Eylie Sasajima is a poet and thinker worthy of our attention.”

Sasajima’s thoughtfulness is apparent when she discusses her work as well. Across the genres represented in her portfolio, Sasajima noted that the work deals with themes of gender, apocalypse, and home, including her homeplace of south-central Pennsylvania and her Japanese American heritage. Throughout the topics she addresses, Sasajima sees complexity, danger but also beauty, conflict but also pride.

James Hall, associate professor of English and director of the Rose O’Neill Literary House, serves on the selection committee that reviews student submissions and awards the Sophie Kerr Prize. He saw that complexity, as well as a special rigor and drive in Sasajima’s work.

“Eylie Sasajima’s poems explore the self in our modern world, confronting topics like climate change and oppression that are far-ranging and deeply impressive. As impressive as her writerly vision is the craft of her work: the attention to well-deployed imagery, to meaningful and burnished sonic textures, to poetic form that highlights and develops the wise intellectual and emotional arguments—these are all characteristics of an Eylie Sasajima poem,” Hall said. “And while Sasajima questions what it means to have a self shaped by socio-political powers, she also believes that poetry can restore the world’s beauty: to take from the ruins and build something better.”

While Sasajima won the Sophie Kerr Prize, both Hall and O’Connor noted the overall excellence and versatility of this year’s entrants, especially the five finalists, who also included Queen Cornish of Wilmington, Delaware; A.J. Gerardi of Wayne, Pennsylvania; Sophia Rooks of Williamsburg, Virginia; and Amara Sorosiak of New Milford, Connecticut.

“It was very difficult to narrow down to five finalists,” Hall said. “Reading these finalists’ work is to recognize how good writers draw from every genre and manage to mix in their own imagination to make the world feel new.”

After President Mike Sosulski announced that Sasajima had won the Sophie Kerr Prize, the other finalists turned to her with smiles and encouragement as she covered her mouth then rose to speak. Her remarks accepting the prize were heartfelt expressions of gratitude that reflected the importance of community in the Sophie Kerr tradition.

“This is an honor I never really expected for myself. and I can’t really put my gratitude into words. But I will try. Thank you to the Sophie Kerr committee for the support and for considering my work. I’m just so indebted to the English faculty here and to the Lit House staff. So thank you to all of them for their guidance, for their mentorship and for their support,” Sasajima said. “Amara, A.J., Sophia, and Queen are such amazing writers who exemplify how strong our literary community here is. And I certainly wouldn’t be here without some other members of that community…who made me feel welcome here and who are pretty wonderful writers who I look up to.”

 

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2023 Goodfellow Lecture Will Address French Colonial History

April 17, 2023 by Washington College News Service Leave a Comment

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A scholar of French colonialism and the “the early modern Atlantic world” will speak at Washington College for the annual Guy F. Goodfellow Memorial Lecture.

Brett Rushforth, associate professor of history at the University of Oregon, will deliver remarks on “The Atlantic World in Renaissance France” on Tuesday, April 18 at 4:30 in Hynson Lounge. The talk is free and open to the public.

Rushforth is the author of two books on the colonial era: Colonial North America and the Atlantic World: A History in Documents and Bonds of Alliance: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France, which won four awards. He is currently at work on a third book, expected to publish from Oxford University Press next year, titled Discovering Empire: France and the Atlantic World from the Age of Crusading to the Age of Revolutions.

Rushforth’s talk at Washington College will outline the ways that French people consumed and created meaning from Atlantic goods, information, and people during the Renaissance. It reveals the central roleplayed by women in bringing the Atlantic into France. As keepers of oral traditions, cooks, hat sellers, costume makers, and weavers of dyed threads, women performed a significant proportion of the work that transformed the goods brought from Africa and the Americas to French shores. Much of this work occurred in the intimate spaces of households, workshops, kitchens, and marketplaces.

Men, too, of course, consumed and displayed colonial products, as well as specialized knowledge about distant places, in ways that earned them social currency. Sailors and fishermen returned from their voyages with stories to tell, which they shared (and no doubt embellished) at wharves, taverns, marketplaces, and workshops.

