Kerala Model of Development

With only two about two weeks left in term four classes, my academic workload has nearly doubled. Just last week I completed two research papers. And yet, I still have three papers, a group project and a portfolio to complete before the onset of summer break.

Of my recent projects, my favorite to work on was a paper for my comparative third world government class. In this essay I examined the Kerala Model of Development in India. To elaborate, Kerala is one of the twenty-eight states in India. In Kerala, leftist parties have been in power for a number of years and as a result, the earmarks of human development are comparable to that of the United States. In addition, Kerala has been called a model in sustainable development for third world nations. Here is an excerpt from my paper.

“Sustainable development has been defined as, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability if future generations to meet their own need.” Govindan Parayil provides examples of just how Keralans participate in environmentally responsible practices.

Electricity in Kerala is produced exclusively from small to medium scale hydroelectric projects. Large-scale deforestation did not take place as a result of these projects. Energy for cooking comes, mostly, in the form of bioenergy, which is derived from household plots and renewable marginal forests and hills. Although the acreage of the rain forests has declined from pre-independence figures, popular campaigns to preserve the existing forests seem to be successful. It appears that the energy use and consumption pattern is stable and sustainable.”

Cait

P.S. Here is a picture of me and my best friend. Her family is from Gujarat, India.

“Second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning!”

A cast of wonderfully talented individuals, including two staff members, from Warren Wilson College performed Peter Pan this past weekend. The run of the show was Thursday through Sunday – and the Saturday night show sold out! It was the best show Kittredge Theatre has seen in many years – at least according to some. Director Charlotte Lawrence, student at Warren Wilson College, chose to direct Peter Pan as her senior project. Some had doubts about the show, but as of this weekend, all of those doubts dissipated when they saw Never Land brought to life in Kittredge Theatre.

As a member of the cast, playing Tiger Lily and Liza, I can tell you it was not easy … but I can also tell you that it was worth every minute of late nights, long fight rehearsals, and lack of energy. It is a lot of work to be in a show, but it was so rewarding. The cast had wonderful energy and a great connection – we were all so excited about the show that it turned out to be a total success! Made up of Peter’s shadow (Asha Disu) cackling as she tried to keep away from Peter, Heely shoes to make the children and Peter fly, a mermaid who attacks Wendy on Marooner’s Rock, a very talented crocodile who crawled across the stage more than once each show, fog that covered the stage, and many other very talented people bringing Never Land to life for those who came to the theatre! One of my favorite parts was the kids that came to see the show. They were all so excited, and they got scared during the right parts and excited during the right parts. It was a blast. One little boy came running up to Peter after the show and gave him a huge hug saying, “I believe, Peter! I believe!”

Charlotte Lawrence, a student here at Warren Wilson, directed the show and a wonderful job she did indeed. We presented her with a bouquet of flowers after the curtain call of the last show and several of us were crying. It was such an overwhelming success!

Theatre here at Warren Wilson is open to anyone and everyone! Students auditioned, even if they are not part of the theatre department, as did faculty and staff. David Mycoff, who played Captain Hook, is a professor at Warren Wilson, and Ian Robertson, who was the narrator, is the Dean of Work. The rest of the cast was made up of students, and a wonderful group of people it was!

Congrats to the cast and crew! I’ll miss Never Land, but it lives on in our hearts forever.

Adrianne

Work Day

There are certain things I didn’t expect to do at college. One thing that wasn’t necessarily at the top of the list, but definitely on it, was group mulching. And that happens to be something that Wilson has helped me cross off.

Work Day is an age-old tradition here at Wilson. It celebrates one prong of our Triad through a day dedicated to serving the college as a community. The day begins with reporting to your respective crew and partaking in whatever your crew supervisor has in store for you. Here in Admissions, that means we deep cleaned the office – windows, carpets, bathrooms. The entire office was buzzing with cheerful activity, and even our admissions counselors got down to the floor to help out.

