Do you know of any college seniors interested in making a difference in their first professional job and in mentoring others? Recommend the College Advising Corps in Pennsylvania! PCAC College Advisers engage high school students and their families throughout the career exploration and postsecondary planning processes. Advisers provide broad information about opportunities after high school, and assist students in figuring out college match and fit, revising essays, submitting financial aid applications, finding scholarships, and preparing for the transition to college. If you know of any seniors who might be interested in the position our application is now open! We anticipate 13-15 positions and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until filled. Any questions, please reach out to Assistant Director, Heather Pearson,  hpearso1@fandm.edu.

As required by the Policy on College Policy Development and Management, the draft Business Expense Policy is now posted on the  College policy website and available for ten (10) business days of review and comment from the College community. A link to the comment form is also on the website. The Policy Owner, in consultation with the Committee on College Policy Development (CCPD), will take comments under advisement and implement any necessary changes to the draft policy based on the comments received. The proposed final draft will then be sent to President Barbara Altmann for approval. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Office of the General Counsel, fmpolicy@fandm.edu.

After a three-year odyssey in academic research, Franklin & Marshall College senior Therese Watkins' achievement is nearly homeric, worthy of seasoned scholars. Professor of Classics Zachary Biles, her co-author on work that an international journal will publish later this year, initially opened the assignment to every student in his class, but everyone declined. Except Watkins, a studio art major and, now, a classics major as well. “This all began in the spring of Therese's first year when she was enrolled in Latin 202,” Biles said.It actually began well before Watkins started studying Latin in middle school, and, in fact, centuries ago, when Homer, the Greek poet, wrote the "Iliad," and Catullus, the Roman poet, alluded to Homer's work in the poem that Watkins and Biles analyzed. Watkins embraced Biles' challenge to write a paper on Catullus' poem "37" (his poems are numbered, never named). “I do like the ‘Iliad’ as a story," she said, chuckling. "An easier answer would be that it is difficult to come up with paper ideas and topics sometimes, so having a paper offered to me was like ‘Why not? I’ll look into this.’" However, something happened along her research journey, which COVID-19 interrupted to some degree, that many liberal arts students experience at F&M. “I came here completely art-focused, but knew I would do other things, which is why I didn’t go to design school," Watkins said. "I really just wanted to continue Latin, but I didn’t think I’d be a classics major or even a minor." In Biles' Goethean Hall office, she relates how in Catullus's rather salacious poem 37  the poet-narrator uses military terms to berate a group of men in a tavern who are hanging out with his ex-girlfriend. "He addressed them as tent mates almost," she said. "He goes on later and talks about how he’s fought great wars for this girl, which could be seen as an allusion to the Trojan War in the ‘Iliad.’ He converts his imagined face-off with his love rivals as an actual battle.” She read a brief excerpt from the poem in which Watkins and Biles are the first scholars to recognize the allusion to a passage in Homer's work. Or, because 100 (or 200?) of you stupids sit in a line, you think that I would not dare to force you 200 sitters together to perform oral sex on me? “There are other numbers Catullus uses in other poems that he just throws out …  but he never uses 100 or 200 in combination like this. That same kind of combination exists in the passage of the ‘Iliad’ that we are looking at in Book 8," Watkins said. Moreover, she said, "In the ‘Iliad’ passage, the Greeks offer a similarly framed threat of vengeance against the Trojans for their theft of Helen, which is how the Trojan War began. This larger set of parallels allows Catullus to play off the Homeric background in an amusing way."

