missing persons

With this mid-term election for class secretary, we've been working with the class roster quite a bit over the past week as we verify and tally the votes.

Here's some facts I thought were interesting:

• There are 855 people in total in the Smith Class of 1999.
• Of this, there are 32 classmembers who are "lost" - we have no contact info on file whatsoever and haven't heard from them since graduation.
• There are 363 classmates who don't have a working email address on file, and therefore probably didn't hear about the election or about this blog.
  
• Who knows how many don't have a current mailing address? We haven't done any mailings yet - but when we do, we want to make sure we reach as many as possible.

As a class, we really don't want to bombard you guys with emails or spend all our reunion funds on mass-mailings. That's why we created this blog. But from time to time, things pop up (like this election for class secretary) and we need to get the word out.

So if you haven't already, please update your contact info with the Alumnae Directory. It's quick to get set up, totally secure, and we promise not to spam you.

Ten year reunion is coming up, and we want to make sure that everyone is in the loop!

(And if you have a blog or website of your own, we'd love it if you'd link back to us! Send your URL to us and we'll link to you from here as well.)

One more day of voting left...

Please don't forget to send your vote for your new class secretary to smithcollege99@gmail.com. Voting will close noon (est) tomorrow, Friday June 30. All candidates and their statements are listed in the post below.

Voting is Now Open for a New Class Secretary

Voting for a new class secretary will be open until 12pm EST June 30.

Please send your vote to smithcollege99@gmail.com.
Please place your vote's name in the SUBJECT LINE.
Please put your name (as it exists on the class roster) in the BODY of the message.

Only members of the Smith College class of '99 can vote and each class member may only vote once. Please note that we will not be able to count any vote from a name that does not match the class roster.

Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name. Most have elected to write a short statement (listed below) as to why they would like to be class secretary. Please read all statements before voting. We will tally all votes on the afternoon of the 30th and post the name of the new secretary Saturday morning.

Good luck to the candidates and thank you all for voting!
Your Class Officers

Our Candidates are...

• Emily E. Farrell
• Jen Grady
• Ingrid Howard
• Monique King-Viehland & Ernessa T. Carter
• Katy Tierney
• Sarah (Hopkins) Tolch
• Katrina von Hollen Weaver

Candidate Statements...

• EMILY FARRELL
My name is Emily Farrell and I am eager to serve as our next class secretary. Maintaining connections among our class and with the Smith community is important to me, and I will approach the position with enthusiasm and dedication.

At Smith I lived in Tyler House, majored in Art History and French Studies, and spent junior year abroad in Paris. After Smith I joined the Peace Corps and served in West Africa. I now work as a Peace Corps recruiter and am used to taking on a public role and interacting with a variety of people. My strong communication and organizational skills will be an asset when working as class secretary.

Like many of you, I look forward to reading the class notes section of the Alumnae Quarterly and will make sure each issue contains news and information about our class. I have a curious nature: I want to know what is going on and I want to share that information with our class. Email Emily

• JEN GRADY
Dear fellow 99-ers,
I, Jen Grady, would love to be your class secretary!

Qualifications: Unlike a disturbing percentage of Americans, I know how to read and write! In fact, I even majored in English. I have work experience in the literary field: I spent the first 2.5 years post-graduation toiling away at Oxford University Press, and I was kindly acknowledged in the Editors’ Prefaces of the books on which I worked (if you want to verify this assertion, the ISBNs of said books are 0195297512 and 019528478). More important than all that academic hoodayhaw is the fact that I love to write, and I do so passionately and prolifically. I wrote my first book in Kindergarten; all the teachers thought I was very bright. I have continued writing poems and fiction ever since. In fact, Alicia DiPietro ’99 and I are about to publish the second volume of our combined poetic works.

I love Smith, and I look forward to receiving the Quarterly. My favorite part is the Class Notes section. I would be honored to be the gal responsible for the ‘99 Notes. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote for me!! Email Jen

• INGRID HOWARD
I started out in corporate retail merchandising and currently find myself on the editorial board of my law school journal. Thus, for quite some time, my days have been very minutiae-intensive and deadline-driven, leaving me very much familiar with management of the details, projects and procedures required of a nicely executed end-product.

One area of the secretary position that I'd like focus on is our Alumnae Quarterly class update column. Technology issues, full email inboxes and other problems aside, none of the other class columns appear to have taken such a hit in the past several issues, and I feel it is time to get our column back on track. Simply put, advance preparations and regular management of secretarial responsibilities are the best way to guarantee smooth operations. Some of my ideas include (1) updating the submissions account to Gmail in order to accommodate the large number of emails/photos that are to be expected; (2) sending confirmation emails upon receipt of each submission to avoid confusion about receipt of submissions; and (3) adding a note in the column that redirects readers to our class website, a source for full-length submissions, more photos and whatever didn't make the publication deadline. Email Ingrid

• MONIQUE KING-VIEHLAND & ERNESSA T. CARTER
We would like to nominate ourselves as co-class secretaries for the following reasons:

1. Two people would make the many duties of this job a lot more manageable.
2. We're both super-duper organized, but in completely different ways. I produce plays. She works for the Governor of New Jersey.
3. Opposites are fun! Monique rocks suits and I rock flip-flops. Monique gives speeches, and I write lots of words for actors. Monique lives on the East Coast, and I'm happy in the West Coast Sunshine.
4. How cool would it be to have secretaries representing Smith on both sides of the Mississippi.
5. We call each other at least once a week anyway, so this would ensure that we never run out of things to talk about.

