Issue 7, Spring 2010

Since the school year began lastfall, Public Safety has given outnearly 2,000 tickets on campus.But department officials say build-ing more spaces is too costly and islooking at other ways to solve theparking problem.

Public Safety gave out about1,828 parking and traffic violationcitations from last fall to April 13.

Director of Public SafetyMichael Lopez manages allcharges for the citations, whichrange from $20 to $250. He has

more than eight years of vehicletrafficking experience as a policeofficer, and said he strives toensure the traffic safety on campus.

“If you don’t have parking andregulation, you have chaos, andthat is what we have tried to stayaway from,” he said.

Plenty of students know thefrustrating feeling of walking toher or his car and noticing the red-barred ticket on the windshield.

“I got a $55 ticket because I hadmy flashers and part of my car wasin the red zone,” said Music MFAstudent and commuter WilliamFitch, who is one of many who are

ticketed for parking in the red or inan undesignated spot. “I was goingto contest it, but I just paid it.”

Lopez said students on campusare most ticketed at the Oval infront of Mills Hall.

“Students will park there whenthey can’t find any other parkingplaces and they are late for class,”Lopez said, “and they can’t parkthere in the 13 guest spots.”

The most ticketing on campususually occurs at the beginning of each semester when studentsdon’t have parking permits on their windshields.

Public Safety usually offers a

leniency period of two weeks for the Mills community to gettheir permits.

“Then I say ‘Go out and buzzthem’ and they will sometimeswrite over 100 tickets in onenight,” Lopez said.

Students can also receive mov-ing violation tickets from running astop sign or not respecting a pedes-trian’s right of way.

“People need to slow down.And yes, we know you are in ahurry but, sometimes, when youare driving too fast, you get tunnelvision, and I have seen way too

In the wake of widespread dis-satisfaction with TuitionManagement System (TMS), MillsCollege’s M Center will switch to astreamlined billing and paymentservice that will enable studentsand families to manage their finan-cial accounts on one Web site.

On June 1, the M Center willlaunch an improved studentaccount site through CASHNet,which officials hope will be morecomprehensive, reliable andaccommodating to students andtheir families than the current TMSsetup. All students will be able tolog on to see their balance and paytheir tuition and fees online.

According to Deborah Long, MCenter Operations Manager, nega-tive responses from Mills studentsand families in a survey conductedby TMS last fall to determineMonthly Payment Plan and eBill user satisfaction inspired the switch.

By leaving TMS, Long said theM Center hopes to find a paymentprovider with strengths in not onlypayment plans, but electronicbilling and online payments as well.

“The issue we have with TMSis that students have to go to threedifferent sites to do those things,”Long said, referring to how stu-dents must go to one Web site tomake payments and view andchange payment plans, anotherWeb site to make payments in full and another Web site to view their eBill.

“What we found was that it wasreally confusing for students andfamilies to go to all these differentWeb sites,” she said.

“If you fixed about a dozendesign defects in your Web userinterface, you could improve yourcustomer retention and reduce yoursupport costs,” one frustratedanonymous parent suggested in thesurvey. “You know what thedefects are. Why don’t you do it?”

Such defects include not justthe inconvenience of logging onto multiple Web sites, but also miscommunication issues between them.

“Their system isn’t talking withour database system,” Long said.

The U.S. Postal Service willclose its Mills College branch thissummer, leaving a vacant spot thatthe institution’s Mail and CopyCenter will move into and use toexpand its postal services.

Dean of Student Life Joi Lewisannounced to the Mills communitylast week that the Postal Servicestation will close, after months ofconversations between the two

organizations. USPS is in theprocess of consolidating postalservice nationwide — it released alist in August 2009 documenting677 post offices for possible clo-sure, including the one at Mills —as a result of large budget deficitsdue to decline in mail volume.Right outside Mills’ gates, thecommunity of the Dimond districtsuccessfully fought to keep its sta-tion from closing last fall.

“As we had all come to learnthat, due to the economy and budg-

et cuts, post offices are closing; andwe were concerned that we werevulnerable because we were asmall postal service,” said Lewis.

Lewis said the expansion willrelocate the Mail and Copy Centerto the USPS’s current location inRothwell Center. Over the summer,the space will undergo constructionto make room for the Mail and Copy Center’s added services as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agent.

“I think it will be a good move,

and I think it will give better serv-ices and have better hours for stu-dents,” said Vern MacKenzie,Manager of the Mail and Copy Center.

Currently, students who want tosend and receive packages must getto the post office by 2 p.m. It isonly open on weekdays as well.

According to McKenzie, stu-dents’ mailboxes will no longer beactual P.O. boxes but will instead be used as private boxes to

Keeping in time with the Mills community since 1917

VOLUME 95 ISSUE 7 www.thecampanil.com Monday | April 19, 2010

SERVICES

SStteepphhaanniiee SSccrreerrrraaCOPY EDITOR

FINANCES

ALIXANDRA GREENMAN

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MMoorrggaann RRoossssNEWS EDITOR

page 5Mailsee

Paymentsystemreplaced

USPS branch closing

Mills to expand its mail services

Sophomore Emelie Whiting uses the mailbox outsidethe USPS branch located in Rothwell Center. Over thecoming summer, this branch will close and Mills’ Mailand Copy Center will expand its postal services.

Students find campus parking situation difficult MMoorrggaann RRoossssNEWS EDITOR

TRANSPORTATION

page 5Paymentseepage 4Parkingsee

Ceramics professor

retiringp. 7

Mills College recentlyannounced it is replacing our

current tuition payment systemTuition Management Services(TMS) with CASHNet, whose Website’s slogan promises to allow youto make “any payment, any time,anywhere.”

This is good news for studentswho have been using the College’scurrent provider to break up pay-ments into monthly installments. Arecent survey concluded that TMSis notorious among some studentsfor being highly unreliable as apayment option. For example,

some students have reported beingunder or over-billed by TMS.Others have noted an apparent lackof efficient communicationbetween TMS and the M Center,which has resulted in inconsisten-cies about the total amount due.This has caused frustration for stu-dents and their families as well asthe M Center, which was responsi-ble for implementing and uphold-ing the payment system.

Many students disagree with theoutrageous fees they’ve beencharged when they’ve made wrongor late payments. Although billsshould ideally be paid on time, it isunfair to charge students excessive

fees for something which may havebeen the result of the TMS Web

site’s confusing interface. WithTMS, customers have to go to three

different sites to make their pay-ments, a confusing and time-con-suming process in dire need ofimprovement. Mills has used TMSfor about 10 years. It seems thatduring that time the companyshould have updated the systemthat has resulted in complaintsfrom many of its customers.

Students who are critical ofTMS’ confusing payment processmay find comfort in the fact thatCASHNet offers to “share the samearchitecture, which means oneintegrated system for Web pay-ments, electronic billing, install-ment payment plans, electronicrefunding, cashiering and depart-

mental commerce,” according to itsWeb site.

CASHNet will hopefully proveto be a better payment system, notonly for Mills students and parents,but for the College as a whole. TheFinance Department has said thatCASHNet will cost Mills lessmoney in the long run.

Although Mills’ contract withTMS went on longer than it proba-bly should have, the M center wasright to respond as soon as theysaw the survey results. Our tuitionpayment system has been too con-voluted for too long and, hopefully,CASHNet will produce improve-ments in the system’s efficiency.

Ev e r y -o n e

walks in Gra-nada, Spain,which mightnot seemnotable orimportant, but,trust me, it’svery notice-able here.

Let me elaborate: It’s not justthat everyone walks, but it’s theway people walk and the culturearound it. Here, walking is a socialevent that happens every hour ofthe day and night. You see clustersof families eating helado (icecream) as they walk through themain plazas, friends going windowshopping and old couples strollinghand-in-hand along the river.Sometimes, there is a destination inmind, and, other times, there isn’t.

It is a certain kind of walkingthat doesn’t have a hurried orrushed quality to it. One of mySpanish friends tried to describe tome how she could spot theAmerican students by the way they

walk. She said Americans alwayswalk so quickly and with suchdetermination, as if they are dead-set on getting to a location withoutany detours or distractions.

I have always been a fast walk-er. My friends and family have def-initely asked me to slow downmore than once. I have alwayswalked to my destination with myeyes straight forward, set on get-ting to wherever I have to be.

But being in Granada has mademe pause every once in a while.Sometimes, I still get annoyedwhen a group of 10 people is tak-ing up the entire walkway and juststrolling, but I often find myselfslowing my pace to take in thethings around me. I have lived in ornear big cities all my life, andGranada is small in comparison toLos Angeles, San Francisco andOakland. But somehow, Granadahas the magical characteristic ofseeming both big and alivebecause everyone’s always outsideand Granada’s small enough towalk everywhere in.

Maybe by the time I comehome I will have learned to slowmy pace a little. I am not makingany promises, but I am trying.