Over the next six years, students taking introductory mathematics or science should expect more inclusive, dynamic experiences at Franklin & Marshall College, which is engaged in a new approach to collaborative learning. Developed under Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Inclusive Excellence 3 grant, colleges and universities have an opportunity to foster institutional change that creates a more inclusive and successful introductory experience in these fields of study. Taking an unusual approach, HHMI organized schools into Learning Community Clusters (LCCs) to develop synergies between them. As a member of LCC1, F&M's faculty work in partnership with colleagues from 14 other colleges and universities.Following two years of research and collaboration, LCC1 colleagues prepared a multifaceted approach to increasing inclusivity in the introductory science and math experience. They mapped out three pathways: faculty development, student engagement and agency, and curricular change. According to HHMI, diversity in types of institutions -- public and private, research universities and liberal arts colleges -- has already produced distinctive and unique ideas and will generate opportunities for immediate field testing of approaches among institutions. HHMI’s six-year grant of $8.625 million to LCC1, $531,600 of which goes to F&M, allows faculty to develop methods and mindsets to promote teacher engagement through workshops and learning communities. "Students engage as peer tutors and will form student-faculty partnerships to make curricular changes that will amplify student ownership, agency and voice," said Professor of Chemistry Jennifer Morford, one of F&M's faculty team leaders. "The work arising from the grant will bring more curricular change as F&M explores and implements high-impact, equity-minded practices." The faculty team will facilitate an interdepartmental collaborative effort to coordinate curricular evaluation, design, modification and integration that balances topic coverage with understanding, application and skill development. "These efforts are in direct alignment with our strategic plan’s core themes of diversity, equity, inclusion and academic excellence," said F&M President Barbara Altmann. "Curriculum redesign, a chance for faculty to explore new pedagogies, and increased agency for the students all combine to create better, quicker engagement, and better outcomes as a result.” Leading the initiative with Morford are Jorge Mena-Ali, director of faculty diversity initiatives and don of Roschel College House; Ellie Rice, director of the Quantitative and Science Center and senior teaching professor of biology; and Berwood Yost, director of F&M’s Center for Opinion Research. Also supporting the effort are Professor of Physics Amy Lytle and Dan Ardia, associate dean of the faculty and professor of biology. “HHMI’s support will be critical to help us lower barriers for our faculty and our students and to transform interdepartmental efforts for all our students," Ardia said. "Our faculty have already made significant strides in understanding the factors affecting the impact on student achievement and retention in the sciences." "HHMI funding will allow us to make transformative changes to advance this effort and intersect with the new Strategic Plan,” he said. Mary Osirim, F&M interim provost and dean of the faculty, said the partnership with "a broad range of institutions across the higher education landscape" for more inclusive introductory-level STEM courses will advance student performance. "This grant provides pathways for enhanced student success and faculty development that will have ripple effects across our curriculum,” Osirim said.

"Once my eyes were open, I couldn't just go back to a normal 9-to-5 existence." Adeem Suhail was visiting his hometown of Karachi, Pakistan, in 2007 when then-prime minister Benazir Bhutto – the first democratically elected female leader of a Muslim country – was assassinated. "Once my eyes were open, I couldn't just go back to a normal 9-to-5 existence," said Suhail, assistant professor of anthropology at Franklin & Marshall College. An undergraduate student in engineering at the time, it changed the trajectory of his career. “I decided to dedicate myself to studying exactly how and why violence perpetuates in this part of the world,” Suhail said. Suhail’s research addresses issues in the anthropology of violence, social theory and urban studies. He will expand on this research at a Common Hour lecture on Feb. 9 titled “Dreaming at the World's End: Dispatches on an Emergent Cosmopolitics from South Asia.” The lecture, which is open to the public, will take place in F&M’s Mayser Gymnasium at 11:30 a.m. A recording will be made available after the event. What else influenced Suhail’s academic path, and what advice does he have for current students? Learn more below.Your research addresses issues in the anthropology of violence, social theory and urban studies. What drew you to these topics?  You move through life and you find different reasons for different things. I came to the United States – having never left Pakistan in my life – to become an engineer [at the University of Texas] in 2005. In 2007, people were sick and tired of being party to thousands of Afghan and Pakistani lives lost as the Taliban insurgency spread, and U.S. bombardment began in Pakistan. And so, the Pakistani people started a pro-democracy movement which was also a cry against the violence of empire. I was just an engineer, but I started reading up on history. Got interested in the movement. There were protests happening every day. The military dictatorship was murderously silencing democratic voices in Pakistan. I was there when Pakistan's first female prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was murdered. Once my eyes were open, I couldn't just go back to a normal 9-to-5 existence. As if history was not being written in blood on the streets. In 2008, democracy was restored to Pakistan. It remains embattled. It’s a constant struggle. Thousands have died for it. But I decided to dedicate myself to studying exactly how and why violence perpetuates in this part of the world – these different stages, different scales. My engineer brain caught a different kind of bug and I was like, ‘Okay, I'm going to solve these things.’ And that became my research. What inspired you to become a professor? One of the great American philosophers of our times is Mr. Fred Moten. With [activist and scholar] Stefano Harney, he wrote a highly influential book in 2012 titled “The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black Study.” They coined this brilliant idea of fugitivity that stuck with me. We who are cut off from the mythologies of capitalism, colonialism and imperialism, and the kinds of violence that sustain those processes – we need someplace to incubate, to just lay low, to be fugitives from capitalism. The university is something that they identified as one of those last vestiges. The college is one of those last places where people actually can think freely, right? People can still go to colleges and universities – especially liberal arts colleges – and think outside the boxes that have been cut out for us already. Liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican: People are just stuck with these identities, and the college becomes one of those places where one can think more humanly, can think big, can think deep. Many students arrive at F&M unsure of their path (and that’s okay). What advice do you have for those students?  When I came to the University of Texas, I knew that I was against all war – but I didn't know much else. When I came to college, I found community. People I'd never met before – my first allies. In them, these strangers, I found lives I could identify with as “my people.” Many of them remain my best friends today. And so, it's not about what your path is, but all the lives you walk it with. It's about learning how to learn with and learn from them. That's what college is about. Everything else, you learn on the job. What's more important to me is to have a diversity of experiences, to expose yourself to everything under the sun. And F&M does a great job of curating that, of opting students into that experience.

