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APRILLoomis 12, 2019 ChaffeeIssue 102, No. 7 Logthelclog.org SPRING HAS SPRUNG DEAN SASSER TO LEAVE ANYA SASTRY: YOUTH LOOMIS CHAFFEE CLIMATE Ethan Levinbook ’20 | Features Editor ACTIVIST At the end of the 2018-2019 school that tested her strength and encouraged year, Dean of the Senior Class Ms. Patri- her growth. “There are many ways I have Jenny Pan ’22 | Contributor cia Sasser will leave Loomis Chaffee for stretched myself as a dean here,” she said. the position of head of the upper school “We talk about how students grow up, and Anya Sastry ’20 is the national outreach at the Ransom Everglades School, a col- I don’t think we think about adults grow- director for the U.S. Youth Climate Strike; lege-prep day school serving grades six ing up and continuing our growth, but I she led the Chicago Youth Climate Strike through twelve in Miami, Florida. grew up a lot here in different ways.” on March 15, 2019. In the past, Anya has After serving as a faculty member at Loomis itself — its size, the compo- participated in the 2016 Women’s March, her alma mater, the Madeira School in sition of its student body — also proved as well as the 2018 March For Our Lives. McLean, Virginia, Dean Sasser began her new to Dean Sasser, and she recalls the The urgency of many political and social tenure at Loomis in August 2012 excited steep learning curve associated with tran- issues that are left unaddressed motivates to embrace new challenges. sitioning into the Loomis community and her to voice her opinions. “I felt it was time for me to leave the acclimating to her new environment. Last year, she started getting more in- school I had attended and look for other “I came from an all-girls school to a volved in the fi ght against climate change. opportunities to grow,” Dean Sasser said. school that is not all girls. Loomis is big- In the process of planning the Chicago “I don’t like being complacent. I was stay- ger; there were a lot of ways that I learned strike, Anya learned about the various ing safe where people knew me…I wanted about how best to serve my students. I components of the planning process, in- to shake it up a little bit, push myself out am someone who grapples a lot with try- cluding securing permits, contacting press, of my comfort zone, prove myself to oth- ing to identify the needs of my class, who speakers, and performers, and getting A/V ers…and there was a lot about Loomis that the individuals in my class are, how I can equipment. She did a lot of outreach and appealed to me; I knew it would be a good meet their needs and learn what I need to networking, whether through word of challenge.” learn to best support my students. And I mouth or social media. Moreover, Anya Dean Sasser credits Loomis with ex- think it’s important, going through that and her co-state lead for the U.S. Youth posing her to situations and challenges process.” Climate Strike in Chicago contacted youth Photo by Jessica Sasser Continued on page 2 from all over Illinois about the rally, invit- Dean Sasser with her husband, Wyatt, and their ing them to participate. ten-year-old son, Pierce. Continued on page 4 UNEQUAL REPRESENTATION IN LC COURSES Liam Scott ’19 | Editor-in-Chief “I’ve challenged the faculty to really be in process, but some of the changes under thinking about the content of their cours- consideration are replacing Ted Koos- es, but I’m also concerned not just about er’s poetry collection with Clint Smith’s content but also access. And so who has Counting Descent for freshmen, adding access to upper level courses?” mused Dr. Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies Culbert as she explained her recent task to the sophomore year, replacing Oedipus for the faculty. While these revisions have Rex with Death and the King’s Horseman been going on for many years, Dr. Culbert in the junior year, and revising the offer- said that the recent rise in hate crimes both ings in senior electives.” in the U.S. and on the Loomis Chaffee This effort to diversify the chosen au- campus means this challenge has “t[aken] thors will help better represent the stu- on a degree of urgency.” dents who are reading the works. Log Still, there is no single way for depart- Social Media Editor Alejandra Velasquez ments to change. Inclusivity is not one size ’20, a student in College Level (CL) En- fi ts all; inclusivity is an incredibly multi- glish Seminar, said of her experience in faceted topic. The most obvious mode