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In League...A quarterly newsletterSeptember– October 2011

Dear MIT Women,

Welcome back to those who have been with us before and welcome to those who might be new to the Women’s League. We have planned many events and activities in the hopes that you will be able to join us for some of these times together this year.

One of the purposes of Women’s League is to connect women in the MIT commu-nity to one another and to programs and activities and projects of interest to them. We hope you will find something in our offerings that you can participate in. And, if you have a suggestion or an idea for additions to those, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We want to hear from you!

In addition to fun social events, there are opportunities for community service. Donations of time, energy and various items are welcome in support of our partnership with Transition House shelter for women and children that helps them overcome family and partner violence,

Reception for New MIT Women

Tuesday, September 27 • 4:30 to 6 pm Bush Room (10-105)

Each fall the Women’s League welcomes new women at MIT to the Institute community and introduces them to the League’s various programs and activities. These newcomers have arrived at MIT from around the country and around the world as new faculty, staff, and graduate students or as spouses and significant others of the above mentioned. They are looking for ways to meet others and participate in all things MIT.

During the reception, an informative short program will be presented by representatives from Human Resources, spouses&partners@mit, the Work-Life Center and MIT Police. Guests will have the opportunity to talk with them as well as talk with members of the various interest groups and with the organizers of the service projects sponsored by the League. Representatives from other

our clothing program for students culminating in our “Fall Fashion Free For All,” the campus-wide Daffodil Days campaign for the American Cancer Society in the spring, and our English Class programs for international wives and MIT service employees throughout the year. You can also volunteer at the Furniture Exchange where the monies earned go toward scholarships for MIT women students.

Please take time to read the newsletter so that you can choose those things that fit into your schedule. We look forward to seeing you.

Kim Watson Chair

helpful offices at the Institute will be on hand also. All will be happy to explain and answer questions about their activities.

We encourage League members to attend and renew their membership and to greet these newcomers. If you know of a newcomer in your neighbor-hood or department invite her to come with you. A warm greeting, informal

conversation, and helpful information make such a difference to someone who knows very little about MIT, Cambridge, or the United States. We hope that you can be part of this congenial annual event. The Women’s League welcomes all women of the MIT community to join us.

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English Class Registration

Tuesday, September 13 • 9 to 11 amStratton Student Center, Room 491

Conversational English classes sponsored by the Women’s League are a perfect home away-from-home for international women arriving at MIT whose first language is not English. Students meet women from around the globe and come together to practice and learn English under the guidance of dedicated Women’s League teachers. These classes provide a warm venue for practicing “survival” English, enlarging vocabulary, and engaging in conversations upon a variety of subjects with others. In addition to learning about American culture, the women also share their own cultures and interests. Teachers as well as fellow students provide information about MIT and Boston and offer helpful suggestions to accomplish everyday tasks. As stories and experiences are shared, speaking and listening abilities improve.

The classes offer women of all cultures and countries the chance to learn or improve their English skills, to make new friends, and to gain confidence while living their new life in the United States.

Classes are held from September to December on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:15 am to 11:00 am. (A second semester is offered in the spring.) Three levels of classes (Basic to Advanced) are offered and after a brief interview with one of our teachers each student is placed in an appropriate level class. Babysitting is provided for children, age 6 months to 4 years at a cost of $150 a semester per child. Textbooks are provided and included in the class fee of $80 per semester. All questions will be answered by calling Jan Kirtley, coordinator of the English Classes, at 617.277.2628.

Mission Statement — The ESL Program for MIT Service Employees seeks to help service employees improve their English communication skills in order to be more productive in their jobs and to build their confidence and morale. The ESL Program, sponsored by the MIT Women’s League, has benefited service staff in the Facilities Department whose first language is not English. Volunteers from the MIT community are teaching English to employees both one on one and in small classes. The Director of Facilities, John DiFava, was and continues to support the need for the program. UPDATE — Team Coordinators of the ESL Program are Nancy Kelly, Nancy Boyce, Marlyse Lupis, Pam Manolakis, Ellen Stordy and Jim Eggleston.

This new initiative began its pilot day program in May 2009 and ran through July. Day shift service staff received one hour teaching and tutoring twice a week. More than 27 volunteers participated in the program.