Staff Council is proud to spotlight F&M departments in Bell & Tower, a weekly newsletter for the faculty and professional staff of Franklin & Marshall College. We hope these spotlights will reveal some of the tremendous work being done by professional staff across campus, chip away at existing silos, and help you gain an understanding and appreciation of the varied ways in which your colleagues contribute to the mission of the College each day.   Do you want your department to be in the spotlight? We invite you to share stories and information about your teams via this form. Did you know that F&M Custodial Services began as a student movement? Custodial services had previously been outsourced to various businesses, with many custodians having worked on campus for years through various contractors. Our students felt there was an opportunity to build an internal custodial team and officially bring this group of dedicated employees into the F&M community as professional staff. On January 1, 2014, Team Clean became part of the F&M community they had been serving for so long. “That day in January 2014 when I started the shift meetings for first, second and third shift, I was surrounded by the smiling faces of smart and hard-working people that felt that they were now part of a great community,” said Enrique Sotomayor, custodial manager. Since then, F&M Custodial Services has been serving the campus community to the highest standard of cleanliness and sanitation. There are around 50 members of Team Clean, including two managers and three lead supervisors. Team Clean works across three shifts and is present at F&M 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and every day of the year. Even when F&M is closed for holidays, Team Clean remains on campus. F&M Custodial Services has a high and steady rate of retention, with many staff who began in January 2014 still working at the College today. “I attribute that to feeling part of the community and the pride and care they feel toward their work on campus,” Sotomayor said. Sotomayor added that Team Clean is one of the most diverse departments on campus, with staff coming from Nepal, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Honduras, and Mexico. “Our international staff also has a vast educational background in teaching, nursing, engineering, law, and other professions,” Sotomayor said. “They bring their life experiences to our campus and have found pride in their work again with Team Clean.”We spoke with first-shift custodians Damary Luis, Iris Diaz, and Jesús López to learn more about them, the department, and their roles. This interview was translated from Spanish by their supervisor, Sotomayor. What are your main responsibilities at F&M? There are three shifts in the custodial department, each with different responsibilities:First shift, 7:30 a.m. — 3:30 p.m.Covers residence halls and non-residential areas that are essential for students, such as the libraries. During the academic year, residence hall responsibilities include common areas and bathrooms. During the summer, when camps utilize the campus space, they clean the rooms more often, almost like a hotel cleaning schedule. They also clean out the rooms before new F&M students arrive at the end of August. Second shift, 4 p.m. — 12:30 p.m.Covers administrative and athletic buildings. Third shift, 10 p.m. — 6:30 a.m.Covers academic buildings. All custodians disinfect and clean their assigned spaces. Some have more nuanced work such as cleaning before, during, and after internal or external events on campus; carpet cleaning and finishing floors; high dusting; cleaning upholstery on campus furniture; and cleaning after a flood. What’s something you wish others understood about your role? Damary, Iris, and Jesús emphasized how vital the custodial role is at the College. Without this team, students and employees would not have a clean, safe, and comfortable place to live and work. All three said their goal is to ensure everyone on campus feels they’re in a beautiful and sanitary place. They said they treat F&M like it’s their own home and families using the spaces. Damary, Iris, and Jesús explained that being a custodian is a tough position for which you have to be skilled, hard-working, and intelligent. Iris noted there are a lot of smart people on the team who held different positions before moving to the U.S., and that many F&M custodians have bachelor’s or master’s degrees in education, nursing, and veterinary science. The custodial team also forms close relationships with students, often being invited to commencement to celebrate the end of students’ F&M journeys. They said they really care about students and give their all to make F&M a good experience for them. And while students don’t always understand the importance of the custodial role, Damary said many parents have approached the team to thank them for their hard work. As a parent herself, Iris said she hopes when her son goes to college he’ll go to a clean and safe place like F&M. What’s your favorite part of your job? Damary, Iris, and Jesús all agreed that F&M’s benefits are their favorite part of their role. They added that while the pay rate may not be as high as they wish, all three feel the team is a family. They noted they feel trusted and empowered by their supervisors, Damary explaining she comes back for supervisors who understand and support her. Iris added that she feels inspired to do a good job for her managers. Iris and Jesús said that they also both enjoy cleaning. Even though they face messes every day — some particularly worse than others — they both mentioned the satisfaction of taking something messy and returning it to a shining state. Jesús also said he enjoys Dipnic and the professional staff luncheons because he likes to meet and interact with people from other departments. Tell us more about yourself. Damary Damary is from Cuba. Her husband and son are her only family in the U.S., though she considers the custodial department her family as well. She loves Netflix, hispanic food, and dancing. Her son is going to Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) for two years before moving on to F&M or Millersville University. She added that she enjoyed the half-day Fridays over the summer and hopes the College does them again next year. Iris Iris is from El Salvador and enjoys making and selling pupusas, a traditional dish from El Salvador. She said she has a really smart 6-year-old son with whom she likes to take for ice cream and watch Disney movies. Iris said she doesn’t have any other family in the U.S. and she’s excited to visit them soon. Iris added that she enjoys seeing the diversity of students on campus. With an autistic son, she feels she can understand the students and do her best to create a good experience for them. Jesús Jesús is from Puerto Rico and has three kids. He said he works hard for his kids and family, so he can provide them with whatever they need so they can have a good future. He said his daughter is going to the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design for photography. Jesús added that he likes Netflix, sports, going to the gym, and Puerto Rican food. He especially loves preparing food for other people to enjoy.