At about 11:30 came what is arguably the best part of Work Day – the food. We had a real, honest-to-goodness picnic on the admissions patio, complete with eight pints of ice cream (please consider – eight pints). After eating a remarkable amount of food (we had to get our strength up for the day, you see) we set out to Gladfelter to get a group picture with all Work Day participants (including our two beautiful draft horses, all rigged up) and split into groups.
My group mostly consisted of my advanced Spanish class, which made for a bilingual mulching adventure. We had been given a huge pile of mulch, dozens of buckets, a few pitchforks, and nearly thirty people to repair the trail by the pond and meditation hut. Somehow I ended up with a pitchfork (which produced lots of jokes about religious studies majors and our trustworthiness) knee-deep in a pile of hot, damp mulch. As soon as a bucket was filled, it was thrown into an assembly line with shouts of "Cubo! Cubo!" Each bucket was tossed on the upswing, caught in the air, and effortless passed military-style until being dumped on the trail. Two layers of mulch and some invasive species removal* later, the trails were looking gorgeous.
After hours of hot, dirty work we celebrated our way to the pavilion, where we were greeted with food from our dining hall (our barbecue tofu is probably the top most reason I will never leave Wilson) and sweet bluegrass tunes, complete with dancing. Following work awards for our exceptional student workers, Work Day officially came to a close. But you can't end such a productive day with anything other than leaping off the rope swing into the pond with your friends as the sun sets over the farm. Oh, sweet work college. You give me so much.

Michelle

* A word on invasive species removal - against what I believed to be common sense, this is not, in fact, weeding. There were groups (not, mind you, effortlessly) yanking full-grown trees out of the ground to make way for native plants. Also on their list to remove were vines which I believed to be part of the actual tree before its removal. These plants are creepy.

April Showers Bring...

April showers bring May flowers! And what do May flowers bring?
College decisions!!!

It is spring and the flowers are blooming, the baby cows are romping around in the pastures of the Warren Wilson College Farm, the weather is getting warmer, and high school students around the country are trying to decide which college they want to go to in the fall! I remember the spring of my senior year of high school trying to decide between two colleges. I had been accepted at what had become my top two schools and my father was trying desperately to get me to come to Warren Wilson College. I had every intention of going to another college, but when my it came right down to it, Warren Wilson had all the things I wanted. My admission counselor at Warren Wilson answered all of my questions in more detail than I ever could have hoped for and she painted a realistic picture of Wilson, pointing out both the pros and cons. She made the decision easy for me – Warren Wilson it is! It was hard though … the application process, waiting to hear back from the colleges, being denied from some and accepted to others, then visiting colleges and picking one to attend for the next four years of my life. It was a big decision, but it was the right one and I am very happy here at Warren Wilson.

My advice for picking colleges? Listen to your parents because they usually know you better than you think and they might just have a good point or two. But – follow your instincts and go with your gut feeling. If you visit a college, no matter how much you like it on paper, and it doesn’t feel good – forget it. The college itself makes all the difference in the world. Warren Wilson felt great when I came to visit and here I am!

Good luck with all your decision!

Adrianne

Spring Break ’08, Warren Wilson Style

Spring break. The words sound like bells ringing to students as they plan an entire week of activities with one major goal: having fun! At Warren Wilson, some students achieved this by going home; others made pocket money by working on campus. Five service-learning trips also went out to various locations. Here are spring-break notes from a few Warren Wilson students….

Emma Frappier woke up at 6 a.m. each day to work on the college farm. She burned brush piles, collected eggs, milked and helped manage more than 60 beef cows and their calves.

Matt Williams of Vermont and John Wright of New Hampshire both boiled sap to make maple syrup. They’re having a tasting contest to settle once and for all which state produces the ultimate syrup.

Emily Shanblatt hiked solo for 3½ days on North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail, starting at 6,643-foot-high Clingmans Dome.

Mandy Monroe and Chelsea Maier led a service trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. Their group of 12 swung Pulaskis and dug water bars to improve the Appalachian Trail.

Kevin Lane and Brian Hill ran a 50K race, in Charlottesville, Va. Lane placed second, right between WWC counselor Ann Lundblad in third and her husband Mark in first. Swannanoa swept the race!

Tessa Currie brought some friends to her aunt’s Welsh pony farm in Arkansas. They mucked out barns, trimmed a giant holly maze and survived a 25-year flood.

Rachel Hawkins worked on the Admission Crew and gave 10 tours to prospective students who all arrived on time.

