---

No April fool's joke--The new campus chapter of Circle K, the division of Kiwanis International for college students, will be officially chartered on April 1. The twenty-one-member community service group will hold a banquet at Heidi's Restaurant that evening to celebrate its official induction as part of the New England district. The Circle K district governor will present the group with an official certificate on behalf of the international organization. Anyone interested in joining Circle K should call Sylvia Roldan '00 at x4166.

Except for first-year student Roldan (co-publicity director), the Circle K officers are all sophomores: Autumn Andersen, president; Meg Greenberg, vice president; Crystal Carr, secretary; Rachel Kerestes, treasurer; Heidi Nguyen, activities director; Meg Lacey, historian; and Ludmila Merka, co-publicity director.

Mary Lyon Awards presented--Three alumnae were presented with this year's Mary Lyon Awards, which have been presented annually since 1984 to outstanding young alumnae who "demonstrate promise or sustained achievement in their lives, professions, or communities, consistent with the humane values that Mary Lyon exemplified in her life and inspired in others."

Recipients were: Katherine McCall '85, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Nevada at Reno whose main research interests are the elasticity of inhomogenous, porous, and disordered materials and transport in porous materials; Marg Stark '85, an accomplished writer and journalist and author of Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief; and Boston attorney and Olympic rower Mary Mazzio '83, head of the Commercial Leasing Practice Group and a member of the firm Brown, Rudnick, Freed & Gesmer.

Winter's bite is worst on the bark--Each winter the buildings and grounds crews collect fallen tree limbs and branches and feed them into a woodchipper for reuse on campus plantings. One measure of how tough the winter has been is the size of the woodchip pile behind Gorse Child Study Center. This year it's "the largest in recent memory," according to director of physical facilities Dave Collette.

An official salute to women in politics--Class of 2000 president Erica Nelson arranged for Massachusetts governor William Weld to proclaim March 1 each year as Frances Perkins Women in Politics Day throughout the Commonwealth. "We have commonalties with Frances Perkins because we attend Mount Holyoke, and I think we can step into active roles in government, too," says Nelson, who may go on to a political career herself. "I wanted the class of 2000 to make a permanent mark at the College, and this day will celebrate all that women have done in the political arena so far. I hope it will also inspire future leaders."

On March 1, a large sign in Blanchard informed the campus it was Frances Perkins Women in Politics Day, and Nelson says she hopes that future years may bring visits to campus by current political leaders in honor of Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet secretary in U.S. history. She plans to have the proclamation, which is signed by Weld, framed and displayed in the library's Women-in-Politics room.

A tree grows in Turkey--Alumnae in the Mount Holyoke Club of Turkey found a novel way to celebrate their alma mater's 160th year. In an effort to preserve Turkey's natural environment, the club raised funds from alumnae and joined other Turkish citizens in purchasing saplings in a virgin forest in the Ismir region of Turkey. The donor's name for each of the 8,000 donated saplings is listed in a binder on display at the entry to the forest. Arzu Gürz '94 says she hopes that, "As these trees grow, Mount Holyoke will continue to attract highly qualified young women and grow with them."

Up by fifteen points--With only two shows left in its regular season, the equestrian team pulled ahead by fifteen points in its regional competition on March 2. Competing at home, the team was tied with UMass for first place before the event. Captain Keely Lebwohl '97 is now tied for top individual open rider with three other students in the most advanced division. Following close behind her are Jessica Tartof '97, Wynatte Chu '99, and Betsy Hulihan '97. The next show will be held at Smith College on March 29. The team next competes at home on April 6.

Money for those with strings attached--Musicorda Festival and Summer String Program will provide residencies for two string quartets this summer thanks to an $8,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. According to Jacqueline Melnick, administrative director of Musicorda, "This unhampered block of time will allow quartets-in-residence to gain additional performances of music already studied, to add new repertoire, and to coalesce into ensembles that are ready to take the next step toward professional careers."

East meets west--Stephen Jones, professor of Russian and Eurasian studies, participated in a panel discussion with high-level policy makers, academics, and members of the government of the Republic of Georgia at the Institute for East/West Studies in New York City on March 14. Joining Jones in a discussion of relations between Russia and the Republic of Georgia were Zurab Zhvania, speaker of the Georgian parliament, and former U.S. ambassador to Russia Jack Matlock. Expert on issues surrounding the emerging republics that were, until recent years, components of the USSR, Jones is especially interested in Georgia's efforts to shape itself as a democracy.

We want your news - Send items of interest to Emily Weir, Office of Communications, or email eweir@mtholyoke.edu.