October 2009 Wellesley Club Newsletter UNITED KINGDOM

CLUB BOARD Club President Handover President Farida El-Gammal After 5 years at the helm, I have decided to [email protected] step down from my role as Club president and Vice President / Newsletter pass the reins over to Farida El-Gammal '98. I Charlene Ching really enjoyed my time running the club, [email protected] particularly as we were able to host some very Treasurer interesting speakers: Alan Schechter, Marshall Liza Llewellyn [email protected] Goldman, Linda Miller, to name a few as well as having the honor to host Wellesley's former Admissions Rep Heather Luiz President Diana Chapman Walsh. Thank you [email protected] to all of my fellow club officers and club Seven College Rep members for helping me with organizing, Barbara Ilias hosting and supporting our efforts. [email protected] Congratulations to Farida and good luck! Junior Year Abroad Rep Julie Bennett [email protected] Best Wishes, Carol Gardey '88

Sign up to new Wellesley Club Dean of Admissions visits Wellesley Club UK UK e-Discussion Group On Tuesday, September 29th the Club welcomed Dean of Admissions, 1. Go to Jennifer Desjarlais who spoke on Wellesley Admissions and International http://www.wellesley.edu/Alum/ Recruitment. The event was graciously hosted by Susan Schoenfeld and sign in to the Online Harrington '84 at her home. The event provoked a lively discussion Community. amongst the attendees, including how a "liberal arts" education is best 2. Click on Discussions in the top navigation, and then click communicated to international students, how Wellesley compared to other on My Discussion Settings. schools on its financial aid packages to foreign students, and what types of 3. Enter a preferred name (we international students tended to come to Wellesley and why. suggest your preferred first name, college last name, Open Position on Club Board: Wellesley in Surrey? current last name). Click the Update Preferred Name button Admissions Representative to save your name. We are seeking someone to take If you live in Surrey and are For the UK Discussion: over the role of Admissions interested in getting together 1. Click on Browse Topics in the Representative for the UK. This is a for a book club, monthly discussions menu and then on great way to share your Wellesley lunch or dinner, visit to a Geographic Clubs. 2. Click on Wellesley Club UK, experience with prospective students National Trust property, or 3. Complete the subscription and involves interviewing, attending something else, please get information at the bottom of the college fairs and assisting the in touch with Laura Wood group details page and click the admissions office with local visits. If Cantopher '84 who lives in Subscribe button. you are interested please contact Guildford. If you have any difficulty Heather Luiz at subscribing the UK Discussion Email: [email protected] Group, please email [email protected] or on [email protected] 07884 234498. or mobile 07809 769 762. . Barnard Bryn Mawr Harvard Mount Holyoke Smith Vassar Wellesley

The Seven College Conference of London Annual Autumn Reception

Wednesday, 11 November 2009 5:00 to 7:00 PM

The Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4SQ

Arrival: 5 PM or before to browse Gallery 5:30 – 6 PM Gallery tour led by a member of the Education Dept 6 PM Gallery closes (please come before this to avoid disappointment) 6 – 7 PM Drinks and Canapés at "Mess"

Please join the Seven College Conference for our Autumn Reception, which will be held at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea.

Charles Saatchi is the most controversial and provocative Collector and 'Market Maker' in Contemporary Art in England. He is the patron of Damien Hirst, Lucian Freud and Jenny Saville among many others; he fostered the Young British Artists; and the current exhibition is, appropriately for our group: ABSTRACT AMERICA; NEW PAINTING AND SCULPTURE, with unexpected, challenging and often very amusing new works.

The Gallery itself is the former Duke of York's headquarters, on the King's Road opposite Peter Jones, "one of the most beautiful art spaces in London" (The Observer): a handsome former Georgian Barracks transformed into a light and spacious (70,000 sq ft) exhibition hall. The current exhibition is of unfamiliar artists, so the talk by one of the Gallery's Education Department will be very helpful.

Gallery "Mess" where our reception will be held, is housed in the old Duke of York's officers’ mess where exposed brickwork, white painted ceilings and arches combine with neon installations for a sophisticated space. “The owners have 'put a lot of money, style and panache...into an airy temple to both art and food" (The Independent, June 2009)

Profits from the event will support the Seven College Conference Book Purchase Award, helping students from schools in Britain who attend any of the seven colleges to purchase books during their first year. Recently we gave awards totalling $2,750 to four students going to our colleges, all of which was raised at our autumn and spring events.

Tickets for the reception are £25 each. Guests are welcome. TICKETS WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THEGALLERY TOUR AND RECEPTION and will be posted before the event. Please provide your address below.

Please make cheques payable to The Seven College Conference of London and post with the form below to: Wendy Tiffin, Chowles Barn, Rusper, West Sussex RH12 4RH. Please RSVP by Friday 6 November. Please do let us know if you have to cancel your reservation (phone 01293 871485).