Opinions & Editorial22 AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00

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The Campanil welcomes public commentary on subjects of interestto the campus community, as well as feedback on the paper itself.Submissions for Open Forum should be no more than 400 words.Letters to the editor should be no more than 150 words. Submissionsmay be edited for length and clarity.

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CAMPANILTHE News Editor Morgan Ross

Asst. Online Editor Maxamaris Hoppe5000 MacArthur Blvd.Oakland, CA 94613510.430.2246 phone

510.430.3176 fax

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CASHnet improves tuition payment plan

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Editorial

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Letter from a broad

Walking in Granada

Copy Editor Stephanie Scerra

Sahar MomandGUEST COLUMNIST“

The article titled "Cyclonesadd two team wins to record”published in the April 5 issueincorrectly stated that Mills wonall sets of single matches and allbut one of the double matches.The scoring however, went asfollows: Mills won all three sets

of doubles, along with two singlematches, losing only one singleset during the match.

In the article in the April 5issue titled “College 60 nolonger a requirement,” Mills stu-dent Kat Gaines' grade level wasincorrect. She is a junior.

Corrections:

THE CENTER CANNOT HOLDA beat behind:

The center was not holding,” wrote Joan Didion in

her famous article “SlouchingTowards Bethlehem,” whichchronicles the counterculturalmovement that swarmed theHaight-Ashbury in the 1960s. Thesummer of 1967 was a time ofsocial tension and uncertainty, atime when it was easier to drop outand rebuild an identity of idealsrather than try to make nice withthe increasingly finger-wagging,contradicting, violent reality grow-ing on America’s streets and in theVietnam War.

Washington D.C., our nation’scapitol, is in many ways the centerof the world, a holding pen forsome of the most powerful andinfluential men and women of ourtime. Yet, as I’ve walked aroundthe city these last few weeks,Didion’s words keep coming backto me. The center is, as I realizenow, not holding.

According to a March 25 articleby Washington Post staff writerTim Craig, “Nearly one out of fiveDistrict residents lives at or belowthe poverty line, a statistic thathelps expose a widening gapbetween the rich and the poor in thenation’s capital.” Craig furtherreports, “Last year the Districtexperienced its biggest single-yearincrease in poverty since 1995.”The center is not holding.

The title of Didion’s article isborrowed from the last line of aYeats poem entitled “The SecondComing,” in which Yeats writes,“The best lack all conviction, whilethe worst are full of passionateintensity.” Walking around Capitol

Hill, you wouldn’t really knowanything was wrong.

The night of the health carevote, I watched two very tan con-gressmen standing outside a popu-lar, high-end Italian restaurant withtheir gleaming wives, standing tall,smiling bright and handing the staffand diners their business cards.Afterward, the host showed me thecards he’d been given, autographedby rock stars of the GOP.

“They said not to worry,” hesaid. “They’re not gonna letObama get away with this tonight.It’s my generation that’s going tohave to pay for all his stuff.”

When I asked if he had healthinsurance, the host paused andanswered, “No, but I’m only 22.”

There are two realities here inD.C.: The first is tourist-friendly,gleaming-white, statuesque monu-ments framed by blooming cherryblossoms and American flags. Thesecond is that the number of chil-dren living in poverty is one inthree, twice the national average.The unemployment rate reached 12percent in February. The center isnot holding.

Within the last few months, theDistrict Metro Rail and buses werehit with fare increases due to a $40million shortfall in this year’sbudget and a projected $145 mil-lion deficit in the upcoming 2011fiscal year beginning in July.According to board budget records,the Metro will also have to comeup with $11.4 billion within thenext 10 years to replace hundredsof older rail cars. Their goal is toaddress safety concerns raised afterthe numerous accidents and near-

accidents that have plagued thetransit service over the last coupleof years.

According to an article byWashington Post staff writer AnneScott Tyson, published March 29,“Rail passengers, who face a 15percent increase in fares, have amedian income of $102,000; 75percent are white, 18 percent areunemployed and one in 50 lives ina household without a car.Meanwhile, bus riders who facedthe largest increases at 20 percenthave a median annual income of$69,000; 50 percent are minorities;23 percent are unemployed and onein five families have no car.

The Washington Metro TransitAuthority is the second largest railtransit system and the sixth largestbus network in the United States. Italso has the highest fatality rate ofany transit system in the country.

We hear it over and over againfrom both sides of the aisle andacross media platforms: Politicianson the hill are out of touch withmainstream America, but what canyou expect when they’ve complete-ly neglected the world just beyondtheir office windows?

As the late Howard Zinnobserved, “To say that people havethe right to life, liberty, the pursuitof happiness, means that if there isinequality in those things, societyhas a responsibility to correct thesituation and ensure that equality.”

But if D.C. is the heart and cen-ter of our great country, then asYeats concluded many years ago,“The falcon cannot hear the falcon-er; things fall apart; the center can-not hold.”

Mills has used TMS for 10years. It seems that duringthat time the companyshould have updated thesystem that has resulted incomplaints from many of its customers.

Opinions & Editorial 33AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00


MMeellooddiiee MMiiuuWEB EDITOR

I have decided to boycott “Avatar:The Last Airbender,” a live-actionmovie set to be released this Julybased on an animated series, becauseI believe the choice to cast whiteactors in Asian roles is racist.

Being a huge fan of the cartoonseries, I do feel like I’m missing out,but not seeing the film is the least Ican do to honor the show I came tolove and relate to. I’ve started to feelconstrained by my attachments to thefranchise that, although precious tome, reeks of blatant discrimination.

It took me a few months before Idecided to boycott, because, initially,I was making up excuses to justifywatching the movie.

“Okay, so Aang (the hero‘Avatar’) may look different in thetrailer (the actor is white) and so doesKatara ... and Sokka (secondary char-acters, also white). And Zuko and hisuncle (the villains, both SouthAsians) sort of look like their originalcounterparts. But the movie looksawesome!”

For me, it’s often easier to ignorethe problem by pushing the nagginginner voice to the back of my mind.But the issue of racism still remains.

When I first watched the cartoonseries, I was so moved by the gor-geous, detailed art with attention-grabbing colors; the lovable, multi-faceted characters, both the good andbad guys; and the countless refer-ences towards Asian and Inuit culturethat were so well-researched and ofgreat influence to the show. “The

Last Airbender” was a mix ofJapanese anime, Eastern philoso-phies, yoga and martial arts so kickass even Bruce Lee would hiya! inapproval.

Before I decided to boycott, Iexcused the decisions of Hollywoodand the director M. Night Shyamalan,who chose to cast white leads. I’msure he did a good job in capturingthe magical qualities of the cartoon,but along the way, he lost track of theoriginal intent of the series.

The real beauty of the show was itdidn’t rely on stereotypes in order totell a great story and have great char-acters. It showcased not only peopleof color but also women who werepowerful, saving the world and kick-ing some serious butt along the way.The cartoon was something I, ayoung Chinese woman, really enjoybecause hey, those characters areawesome and look like me.

Unfortunately, the cartoon ver-sion of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”is a gem in an industry still run byprejudice. Although Shyamalan isIndian-American, it doesn’t excusethe fact that he cast the heroes withwhite actors and the villains as Asian.

I don’t agree with his weak rebut-tal to the race controversy in an inter-view with a science blog, in which heexplained he chose actors based on“ambiguity” when he really meantwhite, the default race for any protag-onist. He especially didn’t support hisargument when his casting call askedfor “Caucasians and other ethnici-ties” rather than “All ethnicities.” Seethe difference?

Shyamalan could have tried hard-

er, but he didn’t. I feel very gratefulabout the fact that the original cre-ators of the show were not involvedin the film’s casting because I don’tknow if I could feel any sadder. It’syellowface, plain and simple.

I was at Wondercon on April 3when I passed by the booth forRacebending, a grassroots mediawatchdog organization “advocatingjust and equal opportunity in film andtelevision” and the primary protestgroup of ‘The Last Airbender,’ usingthe main character Aang’s face withhis distinct Asian features as its sym-bol. One of their missions is to direct-ly contact studios that ‘racebend,’ ordiscriminate, against actors of color,and take action to protest or boycottthose industries.

The people at the booth handedout free Racebending wristbands,pins, fliers and photographedWondercon patrons who are also dis-appointed in Hollywood’s poor deci-sions. Crowds held signs with phras-es such as: “Aang can be Asian andstill save the world,” and “Supportfair casting.”

On their table was a booklet filledwith pictorials comparing the faces ofthe original television characters withtheir live action counterparts. When Iwas confronted with the dark-haired,brown-skinned face of cartoonKatara – my favorite character – withher fair-skinned Caucasian actressNicola Peltz, it became clear to me itwas another example of racism.

After that, I picked up a pin andwristband and made my choice toprotest as well. I wish I had decidedto earlier.