As required by the Policy on College Policy Development and Management , the draft Purchasing Policy has been posted on the College policy website and is available now for ten (10) business days of review and comment from the College community. A link to the comment form is also on the website. The Policy Owner, in consultation with the Committee on College Policy Development (CCPD), will take comments under advisement and implement any necessary changes to the draft policy based on the comments received. The proposed final draft will then be sent to the President for approval. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Office of the General Counsel at fmpolicy@fandm.edu.

Shout Out! From Alan Glazer, Henry P. and Mary B. Stager Professor of Business and associate chair of Business, Organizations & Society, to Kelly Miller, senior instructional designer, IT Services: Thanks, Kelly, for helping to set up my Spring '23 courses on Canvas! It's always a great pleasure working with you!

Grounds crews with F&M Facilities Management are installing ice alert signs across campus as winter settles in with frigid weather Four-foot tall blue-and-white signs, installed at eight locations, will signal to pedestrians the possibility of slippery surfaces by turning blue when the temperature drops to 32 degrees or below. Locations include areas of heavy foot traffic and walkways with grades such as the bank towards Mayser Gym and the ramp between the Hackman Physical Science Building, Kaufman Hall and Shnader Hall. We hope these signs will help prevent slip and fall injuries to our faculty, students, staff and campus visitors during inclement weather.