UPDATE — The program celebrated its second anniversary in May this year. In recognition of the efforts of both the day/night volunteer teachers/tutors and the Facilities staff personnel, the League sponsored an appreciation lunch held in January 2011. The pilot has received significant MIT visibility. MIT’s News Office wrote an article in the spring 2010, Technology Review ran a first person story in the fall 2010, and one of the ESL students was selected to be part of the 25 examples of MIT diversity in conjunction with the MIT150 anniversary celebration.

English as a Second Language (ESL) forFacilities Service Staff

With the January 2010 sessions, the program continued to evolve. Some students dropped out; others joined. The approaches to the teaching and tutoring evolved, i.e. Hoisting Exam assistance was too specialized to be included routinely. The initial workbook was exhausted and significant effort went into more accurately assessing students’ current levels (using standard ESL assessment tools) as well as identifying materials appropriate for each level. Classes and tutoring sessions became highly individualized. Pre-Ged classes and citizenship tutoring became part of the program in the summer, and by the spring 2011, some students were also receiving basic computer skill building.

A new pilot program for the night shift (11pm to 7am) will begin this fall with approximately 20 participants.

We are proud of the achievements of all the service staff involved. The continued success of the program can only be achieved by the dedicated coordinators and volunteers and, more importantly, by the commitment of service staff employees. The ESL program is a work in progress and is driven by the needs of the students. Future projections are to open the program to other departments whose employees would benefit from this program.

If you would like to become involved in this rewarding outreach program, please contact esl-admins@mit.edu.

— ESL Coordinating Committee

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League Interest Groups and Classes

L E A R N I N G M O R EBook DiscussionBarbara Donnelly781.646.4617

Judith Lippardjacs@mit.edu

ChoraleElizabeth Parr617.324.1487eaparr@mit.eduweb.mit.edu/womensleague/womenschorale

Looking TogetherAnn Allen617.527.7292annallen@rle.mit.edu

I N T E R N A T I O N A LJapanese Tea CeremonyKyoko Wadachado@mit.eduweb.mit.edu/chado/www/index.html

Middle Eastern DanceLoni Butera617.491.5657loni@mit.edu

W O R K I N G W I T H Y O U R H A N D SInformal NeedleworkBeth Harling781.749.4055oharling@mit.edu

Nancy Sweeney781.646.3107n-j-sweeney@verizon.net

MIT Gardeners’ GroupLeague Office617.253.3656wleague@mit.eduweb.mit.edu/womensleague/gardeners

Tech Community CraftersBrenda Blaisbmblais@mit.edu

N E W F R I E N D S A N D C O N T A C T SCitySide DiningLeague Officewleague@mit.edu

MIT Japanese Wives GroupKimie Shirasaki781.721.2517

Groups meet weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. Contact the above women to learn more about their groups.

Wednesday, September 21 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Is architecture of interest to you? If so, you’re in for a treat as we visit the Gropius House in Lincoln, a National Historic Landmark. German architect Walter Gropius (1883-1969) was the founder of the Bauhaus school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts. Celebrated artists and craftspeople came together to make the Bauhaus style influential to the subsequent develop-ment of architecture and design, spilling over into art, typography, as well as graphic, interior, and industrial design. “Students were taught that beauty was to be found in the economy of form, in the expressive use of materials, and in solutions that were suitable, economical, practical, and therefore inherently elegant.”

With the closing of the school under pressure from the Nazi regime, Gropius was offered and accepted a teaching appointment at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Architecture in 1937. Eager to revitalize its architectural teaching and curriculum, Harvard also allowed him to build a private architec-tural practice in America. Falling in love with the New England countryside, Gropius and his wife chose to build their home in Lincoln.

Gropius wanted his home to reflect its New England surroundings. To do so, he worked with Concord builder Casper J. Jenney and combined traditional New England architectural elements (clap-board, brick and fieldstone) with new innovative materials (glass blocks, chromed banisters) and the latest fixture

Gropius House Tour

technology. The house design then became consistent with the Bauhaus philosophies of “simplicity, functionality, economy, geometry, and aesthetic beauty determined by materials rather than applied ornamentation.”