‘Airbender’ racist casting decision warrants boycott from audiences

This picture shows the casting decisions made for the new live-action movie version of Avatar: The LastAirbender. The casting decision has lead to boycotts of the film lead in part by Racebending, a non-profit.

PHOTO COURTESY RACEBENDING.COM

“I love to play tennis and thetennis courts are great and Ilike the swimming pool. Ilove the campus.”

— Anna Schrammeijer, 19,Holland

"It is a nice area and thestudents are nice and itis a good place for stu-dents.”

— Jeremy Delplanque,22, France

"My favorite thingto do is go to eventsand meet Mills stu-dents."

— David Bichsel,20, Switzerland

EF Students: What do you think of Mills?

ILLUSTRATED BY MELODIE MIUALIXANDRA GREENMAN AND CHRISTINA MACIAS CONTRIBUTED.

Soapbox

News44 AA pprr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00

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many close calls,” said Lopez, whoencourages Public Safety to watchfor vehicles surpassing the 20 mileper hour speed limit on campus.

Still, the biggest concern sharedby most students who drive oncampus is the availability of park-ing spaces.

“The parking is not horrible,but you do have to come early,especially if your class is after 1:00p.m. It is hard to find spots,” saidsenior Crystal Winje.

There are about 1,084 parkingspots on campus, each designatedfor one type of driver — eithercommuter, residential, faculty, staffor facilities.

Mills has 50 parking spots incompliance with government regu-lations, which requires ADA-accessible spaces at the center ofthe campus.

Lopez said plans to ease park-ing woes caused by high demandduring certain hours includeinstalling a car share program,which will allow students to rent acar for an hour to go off campus. Afew years ago, the departmentthought about building a new park-ing structure on campus or other-wise add more spaces, but Lopezsaid the idea “was short-livedbecause [of] how much it cost.”

A 2007 estimate was $40,000per space. The cost was so high

because the land for extra parkingspaces, particularly those that needto be ADA-accessible, would haveto be leveled to be built.

As graduation approaches,Lopez said he recommends gradu-ating students and their familiesarrive early for parking, as the cer-emony will be extra crowded sinceNancy Pelosi is this year’s com-mencement speaker.

“My tip is to get there early,early, early. Last year, we had toclose the front gate because all theparking places were filled,” Lopezsaid.

Lopez recommends arriving by8:30 a.m. and plans to create morespace for regular and ADA-accessi-ble parking by opening the presi-dent's meadow for parking.

According to the Student Safetyand Transportation guide, parkingillegally in an ADA-accessible bluezone carries a $250 fine. Parkingillegally at a fire hydrant, fire laneor tow away zone costs $50. Whengiven a citation, students must paythe fine in 14 days or submit anappeal form, available in the PublicSafety Office, to the CitationAppeals Committee.

Students also have the option topay off the fine with communitywork and campus clean up.Community service work includesoffice work. If the citation is notpaid the fine can be doubled andplaced upon the student’s account.

Director of Public Safetydiscusses parking issues

Parking, from page 1

Music Graduate Program has more men than womenMost programs in the Mills

College curriculum are character-ized by gender imbalance, but it’susually the women that outnumberthe men. In the graduate music pro-gram, however, more men thanwomen are currently enrolled.

“It’s been an issue for manyyears. We’ve been working on it,”said Maggi Payne, a music profes-sor and the co-director of theCenter for Contemporary Music.She is one of two female full-timefaculty members in the program.

One year, she said, the electron-ic music program admitted 19 stu-dents, only five of whom werewomen.

According to Payne, the pro-gram is making an effort to rectifythe gender imbalance. The facultydoes extensive advertising andrecruiting among female electronicmusicians through several organi-zations, including the InternationalAssociation for Women in Music(IAWM).

The program is trying to workwith the Office of InstitutionalAdvancement (OIA) to create morescholarships geared towardswomen.

“It’s pretty much a department-wide feeling that we should pro-mote women in electronic music,”said the Technical Director for theCenter for Contemporary MusicLes Stuck.

He said he believes in using anaffirmative action-like approach

“until the problem is fixed.”Payne said, “We do our best,

but again, part of it is the applicantpool.” But she added that genderimbalance is universal in the elec-tronic music field.

“Traditionally there are morewomen in performance. In compo-sition, it is not the case; there are alot of guys,” Payne said.

According to second-year MFAstudent Barton McGuire, it is diffi-cult to attract more women to theprogram because “every programin the country is trying to attractmore women.”

Holly Herndon, a second-year

MFA student in the music depart-ment, said, “Our society has thesame issue with engineering pro-grams or math programs beingmale-dominated.”

Herndon said men may be morelikely to be involved in the elec-tronic music program because theyare socially conditioned to be moretechnically inclined.

“The next generation won’t beintimidated by this new technologybecause they will grow up with it,”she said.

For Herndon, the fact that Millsis a women’s college was not a“leading factor” in her decision to

attend, though she said it did con-tribute to her choice.

“It really resonated with methat Mills is so supportive ofwomen,” Herndon said.

In Herndon’s electronic musicprogram, there are only threewomen and about 20 men. Eventhough there are more men thanwomen in the program, studentsand faculty in the department saythe program remains sensitive togender issues.

“It is something I’m constantlyaware of and have to be sensitiveto,” said first-year MFA music stu-dent Greg Zifcak.

McGuire also said he remainsaware of his status on a mostlywomen’s campus.

“The fact that this is a women’scollege is a big reason some peoplecome here and I didn’t want tointrude on that,” he said.

But according to Herndon,there are some benefits to beingoutnumbered by men.

“There is almost a hunger formore women to get involved, mak-ing it sometimes easier to getshows,” Herndon said. “It’s a goodtime to be a woman involved inelectronic music, thanks to so manywomen and men before us.”

STEPHANIE SCERRA

Male students of the Mills Music MFA program share a laugh with undergraduate music major Lucy Moore on the Tea Shop steps.

NNiiccoollee VVeerrmmeeeerrOPINIONS EDITOR

Over the last decade, the MillsCollege community has come along way in promoting sustainabil-ity and environmentalism on cam-pus with pro-recycling and wasteminimization initiatives.

“We transformed sustainabilityand environmentalism to more thanjust recycling and compost, butalso to include restoration of ourcampus, waste minimization, waterconservation and promoting a cul-ture of reuse,” said junior MageePage, a member of the student clubEarth Community Organized toRespect, Protect and Sustain theEarth (Earth CORPS).

Earth CORPS is leading nextweek’s Earth Week events, includ-ing a Craft Fair April 22.

Recycling on campus has beenan important part of Mills sustain-ability, including the efforts fromcampus dining services.

According to OperationsManager Roselia Zendejas, diningservices encouraged recycling andcomposting initiatives in 2000.

“We were the test department insustainability because we were thebiggest waste contributors of theprogram,” said Zendejas, whospoke about how dining serviceshas reduced food waste on campusin the last decade.

Former Recycling ManagerHeidi Obermeit, who started work-ing on campus in July 2006,recalled the efforts made by diningservices before she started her sus-tainability work.

“When I started at Mills theywere collecting some recycling andcompost from the campus, whichwas mostly back of house materialfrom the food service areas butthere wasn’t much in terms of recy-cling collection from the dorms,office buildings or classrooms,”she said. “Besides the LEED build-ing in the works there was anabsence of any other visible sus-tainability programs beyond recy-cling and composting.”

Obermeit helped organize theinfrastructure of the recycling pro-gram, earning grant money for pur-chase of recycling bins at the TeaShop and Cafe Suzie. She alsofocused on creating a recyclinggroup on campus to promote stu-dent involvement.

“I would like to see studentsstep up and really make changehappen. Students often don’t real-ize just how much power they haveto make a concrete difference ontheir campus. If students make theirvoice heard and push for environ-mental change they can really havea huge impact on environmentalpolicy at Mills,” she said.

In solidarity in addressing theissue of global warming, PresidentJanet Holmgren signed a NationalClimate Commitment in June 2007with more than 300 presidents andchancellors in the U.S. to affirm itscommitment of environmentalstewardship.

After Obermeit left, Recyclingand Sustainability Manager BrittaBullard took over environmentalaccountability on campus. She

helped create the Reuse Depot in2008, a free, student-run centerlocated in Reinhardt Hall wherecommunity members can donatetheir clothes and school supplies.

Bullard also spoke about thesustainability initiatives BonAppetit has taken, including theLow Carbon Diet, which decreasesthe company’s carbon impact byraising awareness of factors thatincrease carbon dioxide emissions.

“There’s potential to reducewaste and there is potential to havemore food grown on campus, toexpand our restoration sites that wehave been working on along thecreek. There is potential to increaseour energy efficiency to reducegreenhouse gases,” Bullard said.

Another intitiave in partnershipwith Bon Appetit was the school’sparticipation in Recyclemania,which in 2010 reduced waste from2.67 lbs of compost per person to0.86 lbs per person by the ninthweek of the competition.