Merchants and financiers flaunted their newfound Atlantic wealth with statues, friezes, wall-hangings, and other decorations featuring West African and American images. Those with more cerebral inclinations created atlases and wrote cosmographies, trying to impose order on a world made new and unfamiliar by a century of Atlantic exchanges. New foods and medicines appeared featuring Atlantic trade goods, sought for the mystique of their distant origins. References to African and American places and peoples filtered into literary culture, appearing by the mid-sixteenth century in popular travel narratives, poetry, short stories, essays, and plays.

The Guy F. Goodfellow Memorial Lecture Series was created in 1989 to honor the memory of the late history professor who taught at Washington College for 30 years. The endowed lecture series was established by his family, the department and others who “Goody” touched over his years at the College. It brings a distinguished historian to campus each year to meet with our students and deliver a public presentation.

“One of the most dramatic ways in which Guy influenced his students was through his class lectures,” alumnus Dave Wheelan wrote in the appeal to people to help create the endowment in 1989. “For those of us privileged to have had Goody as a professor, these classes became one of the great highlights of our years at Washington College. They conveyed a passionate love of history as well as a profound sense of its relevancy, Undoubtedly, his lectures expanded our personal and intellectual horizons in countless ways.”

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Arctic Scientist Will Share Insights Feb. 28

February 22, 2023 by Washington College News Service Leave a Comment

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A leading research scientist studying the Arctic will be speaking in Chestertown on Tuesday, Feb. 28, sharing stories, observations and insights from his adventurous career.

Jason Box is a climatologist and glaciologist who has made 30 separate expeditions to Greenland and camped on the ice for more than a year. In “Arctic Climate & Greenland Ice,” he will recount some of what he has learned and what it means for not just the polar region, but the world.

The melting of Greenland ice sheets is one of the largest factors driving sea level rise, and scientists study everything from soot on top of glaciers to the (relatively) warmer water helping to melt them from below. Understanding the various effects is critical to proper modeling to underpin decisions about how to address climate change.

Jason Box

A research professor in the Glaciology and Climate Department of the GeologicalSurvey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Box has also worked to communicate his science to the public, appearing in three documentary films, giving interviews to Rolling Stone Magazine, CNN and others, even crowdfunding some of his research.

His talk in Chestertown will be at 7 p.m. in the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre on High Street with a reception will follow. The talk is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required at www.washcoll.edu/box.

The event is organized by Washington College’s Center for the Environment and Society as part of its “Polar Expedition with Washington College” series of invited speakers this winter. Box’s talk is sponsored in part by the department of environmental science and studies with generous support from the William James Forum Fund.

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the nation’s first liberal arts institution and the tenth oldest college in the nation. Enrolling approximately 1,100 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations, Washington is known for outstanding academics with an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning across more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study. The College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in history, writing and the Center for the Environment and Society. In addition to its main campus in Chestertown, Maryland, Washington also features a riverfront campus and a 5,000-acre river and field campus that provides unique research opportunities for students and faculty.

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Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Education, local news, Washington College

Washington College Announces New Partnership for Campus Dining Services

May 7, 2022 by Washington College News Service

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Family-owned and operated AVI Foodsystems has been announced as Washington College’s new culinary and hospitality partner, taking over management of all food services on campus beginning July 1. This includes full management of all dining options on campus, plus the catering division for special events.

Their vision for a revamped Hodson Culinary Center includes a large variety of venues ranging from traditional meat and veggie options to plant-based and clean foods. Specialty concepts include Trattoria (pizzas made daily from scratch), Homestyles (comfort foods), The Carvery (wraps and sandwiches), Nutribar (fresh salad ingredients), Roots (plant-based), Clarity (clean, allergy-free foods), and the Bake Shoppe for homemade desserts. They also envision an Exhibition Kitchen that would feature guest chefs, dietitians, and others and showcase campus, cultural and holiday events and well as menu innovations.