What do Franklin & Marshall faculty members and staff read to unwind? Not surprisingly, the campus is full of voracious readers. As students closed out the semester, the Office of Communications sought recommendations for the best winter break reads. From moving memoirs to outdoor survival guides, there’s a title to pique the interest of every bookworm. - - -Nowhere for Very Long, by Brianna Madia  258 pages; published April 2022 by HarperOne From the publisher: In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures traveling across the deserts of the American West in an orange van named Bertha and reflects on an unconventional approach to life. A woman defined by motion, Brianna Madia bought a beat-up bright orange van, filled it with her two dogs, Bucket and Dagwood, and headed into the canyons of Utah with her husband. Nic says: “The story gives the reader a little bit of everything, from hardship and tragedy to resiliency and triumph (and all the funny little moments in between).”A Manual for Cleaning Women, by Lucia Berlin 406 pages; published August 2015 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux From the publisher: With the grit of Raymond Carver, the humor of Grace Paley, and a blend of wit and melancholy all her own, Berlin crafts miracles from the everyday, uncovering moments of grace in the Laundromats and halfway houses of the American Southwest, in the homes of the Bay Area upper class, among switchboard operators and struggling mothers, hitchhikers and bad Christians. Lydia says: “I’ve returned to this wonderful collection of short stories multiple times. Intimate, messy, and sometimes unnerving, Berlin’s stories portray characters on the fringes with clarity, compassion, and a wry wit.”The Island of Happiness, by Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy; illustrated by Natalie Frank 240 pages; published May 2021 by Princeton University Press From the publisher: This feast of words and visuals presents worlds where women exercise their independence and push against rigid social rules. Fidelity and sincerity are valued over jealousy and greed, though not everything ends seamlessly. Lisa says: “The Island of Happiness is a collection of fantastic tales by 17th-century author Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy. The French invented the literary fairy tale, and Madame d’Aulnoy’s tales were among the most famous in her day. The tales are edgy, unsettling and hugely entertaining. As an added pleasure, the newly issued translation includes gorgeous illustrations.” Bonus recommendation: “If you enjoy eco-fiction, then I recommend Migrations, a novel by Australian writer Charlotte McConaghy. It’s the story of a young woman who accompanies the crew of a fishing vessel as she tracks the migration of Arctic terns from Greenland to the Antarctic. It’s been described as epic and intimate, an ‘ode to a disappearing world."State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett 384 pages; published May 2012 by Harper Perennial From the publisher: As Dr. Marina Singh embarks upon an uncertain odyssey into the insect-infested Amazon, she will be forced to surrender herself to the lush but forbidding world that awaits within the jungle. Charged with finding her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, a researcher who has disappeared while working on a valuable new drug, she will have to confront her own memories of tragedy and sacrifice as she journeys into the unforgiving heart of darkness. Sue says: “It’s a compelling story, and so beautifully written.”Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr 626 pages; published September 2021 by Scribner From the publisher: Among the most celebrated and beloved novels of recent times, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope and a book. Gretchen says: “It is an amazing, complex novel that simultaneously spans past, present and future in a series of interwoven stories about a lost manuscript that demonstrates the power of literature to connect people and places."Discipline is Destiny, by Ryan Holiday 352 pages; published September 2022 by Penguin Random House From the publisher: Holiday draws on the stories of historical figures we can emulate as pillars of self-discipline, including Lou Gehrig, Queen Elizabeth II, boxer Floyd Patterson, Marcus Aurelius and writer Toni Morrison, as well as the cautionary tales of Napoleon, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Babe Ruth. Through these engaging examples, Holiday teaches readers the power of self-discipline and balance, and cautions against the perils of extravagance and hedonism. Lauren says: “It is the second book in Ryan Holiday’s series focused on stoic virtues (courage, temperance, justice, wisdom). The book is a quick read with short examples of historical figures who mastered self-discipline and teaches how discipline is predictive. Courage is Calling is the first book of the stoic series.”Trouble the Saints, by Alaya Dawn Johnson 352 pages; published July 2020 by Tor Books From the publisher: Amidst the whir of city life, a girl from Harlem is drawn into the glittering underworld of Manhattan, where she’s hired to use her knives to strike fear amongst its most dangerous denizens. But the ghosts from her past are always by her side—and history has appeared on her doorstep to threaten the people she loves most. Can one woman ever sacrifice enough to save an entire community? Kate says: “It is a sort of noir gangster novel with supernatural elements that powerfully addresses the experience of racial oppression in the U.S. I loved the interweaving of the classic noir genre with a serious depiction of the effects of racism and violence on the characters.” Bonus recommendations: “Every Deep Drawn Breath by Wes Ely is the memoir of an ICU doctor who realized that the life-saving techniques he employed created long-term brain damage and disability and how he went about convincing his field that they had to change treatment. I respect the difficulty and integrity required for this doctor to so deeply criticize his own actions and his training. The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher is a fun, horrible fairy tale told by an author described by NPR's Tasha Robinson as ‘...the most practical, down-to-earth author writing about ninja frogs and feminist hamster princesses today.’”Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival, by Dave Canterbury 256 pages, published September 2014 by Simon & Schuster From the publisher: Based on the 5 Cs of Survivability—cutting tools, covering, combustion devices, containers, and cordages—this valuable guide offers only the most important survival skills to help you craft resources from your surroundings and truly experience the beauty and thrill of the wilderness. Chris says: “This is a great field guide for people who enjoy nature, whether it be hiking, camping, exploring. It’s full of advanced tips on fire starting, natural resources, navigation, temporary shelters, and outdoor cooking.”Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson 385 pages, published February 2022 by Ballantine Books From the publisher: Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch. Marissa says: “Every time I was home for winter break in college, I gained a different perspective of the people who raised me. Can we ever really understand and know everything about the people we love? What kinds of lives did they live before us? Told through various perspectives across generations, cultures, and across the globe, Black Cake is a novel about two siblings who come together after the death of their mother, who left them with nothing but a black cake. As they struggle to understand its meaning, they are transported back through the life of their parents and uncover secrets and new perspectives on their own lives. One of my favorite books of the year – incredibly well written and rich with character development. If you like coming-of-age stories and family drama, this one's for you.”Grey Bees, by Andrey Kurkov The Books of Jacob, by Olga Tokarczuk Lote, by Shola von Reinhold Stone says: "Kurkov because of its timeliness (he’s a Ukrainian writer and the book is about life in wartime); Tokarczuk because of the ways she thinks about history (which feels like an especially relevant topic these days, particularly with the coming of a new year); von Reinhold because of how she shows how even familiar stories have hidden heroes."Bad Blood, by John Carreyrou American Scripture, by Pauline Maier Reign of Terror, by Spencer Ackerman Harsh Times, by Mario Vargas Llosa At Night all Blood is Black, by David Diop Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel Berwood says: "These are a few books that have some relation to current events, either political, geopolitical, tech, or entertainment."