Ideally sited to the landscape, the finished house became the perfect backdrop for the Gropiuses’ furniture, much of it handmade in the Bauhaus workshops in Germany. There the family entertained Bauhaus friends and fellow émigrés and others, including Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, Igor Stravinsky and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Join us and be entertained too as our guide pulls together the threads of history and design of this remarkable house described by Mrs. Gropius as “a happy amalgam of the New England vernacular and the Bauhaus spirit.” The cost for our one-hour tour is $8.00. To reserve your place, please send your check payable to the MIT Women’s League to the League office: Room 10-342, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 by Thursday, September 15. Please let us know if you would like to be part of a carpool from MIT or the Alewife T Stop on the Red Line. And, if you’d like to talk more about Gropius House over lunch at a nearby restaurant, let us know that too!

For more information, please contact the League office at 253.3656 or email wleague@mit.edu.

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Market Tour of Boston’s North End

Friday, October 14 • 11 am to 2 pm

Back again by popular demand! A great culinary adventure awaits you on this award-winning walking tour that’s like a cooking class on foot through one of the oldest Italian communities in America.

If you have a passion for the food and wine of Italy, then you’ll happily follow our guide through the cobblestone paths to some of the best Italian markets this side of Rome. You’ll discover the pastic-ceria, the greengrocer, the deli, an enoteca, and a spice and confection store that stocks the ingredienti that can make your meals memorable. Enjoy the colorful sights, tantalizing aromas and authentic tastes of pastries, cured meats, cheeses, balsamic vinegar, the freshest seasonal produce, and a little liquori in this old-world community.

Learn cooking secrets, sample authentic flavors and discover Mediterranean traditions as you get an “insider’s view” of one of the premier food neighborhoods in the country. It’s like visiting Italy—no passport required!

The cost for this one-of-a-kind tour is $47 per person (space is limited). To reserve your place, please send a check made payable to the MIT Women’s League (note: North End Tour) and mail or bring it to the League office: Room 10-342, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 by Tuesday, October 11.

For more information, please contact the League office at 617. 253.3656 or email wleague@mit.edu.

Looking Together

More new MFA openings this fall! The West Wing is undergoing a complete transformation into the new LINDE FAMILY WING FOR CONTEMPORARY ART. It will open on September 17 with 20,000 sq. ft. of space for seven galleries, newly reno-vated shop and café and lounge spaces, new entrances, and more elevators. The galleries will highlight a wide range of new media within broad concepts of what today’s art is and innovative ways to experience it.

Contemporary works (1955 to the present) will be arranged thematically to encourage questions and discussion. Reminded that “all art has been contem-porary at some time,” we’ll see how the newest-of-the-new still relates to what has come before, in every department of our museum, no matter how ancient or diverse.

We’ll first sharpen our sensibilities by comparing the once (maybe still) shocking forms of Dubuffet, Giacometti and Picasso and the departures of 20th c. sculpture. Mostly, we’ll explore the exciting new adventures in the Linde realm. The expan-sion there represents another historic curatorial change at the MFA (the Wing of all the Americas having opened last fall). We’ll see how these creative presentations make contemporary art more relevant than just visual note-taking and how that approach differs from — and adds meaning to — the contemporary venues around us.

If you are interested in joining one of the two groups organized by Ann Allen, League member and MFA instructor, or have questions, please contact Ann at 617.527.7292 or annallen@rle.mit.edu. For questions regarding registration, please contact Jasmine Hagans at 617.369.3569 or JHagans@mfa.org.

• Thursday afternoon MIT Group, No. 122 meets from 1 pm to 2:30 pm, October 13, 20, and November 3, 17.

• Friday morning ARTWEST Group, No. 123 meets from 10:30 am to 12 pm October 14, 21, and November 4, 18.

These classes are synchronized so that you may shift between them if you have conflicts. The fee for the four 1½ hour sessions is $120.00.

When ordering by phone at 800.440.6975 (Mon–Sat 9 am to 9 pm, Sun 9am to 6pm) or in person at any ticketing desk, please mention the section number (122 or 123), the start date of the section, and Ann Allen, instructor, to ease the ticketing process.

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  Calling All Fashion Consultants!

