1the GARNET connection SPRING 2016

GARNETconnectiontheALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

2 SELF-STUDY ACTION COMMITTEE

2 DINNERS WITH STRANGERS

4 NEW FACES AND NEW HIRES

5 BLACK HISTORY MONTH

7 WINTER GATHERINGSWARTHMORE COLLEGE HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS

Submit items of interest to:humanresources@swarthmore.edu

Through April 29Spring Health and Wellness Week

Monday, May 23Spring Gathering2:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m., SharplesDining Hall

Calendar ofEvents

For those striving for a lifestylechange—and for those who arelooking to add to their current

fitness regimen—the Committee onWork Life Initiatives, Athletics, andthe Health Center created SwatFit2016. This yearlong campaign, whichkicked off in February, includes on-campus programs and initiativesaimed at tackling the most commonobstacles to reaching fitness goals.

The first two initiatives—no-costclasses and Get to Steppin’, a Fitbitpilot program for faculty and staff totrack fitness achievements—havebeen very well received.

The no-cost yoga class, led byStacey Miller, is a favorite, as is anadditional class led by student well-ness coordinator Noemí Fernández.There is a great group attendingZumba on Thursday mornings, and

many community members havetaken advantage of Weight Training101 led by Eric Hoffman, fitness cen-ter coordinator/head strength andconditioning coach, at the Matchbox.He offers two sessions, Wednesdaysat 12:15 p.m. and Thursdays at 2p.m., and is very pleased with thefirst-time weight trainers he hasworked with. Pilates and step aero-bics classes were added in earlyApril.

The Fitbit pilot program has dis-tributed 50 Fitbits with an additional20 Fitbit owners joining the program,which was extended to take advan-tage of the spring weather.

The seven Fitbit teams (Walk-more Swarthmore, The A-Team, MyTeam, Phit Phoenix, the Cline andPatterson team and Sneaky Ninjas)

2016 is the Year of SwatFit

Annette Newman Honored for Dedication, Service

Assistant to College Librarian AnnetteNewman (right) received the 2016Suzanne P. Welsh Award from VicePresident of Human Resources PamelaPrescod-Caesar at the College’s springall-staff meeting. She was nominated forthe award by her peers and chosen by acommittee with staff and Board ofManagers representatives. This honorrecognizes a staff member’s

professionalism through dedicated service, initiative, high standards ofquality work, integrity, and commitment to the College’s mission, whileserving as a model and inspiration for members of the staff community.As part of the award, Newman will have an existing endowed scholarshipnamed after her until the naming of next recipient of the award; receivean honorarium of $500; and will be honored by the Board of Managersand President Valerie Smith. The Welsh Award, which is given every otheryear, was established in 2011 by Eugene M. Lang ’38 to honor SuzanneP. Welsh, then-vice president for finance and treasurer.

Continued on page 3

Summer Schedule

The 2016 flexible summer schedulewill be June 6 through Aug. 12.

The most widely used schedule is:• 8 a.m.–4:45 p.m., Monday

through Thursday;• 8 a.m.–noon, Friday

The list of participating departmentswill be distributed in late May.

2the GARNET connection SPRING 2016

The Self-Study Action Commit-tee, comprised of staff and fac-ulty members as well as

students (see the full list at right), metduring the spring 2016 semester toprocess the Self-Study Report and toorganize ways of engaging commu-nity members. The goal has been togather ideas and solutions from asmany community members and con-stituencies as possible to build astronger, more equitable, and moresupportive campus environment forall persons who live, work, and studyhere.

Online submission forms, physi-cal idea boxes, the CommunityRoundtable, and support for smallgroups to gather and brainstorm havebeen provided in order to garner as

many ideas as possible. As of March31, more than 100 ideas had beensubmitted.

Participation in the RoundtableSessions on March 18 was particu-larly strong. The terrific turnout wasfilled with positive energy and mutualrespect that everyone brought to thediscussions and deliberations.

The committee has been sortingthrough the ideas and solutions withthe goal of recommending three tofour “action items” to President Smithby April 30. Community membersmay continue to send ideas,solutions, or questions to Betsy Durn-ing at edurnin1@swarthmore.eduor Diane Anderson atdanders1@swarthmore.edu, or con-tact a committee member directly.

Holiday schedule set

The following 2016–17 holiday sched-ule is meant to help community mem-bers plan their schedules and includesan additional holiday and a new alter-nate holiday. Most offices will beclosed on the scheduled holidays.However, some offices must remainopen, so staff members should checkwith their supervisors on departmentalrequirements. The holiday schedule isdetermined annually based on howholidays fall in the week as well as theacademic calendar.

