THE OWL THE ALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF COLLEGE YEAR IN ATHENS Fall 2017 Staff member Vassilis Karavassilis showing newly arrived students the secrets of tavli (backgammon) on the orientation trip. Photo by CYA President Alexis Phylactopoulos. 5 PLATEIA STADIOU, ATHENS, GREECE LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT BOARD OF TRUSTEES Thanos Veremis James R. McCredie Professor of Political History Emeritus, Sherman Fairchild Professor Emeritus and Former he CYA Academic Center has been sit- Today CYA offers students an enhanced K. Chris Todd University of Athens; Vice Chairman, ELIAMEP Director, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; Chairman, Board of Trustees, College Year in Athens; Tuated since 2004 at a landmark location academic experience and an abundance of Director, Excavations in Samothrace Partner, Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick, Artemis A. Zenetou next to the Athens Marble Stadium. It is a optional academic or volunteer commu- PLLC Executive Director, Fulbright Foundation in Greece Stephen G. Miller longish but very pleasant walk to Kolonaki nity action opportunities. In a way, their Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus, Raphael Moissis Cornelia Mayer Herzfeld (CYA ’66) University of California at Berkeley; Former Director, and to Deinokratous St. where the CYA life is so much different today; it is more Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees, College Year in Recording Secretary of the Board of Trustees Excavations at Nemea offices were located when I took over as rushed and more agonizing for what the Athens; Chair Emeritus, Foundation for Economic and Special Consultant to the President, Director of the school in 1987. I took this next step will be, how the first job will & Industrial Research (IOBE) - Greece; Honorary College Year in Athens Thomas J. Miller Chairman, AB Vassilopoulos S.A. Former U.S. Ambassador to Greece; President/CEO, walk up the hill recently on my way to an come about. CYA’s outreach is done less on International Executive Service Corps (IESC) event at the American School of Classical printed material these days. The main pro- Peter Sutton Allen (CYA ’65) TRUSTEES EMERITI Treasurer, Board of Trustees, College Year in Athens; Gregory Nagy Studies and this brought memories of our motional and information tool is the CYA Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Rhode Island John McK. Camp II Director, Center for Hellenic Studies; Francis Jones “days over the bakery”, which I am sure , modulated to be easily accessible College Director of the Agora Excavations, Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor website American School of Classical Studies at Athens many of our older alumni also remember on mobile phone devices. Through it, one of Comparative Literature, Harvard University Constantine P. Petropoulos fondly. can navigate to all CYA programs and Assistant Treasurer, College Year in Athens; George A. David Gene Rossides Chairman Emeritus, Petros Petropoulos A.E.B.E. Director, Leventis Group President, American Hellenic Institute Foundation operations and easily reach all social media, Daphne Hatsopoulos George N. Hatsopoulos Alan Shapiro (CYA ‘69) Things were rather laid back in those days, which are now at the core of CYA’s com- Secretary, Board of Trustees, College Year in Athens; Founder and Chairman Emeritus, W.H.Collins Vickers Professor of Archaeology, communications were done by regular post munication with prospective students and Thermo Electron Corporation Trustee, Boston Museum of Science The John Hopkins University; Whitehead Professor at and correspondence was kept in iron filing those currently in Athens. the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Anastassis G. David Joan Caraganis Jakobson (CYA ‘65) cabinets also containing copies on onion Free-Lance Writer; Advisory Board, Wesleyan Writers 1992-93, 2012-13 Chairman of the Board, Coca Cola HBC AG skin paper to save space. A letter would CYA will soon be introducing online ap- the College Year in Athens community. Conference; Trustee, New York Historical Society Mark D. Desjardins Stephen V. Tracy plications thanks to CYA’s use of “Campus Former Director, American School of Classical Studies take perhaps five days to a week to reach Try it yourself to reunite with former class- Headmaster, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas Edmund Keeley Café”, a highly-advanced electronic data Straut Professor of English Emeritus and Director at Athens; Professor Emeritus, Ohio State University Greece from the US and perhaps an equal mates. It allows alumni and students to add Nitzia Embiricos Logothetis (CYA ‘02) management system, shared by CYA of Hellenic Studies Emeritus, Princeton University Voula Tsouna time for the response to reach the sender, CYA to their education history and