16th Annual Fall Fashion Free For AllFriday, October 21

The MIT Women’s Leagues hosts its 16th Fall Fashion Free For All!

Since 1996 the Clothing Service Program of the MIT Women’s League has held the event to supply free clothing to international undergraduate students who arrive unaware of the rigors of our local winters and unprepared to enter the local business communities. Members of the MIT community continue to support the event through generous clothing donations from year to year.

Join us to help the students stock up with just the right thing for those cold winter days, business interviews and formal holiday occasions!

If you would like to participate:

DonateWe accept new and clean, gently used clothing, especially:• Winter Clothes for women and men: Coats, Jackets, Hats, Gloves, Mittens,

Scarves, (like new) Snow Boots• Men’s Clothing – Small sizes! Slacks: 30–32” waist, 28–29” length

Suits: 38–40” regular Shirts: 15/15 ½/16 collar, 32–33” sleeve• Interview Clothes Women: suits and dresses

Men: suits, dress shirts, neckties

Clean clothing may be left at the League office, Room 10-342, during business hours or you may mail them to us. Your donation is tax deductible and we supply a receipt for income tax purposes. Please call League office beforehand (617.253.3656).

Volunteer• Be a ‘Fashion Consultant’ at our annual

‘Fall Fashion Free For All’• Join the Prep Team once a quarter

to prepare donations for the annual event. Refreshments are served!

• Help the Display Team unpack, sort and display the clothing before the event (anytime from 1 pm Thursday, the 20th, to 5 pm Friday, the 21st).

Ready to Join the Fun? • Please call the League office,

617.253.3656, or email wleague@mit.edu if you have questions about donations or if you would like to volunteer.

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General Information

The MIT Women’s League newsletter is published four times during the academic year. The deadline for the Nov/Dec/Jan issue is October 1. All items should be sent to the Women’s League office.

Please call the League office for a hard copy of the newsletter and for answers to questions you may have. The office can also arrange for your membership.

Staff AssociateSis de BordenaveLeague ChairKim WatsonHonorary ChairPriscilla GrayDesignTim Blackburn Design

MIT Women’s LeagueMassachusetts Institute of Technology77 Massachusetts AvenueRoom 10-342Cambridge, MA 02139-4307web.mit.edu/womensleague

Contact 617.253.3656wleague@mit.edu

NotableBook Discussion

9/21 Fall of Giantsby Ken Follett

10/26Hiroshima by John Hersey

Women’s Chorale

9/15First Rehearsal

New members accepted through 9/29

 

The MIT Student Furniture Exchange is excited to announce our newest fan …The Cambridge Department of Public Works!

Earlier this summer we were happy to have Randi Mail, the director of recycling at “The Works” come by the FX for an informational visit. She was so excited to hear about what we do and was quite impressed that not only are we involved in the recycling of items rather than them going into the trash, but the fact that we were helping those in need of finding household items at a reasonable cost and supplying funds to the scholarship fund at the same time!

The MIT Furniture Exchange Connects with the Cambridge Department of Public Works!

Randi promoted the Furniture Exchange in her June Cambridge Recycling newsletter and we are now a member of their website directory for places to donate/choose to reuse. There was an immediate response from the Cambridge community and we are happy to say that more than a few donations have followed!

Remember, we are happy to put you in touch with our movers for pickups of large donations and we are always in need of volunteers if you have a few hours to spare. We are open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am–4pm as well as the first Saturday of each month from 10am–1pm. For more information, please visit our website web.mit.edu/womensleague/fx or feel free to contact Judy Halloran directly: 617.253.4293 or jah@mit.edu

ConnectionsSeptember 8 • October 6*Meets from 4 to 6 pm on the second Thursday of each month during the Academic Year. (*Except when there is a scheduling conflict.)

Connections is a monthly informal open house with conversation and light refreshments. The first two of the 2012 Academic Year will take place on Thursday, September 8, and Thursday, October 6, in the Emma Rogers Room (10-340). These occasions offer opportunities for the League to meet newcomers and to stay in touch with its members. Don’t hesitate to bring a new- comer or colleague with you for conversation and camaraderie. You meet the nicest people!

Come when you can and stay for as long as you wish.

We look forward to seeing you.