Scheduled holidays forSept. 1, 2016–Aug. 31, 2017Thanksgiving: Thursday and Friday,Nov. 24–25 (two days)Winter Break: Friday, Dec. 23–Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 (seven days)Martin Luther King Jr. Day:Monday, Jan. 16, 2017 (one day)Memorial Day*: Monday, May 29,2017, or an alternate day (one day)Fourth of July: Tuesday, July 4, 2017(one day)

*Please remember that the alternate holi-day option for Memorial Day must beused during the September to Augusttime period and cannot be carried intothe next calendar year.

Self-Study Action Committeereadies its ‘action items’

The Self- Study ActionCommittee Members are:

Diane Anderson (chair), associate deanfor academic affairs and associateprofessor, educational studies

Katie Clark, coordinator, Center forInnovation and Leadership

Leonie Cohen ’16Betsy Durning, administrative assistant,

Dean’s OfficeZenobia Hargust, director, Equal

Opportunity and EngagementKenny Jones, environmental servicesKeton Kakkar ’19Meghan Kelly ’18Mohammed Lotif, assistant director,

Intercultural CenterSheila Magee ’81, gardenerJen Moore, administrative assistant,

historyGina Patnaik, assistant professor,

English literatureHank Robinson, environmental servicesBen Roebuck ’17Peggy Seiden, College librarianRobin Huntington Shores, director of

institutional research and assessmentElizabeth Vallen, professor, biologyRobert Weinberg, professor, historyKaaren Williamsen, Title IX coordinator

Dinners with Strangers

Would you like to join Presi-dent Smith for dinner at herhouse on campus? She’d

like that, too. Since last semester, thePresident has hosted about 30 staffand faculty members, students, andalumni at Dinners with Strangersevents, designed to bring people to-gether to share a meal and get toknow each other.

Based on a program PresidentSmith first encountered when shetaught at UCLA in the 1990s, she ex-plained that these gatherings offercommunity members the chance toshare a meal with people they mightnot ordinarily meet.

Head volleyball coach HarleighChwastyk attended the first dinner inDecember and described it as “awonderful, intimate opportunity” toconnect with members of the com-munity. “To me, it was like a tradi-tional dinner party,” she added, “alost art of sharing a delicious mealand genuine conversations that oftengets lost in our world of busy sched-ules and emails.”

“It was a lovely affair,” agreedpolitical science professor RickValelly ’75, who attended the samedinner. “I had great conversationswith people I hadn’t met and the ideabehind the gathering is inspired.”

Taylor Morgan ’19, from Brick,N.J., attended the February dinnerand said, “What I thought was thismysterious invitation is now a won-

“Having the opportunityto be fêted with a diverse groupof community members gave usthe chance to discover similarinterests and the importance

of setting aside time for hobbies.The depth and passion

of each member of our communityis what makes Swarthmore

so special.”—Pamela Harris

Continued on page 3

3the GARNET connection SPRING 2016

derful Swat memory. We’ll be able totake this experience and share it withothers, and I think that’s special.”

“Val greeted me at the door likean old friend, as if I had simplystopped by to borrow a cup of sugar,”added Pamela Harris, associate col-lege librarian for outreach, instruc-tion, and research, who attended anevent in March. “Having the opportu-nity to be fêted with a diverse groupof community members gave us thechance to discover similar interestsand the importance of setting asidetime for hobbies. The depth and pas-sion of each member of our commu-nity is what makes Swarthmore sospecial.”

President Smith said she willcontinue to host these dinners andhas already heard from other com-munity members interested in host-ing, as well.

“Dinners with Strangers is de-signed to remind us that even on thecampus of a small residential collegelike Swarthmore, we don’t oftenmake time to meet and share ideaswith people with whom we don’thave an obvious connection,” shesaid. “Opportunities like this one areintended to cultivate our curiosityabout and respect for other people,other experiences, and unfamiliarideas.”

Dinners — Continued from page 2

recently completed a How ManySteps Challenge. For a complete listof the entries, check the SwatFit 2016website athttp://www.swarthmore.edu/work-life-initiatives/swatfit-2016.

There will be a mini-wellness fairthe last week of April, highlighted bythe National Walk at Work day onWednesday, April 27. The Collegewill offer free biometric and bloodpressure screenings, chair massages,and lunch-and-learn sessions.

SwatFit 2016 has helped manycommunity members work towards ahealthy lifestyle. For example, “I’vemade plenty of excuses in the past,”says one participant. “Being competi-tive by nature, the Fitbit Pilot Pro-gram pushes me to compete withother team members to beat theirnumber of steps each day.”

Even time off didn’t stop one Fit-bit-er from logging steps and feelingthe “buzz” (the noise/vibration theFitbit makes when a goal isachieved): “While I was away, I gotmy ‘buzz’ a number of days. ... Nowback at work, I’ve become goodabout walking around most of thelunch hour … [motivating] me to goout after dinner and walk enough toget the buzz. Every buzz still startlesme a bit but a day without the buzzfeels like a lesser day now.”