I'm writing to share some very good news. Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, November 8th, Emily Huber (English) and Jason Brooks (ITS), along with big sister Mira, welcomed Colin to the family! According to early reports he is expressive, cuddly, and—for the time being—nocturnal. Mother and son are in good health, if sleep-deprived. Please join me in sending love and congratulations to Emily, Jason, and Mira, and a hearty and affectionate welcome to Colin!

From Margaret Hazlett -- SHOUT OUT to Sue Mennicke and Gretchel Hathaway: Thank you, Sue and Gretchel, for bringing the Lancaster County cultural festival One World to F&M on Sunday, Sept. 11. It was a wonderful event that brought many communities together in celebration. Your hard work to allow F&M to host it is greatly appreciated. It was fun to see many students and faculty and professional staff in attendance and enjoying this inaugural event. From Alison Hobbs -- SHOUT OUT to Kelly McAllister: Kelly has been amazing in organizing all of the SAS programming for Inclusion Week, especially on top of all her other responsibilities! All her work is going to pay off in great student experiences from these meaningful presentations. SAS and F&M are so fortunate to have Kelly!!! From Ashley Fry -- SHOUT OUT to Lindsay Marino: Many thanks to Lindsay for the amazing visit experience she created for the OSPGD team in November. She is so knowledgeable and such an enthusiastic, welcoming colleague. Keep up the great work, Lindsay!

Franklin & Marshall College won decisivley in Commute PA' s College Month competition. The numbers indicate "green commutes" in which employees self reported their commuting trips done using on foot, using public transportation, or riding a bicycle or non-motorized scooter. Way to go, Diplomats!