AVI has a from-scratch culinary philosophy, preparing foods from scratch and sourcing fresh ingredients locally in order to create authentic flavor profiles. They tailor menu plans to the audience as well, factoring in dietary requirements and other preferences.

“We fully understand the critical and integral role a great campus dining program plays in building and nurturing student relationships, friendships and exposure to new cultures and cuisines,” said Vince Lombardi, Executive Vice President for AVI’s Education Division. “We will work diligently to honor your history and traditions, adopt current team members as new members of the AVI family and provide a fresh, from-scratch culinary program that delights students, faculty and staff.”

While specific hours of service are still under review, AVI is prepared to offer serving hours that reflect class times, lifestyles, and events on campus. The company has initially proposed extending hours to 8 PM each weekday and to 7 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as a monthly “First Friday” event with a late-night dining experience that runs through midnight.

AVI is further committed to involving students in real-time feedback and opportunities to participate in menu development, citing a willingness to continuously adapt menus to better meet the needs of the campus. The company is also committed to sustainable food and environmental practices and intends to be an active, engaged member of the Washington College community in driving sustainable actions and practices.

All current Dining Services staff will be offered the opportunity to transition onto the AVI team, in positions that maintain or improve their current wages and honor their years of service. They will be joined by additional candidates to form an expanded management team under AVI leadership. AVI will also offer a student employment program that offers above-average wages for students.

AVI is the largest family-owned foodservice company, and the 8th largest overall, in the United States. Currently they partner with more than 50 colleges and universities under their education division.

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Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Education, local news, Washington College

Washington College Invests $20 Million in Campus Improvements

April 29, 2022 by Washington College News Service

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Washington College has announced a $20 million investment in campus improvements, largely focusing on enhancing the residential student experience. This long-term initiative kicks off with major renovations in numerous residence halls, but will also include energy services upgrades and a new dining services agreement.

The starting point for this important initiative is full-scale renovations to two of the campuses most iconic residence halls– Reid Hall and Minta Martin. This initial project marks just the first phase of a larger plan to overhaul housing facilities on campus. The College is also moving ahead with an energy conservation project that will reduce both costs and the overall carbon footprint.

Reid Hall

“Our students have been telling us what needed priority attention, and we have been listening carefully,” said Mike Sosulski, President of Washington College. “Safe and comfortable housing is a critical component of the residential experience and we are moving swiftly to make positive changes.”

Updates in Minta Martin include fully renovated bathrooms, new flooring and lighting throughout, interior painting, and updated HVAC systems that will significantly improve air quality. The basement lounge area will also be refreshed with new furniture.  A kitchen is being installed as well.

Reid Hall will get the same overhaul as Minta Martin, plus new windows and a new roof. Work in Reid is already underway.

Renovations in Minta Martin – primarily a first-year residence hall — will start as soon as all students have departed at the end of the term. All work is scheduled to be completed by early August, just in time to welcome the incoming Class of 2026.

Other residence halls slated for upgrades include East, Middle and West Halls. Work in those buildings is set to begin in the Fall of 2022 and will include the same general scope of work as Reid and Minta Martin.

These improvements to student living spaces are largely made possible through a new Energy-as-a-Service agreement (EaaS)with FESCO Energy.  The result of this innovative partnership is the implementation of a campus wide energy infrastructure modernization project that will yield energy, water, carbon, and cost savings. Approximately 50% of the project funds will be used to enhance the student experience by rehabilitating the energy systems in Reid and Minta Martin, significantly improving the air quality in those locations. The balance of the campus-wide planned improvements focus on energy and environmental sustainability and operational improvements, and include lighting updates, interior and exterior water fixture improvements, new windows and replacement roofs, among others.

The campus-wide energy project with FESCO is expected to begin in April 2022 and to be completed by May 2023, though the HVAC work in Minta and Reid will be completed by the fall.

The College will also soon announce changes within Dining Services, which will include increased options to satisfy the full spectrum of dietary needs and preferences, expanded service hours and facility upgrades.

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu. 