“I have a friend who has a Fitbitand walks a little,” explains another

participant. “Since I joined SwatFit,we have been doing small competi-tions and he wins nearly every time.Last week he told me, he has lost 10pounds doing challenges with me.”

And what’s the worst thing thatcan happen to those in SwatFit? Los-ing a Fitbit and missing out on steps,as one participant lamented: “Theworst was I didn’t capture my threehours of walking around campuswith the Scott Medal recipient.”

The Fitbit Pilot Program can beabout more than steps as one partici-pant found out: “My Fitbit alsohelped me track my sleep. As a re-sult, I’ve schedule an appointment tosee a sleep specialist.”

While the program is wrappingup, many participants see this as ajump start to a summer and lifetimeof health.

“Eric Hoffman’s Weight Training101 has been a huge wealth ofknowledge that keeps you movingand not stuck in a boring routine. Ihave come across some great newwalking paths, parks, and even a dogpark. … My regular routine of four tofive blocks with my dogs has nowventured out into a larger neighbor-hood loop. … New active habits willmake for a fun summer ahead.”

SwatFit — Continued from page 1

Did you ever feel like youdiscovered something newwhen interacting with acolleague?

The Communications Officewould love to hear from you! Ifyou have a story or moment toshare, please let us know atnews@swarthmore.edu

Have you everhad an “a-ha”moment whenteaching orworking with astudent?

4the GARNET connection SPRING 2016

Following a nationalsearch, AnthonyCoschignano be-came the College’sexecutive director ofauxiliary servicesNov. 9, overseeingDining Services, the

College Bookstore, the Post Office,Office Services, non-academic sum-mer programs, and the relationshipwith the operator of the Inn atSwarthmore. He will also workclosely with the community to im-plement a One-Card system to giveelectronic access to College facili-ties, streamline dining transactions,and allow a College ID to be usedfor purchases with local merchants.

Coschignano brings 16 years ofhigher education experience infood, retail, and auxiliary services.He most recently was executive di-rector of auxiliary services at Val-paraiso University.

He holds a B.A. in managementinformation systems from FloridaState University and an M.B.A. fromValparaiso University.

With a proven trackrecord of superb proj-ect management atthe College, PaulaDale began hernewest role on Feb.29, overseeing thecurrent College Book-

store and helping to lead its moveto the new Swarthmore Campusand Community Store within theInn at Swarthmore later this month.

Dale has held a variety of Col-lege positions in the last 20 years,including those involving eventmanagement, contracts, and budg-eting. As the director of the Swarth-more Store, she will work closelywith students, faculty, staff, and

local merchants.Originally from Charlotte, N.C.,

Dale holds a B.A. from Wake ForestUniversity and an M.A. from Uni-versity of North Carolina at ChapelHill.

David Foreman be-came the College’sdirector of institu-tional relations Feb.8. He most recentlywas director of corpo-rate and foundationrelations at Bucknell

University.Foreman has served colleges

and universities in institutional rela-tions for nearly 15 years, the pasteight with Bucknell, where he suc-cessfully managed productive rela-tionships with a wide range ofinstitutions, including the HenryLuce and Andrew W. Mellon foun-dations. Previously, he held posi-tions at the West Virginia UniversityFoundation and Washington & Jef-ferson College.

Foreman is a leader in SomeCorporate and Foundation RelationsOfficers (SCAFRO). He graduatedfrom West Virginia University,where he was elected to Phi BetaKappa and also earned an M.A. inEnglish.

Brandi Jones re-cently returned toSwarthmore’s PublicSafety Department asa communications of-ficer after a brief stintlast year at theDelaware River Port

Authority. She first joined the de-partment in February 2012. Prior toSwarthmore, Jones, who also at-tended the University of Pittsburgh,worked for four years as a dis-patcher at the Department ofHomeland Security and for fiveyears as a police dispatcher forMontgomery County EmergencyOperations Center.

Montea Roundtreejoined SwarthmoreCollege in December2015 as a patrol offi-cer. Previously, heworked at neighbor-ing Girard and Har-cum colleges.

Roundtree comes to the Collegewith more than six years of experi-ence in the security field. He alsovolunteers at neighborhood recre-ation centers mentoring troubledyouth.

Mariel Peart joinedthe Public Safety De-partment in Decem-ber 2015 as a patrolofficer. She is a grad-uate of Temple Uni-versity with abachelor’s degree in

criminal justice and a minor inSpanish. She’s a graduate ofDelaware County Community Col-lege Police Academy. During herfree time, Peart she enjoys exercis-ing, drawing, and writing music.

A self-described“passionate plants-woman,” MaryTipping became thecurator and plantrecorder for the ScottArboretum July 1.

