I was at Holyoke back in the late 1960s/early 1970s, and it was an exciting place to be. I appreciated the natural leadership I found there; the faculty, as I said; the excellent facilities; and the fact that I -would- learn about women's participation in history, science, etc. without having it segmented into a women's studies course or courses. I saw strong role models in my area of academic specialization, and when I got out, I found that I had been formidably prepared to learn, to go on learning, and very civilly to hold my own ground.

I wasn't a "coed": I was the student herself, not an ancillary or an afterthought. Were there women who were a total pain? Sure, and there still are. Men too.

Probably, my moment of absolute clarification came in my first week of classes at Harvard in the Ph.D. program. My first feeling was mild bemusement at the presence of men in my classes. Men weren't in one's classes: how strange!

Then, I laughed and settled down to the business of learning some more. I'm proud of the tradition.

Aside from the fact that I love the area. If I have a Shire of my own, the Valley is it.

While the Messianic Minions have been making other jokes when they're not pronouncing with the verbal vehemence of SDS (explanation available upon request), I'm recalling a joke from Bill Clinton's administration.

Bill and Hillary were driving...well, somewhere, and they stopped to buy gas. Bill said "Just think, Hillary, what if you had married the gas station attendant."

Hillary shot him a look and said, "He'd be sitting right here."

You can see her as wifey (I don't know how, but I can't stop you) if it serves your turn. I saw her as a kingmaker at that time.

I was not a rich girl, and my father died while I was in college. The schools are prosperous, and if they want a student, they will make it possible for that student to attend.

A student of exceptional ability, male or female, whose family earns below $60K (Columbia) incurs no loans and pays no tuition. At Harvard, it's above $80K. More and more schools are joining the movement to craft funding packages that create economic diversity.

A metric to look for is endowment per pupil. If it's in the six figures, a kid who's gifted, but poor may find a private Ivy a better bet than out-of-state tuition. MAY.

I don't know what Holyoke's metric is. Its endowment, unlike Wellesley's (if I remember correctly) and perhaps Smith's is below $1 billion. Amherst is the rich cousin in the Valley.

This is -so- off-topic, but I'm going to rant briefly. I cannot tell you how much I abhor the separation of students by economic status. Intellect should not be confined by class, and I blame it on the way scholarships and loans were cut way back, starting with the Reagan administration.

I finished my doctorate -- five years -- with only $5500 in debt. I couldn't even -touch- that program now.

Actually, I like both stories. And I'm Jewish!

Of course, it's much easier to be flippant. Okay, you get the "cool" points.

I've been going to the Met for about 28 years. The Mingella Butterfly was one of the most stunning performances and most beautiful productions I have ever seen.

What a loss!

This excerpt may be the tip of the iceberg, but it's certainly worth saying:

"As we enter into our sixth year in Iraq, we must elevate our thinking to a level beyond fear and its necessary corollaries -- racism, misogyny and economic injustice -- to a place where strategy is not owned by the military alone, but is informed by those who should have had a say all along. And we must deepen our thinking to carefully consider the implications of enduring war and occupation on the lives of women, youth and low-income families at home and abroad."

I think that's an excellent observation, with its implicit corollary: that Americans need to integrate themselves into awareness of the military, both in terms of strategy/tactics and the impact of military action on military personnel and those close to them. It covers race, class, gender, civilian or military status, and whether we are in the U.S. or in Iraq.

Granted, what it doesn't cover is the adrenaline rush of attacking the enemy screaming and doing other rash things. That is left, as it should be, to the REMF, the ranter, the Monday-morning quarterback, and the people with special agendas.

Check out the Grameen banks and microloans.