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Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Education, local news, Washington College

WC’s Goldstein Program in Public Affairs Hosts Book Talk with Dr. Liliana Mason

October 27, 2021 by Washington College News Service

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Dr. Lilliana Mason will be the featured guest speaker for a virtual discussion of her forthcoming book, Radical American Partisanship on Wednesday, November 10 at 5pm. Dr. Mason’s talk, “Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, & What It Means for Democracy” is sponsored by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs and is open to the public.

The upcoming publication, co-written with Nathan Kalmoe, Associate Professor of Political Communication with Louisiana State University, seeks to make sense of the contentious present and where we could be going with a timely groundbreaking study of radicalism among ordinary American partisans. Just how extreme have partisans in the public become? What drives their radicalism? And what role do they play in advancing or undermining democracy?  Drawing on history and political science the book puts the present partisanship in context, explaining broad patterns of political and social changes that exist today. Learn more here.

“Dr. Lilliana Mason is one of the country’s leading experts on partisan polarization in American politics. Her latest work reveals the challenges the nation faces in dealing with extremism among every-day Americans and the troubling extent to which more Americans are beginning to embrace illiberal political stances and solutions,” said Dr. Melissa Deckman, Chair of the Political Science Department at Washington College.

This webinar-style event is free but registration is required. Registration is available here.

About Dr. Mason

Dr. Mason is currently Associate Research Professor in SNF Agora at Johns Hopkins University. She received her PhD in political psychology from Stony Brook University and her BA in politics from Princeton University. Her research on partisan identity, partisan bias, social sorting, and American social polarization has been published in journals such as American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Public Opinion Quarterly, and Political Behavior, and featured in media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, and National Public Radio. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, the Facebook Research Integrity Group, and the Democracy Fund.

About the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs

The Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs was established in 1990 to encourage students to enter public service by introducing them to exemplary leaders. Over the years, journalists, political activists, foreign policy analysts, diplomats, military commanders and government officials of both national and international stature have been guests of the Goldstein Program. The program also supports student participation in models and conferences, and other projects that bring students and faculty together with leaders experienced in developing public policy.

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Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Education, local news, Washington College

WC Alumna & Leading Delmarva Oncologist to Lead Off College Speaker Series

October 15, 2021 by Washington College News Service

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Dr. Laura D. Kerbin ’88, a leading medical oncologist and Director of Chemotherapy at Riverside Shore Cancer Center in Onancock, VA will be the inaugural speaker in a year-long 50th Anniversary Celebration of the American Chemical Society Approval of the Washington College Program in Chemistry.

Kerbin’s two-part seminar, ONCOLOGY: A Quarter Century of  Progress; The Cancer “Moonshot Initiative” at Midpoint, will be held on Thursday, November 4, 2021 at 4:30 PM in The Litrenta Lecture Hall of the John S. Toll Science Center, located on the College Campus.

The Cancer “Moonshot Initiative”, launched by President Barack Obama in 2016 and led by then Vice President Joe Biden, is a national effort to accelerate research in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment with the aim of making 10 years’ worth of progress in just 5.

This event is free and open to the public. The College does have an indoor mask policy in place and all attendees will be required to be masked.

The series of three seminars has been designed to recognize Chemistry Alumni who have distinguished themselves in the fields of Chemistry & The Health Sciences.

The additional speakers, both scheduled to speak in the spring semester, are:

John L. Musachio’87, Ph.D., Section Head of Positron Emission Tomography at National Institutes of Health to deliver seminar, “My PET Projects at NIH” – 4:30 PM Thursday, March 31, 2022

Matthew D. Streeter’13, Ph.D., Chemist, Entrada Therapeutics, “Novel Approaches to Engage Targets Previously Considered Inaccessible and Undruggable.” – 5:00 PM Thursday, April 7, 2022

The Chemistry Program at Washington College offers an organic-first curriculum accredited by the American Chemical Society and Maryland Higher Education Commission. The program introduces students to fundamental concepts in chemistry through the lens of organic and biochemistry. This approach allows faculty to introduce material more thematically, gives students the foundation they need for advanced study in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, environmental science, engineering, psychology, medicine, and physics, and better reflects modern chemistry as an interdisciplinary science.

