February 23, 2012
Re: Thumbs up, thumbs down
Dear Editor,
This morning when I swiped into Commons, I was saddened to hear how hurt Marge was by this past issue’s Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down comment regarding Valentine’s Day (It read: “Because nothing says romance like talking to Marge for 10 minutes). I was surprised that such an inconsiderate and, quite frankly, mean comment was published about a member of the Hamilton community, especially by a publication that claims not to print “unnecessary and/or unwarranted ad hominem or personal attack[s].” Marge and the rest of our staff genuinely care about the students here, and it was disappointing to see such a lack of appreciation or respect. I think an apology is very necessary, and I would like Marge to know that our conversations always brighten my day.
—Keara Fenzel ‘14
Re: Common Reading Program
Dear Editors,
We are grateful to The Spectator for last week’s front page story and editorial on the
Common Reading Program. We also are happy to report that these initiatives are linked through Meredith Harper Bonham, who chairs the Committee on the First-Year Experience and serves as a member of the Common Read Committee.
The committee chose the theme of the common reading this year with an eye to keeping the reading relevant to the first-year experience. “Know Thy Stuff: The Meaning of Objects in Our Lives” is a theme we anticipate already being on the minds of new students, many of whom are leaving home for the first time. While deciding what is important to bring to college, through that process they also determine what objects should be left behind since they are no longer relevant to a new emerging self-identity as Hamilton students.
The book we are suggesting to accompany this year’s theme, Evocative Objects: Things We Think With by Sherry Turkle, has a major section entitled “Objects of Transition and Passage.” Even if our new students do not personally resonate with a Ford Falcon or a stuffed animal (as two of the essays invite), surely they all will relate to the experience of an object which is seeing them through a transition to college.
Our aim is for new students to reflect to some degree on the objects in their lives; in so doing they will feel not only a part of the class of 2016, but also a part of the larger Hamilton family, a community of thinkers who will also, we hope, engage the theme and reflect on the book throughout the academic year.
We welcome thoughts and suggestions from members of the Hamilton community. The other members of the Common
Reading Committee include:
• Dave Gapp, Biology
• Naomi Guttman, English
• Amy James, COOP
• Janine Knight, Residential Life / New Student Orientation
• Brent Plate, Religious Studies
• Stephanie Shapiro ’13 (abroad this semester)
• Kristin Strohmeyer, Library
• Prince Sylla ’13
• Lisa Trivedi, History
• Susanna White, Emerson Gallery
—Jeffrey McArn,
College Chaplain
Chair of the Common Reading Committee
—Meredith Harper Bonham,
Senior Associate Dean of Students
Chair of the First-Year Experience Committee
Member of the Common Reading Committee