Lizzy Doyle and Vanessa Emery were humiliated on television when a local reporter, from ABC News 13, asked them on the streets of Asheville why they weren’t inside watching the basketball game. “What game?” they replied.

Compiled by sophomore Vanessa Emery.

People at Wilson

People at Wilson tend to have done amazing things (and, of course, we’re all sure to do a lot more). One of my closest friends here on campus spent a year after high school WWOOFing in Italy, practicing sustainable agriculture on a farm. Another spent nine months in Americorps, traveling around the United States doing service. So when Debra from the Service Learning Office asked me to give a tour to ten students and two faculty members from University of Louisville on a spring break service trip (some of them Bonner Scholars), I figured they would be cool people. Wilson only attracts the best in not only students and faculty, but also visitors (just go contra dancing some Thursday and talk to a stranger - you’ll understand). These students, however, exceeded my expectations.

After taking the group on my largest tour thus far (and probably one of my most entertaining – it involved tree climbing), one of the perks of my job here in Admissions kicked in. They liked me, I liked them, and I was invited out for hiking and tacos.

Now, it’s midterm week. My Spanish oral exam was the next morning, and I had had no prior intention of going anywhere that evening. But let’s be serious – who turns down hiking and tacos? So to Montreat I went.

Montreat is a town / college / conference center about twenty minutes from Asheville. It’s set in between a few mountains and features unusual rental houses, shops, and is right by the quirky town of Black Mountain. I usually go hiking with my friends along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, but I must admit that Montreat was stunning. We arrived at the top of the mountain right as the sun was falling in the sky, and streaks of blue, purple, and red painted the sky. As we sat on a craggy cliff looking out over the Appalachians, I never felt more proud of the place that I call home. Nothing is more fulfilling that sharing a place you love with friends.

There are times in my life when I meet people who belong in Appalachia, and specifically Swannanoa, and don’t know it yet. These people were certainly Wilson students mistakenly living in Kentucky. To clarify: There was a boy in plaid flannel. We discussed corn subsidies, factory farming, the meat industry, and other reasons to eat local. Everyone helped with dinner. There was singing and a guitar, and we made it all the way through Old Crow Medicine Show’s Wagon Wheel (at full volume, no less), the song that always seems to come up at Wilson events.

I have the smells of garlic and sweet earth in my mind, a song in my heart, and gratitude for the opportunities Wilson tosses into my path (she’s not a subtle one). She may not give you what you expect every time, but she always sends you where you need to go.

Michelle

http://www.wwoof.org/
http://www.americorps.org/
http://www.bonner.org/campus/bsp/home.htm

Power Vacuums!

With just under a week until spring break, things at Warren Wilson are getting a bit hectic and the student body is beginning to show the telltale signs of ware. My nights are becoming later and later and my room smells like a coffee shop. Midterms are this week; I have four essays, a portfolio, and a project to complete before next Friday.

Even with midterm insanity setting in, over one hundred students attended a student caucus hosted question and answer session with our president. The meeting took place in the Sage Café and last about an hour and a half. Our president, Sandy Pfeiffer, is a new addition to the campus and some students question his plans for the future of Wilson. Rumors had it the Sandy planned to double or triple the student population. Fears that this supposed expansion would turn Warren Wilson College into a run of the mill, mainstream, learning institution had many people upset.

Students began to trickle into the Café at about 6:45 and by 7pm there was only standing room available. The meeting commenced when Sandy entered the Café and took a seat among the Caucus members. Tension filled the room. A heated debate was expected.

As students began to ask questions, Sandy eased our fears. No such plans for expansion existed. He was adamant about keeping our little college just that - little. Through the course of the meeting, Sandy agreed to eat lunch at least once a week with the students in the cafeteria, provide more vacuum cleaners for dorms, and continue attending student caucus meetings every three weeks.

Cait

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

When I got dressed on Monday, I put on my favorite blue sundress and my Chacos. It was in the 60s and sunny, and I walked barefoot between classes and work. The crocuses have been up for a few weeks, and the daffodils were starting to shoot up. Needless to say, I love spring.