In addition, Washington College is leading the way in a national movement to integrate the principles of green chemistry into the curriculum and to train a new generation of chemists who are especially mindful of its environmental impact.

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,100 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.

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Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Education, local news, Washington College

WC Goldstein Program Hosts Talk That Explores Relationship between Emigration and Democracy

September 10, 2021 by Washington College News Service

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Washington College will host a talk by Jesse Acevedo titled “Migration, Remittances, and Authoritarianism: Evidence from Latin America.”  Acevedo will discuss the relationship between remittances and anti-democratic attitudes.  This event is part of the celebration of Latinx Heritage Month.

Hosted by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs, this webinar-style event is scheduled for September 22 at 7 pm. The webinar is free but registration is required. Registration is available here.

For years, scholars have had optimistic outlooks over the consequences of emigration and remittances in Latin America. Jesse Acevedo will discuss the limits of this optimism and present the fragility of the relationship between emigration and democracy. He will argue that migrant remittances have the potential to produce anti-democratic attitudes, which is amenable to the rise of punitive populists and anti-democratic behaviors in Central America.

“Remittances are a lifeline for many in Latin America and throughout the developing world, but their political impact — particularly on political attitudes —  is not well understood,” according to Dr. Christine Wade, Professor of Political Science and International Studies and Curator of the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs. 

About Dr. Acevedo

Dr. Acevedo is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver. His research focuses on political economy, democratization, and international migration. Specifically, he examines how emigration and migrant remittances affect local political attitudes and behaviors in Central America. His work engages in debates about whether emigration and migrant remittances support democratic and economic development.

About the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs

The Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs was established in 1990 to encourage students to enter public service by introducing them to exemplary leaders. Over the years, journalists, political activists, foreign policy analysts, diplomats, military commanders and government officials of both national and international stature have been guests of the Goldstein Program. The program also supports student participation in models and conferences, and other projects that bring students and faculty together with leaders experienced in developing public policy.

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Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Education, local news, Washington College

Washington College Welcomes Students Back to Campus for Fall Semester

August 26, 2021 by Washington College News Service

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With just one week until the start of fall classes, students have begun to arrive on campus for the first full in-person semester in two years.

Members of the Class of 2025 arrived en masse on Monday morning for a full week of Orientation, joining fall student-athletes, Peer Mentors, Resident Assistants (RA’s) and a few other students who returned the week prior. Transfer students are also on campus for Orientation.

Official class photo for the Class of 2025

Upperclassmen are due to arrive between the 28th and 29th, with sophomores invited to participate in some class-specific welcome activities designed to help this cohort get better acquainted with the campus, their peers and the resources available to them. With classes offered virtually for the spring 2021 semester and some students remaining at home, this is the first time being on campus for some members of the Class of 2024.

Students carry in boxes during new student move-in on August 23.

Classes begin on August 30 and all instruction will be in person. There is no virtual learning option planned.

Washington College athletics are also back in action, with all Centennial Championship sports (Volleyball, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, and Field Hockey) proceeding with regular trainings and competitions. Trap & Skeet and Rowing all compete in the fall. Fall student-athletes began pre-season trainings on August 18.

Welcoming New Students

New students and their families were officially welcome to campus by newly named president, Dr. Michael “Mike” Sosulski; Sarah Feyerherm, VP for Student Affairs; Dr. Michael Harvey, Provost; and Megan Efland, Council Member for the Town of Chestertown.

Sosulski spoke to the students about how happy he is to be there, interacting as real human beings and not just Zoom squares. “We are actually here together, and together we get to connect in all the ways that we have sorely missed,” he said. “We are getting our community back, and that is pure joy.”

Orientation week for new students includes a full slate of activities throughout the week and weekend, culminating with the New Student Convocation on Sunday August 29 and followed by the traditional all-campus picnic on the Hodson Green.

Health and Safety

The College continues to monitor all conditions locally and statewide and will scale COVID safety standards up or down in response to updated guidance, changing conditions, etc.

