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 50^th 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.

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.

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.

Upperclassmen are due to arrive between the 28^th and 29^th, 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.

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.

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.

The Washington College SGA created a “Flock to the Polls” challenge in order to increase student participation in this year’s election season. To incentivize students to take the voter pledge, they convinced faculty and staff members to commit to various challenges and for every 50 students that took the “I Voted” Pledge, the next person on the list was called upon.

The culminating event once the challenge totaled 300 voters was a chilly jump into the Chester River –made good on this past weekend — by Interim Provost and Dean of the College, Michael Harvey.

“Thanks to the SGA for everything you did,” said Harvey during brief remarks from the dock just before taking the plunge, “and to everybody who encouraged massive turnout this year.  Voting is one of the most important things we can do as citizens and I’m proud to be a small, ridiculous part of that effort.”

The reward of seeing the Provost take the plunge seemed to be a big motivator to get the pledge count up to a total of 300.

The SGA wanted to thank all students, faculty, and staff that participated in these activities and voting,” said Maegan White ’23, Secretary of Service and Community Relations for the SGA. “Being completely virtual makes it hard for students to connect with professors and staff but the student’s excitement to share they voted and having so many faculty and staff enthusiastic to do crazy activities goes to show our community’s commitment to uniting and being citizen leaders.”

The “Flock to the Polls” campaign – a fitting moniker for a school that affectionately refers to the community as “Goose Nation” and boasts Gus the Goose as a mascot –  ran from October 28 – November 3, with SGA members taking to social media to encourage students to join the challenge. Prior to that, the SGA also solicited responses from faculty and staff for two separate “Why I Vote” video compilations that offered students reasons why voting is so important and encouraging voter registration.

Other challenges included faculty members who dyed their hair pink, wore Halloween costumes to class, created TikTok videos and got pie’d in the face, among others.

“I’ve gone pink to thank you for pledging to vote this election season,” said Professor James Windelborn, Assistant Professor of Biology, who dyed his beard pink for the cause. “Thank you for supporting democracy and our democratic institutions.”  Professor Jennifer Benson, Associate Professor of Philosophy, also dyed her hair pink.

Link to video of Provost Harvey’s Chester River plunge:  https://washcoll.sharepoint.com/:v:/s/NewsandNotesfromtheCPG/ERs3oPtSFudHg85AxYkh4esB5rN28uCevok2VdhFsESpgA?e=ovG5nR

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.