On April 19, the college will host its second annual Smith Arts Day, featuring more than 40 free events across campus. From hands-on workshops to performances and exhibitions, the events are facilitated by the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA) and serve as an exciting celebration of creativity, community, and collaboration. “We hope this day sparks joy through making, sharing, and discovering what’s possible when we create together,” says SOFA Director Leigh Fagin.

In 2024, Smith College’s magazine underwent a redesign—the first time in more than 25 years—in partnership with global design firm Pentagram. This year, the magazine is up for several awards, including best redesign of an entire issue, with Rolling Stone as a fellow category nominee.

Presented at Rally Day, Elizabeth B. Wyandt Gavel Awards are given to staffers who go above and beyond to make Smith a better place. Winners of the Gavel Awards in 2025 are Hilary Mikucki, left, who leads Ziskind House’s kosher kitchen, and Becky Shaw, associate dean of students.

An activist involved with literacy campaigns, Baksh pushes for libraries to be prioritized in school budgets. “Libraries are places of community-building and socialization—essential at a time when many teens are struggling with isolation and mental health challenges,” she writes.

In honor of Smith’s 150th anniversary in 2025, Sanders will lead a lecture dedicated to the college’s founder, Sophia Smith, left, today at 6 p.m. EST. Guests will also have a chance to peruse an exhibit of items from Sophia Smith’s private life.

A recently completed project by Smith College special collections has made thousands of Smith-affiliated publications accessible for public viewing. This multiyear project focused primarily on materials made by or intended for students, including issues of The Sophian, student handbooks, and more. A bequest by Smith College medalist Jane Wallace ’47, M.A. ’49, in addition to long hours of work by students and staff, helped make the project possible.

On April 17 at 7 p.m. EST in Weinstein Auditorium, a screening of Banned Together: The Fight Against Censorship will be followed by a discussion with local directors, artists, and activists moderated by Naila Moreira, co-director of Smith’s journalism concentration. Registration is still open for the free event.

Published in The Journal of African American History, Ahlman’s paper reviews Du Bois’s Liberian activism during the 1920s and early 1930s. “Du Bois drew his understanding of the country and its needs from the perspectives of the Americo-Liberian elite,” Ahlman writes. “He thus passed over the experiences of Liberia’s indigenous majority.”

Chief executive officer of the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Gavin says her involvement with the cause stems from her nephew’s death. “A hospital neurologist diagnosed him as having metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD),” she tells The Boston Globe. “But last year the FDA approved a therapy for MLD. … It’s pretty amazing.”

Earlier this month, major players in the art world gathered at the Frick Collection for a gala toasting the museum’s recently completed renovations. Eveillard, chair of the museum’s board of trustees, gave opening remarks at the celebration, which doubled as a farewell party to the Frick’s outgoing director, Ian Wardropper.

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