From 2008 to2015, Tipping was arboretum horti-culturist at Delaware Valley Univer-sity, where her role included theadministration of the collectionsdatabase for its 40-acre arboretum.After implementing a records man-agement system, she worked withstudents to map more than 1,500specimens of plants. She alsoserved as an adjunct professor forhorticulture and greenhouse man-agement. She previously worked asa horticulturist at the Old York RoadCountry Club.

Tipping earned a B.S. in horti-culture from Temple University and

New Faces

Continued on page 5

5the GARNET connection SPRING 2016

Randy Frame, director of ad-vancement communications, be-came a first-time grandfather Dec.30, 2015. Grandson Darren residesin Plymouth Meeting, Pa., with hisparents and their two dogs Rupertand Lou.

Sharon Green, administrative as-sistant, Athletics, had a very good2015, celebrating her 40th weddinganniversary in November and also20 years of service to SwarthmoreCollege.

On Sept. 12, 2015, Kerry KristineMcElrone, interlibrary loan spe-cialist at the McCabe Library, mar-ried Joe Trainor, a musician and aprivate piano teacher. The couplelive in Wilmington, Del., with theirbeagle Phoebe and cat Sterling. Inaddition to her work at the College,McElrone is an actress and the mar-keting and creative director of CityTheater Company in Wilmington.

Milestonesan M.S. in crop sciences from theUniversity of Illinois. She is a certi-fied arborist, a certified Pennsylva-nia Horticulturist, and Pennsylvaniapesticide applicator.

Aurora Winsladejoined the CollegeDec. 1 as the new di-rector of sustainabil-ity, with more than adecade of experiencein higher education.She was previously

the transformational program man-ager for Hawaii Energy.

In 2012, Winslade launched thesustainability office of the Universityof Hawaii and helped develop asustainability strategy that spurredthe university’s commitment to cli-mate neutrality and zero waste.While in Hawaii, she also partneredwith MA’O Organic Farms, whichemployed at-risk youth, and de-signed a program to help the youthsearn a bachelor’s degree. She is alsoa senior fellow with Humanity inAction.

Winslade holds a B.A. in agri-culture, ecology, and political econ-omy and completed an M.B.A. atDuke University in December.

New HiresTo give our campus community anopportunity to welcome its newmembers, the Garnet Connectionwill list recently hired staff, as spacepermits. Below are the individualswho began working at the Collegebetween Oct. 1, 2015 and March 1,who have not already been recog-nized in the Garnet Connection:

Arletta Burton, technician,Environmental Services

Mary Ciurlino, associate projectmanager, Capital Planning andProject Management, FacilitiesManagement

Bruce Easop, Presidential Fellow,President’s Office

Noel Ferrol, assistant, DiningServices

Ashley Henry, project director,Youth Empowerment Program(Blueprints), Black Cultural Center

Casey Hoferica, nurse practitioner,Health Center

Soph Horn, manager of informationsystems, Human Resources Office

Thomas Hutchinson, TriCollegeweb developer, McCabe Library

Colin Mason, cook, DiningServices

Leah Orchowski, nurse practitioner,Health Center

Margaret Ralph, systems supportanalyst, Admissions Office

Elizabeth Slocum, writer/editor,The Swarthmore Bulletin,Communications Office

Elizabeth Stern, baker, DiningServices

Tobin White, technician,Environmental Services

New Hires — Continued from page 4

Black History Monthhighlighted withluncheon

On Feb. 12, the College’sEnvironmental ServicesDepartment sponsored a BlackHistory Month luncheon in UpperTarble with speakers, dancing,and food. The celebration includedperformances by Praise Danceand Harry Jackson, along with atalk by Dion Lewis, assistant deanand director of the Black CulturalCenter. The three-hour eventwrapped up with dancing to musicfrom DJ George.

6the GARNET connection SPRING 2016

Garnet Club honors30-plus years of servicePresident Valerie Smith hosted a breakfast for themembers of the Garnet Club Dec. 11, prior to the annualWinter Gathering. The club is made up of employees whohave served the College for 30 years or more. At thebreakfast were Sharon Armstrong, Angela DiPaolo,Vivian Hart, and Diane Watson, each with 30 years ofservice; Jimmy Ellis with 35 years; and Didi Beebe with40 years. Pictured from left are Armstrong,environmental services; Hart, environmental services;President Valerie Smith; and Beebe, facilitiesmanagement.

7the GARNET connection SPRING 2016

Winter Gathering honors service

The annual Winter Gathering, held Dec. 11 in the LangConcert Hall, honored staff service to Swarthmore. Twelvestaff members were recognized for reaching the quarter-century mark with the College. Honorees also included 11retirees along with one colleague with 40 years of service,another with 35 years, four with 30 years, 12 with 20years, 15 with 15 years, and 14 with 10 years. The pre-ceremony music was provided once again by Andrew Hauze’04, instructor and director of musical performance.