publicly Founder and Executive Chairwoman, Seleni Institute staff in Athens and Cambridge, students, Kitty P. Kyriacopoulos Professor of Philosophy/Chair, UC-Santa Barbara the whole cycle taking at best close to two demonstrate this important part of their Dimitri Gondicas and faculty. Everything is fast and instant, Director, Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, Mary R. Lefkowitz Charles Kaufman Williams II weeks. There was one “memory typewriter” background. Also available for communica- Director Emeritus, Corinth Excavations, like the account, where Princeton University Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities in the office — essentially an electric type- CYA Instagram tion among alumni is the Facebook group. Emerita, Wellesley College American School of Classical Studies students share perspectives of their experi- Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos (CYA ‘83) writer with a typeball, which we considered Alumni of College Year in Athens / CYA. Polyvios Vintiadis ences, posting photos from their academic Professor of Neuroscience, University of Chicago ADMINISTRATION hi-tech — and one telephone land-line Director, Morgens Waterfall Vintiadis & Co. and extracurricular activities. This is a mar- This is the new environment in which John C. Hermansen (CYA ‘71) Executive since cell phones were still in the sphere Founder & CEO, Language Analysis Systems, Inc.; velous tool to communicate the benefits much of the discourse takes place. Alexis Phylactopoulos, President of fantasy. I think there was a primitive IBM Distinguished Engineer (ret.) BOARD OF ADVISORS of studying abroad at CYA to prospective Academically, the electronic forum used Elina Sinopoulou, Assistant to the President fax machine with a cylinder by which one Rhoda Borcherding at CYA is , where students can Samuel Holzman (CYA ‘10) Academics students. Then there is the CYA Facebook Moodle Doctoral Candidate in Art and Archaeology of the Director of Study Abroad (retired), Pomona College could send crude copies. Circulars to the , Vice President for Academic Affairs , which serves as a platform for shar- access course syllabi and readings and ask Mediterranean World, University of Pennsylvania Theoni Scourta students were produced by stencil, which page P. Nikiforos Diamandouros Maria Tsahas, Registrar ing the CYA experience with alumni, par- questions or exchange ideas with faculty. Professor of Comparative Politics, University of was run through a crank-operated mimeo- Yannis Ioannides Georgia Katsarou, Librarian Athens; Former Greek Ombudsman ents, and friends through photos, videos, Nevertheless, tools like Moodle have not Max & Herta Neubauer Chair & Professor of Angelos Papadopoulos, Academic Advisor graph machine. Phone calls abroad were Economics, Tufts University articles, and more. It is also a promotional in any way diminished the close warm Jack Davis Administration very expensive and very rare. Students of- Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology, tool and a place to get current information face-to-face contact that characterizes George Komodikis Peggy Myresiotou, Vice President for Administration ten had to visit the OTE offices on Stadiou University of Cincinnati; Former Director of the the relationships CYA students have with Investment Consultant; Managing Director, Popi Triantafyllidi, Strategic Planning Manager Ave. to make an appointment and wait in about CYA. It is often linked to articles of Madison Holdings American School of Classical Studies at Athens , Project Administrative Assistant their faculty. Dinners at faculty homes is a Evgenia Ghizas line in order to speak to family and friends the CYA Blog, where one can find more Christine Kondoleon Christos Doumas Anthi Papageorgiou, Staff Assistant stories. The latter is a space where current common occurrence and so are lunchtime Professor of Archaeology Emeritus, University of in the US. George & Margo Behrakis Senior Curator of Student Affairs/Services students and others can contribute news conversations in an air of informality — this Greek and Roman Art, Art of the Ancient World, Athens; Director, Excavations at Akrotiri, Thera Nadia Meliniotis, Executive Director This may all sound as hardship conditions and stories to be shared across the CYA remains one of the strong points of CYA. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Nicholas Gage of Student Affairs but students then were as fascinated with community. This is a mobile-friendly tool Zoe Sophia Kontes (CYA ’95) Writer; Journalist Jennifer Holland, Student Services Coordinator I believe that this fast-paced, social me- Associate Professor and Chair of Classics, their experience abroad as they are today. where one can easily browse CYA stu- Thomas W. Gallant (CYA ’76) Housing/Food dia-based communication improves the Kenyon College Nicholas Family Endowed Chair, Professor