“The ultimate goal for Mills isto reach zero waste,” said Bullard,who hopes to push for compost ini-

tiatives, especially during schoolevents and clearer recycling binsignage on all bins on campus.

“I feel that we could increaseour diversion rate if we could havehigher composting and recyclingrates,” she said.

She also hopes to encourage abike culture on campus to lessenstudent dependency on driving toand from the dining hall and class.

The sustainability campaign oncampus includes a restoration ofthe campus’ creek environment andthe promotion of water conserva-tion as well.

“Restoring the creek supportsbiodiversity and healthier ecosys-tems that, like all living things,depend on clean water,” explainedarchitectural assistant BrianHarrington.

He has been working withEarth CORPS in the restoration ofLeona Creek and campus streamsby reducing non-native speciesdamaging its ecosystem andencouraging plantation of nativeflora.

“The creek is one of the few

physical elements connecting ourgrounds to the surrounding land-scape and neighborhoods,” he said.

The College has taken on sever-al water-conservation initiativesincluding waste water systems inthe Natural Sciences Building andGraduate School of Business thatuse rainwater.

In addition drought-resistantbush grass has been planted outsidethe GSB Building and in the Millscommunity garden.

“I have only had to water thebush grass in the community gar-den four times since 2007,” saidGarden Coordinator andSustainability Committee memberChristina McWhorter, who growsnative flora in the community gar-den to replace non-native speciesalong Lake Aliso.

“We need to promote behaviorwhere we are consciously usingwater efficiently and not using itwhen we don’t need it,” she said.

According toGreenreportcard.org, the Collegereceived a B- overall, an A in stu-dent involvement — citing theleadership initiatives byEarthCORPS — and an F inendowment transparency, describ-ing how the College would not dis-close endowment holdings or itsshareholder voting records in 2010.

“The administration needs to bemore transparent in its involvementof sustainability and raise aware-ness of these issues and get morepeople involved,” Page said.

According to Bullard, theCollege has made huge improve-ments in creating a culture thatgoes beyond sustainability andenvironmentalism, particularly bybuilding student leadership.

“I feel incredibly lucky to havehad the opportunity to work with somany passionate and capable stu-dents. Participating in sustainabili-ty initiatives on campus not onlydevelops their leadership skills —it also allows them real and signifi-cant opportunities to make a differ-ence,” she said. Look for EarthWeek activities going on all weekin honor of Earth Day.

News 55AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00


Campus history of environmentalism

Campus mail service expands totake over U.S. postal service duties

DATA COURTESY OF RECYELMANIA.COM MADE BY LISA BERGQUIST

This chart depicts results from 2010’s Recyclemania Waste Minimization Competition as comparedto 2009 results. Mills received 125th place overall in 2010 compared to 116th place in 2009.

receive mail.Some students were confused

about whether the announcementmeant the post office was closingon campus.

“They made it seem like theywere going to shut it down com-pletely,” said junior Laine Janzen,who said she filled out the surveygathering input for postal servicesthat was sent to all residential stu-dents a day before Lewis made theannouncement.

According to Lewis, the Millspostal service will function as amail service for both on and off-campus users.

“The Mills postal service willnot be a U.S. post office, but wewould have all the services as if wewere. We will have more servicesthan before,” she said.

The new expansion will alsoincrease more opportunities for stu-dent workers to help out at the newmail service center.

“We might hire a couple more,”MacKenzie said. “I am looking for-ward to the move.”

The current Postal Service staffwho work at Mills will be reas-signed to a different station, as theMail and Copy Center staff willtake over responsibility of postalservices.

The expanded Mail and CopyCenter will still maintain a partner-ship with the Postal Service, whichwill continue to deliver mail toMills.

During the ASMC Open ForumApril 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lorry I.Lokey Graduate School ofBusiness, students have the oppor-tunity to ask officials questions andrelay their thoughts on the change.

One anonymous student whotook the survey had a frustratingexperience when she accidentallytyped in the wrong amount whenmaking her monthly payment.

“I was charged outrageous feesfor making a simple key pad erroron one of my payments,” the stu-dent said. “I am already a starvingcollege student. I can’t afford extrafees!”

The response was one of sever-al provided to The Campanil by MCenter staff.

Not all the experiences withTMS have been negative, as somestudents and families have appreci-ated the great customer service theprogram had to offer.

“Wonderful service, responsiveand responsible staff, no hassles.Wish that the rest of life were this

easy,” said one parent in the sameTMS-conducted survey.

But Long said when theCollege saw the survey results, herdepartment began searching for abetter tuition-payment provider inDecember 2008.

After considering reputation,cost and services, Long and othermembers of the M Center conclud-ed CASHNet, a provider thatboasts of its “one, integrated sys-tem” for all of its services, wouldprovide the best combination of theold and the new.

“We’re trying to translate ourcurrent services over toCASHNet,” Long said. “It will bethe same option for the monthlypayment plan – it will be no inter-est; there will be an enrollment fee,just like there is now; and a lotmore of the services will be han-dled by Mills behind the scenes,

and we think that will be better forcommunication.”

Currently, the M Center is inthe testing phase of the new pro-gram as employees are configuringthe new Web site.

“When students log into thePortal and go to MyMills, they canactually go straight to this accountpage, your account page,” Longsaid. “That’s the difference: You’renot going to three outside Websites…. It’s a seamless transition.”

Through the new system, e-mail notifications will be sentwhenever bills are ready to beviewed and students will no longerhave to write out checks for pay-ment. The cost was also a majorconsideration in this change.

Vice President for Finance andAdministration LaDene Diamondsaid CASHNet is projected to costless than TMS.


Mail, from page 1Payment, from page 1

M Center to use CASHNet service

Recyclemania 2009-2010: Waste Minimization Competition

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Features66 AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00

Some people think the only rea-son to visit Santa Cruz is to go tothe Beach Boardwalk and ride theGiant Dipper. As one ofCalifornia’s oldest wooden rollercoasters, it is definitely worthstanding in the ridiculously longlines for, at least once. But if you’relooking for a relaxing weekenddestination that’s slightly off thebeaten path, there’s much more tosee and do in the area. Since SantaCruz is only about an hour and ahalf drive from Mills College, it isworth the trip.

For starters, Santa Cruz is hometo the world famous Mystery Spot,an attraction known for its unusualgravitational field that causes visi-tors to question the laws of physics.The effects of the area are difficultto explain, but visitors will likelybe amused by their ability to standon walls and balls that roll uphill.

Though the Mystery Spot maybe a little hokey for some, admis-sion is only $5. Tours usually lastabout 45 minutes and, dependingon the time of day you go, it can geta little chilly, so be sure to bring a

sweater or a sweatshirt.After your tour of the Mystery

Spot, you might want to take astroll through historic downtownfor some dining and shopping.Pacific Avenue mixes locally-owned shops and restaurants withcommercial establishments. Bigchains like Urban Outfitters,American Apparel and Borders arenestled in between independentbookstores, pizzerias, bars, coffeeshops and vintage clothing stores.

If you’re looking for somethingto eat that is both quick and cheap,check out one of the many burritoplaces nearby. Taqueria Vallarta,located right on Pacific Avenue,and Planet Fresh Gourmet Burritos,a block away, are two localfavorites.

Santa Cruz also offers a varietyof vegan and vegetarian diningoptions. Dharma’s Restaurant,located just outside of Santa Cruzin Capitola, has a large selection ofveggie and gluten-free meals.

For the coffee-lovers, SantaCruz offers a variety of coffeeshops specializing in Fair Tradeand organic products. Santa CruzCoffee Company has one of thelargest selections of organic coffeein the area and will brew a fresh

individual cup of coffee while youwait. Another hot spot is CaféPergolesi, a coffee house located inan old renovated Victorian house.

If you’re looking to hang out atthe beach all weekend, it’s best toavoid the ones directly in SantaCruz, which are often crowded anddirty. Natives often opt for SeacliffState Beach, located in Aptos, justa 15-minute drive from Santa Cruz.It offers beautiful views of theentire Monterey Bay. Some days,you might even spot a dolphin orseal swimming close to shore.

After a day in the sun, youmight want to have a few drinksand catch a movie or a concert.Santa Cruz has a variety of venues,bars and independent movie the-aters. The Crepe Place, located onSoquel Avenue, is great to checkout for drinks – if you’re 21 orolder – and concerts. It hosts smalllocal bands, as well as larger actslike Rilo Kiley. Just across thestreet is the Rio Theatre, whichusually showcases slightly largeracts and will host She & Him laterthis summer. The NickelodeonTheatre and the Del Mar are twoindependent movie theaters localsenjoy visiting for their dose of arthouse films.

The Del Mar Theatre shows independent as well as mainstreamfilms. It also shows cult classics at midnight on weekends.

