June 1977 Nonprofit Organiz. U.S. Postage Paid College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, Me. Permit #47 Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 fea COA NEWS The class of 1977 at College of the Atlantic hosted its provided by "Frenchman's Bay." " Commencement Celebration Saturday, June 4, sharing with In the main address, Samuel Eliot, Vice-president and the large gathering many of their images and impressions of the Senior Advisor, spoke of Human Ecology as "Closely connected college they helped create, Mount Desert Island which has been to sharing and teaching." He suggested that Human Ecologists, their home, and of their common concern, Human Ecology. as Shakespeare's Prospero in The Tempest, learn to remake The fifteen graduates began the celebration by entering their world through understanding and acceptance of all its St. Saviour's Church to the sounds of jigs and reels, provided contradictory aspects. by Jeff Baker and Carol Manahan on fiddle, Alexandra Brown, Fifteen degrees in Human Ecology were conferred by Hugh MacArthur and Samuel Eliot on autoharp, and Fran Edward Kaelber, President, and John Dreier, Chairman of the Pollitt and Sarah Hinckley on recorder. Board of Trustees, and graduate Scott Kraus announced that David Winship read from Walt Whitman's "Song of the the class of 1977 would award COA's first honorary degree in Rolling Earth," and spoke of "The Earth (as) our greatest ally." Human Ecology, to founding trustee The Rev. James A. And Fran Pollitt described COA as "A place where people are Gower. acting on their dreams." A "Celebration Song," reception at the college, and an Images of life on Mount Desert Island were offered by evening dance at Jordan Pond House rounded out the Fifth Susan Priest in a reading of her poetry, and more music was Commencement Celebration. Graduates A number of seniors will be going directly to work following commencement. Scott Kraus will for the second summer offer whale sighting cruises out of Northeast Harbor. He will be running three cruises per week. Alexandra Brown will head to Labrador, Quebec, where she will be working in small communities for the Quebec-Labrador Foundation, Inc. Sarah Hinckley will return to Alaska to study whales with Charles Jurasz. Rick Waters will be working with Joel White at his boatbuilding shop in Brooklin, Maine. John Biderman will be joining the annual Drury expedition to Alaska for continued bird studies during the summer. Jeff Baker has been hired as assistant director of the President Edward Kaelber, one of eight guests during the Washington-Hancock Community Agency, which is based in spring term speakers series at COA, presented a slide program Machias, Maine. and talk on Nigeria, where he lived for two years, working on Fran Pollitt is working for the Massachusetts Audubon an education-development program. Society on membership and fundraising from their Lincoln office. And Hugh MacArthur will be based in Augusta, Maine, position with Maine Reach, an educational institution for high working on development of a recreation and conservation plan school and college age students. Maine Reach is headquartered for the major islands off the coast of Maine for the Bureau of in Wiscasset, Maine, but Craig will be traveling statewide, Parks and Recreation. coordinating study programs and leading wilderness trips. Kate Darling is now living in College, Alaska, working for a Alumni Update Headstart center. She has applied to the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, for graduate studies in education. Several COA alumni, have recently sent news of their latest John March, freelance writer based in Nordlund, Washing- locations and endeavors. ton, has had an article on the Lobo Wolf and the E.H. McCleery Sally Morong, who worked for the Maine State Planning Lobo Wolf Foundation accepted by Audubon magazine. Office in Augusta since graduation in 1976, has been hired by Christine Ridenour, 1975 graduate of COA, is now working the Washington County Regional Planning Commission, offices in Cambridge, Mass. for a company which conducts internation- in Machias, Maine. al cost-of living analyses. After a winter's work with Headwaters in Canada, Craig And Cathy Johnson, '74, has remained in Nepal and is Kesselheim has headed to Alaska to assist COA faculty member working for a private trekking company out of Kathmandu, Bill Drury in bird studies, and in the fall Craig will return to a after several years work in Nepal for the Peace Corps. Seabrook Action term 1977. And student David Winship, who organized the Bar Harbor Fifteen COA students expressed their anti-nuclear concerns by participants in the Seabrook occupation, brought anti-nuclear participating in the non-violent occupation of the Seabrook, power information, such as the film, "Lovejoy's Nuclear War," N.H. proposed nuclear power plant site Saturday, April 30. to the college prior to the Seabrook demonstration. The students were among the 1400 arrested for criminal trespass and held in New Hampshire armory/jails, some for as long as 12 days. Briefly Several of the COA students were among those who paid The COA Board of Trustees annual meeting is scheduled for bail, were released and now await a District Court hearing. Monday, July 11 at the college. Others were part of the mass "not guilty" plea and mass hearing. Their case has been appealed to Superior Court; they The 200 passengers aboard the May 21 Whale and Seabird were released on personal recognizance. One COA student, Cruise, sponsored by COA out of Portsmouth, N.H., were Marilyn Downs, chose to stand trial individually. She was treated to a full day of sightings of numerous whales and a released on personal recognizance with the others and awaits variety of seabirds. trial in District Court. Marilyn is now organizer of a Maine coalition for the The next scheduled COA Whale and Seabird Cruise is to be Clamshell Alliance, which is the New England-wide organiza- October 22, again from Portsmouth, N.H. to Jeffries Ledge. tion which planned the Seabrook occupation. Marilyn coordin- ated a June 12 meeting of anti-nuclear power activists from Loie Hayes, reading poetry, and Robin Casey, singing and around the state of Maine to plan future courses of action. playing guitar, were participants in the Hancock Women's The Seabrook anti-nuclear action was only the most recent Festival held in Ellsworth May 20 and 21. The Festival, action by COA students in regards to nuclear power. Two years attended by about eight COA women, was part of the National ago, students Tim Milne and Norman Sibley researched nuclear Women's Year activities. power and prepared an educational slide program on the issue. This slide show has been made available for presentation to Richard Davis, COA faculty member in philosophy, has organizations and in schools. recently been elected Chairman of the Maine Council for the Some students have been active in the local chapter of Safe Humanities and Public Policy, the state agency for the National Power for Maine, an anti-nuclear group which organized in 1974 Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). when a power plant was proposed for Sears Island. As part of an alternative energy workshop at COA in Davis also recently completed participation in a national 1974-75, Dave Wersan did extensive research into nuclear research and planning grant from NEH to determine the role of power, both light-water and breeder reactors. This information self-imagery in various phases of Maine life, and the feasibility was used as resource material by the participants in the of media approaches to solutions of the problems. Elmer Beal, Seabrook action. COA faculty member in anthropology, served as a special The topic of nuclear power was recently discussed from the consultant to the research team, which included six humanities point of view of an economist, COA faculty member Stephen scholars and the management of the Maine Public Broadcasting Andersen, in one of a series of faculty seminars during spring Network.