The COVID vaccine was included as one of a number of required vaccinations for all enrolled students for the 2021-2022 academic year.  Over 95% of the students are fully vaccinated for COVID, with the remaining percentage receiving approved exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Students with approved exemptions are required to participate in regular surveillance testing. Currently this is set to weekly, however the frequency may change.

The COVID vaccine is strongly recommended for employees of the College. Based on data voluntarily submitted to Health Services, close to 85% of the employee base is fully vaccinated. Any employee without a vaccine card on file is also required to participate in regular surveillance testing.

Overall, the Washington College community achieved a vaccination rate of 87%, with that number expected to increase further in the coming weeks. The goal was 85%.

The College is following current CDC guidance around masking, and anyone on campus is required to wear a face mask in all indoor public areas. This includes but is not limited to classes and labs, the Miller Library, the Johnson Fitness Center, Cain Athletic Center, Casey Academic Center and Hodson Hall (except when eating or drinking).

All enrolled students are also required to undergo gateway testing upon arrival. This includes students living off campus. For students living on campus, a negative test result is required in order to proceed with the check-in process. Students living off campus will not be granted access to campus facilities until they have completed the gateway testing.

As required of facilities who have residential occupancy when a public health emergency is declared, Washington College identified spaces for students who must isolate or quarantine. These spaces are available during the fall semester as well, with Corsica Hall serving as the isolation hall and Reid Hall serving as the quarantine hall. The College is also following CDC guidance around quarantine and isolation procedures for those who become ill, test positive or are identified as a close contact.

There are currently no travel restrictions imposed, though no overnight guests are permitted in the residence halls until further notice. Students are strongly encouraged to carefully consider the data around transmission and infection rates of any areas they may wish to travel to.

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,200 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.

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Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Education, local news, Washington College

WC English Professor Wins Prestigious Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction

June 15, 2021 by Washington College News Service

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Sufiya-Abdur-Rahman

Visiting Assistant Professor of English Sufiya Abdur-Rahman has been awarded the prestigious Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction for her manuscript, Heir to the Crescent Moon. The book will be published by University of Iowa Press later in 2021. Iowa’s programs in creative writing and nonfiction have an international reputation for being the best there are. 

One of the Iowa Prize judges, Susan Steinberg, said this about the work: “In swift, stunning passages, Abdur-Rahman’s brilliant memoir…fearlessly and honestly recounts what it is to inherit religion, to embody wisdom, to protect love, and to assume the immeasurable role of daughter.”

The Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction, open to both new and established writers, is awarded for a book-length manuscript of literary nonfiction originally written in English. The winning manuscript is published by the University of Iowa Press.

Abdur-Rahman teaches a range of courses for Washington College in creative writing, nonfiction, and journalism. She has been instrumental in developing curriculum for the College’s new minor in Journalism, Editing & Publishing. She is also creative nonfiction editor for the national literary journal, Cherry Tree.

About Heir to the Crescent Moon

In Heir to the Crescent Moon, Abdur-Rahman, the daughter of two Black Power-era converts to Islam, investigates her Muslim past and that of her parents in a search for self-discovery. From age five, she feels drawn to Islam even while her father, a devoted Muslim, tries to keep her from it. He and her mother abandoned their Harlem mosque before she was born and divorced when she was twelve. Forced apart from her father—her portal into Islam—she yearns to reconnect with the religion and, through it, him.  

Writing with quiet beauty but intellectual force about identity, community, violence, hope, despair, and faith, Abdur-Rahman weaves a vital tale about a family: black, Muslim, and distinctly American. 

About Sufiya Abdur-Rahman

Abdur-Rahman has previously published essays and criticism in Catapult, The Common Online, Gay Mag, NPR, The Washington Post, and other publications. She has been awarded fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Foundation and is a two-time alumnus of VONA writing workshops. She is Creative Nonfiction Editor for Cherry Tree, a national literary journal, at Washington College, where she teaches nonfiction. She lives in Annapolis with her family.

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Filed Under: Ed Notes Tagged With: Chestertown Spy, Education, local news, Washington College

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