Most importantly, we have both been wanting to get re-involved with Smith for a very long time, and this job would not only allow us to use our very different skills sets, but it would also allow us to serve our class. Viva 99! Email Monique and Ernessa

• KATY TIERNEY
YOU WANT ME! YOU REALLY REALLY WANT ME!
You want me because: I am freakishly organized. I have a nearly unhealthy passion for all things Smith. I have extra time to play on the computer, track you down, and return emails. I fancy blogging. I can help you make what sounds boring or routine seem like a broadway musical or hollywood movie (your choice). I promise you a kick a*$ party at our 10-year reunion.
Help me spend less time cleaning my house and watching TV! Vote for Katy Tierney for secretary! Email Katy

• SARAH (HOPKINS) TOLCH
My name is Sarah Tolch (nee Hopkins,) and I think I would be a good choice for class secretary for a variety of reasons. First, I have good organizational skills and am a champion e-mailer. Ask my family who get more electronic messages from me than phone calls. Second, I am pretty tech savvy. I know I would be capable of working on the online portions of the job. Finally, I think I have a good relationship with most of my classmates, and I know I would always interact with everyone in a professional and respectful manner. I would love to be your class secretary. Email Sarah

• KATRINA von HOLLEN WEAVER
Every time I try to write why I want to be our class secretary it sounds, well, sappy. A little bit of sugar consumprion gave me this…I love Smith, and I love reading “classnotes” – maybe I’m just nosy about good news and the cool stuff that other Smithies are doing. I can be annoyingly organized and hyper at the same time. I love planning anything and everything. Lists and notebooks make my life go round. I want to be your class secretary so I can cheer us all on, get you excited to come back for reunion, and help keep us all in touch. I’d even like to help us get acquainted with one another, even if we didn’t know each other at Smith.
Thanks for your consideration. Email Katrina

We need a new class secretary!

Greetings Class of 1999!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the early days of summer. I am writing to let everyone know that Cherilyn Cepriano has decided to resign her position as Class Secretary and we are in need of a new class secretary. First, I would like to thank Cherilyn for all the hard work and time given to the class. I wish her the best in all her future pursuits. Thank you Cherilyn!

So would you like to be our new secretary? Wondering what exactly is expected? Below is the position description. If you are still interested after reading, please send me an email at tdickson@smith.alumnae.net. I will be taking nominations for one week or until Friday, June 23. Next Friday I will post the nominees to the class blog for everyone to vote on.

I look forward to your nominations. Our 10th reunion is only three years away and we need a full slate of enthusiastic officers to ensure that reunion goes well.

Take Care Everyone!
Tiffany Rauch-Dickson

CLASS SECRETARY POSITION DESCRIPTION
TERM: till Spring 2009
The class secretary is the communications and records hub of the class. They are responsible for submitting a Class Notes column four times a year to the Smith Alumnae Quarterly (SAQ). Additionally, she is responsible for maintaining class files, keeping an accurate record of class business, keep a list of a lost classmates and working with the communications/web chair on the class website.

QUALIFICATIONS

Excellent organizational skills / Enthusiasm for Smith, a wide acquaintanceship within her class, and a desire to increase participation of class members in both class and Alumnae Association events / Ability to work closely with the other class officers / Willingness to solicit news and information from classmates and seek out lost classmates / Ability to communicate clearly and educate the class as to the policies and procedures of the Alumnae Association and Class Officer work.
Be a team player with a positive attitude and professional communications practice.

NON-CLASS NOTES RESPONSIBILITIES

Participate in the class website (blogsite), both as member and posting officer. / Work with other officers to develop and carry out class fundraisers. / Report any changes in a classmate's name or address to the AASC records department / Assist both the class nominating committee and the reunion chair with nominations to reunion committees or for class officer positions / Maintain informational files regarding classmates and class business that is of historical value to the class / Keep minutes of class and Executive Committee meetings / Create reports from class officer meetings and a listing of lost classmates / Attend Reunion

The secretary position is the most public and, therefore, the most scrutinized. Anyone filling this position must be able to handle any possible issue or conflict that may arise with a high-degree of patience and professionalism, as conflicts are often a result of a misunderstanding. Must be very comfortable dealing with a variety of personalities and temperaments.

What's up, Class of 1999?

Ok, it's been a couple months since we've asked... what's everyone getting up to?

Let us know by adding a comment to this post.

And FYI, any news you share with us here may be used in a future Quarterly column, so please let us know if you'd rather not have your news published there.