So you can imagine my dismay when I woke up on Wednesday, turned my face to the window, and saw….snow. Snow?! Sure, it was only a light dusting, but it was cold, and it meant I had to dig out wool socks and wool sweaters and mittens and shoes that weren’t sandals. I grumbled. But it turns out that I can’t stay in a sour mood for too long, and the past few days have been lovely. A few highlights:
-Last night, I tromped through Dogwood Pasture and across Suicide Ridge on a blustery night-hike with a few girls from my dorm. We left our flashlights and home and let our eyes adjust to the darkness. It was lovely!
-This morning, it snowed again, and as I headed to work at 8, I noticed lots of students on the landscaping crew sweeping know off the walkways and sprinkling salt around to keep us from slipping. While I was enjoying the warmth of my bed, they had been up early taking care of us.
-When I went to get the mail, I noticed and Outdoor Leadership class cooking pancakes on a camping stove in the sunroom of Cowpie Café—we never do that sort of thing in Social Work classes!
-Finally, perhaps the best part of the day was the homemade cornbread they served with lunch. My friend Brian works in Cowpie, and has made it his mission to bake as much fresh bread as possible. His bread alone is worth the tuition I pay to go here, and I never pass up an opportunity to give him a hug. Something about warm baked goods on a cold day makes every worry you have go away.

With that, it’s time for me to don my mittens and head to my 2:30 class, and here’s hoping that the midday sun has warmed things up a bunch. Think warm thoughts!

Lindsay, (who shouldn’t be complaining because she’s from Boston)

Chipmunk Amok

People often ask me on tours, “What’s your favorite thing about Warren Wilson?” I know I asked that very same question when I came to visit the college. We all know how unreasonable that question is. You want me to narrow down my immeasurable list to one attribute of the college? I know, I know…it’s exciting to hear what people can come up with on the spot!

Yesterday, I had some free time, so I decided to do one my many favorite activities on campus. Walking our trails! I set out on our River Trail, which winds its way along the Swannanoa River. It’s hard to stop once you get going, and as a result, I found myself far off on the Berea trails. It was an unusually warm day, and the animals were out and about. I saw my first North Carolinian Chipmunk! I gave him quite a fright, sneaking up behind him to get a closer look. It’s nice to go out for a walk, take a nice breather from our busy schedules.

The great thing about the location of our campus is that we are tucked away in the breathtakingly beautiful Swannanoa Valley. We have access to over 600 acres of forest, and 25 miles of trails on campus. You don’t need to fret if you need some time in town. Asheville is a free, short bus ride away, where there is always something going on!

So this week, if I were to give you a tour, I would answer that hefty question with a definitive reply: the Trails!

Lora

From our friends at Wikipedia

Running *amok, sometimes referred to as simply amok (also spelled amuck or amuk), is derived from the Malay word amuk, meaning "mad with rage" (uncontrollable rage).

Dorm Love

My roommate and I sped up I-26 on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, hustling back to school after a weekend out of town. We were late for Dorland’s dorm potluck, and the vegan brownies in the seat between us were getting cold.

I love my dorm. I know it’s weird. I know that sometimes it smells funny, and when the window’s open it’s cold and when they’re shut it’s hot. I know that our toilet doesn’t always flush and sometimes you really don’t care to know what the people upstairs are doing (I swear they’re moving furniture), but none of this matters in the long run. I love my dorm because when we walked into the kitchen, all of our friends were sitting around the dinner table, and they were happy to see us. The food was on the stove (tacos!) and Sufjan Stevens was on the speakers. It was a low-key, relaxed night at home, and I couldn’t help but think of Thanksgiving dinners.

I love Dorland because of those nights where we build a fire in the fireplace and pull the couches into a circle. Max shows up with his guitar, then Marcus with a banjo, and Hannah brings her nyckelharpa (it’s Sweden’s national instrument, in case you didn’t already know). Dance parties are spontaneous, and last semester we learned that our RD makes a bangin’ pumpkin pie. From the swing on the porch you can watch the activity in Sage Circle and enjoy the breeze, and you’re sure to be joined by anyone looking for a little sunshine. When you play the Beatles in your room, people show up just to sing along.

So, I know it’s strange to love an old building with a questionable layout. I know you’re supposed to be chomping at the bit to move off-campus and get a “real place.” But the truth is, I love Dorland and the people who live there, and wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else.

Michelle