Jane Woodward never attended Franklin & Marshall College, but she knew of the College’s commitment to student-faculty research from Dorothy Merritts, her longtime friend and F&M professor of geosciences. When she learned Merritts had earned a national honor, Woodward wanted to honor her in an impactful way. Woodward’s $2 million gift to endow a geosciences professorship was announced at an Oct. 22 reception during True Blue Weekend, honoring Dorothy Merritts, the Harry W. and Mary B. Huffnagle Professor of Geosciences. In May, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) elected Merritts as a member, making her the first F&M professor accepted into the prestigious academy, a private, nonprofit society of distinguished scholars established in 1863. She is in her 30th year of service in F&M’s Department of Earth and Environment. When Merritts retires, the endowed professorship will be renamed the Dorothy J. Merritts, Ph.D. Endowed Professorship of Geosciences. Woodward holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California-Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in engineering and petroleum geology and MBA from Stanford University. She has been a leader in the energy transition, geology and engineering fields for more than four decades. She also has been an adjunct professor in Stanford University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 1991.“Jane Woodward’s gift of an endowed professorship in honor of Dorothy Merritts is both powerful inspiration and very welcome acknowledgement,” said Franklin & Marshall President Barbara K. Altmann. “Jane has encouraged others to join her in recognizing our faculty’s outstanding research, and their pivotal role in teaching, advising and mentoring students to launch them into lives of success and meaning. I echo her encouragement. Our graduates will become the leaders the world needs to solve its most intractable challenges; our faculty are the intellectual guides who provide them with the confidence, creativity and determination to do so.” Woodward and Merritts met at Stanford when they were earning their master’s degrees in applied earth science – the area where geology and civil engineering meet. “We were part of a small group of Dick Jahns’ last students. Dick was a legendary professor and geologist,” Woodward recalls. “Dorothy and I stayed in touch as she earned her doctorate; raised her amazing daughter, Oona; and later met and married Bob (Walter, F&M professor of geosciences). We have remained such good friends because we admire each other so much and we’ve always been able to share stories and interests so easily.” While careers in engineering and petroleum geology are often associated with larger universities, Woodward said students at liberal arts colleges interested in those fields have unique opportunities. “Dorothy and I followed our interests, got to know faculty and looked for opportunities to work with them,” Woodward said. “In many ways, students get more attention at a remarkable small liberal arts college like F&M than they might at a large research university, which gives them more opportunities to work with faculty. F&M is wonderfully oriented to helping students discover their interests and providing powerful real-world skills and deep learning.” Woodward’s decades of experience have deepened her appreciation for field research opportunities, something Merritts has provided for scores of Franklin & Marshall students. “Scientific research in the field allows you to see the whole system and to see how aspects interact in ways you struggle to do in a classroom,” Woodward said. “Field research is rare in undergraduate education. Graduate schools and employers value it highly. Dorothy and Bob’s mantra is ‘You can’t fix it if you don’t know how it works!’” Woodward said she also was impressed by F&M’s long history of quality undergraduate research. “The F&M geosciences program has been one of the top-ranked programs in the nation for over 60 years,” she said. “My intent is not only to recognize the important work Dorothy and Bob do, but also their departmental colleagues in teaching, research, experiential learning and community restoration.” Woodward says Merritts represents a tradition of excellence in research that pervades the College. “It is highly unusual for a small liberal-arts college to place such emphasis on independent student research under the tutelage of such outstanding faculty,” Woodward said. “It’s what sets F&M apart. These graduate-level research experiences as undergraduates instill students with the independence and confidence needed to solve big challenges, such as the future of energy, climate change, and water crises. There is no more urgent time to study the Earth than now, and I can’t think of a better group to lead those studies than F&M graduates.”

From Margaret Hazlett to Fall Kick-Off Party Helpers & Musicians: Many thanks to our fall kick-off party volunteers for making our all-campus party a huge success! Thank you Diane Gegg, Pat Henry, Lydia Brubaker, Gretchel Hathaway, Nicole Fickes, Joanna Underhill, Marissa Molnar, Jason Klinger, Pete Durantine, Clarke Paine, Keily Pacheco, Nikki Rearich, Colette Shaw, Kaitlyn Cooper, Brianna Spector, Donna Pflum, Travis Berkoski, Josh Hankin, Nick Yando, Meredith Bielaska, Stephanie Kessler, and Terry Pierce. AND HUGE THANKS to our fabulous faculty musicians Peter Jaros, John Modern and Nick Kroll.

