THE OWL THE ALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF COLLEGE YEAR IN ATHENS Spring 2018 Urban Sustainability class on site at the Antonis Tritsis Environmental Awareness Park 5 PLATEIA STADIOU, ATHENS, GREECE BOARD OF TRUSTEES K. Chris Todd Artemis A. Zenetou Stephen G. Miller Chairman, Board of Trustees, College Year in Athens; Executive Director, Fulbright Foundation in Greece Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus, Partner, Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick, University of California at Berkeley; PLLC Cornelia Mayer Herzfeld (CYA ’66) Recording Secretary of the Board of Trustees Former Director, Excavations at Nemea Raphael Moissis and Special Consultant to the President, Thomas J. Miller Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees, College Year in College Year in Athens Former U.S. Ambassador to Greece; President/CEO, Athens; Chair Emeritus, Foundation for Economic International Executive Service Corps (IESC) & Industrial Research (IOBE) - Greece; Honorary Chairman, AB Vassilopoulos S.A. TRUSTEES EMERITI Gregory Nagy Director, Center for Hellenic Studies; Francis Jones Peter Sutton Allen (CYA ’65) John McK. Camp II Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor Treasurer, Board of Trustees, College Year in Athens; Director of the Agora Excavations, of Comparative Literature, Harvard University Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Rhode Island American School of Classical Studies at Athens College Gene Rossides George A. David President, American Hellenic Institute Foundation Constantine P. Petropoulos Director, Leventis Group Assistant Treasurer, College Year in Athens; Alan Shapiro (CYA ‘69) George N. Hatsopoulos Chairman Emeritus, Petros Petropoulos A.E.B.E. W.H.Collins Vickers Professor of Archaeology, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, The John Hopkins University; Whitehead Professor at Daphne Hatsopoulos Thermo Electron Corporation the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Secretary, Board of Trustees, College Year in Athens; Joan Caraganis Jakobson (CYA ‘65) 1992-93, 2012-13 Trustee, Boston Museum of Science Free-Lance Writer; Advisory Board, Wesleyan Writers Stephen V. Tracy Anastassis G. David Conference; Trustee, New York Historical Society Former Director, American School of Classical Studies Chairman of the Board, Coca Cola HBC AG Edmund Keeley at Athens; Professor Emeritus, Ohio State University Straut Professor of English Emeritus and Director of Mark D. Desjardins Voula Tsouna Headmaster, St. John’s School, Houston, Texas Hellenic Studies Emeritus, Princeton University Professor of Philosophy/Chair, UC-Santa Barbara Nitzia Embiricos Logothetis (CYA ‘02) Kitty P. Kyriacopoulos Charles Kaufman Williams II Founder and Executive Chairwoman, Seleni Institute Mary R. Lefkowitz Director Emeritus, Corinth Excavations, Dimitri Gondicas Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities American School of Classical Studies Director, Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, Emerita, Wellesley College Princeton University Polyvios Vintiadis ADMINISTRATION Director, Morgens Waterfall Vintiadis & Co. Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos (CYA ‘83) Executive Professor of Neuroscience, University of Chicago Alexis Phylactopoulos, President John C. Hermansen (CYA ‘71) BOARD OF ADVISORS Elina Sinopoulou, Assistant to the President Founder & CEO, Language Analysis Systems, Inc.; IBM Distinguished Engineer (ret.) Rhoda Borcherding Academics Director of Study Abroad (retired), Pomona College Theoni Scourta, Vice President for Academic Affairs Samuel Holzman (CYA ‘10) Maria Tsahas, Registrar Doctoral Candidate in Art and Archaeology of the P. Nikiforos Diamandouros Georgia Katsarou, Librarian Mediterranean World, University of Pennsylvania Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Athens; Former Greek Ombudsman Angelos Papadopoulos, Academic Advisor Yannis Ioannides Max & Herta Neubauer Chair & Professor of Jack Davis Administration , Vice President for Administration Economics, Tufts University Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology, Peggy Myresiotou University of Cincinnati; Former Director of the Popi Triantafyllidi, Strategic Planning Manager George Komodikis American School of Classical Studies at Athens Evgenia Ghizas, Project Administrative Assistant Investment Consultant; Managing Director, Anthi Papageorgiou, Staff Assistant Madison Holdings Christos Doumas Professor of Archaeology Emeritus, University Student Affairs/Services Christine Kondoleon of Athens; Director, Excavations at Akrotiri, Thera Executive Director George & Margo Behrakis Senior Curator of Greek Nadia Meliniotis, of Student Affairs and Roman Art, Art of the Ancient World, Nicholas Gage Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Writer; Journalist Jennifer Holland, Student Services Coordinator Zoe Sophia Kontes (CYA ’95) Thomas W. Gallant (CYA ’76) Housing/Food Associate Professor and Chair of Classics, Nicholas Family Endowed Chair, Professor of Modern Popi Baloglu, Director of Housing & Catering Kenyon College Greek History, University of California, San Diego Kallia Alexandridi, Housing & Catering Assistant Michalis Alexandridis, Maintenance Ulysses Kyriacopoulos Peter Green Chairman, Imerys Industrial Minerals Greece S.A. James R. Dougherty Jr. Centennial Professor of Educational Travel & Short-Term Programs Classics Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin; Vasso Matrakouka, Short-Term Programs Laetitia La Follette (CYA ’75) Adjunct Professor of Classics, University of Iowa Professor of History of Art & Architecture, Coordinator University of Massachusetts Amherst Michael Herzfeld Vassilis Karavassilis, Short-Term Programs Assistant Ernest E. Monrad Professor of the Social Sciences in Theo Melas-Kyriazi the Department of Anthropology, Harvard University Financial Chief Financial Officer, Levitronix Technologies LLC Maria Malliou, Financial Officer Martha Sharp Joukowsky Vana Bica, Accountant Alexander Nehamas Professor Emerita of Old World Archaeology and Art, Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in Brown University; Director, Petra Southern Temple Fundraising the Humanities, Professor of Philosophy and Excavations; Former President of the Archaeological Vassilis Simopoulos, Fundraising Officer Comparative Literature, Princeton University Institute of America Media Lab Elaine Papoulias (CYA ’91) Gerald Lalonde , Social Media Coordinator Executive Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center Sofia Stavropoulou Professor of Classics, Grinnell College , Digital Content Coordinator for European Studies, Harvard University Maria Makripoulias Artemis Leontis US Administration Alexis G. Phylactopoulos Professor of Modern Greek; Chair, Department President, College Year in Athens Katie Sievers, Associate Director of Classical Studies, University of Michigan of Campus Relations Anne F. Rothenberg (CYA ‘66) Lily Macrakis Alexia Lingaas, Senior Coordinator Trustee, The Huntington Library Art Collections Special Counselor to the President of Hellenic of Campus Relations and Botanical Gardens College-Holy Cross Grace Twardy, Senior Coordinator Elias Samaras James R. McCredie of Student Relations Founder, President and Managing Director, Sherman Fairchild Professor Emeritus and Former Lauren Chow, Coordinator, Ambassador Program Digital Security Technologies S.A. Director, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; & Administrative Support Thanos Veremis Director, Excavations in Samothrace Erica Huffman, Director of Alumni Relations Professor of Political History Emeritus, Maria Marakas, Bursar and Manager of the University of Athens; Vice Chairman, ELIAMEP North American Office LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT n a country that has endured so much gifts of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Iduring an economic crisis which is by Pangrati, still a typical residential area, no means over, one would think it would is getting its fair share of new modest- be difficult to report the positive or the ly-priced hip restaurants and wine-bars. optimistic. It was with these thoughts that No wonder our students declare them- I took a stroll through Athens on a May selves fascinated by Athens at the end of Sunday morning. This was one of the few their stay. Sundays that the law allows shops to open Here lies the antithesis; there are serious for business. I walked down the hill from dark issues in Greece today, unreason- Kolonaki to Panepistimiou Street, then on ably high taxation, large budget surpluses to Syntagma Square, down Ermou Street agreed by the government with Greece’s and on to Plaka, passing by balconies with lenders for years to come, high unemploy- cascading wisterias and bougainvilleas. ment, and no development in sight. As if Street musicians were adding their own this was not enough, there is an inefficient tone. justice system and a restrictive environment What I saw was a city of incredible vitality, in public education. All these are at the exuding a powerful energy. There was root of Greece’s present problems and of its culture, tourism, and commerce at its best. protracted suffering. My wanderings led me to a marvelous ex- But there is the other very bright side. hibition of Konstantinos Volanakis, Greece’s Examples of that are the people’s resilience, foremost seascape artist. In another the energized civil society particularly principal museum, there was a magnificent active with such causes as the refugee care exhibition of contemporary photography and the protection of the Greek landscape The discovery was facilitated in May with a taking a look inside the physical spaces of and its sea from plastics, and the spirit of student conference on urbanism in Greece Greek public service. In