of that course, “As a member of the Latinx change is to revise the content that is in- community, I do feel that there is an un- cluded in courses. derrepresentation of authors that identify According to English Department as POC [people of color]. We seem to Head Stephen Colgate in an email, the mainly focus on the work of white male department “ha[s] seen a greater focus writers. I can’t relate to any of the work on maintaining a diversity of voices and that we read, and I think that limits my perspectives in [its] curricular offerings.” ability to appreciate the reading that we’re Data provided by the LC Academic Offi ce. Graphic by Ariel Kayton ’19 He continued that “those changes are still assigned.” The graph above refl ects enrollment rates by female students in all College Level Continued on page 4 (CL) courses within a given department. The entire Loomis Chaffee student body is currently 44% female and 56% male. APRIL CHECK OUT THE LOG’S EDITORS’ WEB PAGE! PICKS thelclog.org NEWS “SCIENCE IS POWER” (3) BRIDGEPORT, CT FEATURES SPORTS PERMIT NO. 140 U.S. POSTAGE PRSRT STD I-TRI UPDATE (4) JADEN RISMAY (10) PAID OPINIONS MELANGE COLLEGE EXTRANCE EXAMS AND THE HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE MERITOCRACY MYTH (6) STUDENT HANDBOOK? (12) INSIDE NEWS FEATURES OPINIONS SPORTS MELANGE THE LOG 2 - 3 4 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 10 11 - 12 NEWS | April 12, 2019 DEAN SASSER TO LEAVE LOOMIS CHAFFEE Ethan Levinbook ’20 | Features Editor Continued from the front Dean Sasser cited the reputation and entire Loomis community to bond. “I like legacy of her predecessor Ms. Ruthanne seeing students in a different way, seeing Marchetti as both a cause of worry and a them get out of their comfort zone, and motivating force. “Coming in new, I fol- see their creativity and bond that way.” lowed someone who had been here for But what Dean Sasser cherishes the thirty years.” She recalls people question- most are those little, fl eeting moments that ing her as she assumed her new position. often go unnoticed. “A favorite part of “People [were] like, ‘who is this… young Loomis is just the random conversations person coming in?’” at night when I’m on dean duty [and] I’m Though she was expected to “fi ll the just hanging out with students… It’s not shoes” of former Dean Marchetti, she in- always the big shiny things; it might be stead sought to wear her own. Dean Sass- just hanging out in the social room, be- er stated that establishing a good rapport cause that’s the sort of thing I remember with members of the community was an from when I was at school,” she said. initial challenge. “When you come to a “I might not remember a lot of things, new school,” she said, “you have to build but I do remember things like hanging credibility with faculty and students. out with friends, eating Tostitos and sal- Loomis has quite a reputation and quite sa in the vestibule. I think it’s just those a tradition. Navigating those waters was conversations that I enjoy. I like laugh- part of the learning curve.” ing with students.” She didn’t hesitate to Since arriving on campus, Dean Sasser mention how much she enjoyed “hitting has worn several different hats. She lived the dancefl oor” on many occasions with in Carter for two years upon arriving at her students. Loomis; she also works with Ms. Eliza- She expressed a great appreciation beth Parada in the offi ce of diversity, eq- to her fellow deans for making her time uity, and inclusion. at Loomis so pleasant. “I feel blessed to “I don’t coach,” she added, “but what work [with] such a great team,” she said. I say is that I am a really loud fan; I love “We work well together, support each to go to… sporting events, performances, other, respect each other, care about each and I always make my presence known. It other, and laugh together (a lot),” she said. is my way of paying it forward; my par- “We genuinely enjoy working together ents lived overseas when I went to board- and I will truly miss them. It will be hard Photo by Beth Helfrich ing school, and they never got to see me to fi nd another team as dedicated and fun Dean Sasser and her son, Pierce, holding a snake. play any of my sports or perform onstage. to work with as our LC Dean team.” I had a lot of adults who would come out Dean Sasser looks forward to her big Sasser expects a mix of nervousness and as of now, been narrowed to four. “What eagerness to accompany her.

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