The Staff Council is pleased to enter our second year at F&M! We’d like to take a moment to recap the work we did in our inaugural year and look forward to what’s next. Reflecting on a Productive Start in 2021-22 In our first year, we developed a Staff Council Website, where you can learn more about our mission, structure, and bylaws. We found ways to celebrate one another with Shout Outs and launched a Get to Know the Department program. We placed more than 10 staff members on College committees, and we just nominated seven more as the first-ever official staff representatives on Board of Trustees committees. We developed this nifty interest form to fill out if you're thinking about serving in the future and a nominating form so that you can put your talented colleagues forward for important roles. We presented at a Professional Staff Luncheon and hosted a Lunch and Learn event on Beating Burnout with HR and DipCares. We hosted two Day of Dialogue sessions and a staff cookie break, and we Patio-Partied twice! We also had the absolute pleasure of meeting many of you on our listening tour that took us to 15 departments and areas across all divisions of the College. We held some open sessions as well, but we know we didn’t catch everyone, so please feel free to be in touch if you’d like to set something up this fall. And that was us just getting started! Thank you all so much because your participation, and the information and ideas you provided, will greatly inform our work going forward. What’s Ahead in 2022-23 This year, Staff Council includes continuing members in new roles and new members who will add value to our important work: William Applegate, Public Safety Police Officer Lydia Brubaker, Council Chair, Office of Finance & Administration Jenn Buch, Research Services Specialist Nicole Fickes, Council Scribe, Academic Department Coordinator Pat Henry, Electrical Supervisor Jason Klinger, Council Exempt Vice Chair, Asst. VP for Marketing, Content & Creative Janie Kreines, Curator of Exhibitions and Engagement Jennifer Miller, Council Non-Exempt Vice Chair, Office of Student Affairs Kelly Schenke ’95, Council Communications Officer, Academic Department      Coordinator Andrea Sherman, Senior Accounting Analyst Enrique Sotomayor, Custodial Manager Stephanie Stoehr, Institutional Biosafety Officer and Teaching Professor of Biology Emily Wilson ’11, Research Lab Manager and Technician We are currently in the process of sharing our findings from year one (including many great ideas we heard from you!) with President Altmann, Human Resources, and other campus partners, and we will soon work to prioritize follow-up action plans for the coming months. Keep an eye out for more news from us and for ways you can get involved. To help us keep our ear to the ground and continue to shape our goals for year two, please use our Staff Council Suggestion Box or email us at staffcouncil@fandm.edu with comments, questions, and ideas. Also feel free to reach out to any of us individually or stop us on campus to chat. Be in touch, support one another as we continue to work to support you, and keep doing all the wonderful things you do across campus to make this extraordinary place run. Happy Fall! To help us keep our ear to the ground and continue to shape our goals for year two, please use our Staff Council Suggestion Box or email us at staffcouncil@fandm.edu with comments, questions, and ideas. Also feel free to reach out to any of us individually or stop us on campus to chat. Be in touch, support one another as we continue to work to support you, and keep doing all the wonderful things you do across campus to make this extraordinary place run. Happy Fall! Sincerely, Lydia Brubaker On behalf of Staff Council

In a continuing effort to ensure transparency and inclusion in everything we do, Franklin & Marshall College has implemented a new College Policy Development and Management policy. In addition to meeting compliance and risk mitigation obligations, this policy aims to increase knowledge of the College’s standards and expectations and improve confidence and cooperation among campus constituents. The Committee on College Policy Development (CCPD), which includes a representative group of campus constituents, is charged with shepherding the development of College policies, but the campus community also has a voice as newly created policies will be publicly posted for review and comment prior to final approval. Please review the policy for more information about the process. Any proposed new policies or policy revisions should be submitted to fmpolicy@fandm.edu. Note that at the end of the policy there is a Policy Proposal and a Policy Template. One of our goals is to standardize the format of College policies for consistency, so the provided template should be used. The Policy Proposal can be downloaded and completed as a fillable PDF and should be submitted with any proposed new policy. In cases where the submission is a revision of an existing policy, in lieu of the policy proposal you may submit a memo detailing why the policy is being revised and noting any substantive changes. The official College Policy website also includes a link to a Policy Development training that provides guidance in developing and drafting policies. Policy owners and developers are encouraged to review this training prior to submitting documents to the committee. The Committee thanks you in advance for helping to protect the integrity of the College’s mission, reputation and operations through the proper development and management of official College policies. If you have any questions, please email fmpolicy@fandm.edu.

In a continuing effort to ensure transparency and inclusion in everything we do, Franklin & Marshall College has implemented a new College Policy Development and Management policy. In addition to meeting compliance and risk mitigation obligations, this policy aims to increase knowledge of the College’s standards and expectations and improve confidence and cooperation among campus constituents. The Committee on College Policy Development (CCPD), which includes a representative group of campus constituents, is charged with shepherding the development of College policies, but the campus community also has a voice as newly created policies will be publicly posted for review and comment prior to final approval. Please review the policy for more information about the process. Any proposed new policies or policy revisions should be submitted to fmpolicy@fandm.edu. Note that at the end of the policy there is a Policy Proposal and a Policy Template. One of our goals is to standardize the format of College policies for consistency, so the provided template should be used. The Policy Proposal can be downloaded and completed as a fillable PDF and should be submitted with any proposed new policy. In cases where the submission is a revision of an existing policy, in lieu of the policy proposal you may submit a memo detailing why the policy is being revised and noting any substantive changes. The official College Policy website also includes a link to a Policy Development training that provides guidance in developing and drafting policies. Policy owners and developers are encouraged to review this training prior to submitting documents to the committee. The Committee thanks you in advance for helping to protect the integrity of the College’s mission, reputation and operations through the proper development and management of official College policies. If you have any questions, please email fmpolicy@fandm.edu.