HHeeaatthheerr MMccDDaanniieellASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

HEATHER MCDANIEL


Santa Cruz offers morethan just the Boardwalk

Features 77


Among students, world-renowned ceramic sculptor andMills College art professor RonNagle is known as an unorthodoxman who speaks his mind, rocksout in style and occupies himselfwith his mix of refined and eccen-tric interests.

In his small office tucked awayin the Ceramics building, there areshelves lined with art history booksand doo-wop records. Draped overa black fabric couch is a fleeceblanket depicting Elvis Presleyencircled by electric guitars.Nearby lies a fuzzy white throwpillow that reads “Never do a jobhalf-assed” in pink embroidery.

Even at age 71, Nagle takespleasure in staying fashionable.Whether he is teaching or working,he dons old pinstriped overalls andpowder blue Ed Hardy shoes deco-rated with American flag bandana-wearing skulls.

Sometimes, when he’s feelingsemi-formal, he changes into anash-brown blazer, pink pullovervest and fedora hat. Around hisneck are two thin silver chainsadorned with various charms, oneof which is a tiny red heart symbol-izing his wedding anniversary onSt. Valentine’s Day.

Nagle, who currently serves aschair of his department, is retiringafter 32 years of teaching. He saidhe hopes to spend more time withhis wife and daughter and to con-

tinue “working, working, working.”

“This is my last semester, soI’m going to kick ass, give it my alland close big,” Nagle said.

Nagle has taught ceramics atMills since 1978. Since then, he’salso been a graduate advisor and aGraduate Council member. Alongwith colleagues, he helped create acredible art department for bothundergraduate and MFA students.

“I love teaching, it keeps mefresh,” Nagle said. “I learn as muchas they do. These are all clichédanswers, but it’s true. I like to talkto students about everything, frommusic to whatever. They keep me informed.”

He said he finds challengingstudents’ preconceptions abouttheir artistic abilities rewarding.

“Somebody would come in andsay, ‘I don’t have a creative bone inmy body,’ and [I could] show themthat they do,” Nagle said.

“He helped me rediscover mylove of clay,” said sophomoreCayden Coronado, who mademiniature sculptures of his sisterand himself.

Nagle finds it exciting to guidestudents to accomplish so much inthe real world outside the College.

“He has taught me so much andmade it fun! I feel so lucky to havebeen at Mills during the Ronyears,” said Dana Hemenway, asecond-year MFA student andNagle’s Beginning Ceramics teach-ing assistant.

Although Nagle loves being aprofessor and will miss the stu-

dents, he said many aspects of aca-demia have driven him “absolutelynuts.” He admits he dislikes attend-ing meetings and tends to just drawduring those sessions.

“I don’t act like an academicbecause I’m not one. Let’s say I’ma street rat that got in the back-door,” Nagle said, feeling that theinstitution has cut into his time forcreating art.

Although many admire his hon-esty, he has run into trouble forbeing too frank — often with theadministration.

“Some people think of me asbeing rude or disrespectful. If Idon’t agree with someone, if I thinkthere’s something wrong, I’m aloose cannon with a short fuse,”Nagle said.

Marilyn Mary, the art facultyadministrative assistant, has beenworking alongside Nagle since1975. They are both co-workersand friends. Mary said she admireshim for being a “straight shooter.”

“I will miss his visits. He walksinto this office a lot singing tunes,”Mary said.

“He has humor that plays onwords. When he was in his early20s, he tried out as a stand-upcomedian and wasn’t bad at it. Youfeel good when you’re around Ron.”

Nagle has a long history in theartistic world. Although his ventureinto clay began in high school, itwasn’t until he studied under thelate ceramist Peter Voulkos at UCBerkeley that he began to develophis skill in small-scale, abstract-

expressionist ceramic sculptures.After being inspired by Italian

painter Giorgio Morandi’s still-lifeart and Japanese teacups of theAzuchi-Momoyama period, Naglealmost exclusively concentrated onvariations of the cup form.

His earthenware pieces areoften no more than three inches talland are overglazed and multi-firedto sustain vibrant colors and tex-tures — an exhaustive process hesaid he wouldn’t have patience foroutside the studio.

To get into the zone, he hassmall rituals: rubbing a framed pic-ture of his old Labrador Sadie,lighting incense and putting on softmusic — often the ‘Chinatown’movie soundtrack.

Nagle wants to shed the title“Mr. Cup,” as he’s known in the artcommunity. For the last six years,he has taken a different artistic pathby creating gestural pieces thatcapture the spirit and intimatedetails of his drawings. He hasbeen living and working in hishometown of San Francisco.

Nagle has a penchant for givingeach sculpture obscure names withpop references, such as the ‘HobNoblet,’ named after the TV series‘Strangers with Candy’s’ bittercharacter Mr. Noblet. Other namesinclude ‘New Blue LaRue,’‘Scrunchabunch’ and the ‘KnobJob,’ which has been at theSmithsonian American ArtMuseum since 1982.

Although his focus is ceramics,Nagle is also heavily involved inthe music scene as a keyboardist,

singer and songwriter. Afterrecording on his own, Nagle methis business partner, friend andmulti-instrumentalist ScottMathews. They went on to createthe recording company Proud PorkProductions.

In his home studio, called thePig Pen, the duo wrote songs thatsold millions for recording artistssuch as The Tubes and BarbraStreisand. Under Capitol Recordsin 1979, Mathews and Nagle start-ed the New Wave/pop band theDurocs, named after a pig breedwith exceptionally large ears and genitals. The Durocs continuedproducing for other artists after thelabel dropped the band.

This summer, Nagle will bereleasing his first solo record since1978 and will continue to write andrecord music with Mathews.

For countless students and col-leagues of Nagle, it is the end of anera at the College.

“I wish for him to do whateverthe hell he wants for as long as hewants,” Coronado said.

“He can get very excited,”Mary said. “I would want him tohave peace within.”

Nagle’s passion is art and hehopes students continue to explorethat passion within themselves.

“It’s been gratifying as hell.The most important thing to me isthat [students] still have the energyand passion in creating art andstrive to keep that up. It’s very dif-ficult being an artist and having abalanced life,” Nagle said. “I stillhaven’t figured that one out yet.”

MMeellooddiiee MMiiuuONLINE EDITOR

Clockwise from left: Ron Nagle, who has been teaching at Mills since 1978, works in the ceramics studio. A sign outside of a ceramics studio tells students what toexpect. One of Ron Nagle’s ceramic pieces, Death is Black Camel. Nagle will be retiring this year after a teaching career that has spanned more than three decades.

MELODIE MIU

AApp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00

Art professor retires after 32 years

Like most students coming toEducation First (EF) at MillsCollege, French exchange studentRose Turpin enrolled in the pro-gram to immerse herself in the lan-guage and culture of the U.S.

“I wanted to improve myEnglish and discover a new countryand meet new people to speakEnglish with,” said Turpin, whohas been in the program for threemonths. “It is important for myfuture to speak English.”

Turpin is enrolled in the EFUniversity Preparation program,which prepares students for an aca-demic education and a career in theU.S. EF at Mills seeks to provideeach student with a unique learningopportunity to learn Englishthrough an inter-active curriculum.

“What distinguishes EFInternational Language School atMills College from its peers is notonly the dynamic, multimedia cur-riculum used by all EF schoolsaround the world, but also thewide-ranging opportunities toexperience authentic student life onthis beautiful and historic campusin the exciting San Francisco BayArea,” said Andrew Hicks, SchoolDirector of the Mills EFInternational Language School.

“Whether it is at Founders, inthe Olin Library or on ToyonMeadow, EF students enjoy theopportunity to share their experi-ences and learn about language andculture from the Mills community.”

Students can choose to join anMBA training program to gainexperience and study for theTOEFL, GMAT and GRE exams.

The University Prep option isone of three programs, rangingfrom two weeks to more than ayear, offered by EF to foreignexchange students. These includeIntensive Language and AcademicPrograms and Pathways. The EFIntensive Course is year-round andoffers 30 courses a week with morespecialized lesson plans for stu-dents interested in business, cre-ative writing, politics and eventourism. The EF AcademicPrograms and Pathways are similarto other study abroad programswith specialized comprehensivelong-term programs.

“Our hope is that students willleave EF having had the opportuni-ty to experience and engage in thesocial and educational culture thatexists on the Mills College campus,and in doing so, will leave theUnited States with new friends anda new appreciation for both thiscountry and the diversity of theirglobal community in addition totheir much improved English lan-guage skills,” Hicks said.

For more than 21 years, Millshas partnered with EF to provide alearning space for students aroundthe world seeking an American col-lege experience. There are current-ly estimated to be 100 studentsenrolled in the program.

Even with its history of provid-ing cultural experiences for foreignstudents, many Mills students stilldo not know much about the pro-gram located up on the “Founders”hill at White Hall.

“I don't interact with them,”said senior Miriam Noriega.

Junior Suzan Boulad said sheand her friends have had uncom-fortable experiences meeting withEF students. “I wish they would be

more incorporated into the campuscommunity,” she said.

