Gloria Steinem ’56, author and activist Barbara Love, and poet and playwright Cherrie Moraga are among the more than fifty women who share their life stories as part of the Sophia Smith Collection’s “Voices of Feminism” oral history project. The goal of the project, which began in 2002 and was funded by the Ford Foundation, was to bring “race, class, and sexual diversity to the holdings of the Sophia Smith Collection.” Content includes recorded interviews, transcripts, correspondence between interviewer and narrator, and biographical surveys. Narrators include activists, artists and writers, lesbian rights advocates, and grassroots organizers. For a complete description of the collection and profiles of narrators, visit http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/vof/vof-intro.html.

Shanti Freitas ’08, an accomplished athlete and team leader, is among the top nine finalists for the annual NCAA Woman of the Year award, which recognizes talented female student athletes who have shown leadership in sport, academics, and community service. At Smith, Freitas, a sociology major, was a three-time all-American diver, an honor student, and the recipient of the Seven Sisters Scholar-Athlete Award during her senior year. In addition to her athletic pursuits, Freitas served as associate director of Smith’s Best Buddies program and was a student mentor at an after-school program. While studying abroad, she volunteered at a domestic violence project in Ecuador. For more information, visit http://www.smith.edu/athletics/news//swi100108NCAA_Woman.html.

Smith’s new Center for Women in Mathematics is working hard to accomplish its goal of attracting more women to the field. This fall, there are three notable programs for women at Smith—an undergraduate math conference, a junior-year-at-Smith program, and a postbaccalaureate program. The conference for women in mathematics in New England was held on campus on September 27. Featured were papers on a variety of topics, from game theory to geometric methods in voting. Attending were women mathematicians from Smith, Bard College, Boston University, and Columbia, among other places. For more information on the center and its activities, visit http://math.smith.edu/center/node/16.

Documentary filmmaker Victoria Gamburg ’93 can add another honor to her long list of accomplishments. Last month, Gamburg’s film Moscow’s Sex and the City was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy Award in a new category for work presented on the Internet. In the film, which takes its title from the U.S. series Sex and the City, Gamburg, who was born in St. Petersburg, compares the lives of the fictional characters and stars of Russia’s popular television show Balzac Age to the experiences of real-life single women in Moscow. For an interview with Gamburg, visit http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/russia602/interview_reporter.html.

Anne De Groot ’78 was among the fifteen “women of achievement” honored last month by the YWCA of Northern Rhode Island for their work in empowering women. De Groot was given the “caring” award. As CEO and founder of Epivax, Inc., she designs new vaccines for diseases and also advocates for HIV care on an international level. For information on all the honorees, visit http://www.womenofachievementri.org/2008winners.html.

A host of affinity groups are available for alumnae looking to connect with other Smith women who share similar interests, professions, or cultural backgrounds. Among the existing groups are the Association of Latina Alumnae of Smith (ALAS), the LGBTQ Alumnae Alliance of Smith College, the Black Alumnae of Smith College (BASC), the Smith Asian Alumnae Connection (SAAC), and a group for alumnae working in human resources. For information about affinity and special interest programs, visit http://alumnae.smith.edu/groups/affinity.php.

The Hampshire County Smith Club is auctioning off a rare set of twelve Wedgwood Commemorative Smith College plates. Proceeds from the auction will go to the club’s scholarship fund. Inquires may be sent to Autumn Storozuk ’03, club president, at autumnronco@yahoo.com.