On a rainy Sunday in May, the clouds parted at sunset long enough for a gorgeous rainbow to arch above campus. 
Photo by Grace Ramsdell ‘22
 

Faculty Farewells

At the final Academic Council meeting of the year in May, Wellesley thanked four members of the faculty as they left the College, including:

• Frank Bidart, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and professor of English, at Wellesley since 1972
• Barry Lydgate, professor of French, at Wellesley since 1973
• Catherine Masson, professor of French, at Wellesley since 1988
• Timothy Peltason, professor of English, at Wellesley since 1977

Lip Service

Wellesley’s annual Lip Sync event is usually held in Alumnae Hall, with a raucous crowd cheering and laughing at groups’ performances. This year, House Presidents’ Council reimagined the event for the Zoom era, asking competitors to submit lip synced videos, which were then evaluated by punning judges Helen Wang, director of residence life and housing; AJ Guerrero, coordinator for LGBTQ+ programs and services; and Matthew Kaliner, visiting lecturer in sociology.

“The intense energy and screaming that is usually contained in Alumnae Hall, something I love, was more spread out across campus and the world. I know lots of students and some family members who got to engage with the event in a way they would not have normally because of the virtual platform,” says Katharine Conklin ’22, HP of Bates, who helped coordinate the event. Conklin’s team, Bates House Council, drove away with first place with its rendition of a mashup of “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo and “Getaway Car” by Taylor Swift. A number of Swift songs made it into the competition. “She has always been a big part of pop culture and releasing two (arguably three if you count her re-release) big albums over the quarantine period has solidified her greatness,” says Conklin.