The EF staff say that they areeager to incorporate more activitiesfor Mills and EF students to meet.

“Personally, I think Mills andEF could do more integrated activ-ities,” said EF Residential AssistantBrett Berning.

EF allows Mills students to par-ticipate in most of their activities,including movie nights, barbecues,dances and even excursions to the city.

EF also offers a language part-ner program for any Mills studentto volunteer as a speaking partnerwith foreign exchange students.The EF students can help Mills stu-dents in their foreign languageskills while they in turn can helpthe EF students learn English.

“I think they are interesting toknow and it creates more diversityin the campus,” said junior DonnaLiu, who said she is friends withEF students.

EF students have recently beeninvited to several Mills events andactivities, including the annualBlack and White Ball. They alsohave access to Mills facilities suchas the gym and pool, though thereare certain gym hours only forMills students.

“The students I speak to arereally nice, and they are reallyopen,” said EF student SabinaJammahom from Holland, who hasbefriended Mills students andattends events on campus.Jammahom mentioned the socialactivities that she and her friendsparticipate in off-campus, includ-ing trips to Oakland neighborhoodsand volunteer work at a women’sshelter.

“Sometimes we go bowling

together and go see the neighbor-hoods in Oakland — not just thetourist sites, but real life places,”she said.

“I go to visit San Francisco,Berkeley and Lake Tahoe, all thetourist places,” said MarineJouanguy from France, who hopesto study international trade aftershe leaves EF. “I hang out with myfriends at night and we go to nightclubs.”

EF students are eager to meet

with Mills students to help improvetheir language skills.

“I think the classes are not soimportant because you learn moreEnglish talking to people, especial-ly going into the city,” said Belgianstudent Raza Haq Qazi. “I learnmore that way than talking to peo-ple in the class.”

To learn more about the EF pro-gram visit White Hall and sign upfor activities or join the languagepartner program.

Features88 AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00


Education First students participate in iLAB, which is part of the language learning curriculum offered in the program. EF has been active at Mills since 1989.


MORGAN ROSS

Each issue we will look at the College’s past, going fur-ther back in time. This story, originally published on April17, 1928, lamented about the indecision of the weather.

Mills through the decades

Education First program gives studentsfrom abroad the American experience

Events & Information

APRIL 19 - 2619Monday

22Thursday

23Fr iday

21Wednesday

20Tuesday

25Sunday

24Saturday

Spring 2010 Stafford LoanExit CounselingWhat: Learn how to best exityour Stafford Loan.When: 6 – 7 p.m.Where: TBAContact: M Center,(510) 430-2000

99AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00


Crime Log

Fall 2010 RegistrationWhat: Registration for all continuing students.When: 6 a.m. Monday – 12 a.m.TuesdayWhere: OnlineContact: M Center,(510) 430-2000

“The Politics of Lunacy: OnDali’s Heroics”What: Lecture by Stanford pro-fessor Joan Ramon Resina.When: 4 p.m.Where: Heller Rare Book Room,F.W. Olin LibraryContact: (510) 430-2047

Oakland Underground FilmScreening What: Films: Everyday Black Man, ADay Late In Oakland, A Life Taken.When: 7:30 p.m.Where: Pavilion Theatre, 98Broadway, OaklandContact: http://www.oakuff.org/

Kaiser Permanente OaklandFarmers' MarketWhat: Enjoy an all organic market.When: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.Where: 3801 Howe Street, OaklandContact: http://www.pcfma.com/

Sekala Niskala – Seen andUnseenWhat: Music and dance from Bali.When: 7 p.m.Where: School of the Arts, MainTheater, 555 Portola Drive, SanFranciscoContact: (510) 655-1227Cost: $20 General / $18 Senior /$15 Student / $10 Child

Educating African-Americansfor the 21st CenturyWhat: Learn about key issues ineducation for African-Americans When: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.Where: Lisser HallContact: Dr. ChristopherHarrison, [email protected]

“Speak Out and ClotheslineProject”What: Share your stories at thisevent hosted by Bay Area WomenAgainst Rape (BAWAR) and designshirts in honor of abuse victims.When: 3 – 6 p.m.Where: Lake Merritt, OaklandContact: Vicki Hitzfeld,[email protected]

Cookin’ the MarketWhat: Observe chefs preparingfood at the farmers’ market.When: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.Where: Jack London SquareContact: http://www.pcfma.com/

April 1, 2010

HIT AND RUNLocation: Richards LotNotes: Individual damagedcollege property (fence). Nosuspect or witness.

VEHICLE COLLISIONLocation: Richard’s RoadNotes: Non-injury – damagedproperty. Faculy memberfrom Julia Morgan School forGirls backed her car into amotorcycle owned by a con-tract security officer.

April 3, 2010

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTLocation: MacArthurBoulevard

Notes: During a perimetercheck, Public Safety officernoticed new damage toperimeter fence onMacArthur Boulevarrd acrossfrom Millsview.

April 8, 2010

MEDICAL RESPONSE:TRANSPORTLocation: Mills HallNotes: Individual transportedto hospital

SUBJECT BANNED FROMCAMPUSLocation: FoundersCommonsNotes: Outside vendorrequested individual bebanned from campus.

Records from the public log in located in CPM 113. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].

Soup and Substance: ThePower of MediaWhat: SAFER presents a dream-worlds film on the power ofmedia.When: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.Where: Cowell BuildingContact: (510) 430-2130

26MondayDance with Mills!What: Enjoy an open dance classfollowed by lunch.When: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.Where: Haas PavillionContact: (510) 430-2175

Academic AwardsConvocation What: Celebrate the achieve-ments of Mills students.When: 4 – 6 p.m.Where: Littlefield Concert Hall,Music BuildingContact: (510) 430-2091

Do you have an event for The Campanil Calendar?

Send it [email protected]

For more events, check out www.thecampanil.com

Please join us as we honor and recognize student, staff and faculty leaders

at the

Student Leadership and

Mills of Color AwardsThe winners will be announced

TTuueessddaayy,, AApprriill 2277 aatt 55 pp..mm..in the Lokey Graduate School of Business Gathering Hall

TThhee nnoommiinneeeess iinncclluuddee::Alexis Redeemer

Amber Williams

Ashley Grant

Brinda Mehta

Chelsea DeSouza

Chloe Diamond

Christine Chung

Desire Johnson

Divinia Anderson

Emily Meike

Gina Rosabal

Jabrilla Carr

Jennifer Courtney

Jessica Brennan

Julia Sudbury

Kalisi Kupu

Kate Dey

Kelsey Lindquist

Kirstyne Lange

Kristen Smith

LaTasha Warmsley

Liliana Gonzalez

Lilly Sahagun

Lina Blanco

Lupe Cazares

Mandy Benson

Maria Mejia

Marjan Soleimanieh

Marlene Hurd

Michelle Arauz

Monica Wilson

Nia King

Rebecca Freeman

Rebecca Waterhouse

Rebecca Williams

Sabrina Kwist

Sara Portillo

Shunkila Black Calf

T Gage

Terrilynn Cantlon

Vanessa Wilson

Weyham Ghadbian

Yolanda Tasso

Yuritzy Gomez

Sponsored by the Division of Student Life

Mills College’s annual AthleticAwards Banquet, which recognizesMills student athletes and theAthletics, Physical Education andRecreation (APER) staff, proved tobe a memorable event.

The April 14 dinner and ceremony was held in the OrchardMeadow residence dining hall.Attendees included President JanetHolmgren and Joi Lewis, the Deanof Students and Vice Provost.

Students were given awards inthree different categories: theAthletic Excellence Awards,Leadership and CommunityService Awards and the

Scholarship Awards.Kurt Loeffler won the APER

Service Award for his dedication toMills athletics. He first was oncampus just to swim in the pool butnow serves as a full-time staffmember. He is also a lifeguardingteacher and the “official” APER

photographer, which means he photographs every sports team at Mills.

Many of the awards recognizedacademic achievement in differentcategories. 56 scholar athletes hada grade point average (GPA) of 3.5or higher last year. The team andthe student with the highest GPAwere given awards. This year, theswim team had the highest GPAoverall.

Perla Cantu, a fourth-year crosscountry and third-year track andfield runner, was given the Myrt Whitcomb Leadership Award for her involvement with the community.

Senior Kirin Khan, a four-yearrower, won the Leadership Awardfor her participation in athletics andher high GPA. She has been aleader on the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Commitee Boardwhere she represents Mills. Shestarted off her thank you speech bysaying, “I’m gonna keep this shortbecause I like my speeches how Ilike my coxswains: short andfierce,” which elicited loud cheersfrom the crew team.

Athletic Director ThemyAdachi summed up the team’sachievements by saying crew was“smarter than Barbie, stronger thanKen and tougher than Themy.”

