Last week, Dara Folan, Chair of the Board of Trustees, shared with the Salem community that a Presidential Search Committee had been formed. He listed the representatives from the Trustees, faculty, and staff who will serve on the Presidential Search Committee. We are now pleased to name our student representatives who will serve on this important committee.
Representing the Academy is Amira Rady (’20) from Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Amira is a Sisters Scholar, Honor Cabinet President, New Jersey Seeds Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, and National Merit Hispanic Recognition Scholar. Her other areas of involvement include the Sisters of the Motherboard (Robotics), National Honor Society, serving as a Dormitory Prefect and a Graduation Marshall for 9th through 11th grades as well as being a member of the Field Hockey and Track & Field teams.
Representing the College on the committee is Alexus Effler (’20) from Marion, North Carolina. Alexus is majoring in communications and sociology and is currently SGA President. Her honors include Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, Pi Gamma Mu Honors Society, Lambda Pi Eta Honors Society, and College Honors. Please thank these students and their fellow committee members for their important work in helping select the next President of Salem Academy and College. For more information on the Presidential Search visit: salem.edu/presidential-search.
In times of turmoil, I often settle my mind by doing handwork—this will come as no surprise to students who have taken Fiber Arts and Feminisms with me during Jan Term and spent hours knitting, embroidering, and quilting.
It has been my privilege and joy to practice making with Salem siblings over the years and to join them in conversation—about the silliest pop culture trivia and the most challenging life struggles. There is a subtle alchemy that takes place when people share a common interest—whether they are in the same room or separated by time and space. A bond can form, and a sense of belonging can emerge when we are part of a community of thinkers, learners, and makers.
Now, as I sit in my home and stitch, I think often of the members of our Salem community. I hold an embroidery hoop and listen to the sound of the thread passing in and out, forming shapes and letters one stitch at a time. I meditate on the hope that students and colleagues are well and fed and keeping their hands busy.
This week, I am stitching with grey thread a favorite poem that speaks to me of shared struggle and collective determination. I hope that by sharing this poem, you might also find some solace. We are all struggling through dangerous terrain right now—we are not able to physically join our hands, but we can collectively hold on to each member of our community and find our way forward together.
Calling all students and faculty/staff: please visit the WISMP virtual poster session! We have 12 shadowing posters and seven research posters “hanging” in our virtual science building. Please review the posters and vote for your favorite poster in each category. The voting site is only accessible to Salem students and faculty/staff. Winners will get prizes so make sure to vote! To vote, go to Posters.
“It’s so hard for me to imagine you not being at Salem,” an undergraduate student laughingly remarked during a recent online advising session. I agreed.
Over the last two weeks, I have spent quite a bit of time in video conferences with students, and it has been fun to peek into their other worlds. I’ve seen childhood bedrooms, busy kitchens, inviting living rooms, and makeshift study areas. I have admired pets and even chatted with a few family members. Students and I have joked that I seem out of place away from my messy office and without the window unit air conditioner whirring in the background. So, I played with virtual backgrounds until I was finally able to put myself back in my office in Main Hall. Yet as pleased as I am with my creativity and as much as I have enjoyed entertaining students with my sometimes less-than-realistic Salem scenes, I know that it’s not the backgrounds that make us feel at ease in these online meetings. It’s connecting. We may not be together physically on our Salem campus, but we’re still here—together in a community that bridges the distance.
As I finished setting up my home-learning/remote instruction “classroom,” I ran across some quotes from the packet that Dean Telford shared with Fleer students at the last orientation that I assisted with (yes, I admit that I garnered a pack for myself). The photos accompanying this story show two of the most encouraging quotes placed on the wall where I am working.
Thank you, Dean Telford, for always encouraging Fleer students. Your words have traveled beyond the Salem campus and beyond my student career.
As much as possible, use headphones with a built-in microphone when on video or audio calls online. It’s best practice to always be on a wired network connection rather than Wi-Fi when viewing videos and listening to audio on-line. The same is true for video conferencing using [Zoom/Hangouts Meet/insert your favorite video conferencing app here]. When you can’t get a wired connection with an ethernet cable, move closer to your Wi-Fi router/hotspot (BUT NOT TOO CLOSE! Remember, social distancing—it works for more than just COVID-19!).
You can also make sure that other Wi-Fi devices are turned off (especially Wi-Fi printers), your microwave oven is not running, your cordless phone is not close by, and other sources of Wi-Fi interference are turned off. For more information on improving your Wi-Fi experience and your video conferencing experience, visit IT’s MySalem page, or read Tips for a Better WiFi Experience (PDF).
Socially distanced by six feet with gloves: Professor Kim Varnadoe and Alice Smith from the mailroom support our students by sending them art material!
Professor Amy Zigler and her husband in front of “Suffragette City” by Salem alumna Robin Wyatt.
Former design students attended the opening reception including April Marie Johnson (C’ 2009) with Dr. Rosa Otero.
Open reception on February 14.
On Friday, February 14, an opening reception was held in the Elberson Fine Arts Center Galleries for three art exhibits. The exhibits were 100 in 2020: Musings on Women and Voting Rights, Suff/e/rage, and FAC78 The Design Studio. Many of the artists were in attendance. Also among the guests at the reception were Winston-Salem City Council Member Annette Scippio, Greensboro City Council Member Nancy Hoffman, several members of the Piedmont Triad Chapter of the League of Women Voters, and Ana Tampanna, President of Triad NOW, as well as Salem Academy and College President Sandra Doran and Dean Susan Henking.
The 100 in 2020 exhibit was a juried art exhibition open to all artists in North Carolina. Professor Kim Varnadoe selected the works to be included from more than 80 works of art from 45 artists. Suff/e/rage featured large 2-D and 3-D works by Connecticut artist SteviAnn Matijevic. FAC78 The Design Studio was a 10-year retrospective of works by design students.
If you missed the in-person experience, you can still enjoy online by clicking: 100 in 2020 or Suff/e/rage.
