Skidmore College - Scope Magazine Spring 2019

6 SCOPE SPRING 2019 C O M M U N I T Y R E V I E W A healthier campus All Skidmore properties, including outdoor areas, are now smoke- and tobacco-free. The new policy, which went into ef- fect Jan. 1, aims to reinforce Skidmore’s “culture of wellness,” says Cerri Banks, dean of students and vice president for stu- dent affairs. The new policy, which also covers e-cigarettes and vaping devices, comes as U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warns about nicotine addiction and e-cigarette use among youth. Skidmore’s policy follows years of study with extensive community feedback. “We will only be successful if we each take responsibility for acknowledging, sharing and enforcing this community standard.” Banks says. Skidmore is partnering with Glens Falls Hospital to implement the policy and is also offering cessation resources. “For me, it keeps coming back to that it’s really simple to make a difference — that we can all make a difference,” Associate Athletic Director Megan Buchanan says of Skidmore Cares , the community service program initiated by Skidmore President Philip A. Glotzbach and Marie Glotzbach. Since 2006, the program has brought together staff and families during the holiday season while col- lecting food, school supplies and other items needed in the greater Saratoga Springs area. This year, Skidmore student-athletes and employees delivered more than $13,000 and 5,000 items to local nonprofits. “I think what we can do collectively as Skidmore with the thousands of items we collect is just really inspiring,” Buchanan adds. 2019 Commencement Professor of Sociology Kristie A. Ford, “Einstein’s Dreams” author Alan Lightman and baseball great Joe Torre have been selected to address the Class of 2019 at Commencement. Lightman’s book was the Class of 2019’s First-Year Experience reading assignment, and Skidmore is recognizing his efforts to bridge the sci- ences and humanities. In addition to an extraordinary career as an MLB player, manager and executive, Torre has been lauded for his outreach to children affected by domestic violence — service that was inspired by his own childhood trauma. Ford is director of Skidmore’s Center for Leadership, Teaching and Learning and founded Skidmore’s Intergroup Relations Program — the first such minor in the United States. Megan Buchanan, associate athletic director, left, and Ron Plourde, men’s baseball coach, deliver items collected as part of Skidmore Cares to the Franklin Community Center. COMING TOGETHER