Athletes who had been selectedfor Cal Pac All-Conference honorswere also recognized at the banquet. Soccer team membersChelsea Satterwhite and KatjaDavis were selected for first and second team respectively, and

volleyball player Karen “Sally”Espinoza was selected for secondteam All-Conference. The cross country team also won first team All-Conference.

In addition, students were recognized for how many yearsthey committed to their teams.

Tennis coach Jesse Medvene-Collins thanked four-year teammembers for their commitment bysaying, “You have been a true sta-bilizing force in our department.”

Coaches were also honoredwith Laura Davis winning coachof the year.

We all know where to find theMills College coaching staff duringthe sport seasons, but where do youfind them when Haas Pavilion isempty and the coaches’ doors arelocked?

For some, coaching physicaleducation classes and club sports islike a vacation during the off-sea-son. For others, a secluded paradiseof trees, whistling birds and coollakes is the place to spend timeaway from the chaos of daily prac-tices and weekend competitions.

Head Volleyball Coach SusanForbes, who completed her firstseason at Mills last fall, has stuckaround during her off-season tocoach local competitive club vol-leyball for the Golden Bear team inBerkeley. Forbes also teaches astrengthening and conditioning PEclass this semester and hosts OpenGym nights at Mills for studentsinterested in volleyball.

“Coaches wear a lot of hats atsmaller schools,” said Forbes,reflecting on the various responsi-bilities she has taken on.

Head Swim Coach Neil Virtueoften travels to foreign countries —such as Costa Rica, Mexico andCuba — during his down time. Healso takes time out to teach swim-ming classes and act as advisor forthe Student-Athletic Advisory

Committee for Mills athletes.This year, however, Virtue is

shifting his vacation plans fromtravel to remodeling his kitchenand attending to his new hobby:Cuban-style percussion. Virtue saidthe Bay Area is a hot-spot forCuban music and he plays theCongo drums as part of a localAfro-Cuban folkloric group.

Another aspect of the coaches’off-season is making sure enroll-ment in the College’s competitiveathletic teams remains consistent.Recruiting takes up a good chunkof a coach’s time.

“Recruiting fluctuates through-out the year. It is an interestingchallenge to recruit to an all-girlsschool,” Virtue said.

As for new Head Crew CoachCarrie Davis, playing with her kids,riding horses, reading and “havingtime to simply be” is on the agendafor her off-season.

Laura Davis, who coachescross country and track and field,said she uses her off-season toindulge in her favorite hobby.

“I go to a cabin in the north

woods of Minnesota by a lake andwrite,” Davis said.

Davis spends her downtimewriting for eight to 10 hours a day,sometimes breaking to take a trailrun or have a jump in the lake.

“I don’t have the Internet or TV,and I make a point in staying asdisconnected from the outsideworld as I possibly can,” she said.

The Student-Athletic AdvisoryCommittee (SAAC) was recog-nized last month for its plan toincrease community involvementin Mills College athletics.

The Division III Student-Athlete Leadership ConferenceRecognition Award, sponsored bythe Division III Governance Staff,was awarded to SAAC in lateMarch along with a $300 check.

The awarded money will beapplied toward the development oroperations of SAAC, according toan e-mail sent by Jaime-Fluker,Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Affairs for the NCAA.

Sophomore Kirstyne Langeand seniors Chelsea DeSouza andKeshia Ramey attended theRegional Leadership Conferencein 2009, where they devised a planto increase on-campus athleticsawareness to not only Mills students, but the surroundingOakland community as well.

As part of the plan, SAACdivided into three committeesincluding a public relations group,a community service and outreachgroup and a workshop group as away to get SAAC membersinvolved in their areas of interest.

According to the January 2009Action Plan Update Form, as aresult of implementing the plan,Mills “had the most consistentturnout to home soccer and volley-ball games.” Likewise, the BayArea Invite for swim, hosted atMills, had a large student volunteerbase, as did the cross country teamduring its fall 2009 invitational.

Sports & Health1100 AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00


CCaarrrrooll PPaaggeeSPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

Head Volleyball Coach Susan Forbes spends her first off-season hosting Open Gym at Mills (above), teaching a strengthening andconditioning PE class and serving as a club volleyball assistant in Berkeley, while continuously recruiting for next season’s team.

CCaarrrrooll PPaaggeeSPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

CARROL PAGE

NICOLE VERMEER

Alissa Chasten poses with her award upon being recognized as astudent-athlete on the volleyball team. She will graduate in May.

NNiiccoollee VVeerrmmeeeerrOPINIONS EDITOR

Banquet honors student athletes and APER staff

Off season: coaches pursue interests

Implementedplan pays off

Smarter than Barbie,stronger than Ken andtougher than Themy.

— Athletic Director Themy Adachi

Dinner, a slideshow and awards finishout the night of annual athletic event

Sports & Health 1111AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00


A double major in international relationsand math, Isidora “Dora” Jimenez has beenplaying volleyball since high school.

Throughout her life, she has played amultitude of sports including soccer, trackand basketball, but upon graduation in May,her competitive sports career will end, atleast for now.

The collaborative aspect of volleyball iswhat drew Jimenez to the sport.

“It’s a team sport,” she said. “More peo-ple get something out of it.”

According to Jimenez, she will never forget the moment when a new player wasasked what she wanted to get out of the season. The new player responded she wanted to be like her.

Jimenez said she is sad to graduatebecause she will not get to play previouscoach Daniel Rasay’s team, Menlo College.

TARRA LAVALLEYEMMA GIBONEYCHELSEA DESOUZAMath major Chelsea DeSouza will be

concluding her four-year rowing career uponher graduation in May.

Before she joined the team as a first-year,DeSouza planned on continuing her soccercareer at Mills. But she changed her mindand decided to try something new.

DeSouza said crew’s appeal is its fierce-ness and competitiveness.

“Crew is not an individual sport,” shesaid. “It is for members who are willing towork hard for the benefit of the whole team.”

DeSouza repeatedly filled the strokeposition during her years on crew.

“I love being on the water and just the actof rowing. I get to see the moon and then thesunrise every morning. It is the harmoniouspart of racing,” she said.

DeSouza will be attending graduateschool in Ohio.

Upon her graduation in May, environ-mental studies major Emma Giboney will beleaving the Mills crew team for which, in thelast two years, she has mostly rowed in thetwo seat position.

She has been on the team for four years,except for the semester she traveled abroad in Kenya.

In order to give herself time to reflect onleaving the team and to catch up on sleep,Giboney said she does not plan to join another crew team straight out of graduation,but she does dream about owning her ownsingle boat. Giboney has never competed inany sport aside from crew.

Giboney said she will never forget the“painful satisfaction after a really good 2k.”

Giboney is planning on moving to Utahafter graduation to survey plants in aNational Park on a six-month internship.

Tarra LaValley, an environmental studiesmajor, will bring her four-year rowing careerto an end upon graduation in May.

Throughout her years as a Cyclone rower,LaValley has proved to be versatile, rowingin the seven seat, stroke seat and bow.

“I’ll never forget the rush of entering intothe last 250 meters of a 2k,” LaValley said.“The fact that, as a boat, we were always ableto dig a little deeper and to find that last bitof energy to strongly finish a race is anincredible feeling.”

Planning to steer away from rowing aftergraduation, LaValley said she would like totry other sports. Still, she said she will missthe “second family” she has found in crew.

LaValley said she plans to volunteer withthe Sea Shepherds Conservation Society, amarine conservation organization based inWashington state.

Every now and then, ateam gets to show how fearless it can be; often,there is one athlete wholeads them there.

Senior and four-yearrower Chelsea DeSouzawas instrumental in leadingthe Mills College rowingteam to a third-place finish— one of the best in recentMills history — in theVarsity Eight and VarsityFour events in Portland,Oregon at the NorthwestInvitational on April 3.

30 minutes after arriv-ing in Portland, the regattawas postponed and trans-ferred to a new site due to historic high winds, rainand hail. Not to be deterred,DeSouza and her team-mates gathered the following morning to racein rainy 46-degree weather.

As stroke of the VarsityEight, DeSouza guided her

team to a third-place finishand then headed back to the starting line 40 minutes later for the Varsity Four race.

Due to a last-minutelineup change, DeSouzafound herself in a new position at the three seatwhile a first-year who hadnever stroked moved intoDeSouza’s usual four seat.DeSouza took it all instride, kept her teammatesfocused and helped themperform their best.

“It was a weekend thatgave Mills Crew the opportunity to prove howtough and determined wetruly are,” DeSouza said.

Head Coach CarrieDavis agreed and added,“Chelsea’s leadership, ath-letic abilities and constantoptimism in the face ofadversity were essential inthe team’s success.”

Cyclone Spotlight

A public service announcement from APER

Chelsea DeSouza rows with her teammates atBriones Reservoir during an early morning practice.

bbyy CCaarrrrooll PPaaggee SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

In the Cyclones Spin-Off, The Campanil is recognizing all graduating student-athletesfor their accomplishments, their future plans and the moments they will never forget.