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NAME______COLLEGE______

GUESTS’ NAMES______

ADDRESS ______POSTCODE______

TEL. ______EMAIL______

I enclose a cheque for £______for ______tickets

I am unable to attend but enclose £______as a donation to the Book Award. The Wellesley Club UK cordially invites you to our annual

Thanksgiving Drinks Party

at the residence of Liz Coppola Flat 2, 17 Gledhow Gardens, London SW5 0AY Tube: Gloucester Road

Thursday, November 19, 2009, 19:00 - 21:00

RSVP by November 12 to [email protected] The Seven Colleges Book Club 2009 / 2010 Our 16th year of reading together soon begins. Here is the ' first semester ' reading list and schedule of the 7s Book Club. The books chosen continue to be wide ranging and will provide broad scope for our discussions. Sue Rees continues to lead the group. There is a fee of £4 for participation in each meeting. Please ring the host if you plan to attend. All meetings are held from 12 noon to 2pm on a Wednesday. 28 October 9 December Stoner - John Williams Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson Tamara Haggard's home Barbara Ilias' home tel: 020 7584 4869 tel: 020 7937 7928

18 November 20 January The Mill on the Floss - George Eliot Child of All Nations - Irmgard Keun Alice Reid's home Jenni Buhr's home tel: 020 8742 3708 tel: 020 7431 4425

All American Charity Quiz Night

On September 23rd, a Wellesley College alumnae team competed in Andover's "All American Charity Quiz Night". The 8 member team represented a number of different Wellesley classes and finished 5th out of 13 teams. Notre Dame won the night. Proceeds from the night were given to Plan International, a charity helping children in 48 different countries around the world. It is hoped that this will become an annual event.

Congratulations Wellesley!

Keep Wellesley Up To Date

The Club would like to remind all alumnae that we use the College's alumna database as a basis for our mailing and emailing lists. As such, it is very important that you keep the College informed of your move to the UK or changes in your contact information. Please contact the College directly. You can update your information online when you visit the Alumnae Association website at http://www.wellesley.edu/alum. You can also contact the Alumnae Office directly by phone at +1 781 283 2331 Wellesley Club UK Membership Dues 2009

The club continues to use its 'CHOOSE YOUR OWN DUES' plan. Choose you own annual membership amount. All funds will go directly towards the production and mailing of the Club newsletters, club events and the directory. Please make cheques out to Wellesley Club UK and send to Liza Llewellyn at: 5 Westcroft Square London W6 0TB If you have any questions, please phone 020 8846 9394

Wellesley Club UK Membership Dues 2009

Name: ______

Address: ______

Class of: ______

Email: ______

Tel: ______Wellesley Club UK Travel Stipend Winner Welsh Bike Trip By Liz Hurbertz, 2011

This past May, I rode my bike solo across the countryside of thanks to the generosity of the UK Wellesley College Club. I spent the spring semester studying at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies, a decision based upon my interest in Arabic language and Middle Eastern culture.

My proposal to the College Club was simple – as a long time cycling enthusiast, I wanted to bike more than 110 miles across Wales on the trail (Wales cycle route 81), a well-trodden cycle route through the scenic heart of Wales. I decided on a portion of the route that took me from the coastal city of (daftly pronounced) to the border town of . While my initial goal was to spend two nights on the road, the first in the town of and the second in Newtown, this eventually evolved into a much longer ride – from Aberystwyth all the way to Stratford-Upon-Avon, a place I had long wanted to visit because of its connection to Shakespeare. The total distance ended up clocking at more than 150 miles across Wales and England.

While my trip only lasted a short weekend, it was certainly one of the greatest aspects of my time abroad. While my initial goal was to simply experience the beauty of the Welsh countryside, I also ended up meeting many amazing and interesting people along the way – some who were altogether baffled by my decision to bike solo across a large section of their country.

I started off with my gear – I rented my bike from a little shop called ‘Tri and Run’ situated at the end of the District line. I had quite an interesting time getting the bicycle back to London; an officer reprimanded me as I attempted to carry it through a tube turnstile. (The overground worked just as well.) The bike was really all I needed – the rest of my gear (a rain jacket, a couple of pairs of biking shorts, a camera, and a repair kit, maps) all fit into a small backpack. It’s very refreshing to know that everything you need in the world can be contained within a 15-pound bag on your back.

The train to Aberystwyth departed on Thursday, May 15th, a 6:43am. (I kept the ticket to prove to my mother that I am indeed capable of waking up early.) The train arrived in Aberystwyth by noon, my legs lethargic and ready to get going after that long train ride. Luckily, the weather cooperated with me for the weekend – mild, cloudy, and not too wet – as perfect as it gets for UK cycling.

The first day, after spending a good three hours in Aberystwyth enjoying the harbor and seeing some of the tourist sights like Constitution Hill, I set off on a 42 mile ride to Newtown. The scenery on this ride and on the rest of my trip was breathtaking – miles of green countryside, rolling hills, green horse pastures, and small farms. I made it to Newtown a good hour or two before nightfall – waking up the next morning at 5 for a 90-mile ride to Stratford-Upon-Avon.

My second day was devoted completely to taking my time and truly enjoying the scenery of Wales and England. It took me about 9 hours to reach Stratford-Upon-Avon, stopping at little towns and beautiful spots I found along the way. There was a young man named Ali who daftly expressed his incredulity when I told him where exactly I was headed: “Crazy, you are!”

But by far, the most amazing part of my trip was the people I met. In each of the three hotels I stayed in, the people there made me feel so welcome and shared their stories and experiences about their lives in Wales in England like I was an old friend. Not only did I meet people from the UK, but from many other parts of the world as well. I became acquainted with a wonderful young Australian woman at my hostel in Stratford-Upon-Avon who traveled with me for most of the next day. She was using her vacation time from school to travel the world. She had traveled up through Asia to get to Europe and the UK and was on her way to America – which made me feel poorly traveled! We actually met up for lunch in San Francisco this summer; she was still traveling, and I had started a business internship in the bay area.

Thank you so much for awarding me the opportunity to make this trip. It was something I had wanted to do ever since I decided to study abroad in the UK, and I am so appreciative to have been able to reach that goal. It was an experience that left me with wonderful stories that my friends and relatives have been hearing about practically nonstop since I returned this summer. Please contact me if you would like to hear more about my trip and the people I met along the way - or any of the future cycling trips I have planned for my next couple of years at Wellesley. ([email protected])