ISIDORA “DORA”JIMENEZ

President Janet Holmgrenshared her history as leader ofMills College, her knowledge ofthe College’s financial situationand her thoughts on leadershipwith Campanil reporters. Sherevealed the challenges she facedand the successes she has won dur-ing her time as president.

Campanil Staff: How wouldyou define your presidency?

President Janet Holmgren: I’veseen that, in the last 10 years, thatbuilding the endowment, buildingthe student body, building thebuildings — it’s all an investmentin empowering Mills as an institu-tion. So I would say that there wasa decade of consolidation and artic-ulation of our purpose and openingup some of the areas where we hadnot been as successful and a periodof really making that solid andbuilding on it and making it more powerful.

CS: What were some chal-lenges you faced during yourtime as president?

JH: There were many issuesthat we had to address and re-frame: Issues around diversity thatMills did not have a good trackrecord with. It was very early onthat it was apparent to me that tohave less than three percent of yourfaculty as people of color is simplynot being ready for educating stu-dents in the way we wanted to beready. We had many very intensemeetings among the faculty andstudents. We had many discussionsamong the alumnae and the Board.We really transformed the Board interms of the leadership and thesense of direction; transformed thefaculty. Students have been reallystrong participants of this process.

I think one of the first things Idid as president was say that wehad to put sexual orientation intoour affirmative action policybecause it was the right thing to doand because it was very importantfor us to have that sense at Mills ofwho we are.

I think the Strike, which hap-pened a year before I came, was awake-up call to our alumnae, to oursupport community, to a widercommunity to say, “If this institu-tion is going to thrive, it has to besupported, the mission has to bearticulated; the argument for why itis important to focus on women hasto be clear and that’s what we aregoing to go forward in doing in this time.”

CS: What does the presidentdo for the College?

JH: A president has to be some-one who can shape the messagesand also talk to a wide variety ofconstituencies; make the moneycome in – raise the money – and sethigh standards — very high stan-dards — for everyone; and thepresident also has to tell the story.

People say presidency is likebeing mayor of a small town — notexactly because you don’t get

elected. I mean, the Board electsyou, but you're not out there every-day trying to maintain yourself inthe position, but you do have a verywide range of constituents, and youdo have a very important steward-ship responsibility. Your responsi-bility is to take care of the wholebody politic, not just yourself oryour own aspirations.

CS: What is a challenge youhave faced in leading theCollege?

JH: It is a very public positionand, at the same time, people haveearnest messages to convey. I usedto feel like everybody says theydon’t see enough of me: Studentssay they don’t see enough of meand the faculty and the alumnae.And then I thought, ‘Well, it’strue.’ I would love to be in fourplaces at one time and I would liketo see more of everyone in thecommunity, but there’s a kind oflimitation to what you can do.

CS: What kind of leadershipstyle did you try to convey at Mills?

JH: There are presidents whoare extremely articulate publicspeakers and very smart in terms ofintellectually directing the institu-tion; but they’re quite introvertedand not very interested in interact-ing with people, so their concept ofservice is to be the leader. And Ithink I kind of stand with a foot ineach camp. I really love the inter-actions with people, and, of course,it’s frustrating when you can’t dowhat people want you to do. But Ialso have that side of me that isable to stay focused. At the bottomline, I have to be able to see all thepieces and fit them together, so if Ionly make one appearance in onecontext, I have to really make itcount, and that’s what I havelearned. It takes a long time tolearn this job, and I don’t know thatI actually fully understand it yet;but it’s important to be strategicand thoughtful and also have asense of humor.

CS: How did you ensure the academic excellence of the College?

JH: For me, that focus on aca-demic excellence — and alsostrengthening the financial aid sup-port for students — has been key.And the Board has certainly agreedwith that. I wouldn’t have stayed ifwe hadn’t been able to do that andreally make it absolutely key. Iwanted to strengthen the financialcommitment to academic programsby having an emphasis on full time,tenured, tenure-track faculty so stu-dents would have the experience ofa very solid and creative and top-notch faculty.

The above interview was conduct-ed with President Janet HolmgrenApril 7 by Campanil reportersLauren Sliter and JenniferCourtney. The full interview can befound online at thecampanil.com.

In the wake of a national eco-nomic downturn, Mills College’sendowment has plummeted. Butofficials say the institution issecure and only plan to makeminor cuts to its overall budget.

Mills remains strong comparedto other universities, according toPresident Janet Holmgren and JimAndrasick, a current trustee andmember of the Board’s finance committee.

“In this environment, every-thing is relative.” Andrasick said.“Compared to other institutionssimilar to Mills, the College isholding its own.”

Holmgren said the College’sfinancial situation remains secure.

“We are remarkably free ofdebt,” she said.

According to LaDeneDiamond, Vice President forFinance and Administration andTreasurer, Mills has approximately$35 million in bond debt and hasspent $100 million on constructionprojects in the last 10 years.

Along with relatively low debt,Mills has engaged in intense fundraising efforts.

“We have certainly built up ourendowment in the last 20 years,”Holmgren said. “In the last cam-paign, we raised over $130 millionand we had 11 thousand donors.”

Diamond said the endowment

has decreased from $233 million atthe end of the 2008 fiscal year to itscurrent value of $176 million.

The College also depends onbequest gifts, donations madethrough the wills of the deceased.Holmgren said a study conductedby the College revealed that itsbequests have been fairly consis-tent over the last decade.

“You can’t count on bequestsbecause … as we say in the busi-ness, you don’t know when a bequest will mature,” Holmgren said.

Diamond said, while bequestgifts average $5 to $7 million ayear, that total “includes severalvery large bequests, so from yearto year the amount is not consis-tent.”

In a report released March 19,Moody’s Investors Service down-graded Mills’ rating, which is partof an index that measures a compa-ny’s credit and default risk if itwants to borrow money.

The report said, “The down-grade is driven by the College'scontinued weak operating perform-ance, with multiple years ofdeficit operations.”

Moody’s noted the College’slarger than average number ofbequest gifts last year but also saidthose couldn't be counted on.

“The part of that rating that wasnot correct was that concept thatwe were spending beyond ourmeans because an institution hasflexibility in terms of how they

choose to spread their restrictedgifts over time,” Holmgren said.

Holmgren said Mills will slowfaculty hiring and decrease the sizeof next year’s operating budget.

She said the College expects totrim three percent of its overallexpense budget, but she would notgive specifics.

Holmgren also said she did notexpect the College to make anylayoffs or personnel-related cuts.

Andrasick and Holmgren bothsaid financial aid will not be affect-ed by future budget cuts.

“I would say certainly as agoal, the College puts great impor-tance on maintaining, if notincreasing, the financial aid avail-able to students,” Andrasick said.

Holmgren said she is commit-ted to ensuring the College’s nextpresident will take over a fiscallysound institution.

“I want to hand Mills over in avery strong position financially tothe next president,” she said.

According to Holmgren, theCollege’s primary goal is to remaincommitted to academic excellence.

“We do not want to cut into ourretention efforts. We do not want tocut into our quality of education,”she said.

Overall, Holmgren said, “Wehave weathered this crisis well, andwe will continue to weather it well,but we have to be fairly frugal.”

Alixandra Greenman contributedto this report.

AA CClloosseerr LLooookk1122 AA pp rr ii ll 11 99 ,, 22 00 11 00

Give Mills a piece of your mind!The Office of Institutional Research & Planning conducts student surveys on behalf of the College. Your participation in these surveys is vital to the growth and improvement of Mills programs and services.

Living-Learning Communities Experience, January and April: A two-part survey directedtowards first-year students. This online survey is your chance to evaluate the LLC program, your RA and Advisor.

Graduate Services Satisfaction, February: An online survey aimed at evaluating your unique position at Mills as a graduate student and the services and supports available to you.

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), February: Help Mills improve the quality of theundergraduate experience by letting us know what academic and social activities you have partici-pated in and how you’ve grown as a result. Open to all first-year students and seniors online.

Multi-Institutional Survey of Leadership (MSL), March: Explores the role of higher education indeveloping leadership capabilities. All undergraduates are invited to participate online.

Your First College Year (YFCY), April: All first-year students are asked to participate in thisimportant survey about your experiences, what you’ve gained and how you’ve changed after completing your first year of college.

Senior Survey, April: All graduating seniors are encouraged to participate in this survey about yourcollege experience, your future plans and your personal and academic achievements.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!PARTICIPANTS ARE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING FOR A $350 CASH PRIZE.

Please help Mills improve the experience of all students by participating in these surveys when they aresent to your e-mail account! Every voice heard increases the value of the information we receive. Be heard!

LLaauurreenn SSlliitteerrCALENDAR EDITOR

College says finances secure


Holmgren Q & A:her life as president, priorities, finances

Issue 7, Spring 2010

Documents

Transcript of Issue 7, Spring 2010